Sunday, April 25, 2010

Gotham Argo vs. NYPD2

Gotham Argo 1 - 0 NYPD2
Randall's Island field #84
Time: 4:45pm (game didn't kickoff until 5:20pm)

----- match report by Bruno Dupont

  • Argo’s Willpower Proves Too Much For Law Enforcers
N-Y-P-D! The police officers’ war cry might have been very intimidating for a lot of people, but for Will Henderson, it served as further motivation ahead of a highly anticipated game. Determination was evident in his signature pre-match grin that could only mean one thing: “Bring it on”.

  • Jean-Marie Flies High
Gotham Argo started in its typical 4-4-2 formation, with Tobias upfront alongside Sam. “Slight drizzle, cool weather, perfect for football” said the Dane. “Bloody brilliant” James Coppack the Englishman concurred. “Anyone seen my beanie and my gloves?” was the Senegalese Momo’s take on the situation.

The game got off to a very intense start with the 2 midfields battling fiercely for possession. A little too fiercely for James Whiteley’s hamstring unfortunately: he had to be substituted early in the game, giving Anton his debut. It was a very lively game with chances on either side. NYPD2’s long-range shooters had a go at Jean-Marie, forcing him to a very graceful airborne save that prevented a 30-yard effort from finding the top-right corner.

  • Will Takes The Law Into His Own Hands
The game remained pretty scrappy in the first half, with both teams struggling to keep control of the ball on a slippery pitch. A few minutes before half time, Argo won a corner kick: Sam’s cross from the right was headed out of the box by NYPD2, and the ball landed at Will Henderson’s feet. Argo’s stopper controlled the ball and took a right-footed shot from 18 yards. A beautiful curler that brushed past the post to find the back of the net.

“Outstanding” said James Whiteley from the sidelines; “What happened?” said Jean-Marie who wasn’t wearing his glasses. Argo had a few more chances through Sam and Tobias but the score was still 1-0 at halftime.

  • Gotham Argo Hold On To Their Lead
The second half was pretty similar to the first one, with a lot of battling in the midfield, but with a much better organized Gotham Argo. Sam and Tobias created a few clear chances, one of which was almost converted into a goal but Tobias’s header found the crossbar. NYPD2 relied mostly on long balls to find their forwards into space. Towards the end of the game, NYPD2’s right winger entered the box and was tackled by Dean who inadvertently handled the ball, which resulted in a penalty kick.

The NYPD2 captain struck it well, towards the bottom-right corner, but Jean-Marie was on fire. The Argo goalkeeper produced another fine save before falling victim to a group hug initiated by his teammates. James Whiteley, watching from the sidelines, was infuriated and used strong language to make sure his teammates remained focused on the game.

Dean had to run briefly to the NYPD2 coach to get un-cuffed (the coach later apologized on behalf of his players, who are trained to react promptly on a crime scene) and the game started again. The final minutes were stressful and involved a lot of defending from the whole team. Kevin had his Miranda rights read to him after a borderline irregular slide-tackle.

A great win for Gotham Argo, still top of the league.
Next game on May 2nd, again at Randall's Island against… NYPD2.