|
Hachioji Park Sat 15th April 2006. Saturday visit to the Saitama hinterland and lo and behold, a beautiful artificial turf pitch and a great day for a Cup Semi-Final. Both the YCAC and the Swiss knew what to expect, this being the third meeting of the year and second in seven days. Tough defenders and even tougher keepers meant goals were at a premium and one had to be looking at the possibility of penalties.
The YCAC’s defense is the stingiest in the league with Damian marshalling the troupes and Gary dominant between the posts. The Swiss had a similar lineup to the week earlier but tried to stuff up the middle by changing to 5 midfielders as we had quality in the back. Trevor, again coming out of retirement, was leading the ageing back line. The strategy worked at the beginning with Yuji and Yan working hard down the wings while Aoki was getting a few crosses in. The Swiss didn’t take full advantage of the space due to some scrappy passing but overall the change in formation was producing more chances than a week earlier. Going the other way, the YCAC attackers didn’t trouble the Swiss defense much, but Satoshi on the left and Daisuke in the middle were getting through and a few shots from 25 to 30 meters out made it through to Peter in goal. The first half ended with the Swiss probably having the best chances but with Gary coming out aggressively to shut down close range shots – meaning that there was nothing to show for some quality football.
The second half was similar although the Swiss started to settle down and connect more passes. The defense looked solid as Kai, Kirk, and Trevor moved it around and worked it up the field. Passes into the final third didn’t produce for a while until a great ball from Dave was controlled by Angelo, turning as he pushed the ball behind the YCAC back line. He was through for what looked to be a clear goal until Gary timed his pounce perfectly and smothered the ball while Angelo went flying. Just fantastic keeping and Gary is clearly tops in the league this year. He was able to snuff out two more one on one opportunities as Yan and Aoki were left wondering what it would take. Meanwhile, the YCAC never seemed to be able to connect with their forwards as the midfielders would carry the ball in but tight marking by the Swiss defense meant they would settle for long shots or were dispossessed by a rabid Raffaele. Damian and Dickey were solid in back and picked off a lot of poor balls but their long boots out of the back weren’t creating much. Meanwhile, there was increased pressure going the other way as Aoki turned his defender for a shot that just went wide. Another chance at the feet of Dave and JP was blocked in the 6 yard box and then smothered by Gary in goal. It wasn’t until the 77th minute that a cross from Aoki, and a flick from Yan, found an unmarked Yuji waiting at the far post to nod it home. Though the YCAC claimed offside again – the autopilot’s flag (YCAC linesman) stayed down and the ref. blew for the goal. The last few minutes were full of long balls and long-winded howls but the final whistle blew with the Swiss headed to the Cup final and the YCAC left to say ‘there is always next year’. Much better quality match than the week earlier and solid decisions by the referee made it enjoyable..
Report by Cap'n Kirk
|