We’ve cultivated a friendly-competitive culture in the league.  It’s good to be competitive as long as it’s clean.  Some players are naturally physical and they should tone it down a notch.  This is not a win-at-all-costs league where we don’t know each other.  We want to make friends not foes.

There are also rules around equipment.  Shin guards are required and the referee may forbid a player from taking the field without them.  The type of shoe is optional, but it cannot be an outdoor cleat.  Indoor shoes (cleated/flat) or running shoes are the acceptable footwear options.

 

The 2017/18 season officially kicks off in less than a month!  Everyone is eager to know what team they’re on, who their teammates are and who their opponents are.  Click on a team name to the right and see where you’ve landed.

It’s likely that everyone will look at their own team and think to themselves “We’ve got this, we’re going to be champions”.  Everyone has a dream until they get scored on.

Good luck to all the teams and players this season!

The TCL Championship will be decided this Wednesday night when the Spartans take on Cobra Kai.

Heading into the playoffs,the Spartans were considered a dark horse team.  Their inconsistency made people doubt their chances, but the fear of facing them at full strength was under the surface.  Cobra Kai on the other hand, were considered an also-ran.  Nobody expected them to make a run for the title.

Cobra Kai won all 4 matches between these 2 teams by a combined score of 14-5.  Despite these results, the Spartans finished 3 points ahead in the regular season.  Offensively, the teams were evenly matched having scored 51 and 50 goals respectively.  Ronalduy was his teams leading goalscorer and JJ also cracked the top 10.  For Cobra Kai, it was only Hadi in the top 10.  There was a big difference defensively though, as the Spartans only conceded 48 to Cobra’s 60.  However it should be noted that a quarter of the goals conceded by Spartans came at the hands of Cobra Kai.  These two teams kicked off the season against each other and will now finish it that way.  If the final is anything like that first game, we can expect a high-tempo, high-quality final.

So who will win?  We asked people for their predictions:

• Alex Wong: Spartans are just too strong for Cobra Kai.  3-1 Spartans.
• Ash Connor: With both teams showing such determination, it’s guaranteed to be a tight game.  I’m predicting a narrow victory for Cobra Kai.  The Spartans are likely to push them into extra time but Kai will clinch it.
• Brad Leufkens: It’s a tough match to call, but the loss of Nico Ress may be too much to overcome for the Spartans.  Cobra Kai to win it in penalties.
• Brian Lyons: I’ve got Cobra Kai 1-0.
• Dan Newman: It’s difficult to predict the game.  Both teams are very strong.  I think Cobra Kai is better tactically but Spartans are better physically.  Cobra Kai to win on PK’s.
• Fernando Ayala: I think Ivan is the Alex Ferguson of his era, he coaches his teams to championships every year.  On the other hand, Duy and JJ are thirsty for a TCL championship.  It’s a classic battle of one teams ability to keep their formation versus another teams individual players.  Soccer is a team sport so I have Cobra Kai winning 3-2.
• John Altinian: The Spartans are good and I think they’ll win 1-0.
• Natasha Trabulsey: I see JJ scoring a goal but Cobra Kai’s passing game will get them the win.  2-1 Cobra Kai.
• Paul Callahan: My money’s on the Spartans.  Granted Cobra Kai have made a solid run, but I just think the clock is about to strike midnight on their Cinderella story.  Captain Duy is the league’s all-time leading scorer for a reason and I think he’s more motivated than ever to add a championship trophy to go with his Golden Boot.  Unlike finals of the past, I think this match will be decided in regulation time.  Spartans 3-2.
• Theo Blanchard: The championship match is sure to be a great one.  These two teams are completely different.  Cobra Kai is technically sound and well organized, focusing on possession.  The Spartans on the other hand are an explosive team that can dominate with their size and talent.  it’s finesse vs brute force.  I predict that Cobra Kai will be able to weather the Spartan storm and Ivan walks away with a third championship…unfortunately.
• Victor Cristiano: I’ve got Cobra Kai 4-2

It looks like people think that Cobra Kai will lift the trophy on Wednesday night.  Whoever lifts the trophy might need extra time to do it.  This will be the first season in which a 10 minute extra time period will be played, if there is no winner in regulation.  The extra time period will not be golden goal.  If the teams are still tied, it’s penalty shots.  The last 2 champions have been decided on penalties, hopefully this season is different!

The semi-finals host 2 exciting match-ups that you shouldn’t miss.  The games will be played back-to-back so all teams can scout out potential opponents for the finals!

D-Mentors (2) vs Cobra Kai (6)

• Season Series – D-Mentors with 4 wins, 1 loss.  19 goals scored with 10 conceded
• Offense – D-Mentors 6th, Cobra Kai 4th
• Defense – D-Mentors 1st, Cobra Kai 4th

The D-Mentors finished second place in the regular season but they squeaked into the semi-finals on a wildcard spot.  They’re still favourites heading in as they won 4 of 5 against Cobra Kai this season, including the double in the last 2 weeks of the season.  Some say they already have 1 foot in the finals.  To prepare for Cobra Kai, Christy and Burinski purportedly rented a mule on the weekend and beat it senseless.  Cobra Kai, known lovers of all animals did not take kindly to this.

Spartans (4) vs Clubber Lang (5)

• Season Series – Spartans won all 4 matches, 17 goals scored with 8 conceded
• Offense – Teams tied for 2nd
• Defense – Spartans 3rd, Clubber Lang 6th

The Spartans tamed the Renegades in the quarter-finals, albeit in unspectacular fashion.  Considering that Renegades could barely field a squad, the pundits picked Spartans to win with ease.  The important thing is that they won and now it’s Clubber Lang who stands in their way of realizing their life-long dreams of being TCL champions.  Clubber Lang boast arguably the best 3-prong attack in the league in Newman-Wong-Winnett.  That attack will need to be firing on all cylinders to sink the Spartans.

The playoffs are here!  On Wednesday night the quarter-finals will be played and 4 teams will move on.

Barons (1) vs Cobra Kai (6)

• Season Series – Barons with 3 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses.  10 goals scored, 5 conceded.
• Offense – Barons 1st, Cobra Kai 4th
• Defense – Barons 2nd, Cobra Kai 4th

The Barons enter the playoffs as heavy favourites to win the championship.  Their regular season record was the best ever in the history of the TCL.  They face Cobra Kai in the quarter-finals, a team that they did not lose to in 4 matches this season.  Cobra Kai know they have to play a perfect game to beat the Barons.  It seems nobody is giving the Blues any chance in this match.  Some have even said the Leafs stand a better chance of winning the Cup than Cobra Kai does of getting to the semis.  Oh the hurtful things people say.

 

D-Mentors (2) vs Clubber Lang (5)

• Season Series – D-Mentors with 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss.  9 goals scored, 5 conceded.
• Offense – D-Mentors 6th, Clubber Lang 2nd
• Defense – D-Mentors 1st, Clubber Lang 6th

Some say it’s defense that wins championships.  The miserly defense of the D-Mentors will put that theory to the test against high-fying Clubber Lang.  Dan Newman was asked about the game and he said “yeah defense wins championships, we all love cliche’s but Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich would all tell you that a strong offense is what it takes.”  Not to be outdone, the D-Mentors have plenty of scoring threat themselves and Clubber Lang needs to be weary of quick counter-attacks.

 

Renegades (3) vs Spartans (4)

• Season Series – Renegades with 3 wins and 2 losses.  9 goals scored, 12 conceded.
• Offense – Renegades 4th, Spartans 2nd
• Defense – Renegades 5th, Spartans 3rd

These 2 teams are both well-rounded and this might just be the game of the quarter-finals.  WIth the exception of the first game of the season where Renegades were seriously depleted, all games were tightly fought.  Ronalduy feels this is the year for his team. “I’ve had good teams in past seasons, but I think this one is the best.  I’m expecting a high scoring game.”  Theo and his Renegades have had their challenges with attendance this year.  It was hard for them to get any real consistency in play, but they do have the players.  “I like the Spartans but nothing will stop us from a semi-final berth.”

As we told you back in January, the 3 winners will be joined by a wild card team.  Read here to see how the wild card spot will be determined.

Good luck to all 6 teams on Wednesday night!

Week 20 solidified the top two spots on the league table with the Barons and D-Mentors clinching first and second respectively.

We’re headed to the playoffs together, but still its farewell. The last week of the regular season will have important playoff implications. A much anticipated Clubber Lang and Renegades re-match will potentially yield a 3^rd place finisher with victory from either squad, while a draw could open the door for Spartans or Cobra to leap frog with a win. The Barons vs Spartans is also very interesting as the Spartans are still jockeying for position and could finish anywhere between 3^rd and 6^th. A win against the Baron’s will help their cause, but they will still need some luck on their side to finish as high as 3rd.  In the Primetime matchup, despite the D-mentors having clinched 2^nd, you know that they will be looking to tame the fierce Cobra Kai who are playing to avoid finishing in the basement and schedule a first round playoff matchup against Barons.

While we wait for the dust to settle, stay tuned for more information on the upcoming playoffs

Week 19 gave us no answers as 5 teams continue to fight for spots 2 through 6.  The last 2 weeks of the season see back to back matches.

The D-Mentors and Cobra Kai both won last night and sit in second and fifth place respectively.  Christy G raised his game when his team most needed it and scored a natural hat-trick against Clubber Lang.  Heading into the final two weeks, the D-Mentors’ destiny is in their own hands.  Two wins will be enough for second place regardless of the other results.  For Cobra Kai to get second, they need to win both matches and get some help in the other games.  They’ll be without captain Ivan, who was the target of a vicious tackle by opposing captain Theo.  He hopes to be back in time for the quarter-finals.

The Barons could face Spartans for three weeks in a row.  Should they beat Spartans both times, it’s likely that Duy’s team would finish in last place thereby guaranteeing a quarter-final match up against Barons.  Rumour has it that the Barons want to avoid the Spartans in the playoffs.  If they lose their last two games against them, this feat can be accomplished.  Having spoken to their players after last night’s loss, they made it clear that they lay down for nobody.  The Spartans likely need two wins if they want to finish in second place.

Clubber Lang currently sit at the bottom of the table after Christy put on a clinic against them.  They’re unlikely to climb to second place or even third, but fourth is definitely within reach.  They’ve been quite open about their desire to face Cobra Kai in the quarter-finals.  Be careful what you wish for.  The Renegades were in second place prior to last night’s matches and their goal is to get back there next week.  They haven’t played Clubber Lang since January when they won a tight game 3-2.

Good luck to all the teams in the final 2 weeks of the regular season!

With 4 games to go the Barons have already clinched first place in the league.  They still have something to place for though, as they’ve set their sights on the league record for most points in a season.  Currently it’s Bayern Munich of 2014/15 who hold that honour, having recorded 41 points in 23 matches.  With 38 points in 17 matches, the Barons need 4 points from their last 3 games to set a new record.  First up for them is Cobra Kai, who they played to a 1-1 draw last week.

The D-Mentors need to beat the Renegades if they want to stay in the battle for second place.  The teams played each other two weeks ago with the Renegades coming out 3-2 winners.  It’s always difficult to predict outcomes when these teams are involved as attendance is erratic and has such a large impact on performance.  The rest of the league will be pulling for the D-Mentors so that Renegades don’t pull away from the pack.

Clubber Lang has enjoyed a much better second half of the season, the Spartans not so much.  Duy’s teams have never finished in the bottom half of the table but can they make a run at this point?  They’re 4 points adrift of third place so it’s definitely achievable.  Clubber will have none of that though, they’re aiming for second place.

Between Julio’s thuggery and Murat’s robbery, Clubber Lang got the best of Cobra Kai last week.  With no keeper and a short bench, things won’t be any easier this week for the Blues.  They still however enter the match as heavy favourites.

The Spartans and D-Mentors were equally dissatisfied with their 2-2 draw last week. After needing loans for 2 consecutive matches, Spartans can’t convince anyone to stay away and they expect a full team.  D-Mentors are waiting to explode and if they don’t, they just might implode instead.

Renegades know they can beat Barons, they just know it.  Theo stated that if they had only scored 5 goals last week, they’d have won.  It’s hard to argue with that logic.

Many people have asked about week 14 and why it’s the same as week 15.  The schedule is generated randomly and if you were to ask Leonard Mlodinow, he’d tell you this is an example of how randomness rules our lives.

Rivalries are sure to form over the next 2 weeks.  Cobra Kai and Clubber Lang expected to be rivals for the title of “Best 80’s name” but true competition never really developed because Cobra Kai were the clear winners.  On the field it’s been a different story though, as Clubber Lang won both times these teams met, albeit in less than impressive fashion.  Cobra Kai needs to hold the midfield to prevent the Clubber offense from having their way.  That’s a big ask and we’ll see if they’re up to the task.

The Spartans will look to climb out of the basement at the expense of the D-Mentors.  Markos warned us that JJ and J are a formidable duo but Prem responded by saying “I have 2 back pockets, 1 for each of them.”  The gauntlet has been laid down.  The D-Mentors haven’t been getting the bounces lately and if half of the posts they hit went in the net, they’d have a few more wins under the belt.

Barons will be looking to pull away from the pack with a double over the Renegades.  They have a great system and have been in first place since the season began.  Seamus is as gleeful as a schoolboy whenever he scores and Renegades can’t let him go to town on them.  They’ve got the team not only to stop Barons, but take the game to them.  It’s expected that all of their players have recovered from the Cobra Flu of last week so stand back, the Renegades are coming!