December is the busiest month of the year for a lot of people, here’s a short preview of this week’s action.

Legacy will be looking to maintain momentum from last week when they face the Sharks on Wednesday night.  Paul says he’ll wear a sharkskin suit to the party on Saturday, if Legacy wins.  The Scorpions will look to pull even on points with the Rebels.  Earlier in the season the Rebels pulled off a 2-1 win and if they do the same this week, they’ll open a 6 point lead over Scorpions.  In primetime, a rejuvenated Bandits squad will try to knock off league leading Orange Crush while the Top Dogs aim to continue their ascent at the expense of the Titans.

This is Aaron St. Bernard with your preview this week.

This week the league’s stinginess defense the Orange Crush look to avenge their only defeat of the season in a rematch against the league’s highest scoring offense, The Scorpions. Last year’s Player of the Year picked up where he left off as Dillon Suresh once again leads the league in goals scored. Orange Crush should be familiar with Dillon’s skills as he was loaned to the Top Dogs last week in a game where both keepers Murat Cokgezen and Jeff Simsons were sensational as the two teams played to a 0-0 draw. The Scorpions, also played to a draw last week need points to keep pace with the Rebels.

In the 2nd early game of the day, the Bandits will play the Sharks. The Bandits are undefeated in their last 2 games with 2 draws after battling for a hard-earned point against the Scorpions.  Yet another keeper displayed other worldly skill as Prathesh Senthil was the savior on numerous occasions as he produced a string of superb saves to deny the Scorpions attack. Mo Talwar scored for the Bandits with a cool left footed finish after some great work from John Levi. The Sharks defeated the Bandits in the season opener and come into this game red-hot as winners of 2 straight allowing just a single goal over the last 2 contests.

In the late match ups, the Legacy and Titans look to avoid the basement in what will surely be an intense battle. Titans escaped with a 1-0 victory the first time these teams met but luck has not been on their side since Week 1. This week they call Luis Malandrim from the minors to put a halt to the skid that has seen the Titans earn only a single point in the last 4 games despite strong play. Legacy’s played with a depleted roster last week but hope to get things back on track with the return of key players Fernando Ayala, Valeria Nunez, and Julio Araujo.

Finally the Top Dogs face the Rebels in the evenings other late game.  Despite losing promising rookie Zain Esmail for the season the Rebels minor league system continues to produce solid players, as evidence by Michael Jemczyk’s debut with a two goal effort. Rebels keeper Brad Hughes stood tall in net when counted, robbing Rajesh with a cat-like lunge to snag the ball out of his legs on a breakaway and secure the clean sheet. Rebels currently sit atop the table and look to get some breathing room between themselves and the rest of the league. Top Dogs are looking to keep pace with the top 4 teams as they bring one of the league’s best goal differentials into the match up.  They have earned 7 points in the last 3 games behind the efforts of a promising rookie of their own as Cedric Ngabonziza who has notched 5 goals in 6 games.

This looks to be a big week of statement games!

Joining us this week is Leon Perelman to give you the rundown of what’s to come.

The Titans are looking for their first win of November. Last game they showed determination when they held the Bandits to a 2-2 draw. Things looked grim for the Titans when they went down an early goal, and continued to trail 2-1 deep into the second half. A last minute goal from John Altinian saved the day. This week they will need to stay ahead, since the Sharks might not let them off the hook. The Sharks were dominant in their last match, showing their intent to re-establishing themselves as a top team with a 3-1 thrashing of the Rebels. Goals from Sam, Elsa and Hans kept the Sharks ahead the whole match, despite determined resistance from the Rebels, which was rewarded by an eventual goal from Bob Tian. Of note is that the Rebels played without their star player Zain, who was injured as a loan in the aforementioned Bandit-Titan match.

Top Dogs are fresh off of a decisive 3-1 victory against Scorpions last week. Their offense was especially dangerous, scoring 2 goals in 5 minutes at the start of the game. If they have another dream start like that, they’ll be tough to stop and could join the top spot. But Orange Crush doesn’t plan on letting it happen. They will look to continue the solid form that has brought them to the top of the table. In their game last week, they were kept goalless by Legacy throughout the first half, partly thanks to some superhuman saves by Legacy keeper Kevin Bonner. Orange Crush broke through in the second half and managed to pull off a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Aaron St. Bernard. They will hope to squeak out a similar win against the Top Dogs this week.

The Bandits almost got a win last week against the Titans. They were leading by a goal and looked sure to win when John Altinian found the net in the last minutes of play. But the Bandits will forget about that disappointment, and focus on getting their first win of the month against the Scorpions, who are coming off a tough loss. Last week the Scorpions went down by two early goals and had to fight hard for the rest of the match, eventually losing 3-1. They’ll be trying to avoid this kind of start against the Bandits and their star Seamus Lynott. If successful, they can leap to the top of the standings.

The Rebels look to bounce back from their loss last week against the Titans. They will have to do it without star player Zain, who sustained an injury last week. Not only that, but their grip on the top spot is in the balance. Captain Vlad Moisseykin will have to determine how to adjust their strategy to cope with these challenges. They’ll be playing against Legacy, who put in a strong showing last week, eventually losing by one goal to Orange Crush. Helped by some amazing superhuman saves by Kevin Bonner, and joined by John Altinian on loan in the second half, they kept the match tight. Emboldened by their strong performance, Legacy have their eyes set on making some noise with a big upset this week.

See everyone on the pitch on Wednesday!

It’s “Pistol” Paul Callahan here with your week 6 preview.

Orange Crush have been on fire as of late, undefeated since opening night. Last week they hooked the Sharks 2-1. This was a physical affair as both squads were tied in the standings to start the day and played a very even match.  At the 11^th hour, Jeff Simsons agreed to play keeper for the Orange Crush and was ‘Man of the Match’ as he held the Sharks at bay for most of the game only allowing a goal in the final seconds of play.  The Legacy will be missing midfielder Fernando Ayala as he will be scouting for talent in Argentina for the next ten days, but will have much needed help from June Fordham and Kamran Parekh back in the lineup.

Both Top Dogs and Scorpions have plenty of firepower illustrated by their wins last week 7-2(vs Bandits) and 3-1(vs Legacy) respectively.  Top Dogs vs Bandits was a high tempo affairs with lots of good passing and action at both ends. The Top Dogs had the advantage early on, but had their lead cut to 3-2 thanks to a few good finishes from the Bandits’ strikers. The turning point in the game was when a Top Dogs cross ricocheted in the net off a Bandits defender which seemed to take the wind out of their sails. Scorpions are a well-oiled machine with two of the top three goal scorers in the league Dillon Suresh and Jarry Ahmad who will no doubt be looking to add to their totals.

The Titans put up a solid effort in week 5 losing to the Rebels by only one goal that came late in the game.  Future first ballot Hall of Fame striker Tyler Zeng made his season debut for the Titans scoring a beautiful chip over the Rebel keeper.  The Bandits are a determined bunch who will be looking to their star striker and Captain Seamus Lynott to rob the Titans of a win and leap back into the middle of the standings.

The Rebels will be knocking on the door of history this week, as they can match the Baron’s 5-0-1 start from back in the 16/17 season. Rebel defensemen Zach Siewart, said he’s been having deja vu.  It’s still too early to crown Rebel’s Fall Champs but winter is coming and they’re making a strong case. The Sharks are looking to bounce back after their narrow 2-1 loss last week and have been known to score in bunches when they smell blood, with two 5-1 victories in their jaws this season.

See you on Wednesday!

The Rebels are the only undefeated team in the league.  Even more impressive than this was last week’s 4 goal performance by Amogh Reddy.  When our reporters caught up with him after the match, he said “this is the most important thing that has ever happened, EVER!  For those wondering, yes it is indeed the first time a player named Amogh has scored 4 times in a single match.  The Titans lost last week despite a 2 goal performance from Mario Vega.  They’ve dipped into the transfer market and signed Tyler Zeng for the remainder of the season.  Tyler last played in 2014/15 when his team came within a penalty shootout of being champions.  Welcome back Tyler!

The Top Dogs are sitting somewhat surprisingly in 4th place.  This team has looked dominate at times but a depleted squad saw them lose last week.  The Bandits also had a week to forget although Nader Sabahi scored his first league goal.  On the bright side, a new month could mean new fortune.  Mohit Talwar has promised to bring a new meaning to the word Mo-vember.

Two teams coming off wins in week 3 are Scorpions and Legacy.  Jarry Ahmad scored 3 goals last week although he did it for 2 different teams.  He first played as a loan for Legacy and then scored twice in the Scorpions win.  Rumour has it that Legacy was trying to woo him away from Scorpions and since he’s known to have wandering eyes, there’s plenty of reason to worry.

Orange Crush got an important win last week with goals from Vincent Xie, Hamid Mirhashemi and Ivan Pelipenko.  They’re neck and neck with the Sharks at 7 points each.  The Sharks were the biggest victims of Halloween with only 6 of their players able to suit up last week.  Both of these teams can jump to second place with a win on Wednesday.

Ghouls and ghosts will be out to haunt those brave enough to suit up on All Hallows Eve.

The Top Dogs take on Legacy FC to kick-off week 4.  Having been held to a 0-0 draw last week, the Top Dogs will be eager to fill their opponents net.  Legacy are still looking for their first points of the season but are missing some key players including Paul Callahan.  Last week Paul guaranteed victory or he’d go shirtless to work.  He made good on his promise but HR was not amused and he’ll have to miss this week.

The Titans received shocking news last week in that captain Alex Wong is out for the season.  This is a big blow not only to the Titans but to the entire league.  Alex is a top player and top person and we all wish him a speedy recovery and return in 2019/20.  John Altinian netted a hat-trick last week and the Titans will need him more than ever.  Orange Crush nearly pulled off a win against Rebels last week, only to be thwarted by a late Zain Esmail penalty which canceled out an earlier goal by Jin Tang, his first in the league.

The Bandits recorded both their first win and first goals of the season in last week’s victory.  Seamus scored twice and John Levi opened his account with his first goal in the league.  The Rebels have had one of the better starts this season with Zain scoring 5 goals in 3 games.  Last week saw the return of John Burinski to the league, as if this team wasn’t good enough already.  Welcome back John.

The Sharks face the Scorpions in a match of the top two offenses in the league.  Jarry Ahmad has turned some heads this year and with last weeks hat-trick he’s more than announced his arrival to the league.  Shahin and Dillon also scored in a 5-3 victory.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Legacy v Bandits (6 pm)

The big question mark around this game is whether captain Seamus Lynott will make his debut or not.  The Bandits have yet to score and Seamus’ 1.52 goals per game average is just what they need right now.  Paul Callahan is trying to lift his teams spirits and has guaranteed a win.  If that doesn’t happen, he’ll go shirtless to work on Thursday.

Rebels v Orange Crush (6 pm)

A lot of people are talking about Rebels FC as being the early season favourites.  With Bad News Hughes in net, who could deny them?  When asked, Alex Salcedo said that Bad News = Fake News, he isn’t worried at all.

Top Dogs v Sharks (7 pm)

The Sharks are the other undefeated team and they’ve scored 7 goals, including a brace by Mily Chen last week.  Flora Sexton of the Top Dogs is making her debut and has said that “it won’t be all sunshine and smiles this week Mily.”

Titans v Scorpions (7 pm)

The Titans are short players this week while the Scorpions have a full roster.  Alex Wong claims that everyone on his team is a cross-fit athlete so being short won’t bother them at all.

Legacy v Sharks (6 pm)

The Sharks will look to make it 2 in a row against Legacy FC this week.  Nico Ress has been saying the Sharks are as legitimate as the film Sharknado 6, which he considers to be a masterpiece.  That film gave Kamran of Legacy FC nightmares for weeks.  We’ll see if he’s over it come Wednesday.

Rebels v Scorpions (6 pm)

Both of these teams won last week with both Dillon and Zain scoring a brace for their respective teams.  These two teams have many similarities and this match should tell us where they both stand.

Orange Crush v Bandits (7 pm)

The OC lost their opener but ASB has brushed it off stating that it was due to the market turmoil that had been occurring . The Bandits were missing half their team last week and need a better turnout if they’re to get a better result.  Some say they may be playing possum.

Titans v Top Dogs (7 pm)

Two teams with contrasting fortunes last week will meet on Wednesday night.  In the dying minutes of both games, the Titans won while the Top Dogs lost.  This promises to be another great match to round out week 2.

The 2018/19 season begins on Wednesday evening. The league has grown has to 8 teams with 104 players – 13 of who will be champions come April.  With just under 40 new players this season, there’s a lot of uncertainty and only time will tell how the teams stack-up against each other.  Here’s some brief information on each team:

Bandits

• Captain: Seamus Lynott
• 3 former champions
• 7 new players

Legacy

• Captain: Paul Callahan
• 3 former champions
• 5 new players

Orange Crush

• Captain: Aaron St. Bernard
• 3 former champions
• 5 new players

Rebels

• Captain: Vlad Moisseykin
• 2 former champions
• 4 new players

Scorpions

• Captain: Ivan Gojmerac
• 8 former champions
• 3 new players

Sharks

• Captain: Theo Blanchard
• 0 former champions
• 6 new players

Titans

• Captain: Alex Wong
• 2 former champions
• 3 new players

Top Dogs

• Captain: Andrew Winnett
• 1 former champion
• 5 new players

Who will establish themselves as the early favourites?  In the lone preseason match, it was Top Dogs and Scorpions who looked the most fit.  However, conventional wisdom says that the truly big teams don’t take friendlies seriously – they only show up when it matters.

See everyone on Wednesday!

It was a hot and humid evening inside the Hangar when the two teams lined up for the championship match.  After a ceremonial photo with the trophy, the game kicked off.

The intensity level was high from the get-go and neither team was giving an inch to the other.  The first goal came through Seamus Lynott who shot a left footer low to the corner of the net.  Lightning carried that 1-0 lead into the second half.  The fans were wondering how Direwolves would react to being down 1-0 and they answered in fine fashion.  Within five minutes they were level after Ozan Durukan slotted home the tying goal.

It wasn’t too long after the tying goal that Lightning re-took the lead.  A cross was played into the area where Aaron St. Bernard connected with a ducking header that hit the bottom of the crossbar and went in.  It would’ve been a fine championship winning goal had Direwolves not had other plans.  Alex Wong was covering every inch of the pitch and a mazy run resulted in another goal, it was now 2-2.  Nobody wants to see a championship decided on penalties, neither the players nor the fans.  In the dying minutes of the game, Seamus found some space on the flank and put in a cross to Dillon Suresh who rose above everyone else on the field to power home a header.  Lightning Strike FC are the 2017/18 Teachers’ Indoor Soccer League champions!

Lightning and Direwolves were the two best teams this season.  The final lived up to the hype and it was a joy to watch from the sidelines.  Thank you to both teams.

Thank you to all the players in the league for a great season.  Thank you to all the captains for their dedication to making this league so successful.  Have a great summer and see you all in the Fall!