MAFL Week 19 Roundup

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Comets - Immortals

Virgo 3 • Marineris Stadium

Comets are out of the running for the finals as the Immortals steamroll onward.

It looked like Comets manager, Pryce, tried a last-minute change up of the formation in a desperate attempt to boost the Comets into the semifinals. The change-up was ineffective at best, and self-sabotage at its worst, with the Immortals holding off the heavily offensive lineups with relative ease.

A great opening goal by Donovan set the tone for the match as the Immortals played cohesively and controlled the rhythm of the game well. In contrast to the Comet’s crushed hopes, the Immortals now have a possible chance at the playoffs following Al’amal’s loss to Wuji.

GOALS

• 1ST 3’ Donovan (Immortals) scores with an assist from Hama

• 1ST 6’ Talpur (Immortals) utilizes a clever boost to beat Bradley to a stray pass and smash it into the left of the net.

• 1ST 14’ Obregnon scores on his free kick for the Comets

• 2ND 6’ Lanka (Immortals) scores his 17th goal of the season with his signature aerial kick.

• 2ND 18’ DeMarco (Comets) finds an opening down the left and takes the opportunity to breakaway to challenge Badal one-on-one.

• 2ND 22’ Parkar (Immortals) scores a right-footed goal with an assist from Hagendoorn.

SHOTS
14	18

POSSESSION
44%	56%

FOULS
4	3

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Al’mal Sports Club - Wuji Sports Club

Virgo 3 • Al’amal Stadium

Wuji surprises with a shut-out victory over Al’amal.

A long and tedious match was a disappointment for Al’amal as few shots were fired on goal and Al’amal was not able to convert any of those shots into goals. The majority of the action was focused in the midfield as the offensive and defensive lines were at a stalemate. A lucky intercept by Wong in the final minutes of the first half gave him the chance to sprint towards to the Al’amal goal and flick it over Al Pour’s head.

With this win, the heat is for Wuji, Al’mal, and the Immortals as they contend for the final playoff spot.

GOALS

• 1ST 20’ Wong flicks in a goal for Wuji after intercepting and blitzing through the Al’mal defense.

NOTABLE SUBSTITUTIONS

• Wuji forced to substitute more players than they would like in the second half:

• 2ND 12’ Amer had to be substituted due to severe cramps

• 2ND 14’ Olegnova suffers a minor sprain and has to sit out the remainder of the game

• 2ND 21’ O’neill is substituted due to a malfunctioning thrust booster.

SHOTS
8	7

POSSESSION
56%	44%

FOULS
2	3

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Dynamos - Titans

Virgo 4 • Novyimir Stadium

The Dynamos are in dire straits despite holding the top position for majority of the season

The Titans roared into Novyimir on the back of an eight-game winning streak to defeat the Dynamos and hold onto their current position at the top of the standings. Aggressive play at today’s match did not help the Dynamos, but resulted in two red cards and midfielder, Budnik, suspended for two matches.

A wonderful performance from the Titans today as Kelly scores her first goal of the season—a tie breaker after nearly 25 minutes of a stalemate. A challenge for the ball by Ware paid off as she successfully flipped an attempted breakaway by Karaaria on its head and drive the ball straight in too quickly for Danilovich to respond effectively.

GOALS

• 1ST 6’ Nash (Titans) opens scoring after a blazing pass from Terrell sends the ball high across the pitch.

• 1ST 12’ Samrend (Dynamos) counterattacks after a Titans free kick to score.

• 1ST 17’ Petrovich (Dynamos) taps the ball into the right as DeSisto dives to the left

• 1ST 21’ Blundell (Titans) scores a huge, long range goal from midfield as she redirects an aerial pass.

• 2ND 12’ Kelly (Titans) smashes the ball in with a right-footed kick

• 2ND 22’ Ware (Titans) scores the finisher for her ninth goal of the season!

FOULS

• Etefu is ejected from the match after being booked with her second yellow card of the match.

• Budnik is given a red card and suspended for 2 matches after shoving Nash into the wall.

SHOTS
20	28

POSSESSION
45%	55%

FOULS
4	4

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Dongji - United

Virgo 4 • Tiangong Stadium

An incredible game for Dongji as they upstage United with unlikely substitutes.

Dongji was left with a difficult choice following last week’s match. With two key forwards injured, would Dongji be able to continue? Would they have enough time to recruit a replacement? Should Dongji even try?

The answer turned out to be within the team as Dongji manager Rain Chen approved two internal club staff for training and competition. The substitutes were Dongji equipment technician, Eddy Lao, and club trainer, Susun Pang. Sporting the number ‘88’ for double-happiness, Pang is one of the oldest players on the pitch at 36 years old. Dongji players have been optimistic about the replacements. “They’ve been part of the club since the very beginning, so we all think this is the right decision,’ says Dongji captain, Ekberg.

In an unusual move, United invited the Dongji team and staff to stay in the colony overnight and spent the night celebrating with their opponents. “Losing is always disappointing, but we’re league-mates. And Dongji has perserveredd through the worst of times. They deserve our recognition and respect, so we’re celebrating together tonight,” said Reinmann of the team’s decision.

GOALS

• 1ST 9’ Lao (Dongji) scores his first ever goal, in his first MAFL match! A long pass from Cheng finds Lao by the left corner of the box, who was able to send it into the net with a quick left-footed snap.

• 1ST 14’ Ekberg (Dongji) flicks the call with his outside right, for a smooth goal that narrowly clears the left post.

• 1ST 22’ Khosla (United) slams a goal in right under a suprised Su’s guard.

• 2ND 3’ Khosla (United) scores her second goal to open up the second half.

• 2ND 11’ Zao (Dongji) scores on a penalty kick.

• 2ND 19’ Barnato (United) intercepts a pass and scores with a bicycle kick.

• ET 6’ Pang (Dongji) scores with an assist from Ekberg.

SHOTS
23	28

POSSESSION
48%	52%

FOULS
2	3

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Stats & Standings

Rankings

Team	M	W	L	Goals
Titans	19	13	6	51
United	19	12	7	47
Dynamo	19	11	8	44
Al'Amal Sports Club	19	10	9	41
Wuji Sports Club	19	9	10	41
Immortals	19	9	10	40
Comets	19	7	12	47
Dongji	19	4	15	36

Top Scorers
	Uday Lanka	17
	Readale Nash	15
	Darkeem Dennis	13
	Yvonne Barnato	11
	Arwa Farra	10
	Qigang Lian	10
	Ilya Petrovich	10
	Raenia Ware	9
	Marcus Ekberg	9
	Musaadiq Baddour	8

Playoffs Coming into Focus

Jovis, Makara 26, 2077, m249

Certainty:  Titans, Comets and Immortals are IN and DongJI is out.

With only 2 weeks left in the season, the playoffs are fast approaching but how that picture will materialize is still as hazy as a typical Mars sand storm as the playoff position of six teams is still up in the air.

One certainty so far: The Titans will enter the playoffs with the top seed (See Standings below).

Another certainty: The Comets and Immortals will make the playoffs. 

The uncertainty: Which seed will each team own in the playoffs?

The Comets can clinch the 2nd seed with a win over the Immortals in Week 20. A Comets loss in Week 20 leaves both teams tied for the 2nd seed going into Week 21 where the Comets face the Titans @ San Olympus while the Immortals are @ home to face Al’amal.

If the Comets and Immortals end up tied after Week 21, the tiebreaker goes to the Comets who are 2-0 over the Immortals in regular season head to head play.

For the Immortals – just win one of two matches and they’re guaranteed the 3rd seed.

If the Immortals lose to the Comets in Week 20 and then Al’amal in Week 21, they end up with an 11 and 10 record with the potential to go into the playoffs as the 4th seed.

For that to happen, Al’amal will need to beat a suddenly shaky Titans in Week 20 and then beat the Immortals in Week 21 to secure the 3rd seed as the tiebreaker between Al’amal and the Immortals goes to Al’amal who are 2-1 vs. the Immortals head to head play.

While Al’amal’s playoff path is steep, the Dynamo face Dongji and Wuji to close out the season in what promises to be two emotionally charged matches back home @ Noviymir. If Al’amal and the Dynamo end up tied in the standings, the tiebreaker goes to the Dynamo who are 2-1 in head to head play.

A playoff berth for the Dynamo would help heal a colony torn with strife throughout the Chubarov outbreak while a playoff berth for Al’amal would reward the club for its high powered offensive style.

An underwhelming United season could still be salvaged with a playoff berth but a number of things will need to happen.  They’ll need to beat both Wuji and Dongji to end up with a 10 and 11 regular season record AND both Al’amal and the Dynamo will need to go winless in Week 20 and 21.

If United ends up tied with either Al’amal or Dynamo after the regular season, they miss the playoffs as the tiebreakers go to both Al’amal and Dynamo who each own a 2-1 regular season record over Europa.

Do you believe in Miracles?  If you do, then step right up and lay witness to Wuji.

To crawl their way up to the fourth and final playoff spot, the Wuji will need:

1. Victories over United in Week 20 and the Dynamo in Week 21 to end the season at 9 and 12.
2. Al’amal and the Dynamo to both go winless in the next two weeks to end up 9 and 12.
3. United to end up at 9 and 12 or worse.

If these three conditions all happen, shockingly, the Wuji will advance as the tiebreakers all favour Wuji:  3 – 0 over Al’amal in head to head; 2-1 over Dynamo and United in head to head.

Don’t believe it?

Based on everything you’ve seen so far in Season 1 of MAFL play, believe anything.

Wuji Upset Al'amal

Tiangong - Solis, Makara 22, 2077, m249

Hope.

The Arabic word for hope is Amal, which was the inspiration for the naming of the Al’amal colony and its respective football club.

Yet Al’amal SC will need more than hope if they are to make the playoffs as they lost their 3rd match in a row, this time to  Wuji who pulled off the 2 – 1 upset.

Al'amal Captain #4 Musaddiq Baddour adds a goal to his stats, but team fails to capture a win against Tiangong Wuji.

Things looked promising for Al’amal as Captain Musaddiq Baddour opened up scoring at the 25th minute. Baddour used great individual skill to beat two defenders before drilling a low shot into the far corner for the first goal of the match.

Wuji’s Alicia Beldad responded by curling a volley in off the bar to tie up the match at the 34th minute.

Then something which has alluded Wuji all season, happened.

A good team build-up of Wuji passing, from Beldad to Stanislas Hachette to Nimet Kose who would finish with a stunning strike in the top corner at the 42th minute.

That would stand as the game winner and complete the Wuji upset.

With the win, Wuji moves to 7 and 12 for the season and builds hope for the future. 

For Al’amal, they fall to 9 and 10 for the season, clinging onto the final playoff spot with the Dynamo.

After the match, a dejected Al’amal locker room sat in silence as Captain Musaddiq Baddour fielding questions from reporters.

“We face the Titans @ San Olympus next week and then the Immortals back home so we’ve put ourselves in a tight spot to close off the season,” said Baddour. “We have the scoring punch to power through these teams. We know we can do it, now we just have to go out and do it.”

Wuji's Nimit Kose and Beldad. 

The mood in the other camp was expectedly upbeat.  Even with no chance at the playoffs, the Wuji are playing with purpose and without the pressure.

"We aren't going to make it easy for you.", said Bobby Chung, Manager of Wuji, referring to the upcoming matches against Dynamos and United,  "We won't roll over and call it a season.  You will have to earn your places in the playoffs." 

Ten Round KO

Marineris - Solis, Makara 22, 2007, m249

With each excruciating round of penalty shots, Comets Captain Liddell Bradley could be seen visibly pleading with the referee for a break.

And after each round, the referee calmly refuted Bradley’s request until finally after the 8th round of penalty shots, with no winner declared yet, both teams participated in a MAFL first – overtime break for life support recharge.

This mid-season rule amendment was implemented shortly after the 16 penalty shot overtime match between Wuji and Al’amal in Week 12 after players and team owners expressed their safety concerns to league officials around in-match suit capabilities. 

During post-match interviews, Bradley shared highlights of his exchanges with the referee.

“I kept asking him, what are you waiting for Ref? He kept replying to me – the Optimum time. I told him, don’t listen to those robots of yours. They’re not the ones gasping for breath like the rest of us” said Bradley.

And the Comets and Dongji gasped for breath for eight rounds until the recharge and then went another two more rounds until finally a winner was declared.  Ten rounds of penalty shots and a knock out for the Comets, provided by former Dong Ji Defender Marysa Waaijer. Comets 2 – 1 in PKOT over Dongji.

Bradley and the Dongji’s Markus Ekberg were the only other players to score in penalty kicks as a parade of misses marched through overtime.

“I think nerves got the better of everyone in overtime,” said Dongji manager Rain Chen. “Penalty kicks have been a problem for us all season”.

In regulation time, the Comets’ Samantha Park opened up scoring at the 17th minute. Park exchanged passes with Bradley, who chipped a superb ball over the Dongji defence back to Park who drilled it past Xue Su into the bottom left corner.

Ekberg would respond at the 45th minute tying up the match with a spectacular overhead kick from just inside the penalty area past the Comets’ goalkeeper Zaida Agre.

For Ekberg, it was his second goal in two games as he is taking advantage of the new playing opportunity given to him in the aftermath of all the Week 15 player movement. Ekberg’s rise give Dongji a glimmer of hope for the future while the Comets are focused on the short term. 

A crucial home match for the Comets against the Immortals next week could determine the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and then a season finale with the Titans @ San Olympus to send a strong message to the other.

Immortals Break Dynamo Streak

Amrita, Saturni, Makara 21, 2007, m249

The Chubarov outbreak is over; and so is the Dynamos’ winning streak.

For each of the 4 weeks of the outbreak, the Dynamos responded in parallel with one inspired win after another.

From the depths of despair to the plains of the playoffs stood the Dynamos.

In their path were the Immortals, also sporting a healthy appetite for playoff gratification.

And a fantastic feast of goals would occur with the first course served by the Dynamos.

Immortals Captain, Uday Lanka, leads his squad to victory,  ending the Dynamos 4 game streak.

Playing at Amrita stadium, Immortals fans were silenced early in just the 1st minute of play. The Dynamos’ Mariah Maalouf received a pass before dribbling into the penalty area, wrong-footed the Immortals defenders and chipped the ball past goalkeeper Chamunda Badal for the first goal of the match.

And then the Dynamos Defence mode switched on as they applied their usual defensive formation with five defenders, two defensive midfielders, two offensive midfielders and one striker.  This worked to hold off the Immortals for the next 38 minutes.  Until Uday Lanka changed the game, something he’s frequently done throughout the season.

Lanka ran from his own half, split the Dynamos midfield, then worked a give and go with teammate Ran Naik to create some separation from the defenders. This freed up a streaking Lanka who volleyed the ball past goalkeeper Boris Danilovich from inside the penalty area to tie up the score at the 39th minute.  For Lanka, that was his league leading 12th goal of the season.

The Dynamos would regain the lead at the 61st minute as Avideh Karaaria back heeled the ball over his marker before turning and heading the dropping ball over Badal.

The Immortals would tie it up at the 82th minute as Lanka provided an audacious assist to Vivek Tagore who finished on the volley with a mid-air back heeled volley past Danilovich.

And with time running low with both teams anticipating an overtime of penalty shots, the Immortals surprised the Dynamo with a fine counter-attack that saw the defenders crowd Lanka who unselfishly set up a freed up Tulaiha Azizi for the tap-in and the game winner at the 90th minute!

And the Immortals win 3-2 to go 11 and 8 for the season while the Dynamo finally lose after 4 weeks and move to 9 and 10 for the season.

The Immortals will close out the season on the road against the Comets and then at home against Al’amal.

“I’m sure the fans were entertained as they were a tough opponent,” Lanka of they Dynamos after the match. “Now we prepare for the Comets. If we win, 2nd place is within our grasp.”

The Dynamo will experience an emotional return back to home field for their final two matches against the Dong Ji and Wuji.

What's Wrong with the Titans?

Saturni, Makara 21, 2077, m249

#40 Tany Ingram, Titans Forward, disappointed with his performance against United.  Ingram missed his round 2 penalty kick in overtime.

With a 15-4 record, the Titans can look down at the opposition from San Olympus, but for how long?  With the gap starting to close, their massive lead is starting to erode and, for the first time, vulnerability can be detected.

The Titans are guaranteed a playoff spot, however, who will be showing up to play those games?  Will it be the confident and disciplined team from the first half of the season, or perhaps the inconsistent, out-of-sync players we have seen of late?

There is no doubt that the Titans have a talented squad.  With  powerhouses like Nash and Terrell on the offence and De Sisto between the posts with the lowest goals against in the league, the Titans earned their top ranking.

After their first  back-to-back lose, everyone is curious what's happening with the club, but it is possible it has nothing to do with the Titans.

Here are a few of the theories making the rounds:

• Kamden Lewis, one of the billionaires behind the San Olympus Colony and the owner of the Titans, could be the centre of a morale issue.  According to sources close to club management, Lewis has become increasingly hard on coach and players.
• A strategic move; having secured their spot in the playoffs, they are deliberately riding out the season to manipulate the clubs.
• The recent injuries and loses have fuelled conflict among the players.  Jealousy and ego in the locker room is finally taking a toll on their on-field performance.
• They actually aren't that good... Looking at other players and clubs as they are evolving through the season, the Titans are failing to adapt, thus are getting increasingly out-played.

Whatever might be up with the Titans, this much is sure, despite their impressive season, no one can be confident that they will take the Championship.  

Only time will tell, but with only 2 weeks left in regular season, the wait will not be long!

Titans lose, again!

Europa - Saturni, Makara 21, 2077, m249

Have the Titans peaked too soon?

That was the post-match question which set Titans manager Paulo Salgado off into a fiery frenzy before he stormed out of the dressing room to a stunned and speechless quorum of reporters.

No more answers. Only questions.

What adjustments did the Titans make after their stunning upset to Dong Ji last week?

How could the Titans lose again despite the return of Captain Raenia Ware who’s been out six weeks nursing an ankle injury?

How will the Titans respond to losing their second match in a row – this week to Europa United?

In a closely contested match that went to 8 rounds of overtime penalty kicks, United prevailed with a 3 – 2 PKOT win.

The scoring started with United midfielder, Edouard Rousselle providing a fantastic strike that sailed over the Titans goalkeeper Icilio De Sisto and into the top corner at the 38th minute.

At the 76th minute, Titans midfielder Ana Sofia Molina tied it up with a near-post finish on a volley following a cross from Ware.

And despite a number of chances from both sides, regulation time ended with the score tied at 1 and 1.  Straight to Penalty Kicks.

United’s Darkeem Dennis and Titans’ Readale Nash were the only to connect in the 5 rounds kick-off, sending it to sudden death shootouts.

Round 6 commenced with United’s Yvonne Barnato scoring. But before the celebration could begin, the Titans’ played Ware, who wasn't in the initial PK lineup.  Ware  retaliated with a clean shot, keeping the Titan's alive.

It wasn't to last long, however.   Round 8, United’s Robinson beat De Sisto for a goal and Sulzberger locked out Titan's Langanah  – ending the match after 16 penalty shots.

For United, they kept their playoff hopes alive, moving to 8 and 11 for the season. They finish off the season facing Wuji @ home and then Dong Ji @ Huacheng Stadium.

For the Titans, this was their 2nd loss in a row and their 3rd loss in four weeks. They face Al’amal and the Comets @ home to end their regular season.