Spring 2007 O30

GAME 1: On February 4, Alemannia began its season in Premier League. The team played Barca at Thunder Field in downtown Orlando. Barca was known as an execeedingly confident team. In the first half, Alermannia had the better chances, but Barca scored on a shot from 12 yards, which slipped under the Alemannia goalie's body into the goal. A very unfortunate goal, after the Alemannia strikers had several very good chances to score, especially on headers, using their superior height against the Barca inside defense. In the second half, the game got rougher and the tone between the players of both teams took a a turn to the unpleasant. In this atmosphere, the referee gave a penalty kick for Barca, after a struggle between the Alemannia sweeper and a barca striker, in which the Barca striker seemd to be pushing off. However, the ref gave it and so the team had to live with the decision. The Barca striker converted for the 2:0. After this, the Barca team brought the W home. Alemannia showed its inexperience in the end and Barca won deservedly.GAME 2: Alemannia won 5:0 against Deportivo Tricolores. Goals were scored by Rob Alliss, Marcio Avila (2), Thor Adalsteinson and Rafael Ferreira. In a physical match up, Alemannia kept the cooler head. At halftime, the lead was only 1:0, but after Deportivo lost two players to red cards, Alemannia scored repeatedly on fast breaks. The win was probably too high, but as a new team in the league, Alemannia takes any breaks it can get. The first win, and against one of the top teams in the league, gives the team confidence that it can compete in Premier.  GAME 3: In the third game of the season, Alemannia played Fiddlers FC. Another established and experienced Premier team, Fiddlers impressed with a well organized defense. Alemannia tried to take control of the midfield, but time and again, the ball was lost due to a bad short pass, and Fiddelrs came to chances in tranition and on fast breaks. In the 36th minute, the referee called a penalty shot, when Marcio Avila "whacked" a Fiddlers striker from behind. No doubt a foul, and not a necessary one either. Our goalie in the first half, our starting sweeper Rodrigo de Paula dove into his right corner and saved the shot. However, Fiddlers scored in the 40th minute after a cross from the left side and a diving header from short distance. No chance for the goalie. In the second half, Alemannia increased the tempo and came to some good scoring opportunities. However, in the end, the routine and experinece of the Fiddlers team helped them to prevent another goal. While it appeared that Alemannia was slightly better with regards to speed and endurance, Fiddlers FC showed how valuable experience can be and won 1:0.       GAME 4: On February 25, 2007, Alemannia was scheduled to play the UCF Golden Knights. The Golden Knights had "taken" away the Championship from us in Division 1A last season. The team was determined to set the record straight on this.From the beginning of the game, Alemannia controlled the pace and came to some good chances to score. On the other end, Alemannia did not allow shots on its goal. But despite many good opportunities, Alemannia failed again and again to score. Finally, in the 37th minute, Rob Alliss headed a cross from the left back into the middle of the box, from where the Alemannia captain Christian Thier scored with a header into the right upper corner of the goal. This was the score going into halftime. After the break, Alemannia continued to create chances. In teh 58th minute, Craig Smith took a cross from the right volley and sent the ball into the far left corner. What a beautiful goal! The Golden Knights came to some good chances after this, and the Alemannia defense had to get its focus back. But in the 78th minute, Rodrigo dePaula took the ball through four UCF defenders and could only be stopped by a hard foul, about 20 yards from the goal. The free kick by Marcio Avila went past the UCF keeper. The shot seemed stoppable. In the end, Alemannia won 3:0.                GAME 5: In the fifth game of the season, Alemannia faced Inter United. In a rough game, one of Inter's players came down from a header duel with a bleeding cut. Although there was no foul, he lost his composure and attacked several Alemannia players and finally even the ref. A red card with a  one-year suspension was the result. However, the ref felt compelled to send one Alemannia player off as well, in order to maintain the peace. The Inter coach threatened some of Alemannias players. In the end, the game was counted for Inter with 5:2, after several more send offs. A highly irregular game with a result that did not matter anymore. It is sad that teams that act like this spoil the fun for everybody in this recreational league. The players and the coach of Inter proved to be an embarrassment for the league.GAME 6: The sixth game was scheduled against Orlando Storm. The Storm is an established and successful Premier team. The Storm dominated the first thirty minutes and pushed Alemannia back into its own half. But it was Alemannia that scored first. In the 26th minute, Robert van der Sar scored on a header to make it 1:0. The Storm scored on a penalty kick in the 44th minute to make it 1:1. In teh second half, Alemannia began with quick attacks over the right wing. Rafael Lopes scored the 2:1, when he intercepted a pass from the Storm sweeper. The last thirty minutes then saw one Storm attack after the other.  However, Alemannia prevented any more goals and brought the win home. GAME 7: In game 7, Alemannia played the Ragamuffins. In a strangely lifeless effort, Alemannia was outmatched and outhustled and lost 2:4. Alemannia's goals were scored by Noel Playter and Rodrigo DePaula. The Ragamuffins played excellent defense and proved to be the Champion team we expected.    GAME 8: Alemannia beat The Far Post 5:0. The Far Post was outmatched in every category. In a one sided match, the goals for Alemannia were scored by Brandon Cron (2), Marcio Avila, Noel Playter and Rob Alliss. The last game of the regular season will decide if Alemannia will play in the Tournament. Only the first six teams qualify. The game against Munich 74 is therefore a "must win". GAME 9: Munich 74 started three players short. But despite having a significant numerical advantage, Alemannia was unable to score. At halftime, the score was 0:0. During the break, Munich filled up its ranks and dominated the second half. Eventually, Alemannia got beaten 2:0 and missed the playoffs. In summary, this was a sucessful first season in Premier for Alemannia Aixpress. We were able to beat the weaker teams, and we lost against the stronger teams. We will intensify our practice sessions and we will add a few key players to the roster. We will come back next season to compete for one of the top spots. MVP of the season is Rodrigo DePaula. He is the heart of the inside defense. Consistently excellent performances. Congratulations, Rodrigo.        SEASON FALL 2006AFTER PROMOTION TO PREMIER LEAGUE, ALEMANNIA ALSO WINS THE LEAGUE CUP IN DIVISION IA. DRAMATIC VICTORY IN PENALTY SHOOT OUT AGAINST GOLDEN KNIGHTS FROM UCF. SEE GAME REPORT UNDER "CURRENT SEASON", "OPEN AGE".       NACH AUFSTIEG IN DIE ERSTE LIGA FÜR AMATEURE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA GEWINNT ALEMANNIA AUCH DAS LIGAPOKALFINALE. DRAMA-FINALE MIT SIEG IM ELFMETERSCHIESSEN GEGEN UCF GOLDEN KNIGHTS. SPIELBERICHT UNTER "CURRENT SEASON", "OPEN AGE".       GAME 1: On Sept. 10, 2006, in the opening game of the season, Alemannia beat Arsenal 4:1. Alemannia scored twice early in the game and controlled the pace afterwards. Arsenal was held to only a few chances. GAME 2: In the second game of the season, on Sept. 17, 2006, Alemannia beat Castillo Landscaping 5:0. Alemannia again controlled the pace of the game. Quick, short passes through midfield, and then precisely timed through balls to the strikers created many problems for the Steamers defense. GAME 3: On Sept. 24, 2006, Alemannia played Cricketers Arms at Red Bug Park. The game against Alemannia´s old rivals is always a highlight of the season.  The game was tied at half time 0:0. Alemannia had more ball possesion and more scoring opportunities. However, Cricketers missed two god chances as well. After half time, Alemannia moved Matt Fischer from sweeper to center mid and Thor Adalsteinsson to sweeper. Immediately, the pressure on Cricketers defense increased. Fischer and Carl Osborn, the other central midfielder created opportunities for the strikers. In the 51st minute, Osborn crossed to the striker Rob Allis, who scored with a header for the 1:0. A few minutes later, it was Osborn´s cross from the left to Allis again. Allis took the ball volley with an acrobatic move and pushed it past the goalkeeper for the 2:0. In th e72nd minute, Osborn recorded his third assist, with a cross to Rodrigo DePaula. The defender had moved into the opponents penalty area and headed the ball ito th enear corner for the 3:0. Cricketers scored on a break away in the 78th minute. However, Alemannia kept the pressure up and ended Chricketers hopes with the 4:1 by Marcio Avila. DePaula had crossed the ball from the right wing and Avila, the left midfielder took the ball out of the air with the right foot into the far corner. A very strong game all around, with particular mentioning of Dan Vincent  as stopper and Ron McNicholls as substitute right defender. Both played excellent defense and in transition.  FRIENDLY GAME: On October 4, 2006, Alemannia played a friendly game against the Premier team Deportivo Tricolores. Deportivo played a very quick passing game, with every player constantly in motion, ready to receive the ball. Alemannia had to adjust to this playing style. The game was tied 0:0 at half time, however, Deportivo had more chances to score and the Alemannia goalkeeper Jimmy Kalmoutis had to save the tie many times. In the second half, Deportivo scored on a cross from the right. Only a few minutes later, Deportivo was had a penalty shot, but Kalmoutis made another great save. Alemannia, which had to play without five of its starters, increased the tempo and pressure and scored the equalizer in the 75th minute. In the 80th minute, the the Alemannia captain Christian Thier had to leave the field with a concussion. Alemannia responded by pushing Deportivo into its own half and scored the winning goal for the 2:1 through Adrian Thier in the 87th minute. This was a nice and exciting game against a fair and very strong team, which gave Alemannia the chance to assess where it stands.    GAME 4: On October 8, Alemannia played Deportivo Zacapa at West Orange Park. Zacapa came into the game in third place, so Alemannia knew to expect a tough opponent. In the first minutes, both teams had difficulties to get through the well organized defensive lines. However, after the first 10 minutes, Alemannia´s midfield began to take control of the game. Alemannia scored the 1:0 by Rob Aliss and the 2:0 by Brandon Cron, on assists by Marcio Avila and Moiz Bodal. In the 35th minute, the Zacapa goalkeeper felt provoked by an Alemannia striker and jumped in his back, cleats first. The player was sent off. Alemannia then scored the 3:0 through Carl Osborn in the 43rd minute. In the second half, Alemannia controlled game and pace and put constant pressure on the diminished Zacapa squad. Alemannia scored twice more, both goals by Aliss, with an assist by Matt Fischer with a sucessful counter attack by Zacapa to make the score 5:1. However, it was obvious that the Zacapa players were not willing to give up. The game got more and more physical, with several very hard fouls going uncalled. Eventually, one of Alemannia´s strikers was elbowed in the face by a Zacapa defender. In the ensuing argument, the replacement goal keeper from Zacapa leveld the Alemannia striker from behind. The about 20 Zacapa supporters earned their name  and joined their players in the ensuing fracas. Altough it looked a bit serious at times, nobody got hurt. After order was restored, the referee cancelled the rest of the game and sent the Zacapa team home. With the win, Alemannia solidified its lead in Division IA with now four consecutive wins. However, the end of the game leaves a bitter after taste.   GAME 5: After a very successful start into the season, Alemannia was to play East Orlando Peacemakers on October 15. The teams had met in the preseason twice, with both games won by Alemannia. This time however, EOP came out guns blazing. EOP played with a lot of heart and desire to win every single ball. Alemannia probably underestimated EOP and paid a high price. Within minutes, EOP had scored twice. While Alemannia tried to take control of the game, EOP scored again on a break away to make it 0:3. The team leading the standings in IA was taken apart by EOP. At half time, Alemannia´s captain appealed to the pride and heart of the team. But right after kick-off, a shot by EOP took an unfortunate bounce (reminiscent of that poor english national keeper a few weeks ago ) and jumped over the goalie´s foot into the goal. Alemannia was down 0:4! Finally, the team found its way back into the game and slowly wrestled control away from EOP in midfield. In the 65th minute, Matt Fischer scored on rebound from the goalie, after a shot from Carl Osborn. A few minutes later, Dave Kulp scored the 2:4, when EOP could not get the ball out of the box. In the 78th minute, again Fischer scored with a header into the far corner. The game was 3:4 and EOP clearly was distressed. The pressure on the EOP goal was growing by the minute. The referees had made it clear that they would not tolerate any inappropriate language or behavior, and with the pressure mounting on EOP, there were plenty of yellow cards handed out. In the 90th minute, Carl Osborn scored the much celebrated 4:4 with a shot from 18 yards, after a quick turn-around. Alemannia got away with a point against an opponent who fought hard and gave all. GAME 6: Alemannia played FC Rogue on October 22 at R.D. Keene Park. The game attracted a larger than usual amount of spectators (well, its free entry ). The team had something to prove, after the disappointing game of the previous week. The team management appealed to the players to play with heart, desire and at the same time, being a role model for sportsmanship. FC Rogue proved to be the expected tough opponent. However, the game was at all times fair and friendly. Alemannia had the better start, with more and clearer chances to score. In the 28th minute, Noel Playter broke through on the left and scored for what seemed to be the 1:0. But the referee had seen an offside position. The call was a bit questionable, but Alemannia kept the pressure on Rogue´d defense, and only two minutes later, Playter again broke through. His cross from the left was deflected by a Rogue defender into his own net for the 1:0. In the 40th minute, the goal keeper from Rogue had an unfortunate kickoff, which was taken down by Alemannia´s center midfielder Matt Fischer, and sent right back at the goalie. The shot arched over the keeper into the goal for the 2:0. After half time, Alemannia increased the pressure further. However, neither the strikers Sevy Sucurovic nor Christian Thier could convert one of the many chances. On the other side, Rogue came to some good opportunities on fast break attacks and after standard situations. Twice, Alemannia´s defender Jay Morlachetta scraped the ball off the goal line. In the 78th minute, Sucurovic put the ball in the net after a cross from the right by Thor Adalsteinsson. The ball was actually crossed back, further inwards from the goal. However, the referee disallowed this goal as well as offside (!). In the end, Alemannia beat Rogue 2:0 after a  fair and entertaining 90 minutes. GAME 7: On October 29, the game against Golden Knights was scheduled at Central Winds Park. Both teams had 5 wins and a tie, and Alemannia was one goal ahead in goal difference. This was clearly a game with implications for who would be in position to separate itself from the field and almost for certain lock down a place in Premier in the Spring 07. Alemannia started the game with a lot of energy and won control over the midfield. Good, hard but fair tackles and very little time for the Golden Knights to control the ball. After a few early chances for Alemannia, it was the sweeper Dani Alfaro who took a shot in the 20th minute from 25 yards that bounced over the keepers hands and found the goal for the 1:0.  Inexplicably, this goal seemd to give the Golden Knights more purpose in their attacks than it helped Alemannia´s game. The referee gave a penalty kick against Alemannia because a Knights shot hit the hand of a defender. Alemannia´s goal keeper saved the shot, but now the ref called it back for early movement of the keeper. The second questionable call within minutes. This time, the Golden Knights shooter missed the shot wide right (he must have been a transfer from Florida State  ).  In the ensuing minutes, both teams had good chances to score. In the 38th minute, Brandon Cron passed the ball to the striker Rob Aliss, who took three steps with the ball in the box and converted ice cold for the 2:0. In the 42nd minute, the Golden Knights crossed a ball inthe box and the header found the goal from close range.  A good goal, made possible by a lack of  defensive backtracking of the Alemannia midfield. The game was close, and both teams could have scored before the break, but did not. In the second half, both teams increased the pace of the game and the intensity level. The minutes ticked away, Alemannia was unable to convert and pull away, but neither was GK able to close the gap. Again and again, the two goalies were in the focus of attention. In the end, Alemannia won 2:1, probably a deserved win, due to a higher percentage of won one-on-ones and ball possession. But this game could have been easily going the other way. It was notable that there was not a single yellow card. In a game that was so important for both teams, this is quite remarkable. GAME 8: On November 5, 2006, Alemannia was scheduled to play Orlando Storm II at R.D. Keene Park. The Storm was three points behind the last spot for promotion to Premier League, with two games to go. Consequently, the Storm team came out strong, trying to use their last chance to move up. Alemannia on the other hand, on top of the satndings, six points ahead of the Storm team, started a bit complacent, just lacking the ultimate urgency. After 12 minutes, the Storm scored the 1:0 on a cross from the right. Only a few minutes later, the Storm scored again twice. Alemannia was behind 3:0 before the team had really grasped that the game was under way.  To make matters worse, the Storm scored once more shortly before halftime. This was the second time Alemannia was behind 4:0 at the break. The last time, Alemannia turned it around and tied the game 4:4. But this time, the opponent was much stronger and played with continued heart and urgency. After the break, Alemannia scored the 1:4 on a shot from Dani Alfaro. Now, Alemannia pressed for the 2:4 and hit the post, the cross bar and the goalie several times, to no avail. On the other side, Storm put the ball in the net on a fast break attack to make it a heartbrteaking 1:5. In the last minutes, a visibly dejected Aleamnnia team got the 1:6 for the final score. A painful loss to a team that played with a purpose. Now, the seaon is on the line coming Sunday at the season finale at West Orange against Procrastination. What a fitting name under the circumstances..  GAME 9: The finale of the regular season was a game against Procrastination on November 12 at West Orange Park. After the surprising and unexpected loss the previuous week, Alemannia came out focused and determined. But Procrastination was the expected strong opponent. In the 15th minute, Noel Playter scraped a shot off the goal line to preserve the 0:0. In the ensuing minutes, Alemannia controlled the game more ande more. Crosses rained into the opposing penalty box, but again and again, the strikers could not find the goal. In the 28th minute, Christian Thier crossed from the right, but Cron´s header hit the cross bar. Finally, in the 38th minute, Matt Fischer played a long pass, and the Procrstiantion Nr. 16 was slow in moving up. 5 Alemannia players were therefor onside and had no trouble to score through Carl Osborn. But in the 40th minute, Procrstiantion equalized on a fast break. After halftime, the team increased the pressure and scored on a header by Rob Allis. Alemannia kept up the pressure and generated many more chances to score. In the 6th minute, Alemannia scored the 3:1 on a shot by  Brandon Cron. In the 79th minute, Adrian Thier gave up a shot to Carl Osborn, who scored his second goal for the 4:1. With this, Alemannia secured at least second place and will move up to PREMIER LEAGUE. A dream comes true for the whole team. Now, we will focus on the upcoming after-season tournament to maybe win another trophy..    PLAY OFF, LEAGUE CUP. GAME 1: On Dec. 3, Alemannia played the semifinal of the Leage Cup against Orlando Storm II. The Storm had ruined the run for the Championship in game 8 of the season. They had stumped Alemannia 1:6. The team was hungry beyond belief for this rematch. From the kick-off on, Alemannia had a higher percentage of ball posession and won one-on-one´s.  The playmaker of the Storm, Nr. 21, was taken in strict man to man coverage. Alemannia controlled the game and had chance after chance to score. Finally, in the 19th minute, Matt Fischer scored on a free kick from 20 meters. only a few minutes later, Rob Allis put the ball in for the 2:0 from an impossible angle. However, the Storm would not give up. In the 43rd minute, they scored the 1:2 by their No. 10, after an impressive solo and a shot from the 16 m line to the inside of the post. Alemannia kept the pedal to the metal and put enormous pressure on the Storm. In the 51st minute, Noel Playter headed a ball in after the Storm keeper had to jump for a save after a free kick by Thor Adalsteinsson. Alemannia controlled the game and had more chances to score. However, in the 62nd minute, the Alemannia keeper came out of the box to save on a fast break. The Strom striker lobbed the ball over the keeper and the second Storm striker put the cross in for the 3:2. Alemannia responded by increasing the pace of the game even more. In short succession, Alemannia scored the 4:2 by Brandon Cron, the 5:2 by Rob Allis again and and the 6:2 by Adrian Thier in the 90th minute. In the end, Alemannia won 6:2 and advanced to the finals. GAME 2: THE FINAL!  Alemannia started out a bit nervous. The Golden Knights played better in the first 15 minutes. Their fast outside winger gave the Alemannia defenders planty of trouble and their inside midfield won the majority of high balls. But the Alemannia defense survived the initial onslaught. The team began to take control of the midfield and came to its first good chances. The team had moved its startig sweeper Ryan Cabarrao to striker, to use his extraordinary speed. In the 38th minute, Cabarrao took a high ball with the chest, dropped it behind the defender and scored from a sharp angle for the 1:0. The Golden Knights responded with furious attacks and had several good chances to tie the match before half time. But the Alemannia keeper had a stellar day and saved shot after shot. In the second half, the defense of Alemannia stiffened up and allowed fewer chances for the Knights. On the other end, the striker Rob Allis had a free run on goal on a pass from Christian Thier, but he missed wide right. A shot by Dan Vincent hit the post, and Ryan Cabarrao had another major opportunity to score on a pass from Matt Fischer. Until the 88th minute, it looked like Alemannia would take hoem a win in regulation time. But in the 88th minute, Golden Knights had a free kick from the right side. The ball sailed over the Alemannia defense and the Golden Knights scored the equalizer on a volley from 10 meters. The Alemannia team was in shock. However, the goal scorer was so excited about his score that he ripped off his shirt in celebration. He received a yellow card for this, which was his second of the game (  OOPS  ). Consequently, he was sent off a the Golden Knights had to finish the game in overtime without him. No goals were scored in a tense and physical overtime. The teams proceeded to a penalty shoot out. For Alemannia, Matt Fischer missed the first shot wide right. The Golden Knights shot  was saved by Jimmy  Kalmoutis in the Alemannia goal. Now for Alemannia, Ryan Cabarraos shot was blocked by the GK keeper. The next shooter for GK converted for the 1:0. Next up was Marcio Avila for Alemannia. He tried to trick the goal keeper with a chip in the middle of the goal. But the keeper fro Golden Knights did not move at all and pocketed the shot easily. Now Alemannia was down 1:0, with three missed PKs. But the next GK shooter only managed a fairly feeble shot, which Kalmoutis saved. For Alemannia, Dan Vincent finally put one in, and the next GK shot again was saved by Kalmoutis. Alemannias last shooter was Carl Osborn. Carl converted his PK cooly and put all the pressure on the last GK shooter. Jimmy Kalmoutis had at this time already saved three penalty shots. He became the undisputed hero of the game by saving the fourth PK out of five!! Alemannia won the cup 2:1 in PK shooting. A memorable season came to an end. Promotion to Premier and winning the Cup.      FRIENDLY GAME: On Jan. 10, 2007, the Alemannia team played a pre-season game against the Premier team of Deportivo Tricolor. The two teams have had regular pre-season scrimmages in the last years. It is always an opportunity to test new players in a fair and sportmanlike game against a top team. This time, Alemannia tested three new players, Renan Lopes on defense, Carl Johnson as keeper and Gary Magill as striker. All three new players left a strong impression. Alemannia also tested a few established players at new positions. Alemannia won the game 4:0 on goals by Rob Alliss (2), Moiz Bodal and Gary Magill.