A lot of results to get to but first, all games have been scheduled, with games on every day through February 2nd. That means the playoffs will begin on Feb 3rd.

Of course, we need to determine who will be advancing, making a nice segue to tonight's results. Kobelco United Football Club did not have a very good day, playing twice in Group C and losing both on the road. The first game was at Hardknocks F.C., which scored on almost half of its 13 shots to win going away 6-2. Laec Draw scored twice within the first 18 minutes and Hardknocks built up a 5-1 lead before letting off the gas. Javaughn Galey also added a pair as the American side bounced back from their opening loss to FC Edinburgh Bullet Birds.

The Bullet Birds were Kobelco's 2nd opponent and, while they played a much better game, the final result was the same, this time a 3-2 defeat. Edinburgh had jumped out to a 2-1 lead with Sandro Huntelaar's score in added time to end the first half and increased their lead to 3-1 when Montie Gyon skillfully controlled a corner cross and booted what ended up to be the game winner in the 86th. Kobelco managed to answer right back a moment later after Gottfried Ernst popped a ball up in the air and volleyed a shot in Pele-like fashion but couldn't find the tying goal as the clock ran out on forgettable day for the Japanese team.

VB Hibernian split the series with Rushmore FC, turning the tables after losing a few days ago 2-1 to take today's game 3-2 as both teams won as the road team. Rushmore started fast when Nathan Wyard scored in the 9th minute and held a 2-1 head at halftime but the Cabbage scored twice in the 2nd half as Emilio Rivas weaved his way through the defense to win all three points for his side with his rising shot into the corner of the net. With three games played, three teams sit tied in the Group B standings.

Metropolitan Eagles continue their impressive tournament start after crushing Brighton AFC 6-3 at home in Group D, improving their record to 2-0-1 and bringing them closer to clinching a transfer spot. Tomas Bezdek and Bolek Horejsi scored twice for the Swedes as Brighton couldn't keep up with the scoring pace. Morrey Sumner scored in the 60th minute to make the score 4-3 but a substitution bringing in veteran scorer Aekley Green to keep the momentum going didn't work as the Screaming Eagles pulled away.

The last game of the evening was a Group E draw between FC Not Very Athletic and Swamp City Dragons. Lyle Lensky gave the Dragons the first half lead when he shot a ball across the face of the goal at the perfect angle as it went into the far corner. Athletic's Javian Simmons hit a similar angle early in the 2nd and the even play continued till the final whistle. While a draw is not ideal, no team is establishing themselves in the group so any points is a decent result.

Another big day tomorrow as the Group Stage flies along.

10 games today with half of them already in the books this morning. To start the update, Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. traveled to France to take on Bad News in a Group G matchup and got the best of the snail-eaters 4-1. Two of the few veterans left on the German side scored in the 1st half as Marcos Katz and Mano Araña cashed in on good looks to give the Billygoats control of the game. Bad News got its lone goal in the 63rd when Emmett Robinson's shot deflected off the leg of a Cologne defender, leaving goalie Aritz García flat-footed and out of position. The win puts Cologne into a good spot going into its games against the class of the group, FC Winnipeg Royal Lions.

Slough FC continues to show that the club is a much better side as it won its 2nd straight to open Cup XVIII with a 3-1 win at home against FC Not Very Athletic in Group E action. Richart Deutsch scored twice to delight the huge home crowd of 50,000 as the English squad takes over the the top spot in the standings. Athletic managed its lone goal in the 52nd when a Cass Garnisblast was flubbed by Slough goalie Kaemon Kakutan. The loss drops Athletic to 3rd Place in the group with a couple more games to play.

The remaining three games all ended with draws as the Group Stage is showing some very tight tolerances between club quality. Southeast Indiana Football Club hosted FC Trojans of SC in the Trojans opening game of the tourney as both teams split the points after a 2-2 tie. Reilly Glinton looked like he got the Group F game winner in the 51st when his shot from the side of the penalty area got past Indiana goalie Patrick Borgman but Indiana managed to find the equalizer late off a Dayshawn Rickworth header with 12 minutes to go. Other than group leader Holbæk Idrætsforening, nobody else has registered a tally in the win column.

FC Edinburgh Bullet Birds drew their contest against Swampdragons FC, who was also opening up their Cup XVIII tournament, with a 1-1 result out of Group C. What started as an offensive showcased ended up being a defensive struggle as both teams scored in the first 17 minutes and nothing else until the final whistle. The only shot that came even close to scoring was a 66th minute effort from Bullet Birds center forward Daylin Plunkett, who pushed the ball just past an open net. The draw gives Edinburgh 7 points in three games as they inch closer to the playoffs. The final morning game was another 1-1 tie, this time out of Group B when group leader FC Cackalacky and Rushmore FC finished their game. Rushmore owned the stats, out-shooting Cackalacky 20-5 but only managed a 35th minute Ty Evan goal. Cackalacky drew level right before halftime when Herschel Majerkewicz painted the corner with expert precision. Group B is a mess, with the biggest goal differential being a +/- 1.

Five more games later today for the after 7pm update.

The standings are beginning to show signs of things to come as five more games are added to the Group Stage. The biggest mover was FC Stolpen Steamroller, who wiped out a bad goal differential and handed Holbæk Idrætsforening their first tournament loss. Steamroller was badly beaten in the opening matchup between the two clubs and the Danes were playing the return game at home. However, unlike the first game where Holbæk hung 6 on the Germans, this time they couldn't find the finishing touch and were shutout 1-0. Stirling Carrillo made the Danish defense pay when an offside trap in the waning moments backfired and the veteran midfielder buried the resulting wide-open look.

Stolpen then flew home and beat Southeast Indiana Football Club 4-1, vaulting them into the top of the Group F standings. Carrillo added another two goals and Rey Jaime added some insurance, handing Indiana its fourth straight game without a win. Dayshawn Rickworth accounted for the lone score for the Americans, who sit with an 0-2-2 record and are needing a win...and probably two...to advance to the knockouts.

Group A finally got underway as North Polar Dragons FC hosted Not Very United in front of an announced crowd of 15,829. Shai Gerschenbaum scored twice for North Polar but Not Very took the day, netting on four of their seven shots on goal for the 4-2 victory. Inocencio Sierra started the scoring with a 7th minute tally and Benny Perea got the game winner in the 37th when his strike beat Dragons goalie Panu Kyllonen to the near post.

Swampdragons FC picked up a victory in Group C when they defeated Hardknoxs F.C. 4-2 on the road. After some sloppy play where the dragons were given four yellows and a red in the first 28 minutes, the latter to Tearle Mateos who rode his opponent like a horse, the team settled down and started collecting goals instead of bookings. The man down situation seemed to help them as they immediately scored a short-handed goal by Julian Buddle and went on to build up a 2-0 lead before Hardknocks realized they were the ones with the advantage. A couple of 2nd half goals, including a pretty redirected header by Wacleah Brownflet in the 73rd closed the lead to 3-2 but Charlie Bardon put the game out of reach a few minutes later with the dragons fourth goal with only 10 men.

To wrap up the evening, Brighton AFC and Wolfsburg Dynamit tied their contest 1-1 in a Group D game where both teams could have used a victory. The goals were scored within the first 20 minutes and then the clubs played not to lose the point. The best chance to break the tie was late in the 2nd half where Brighton did push the issue a little bit and Lennon Bristol's header missed wide right in the 83rd. The two teams are a combined 0-3-3 to this point and need to start adding numbers to the first column sooner than later.

Tomorrow features the defending Cup XVII Champion FC Stratford-Upon-Avon King's Men as they start their title defense.

Long Live The King.

FC Stratford-Upon-Avon King's Men began its attempt for back-to-back crowns when they hosted North Polar Dragons FC at Shakespeare Stadium, as the pre-game ceremony paraded the trophy around the pitch. Daavid Kaurismäki and North Polar gave the The King's Men about 300 seconds to rest on their laurels before rudely interrupting the celebration. With his 5th minute header, Cup XVII became a memory as the battle was joined. By the time Kaurismäki scored his 2nd of the half, the Dragons had built a 3-1 halftime lead. To their credit, the champs regrouped after the break and tied the game on a rising shot by Richard Roudet in the 58th and then held on as North Polar took corner after corner but couldn't get the winner as the Group A game ended up drawn at 3-3.

In Group B play, all four teams are separated by a single point after SwampDragons United manhandled Rushmore FC 5-2, led by the tournament's first hat trick by Jerrad Forko. Swamp U built their lead to 5-1 before Mr. lower case Jonte degollado scored in the 58th minute to stop the bleeding...but it was nowhere near enough. While Rushmore still clings to 2nd place, all other teams have two games in hand, placing them in bad spot.

Club Deportivo Baile Brian played its first-ever Cup home game against Group D leader Metropolitan Eagles and held their own in a 1-1 tie in front of 23,787 in Ireland. After taking the lead 1-0 on a Javontay Baker header, Baile Brian looked like a lock for all three points when the Metro Eagles went down a man with the straight red issued to Ambrosius Runeberg for his rather viscous ankle tackle. However, the Swedes managed to score short-handed in the 36th off a Bolek Horejsi strike and then packed it in to cut off any passing lanes the Irish side wanted to use. The Screaming Eagles are now a win away from clinching a playoff spot and Baile Brian has two points and a game in hand as they sit in 2nd place in the group.

To round out the morning action, Slough FC also stands on the verge of clinching their own transfer spot after they beat FC Not Very Athletic 3-1 in Group E. Garr Manston opened the scoring for Athletic in the 5th minute but that was about the only thing that went right for the English side as Slough scored three unanswered, highlighted by Hikozaemon Uematsu's goal as he was falling down to give Slough the lead for good. Slough improved to a perfect 3-0 and is virtually assured of advancing, barring some catastrophic collapse in their final three games.

More games later today which I'll pick up this evening.

A lot of movement in the standings after 6 more games are in the books. FC Stolpen Steamroller has guaranteed themselves no worse than a tiebreaker out of Group F after their 3-2 win over FC Trojans of SC. After both teams traded first half goals, Stolpen got the game winner off the foot of Rey Jaime when he beat Trojans goalie Dantrell Gonzalo in the 77th minute. With the win, Steamroller sits at 10 points and is virtually assured of advancing. The Trojans, on the other hand, will need to take points off Holbæk Idrætsforening in order to contend.

Group B flipped positions again as VB Hibernian went from last to first after their 3-1 road win against FC Cackalacky. Following Angel Sanchez's tying goal in the 25th, Cackalacky couldn't find paydirt again and The Cabbage scored three straight in the 2nd half to close out the contest, including one in extra time by Emilio Rivas to put a final nail in it. You cant blame Hibs since away goals are a tiebreaker and this group seems to be destined to have breakers factored in. All four teams have at least one win...and at least one loss.

Not Very United had a very good evening as they took 4 points in two games to take temporary control of the Group A standings. In the first game, they played the champs level and probably deserved the win but had to settle for a 1-1 draw. On the strength of Tate Papia's 10th minute goal, Not Very led the whole way until, once again, FC Stratford-Upon-Avon King's Men reached deep to find the equalizer in their 2nd straight game. Igotz Lavand saved the day for The King's Men in the 77th as their record now sits at 0-0-2.

In the other game, Not Very grabbed all three points after defeating Fianna AFC in another close game 4-3, this time needing to do the inner reaching themselves. The Greens had jumped out to a 3-0 lead and looked like they were going to run away with it after Lindsay Hynes scored right before halftime. But, the 2nd half was a different story, as United rolled Fianna in the last 20 minutes, scoring four goals to close out the game. zigana Barabás, another player whose parents don't believe in capitalization, got the game winner with two minutes to go on a diving header, as the Fianna bench shook their head in disbelief at the missed opportunity.

Club Deportivo Baile Brian found the back of the net with seconds left to play to draw Brighton AFC 4-4 in front of 25,000+ in Group D. Both teams scored three times in the first 23 minutes as the goalies were taking the half off. Brighton was especially impressive early on, getting a pair from Jesse Moose and another score from Morrey Sumner, all within the opening 10. However, the last second dramatics, with Brighton leading 4-3, split the points as Raymond Petke's header was muffed by Brighton goalie Kolton Rimando in the 90th minute to end up as the 4th tie in 7 Group D games.

Finally, FC Kingston got into the win column in Group G with a 3-1 win over Bad News. Armando Zeimoto scored twice to give Kingston a needed victory, cutting their negative goal differential in half in the process. Bad News was only able to muster a lone score from Laurent Abdessadki soon after the 2nd half whistle and falls to 0-3.

Another bog day tomorrow as the first playoff spots will probably be clinched.

Today is the biggest day of the Group Stage, with 13 games, 7 of which completed in the am. It'll take me a few minutes to post the update.

Well, not sure where to start other than we still have no teams assured of advancing to the playoffs, although we do have the first couple of teams that have been eliminated.

Group G has a tie atop the standings as both FC Winnipeg Royal Lions and Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. won their games this morning, sharing the lead with identical 2-0-1 records. Cologne defeated Bad News in a thrilling game that saw four goals scored in the last five minutes. With Bad News up 3-2 in the 87th minute, Mano Araña did his best Maradona impression by slicing through the defense to tie the game. After Pehuen de La Macorra gave the Billygoats the lead in the 89th, Bad News forward Laurent Abdessadki scored what looked to be the trying score in extra time but after a free kick with seconds to go, Peppi Dessoir found the game winner, sending the Cologne fans onto the field to celebrate the 5-4 win.

In the other game, Winnipeg drew against FC Kingston 4-4, who is still in good shape with a 1-1-2 record. Nyék Sallay scored twice for the Canadians and Elan Bigeleisen got the game-tying goal in the 84th with his knuckler that Lions goalie Jaime Losa couldn't control. While the group will be a decent candidate to send a 3rd Place team through, Bad News is eliminated from the knockouts.

The other team that is mathematically eliminated is Southeast Indiana Football Club, as they fall 1-0 to Holbæk Idrætsforening in Zealand. The Danish defense allowed only two shots on goal while their offense generated 30 opportunities. Even though only Clement Gaarde's 67th minute attempt was successful, it was enough to give Holbæk all three points and send Indiana out of the tournament. A very specific series of results will need to happen to prevent FC Stolpen Steamroller and Holbæk from advancing out of Group F, but FC Trojans of SC still has a path forward.

A pair of Group C results didn't change the standings. FC Edinburgh Bullet Birds leads the foursome after their 1-1 draw against Hardknocks F. C. A pretty even game ended that way with Evan Ashby tallying for the Bullet Birds and Javontay Cod getting the lone goal for Hardknocks. Swampdragons FC improved their chances for advancement after they handed Kobelco United Football Club their 3rd straight defeat, this time 3-1. The Japanese squad led the entire game after Estevan Canter's 1st half goal but the Dragons scored three times in the final 10 minutes, capped off by a pair from Charlie Bardon in back-to-back minutes to give the Canadian side the road win. Kobelco will probably need to win out to advance with this morning's result.

Rushmore FC got past FC Cackalacky 2-1 to put them on top of the ever-changing Group B standings. Tashawn Thornton got ejected from the game after picking up his 2nd yellow in 35 minutes but Rushmore was able to score twice short-handed, getting the game winner off a Toni Tombesi header after Cackalacky had tied the game with a Angel Sanchez goal. To close it out, North Polar Dragons FC got their first win in Group A, defeating Fianna AFC 4-2. Shai Gerschenbaum scored two goals again and is looking like a Golden Toe candidate, while teammate Jamal Marcuse scored some insurance in the 71st to end any Greens comeback hopes. Fianna was led by Webley MacKechie, who scored his 2nd goal in group play as they drop their 2nd straight home game.

6 more games tonight and some blue highlighting will be given out.

Four teams earned the blue highlighting tonight, signifying that they have clinched a playoff spot. Slough FC and the crutchanators of soccer both advance out of Group E after their evening games. Slough simply needed a draw to make the knockouts, which is exactly what they got in a 1-1 result against Swamp City Dragons. Paco Delatorre's early goal held up for the Dragons until Seiesnsui Hirabayashi ripped the equalizer with 9 minutes left to go. With a record of 3-0-1, Slough will be playing for a high seed in their remaining two games. crutchanators then beat Swamp City 4-1 to punch their own ticket as the Dragons teeter on the verge of elimination as four different players scored for the visitors, leading from wire to wire. Swamp City only avoided the shutout in the 80th minute with a Ryszard Bretschneider goal as the Canadian club struggles to find the back of the net.

Metropolitan Eagles have seen themselves through after beating Wolfsburg Dynamit 2-0 to improve to 3-0-2 in Group D. An Erroll Schürmann header in the 20th minute wrapped up the scoring as Wolfsburg struggled in yet another contest to score. After four games, the Dynamit have netted only once and are virtually eliminated, although not mathematically. The Screaming Eagles sit with 11 points, the most of any team at this point. The fourth team to advance tonight was Swampdragons FC as they make it out of Group C after a 3-2 win over Hardknocks F. C. After Rey Bejo scored Hardknock's 2nd goal in as many minutes in the 50th, Charlie Bardon got the game winner and punched the Dragons golden ticket into the playoffs. Swamp improves to 3-0-1 and is looking for a very high seed while Hardknocks has played well in every game but comes up just short again.

In other action, FC Kingston returns the favor against Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. after being routed in their first game, crushing the Germans this time 6-2 on the road to bring them to the top of Group G. Benoni Händzel led the way in a powerful attack that overwhelmed the Cologne defense as Kingston scored 5 times between the 39th and 62nd minutes. Mano Araña and Marcon Katz saved the Billygoals from an embarrassing home shutout by scoring late to keep the goal differential respectable. The top three teams are now separated by just a single point as they jockey for position. In the last game of the day, Rushmore FC has clinched a tiebreaker in Group B after they defeat SwampDragons United 4-2 to close out their group play at 3-2-1 and 10 points. Innocenzio Bianco scored a pair of 1st half goals to lead the way. Swamp U, who fell to 1-2 but still has enough games left to control their own destiny, got a good-looking goal from Roger Alice, who took a shot from downtown and bent it around the fingertips of Rushmore goalie Rej Mari.

The Group Stage continues its record pace tomorrow with more playoff spots on the line.

A 5th team has qualified for the knockouts with another 4 virtually assured of transferring through. Rushmore FC joined the chosen ones without lifting a finger thanks to VB Hibernian's 2-1 win over FC Cackalacky in Group B. The key game revolved around a defensive battle where both teams scored early and then clung to the draw. With time running out, The Cabbage were awarded a corner and made Cackalacky pay with Godfredo Pinola's header that beat goalie Tommy Peters high and away in the 86th for the victory. The result sent Rushmore through as no worse than the group's 2nd place team and also effectively guarantees Hibs will advance as well. Cackalacky must win its last game and need a lot of help to qualify as a 3rd Place team.

A pair of Group A games have brought Not Very United to a point away from advancement after their 3-2 win over North Polar Dragons FC. Senon Digao scored a couple of goals in the 1st half and, after North Polar tied the game on Daavid Kaurismäki's shot from the center of the box, Benny Perea won Not Very all three points with his score in the 61st. FC Stratford-Upon-Avon King's Men also picked up their first win in their bid to repeat as they cruise past Fianna AFC 4-1 in the first game the Champs have really looked superior. Juaquine Alberto scored the opening and closing goals to lift The King's Men into 2nd Place in the standings. While North Polar is still in decent shape, The Greens are needing a win right away or their playoff dreams will be over.

Club Deportivo Baile Brian is a point away from securing their own transfer spot after defeating Wolfsburg Dynamit 3-2 in Group D play. Dynamit finally found a scoring touch, getting more goals in this game than their others combined but scores by Radburt Sinclair and Cofahealh Shotbolt were not enough to overcome the Baile Brian offense. Kennelly Towey got the game winner in the 24th on a successful penalty kick, the first of the tournament, after Gervaso Gonzalez committed a foul inside his own box. Brighton AFC is still alive in the group but needs wins rather than the draws it has been posting so far.

In the last morning game, FC Trojans of SC got into the win column in Group F and prevented Holbæk Idrætsforening from clinching a spot, beating the Danish squad 3-2 on the road. After Damien Elsinger tied the game early in the 2nd half, Diontae Moor scored his 2nd goal of the day with a nice redirected header that left Holbæk goalie Tony Hari leaning the wrong way. The win greatly increases the Trojans chances of advancing as they can still finish 1st in the group. Meanwhile FC Stolpen Steamroller and Holbæk are probably getting through as this grouping looks strong for a 3rd Place qualifier.

Three more games this evening...

Teams #6 and #7 have qualified as FC Kingston comes out of Group G after a 6-3 win over Bad News. With a halftime score of 1-1, Kingston went off in the 2nd half, building up a 6-1 lead before Bad News got on the board again...and only then in garbage time. Benoni Händzel got Cup XVIII's first hat trick (I think) to zoom up to the Golden Toe lead with 6 goals. News knocked in a pair of goals in the 89th and 90th minutes, including a Xever Mariano Andrés volley in extra time. Kingston seems to be peaking as they have scored 12 goals in their last two games, which is a little scary.

News was able to play spoiler in their final group game as they surprised FC Winnipeg Royal Lions with a 1-1 draw in Manitoba. News was aided considerably by a 47th minute red card to Lions midfielder Fernandez Jaimes while Winnipeg was trailing 1-0. A disaster was averted when Flavio Ferrando found the back of the net late to split the points but the Lions blew a golden opportunity to all but secure the 2nd transfer spot. Now, the two remaining games in the group will be between the two teams right next to each other in the standings - a home and away between Winnipeg and Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. as one or both clubs will advance to the playoffs.

The last game involved our defending Champs who are living dangerously but are still in 2nd Place in Group A. For the 3rd time, FC Stratford-Upon-Avon King's Men drew a contest, this time against North Polar Dragons FC by a final score of 1-1. Both teams scored within 4 minutes of the other in the 1st half and then traded shot but no more goals until the clock ran out...with the last chance for either side being an extra time attempt by The King's Men's Tyran Moran that harmlessly hit the outside of the netting. The big winner of the game was Not Very United, who got their ticket punched while watching the game on TV as a draw was all they needed to secure the playoffs. With all of the ties, Fianna AFC, despite an 0-3 record, is still very much alive as Stratford sits in 2nd with only 6 points and North Polar in 3rd with 5

Since this is a (relatively) small update, it's a good time to remind everyone that, as teams get eliminated from the playoffs, you can still enter the Bums Bracket, the consolation bracket named after our own KSBeachBums (who came up with the idea) for the immeasurable glory of finishing the tournament in 17th Place. If you want to enter, just post your intentions here or sitemail me. I'll start compiling a list of teams that want to enter starting tomorrow.

As what always happens at this point in the Group Stage, every game has playoff implications and the morning results sent another two teams into the knockouts. Holbæk Idrætsforening won their way in after a tough 4-3 road win against FC Trojans of SC, who was playing for their playoff lives. The Trojans acted like it when they immediately scored to start the game with a 2nd minute strike by Janyd McGourty but Danes answered back a few minutes later off the head of Clement Gaarde to equalize. The California boys regained the lead and built it up to 3-1 but Holbæk was not to be denied, scoring the winner in the 48th off a corner kick. The Danish side finishes its Group F play with 12 points and will wait to see if what their seed will be. The Trojans now must win its last two games and hope they win the tiebreakers to advance.

FC Edinburgh Bullet Birds also advanced thanks to the Swampdragons FC 1-0 win over Kobelco United Football Club as those will be the two teams that represent Group C. A scoreless game was broken at the start of added time when Charlie Bardon ran straight down the middle, got a perfect pass while in stride and crushed a ball that Kobelco goalie Carsten Zobel had no chance to stop. The Dragons now sit with 13 points and remain undefeated while Edinburgh sits with 8 with two games to play.

A couple of teams were in do-or-die situations and managed to stay alive. Fianna AFC picked up their first win in Group A after defeating Not Very United 4-3. Greens midfielder Scanlon Hoy played about 100 seconds before being booted from the game with a straight red card. Despite the massive handicap, Fianna played an inspired game and won short-handed against the group leaders on the strength of two Conn Derrick goals. Not Very, who had clinched their playoff spot the day before, seemed sluggish and a 90th minute goal by Tate Papia made the final score closer than the game actually was. Fianna needs to keep winning and now sits only 3 points behind 2nd place FC Stratford-Upon-Avon King's Men. The other team that survived the morning was SwampDragons United, who prevented VB Hibernian from clinching a spot and kept their own hopes alive after a 2-0 Group B win. Tiernan Carr wrapped up the scoring with a 54th minute goal that secured all three points and brought Swamp U within 3 points of Hibs with a game in hand.

To wrap it up, Slough FC continues to dominate Group E with a 3-2 road win over Swamp City Dragons, who have been eliminated from the knockouts. Lorenzo Armando scored twice as Slough improved to 4-0-1 and will be going for a possible #1 seed with another victory. The Dragons got a goal from their team Captain Arley Movsisyan but a 2nd half red card couldn't be overcome as they gave up the game winner 10 minutes after the ejection to a wide open Richart Deutsch to secure the Slough victory.

Several more games and playoff spots this evening, especially in Group G where Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. and FC Winnipeg Royal Lions will decide who is moving on and who will be considering the Bums.

10 out of 16 playoff spots are now spoken for as FC Winnipeg Royal Lions got it done against Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. in their home and away and not only punched their ticket but took Group G in the process. Cologne and Winnipeg drew the first game in Manitoba after Sebastiano Leal got the equalizer for the German club in the 72nd minute, meaning the return game would decide it all. Jumping on charters, both teams flew back to the Rhine. The Royal Lions again took a 1-0 advantage but, this time, extended it and never let the Billygoats into the game. Fernandez Jaimes scored what proved to be the Group winner in the 39th when he went to ground to nail a header that skipped past goalie Aritz García, as Winnipeg won 3-1 to grab a Top 8 seed. Köln is still technically alive but needs a lot of ties to advance as a 3rd Place team.

Fianna AFC is 2 for 2 when it comes to elimination games as they beat North Polar Dragons FC 4-1 to stay alive in Group A, eliminating North Polar in the process. The Dragons were toast as soon as Uuno Koskinen got ejected in the 13th minute and the Greens built a 4-0 lead before North Polar could register a goal. Max Inabnitt got a pair for Fianna as they improve to 2-3 and have a decent shot at advancing if they win their last game.

Metropolitan Eagles and Club Deportivo Baile Brian drew their contest 1-1 as the Screming Eagles finish Group D with 12 points and are clinging to 1st Place. Orien Arvanitis tied the game in the 69th minute for Baile Brian as they find themselves still one point away from safety. Brighton AFC is still technically alive if they win out and overcome a 6 goal differential. Regardless, Baile Brian is in a good position for a 3rd Place transfer spot if they get caught. In the final game of the day, Swamp City Dragons took out some Group E frustration on FC Not Very Athletic and crushed them 7-0. Arley Movsisyan played the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation and had the best single game of any player in the tournament, scoring four goals, including two scored before 5 minutes had passed. Not bad for a guy who turns 120 in a few months. Sadly, Athletic finishes its tournament without 142 year old Kane Cornynn scoring a goal.

Two more days of Group Stage action to decide the last 6 spots.

I missed a game from last night out of Group D where Club Deportivo Baile Brian had a chance to secure their invitation to the knockouts and Brighton AFC was playing for their playoff lives. Baile Brian completely dominated the stats line, having almost four times the opportunities and a 7-0 corner kick advantage...but they couldn't overcome perfection. Brighton generated only four shots on goal and managed to score on all of them, yes, on all of them, as they took the game 4-2 in front of an overflowing crowd of 40,690. Mitchell Leitch scored twice and Jesse Moose got some insurance in extra time to lead the American side, while Baile Brian got goals from Avel Christofis and Tyreek Waltham. With the result, Baile Brian closes out group play with a 2-1-3 record and can either finish in 2nd, 3rd or be eliminated, depending on tiebreakers. Brighton improves to 1-1-3 and must win its final game against Wolfsburg Dynamit, then await to see how the tiebreakers shake out.

If any of you ever see a missed game or anything incorrect in the standings, just let me know. I don't mind and actually appreciate the extra set of eyes. I do this tournament by hand with only an Excel spreadsheet to help me...so I do miss stuff from time to time.

The 2/1 morning update will be in an hour or so. Got a real life errand to run in a minute.

Two more teams advanced as we enter the penultimate day of Group Stage action. FC Stolpen Steamroller lost in Group F but still advanced thanks to the results of other games after they fell 2-1 to FC Trojans of SC, who kept their own knockout hopes alive. Both teams traded early goals but its was a Gideon Kuhlman header in added time to close out the 1st half that won the Trojans the right to control their own destiny in their final matchup against Southeast Indiana Football Club with a simple win-and-in formula.

Steamroller was able to advance after a 3-3 draw in Group B between SwampDragons United and FC Cackalacky made sure the German's 10 points will be good enough. Swamp U was looking to advance with a win but Cackalacky took it to them, building a 2-0 lead after Adriel Rowley's shot skimmed along the grass and into the back of the net. Only the late game heroics of Jerrad Forko, who scored a hat trick in the final 25 minutes of the game, allowed the Canadian club to split the points. Swamp U can still advance with a win in their last game against VB Hibernian, who is also needing a positive result to punch their own ticket...although both could go through depending on tiebreakers.

Brighton AFC made it 2-for-2 in must win games and played their way into the playoffs, demolishing Wolfsburg Dynamit 6-2 to wrap up their Group D schedule and secure 2nd place on goal differential. Five Brighton players scored, led by Hazen McKinnon, as they passed Club Deportivo Baile Brian in the standings by a +2 differential, with McKinnon's 2nd goal in the 76th being the one that gave them the decisive advantage. Baile Brian is still alive for a 3rd Place transfer spot, sitting at 9 points and a 0 differential as they will have all eyes on the last games out of Groups A, B and F.

In a game for seeding, Slough FC would have won the most improved team award had there been such an honor as they wrap up Group E with a 2-0 win over the crutchanators of soccer. Both teams had already clinched so nothing other than seeding was on the line. With that said, Slough will be no worse than the #2 seed after Takeshi Takada and Dorian Pyrtle put a bow on their Group Stage play. crutchanators will be in a large gaggle of teams with 9 points as a probable double-digit seed.

In the last morning game, Kobelco United Football Club avoided the goose egg in the points column with a 3-3 tie against Hardknocks F. C. in Group C. Donn Lander's side-footed shot gave the Japanese team a 3-1 lead but Hardknocks fought back and split the points on a 79th minute strike from Alfonso Casero. While Kobelco is eliminated, they still will impact the playoffs with their remaining game against FC Edinburgh Bullet Birds, who can still top the group if they win out.

...and on a side note, my own Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. was sent packing to the Bums Bracket after the morning action as their 8 points will fall just short. I'll post the pm games this evening around 7pm.

This has probably been the most competitive Group Stage in Cup history as I believe we have set the record for the most amount of draws.

Not Very United and FC Stratford-Upon-Avon King's Men played to a 1-1 tie in Group A, a common score this tournament. What is not common is that it is the fourth draw for the defending Champs, who now stand at an astounding 1-0-4...undefeated but also on the edge of elimination. Juaquine Alberto saved the day for The King's Men with another late 2nd half goal to split the points as the Cup XVII winners keep pulling rabbits out of hats. The result did clinch the top spot in the group for Not Very, guaranteeing them a high seed in the First Round of the playoffs.

Also drawing this evening were VB Hibernian and SwampDragons United in the first scoreless tie of the tournament in a game both teams needed a result. Neither offense did butkus as the stars of the show were goalies Sonny Miki and Treshawn Aznar. The score was just fine for Hibs, who advanced as the Group B winner, besting Rushmore FC for the top spot with a +2 goal differential. For Swamp U, it was a tragedy as they needed a win and finished with 8 points, a single point shy of the qualifying mark.

FC Trojans of SC won their 3rd straight game to finish Group F play to earn their way into the knockouts after a 2-1 win over Southeast Indiana Football Club. A goal in the 83rd by Janyd McGourty was enough for the Trojans to stave off elimination as they advance as the 2nd Place team, knocking FC Stolpen Steamroller down into final qualifying spot as the #16 seed.

Lastly, in a contest for seeding purposes, Swampdragons FC beat FC Edinburgh Bullet Birds 2-1 to narrowly miss the overall #1 seed for the playoffs.. Nearly back-to-back goals in the 75th-77th minutes erased a 1-0 Bullet Birds lead and propelled the Dragons to the #2 spot for the knockouts. When the final whistle blew, Slough FC celebrated at their home stadium as they will hold the Top Spot. Club Deportivo Baile Brian also did some celebrating as the day's finals guaranteed their own place in the knockouts as the 15th and seed...where they'll meet Swampdragons in the First Round.

Only one playoff spot remains as The King's Men and Fianna AFC meet for what is essentially a play-in game and Edinburgh plays one more time to try and improve their ranking. However, all eyes will be on Group A. Fianna needs to win, whereas a win or draw will see the defending champs will move on to continue their defense.