The Championship will begin on the 19th when Baile Brian hosts the first leg. The return game at Swamp City is on the 22nd and the first tiebreaker game, if necessary is also scheduled...which is a nice touch...on the 23rd.

The first leg of the Championship is tonight at 7pm. I'll update the result shortly after the game is played.

The opening game of the FC Dynasty Cup XIX Championship has gone final and Club Deportivo Baile Brian has moved within a single game of winning it all after having to register 7 points in their last three Group Stage games just to qualify for the knockout rounds. Playing at home in Ireland, Baile Brian made the most of their 38,174 fans in attendance against Swamp City Dragons, scoring in the 5th minute off an Ivor Teevans header to grab the early lead. The veteran Dragons, making their third appearance in the Championship Series, answered right back when Ryszard Bretschneider scored his 11th and 12th goals of the tournament a few minutes apart to move him into 2nd place in the Golden Toe standings and give the Canadians the 2-1 advantage at the 15 minute mark, which held up all the way till halftime.

Baile Brian seemed to benefit from the break and came out with renewed energy, tying the contest in the 50th and then taking the lead back in the 56th when Teevans scored again to give his club the 3-2 lead. After going down a 2nd time, Swamp City had a long stretch of possession which finally culminated in the game-tying goal off the head of 123 year old Arley Movsisyan, whose been in this situation a few times before and delivered a flick into the far corner to knot the game at 3-3 with 12 minutes remaining. As the 4th referee on the sideline was just about to show how many minutes of extra time were to be added, Rayquan Salazar found himself sprinting down the center all by himself after a botched offside trap gave him a one-on-one with Dragons goalie Renau Palombo. It was no contest as Salazar blasted the game winner by a motionless Palombo in the 90th minute to give Baile Brian the 4-3 victory.

Swamp City will have a couple of days to correct their mistakes when they host their home game on the 22nd in Canada. Meanwhile, the 3rd Place series starts tomorrow when SwampDragons United hosts Bad News for the right to the last podium spot.

The 3rd Place series played their first leg today in Canada and neither team was able to stake their claim after a 2-2 draw. SwampDragons United got the bronze medal match-up off in style when they rushed down the pitch, forced a corner and converted after a Baen Geddes header, all within the opening 60 seconds. Bad News got over their initial jitters and tied the contest in the 23rd off a Xever Mariano Andrés goal and then took the 2-1 halftime lead when Andrés tipped a shot off United goalie Treshawn Aznar's outstretched hands. The start of the 2nd half looked like the French club was going to have a really good final 45 when Dragons defender Winslowe Grey was sent off after he crashed into a News player in the 47th, forcing United to play almost the entire half down a man. However, not only was News unable to capitalize, they conceded a short-handed goal in the 65th when Geddes scored unassisted to send the series back to France level.

Both the Championship and 3rd Place have their return games on the 22nd, as Saturday could be the final day of the tournament.

We need to get our Israeli World 79 folks in the tourney... since they are signing a lot of our World talent. In a related note... FCC re-qualified for the Cup last season...

Gentlemen, FC Dynasty Cup XIX is proud to announce that our new Champion has been crowned. Club Deportivo Baile Brian has advanced through the knockouts as the last seed to emerge as the last team standing as they take the Ultimate Prize, defeating Swamp City Dragons to win the return leg 3-0 and the Championship series by an aggregate of 7-3. Baile Brian, who has been playing must-win contests since their Group E loss to Slough FC way back in mid-July, was not to be denied their destiny as they make the most improbable run possible to become the latest Cup Champion.

Having a 4-3 lead after the first game, Baile Brian hit the road to Swamp City's home pitch in Canada and got lockdown goalkeeper play to claim their title. While the Dragons were able generate chances and shots, Greek goalie Dru Vassos was the MVP, saving all 7 shots he faced. After a scoreless 1st half, the Irish club's offense swung into action to put the series away. Baile Brian virtually held the ball for the first 20 minutes of the last 45, scoring twice, once of the head of fello Greek Giorgis Markopoulos in the 62nd and another six minutes later when Tedric Lopez picked a great time to score his only goal of Cup XIX to make the aggregate 6-3 at that point and out of reach for the Dragons and their home fans. Ivor Teevans added the final touch in the 78th to complete the convincing victory. As the final whistle blew, the entire Baile Brian team ran over to the goal box and carried Vassos around on their shoulders as if on parade. They then walked over to the dejected Dragons squad to shake hands as the Canadians offered their congratulations.

Club Deportivo and and mnnorthstars out of World 84 have shown the heart of a Champion by taking the FC Dynasty Cup XIX title, making Baile Brian the only 16 seed to win it all. Swamp City Dragons and sd69 out of World 64, the Cup VI winners, have now won Runner-Up honors for a 2nd time. The L'Orteil D'or award was won by Stearn Rentería, who held on to the lead with 13 goals despite FC Gimli Vikings being eliminated in the Quarterfinals, showing just how large of a goal tally he had built up...an impressive feat. Now, without further ado, the hardware will now be distributed to their rightful owners.
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Champion - Club Deportivo Baile Brian - (mnnorthstars)

..... ...........Runner-up - Swamp City Dragons - (sd69)
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L'Orteil D'or - Stearn Rentería (FC Gimli Vikings)
3rd Place - ???
Bums Bracket Winner - Slough FC

We do still have one piece of business to address as the 3rd Place series played their return game and no decision was reached as Bad News and SwampDragons United are still locked in a 4-4 tie after another 2-2 draw to match the opening score a few days ago. News had the home field and their French fans gave the team early energy as they jumped to the 3-2 lead in the 6th off a Rosco Muston header. However, United fought back and scored the next two to jump ahead 4-3 after Roger Alice connected in the 37th. With both clubs making adjustments during the break, News clearly made the better ones as they controlled the 2nd half, scoring in the 50th off a great individual play by Xever Mariano Andrés to tie the series at 4-4 but couldn't find the bronze medal winner despite a handful of excellent chances.

Bad News won the coin toss and will host the tiebreaker game. If this game also ends in a draw (or if the game is not played,) both teams will share the podium as happened in Cup XVII. So, there is one final game before the tournament officially wraps up. Bad News can send the challenge at their convenience.

I’m shocked and honored to have the opportunity to play in the final, let alone come away with a convincing victory. Congratulations to Swamp City on a deep run in the tournament and a well-played final!

Thanks for organizing this tournament and providing the rich commentary and summaries after each match.

Posted by mnnorthstars on 8/22/2026 11:30:00 AM (view original):
I’m shocked and honored to have the opportunity to play in the final, let alone come away with a convincing victory. Congratulations to Swamp City on a deep run in the tournament and a well-played final!

Thanks for organizing this tournament and providing the rich commentary and summaries after each match.

You are welcome and your team deserves its glorious spot the Record Book history (when I update it in September.)

The last game of Cup XIX is on the 25th when the bronze medal will be decided in a winner-take-all game in France.