retired_mallory08

Crash And Burn

Out went the Southern Conference regular season leaders. Out in the first round. Out without a goal. Out to arch rivals Marquette.

How did it all go so wrong?

"We were in poor form approaching the playoffs...Big Kev Hartman got injured, and although Joe Cannon is a good keeper, he was thrown in somewhat at the deep end. The goals, what few we had mustered in the regualr season dried up, and sadly, the playoffs were probably lost the minute we conceded that first goal. We put up a hell of a battle in Game 1 at Marquette, but Oliver Kahn is one of the all time greats between the posts and he simply stoned us."

Clark continued..."Josh Wolff looked out of sorts in the second half of the season and never really recovered from an injury he picked up midseason. Pedro Junior - although one of the best raw talents in the league - simply has to start finding the net on a more regular basis."

The forward position certainly looked good on paper in 2005 - EJ, Wolff, Mullan, Ogi, Knox, Greer and Noel, but this young group never got firing and two of them have now departed. A striker is clearly the top priority for Clark's Kaisers in the off season.

Cap issues are afoot. In a move about nothing more than clearing wages, highly touted prospect Aaron Galindo was shipped to Mexican giant Toluca for $2m and futures. A great return on a player who never really hit stride last season and was picked up for a 4th Round Supplemental pick and the 12th Round KK pick in the inaugural draft. "We wish him well, but he didn;t adjust well to the MLS style of play. His fee and wages will be necessary this season if we are to improve on last years results."

DM stalwart and Canadian international Julian de Guzman will likely graduate from his cap-exempt deal, meaning $250,000 a year that Clark will have to squeeze under the cap. Galindo liberated $150k, and with the earlier move of Freidel to Rochester, Clark could pull it off. The only problem that remains is that it doesn't allow for a new striker. "Other bodies will have to go".

The first new arrival of the off season is Lucio Filomeno from DC United. The Argentine hit nearly 30 goals last season and if he sticks through preseason, will take up an SI spot - the first on the KK. His wages are a modest $60k a year, but still will be tough to accommodate under the cap.

*On the block this offseason are Christian Rodriguez (who wants a move and more money), Nick Garcia, Mirko Lomic (for the right deal), Liam Ridgewell, Will Hesmer, Ogi and possibly Brian Mullan and recent arrival Richard Mulrooney. Offers can be directed to my PM mailbox.

Frankly, with the exception of Cannon, Hartman, Onyewu, Reyna, Conrad, Greer and Knox I'm open to offers.

retired_hellokity111

Lions Fittingly Lose to Kings

During the regular season the Lions were a difficult team to face with the potent strike force of Taylor Twellman and Jay-Jay Okocha and formidable defending which led them to a league best +31 goal difference. Such things mean little in the playoffs however as Vancouver put together a woeful display in the Conference Semi Finals for three halves falling behind 2-0. Okocha grabbed one back ealy in the seond half of the return leg and despite dominating, the Lions could not score having lost striker Chad Barrett to injury earlier in the match.

"We peaked too early in the season" commented coach Saint-Vil. "We have a good team here that has the ability to beat anyone, but we didn't do it at the right times. Unfortunate injuries to Taylor and Eddie did certainly affect us but every team has injuries and we should be able to rebound from them."

Losing the league's top scorer Taylor Twellman and a potent attacking threat like Eddie Gaven is not something that many teams would have been able to overcome in this new league however. With each team in the new MLS supporting highly talented players, every match is like a final, there are no easy matches.

With the offseason under way, the Lions have a good chance of being a force in the MLS with much of the squad returning. Only one departure has so far been confirmed as Grigoris Georgatos will continue his career in Austria after he was kept as a reserve in the MLS playoffs. "Grigoris has been good for us and he has played well but we need to nurture our younger foreign players who are set to become SI's next year. I wish him the best of luck in the rest of his career." When asked whether many changes would be made in the squad Saint-Vil said "No. We believe in putting together a team, not a bunch of high profile individuals. Despite playing together for the first time this year, the players have showed signs of becoming a team and we will build on this."

The conservative approach by Saint-Vil is not likely to please fans who will be reading much transfer news coming from rivals Kentucky but only time will tell which manager's approach works well.

retired_terragyrl

Dumped at the altar

The New Liskeard North Football Club vaulted into second place in the East Conference standings at year-end, propelled by the trading deadline signing of Clint Mathis. The National team regular sniped four goals in five games, and the Northmen clinched second ahead of their personal doormat, the Alaska Arctic Wolves.

The playoffs started with New Liskeard hosting their personal whipping dogs, the Arctic Wolves. The series promised to be a mere formality as the Northmen had crushed their competitors in all 4 regular season meetings. The championship was all but in the bag.

"Absolute garbage,"ranted manager Stu Hopkins,"The Arctic Wolves are absolute garbage."

Two games later, he was singing a diferent tune.

"Heads will roll,"he ranted,"Heads will roll."

The surpirising Alaska side ripped the Northmen 4-1 in the first leg, leaving the second leg all but a formality. The second leg finished 2-2, despite the Northmen having recovered from their first leg demolishing, and heaping all sorts of pressure on their opponents.

Alaska went on to win the next two rounds, and hoist the inaugural championship.

"That was my trophy,"hissed Hopkins,"Mine."

New Liskeard's performance in big games is now highly suspect. They had previously dropped their cup semifinal match against b-level side Seattle, and had now contrived to choke when it mattered most...again.

"No heart, no talent, no good."ranted Hopkins when asked about his side."Bunch of sucky babies."

Too be fair, the New Liskeard side had been ravaged by injuries prior to the playoffs, with five regulars being scythed down in their regular season finale against Rochester. Regular defenders Griffin and Svec were unable to compete in the playoffs, and keeper Blazek was unfit to play, but did anyway.

"Who would have thought missing your DR and DL would have an effect on your team?"Hopkins asked rhetorically,"That's where the two lousy kids usually play growing up. DL is the fat kid, and DR is the kid with good wheels and no clue on how to play."

Changes are likely to be made in the near future at the Widowmaker. Chief among needs is a reliable DL, and a solid MC.

But the gaffer's unpredictable nature has already reared its ugly head again. Despite being stacked at DC and DR and DM, recent news out of Kentucky has piqued his interest.

"Ridgewell and Mulrooney?"Hopkins salivated,"They'd look great in green."

retired_chelsieeeey32

Arctic Wolves Win and Kovacs speaks



The Bosnian backed MLS franchise beat the odds of 1000-1 to take back to Anchorage the MLS crown. There was huge suspicion surrounding how these odds were calculated since they were considerably worse than the rest of the league's. Maybe it was due to the lack of a marquee player, most managers picked at least 1 star player but we selected solid team players instead. The team we built has a workman like ethic surrounding it's performance which was on display in the playoffs.

In the first round we faced New Liskeard North and we'd been dominated by them in the regular season. Yet, I knew that in those regular season meetings we controlled the game in the possesion stats and we're done in by Stu's long ball luck. The playoffs would be different, although they started out with a similar tune with a questionable pk, but we kept going and destroyed them. It was a typical Rob Friend performance, our talisman was in superb form and was unstoppable. Hopkins is gonna need more than a left back and midfielder to fix the problems he faces, he needs to go rethink his tactics.

Next we faced the intimidating Rochester Kings who are the defintion of a one man team. If you can stop Ebbe Sand you can usually beat them the problem is you can't stop Sand. It was a tough game against the Kings, both teams were extremely nervous and it was a very even affair. It could've gone either way but Norweigan International Tomasz Sokolowski was the difference and propelled us into the final. It's going to be interesting to see what changes Tristan makes to the Kings in the offseason because his side have potential, if healthy, to rival the great Roger Saint-Vil's Vancouver Lions.

In the Final we faced Ryan's Texas in a true battle of North vs. South. Ryan's team had dominated the South until a late season slump, but his team is usually spot on with tactics and is always a very tough opponent. The final was controlled by the Arctic Wolves but the Longhorns were never out of it and they created some great chances that drew some superb saves out of Antti Niemi. If Ryan's tactical changes came earlier we would had a different outcome since they made an immediate impact and caused the Arctic Wolves to be put under the kosh for the rest of the match.

Hungarian manager Gabor Kovacs has been reluctant to speak out since he's still new to the country and isn't at ease with life in Anchorage, as of yet. Now it's time for a holiday back to Hungary and to prepare for the next season. We've got our targets and we will be anxiously awaiting the MLS superdraft and we will be looking to make draft day trades with Mr. Lung. B)

retired_mallory08

EXCLUSIVE - CLARK IS BURNING




"Here we go Again"

It seems the usual shennigans have started up in MLS between two of the league's elder statesmen. Roger Saint Vil aka Omer has started the dance up again with his remarks about KK gaffer Al's transfer policies.

"Surprise, surprise", said Clark "I think he's just trying to get some heat off him in Vancouver for crashing out of the playoffs at the first hurdle. It's easier to pick a fight with me than focus on his managerial shortcomings."

Expected any time now is triumphant Alaska manager Gabor (Russ) to chime in on the subject.

"Each to their own. I've got my style, and I've always lived or died by it. It's not that I'm unloyal, not at all, but I will do everything I can to make my team as competitive as possible. Some players have earned the right to be here next year, some have not. Some will stake their claim in pre-season and other will not make it to my 28. That's the nature of the beast. MLS has one of the highest roster turnovers in all of professional soccer. The roster limits, cap and constant churning of players caused by the draft means that you have to start on top of your club. I've got about 8 new faces coming in via the draft....turnover is part of the job as a MLS manager."

"I notice he let his Greek boy go. Cap related? Sure it was. Galindo leaving was the same thing. I'm going to have to shuffle the deck a little more because of de Guzman's exemption ending, but I don't see the big deal. I have my core guys and the rest, well, is open to negotiation. Everyone has their price."

"My starting eleven is mostly set. I need a striker, I've said that, and I still need some help at Sweeper. I have some excellent young players, but Greer and Cameron are not ready yet for starting duties, not in a league this strong. Richard Mulrooney was brought in as stop gap, but he's a talented player. If he wishes to stay we can renegotiate his deal, else for cap purposes, should the right offer come along I'll move him. Likewise, I have the same issue with Nick Garcia, Josh Wolff and Brian Mullan. I want them all, but I can;t keep all of them. I've got a 1st and 2 2nd round picks, maybe I'll get some young, cap-exempt help and I'll get the breathing room I need to bag that striker. "

"In all seriousness, all the manager's in this league have my utmost respect, but I'm not going to stand by whilst some of them take cheap pot shots at me in the offseason."

retired_hellokity111

Saint-Vil Befuddled with Clark's Comments

Roger Saint-Vil responded to Kentucky manager Clark's comments in the media earlier by suggesting that he did not intend to take a crack at Clark's revolving door transfer policy. "I only talked about my own team. No one else." Saint-Vil said.

"I can not control how others react to news reports. I did not make a statement about the coach, the media did. Perhaps Clark should target the media rather than a fellow manager whose only concern is his own team"

Saint-Vil also commented about Clark's accusations behind the reason for letting Georgatos go.

"Cap? What do you mean cap issues? We are well under the cap and have been all season. In fact our 28 man roster had enough cap room to add $250,000 a year salary. With Grigoris leaving that brings our cap space to well over $500,000 with 27 players. Vancouver has absolutely no cap problems. In fact, we will be looking to award some core players with improved contracts."

"Grigoris left because Brent (Carelse) is going to count as an SI next year and after talking with Grigoris we thanked him for his services and informed him that we will be opting to keep Brent on the books as an SI. He took it well and decided to move to Europe to continue his career. He knew this was coming especially since we picked him in the last round of the draft."

"We are likely to make use of our open YI slot for the next season and we have made some agreements but the transfers are still pending the work permit so I won't talk about them just yet."

The war of words between these managers is likely to continue with some big changes expected in Kentucky after Clark admitted that he faces major salary cap problems before the new season. :cool:

retired_kcnoodle@cox.ne

SEASON REVIEW

With the regular season now officially ended, the Toronto Syclones’ season is over as well. The Syclones started off the season well with three straight victories. Then a few key players went down, and they started to stumble. They did not get back any rhythm until the last couple of months. They pulled within one point of the final playoff spot with six games left. But with the ‘Eddies’ out at a bad time, especially when they do not have much depth at the back, they lost four straight before winning the last two meaningless games. They finished the season with 37 points, they are last in the northern conference.

Despite the disappointment in the league, they did very well in the NA Cup, in fact, they lifted up the first piece of silverware of this restructured MLS. Though they did not have a tough time along the way, they did knock off three human teams (Kentucky, Boston, and Rochester respectively) to get to the final. The final was a no doubter. The Syclones are clearly a level higher than the Seattle team. They controlled most of the possession, and Occean netted two goals to bring the win. The trophy will give the fans something to cheer about during the offseason. The Board is pleased for winning the cup, though they are only satisfied for the overall performance.

The offense of the Syclones is pretty effective this season, they produced good chances when they had the ball. They score 50 goals in the regular season, which is more than 5 of the 6 teams in the southern conference. The firing power seems to come from the North with 5 out of 6 teams bagged more than 50. Oliver Occean, probably is the MVP of the team this season. Coming in as a backup to Jovan Kirovski, Occean made the most out of his opportunities when Kirovski went down for 6 months. He is the only other natural striker on the team, so he had given the everyday nod as their one-top. He scored 20 in 31 appearances, 16 goals in the league, which is fourth best. With Kirovski coming back strong after his injury, coach Lung has to make the decision, should he keeps his one-top formation, or should he adjust and try to fit Kirovski in the starting XI. The attacking players buy into the team concept, they love to play as a unit. Landon, Ryan, and Oliver each has close to ten assists.

They Syclones need to address the issue at the back during the offseason. They have to retune the concept at the back, they gave up the league most 60 goals, when they technically playing six players at the back in their formation. They need to find some quality backups to play behind the ‘Eddies’. That’s what hurt them down the stretch this season, they only have one natural backup center back, along with a young prospect, who is not ready to play significant minutes just yet.

Talking about a team located in Canada, we should pay some tribute to the Canadian on the team. All five canucks on the team are slowly become the core group of the National side. All of them have played as a starter in the last few national matchups.

They have another decision to make in this offseason. With a sub-par season by Nokopolidis, should the Syclones bring him back as a starter next season? He and backup Behonick had splitted the playing time this season, neither of them played with a consistency. They combine for less than five clean sheets the whole season.

With the SuperDraft coming up in a month, the Syclones should try to bring in the best defender, who is ready to contribute.

retired_kcnoodle@cox.ne

COACH LUNG GOING TO BE ON DRAFT DAY HEADLINE AGAIN?

Coach Lung is known for his draft day's action, he loves to pull out some big trade on draft day. We know that back in his Metros' years and last year with the Syclones. When approached by an interviewer on whether he will try to pull off a draft day trade again. He has something to say:

"...I think I am going to stay put in this draft, I am not gonna pull off anything big. Not that I am afraid to make a blockbuster, I love draft, thats the best part of US Sports in my opinion. As you all know, I like to trade up in the draft or get more picks in a draft, but it will be different this season. I am very pleased with my squad right now, I am not going to break this up, I don't know who I can put on the block if you ask me, I like them all..."

"...I may even part away my third overall if the right offer comes along, this sounds very un coach Lung like, but ya this is my approach this season, I am not going to gather a dozen of picks, I may even give them all out. I have a good group of young talents already, I don't really need anymore..."

"...regaring coach Clark's comment, I admit every player has a price, but i cannot agree you need to move him when the right offer comes along. No matter he is a role player or impact player, if he is good the team, you shouldn't move him, even the other team overpay and try to get him. As long as they are good to the team and they wanna stay, we should keep him, I don't care whether it is cap related issue or anything else..."

retired_mallory08

Toronto Triumph in US Open Cup

Canadian Powerhouse Toronto Syclones dispatched non-league Seattle Sounders in the Final of the older knockout competition in North America.

Fittingly a Canadian did the damage, with national team striker hitting the Sounders for a brace to secure the hardware.

One pundit commented on the progress manager Ricky Lung had made since the bad old days in the original MLS where he once finished a season with only a handful of points, no wins and a GD of -99 (or something like that!)

Kaiser's chief Al Clark had this to say "Well done on the trophy Ricky, hopefully that will keep the board off you're back for the crap MLS season. Shame you don't get into the continental tournaments with that win."

Official Result:

Toronto Syclones 2 : Seattle Sounders 0
HT: 2:0
Olivier Occean : 19, 42


2005 US Open Cup Champions : Toronto Syclones [Ricky]

retired_mallory08

MLS CUP 2005 CHAMPIONS : ALASKA ARTIC WOLVES [Russ]


The reinauguration season was duked out in a final placed at Pizza Hut Park in Dallas with the best of the North/East taking on the best of the South/West.

Manager's Gabor Kovacs [Russ} and Ryan went toe to toe to find out who would win the hardware.

Ultimately the Alaskan boys were made of harder stuff and prevailed, but it was a great game. That's what an Alaskan winter will do for you in the way of a training camp!

The Texas Longhorns were unable to replicate the national championship success that their namesake collegiate football team had enjoyed, as Gabor and his cronies put the game away thanks to goals from Rob Friend, Borut Semler and Shalrie Joseph.

Official Result:


Alaska Artic Wolves 3 :

Texas Longhorns 1
HT 1:0