Thursday, November 10, 2011

Barnstonworth Rovers Thirds (1) - FC Bulgaria (1), 11/4/11

JUAN GOAL

Juan Gonzalez Casares [20th] saw his first goal in three seasons for Barnstonworth Rovers canceled out in the 75th minute by FC Bulgaria in a 1-1 tie.

“We had control of the entire game [but] could not put it away,” he rued.

Source: First Touch Online

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Rovers Thirds Match Report/Manifesto
Game 1, Season 18, Fall 2011

On the Weekend War, by Jeremy Wine.

Sunday, September 18, 2011
3:48 PM

A leathered man casually ambles about, clad in green jumpsuit, laying rubber-pelleted seed to invisible chickens. He wonders quietly to himself, summing the moments of his life to define his existence: church on Sundays, children and grandchildren born, the tragedies of loss, fears overcome and those that remain. Least on his mind are these most innocuous of duties, this obligatory trudge towards retirement, pension, and the dog days of domino-playing and watching the world go by, ultimately without him.

On a coolish, unassuming day, an assemblage of architects, financiers, technologists, and tradesman gather into that rarest of collections--a bonafide team. Donning their stained, white jerseys and mismatched shorts, sometimes ill-fitting, the Barnstonworth Rovers Metro side looking amongst themselves, furrowed brows, at the dutiful nine who had assembled and limbered up by game time. Like Titans forgiving Gods, hardened stalwarts Mike "Twinkletoes" Alexander and Aldo "The Spatial One" Morales would lend their indefatigable selves to form a fighting eleven.

Pre-game thoughts flitted about. Will this be the year of ascendency? Who will replace Sarge and Dirolf? Do cell phones give you ball cancer? And just like that the game was upon our heroes, facing ever-improving Galicia, who need no introduction after drawing with the Metro side last year, precipitating their fall from contenders to remainders. If Galicia's tactics remain true, it would be a 90 minute dare to outscore or be outscored.

Rovers defense would bend but not break, and before long Rowley would find the end of a nice passing sequence, scoring with his off-foot. 1-nil would bulge into 2-nil, again through Rowley, and again through his "suspect" left peg. To their credit, Galicia never wavered from their bodies-forward plan nor in spirit, but it would be Rovers on this remarkably in-synch day, scoring a third and a fourth, through Darrell "White Zorro" Crane and Gavin "Who is Joe Piscopo" Dick. Halftime, Rovers by a batch.

Galicia would tally one back just after the half, among muted protest from the Rovers as the ball recipient was an easy 4 feet offsides (The ref was otherwise stellar, to be honest). Dick would acquire his third and fourth of the day, embracing his hat+1, in and around a David "Muggers & Acquisitions" Bernfeld strike. Yes yes yes, all very well and good, but at 8-1, things would border on magical, Rudy-esque proportions, bringing hope and wonder to all Americans, and an improved crop yield to drought-stricken areas. Locusts, boils, water-to-blood stuff.

The air was crackling with static electricity, a portending of something impending--doom, perhaps, or a reversing of the magnetic poles, or perhaps the identity of Banksy was about to be unveiled. The world carried the smear of revolution at this very moment. Now let us consider history.

Though these stats are not officially kept, it is believed by some that your humble narrator carries with him a Cosmopolitan League career record for goals scored against not one's opposition. At a likely somewhere between 6 to 8 coolly, perfectly finished goals in the second best direction, a case could be made not only for own-goals in a career, but a negative-best goal personal goal differential when paired with eleven full years of kindly resisting scoring against the opponent. Equal to the wondrousness of the quality of the successful validations of our own keeper's subpar alertness, the impossible beauty of not finishing some gilt-edged chances to unreasonably harm the fortunes and morale of an opposing side are worthy of a kind of self-hating reverence on par with 10 Hail Marys and a forty-day fast. Someone, some day, would have to pay for summoning such hoodoo upon the world.

Amidst the peculiar atmosphere, a nondescript goal kick would be met aggressively by a madman bald man, not a minute after apologizing to Mike Alexandar for running up and down the pitch, often out of position, with an 8-1 lead. "This being my 12th year, I've never scored. On them, that is to say. I have to get forward." Finding the ball on foot, the aerodynamic, cursed individual guided the ball to a seeing-out-the-game-like-a-normal-person Okay "What are you doing anywhere near me" Obudulu, who would see, confusingly, the glint of sun off of a bald head moving like a spooked ostrich up the sideline. Out of little more than a sadistic curiosity, Obudulu would return the ball to an overly-advanced Wine, taking advantage of the full width of the pitch at a critical point in the match whence everybody ceased caring about what might happen.

Looking up for a cross recipient, there was none, because why would there be? We're up by 7 with 10 minutes to go. Given this license to go for goal, and thankfully before he could consider he was about to do just that, poor man's Danny Mills lashed his right foot, from nun-tight angle, actually, wait just a minute, on frame.

Like exiting the womb head first, there are two indelible moments in the most impactful times of a human life. The first is the "Possibility Threshold", from whence risk or opportunity reveals itself, suddenly. Virginities are threatened in such a manner. The second is the "Inevitability of Change", at which moment, the universe as you know it changes hue, and all you knew and trusted requires full-scale re-evaluation. The revelation of Santa Claus, realizing during one's first kiss there is no cut to commercial, visiting your father in jail for the first time are in evidence. Crossing both planes happens three or four times in the life of the most dramatic, and never, not once, for many.

As the blast from the right sailed past and over the 6' 4" goal steward, it was as if the Earth itself emitting the groan of an altered orbit, planetary in scale, and it would belittle the history-making to merely acknowledge the score change to 9-1. Fie on that! And lo, the score would settle on 9-2, with the aforementioned goal-scorer to blame for a shoddy clearance and a mistimed tackle, but these trifles are of no consequence. We know what we whiffed this day and was the unmistakable stench of glory.

There are those who know nothing of this, and for that they should be both pitied and embraced. This game of ours is played on fields and non-fields in the direst of conditions to the most-watched events by decade. While faraway announcers debate the impacts of Wayne Rooney vs. Fernando Torres' shocking misses, we are beset here in the United States with the whines and filibusters of those who declaim "There's not enough scoring". For this narrator, there need be only this goal, in this game, on this day, on those same rubber pellets, and all is right with the world. As they lay my body in the ground, or convert it to ash as the case may be, let them resurrect this day from whence I stood and said, "Today I scored."

And let those know ask, "For which team?"

"A thing like that."
-- Pete Campbell, of Mad Men

Our humblest and special thanks to Aldo, Mike, and MJ's fetal lucky charm.

Sunday, July 03, 2011

2010/11 AWARD PARTY & SUMMER TRIALS

BRFC's End-of-Season Award party is being planned


ALL BRFC TEAMS ARE CONDUCTING SUMMER TRIALS
Interested Players Please Contact:  talent@rovers.org

BRFC Top Scorers



 GOALS
Ron Baskin 78
Stephen Pugliese 72
Stavros Zomopoulos 53
Andy Abramovits 47
Mattias Gustafsson 32
Alex Schardt 27
Bazza O’Driscoll 27
Donnie Schreier 23
Musa Shannon 22
Mat Levine 22
Alfonzo Nanclares 21

BRFC All-Time 1st Team Apps/Goals

BRFC
TOTAL


    Apps   Goals 
 Stavros   Zomopoulos          135         33
 Mark   Kushemba          121         -  
 Ron   Baskin          119         46
 Stephen   Pugliese          117         70
 Andy   Abramovits          111         31
 Vidar   Ekehaug          104           9
 Par   Holmberg           96           6
 Yuri   Krym           89           3
 Colin   Marshall           88         16
 Mike   Alexander           88           4
 Andy   Horan           83           3
 Mattias   Gustafsson           72         32
 Chris   Vega           71         16
 Dave   Borchard           67         -  
 Bazza   O’Driscoll           66         26
 Martin   Mackinnon           64         -  
 John   Salvucci           63           5
 Mackers   McLaughlin           62         18
 Jeff   Martino           62         -  
 Gary   Sisto           61           7
 Randi   Lee           57           1
 Eirnar   Benedtksson           53           5
 Eoin   Quane           53         -  
 Jordan   Chirico           52         16
 Anto   Howard           51           2
 Will   Sykes           47           9
 Sam   Wiggin           46           6
 Patrick   Wisnom           46         -  
 Jerome   Albertini           45         12
 Lee   Williams           44           3
 Mark   Artis           43         -  
 Doug   Goodwin           42           3
 Brian   Nobie           41           3
 Marvin   Jones           38           5
 Brendan   Walsh           38         -  
 Gary   Prott           36           6
 Dave   Brooks           36           5
 Tom   Hertel           36         -  
 Sam   Minaya           34           2
 Diogo   DoAnjoBurgos           34           1
 Jorge   Pirra           31           5
 Stash   Rutkowski           31           2
 Luc   Perrot           31           1
 Donnie   Schreier           30         23
 Tamu   Bowen           30           7
 David   Bonthrone           30           1
 George   Tagaris           30         -  
 Karl   Bateson           29         -  
 Ajene   Green           28           3
 Jon   Nessa           28           1
 Musa   Shannon           27         22
 Aaron   Samulcek           27           3
 Oren   Nhaissi           27           1
 Alfonzo   Nanclares           27           1
 Bryan   Wrightson           27         -  
 Scott   Moulder           27         -  
 Ben   Kartzman           27         -  
 Scott   Waddell           26           7
 Sel-Rey   David           25           2
 Xavier   Egurbide           24           2
 Nate   Kipp           24         -  
 Dixon   Hayes           24         -  
 Patrick   Duff           24         -  
 Jonathan   Pillow           23           2
 Alan   Alcalde           22           3
 Scot   Gallin           22         -  
 Pat   Brown           21         -  
 Alexander   Berscheid           20         12
 Marc   Zigo           20           1
 Thomas   Sonberg           20         -  
 Scott   Martino           19         15
 Mat   Levine           19           9
 Michael   Zahavi           19           1
 Bily   Libby           19           1
 Andrew   George           19           1
 Michael   Heinkel           18         17
 Gary   Sofizade           18           5
 Hector   Rolotti           18         -  
 Jason   Godfrey           18         -  
 Kieran   Mahon           17           2
 John   Keogh           17         -  
 Justin   Geri           16           5
 Eamonn   Reynolds           16           1
 Steve   Hutchinson           16           1
 Niall   Donlon           16           1
 Felix   D’Ambrose           16           1
 Giancarlo   Cavallo           16           1
 Martin   Zimmerman           16         -  
 Tony   Touchene           16         -  
 Giles   Standing           16         -  
 Bill   Siegmund           16         -  
 Jamie   Macdonald           16         -  
 Matt   Langton           16         -  
 Richard   Hyder           16         -  
 Ralph   Highnam           16         -  
 Steve   Harrigan           16         -  
 Jonathan   Rea           15           1
 John   Beech           15           1
 Mika   Tapio           15         -  
 Charles   Sorel           15         -  
 Justin   Saffold-Geri           15         -  
 Sean   Horton           14           3
 Chris   Repa           14           1
 Rob   Perman           14         -  
 Isamu   Sumiyoshi           13           2
 Dominic   Gromley           13           1
 Colin   Rand           13         -  
 Paul   Brady           13         -  
 Neil   Lacey           12           2
 Danny   Power           12           1
 Dirk   Swaneveld           12         -  
 Nate   Friends           12         -  
 Paul   Halcomb           11           6
 Edward   Shamwana           11           3
 Cidee   Niang           11           2
 Andy   Mace           11         -  
 Bobby   Hanifin           11         -  
 Brian   Gilroy           11         -  
 Alex   Cruz           11         -  
 Jepherson   Vernaza           10           2
 Dean   Elliott           10           1
 Brady   Butterfield           10           1
 Pascal   Ambauen           10           1
 Zak   van Buren           10         -  
 Sam   Prentki           10         -  
 Peter   Majer           10         -  
 John   Dunne           10         -  
 Corey   Dempsey           10         -  
 Brian   Schmid             9         -  
 Alex   Schardt             9         -  
 Kosuke   Ikeda             9         -  
 Bernardo   Nolfo             8           4
 Tony   Itouchene             8           3
 Paul   Nobile             8           1
 Schappy   Schaal             8         -  
 Martin   Ryan             8         -  
 Walter   Matiz             8         -  
 Joe   Germanese             8         -  
 Kevin   McMullen             7           3
 Phil   Hobbins             7           3
 Alex   Marko             7           1
 Sharif   Siddiqui             7         -  
 P "Rocco"   Rochester             7         -  
 Colin   Reid             7         -  
 Colm   O'Leary             7         -  
 Greg   Michel             7         -  
 Andy    McCarren             7         -  
 Mike   Zawada             6         -  
 Lucas   Werthein             6         -  
 Chivon   Thornhill             6         -  
 Etsu   Taniguchi             6         -  
 Darryl   Samuel             6         -  
 Takamichi   Saeki             6         -  
 Jim   Miller             6         -  
 Davy   Lane             6         -  
 Michael   Boland             6         -  
 Matthew   Mitchell             5           2
 Chris   Vollmer             5           1
 Nnamdi   Chiekwu             5           1
 Steve   Tronzano             5         -  
 Luis   Rodriguez             5         -  
 Scott   Leber             5         -  
 Brad   Horowitz             5         -  
 Olli   Herrara             5         -  
 Matthew   Giannetti             5         -  
 Jessy   Fellus             5         -  
 Matt   Borchard             5         -  
 Martin   Damsbo             4           1
 David   Witchard             4         -  
 Anders   Voigt             4         -  
 Mahesh   Subramanian             4         -  
 Steven   Keker             4         -  
 Yannick   James             4         -  
 Ian   Felton             4         -  
 Zach   Chandis             4         -  
 Ramin   Ghiasy             3           4
 Mick   Zehavi             3           1
 Jason   Partenza             3           1
 Austin   Harris             3           1
 Tom   Davison             3           1
 Ben   Weiner             3         -  
 Matt   Weill             3         -  
 Ivan   Traykov             3         -  
 Andre   Parris             3         -  
 Michael   Messmer             3         -  
 Michael   Martocci             3         -  
 Matt   Lowe             3         -  
 Gary   Lingard             3         -  
 Will   Lee             3         -  
 Mat   Kaplan             3         -  
 Henry   De la Hoz             3         -  
 Shadi   Shahrokhi             2           1
 Ronan   Wicks             2         -  
 Peter   Watson             2         -  
 Elliot   Rothstein             2         -  
 Donald   Robertson             2         -  
 Newley   Purnell             2         -  
 Oded   Polak             2         -  
 Timo   Kost             2         -  
 Vilhelm   Klariskov             2         -  
 Mert   Incekara             2         -  
 Allen   Gillespie             2         -  
 Manfred   der Bomber             2         -  
 Bobby   DeLeonibus             2         -  
 Ralf   Daab             2         -  
 Pierre   Byman             2         -  
 Paul   Bryans             2         -  
 Matt   Bazin             2         -  
 Illt'd   Barrett             2         -  
 Frank   Arias             2         -  
 Okey   Ubudulu             1         -  
 Christian   Tate             1         -  
 Hirofumi   Takeuchi             1         -  
 Paul   Stiell             1         -  
 Alex   Sisakovic             1         -  
 Daniel   Seidler             1         -  
 Chris   Schilling             1         -  
 John   Saunders             1         -  
 Fergal   O'Gorman             1         -  
 Brian   Lloyd             1         -  
 David   Kramer             1         -  
 Eugune   Kim             1         -  
 Vince   Hamilton             1         -  
 Fergal   Ferguson             1         -  
 Fionn   Davenport             1         -  
 Andrew   Dainoff             1         -  
 Romain   Couture             1         -  
 Daniel   Cole             1         -  
 Daniel   Cardozo             1         -  
 Eric   Butte             1         -  
 Evan   Bruno             1         -  
 Mark   Brown             1         -  
 Arnor   Arnarson             1         -  
 Eddie   Aleman             1         -  

BRFC All-Time 1st Div Stats

BRFC
1st  1st Gl
Mark Kushemba     121      -  
Stephen Pugliese     117     70
Andy Abramovits     111     31
Vidar Ekehaug     104       9
Colin Marshall       88     16
Ron Baskin       87     29
Mike Alexander       84       3
Yuri Krym       71       2
Stavros Zomopoulos       68       4
Dave Borchard       67      -  
Chris Vega       67     16
Bazza O’Driscoll       66     26
John Salvucci       63       5
Randi Lee       57       1
Eoin Quane       53      -  
Eirnar Benedtksson       53       5
Jordan Chirico       52     16
Sam Wiggin       46       6
Lee Williams       44       3
Sam Minaya       34       2
Jeff Martino       34      -  
Patrick Wisnom       33      -  
Marvin Jones       32       1
Andy Horan       32      -  
Stash Rutkowski       31       2
Luc Perrot       31       1
Tamu Bowen       30       7
George Tagaris       30      -  
Ajene Green       28       3
Jon Nessa       28       1
Alfonzo Nanclares       27       1
Oren Nhaissi       27       1
Musa Shannon       27     22
Ben Kartzman       27      -  
Scott Waddell       26       7
Patrick Duff       24      -  
Dixon Hayes       24      -  
Nate Kipp       24      -  
Xavier Egurbide       24       2
Aaron Samulcek       23       3
Alan Alcalde       22       3
Pat Brown       21      -  
Mat Levine       19       9
Andrew George       19       1
Scott Martino       19     15
Bily Libby       19       1
John Keogh       17      -  
Kieran Mahon       17       2
Par Holmberg       17      -  
Felix D’Ambrose       16       1
Giancarlo Cavallo       16       1
Will Sykes       16      -  
Matt Langton       16      -  
Mika Tapio       15      -  
Dominic Gromley       13       1
Dirk Swaneveld       12      -  
Gary Sisto       12      -  
Mackers McLaughlin       11       1
Bobby Hanifin       11      -  
Alex Cruz       11      -  
Corey Dempsey       10      -  
Pascal Ambauen       10       1
Jepherson Vernaza       10       2
Sam Prentki       10      -  
Alex Schardt        9      -  
Walter Matiz        8      -  
Schappy Schaal        8      -  
Joe Germanese        8      -  
Sharif Siddiqui        7      -  
Phil Hobbins        7       3
Dave Brooks        7       2
Brian Schmid        6      -  
Mike Zawada        6      -  
Lucas Werthein        6      -  
Jim Miller        6      -  
Takamichi Saeki        6      -  
Steve Tronzano        5      -  
Nnamdi Chiekwu        5       1
Luis Rodriguez        5      -  
Scott Leber        5      -  
Matthew Giannetti        5      -  
Matt Borchard        5      -  
Matthew Mitchell        5       2
Brian Nobie        5       1
Jessy Fellus        5      -  
Zach Chandis        4      -  
Yannick James        4      -  
Anders Voigt        4      -  
Mahesh Subramanian        4      -  
Steven Keker        4      -  
Mattias Gustafsson        4      -  
Michael Martocci        3      -  
Austin Harris        3       1
Mat Kaplan        3      -  
Matt Lowe        3      -  
Gary Lingard        3      -  
Matt Weill        3      -  
Tom Davison        3       1
Ivan Traykov        3      -  
Jason Partenza        3       1
Andre Parris        3      -  
Cidee Niang        3      -  
Will Lee        3      -  
Vilhelm Klariskov        2      -  
Shadi Shahrokhi        2       1
Peter Watson        2      -  
Donald Robertson        2      -  
Bobby DeLeonibus        2      -  
Paul Bryans        2      -  
Matt Bazin        2      -  
Pierre Byman        2      -  
Chivon Thornhill        2      -  
Danny Power        2      -  
Timo Kost        2      -  
Mert Incekara        2      -  
David Bonthrone        2      -  
Daniel Cardozo        1      -  
Hirofumi Takeuchi        1      -  
Vince Hamilton        1      -  
Jerome Albertini        1      -  
Ben Weiner        1      -  
Fergal Ferguson        1      -  
Paul Stiell        1      -  
Daniel Cole        1      -  
John Saunders        1      -  
Rocco Rochester        1      -  
Arnor Arnarson        1      -  
Mark Brown        1      -  
Michael Messmer        1      -  
Romain Couture        1      -  
Okey Ubudulu        1      -  
Christian Tate        1      -  
Daniel Seidler        1      -  
Chris Schilling        1      -  
Scot Gallin        1      -  
Andrew Dainoff        1      -  
Evan Bruno        1      -