Brew City News (2004) – Kingsnake's Home Den

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Brew City News (25-Oct-2004)

End-of-Season Report

Alpine Dream are the 2004 Paper Cup champions. In a hard fought contest between two deserving sides, David Kilman’s men defeated Leonel Velasquez P-MOSHES 23:20. The Paper Cup is a late-season tournament open to all MFLS sides which have never won anything. Zip, zilch, zero, nada. As a result of their victory, Alpine Dream receive a Mug’O’Suds invitation, with an assured bye into the group rounds.

Alpine Dream

David Kilman
The BCFA Fantasy League champions are Top Shelf , managed by David Thomas. The final week of competition did not alter the top spots as Top Shelf were followed by debutantes Weirder Bremen (592), Phoenix TS (568), Maccabees (543), FC Metrofan CP (508), an off-form Aviators (493), and a resurgent Alewive FC (484). The bottom spot also remained the same, with Abracadabra (263) propping up the table.
The overall MFLS Champions are Top Shelf , managed by David Thomas, whose 2004 haul of hardware would make Blackbeard blush. After months of swapping spots with the other contenders, Top Shelf got a slim lead, which they held onto the final five weeks of the season. The other podium spots were as close as close can be. FC Chunkers (663/23) passed Hotspur (661/20) for runnerup. In the words of Chunkers manager Cristi Thomas, “The coach trade was a very last second thing for me, and it worked out. I was looking at my team minutes before the trade deadline and realized I had one trade left, so I went for it. If you look at my roster moves history, it says I made it at 18:29:57 when the deadline was 18:30:00. That turned out to be what made the difference for me between 2nd and 3rd. Good race Hotspur!” Other Top 25 Brew City FA sides include Weirder Bremen (5/592), Phoenix TS (7/568) and Maccabees (10/543). Eight Brew City FA sides finished in the Top 100.
The standby list for teams joining Brew City FA in 2005 is Millville United (on hiatus this year) and MSA Premier FC. There may be anywhere from 1-3 vacancies due to inattentive managers, indicated by gold and red stars next to the League Cup standings.

Brew City News (13-Oct-2004)

OOPS! It was pointed out to me that in P-MOSHES actually beat Mizzo a week ago -2:-6. The double negative scores screwed me up. As a result, P-MOSHES advanced to meet JC Comets in the semifinal. As P-MOSHES scored 11 this week, and Comets only 8, P-MOSHES advance to the Paper Cup final against Alpine Dream.

Brew City News (12-Oct-2004)

The Top 5 spots in the BCFA Fantasy League appear settled, after Phoenix TS (553/19) failed to make up ground on second place Weirder Bremen (579/24) and FC Metrofan CP (497/2) on fourth place Maccabees (519/15). The 6th through 10th spots are still wide open, with Alewive FC (454/16) making significant progress on sixth place Aviators (464/8). The bottom of the table is a closer affair as 22nd place Guinness Gulpers (262/3) barely lead MurphDogs (261/-4) and last place Abracadabra (253/5).
In the overall MFLS competition, Hotspur (641/27) and FC Chunkers (640/25), which swapped spots, ever-so-slightly narrowed the gap on Top Shelf (647/23), which leads for the fourth straight week. Weirder Bremen (579/24) are now neck-and-neck with fourth place Alpine Dream (580/16). Phoenix TS (553/19) moved up a spot to sixth, while Maccabees (519/15) remain 11th, only two points behind MU forever (521/-5). FC Metrofan CP (497/2) fell 10 spots to 25th.
Paper Cup: In a matchup of Group A teams, Alpine Dream emphatically reversed its 5:24 Week 25 loss, defeating Aztekaz 16:6. Dream will meet JC Comets in the Paper Cup Final. Comets edged Mizzo FC 8:7, meaning Comets are in the final having outscored their knockout round opponents by one ‘goal’, while scoring a total of only four ‘goals’ in the two matches. Early 90’s Arsenal would be proud.

Brew City News (4-Oct-2004)

With the BCFA Fantasy League already being settled in Top Shelf’s (624/10) favor, second place also look settled. Or is it? Weirder Bremen (555/-4) went into the weekend with a 33-‘goal’ advantage, but gave 12 back to Phoenix TS (534/8). With two weeks left, Phoenix are in with a shout. Fourth-place Maccabees (504/-2), were but one of 13 Brew City sides to tally negative ‘goals’. Included in the cull, were fifth place FC Metrofan CP (495/-3), sixth place Aviators (456/-2) and most of the remaining Top 10. But hey, the Top 5 scoring teams of all MFLS were teams which have between them a combined two rosters moves all season — the last coming 10 weeks ago …
In the overall MFLS competition, Top Shelf (624/10) retained its lead for the third straight week — something that has not been done since we started tracking this three months ago. But its lead remains narrow, with FC Chunkers (615/6) and Hotspur (614/8), just behind. This reporter’s John Spencer’s Shorts Eating looks more remote with fourth place Alpine Dream (564/1) now needing to make up 60 points in two weeks to finish top. Weirder Bremen (555/-4) are still a short ways back, followed by Dynamo Salem (549/2). Phoenix TS (534/8) and Maccabees (504/-2) are still 7th and 11th, while FC Metrofan CP (495/-3) slipped two spots to 15th.
Paper Cup: Upset of the week was Aztekaz edging Cup favorites Pat’s Super Team 5:4. Closest match was JC Comets advancing at the expense of Weirder Bremen. The sides finished level at -4:-4, with the advantage going to Comets on “least goals given up by keepers” (the first tie break) at Walker’s one to Busch’s three. The low score of the week, and relatively speaking one of the worst by a managed team this season, was the -10 notched by MSA Premier FC (3077th out of 3078 teams), which naturally lost to Alpine Dream, who scored a whopping 1. In the fourth quarterfinal, P-MOSHES defeated Mizzo FC -2:-6. The one-leg semifinals are JC Comets-Mizzo FC and Alpine Dream-Aztekaz.

Brew City News (27-Sep-2004)

In the BCFA Fantasy League, Top Shelf (614/26) began celebrating their victory three weeks early, having maintained their 55 point margin over Weirder Bremen (559/26). Phoenix TS (526/25) let slip their last hope at the runnerup spot, but still have to guard against fourth-place Maccabees (506/23), who barely stayed ahead of FC Metrofan CP (498/17). The sixth through tenth spots are still open to much shuffling, as only 36 ‘goals’ separate Aviators (458/17) from Surreywood Rangers (422/16).
In the overall MFLS competition, Top Shelf (614/26) maintained its marrow lead for the second straight week over FC Chunkers (609/23) and Hotspur (606/19), who swapped spots. Alpine’s (563/5) dream is over after an atrocious showing. They must now guard against Weirder Bremen (559/26) and Dynamo Salem (547/23). Phoenix TS (526/25), Maccabees (506/23) and FC Metrofan CP (498/17), round out Brew City’s Top 13 representatives for the second straight week.
Paper Cup: In Group A, Aztekaz joined Alpine Dream in the knockout rounds by defeating the Dream 24:5. In Group B, Mizzo FC joined Weirder Bremen in the knockout rounds by defeating Juventus 28:17. Juventus must surely feel hard done by, finishing last in the group and being the highest scoring team (51 ‘goals’) not to advance. In Group C, MSA Premier were already through, despite scoring only 26 ‘goals’ in four matches. Joining them are JC Comets, who leafrogged Rosenborg by defeating Appleton Aarhus 27:16 while the Norsemen lost 14:29 to Schusta Soccer. In Group D, Pat’s and P-Moshes confirmed the inevitable, despite Pat’s hiding P-Moshes 27:6. Scorers of 97 points, and 20+ in each of their four group matches (6 more per game than any other team), Pat’s are the bookies early favorites to take home the Paper Cup. The knockout rounds are one match ties. These are the brackets:
```
Weirder Bremen
JC Comets

P-MOSHES
Mizzo FC

Alpine Dream
MSA Premier FC

Pat's Super Team
Aztekaz
```

Brew City News (20-Sep-2004)

In the BCFA Fantasy League, the top three remained the same: Top Shelf (588/39) followed by Weirder Bremen (533/13), who went from 29 behind to an insurmountable 55 behind, and Phoenix TS (501/45). Maccabees (483/37) edged ahead of FC Metrofan (481/30) for fourth.
The shuffle continued in the overall MFLS competition, Top Shelf (588/39) regaining #1 for the first time in five weeks. But not by far, as their competition are within two points: Hotspur (587/30) and FC Chunkers (586/45). Alpine Dream (558/34) are still fourth, followed by Weirder Bremen (533/13). Phoenix TS (501/45) moved up four spots for the second week in a row. Only Dynamo Salem (524/32) stand between Phoenix and half the Top 6 being Brew City sides. Maccabees (483/37) are in 12th place, followed by FC Metrofan CP (481/30) completing Brew City’s domination of the 4078-team table.
Paper Cup: Two more teams locked in knockout round spots, Alpine Dream (Group A) and MSA Premier FC (Group C). Weirder Bremen (Group B) were already through. P-MOSHES and Pat’s Super Team (both Group D) are all but through, despite having only six points apiece, due to holding 45+ ‘goal’ advantages over the three teams on three points. Darcian Greywacke (Group A) looked like they were through after two matches, but have since dropped two straight. On six points and -34 ‘goal’ difference, and sitting out the final week, Darcian need Shaolin Mystigods and Sehome Mariners to draw each other to have any hope of advancment. Columbia Casuals (Group B) are the only team mathematically eliminated. One week of group play remains.

Brew City News (13-Sep-2004)

JC Comets are the 2004 League Cup champions in the closest finish in history. Darcian Greywacke led 16 points to Comets 15 as the teams faced off the final week. Needing only a draw, Darcian supporters sat stunned as their side scored only one ‘goal’ to Comets two. The sides had five players in common: Arnaud (-2), Gaven (5), Mullan (-1), Donovan (-1) and Johnson (-4). Comets gained points on Chung (4), Bradley (3) and Walker (2), but lost points on Jolley (-1) and Conrad (-3). Darcian gained points on Wolyniec (4), Andrulis (3) and Parke (1), but lost points on Oshonyi (-2) and Waibel (-2). Thus Comets victory can be attributed to Jose choosing Jonny Walker rather than Jeff Parke. It was that close. Comets, a founding BCFA side, finally won their first hardware in their sixth season. Congratulations!Top Shelf, needing three points, played like the three time defending champions they were, defeating Surreywood Rangers 30:21 to stay in the 1st Division. Rangers and FC Metrofan CP were relegated to the middle tier. In the 2nd Division, leaders Appleton Aarhus, already guaranteed promotion, put out a reserve side which Alewive FC handily defeated 24:15. Alewive FC also needed an Aviators loss to advance, which the Flyboys duly provided, losing 9:18 to Shaolin Mystigods. Geckos 6:-1 victory over Midnights Children saved themselves while simultaneously relegating Children. Murphdogs join them in the drop. In the 3rd Division, Maccabees, scoring 5 ‘goals’ more per match than their compatriots, needed only a point to advance, but defeated Poplar Point United 16:9. The second and third place sides, Abracadabra and Cape Tribulation faced off for the other promotion spot. Level on points, Abra only needed a draw, but lost 17:23. Heading for receivership, Guinness Gulpers FC finished bottom of the entire league.

JC Comets
Jose Fajardo
In the BCFA Fantasy League, Top Shelf (549/30) regained the ground they lost last week to second place Weirder Bremen (520/15). Phoenix TS’s (456/11) lead over fourth place FC Metrofan (451/20) narrowed. Maccabees (446/16) are five points further back.
In overall MFLS competition, Hotspur (557/27) was the first leader in two months to maintain its lead from one week to the next, though Top Shelf (549/30) slightly narrowed the gap. FC Chunkers (541/25) lost further ground, Fourth place Alpine Dream (524/18) and fifth place Weirder Bremen (520/15) did nothing to help their cause and are now surely out of hope. Despite their mediocre score, Phoenix TS (456/11) jumped four spots to #11, as other top MFLS sides failed to score as many points as teams that were abadoned four months ago.
Paper Cup: In Group B, Weirder Bremen (9 points) are already through to the knockout rounds. Columbia Casuals (3 pts) only has one more match, while Mizzo and Juventus (both 3 pts) have two, one of which is against each other. All three will have to fight for the remaining advancement spot. In Group A, Alpine Dream (bye) and Darcian Greywacke (loss) still have six points, but Sehome Mariners and Shaolin Mystigods picked up three vital points, Sehome at Darcian’s expense, 24:1. Groups C and D are both very tight, with one team on six points, while the other four are on three. MSA Premier FC lead Group C despite losing -7:5 to Rosenborg. Legions likewise hold on to the Group D lead despite losing, 4:9 to Pumas. Finally, please spare a prayer for poor Aztekaz who scored a flacid -14, 3076th out of 3078 MFLS teams.

Brew City News (7-Sep-2004)

The penultimate round of the League Cup saw no change in the 1st Division standings. Darcian Greywacke lead on 16 points, after drawing Top Shelf 18:18. JC Comets, a point back, have the advantage in ‘goal’ difference, +53 to +40. Three-time defending champion Top Shelf need a win against Surreywood Rangers to avoid ignominy. Bookies expect an 18:7 Top Shelf win and narrow survival. In the 2nd Division, second place Appleton Aarhus defeated first place Aviators 18:13 to move top, while fourth place Alewive FC defeated third place Shaolin Mystigods 19:5, to also swap spots. Alewive are 17:10 favorites to defeat Appleton next week, but also need Shaolin to defeat Aviators to go up. Sixth place Midnights Children only need a share of the spoils to condemn Geckos and MurphDogs. In the 3rd Division, six teams have a decent shot at the promotion spots: Maccabees (12 pts/+39 ‘goal’ diff), Abracadabra (12/+9), Cape Tribulation (12/+3), St. Lucie Clovers (10/+18), Sehome Mariners (9/+7) and even Poplar Point United (9/+6)! Real Hillsdale and Guinness Gulpers FC are only fighting to keep their heads above sewage level.
In the BCFA Fantasy League, Top Shelf (519/18) lost serious ground to Weirder Bremen (505/30). Top Shelf don’t appear as safe as we thought last week. Phoenix TS (445/16) righted last week’s disaster to stay ahead of fourth place FC Metrofan (431/16), who edged ahead of Maccabees (430/14). Alewive FC (383/19) moved up to ninth, their highest placing since finishing ninth in 2001. The Fish have an outside shot at finishing as high as sixth.
In overall MFLS competition, FC Chunkers (516/10) tumbled from first to third, with Hotspur (530/29) moving into first and Top Shelf (519/18) second. Weirder Bremen (505/30), continuing its hard charge, are only a point behind fourth place Alpine Dream (506/26). Phoenix TS (445/16) fell another three spots to fifteenth.
Paper Cup teams had much better scores, and a number of very competitive matches, this week. The best match was in Group D, where Legions edged Pat’s Super Team 23:21. The Group B clash between Weirder Bremen and Mizzo FC was higher scoring, but not quite as close, Weirder triumphing 30:24. In Group A, Alpine Dream hammered Shaolin Mystigods 26:5. Only two teams have so far distinguished themselves from their group mates: Alpine and Darcian Greywacke, also from Group A. Both sides have six points, while the other three sides have none. Only the top two teams advance to the quarterfinals.

Brew City News (31-Aug-2004)

The Paper Cup, a competition for team’s which have never won anything, kicked off this weekend. In a bit of a change, the 20 teams were grouped into four groups of five, so each side will play four group matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, prior to which there will be a blind draw. The team receiving first week byes must surely be thankful given this week’s wretched scores. There’s a reason these guys are in a cup for teams which haven’t won anything. ;-p 10 of 16 teams had negative scores, including Pumas horrendous -12, which placed them 3024th out of 3074 MFLS teams. Alpine Dream and Darcian Greywacke lead Group A, Weirder Bremen and Mizzo FC lead Group B, JC Comets and MSA Premier FC lead Group C, and P-MOSHES and Legions lead Group D.
Week 5 of the League Cup saw no change at the top of the table as Darcian Greywacke maintained their perfect record with by edging Surreywood Rangers 8:7. JC Comets, three points back, kept pace by edging Top Shelf 10:9. Weirder Bremen and Phoenix TS are on six points in arrears, but Phoenix TS’s mediocre ‘goal’ difference eliminates them from contention, while Weirder need a miracle to win the League Cup. In the 2nd Division, the top four spots were unchanged, while the bottom four all changed. The bottom two, France and Geckos both won, to put the previous #5 MurphDogs and #6 Midnights Children down into the relegation zone. (Note: Teams with absentee managers will result in the promotion of a open slot for a new 2005 team.) Maccabees continued their domination of the 3rd Division, with a league best 23-‘goal’ margin of victory, 13:-10 over Sehome Mariners.
In the BCFA Fantasy League, Top Shelf (501/9) finally added to their margin, extending their lead by 7 points over Weirder Bremen (475/2). Needing to lose an average of almost four points per game, Top Shelf’s fourth straight title looks safe. Third place Phoenix TS (429/-10) are in danger of losing their podium spot, having given up 23 points to fourth place Maccabees (416/13). Despite a relatively healthy score in an otherwise down week, FC Metrofan CP (415/11) fell a spot to fifth. The final Top 10 spots will also be a dog fight, as Surreywood Rangers (371/7), Geckos (368/18) and Alewive FC (364/3) are ninth, tenth and eleventh.
In overall MFLS competition, FC Chunkers (506/15) leapfrogged Hotspur (501/6) and Top Shelf (501/9). Weirder Bremen (475/2) dropped a spot to fifth, behind Alpine Dream (480/8). Phoenix TS (429/-10) dropped two spots to twelth.
11 of Brew City’s 24 teams had negative points, including two with -10. The league scored a combined 64 points, or 2.67 points per team.

Brew City News (23-Aug-2004)

After the League Cup‘s Crunch Week, a number of teams dropped out of contention, while others are on life support. In the 1st Division, defending champions Top Shelf lost their third of four matches, 28:38 to hard-charging Weirder Bremen. Weirder are fourth after starting the season in the 3rd Division. Darcian Greywacke moved first over JC Comets, when Comets narrowly lost 29:33 to Phoenix TS, while Darcian defeated FC Metrofan CP 37:24. Surreywood Rangers and FC Metrofan CP now have to concentrate on battling Top Shelf to avoid relegation. In the 2nd Division, the top four bunched up as Aviators (10 points) drew, Appleton Aarhus (9 points) lost, Shaolin Mystigods (9 points) lost, and Alewive FC (8 points) won. There’s now a five point gap from Alewive to fifth place MurphDogs. The bottom four need miracles to go up instead of down. In the 3rd Division, leaders Poplar Point United lost 20:22 to Abracadabra, but maintained their position. Maccabees moved into second on a 34:22 defeat of Cape Tribulation. Guinness Gulpers FC are mathematically eliminated from promotion contention and indeed need lots of help to avoid finishing last.
In the BCFA Fantasy League, Top Shelf (492/28) lost 10 points off their lead, to 19, for the second week in a row to Weirder Bremen (473/38). Third place Phoenix TS (439/33) fell five points further adrift, and are probably locked into that spot. The gap from fourth to sixth continued to widen: Maccabees (403/34) closed back up on FC Metrofan CP (404/24), while Aviators (381/28) fell from 16 to 22 outside the Top 5. Alewive FC (361/40) are in the Top 10 for the first time in years.
In overall MFLS competition, Hotspur (495/33) and Top Shelf (492/28) swapped spots for the fifth week in a row. FC Chunkers (491/35) could be the first team in months to break their stranglehold on the top spot. Weirder Bremen (473/38) are back into fourth over Alpine Dream (472/34). Phoenix TS (439/33) are back in the Top 10.
Alewive FC’s 40 points were 11th best in MFLS, while Weirder Bremen’s 38 were 24th best. The ranking was Alewive’s first honor in over three years.
The Paper Cup, was created this week, so named because the ‘trophy’ is a cone-shaped drinking drinking fountain cup. To qualify for the Paper Cup, a team must not at anytime in its history have won any honors whatsoever. Not even a Top 50 MFLS finish. (Top 100, maybe, but not Top 50.) The Paper Cup starts in two weeks, during MFLS week 23. Twelve teams are currently in:
```
Sehome Mariners
Aztekaz
Legions
Darcian Greywacke
Shaolin Mystigods
The Fat Cows
MSA Premier FC
P-MOSHES
Schusta Soccer
Columbia Casuals
Mizzo FC
Juventus
```

Brew City News (16-Aug-2004)

JC Comets continue to sit atop the League Cup after three weeks, thanx to a 31:17 defeat of FC Metrofan CP. Darcian Greywacke move from third to second, 16 ‘goals’ off Comets’ pace, on a 26:10 defeat of formerly second Phoenix TS. In the 2nd Division, Aviators and Shaolin Mystigods remain in the two promotion spots with a perfect 9 points. In the 3rd Division, Maccabees drop out of the promotion spots due to a 7:34 pasting by rudderless Abracadabra. Abra moves into the other promotion spot, but may lose it — despite their on field achievements — due to ongoing managerial inattention. Next week, the fourth of seven in the Cup round, is crunch week, when the pretenders are separated from the contenders.
In the BCFA Fantasy League, Top Shelf (464/9) lost 10 points off their lead, to 29, over Weirder Bremen (435/19). Third place Phoenix TS (406/10) fell nine points further behind Weirder, from 20 to 29. After two straight one-point weeks, some gaps finally showed up between fourth, fifth and sixth place: FC Metrofan CP (380/17) opened up an 11-point lead on Maccabees (369/7), while Aviators (353/11) moved ahead of Surreywood Rangers (349/-13). Rangers’ -13 was BCFA’s lowest score of the year.
In overall MFLS competition, Top Shelf (464/9) and Hotspur (462/5) continued their seesaw battle, Top Shelf gaining this week’s advantage. FC Chunkers (456/13) remain third, gaining six points, followed by Alpine Dream (438/25) and Weirder Bremen (435/19), who drop a spot to fifth. Phoenix TS (406/11) remain eleventh.
Abracadabra’s 34 points may have been best in Brew City, but they have not made a move in 39 days, placing them in severe danger of losing their spot come 2005.

Brew City News (10-Aug-2004)

The second week of the League Cup ended with JC Comets atop the table, courtesy of their 45:20 pasting of Pioneer Detasselers. Defending champions Top Shelf move from seventh to fourth on a 35:25 defeat of FC Metrofan CP. In the 2nd Division, Aviators and Shaolin Mystigods switched spots, but remain atop the standings with six points. Both have 41 ‘goals’, but Aviators has the edge in ‘goal’ difference, +35 to +26. In the 3rd Division, only Maccabees — currently first — have so far stood out, scoring double digit ‘goals’ the last two weeks. Every other squad has had troubles along the way, lead by Abracadabra’s -11 this past week.
In the BCFA Fantasy League, Top Shelf (455) extended their lead by nine points, to 39, over Weirder Bremen (416). Third place Phoenix TS (396) closed the gap to Weirder from 21 to 20. Fourth through sixth is a real dog fight, as the same three teams are a point apart for the second week in a row: FC Metrofan CP (363), Maccabees (362) and Surreywood Rangers (362).
In overall MFLS competition, Top Shelf (455/35) yoyo’d back into second place, two points behind Hotspur (457/38). FC Chunkers (443/25) remain third, followed by Weirder Bremen (416/26). Phoenix TS (396/27) move up two spots from 13th to 11th.
JC Comets 45 points placed them second in MFLS’s weekly Top 25. The honor is the first in Comets’ history.

Brew City News (31-July-2004)

The first week of the League Cup proper was a rather ragged affair. Only three MLS matches resulted in scores ranging from the 19 scored by Phoenix TS and Maccabees to the -8 of Real Hillsdale. The Phoenicians’ 19 enabled them to finally get a leg up on Top Shelf, who they defeated. The loss put Top Shelf in the unfamiliar, though surely temporary, territory of the relegation zone. Shaolin Mystigods lead the 2nd Division, having defeated Geckos 17:-4, this week’s largest margin of victory. The second largest margin was in the 3rd Division, where Maccabees are in first on a 19:-1 defeat of Guinness Gulpers FC.
In the BCFA Fantasy League, Top Shelf (420) extended their lead by a point, to 30, over Weirder Bremen (390). Third place Phoenix TS (369) closed the gap to Weirder from 30 to 21. Phoenix are followed by three teams a point apart: Maccabees (339), Surreywood Rangers (339) and FC Metrofan CP (338). Maccabees and Rangers both moved ahead of Metrofan during the short week.
In overall MFLS competition, Top Shelf (420/11) moved back in to first place, by a point over Hotspur (419/23) and FC Chunkers (418/1), who dropped two spots. Weirder Bremen remain (390/10) in fourth place, three ahead of MU forever (387/9) and five ahead of FC Gasaraki (385/13). Phoenix TS (369/19) move up a spot from 14th to 13th. From Weirder to Phoenix is tightly packed enough that the two sides could concievably swap positions in the course of a week.

Brew City News (27-July-2004)

The final week of the League Cup Summer Championship, saw very little movement at the top or bottom of the tables. Top Shelf won yet another trophy, despite losing 27:36 to Darcian Greywacke. Presented with the golden opportunity to take the Summer trophy, Phoenix TS wilted, losing 20:22 to Surreywood Rangers. At the bottom, Appleton Aarhus and MurphDogs are demoted, though Appleton at least won their last two. Murpdogs were pointless in seven matches. In the 2nd Division, JC Comets and Weirder Bremen locked up promotion when Alewive FC knocked off third place France 25:17. Still, both Comets and Weirder will carry the momentum of last week victories into the top flight. At the bottom, Aviators escaped relegation by defeating Midnights Children 19:17. Real Hillsdale, which lost to Weirder 19:28 join Poplar Point United, the 2003 Mug’O’Suds champion, in the drop. In the 3rd Division, Shaolin Mystigods moved above Geckos, after the gazelles lost 29:31 Maccabees. Both Shaolin and Geckos are promoted anyway as Shaolin defeated third place Guinness Gulpers 32:18. St. Lucie Clovers finish bottom of the league, despite scoring more points than three top flight clubs.Oddsmakers have selected Top Shelf to win the League Cup. Weirder Bremen are the hottest club in Brew City, having started the year in the 3rd Division, and thus would otherwise be picked, but the smart money is staying with the veteran Top Shelf squad to pull out their fourth straight title. Other picks are Darcian Greywacke and Pioneer Detasselers to start 2005 in the 2nd Division; Geckos and Alewive FC to be promoted to the 1st Division; Appleton Aarhus and MurphDogs to drop a second straight time, into the 3rd Division; Maccabees and Cape Tribulation to be promoted to the 2nd Division; and Abracadabra to narrowly finish below MurphDogs at the bottom of the League.
Trivia of the Week: Last week Top Shelf won the Brew City FA Cup for the first time in their storied history. This week the three-time League Champions took the Summer Championship for the first time.
In the BCFA Fantasy League, Top Shelf also continue to lead. The formerly MFLS-leading club dropped to second in MFLS, eight points behind FC Chunkers who scored 40 to Top Shelf’s 27. Weirder Bremen moved from seventh to fourth in MFLS. Meanwhile, Top Shelf retain their 29-point BCFA Fantasy League lead, with 408 points to Weirder’s 380. Third place Phoenix TS (350) have no almost no hope of finishing first, being 59 points behind Top Shelf with 12 weeks to play. In fact, Phoenix will have to keep on eye on fourth place FC Metrofan CP (335) and fifth place Surreywood Rangers (330). Abracadabra (132) will have a tough fight avoiding last place, being 55 points behind MurphDogs (187), but Abra manager Ronald Gerard has shown signs of life the last few weeks, so they might yet pull off a miracle.

Brew City News (24-July-2004)

The Mug’O’Suds Invitational final, also known as The Last Call, ended 3:2 in favor of Real Santa Fe . Real and Io Fury both had Ching and Arnaud, but Real won on Guevara’s PK. Donovan’s late goal for San Jose could have made the difference, but neither team even has him on their roster. 2002 MFLS Champion Real, managed by John Stick, move up in the 2005 Mug seedings — perhaps even into the top spot — while Io, managed by Glenn McDonald, will do no worse than their 22nd seed.

Real Santa Fe
John Stick

Brew City News (20-July-2004)

FA Cup Final: Top Shelf manager David Thomas finally captured the one Brew City prize that eluded him for six long years. The men of Michael Thomas’s (no relation) Phoenix TS were game, but ultimately succumbed 20:26. It’s been a limpid few weeks for Phoenix, whose hopes for hardware now lie in the League Cup, starting two weeks hence.

Top Shelf

David Thomas
Losing 2003 Mug’O’Suds semifinalist Io Fury are through to the 2004 final, where they will meet Real Santa Fe. Io Fury lost the first leg 1:2 to Port City Navigators, but won the second 5:4, advancing on away goals 5 to 2. Real Santa Fe also advance on away goals, despite drawing both matches with Weirder Bremen. The first leg ended 2:2 in Santa Fe, while the second ended 3:3 in Bremen, to send Real through 3 to 2. The losing semifinalists, Brew City’s Weirder Bremen, managed by Fred Turk, and Division of Great Significance’s Port City Navigators, managed by Gavin Myers, receive credit towards a 2005 Mug entry. The final is a one-off neutral site match.
With one week to go in the League Cup Summer Championship, Top Shelf continued to put space between themselves and Phoenix TS. Both sides won, Top Shelf 26:17 over Surreywood Rangers and Phoenix TS 20:18. Phoenix trail by three points and 16 ‘goals’, plus face the tougher Week 17 task, travelling to third place Surreywood. In other 1st Division action, Appleton Aarhus got off the schneid, defeating FC Metrofan CP 16:13. The win puts Appleton within striking distance of Darcian, who dropped to sixth place. MurphDogs have one week to redeem some honor, being the only pointless team in the league. In the 2nd Division, JC Comets came one step closer to promotion, edging Alewive FC 22:21. The loss drops Alewive to fourth, and out of contention. France and Weirder Bremen both won; despite France narrowing the ‘goal’ difference, it will need a miracle to overcome Weirder’s +53 to +5 advantage. In the bottom half of the table, all four teams have a chance of staying up. They key seventh week matchup will be fifth place Midnights Children against seventh place, and fading, Aviators. Hal Jones needs to beat son Jay’s team to stay up. In the 3rd Division, Geckos and Shaolin Mystigods basically locked up promotion: Shaolin despite losing 18:22 to Geckos, who now lie first. Formerly third Maccabees, with a ‘goal’ difference that would put them in striking distance of the leaders, lost 16:20 to Guinness Gulpers FC, which move up to third. However, Gulpers trail Shaolin by three points and 46 ‘goals’.

Brew City News (15-July-2004)

There was another MFLS-wide scoring error — caused by MLS itself — involving substitutions in the 10-July between Columbus and Dallas. The error did not affect any results, only scores. (The closest match — Abracadabra losing 16:18 to Sehome Mariners — instead became a 16:17 loss.) Corrected results from the 12-July update.
In the Mug’O’Suds semifinal first leg, all four teams started Carlos Ruiz and two started Damani Ralph. One started Guevara. Nobody started Grabavoy! Imagine that. Real Santa Fe drew Weirder Bremen 2:2, while Io Fury lost 1:2 to Port City Navigators, giving Port City a de facto two-goal lead heading into the second leg.
The FA Cup final will pit 2002 Champion and 2003 semifinalist Phoenix TS against Top Shelf, in one to the honors Top Shelf have yet to claim. After high scoring first legs, both sides stamped their quality on their semifinal ties, to go through with ease. Phoenix TS defeated Darcian Greywacke to advance 67:31, while Top Shelf defeated Geckos 28:10 to advance 80:62. The final should be an even match as Phoenix and Top Shelf were only separated by three ‘goals’ in their league matchup this week.
In the League Cup Summer Championship, Top Shelf began to separate themselves from Phoenix TS. Having edged ahead of Phoenix on ‘goal’ difference last week, this week Top Shelf went one better, defeating Phoenix 28:25. Phoenix are still in second, three points back, but ahead of third place Surreywood Rangers only on ‘goal’ difference, +54 to +42. Despite scoring nearly as many ‘goals’ as the top three sides, 124, FC Metrofan CP have no hope of catching up as they’ve given up 130. Appleton Aarhus and MurphDogs assured themselves of relegation to the 2nd Division, being the only two league sides, at any level, with no points. The 2nd Division standings were much scrambled, JC Comets and Weirder Bremen both moving up two spots into the promotion slots, while former leaders Alewive FC and JC Comets both dropped two spots. Even last place Real Hillsdale have an outside shot at promotion, despite losing 33:8 to Midnights Children. In the 3rd Division, former leaders Geckos, still hung over from their FA Cup loss, were edged 14:10 by Guinness Gulpers FC to drop to second. Shaolin Mystigods took over the lead on a 25:19 defeat of Maccabees, who remain third.
Midnights Children, on 33 ‘goals’ made MFLS’s weekly Top 25, at 13th.
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. If a manager ignores his team for weeks, or even months, on end, he’s on the hot seat. The second half of the season is not the time to fall off the attention wagon …★ MurphDogs: 4 weeks. Made one move (18-Jun) since 9-Jun.
★ Abracadabra: 5 weeks. No moves since 31-May.
★ France: Move every two weeks or so. Only 13 all season.
★ Guiness Gulpers: Regular moves since 28-May.

Brew City News (6-Jul-2004)

In the first leg of the FA Cup semifinals underdog 3rd Division Geckos took the match to Top Shelf, coming away with a well-earned 52:52 draw. In the other match, Phoenix TS body-slammed Darcian Greywacke, earning 17 important away goals, 25:42.
In the Mug’O’Suds quarterfinals, Real Santa Fe defeated Atletico Rubio 8:3 to overcome a overcame a 1:4 first leg deficit, advancing to the semfinals on 9:7 aggregate. Real’s opponent in the next round will be Weirder Bremen, who won both legs by one goal to advance 11:9 over first round qualifiers FC Orlando 98. Also making a valiant effort, but falling short, were Forza Azzurri °it, who lost 8:11 to Io Fury. Io’s semifinal opponent will be Port City Navigators, who cruised to a 10:5 aggregate defeat of Dynamo Silver Spring.
The fourth week of a League Cup round generally separates the contenders from the pretenders. Top Shelf leap-frogged Phoenix TS into the 1st Division lead, despite a Phoenix win. Phoenix defeated FC Metrofan CP 42:31, but Top Shelf hammered MurphDogs 52:20, to go ahead on ‘goal’ difference +60 to +57. MurphDogs are performing so poorly that they will be lucky not to start 2005 in the 3rd Division. In the 2nd Division, Alewive FC (+21 ‘goal’ diff) lead two other teams each with 9 points: France (-3) and JC Comets (-12). All three sides play each other the next three weeks, so someone is bound to be knocked out. Poised to take advantage are red-hot Mug’O’Suds semifinalists Weirder Bremen, on 6 points, but with a division best +37 ‘goal’ difference. Geckos lead the 3rd Division, courtesy of a BCFA-best 120 points over the last four weeks. Shaolin Mystigods are level with Geckos on points, but trail on ‘goal’ difference, +61 to +43. Despite scoring only 66 ‘goals’, Mystigods have a BCFA-best defense, having only giving up 23. (Mystigods must surely feel lucky to have won, scoring only 5 to Abracadabra’s -6.) At the bottom of the league, pointless Cape Tribulation’s promotion hopes will have to wait until the Fall session, as they trail Mystigods by 12 points with three matches to play.
Maccabees — 9th place on 58 points — made MFLS’s weekly Top 25.

Brew City News (29-Jun-2004)

This week’s League Cup matches were generally of the 24:12 variety, with the highlights being Surreywood Rangers-FC Metrofan CP (Rangers lost 23:32) 1st Division match and Shaolin Mystigods-Cape Tribulation (Drunken Monkeys won 35:22) in the 3rd Division. Not for long in the 1st Division MurphDogs put up a geezers league score, losing by 31 to Darcian Greywacke 24:-7. Five teams are undefeated after three rounds: Phoenix TS (+46 ‘goal’ diff) and Top Shelf (+28) in the 1st Division, JC Comets in the 2nd Division, and Geckos (+36) and Shaolin Mystigods (+32) in the 3rd Division.
In the FA Cup, Darcian Greywacke overcame a 13:25 first leg deficit, defeating Alewive FC 24:9 to advance on 37:33 aggregate. Their semifinal opponents are Phoenix TS, the 2002 champions, who won both legs against Poplar Point United, advancing 34:17. The other semifinal will feature Geckos and Top Shelf. Geckos won both sets by three points, advancing 45:39 at the expense of Surreywood Rangers. 3rd Division leading Geckos are the only lower division club still in the competition. Their opponents, Top Shelf, won both legs against Aviators, but only by the narrowest of margins, as expected from the two sides. The results were 20:19 and 14:12, giving Top Shelf the 34:31 advantage.
The first leg of the Mug’O’Suds Invitational‘s quarterfinals saw two teams gain three goal advantages: Atletico Rubio hung four on Real Santa Fe 4:1, while Dynamo Silver Spring lost 1:3, meaning Dynamo must win by three next week in Port City. Both first round qualifiers lost. Weirder Bremen defeated FC Orlando 98 3:2, while Forza Azzurri °it lost 2:3 to Io Fury.
Shaolin Mystigods — 14th place on 35 points — made MFLS’s weekly Top 25.

Brew City News (23-Jun-2004)

The League Cup has corrected scores.
The Brew City FA Cup has corrected scores.
The Mug’O’Suds Invitational‘s first knockout round contained some drama. Blackthorne Highlanders and Weirder Bremen drew 2:2, allowing Bremen to advance by a goal, 6:5 on aggregate. 55th seeded first round qualifier FC Orlando 98 advanced on 7:5 aggregate over Top Shelf, despite losing the second leg 2:1. Going Ajax one better were unseeded first round qualifiers Forza Azzurri °it, who won both legs to advance on 5:3 aggregate at the expense of Shake, Rattle & Revolt. Io Fury also won both legs, advancing 9:6 over Surreywood Rangers. Sitting on a three goal lead, Dynamo Silver Spring was on cruise control, drawing 2:2 with Hometown Soccer Club, but advancing on 8:5 aggregate. Port City Navigators won both matches against Alpine Dream, advancing on 6:3 aggregate. That’s the easy part. The tough eliminations came in the two ties at the top of the bracket: FC Metrofan CP-Atletico Rubio and Mistretta Outsiders-Real Santa Fe. Metrofan lost the first leg 2:3 to Atletico, but won the second 2:1, to level the tie at 4:4; however, Atletico advance on away goals 3:2. Likewise, Mistretta Outsiders lost their first 4:5 to Real Santa Fe, but won the second 4:3, to level the tie at 8:8; however, Real advance on away goals 5:4. Mug scores already include Jaime Moreno’s goal.

Brew City News (13-Jun-2004)

The Summer Championship of the League Cup kicked off. Spring Champion Top Shelf won 31:15 over FC Metrofan CP, but are in second to Phoenix TS which hammered fellow promotees MurphDogs 44:14. Only 10 ‘goals’ separated all eight teams in the 2nd Division: Alewive FC are first, having defeated Real Hillsdale 26:17, JC Comets are second on a 20:17 defeat of Aviators, France edged Weirder Bremen 17:16, and Midnights Children and Ramage Rip drew 24:24. In the 3rd Division, demoted Sehome Mariners and Shaolin Mystigods proved they belong, posting Brew City’s two lowest scores of the week, Shaolin emerging ‘triumphant’ 1:-2. Maccabees are first on a 19:4 defeat of Abracadabra.
Advancing to the quarterfinals of the Brew City FA Cup are Darcian Greywacke 52:21 over Sehome Mariners; Alewive FC 46:26 over Weirder Bremen; Phoenix TS, which overcame a first leg deficit, 81:63 over Pioneer Detasselers; Surreywood Rangers 55:28 over Cape Tribulation; Top Shelf 65:4 over St. Lucie Clovers; Poplar Point United 37:18 over Guinness Gulpers FC; Geckos, which lost the second leg, but still advanced 63:48 over Midnights Children; and Aviators, which also lost its second leg, but won on aggregate 54:50 over Maccabees. Four 1st Division sides, three 2nd Division sides and one 3rd Division side (Geckos) are through to the quarters.
The first leg of the Mug’O’Suds Invitational‘s first knockout round, saw seven of eight home sides lose, some disastrously so. Port City Navigators were the exception, defeating visitors Alpine Dream 3:2. Losing one goal decisions were FC Metrofan CP 2:3 to Atletico Rubio, Mistretta Outsiders 4:5 to Real Santa Fe, Blackthorne Highlanders 3:4 to Weirder Bremen, and Shake, Rattle & Revolt 2:3 to qualifiers Forza Azzurri °it. The three sides that lost by more than one goal, all gave up six. The two goal losers were Surreywood Rangers 4:6 to Io Fury and Hometown Soccer Club 4:6 to Dynamo Silver Spring. Top Shelf really stepped in it, losing 3:6 to qualifiers FC Orlando 98. Due to away goals being the first tiebreak, the losing home sides must win by one more than they lost by, or win by the same difference while giving up no more goals than they scored in the first leg. In other words, in Top Shelf’s case, they must win by four, or no more than 6:3. A tall order indeed.
Phoenix TS’s 44 points were tops in all of MFLS.

Brew City News (8-Jun-2004)

The Mug’O’Suds Invitational knockout round draw was held:

FC Metrofan CP (E1)
Atletico Rubio (C2)

Mistretta Outsiders (D1)
Real Santa Fe (F2)

Blackthorne Highlanders (C3)
Weirder Bremen (B2)

Top Shelf (E2)
FC Orlando 98 (D2)

Shake, Rattle & Revolt (E3)
Forza Azzurri °it (F3)

Surreywood Rangers (C1)
Io Fury (A1)

Hometown Soccer Club (A2)
Dynamo Silver Spring (B3)

Port City Navigators (F1)
Alpine Dream (B1)

It is interesting to note that only Io Fury (losing semfinalists) and Top Shelf (losing quarterfinalists) reprise their 2003 knockout round appearances. Top Shelf are the 2002 Mug champions.

Brew City News (7-Jun-2004)

The final week of the League Cup Spring Championship saw the best teams displaying their class, with competitive matches in the top two divisions, and blowouts on the bottom rung. In the 1st Division, having already clinched, Top Shelf mailed it in, losing 34:46 to Darcian Greywacke. The real question was who would drop? The answer was shocking. JC Comets did the expected, losing 22:30 to Surreywood Rangers. Rangers win, combined with Aviators 37:44 loss Pioneer Detasselers, condemned last year’s Brew City Fantasy League, BCFA Summer Champion and BCFA Spring Champion to the 2nd Division for the first time since they entered the league. Appleton Aarhus, despite losing their last game and scoring 39 fewer ‘goals’ than Aviators squeeked into sixth place. In the 2nd Division, already promoted Phoenix TS finished with a perfect 21 points, defeating Shaolin Mystigods 37:23. Finishing behind Phoenix were MurphDogs and Midnights Children, both on 15 points. Prior to this week, the sides were level on 12 points, and +33 ‘goal’ difference, with Midnights holding the advantage on ‘goals’ for, 70 to 68. Both sides won their final match: Midnights won by four, 24:20 over Alewive FC, but they were bested by one ‘goal’, MurphDogs winning by five, 18:13 over Poplar Point United. In the 3rd Division, the standings were unchanged. Weirder Bremen are promoted as champs, with France following them into the 2nd Division after almost overtaking them in the final week. (The sides finished level on 15 points, with Weirder having +36 ‘goal’ difference to France’s +33.) Though they finished bottom, Abracadabra can look forward to the Summer session, having won their last two, the final match a 22:-9 blowout of St. Lucie Clovers.
In the first leg of the Brew City FA Cup first knockout round Sehome Mariners scored a respectable 23 points, but ran into the buzzsaw that was this week’s high BCFA scorer Darcian Greywacke, who scored 46 for the big road win. The most competitive matches of the week saw Pioneer Detasselers winning 44:37 over Phoenix TS and Aviators defeating Maccabees 37:31. St. Lucie Clovers — Group D champs on a grroup round third best 13 points — crashed hard, losing -9:34 to Top Shelf. The veteran teams always know when to turn it on. Other results: Alewive FC 20:10 Weirder Bremen, Poplar Point United 13:1 Guinness Gulpers FC, Midnights Children 24:40 Geckos, and Cape Tribulation 9:30 Surreywood Rangers.
There was a goal glut in the final week of Mug’O’Suds Invitational group play. Of 12 maximum possible goals — mostly due to Ralph and Noonan, this week’s hat trick heros — one team scored six (Hometown Soccer Club) and two teams scored eight (Alpine Dream and FC Metrofan CP). Despite the goal glut, Atletico Rubio and Poplar Point United somehow contrived to draw 0:0. In Group A, Io Fury and Hometown Soccer Club held on to the top spots, Io despite drawing their final match 55 with Aviators, who finished third on six points. In Group B, Alpine Dream and Weirder Bremen held on to the top spots, Bremen despite losing 2:4 to Portland Red Tide. Bremen had -2 goal difference to -7 for third place Dynamo Silver Spring. In Group C, Surreywood Rangers displaced the previously mentioned Atletico Rubio for top honors, defeating Blackthorne Highlanders 4:3; Highlanders finished third on eight points. In Group D, Mistretta Outsiders defeated FC Orlando 98 4:2 to move into the top spot, Headhunter FC finish third on seven points. In Group E, FC Metrofan CP decisively took first place from Top Shelf, 8:5; Shake, Rattle & Revolt finish third on eight points. In Group F, for the first time ever, all four sides finsihed even on points, nine, all with three wins and three defeats. Port City Navigators finish first with +5 goal difference, followed by Real Santa Fe (+4), Forza Azzurri °it (-4) and Alewive FC (-5). Despite having a better record than any third place team — Dynamo Silver Spring finished with nine points and -7 goal difference — Alewive fail to advance. The four best third place teams are Dynamo Silver Spring, Blackthorne Highlanders, Shake, Rattle & Revolt and Forza Azzurri °it. The teams advancing to the knockout rounds are:
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Io Fury (A1)
Hometown Soccer Club (A2)
Alpine Dream (B1)
Weirder Bremen (B2)
Dynamo Silver Spring (B3)
Surreywood Rangers (C1)
Atletico Rubio (C2)
Blackthorne Highlanders (C3)
Mistretta Outsiders (D1)
FC Orlando 98 (D2)
FC Metrofan CP (E1)
Top Shelf (E2)
Shake, Rattle & Revolt (E3)
Port City Navigators (F1)
Real Santa Fe (F2)
Forza Azzurri °it (F3)
```

Brew City News (2-Jun-2004)

The Brew City FA Cup knockout round draw was held:

Sehome Mariners (F2) 
Darcian Greywacke (B2) 

Alewive FC (F3) 
Weirder Bremen (A1) 

Pioneer Detasselers (E1) 
Phoenix TS (A2) 

Poplar Point United (B1) 
Guinness Gulpers FC (F1) 

Midnights Children (C2) 
Geckos (D2) 

Cape Tribulation (E2) 
Surreywood Rangers (E3) 

St. Lucie Clovers (D1) 
Top Shelf (C1) 

Aviators (D3) 
Maccabees (B3)

Brew City News (31-May-2004)

Brew City FA Cup group play concluded with groups A and B being heavily scrambled, while the standings in the other groups were unchanged. In Group A, Phoenix TS knocked Weirder Bremen from the ranks of the undefeated, 19:16, while the more important result was Shaolin Mystigods dropping the home decision 11:24 to FC Metrofan CP. Shaolin dropped from a second place down to the bottom, destroying their hopes of advancing to the knockout rounds. Weirder Bremen finished first. In Group B, both home sides lost, Maccabees 17:20 to Darcian Greywacke and JC Comets 10:15 to Poplar Point United. The win launched Rampage into the top spot, compensating for their elimination from the Mug’O’Suds. Champions in the other groups are Top Shelf (C), with a perfect 18 points, St. Lucie Clovers (D), Pioneer Detasselers (E) and Guinness Gulpers FC (F). Three third place teams finished on nine points to advance, while three others finished on six: FC Metrofan CP (-15 ‘goal’ diff), Real Hillsdale (-23) and Surreywood Rangers (-7). The teams advancing to the knockout rounds are:
```
Weirder Bremen (A1)
Phoenix TS (A2)
Poplar Point United (B1)
Darcian Greywacke (B2)
Maccabees (B3)
Top Shelf (C1)
Midnights Children (C2)
St. Lucie Clovers (D1)
Geckos (D2)
Aviators (D3)
Pioneer Detasselers (E1)
Cape Tribulation (E2)
Surreywood Rangers (E3)
Guinness Gulpers FC (F1)
Sehome Mariners (F2)
Alewive FC (F3)
```
League Cup Spring Championship news: In the 1st Division, this week’s high scorer, Top Shelf, destroyed this week’s low scorer, Appleton Aarhus, 25:-7. With a five point lead and one match remaining, Top Shelf are Spring Champions. 6th place Aviators drew 15:15 with 7th place Surreywood Rangers to set up an exciting final week at the bottom of the table. Surreywood (-16 ‘goal’ diff) travels to last place JC Comets (-83), who are not mathematically eliminated, needing to win by 34 ‘goals’. Aviators travel to 4th place Pioneer Detasselers. In the 2nd Division, Phoenix TS kept their perfect record, capturing promotion by defeating MurphDogs 19:16. The Dogs (68 ‘goals’) drop to third behind Midnights Children (70), as both sides have 12 points and +33 ‘goal’ diff. Poplar Point United are also in the frame on 12 points and +16, having defeated Shaolin Mystigods 15:11. Last place Sehome Mariners (0 points) are relegated, while Alewive FC and Shaolin Mystigods fight to stay up, with Mystigods holding the disadvantage, trailing by three points and facing the daunting task of hosting Phoenix TS. In the 3rd Division, Weirder Bremen lead on 15 points, having hammered France 16:-3. Three other teams are also in the promotion frame on 12 points: France (+13 ‘goal’ diff), Guinness Gulpers FC (+9) and St. Lucie Clovers (+7).

Brew City News (30-May-2004)

In the Mug’O’Suds Invitational, only seven goals were available, as the own goals “scored” by Brian Kamler and Steve Jolley are not counted. The few teams that were not clean-sheeted scored either two goals (through Kirovski) or a lone goal (through Victorine). No team started O’Brien, Jacqua, Cunningham or Wolyniec. As a result, the 12 matches ending in five draws, four of those 0:0. The close competition tightened the tables. Io Fury lead Group A, and have secured advancement to the knockout phase. In Group B, Alpine Dream, Weirder Bremen and Dynamo Silver Spring are level on nine points, eliminating Portland Red Tide. In Group C, Poplar Point United, the 2003 Mug winners, were eliminated after drawing 2:2 with Surreywood Rangers. FC Orlando 98 lead Group D, after both group matches ended 0:0. Top Shelf lead Group E, having eliminated Prekites 2:0. There were two narrow upsets in Group F, as the bottom two sides beat the top two sides: Top-ranked Port City Navigators swapped places with third-ranked Alewive FC losing the important home tie 0:1 to the fish. Forza Azzurri °it swapped places with Real Santa Fe, moving from fourth to second on a 1:0 victory. One group match remains.

Brew City News (24-May-2004)

With one week of group play remaining, the Brew City FA Cup knockout rounds have begun to take shape. In Group A, Weirder Bremen locked up first place with a 21:-6 defeat of Shaolin Mystigods. Top Shelf secured the top spot in Group C with a 16:-1 defeat of Midnights Children. Group F’s top team is still undecided, but both Guinness Gulpers FC and Sehome Mariners are through, Mariners despite losing -1:8 to Gulpers. With the four best third place teams advancing, only Abracadabra in Group F have been eliminated, being five points behind Alewive FC. The tightest group is Group B, where three teams — Maccabees, Poplar Point United and Darcian Greywacke — are level on nine points. It is possible that the third place team of that bunch might not advance, if things don’t fall their way.
There’s a new team atop the League Cup Spring Championship, Top Shelf moving above Darcian Greywacke, after Top Shelf edged FC Metrofan CP. The most undeserved ‘victor’ of the week was Appleton Aarhus, which ‘won’ 0:-3 against Darcian Greywacke. In the 2nd Division, Phoenix TS maintained its perfect record, scraping by Poplar Point United 5:-5. MurphDogs, Brew City’s top scorer this week, defeated Brew City’s low scorer, Shaolin Mystigods, 31:-6. Ouch. MurphDogs have somehow managed to win four of five, despite scoring only 52 ‘goals’. In the 3rd Division, the top three teams are all level on 12 points, Weirder Bremen leading on +47 ‘goal’ difference over France (+32) and St. Lucie Clovers (+11). Two teams remain pointless: Sehome Mariners, in the 2nd Division, and Abracadabra in the 3rd.
In the Mug’O’Suds Invitational, Io Fury continue to lead Group A, but Hometown Soccer Club moved from fourth to second on a 3:2 defeat of Aviators. In Group B, Dynamo Silver Spring moved top over Alpine Dream on a 3:2 defeat of Portland Red Tide. In Group C, Atletico Rubio remain in first despite losing 2:3 to Surreywood Rangers, who moved from fourth to third. In Group D, previously winless Mistretta Outsiders, notched the week’s biggest win, 4:1 over group leaders Headhunter FC. In Group E, FC Metrofan CP remain top on a 4:2 defeat of Prekites, whose sole point is the lowest in group play. In Group F, all four sides are level on six points, after Port City Navigators lost at home, 3:4 to Real Santa Fe, and Forza Azzurri °it lost at home, 0:2 to Alewive FC. With the third tiebreak being away goals, those losses could come back to haunt Navigators and the Azzurri.
I will be away from my computer this Tuesday through Saturday (May 25-29). So, I will be out of touch, but back in time to post next weekend’s results.

Brew City News (20-May-2004)

Adjusted the cup schedule to reflect the MLS all-star game date change(s).

Brew City News (16-May-2004)

In Group A of the Brew City FA Cup, Shaolin Mystigods swapped spots into second with a 19:2 victory over Phoenix TS. In Group B, Poplar Point United lead Darcian Greywacke on ‘goal’ difference, +13 to +11 as both teams are even on 9 points. In Group C, Top Shelf retain the FA Cup’s lone perfect record winning away, 19:1 to real hillsdale. In Group D, St. Lucie Clovers defeated Aviators 12:8 to move into second over Appleton Aarhus who lost 9:13 to leaders Geckos. Group E was mixed up the mot, as no side retained its place, Pioneer Detasselers moving into the top spot on a narrow 8:3 defeat of France. In Group F, Sehome Mariners remain first after an even more narrow 5:4 win over Abracadabra. Two more weeks of group play remain.
After the fourth round of the League Cup Spring Championship, Darcian Greywacke remain top of the league despite scoring only 8 points — enough to win over this week’s bottom scorer, Surreywood Rangers, who took one off their account. Despite being 90 ‘goals’ in arrears, bottom side JC Comets have decent chance of staying up. In the 2nd Division, former leaders Poplar Point United dropped to third on a 3:7 loss to Midnights Children, who moved up to second. Phoenix TS are the new leaders. Having yet to take a point, Sehome Mariners must now hope for the Summer Championship to bring promotion — if they don’t go down first. In the 3rd Division, Weirder Bremen and Guinness Gulpers FC moved into the promotion spots, Weirder winning 24:13 away to Cape Tribulation, Guinness Gulpers also winning away, 15:4 to Abracadabra. Three weeks remain before the first relegations/promotions of the season.
In the Mug’O’Suds Invitational, only Group E has a new leader, FC Metrofan CP, who defeated previous leaders Top Shelf 1:0. In the other groups, the leaders are Io Fury (A), Alpine Dream (B), Atletico Rubio (C), Headhunter FC (D), and Port City Navigators (F). Two of the three teams which had not gained a point in the first two rounds won: In Group B, Weirder Bremen defeated Portland Red Tide 2:1, while in Group F, Real Santa Fe Real edged Alewive FC 1:0. In Group E, Prekites have to be disappointed in only gaining a draw, 1:1 to Shake, Rattle & Revolt. The two sides which played through all three qualifying rounds — Forza Azzurri °it and FC Orlando 98 — are second in their groups. With four third place sides advancing, and two weeks of group play remaining, no team has yet lost hope of advancement.

Brew City News (9-May-2004)

In the Brew City FA Cup, the leaders won and the trailers lost. In four of the six groups, not one team changed one place. Weirder Bremen lead Group A on a narrow 35:30 defeat of second place Phoenix TS. Poplar Point United lead Group B on a 20:8 defeat of last place JC Comets. Top Shelf lead Group C on a 41:17 pasting of Midnights Children. (Top Shelf have scored a BCFA-high 94 points over the last three weeks.) Geckos lead Group D despite losing to Aviators, who scored a BCFA-high 43 points. Despite the victory, Aviators are still bottom of Group D due to St. Lucie Clovers drawing 16:16 with Appleton Aarhus. In Group E, Surreywood Rangers went from third to first on a 28:15 defeat of previous leaders Pioneer Detasselers. Sehome Mariners continue to lead Group F, by one point over Guinness Gulpers FC who moved into second on 24:14 defeat of Abracadabra.
After the third round of the League Cup Spring Championship, the tables were more scrambled than a plate of eggs. In the 1st Division, Darcian Greywacke moved from fourth to first, Top Shelf from third to second, Aviators from seventh to third, and Pioneer Detasselers from sixth to fourth. Obviously, they all beat the leading squads, somewhat restoring the division’s traditional power structure. In the 2nd Division, Poplar Point United continue to lead Phoenix TS on ‘goal’ difference, though Phoenix narrowed the gap from two ‘goals’ to one. Sehome Mariners and Shaolin Mystigods are bottom without a point. In the 3rd Division, France continue to lead on a narrow 20:14 defeat of league basket case Abracadabra, while Weirder Bremen moved from fourth into the other promotion spot, also with a narrow victory, 35:31 over Maccabees.
In the Mug’O’Suds Invitational, a glut of MLS goals led to similar riches in group play. Disregarding finances, a perfect score would have been 10 goals: One from defense, five from midfield and four from the strikers. Top Shelf came the closest scoring six, while Aviators and Dynamo Silver Spring were close on five. Only FC Metrofan CP and, surprisingly, Hometown Soccer Club managed the singular embarassment of being clean-sheeted. The leaders are Io Fury (A), Alpine Dream (B), Atletico Rubio (C), Headhunter FC (D), Top Shelf (E), and Port City Navigators (F). There are six weeks of group play, after which the top two teams in each group, plus the four best third place teams, advance.
Aviators (11th) and Top Shelf (17th) finished in the MFLS weekly Top 25.

Brew City News (2-May-2004)

The Spring Championship of the League Cup was very much affected by which teams started more Metro than Fire players. In the 1st Division, the top three sides all lost, each dropping four places. FC Metrofan CP lead on four points, followed by six teams on three each. Appleton Aarhus are now second on ‘goal’ difference, after notching Brew City’s largest margin of victory in all competitions, defeating JC Comets 32:-10. The 2nd Division was the opposite of the top flight, the three leaders all winning. Poplar Point United (+18 ‘goal’ difference) lead Phoenix TS (+16) and MurphDogs (+14). In the 3rd Division, leaders Weirder Bremen lost the league’s most inept contest, -3:-1 to St. Lucie Clovers. France move from third to first on a 16:5 defeat of Cape Tribulation.
After the second round of FA Cup group play, Group A remains unchanged, Weirder Bremen leading Phoenix TS on ‘goal’ difference. In Group B, Darcian Greywacke moved from fourth to second courtesy of a 9:-10 victory over Brew City low scorer JC Comets. In Group C, Top Shelf swapped places with Midnights Children, despite both sides winning. Top Shelf moved up thanx to a Brew City high 37 points (7th in all MLS). In Group D, multi-honored Aviators continued their slide, losing their second straight to drop bottom on a whopping -45 ‘goal’ difference. In Group E, Surreywood Rangers dropped from first to third on a narrow 11:16 los to France. Pioneer Detasselers are first. Group F is the tightest: Abracadabra are the only bottom club with a point; above them are Guinness Gulpers FC and Alewive FC on three points, while Sehome Mariners lead on four.
Mug’O’Suds group play kicked off. The early leaders are Hometown Soccer Club (A), Alpine Dream (B), FC Metrofan CP (E) and Port City Navigators (F). Whither groups C and D? In both groups, both contests ended level. In Group D, Headhunter FC drew 1:1 with Mistretta Outsiders, making them co-leaders. Group C? Who the hell knows! Both contests ended 1:1, meaning Poplar Point United, Blackthorne Highlanders, Atletico Rubio and Surreywood Rangers are all first and last. Five more rounds of home:away group play remain.

Brew City News (26-Apr-2004)

The Spring Championship of the League Cup kicked off. In the match of the week, featuring titans Top Shelf and Aviators, the blue & gold emerged triumphant, 23:16. However, Surreywood Rangers top the 1st Division due to +15 point difference after blanking Appleton Aarhus. Poplar Point United lead the 2nd Division after defeating Real Hillsdale 23:15. Three of the four highest BCFA scores were notched by new boys in the 3rd Division, Weirder Bremen winning 26:5, while Hartford Dynamo defeated fellow debutantes Geckos 28:26.
Group play in the FA Cup also kicked off this week. Some of the teams that may have felt hard done by in the league triumphed in the Cup, while several teams which won in the league were stunned in the Cup. Early group leaders are Weirder Bremen (A), Poplar Point United (B), Midnights Children (C), Geckos (D), Surreywood Rangers (E) and Guinness Gulpers (F). The Groups of Death (C) and Ease (F) were the tightest. In the Group of Death, the two matches were decided by a total of six points, while in the Group of Ease only four points separated the sides.
The third and final Mug’O’Suds play-in round was held between 16 teams. Despite the dearth of MLS goals, Mug managers tended to start the players who scored, primarily Ruiz and Guevara. (Dempsey and Nhleko? I don’t think so.) Two matches ended 3:3, while another ended 2:2. Advancing were Weirder Bremen (first tiebreak), Alewive FC (fourth tiebreak), Prekites (also fourth tiebreak!), Surreywood Rangers, FC Metrofan CP, \_O_/, Forza Azzurri °it, and FC Orlando 98. The latter two, plus Prekites, advanced all the way from the first play-in round: Congratulations! You have until Wednesday to protest your score, after which results are final, after which a ranked draw — 1-7-13-19th through 6-12-18-24th ranked teams — will be held.

Brew City News (18-Apr-2004)

The second Mug’O’Suds play-in round was held between 16 teams. Advancing were Clockwork Orange, FC Orlando 98, AC Undici Fratelli, Juventus, Weirder Bremen, Forza Azzurri °it, Prekites and Surreywood Rangers. AC Undici Fratelli needed a tiebreaker for the second round in a row. Real Hillsdale, which previously advanced on the 4th tiebreak, this time failed to advance at the 3rd tiebreak. You have until Wednesday to protest your score, after which results are final, whereupon a random draw will be held for the final play-in round.
The Brew City FA Cup begins play in MFLS week 4. As usual, the draw is held based on overall division standings after the previous week’s matches. The groups are teams 1-7-13-19th ranked teams through the 6-12-18-24th ranked teams. Group C appears to be the “Group of Death”, with Midnights Children (2003 FA Cup), Top Shelf (2003 League Champion), MurphDogs (2000 FA Cup and Mug’O’Suds), with Real Hillsdale proping up the order. Multi-honored Aviators appear to have the easiest route to advancement, being in Group D with Brew City debutants St. Lucie Clovers, Geckos and Appleton Aarhus.
The Brew City League Cup also begins play in MFLS week 4.

Brew City News (6-Apr-2004)

The week 3 Mug’O’Suds play-in round has been set (barring any scoring protests from week 1):
```
Raytown Rangers 82 : Clockwork Orange
Mizzo FC : FC Orlando 98
AC Undici Fratelli : Real Hillsdale
Maccabees : Juventus
FC Sterling : Weirder Bremen
Forza Azzurri °it : Kingsbridge
Prekites : Phoenix TS
Aztekaz : Surreywood Rangers
```
The premier matchup features Weirder Bremen and FC Sterling. Bremen were MFLS Top 50 in 2003; FC Sterling were Mug’O’Suds semifinalists in 2003, plus scored a triple in 2000 of CrewFan Super Cup, Division Cup and Division Championship.

Brew City News (4-Apr-2004)

The first Mug’O’Suds play-in round was held between 20 mostly unseeded teams. Advancing were Aztekaz, Mizzo FC, Prekites, Juventus, Raytown Rangers 82, Forza Azzurri °it, FC Orlando 98, AC Undici Fratelli and Clockwork Orange. The only match that was not able to decided by tie-breakers was Montgomery Village People-Real Hillsdale, which ended level at one apiece. A quiz answer in the Mug forum on MFLS will decide the result. The next play-in round will be held in week three, due to next week only have two MLS matches.

Brew City News (15-Mar-2004)

Brew City FA (18 teams) welcomes Poplar Point United, managed by Ben Wright, and St. Lucie Clovers, coached by Andre Ruette. Five slots are being held for former BCFA teams, so one open slot remains at this time. E-mail me if you are the sort of manager who will stick with his team, managing it (making trades and subs) throughout the season, not just in the first and last month.