The final First Round game has been scheduled on the 19th...assuming the 8/9 does not need to go into sudden death. This means the Quarterfinals will begin on the 20th.

I'm going to challenge one of my own teams and see what days the challenges are scheduled for and I'll report back.

Posted by brandon5135 on 5/15/2024 10:01:00 AM (view original):
Hey, my season rollover is coming up soonish - I think it makes sense to schedule game with Bordeaux Fighting Bovines now - then when everything else is playing out/other games are catching up i'll have the rollover going on. Trying to avoid too much delay by the rollover.

Hey Brandon, My world just rolled as well. I am a little ahead of you. When you get rinforcements send an invitation .

Posted by ttnorm on 5/17/2024 7:57:00 AM (view original):

Posted by brandon5135 on 5/15/2024 10:01:00 AM (view original):
Hey, my season rollover is coming up soonish - I think it makes sense to schedule game with Bordeaux Fighting Bovines now - then when everything else is playing out/other games are catching up i'll have the rollover going on. Trying to avoid too much delay by the rollover.

Hey Brandon, My world just rolled as well. I am a little ahead of you. When you get rinforcements send an invitation .

Guys, normally we always wait for each round of the playoffs to complete before the next one begins to avoid one matchup getting way ahead of any other. If Kobelco and Fianna go into sudden death, a Quarterfinals series may complete while the First Round 8/9 series are still being played. The world rollover impacts all of us during the tournament at some point and the reason for the rule is to keep it fair for those teams that are still playing in the round currently underway.

With that said, since folks want to schedule now, Quarterfinal games can be scheduled but please do not use slot 1. That should make the earliest game (slot 2) be on the 21st, which would give a couple of days cushion just in case Kobelco and Fianna decide to duke it out in extra games.

I have updated the Knockout Round post to show the three matchups that have been determined at this point.

The last of the First Round got underway today and it kicked off with the highest-scoring game of the Cup XIV playoffs. #8 Kobelco United Football Club hosted #9 Fianna AFC and their revamped lineup after signing some new players in free agency. The personnel moves seem to have paid dividends. The Greens scored six times in the first 64 minutes and overwhelmed the Japanese side as they took a 6-4 road win and now get to head home to Ireland with a 2-goal advantage in the series. One of the new signings, Hamza Anderson, made an immediate impact and scored in the 23rd minute off a header that Tetsunori Saotome simply watched sail past him to open the onslaught. Kobelco briefly tied the game at 2-2 when Januario Cabán hit a volley for his first goal of the tournament but Fianna scored four of the next five to put the game away. The return game is scheduled for the 19th as the First Round wraps up and the Quarterfinals get underway.

The last game of the First Round is at 7pm tonight.

We are down to the final eight teams as the First Round came to an end this evening. #9 Fianna AFC held a two goal advantage over #8 Kobelco United Football Club as well as having home court advantage. It almost wasn't enough. Kobelco came out fired up and scored three straight goals to stun the Irish faithful of almost 35,000 in attendance. By the time Sami Wächter scored in the 67th minute, Kobelco had not only erased the 6-4 aggregate hole they were in but had taken a 7-6 lead in the series with only 20 minutes remaining. It was left to the new guy, Hamza Anderson, to score in his 2nd straight game in a Fianna kit to tie the aggregate again six minutes later and then Reilly Glinton added a couple of late goals to wrap up the game as a 3-3 draw and give The Greens the final birth into the Quarterfinals. A tired and deflated Kobelco will head back to Japan wondering what could have been had they kept their defensive shape for just a few minutes longer.

The quarters start immediately tomorrow as the opening game is already scheduled between #3 Bordeaux Fighting Bovines and #6 the crutchanators of soccer. The time frame for the quarters will run through May 30th and we'll extend it because of Memorial Day weekend if necessary.

The Quarterfinals opened with some big time drama as #3 Bordeaux Fighting Bovines and #6 the crutchanators of soccer.got the round underway in southwestern France. Before the snail eaters could settle down in their seats, crutchanators drew first blood off a set piece goal by Valentin Arahuetes 90 seconds into the game. Teammate Jaquawn Cervantes then increased the lead to 2-0 several minutes later when his header off another corner beat Cattle goalie Gianluigi Francesco to the near side. After that second score, Bordeaux (and their fans) finally got into the game and started to assert their will. The comeback began in the 35th when Lionel Insua got one back for the Frenchmen and halfway through the 2nd half, Erasmo Velasco tied the game at 2-2.

But, starting in the 78th minute, all hell broke loose as the game turned into a soap opera. crutchanators defender Reino Kivikoski, in the only referee booking of the entire match, got red-carded as the visitors went a man down. However, in end-to-end action, Bordeaux not only gave up a turnover but allowed Heinz Hagelin to paint the corner, all still in the 78th minute for the 3-2 lead. Insua then took advantage of the extra space in the attacking third and knotted the game late at 3-3 and the game should have ended that way. The referee, adding a couple of minutes to extra time to account for the Kivikoski sendoff, gave enough time for crutchanators midfielder Iago Cristiani to drive down the middle of the playing surface as time was expiring, avoid a tackle and an offside trap, and unleash a grass-burner that got past a diving Francesco to give the #6 seed an improbable 4-3 road win, scoring twice in the final 12 minutes while shorthanded.

The Quarters continue tomorrow as the return game promises more of the unexpected.

About as good of a Quarterfinals matchup concluded this evening as the first of four Semifinals spots has now been claimed. Yesterday's game saw #6 the crutchanators of soccer win an eventful 4-3 game on the road against #3 Bordeaux Fighting Bovines. Both teams flew back to The United States today for the crutchanators' home leg. Knowing they had to win in order to survive, the Cattle scored first to tie the aggregate when Lionel Insua handled a cross and fired from distance in the 24th minute. Seven minutes later, Alexzander Byam scored unassisted and the game went to halftime 1-1, 5-4 in favor of crutchanators.

Finnish phenom Miika Moilanen extended the lead to 6-4 when his bending shot beat Cattle goalie Gianluigi Francesco to the upper corner. Bordeaux kept fighting but time was beginning to slip away as there were only a little over 30 minutes remaining. Gasper Bizzarri closed the deficit to one when his header got by Sasson Treppe in the 74th but that was immediately answered by Reino Kivikoski, who atoned for his red card in the last game by scoring what proved to be the goal that sent his team on in the playoffs. Settling the ball at his feet, the defender looked more like a forward as his shot was so clean, Francesco didn't even move as it sailed by. Cattle management made a desperation substitution in the 78th minute, which paid dividends moments later when Rodrigo Cavenaghi scored to make the aggregate 7-6 but the last Bordeaux look at goal was an Insua blast that went just over the crossbar with 5 minutes remaining as crutchanators held on to the 3-3 draw that assured their advancement. Bordeaux played an excellent tournament but the end has come for the Bovines.

Another Quarters series gets underway tomorrow.

Posted by gomiami1972 on 5/21/2024 9:59:00 PM (view original):
About as good of a Quarterfinals matchup concluded this evening as the first of four Semifinals spots has now been claimed. Yesterday's game saw #6 the crutchanators of soccer win an eventful 4-3 game on the road against #3 Bordeaux Fighting Bovines. Both teams flew back to The United States today for the crutchanators' home leg. Knowing they had to win in order to survive, the Cattle scored first to tie the aggregate when Lionel Insua handled a cross and fired from distance in the 24th minute. Seven minutes later, Alexzander Byam scored unassisted and the game went to halftime 1-1, 5-4 in favor of crutchanators.

Finnish phenom Miika Moilanen extended the lead to 6-4 when his bending shot beat Cattle goalie Gianluigi Francesco to the upper corner. Bordeaux kept fighting but time was beginning to slip away as there were only a little over 30 minutes remaining. Gasper Bizzarri closed the deficit to one when his header got by Sasson Treppe in the 74th but that was immediately answered by Reino Kivikoski, who atoned for his red card in the last game by scoring what proved to be the goal that sent his team on in the playoffs. Settling the ball at his feet, the defender looked more like a forward as his shot was so clean, Francesco didn't even move as it sailed by. Cattle management made a desperation substitution in the 78th minute, which paid dividends moments later when Rodrigo Cavenaghi scored to make the aggregate 7-6 but the last Bordeaux look at goal was an Insua blast that went just over the crossbar with 5 minutes remaining as crutchanators held on to the 3-3 draw that assured their advancement. Bordeaux played an excellent tournament but the end has come for the Bovines.

Another Quarters series gets underway tomorrow.

Good series against Bordeaux Fighting Bovines hate to see you go - but love to watch you fly away

We're currently at week 50. I have a challenge out, sitting in the second slot; I don't know how many weeks until rollover though. Would definitely be better if we could get both of them in before that.

My original plan this year was to let 3 expensive late-30s guys retire. I've decided, knowing that the Cup might potentially carry across our season, that I could afford 2 of them for one more year. Can't do all 3. Won't have any problems fielding a full team though.

Posted by shoe3 on 5/22/2024 2:04:00 PM (view original):
We're currently at week 50. I have a challenge out, sitting in the second slot; I don't know how many weeks until rollover though. Would definitely be better if we could get both of them in before that.

My original plan this year was to let 3 expensive late-30s guys retire. I've decided, knowing that the Cup might potentially carry across our season, that I could afford 2 of them for one more year. Can't do all 3. Won't have any problems fielding a full team though.

Sorry shoe, I posted a comment earlier today and listed the wrong team (I said Steamroller.) Cotopaxi is currently in the early part of signings.

The top seed got their playoffs underway after a perfect group stage and a lengthy layoff thanks to the First Round bye. As a first-time participant #1 FC Stolpen Steamroller must have thought the FC Dynasty Cup might not be much of a challenge. Their perception changed a little bit today. #9 Fianna AFC rolled into town after surviving their matchup against Kobelco United Football Club and took it to the Germans. Reilly Glinton scored a hat trick in the first 30 minutes of the game and The Greens just dominated the scoreboard as a stunned home crowd saw their team go down 5-0 at halftime. The 2nd half was a better showing but only by a matter of degrees. Melvyn Ashton scored in the 50th minute to put a bow on a 6-0 rout as Fianna played its best game of Cup XIV and Steamroller, unfortunately, played its worst. The Greens get to go home to protect what probably is an insurmountable aggregate advantage.

The return game is tomorrow so the German squad doesn't have a lot of time to make adjustments. Glinton, after his scorching first half, takes over the lead in the Golden Toe with 11 balls netted.

I’m trying to resign 2 guys I meant to extend, it’s week 4 so as soon as they sign then I’ll accept and send my challenge.

The game today is at 7pm so I'll do the update around 7:30-8 (CST.)

All but one game in the Quarters has been scheduled. There's one tomorrow and two on the 25th. I'll be taking Memorial Day off just in case a game gets scheduled on the 27th. If so, the update would be the following morning.

Half of the final four are spoken for after #9 Fianna AFC played a conservative game and drew 1-1 against the top seed #1 FC Stolpen Steamroller. After both teams flew back from Germany to Ireland, The Greens simply had to nurse the whopping 6-0 aggregate lead they had built up in Saxony. The difference in the return game was immediately apparent as the first half went scoreless in a defensive struggle that suited the Irish club just fine. After Cowal Chernock's header made the score 7-0, Steamroller finally cracked the Fianna defense when American forward Greg Eardensohn skimmed a shot along the crease of the goal that eluded Greens goalie Deegan Colcroft and in for Steamroller's only goal of the Quarterfinals. Eardensohn almost scored moments later when Colcroft denied him with a fingertip save and the German club got a number of additional good opportunities as the minutes ticked off but there was no coming back from the six goal hole. Fianna advances with the 7-1 series win and Stolpen Steamroller, who had a fantastic inaugural Cup, has met the end of the line.

#2 Swamp City Dragons and #10 FC Not Very Athletic get going tomorrow.