Before guests started arriving for the watch party, I had time to update a couple of Group E games that went final at noon. Bolton Wanderers won for the fourth time and now sits at 12 points after beating FC Cackalacky 5-2. The win virtually assures that Bolton will advance, although, mathematically, I can't give them blue highlighting. Itzik Widawier scored twice and Prince Pinter, added his fourth of the tournament to lead the Wanderer attack. Both players find themselves at 4 goals each and in the early lead in the Golden Toe tracker. Cackalacky got a goal from Sinai Kupferstoch when he side-footed in a shot that knuckled past goalie Matai Teuermann and another score by Pedro Delfs but a 2-2 halftime score line quickly turned into a dominating home win.

The other game saw Neuschwanstein Swans get their first win of the tournament when they hit the road and won a convincing 3-0 victory over Metropolitan Eagles. Dominik Bucher set the tone for the Swans early when he scored in the 5th minute and the Metro Eagles simply couldn't convert any of their numerous chances in the offensive half, despite having 14 shots, ii of which were on goal. The good news for everyone chasing Bolton is that all three teams have an equally bad goal differential and the away goals are tightly grouped...it's just a matter of winning games, with Cackalacky now in a must-win situation.

To finish the 2/9pm games, St. Louis City played a pair of Group G games needing to get points as one draw in three game wasn't going to get the job done. The first of the afternoon was promising as they hosted Rushmore FC and played toe to toe with the former Champs. While Ty Evan's goal in the 87th looked like the game winning score for Rushmore, St. Louis found a dramatic answer in the final moments when Portuguese forward Victor Mascarenhas redirected a crossing pass to catch Rushmore goalie Guilio Cannavaro leaning the opposite way and the game ended as a 2-2 tie. City then traveled to Saxony to take on group leader Wolfsburg Dynamit...and there was no drama this time. City's Juan-Carlos Ferreira got booked with a straight red card in the 16th minute and Wolfsburg owned the game from that point. After breaking the ice just before halftime on Hernan Bordonaba's header, Wolfsburg added three more goals in the 2nd half for a dominating 4-0 win. Dynamit is virtually assured of a playoff spot and only needs one point or a losses by other teams to clinch. St. Louis played a tough several games to open the tournament but has been eliminated from playoff contention and can only be a spoiler in their final contest.

I'll do the morning update around 10 or 11am.

OK, a huge morning update with 7 games being played. First, a rules reminder. It was brought to my attention that the system generated duplicate games in one of the matchups. It's a known bug in the programming...you accept a challenge and you get 2 or 3 games scheduled with that team in a row. The way the Cup handles that situation is the following: if duplicate games are scheduled, the earliest game will count for the standings unless I hear from both coaches that one of the other games should be the game of record. That has actually happened in the past where both coaches decided they wanted the later date to count (to give them more time to sign players.)

So, if you see a bunch of games against the same team, you'll know which game will be the one that matters.

Now for the update. There was action in almost every group this morning. In Group C, Kiki United handed Der Kaiserlich-Österreichische Hodensack another loss in a 4-2 home win. Ramiro Tirado scored a pair of goals and The Crown Jewels made the final score look decent when they got late goal from Noak Jägerhon, whose shot pinballed in off the underside of the crossbar. Otherwise, the 43,000 in attendance were never really worried as Kiki had the lead throughout almost the entire game. In Group B play, FC Edinburgh Bullet Birds walloped Brighton AFC on the road as they put up seven goals en route to a 7-3 win. It was 4-0 Edinburgh before Jesse Moose got the home team something to feel good about. However, a 4-2 halftime score got out of control when the Bullet Birds started pouring in more goals late. Daylin Plunkett ended up with a hat trick and Sandro Huntelaar added a pair as Edinburgh has now netted 14 goals in 3 games.

A somewhat surprising result in Group D has pushed the normally powerful the crutchanators of soccer to the brink of elimination. Upstart FC Gimli Vikings hit the road and took care of business as they surprised the former Champs 4-3...and they did it playing the entire game short-handed. Merek Podany took an early bath in the 3rd minute when he horse-collared his marker. It didn't seem to matter to the Vikings offense, who adjusted their formation and, after falling behind 3-1 at halftime, owned the 2nd half, scoring the game winner in the 78th minute when Connor McCarty showed off his vertical leap to head in the ball past a diving Rueban Lazar. At 0-2-2, crutchanators needs to start winning or their tournament will be over. Group E saw a tightening of the standings as Neuschwanstein Swans got a key 3-2 win against Metropolitan Eagles, denying the Metro Eagles from clinching a playoff spot. The Swedish side had jumped out to a 2-0 lead but a pair of 2nd half goals by Lawrence Cline gave the Swans the home win. The Metro Eagles are now locked in at 7 points, which is shaky ground for making the knockouts and score guarantees Bolton Wanderers a golden ticket to the knockouts, the first team to get the coveted blue highlighting in the tournament.

Group G saw Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. and Rushmore FC play to a 2-2 draw, the 3rd draw for Rushmore in group play. Jeramie Edward salvaged the tie in the 88th minute when his shot beat Cologne goalie Aritz García to the corner. The problem for Rushmore is that ties don't accumulate enough stage points and they must win their last game and then pray St. Louis City wins it's game against the Germans. Finally, a pair of Group H games have brought Southeast Indiana Football Club to the near-assurance that they will advance after a 3-0 win over Not Very United, who was playing their first game of the tourney. Peer Weinstein scored a pair and Indiana has collected 10 points in 4 games. The other game was a World 92 affair that saw Bordeaux Fighting Bovines beat their French rival Bad News 3-2. American Nathen Shivers scored all three goals for the Cattle as the win lifts their record to 2-1 and forces Bad News to win out and hope for a lot of help in order to survive.

There are a bunch noon and evening games that I'll post after 7pm tonight.

I'm going to start updating the standings with the pm games. There's 7 of them so it'll take me a few minutes.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be listing the unscheduled games.

Where to begin. The most surprising thing out of the evening action was the elimination of the Cup XIV Champion and Cup XV Runner Up as the crutchanators of soccer dropped another close game and will not be advancing out of Group D after their 3-2 defeat at the hands of VB Hibernian. Hibs raced out to a 3-1 lead after Enriqueta Montaner bent in a shot in the 32nd and, facing elimination, crutchanators could only get one back, scoring off a header by Jaquawn Cervantes in the 82nd. The result dropped crutchanators to 0-3-2, having lost all three games by a single goal. The other major result was the victory by Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. over Wolfsburg Dynamit in Group G, as the 4-1 Billygoats win sends both teams into the knockouts and eliminates Rushmore FC from the competition...another team that has played well but has failed to post wins. Any chance Wolfsburg (and Rushmore) had went out the window when Hernan Bordonaba was sent packing after his red card in the 53rd minute, placing an already trailing Dynamit side permanently down a man.

Another must-win team was FC Cackalacky, who took care of business by routing Group E leader Bolton Wanderers 5-1 at home. Israeli striker Sinai Kupferstoch scored the first and last goal for Cackalacky as his hat trick was more than enough to top Bolton, who couldn't generate anything outside an 83rd minute garbage time goal from Alvaro Bownell long after the game had been decided. The big win evens Cackalacky's goal differential and probably cost Bolton some playoff seeding. Group A finally got underway when Merchiston FC hosted Kobelco United Football Club and handled the Japanese squad in a 3-0 win. Ante Serioux took a free kick in the 1st minute and knocked it in off the leg of a defender, setting the tone for the match. A couple of 2nd half goals closed it out as Kobelco had plenty of opportunities but couldn't find the back of the net.

Bordeaux Fighting Bovines took a big step towards clinching a playoff spot out of Group G when they defeated Not Very United 3-2 in the south of France. Adan Sánchez struck first for United when his 7th minute shot easily beat Cattle goalie Gianluigi Francesco but three straight scores by Bordeaux sealed the game in their favor when Nathen Shivers beat the fullback on the edge and then hit a perfect angle that bounced off the far post and in. The win guarantees either Bordeaux or group leader Southeast Indiana Football Club will advance, although it is unknown which team. It also eliminates Bad News from contention, yet another team that has lost three games by a single goal.

The final action this evening was a pair of games by the Dragons, that is North Polar Dragons FC and Swamp City Dragons, who played both legs of their home and away in Group F. The first game was a 3-3 draw as the ageless wonder Arley Movsisyan opened up the scoring in the 5th when he headed a ball past Aderet Schar, 80 years his younger. Hannes Carli answered for North Polar a couple of minutes later and the even scoring continued all the way to the final whistle. In the return game, home cooking suited the Canadian side as Swamp City dominated this one for a 6-2 win. Lyle Lensky scored twice, which gave him four goals for the day and Movsisyan ended the day the way it started, with a goal in the final minute when he powered a shot off the crossbar to cap off the victory.

Another big day in store for tomorrow.

Our record in group play should be 2-3-1 not 2-2-2.

Posted by KSBeachBums on 2/10/2025 9:02:00 PM (view original):
Our record in group play should be 2-3-1 not 2-2-2.

Yup. Correcting and thanks. I had the games recorded correctly and the stage points were right...just tried to give you a different W-L-D record.

If anyone ever sees an error, feel free to point it out. I don't mind. I place the "box scores" there just to get an extra set of eyes from everyone.

FC Not Very Athletic's 3v0 win away at Swamp City Dragons from the 8th to be added in too.

Thanks gomiami.

Posted by pubmonkey on 2/11/2025 3:31:00 AM (view original):
FC Not Very Athletic's 3v0 win away at Swamp City Dragons from the 8th to be added in too.

Thanks gomiami.

Note to self - never run a tournament around Super Bowl Sunday, lol.

First off, a game that went final a couple of days ago was not added to the Group F standings. Swamp City Dragons had hosted FC Not Very Athletic for their home opener in front of 21,077 and ended up not having much to cheer about. Athletic, also playing their opening tournament game, was the much sharper side as they made the most of their opportunities. Ross McEntee showed off some of his dribbling skills and cut through the Dragons defense, getting off a shot that easily bested goalie Huenu Palomino in the 27th for the 1-0 lead. A couple of early 2nd half goals completed a 3-0 win as the English squad picked up a road victory and some valuable away goals.

Posted by gomiami1972 on 2/11/2025 10:20:00 AM (view original):

Posted by pubmonkey on 2/11/2025 3:31:00 AM (view original):
FC Not Very Athletic's 3v0 win away at Swamp City Dragons from the 8th to be added in too.

Thanks gomiami.

Note to self - never run a tournament around Super Bowl Sunday, lol.

Lol

Fair play to you - we all appreciate your dedication!
:~)

Now to the morning action for today. A couple of games went in the books, the most impacting being a Group E showdown between FC Cackalacky and Neuschwanstein Swans in a game that would decide the fate of the playoff teams coming out of that part of the tournament bracket. Cackalacky needed to win out and Metropolitan Eagles, very interested onlookers, were also praying for anything other than a Swans win. Unfortunately for both Cackalacky and the Metro Eagles, the Swans (and Alarico Riki in particular) came out swinging. Riki would score twice in the first 32 minutes and teammate Jalan Moustafa added a goal before halftime to give the Bavarian team a 3-0 halftime lead. A couple of late goals by veteran Swiss forward Pedro Delfs wasn't enough and Neuschwanstein won the game 4-2, eliminating both the Eagles and Cackalacky from the tournament and punching their own ticket into the playoffs.

In the other contest, FC Trojans of SC won a tight 3-2 win over Kiki United out of Group C. Much like the other morning game, the Trojans jumped out to a 3-0 lead after Udayle Velázquez redirected a header past Kiki goalie Dannon Mateos midway through the 2nd half. Kiki then owned the last 20 minutes of the game, scoring twice, but wasn't able to find the equalizer in a game that only had 12 shots on goal, 5 of which were converted.

There are a lot of noon/evening games and I'll post the handful of unscheduled games on the first page of the tournament thread in the Unscheduled Games post. Almost all of them involve the defending Champs, who are at season's end and are waiting to sign some players.

A 5th team has clinched a knockout spot after Bordeaux Fighting Bovines beat Southeast Indiana Football Club 2-1 in a Group H battle between the top two squads. Bordeaux led the entire way, getting the game winner from Florinio Matamala 34 minutes into the 1st half. A 2nd half tally by Meldrick Ballett made the final score close. With the win, Bordeaux is playing its last game for seeding purposes and Indiana can clinch with a win of their own. Not Very United has to run the table in order to supplant Indiana as the other playoff qualifier.

Wolfsburg Dynamit improved its seeding by winning its final Group G game against Rushmore FC and finished group play with 13 stage points. After Ronan Dorsey gave Rushmore the early lead, four different Dynamit players scored in a balanced attack. Statistically, the game was even with Wolfsburg simply doing more with their opportunities. What was looking like a possible 2-2 tie ended up as a 4-2 win for the German side after late goals by Donall Tubney and Hernan Bordonaba sealed the deal. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V. can still win the group with a win in its last game.

Upstart FC Gimli Vikings won another game in their Cup debut, this time over former Champion FC Kingston by a score of 2-1 in Sweden. The Vikings jumped out to a 2-0 lead and then held on as Kingston closed strong and scored in the 86th after Carver Dodson headed in a crossing pass. Kingston then was gifted a man advantage with a couple of minutes to go when Merek Podany committed a strong foul and got red carded but they couldn't convert and the Group D game finished as a victory for the home side.

FC Stolpen Steamroller also had a man sent off with a red card but this one occurred with almost an entire half left in a Group B game against Brighton AFC. Leading 2-0 after the break, Jordy Twellman committed his 2nd yellow of the game and forced Steamroller to play a man short for the rest of the game. Brighton slowly built up the pressure and finally scored in the 79th when Jesse Marshall controlled a corner kick and blasted one past Stolpen goalie Sein Flórez. Two more Brighton corners in the last 10 minutes almost scored the equalizer but steamroller got away with Twellman's mistake and survived to take the 2-1 victory, going to the top of the standings.

To round out the evening action, perennial doormat Osztrák-Magyar Monarchia Foci Klub lost another Cup tournament game, this time a 1-0 heartbreaker to Merchiston FC in Group A play. The game was knotted at 0-0 going into the final minute as Austria-Hungary was looking for only its 2nd positive result in its Cup history. Once again, it was not a happy ending for the Dual Monarchy as MacPherson MacLeay, on literally the last play of the game, buried a shot right in front of goalie Treveon Coundoul to give Merchiston all three points and save them from the scoreless draw. The A-H fans wonder what they have done to deserve this kind of representation.

More games tomorrow as we enter the 2nd half of the Group Stage.

Another team has earned their way to the knockouts as VB Hibernian grabs one of the two Group D spots after their 2-0 road win over FC Gimli Vikings. Hibs controlled the match but was unable to break the tie until the 56th minute when Godfredo Pinola set up in the middle of the box and placed a header into the back of the net. An insurance goal by Tedrick Frame closed out the scoring as Hibs will now play for seeding purposes. The Vikings still hold the 2nd transfer spot but the loss gives FC Kingston a much easier path now to challenge Gimli for that other Group D golden ticket.

FC Trojans of SC hammer hapless Der Kaiserlich-Österreichische Hodensack in Group C, improving their record to a perfect 3-0, while Hodensack falls to 0-3. Statistically, the game was even enough everywhere except on the scoreboard as Hodensack generated a number of chances but was unable to get one past Trojans goalie Dantrell Gonzalo. On the other side of the ball the Trojans scored once in the 1st half and then put the game away late with a couple of goals in the final 10 minutes...the highlight being Gideon Kuhlman as he avoided some tackles and slid a ball past Crown Jewels goalie Volney Stryker. The 3-0 win makes the Trojans effectively into the playoffs, although they need one more victory to clinch. Hodensack, on the other hand, is virtually eliminated.

North Polar Dragons FC won another game in Group F, beating FC Not Very Athletic 3-0 at home in front of 45,000 North Polar fans. The Dragons dominated the game as Zachary Walls scored a pair and Finnish forward Daavid Kaurismäki got his first of the tournament in the 63rd off a corner kick. The win places North Polar in a tie for the top spot with Swamp City Dragons as both teams sit with identical 2-1-1 records. Athletic and Slough FC still have 4 games to play, so nothing has been decided at this point.

The final morning game proved just how good all of the Group E teams were in Cup XVI. FC Cackalacky finished the group off with a win on the road against playoff-bound Neuschwanstein Swans with a 3-2 result. A 2-2 draw was broken in the 71st minute when Akton Egholm scored unassisted to give Cackalacky all three points. The final group standings had the Swans at 9 points and both Cackalacky and Metropolitan Eagles with 7 points...meaning a goal here or there would have resulted in a different playoff qualifier.

Several more games this afternoon that I'll grab in the evening.