ARGO SILVER vs PELE

ICHAN STADIUM
Argo Silver 3 - 0 Pele
reported by Carlos Wesley

What a victory! What a relief! Ding Dong the wicked ICAHN Stadium curse is dead!

Upon entering the field and seeing the formidable opponent across from us, one of the last things many of us would have imagined was ablow-out victory in our favor. A full squad of Ronaldinos displaying their masterful juggling while decked out in their matching (yes,matching) Brazilian uniforms, the "Pele" team from Astoria also must have felt pretty confident looking over at our short-handed squad as well. Fortunately, our final teammates arrived at the last minute. Then, in the first "turning point" of the game, our team unanimously voted to go with a novel 3-5-1 attack to strengthen our midfield. From then on, there was no turning back.

With Elliot serving as a brick wall in goal and the combination of Rob, Jim, Joe, and Pete stifling every run the Pele's made, our defense proved as solid as ever. Meanwhile, our center mid trio of Yoshi, Drew, and Victor locked down the center of the field as we controlled the ball as well as the entire first half. Although it remained scoreless, we all knew that this game was ours to lose.

The 2nd half proved to be Argo Silver's break-out party. Rob T made the first critical assist to a breaking " Brooklyn " Rob who (despite being shoved from the back) maintained his balance to slice a beauty into the upper right corner of the net. Soon after, Victor's throw was flicked on by Thierry to find Carlos streaking down the leftsideline. His shot caught the fingertips of the leaping goalie before finding the back of the net. The icing on the cake came when Rob T used his ESP to find a wide-open (and not even offside!) Thierry who gathered the ball and (just as the French have done to the Brazilians for the past 2 world cups) out played their keeper by stepping to the left and cracking the final goal.

What a feel-good victory - our first at ICAHN Stadium. Perhaps this one will prove to be the turning point in our season. Perhaps it was all just a dream. If the latter, please don't pinch us quite yet.

NYC Sirens vs. Scala

PIER 40 Courtyard West
-- report by Elliot Gilmore

Leaving your warm accommodation and turning up for a game on the coldest night of the year so far is one thing, staying to play with just 10 players against a full team with 3 substitutes is another. This is what 10 of the NYC Sirens did on Sunday. For various reasons, the Sirens were a depleted squad for this match against a tough opposition, but were certainly in good spirits when I turned up....late and in winter clothes from head to toe.

I announced the line-up and gave some kind of team talk, which centered around enjoying the game and basically staying warm. Then it was time to kick off.

From the start we matched the opposition stride for stride and were first to the tackles. If anything, we looked like the stronger team and the one that had 11 players. Within minutes of the start it was clear that Scala were a quick team playing through the middle and very narrow. With Michelle and Erika in the middle, the Sirens soon put a stop to that game plan. Erika was solid in the tackle and skillful with her passing, allowing Rachel and Emily to run at the sluggish defense they were up against. Anything Erika may have missed, Michelle tidied up neatly and at times leaving a calling card on her opponent for not giving the Sirens enough respect! Dana led the line on her own and must have run, along with the other team players about 7 miles. It would be harder for Dana, not because of fitness, but because she was wearing a "Skort" and fishnets under her tangerine footy socks.....This look was to be an advantage later! At the back from the start, Marina, Michelle, Nikki and Liz all looked comfortable despite the conditions and Andi in goal looked at ease with shots from outside the box.

As time went on, the Sirens began to tire a little and this was clear when the deadlock was broken on 30 minutes. A ball over the top was too much to handle and the pace of the Scala striker created a goal out of nothing. A good finish but not really a fair showing of the first third of the game. Shortly after, Nikki, playing great at the back put a stop to another attack, but in doing so, injured herself in a hard tackle and had to come off. Sirens were down to 9 players now and looking a little lost in the cold. They needed a lift. Looking at me on the bench was not it, but next to me, was Gracie, watching her team, unable to play because of a broken toe. If they had looked over, they would have seen her start kitting up and getting ready to go on! My thoughts and comments about her injury fell on deaf ears, she was going to play and assist her team mates. If i had had some "Rocky" music, i would have played it!!!

Back to 10 players, the Sirens got back into the game, thundering tackles went in along with some great footwork and runs from the before mentioned Emily and Rachel. Half time could not come soon enough for the opposition now! Luckily for them it did.

During the break, the Sirens were chatting that they actually were playing great and could go on and win this. Hands in and to a cheer of "Brrrrr Sirens" they went back to the field.

A few attacks by the opposition led to some smart saves by Andi and some great defending by M & M...Mary and Marina. Erika and Michelle continued to be strong and dominate the midfield. With the two outside backs pushing on, the opposition were unable to keep up. Liz and Mary made some great runs and crosses for the forwards. Eventually, a corner was given to the Sirens. Liz stepped up to take it and sent the ball to the penalty spot, where it was met by a tremendous header from Rachael. GOAL!!! 1-1 was the score. The game, with 20 mins left became very stretched. The opposition decided to send high crosses into the box and hope to snag a lucky goal. This they got, when a cross shot looped over Andi and into the net. 2-1 down with 15 minutes left.

With hard tackles still flying in from both sides now, it was a chance to gain the upper hand. They were giving free kicks away and Liz, Mary and Gracie were quite happy to cross them into a crowded area and hope that Dana could capitalize on a mistake by the defense. well, right on that, a long ball into the penalty area proved too much for their defense and skort and all, Dana poked the equalizing goal home. GOAL ! 2-2 now. Must have been the outfit putting the defense off, they just froze like statues unable to clear!

The last 10 minutes seemed to be all Sirens attacks, yet from the players on the pitch it must have felt the opposite. They were out on their feet having given it their all. A few more runs and a few more tackles were made, but Michelle and Mary were feeling the pain now from earlier tackles made and fouls made on them. Erika was tiring as was Gracie in the middle. A hopeful ball to halfway set up the goal of the game. Some swift passing and skillful running created a chance for Dana and she did not disappoint, slotting under the oncoming goalie. GOAL !! 3-2 Sirens. 4 minutes to go, 4 minutes to take a huge victory home and send an embarrassed opposition packing. With panic in their play now, the opposition tried to break down Liz and Marina at the back, but to no avail. They were not going to get through again.

The final whistle went and a jubilant Sirens team strutted off the field, leaving behind an opposition in total disbelief. A well earned win for the Sirens, who clearly had more fight than the other team despite being up against it from the off!

Off for a hot chocolate and a warm shower for this PROUD coach!

Shamrocks FC vs Argo Silver

THIERRY Debaille:
No comments… I am too irritated right now to discuss our loss.

DANIEL Dorenbush:
Our primary objective is to enjoy ourselves. In this regard, I think we were victorious.

As for why we lost (in terms of the score)…..we lost because we have not sacrificed and invested enough of ourselves to make winning a necessity. As much as we give it the “old college try” on the field, winning has been/will be casual and happenstance. We need to recognize this or decide to change our objective. (I am not necessarily advocating that we change anything – just stating my observation)

Sorry to be so blunt.

PETE Hahn:
shamrocks goal 1 - fluke goal, went directly in from a corner
shamrocks goal 2 - defense got beat with long ball (their forwards were pretty fast and strong, and long ball to them was their primary attack)

argosilver goal 1 - breakaway goal by Thierry, excellent finish

shamrocks goal 3 - can't recall, but i think it was of the breakaway nature

shamrocks goal 4 - they had a breakaway right off a kick-off: intercepted pass to cross to volley, nice goal

we dominated opening minutes of the first half with short passing, but fell back after the 2 goals. ended half pretty weakly. argos came out stronger in the second half. scored an excellent goal, and had 2 chances to score on 1 drive. i believe the shot hit the post and we missed the rebound. after that, it went downhill. we were the more skilled team, but they were more aggressive on defense, especially the midfield. Salty played an excellent game in goal, saved at least 2 sure goals. my input:- think we should have played match-ups on defense and defensive mid- field. move some people around to offset the other team's strengths. their center attack beat us multiple times (would have been a lot more if not for the ref's questionable off sides rulings), just because they were faster than us.

SC Eintracht vs. Gotham Argo

Metropolitan Oval - Brooklyn
SC Eintracht 1 - 2 Gotham Argo

For an evening which started with 9 players crammed in a zipcar minivan meant to seat 6, and the other half of the squad lost in Brooklyn and literally running onto the pitch at the starting whistle, the result was worth the turmoil. (Especially after overhearing the SC Eintracht coach commenting that they had it in the bag because this team had a female manager.)

A first win for the rebuilt, better, stronger, faster Gotham Argo this season and hopefully a harbinger of things to come.

It certainly wasn't a clean match, with cards and free kicks flying everywhere. A particularly sexy take down when everyone's favorite sweepmaster, Lucas, trapped his man in the corner and flipped him over on his back (though failing to get his phone number), earned the most enjoyable yellow card of the match.

Tenny suffered the ugliest foul when an SC Eintrachter's straight armed check sent him down injuring his knee. (To which I was cautioned and nearly awarded my own red card when I shouted at their keeper from across the field, reverberating through the oval, to "Shut the Fuck Up!" when he accused Tenny of giving a Broadway worthy performance.)

I can't recall if SC Eintracht scored first...

But our first goal was a beautiful crack by newest Gotham Argo - Michael Rose.

Second and winning goal scored by a calm and composed Momo sending a powerful low ball in for the win.

HALLOWEEN

Well, I had hoped, and certainly attempted, to get several club members to meet up during their Halloween antics, but had an enjoyable evening with Andi at Gallery Bar discussing our favorite horror movies and the genre in general.

Not a fan of store bought costumes, I broke down this year because William and his girlfriend were dressing as The Scarecrow and Dorothy and needed a Cowardly Lion. Adding my own touches and my natural mane I hopefully steered away from the "store bought" look.

Unfortunately Will's girlfriend wasn't feeling well and we'd have to venture out Dorothy-less.

Will caught up with Andi and I later in the evening wandering the streets somewhere around Lion's Gate soccer field.

Our mission for the evening?
To drink, of course, and to take photos with every Dorothy we encountered as we eased on down the road.

Success = 7 Dorothys. Blonde Dorothy = wasted Dorothy.

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Argo Silver vs. Banatul FC

Brooklyn Technical High School

Argo Silver 2 - 1 Banatul FC

Banatul scored their goal from an unfortunate penalty kick.

Argo Silver scored a first goal by newest Argo Silver - Fatos Rugova.
Second goal a cross by Fatos that knocked off a Banatul player into goal.

Most of the game was spent in the opponents half of the field (as evidenced below in a photo of Elliot) where Argo Silver took close to 12 shots on goal that hit posts and were near misses.

By all rights this score should have been 6-1 at the least.

NYC Sirens vs. Barnstonworth Rovers II

State Cup Game * Round I
PIER 40 Courtyard West @ 9pm
- reported by Elliot Gilmore

On a cold, windy and generally miserable Sunday night at Pier 40, the Sirens team gradually congregated on the bleachers behind the East field. Some were wearing coats, some wore sweatshirts....others were looking a little more like Sherlock Holmes and not Katie Holmes (Gracie) in their pre-game attire.

Having been told they were the last chance for our club's State Cup glory the pressure was on and the ladies began preparing to take on a strong side called Rovers 2. With no coach for the evening, Elliott, a wonderful English Gentleman took the reigns and gave a valiant team talk......basically consisted of "Enjoy the game, if we win GREAT, if we lose, all 3 teams can get totally drunk together instead of playing the 2nd round game!! WIN WIN situation".

A strong Violet line up took to the field and immediately began passing the ball along the sacred turf of Pier 40. One touch, two touch and even three touches of the ball were sublime. They looked comfortable. At various stages of the half, Mary, Dana and Emily led the line upfront and caused a number of problems for the somewhat talented but slow defense. It was very close through the first 20 minutes, that is until our team's "Hooligan Element" cheer squad turned up. With loud voices and various remarks made to the portly fellow in the middle with a whistle, they seemed to have sparked the opposition into life. GOAL...... a lucky cross was deflected to the near post, where an out-stretched leg from Rovers, guided the ball into the net. 1-0, but the Sirens were not out of this. Wave upon wave of attack came from the sirens now. Tanya, Erika and Tess were commanding the midfield with strong tackles, Rachael was working wing wizardry and the back four, Marina, Leslie, Liz and Sherlock Holmes remained focused and very strong. 5 minutes to halftime something special was needed to beat the Rovers' goalie. It came from the right foot of Leslie. A 40 yard shot, that came down with snow on it, hit the roof of the net out of nothing. Celebrations on the pitch were good, off the pitch, the "Hooligan Element" went mad, screaming and setting off flares in the stands. 1-1 and the halftime whistle went.

At half time the team talk was about attack. We had them where we wanted them now, on the ropes! As the pizza arrived, yes pizza, the team took to the field.

Again the half was pretty much dominated by the Sirens, but against the run of play, they were unlucky after a poor shot drifted away from Andy and nestled in the back of the net. 2-1 down, this seemed to spur the girls on even more now! They were not to be beaten by this opposition, not now. Attacks came again from Tanya, Erika and Gracie, Tess and Liz created chances for the forwards, but although going close, Dana could not find the net how we know she can. A few chances did happen for Mary, but every time she tried to shoot, she was knocked to the ground by defenders, unseen by a somewhat blind referee. Her luck did change though when she burst INTO the box and was taken down by what seemed a sniper from the stands. The "Hooligan Element" made their opinions known to the referee in so many words, and asked how he can give a direct free kick IN the box, its a penalty. He disagreed and the Sirens had a free kick 17 yards out.......Cue Tanya !!! She cared not of PK she just was going to score from anywhere now. Stepped up and Bang, top corner GOAL!!! 2-2 with 6 minutes left!

With penalties nearing the Sirens attacked more and more but it was not to be. They were destined for PKs.
The full time whistle went and although we knew it was down to spot kicks, at least now the referee would be level with play and see most of the action!

Penalty kick takers: Leslie, Tanya, Mary, Liz, Emily

· They shot wide (Andy standing tall forced the miss)
· Leslie scored 1-0
· They shot wide (Andy scaring them in to missing the goal)
· Tanya scored 2-0
· They scored 3-1 (Andy, just beaten by the ball)
· Mary scored

If Andy could save this next kick it was all over and no need for the other players to take one!

A confident lady stepped up and Andy stood tall in Goal. the Hooligan Element, coach and other players waited on the half way line.
Was it time to celebrate a great win?

· KICK to the keepers right, a sweeping dive by Andy....SAVE............

SIRENS WIN - SIRENS WIN

Crowd, coach and players all ran to congratulate the Goalie.
Once the huddle of Violet players gathered themselves, they went to their beaten opponents and shook hands graciously. What a team!!!

There was no cameras, so just take what is written as Gospel!!!

Hooligan Element .... Gotham Argo players Jeremy, Jorge, Ben and tryout candidate David

Post match celebration... NYC Sirens sponsor bar Emerald Pub

Astoria Friends vs. Argo Silver

STATE CUP GAME
CON EDISON FIELD - Astoria, Queens @ 11am

- report by carlos wesley

Perhaps it was the final image of our team on Sunday that best characterized the afternoon: hands reaching gratefully for Joe's can of antiseptic spray to tend to our flesh wounds after a grueling two hours spent on the rock-covered battlefield that is ConEd.

We finished the game with one fewer goal (a 3-2 loss), but fought mightily. Perhaps it was the other team's esoteric language that confused us (from a community that not even a borough as diverse as Astoria can claim as one of its own), or the powerful gusts of sand-filled wind that pummeled Elliot and his defenders throughout the first half. Despite all of these distractions, we held tight at the half, down only 0-1.

The second half started on an unfortunate note. Our opponent's familiarity with ConEd's pitch was apparent as they hardly let the ball touch the ground en route to scoring their second goal within minutes of the half. This was quickly followed by a very questionable call that lead to a penalty kick for them. Despite Elliot's valiant dive to his right (meriting at least 3 more squirts of antiseptic spray), he wasn't quite able to stop the free kick, their 3rd goal of the game.
At 0-3 our intensity finally started to pick up. Terry gathered up a breakaway and snuck the ball around the keeper for our first goal.

Our intensity picked up further as we noticed their fans cheering rather sarcastically in support of the men with a hint of violet in their jerseys (yes, that's us). Pressuring them further, and with only minutes left to play, a scramble in front of their net ended with the ball finding Terry's foot and then the back of the net. 3-2. Our rally was cut short by the whistle. Despite the loss, however, it was nice to feel that we would have kept scoring had we had more time.

Missile FC vs. Gotham Argo

Match Report: Missile FC – Gotham Argo
Sunday October 12 2008

PIER 40 Courtyard West @ 9pm
Reported by Bruno Dupont

Final Score: 6 - 4 (2-1)

Gotham Argo:
Jeremy
Uri * Ben * Bruno * Adam
Momo * Jorge
Yoshi * Dani * Alex
Sam
Players in game: 9 Argos, 2 Silver, 1 Manager
Substitutions: Dana for Adam (1st half), and Dana for Bruno (2nd half)

Missile FC:
Unknown
Unknown * Unknown * Unknown * Unknown
Unknown * Unknown
Usain Bolt * Ato Bolton * Maurice Greene * Carl Lewis
Players in game: 19 (league max is 18)
Substitutions: yes, many

I feel the need….
Gotham Argo lost to a very good Missile FC on Sunday, in what was probably the team's best game of the season so far. Argo suffered defensively against a very fast, well-organized, fast, technical and very fast team. 2 early goals put the visitors (even though they were technically the home side) in front, with a shot from right outside the box and a very swift break away.

…the need for speed
Argo stayed under pressure from Missile's skilled midfielders, whose strategy consisted mostly in kicking high (and precise) shots over the defense, and then relying on their sprinters up front.

First goal for Alex Padilla
Gradually, Argo managed to gain a little control of the ball, and after a few promising passing sequences in the other half, the team managed to win a throw-in right next to the corner post. Sam passed back to Uri, who curled it (Beckham-style) into the box. Alex jumped higher than everybody else and smashed it into the back of the net.

Not long before half time, Adam complained of a pain in his left knee, and left the field briefly, but then decided to tough it out and was heard saying "I always play better when I can smell blood, even if it's mine" (source might not be entirely reliable).

Jeremy in the spotlight again
In the second half the game pretty much picked up where it left off, and Argo struggled to contain Missile FC's attacks, conceding 2 more goals. It could have been much more without Jeremy's numerous saves. One in particular wowed everybody when he dove backward into the feet of his opponent and grabbed the ball with one hand (he later commented: "That's just how I roll baby").

3rd goal and first assist for Sam
At 4-1, the game looked pretty much over, but Argo stayed focused, and at the 60th minute, Dana, who had just come on, flicked a counter attack ball to Sam, who sprinted 50 yards, and executed the Missile FC keeper with a cool finish. The rest of the game was pretty even, with 2 more goals on either side. In the final minutes, Sam was tackled from behind in the box, which resulted in a red card and a penalty. Sam decided to score it with panache, and very altruistically bounced the ball off the crossbar for Bruno to finish it with a diving header.

Overall, Argo lost to an excellent team, and appeared much better organized than in its previous games, with very good combinations between Momo, Jorge, Dani and Yoshi.

Phoenix vs. NYC Sirens

East River Park * East 6th street field
Phoenix 2 - 0 NYC Sirens

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Argo Silver vs. Maltese Dolphins

Icahn Stadium

photos by Bruno Dupont

who got up early and travelled to Randall's Island but was not allowed to play.

Argo Silver 2 - 3 Maltese Dolphins
(Argo Silver with 9 men + Dana P. Dimon on the field.)

Grassroot Soccer Celebrity Match

Gotham Argo - NY Enforcers

Gotham Argo 0 - NY Enforcers 2
PIER 40 Courtyard West @ 9pm

This game was a bummer. Originally scheduled for 10am on Sunday, NY Enforcers lost their field, unfortunately, and at 10pm on Saturday night we rescheduled for 9pm at Pier 40 for Sunday barely fielding 12 players (2 of which on the injured list) while NY Enforcers showed up with 19 (but hopefully only played 18 as per league rules).

CP Rangers Old Boys vs. Argo Silver

Commodore Barry Field
Argo Silver 3 vs. CPR 1

Dismal conditions at Commodore Barry Field, CPR showed up early and diligently lined the fields and put nets up. Much props and thanks to them for that. Ref showed up late and made up his own rules during this game. Wouldn't let me sub an injured player on one of our corner kicks which I thought bizarre. Goals: Terry Harcott - 2 (first off a penalty) and second, a calm knock to the back of the net from a perfectly set up pass from Carlos Wesley. Tim Olson - 1 off a nice header.

Mike Conboy had put CPR ahead on Ernesto Teran’s assist [55th].

“It was a great match against CPR as always,” noted Argo’s Dana P. Dimon.

“We were a bit unlucky,” insisted CPR’s Andrew Faherty, calling the final score a bit misleading.

Dimon's rejoinder, "pure skill, Drew, pure skill"

SEE CP Rangers report on this match: http://www.centralparkrangers.com/ob.php

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Argo Silver vs. Barnstonworth Rovers Old Boys

Barnstonworth Rovers Old Boys’ Barry O’Driscoll, whose first half strikes [15th, 30th] sank Argo Silver 2-0 at Ichan Stadium.

VV Nieuw Amsterdam vs. Gotham Argo

Commodore Barry Field
VV Nieuw Amsterday 3 - 3 Gotham Argo
(Sam - 2, own goal -1)

GALLANT GOTHAM

In a game of the proverbial two halves, Gotham Argo clawed back from 3-0 down at half time to tie newcomers Nieuw Amsterdam 3-1 at a wet / muddy and vaguely lined Commodore Barry Field.

The Dutch made the most of their numbers to pump in all three goals against a then 10-man Gotham Argo in the first 20 minutes. When the Gotham cavalry arrived, the game changed.

At full strength now and with goalkeeper Jeremy Newton outstanding, Argo scored three times in the second half to salvage an improbable point. It started with an own goal from a Uri Itkin cross followed by Sam Sneed’s double in the last 15 minutes.

Argo Silver vs. SC Gjoa

PIER 40 Courtyard East
Argo Silver 4 - 0 SC Gjoa

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