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Standings,
results and other stats
One team is chasing its sixth Cosmopolitan Soccer League (CSL)
crown and is very optimistic. The other, injury-hit, is just happy
to be there after a successful season.
It
all comes to a head Saturday night (kick-off 8:30 pm) at Aviator
Sports Complex where defending champs Brooklyn Italians, who topped
the Western conference (8-3-5, 29), clash with East winners Polonia
S.C. (11-1-4, 37 pts) in the CSL’s “Champion of Champions”
final.
The Italians were bubbling with confidence in midweek despite succumbing
1-0 to Polonia last November in the two clubs’ only regular
season meeting.
“I think we have a pretty good chance to win and repeat,”
said Sammy Daoud, men’s head coach and director of coaching
for the famous Brooklyn club. “I am very optimistic.”
Daoud is bullish for good reason.
“We are the defending champs -- we beat the Pancyprian Freedoms
last year at Ichan Stadium,” he explained. “The score
was 0-0 after 120 minutes. We won the game on a technicality since
Pancyprian used a suspended player (Matea Damiani).”
More practically, Daoud listed five reasons why the Italians should
win.
“My key players are Kirk Dean-Scarlett, George Manas, Alex
Cuba, Damion Cyrus and Matt Friel. These five are the key
to victory. If they (bring) their ‘A’ game, nobody
in the league can stop us,” the coach said.
Kirk Dean-Scarlett, who’s 28, and the 23 year-old Manas are
the twin pillars that shore up a defense that gave up only 19 goals
in 16 league matches. The other three: Cuba, 27; Cyrus, 30 and Matt
Friel, also 30, run the Brooklyn engine room.
One thing Daoud has yet to figure out is what tactical formation
to employ against Polonia who lost just once in the league all season.
“I don’t know exactly how I am going to play but most
likely will go with the traditional 4-4-2,” he said.
WOBBLY POLES
On paper, Polonia, who led a tough Eastern conference that included
Pancyprian and New York Greek-Amerian/Atlas, ought to more than
fancy their chances against the Italians.
But manager Roman Gierczak is simply happy to be in the final.
“The bad news is that we’ll be short handed and missing
at least four players,” said Gierczak. “But the good news
is that our spirits are high and we’re going to do what we’ve
got to do.”
Missing from the fray will be midfielders Grzegorz Kruk and Lukasz
Bielen; forward Artur Naialek and right fullback Michel Podeielski
who broke his leg in a motorbike accident last week.
“Hopefully, we’ll win but considering what we’ve
gone through lately, we’re just happy to be where we are,”
remarked Gierczak.
Polonia were chasing the double until three weeks ago when arch-rivals
Pancyprian pipped them 3-2 in extra time in the Manning Cup final.
DROP KICK
Julio Cesar Santos’ second consecutive hat trick helped condemn
Manhattan Kickers to the Second Division as Mike Fitzgerald’s
men crashed 6-1 to Pancyprian at New Utrecht High School last Sunday.
The Brazilian scoring machine ended the season with 33 goals from
21 matches while lowering the boom on Kickers (3-8-4, 13) to New
York Albanians’ relief. The latter (4-10-2, 14) got the result
they needed to avoid the drop.
Tassos Polydefkis (two) and Danny Dragoi were the other Pancyprian
scorers.
“We didn’t play well and they played great. At the end
of the equation, it was a total blowout,” Fitzgerald conceded.
Ari Dolegowski had Kickers’ only goal when he pounced on a
booming David James Stewart effort that came off the woodwork to
tie the game (30th).
Dolegowski had earlier grabbed a brace in the reserves’ 5-3
loss and earned Man of the Match accolades for his “Iron Man”
performance.
Ever the gentleman, Fitzgerald congratulated Albanians for surviving
relegation as he pondered both his and Kickers’ future after
ten fruitful years at the helm.
“In my mind, I’m not really sure what is going to happen,”
he said. “I’ll be coaching a youth team and my future
(with the Kickers) is in question.”
Fitzgerald has been the glue that’s held Kickers together.
He led the team to two Second Division titles and twice had the
gutsy side finish runners-up to Pancyprian in the regular season.
BULGARIA PROMOTED
Hristo Kalosrov (40th), Stefan Dimitrov (60th) and Petko (75th)
sealed FC Bulgaria’s promotion to the First Division with a
3-0 romp over FC Japan at the Verazzano Sports Complex.
Bulgaria (11-5-2, 35) finished the season second in Division Two,
nine points adrift of runner-away winners Stal Mielec.
Manhattan Celtic 8-3-6 (30) were in contention for the runners-up
position until Sunday and would have stayed in the hunt if Bulgaria
had lost. Celtic had a forfeit over Astoria Gaels and even if victorious
in their final game, against Central Park Rangers on July 1, will
finish two points shy of Bulgaria.
FAREWELL, TOMOHIRO
Japan GM Tosh Tatezawa rued his team’s poor finishing against
Bulgaria that cost them the game and an opportunity to clinch third
place.
But a bigger loss for Tatezawa may be his free scoring striker-captain
Tomohiro Tsuchiya who is returning to Japan.
“We’ll need to rebuild our team with new youth players
over the summer,” said Tatezawa.
Or
perhaps not, if his reserves’ 6-0 drubbing of their Bulgaria
opponents is anything to go by.
PELE THROUGH
Undefeated in the regular season, ‘B’ Division West winners
Barnstonworth Premier came a cropper to Pele Masters in the playoffs.
They lost 4-2 at Forest Hills High School.
Nedgy Nazon and Hernan Paredes scored for Premier, who went 12-0-4
(40) in topping the West.
Pele (9-0-7, 34) were also undefeated over the season but wound
up second best to Guyana Veterans ‘A’ (10-0-6, 36) in
the East.
GUYANA UPSET
Unfortunately for Guyana ‘A’ their unbeaten record also
came to an end against sister club Guyana Veterans ‘B’
who run off 3-1 winners in the other Over-30 playoff match at the
Parade Ground.
Mortimer Innis was among the Guyana ‘B’ heroes, while
Johnson had a goal for the vanquished ‘A’ team.
Guyana ‘B’ meet Pele, which is also a predominantly Guyanese
club, in the Over-30 final this weekend.
BARNSTONWORTH vs. ISRAEL
In a tussle that harks back to the days when the CSL frequently
took on some of the world’s best sides, a Barnstonworth Rovers
over-30 selection faces Israel’s top senior players at Ichan
Stadium on Randalls Island this Saturday.
Kick-off is scheduled for 3 pm, and will be preceded by a skills
session and kick-about for kids with the visitors, most of whom
are retired First Division players.
Last year, the Israelis reached the semi-finals of the International
Veterans Cup in Edmonton last year.
Fans are invited to join both teams after the game for free food
and happy hour drinks at the Galway Hooker restaurant/pub in Manhattan
(36th St., between Madison and 5th).
SQUADS
The Rovers selection comprises: goalkeeper Mike Mesmer; defenders
Olli Herrala, Martin Mackinnon, Kevin O’Donovan, Jason
Moore, Colin Reid, Chivon Thornhill and Brian Roth.
Midfielders - Ron Baskin, Brian “Mackers” McLaughlin,
Brian McLaughlin, Gary Sisto, Andy Horan, Takamichi Saeki and Russell
Davies.
The forwards are Ron Baskin, Brian Mclaughlin and Ben Weiner.
TEAM ISRAEL
Representing Israel -- ages and clubs in parenthesis -- are: Vaza
Arie (46, Or Yehuda), Smol Shmuel (42, Maccabi Haifa), Nir Yakira
(43, Maccabi Haifa), Davida Yakov (52, Hapoel Haifa), Mizrahi Shmoel
(56, Shimshon Tel-Aviv), Haim Shalom (56, Ber Sheva).
Shamas Haron (57, Hapoel Holon), Mimon Shaul
(38, Maccabi Natania), Hamod Ezra (52, Maccabi Holon), Zoir Bhalol
(56, Maker), Haion Nissan (38, Tel Mond), Stofler David (42, Kfar-Saba),
Basa Anan (40, Daliat El Carmel), Golan Oren (38, Hadera), Swisa
David (41, Kfar Sabato).
Sharon Levi (38, Kiryat Ata), Azolai Haim (41, Ashdod), Yosa Eliau
(56, Nes Ziona), Uberman Michel (52, Or Yehuda).
For more information on the game, call Ron Baskin at (917) 886-9256.
Back in the 50s and 60s, CSL All-Star teams faced and beat outstanding
sides of that generation such as Kaiserlautern. CSL clubs
over the years hosted the likes of Croatia Zagreb, Eintracht Frankfurt
and Brazil’s Botafogo.
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