Match day 14 was dubbed to be the game that will form rivalries as the same teams would be playing each other again on match day 15, and it really did not disappoint when it came to Cobra Kai and Clubber Lang. Ivan stated in the match preview that Clubber Lang were not really impressive in their pair of wins against Cobra Kai earlier in the season. This comment most likely angered Clubber Lang as they were 1 up within seconds after kickoff. A sloppy back pass from Cobra’s kickoff gave Clubber Lang the chance to pounce as Markos fed a sly through pass to Alex Wong whose fierce shot was too much for the keeper to handle. After opening the scoring, Clubber Lang continued to press hard with quick passes around Cobra’s defense that left most of the Cobra’s players breathless. However, that didn’t seem to bother Cobra Kai much as they always seem to have enough players to sub on as a new line, just like the hand-football. Clubber Lang’s were finally rewarded for their efforts when Andrew Winnett was able to score off a rebound and some indecisiveness by Cobra’s players. Clubber Lang became over confident in their plays and was caught out by Cobra’s Leon Perelman who pulled one back to go into the break with only a one goal deficit. Half time: Cobra Kai 1 : 2 Clubber Lang.

Second half began with controversy as Cobra Kai, who won the coin toss at the start of the game, once again kicked off from the center line. Many Clubber Lang players noticed this mistake, but kept quiet as well…. Ivan pays the refs. This minor setback was quickly swept from Clubber Lang player’s minds as they restored their 2 goal lead shortly after the restart. Both teams began to tire out as spaces opened up all across the pitch. Cobra Kai came close to scoring on a few occasions, but couldn’t get past the combo of Murat and the goal posts. Clubber Lang was able to score another midway through second half, and the rest of the game was just pure game management for them. Full time Cobra Kai 1 : 4 Clubber Lang.

After the game Clubber Lang captain Alex was overheard warning the team that Cobra Kai will most likely try to come flying out of the gate next week when the teams faces each other again. Luckily for Clubber Lang, they should be able to welcome back striker Dan Newman for that game. Will Cobra Kai finally taste victory against their 80’s rival? Or will Clubber Lang have a clean sweep of the Cobras in regular season?

~Markos

The primetime matchup featured the Renegades versus Barons. Like every matchup between these two squads, there would be no shortage of controversy. Before the game, Barons took the field quickly noticing that their superstar striker Seamus was absent. The finger pointing began “I thought you had him?”, “I’m not the team bus!”, Frank replied. It was finally determined that Renegades d-man Tim Zhang had ‘graciously’ offered him lift.  It’s unclear if this was a planned kamikaze or what, but seconds before the whistle both players came running to the field. Game on! (FYI Andrew Winnett was the loan player on notice for Renegades, needless to say he appeared ready, Barons may have dodged a bullet here)

The game began with some early back and forth momentum. The Renegades three headed dragon of Neil Carey, Teddy Blanchard and Fernando Ayala were determined to strike first blood. Brad Hughes had to make some unbelievable stops early keeping the game at nil-nil. Then, in about the 5^th minute, Barons with the corner kick into the Renegades box. You can replace the soccer pitch with a pinball machine, but the last deflection was off Renegades back Alexis Yearwood. Some say she was just jones’ for a goal! But definitely not her fault. 1-0 for the Barons goal credited to rookie Zach Siewart. The second goal had no shortage of controversy either when Seamus drove to the net from the right side taking a quick low short. Mutlu made the initial stop, but the ball seemed to trickle out, Seamus would finish the goal but not without accidently stepping on the keepers hand. Ref would call it goal, but the fans were outraged!  The half-time whistle blew.

In the 2^nd  half, the battle continued, this time with Frank and Fernando mixing it up. I think this storyline had been brewing on the Mezz since Monday, because both players were relentless. Fernando, who was awarded a free kick, shrugged it off and kept his eyes on the prize. Half-way through the 2^nd, the ref blew the whistle, but Seamus proceeded to blast a shot on net. The ref had seen enough, a yellow card was presented with a 2 minute penalty attached. Renegades would capitalize with the man-advantage, coming up the right wing shooting, Brad would make the initial save but the ball rebounded to Teddy who put home the goal. Barons would add a few more to seal the deal. 5-1 final score. Tune in next week as these two squads face off again for the grudge match!

~Paul

The match between Spartans and D-Mentors finished 2-2.  Duy and NIco scored for the Spartans while John Burinski netted a brace for D-Mentors.