We'll be doing a dress rehearsal for the ACSL 7 v 7 league on Sunday at Playa Vista from Noon- 2pm.
That means the three Angel City FC squads be putting up our goals, setting up the field and playing 7 v 7 games.
This is important since it's the last time we'll be practicing at Playa Vista before the start of the league on Nov. 7. So please try your best to attend, especially if you plan to play in the league.
As usual, the cost for the field is $5 per player.
Thanks.
Ben
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
ACFC misses playoffs by a goal and a point
After being put in a must-win points situation by a 1-0 win for Armenia Deportivo over the Nomads earlier Monday night, Angel City came out hard from the starting whistle against the league-leading Hotspurs.
For the first 10 to 15 minutes Angel City stormed the Spurs defensive area, earning numerous corner kicks in the process, but no goals.
The Spurs lone tally came at the 24-minute mark on a counter, with a lone striker taking the ball down the left side past two defenders before slotting the ball near post into the net.
Play after the goal was fierce at both ends with the Spurs crisp passing game pitted against Angel City's speed and hustle. Sparked on by some impressive saves by keeper Dave Styles -- two of which he took on the chin ... literally -- ACFC fought with heart through the remainder of the game, but couldn't quite finish off their chances.
What could only be dubbed one-sided officiating didn't help matters with numerous and often unwarranted calls being made in the Spurs favor and decisions, including a blatant and intentional handball in the Spurs box, being waved off.
Ultimately fate was not on Angel City's side. The squad played at 120 per cent right up until the finishing whistle but came away with a fourth place finish (24 points, 8 wins, 5 losses, one canceled match), one point behind Armenia Deportivo. The Spurs finished top of Div B with 33 points, followed by Hollywood United. Top two teams from each division (A, B and C) qualified for the playoffs, joined by the top two performing third-place squads.
Ben O'Meara took the team's 2009 scoring title with eight goals, followed by David Woirhaye with six and Brandon Cole with five. Woirhaye topped the assists category with six, followed by Ben Kull with five and Cole with four. And Kull was the most honored player with two MVP awards. On the dark side Rahoul Ghose had the most yellow cards with five (though rumor has it he is proud of the accomplishment), followed by Peter Wasek with three.
Angel City thanks Coach Billy Alarcon and player manager Ben Kull for their commitment and support throughout the season. The squad is already looking to better their results in the spring.
GAME STATS
ACFC (0) vs Hotspurs(1)
Goals:
Hotspurs: (24:00)
For the first 10 to 15 minutes Angel City stormed the Spurs defensive area, earning numerous corner kicks in the process, but no goals.
The Spurs lone tally came at the 24-minute mark on a counter, with a lone striker taking the ball down the left side past two defenders before slotting the ball near post into the net.
Play after the goal was fierce at both ends with the Spurs crisp passing game pitted against Angel City's speed and hustle. Sparked on by some impressive saves by keeper Dave Styles -- two of which he took on the chin ... literally -- ACFC fought with heart through the remainder of the game, but couldn't quite finish off their chances.
What could only be dubbed one-sided officiating didn't help matters with numerous and often unwarranted calls being made in the Spurs favor and decisions, including a blatant and intentional handball in the Spurs box, being waved off.
Ultimately fate was not on Angel City's side. The squad played at 120 per cent right up until the finishing whistle but came away with a fourth place finish (24 points, 8 wins, 5 losses, one canceled match), one point behind Armenia Deportivo. The Spurs finished top of Div B with 33 points, followed by Hollywood United. Top two teams from each division (A, B and C) qualified for the playoffs, joined by the top two performing third-place squads.
Ben O'Meara took the team's 2009 scoring title with eight goals, followed by David Woirhaye with six and Brandon Cole with five. Woirhaye topped the assists category with six, followed by Ben Kull with five and Cole with four. And Kull was the most honored player with two MVP awards. On the dark side Rahoul Ghose had the most yellow cards with five (though rumor has it he is proud of the accomplishment), followed by Peter Wasek with three.
Angel City thanks Coach Billy Alarcon and player manager Ben Kull for their commitment and support throughout the season. The squad is already looking to better their results in the spring.
GAME STATS
ACFC (0) vs Hotspurs(1)
Goals:
Hotspurs: (24:00)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
ACFC douse the Devils 5-2 in spirited win
Despite an early goal mishap and an apparently undermanned ACFC side, Angel City came out with an inspired performance on the backs of a huge midfield presence from Ben Kull and Brandon Cole to take three necessary points from The Devils in Monday night's 5-2 match.
An errant side flick resulted in an early goal nine minutes in for the Devils, but ACFC struck back less than a minute later off a solo run from Brandon Cole (one of the game's two MVPs). Angel City then settled into a one-touch passing flow creating numerous chances. Midfielders Ben Kull (the second MVP on the night) and David Woirhaye also helped the ACFC defensive effort with strong back-checking. The squad started the match with 10 players and weren't up to full strength until 15 minutes in with the arrival of Michael Sharp.
Woirhaye put the side up 2-1 at the 33-minute mark after getting a pass from Kull and then wending his way through several defenders before striking the ball home past a sprawling keeper.
Sharp added a third two minutes later, combining with Luis Deveze. But The Devils struck back on 36 minutes against the run of play off a poorly defended corner kick.
To say the officiating was lop-sided would be an understatement. At some points in the later stages of the first half one wondered if the squad had shown up for an international diving meet, replete with painful screams where often little or no body contact was involved. Numerous free kicks were awarded outside the City box, but the Devils could not convert despite the helping hand. One FK did hit the back meshing, but was taken before the ref's whistle was blown (The Devils had requested the ACFC wall be moved back 10 yards beforehand). Amusingly, the kicker celebrated the non goal for at least a minute before reality set in.
By the second half Angel City had hit its stride, dominating play and shutting down The Devils offense with solid defence from the back line and keeper Dave Styles.
Peter Wasek, who was moved up to the midfield, earned his first goal of the season at the 64-minute mark, knocking in a pass from Deveze. And Deveze capped the win with a breakaway goal off a pass through by Sharp on 82 minutes.
The squad could have knocked in several other goals which were cleared by a besieged keeper and several defenders at the last minute.
ACFC remains in third place with 24 points (8 wins, 4 losses) behind Hollywood United and the Spurs, who played one another Monday night as well (waiting on result). Following next week's bye, Angel City face the Spurs.
After talking the the league, it appears unlikely that the rematch against Atletico Espanol -- originally canceled due to poor air quality as a result of local forest fires -- will be played. A win and a strong run of goals are a must against the Spurs, consequently, as second place will likely be decided on goal differential. Only the top two qualify for the inter-divisional playoffs right away, though there will also be two wildcard spots given to the top two finishing third place teams from Div A, B and C.
GAME STATS
ACFC (5) vs The Devils(2)
Goals:
ACFC: (Brandon Cole, 9:00; David Woirhaye, 33:00; Michael Sharp, 35:00;
Peter Wasek, 64:00; Luis Deveze, 82:00)
The Devils: (9:00; 36:00)
Corner Kicks:
ACFC (2) vs The Devils (6)
Shots:
ACFC (6) vs The Devils (7)
Yellow Cards:
ACFC (4) vs The Devils (2)
Red Cards:
ACFC (0) vs The Devils (0)
An errant side flick resulted in an early goal nine minutes in for the Devils, but ACFC struck back less than a minute later off a solo run from Brandon Cole (one of the game's two MVPs). Angel City then settled into a one-touch passing flow creating numerous chances. Midfielders Ben Kull (the second MVP on the night) and David Woirhaye also helped the ACFC defensive effort with strong back-checking. The squad started the match with 10 players and weren't up to full strength until 15 minutes in with the arrival of Michael Sharp.
Woirhaye put the side up 2-1 at the 33-minute mark after getting a pass from Kull and then wending his way through several defenders before striking the ball home past a sprawling keeper.
Sharp added a third two minutes later, combining with Luis Deveze. But The Devils struck back on 36 minutes against the run of play off a poorly defended corner kick.
To say the officiating was lop-sided would be an understatement. At some points in the later stages of the first half one wondered if the squad had shown up for an international diving meet, replete with painful screams where often little or no body contact was involved. Numerous free kicks were awarded outside the City box, but the Devils could not convert despite the helping hand. One FK did hit the back meshing, but was taken before the ref's whistle was blown (The Devils had requested the ACFC wall be moved back 10 yards beforehand). Amusingly, the kicker celebrated the non goal for at least a minute before reality set in.
By the second half Angel City had hit its stride, dominating play and shutting down The Devils offense with solid defence from the back line and keeper Dave Styles.
Peter Wasek, who was moved up to the midfield, earned his first goal of the season at the 64-minute mark, knocking in a pass from Deveze. And Deveze capped the win with a breakaway goal off a pass through by Sharp on 82 minutes.
The squad could have knocked in several other goals which were cleared by a besieged keeper and several defenders at the last minute.
ACFC remains in third place with 24 points (8 wins, 4 losses) behind Hollywood United and the Spurs, who played one another Monday night as well (waiting on result). Following next week's bye, Angel City face the Spurs.
After talking the the league, it appears unlikely that the rematch against Atletico Espanol -- originally canceled due to poor air quality as a result of local forest fires -- will be played. A win and a strong run of goals are a must against the Spurs, consequently, as second place will likely be decided on goal differential. Only the top two qualify for the inter-divisional playoffs right away, though there will also be two wildcard spots given to the top two finishing third place teams from Div A, B and C.
GAME STATS
ACFC (5) vs The Devils(2)
Goals:
ACFC: (Brandon Cole, 9:00; David Woirhaye, 33:00; Michael Sharp, 35:00;
Peter Wasek, 64:00; Luis Deveze, 82:00)
The Devils: (9:00; 36:00)
Corner Kicks:
ACFC (2) vs The Devils (6)
Shots:
ACFC (6) vs The Devils (7)
Yellow Cards:
ACFC (4) vs The Devils (2)
Red Cards:
ACFC (0) vs The Devils (0)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
ACFC loses tight 2-1 match to Hollywood United
Angel City came up short Monday night at Griffith Park, losing a tight 2-1 decision to Hollywood in the race for the top two playoff spots in the LA Municipal League (Div. B).
Top two teams in each of the three division qualify for the inter-divisional championships in mid-October.
ACFC started on its heels under instant pressure from a star-littered United side, but held off all chances with strong defence and solid goalkeeping from Dave Styles.
Ten minutes in ACFC began to create its own counterattacking chances with runs from Ben O'Meara, captain Sevan Hanimyan and Brandon Cole penetrating the offensive half. At the 28-minute mark O'Meara was hauled down in the box giving ACFC a PK opportunity. Cole stepped up and struck the right side back meshing to put Angel City up 1-0. The remainder of the half saw more ACFC chances and a defence and mid-field effort which stymied United chances.
The second half saw United pushing forward even harder, leaving a changed up back defensive line to deal with numerous chances on goal. At the 55-minute mark Hollywood United finally managed to convert a corner kick (one of several in a row) to tie the game at 1-1. Ten minutes later United headed in a second goal.
ACFC chances in the final 25 were pushed back by solid defending. However, ACFC managed to keep any more goals from coming in off the quick counterattacks created by pushing the team forward for the equalizer. Styles put in a solid effort between the posts while Kirby Adams and Leo Wallach mopped up the ball during several potential breakaway situations.
The loss unfortunately leaves ACFC in third place, four points behind Hollywood United and possibly six points behind the Spurs, who played The Devils Sept. 28. The good news is United and the Spurs play next week, guaranteeing at least one will lose points. Angel City face The Devils, the Spurs and a rematch against Atletico Espanol, so a top two spot is still within reach. Three wins and a strong run of goals are a must though as second place will likely be decided on goal differential.
GAME STATS
ACFC (1) vs Hollywood United (2)
Goals:
ACFC: (Brandon Cole, PK, 28:00)
Hollywood United: (55:00; 65:00)
Yellow Cards:
ACFC (0) vs Hollywood United (2)
Red Cards:
ACFC (0) vs Hollywood United (0)
Top two teams in each of the three division qualify for the inter-divisional championships in mid-October.
ACFC started on its heels under instant pressure from a star-littered United side, but held off all chances with strong defence and solid goalkeeping from Dave Styles.
Ten minutes in ACFC began to create its own counterattacking chances with runs from Ben O'Meara, captain Sevan Hanimyan and Brandon Cole penetrating the offensive half. At the 28-minute mark O'Meara was hauled down in the box giving ACFC a PK opportunity. Cole stepped up and struck the right side back meshing to put Angel City up 1-0. The remainder of the half saw more ACFC chances and a defence and mid-field effort which stymied United chances.
The second half saw United pushing forward even harder, leaving a changed up back defensive line to deal with numerous chances on goal. At the 55-minute mark Hollywood United finally managed to convert a corner kick (one of several in a row) to tie the game at 1-1. Ten minutes later United headed in a second goal.
ACFC chances in the final 25 were pushed back by solid defending. However, ACFC managed to keep any more goals from coming in off the quick counterattacks created by pushing the team forward for the equalizer. Styles put in a solid effort between the posts while Kirby Adams and Leo Wallach mopped up the ball during several potential breakaway situations.
The loss unfortunately leaves ACFC in third place, four points behind Hollywood United and possibly six points behind the Spurs, who played The Devils Sept. 28. The good news is United and the Spurs play next week, guaranteeing at least one will lose points. Angel City face The Devils, the Spurs and a rematch against Atletico Espanol, so a top two spot is still within reach. Three wins and a strong run of goals are a must though as second place will likely be decided on goal differential.
GAME STATS
ACFC (1) vs Hollywood United (2)
Goals:
ACFC: (Brandon Cole, PK, 28:00)
Hollywood United: (55:00; 65:00)
Yellow Cards:
ACFC (0) vs Hollywood United (2)
Red Cards:
ACFC (0) vs Hollywood United (0)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
ACFC takes three points from Inter default
Sporting a strong side, ACFC arrived at Monday's return match against Inter with the hopes of a big win and a stronger goal differential.
But Inter failed to show ... not a single player arrived, despite the squad's strong fan base making an appearance.
The default gives ACFC its seventh win on the season out of 10 games (for 21 points), with matches against Hollywood United, The Devils and the Spurs still to be contested. The league has not announced when its canceled games from a few weeks back will be played. When scheduled, ACFC will also face a make-up match against Atletico Espanol.
The league tables have yet to be updated to include last and this week's results. So ACFC either sits in second or third spot depending on the Hollywood United v Armenia Deportivo result last night.
ACFC need a top 2 finish to qualify for the inter-divisional playoffs later this season.
This week also saw the departure of Aussie battler Sevan Hanimyan, who returns to his native land Down Under next week after putting in a strong season.
Angel City next play Hollywood United Sept. 28 at Griffith Park with an 8:45 PM kickoff. The teams' last meeting was a tight one, with United missing a PK and ACFC knocking a lone goal in during the dying minutes for the win.
But Inter failed to show ... not a single player arrived, despite the squad's strong fan base making an appearance.
The default gives ACFC its seventh win on the season out of 10 games (for 21 points), with matches against Hollywood United, The Devils and the Spurs still to be contested. The league has not announced when its canceled games from a few weeks back will be played. When scheduled, ACFC will also face a make-up match against Atletico Espanol.
The league tables have yet to be updated to include last and this week's results. So ACFC either sits in second or third spot depending on the Hollywood United v Armenia Deportivo result last night.
ACFC need a top 2 finish to qualify for the inter-divisional playoffs later this season.
This week also saw the departure of Aussie battler Sevan Hanimyan, who returns to his native land Down Under next week after putting in a strong season.
Angel City next play Hollywood United Sept. 28 at Griffith Park with an 8:45 PM kickoff. The teams' last meeting was a tight one, with United missing a PK and ACFC knocking a lone goal in during the dying minutes for the win.
Friday, September 18, 2009
ACFC launches new Fall 7s league
ACFC Manager Ben Kull has launched ACFC's latest initiative, a fall 7s league designed to fill in the playing gap between September and February for adult soccer players.
The new Angel City Soccer League expects to host 16 teams for 7 v 7 play at Playa Vista Sports Park starting Nov. 7. The community turf field will be used to stage two games at once with full-sized goals. Eight matches -- two per division -- will be held each day during the six-week regular season. The top two teams in each division will then be entered in a post-season tournament, while remaining squads will participate in a series of friendlies. Every squad is guaranteed at least seven games up to a maximum of 10, including playoffs for the $500 registration fee, which also includes ref fees.
Information about the league and an online registration form are now available on the ACSL's new website: http://acsl.angelcityfc.com.
A day after launch five squads, not including any of those from ACFC, had registered already.
The new Angel City Soccer League expects to host 16 teams for 7 v 7 play at Playa Vista Sports Park starting Nov. 7. The community turf field will be used to stage two games at once with full-sized goals. Eight matches -- two per division -- will be held each day during the six-week regular season. The top two teams in each division will then be entered in a post-season tournament, while remaining squads will participate in a series of friendlies. Every squad is guaranteed at least seven games up to a maximum of 10, including playoffs for the $500 registration fee, which also includes ref fees.
Information about the league and an online registration form are now available on the ACSL's new website: http://acsl.angelcityfc.com.
A day after launch five squads, not including any of those from ACFC, had registered already.
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