SUMMIT SOCCER COMPLEX, A NEW NORTON HOME?

The Wolstein Sports & Entertainment Group Llc is well underway planning the Summit Soccer Complex in Macedonia. All that is missing now is the green light from county and state in order to get the development started. The complex will cost an approximate $ million dollars and have an economic impact worth $11 billion. The complex will have a 20.000 seat stadium (10.000 more can be added at a later time), a shopping centre, meeting facilities, offices and also a medical facility. Outside of the main stadium there will be 25 lighted fields, two ice hockey rinks and more. The place will create over 1.800 new jobs when the complex opens and 1.600 construction workers will be busy for a few years building the stadium. the most important thing is that the stadium will enable Akron to form a Major League Soccer team in 2009, if built.

Whether Norton Soccer will want to use this stadium as their new home field is very much up to the players and they are so far sticking to the Norton High field off of Clevel.Mass.Rd. Statements from players say that they love their recent field so much they are unlikely to change fields unless The county agrees to let Norton Soccer rent, for free, a 4000 square feet location within the shopping centre where the club can sell its supporter merchandise and run a Sports Bar where their supporters can watch their Sunday morning games on big screens from 12.00pm until 2.30am every day. One player also said he would NOT vote to change home fields unless the proposed bar had some serious imported beer. So in short it is still very much up in the air.

Read more about the Stadium complex:
http://www.neoprosoccer.com/learn_more.html

Or at the Beacon:
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/

SCOTT CORNELL ENDS SEASON WITH THE MVP AWARD

Scott Cornell snaps up the Most Valuable Player in his first season at Norton.

The award goes to the person who we see deserves it through the overall performance level both when it comes to field play and appearances. And Scott Cornell missed just two games during his first two sessions at Norton. And with a series of great performances such as the one against Copley Kickers and crooked River, there was no doubt where the award would end up at the end of the season. Scott has been amazing throughout the year and even though he never drinks beer he keeps coming back with astonishing performances every week. He totally deserves the award and lets hope the award will make him come back next year with the same level of play.

Scott searched and searched for his first goal at Norton in every single game. He got close plenty of times but the shots were either saved or went just inches outside of the posts.
-When he comes home to his wife with a award like this he is bound to score, someone said in the parking lot by the field yesterday.

Next year Scott, you will get your goal! Enjoy your well deserved MVP Award.

MIKE GOEBL SNAPS UP TOP SCORER TROPHY

Top Scorer Award ends up in Mike Goebl's hands.

The Top Scorer Award is handed to the player scoring the most goal through the Spring and fall Season of the year. The 2006 winner turned out to be Mike Goebl after Vidar Nilsen have snapped the honor for the last four years.

In 2006 Mike Goebl scored an amazing 28 goals in 19 games. That is on an average 1.47 goals per game. It is amazing that Norton can have two big scorers like Mike Goebl and Vidar Nilsen (Vidar Nilsen had an average of 1.45 goals per game).

Mike Goebl debuted for Norton against Oneida Rebels fall of 2005. In the game he scored his first goal for the club. he followed up in the next game against Green Beans where he bagged his first hattrick. After that the goals have simply been pouring in like pearls on a string and he has impressed everyone with his 41 goals since he was discovered at John Stavros' soccer store down in the Valley begging for a spot on the team. No doubt a great pick up for Norton.

Congrats on a great season Mike!

SEASON FINALE

The Last game of the year ends with Norton thrashing Alpha Phi Alpha with a whopping six goals to one.

The game started evenly and the Asian players at Alpha Phi Alpha held the Norton team off well. Even so, Norton would go up a goal as Kevin Kraft rips one from 25 yards forcing the Alpha goalie to leave a rebound that was perfectly snapped up and executed by Dominic about 20 minutes into the game. Just two minutes later Alpha Phi Alpha evens the score after a defensive blunder by Norton. The half ends with that very score and with Vidar Nilsen having to leave the game with his hamstring problem. _ The hamstring is getting better, but I expect to be out of the game for at least two or three weeks more, meaning there will be a few indoor games that I will be missing, he said.

(left)Kevin Kraft takes on a horde of Alpha Phi Alpha players.

In the second half the Asian boys would be taught a soccer lesson they late will forget and as Mike Goebl is in the mood there's nothing anyone can do about getting spanked. Within the next twenty minutes Goebl will score four times for the Flying Hellfish, one from the penalty spot, and secure his status as this years top scorer. Dominic would finish his season with another goal leaving the Norton lads winning the game 6-1. Again a Alpha Phi Alpha player would see the red card after some foul language directed at the referee who in fact did a very good job out there on the muddy field this Sunday morning.

The Norton record ended with 8 straight wins for the lads. That will make the record 8-1-1 and Norton have performed way above expectations. Coming into this season we at the Norton Web said we were looking at a 500 season at the most. The goal difference for the session ended at 44-13.

The full year record ended at 16-3-1 with a 92-32 goal difference. Out of those 92 goals scored Mike Goeble and Vidar Nilsen have scored 49, over half. The 43 goals remaining was scored by ten other Norton players, lead by Kevin Kraft as the third biggest scorer with 8 nettings.

- The team has done a fantastic job out on the field, but there's something else with this team that makes it great, and that is the group of people we have here, says Vidar Nilsen, who ended his season with scoring 21 goals in 15 games, three of which he only played a few minutes due to injury. - The lads on this team never complain within the team and that is something we take pride in. We see opponents basically every Sunday argue amongst themselves. That kind of arguing will bring a negative atmosphere to any team and that will be reflected on their record. Here we never see that happen. We play and we smile, we win and we smile some more, he says.

And next year we will surely be seeing these smiles out on the field again and then we will see if they can outdo this years record.

In the meantime we shall see how they do indoors.

It has been great playing with you all this season. I have had a blast and I hope you have as well. next year every team will want to take our scalp. It will probably just get tougher, but with a group of guys like we have now, we won't fear nobody!

                                                         Vidar

NORTON BEAT THE F.O.G.S

Last Sunday's game ended with a 2-0 win for the Norton Over 30 A team.

 INDOOR KICKS OFF

You will now for the first time on Norton Web be able to follow the Norton SS indoor team REAL UNITED. They kick off their first game on Thursday 26th against Copley at 8pm. The team will be without Kevin Kraft (Groin injury) and Vidar Nilsen (Hamstring). Steven Benedetti will be out for the entire first session due to an ankle surgery. We will come back with a short match report on Friday. You will also find a link to the Real United schedule page in the red bar on the left from Friday night.

If you want to cheer your favorite club, feel free to drop in on match nights (Thursdays) at Springside Soccer, 215 Springside drive. Be sure to wear your red Norton replica shirts and scarf. If you are bringing your big Norton flags and banners you should ask Springside first. Tickets are expected to go fast as they are FREE!

VIDAR HALF AN INCH FROM WINNING $30.000

Vidar took care of the half time entertainment as Zips beat Michigan 1-0.

Wednesday all of the sudden got hairy for Vidar and 800 spectators at the Akron Zips vs. Michigan game. Vidar was picked to play for $30.000 during the half time break. It was a five shot skill shot challenge where Vidar would have to kick the ball into the goal from five spots on the 18 yard line. One from the center of the box and the last four from each corner of the box. The first three shots didn't cause Vidar any trouble but the last two would have to be bended into the goal from the deadline corners of the box. When Vidar makes the first deadline shot the crowd goes wild with excitement. Vidar then shots his last deadline shot with his left foot trying to bend it in... missing. Seeing the ball fly past the goal and outside, he also sees 30.000 dollars evaporate in thin air.

But Vidar didn't leave the field empty handed. He receives a Adidas bag of Akron Zips soccer goodies. In a statement after the game he said that it was no big deal.
-The crowd was probably more nervous than I was. For me it wasn't about the money but all about putting on a good show for everyone, he said. -Heck, it wasn't 30.000 dollars but that Zips blanket in that bag was mighty comfy.

NORTON WINNING STREAK IN GOOD HEALTH BUT PLAYERS ARE NOT

Norton teaches Magic 12 how to play with half a team and wins their sixth straight.

Norton went into last weekend's game knowing they would be missing a whole range of players. But apparently playing with players missing doesn't matter to the boys in red. But this game was costly for Norton as Vidar and Brent pick up injuries that means the season is over. Brent is for sure out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury and Vidar might miss the rest of the season with a hamstring problem.

The game turned out to be a tight one and Magic 12 probably deserved coming out of the game with at least a draw. But Norton won't do anyone any favors and win the game 3-1 after two goals scored by Chris and a forced own goal. His first, a scorching low shot from 19 yards, left Magic 12 players picking up their jaws from the ground in envy. With half the team gone on vacations and due to injuries, Norton had to play with players that were at 50%. With goalie John missing, Scott "The Tiger" Adams had to put his gloves on. At 3-0 the tiger decides he'd save the penalty given to Magic 12 early in the second half. Stretching his entire five feet 9 inches or so, he does just that. The penalty, taken by Magic 12's scoring machine Curtis Hoffman, was neatly saved and held by Adams. Magic 12 would however get on the scroesheet just a few minutes later.
The injuries hit Norton with Vidar and Brent having to go off, and Norton play with 10 players for the large part of the half. But Norton didn't let Magic 12 get any closer and they recorded their sixth straight win for the season. They are now 6-1-1 and aiming to extend that record to seven wins this coming Sunday as they take on FOGS at home in Norton.

SERBS HANDED A 7 GOAL RUMP

The Mass scoring for the Norton Over 30 A team continues as New Era is beaten 7-2

This Sunday Norton played the Serbian team New Era at Oakleaf Park (Loyal Oak). The field change came after NOASA made an expected mistake and scheduled both the Over 30 A and B team home at Norton High. But the field change did not cause Norton any trouble against one of the better teams in the division.

Mike Goeble (left) and Kevin Kraft (Right) was both instrumental in this Sunday's win. Goeble with four goals and kraft with firm control in the midfield.

The opponents played Norton Hard and it was obvious this was a team that had some serious skill. They showed a well handled passing game and their players including "El Nino" did well until the Norton efficiency took a firm hold of the game. Taking the game out of New Era's hands by mixing in some long breakdown passes Norton found the recipe for success this Sunday Morning. After a four goal scoring spree by Michael Goebl (one can only wonder how he does it), it seemed like this game was a sure winner ever so early in the first half. Then Goebl turned from scorer to provider and handed Vidar a perfect pass only in need of a slight tap in. All goals coming from lightning fast breakdowns through the New Era defense.   5-0 after the first half and the game was basically over.

Coming in to the second half things started with an early penalty kick for New Era. Not exactly what they were hoping for, but Norton wrote it in as one of the unfortunate events of the season. Vidar Nilsen however with his prolific goal scoring tendencies, wouldn't have any of that and fired a long shot from 45 yards leaving the New Era goalie wonder why he ever got into soccer in the first place. The ball dipped perfectly over the goalie and into the goal.

Vidar fires something that just might go in as the goal of the year. A 45 yard scorcher, leaving the New Era goalie and everybody else in the Norton area smelling something burnt.

After a few more minutes New Era scores again, but the Norton lads didn't let that bother them. It was now Chris' turn to turn up the heat and cause New Era pain and utter suffering. He completes a perfect day for Norton by dribbling off a couple of Era players after an inch perfect pass served by Kevin Kraft. He pulls the New Era goalie out wide before he luxuriously lobs the ball over him securing a 7 to 2 scoreline for the day. After this Norton went on and mixed things up. Mike Goebl took his place in goal, as he has done now for the last few games at the end. He also made one of his signature "great saves". For thos who don't know how those saves look, check out the picture below.

Mike Goebl turns into goalie with 15 minutes left of the game. To the right seen making one of his signature saves. Everyone else calls it sitting on the ball... buuut, we might be wrong.

The game leaves Norton with a five match winning streak.

Rumors has it that next weekend's opponent Magic 12 thrashed Manchester 9-1 this weekend and that they are on a roll, and very eager to cause Norton their second loss of the season. Norton however, who will miss their solid central defender, Scott Cornell, due to vacation next weekend will not be intimidated by anyone at this point. No matter how good Magic 12 are, the Norton boys feel that if they play their best game, even Magic 12 might be in for a surprise.

Left: Brent being manhandled by a disgruntled new Era player late in the second half.

MORE PICTURES FROM NORTON vs. NEW ERA IN THE PHOTO SECTION

On a note, Magic 12 and Norton have been playing together indoor for the last couple of years under the name Real United. There are 4 players signed up with Real United this year from Magic 12 and the rest are Norton players. Their indoor season starts at the end of October. This web will follow Real United through both sessions this year. So if you want to see some Norton and Magic 12 collaboration this winter come down to Springside Soccer and watch them play on Thursday nights. 

SUPPORTER OF THE MONTH!

This months supporter vas voted on today by our supporter of the month jury and the winner is.....

KEEGAN!!!

SHORTHANDED WIN MAKES FOUR IN A ROW!

SHORTHANDED NORTON STRAIGHTENS OUT UNBEATEN CROOKED RIVER TO KEEP WINNING STREAK ALIVE!

On a sunny day down at the Cascade Valley field, Norton could only manage to field 10 players. Due to funerals, baptisms and several injuries, Norton showed up shorthanded for today's game. A reshuffle saw Arif back in goal. Brent, Jeff, and Scott anchored the D. Dominic, Ernie, Fathi, Mike, and John filled out the midfield, with Chris playing up front as a lone striker. Against the unbeaten Crooked River team with a full 11 players, the task looked daunting. There is an old saying that the best defense is a good offense, and Norton took a page out of that playbook. Instead of packing in the defense, Norton came out firing and took the game to Crooked River early on.
In the 10th minute, Chris got free down the left and whipped in a cross that John slotted home for a 1-0 lead (it must have been the yellow shorts)!! It was a quality finish from a guy who normally plays goalie.
Just 5 minutes later, Dominic won the ball in midfield, cut inside, and ripped in a shot from the top of the box. 2-0 and Crooked River was stunned!! The defense was solid in back, with Brent, Scott, and Jeff keeping the opposition at bay. Crooked River had quite a bit of speed and skill in their midfield and attack, but Norton matched them all the way.
Fathi had to take a 10-minute breather due to a sore muscle, but Norton did not miss a beat and continued to press. Arif saved several shots, including a punch out on a corner kick when a Crooked River player flattened him right in front of the ref. Norton continued to counterattack and play solid in the midfield to take maintain their 2-0 advantage at halftime.

To start the second half, Norton’s midfield continued to battle it out and still case problems against a nervy opposition defense. In the 70th minute, Brent made a great run up the right and won a corner. On the ensuing corner, Brent sent a low cross to Mike at the top of the box. Mike took one touch away from his marker and launched a right-footed blast that landed in the left corner of the net. 3-0!!! Crooked River continued to launch attacks, but Norton managed to keep them at bay and had 3 more great chances to score late in the game. Brent had another wonderful run where he broke away only to have his legs chopped out from under him by a Crooked River defender, who was luck to escape with a yellow instead of a red. Arif made several more saves before Chris picked up a knock with 10 minutes left.
Even down to 9 players, Norton still won the midfield battle and pressured Crooked River’s defense. Scott launched a run from midfield and ran all the way into the CR box, only to be foiled by a save from the keeper. It was a solid win with from a total team effort to get the win and get the shutout.
Norton has now won 4 on the trot and will look to keep up the steak next Sunday at home against New Era. Not bad for a newly promoted team playing in Div. II for the first time. MVPs: Arif, Brent, Scott, Jeff, Dominic, Ernie, Mike, John, Fathi, and Chris.

Rumors has it that Vidar, who attended a family funeral, took advantage of every opportunity he got to sneak away for a minute and call Norton's sideline to check on the score.

NORTON 10 MANCHESTER 1

Norton gives the Menace a free soccer lesson as Manchester leaves the field trashed 10-1.

Norton came in to this game with a two game winning streak after a rather poor opening of the season. But what didn't happen in the first two games that ended in a tie and a loss for the lads surely didn't happen today.

Left: Dominic shows Manchester players how to keep control of the ball. Right: Fathi did the same thing.

Norton went out with tremendous speed and were up two goals to nothing before the Manchester team heard the whistle blow at the start of the game. Both goals by Kevin Kraft, picking up the pieces from two outstanding Norton attacks. After that it was one way street soccer for the rest of the game. It was only a matter of how many goals they would score in this game. First half ended 4-0 after additional goals by Vidar and Mike. Vidar with a fast break alone with the goalie put the ball in the net and Mike with a cleanup after a Manchester goalie fumble. Second half would earn the Norton lads six more goals. Total dominance by the Norton team to say the least. Fast passing and perfect choices by the boys tore Manchester apart in this game.

         
Vidar scores his second a few minutes into the second half. There were two more to come and they were both beauties. One chip over the goalie and one after a gorgeous pass by Jeff Watson. One simple touch and on volley with the left into the net. The Manchester players drooled over the skills that the Norwegian showed them today (Hmm, who is writing this?).

Second half started in the same manner as the first, with total dominance for the Norton team. Fathi pulled out his running shoes and rushed down the right hand side and served Vidar an awesome pass that he simply couldn't miss putting in (finish seen in image above). Chris got his two goals with great composure and he proved to the team what a great asset he is. Vidar then got another one with a beautiful chip over the goalie and subbed out for a break. While on his break Dominic opens his Norton scoring tally with a fast break down the centre and calmly put it in. Then another one from Vidar to set the score to ten goals to one. A great team effort today, although nobody really needed to pull something out of the basement. Good game lads!

It was a good day on the field today and the Manchester team got their goal from a free kick that came off a Norton defender into their own goal. This happened as Norton mixed things up and just enjoyed the heat of the sun. All in all, and easy day at work for the boys and a 3 point addition to the record. The Norton Over 30 A team is now on a three game winning streak and we hope they will keep it when they play Crooked River next Sunday.

FIND ALL PICTURES FROM THE GAME IN THE PHOTO PAGE!

COPLEY STUNNED

Copley Kickers were stunned as Norton Over 30 mix it up and get playful.

The morning was humid and foggy, but that didn't stop the Over 30 A team from scoring another handful at Arrowhead this past Sunday.
The game started and the lads went to work quickly with a controlled game that made the Copley somewhat dizzy from the experience. Norton have never really had any luck on this field in recent seasons and that is probably one of the major inspirations for this game. The ugly trend of missing the goals by an inch and stumbles were to be put to rest once and for all.
Just seven minutes into the game Vidar opened the scoring after a lovely through ball from Kevin (or was it Don? I can't remember it went so fast). Alone with the goalie, Vidar neatly picked his spot to the left of the  Copley goalie who was coming out to shut him down. No help for the goalie and the ball ended up in the goalies bottom left corner. Half way into the first half it was Kevin's turn. Scott Cornell have been searching for his first ever Norton goal and he almost got it as his low shot from the 18 yard line was fingertipped away by the Copley goalie. The save though ended up right at the feet of Kevin Kraft who loads his cannon and fires the ball in the net almost burning w hole through it (Ok, no jokes about the fact that there already are holes in a soccer net). Ten minutes later Vidar is back at his usual stuff as he rams the ball into the lower part of the cross bar and in. Vidar now took a break and subbed out for the half. The lads go to the break with a comfortable 3-0 lead. It could have easily been more if they took all of their many chances in the half.

Second half starts on a somewhat negative note. A simple back pass and an unlucky punt from goalie John ended straight in the feet of a Copley midfielder. With the goal wide open he could not miss and it was now 3-1. But the comfortable Norton boys didn't let that get to them and they just kept on going as nothing happened. Mike Goebl who had been stumbling over his Irish Shoe laces the entire first half had now changed the knots and he was now on fire. Ten minutes into the half he receives a beautiful pass from Kevin straight through the Copley defense and without any second thoughts he fires the ball into the net. 4-1. just a few minutes later, Vidar runs down the left hand side with the ball on a break through and places a perfect pass between a Copley defender's feet and straight into the path of Mike. Sure enough, 5-1.

At this point the Norton lads decided to takle it easy on the Copley boys, so they started mixing things up a little. Vidar subbed out for ten minutes only to go back in as left full back. Mike Goebl subbed out to come in as GOALIE! Two strikers were now the last men standing. It should be said that Goebl wanted a few words on a save he had. Well, he actually sat down on the incoming ball, so we are unsure if it at all can be called a save or not.
The game ends 5-1 and another important win went in the books for the lads.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Scott Cornell.
Scott Cornell deserves a few words from this game. He was a constant wall in the defense and didn't make a single mistake throughout the game. Watching him play like this was pure joy for the other Norton players who felt very comfortable as soon as Scott was chasing the ball. he also almost got on the scorecard. Nice game Scott. CONGRATS!

Next week they play Manchester Menace who are 0 and 4 so far, but that doesn NOT mean they can take the game lightly. Norton have had serious trouble with Manchester before and we must expect a tight game.

OVER 30 BACK TO WINNING

The start of the season in second division started with both strikers, Mike and Vidar, out with injury or the ASF bacteria (Alaskan Salmon Fishing bacteria). The first game against Alpha Phi Alpha ended with a tie 2-2. But it must be mentioned that the game was called 15 minutes early after two Alpha players was red carded for fighting with the referee just as The Norton lads were having a great deal of the play. We await to see what happened to these players and how many matches they are banned for. The second game ended in a loss 2-4 against Woodridge. According to reports it was a game the Norton lads should have won with ease, but the ball just would not go in the net those 36 shots they had on goal. Just two of them went in and the rest just didn't want to.

The last game against Jackson however, played last Sunday morning, and with our strikers back in play and with the new goalie debuting, they found back to their winning ways, just like we remember them from last season. Jackson gave a good fight for the point, but the precision play performed by the Norton lads were just too much for them to handle.

Jakson's main game went through one single person and he obviously had a day off. He also gave Vidar an accidental lip job in the second half. Vidar is now a member of the Anjelina Jolie Lip Watchers Club.

Norton forced Jackson to two own goals. These were not silly own goals, they were forced by great Norton play and a fast paced precision passing that could shock most MLS teams dizzy. The other Norton goals were scored by Vidar after a fantastic tic tac paddywhack play that ended up with a perfect pass that Vidar could just tap in by new signing Chris. The final goal was scored by Dave Williams with a glorious header that burned a hole in the goal netting behind the Jackson goalie.

The team is now 1-1-1 so far in their first season in second division.

OVER 30 LANDS NEW GOALIE

Norton Over 30 have signed a new goalie after last year's goalie wonder John left due to injury. The new goalie will make his debut at Norton against Jackson this coming Sunday.

OVER 40 B ARE OFF TO A FLYER

The Over 40 B team are off to a flyer even though their first game against FC Viagra. The boners beat our guys 4 to 3 in that game, but after that game, the only team who has experienced a vast "raise" are our lads. After the first defeat they have risen to spank everyone they have met on the grass beds around the Akron area. Their next three games have ended with comfortable wins, 4-1, 7-3 and 4-1 against Crocked River Blues, Magic 12 and Crocked River Weezers respectively. Let's hope they keep their heads up and stay hard!

ONE FOR THE PENNY, TWO FOR THE SHOW...

... And Norton Over 40 says go guys go. But don't you know it... the season opener for the Over 40 team ended with a close loss to FC Viagra this Friday. Putting in a good performance however, was Berry Penny who slapped the Viagra goalie with two goals during the game. Mustapha got Norton's third. Not exactly the opening the team wanted but there are plenty of games to make it up.

Norton web is still awaiting report from the Over 40 A game against F.O.G.S.

BREAKING NEWS!!

ITALIAN SNUBS NORTON

It is now clear that Italian signing prospect, Steven Bendetti, who had done so much as go to a verbal agreement with Norton officials, have snubbed Norton and will not be signing after all. After numerous phone calls by Norton officials that ended with no replies whatsoever, the Norton officials started to worry about the lad. Thinking something might have happened to him, the Norton Officials got even more tenacious with the phone and e-mails and finally made it through to the prospected signing himself. The Norton official who spoke with Norton Web last night could confirm that the player was indeed Steven Bendetti, but he had chosen to play with a team of kids in the first division without bothering to let Norton Soccer know. - It is sad that this signing didn't come trough, but Steven have chosen to play for someone else and we must respect that. I asked why and it came clear to me that what he was saying is that division 2 is not good enough for him. But rest assure, we have other prospects in mind that are just as good and there will be some signings this summer.

ITALIAN STAR SET FOR NORTON

Norton Over 30 A are set to sign an Italian midfielder within the next few weeks. It has been confirmed by a Norton Official who is very happy with the prospects of attaching this player to the roster. No names have been released officially yet, but Norton web suggest that the player is the tenacious midfielder Steven Bendetti. Rumors spread amongst the Norton fans and shortly after they danced and sang in joy as these rumors spread and they are already singing Bendetti's name in the streets of Norton. They went so far last night they gathered up in enormous numbers and paraded up and down Cleveland Massillon Road singing and screaming in harmony with fireworks as if it was the fourth of July already.

GREEN BEANS STOPPED BY UTTER FEAR

Fear of losing 10-0 once more keeps Green Beans far away from Norton's home field.

Green Beans' representative called up Jeff Watson of Norton last night stating that they would not show up for this Sunday's game. "It's sad that some teams have to fold a game simply because they think it's going to be very hard to be competitive" said Vidar Nilsen in an interview today. "It is the last game of the season and when a team haven't been able to put up a fight in most games, players of those teams are likely to not care about playing the last game. I cannot say that this is the reason for them not showing up, there might be some other internal problems that is the problem, but if it is as I suspect it is I would say it is disrespectful towards the opponent and the other teams that want to play soccer and have paid for it. I hope I am wrong though" he said.

This leaves the Norton over 30 A team winning the game due to a "no show" and gathers all three points without breaking a sweat. Well, they didn't do that when they beat them 10-0 in the previous meeting either but still.

That leaves them with 8 wins and 2 losses now that the season is over.

The barbeques after the Sunday game is still on as far as Norton Web knows, so everyone is still welcome to show up at the Norton Home field and join in at about 11.00 am.

LIMEYS WELL BEATEN!

Norton Over 30A stops the unbeaten Limeys with a comfortable 4-2 win.

Limeys came to the Norton home field this Sunday having won each of their games this season. They were however to be well beaten by the Norton lads who was actually missing several key players.

The show started slowly as the lads didn't find the right walking tempo in the first half. And Norton did go down both one and two goals. At half time things looked kind of grim as they were down 2-0.

Second half however would prove to be a soccer lesson for the Limey's. Eager to get it on the Norton boys came out with a totally different mentality. All of the sudden the passes found their targets and the flow of the passing game was set. A quick breakdown sends Mike Goebl through for his first of the day after about 5 minutes into the half. A few minutes later midfield battery Don Harbert sends Vidar Nilsen towards the goal with a inch perfect pass. Vidar takes on his opponent and easily runs by him, with only the goalie to beat, Vidar chips the ball swiftly into the top of the net. Tie game. Mike Goebl was to get his fourth hattrick of the season. he first picks up the ball inside the Limey 18 yard box and fires it relentlessly past the Limey goalie. Then another breakaway sends him open for his third of the day. Norton wins the game comfortably 4-2 and the Limey winning streak is effectively put to an end.

Mike Goebl has been a goal scoring machine so far this year with 17 goals in nine games. Vidar follows with a similar scoring ratio with 13 in eight games. They have scored 30 of the team's total of 47 so far.

Next weekend the Norton boys take on Green Beans in the last game of the Spring Season. We urge everyone to come and watch the game and join us in the barbeque after the game. Bring the food you want to put on the barbie and a smile.

BACK INTO WINNING TRACK

After the embarrassing performance two weeks ago the lads came back to win a tight game at Green against Orange Crush. Being bounced back and forth through different fields not knowing which one to play on, the teams finally got the game started at Greensburg Park.

The game had not even started and the Norton boys managed to touch the ball once before Crush put one in behind Arif Utus in goal. Stunned by the event Norton kicked off. Just one minute later Mike Goebl snatch up the ball, breaks past three Crush players and cracks one with his left foot. the ball hits the inside of the far post and into the back of the net. playtime 1:48, score 1-1.

Now the game was tied and the heat started showing itself in the boys. Well over 90 degrees and a tight game to play. The lads would find themselves down two goals to one at the end of the first half.

It is a good thing that when regular scoring machine Vidar Nilsen can't hit the net from five yards with the net wide open, that he can rely on fellow striker partner Mike Goebl. Mike would prove to be the hero of the day. His next goal came from a fantastic play. Vidar snatch up a pass from Don in midfield, sends it out wide to fathi. Then Vidar breaks through the midfield and charges between a couple of Craush players exactly as Fathi returns the ball, Vidar is now wide open and fires a cracker with his right foot. The shot is parried by the Crush goalie in a fantastic manner but he can't hold on to it. Mike Goebleis right there to pick up the lose ball and safely deploys it into the net. Tie game.

After a second half one minute water break the lads kept playing hard and when about fifteen minutes remained Mike Goebl said enough is enough. He grabs the ball and does his thing. there's one, oh and two, three and four and fiiiive Crush players past, BAAAM(!) and the ball is smothered into the Crush net with vicious power. The ball needed pumped back up and the Norton lads wins the game 3-2.

DIVISION 2 NEXT SEASON SEEMS GRIM

Next up for a pounding is unbeaten Limeys at home in Norton. Problem is, Norton have plenty of injuries and several people out on vacation this week. "This is the time where the players that are on the roster but apparently not willing to play show up and finally show up and do what they signed up to do." said a Norton official. "We need this win if we want to move up to division 2. As much as we want to play division 2, we can't expect NOASA to just grant us a spot there because we apply for a spot there. There are 10 teams in that division already and Limey's don't want to stay in division 3 either. Limeys will most likely win the division after we embarrassed ourselves against Wadsworth and they will have the first option to advance to the second division. All we can do is apply for a spot and then it is up to NOASA to let us move up." he said in a statement earlier today overr the phone.

OVER 30 SHOCKED!

Somehow Wadsworth managed to beat the Norton Over 30 A team last week. Actually Norton managed to beat themselves with an amazing 4 own goal leaving the end result 4 goals to 5. The Norton goals was scored by Vidar with two regular standard beauties, Fathi (pk) and Dave Hall. Dave Hall's goal must however be named goal of the week as he puts it in directly from the corner arch. We don't see any reason to comment any further.

NORTON KEEPS ON ROLLING Second-half comeback demolishes the Ballbusters.

On a cold and rainy day, the Norton team took the field against the Ballbusters at Arrowhead (NO, not the stadium in Kansas City, but at Arrowhead Elementary School). All signs were looking good as Norton had a full team and 3 subs. Norton came out strong and attacked with Mike G. and Don H. up front, supported by Kevin, Fathi, Dave Hall, and Kyle. Norton dominated possession in the first half and had some good chances, but they could not find a way past the BB's keeper. Norton had the keeper and defenders scrambling on a few plays and some clearances off the line, but no dice. The BBs had 2 good chances, and they managed to get one past John, who manned the nets during the first half. Despite their effort, the lads trailed 1-0 at the half.

After a halftime pep talk, the lads decided to win it for the absent Vidar, still trying to shake of his mysterious illness with a visit to a special clinic in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Arif stepped into the net and John took his stopper position in front of Scott Cornell. Birthday boy Kevin got things going early in the second half. Kevin took a great feed from Ernie and blasted a low shot in the corner from 20 yards out-TIE GAME!!

Not wanting to be left out, Mike G. got in on the action as well. Ernie fed a pass to Kevin, who sent Mike speeding away down the left sideline.
Mike shrugged off his defender and motored into the box. His initial shot was parried by the keeper, but he collected the rebound and put it in with his left foot. Fathi then broke into the box and was tripped up by a defender. The BBs protested, but Fathi kept his cool and slotted the PK into the right corner for a 3-1 lead. Everything seemed to be under control, but the BBs quickly fought back to tie the game, getting one goal off a scramble during a corner kick. 3 minutes later, Arif went to collect a shot and had it in his hands; however the ball pulled a Houdini and suddenly disappeared from his hands-goal for the BBs: 3-3.

Norton then shifted into overdrive to put the game away in the final 15 minutes. Dave H. sent Mike G. down the left on a long throw; Mike shook off his marker and sped into the box before depositing the ball into the net with another clinical finish. Dave Williams then worked the ball down the right and laid a perfect pass onto Fathi's foot, which could only have one result-GOAL!! John himself made an outstanding defensive play to clear the ball off the line after Arif could only get a hand to a shot-it was even more impressive than V's clearance 2 weeks ago against Norton B.

For the last goal, the lads took a page out of the Brazilian Soccer Manual of Joga Bonita ["Play Beautiful"]. Mike Link (who managed to finish the game on the field--- No red card) started the buildup by winning the ball at the half line. He quickly fed Jeff Watson, who took a touch and gave the ball to Ernie in the middle. Ernie rode a challenge before sending Kevin away down the right. Kevin looked up and slid a beautiful pass between 2 defenders to Mike G. A split second before the sweeper slid in for a tackle,

Mike fired the ball past the keeper for his hat trick. It was inch-perfect passing all around. One could have sworn that they were watching Ronaldinho and the Sambas instead of the Norton FC lads. With 10 minutes left, the lads simply passed the ball around and ran out the clock. High marks to Kevin, who had a goal and 2 assists on his birthday. Kudos also go out to John, who played solid in goal during the first half and helped to smother the BBs during the second half. Unsung hero award to Don, who did not score but played solid as both a striker and midfielder, holding up the ball and making some slick passes. Norton has won 4 straight and outscored their opponents 27-5 during this streak. Wadsworth at home next week as Norton looks to extend their winning streak!!

Report by: Mike Goebl

 

OVER 30A STROLL THROUGH LOCAL DERBY

Sunday was the morning the Over 30 Men's teams faced each other. Looking at the final score the game looked tighter than it was. The A team started off with ball possession and a vast amount of blown chances. Only one clear cut goal scoring chance for the B team in the first half and that was bravely saved on the line by Vidar Nilsen who dives in and heads it away from danger. Then only a few minutes later the same hero takes advantage of a neat healed kick by Arif Utus perfectly passed to Vidar just outside the box. Vidar shoots it directly into the lower far corner. A beautiful attack by the A team. Although the A team had another handful of chances the first half score was just one to nothing. And a first half injury unfortunately stops Scott Cornell from playing the second half. The A team now had no substitutes on the sideline. George Fernandez is forced to move down to central Defense from his midfield position.

Second half started the same way but in this half the A team took advantage of their many chances. Vidar picks up a pass by Dave Williams and shoots the ball at the goal. The shot flies over a somewhat surprised B team goalie (Who by the way played an awesome game) and hits the top bar and down in front of goal. There to pick it up was Kevin Kraft who secures the ball into the net.  Just a few minutes later Dave Hall shows why he is a important player for the team machine fires off a beauty that flies into the goal with vicious power. Another flurry of chances are burned in the second half. Due to family commitments Dave Williams had to leave ten minutes into the second half. With Cornell injured and Dave on his way home the A team had to finish the game with ten men. From here on they decided to play a possession game and by doing so keeping the ball out of danger. The B team though wanted to take advantage of this and pushed on. Their hard work made them a few 50% chances but nothing that did really danger the score. Despite the B team's brave fight the A team ended up winning the game 3-0. Throughout a fair and nicely played game although one particular B team player elbows Vidar in the face and splits his lower lip in a very unsportsmanlike manner. That sort of behavior should never appear on a soccer field. Especially not when two teams from the same club is playing each other. In a comment after the game Vidar said "Well, he had to get the ball away from me somehow. If you can't do it according to the rules you break the rules and elbow people in the face. I hold no grudges. He knows what he did and he is the one that will have to live with that embarrassment".

In conclusion, The A team now has four out of five wins, they have scored 30 goals and have only 8 scored on them. The B team have scored 8 and have 11 goals against.

Next games are the A team against Ballbusters. The B team plays Limeys. the games are played on June 4.

NILSEN OUT FOR NEXT GAME

Vidar Nilsen has picked up a rare injury called TOBANK DEESFAR Syndrome (Short for The Outer Banks Deep Sea Fishing And recreational Syndrome). The injury is according to Norton Over 30 A's physio and brain surgeon Doctah Ernie Freeman, a seasonal injury that usually is linked with high levels of travel fever and urge to pull 400lbs marlin's out of water. "There's no way Vidar could have avoided this injury now. His travel fever has been off the scale and according to his wife he's been screaming "Come to Daddy u big lunker" in his sleep. So it was just a matter of time before this injury would hit him." Dr Freeman stated in an interview with the Norton Web. According to the doctor he thinks the injury will put him out of the game for a couple of weeks but he should be fit and ready when the team plays Wadsworth on June 11. "I have sent him to Rodanthe to heal up and get well for a week" he said.

ARSENAL BLOWN AWAY

Arsenal from Stow was blown away by the Norton Over 30 A lads this morning. The game saw the Norton boys down a goal early in the first half before the machinery started pumping. But after some oil they soon took over for total domination. A few minutes after going behind Fathi Hammami showed us some of his skills and dribbled three Arsenal players dizzy before he bangs the ball all the way up in the near corner. The machinery was on. The same corner would soon feel the ball again when Vidar get the ball at his feet, takes on one Gunner and launch an early bomb that sees it's way over the goalie and into the far upper cross. After that it was just a formality as to what would happen. Then the fans that showed up at the Kimpton Middle School field would be witnessing some sheer family magic as Kevin and Kyle Kraft conducts a soccer symphony amongst themselves. Kevin brings the ball down the sideline, takes out a couple Gunner defenders and then passes the ball to Kyle who was right in front of the goal at about 18 yards. Needless to say Kyle hits it ion the first and the ball flies unstoppable past the Arsenal goalie. To round up the half Vidar plays Mike Goebl free alone with the goalie and Goebl never miss those chances. The lads walk off for the first half leading 4 to 1.

Second half starts just five minutes later and Norton was not done quite yet. Meaning Mike Goebl wasn't done yet. As his wife looked on from the fully packed stands, he snatch up the ball within the Norton 18 yard box, dribbles one, two, three, four (I am about to lose count), six... wait five... six, seven and I do believe eight Arsenal players before he rounds the goalie and neatly places the ball in the net. Maradona would be red with envy after this one. Then it was time for some more family magic again. Kevin and Kyle again. Same scenario, but this time Kevin passes it from deep down the touchline, it flies over Vidar who was waiting but behind him was a goal hungry Kyle who slaps it home on the volley past the Arsenal goalie. A truly magical goal. But the magic weren't quite over yet. After Arsenal getting another goal to make it two for them, Ernie "The Doactah" wanted to take part in the fun as well. he struggles his way down the side with the ball and passes an inch perfect pass to a Vidar who just had his legs filled with gasoline. First touch was perfect and sets up Vidar's left foot at about 25 yards. Next thing we see is the ball fly through the air and find it's way to the top net. A stunning shot by a slightly surprised Vidar. He ain't even a lefty. Vidar also finished the score line after a huge punt by today's goalie John, who punts the ball all the way to Vidar's position. One touch with the heel and a couple of Gunner defenders sent to order hot dawgs on the sideline was all it took, before he put the ball safely in the net. A minute later the referee thinks Arsenal has had enough and calls the game. Final score Norton 8 Arsenal 2.

OVER 30 B TIES

The Over 30 B team played Orange Green Crush this morning taking Crush to a tie 1-1. The Norton goal was scored by Todd Ascani.

SUNDAY MAY 21 BARBIE!

After the game between Norton A and Norton B on May 21st we will have a barbie at the field if the weather allows it. For those who wants something to eat, bring your meat or hot dogs and whatever you'd like on them and join in. 

10-0!

What a Sunday morning for the Over 30 A team. The Portage Lakes Career Centre soccer field was not useable as it was marked for play for kids age 4 to 8, so the game was moved to the nearby High School. With the game a little delayed due to this move the Norton lads went out and hammered Grean Beans to bits and pieces. The final score would have been even greater had they not been nice about it. Goals poured in behind the Green Bean goalie. Ten goals they bagged with Mike and Vidar getting a hattrick each. Two goals came by the feet of Don Harbert who played his first game for the Over 30 team in a couple of years. The time away did not seem to have hurt his goal scoring skills one bit. Fathi Hammami and Kevin Kraft both added to their tally as well with one goal each. The score did not flatter the Norton team as they were dominant throughout the entire game and the possession percentage was something like 93 to 7.  This was also probably goalie Arif Utus' first shut out in the years he's been at the club. He was later seen running around dancing and screaming inside Wal Mart only wearing a Hula skirt and a coconut bra with the imprint 10 and 0. We do however think that it was a slight exaggeration by those who called in the event.

The Over men 30 B team also won their game last weekend over Wadsworth. The game ended 3-2. Good job lads!

LOSSES AT ALL ARENAS

The second week ended badly for all Norton men's teams. Men Over 30 A lost 4-5 to Limeys after having Scott Adams red carded after only five minutes. The Norton goals was scored by Mike Goebl, who bagged two goals, and Kevin Kraft and Fathi Hammami. This was a noteable day for Fathi who scored his first ever goal for Norton. Norton was up both 2-0 and 4-2 but playing Limeys with only ten men proved to be too tough in the end.

GREEK MOB ATTACKS POOR JOURNALIST

Rumors has it that earlier this week a mob of Greek soccer players showed up with bats, brass knuckles and five cases of Miller Lite, at the Norton Soccer Club house to force out an apology from a Norton Web Journalist for stating that the Norton over 40 team trashed them during the winter Indoor Season. In a statement the unnamed journalist said to his defense "Hey, we don't have a club house".

OPENING WEEKEND REVIEW

Opening weekend finally arrived and it would prove to be a wet one. With hails as big as this journalists balls crashing down  and thunder and lightning as if Ragnarok was just around the corner at 7am on Sunday morning I was sure the Sunday games would be cancelled. Thankfully Odin and his son Thor wanted the games to be held and gave us the perfect weather to play soccer in.

But it all started on Friday night with the two Over 40 teams getting their winter polished cleats dirty. The Over 40 A team played at home against Summit FC. It didn't go the way they planned when the final score had Summit FC win by 3 goals to 1. Norton took a deserved lead midways into the first half, but that would not stand for very long. About 15 minutes later Summit ties the game up. the second half would prove a test for the Norton team as Summit won every duel in the midfield and outplayed Norton at times. Such things usually leads to goals. And so it did. Summit scored twice, both coming from runs down the flanks. Vidar "the tiger" was unable to stop the two balls that passed him, but boy... did he have a save a few minutes later. That save was actually so indescribable we aren't able to give it enough credit, praise and description worthy it's actual incredibleness here on this website. the writer of this article is in loss of proper words. But so it ended, 3-1 loss in the first game was not what they planned but nor as bad as they have feared.

After the game Thom Connor, coach of the Over 40 B team, came and told us that they had lost 4-1 to Chippewa Blues Brothers. So not a happy weekend for them.

The Over 30 teams though took care of business.
Over 30 A was actually short one player throughout their game against Green Orange Crush. Injuries and Spring Break vacationing was all a part of it. As late as Saturday night the last two messages came in from players that had gotten hurt in what we like to call bathtub accidents. What we mean is that if you are to get injured, do it on the field like MEN. Joking aside... Over 30 men went out on the field with their ten players and gave it their best shot. The shock of getting back on grass forced the Norton players to take twenty minutes to get into the game. but before then Crush had already scored their goal for the day. One down the lads taught Crush a soccer lesson one rarely seen in modern world of sports. Michael Goebl down the side line, breaks towards the middle where Vidar Nilsen's toes are itching to make contact with the ball. Goebl passes an inch perfect ball to Nilsen who's 30 yards out, next thing we see is the ball fly like a red Cardinal approximately 5000 miles per hour(!) straight into the top left (for the keeper) corner. Game on!

The lads was now getting it all together. New boys Kevin Kraft, Fathi Hammami, son of Kyle "The Brick" Kraft, Scott Adams and  former Onieda Rebels full back Grant Senn made a huge impact as Norton started lesson number two. Vidar Nilsen, rushes down towards the right goalpost seeing Scott Adams in the corner of his right eye. A bit of a fumbled pass but enough to make it to where it was supposed to go, Scott touches it in towards goal and there's Kevin Kraft to tip it in. Game turned. Then it was Michael Goebl's turn to start where he finished last fall, by scoring. This guy just makes everything look so easy so whatever happened before his goal to make it 3-1 is just a distant blur. Half Time.

Second half kicked off and Norton had total control... with ten men only! Next to make an impact was Fathi Hammami who catches a nice little pass from Goebl and rush towards goal. The ball dents the cross bar and falls into Nilsen's new white Adidas Matteo cleat and that can only mean one thing. 4-1 and game over. Well, not quite yet, them new white cleats was in deep need to show off once more. A punt from goalie Arif Utus would prove to be an assist. Vidar Nilsen picks it up slightly inside Norton's half realizing he was all alone. Now here comes lesson #3...

On Earth the humans have a saying "Don't stop if you are moving fast towards your goal". The expression is a little off as while Nilsen is dribbling off five opposing players three or four times before bothering to put the ball in the net, things simply aren't moving fast forward. Things go kind of back and forth under and over between and around and all that. Not to elaborate on Nilsen's humongous repertoire of tricks and specialties, lets just round off with saying that Crush players were laying all over the field and two looked as if they went to buy a hot dog at the nearby gas station. And the ball, well that was neatly tucked in behind the Crush goalie. The rest of the Norton team just stood inside their own 18 yard box watching the spectacular event. 5-1 and NOW game over.

That game was not the only positive this weekend. The Norton Over 30 B team went ahead and thrashed Green Beans 4-1 away at Portage Lakes. We have no report from that game but the goal scorers were Todd Ascani who opened his season tally with two goals. Jack and newcomer Mike got one each. Great job lads!

DISCUSSION BOARD OPENED

This morning I set up a discussion board for the website. You can go there and discuss just about anything soccer, and of course Norton Soccer issues. Find the link to the left and join in on the chats.

SCHEDULES ARE UP!

Spring season schedules are set and up. Things to notice on the schedules are that Oakleaf Park will be used in a few games by some of the men's teams as well this year. So watch the schedule closely. Maps to the fields are available on each team's schedule page.

Also, NOASA managed to schedule a game on Sunday April 9 for the men's Over 30 teams. These games have been cancelled as the schedules were only released on Friday night and most player IDs have not yet even been made. Obviously a glitch in the NOASA system there. So, the Men Over 30 leagues start, as mentioned before, on April 23. To make up for that cancelled game we will arrange a game on July 9 for both Over 30 teams and both Over 40 teams (See the Coming Events section for details).

The Men Over 30A team will kick off on Sunday April 23 against Green Beans at Norton High. Kickoff at 9.30am.

The Men Over 30B will kick off at 9.30am on April 23 against Ballbusters at Oakleaf Park

Other things to mention is that yet again the Over 40A team will play all their home games first and finish up with all the away games last. And they also have 10 games this session instead of only 8 like last fall. They kick off against Summit FC at home at Norton High on April 21. Kickoff at 6.30pm.

The Over 40 B team will kick off the season against Chippewa at home at Oakleaf Park on April 21. Kickoff at 6.30pm.

The Women Over 30 team will start their season at home as well. Game is played at Oakleaf Park against Cleveland Tie Dye. Kickoff at 9.30 on Saturday 29. Note that the Women Over 30 league starts on Saturday 22, but our ladies does not open until the 29th.

The season is here folks, have fun and GOOD LUCK!

LIGHTNING BRIGHT PEOPLE ANSWERS THE THUNDERING QUESTION

As we enter the season of thunderstorms and yucky weather, some fans of soccer ask the question "Why are games cancelled or postponed when there's thunder and lightning in the air?". Well an official representing the referee organization took the liberty to answer the question this morning as he said "Well, when lightning strikes down and hits a player he MIGHT get hurt". Jiikes, and here we were thinking that was a given.

BIGFOOT OBSERVED ON HOME FIELD!

Neighbors of the Norton home field at Norton High called up 911 in panic and utter fear last night. The transcripts of the incoming 911 calls showed that the reason for the call storm was observations of the mythical Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, running and jumping around in a strange manner on the soccer field. They say that the creature was behaving very strangely as it at one point was jumping and dancing like a cheerleader for the Cleveland Browns. Then in the next moment it was pacing along the field very slowly while grunting something no-one could understand. As the creature looked very fearsome and wild, no-one dared to get closer than a hundred yards of it. Some even ran home screaming in fear. Bigfoot specialists have yet to comment on the observations, but Norton Web knows for a fact that a certain Norton player was scheduled to be there last night to take measurements for the marking of the field that will take place next week. The cheerleading however, well... that remains a mystery to all of us.

"THE DOCTAH" IN KNEE TWIST SCARE

Ernie Freeman, the Norton midfield terrier, stumbled out of play On Soccer  with his knee neatly tucked in bags of ice on Wednesday night. A playoff session that was already called a farce looked even more grim as he hobbled out the doors. To ease the scare for those who feared the worse, Ernie is back up and running and he will be ready for outdoor season opening on April 21, where he will be playing for the Norton Over 40 team, and then on April 23 for the Over 30 team.

Wednesday's game which was the game for third place in the playoffs was won with no subs and one player down after Freeman's injury. With several players already injured and out due to other commitments the game ended with a 8-6 win over Copley Scrapers.

SPONSORS GO GAME ON!

This seasons shirt sponsors are Urbane Wines for the Over 30A team and Nations Rent for the Over 40A team. The Over 30 team will play this year in red shirts whilst the Over 40 team will play in the traditional white. We thank our sponsors and advertisers on nortonsoccer.com for their support.

CHAMPIONS!!

Champions, from left: Dave Williams, Arif Utus, Jeff Watson, Mojie Mir-Salimi, Dave Hall. Lower row: Ernie Freeman, Fadi and Grant Senn.

The Men Over 40 team went ahead and won the entire Winter league at Springside Soccer this winter. It came as a bit of a surprise as the Serbs apparently have won the competition close to a  hundred times in a row, should we believe the rant.

Find more images from this tourney in the Photo section.

OVER 30 WINS INDOOR LEAGUE TOO!

Like the Over 40 team this Winter the Over 30 team Real United won their league session this winter. They trashed every team but two in the league, one forfeit with kids playing and a tie against the Mexicans.  They won the league, but failed in the Play-Offs.

Now, the Play-On tournament is supposed to be a serious but fun competition. However, as the competition went along several rule breaking incidents passed by as nothing ever happened. The teams pay close to $700 per sessions (there are two sessions) and those who take this a little more serious expects that rules are being kept at bay. The biggest problem is that teams apparently could sign up players the day before the Playoffs, especially the promoters team POSFC, who brought in non roster players for the playoffs. Normally this would have been a forfeit in the league stage, but apparently not in the Playoffs. With this cheating in mind the real United players could not focus on their game 100%. It all resulted with two losses and a win in the first playoff stage. And naturally they will not be able to fight for the Playoff Championship. "Well, the entire mess is a joke. Teams were told to submit their rosters early in the league stage. But why should we do so when teams can sign up ringers for the playoff games and get away with it?" asks Vidar Nilsen. "We noticed players playing for different teams and youngsters under 30 were playing as well" We were confused as to what the rules in these matters were. Nor did we get any explanations from anyone. We were left in the dark angry not knowing what was going on. Then when the playoffs came we find that teams had signed up new players especially for the playoffs. The entire playoff session was a farce. We are not making any excuses to why we lost those two games, we should have won them all, but when blatant cheating like this goes on in the most important stages of the tournament it does nothing but speak for itself. And when promoters and referees don't give a damn, it is simply laughable. What we need to figure out now is whether we play at Play-On or Springside next winter. Obviously we want to play where the promoters of the tournament makes sure it's a fair and honest tournament. We don't think we will find that at Play-On Soccer which is sad, cuz it's such a fun place. But we want seriousness and honesty from and for all." he says. "Buuut we will vote for it when the time comes to make a decision on where to play".

Look at the bright side, they won the winter league. That's something.