Eight Mile Creek Football Club NYC

Ridgewood Romac 1  EMC FC Reserves 6 

Ridgewood Romac Reserves 3  EMC FC Reserves 3

 “A great afternoon for EMC FC.”

“To say that these men paid their shillings to watch twenty-two hirelings kick a ball is merely to say that a violin is wood and catgut, that Hamlet is so much paper and ink.”

J. B. Priestley.

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A TALE OF TWO PENALTIES

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On a perfect late fall afternoon for football, at the home of the Evander Childs High School Tigers, on a Bronx street called Gun Hill Road, EMC’s 2008-2009 campaign finally exploded into life.

After a tough couple of stop-start weeks to open the season, Sunday was a day we needed to step up and start showing the sort of football we are capable of producing. I’m delighted to report we did just that. You only had to glance at the unconfined joy on the field, along the cramped sidelines, or amongst the friends and family watching from the bleachers to know what that the avalanche of late goals in the first team game meant to the fortunes of the entire squad.

Football is all about the margins - about the millimeters, inches and infinitesimal moments that can shape and change a game, the fortunes of an individual player, the course of a season, even the very future of a club. Few moments define that in a game more than a penalty kick. Just ask John Terry about the UEFA Champions League Final. 

For EMC on Sunday it was a tale of two penalties that defined our day. In the Reserves, it was a late penalty that got us our 3-3 draw and in the firsts it was a missed penalty midway through the second half that inspired the goal glut.

First Team Man of the Match - Pietro

Four goals on the day vault you to the top of the Golden Boot charts. The nerveless equalizer from the spot for the reserves was a vital goal and the late first team hat-trick even more so. I can’t really ask for more than that (until next Sunday…)

Second Team Man of the Match - Mike Nuss 
Forever etched in the club’s history books as the first player to score for EMC FC Reserves you played with great passion and spirit. On another day you could have had three or four but I’ll settle for the all important first goal. Good work.

First Team Honorable Mention - L-Rod

I really enjoyed your celebration after the equalizer. It was like you’d scored a goal in the World Cup. I thought Dirty Sanchez was going to strangle the breath out of you too. That aside, it was a second superb performance in two games.

Second Team Honorable Mention - Matty K

 It looks like we might be onto something with this central midfield thing. Solid, hard working effort alongside the team intern - something to build on.  it was good to see you on the ball so much more. Keep it up.

Reserve Team Recap

“Who the f**k is the muffin man?’ — Team Intern

When Romac scored after less than two minutes I had this awful sinking feeling it was going to be a horrible day.  But their goal just got us going and we were back in the game eleven minutes later, when Mike finished off a great through ball from the Muffin Man Mr. Michael Strelow. It was the first ever goal for EMC Reserves and it was great to see you guys celebrate on the field.

The Muffin Man himself put us ahead on 24 minutes – the first time the Reserves lead a game this season after a fine corner from Justin the team intern. The lead seemed to go to our heads a little as Romac chipped away and eventually got an equalizer just a couple of minutes from halftime.

For the first 27 minutes of the second period the score remained tied until Romac scored a third against the run of play. At that point heads could very well have dropped but as this team has shown from the first whistle of the first game we never stop trying. And it was no surprise when the Muffin Man, now bloodied, won a much-deserved penalty with 14 to go giving us a chance to get back in the game. Up stepped Pietro. Was there ever any doubt? 3-3. We had a couple of late chances that could quite easily have won the game but it was an encouraging performance and a great way to bounce back after the shellacking by Celtic.

First Team Recap

“Soccer is not about justice.  It’s a drama - and criminally wrong decisions against you are part and parcel of that.”

– Pete Davies

For the third time in three games this season we went 1-0 down in what was ultimately a relatively quiet first half based on what was to come in the second. I thought we played well enough and attacked with verve down the left hand side but overall lacked intensity against a team that was there for the beating.

We came out strong second half as Pietro set up Luis Rodriguez for his first on and that all important equalizer on 62 minutes. Six minutes later came the defining moment of the game when the ref awarded them an extremely dubious penalty. Now before the neutrals reading this think I am being my usual blinkered and biased even their players on the side didn’t think it was a spot kick. Denis did the Bruce Grobbelaar jelly legs and their striker struck the ball off the post. It was an absolutely vital let off as to go 2-1 down at that point in the game would have made it tough.

Then like all good teams who get a let off we made the most of it and absolutely destroyed Romac in the final 22 minutes. Pietro finally broke the deadlock having provoked their keeper into at least two world class saves and added his second and our third just five minutes later. Game over. Pietro then completed his hat-trick, Yadh popped up with a fifth before Sanchez added a sixth - his third goal in three games – to round out a terrific, morale-boosting 6-1 win.

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Total goals: 11

For the Record: 22 players

Game Day Squad: Thomas Chorlton, Rodrigo Diaz Garbizu, Vincent Frimpong, Chris Matthews, Nick Sanchez, Pietro Sgueglia, Michael Strelow, Manuel Viotti, Yadh Yaich, Tim Crowley, Denis Somar, Matt Kennedy, Angelo La Tempa, Mike Nuss, Ago Pugliese, Justin Rifis, Eric Sorenson, Luis Rodriguez, Douglas Hernandez, Kevin Meyer, Julio Pozueta, Steve Hemstalk

Nationalities: 9

Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Uruguay, USA, UK