Boys U16 Top 20

[Squash]

Squash, which cup will your boys play in?

Probably the Challenge considering we are the 3rd team and probably have no chance of beating team 1 from our club. 

[Quiller]

Games of the week for U13 Boys.

Columbia Timbers vs. Crossfire Black-  Relegation is at stake.  Both good clubs just a notch or two below the top 4.
Eastside vs. WPFC-  Washington Premier needs this to regain their swagger and confidence.  Eastside can solidify top spot.
GRFC vs. Sun City Strikers - For potential promotion.  Both teams play with a lot of energy.  GRFC has the offensive fire power to win.
FWU vs. Das Gunners- Fully expect the Gunners to win in a high scoring affair but you never know.
ECFC White vs. F.C. Alliance Gold- For promotion purposes this game is big.  Big step up in quality between D3 and D4.
Nothing excites me in D5 category.

Good luck Squash against Westsound.  I'm sure you want to stay in the upper echelon of D3.

[Squash]

Games of the week for U13 Boys.

Columbia Timbers vs. Crossfire Black-  Relegation is at stake.  Both good clubs just a notch or two below the top 4.
Eastside vs. WPFC-  Washington Premier needs this to regain their swagger and confidence.  Eastside can solidify top spot.
GRFC vs. Sun City Strikers - For potential promotion.  Both teams play with a lot of energy.  GRFC has the offensive fire power to win.
FWU vs. Das Gunners- Fully expect the Gunners to win in a high scoring affair but you never know.
ECFC White vs. F.C. Alliance Gold- For promotion purposes this game is big.  Big step up in quality between D3 and D4.
Nothing excites me in D5 category.

Good luck Squash against Westsound.  I'm sure you want to stay in the upper echelon of D3.

I think westsound will be tough for us. They have some good size and play physical. As for staying up, it's less important than how we play to be honest.

[Lothar]

Does anyone know when/where the Timbers game is tomorrow?  The PDL site has TBD.

[Lothar]

Did the Timbers play XFire Saturday? theres no score posted.

[Squash]

Did the Timbers play XFire Saturday? theres no score posted.

I do not think so....no idea why though

[applecup2008]

I can only speak about the top four teams.
1.  NWN
2.  WPFC
3.  Eastside 
4.  ECFC

Crossfire McCormick  (This team doesn't play the top teams in age group, so they shouldn't be #1 at U13)

All of these teams are really good teams.  Any one of these teams could beat each other on any given day.  Crossfire McCormick won state cup last year, but that doesn't mean they can beat these teams this year.  Each of these teams have improved, so my rankings only include teams that play U13.

[Quiller]

Yeah I could definately see NWN being number 1 on your list.  We'll find out this weekend because they have to play both Eastside and WPFC.  I would put GRFC ahead of ECFC at the very least.  The D1 teams are getting better competition than GRFC so that might be making a big difference in terms of improvement.

I can see your point about McCormick's team but since they will have to play State Cup within the U13 bracket I think it wise to still consider them numero uno.

[littlebigdog]

NWN actually play Eastside and the Timbers this weekend, and play WPFC on the following two weekends.  NWN had a big win over ECFC this weekend (they beat ECFC both times in league play) and have a big game against Eastside on Saturday.  The Nationals have traded wins with Eastside the last two times they have played.  NWN beat Eastside 5-0 at PCC and lost 0-3 in league play, so it should be a good match this weekend.

[Quiller]

Sorry for my misinformation on the scheduling.

Never the less big weekend for NWN.

[Quiller]

Obviously the big game of the week is NWN Red vs EFC.  Eastsides loss last week brought them back to the pack a bit.  This game will be for first place.  I wish I could be there to see the game.  I suspect whoever comes out the aggressor is going to win the game.

Would love to see some crossover games in November so the powers that be could make a little more informed decisions about what team should be where and so the kids could have more action.  I guess friendlies are going to be the way to go.

[UpperV]

The top four teams of this bracket are pretty even, having had a lot of back-and-forth, with each team beating the other, then losing to them the next round.  ECFC didn't have their regular coach at the last match up with NWN, I don't know if that affected their play at all.  I'd expect GRFC and perhaps Sun City to move up next year, depending on whether Xfire keeps playing up a year.  Don't know much about SunCity, GRFC has lots of talent - but I think they too often try to make up for lack of size/ball skill with the hacking.  I have to admit I like the back and forth - makes it exciting don't you think?  Will be interesting to see who ends up against Xfire in the end.

[Quiller]

I think ECFC really misses their defensive player who had red hair from last year.  He made up for a lot of mistakes, he was outstanding.
It's a game of matchups isn't?  Looks like Emerald City has WPFC's number, GRFC has ECFC's number and so on and so forth. 

The last two games that NWN and Eastside have played against each other the winning team has won decisively.  Hopefully tomorrows game will come down to the very end. 

[westcoast]

I think ECFC really misses their defensive player who had red hair from last year.  He made up for a lot of mistakes, he was outstanding.
It's a game of matchups isn't?  Looks like Emerald City has WPFC's number, GRFC has ECFC's number and so on and so forth. 

The last two games that NWN and Eastside have played against each other the winning team has won decisively.  Hopefully tomorrows game will come down to the very end. 

3-2 NWN Game was never close until the last 10 minutes 3-0 NWN most of the match then they let their guard down on a set piece and a goal at the end as the whistle blew after.
Goal last week that ECFC got was an own goal deflection against NWN. Next week WPFC. This is good stuff, the top 4 in u-13 are battling every week, wish x-fire was here to join in the fun. We know they are very good. Hope to see them back at age next year as size will likely be a consideration. State Cup is so far away!

[applecup2008]

How did Crossfire B tie the Emerald City team 4-4 yesterday?  I wonder if the player pass was used this week for the Crossfire team.

NWN appears to be the top team in the division.  I guess next weekend NWN vs WPFC will be the game of the week.

Top four teams: 
1. NWN
2. WPFC
3. Eastside
4. GRFC Blue (Last week Emerald City was #4, but they tied the worst team in division 1 by a score of 4-4!?)

[littlebigdog]

NWN beat Timbers today 5-1, and now face WPFC the next two weeks.  Next week will be the first time the two teams have met since playing each other to a 2-2 draw in Boise.  Should be a good match!

[UpperV]

I also wondered about the ECFC/Crossfire game.  It's possible ECFC was off today, missing players ect.. It's also possible Crossfire decided they'd had enough and came out primed and ready (their team does play with heart).  Although, after watching some very conveniently timed "substitutes" over the years (Crossfire is not the only team to give up on their team and use this tactic), I did wonder.  I still think the top spots in this bracket are up for grabs.

I've listened to several people wondering if the U13 Crossfire red team would be coming back down for State Cup or if they would stay at U14 where they've been playing this season.  I just assumed they'd be coming down for the hardware, and hadn't thought past that.  Their opinion was that "If the coach felt his players deserved to play at U14, and the PDL agreed that was their appropriate level of play, they should finish out the season at U14".  What do you all think?

[littlebigdog]

That Crossfire Black team does play with a lot of heart and I would not be surprised if they stepped up and caught ECFC off guard.  If they used guest players for the game I think that would be fine as long as they were used with the spirit of the player pass rule in mind.  The player pass should be used to help develop kids by moving them up or down, and should not be used to stack a team. 

Regarding the Red team, I think it would be great to have them playing at their age in the top bracket, but respect the coaches decision to play up if he feels like they can compete at that higher level.  However, I believe if he chooses to play at that higher level during the regular season, then they should consider compete at that same level for State Cup if the rules allow it.

[applecup2008]

A lot of heart for the Crossfire B team that has scored four total goals for the season before the 4-4 tie against ECFC.  I think that the player pass was used, but maybe not.  Crossfire lost 3-0 against the Columbia Timbers earlier in the season, if they lose or tie, they should drop down to division 2. 

I really like the Crossfire red team playing up all year.  They did it last year, and should have lost the finals to the WPFC team.  My family really enjoyed the U12 finals last season.  I wouldn't be surprised if the "great" Crossfire team loses to one of the top division 1 teams before the finals.     

I believe that the best team of age should represent the state in regionals, regardless of the league they play during the season. 

NWN, WPFC, Eastside, ECFC should be in the top division.   

[Quiller]

Hey Squash it looks like everbody is worried about your team (Crossfire Red) and not McCormick's team Crossfire A 95.  Looks like you've put the fear of goodness in everyone.

I think McCormick's team has to play at age in the State Cup.  I could be wrong but I thought teams had to play in their assiged age bracket regardless of whether they are playing up or not in the regular seasons.

[UpperV]

Aaah, I never could keep straight which color is who!   I do know who I like better.....GO SQUASH!

[Squash]

Hey Squash it looks like everbody is worried about your team (Crossfire Red) and not McCormick's team Crossfire A 95.  Looks like you've put the fear of goodness in everyone.

I think McCormick's team has to play at age in the State Cup.  I could be wrong but I thought teams had to play in their assiged age bracket regardless of whether they are playing up or not in the regular seasons.

I thought about correcting them.....so everyone understands the Crossfire system of names for age. The top team is by age and coaches name...then the colors start.....

No one fears my team in the mighty  "red" slot, but we try and play soccer. There are times though that we play like "joe the plumber" just average..

[Quiller]

Only a couple of big games this week as far as I can tell (though they're all big to the kids and parents).

Eastside Red vs ECFC Green- Let's see if ECFC's speed up front can match up with Eastsides size advantage.  After starting out hot
Eastside has lost two games in a row.  This will be Emerald City's chance to show they belong in the big 4 of the first division.

NWN Red vs. WPFC- NWN is in first place but this will be the first time these two teams have played since Boise where they tied.  Could be matchup problems for both teams.  Whoever imposes their style of play on the other should do alright.  Should be a great game.

A lot of the divisions have already shaped up for promotion and relegation. 

[Red Shoes]

Hey Squash it looks like everbody is worried about your team (Crossfire Red) and not McCormick's team Crossfire A 95.  Looks like you've put the fear of goodness in everyone.

I think McCormick's team has to play at age in the State Cup.  I could be wrong but I thought teams had to play in their assiged age bracket regardless of whether they are playing up or not in the regular seasons.

You can be absolutely confident that XF McCormick will play U13 in the State Cup.  They have to play U13 in order to have any chance of returning to Regionals.   While I do not think that there is another U13 team out there that can beat them, they have shown that they sometimes beat themselves.  Catch them on a bad day, score early and you could send them home.

[Quiller]

Wow, 3 way tie for first in the 1st division.  I believe WPFC, on point differential, leads.  I could be wrong of course.

Another huge game for WPFC vs. NWN Red this weekend.  Last week these two teams played and Washington Premier won 1-0.
Apparently a very physical game was played. 

Eastside has the easiest route with two winnable games.   WPFC has to play the Nationals and ECFC.  For some reason ECFC has had their number this year winning their last two outings handily.

My money is on Eastside to pull it out in the end.

Looks like FW Storm Green is in the runnig for the 3rd division crown.  I haven't seen them play this year but they must be playing some pretty good soccer.  I still think that the Gunners will pull it out.

In Divsion 4 action ECFC White and FC Alliance are tied at the top but ECFC has the tie breaker in their favor having beaten FC Alliance to go along with a tie.  The pivotal game for both these teams is going to be against Spokane.

As far as relegation their looks to be a couple battles still pending.  Crossfire Black needs to knock off either Eastside or NWN.  I know they played the Nationals tough the first time they played so we shall see.

Division 4 has Blackhills and GRFC fighting it out with the advantage going to GRFC.

Have fun this weekend playing boys.

[cheersme95keep]

Very cool with the 3 way tie!!

Looks like WPFC sure has a hard road ahead for the next 2 weeks!  Good luck guys!!  Give it your all!! 

GRFC will make a great addition to this bracket in the spring!!

[Quiller]

No kidding, GRFC thought they should of been in the 1st division to begine (rightfully so).  They are going to come out smoking when the winter league starts.  They're not the most skilled team from top to bottom but they sure do play fast and furiously.

[Quiller]

With back to back 1-0 victiories over NWN, WPFC is in the drivers seat to win Div 1.  They have to face ECFC next week and Emerald City has had their number so far this year.  Good stuff.

[Rock27]

Hey Squash it looks like everbody is worried about your team (Crossfire Red) and not McCormick's team Crossfire A 95.  Looks like you've put the fear of goodness in everyone.

I think McCormick's team has to play at age in the State Cup.  I could be wrong but I thought teams had to play in their assiged age bracket regardless of whether they are playing up or not in the regular seasons.

You can be absolutely confident that XF McCormick will play U13 in the State Cup.  They have to play U13 in order to have any chance of returning to Regionals.   While I do not think that there is another U13 team out there that can beat them, they have shown that they sometimes beat themselves.  Catch them on a bad day, score early and you could send them home.

I think they're coming to the end of a run and we're seeing the beginning of it.  There are no "large" boys on the team and I can't imagine they would play up next year.  Footwork is excellent, but not if you can't physically push back when you half the size (except in state cup)

[westcoast]

With back to back 1-0 victiories over NWN, WPFC is in the drivers seat to win Div 1.  They have to face ECFC next week and Emerald City has had their number so far this year.  Good stuff.

WPFC was first to the ball and played very well in the games the last two weeks, outplayed NWN and took them out of their game. However week one goal scored was a missed offsides by young AR and yesterdays game was an own goal deflection by NWN defender. Well played games by WPFC who likely deserved to win. State Cup is a different animal. It will be fun to see who peaks at the end!