By Jay Mwamba

The best record at the halfway mark in the entire 101-team Cosmopolitan Soccer League belongs not to U.S. national amateur champs Pancyprian Freedoms nor New York Greek-American/Atlas nor any of the CSL’s other big guns.

You have to go to the second tier to find the hottest team in one of America’s oldest and most glamorous amateur leagues this season.  There perched atop the Second Division standings are Manhattan Celtics with a perfect 9-0 record following a sizzling fall campaign.

How dominant have Celtic been?  Well, they’ve outscored their opponents 39-4 en route to that one hundred percent record. That’s an amazing four goals conceded in 13 and a half hours of play.

Celtic’s motivation is simple: a burning desire, if not obsession, to return to the top flight after missing out last spring.

“We were really disappointed that we did not get promoted last season as we felt that we deserved to be playing in the First  Division,” said player-manager Freddie Etsiakoh. “The team used that as motivation for this season to play good football and focus on winning the division and getting back to the First Division.”

There was the requisite retooling, of course.

“We brought in a few new players to maintain the strength of the squad, specifically in attack,” said Etsiakoh.

New faces such as striker Cherif Moktefi, attacking midfielder Marcus Romaneiro, linkman James St. Clair and defender Tim Cordell came in and were seamlessly integrated into the squad.

And in rampaging forward Austin McCann, Celtic hit the motherload.

“Celtic has been looking for a main striker with an eye for a goal and in Austin McCann we found our man,” Etsiakoh remarked.

At the start of the winter break, McCann was Celtic’s top scorer, having notched 15 goals in the fall alone.

A part of the pre-season change himself when he returned to his old role as player-manager, Etsiakoh is optimistic that the club’s good form will continue in the spring.

“The squad is strong and has good numbers in depth,” he noted. “We look forward to getting back on the field in March, playing good football and enjoying the game that we all love.”

Surprisingly, in spite of their perfect record in the league, Celtic [27] are only three points clear of once beaten title rivals Stal Mielec [8-1, 24], the only Division Two side to best them in the fall.  That defeat, 3-2 on penalties after a 3-3 tie, ended the Celts’ reign as Flamhaft State Cup champions.

Hoboken FC [6-2-1] are a further eight points back offering the frontrunners a measure of comfort down the stretch.

At any rate, Celtic’s strength extends to their second unit.  The seconds lost just once in the league and lead the Division Two reserve standings with an impressive 8-1 [24] record, four points ahead of Tesoro Brooklyn Kings with a game in hand.

NO FLUKE

In their last game of 2011, Barnstonworth Rovers stunned defending champs Pancyprian Freedoms 1-0 at the latters’ once impregnable St. John’s fortress.

The result, courtesy of Jepherson Vernazza’s first half strike, proved that the First Division [East] leaders are no fluke and that Stavros Zomopoulos’ crew can be considered bona fide title contenders.

In-form Rovers ended the fall 6-2-2 [20], two points ahead of another surprise package in Kevin Grogan’s resurgent Lansdowne Bhoys, with six-time champs and last season’s runners-up New York Athletic Club five points off the pace in third.

Rovers have torn the formbook in the top flight after making an inauspicious start to the season.

They were hammered 4-1 by promotion side United FC in their season opener, September 11.

There’s been no looking back for coach Zomopoulos & Co. since.

The key to Rovers’ success?

“First and foremost is the quality of our core squad and the professional commitment they’ve shown even though they pay to play for us!” Zomopoulos pointed out. “[And] that we have added the necessary depth to foster a healthy competition for places and stayed relatively injury free has been a plus.”

“We have added a few key players, Alex Weekes, Chris Bayon, Joe Prince-Wright, Steve Keker and Matt Weill that have brought youth and depth and we are expecting two or three more new faces after the break to ensure that we stay competitive with the top clubs.”

Weekes, Bayon and Keker all and added to Rovers’ attacking options while Prince-Wright and Weill have bolstered the defense.

HAIL STEVE!

Steve Kovalenko, one of the CSL’s most endearing figures got his just props December 17 when he was inducted into the Eastern New York Hall of Fame.

The New York Ukrainians stalwart was honored for his contributions to soccer at a ceremony in Mineola, Long Island, with CSL President Peter Strumpf and general secretary Bill Marth in attendance.

“This is an award that I will cherish forever,” Kovalenko said in his acceptance speech. “However, my real thanks go to my family, especially my wife who really had to put up with my many absences.”

Head coach of the Ukrainians, who now ply their trade in the CSL Second Division, since 1975, Kovalenko’s association with the former CSL champs dates back half a century to 1961 when he signed on as a junior.

Boasting a heritage [German-born, of Ukrainian descent, raised in Brazil] befitting his decades-long Cosmopolitan Soccer League affiliation, Steve later played for teams in Newark, Hartford and the Big Apple. New York Hungaria and Polonia Greenpoint were two of his latter clubs.

Congratulations, Steve!