Brew City News (2005) – Kingsnake's Home Den

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Brew City News (26-Oct-2005)

MFLS Fantasy League: As we all know by now, Aviators , managed by Hal Jones, cruised to their first MFLS title by a whopping 40-point margin. Aviators championship makes it two in a row for Brew City FA, after Dave Thomas’s Top Shelf bested FC Chunkers 675 to 663 in 2004. Also representing Brew City in this year’s MFLS Top 25 were Dynamo Silver Spring (803 pts) in 3rd, a slim point out of second, and Shaolin Mystigods (749) in 20th. Congratulations Hal!
BCFA Fantasy League: Aviators finished first — certifying what was inevitable over a month ago. Dynamo Silver Spring (803 pts) finished an equally comfortable second. Shaolin Mystigods (749) won the race for the final podium spot, maintaining its 17-point cushion over 4th place Darcian Greywacke (732). Darcian is followed by Top Shelf (724) and Weirder Bremen (720) — who lost 5th place to Top Shelf over the final two weeks.
MFLS Prediction League: fhqwhgads won on 163 points. Weirder Bremen was Brew City’s top finisher at 21st with 132 points.
John Thomson Cup: Weirder Bremen won Brew City’s prediction league by two points, 132 to 130 over Dynamo Silver Spring. Darcian Greywacke took the bronze medal with 122 points.

Brew City News (4-Oct-2005)

BCFA Fantasy League: In the scramble for podium spots, the five teams trailing Aviators all maintained their spots: Dynamo Silver Spring (744/7 pts) are second, followed by Shaolin Mystigods (713/7), Darcian Greywacke (696/5), Weirder Bremen (681/-3) and Top Shelf (678/-4). The mid-table fight for seventh place is just as tight: JC Comets (597/1) hold that spot, followed by Geckos (596/8), Surreywood Rangers (594/2), Alewive FC (592/-3), acgc (591/1), and Pioneer Detasselers (587/4) in 12th place.
MFLS Fantasy League: Despite scoring only seven points, Aviators (787/7 pts) maintained its lead over its even more poorly-performing rivals. 2LiveBrew (760/7) neither gained nor lost ground. Giggity (751/14) moved up three spots, Hotspur (750/2) stayed in fourth, and MU forever (745/-4) fell two spots to fifth. There are two weeks left, containing three weeks worth of matches. If a side can realistically make up about six points per week, then any team at or above 733 points has some sort of chance to grab an MFLS podium spot. The lowest team within that range is 10th place Glorydaze (732/2).
No Brew City side made the MFLS Weekly Top 25, though the nine highest-scoring teams of the week have made a collective total of 19 roster changes all season long, none since week 8.

Brew City News (29-Sep-2005)

League Cup: Aviators are the 2005 League Cup champions. After slipping last week against Phoenix TS to give rival Top Shelf hope, Aviators manager Hal Jones had his charges ready for a fight. And a fight Aviators got, defeating Top Shelf 49:45. Despite winning many trophies, this is Aviators first League Cup.Weirder Bremen finished second, while surprise packet Shaolin Mystigods finished third. Top Shelf fell to fourth. Alewive FC and Appleton Aarhus were relegated. In the 2nd Division, Dynamo Silver Spring and FC Metrofan CP were promoted, Metrofan climbing over acgc for the second promotion spot by defeating Sehome Mariners 18:15. Four teams went into the weekend on six points. Darcian Greywacke, who were bottom, pulled off the miracle escape, to finish fifth, by putting the stones to Geckos 63:41. The other three teams on six points –Geckos, MurphDogs and Sehome Mariners — all lost. MurphDogs and Mariners being relegated. In the 3rd Division, Guinness Gulpers and Arrows both won to hold onto their promotion spots, despite a late surge by 2004 League Champions JC Comets, who finished third with the division’s highest ‘goal’ total, 200. Midnights Children lost all seven matches to finish as the League’s worst team, lower than a whale turd (Mighty Raptors) at the bottom of the ocean.

Aviators
Hal Jones
BCFA Fantasy League: Aviators (780/49 pts) probably did enough to take home the BCFA Fantasy League as well, as they also did in the other odd years, 2001 and 2003. (Top Shelf being the usual even number year winners.) In the scramble for podium spots, Dynamo Silver Spring (737/59) lead Shaolin Mystigods (706/48), Darcian Greywacke (691/63), Weirder Bremen (684/45), who fell a spot, and Top Shelf (682/45).
MFLS Fantasy League: With three weeks left in the season, Aviators (780/49 pts) extended its seven point lead over second place to 27 points. 2LiveBrew (753/35) moved into second, at the expense of DreamTeam (749/25), who fell to third. Hotspur (748/50) take fourth place, while the previous occupant, GameCocks (729/25) continue their freefall all the way to eleventh. The top 11 teams still have possible hopes of a podium finish.
After almost a month without an appearance in the MFLS Weekly Top 25, three Brew City sides put in appearances: Darcian Greywacke were second on 63 points, Dynamo Silver Spring fourth on 59, and Aviators twenty-fourth on 49.

Brew City News (20-Sep-2005)

League Cup: Aviators 30:34 loss to Phoenix TS may have been the biggest loss of the season, as it allowed Top Shelf — 37:36 winners over Shaolin Mystigods — to close to within three points of the lead. Top Shelf have the edge in ‘goal’ difference +29 to +27. Befitting Brew City’s two best year-in, year-out sides, the pair meet for all the marbles this week. Weirder Bremen, Mystigods and Phoenix are locked in mid-table. The 1st Division relegation battle is down to Pioneer Detasselers on seven points and Alewive FC on four. Pioneer play relegated Appleton Aarhus, while Alewive need to conjure some magic against third place Weirder Bremen. In the 2nd Division, leaders Dynamo Silver Spring (15 pts/+46 diff) and acgc (12/+33) also lost, Dynamo 27:36 to FC Metrofan CP (12/-8). Though only in fourth place, Surreywood Rangers (9/+8) are in with a chance of pipping acgc for the second promotion spot. Dynamo and acgc play this week. Any of the outher four sides — all on six points — could yet be relegated. In the 3rd Division, Guiness Gulpers booked their mid-flight reservation with a 41:33 victory over Midnights Children, who were condemned to be 2005 league bottom feeders. Arrows S.C. continue to cling to the other promotion spot, despite losing 15:32 to JC Comets — the 2004 League Champions, who moved up to third, two points behind Arrows. Besides that trio, three other teams are within shouting distance of promotion.
BCFA Fantasy League: Aviators (731/30 pts) continue to cruise. The real fight is over 2nd-6th places: Dynamo Silver Spring (678/27) fell back towards Shaolin Mystigods (658/36), who slipped ever so slightly to Weirder Bremen (639/37). Top Shelf (637/37) failed to gain on Weirder, but put distance on Darcian Greywacke (628/30). The gap to 7th place Surreywood Rangers (563/33) is 65 whopping points.
MFLS Fantasy League: There are four weeks left in the season, but with two of the weeks (26 and 28) containing double games, it’s really like six weeks. Figuring a team can realistically hope to gain an average of five or six points per week, it would take a major effort, with no slipups, for any team outside the Top 5 to gain on leaders Aviators (731/30 pts), who gained a point on the second place side — this week DreamTeam (724/29). Formerly second Hotspur (688/3) put in a horrible performance, dropping all the way to fifth. GameCocks (704/35) had a good week, but still dropped a place to fourth, being passed by 2LiveBrew (718/52), who had the seventh best score of the week. Teams hoping for a podium spot lost two places, from the top 13 to the top 11.

Brew City News (15-Sep-2005)

League Cup: Aviators all but locked up the league with two weeks to go by defeating closest challengers Shaolin Mystigods 29:22. Top Shelf, Shaolin and Weirder Bremen are all six points back of Aviators. They must hope against hope Aviators lose their last two games, while one of them wins both. (And then hope to make up Aviators +31 ‘goal’ difference as well.) In the 2nd Division, Dynamo Silver Spring and acgc also hold near insurmountable leads over FC Metrofan (who acgc defeated 12:-6). Dynamo only needs a point to advance. Both acgc and Metrofan play Dynamo the next two weeks. Three teams are on six points, while two are on three. So any one of the five could yet be relegated. The 3rd Division is more wide open, with six sides still holding promotion hopes, while Real Hillsdale and Midnights Children fight to avoid being bottom of the dung heap.
BCFA Fantasy League: Shaolin Mystigods (622 pts) relatively poor performance the last two weeks have dashed their remote hope of taking the BCFA Fantasy League. Instead, they have been passed by Dynamo Silver Spring (651), who can’t even get a sniff of Aviators’ (701) scent.
MFLS Fantasy League: Aviators’ (701 pts) continue to hold a slim lead over their only rivals, Hotspur (695). Third place GameCocks (669) would need to make up 6 points per week to climb the ladder and get in the mix. (*snort* Sorry, couldn’t resist a few American soccer broadcastisms. The real battle is for third place, where GameCocks are followed by a batch of teams separated by no more than two or three points apiece. Any one of the top 13 — including Brew City’s own Dynamo Silver Spring (651) in ninth — could yet snag a podium spot.

Brew City News (30-Aug-2005)

League Cup: In the 1st Division, Aviators defeated Appleton Aarhus 3:-1 to overtake Shaolin Mystigods, who lost 10:15 to Weirder Bremen. Top Shelf are three points behind Mystigods. Aviators, Mystigods and Top Shelf all have yet to play each other. In the 2nd Division, Dynamo Silver Spring and acgc swapped spots at the top. The four bottom teams are all on three points. In the 3rd Division, former leaders JC Comets dropped all the way to fourth spot, having received the week’s biggest thumping, -1:12, by St. Lucie Clovers. Guinness Gulpers and Arrows are now in the promotion spots. Real Hillsdale and Midnights Children must be galled that they trail the abandoned Mighty Raptors.
BCFA Fantasy League: Shaolin Mystigods narrowed the lead of Aviators by seven, to 60. With seven weeks left, Aviators lead 643 to 583.
Another down week, though given how this season has gone, you’re forgiven if you expected everyone to score 60+ points. Brew City’s high scorer was Weirder Bremen, whose 15 points put them 127th in MFLS.

Brew City News (23-Aug-2005)

This MFLS season is schizophrenic. And that is putting it lightly. Three weeks after the league-wide worst scoring week in MFLS history, came the league-wide best scoring week in MFLS history. Naturally enough, that was immediately followed this week by another horrible overall showing. The MFLS Top 10, of course, consisting entirely of abandoned teams. No Brew City side placed in the MFLS Top 25. (St. Lucie Clovers’s 18 pts placing them 268th.)
League Cup: Shaolin Mystigods and Aviators won to retain their top League Cup spots. Both teams are on on nine points, with Mystigods holding the +37 to +20 edge in ‘goal’ difference. Top Shelf are +28, but three points in arrears. In the 2nd Division, Surreywood Rangers lost -9:-2 to acgc to fall to third. acgc move top, followed by Dynamo Silver Spring. Dynamo and acgc are both on nine points, and +25 ‘goal’ difference, with acgc holding the 110 to 108 edge in ‘goals’ for. In the 3rd Division, JC Comets remain top despite drawing the league’s worst side — Mighty Raptors — at 11s. This upcoming week (Week 22) will be scored, but the following week (Week 23) will be skipped due to World Cup qualifiers.
BCFA Fantasy League: With eight weeks left, Aviators lead 640 to 573 over Shaolin Mystogods. Aviators’ lead can safely be called “unassailable”. Aviators also top the entirety of MFLS, by 16 points over MU forever. Five other teams are 20-30 points further behind. That looks to be a two horse race.

Brew City News (18-Aug-2005)

22 of 24 Brew City teams scored 35 or more points. 17 teams scored 50 or more points. 9 scored 70 or more points. The top two scorers were Appleton Aarhus with 81 points and acgc with 88. So we occupied 17 of the weekly MFLS Top 25 spots, right? Wrong. The best we could do was acgc’s 18th:

1      FC Griffzach        111
2      Bromley FC          105
3      Owls FFC            104
3      CLFC                104
5      Auburn FC           102
5      team fish           102
7      Kentucky FC          98
8      GameCocks            97
9      Partizan Bellevue       96
9      Headers              96
11     EPs-BCs Finest       95
12     Verbal Garbage       94
12     Wolford Wolves       94
14     TEAM TORI            93
15     Comeback FC          91
15     Io Fury              91
17     Turgid Error-Strewn  90
18     Bosnutzinmikesmouf   88
18     Real New Britski     88
18     acgc                 88
21     Removable Studs      87
22     Whately United       85
22     gabilan73            85
22     Shiva FC             85
25     Real Talk Relli 99   84

Amazing.

League Cup: Due to this week’s bizarrely huge scores, the standings were much jumbled. Shaolin Mystigods top the League for the first time in thier history, followed by Aviators and another surprise in Appleton Aarhus. (Apparently their drunken sailor in Bangkok spending tactics are paying off, as they trail the always fiscally aware Aviators.) In the 2nd Division, Dynamo Silver Spring won 71:67 and still dropped from first to third. Surreywood Rangers take their place, followed by acgc. In the 3rd Division, JC Comets moved top, followed by Arrows S.C., who have 34 fewer points (54) over the last two week’s as acgc had this week alone. (It helps to have played Mighty Raptors …)

Brew City News (9-Aug-2005)

League Cup: In the 1st Division, amongst teams contesting for the League title, Top Shelf, who have been struggling (by their lofty standards) the last few months, threw down the gauntlet to runaway BCFA Fantasy League leaders Aviators. Top Shelf put the studs to Alewive FC 34:17, while Aviators slipped by Weirder Bremen 32:30. The win leaves Aviators in foruth place behind Shaolin Mystigods and Pioneer Detasselers. In the 2nd Division, expansion side Dynamo Silver Spring continued its march toward the top flight with a 33:20 drubbing of Darcian Greywacke, who lost last year’s League Cup by the slimmest of margins. Surreywood Rangers are second, having defeated Sehome Mariners 35:29. Repus Bowl of the week was in the 3rd Division, where Brew City’s two lowest scoring sides of the week limped to a 10:7 result, Arrows S.C. over Guinness Gulpers. Hartford Dynamo lead, having ripped Mighty Raptors, 33:12.
Surreywood Rangers (35 pts, 12th) made the MFLS Top 25 for first time since 2003. Ranger’s four MFLS Top 25 appearances are the only honors in its closet. Top Shelf (34 pts, 22nd) made its fourth MFLS Top 25 appearance of the year. No other team has finished in the MFLS Top 25 more than twice in 2005.

Brew City News (24-Jul-2005)

The Mug’O’Suds Invitational final, also known as The Last Call, ended 1:0 in favor of Aviators . Fred Turk-coached Weirder Bremen fell to a 75th minute Jeff Cunningham strike, in a week which saw 21 goals (2.33 per game), few of which were scored by popular players. (Knox Cameron and Alain Nkong? Both had a brace.) The hardware moves Aviators, still #1 in all of MFLS, up the 2006 Mug seedings, perhaps even into the top spot, depending on the second half of the season. Congratulations to Hal Jones, on his first sip of the Suds!

Aviators
Hal Jones

The Night Chicago Died

“I heard my momma cry,
I heard her pray the night Chicago died …”

The only thing that prevents this item from being top of the Week 17 news is that we had a championship. Yeah, someone won the Mug’O’Suds. Someone had to. Otherwise, the week was a disaster.

The top MLS sides not only lost, but they were thrashed by the also-rans: Proving that Andrulis should have long ago been fired, Columbus won 1:0 and 2:0 (over Metros and Kansas City); the Guevara-less Metros also lost to San Jose 1:2 (though the Earthquakes are a good side); Chivas defeated a national team-depleted Revs 1:0; and worst of all, Salt Lake decimated Dallas 3:0 and Colorado creamed Chicago 4:1. I think that doubled Colorado’s goal total for the year.

(What the result means for Rapids supporters is that you will be stuck with Cluelessvijo as a coach for the next five years. Cluelessvijo always managing to just hold onto his job, in an Andrulis-like fashion, while never actually winning anything.)

This was without a doubt the worst week in Brew City history. It was made all the worse because there were no -2 non-appearance penalties. Actually, now that I think about it, -2 NAPs might have been a good thing. Still, no one managed to beat Alewive FC’s NAP-assisted -21 points in September, 2003, or even Sehome Mariner’s -19 from June 15, 2003, the previous worst week in Brew City history. 17 teams had negative points, including Weirder Bremen’s -17 and MurphDogs colossal -18. Brew City scored a collective -63 points, being saved by the effort of Mighty Raptors, making their first roster adjustments in 10 weeks. Read the ugly details, and laugh or cry.

Summer Championship: Considering the total disaster this week was, we’ll just cut to the chase: Aviators are champions. (We already knew that.) Promoted: Shaolin Mystigods (1), Appleton Aarhus (1), Sehome Mariners (2) and Surreywood Rangers (2). Relegated: Dynamo Silver Spring (2), Darcian Greywacke (2), Arrows S.C. (3) and JC Comets (3). Luckily, the horrible results did not affect who was promoted or relegated, as everyone pretty much stayed in the same spot.
Mighty Raptors — who made their first roster adjustments in 10 weeks — are on double-secret probation. They will be eligible to play 3rd Division League Cup matches in the Fall round, starting in week 19. But if the manager falls off the wagon, Raptors will be booted from Brew City FA at the end of the season. Any other managers that have been slacking off of late, beware should the same dire fate befall your club.

Brew City News (18-Jul-2005)

FA Cup Final: After three years in Brew City, Sehome Mariners took home their first hardware, defeating JC Comets 23:21. Comets were valiant in defeat, but glory eluded them in their last ditch attempt at salvaging an otherwise disappointing season.

Sehome Mariners

Shane Haas
Cup Number #8247: Mike’s Ninja Turtles took home the inaugural Cup Number #8247 in style, defeating Russian field marshall-decorated Top Shelf, 6:4. The Cup is turtles’ first hardware. Top Shelf face an uphill battle to avoid their most frustrating season since 2000.

Mike’s Ninja Turtles
Mike Gibson
Summer Championship: Aviators are the Summer Champions with a week to spare, having seen off closest rivals Weirder Bremen 41:28. Darcian Greywacke are relegated, while Dynamo Silver Spring (6 pts/-28) have the “edge” to join them under four teams on nine points. In the 2nd Division, Shaolin Mystigods seized promotion by smacking MurphDogs 35:6. Appleton Aarhus (12 pts/-9) got a leg up on third place acgc (9/+8), edging them 12:11. Two other teams have nine points, and three have six, making for a very tight final week where even acgc could be relegated. In the 3rd Division, two of Sehome Mariners (15 pts/+30), Surreywood Rangers (15/+7) and Real Hillsdale (12/+53) will be promoted. None of the three play each other, and none of them play Mighty Raptors, who are headed for receivership.
Mug’O’Suds: Aviators defeated Glorydaze 4:3 (6:5 aggregate) to advance to the Mug finals. Aviators have not previously appeared in a Mug final, their furthest progress coming in 2002, where they lost in the semifinals. Aviators opponent will be fellow Brew City side Weirder Bremen, who advanced on 8:7 aggregate after drawing Causmos 5:5. Weirder’s victory is primarily due to the hat trick effort of Taylor Twellman, without whom Weirder would have lost 5:7. Previous Brew City Mug champions are Top Shelf (2002) and MurphDogs (2000). Causmos and Glorydaze are both Nationwide Premier League sides, a league which has yet to drink from the Mug. Other leagues lifting Mug suds are Soccer America’s Graffiti (2003) and MFLS Champions (2001).

Brew City News (12-Jul-2005)

Absent Players Report: The Major League Soccer injury report is infrequently updated. (For instance, a month passed before the June 9 report was updated on July 8.) Interestingly enough, the individual team reports seem to be updated much more often. Therefore, I decided I would scrape the team reports, parse them, and consolidate them into one report using PHP. It took me a few days of my spare time, and it is still missing New England. (If you know the URL of the Revs team injury/suspension/callup report, let me know.)

Brew City News (10-Jul-2005)

FA Cup: The FA Cup final will feature Sehome Mariners versus JC Comets. Comets, the defending League champions are on a torrid cup run that is in stark contrast to their poor league form: They won both semifinal legs over Phoenix TS, 16:14 in the first, then 25:21 in the return. Mariners, on the other hand, squeeked by Darcian Greywacke by the narrowest of margins: One point, coming in the 23:22 first leg, prior to the return ending level at 19:19. Aviators continue to lead the 1st Division, while Darcian Greywacke — which lost the 2004 League at the death — are relegated with two weeks to go.
Cup Number #8247: Top Shelf, who have been sliding down the overall MFLS standings the last month, will face Mike’s Ninja Turtles in the final, as mike’s advanced on away goals over Bellmare BP 3:1. (Bellmare won 5:3 at their ground, while mike’s won 3:1 at theirs.) The Bellmare and mike’s would have gone to a third leg replay had they had even away goals.
Summer Championship: All three divisions offered up at least one stale candidate for yawner of the week. Perhpas the most disappointing of all was in the 1st Division as Aviators barely roused themselves to a 9:6 win over Top Shelf. In the 2nd Division, Geckos went slightly better, defeating FC Metrofan CP 10:9. In the 3rd Division, Surreywood Rangers won by a whopping two, 9:7 over distinctly un-Mighty Raptors, while Guinness Gulpers sleepwalked to an 8:8 draw with Midnights Children.
Mug’O’Suds: In the first leg of the semifinals, Glorydaze drew Aviators 2:2 (both on Segares and Gaven), while Weirder Bremen defeated Causmos 3:2 (also on Segares and Gaven, with Weirder also having Guevara). What, no Matt Taylor!?
Weirder Bremen (28 pts, 15th) made the MFLS Top 25 for the second week in a row. It was the first time this year a Brew City side has notched back-to-back appearances.

Brew City News (7-Jul-2005)

FA Cup: In the first semifinal, Sehome Mariners edged Darcian Greywacke 23:22. The other semi was also close, though lower-scoring, JC Comets 16:14 over Phoenix TS.
Summer Championship: In the 1st Division, Aviators continue to set the pace, defeating Pioneer Detasselers 33:28. The only change in places came as seventh place Alewive FC swapped places with fifth place Phoenix TS. Darcian Greywacke have lost all four matches. In the 2nd Division, Shaolin Mystigods remain Brew City’s hottest side, defeating FC Metrofan CP 28:13. The middle places were much scrambled. In the 3rd Division, Real Hillsdale remain top, while formerly second place Midnights Children dropped to fourth after losing 18:23 to Sehome Mariners — the side which took Midnights spot.
Cup Number #8247: In the second leg of their semifinal, Top Shelf scored a huge road win, 6:3 over Demons FC. That win put Top Shelf through to the final on 12:11 aggregate. Their opponent will not be determined until next week. In the first leg of the other semifinal, Bellmare BP won 5:3 over Mike’s Ninja Turtles. The sole match next week is the second leg of Bellmare-mike’s; the final will be in two weeks, during Week 16.
Mug’O’Suds: Both semifinals will feature Brew City versus Nationwide Premier League matchups. In the top half, Aviators (9:6 over MSA) versus Glorydaze (9:4 over Thruball). In the bottom half, the matches were much tighter. Whereas Aviators and Daze romped in the first leg, then cruised in the second, the two bottom quarterfinals were both 4:4 first leg draws. Weirder Bremen slipped by Dynamo Silver Spring 8:7, while Causmos had a slightly easier time with FC Sterling, advancing 8:6.
Four Brew City sides placed in the MFLS Top 25: Weirder Bremen (40 pts, 1st), MurphDogs (37/8), Aviators (33/24) and Alewive FC (33/24). In MurphDogs case, it was the 2000 FA Cup/Mug double-winners first accomplishment since 2003.

Brew City News (27-Jun-2005)

Get Active! Having a crappy team won’t get you kicked out of Brew City: What will get you kicked out is not taking an active interest in your MFLS team. I don’t expect a top team to change its entire squad every week, but neither do I expect the manager of a bottom to team to sit on his thumbs. I judge activity by the number of trades or subs that a team has listed, or if the manager is a regular poster on the MFLS forums. If a manager is absent for weeks, or even months, on end, he’s on the hot seat. (Unless you Do the Right Thing by notifying me ahead of time.)★ Mighty Raptors: Absent weeks 4-5 and 7-13.
★ France: Absent weeks 4-6 and 11-13. (Made very few moves in 2004.)
★ Guiness Gulpers: Absent weeks 5-7 and 11-13. (Also absent first two months of 2004.)
2006 New Team Wait List: Mike’s Ninja Turtles.
Summer Championship: Aviators lead after three weeks, having beat Alewive FC 64:50. Weirder Bremen move leapt from sixth to second on a 57:37 hiding of Dynamo Silver Spring. Match of the Week was again in the 2nd Division, as the week’s second high scorer Shaolin Mystigods barely held off Arrows S.C., 61:59. The 3rd Division was all jumbled around, no team having held it’s place. Real Hillsdale and Midnights Children moved into the top spots, while France, The Mighty Raptors FC and Guinness Gulpers FC are in the bottom spots — fitting considering the latter trio are the least active managers in Brew City. This week’s high scorers, Sehome Mariners, defeated Surreywood Rangers 72:44.
FA Cup: Some horrible quarterfinal ties turned around in the second leg, leading to exciting finishes. Darcian Grewacke carried a 21-point lead over France into the return, as France fought a valiant battle winning 50:33, but going out 49:53. JC Comets only had a 2-point lead on Arrows S.C., but managed to lose by only one, 58:59, to go through on 62:61 aggregate. Phoenix TS had a huge 28-point lead over MurphDogs, only to lose 29:56, scraping by on 55:54 aggregate. Sehome Mariners also won both legs over Real Hillsdale, but both rather handily, going through 87:41.
Cup Number #8247: In the first leg of their semifinal match, Top Shelf dropped a crucial home decision 6:8 to Demons FC, meaning Dave Thomas’s men must win by three in the retrun to go through. They could go through winning by two, but they would have to score more than eight, something only two sides have done in the competition. One of those sides is Bellmare BP who mauled Thruball in their replay, 12:6, besting by three the previous high score set by Dynamo Silver Spring in Week 10. Bellmare BP move on to host Mike’s Ninja Turtles in the first leg of their semifinal in Week 14.
Mug’O’Suds: There were two blowouts and two draws in the first leg of the quarterfinals. The bottom half of the bracket had the draws, both 4:4, between Dynamo Silver Spring and Weirder Bremen on tthe one hand, and FC Sterling and Causmos on the other. In the top half of the bracket, Aviators flew by MSA 5:2, while Glorydaze absolutely destroyed Thruball 6:1.
No Brew City side placed in the MFLS Weekly Top 25.

Brew City News (21-Jun-2005)

Mug’O’Suds: There was much controversy in the second leg of the first knockout round, as confederation officials had forwards listed as midfielders (Jaqua), midfielders listed as forwards (Dempsey) and even keepers listed as forwards (Garlick)! After the smoke cleared, there were a number of thrilling matches. Alewive FC carried a 2:1 advantage into their match against MSA. Alewive scored another two, meaning if MSA scored three they would be out on away goals. MSA scored four. FC Sterling and Halmstad Swedes drew both matches 1:1, meaning the return went to extra time. First tiebreak is least goals given up by keepers; both sides had Reis. Second overtime is penalty kicks, of which MLS had four (Martins, Djorkaeff, J. Moreno and Cunningham). Neither side had any of that quartet. Triple overtime! Yes, both sides had one assist. Quadruple overtime!!! The last gasp quiz question was, “Who scored Norway’s only goal in today’s UEFA Women’s Cup final?” Posted at Sun 6/19 17:44 ET, no one answered by the Midnight ET time deadline. Heads, Halmstad advance; tails, Sterling advance. Tails. Sterling are through. *whew* Also advancing were Thruball (6:1 Mohawks), Dynamo Silver Spring (5:3 Hotspur), Weirder Bremen (4:2 JC Comets), Aviators (6:5 Alpine Dream), Causmos (4:3 New Bedford Knights) and Glorydaze (6:2 Shaolin Mystigods — who deserve a ton of credit for going so far as first round qualifiers).
Answer: Mellgren
Cup Number #8247: Top Shelf slid by NorthEnd Victory on 8:6 aggregate. Mike’s Ninja Turtles advanced by a narrow margin, 7:6, after drawing the second leg 4:4 to Los Angeles Strikers FC. Demons FC defeated Dynamo Silver Spring in the second leg 4:2 to advance 6:4. The final tie, featuring Thruball and Bellmare BP saw both home sides lose 2:3, to send the return leg into replay. That means the pair will play a third leg in Week 13. Should be a cracker! The semifinal draw was also held, Top Shelf host the first leg against Demons FC in Week 13, while the winner of Thruball/Bellmare BP will host Mike’s Ninja Turtles beginning in Week 14.
FA Cup: The first leg of the quarterfinals was neither marked by quality, creativity or competitiveness. The less said, the better: Real Hillsdale -9:18 Sehome Mariners, Darcian Greywacke 20:-1 France, JC Comets 4:2 Arrows S.C. and MurphDogs -2:26 Phoenix TS.
Summer Championship: 1st and 2nd Division matches shared match-of-the-week honors: Aviators 29:26 Phoenix TS and Appleton Aarhus 31:28 Geckos. Blowout-of-the-week was St. Lucie Clovers hammering Guinness Gulpers FC 48:-1. All three divisions have new leaders: Aviators (1st), Shaolin Mystigods (2nd) — who look a good bet to challenge for overall honors after with a Summer promotion — and Surreywood Rangers (3rd). After two weeks, a number of teams are already behind big 8-balls: Darcian Greywacke who have 0 points and -29 ‘goal’ difference, and MurphDogs who have 0 points and -48 ‘goal’ difference.
No Brew City side placed in the MFLS Weekly Top 25 — though four abadoned teams did place in the Top 6.

Brew City News (13-Jun-2005)

FA Cup: After a week off due to World Cup qualifiers, the FA Cup resumed play with the second leg of the first knockout round. Seven of the eight ties were very close going into the weekend, with the exception of Darcian Greywacke’s 13-‘goal’ lead over Dynamo Silver Spring. Five of the six FA Cup champions entered the round, and only two survived it: MurphDogs (2000), 46:36 winners over Midnights Children (2003), and Phoenix TS (2002), 34:29 winners over Top Shelf (2004). Of course, ‘Dogs and Phoenix meet in the quarterfinals. Phoenix TS overturned a first leg deficit to advance, as did Real Hillsdale (51:26 over Weirder Bremen), France (39:39 aet over Shaolin Mystigods) and Arrows S.C. (56:36 over Aviators). Also advancing are Sehome Mariners and Darcian Grewacke (despite horrible second leg performances), and JC Comets.
Summer Championship: Also returning from a week’s break, the League Cup resumed with the first round of the Summer Championship. In the 1st Division, the Spring’s top three scoring sides all lost: Top Shelf 7:21 Pioneer Detasselers, Weirder Bremen 5:17 Alewive FC and Darcian Greywacke -2:17 to early leaders Phoenix TS. In the 2nd Division, promoted Arrows S.C. lead, having hammered game fellow promotees MurphDogs 32:16. In the 3rd Division, the Spring’s lowest scoring side, Mighty Raptors managed a win primarly due to their opponent’s lack of scoring, defeating St. Lucie Clovers 14:5. Real Hillsdale are top of the division.
Arrows S.C. (32 pts, 10th place) were Brew City’s lone MFLS Weekly Top 25 representative.
Cup Number #8247: All four quarterfinal first leg matches were decided by a point or less, setting up very exciting second legs. Top Shelf 4:3 NorthEnd Victory, Thruball 2:3 Bellmare BP, Demons FC 2:2 Dynamo Silver Spring, and Los Angeles Strikers FC 2:3 Mike’s Ninja Turtles.
Mug’O’Suds: Only eight goals were scored in MLS’s six matches — one of which is a not-counted own goal — leading to some very low scoring Mug first leg first knockout round matches. Of the theoretical maximum of five Mug goals, no team scored more than two. The results were Mohawks 1:1 Thruball, Glorydaze 1:1 Shaolin Mystigods, Aviators 2:2 Alpine Dream, Alewive FC 2:1 MSA, Dynamo Silver Spring 1:0 Hotspur, JC Comets 2:2 Weirder Bremen, FC Sterling 1:1 Halmstad Swedes and Causmos 1:2 New Bedford Knights. With three horrible teams — Colorado, Salt Lake and Chivas — playing in MLS’s two late Saturday matches, who advances may come down to who finds a diamond in that rough.

Brew City News (7-Jun-2005)

Shaolin Mystigods (42 pts, 4th place), Alewive FC (40/9), Midnights Children (39/11) and Darcian Greywacke (38/14) placed in MFLS weekly Top 25, the first time in memory four Brew City sides have done so.
Summer Championship: The League Cup was on hiatus during Week 10, due to World Cup qualifiers and international friendlies, thus wasting Shaolin Mystigods and Alewive FC’s once-a-year effort.
FA Cup: On hiatus due to World Cup qualifiers and international friendlies.
Cup Number #8247: Mike’s Ninja Turtles overcame a 7:4 first leg deficit, defeating Inferno FC 6:3 in the second to draw 10:10, advancing on away goals 4:3. Los Angeles Strikers FC won both over GameCocks to advance 13:7. Despite failing to submit second leg predictions, NorthEnd Victory’s six point first week margin was enough to see them through, 8:5 over The Chivas Keeper. Demons FC won two narrow matches over Mohawks, to advance 11:8. Dynamo Salem scored a very good six points, but still lost the second leg 6:9 to Dynamo Silver Spring, which advance on 13:6 aggregate. Bellmare BP drew SDFC Macross 4:4, but advance on 9:6 aggregate. Thruball overturned a first leg deficit, defeating BULLDAWGS 7:3, to advance 9:7. Top Shelf drew Alewive FC 5:5, advancing on a very narrow 8:7 aggregate. Bastard. The quarterfinal matchups are:
```
Top Shelf
NorthEnd Victory

Thruball
Bellmare BP

Demons FC
Dynamo Silver Spring

Los Angeles Strikers FC
Mike's Ninja Turtles
```
Mug’O’Suds: For yet another week, the standings in Groups A, E and F remain unchanged. In Group A, Weirder Bremen and Dynamo Silver Spring finish top, while Top Shelf were third on six points. In Group B, Glorydaze stayed first, while Causmos leapt from fourth to second on a 4:3 defeat of Hotspur, who finish third on eight points. Much drama in Group C, as the bottom two sides moved into the top two spots, Mohawks with a 2:1 defeat of Real Santa Fe, while Shaolin Mystigods mashed Halmstad Swedes 5:0. Swedes finish third on seven points and goal difference, while defending champion Real Santa Fe finish last. Special mention must go to Shaolin who are the first bottom seed to advance to the knockout rounds. In Group D, FC Sterling and Aviators stayed top, but MSA moved from fourth to third on a 4:2 defeat of acgc. MSA have seven points. In Group E, JC Comets and Thruball finish top, while Arrows S.C. are third on six points. In Group F, New Bedford Knights and Alewive FC finish top, while Alpine Dream are third on seven. The top four third place teams are thus Hotspur (8 pts), Alpine Dream (7), Halmstad Swedes (7) and MSA (7). Powerhouse Top Shelf (6) are knocked out of the Group of Death, along with Arrows S.C. (6).
```
Weirder Bremen (A1)
Dynamo Silver Spring (A2)
Glorydaze (B1)
Causmos (B2)
Hotspur (B3)
Mohawks (C1)
Shaolin Mystigods (C2)
Halmstad Swedes (C3)
FC Sterling (D1)
Aviators (D2)
MSA (D3)
JC Comets (E1)
Thruball (E2)
New Bedford Knights (F1)
Alewive FC (F2)
Alpine Dream (F3)
```

Brew City News (29-May-2005)

Cup Number #8247: The cup named after the fact that it is the 8247th BCFA Fantasy League to be created kicked off this past weekend. Based on MFLS prediction points — 1 point for picking the winner, 1 point for predicting the exact score, and 1 point for correctly predicting a blowout — a unique challenge is presented, as managers cannot counter their opponent’s lineup to prevent a fight back. First week results were Inferno FC 7:4 Mike’s Ninja Turtles, GameCocks 4:8 Los Angeles Strikers FC, NorthEnd Victory 8:2 The Chivas Keeper, Mohawks 4:6 Demons FC, Dynamo Silver Spring 4:0 Dynamo Salem (who screwed themselves by not submitting any predictions), Bellmare BP 5:2 SDFC Macross, BULLDAWGS 4:2 Thruball and Top Shelf 3:2 Alewive FC.
FA Cup: There were no real blowouts in the first leg of the first knockout round, the largest margin of victory being Darcian Greywacke’s 13 ‘goal’ 33:20 away win at Dynamo Silver Spring. The other matches are also very much up in the air: Weirder Bremen 31:25 Real Hillsdale, Sehome Mariners 22:15 Geckos, Shaolin Mystigods 32:26 France, JC Comets 31:23 St. Lucie Clovers, Aviators 26:24 Arrows S.C., MurphDogs 20:26 Midnights Children, and Phoenix TS 17:22 Top Shelf.
Spring Championship: Top Shelf are the 2005 Spring Champions, having stuggled to defeat lowly Appleton Aarhus 22:12. The class sides always find a way to win, even when not at their best. Aarhus are relegated, and must right their ship if they are not to make it two in a row — a difficult task given their dire financial straits. Defending League Champions JC Comets join Aarhus in the drop. In the 2nd Division, Shaolin Mystigods’ promotion hopes rest on an FA videotape review, after they drew Surreywood Rangers 32:32, letting Aviators (26:18 winners) and Dynamo Silver Spring (20:15 winners) slip by them. Better, though, to be promoted in the summer, than promoted in the spring, then demoted in the summer, because at least then they will have a better shot at the League Cup in the fall. Surreywood was relegated despite the draw, along with France. It doesn’t get any more exciting than the final week in the 3rd Division The top four teams were level on 12 points. After the final week, there were all level on 15 points! Places did not change, though Real Hillsdale barely held onto third, courtesy of most points for, after they and Midnights Children both finished with +19 ‘goal’ difference. MurphDogs and Arrows S.C. are promoted.
Mug’O’Suds: Groups A, D, E and F remain unchanged. FC Sterling advanced from Group D by defeating MSA 2:1. JC Comets — suffering through terrible domestic form — advance from Group E by defeating Thruball 3:0. (Comets were the only side to score three or more goals, in a week in which one goal was a quality effort.) Alewive FC, 1:0 winners over Ric.com, join New Bedford Knights in advancing from Group F. In the very tight Group C, Real Santa Fe move from fourth to second on a 2:1 defeat of Shaolin Mystigods. The only team mathematically eliminated is The Chivas Keeper, currently fourth in Group A on one point. The best four third place teams will advance after the final group round, this coming week.

Brew City News (24-May-2005)

FA Cup: The FA Cup knockout round draw has been held.

Brew City News (23-May-2005)

FA Cup: Match of the sixth and final round was Arrows narrow 46:45 victory over acgc, in Group E. The loss put acgc out, as the lowest ranked third place side. Alewive FC, who were pointless, salvaged some pride, putting 50 over the 36 scored by the cruising Real Hillsdale. Other last round drama included Guinness Gulpers failing to advance from Group B, as the other third place side, despite winning 42:36, due to -21 ‘goal’ difference. They lost that final qualification spot to France (-15 ‘goal’ difference), who hammered Phoenix TS 41:19. The advancing teams are:
```
Aviators (A1)
JC Comets (A2)
Geckos (A3)

Dynamo Silver Spring (B1)
Sehome Mariners (B2)

Top Shelf (C1)
MurphDogs (C2)
Shaolin Mystigods (C3)

Darcian Greywacke (D1)
Weirder Bremen (D2)
St. Lucie Clovers (D3)

Real Hillsdale (E1)
Arrows S.C. (E2)

Midnights Children (F1)
Phoenix TS (F2)	
France (F3)
```
Spring Championship: Blowout of the week, in any MFLS competition, had to be Weirder Bremen’s 55:0 vivisection of Appleton Aarhus in the 1st Division — a division Arhus likely need not concern themlselves with during the Summer Championship. JC Comets were relegated with one week to go, in the first championship after winning the League title, which I don’t think has ever happened before. Still, if they can get it together and bounce back up in the summer, they will be in the running for back-to-back League titles. But it would be a tall order indeed. In the 2nd Division, three teams are level on 15 points, but separated only by ‘goal’ difference: Shaolin Mystigods (+77), Aviators (+61) and Dynamo Silver Spring (+22). The latter are Brew City’s highest scoring side over the last six weeks (214 ‘goals’), but have had the bad luck of having 192 scored against them. Any of the bottom four could be relegated. In the 3rd Division, a whopping four sides are level on 12 points, but separated by ‘goal’ difference: MurphDogs (+40), Arrows S.C. (+32), Real Hillsdale (+17) and Midnights Children (+16). Wow.
Mug’O’Suds: In Group A, Weirder Bremen became the first team to advance, with two weeks to spare, pasting The Chivas Keeper 7:1. In Group C, Halmstad Swedes broke their streak of three straight draws, defeating Real Santa Fe 5:3 to move top. The four teams are separated by only two points, at 6, 5, 5 and 4. The self-cannibalization means the third place Group C is unlikely to advance. In Group D, despite being outscored 25:45 in MFLS points, FC Sterling still took home the Mug bacon, defeating acgc 5:3. Such are the wonders of the Mug scoring system. (Goals only.) Aviators carpet-bombed MSA 7:1 to move from fourth to second. In Group F, New Bedford Knights also advanced, with a comfortable 5:1 victory over Ric.com.
Top Shelf’s 56 points were only enough to place them 23rd on this week’s MFLS Weekly Top 25 (52 pts, #17). What is this world coming to, when 56 points only gets you 23rd place?

Brew City News (15-May-2005)

Mug’O’Suds: 0 goal games are rare in the Mug, and 0:0 draws almost unheard of. This week, in Group B, there were two 0:0 draws. Wow. The odds of that are about the same as Steve Sampson winning World Cups. Group E would have equalled that dubious feat, were it not for JC Comets last minute winner, 1:0 over Arrows S.C.. (Headhunter FC and Thruball also drew at nil.) In Group C, Halmstad Swedes broke their habit of 3:3 draws by drawing 1:1 with Shaolin Mystigods. In Group E, Maestro is the other team to have three draws in three matches. In Group D, the bottom two sides became the top two sides, as FC Sterling defeated Aviators 3:1 and MSA defeated acgc 3:0.
Spring Championship: Pioneer Detasselers launched themselves into the top spot, 21:11 over Phoenix TS, on ‘goal’ difference, after Top Shelf was obliterated 41:6 by Weirder Bremen. Alewive FC bollixed its lineup, but still managed to grind out a win, 14:12 over Darcian Greywacke. With 10 points in five matches, Alewive are doing it with defense, having giving up 20 fewer ‘goals’ than the other six top sides. In the 2nd Division, Shaolin Mystigods, with the league’s most prolific offense (166 ‘goals’) remained unbeaten by going crazyy monkey all over Gecko’s ass, 33:3. The 3rd Division was all shook up, as MurphDogs defeated Guinness Gulpers FC 9:0 to go top, while Real Hillsdale lost its perfect record, 7:12 to Midnights Children.
FA Cup: In Group A, Aviators and JC Comets are through to the knockout rounds. JC Comets by the slimmest of margins, on a 22:22 draw with Mighty Raptors, in the same week in which Comets were relegated from the top flight in league play. Raptors were eliminated with one week to play. In Group B, Dynamo Silver Spring are also through, on a 23:0 pasting of Guinness Gulpers. In Group C, Pioneer Detasselers were eliminated, having lost 21:33 to Shaolin Mystigods. In Group D, FC Metrofan CP were also eliminated, despite a valiant effort, losing 32: 41 to Weirder Bremen. Despite Weirder, Darcian Greywacke and Hartford Dynamo being level on 9 points, any could advance or be eliminated. In Group E, Real Hillsdale advance on a 7:6 struggle over Arrows. (Pending FA review of Noonan’s assist.) Alewive FC, the only pointless side, were eliminated. Group F is up for grabs.
Appleton Aarhus’s Ridsdale/O’Leary-at-Leeds spending tactics paid off, as they finished in the MFLS Weekly Top 25 (52 pts, #17). The decorative, engraved plaque is the first thing Aarhus have ever won.

Brew City News (8-May-2005)

Mug’O’Suds: Only two weeks into group play, and we are already down to a meager four teams with perfect records: Dynamo Silver Spring and Weirder Bremen in the Group of Death (A), Thruball (E) and New Bedford Knights (F). FC Sterling (D) was the unfortunate victim of a second successive 5:5 draw, this week with MSA. High scorers were Dynamo Silver Spring, who blew by Bo Oshonyi Guy 7:4, followed by acgc (D), who notched a huge road win, 6:4 over Aviators.
FA Cup: Some of third and fourth place teams notched important points this week, but there was almost no movement in the standings. In Group A, Aviators swapped places with JC Comets due to their 49:24 away win. And … well, that was it. Everybody else stayed exactly where they were. Mighty Raptors (A) and Alewive FC (F) remain without a point, though at least Alewive (83 ‘goals’) have been respectable compared to Raptors’ paltry 38 — a total exceeded by 14 teams, this week alone. Still, neither is without hope, as four of six third place sides advance to the knockout rounds. Snoozefest of The Week was Hartford Dynamo’s 14:9 belaboring of FC Metrofan CP, two of the week’s three lowest scores, in Group D.
Spring Championship: Top Self remain top with a perfect 12 points. JC Comets and Appleton Aarhus are almost completely screwed, both six points behind the sixth place side, Phoenix TS, and having -42 and -58 ‘goal’ difference to Phoenix’s +3. Three weeks remain before the first round of promotions and relegations, so neither side can afford to drop anymore points. In the 2nd Division, Shaolin Mystigods ravaged France 43:19. Dynamo Silver Spring went one better, 53:9 over FC Metrofan, as Brew City’s high scorer of the week trounced its low scorer. Even the tea lady scored. The win was only good enough to move Dynamo from fourth to third, +12 to +39 ‘goal’ difference to Aviators, who landed a solid 49:33 victory over Geckos. Shaolin remain top on 12 points. In the 3rd Division, Hartford Dynamo cured its supporters’ insomnia with another droll victory, 14:12 over Mighty Raptors. Real Hillsdale also lead its division on a perfect 12, defeating previous top side MurphDogs, 44:39.
Dynamo Silver Spring (53 pts, #7) finished in the MFLS Weekly Top 25.

Brew City News (1-May-2005)

Mug’O’Suds: Call the first week “Dempsey-Noonan-Ching Week”, because that is what nearly every team had for a lineup, leading to a plethora of 4-goal games. The exception was acgc’s pulsating 5:5 draw at FC Sterling’s ground. In addition to the aforementioned trio, they also had Landon Donovan, who is making Steve Sampson look like the Alex Ferguson he isn’t. Overall, there were six draws in 12 matches, including a pair of 3:3s in Group C. Group leaders are Dynamo Silver Spring (A), Hotspur (B), Aviators (D), Thruball (E) and New Bedford Knights (F).
FA Cup: Match of the week, and perhaps the year, was Top Shelf barely surviving a track meet with Pioneer Detasselers. Brew City’s top scoring side scored 51 to defeat the week’s second high scorer, who had 47. Blow out of the week came in Group D, where Darcian Greywacke crapped all over FC Metrofan CP 46:-7. In Group F, Phoenix TS also held their opponents to negative points, defeating France 28:-5. Halfways through the group stage, the leaders are JC Comets (A), Dynamo Silver Spring (B), Top Shelf (C), Darcian Greywacke (D) — the latter three moving into the top spot this week — Real Hillsdale (E) and Phoenix TS (F).
Spring Championship: If such a thing is possible, Top Shelf turned it up a notch in its league program, in a scintillating 51:46 defeat of Darcian Greywacke. With performances like that, Dave Thomas’s side look certain to take another Blackbeard’s haul of treasure this season. In the 1st Division, Appleton Aarhus and defending League Champions JC Comets are both without a point, and already in serious relegation trouble with -33 and -37 ‘goal’ differences. In the 2nd Division, Shaolin Mystigods continued their run of beer-fueled positive ki, defeating acgc 43:28 to remain top. In a battle of the former top two 3rd Division sides, second place Real Hillsdale used the home advantage to defeat Arrows S.C. 34:31, who drop to third. But MurphDogs leapfrogged Real into the top spot, courtesy of their 36:11 away win at Sehome Mariners.
Top Shelf (51 pts, #25) finished in the MFLS Weekly Top 25.

Brew City News (25-Apr-2005)

Updated League Cup and FA Cup scores due to MFLS scoring adjustment. (It was +/- 1 or 2 points for about half of Brew City’s teams.) No League Cup results were altered due to the adjustment. Only one FA Cup result was changed, Top Shelf having drawn MurphDogs, rather than losing to them. The draw moves Top Shelf into first place in Group C.

Brew City News (24-Apr-2005)

The Mug’O’Suds play-in rounds are complete, as eight teams advance to the group stage. \_O_/ versus Io Fury lived up to its billing — \_O_/ advancing in single overtime after the sides drew 2:2 — but they were still outshone by Glorydaze golden goal defeat of Real Hillsdale, aftr that match finished 3:3 in regular time. Despite being a first round qualifier, Shaolin Mystigods are fully deserve their group spot, having rung up the week’s largest goal tally, 4:2 over Bayou City FC. Also advancing are acgc, Thruball, Arrows S.C., Ric.com and New Bedford Knights. The group draw was then held, to see where the play-in teams landed. (The top 16 teams already having been seeded in.) \_O_/ (Group A), Glorydaze (B), Shaolin Mystigods (C), acgc (D), Thruball (E), Arrows S.C. (E), Ric.com (F) and New Bedford Knights (F).
The highlights of the FA Cup‘s second round of group play was Guinness Gulpers’ 30:27 away win at Dynamo Silver Spring in Group B. A close second for Match of the Week, was Real Hillsdale’s 31:26 defeat of Arrows S.C. in Group E. The early group leaders are JC Comets (A), Guinness Gulpers (B), MurphDogs (C), Weirder Bremen (D), surprise packet Real Hillsdale (E) and Phoenix TS (F).
The Spring Championship is lead by — no surprise — Top Shelf, who eeked by Alewive FC 13:6. Weirder Bremen are second after nearly doubling Darcian Greywacke 30:16. Shaolin Mystigods continue their hot streak in all competitions, winning their third match of the week, FC 29:10 away at Metrofan CP. Shaolin lead the 2nd Division. The two highest scring sides in Brew City are in the 3rd Division, leaders Arrows S.C. (55 ‘goals’) and Real Hillsdale (56 ‘goals’). If they continue their current form, they could be challenging for the League Cup in the third session.

Brew City News (19-Apr-2005)

The draw for the Mug’O’Suds fourth play-in round was held. For the first time since the play-in round system was instituted in 2004, a first round qualifier is guaranteed to make the group stage: Shaolin Mystigods play Bayou City FC. Fellow first round qualifier P-MOSHES have the much more difficult task, facing fourth round qualifier Arrows S.C.. P-MOSHES may take hope from Arrows having failed to crack the MFLS Top 50 since 2001. The most high-powered matchup pits 2004 Mug finalist Io Fury — 2:3 losers to Real Santa Fe — against \_O_/, a consistent Top 100 MFLS side.

Brew City News (17-Apr-2005)

The first round of the FA Cup kicked off. The highlight was Group E — the so-called “Group of Eveness” — which featured two matches that were both close and relatively high-scoring. (Three of the division’s four top-scoring teams this week were in Group E.) Match of the week, was Arrows S.C. 29:25 defeat of Alewive FC. Another excellent match was Real Hillsdale’s 25:17 defeat of acgc. Defensive battle of the week was in Group A, where defending League Champions JC Comets edged Aviators 8:7. 2004 FA Cup champions Top Shelf got an early lead in Group C, handling Shaolin Mystigods 31:19.
The League Cup Spring Championship also got under way this week. Top Shelf lead the 1st Division, having sent Pioneer packing, 31:12. Alewive FC are second, defeating fellow promotees Appleton Aarhus 25:10. Shaolin Mystigods lead the 2nd Division, having already put multi-medalist Aviators behind the eight-ball 19:7. Arrows S.C. head a trio of 3rd Division blowouts: Arrows 29:9 over St. Lucie Clovers, Sehome Mariners 20:1 over The Mighty Raptors FC, and MurphDogs 20:7 over Midnights Children.
In the Mug’O’Suds third play-in round, six of the 10 higher seeds failed to win their matchups against lower seeded sides. Leading the parade of upsets, Mizzo FC, still hung over from last week’s marathon quadruple overtime victory, lost 1:3 to first round qualifier Shaolin Mystigods. Bayou City FC are the only other first round team to advance to fourth round, defeating higher seeded Fighting Chipmunks 1:0. Kingsbridge, MurphDogs, Dynamo Salem and Darcian Greywacke — the top four third round seeds — all failed to advance, leaving it to fifth seed Io Fury to salvage some top seed pride, 2:1 over Midnights Children.
Top Shelf (31 pts, #12) finished in the MFLS Weekly Top 25.

Brew City News (10-Apr-2005)

The Brew City FA Cup draw was held. Groups C and F both feature two former champions: Top Shelf (defending 2004) and MurphDogs (1999) in Group C; Midnights Children (2003) and Phoenix TS (2002) in Group F. 2001 titlists Aviators are seeded first in Group A, while the very first champion, Guiness Gulpers (1998) are in Group B. Week 3 marks the beginning of the seventh edition of a competition no side has won more than once.
Darcian Greywacke placed in the MFLS Weekly Top 25 at #11 on 40 points.

Brew City News (9-Apr-2005)

The theme of the Mug’O’Suds second play-in round was golden goals. Three of the eight first round teams advance yet again, all three on the “least goals given up by keepers” first tiebreak: P-MOSHES 2:2 over Surreywood Rangers, Shaolin Mystigods 2:2 over Schusta Soccer, and Bayou City FC 1:1 over FC Burn. Mizzo FC also advanced on the first tie break 2:2 over 1 FC Red Devils. The Match of the Week was New Bedford Knights triple-overtime (“most team assists”) 2:2 victory over Pioneer Detasselers. Also advancing are Thruball, Midnights Children, FC Orlando 98, Heresy House, acgc, Real Hillsdale and Fighting Chipmunks.

Brew City News (3-Apr-2005)

The 2005 Mug’O’Suds Invitational kicked off with the first playin round. Only one match was decided by more than two goals, Sehome Mariners manhandling Ladanday Rovers 5:2. Two matches were drawn, going to the first tie-break of least goals given up by keepers. The losing teams both suffered the Sampson Factor, selecting the Galaxy keeper, Kevin Hartman, who gave up three. BULLDAWGS over Cheezburger SV, and Bayou City FC over Seattle SC. P-MOSHES edged Revsrock05 3:2, Schusta Soccer 4:3 over Towpath Indians, Raytown Rangers 82 4:3 over Aztekaz, and Shaolin Mystigods 2:1 over NorthEnd Victory, were the one goal affairs. FC Burn cruised past WreckingCrew FC 3:1. As always, if you have a scoring dispute, you must let me know before Wednesday night.

Brew City News (30-Mar-2005)

Our final two new teams joined Brew City FA: Arrows S.C. and The Mighty Raptors FC. They join fellow debutantes acgc and Dynamo Silver Spring. They replace Poplar Point United (2004), Cape Tribulation (2001-2004), Maccabees (2003-2004) and Abracadabra, a Brew City founding member (1999-2004). Now that we have 24 teams, I was also able to set the League Cup schedule, for the Spring Championship.

Brew City News (25-Mar-2005)

Mug’O’Suds final seedings posted.

Brew City News (21-Mar-2005)

Made some adjustments to the cup schedules, and what-not.