The best thing about yesterday was the freakin game was at 8am. If we won 10-0 that still would’ve been the best thing.

The game was well fought on both sides and I believe that we definitely earned respect from the team that ousted us from the playoffs last year.

We did not start flat but they still scored in the opening minutes. We gave the ball away in our end leading to a monster shot that went just under the crossbar. We retaliated immediately with a strong build up and a great run by Pete who received the ball on the right and, with no look, buried a rocket past the keeper. 1-1. Some back and forth by both teams left the game even at the half.

So at the half it was mentioned by many that we needed to play the ball out to the wings more often. What was really cool was that we actually did it. We played the ball out to Rafael and Fernando all 2nd half long and they both made great runs and fed great balls in. I did not see much of the 2nd goal but I believe we got a free kick deep in their end, somehow the ball came out to Fabio who volleyed it into the side netting.

We held off many Liverpool attacks through the second half. I believe the game winner started with Pete who gave the ball on the left to Fernando (correct me if I am wrong). It was 2 on the Goalkeeper when Fernando fed it back to Pete all alone who dropped it only to have their GK dive in desperation and come up with the ball.

Shortly after that Liverpool attacked again, we stuffed it again, then gave away the ball again at the wrong time, the ball was fed back to the 18 line again and right about when Paul Scholes was doing the same thing for Man U, their midfielder buried a rocket low, to my left just inside the post. 2-2.

Tough game. We need to protect the ball better boys. Ties instead of wins have caused us to slip to 4th (2 points away from losing a playoff spot). +9 in the goals column is great and reflects well on the defense (and GK J) but 10 of our 16 goals came in the first week.

Julio and Alejandro’s creative play in the middle was missed. Nick, you were obviously missed at the back – please do not miss another Liverpool game and I hope Daryl’s nose has healed.

Toughest game of the year next week boys. Against the League Champs in the stadium. We need all hands on deck and concentration for 90.

I want to get this out of the way early so I can get on with my life.

Other titles for this e-mail:

- Solid First Half…

- The Best Way to Earn a Free Kick For The Other Team Is To Slam Into Your Own Guy

- What Happens When You Don’t Water A Field After Spending Millions On Rebuilding It.

- What Dejan Really Thinks About the Ref and His Family

By The way…what’s with the American Football Scoreboard on a Soccer Pitch? “Down To Go?”

I reluctantly digress…

We knew this was going to be tough. These guys are top of the league on goal differential, went to the finals last year, just tied the defending playoff champs last week etc. They were everything that was advertised. We were going to have to play a perfect game to beat them. Well…we played an almost perfect first half. We dominated play in the first half. We pressured them, gave them no time on the ball and they were unable to do what they wanted. I would list out all the players that performed above and beyond – but it was everyone. We had the better of the scoring chances, a free kick by Julio that their keeper just got a touch on; Pete got on the end of a through ball that their defender had to make a perfect, saving tackle on as Pete had the keeper dead; Julio scored off a free kick but was offside; Fernando skillfully got around 3 guys to play a beautiful cross right across the goal mouth that we could not finish. I did not have to do much in the first half and we were at 0-0.

Could we play the same choking style of defense in the 2nd half? Not quite. I mentioned we needed to keep it up and keep our wits about us as one ball over the top could kill us. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut as they got an over lapping run on our right, 3 of our guys went to the one guy with the ball leaving one man alone in the middle, the cross came to him, I was able to make him dribble wide…but we were on our heels when he played it back to a trailer who buried it.

Only 1 down the mood was right to tie it but then bodies started flying and smaller Asian boys were bouncing off our bigger men. Alejandro and Daryl managed to knock each other out of the game on a 50/50 ball that we actually were penalized for..both were bloody and ended up with a trip to the doctor.

Dejan….well….Dejan managed to challenge a small kid in the box. The smaller kid flew, Dejan appeared a little late with the challenge and they got a PK. So I was at the same goal where I stopped a PK just a few days prior and I am always confident I will stop it. So when this kid walked up to the ball and kept looking to my left….I knew I had him as he was definitely going to go to my right. Then I over analyzed and figured this team was smart and he would do something like run up to the ball and stop – making me move first. So I hesitated. But he didn’t stop, save for a lame head fake, he shot it hard and low to my right….I went right but too late. I was so f@#$ing irritated at myself as I got fingertips to it and if I hadn’t hesitated I would’ve saved it. Not that it made a difference in the outcome.

So then we lost our s&^t. The ball was now constantly in our end. But our defense still held strong. I was a little busier as well. Their keeper took out our guy in the box as the last man and didn’t even earn a foul so that was a bit unfair. Yossi rightfully complained with a scream or two and earned his 2nd yellow and trip off the pitch. Playing with 10 men we did our best to stop the bleeding – no pun intended but another small asian boy bounced off of Dejan, they gave Dejan his 2nd yellow thus he got his red. I believe then Dejan invited the ref AND his whole entire family out for drinks after and to emphasize the point used a few colorful words. Since the ref had no more cards in the deck and wanted to quickly join Dejan at the pub, he called an end to the game.

And I thought I was emotional…

We need to quickly put this one in the rearview. This was a strong team and I know we can beat them. The problem with the format this year is that we do not get another crack at them – until maybe in the playoffs.

We have Liverpool Scullies early in the morning. Let’s focus on getting revenge on these bozos for knocking us out in the first round last season. We need to put a hurt on these guys and bury them. The 3 points next week will put us in a better mood.

Heal fast boys…both physically AND mentally…

Greetings and Salutations –

So again we waited until we were all comfortable with the field, the climate and our opponents until we started playing. Problem is it was about 25 minutes after the game started. MRL took the field ready to play while we struggled to get the ball anywhere near their goal and we decided to try a few ill advised experiments in the back. We are blessed with such a good defense that even when we make some poor passes or other embarrassments (causing some ear splitting screams from Yossi) we can recover and snuff out offensive attacks. We adjusted the formation (Olman dropped all the way back to restore some order), calmed down some and fought to a 0-0 halftime.

Dudes, I recommend getting to the field early, running through your warm ups and prepare a little more seriously – me included. We need to be the aggressor early and the last two weeks we were not.

Some brilliant minds got together, made some adjustments to the personnel and we were a completely different team to start the second. Alejandro began to control the middle and got a ball to Julio on the left who absolutely carved up MRL on his way to the goal and unselfishly laid one off to Dac – who proved he IS a striker and left no doubt about the goal by burying it.

A marking error at the back allowed the relentless MRL to get behind our defense, I was exposed to a 1 v 1 and the score was tied. Their sideline took to the underdog role by getting verrrrry excited about how they were even with a first place team.

Some lesser teams may have been satisfied with a tie – but not the mighty Zenit. We would have been pissed and immediately went on the attack. Dejan personally was going to make it his mission to bring home a win if need be, jumped into the play, shot one with his left…

We interrupt this program as it was at this time I and everybody else lost track of the play as Yossi – screaming again- was pointing out a hand ball, all eyes went to him and somehow…what seemed to be a minute later….

….and scored! Dejan wasted no time in informing the MRL sideline that this is how a first team finishes.

Apparently the ball deflected off a defender, turned in mid-air, up and to the left (anyone see JFK?) and past their keeper.

They put 10 on our side of the field and we were able to withstand their attack and win a tough one. This was a playoff team from last season so a win at any score was a good win. There will be tougher teams (we are already down to 3rd based on goal differential and ours is +11!) and next week’s opponent is no slouch. The season is still young and more adjustments will be made to fine tune things I’m sure. What we did not lack in was passion. In one way or another everyone played hard and the result showed.

Come prepared to play from the opening whistle. Know your roles and responsibilities from a team perspective. Defense first! Remember that and the goals will come.

Until Sunday….

Marc Bergman