Commonwealth of Baker Park Sports News

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

NSWL Season in Review

The Women's National League concluded with two of the closest title races in history. as the 1st Division came down to the narrowest of margins, while the 2nd Division turned into a two team sprint to the finish late in the year.

1st Division                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Brentford Ladies FC            30   17   3  10    64   55   +9    54 Champions
 2 Great Northern FC Ladies        30   17   3  10    63   54   +9    54
 3 Haskins Blues Ladies AFC        30   14   7   9    54   51   +3    49
 4 Forest Park FC Ladies           30   14   5  11    49   40   +9    47
 5 Sherwood Forest Ladies FC       30   13   7  10    58   48  +10    46
 6 Shiloh FC Ladies                30   13   7  10    64   56   +8    46
 7 Greenlea United Ladies SC       30   13   5  12    57   60   −3    44
 8 Castleford Ladies FC            30   12   7  11    26   25   +1    43
 9 Westwood Sprites Ladies FC      30   12   5  13    52   48   +4    41
10 Newmarket Ladies SC             30   12   5  13    67   64   +3    41
11 Ridge Raiders Ladies FC         30   11   8  11    59   56   +3    41
12 Middletown City FC Women        30   10   7  13    59   58   +1    37
13 Broadview AFC Ladies            30   10   5  15    32   48  −16    35
14 Ravens FC Ladies                30    9   7  14    32   44  −12    34
15 Leiderkranz Ladies SC           30    7   9  14    52   66  −14    30
16 Far Hills Ladies FC             30    8   6  16    45   60  −15    30

In the end, Brentford Ladies repeated as champion, the first club to do so for 12 seasons, edging out Great Northern on the final day, as a result of a late meaningless goal by GNFC's opponent.

2nd Division                 	   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Shirley Metros Ladies FC        30   19   6   5    64   37  +27    63
 2 Hamiliton Wanderers Ladies SC   30   20   3   7    70   48  +22    63
 3 Jamestown City Ladies FC        30   15   7   8    44   32  +12    52
 4 Clayton City Ladies FC          30   14   5  11    60   44  +16    47
 5 Southend AC Ladies              30   12  10   8    38   33   +5    46
 6 Meadowdale Ladies FC            30   11  10   9    58   56   +2    43
 7 Riverside City Ladies FC        30   12   5  13    42   46   −4    41
 8 St Stephens Ladies SC           30   12   5  13    46   53   −7    41
 9 Caledonia Ladies FC             30   11   7  12    46   49   −3    40
10 Ellesmere Woods Ladies FC       30   11   6  13    49   55   −6    39
11 Linden Ladies FC                30   11   4  15    69   70   −1    37
12 Lady Crusaders FC               30   10   7  13    52   55   −3    37
13 E Endborough Ladies FC          30    9   6  15    32   43  −11    33
14 Lima United FC Women            30    9   5  16    48   66  −18    32
15 Lynchana Women's FC             30    8   7  15    41   53  −12    31
16 Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC    30    7   5  18    39   58  −19    26

The 2nd Division race was equally as close, as Shirley Metros Ladies and Hamilton Wanders Ladies pulled away from the rest of the table late in the season to earn promotion.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2023
Scott talks about women, World Cup,
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Writer

Pamela Scott, Baker Park National Women's Team Manager & FAC Associate Director of Technical Development, recently sat down with The Sporting Times for a wide ranging discussion of the state of the sport for women in this country and where the road to World Cup 82 is leading to.

MC: Pam, I know the recent Baker Park Open Cup didn't go exactly the way you would've liked, but let's start there as a reference point to look at the impact that gender integration has had on the National Team setup overall.

PS: While you're involved in the moment, the results on the pitch are what you focus on from a coaching standpoint. Taken as a whole, we are not disappointed with the experience as it relates to team development. The goal to get players on the pitch and see them in situations was the whole idea behind the roster we selected and the way we approached training. We have a solid core of ladies in the National Team setup, but we are at a point where we need to start finding the players who will be nucleus of that core in the future.

MC: I did a bit of math, and the total number of women in the overall player pool who had over 20 caps was 8 prior to the start of the Open Cup. The men have 20. So the need to bring along younger women is important at this point, correct?

PS: Exactly. We have so many talented women, but they just haven't had as many chances to play. I don't want us to end up in a spot where we are desperate to find experienced players to step into roles when some of the vets call time on their careers. Even among the men, this next cycle is going to be a changing of the guard for our pool of potential contributors in qualifying; Trevor (Richmond) and I know that and have known it for awhile. The playing system is the constant in our National setup, but we need to know who can slot into responsibilities and have confidence in their roles as we go forward.

MC: I know it's not something you want to say out loud, but are we looking at a real possibility of not getting the same results in the World Cup that we've gotten in the last two attempts?

PS: I'm not hesitant to say it out loud. I think as a staff, we are approaching this cycle with a far lower set of expectations than we had the last time. We went into that period trying to stress that qualifying on the first try was a bit of good fortune and a lot of hard work, and that we might not encounter the same good luck a second time around. We exceeded our most optimistic hopes by doing what we did in WC 81. Will we catch lightning in a bottle a third time in a row? We are heading towards a set of circumstances that will be far different than we encountered previously.

MC: On that theme, is there a sense that the potential benefits of being highly ranked, which could translate into a less onerous group draw, might be outweighed by the higher profile and hence more pressure to not slip up against less regarded sides you might face?

PS: Certainly, and you only have to look the Open Cup to understand that. First time participants fared exceptionally well, against us and other established nations. They are going to look at a fixture list that has Baker Park on it and think, "hey we did really good in that tournament, if we play up to our abilities like we did then, we can get a result."

(continued tomorrow in Part 2)

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2023
Pam Scott conversation, Part 2
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Writer

MC: Let's move away from the National Team for a minute and talk about where the sport is at generally for women in this country today. How much different is it today from when you played?

PS: Well, when I played we had to wear shorts that went below the knee. (laughs) No it wasn't that bad. In terms of players, we are much more technically proficient and more athletic. In terms of the actual playing of the game, when I played in high school for example, we weren't nearly as physical in the tackle or marking. We played more direct, which was probably more to do with the fact that you didn't always play on the nicest fields rather than as some tactical plan. In college, the game was faster, there was more contact, there was more offense in general. When I turned pro, the biggest difference was of course the money, but it wasn't a huge jump in level of skill from college.

MC: You've managed in college, at a club and now the national team. What sort of changes have happened from that standpoint?

PS: When I started at NBP, it was about the time when more men were coming into the sport coaching women's teams at the college level. We were better defensively than it had been when I played. In the NWSL, I think the change was in the way professionalism improved, compared to when I played. Between the last time I managed at a club and now, I think the biggest difference goes back to what I said about athletes--stronger, better skills, mindset.

MC: There has been a recent influx of players from overseas coming in to the league. Is this going to be a positive step or is it going to create problems with youth development and domestic players improving?

PS: The early signs are inconclusive. I think the important thing that we are looking at is where the players are coming from. To a large degree, they are coming from leagues that are far better than ours, from clubs where the foreign players are playing alongside men domestically. In the short term, I think it's going to raise the level of competition across the league, but long term if the players coming in are older, at the end of careers and taking spots on rosters away from younger home grown women, then it's going to something that will need to be looked at with a different perspective on what is the goal of these clubs beyond just winning matches?

MC: The recent announcement that Leiderkranz Ladies have hired a foreign manager sparked some discussions about the direction the league is trending towards. Your thoughts?

PS: Again, there is a way of looking at it that is negative, but she is someone who was a manager of a club in one of the top leagues in the multiverse; she's played and coached there, in a setting where men and women play together in the side. She'll have an adjustment to make in getting to grips with the overall style of play here, and the limitations and the quirks. I think it's a good move for the club, I think it's a good place for her to come into. What the league can learn from her particular style of coaching and what changes she will bring into the club will be something we will have to pay attention to.

MC: Finally, do you miss club management? Would there be a point where you see yourself going back to run your own club?

PS: So much of what I do has very little in common with the things a club manager deals with on a daily basis, and I enjoy those responsibilities. I have a great job, I have a great boss and a colleague that I work with that I respect and like a lot. I've been given opportunities that no woman has ever had in the Commonwealth in the sport. I don't know if this is something I see myself doing for the next 15 years or so, so I'd never close the door on club management. It's just something that I have to assess year to year.

MC: Thanks so much for your time. It's been pleasure to speak with you.

PS: Thank you Mindy. I've enjoyed our talk.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Change on the horizon for NT as Newman Departs
Frank Armitage
The Mail on Sunday Chief Soccer Writer

The announcement by the FAC that Men's NT Assistant Manager Shane Newman was leaving his post to accept the top job at KF Poldanz in Qusmo came as shock to many in the media. Newman has been Trevor Richmond's top lieutenant since the BP boss accepted the job, so his sudden departure comes with questions. Newman took time to explain his decision, the reasons behind it and his thoughts about the state of the sport.

Frank Armitage: Shane, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Briefly discuss the thinking that led up to you seeking to leave your position.

Shane Newman: I appreciate the opportunity, Frank. To start, I want to make it clear that nothing in my decision has anything to do with my relationship with Trevor, Dave (Carlson, FAC Executive Director), Pam (Scott, Women's NT Manager) or anyone else at the FAC. I have been honored to be a part of the staff here and I am proud of everything that we have accomplished and achieved. This is a path that I started to pursue very recently, and really was just a feeling that I had that made me want to re-evaluate myself as a coach and an individual. I have felt like the last few years since we made the change to mixed-gender National Teams that I have become much more aware of things I never contemplated previously in my experience. Having the opportunity to work alongside Pam, Kate (DiMarini, Women's National AM) and the rest of the coaching staff under all of the various circumstances we have encountered has broadened my view on the way the game is coached. I think this is the right time for me to go and find out if what I've learned translates through my own vision.

FA: What exactly about the particular situation at Poldanz and in Qusmo in general caught your attention?

SN: As a soccer nation, Qusmo have made huge advances over the past several years. We have had, as a national staff, a lot of interaction with their federation, in terms of sharing information about technical, tactical and competitive issues. They have been sort of a mirror that we have compared ourselves against; their domestic league has grown by leaps and bounds in multiverse reputation as a result of their affiliation with their regional competitors in Rushmore. They have had a lot more success in UICA club competitions than our domestic clubs have had, but on a wider national setup we are ahead of them. It's obviously a completely different thing to go and bring a different perspective from a BP way of doing things. The club are very successful and there is a level of expectation that will come into play from the start. I'm excited to go in and learn about a different culture and a different way of looking at the sport than what I've known all of my life here.

FA: You have been the main architect of the defensive elements of the National Team's style of play. Do you think you can incorporate your tactical vision into whatever style of play you might adopt at Poldanz?

SN: I think it would be a mistake for me to walk in and decide that I'm going to try & copy the entire system we use here without understanding the personnel or the way the players have been used to using. As a player, I was a fullback and was instructed and influenced by 4 at the back from youth team experience, and I had always coached in that style of defense until I came to the National Team. So I'm not a rigid tactical coach. I've been fortunate to have been exposed to Trevor's ideas of pressing and passing, as well getting a chance to learn Pam's really well thought out tactical plans. I hope that down the road people will see my team and be able to tell how much influence I've picked up from both of them, two of the best coaches I've had the chance to work with.

FA: Shane, we wish you nothing but the best as you take on a new challenge in your career. Hopefully you will be successful in showing the Commonwealth style of play to a wider audience.

SN: Thank you Frank. I hope that I might open up opportunities for more of our coaches to go abroad to share our vision.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Carlson discusses FAC revamp
Frank Armitage
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

The sudden departure of Men's National Team assistant manager Shane Newman didn't necessarily leave the FAC caught off guard. Executive Director David Carlson has been working on a reorganization plan for the top staff for several months, to better utilize resources in the mixed gender National Team approach. He sat down with The Daily Mail to give an outline of how things will be managed going forward.

David Carlson: Frank, right at the start, I want to thank you for your honest, fair coverage of everything through the time I've been here. I don't know if I've ever had the opportunity to say that to you personally, but there is a reason that you have such respect across the sport in the Commonwealth--you report accurately, you make fair criticism, and you tell stories exceptionally well.

FA: Well...thank you very much. I wasn't expecting that as an intro to this interview. Let's talk about Shane (Newman) right from the start, just to get it out of the way. I know everyone here was both happy to see him get an opportunity but disappointed to lose his knowledge and presence.

DC: I think Trevor, Pam, and myself have known that (the FAC) has been fortunate to have had Shane for as long as we did. I had inquiries from 2 clubs here in the last 4 years whether he would be available to discuss managerial jobs. We will never forget or diminish his contributions to the growth of the overall national program. I hope he is wildly successful, he has earned it.

FA: Another person I want to talk about briefly is Allison LeFleur; I know the board have been discussing her, so maybe you'd like to make public what they said?

DC: Ally is the real brains of the operation, as I'm sure you have experienced, Frank. She's got so many talents to pull 50 different threads together to make a beautiful piece of whole cloth. We are thrilled to announce that she has been given a bump in her titles--she is now Deputy General Secretary of the board and Associate Executive Director of the FAC--and a boost in her pay check to go along with that. I'm not going to outlast her here, because if she leaves, I'm going with her. (laughs)

FA: I can't think of anyone more deserving. She has done such a great job with the Open Cup and of course she's got all of the logistical details sorted out in every country we go to for matches. On the same theme, you have been quietly and subtly re-signing a lot of the lesser known coaches on the FAC staff to new contracts and am I right in thinking that there is a shift in how elements of the Development Scheme are going to proceed?

DC: This is really the point where we are aligning the Development side with the reality of the mixed gender actuality. We had parallel structures for the men & women, with Trevor and Pam at the top of separate vertical development tracks. One of the things I've wanted to correct was the divergent path that we have continued to go along since we went to integrated National Teams. I discussed with Pam and Trevor the idea of devolving the Development scheme to an integrated, decentralized organizational model. And I think we've reached that point, although Shane's leaving made us have to adjust the plan slightly.

FA: I've thought to myself several times that the final step would involve a shift in the structure of the development departments. How is it going to evolve?

DC: First, Will Barnard is going to step into Shane's spot as men's assistant Manager, and we will have the managerial staff--Pam and Kate (Di Marini) & Trevor and Will--concentrate solely on the senior teams playing staff. We have promoted Zoe Montgomery to Director of Technical Development and George Prather, who has been a staff coach predating my time, will take over as Director of Player Development. Liam Sullivan and Jen Prescott will share duties as number two on the player side, and Don Alverrez, another staff coach, will be Zoe's chief assistant on the technical side. Darren Kirby and Tony Weiss will remain in their roles in charge of scouting and coaching, respectively, and we have allotted the younger youth team assistant coaches to work with the training & sport science department under Michael Haddad, the goalkeeper development area under Larry Bell and the technical side with Zoe & Don. We think this will give us better use of the strengths of the staff we have, while still having the flexibility to mix and match people on the working coaching staffs of the various teams we'll send to competitions across all national squads.

FA; Sounds like a big change. Will you still rotate different staff to manage different age group teams?

DC: Yes, and we hope that this realignment will make those assignments more seamless and better for everyone involved, both players and staff. It will get everyone on the same page in terms of things we are teaching and stressing both tactically and in skills development.

FA: I appreciate the time, Dave. I think we are all looking forward to seeing the results of your effort.

DC: Thank you again, Frank. We are excited about what the future holds for the FAC.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

The National Soccer League embarks on its 110th season, and will also mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Championship Division.

Two-time defending champions St Warren City look towards a 3rd consecutive title--an accomplishment that is one of the rarest feats in Baker Park, achieved only twice previously--while representing the nation in both the UICA Champions Cup & the AO Champions League.

The past few seasons have seen some of the country's biggest sides relegated, and the re-emergence of some historically prominent clubs make a return to the highest professional level.

A guide to the eighteen clubs fighting for the NSL Championship:

Asbury Park FC
Ground: Asbury Recreation Park, Asbury (7,900)
Manager: Jeff Hazelton (8th season)
Colors: Blue & white
Uniforms: white shirts & blue shorts
Fan Support: under siege. Park has the unfortunate distinction of being the local club in the shadow of the University of the Commonwealth, which means students who have loyalties to other clubs help to swell the usual away supporter's crowd. But the locals don't take it lying down.
Expectations: they see no reason why they can't compete with Hillsborough, V&A and the rest. They don't lack self-confidence.
Starters: Hartline-GK; Coyle, Mackay, Jordan, Parker-D; Santos, Traxler, Naralkar-M; Edmonds, Strauss, Staunton-F
Reserves: Myers, Fielding, Goddard, Haag, Daniels, Bedard, Horner
Nickname(s): AP, Asbury, the Townies
Last Season Finish: 4th in the Championship
Team outlook: A club who had a decent year by any standard, but a midseason slump got them into a hole they weren't able to dig out from over the final month, which cost them a shot at being in the fight at the end of the season.

Projection--Top 6 again, Globe Cup hopefuls

Clayton City FC
Ground: Desjardin Meadows, Clayton (11,919)
Manager: Chris Farmer (6th season)
Colors: Red & black
uniforms: white shirt with red diagonal stripe & black shorts
Fan Support: loyal and bitter. CC suffers from a 'middle child syndrome' mentality; ignored by their bigger brother (Belle Haven clubs in general) and disrespected by their little brother (Sprites), they tend to do things to draw attention and generally seek approval from the rest of the soccer world.
Expectations: They just want to be appreciated for who they are.
Starters: Reed-GK; McBride, Lee, Tepper, Simon-D; Spencer, Hill, Koller, Owen-M; Donetti, Cooper-F
Reserves: Miller, Ray, Harris, Polk, Dillon, Linton, Erwin, Jennings, Fish
Nickname(s): CC, Red Stripes, City
Last Season Finish: 13th in the Championship
Team outlook: Only a glimmer of positive play around the midpoint of the season probably saved CC from relegation. Their -7 goal difference was worst in the division outside of the bottom 3. Need an injection of new blood before they crash & burn.

Projection--relegation fodder

Corinthians FC
Ground: Ellis Park Commons, Belle Haven (8,625)
Manager: Tom Sheldon (6th season)
Colors: White & Black
uniforms: white shirts and black shorts/purple alternate strip
Fan Support: idealistic and unwavering. Corinthians trace their history back to the concept of turn of the century Victorian values and the example of the famous English club Corinthians, who refused to take penalties as a matter of sportsmanship. They have always been a club that nurtures their own home grown players and their fans take their results as being divinely ordained.
Expectations: If it's meant to be, it will be.
Starters: Hartman-GK; Day, Koplavicz, Tolbert, Clark-D, Capaldi, Smith, Parker-M; Richards, Blackwood, Mendez-F
Reserves: Wiseman, Myers, Johnson, Zimmer, Howarth, Galindo, Du
Nickname(s): Corries
Offseason Moves: In—Piet Van den Bloom (free transfer)
Last Season Finish: 10th in the Championship
Team outlook: Their second season back in the top flight was an exercise in treading water for most of the term, but a strong final month enabled them to finish well away from the relegation fight. BP International Van den Bloom opens up new possibilities for scoring.

Projection--on the fringes of the top 6

Dalton Town FC
Ground: Park Lane, Dalton (9,543)
Manager: Will Riordan (9th season)
Colors: White & Green
uniforms: White shirts & shorts/teal shirts & white shorts
Fan Support: expectant but not overbearing. Town have always had the cachet as "respectable" supporters who don't get too extreme depending on how the club is performing. There is still a reserved Englishness that permeates the terraces and "sure and steady" is seemingly the club's unofficial motto.
Expectations: It would be lovely if we were champions, but let's not sneeze at 5th place.
Starters: White-GK; Kramer, Patel, Quinton-D; Grant, Huong, Ohler, Gadd-M; Gentile, Munibako, Morris-F
Reserves: Hall, Calabrese, Herbert, LeGuerre, Jenkins, Gadd, Lyle, Rydell, Mendez, Laughton
Nickname(s): The Town, Townies
Last Season Finish: 2nd in the Championship
Team outlook: Although they fell just short of claiming the trophy, Town are optimistic, as their core group are hitting their peak, and feel like everything they have been building towards will pay dividends this season. Only the foolish would bet against them being in the race to the finish.

Projection--Title or bust

Ezriquay United FC
Ground: Queen Victoria Stadium, Ezriquay (37,475)
Manager: Donald York (12th season)
Colors: Red & Yellow
uniforms: Red and yellow vertical stripes & white shorts
Fan Support: Fanatical. United were one of the first clubs that came into being as a result of smaller clubs banding together. They have the support of working class and middle class Ezrickans and they are known for having strong travelling support and plenty of nationwide supporters clubs.
Expectations: Winning. But the Cup is always good as a substitute.
Starters: Kennedy-GK; Blackwood, Williams, Engels-D; Caputo, Trent, McMahaon, Diaz, Bell-M; Wilson, Stratton-F
Reserves: Harrison, Hinckel, Austin, Meadows, Katz, Greene, Russell
Nickname(s): United, the Keys (a pejorative used by opposing fans, especially Midtown AC)
Last Season Finish: 14th in the Championship
Team outlook: Don York knows he's lucky to even have a 12th year at the Vic, as woeful as the performance of United was. The talent is there, but at times it looked as though many of the players didn't know one another on the pitch. If United start slow, expect change at the top quickly.

Projection--8th-12th

Fairport City FC
Ground: Anson Stadium, Fairport (16,000)
Manager: Tony Gilbert (4th season)
Colors: Orange & Black
uniforms: orange & black vertical stripes/black shorts
Fan Support: Patient. City have rebounded from nearly going bankrupt a few seasons ago and have focused on their home grown talent—which they never had been previously well known for—so the roster is familiar and the fans have appreciated the spirit.
Expectations: no one is sure because it's never something talked about out loud. Fairport doesn't have an inferiority complex, they revel in being underachievers. It's almost the club ethos.
Starters:
Reserves:
Nickname(s): Tigers, traffic cones (rivals, obviously), Port.
Last Season Finish: 1st in the 2nd Division (promoted)
Team outlook: Gilbert has worked magic at City, with no money to buy and a fan base that had to be enticed to return to Anson. Will they be this season's Westwood, or it's C&W? A fair observer would lean towards a happy medium.

Projection--comfortable survival, say 14th

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Hillsborough FC

Ground: Hillsborough Stadium, Belle Haven (17,500)
Manager: Nick Griffith (2nd season)
Colors: Blue & white
Jerseys: Blue jerseys and shorts/white jerseys & shorts
Fan Support: over enthusiastic. As Belle Haven's second club (or first club with V&A behind them if you ask a Borough supporter) they are vocal and savvy. Tend to be a suburban club, but draw fans from all over the Metro BH area across all class lines.
Expectations: What's second place?
Starters: Quinn-GK; Schuster, Carthy, Caine, Fazio-D; Bradford, Murphy, Hart, DeLuca-M; Schmidt, Ladd-F
Reserves: Underhill, Ponterio, Williams, Yoder, Decker, Kenan, Stanley
Nickname(s): Hillmen, 'Borough
Last Season Finish: 7th in the Championship
Team outlook: Nick Griffith stemmed the tide of falling performances for the Hillsiders last year. Dragging them up to 7th was a season long struggle, but by the end of the campaign, everyone seemed to be on the same page and fortunes are looking bright again. Need to start the season strong.

Prediction--top 10

Learfield FC

Ground: Learfield Park, Oceana (9,400)
Manager: Alec Pleasant (10th season)
Colors: eggplant purple & cream
Jerseys: dark jerseys with white horizontal band across the middle & white shorts
Fan Support: consistently fickle. Learfield has a loyal fan base, but they have a tendency to lose interest if the season isn't going well. They're generally seen as the club of the "upper class" in Oceana, so there are a lot of jabs about glory hunters and prawn sandwich day trippers.
Expectations: The management come under fire every few years for not acting like they have ambition, but top 5 or 6 is a good year.
Starters: Cadle-GK; Porter, O'Hanlon, Easton, Mitchell-D; Villareal, Kirlin, Hogan-M; Dimmel, Sotolongo, Barnes-F
Reserves: Black, Ferraro, Wyatt, Addison, Linares, Grenier, Nolan
Nickname(s): Field, Aubergines (from a long time back, now detractors mainly call them "The Eggplants"), LFC
Last Season Finish: 6th in the Championship
Team outlook: Alec Pleasant is now the longest serving manager in the club's history, and some think he's building up towards a second title in 5 seasons. They'll need to reverse their habit of playing down to level of their opponents when facing the lower table sides.

Prediction--lower than 3rd should be considered a disappointment

Marshallton Athletic SC

Ground: Municipal Stadium, Marshallton (15,700)
Manager: Rob Alexander (8th season)
Colors: Red & white
Jerseys: red shirts & shorts
Fan Support: excellent. Marshallton fans are usually not too contentious, even to their closest rivals. They are a surefire away day sellout for most of the other clubs in the league, because strangely enough, the ease of travel to and from Marshallton is rated as one of the best in the NSL.
Expectations: Challenge every year.
Starters: Prentice-GK; Osgood, Evans, Kline-D; Hale, Jacobs, Lemieux, Greene-M; Walsh, York, Forrest-F
Reserves: Laing, Moss, Connelly, Quadrelli, Donald, Sparkman, Handley
Nickname(s): The A's, Marshtown, Reds
Last Season Finish: 15th in the Championship
Team outlook: The A's seemed to be in a funk through most of the final 2/3 of the season. Of the teams in the top half of the table after 11 matches, Marshallton only outperformed Monmouth and Richmond Station the rest of the way. With Fairport City back in the top division, they don't have the southeast all to themselves.

Prediction--depending on how much play their rising stars, it could be nearer the top (a lot), or fighting against the drop (a little)

Midtown Athletic Club

Ground: Owens Park, Ezriquay (8,000)
Manager: Paul Julian (6th season)
Colors: Blue & white
Jerseys: blue shirts & shorts
Fan Support: very good. another club whose fans are really all about beating their neighbors and making life miserable for the big BH clubs.
Expectations: midtable is fine, as long as they are above United.
Starters: Gartner-GK; Ryder, Garcia, Sanders, Engels-D; Patterson, Kostakos, Grant-M; McDonald, Harrison, Price-F
Reserves: Collett, Long, Villanueva, Allen, St John, Tucker, Wisnyewski, Jones, Bradford
Nickname(s): MAC, Aces (not as popular as it was 50 years ago)
Last Season Finish: 3rd in the Championship, won FAC Cup
Team outlook: MAC chased hard over the second half of the season, taking 34 points in the last 17 matches, more than any other side in the division. That momentum also helped them in the Cup, where they outlasted their archrivals Ezriquay United in a penalty shootout in the final. Hitting the peak of the careers of a large part of the core group.

Prediction--they get over the hump and claim The Prize

New Bremen FC

Ground: FSFB Bank Stadium, New Bremen (12,000)
Manager: Zack Wolff (4th season)
Colors: Green & gold
Jerseys: green & gold vertical stripes & green shorts
Fan Support: iconoclastic. Bremen have been called a "small club" for so long, they don't know what it was ever like to not be looked down upon or sneered at by the city clubs. But they don't care, really. They feel superior to some of their local rivals now since they moved into their shiny new stadium 9 years ago and picked up a huge injection of sponsorship from FSFB Bank Corp.
Expectations: some would say unrealistic, but Bremen know they aren't going to be considered a top level club in this competitive environment, but they want to stay up and be a factor.
Starters: Cassiday-GK; Andrews, Frieder, Cattaneo-D; Rowland, Dawson, Thibault, Davis, Watson-M; Wagner, Kinnear-F
Reserves: Gross, Bertrand, Hall, Landers, Nash, Salinas, Morgan, Oliver, Johnston
Sponsor: FSFB Bank
Nickname(s): New Brem, Bremen, Chickensh*ts (like many pejorative nicknames, Bremen fans have turned this one around by adapting it as their own)
Last Season Finish: 5th in the Championship
Team outlook: In spite of what we said above, one of these days Bremen are going to put a solid season together and wind up with the title. They've certainly held their own since Wolff took charge, finishing in the top half of the table comfortably.

Prediction--anywhere from 1st to 7th wouldn't shock many people.

Newport City FC

Ground: Newport City Stadium (25,000)
Manager: John Melvin (10th season)
Colors: Sky Blue
Jerseys: sky blue shirts and white shorts/aqua shirts and shorts
Fan Support: Desparate. Due to the transitory nature of residents in the Newport/Lewis Center region, City find that about 20-25% of their support comes from people who are short-term residents of the area, which makes it seems as though the smaller surrounding clubs have a much more involved fan base. Their main core of supporters are optimistic about their side, but a history of the club falling short at the final hurdle has jaded a lot of old timers.
Expectations: Can we catch a break for once?
Starters: Sundholm-GK; Muller, Berry, Chapman, Padilla-D; Mason, Tacchi, Ogden-M; Ackerman, Gonzales, Dressen-F
Reserves: Hall, Keene, N-P Von, Thomas, Fliesher, Radabe, Davis
Nickname(s): the Portmen, City
Offseason Moves: In--Nexev-Prant Von (QUS) Out--David Voss ($1.5 million)
Last Season Finish: 16th in the Championship
Team outlook: Newport needed a final day victory over Midtown to avoid the trap door, and on merit they probably deserved to go more than either of the two. Melvin is another manager who knows he on very thin ice. To add insult to their injury, they were forced to see Richmond Station sail along at the top of the standings most of the year.

Prediction--they stay out of the tussle at the bottom, but mid-table should be their aim

Richmond Station FC

Ground: Richmond Dale (9,000)
Manager: Russell Kern (7th season)
Colors: White & red
Jerseys: white shirts & shorts
Fan Support: annoyed and feisty. The Station have suffered in the shadow of their main rivals, Southend & Newport, for years. They are not really much-loved outside of their own local area because their followers developed a bit of a bad reputation in the old days. They've improved 100% on that front over the last 20 years or so, but they still consider any Ezra club to be their mortal enemy, oh and they hate V&A and 'Borough just as much (mock surprise).
Expectations: an entire generation of supporters have only just experienced a campaign in the top flight, so for starters they would probably just like to stay up, again.
Starters: Irving-GK; Ferrara, Jefferson, Brightwell, Houck-D; Lawrence, Slater, Dexter, Vitale, Hoffmaier-M; Gennaro-F
Reserves: Blair, Myers, Maxwell, Oliver, Wright, Donahue, Collins
Nickname(s): RichStay, Station, Melrose (Southend fans generally use this to refer to "those people"), Dale & County (not so much anymore, but right after their merger, fans tended to refer to the club as this.)
Last Season Finish: 12th in the Chaampionship
Team outlook: Oh what could've been for Station. Unbeaten out of the gate in their first 7 matches, and joint top with 10 matches left, the wheels came off at the wrong time. Eight straight losses saw them plummet to 12th, victims of their dearth of goalscoring. They're going to have to find more if they want to still be around in April.

Prediction--hard to see them surviving, which is a shame after last year.

Salisbury City FC

Ground: Salisbury Stadium (25,900)
Manager: Gary Sellars (6th season)
Colors: Blue & Gold
Jerseys: blue & gold stripes and black shorts
Fan Support: gradually advancing. Until it became a commuter town of Belle Haven, Salisbury generally gave their club a pretty strong showing. With the influx of people from the capital, the base got thinned out some as new arrivals kept their old loyalties. But the past several years have seen gradual upturns in season ticket sales and renewals.
Expectations: it's probably safe to say 'Bury are a dreaded "yo-yo" club. They have a pretty good history in the top flight and they rarely fall too far when they get relegated. Realistically, if they stay one of the top 30 clubs they are content.
Starters:
Reserves:
Sponsor: High Plains Brewing Co.
Nickname(s): 'Bury, Plainsmen, Sallies (previously this was mainly limited to Asbury Park supporters, but some of the other BH clubs use it now),
Last Season Finish: 2nd in the Second Division (promoted)
Team outlook: 'Bury are relieved to be back in the top flight, not just for competitive reasons, but also for the proximity of the new opponents. Big away days are always appreciated at Salisbury, as their own fans are more animated and the atmosphere is that much crisp. Expect them to take a few scalps.

Prediction--safe, but not by much

Shirley Metros FC

Ground: Presidents Park, Shirley (26,115)
Manager: Terry Mathias (2nd season)
Colors: Blood Red
Jerseys: Red shirts & white shorts/white shirts & red shorts
Fan Support: bonkers. Metros carry the same spirit of much of the rest of St Leon—us against the World (or Commonwealth). Have a broad cross section of support, the smaller clubs tend to draw away the suburban, family oriented supporters.
Expectations: see above. Losing is not an option.
Starters: Brennan-GK; Allen, Briggs, Logan, Janikowski-D; Owens, Clark, Wilkinson, Petty-M; James, McLean-F
Reserves: Meadows, Keeler, Miller, Darke, Lindsey, Patton, McGowan
Nickname(s): Metros, Mets, Big Reds (only old timers talk about the glory days of Big Red)
Last Season Finish: 8th in the Championship
Team outlook: Metros are another club that made a change prior to the start of last year, and like Hillsborough, it paid dividends as they hung around the fringes of the title race for most of the season. Year 2 under Mathias will bear watching.

Prediction--5th to 10th

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Southend AC

Ground: Old College Park, Southend (19,600)
Manager: Sam Treadwell (9th season)
Colors: Red & Black
Jerseys: red and black vertical stripes and black shorts
Fan Support: very good; they don't really get very combative or antagonistic unless Newport or Ezriquay come to town.
Expectations: finish ahead of the two mentioned above; take lazy effort or lack of passion as a personal affront.
Starters: Gabriel-GK; Warwick, Herrara, Todd, Baker-D; Altman, Allison, Bozeman-M; Stranahan, Rees, O'Hara-F
Reserves: Konawalski, Fletcher, McKenna, Adams, Turner, Whittaker, Creech
Nickname(s): Enders, Railmen
Offseason Moves: In—Ali Saleh (free transfer)
Last Season Finish: 9th in the Championship
Team outlook: Southend sat atop the table at the 1/3 pole, but then only managed to get 10 points in the next 12 matches. The signing of Saleh, Baker Park's all time leading international goal scorer, shows that they mean business at College Station. Jamari Bozeman comes off a monster World Cup campaign, can he carry it over?

Prediction--top 5

St Warren City FC

Ground: MacIlwaine Park Stadium, St Warren (23,000)
Manager: Grant Featherstone (11th season)
Colors: Blue & Yellow
Jerseys: Yellow shirts & blue shorts
Fan Support: serious as a heart attack. Like everything else in the city, they measure themselves against what the "bastards over yonder (Shirley)" and the "bastards up river (Coolville)" do.
Expectations: we dress like Brazil, we'd better play like them too.
Starters: Mayer-GK; Chudasama, Brown, Holiday, Cardozo-D; Pressely, DiPietro, Liston, Boulanger-M; Gottfried, Jones-F
Reserves: Mulvaney, Kemper, Smith, , Clees, Junger, Martindale
Nickname(s): Saints
Offseason Moves: In—Jorge Cardozo (DRP) $3 million Out—Eric Anthony (free release); Tim Olsen (free transfer)
Last Season Finish: 1st in the Championship (League Champions)
Team outlook: there was a bit of housecleaning at Saints after their second straight league championship, a season that saw them competing on three different fronts (NSL, UICA, AOCL). Longtime defensive stalwart Eric Anthony was not re-signed, replaced by Jorge Cardozo, the Dreamplanet International who is expected to step in at right back.

Prediction--short of a third straight crown, but better in the extracurriculars.

Westwood Sprites FC

Ground: Highview, W Belle Haven County (5,614)
Manager: Freddie Sanders (6th season)
Colors: Claret & Silver
Jerseys: claret shirts & shorts
Fan Support: persistent and wacky. Sprites are a club who don't think they take themselves too seriously, while at the same time harboring a serious persecution complex. They still believe in some of the antiquated mythology of their early years—that they are a 'small' club, that they have the best youth system, that their closest neighbors are jealous of them—but for the most part they're out for a good laugh and some fun. Unless it's Clayton City; then, there's going to be a problem.
Expectations: romantic and delusional, because it's not the 1950's anymore. Now that they are back in the top flight, they should be happy to just to stay up every year.
Starters: Deisler-GK; Bartok, Laskovic, Kennedy-D; Burns, Wayne, Taborn, Pflug-M; Hunter, Espinoza, Murphy-F
Reserves: Richards, O'Reily, Dixon, Gorman, Waite, Evans, Marino, Kay, Ready
Nickname(s): Sprites, Clarets (not as much now, but back in the day...), Morgan Park (anyone in West County who is not a Sprites supporter, as it is pejorative.)
Last Season Finish: 11th in the Championship
Team outlook: Sprites settled back into their natural place in the order of things after they had a Cinderella first season back in the Championship. Their Globe Cup adventure showed they still lack enough top level depth.

Prediction--a top division with Sprites in it is good for everyone, but we don't see them managing to stay up.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

The Commonwealth's 2nd tier of professional soccer once again threw up surprises, as the it is the division with the sharpest divide between big, financially powerful clubs in the cities and smaller provincial sides with an array of levels of funding.

The table was a weekly barometer, as the final day ended with just 4 points covering 3rd through 10th place.

Newmarket Saxons were the bridesmaid for the second year running, as their 3rd place finish once again consigned them to another season in the 2nd. Nor-Dale AFC showed the muscle of the borough/town clubs with their 4th place effort, and although Victoria & Albert SC scored a league high 93 goals, they were unable to make a return to the Championship at the first attempt.

This season will see another storied club appear on the fixture list, as Monmouth Park--two years removed from winning the title--will undergo a rebuilding program under new manager Jason Phillips. Mansfield C&W rejoins the division one year after their promotion, and still retain a solid group who helped them achieve Championship status before.
At the other end of the table, Jacksonville FC and Maineville Marauders succumbed early to the fate of dropping down, replaced by Fairport Harbor, and Jamestown City. Harbor will miss out on their chance to play cross-river rivals Fairport City, who were promoted as champions, while J-City return after just a single campaign in the Third Division with a revamped side.

Among the other contenders for promotion, Middletown City and Llewellyn Turnpike appear to have the inside track to challenging Saxons, Nor-Dale and V&A.
Behind them, Brentford FC, Sanborn Borough and North Lima could be dark horse picks. Brentford had the best goal difference outside of the top 5 and North Lima had the tightest defense, yet scored fewer goals than both relegated sides (39). SanBo gave away several points, turning hard fought draws into late goal defeats.

North Royalton Town and Linden Woods will fight the small/big club battle with Coolville United, Middlebourne City and Riverside City in mid-table, and Crusaders FC and Meadowdale FC could be first choice picks to drop to the 3rd tier, while Hamilton Wanderers are anybody's guess as to where they will end up.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

The Women's NSL capped off another exciting season, one that brought twists and turns almost every week. There was excitement in the air as the pre-season kicked off, as clubs enjoyed the windfall of the new FAC revenue sharing plan that came into effect, along with the buzz surrounding the new TV contract which would see twice as many league games shown as in previous years.

The success of the Commonwealth National Team has made the NWSL an attractive option for foreign clubs looking to make additions and for players from some of the top leagues in the multiverse to continue their careers. Brenecia continued to be a stalking ground for imports, with Castleford Ladies picking up Karen Rove, a 28 year old forward from Pikemouth, and Forest Park Ladies taking her teammate Erin Culhane on a free transfer to bolster the midfield. Southend added midfielder Caitlyn Batt from Northern Union, newly promoted Shirley Metros Ladies bolstered their squad with Nepharim Premiership experience in the form of Valerie Webber, from Sabrefell Athletic; and Middletown City Ladies scopped up Ayuro Furishi of Gerodo Trading in the Hinodjian Empire. Two players who hail from former multiverse #1 Schottia also have signed on, with Robyn Yamazaki joining Brentford Ladies, and Ouissal Tahar signing on at Ravens Ladies.

Another Nepharim, Patricia Etheridge looked to spearhead the revival at Leiderkranz Ladies, who made history with the hiring of Rachel Byrne, the 47 year old Brenician manager who previously helmed Marque FC there. She became the first foreign manager in the NWSL, and with Missy Tilton & Etheridge leading the line up front, was given the task of getting one of the most storied clubs in the sport on the women's side back into the First Division.

Meanwhile, Brentford Ladies looked to take the step into immortality by becoming the first club to ever win the league 3 years running. They also had the additional task of representing the FAC in the UICA Series B Champions Cup for the second year running.

The season began on an inauspicious note for the champions, as they dropped the home opener to Broadview AFC, while last year's runner up, Great Northern Ladies , put 5 past Middletown City and newly promoted Hamilton Wanderers Ladies did one better by spanking Westwood Sprites 6-3. Raven beat their neighbors Greenlea 4-0, while the other promoted side fell at the first hurdle when Newmarket got the better of Metros.
In the 2nd Division, Jamestown City outlasted Linden Ladies in a nine goal affair, Lima United got past St Stephens 5-3, and Lady Crusaders made it a hat trick of 5 goal scorers as they shut out Riverside City. For the first time in 12 seasons, there were no draws in the week 1 results.

The second day of matches are usually a barometer of nothing except how much teams have had their pride hurt or overestimated their quality. Metros got the better of Hamilton in a matchup of the new girls, Raven were held scoreless by Broadview, Greenlea bounced back with a 2 goal win against Newmarket and Brentford tuned up for their opening match in the SBCC with a 6-3 win against Sherwood Forest.
The second tier also balanced out, Meadowdale and Clayton City stalemating at 4, Leiderkranz coming through with a win in their second straight local derby, 1-0 over Linden Ladies and Lima, J-City and Ellesmere Woods all remained perfect.

The matchday 3 fixture between Brentford and Forest Park Ladies was postponed as the holders took to the road to take on Sporting Ayacucho of The Whirl Islands in the Playoff Round of the Series B Cup. Due to their participation last season, they were seeded into this final home & home tie rather than having to play and extra round. Robyn Yamazaki made her first significant statement for the club as she netted the important away goal in a 1-1 standoff that sends the "B's" back to Endborough with the advantage.
Back at the ranch, Castleford earned their third consecutive clean sheet to remain the only unbeaten side in the 1st Division. For the third consecutive time, no matches ended in a draw in the top flight, which leaves a logjam behind the leaders of 8 clubs on 6 points. The Second Division saw Southend Ladies pick up the maiden victory in emphatic fashion while keeping Linden winless. The three leaders were all held to a point and Riverside City scored for the first time this campaign, although it was no help as they fell to Leiderkranz away.

For the second week in a row Brentford didn't have a league fixture, although they might've wished to fulfill it rather than see Castleford race away at the top of the table. The visitors from the Whirl Islands couldn't improve on the performance from the week before and the hosts only needed a single goal to take the tie outright, 2-1, qualifying them for the group stage again. In the previous encounter, Brentford lost all six matches—by a single goal—so they will look towards improvement.

Matchday 4 begins a period where clubs play 5 matches in a 20 day span, so squad depth is a key. Both Shiloh Ladies and Ravens crept up the table with draws, Metros won their third straight after their opening day defeat and Westwood Sprites got their first victory, 2-1 over Midd City, with the scoreline a surprise as Sprites has the worst defense, giving up an average of 4 per game.
In the lower league, Far Hills continues to confound; in a division where scoring is prevalent, they notched their first tallies of the season, albeit in a losing effort to Southend. Speaking of scoring, Lady Crusaders and Lima United are joint top scorers in the NWSL, having slotted home 13 apiece, but the two other basements sides (Far Hills being the third) put on a display at the Park Grove Stadium, as Linden Ladies and Riverside City shared the spoils 4-4.

Matchday 5 saw Ravens Ladies end Castleford's unbeaten and clean sheet streak at 4, while Brentford took advantage of their week off from UICA action to beat Shiloh 3-1. Sherwood Forest Ladies put 7 past Hamilton Wanderers at the Hamilton City Stadium and Metros and Midd City drew 3-all. In the 2nd, Far Hills got their first win after their previous accomplishment of just finding the back of the net, putting 4 past Linden Ladies and keeping a clean sheet to boot; Leiderkranz won their third in a row and Lima and Crusaders kept the race at the top with wins.

The draw for the group stage of the Series B Champions Cup was held and Brentford Ladies got a bit of a lucky break as they drew two AO clubs—FT Itzalovalle of Audioslavia and Duntho SC of Banija—in a rematch from last season—and also face Valladares side Hoxford Rovers.

Broadview AFC had taken the helm going into Matchday 6, and besteed Great Northern in a seven goal shootout at home, Castleford lost a second straight match to Newmarket and Shiloh kept close to Saxons with a win over Sprites. Ellesmere Woods and Lady Crusaders took advantage of Lima's first defeat of the campaign to draw level on points with 13, and Leiderkranz hovering around with 12 through 6 matches.

Castleford Ladies got back on the winning track on MD 7, as they earned a hard fought 3 points against Wanderers, Metros Ladies took all the points away against Sprites and Ridge Raiders became the division's puzzle team, as no one knows which Raider side will show up from one match to the next; they did race past Greenlea 5-2 to pull within 2 points of Ravens Ladies and 3 behind Metros.
The 2nd Division has been called the "L" league in recent years as Lynchana Women, Lima United, Linden Ladies and Llewellyn Turnpike have made up a quarter of the membership (and if you count Lady Crusaders, that makes nearly a third!); with Leiderkranz now in the mix, it's easy to get confused. But nobody seems confused about the job Rachel Byrne has done with the Turners ladies, who moved into the top spot after a solid performance against local rival Meadowdale. Crusaders went down to J-City 2-1 and Lima was held 3-3 by Turnpike.

Brentford and Newmarket were postponed to December so that the champions could host Duntho on the first matchday in the SBCC group stage. Neither side played as they were worried about losing, but after 90 minutes, Brentford had their first ever point.

Both of the top teams went down at home on matchday 8; Broadview suffered a smash & grab 1-0 defeat when Lainey Wadsworth reminded everyone why she got the nickname "Late Game" in her stint in the Under 18's by banging home the winner in the 85th minute, and Castleford succumbed to Haskins Blues Ladies 3-2. Blues are the epitome of average in this year's 1st Division chase—they have won 4 and lost 4, scored and conceded 15 and sit 9th in the table.
Bubbling below the top tier, Meadowdale and Riverside City thrilled the crowd at Hickorydale with a 6-6 match, which kept them separated by a single point; Lynchana & Linden Ladies got off the bottom of the table with victories and Far Hills leapfrogged all four with a 3-0 win over East Endborough. The top four remain covered by 3 points.

The Monday following day 8, Brentford hosted Hamilton, and perhaps looking ahead to their trip to Rushmore, were held to a 3-3 draw. Valladares was the next stop, as the "B's" visited Hoxford Rovers. Another frustrating night was all the Baker Park side could claim, as they fell 1-0, despite playing level with the hosts.

[cont'd in Part 2]

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

The week of game 9 in the NWSL was memorable for the fact that every 1st division match save one was a shutout; Sprites had the only consolation goal of the weekend in falling to Broadview. Ravens, Metros, Shiloh and Raiders all kept pace with 'View, while another Monday fixture for Brentford away to Haskins turned out positive as they took all the points, which kept them in touching distance of the top of the table, with three matches in hand. In the 2nd, there was no change, as Lima won, Ellesmere drew with Southend and J-City beat Leiderkranz, to go along with Far Hills (!) getting the better of Crusaders.

Brentwood completed the first half of their SBCC group matches with a visit to FT Itzalovalle in Audioslavia. Yet another strong showing came up without any result, as the hosts won 1-0.

Matchday 10 marked the one third pole of the season and day's top match was Broadview hosting Metros. The surging St Leon side took the honors, nudging themselves past the hosts into first place, as Shiloh and Castleford also closed ground. Forest Park earned just their second victory when they shutout Raiders, leaving Sprites stuck to the foot of the table with a single win, although they did managed to get their third non-losing result when they stalemated with Forest. And who is going to stop Far Hills? After only scoring twice in their first five fixtures, they have shipped in 15 over the past 5, which has pushed them into 7th only 2 points Ellesmere, who were the victims of the 4-0 performance. Lima and Jamestown took advantage to sail past Woods and Leiderkranz, who dropped their second straight.

Round 11 sees the first mid-week fixtures, ahead the Commonwealth Day bank holiday weekend. Raiders and Castleford drew 1-1, but every other top division match was decided by a single goal; Ravens got the better of homestanding Great Northern in a seven goal shootout, as did Shiloh in Hamilton, while Forest knocked Shirley off the top with a 3-2 win at President's Park. Brentford had a rare opportunity to play simultaneously with the rest of the league, but lost away to Midd City and Sprites got even with Forest Park on 2 wins, after the side played out a 2-1 struggle in West County.
The battle in the lower league raged on, although Lima was not ultimately hurt by their 4-2 defeat at Crusaders; Ellesmere could only pull into a first place tie after they got past Clayton, and Far Hills again makes waves with a 1-0 win over Leiderkranz, their 3rd straight that pushes Hills into 5th.

Round 12 shuffled the order a bit more, as Ravens reclaimed top spot, Broadview drew level with Shiloh, 2 points behind after beating SFC on their home ground, and Raiders got the better of the champions to rise back to 4th, while Brentford sit in 12th with 13 points from their 8 fixtures completed.

After an off week, the return matches of the SBCC resumed and Brentford hosted their previous opponents from Audioslavia , this time however they got a just reward, as they claimed a point for the second straight home match.

1st Division
Haskins Blues Ladies AFC 1–1 Shiloh FC Ladies
Great Northern FC Ladies 3–1 Hamiliton Wanderers Ladies SC
Middletown City FC Women 3–0 Newmarket Ladies SC
Ridge Raiders Ladies FC 0–2 Ravens FC Ladies
Westwood Sprites Ladies FC 1–0 Brentford Ladies FC
Shirley Metros Ladies FC 0–1 Castleford Ladies FC
Greenlea United Ladies SC 2–2 Forest Park FC Ladies
Broadview AFC Ladies 0–1 Sherwood Forest Ladies FC

2nd Division
Lady Crusaders FC 1–0 Linden Ladies FC
Ellesmere Woods Ladies FC 2–2 E Endborough Ladies FC
Leiderkranz Ladies SC 1–3 Lima United FC Women
Riverside City Ladies FC 3–0 Clayton City Ladies FC
Caledonia Ladies FC 2–0 Far Hills FC Ladies
St Stephens Ladies SC 5–0 Southend AC Ladies
Lynchana Women's FC 4–4 Jamestown City Ladies FC
Meadowdale Ladies FC 2–1 Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC

First Division               Pld     W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Ravens FC Ladies           13     8   3   2    20   14   +6    27
 2 Shiloh FC Ladies           13     7   2   4    21   17   +4    23
 3 Broadview AFC Ladies       13     7   1   5    23   17   +6    22
 4 Ridge Raiders Ladies FC    13     6   3   4    27   22   +5    21
 5 Castleford Ladies FC       12     6   2   4    16   12   +4    20
 6 Shirley Metros Ladies FC   13     6   2   5    23   22   +1    20
 7 Sherwood Forest Ladies FC  13     5   3   5    22   24   −2    18
 8 Haskins Blues Ladies AFC   13     5   3   5    20   22   −2    18
 9 Great Northern FC Ladies   12     5   2   5    25   21   +4    17
10 Newmarket Ladies SC        12     4   4   4    17   18   −1    16
11 Middletown City FC Women   13     4   3   6    18   21   −3    15
12 Forest Park FC Ladies      12     3   5   4    14   16   −2    14
13 Brentford Ladies FC         9     4   1   4    23   16   +7    13
14 Westwood Sprites Ladies FC 13     3   3   7    23   33  −10    12
15 Greenlea United Ladies SC  13     3   3   7    17   25   −8    12
16 Hamiliton Wanderers Ladies 13     2   4   7    22   31   −9    10

Second Division               Pld      W  D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Lima United FC Women         13     8   3   2    31   21  +10    27
 2 Lady Crusaders FC            13     8   1   4    27   16  +11    25
 3 Jamestown City Ladies FC     13     7   3   3    23   19   +4    24
 4 Ellesmere Woods Ladies FC    13     6   4   3    27   24   +3    22
 5 Caledonia Ladies FC          13     6   3   4    23   23    0    21
 6 Far Hills FC Ladies          13     5   5   3    21   12   +9    20
 7 Clayton City Ladies FC       13     5   4   4    24   24    0    19
 8 St Stephens Ladies SC        13     6   0   7    36   31   +5    18
 9 Leiderkranz Ladies SC        13     6   0   7    21   24   −3    18
10 Southend AC Ladies           13     5   1   7    20   25   −5    16
11 Meadowdale Ladies FC         13     4   4   5    27   32   −5    16
12 Riverside City Ladies FC     13     4   3   6    30   33   −3    15
13 E Endborough Ladies FC       13     4   3   6    17   20   −3    15
14 Lynchana Women's FC          13     3   4   6    28   33   −5    13
15 Linden Ladies FC             13     2   4   7    23   31   −8    10
16 Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC 13     2   4   7    16   26  −10    10

Matchday 14 threw up interesting results as the league leaders fell at home to Sprites and both Castleford and Shiloh took advantage to draw closer. Haskins put 7 past Great Northern and Brentford's match against Metros was moved to Monday, which allowed the champions to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Duntho and keep Shirley in their slump, with a 5-2 victory.
Lima United drew 1-1 and Ellesmere Woods were able to take advantage, beating Crusaders in Crestwood, while their rivals Meadowdale were knocking off J-City, allowing Woods to leapfrog into a tie for second, 3 points back of first.

Round 15 marks the midway point of the schedule, but there still are 2 more matches after these fixtures before the mid-season break. Brentford probably will not be getting much of a break at all, as they had their fifth league encounter postponed, which was inconsequential as they lost in their final match of the Series B Cup to Hoxford 2-0 at Moreland, finishing bottom of the group for a second consecutive year, albeit having earned two draw this time.
As for the rest of the clubs, Shiloh earned their 9th win of the campaign, while Ravens game against Metros was postponed and Broadview got past Castleford, which allowed them to nose ahead of the visitors on goal difference into third spot. Haskins remain a puzzle, conceding 5 in a loss a week after scoring 7 in a win. Hamilton spoiled Ridge Raider chance to jump to 5th, getting a stoppage time goal from Veronica Navarro to earn a split of the points in the always fierce City-Borough derby.
Jamestown, Ellesmere and Crusaders played musical chairs for another week in the positions just behind Lima, who remained on top despite a loss away to Caledonia. And Leiderkranz arrested their winless slide with a 2-0 win over Crusaders; despite the freefall, L-T are still only 6 points behind Lima.

Match 16 is the penultimate round of the first half, traditionally one where head scratching results pop up because it sees the clubs make the return fixtures from the opening day of the season. Greenlea got a full measure of revenge on their nearby rivals, besting Ravens 3-0; that turned around a 4-0 defeat from earlier and lifted GUL off the bottom of the table. That result meant that Shiloh pulled 5 points ahead after beating Forest Park, who supplanted Greenlea in 16th, and Castleford missed out moving up to second as Sherwood Forest got themselves back into the chase.
Brentford and Broadview played on the Monday evening after the rest of the fixtures were complete and drew 1-1. In the second, Lima is treading water, and Crusaders dropped a 2nd in a row, enabling Caledonia and Clayton to join the top 4, all separated by just 4 points.

Round 17 is followed by a three week break and clubs look to finish the year on a high note. Metros have cooled off of late, evidenced by their 4-1 loss against Hamilton which puts them 2 points apart in 11th and 14th; Midd City held Shiloh to a 1-1 stalemate and Greenlea made it two in a row with a win over Newmarket.
Two matches were pushed back a day, where Ravens pulled to just 3 points off the lead—with a game in hand—beating Broadview, who remain 3rd, and Brentford edging past Forest 3-2, with 5 matches that will have to be fit in to the next month.
The Second Division will have Lima United atop the table at Christmas, and Caledonia and Jamestown 2 points back. Crusdaders lost their third in a row and fallen back to 6th, tied on 25 points with Leiderkranz, Riverside City and Clayton.

First Division                 Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA    GD  Pts 
 1 Shiloh FC Ladies            17   10   3   4    28   20    +8   33
 2 Ravens FC Ladies            17   10   3   4    25   21    +4   33
 3 Broadview AFC Ladies        17    8   3   6    25   20    +5   27
 4 Newmarket Ladies SC         16    7   4   5    26   25    +3   25
 5 Haskins Blues Ladies AFC    17    7   4   6    32   28    +4   25
 6 Sherwood Forest Ladies FC   17    7   3   7    28   31    −3   24
 7 Ridge Raiders Ladies FC     17    6   6   5    30   27    +3   24
 8 Castleford Ladies FC        16    7   2   7    19   16    +3   23
 9 Great Northern FC Ladies    16    6   3   7    28   30    −2   21
10 Brentford Ladies FC         12    6   2   4    32   21   +11   20
11 Shirley Metros Ladies FC    17    6   2   9    27   35    −8   20
12 Middletown City FC Women    17    5   4   8    25   28    −3   19
13 Greenlea United Ladies SC   16    5   3   8    24   30    −6   18
14 Hamiliton Wanderers Ladies  17    4   6   7    33   37    −4   18
15 Forest Park FC Ladies       16    4   6   6    15   18    −3   18
16 Westwood Sprites Ladies FC  17    4   4   9    30   42   −12   16

Second Division                          Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA    GD   Pts 
1 Lima United FC Women                   17    9   5   3    35   27   +8    32
2 Caledonia Ladies FC             	 17    9   3   5    32   28   +4    30
3 Jamestown City Ladies FC               17    9   3   5    30   26   +4    30
4 Ellesmere Woods Ladies FC              17    8   5   4    35   32   +3    29
5 Meadowdale Ladies FC                   17    7   5   5    36   37   −1    26
6 Lady Crusaders FC              	 17    8   1   8    29   25   +4    25
7 Leiderkranz Ladies SC         	 17    8   1   8    29   28   +1    25
8 Riverside City Ladies FC        	 17    7   4   6    40   36   +4    25 
9 Clayton City Ladies FC          	 17    7   4   6    31   34   −3    25
10 St Stephens Ladies SC           	 17    7   2   8    42   34   +8    23
11 Southend AC Ladies              	 17    6   3   8    23   28   −5    21
12 Far Hills FC Ladies             	 17    5   6   6    26   22   +4    21
13 E Endborough Ladies FC                17    5   4   8    21   26   −5    19
14 Lynchana Women's FC                   17    4   4   9    33   38   −5    16
15 Linden Ladies FC                	 17    3   6   8    30   40  −10    15
16 Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC          17    3   6   8    22   33  −11    15

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

In the interim period of league play, the 1st round of the Women's FAC Cup takes place on the same weekend as the 2nd round of the Men's tourney. It normally consists of 14 non-league amateur clubs against the 2nd division's 14 clubs (the previous year's relegated sides are exempted unless there happens to be more than 14 other entries).

First Round
E Endborough Ladies FC 4–0 Dalton Ladies SC[N]
Lady Crusaders FC 4–0 Jacksonville Ladies[N]
Liberty Twp Ladies[N] 2–5 Meadowdale Ladies FC
Pembroke Ladies[N] 1–2 Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC
Lima United FC Women 0–1 Southend AC Ladies
Greenville Twp Ladies [N] 3–3 Queens Park SC Ladies[N]
St Stephens Ladies SC [N] 1–4 Linden Ladies FC
New Richmond Ladies[N] 0–2 Caledonia Ladies FC
Clayton City Ladies FC 1–1 Sorenberg Park Ladies[N]
Georgetown AC Ladies[N] 1–2 Ridgedale Ladies[N]
River-Valley FC Ladies[N] 2–1 Salisbury County Ladies[N]
Ellesmere Woods Ladies FC 1–2 Riverside City Ladies FC
Mel-Wood FC Ladies[N] 2–0 Paintersville Ladies[N]
Jamestown City Ladies FC 3–1 Lynchana Women's FC

First Round Replays
Queens Park SC Ladies 2–2 Greenville Twp Ladies (3–2 AET)
Sorenberg Park Ladies 2–3 Clayton City Ladies FC

The only truly shock result was Lima United going out at the first hurdle, while Queen's Park survived the replay to round out a quartet of non-league sides going through.

Brentford set out to make up their postponed fixtures during the December break and things did not start auspiciously, as they fell 1-0 to Castleford in a disappointing performance.
The following week saw them double up on fixtures, as they defeated Forest Park and drew 1-1 with Newmarket, those four points meant that they leapt into 7th with 24 points.
Greenlea looked the fresher and more determined side, and their 2-2 stalemate was hardly indicative of their play, but the B's scraped another point and following the resumption of play in round 18, where they defeated Forest Park again, a final match against Great Northern brought another dropped 2 points after a scoreless 90 minutes.
This also saw their matchday 19 fixture against Castleford pushed back a day, as was Northern's match against Metros. But after all of the juggling, Brentford found themselves in a dead heat with Castleford, 4 points behind the leading pair.
The other results from match 18 meant that the top 8 were covered by just 6 points, while in the Second division Lima's 4-1 setback against Meadowdale couldn't be capitalized on by the chasing group due to four scoreless draws and two other shutout victories.

Now to round 19 and Shiloh moved into the top spot after an away win at Ridge Raiders while Ravens stumbled again, this time at home to lowly Forest Park. Midd City got the better of Sprites in a 9 goal contest, Haskins got past Greenlea 5-3 and Newmarket pegged back Sherwood Forest 3-2 The two Monday night matches also shaped the title race, as Great Northern defeated Metros and Brentford got their revenge on Castleford with a 1-0 win at home to move them up to third.

The lower tier saw Lima right the course with a dominating 4-0 home win against Llewellyn Turnpike, Clayton beat J-City 5-3, which allowed streaky Leiderkranz to get close to both City and Caledonia, who they beat 4-1.

The second round of the Cup brings in the 1st Division plus the previous year's relegated clubs, who are drawn against the winners from the first round.

Second Round
Mel-Wood FC Ladies 4–3 Leiderkranz Ladies SC
Hamiliton Wanderers Ladies SC 2–3 Ravens FC Ladies
Sherwood Forest Ladies FC 0–2 Linden Ladies FC
Castleford Ladies FC 0–0 Meadowdale Ladies FC
Shirley Metros Ladies FC 3–2 Great Northern FC Ladies
Middletown City FC Women 0–2 Haskins Blues Ladies AFC
E Endborough Ladies FC 2–0 Shiloh FC Ladies
Ridgedale Ladies 2–4 Clayton City Ladies FC
Brentford Ladies FC 3–1 River-Valley FC Ladies
Ridge Raiders Ladies FC 2–3 Greenlea United Ladies SC
Southend AC Ladies 1–0 Broadview AFC Ladies
Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC 2–3 Caledonia Ladies FC
Westwood Sprites Ladies FC 4–3 Lady Crusaders FC
Newmarket Ladies SC 0–3 Far Hills Ladies FC
Queens Park SC Ladies 3–0 Jamestown City Ladies FC
Forest Park FC Ladies 2–0 Riverside City Ladies FC

Second Round Replay
Meadowdale Ladies FC 2–5 Castleford Ladies FC

Shiloh were bounced and Far Hills stunned Newmarket at the Prince William Stadium, while amateurs Queen's Park routed J-City.

Matchday 20 is often postponed a week as it comes in between the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the Cup and the date is used for replays from the weekend previous, although with just the lone do-over, a nearly full slate went ahead. Castleford & Ravens was postponed, and both saw the champs take down Shiloh to pull within a point of the top. Sherwood Forest and Hamilton played to a 3-3 draw, as did Sprites and Ridge Raiders. In the 2nd, Lynchana Women put a dent in the form of Ellesmere with a 4-3 home win, which allowed Caledonia to slip by into second spot.

The 3rd round of the Cup is only 9 days following the 2nd, with the last 16 battling for the quarterfinal berths.

Third Round
Caledonia Ladies FC 0–2 Forest Park FC Ladies
Far Hills Ladies FC 2–2 Shirley Metros Ladies FC
Linden Ladies FC 0–1 Westwood Sprites Ladies FC
Castleford Ladies FC 2–0 Ravens FC Ladies
E Endborough Ladies FC 2–4 Mel-Wood FC Ladies
Southend AC Ladies 2–0 Greenlea United Ladies SC
Clayton City Ladies FC 3–1 Queens Park SC Ladies
Brentford Ladies FC 1–2 Haskins Blues Ladies AFC

Third Round Replay
Shirley Metros Ladies FC 0–2 Far Hills Ladies FC

Brentford and the current holders from Caledonia Ladies were both unceremoniously dumped, while Mel-Wood carried the non-league banner in the last 8.

Round 21 resembled a ladder-style competition, as Ravens & Brentford, Newmarket & Castleford and Broadview & Great Northern—the 6 teams in second through seventh place—squared off, while Shiloh looked to gain some distance while the others fought it out. But you have to take care of your own business and Westwood Sprites got the better of the leaders in a seven goal shootout, while wins by Ravens and Castleford allowed them to leap over Brentford, and GN & 'View couldn't decide a winner, which let Sherwood Forest bump both of them down a spot. Lima got a measure of revenge from being knocked out of the cup when they downed Southend, and Ellesmere and Meadowdale set their Ezriquay derby aflame with a 5-5 thriller.

The last 8 of the FAC Women's Cup is the only round played mid-week.

Quarterfinals
Southend AC Ladies 1–1 Westwood Sprites Ladies FC
Haskins Blues Ladies AFC 2–0 Forest Park FC Ladies
Mel-Wood FC Ladies 3–4 Far Hills Ladies FC
Clayton City Ladies FC 1–2 Castleford Ladies FC

Quarterfinal Replay
Westwood Sprites Ladies FC 1–0 Southend AC Ladies

The party finally ended for Mel-Wood in the quarters, although they pushed Hills to the limit and Sprites got the double joy of advancing to the last four for only the second time in their history and seeing their rivals in Clayton knocked out.

First Division
Shiloh FC Ladies 0–1 Ravens FC Ladies
Brentford Ladies FC 2–1 Newmarket Ladies SC
Castleford Ladies FC 2–2 Hamiliton Wanderers Ladies SC
Forest Park FC Ladies 1–1 Haskins Blues Ladies AFC
Sherwood Forest Ladies FC 1–2 Great Northern FC Ladies
Broadview AFC Ladies 3–1 Middletown City FC Women
Greenlea United Ladies SC 3–1 Ridge Raiders Ladies FC
Shirley Metros Ladies FC 3–2 Westwood Sprites Ladies FC

Second Division
Linden Ladies FC 5–3 Clayton City Ladies FC
Far Hills Ladies FC 2–1 Lima United FC Women
Southend AC Ladies 1–0 E Endborough Ladies FC
Jamestown City Ladies FC 0–2 Lady Crusaders FC
Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC 1–3 Ellesmere Woods Ladies FC
Meadowdale Ladies FC 2–2 Leiderkranz Ladies SC
Lynchana Women's FC 3–1 Riverside City Ladies FC
St Stephens Ladies SC 6–0 Caledonia Ladies FC

The most significant scores among this day's results were Ravens getting by Shiloh to reclaim top spot and Brentford jumping into second.

The semifinals of the FAC Women's Cup take place on a Sunday, where they are the bookends for the Final of the Men's National League Cup.

Semi-Finals
Haskins Blues Ladies AFC 2–2 Far Hills Ladies FC (3–4 AET) (at Clayton)
Westwood Sprites Ladies FC 1–1 Castleford Ladies FC (2–1 AET) (at Mansfield)

Far Hills and Sprites will make just their second appearance each in the final, Hills having lost in their lone match, while Sprites took home the trophy 18 years ago. Both matches went to extra time in the neutral site contests.

Matchday 23 ended with the four top 1st division clubs having had mixed results away from home; Ravens and Shiloh got important wins, while Brentford could only salvage a point and Castleford fell 2-0. After their embarrassing defeat the week before, Caledonia got the last laugh as they moved past Lima into the top spot thanks to another listless draw by United, while Meadowdale and J-City got impressive road wins that keep in touch.

With seven matches remaining, here are the tables:

First                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Ravens FC Ladies                23   13   3   7    29   26   +3    42
 2 Shiloh FC Ladies                23   12   3   8    37   30   +7    39
 3 Brentford Ladies FC             23   11   6   6    48   31  +17    39
 4 Castleford Ladies FC            23   11   3   9    26   22   +4    36
 5 Great Northern FC Ladies        23   10   6   7    40   34   +6    36
 6 Haskins Blues Ladies AFC        23    9   6   8    43   39   +4    33
 7 Newmarket Ladies SC             23    9   6   8    33   30   +3    33
 8 Broadview AFC Ladies            23    9   6   8    31   28   +3    33
 9 Ridge Raiders Ladies FC         23    8   8   7    39   36   +3    32
10 Sherwood Forest Ladies FC       23    9   4  10    40   42   −2    31
11 Shirley Metros Ladies FC        23    9   3  11    37   46   −9    30
12 Middletown City FC Women        23    8   4  11    39   42   −3    28
13 Greenlea United Ladies SC       23    7   6  10    41   48   −7    27
14 Hamiliton Wanderers Ladies SC   23    6   9   8    44   46   −2    27
15 Forest Park FC Ladies           23    5   7  11    18   29  −11    22
16 Westwood Sprites Ladies FC      23    5   6  12    45   61  −16    21

Second                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Caledonia Ladies FC             23   12   4   7    39   40   −1    40
 2 Lima United FC Women            23   11   7   5    45   36   +9    40
 3 Jamestown City Ladies FC        23   11   5   7    38   35   +3    38
 4 Meadowdale Ladies FC            23   10   7   6    55   49   +6    37
 5 Ellesmere Woods Ladies FC       23   10   7   6    48   45   +3    37
 6 Leiderkranz Ladies SC           23   11   3   9    42   37   +5    36
 7 Southend AC Ladies              23   10   3  10    31   34   −3    33
 8 St Stephens Ladies SC           23   10   2  11    57   45  +12    32
 9 Lady Crusaders FC               23   10   2  11    39   34   +5    32
10 Clayton City Ladies FC          23    8   6   9    40   45   −5    30
11 E Endborough Ladies FC          23    8   5  10    26   30   −4    29
12 Far Hills FC Ladies             23    7   8   8    31   29   +2    29
13 Riverside City Ladies FC        23    7   6  10    46   51   −5    27
14 Lynchana Women's FC             23    7   5  11    44   47   −3    26
15 Linden Ladies FC                23    5   7  11    38   50  −12    22
16 Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC    23    4   7  12    28   46  −18    19

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

A bit of a gap had begun to open up in the table in the top flight ahead of round 24, and the matches that took place widened the gap a bit further; Brentford drew level with Ravens after their 3-1 win over Haskins was paired with Ravens loss to Hamilton, Shiloh only managing to get a point at home against Newmarket, which left 'Market 5 points behind Castleford in 4th place. Caledonia held off Meadowdale 4-3 and Jamestown slid past Leiderkranz 2-1 into second after Lima could only take a point against Linden Ladies.

On matchday 25, Shiloh's slump continued when they suffered their 5 loss in their last 7 matches—which includes their early exit from the Cup—but they couldn't be moved out of third place as Great Northern held Brentford to a scoreless draw and Midd City drew with Castleford 1-1. Forest Park are looking like relegation certainties after another loss left them 8 points from safety and by far the worst scoring outfit in either division with just 18 in 25 matches. There is a question as to whether any club wants to win the Second Division, with Lima, Jamestown City, Caledonia and Ellesmere all losing, Meadowdale the only side in the top 5 to get all 3 points when they downed St Steves.

Whispers of capitulation started making the rounds in the media after round 26 when Shiloh and Castleford lost, both now 8 points behind Ravens, with Broadview and Raiders just a point behind both.
J-City sit on top of the lower league after a 3-1 win over Caledonia, with Meadowdale now tied with the losers. And Rachel Byrne's first season continues to be a roller coaster, although with more ups than downs lately, a 2-2 draw getting them level on points with Ellesmere in 5th, both only 4 points off the lead.

FAC Women's Final
Westwood Sprites Ladies FC 2–4 Far Hills Ladies FC (at Sportsmen's Park, BH)

Far Hills Ladies became the 6th club in 44 years, and second in a row, to win the Cup while being in the Second Division, taking just their second ever piece of silverware 30 years after winning—ironically—the Second Division title.

If not for the widespread balance in the NWSL, the table might look a lot different than it did on matchday 27, with third to eleventh place separated by just 6 points.
Metros Ladies, who looked promising during the first part of the campaign now look in danger of dropping back into the 2nd division, as they fall closer to the clutches of Forest Park and Sprites at the foot of the standings.
The defending champs resumed their tenure at the top of the League following a 2-0 win at Ridge Raiders on a day when 5 matches ended scoreless.
All the scoring was in the 2nd, as J-City and Lima came out one better in their respective 7 goal affairs and Meadowdale and Linden drew at 4 each.

We start round 28 with the Second division battle, as there are now only 5 clubs with a shot of promotion with just 2 more fixtures to complete, after Ellesmere and Clayton both went down and Leiderkranz beat Lima to draw just a point behind them in fifth. Jamestown and Meadowdale both won while Caledonia could only get a point, leaving them 3 points off the top.

Remember when we said that Forest Park looked all but relegated? Forget that, as a three match span has seen them score 7 points and 8 (!) goals, leaving their supporters wondering where this team has been all season. Shiloh and Castleford continue to take on water, but not sink; they remain level on points in 3rd & 4th as no one has been able to put together a run of 2 or 3 victories to supplant them. Meanwhile, Brentford and Ravens are going to have the title race to themselves with 2 to go, as they are 9 & 10 points clear.

The penultimate matchday had Ravens facing off against homestanding Westwood, and the visitors crept back into first while putting Sprites out of their misery, while Metros gave themselves a boost in avoiding joining them with a 1-1 home draw against Brentford; Forest Park's end of season run continued with a win against Broadview and Greenlea were pulled into the relegation dogfight on the final day when they fell to Castleford, who finally supplanted Shiloh in 3rd after the Ezran club's spiral finally took them down to seventh after a 3-1 defeat at Sherwood Forest.
Jamestown City Ladies clinched a promotion spot with a 1-1 draw with Meadowdale, leaving the Lionesses 3 points behind, yet only 1 behind Caledonia—2-1 winners over Clayton-- for the other berth.
Spare a thought for Lima United Ladies, whose season unraveled just like Shiloh; both sat second with 7 matches to go and both will finish likely lower than 4th, well beaten to the finish.

The final day of the season brings emotional scenes every year, and this year's were amazing to witness.
Ravens Ladies captured their first ever First Division crown, 10 years after winning their last trophy, the Second Division championship; they defeated Shirley Metros 1-0, but the result didn't end up affecting Metro's relegation as Forest Park could manage a scoreless draw with Sherwood Forest, so Metros stay up as a result of having 1 more win.
That means that both Park and Westwood are relegated just 2 seasons after they were both promoted. Brentford's 2 year reign ended with a 5-2 win over Greenlea, who also needed the Shirley and Forest Park results to go their way.
Castleford finished third despite losing to Broadview, and Shiloh's season came to a thudding conclusion when they fell to Great Northern, their 7th consecutive winless match.

Jamestown City were confirmed as Second Division champions in spite of dampening the mood of their home crowd with a 1-0 defeat to last placed Llewellyn Turnpike; it wasn't until the news of Lima's 5-2 defeat of Caledonia and Meadowdale's 3-3 draw at Southend came in that J-City were officially the winners of the title, 2 years after their relegation from the 1st Division and 5 years after winning the First Division itself.
The last day madness also extended to Crestwood, where Leiderkranz beat the Lady Crusaders 1-0, which pulled them level in the standing with Caledonia, but aided by the joint best defense (with Jamestown) in the division, their superior goal difference meant they would bounce straight back to the top flight at the first attempt, a triumph of their manager Rachel Byrnes' influence in rebuilding the club in just 10 months.
Only 23 points ended up covering the entire second tier, which will be a key element in the discussions about expanding the NWSL in the near future.

The final tables:

First Division              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Ravens FC Ladies                30   18   3   9    43   33  +10    57
 2 Brentford Ladies FC             30   16   8   6    63   38  +25    56
 3 Castleford Ladies FC            30   13   6  11    33   31   +2    45
 4 Newmarket Ladies SC             30   12   9   9    43   36   +7    45
 5 Haskins Blues Ladies AFC        30   12   8  10    57   50   +7    44
 6 Sherwood Forest Ladies FC       30   12   8  10    54   51   +3    44
 7 Great Northern FC Ladies        30   12   8  10    47   43   +4    44
 8 Broadview AFC Ladies            30   12   7  11    42   37   +5    43
 9 Shiloh FC Ladies                30   12   6  12    44   45   −1    42
10 Hamiliton Wanderers Ladies SC   30   10   9  11    61   57   +4    39
11 Ridge Raiders Ladies FC         30   10   9  11    44   48   −4    39
12 Middletown City FC Women        30   10   6  14    50   57   −7    36
13 Greenlea United Ladies SC       30    9   7  14    50   67  −17    34
14 Shirley Metros Ladies FC        30    9   6  15    42   56  −14    33
15 Forest Park FC Ladies           30    8   9  13    27   33   −6    33
16 Westwood Sprites Ladies FC      30    6   9  15    53   70  −17    27

Second Division             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Jamestown City Ladies FC        30   15   6   9    49   44   +5    51
 2 Leiderkranz Ladies SC           30   15   4  11    52   44   +8    49
 3 Caledonia Ladies FC             30   15   4  11    53   57   −4    49 
 4 Meadowdale Ladies FC            30   13  10   7    77   67  +10    49
 5 Lima United FC Women            30   13   8   9    58   52   +6    47
 6 Clayton City Ladies FC          30   12   7  11    58   57   +1    43
 7 Ellesmere Woods Ladies FC       30   12   7  11    67   68   −1    43 
 8 Riverside City Ladies FC        30   11   8  11    54   55   −1    41
 9 Lady Crusaders FC               30   12   4  14    53   50   +1    40
10 St Stephens Ladies SC           30   12   3  15    69   61   +8    39
11 E Endborough Ladies FC          30   11   6  13    34   36   −2    39
12 Far Hills Ladies FC             30    9  11  10    47   46   +1    38
13 Southend AC Ladies              30   10   7  13    40   48   −8    37
14 Linden Ladies FC                30    7  12  11    56   66  −10    33 
15 Lynchana Women's FC             30    8   8  14    58   66   −8    32
16 Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC    30    6  10  14    41   58  −17    28

Champions
Relegated
Promoted
Cup Winners

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Weekend 2021
NWSL season marking end of an era?
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Writer

The conclusion of the NWSL season has generated a lot of coverage, focused on the narrowing gaps among clubs in both divisions and the close title chases that gained much more attention in the first year of the new TV contract.

The issues that the league face in this close season have the potential to be confronted by taking steps to fundamentally alter the entire structure of the sport at professional level for female soccer players.

The longest running issue, which also is being given the least amount of attention by clubs at this point, deals with expansion of the league itself. The widespread belief is that both divisions should add 2 clubs, which would add 4 extra matches to the schedule. It's the current state of non-league clubs that makes this a problem.

At present, there are 14 associate member clubs that meet the FAC guidelines for participation in the Women's FAC Cup every year, and they fall into three categories; the first group of five are clubs that sponsor both men's & women's sides under their associate membership: Georgetown AC, New Richmond FC, Mel-Wood FC, Queen's Park FC and Salisbury County FC (although the last falls under an exception, which will be explained); the second group are clubs that sponsor women's sides as associate members, while their men are full members: Sorenburg Park, Greenville Twp, Jacksonville FC, Pembroke St David's AC and Paintersville SC (and also have an exception case in Liberty Twp FC); while the final group are collaborative efforts that share resources provided by two or more clubs: Dalton Ladies (who receive support from Dalton Town, Jaynesville and Dalton Station), Ridgedale Ladies (who get funding from Nor-Dale, Mooresville Celtic and Jennings Borough), River-Valley Ladies FC (who are supported by Valley View, Lower Valley Lions and Riverdale United) as well as the two hybrid exceptions--Liberty Township Ladies SC have support from both West Liberty Rovers and New Harmony FC in addition to the main club, and Blacksburg Area & Salisbury City are co-sponsors of the Salisbury County Ladies team.

The compounding problem with this model is the fact that several major metro areas and other sections of the country have no viable women's sides within their catchment areas; Newport, Fairport, Mansfield, Coolville and St Warren have no league clubs and Oceana has only Llewellyn Turnpike carrying the professional banner, while the county's second largest city has just 2 clubs--East Endborough and Brentford Ladies--to vie for support and player recruitment.

Another topic bubbling under the surface is the increase in foreign born players in the league. While players from some of the top professional leagues in the multiverse have come to play in the Commonwealth, is a long term presence of signings from other countries a boon or a hindrance on development of home grown women?

There is also expected to be a discussion prior to next summer's FAC General Conference about contracts and transfers in line with the revenue increases. The expectation is that minimum salaries for veterans will rise and possibly a slight adjustment to entry level pro terms for over 21 rookies.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

The NSL Championship Division season came down to the final day once again to determine a winner, with 7 clubs having a chance to take the trophy at the beginning of round 34.

In the end, the unprecedented 3-peat for St Warren City was denied and Midtown Athletic Club followed last year's win in the FAC Cup to end up top of the table when the dust settled, tied on points with Southend AC, but having the advantage across all tiebreakers (wins, goals for and goal difference). Ezran clubs dominated the top of the standings, as 4 of the top 5 were from the southwest, with MAC's rivals Ezriquay United finishing fourth and Richmond Station ending up fifth (Shirley Metros were the only interlopers in third spot).

Midtown also had the opportunity to do the double as they looked to defend their Cup win against 2nd Division Llewellyn Turnpike, who overcame extra time in the semi-finals, and in a 4th round replay and defeated both Southend and United as well as another Ezra club, Maritime Athletic; after that resume there could only be one result, right? Turnpike earned a brave 1-0 win, which qualifies for next season's Cygnus Cup.

At the other end of the table, Salisbury City will return to the 2nd Division after just one season and Westwood Sprites will join them after their 3 season stay in the top flight. They will be replaced by Riverside City and Monmouth Park, who bounce straight back after they nipped Victoria & Albert to the runner up position in the second tier.

Championship               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Midtown Athletic Club     34   16   5  13    79   65  +14    53
 2 Southend AC               34   14  11   9    70   65   +5    53
 3 Shirley Metros FC         34   15   6  13    68   60   +8    51
 4 Eqriquay United FC        34   15   6  13    62   64   −2    51
 5 Richmond Station FC       34   14   9  11    53   46   +7    51
 6 Hillsborough FC           34   14   8  12    67   68   −1    50
 7 Learfield FC              34   14   8  12    56   55   +1    50
 8 St Warren City FC         34   14   7  13    63   63    0    49
 9 Asbury Park FC            34   13  10  11    60   59   +1    49
10 Newport City FC           34   13   7  14    59   56   +3    46
11 Fairport City FC          34   12   9  13    54   57   −3    45
12 New Bremen FC             34   12   9  13    32   34   −2    45
13 Corinthians               34   11  12  11    69   64   +5    45
14 Dalton Town FC            34   10  14  10    67   68   −1    44
15 Clayton City SC           34   11   9  14    67   73   −6    42
16 Marshallton Athletic SC   34   11   9  14    64   67   −3    42
17 Salisbury City FC         34    9  10  15    52   64  −12    37
18 Westwood Sprites          34    7  13  14    55   69  −14    34

Champions Cup
Globe Cup
Relegated

2nd Division 		    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Riverside City FC        38   21   9   8    75   61  +14    72
 2 Monmouth Park FC         38   21   8   9    96   69  +27    71
 3 Victoria & Albert SC     38   21   7  10   101   74  +27    70
 4 Sanborn Borough SC       38   19   6  13    90   84   +6    63
 5 Hamilton Wanderers FC    38   17  12   9    85   75  +10    63
 6 Nor-Dale AFC             38   17  10  11    78   64  +14    61
 7 Llewellyn Turnpike SC    38   16  12  10    81   74   +7    60
 8 Middletown City FC       38   15  11  12    77   78   −1    56
 9 Newmarket Saxons FC      38   15   8  15    74   77   −3    53
10 Middlebourne City AFC    38   14  11  13    67   69   −2    53
11 Meadowdale FC            38   14  11  13    56   53   +3    53
12 Mansfield C&W FC         38   13  10  15    61   75  −14    49
13 Linden Woods FC          38   13   6  19    78   80   −2    45
14 North Lima SC            38   12   9  17    46   51   −5    45
15 Jamestown City FC        38   12   8  18    64   69   −5    44
16 North Royalton Town FC   38   11   9  18    65   76  −11    42
17 Fairport Harbor FC       38   12   4  22    65   86  −21    40
18 Brentford FC             38   11   6  21    62   75  −13    39
19 Coolville United         38    9  10  19    56   70  −14    37
20 Crusaders FC             38    7  13  18    59   76  −17    34

promoted
relegated

3rd Division  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Maineville Marauders    38   26   5   7    78   41  +37    83
 2 Alton Athletic Club     38   25   8   5    93   56  +37    83
 3 St Pats AC              38   24   5   9    86   63  +23    77
 4 Great Northern          38   22   7   9    88   68  +20    73
 5 SK Leiderkranz-Turner   38   20   9   9    80   68  +12    69
 6 Jacksonville FC         38   16  14   8    67   56  +11    62
 7 Bridgend Metros FC      38   18   6  14    67   61   +6    60
 8 Ravens FC               38   17   8  13    92   81  +11    59
 9 Broadview AFC           38   14  11  13    68   63   +5    53
10 Trinity FC              38   14  10  14    71   67   +4    52
11 Kellerville AFC         38   13   6  19    71   88  −17    45
12 Carlisle FC             38   11  11  16    75   71   +4    44
13 Lewistown Town          38   11   9  18    68   80  −12    42
14 East Endinborough AFC   38   11   9  18    68   83  −15    42
15 Sorenburg Park          38   10  11  17    60   72  −12    41
16 Greenlea United FC      38    9  12  17    68   81  −13    39
17 Valley View SC          38   10   8  20    53   73  −20    38
18 Jamestown Rovers FC     38    7  10  21    56   75  −19    31
19 Ellesmere Woods FC      38    7  10  21    50   72  −22    31
20 ROCK Utd                38    6   9  23    60  100  −40    27

promoted
relegated

Conference    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Eastview SC              34   17   9   8    76   69   +7    60
 2 Brentwood Borough FC     34   17   9   8    73   55  +18    60
 3 Springfield City         34   17   5  12    61   61    0    56
 4 Maritime Athletic SC     34   16   8  10    72   57  +15    56
 5 Principia SC             34   15   9  10    81   74   +7    54
 6 Lynchana Borderers AC    34   16   5  13    65   53  +12    53
 7 Hannover United FC       34   15   6  13    54   53   +1    51
 8 Andover Borough SC       34   13  12   9    70   57  +13    51
 9 Forresters FC            34   15   5  14    40   33   +7    50
10 Jennings Borough         34   14   7  13    60   61   −1    49
11 Sherwood Forest FC       34   12   9  13    66   64   +2    45
12 Westphalia County FC     34   12   8  14    70   71   −1    44
13 Bergholz Town FC         34   12   5  17    46   63  −17    41
14 Patterson Park FC        34    9  11  14    51   62  −11    38
15 West Liberty Rovers FC   34   10   6  18    45   65  −20    36
16 Jeromeville FC           34    8  11  15    61   71  −10    35
17 Greenville Twp FC        34    9   7  18    44   56  −12    34
18 Collinsville United FC   34    7  12  15    53   63  −10    33

promoted
relegated

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

First Round
Sorenburg Park 4–1 Westphalia County FC
Greenlea United FC 0–0 Fairport Harbor FC
Great Northern 0–0 Hamilton Wanderers FC
Andover Borough SC 0–0 SK Leiderkranz-Turner
West Liberty Rovers FC 3–1 Mooresville Celtic FC
Trinity FC 3–1 Bridgend Metros FC
ROCK Utd 2–2 Ridge Raiders SC
Liberty Twp 1–1 St Pats AC
East Linden SC 0–3 Maritime Athletic SC
Hannover United FC 0–3 Jamestown Rovers FC
Crusaders FC 4–2 Maineville Marauders
Brentwood Borough FC 3–0 Shiloh FC
Valley View SC 3–3 Mansfield County SC
Jacksonville FC 2–1 Bergholz Town FC

Replays
Fairport Harbor FC 0–0 Greenlea United FC (0–1 AET)
Hamilton Wanderers FC 3–1 Great Northern
SK Leiderkranz-Turner 1–1 Andover Borough SC (1–2 AET)
Ridge Raiders SC 2–3 ROCK Utd
St Pats AC 1–1 Liberty Twp (2–1 AET)
Mansfield County SC 2–2 Valley View SC (2–2 AET) (5–3 pen.)

Second Round
Salisbury City FC 1–0 Fairport City FC
Brentwood Borough FC 2–2 Monmouth Park FC
Coolville United 0–0 Linden Woods FC
Brentford FC 2–0 Sorenburg Park
North Lima SC 2–0 Newmarket Saxons FC
Middlebourne City AFC 2–2 Meadowdale FC
Maritime Athletic SC 1–4 Llewellyn Turnpike SC
St Pats AC 3–0 Crusaders FC
Sanborn Borough SC 2–1 Jamestown Rovers FC
West Liberty Rovers FC 0–5 Hamilton Wanderers FC
Nor-Dale AFC 1–0 Middletown City FC
Mansfield C&W FC 0–2 Trinity FC
Andover Borough SC 1–3 ROCK Utd
Jacksonville FC 1–0 North Royalton Town FC
Riverside City FC 3–2 Victoria & Albert SC
Greenlea United FC 1–0 Mansfield County SC

Replays
Monmouth Park FC 1–0 Brentwood Borough FC
Linden Woods FC 0–2 Coolville United
Meadowdale FC 1–2 Middlebourne City AFC

Third Round
Greenlea United FC 3–2 Trinity FC
Salisbury City FC 4–2 St Pats AC
Clayton City SC 1–0 Learfield FC
Hamilton Wanderers FC 0–2 Riverside City FC
Corinthians 4–1 Dalton Town FC
Shirley Metros FC 0–0 Marshallton Athletic SC
Llewellyn Turnpike SC 2–1 Southend AC
Eqriquay United FC 3–0 St Warren City FC
Jacksonville FC 1–1 Monmouth Park FC
ROCK Utd 0–1 Middlebourne City AFC
Coolville United 0–0 Richmond Station FC
Nor-Dale AFC 1–0 Asbury Park FC
Hillsborough FC 1–1 Brentford FC
Sanborn Borough SC 0–1 Midtown Athletic Club
New Bremen FC 2–0 Newport City FC
Westwood Sprites 0–1 North Lima SC

Replays
Marshallton Athletic SC 1–0 Shirley Metros FC
Monmouth Park FC 1–2 Jacksonville FC
Richmond Station FC 3–2 Coolville United
Brentford FC 3–2 Hillsborough FC	

Fourth Round
North Lima SC 1–2 New Bremen FC
Clayton City SC 0–0 Marshallton Athletic SC
Eqriquay United FC 1–1 Salisbury City FC
Greenlea United FC 3–1 Middlebourne City AFC
Jacksonville FC 1–1 Llewellyn Turnpike SC
Richmond Station FC 3–2 Corinthians
Nor-Dale AFC 0–2 Brentford FC
Riverside City FC 0–1 Midtown Athletic Club

Replays
Marshallton Athletic SC 1–0 Clayton City SC
Salisbury City FC 1–2 Eqriquay United FC
Llewellyn Turnpike SC 3–3 Jacksonville FC (3–3 AET) (4-3 pen.)

Quarterfinals
Eqriquay United FC 0–1 Llewellyn Turnpike SC
Greenlea United FC 0–2 Richmond Station FC
Midtown Athletic Club 1–0 Brentford FC
Marshallton Athletic SC 3–2 New Bremen FC

Semi Finals
Richmond Station FC 2–3 Midtown Athletic Club (at Queen Victoria Stadium, Ezriquay)
Llewellyn Turnpike SC 4–4 Marshallton Athletic SC (5–4 AET)(at Sportsmens Park, BH)

Final
Llewellyn Turnpike SC 1–0 Midtown Athletic Club (at Keller Field, BH)

The National League Cup is open to all clubs below the Championship, and Llewellyn Turnpike did a cup double by defeating Crusaders in the Final.
(first 2 rounds omitted)

Third Round 1st Leg
Middletown City FC 6–2 North Lima SC
Nor-Dale AFC 3–2 Llewellyn Turnpike SC
Mansfield C&W FC 0–1 Kellerville AFC
Brentford FC 0–0 Monmouth Park FC
Coolville United 1–2 Sanborn Borough SC
Meadowdale FC 0–0 Crusaders FC
Sorenburg Park 1–0 North Royalton Town FC
Victoria & Albert SC 1–0 Riverside City FC

Third Round 2nd Leg
North Lima SC 2–2 Middletown City FC (Middletown City win 8-4)
Llewellyn Turnpike SC 1–0 Nor-Dale AFC (3-3 agg, Llewellyn Turnpike win on away goals)
Kellerville AFC 2–3 Mansfield C&W FC (3-3 agg, Mansfield C&W win on away goals)
Monmouth Park FC 3–7 Brentford FC (Brentford win 7-3)
Sanborn Borough SC 2–0 Coolville United (Sanborn win 4-1)
Crusaders FC 5–0 Meadowdale FC (Crusaders win 5-0)
North Royalton Town FC 4–2 Sorenburg Park (North Royalton win 4-3)
Riverside City FC 3–0 Victoria & Albert SC (Riverside City win 3-1)

Quarterfinals 1st Leg
Crusaders FC 4–0 Brentford FC
Middletown City FC 1–1 North Royalton Town FC
Mansfield C&W FC 1–3 Llewellyn Turnpike SC
Sanborn Borough SC 3–1 Riverside City FC

Quarterfinals 2nd Leg
Brentford FC 3–2 Crusaders FC (Crusaders win 6-3)
North Royalton Town FC 2–1 Middletown City FC (North Royalton win 3-2)
Llewellyn Turnpike SC 3–1 Mansfield C&W FC (Llewellyn Turnpike win 6-2)
Riverside City FC 3–5 Sanborn Borough SC (Sanborn win 8-4)

Semi Finals 1st Leg
Crusaders FC 1–2 North Royalton Town FC
Llewellyn Turnpike SC 1–0 Sanborn Borough SC

Semi Final 2nd Leg
North Royalton Town FC 1–3 Crusaders FC (Crusaders win 4-3)
Sanborn Borough SC 1–0 Llewellyn Turnpike SC (1-1 agg, Llewellyn Turnpike win 2-1 AET)

Final
Llewellyn Turnpike SC 3–2 Crusaders FC
(at State Fairgrounds Stadium, Springfield)

The FAC Trophy is open to the 48 clubs that compete in the FAC Shield regional setup, plus 16 clubs from the Conference. Forresters FC earned their second title in three appearences in the Final.
(first 2 rounds omitted)

Third Round
State Univ 5–4 Collinsville United FC
Forest Park SC 5–2 Jaynesville SC
Center Point FC & RFC 1–1 Springfield City (2–1 AET)
Patterson Park FC 4–1 Hardun Athletic Club
FC Monroe Central 0–1 Greenville Twp FC
Pembroke St Davids AC 1–0 Bergholz Town FC
Forresters FC 1–0 Battenberg Bruins SC
West Chester 2–1 Maritime Athletic SC

Quarterfinals
West Chester 2–0 State Univ
Center Point FC & RFC 3–5 Forest Park SC
Greenville Twp FC 0–1 Pembroke St Davids AC
Patterson Park FC 1–3 Forresters FC

Semi Finals
West Chester 5–1 Pembroke St Davids AC (at Park Stadium, Oceana)
Forresters FC 1–0 Forest Park SC (at Hillsborough Stadium, BH)

Final
West Chester 0–1 Forresters FC (at Prince William Stadium, Newmarket)

The FAC Shield is arranged for the semi-professional and small professional clubs to compete in regional play. The four winners playoff for the right to earn promotion to the Conference for the next season.

East/NE    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Engineers Club             22   10   5   7    36   34   +2    35
 2 Liberty Twp                22   10   4   8    42   40   +2    34
 3 Center Point FC & RFC      22    9   4   9    39   44   −5    31
 4 New Harmony                22    9   3  10    18   23   −5    30
 5 Dragons FC                 22    8   6   8    41   31  +10    30
 6 Hardun Athletic Club       22    8   6   8    33   33    0    30
 7 White River Twp            22    8   6   8    25   23   +2    30
 8 McIlroy Station FC         22    8   6   8    23   19   +4    30
 9 Meadowlarks SC             22    9   2  11    16   23   −7    29
10 Union Miners FC            22    8   5   9    38   43   −5    29
11 Castleford                 22    8   5   9    25   23   +2    29
12 Paintersville SC           22    6  10   6    19   19    0    28

  Metro/Central                Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Lower Valley Lions FC      22   10   7   5    29   22   +7    37
 2 St John's SC               22    9   8   5    36   28   +8    35
 3 Hills & Dales FC           22   10   4   8    26   27   −1    34
 4 Milton AFC                 22    8   8   6    37   38   −1    32
 5 Blacksburg Area FC         22    9   4   9    42   43   −1    31
 6 Red Wing FC                22    8   6   8    45   38   +7    30
 7 Mansfield County SC        22    8   5   9    34   33   +1    29
 8 Far Hills SC               22    7   8   7    34   35   −1    29
 9 Maplewood AFC              22    7   7   8    34   36   −2    28
10 Forest Park SC             22    7   6   9    32   35   −3    27
11 Riverdale United FC        22    6   6  10    36   42   −6    24
12 Charter Twp FC             22    5   7  10    35   43   −8    22

  West/NW                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 State Univ                 22   12   4   6    37   32   +5    40
 2 Haskins Blues AFC          22   10   7   5    37   28   +9    37
 3 Pembroke St Davids AC      22    9   5   8    33   29   +4    32
 4 Mooresville Celtic FC      22    7  11   4    41   35   +6    32
 5 Blue Aces SC               22    8   7   7    31   30   +1    31
 6 Dalton Station AC          22    8   7   7    23   25   −2    31
 7 West Chester               22    9   3  10    41   42   −1    30
 8 Brecon Borough             22    7   7   8    42   38   +4    28
 9 Lima                       22    6   8   8    30   36   −6    26
10 Battenberg Bruins SC       22    6   6  10    34   42   −8    24
11 RFCP AC                    22    6   5  11    26   31   −5    23
12 Independent Laborers AC    22    5   8   9    27   34   −7    23

  Southwest                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Western & Southern RR FC   22   10   8   4    53   38  +15    38
 2 Berwick Rangers FC         22   11   4   7    26   22   +4    37
 3 Shiloh FC                  22   10   5   7    41   36   +5    35
 4 Jaynesville SC             22    9   6   7    27   29   −2    33
 5 West Alden United FC       22   10   2  10    25   26   −1    32
 6 Ridge Raiders SC           22    9   5   8    53   51   +2    32
 7 Old Fort SC                22    8   5   9    39   43   −4    29
 8 FC Monroe Central          22    7   8   7    23   23    0    29
 9 Hampton SC                 22    6   7   9    33   36   −3    25
10 Edgewood Eagles SC         22    6   7   9    33   40   −7    25
11 East Linden SC             22    7   3  12    39   43   −4    24
12 Linden Lions FC            22    5   8   9    35   40   −5    23

Playoff first leg
Engineers Club 0–0 Lower Valley Lions
Western & Southern RR 0–2 State Univ

Playoff second leg
Lower Valley Lions 1–0 Engineers Club (Lower Valley win 1-0)
State Univ 1–0 Western & Southern RR (State Univ win 3-0)

Playoff Final (both teams promoted to Conference)

State Univ 1–0 Lower Valley Lions (at Prince William Stadium, Newmarket)

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Newport is the country's major seaport and also home to the Naval Service of the Commonwealth Fleet Command, but it also has plenty of other things to see and do. It was the home of the Western & Southern Company, another BI rival in the early years and is a leader in transport and shipping of both imports and exports. It is accessible by air via Ezriquay's airport (40 minutes).
Newport City Stadium (capacity 25,000)

The stadium is home to the Newport City FC and the Naval Academy's football team and has been a frequent host to the NT in recent years.
Fan Festival: City Plaza, downtown Newport (free shuttle to & from the stadium), 4 hours prior, 2 hours after the match.

Although Salisbury is not technically considered as part of the Metro Belle Haven area, the extension in 1991 of the subway/commuter rail line (Red Line, access from Belle Haven's Midtown Transit Center, approximate trip is 35 minutes.) to the Salisbury Civic Center (adjacent to the stadium) meant that this city became a target of commuters moving in over the next decade.
Salisbury Stadium (capacity 25,900)

The town's central location means that the stadium hosts many prominent sporting events.
Fan Festival: on the plaza between the Civic Center and the Stadium, 2 hours prior to & following the match.

Coolville is the capital of Midalia state and the fifth largest city in Baker Park. The citizens have a bit of an identity crisis, with the other main towns in the state (St Warren & Kellerville) and their down-river neighbors Shirley all having less than positive feelings for them. One of the two major cities (Lima being the other) in the Chemical and synthetic products industry. Can be reached by air via Shirley's airport (45 minutes).
Carrollton—Coolville (capacity 24,480)

Although it has been the home of Coolville United FC since 1949, the inaugural BP Open Cup marked the first time international soccer matches were ever played at the ground; some have said the rivalry between the city and its neighbor Shirley has played a role, but the reality is the stadium wasn't up to any sort of standard for hosting the NT. Since the 1990's it has been completely rebuilt one side at a time and is an outstanding venue for the spectator.
Fan Festival: Riverside Park, 3 hours prior & 2 hours after match.

Newmarket got its name because of its purpose—it was on the "frontier" of early Baker Park & was where those who worked the farms in the surrounding area came to sell their product; it was also the administrative center of the western third of the country in the years known as The Pre-Commonwealth.
Prince William Stadium—Newmarket (capacity 24,400)

The stadium was completed in 1952 and is named for Prince William of Oldenburg, the second Prince Regent of the Commonwealth; he succeeded his father, Prince Frederick in 1912 and served until his death at the age of 66 in 1947. The stadium is voted one of the most popular venues for visiting supporters in annual post-season polls.
Fan Festival: "Old" Market Square, 5 min walking distance from stadium, 4 hours prior, 2 1/2 hours following match.

St Warren is the Commonwealth's 10th largest city and just like their cross river neighbor Shirley and their big brother, Coolville, residents have a chip on their shoulder about anything involving the other two. Has developed an identity in its own right as the southeast's hub for information technology.
MacIlwaine Stadium—St Warren (capacity 23,000)

Home of St Warren State University & St Warren City FC, it hosted its first ever National Team fixture during the qualifying for World Cup 81.
Fan Festival: City Green, adjacent to the stadium, 2 hours before & after the match

Established because of its location approximately halfway between Belle Haven and Ezriquay, Hamilton is another city built on industrial might. The 11th largest city, it has one of the nation's largest Caribbean ex-pat communities.
Hamilton City Stadium (capacity 22,000)

One of the more modern venues, HCS was completed in 2008 and is host to the UAC Women's soccer championship, Hamilton Wanderers FC, and West County RFC. Also, state high school playoff games take place at HCS for men's and women's soccer and football.
Fan Festival: Hamilton Commons, adjacent to the stadium, 1-9pm match day.

Riverside is the nation's 9th largest city and overcame the stigma of being a satellite town of Belle Haven in the 1920's.
Riverside City Stadium (capacity 18,000)

The smallest stadium used for the AOCAF, hosting just a single Group match, the Riverside is easily accessible from downtown Belle Haven via subway/light rail connections and has an excellent atmosphere for matches, despite the running track that surrounds the pitch.
Fan Festival: South Market St district, noon-10 pm on the day of the match.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Weekend 2026
Open Cup to make Road Trip?
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Writer

An unfortunate victim in the decision to have a co-hosting role in the AOCAF was the fate of the Baker Park Open Cup. The FAC recognized that there was a logistical nightmare involved in trying to organize the regional championships and their own invitational event prior to the start of the next NSWC cycle.

Enter the Velish Football Association, fresh off hosting of the 24th Campionato Esportiva and Atlantian Oceania near neighbors Qasden. A joint proposal by the two nations to organize a tournament similar in concept--and as a stopgap for this cycle--to the BPOC was welcomed and the FAC have pledged support for the effort.

FAC Associate Executive Director Allison LeFleur was the main point of contact for the negotiations. "David (Carlson, FAC Executive Director) had a preliminary talk, and then I picked up the bulk of the discussion with the VFA, who had originally inquired about a role in sharing the hosting of the BPOC. When we informed them that we would probably not have a tournament here for this WC cycle, they asked if we would support them having a similar competition, and the officials from Qasden signaled their interest as well. As an association, we could not see any reason why we should object, and of course we are honored that the two nations have an opinion of the (BPOC) that they'd be willing to take on the running of it. Of course, we have pledged our support to send a squad and wish them the best of luck."

Further details will be forthcoming from the hosts, and many nations across the multiverse who have participated in the previous two editions here are supporting the continuation of available competition for second tier and alternatives to the senior squad WCC tournaments.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2026
Stadium talk heats up after AOCAF
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Writer

The end of the AOCAF tournament brought many accolades to the Commonwealth for hosting half of the competition, and attendances were robust at every venue.

But that was also the lone downside of the competition in the eyes of the FAC and the organizing committee. Keller Field is the Commonwealth's largest all-seated sports venue, but almost every stadium used for the regional championship in Banija has a larger capacity, many of them having been expanded or rebuilt fairly recently for the Kingdom's forays into hosting WCC events--the Baptism of Fire 67, and World Cup 81.

Allison LeFleur, Associate Executive Director of the FAC discussed the challenge facing the country if it had ambitions towards bidding for future tournaments.
"Obviously, we don't diminish the history of our stadiums, and we are not talking about this issue in a way that suggests that we should pull down everything old and replace them with modern stadiums. Keller [Field] wasn't designed to host football and soccer matches, and through the years there have been a lot of changes and attempts at re-configuring the way the field is oriented to make it better for the fans. I've listened in on meetings and heard people who would love to rebuild Sportsmen's Park with a much larger capacity, and several other cities have had plans to build new facilities."

The questions that anyone thinking about sport facility construction in Baker Park have to answer are practical ones, and often get subordinated to micro-level controversy by smaller scale critics.

As examples, I'll lay out a few major projects that have gotten beyond the brainstorming stage:

Belle Haven--The Sportsmen's Park project is fraught with roadblocks: the existing superstructure is nearly 100 years old, the immediate area around the stadium is residential & small scale commercial zoning, much of which is quite old also, but would need to be taken over for any major expansion.

The so-called "Wedge" plan, which would see a stadium and associated mixed use development in the area close to Casino Square, Belle Haven Arena and Triangle Park, looks far too ambitious in its current form; in an example of micro issues, the future of Victoria & Albert SC and their Rosenau ground comes into play here. The county's biggest soccer club would almost have to agree to take up tenancy at a new stadium in order for the project to make financial sense, which would mean leaving their 115 year home.

There is also a lot of attention being given to a proposal called the "Patterson/Ferry" project, which would see a stadium somewhere near the river between Patterson Park and Sunrise Bridge ferry port. This one probably has a slim chance of getting planning approval, mainly on the basis it would require an enormous amount of green-space to be sacrificed.

Ezriquay--There has been talk of adding additional seating at the Queen Victoria Stadium going back to the 1960's. One plan to add a second deck to the west side of the QV was aggressively quashed in 1974 when independent architects reviewing the structural drawings concluded that the chance of a stress related failure on the project was at least 1 in 3.

Another plan to build an entirely new 55,000 seat stadium immediately to the south of the Vic fell apart in acrimonious litigation over financing in the 1990's.

There was a serious study done to determine whether it might be feasible to redevelop Hampton Park by land reclamation and building a 64,000 stadium on the same footprint of the original in 2000, but many residents in Hampton & Linden Borough voiced strong objections to the plan and it died a quiet death.

Shirley/Coolville--It would not be practical to list all of the numerous suggestions and plans to redevelop or replace President's Park over the years; the most reasonable proposal submitted by the University of St Leon about 12 years ago ended up as a hostage and then a victim to overwhelming pressure. A new 32,000 seat on-campus stadium would then allow a complete rebuilding of President's Park (keeping the historic Main Stand) for a much larger crowd. The controversy carried into the elections for the St Leon House of Delegates, and the plan was eventually scrapped.

As for their neighbors to the north, the redevelopment of Carrollton by Coolville United FC (along with generous support from the city) in the early 1990's still didn't get the area an outdoor venue with a seating capacity of over 30,000; still could get closer to 40,000 if the only single tier stand were upgraded.

Of course, the rivalry between the State University and the national University creates an entirely different problem; one or the other as a tenant in a large central downtown stadium would certainly push a project ahead towards realization.

[continued in part 2...]

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2026
Stadiums at the front of future plans
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Writer

(continued from part 1)

Previously, we discussed the various proposals and potential plans for redevelopment or replacement of the nation's largest sport stadiums, so let's look at some of the other cities we didn't cover:

Oceana--Collins Park has been the poster child for how difficult planning and financing stadium projects can be in Osheana; it has some of the most updated conveniences & amenities of any venue in the Commonwealth now, but is so underutilized that the Oceana City Corporation loses money on its upkeep. The battle rages on as to whether Osheana Capital University should abandon Mann/Stevens/Ewing Stadium on campus and become tenants or whether the state should put forward funding for a new on-campus facility.

Endborough--Rogers Stadium is another facility that really doesn't have many shortcomings, but whether it could be redeveloped to increase seating capacity is an argument that has gone on for years, One option that has been discussed is constructing a new stadium for the Gold Sox, which would allow Rogers to be configured without having to accommodate baseball.

Lima--The City Stadium has been considered below standard for awhile now, and discussions about a new venue always seem to hit a snag when the issue of Northern Baker Park leaving Lions Stadium to share a new facility comes into play.

Springfield--The Fairgrounds Stadium seems like a perfect candidate for expansion; it hosts enough events that would warrant a larger capacity, and the existing architecture is probably sufficient that it could be extended without much disruption. It's really up to the Convention & Exposition Commission to make a decision whether to push forward the money.

Hamilton--The HCS is so relatively new, it seems silly to talk about expanding it. The biggest obstacle is the transport connections that are part of the complex itself.

Newport--Another instance where there would need to be another tenant to make the investment work, but even a bump up to 30,000 might fit the bill.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Westmoreland honored in select group
by Oliver Stanley
The Post Senior Soccer Correspondant

Annabeth Westmoreland, the rising superstar who plies her professional trade in Valanora for Hondo FC when she is not lining up for the National Team, has been included in the most recent edition of the Galacticos Index, a list of the multiverses' best players for club & country presented by Karling Sport of Nephara.

Westmoreland is joined in the final 23 player squad by her club teammate Aaron Aiza, from Equestria,. She is the first player from Baker Park to ever be recognized in either the Long List from which the finalists are chosen, or in the Short List, from which the final all-star awards are given.

Reached at home in Jamestown, the former Ridge Raider & Middletown City Ladies standout, who has 38 international caps for the black & gold, was naturally humbled by the honor.

"I can't even begin to describe how this award has made me feel. I want to thank the journalists from everywhere who selected me to make the preliminary list, and also congratulations to Aaron, who has been a fantastic teammate, and I can't think of anyone I'd be more proud of sharing this honor with. I can't forget all of my teammates on the national side, along with Trevor (Richmond) & Pam (Scott) for all of their support, friendship, and guidance. I hope this will be the first of many opportunities for players from the Commonwealth to get recognized for their skills and contributions for their clubs and country."

Westmoreland is preparing for the first training camp for the upcoming World Cup Qualification squad before she returns to the Eternal Empire for her second season at Hondo. Following on from the 3rd place finish at the AOCAF's, the BP team will be seeking to make their 4th consecutive qualification for the World Cup Finals, to be co-hosted by Banija and the Equestrian States.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

"Hello, I'm Lowell Friedman, host of CommSport1 Soccer Central. Tonight we have a panel of journalists and commentators for a special roundtable discussion about the changes that were announced by the FAC and about the general state of the game as we approach the World Cup Qualifying cycle.

With me here in the studio in Belle Haven is our own studio analyst Alan Lilly, former national team manager; Frank Armitage, chief soccer writer for the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday; Mindy Cartwright, national writer for the Sporting Times; Oliver Stanley, soccer correspondent for The Post; and Leanne King, from the National Radio. Thanks to all of you for being here, and joining us via satellite are Darren Anderson, Soccer Editor of the Exponent live in Shirley, Lawrence Barber of the Guardian who joins us from Ezriquay, and our CommSport play by play host Jeff Logan, who is in Endborough.

First of all, let's go through the news that shocked probably most of us when it was announced. Trevor Richmond will hand over the duties as manager to Pamela Scott on a full time basis, and will move into a role more akin to a General Manager, in addition to the announcement that Kate DiMarini, Scott's longtime assistant, will not return from her maternity leave as she has asked to be let out of her contract in order to pursue other opportunites. And I just want to touch briefly on the second part first, because I know that Leanne, you have some good insight on DiMarini's story."

Leanne King: "I had known about this for a bit, as I had spoken with Kate a few weeks ago, just to touch base and see how she was doing. She was pretty matter of fact about it, which was I think the second most shocking part of the call, after of course her telling me this without any prompting on my part. She said that there have been some approaches made to her about managerial jobs overseas, that she had had some really long discussions with Pam, Dave Carlson and of course her husband. She felt like it was time."

LF: "So a lot like the situation with Shane Newman, I take it? Just a desire to step away and change direction?"
LK: "Exactly. She's known Pam a long time, played for her at Northern BP, and considers her a mentor as well as a friend. "
LF: "We'll come back to that topic, but let's delve into the changes at Birkenfield. And I want to get Alan's take on this first."

Alan King: "Trevor and Pam gave this a trial run during the AOCAF, and I think they both came away from it on the same page about how it worked. Of course, they have worked so well together over the last three World Cup cycles, and I'm sure that type of arrangement could've continued indefinitely. But let's give Trevor the accolades he deserves, he's completely revived the National Team, he was brave enough to go head first into the mixed gender concept and was willing to allow Pam to share the work and the credit. He doesn't have anything left to prove."

LF: "Frank?"

Frank Armitage: "Alan makes a great point. Trevor has never been about his ego or how much credit or praise he gets. Dave was visionary enough to be able to find two people who were willing to buy into his ideas, and who were able to forge a strong working relationship."
LF: "Darren Anderson, your thoughts?"

DA: "The timing is the only oddity, but I think it's a natural evolution of the total setup. This is going to be the litmus test of the Development Charter. Almost all of the players who will feature prominently in the qualifying tourney are products of Dave, Pam and Trevor's system."

LF: "Mindy?"
Mindy Cartwright: "That's a point that can't be understated. Those of us who covered that first DiBradini tournament were—no, I can't speak for the others, but to me—witness to something that I think we appreciated as special, though maybe not, in that moment?" (she looks toward Oliver Stanley)

Oliver Stanley: "Oh yeah, it was a seminal moment. I think we came to a sort of agreement at the time (glances at Armitage & Cartwright) that we were looking at some of the future stars for the national team."

LF: "Lawrence Barber, a chance for you."

LB: "I think it's interesting to try and reflect upon where things would stand right now if Trevor and Dave didn't come to see Liam Sullivan's view that going with a mixed team was a priority?"

FA: "Having the chance to test it out in the under 18's first—and the extraordinary results it produced—does seem more like luck than brilliant insight. And I don't mean that in a disparaging or negative way, but if it had been three and out there, would there have been a further push? Would the resulting BOF squad have gone back to a more male dominated side?"

LF: "And a perfect segue for Jeff Logan to come in"
Jeff Logan: "wow, until 2 seconds ago, I don't know if that had ever crossed my mind, Frank. But an excellent point. That was another instance where the players who stood out were fast tracked for stardom. I'd like to see how many of the players of those two youth squads are going to be important coming up."

LF: "Oliver, back to you, your thoughts on the changes?"
OS: "I don't know if have an opinion that's different than most of the others. I think it's something that looks as though it's been in the works for awhile. That's sort of a characteristic of the FAC under Carlson—think long, act decisively—and of course, no one is going to take anything away from Trevor or Pam. They are going to go down in history as the two most successful managers in the history of Baker Park. Sorry Alan." (laughter)

AL: "Pam has as many losses and draws for the NT as I did." (laughs)
JL: "It's the win column you're lacking though..." (studio laughter)
LF: "On that note, let's break away for a couple of minutes for these messages."

Lowell Friedman: "thanks for staying with us on CommSport Soccer Central, and let's go back to the discussion about the shakeup at the top of the National Team leadership. Anyone want to throw in their thought that hasn't gotten a chance? So let's move back for a minute to the Kate DiMarini story. Lawrence, I think you said you had a thought."
LB: "I just wanted to add that I hope Kate has all the success in the world no matter where she ends up. As Leanne pointed out, she has been Pam's right hand for a long time, and although her role was different than Shane Newman's was for Trevor, she'll be hard to replace."
LF: "Lee? anything to add to that?"

LK: "Oh goodness, it seems like everyone thinks I'm good friends with Kate. But Lawrence is right. She was more the training coach for Pam than the tactical guru, where Shane was the defensive mastermind who was able to adapt and adjust."

MC: "If she's learned half as much about coaching as Pam knows, after having been with her for so long, she will be a superb manager for some club. Especially if she goes somewhere outside of Baker Park and has to work with mixed gender squad. I think just like Shane broadened his horizons by working with mixed squads, I think Kate has done the same. If this is a net effect for the FAC—coaches getting a better understanding of working with a variety of players—then it is just another feather in Dave's cap."

FA: "I agree with Mindy. This is sort of the final frontier for the Association, getting more coaches who have the temperament & understanding of how to man-manage, so to speak, a playing squad made up of mixed gender players."
LF: "Darren?"
DA: "I want to ask Mindy a question and hopefully we can dig a bit deeper along the same thought. You were at the GC and they put a lot effort into the NWSL and how to drive it forward. Does she think that at some point there could be a configuration where we have mixed sex clubs as a way to strengthen both the men & women's leagues?"

MC: "Uh, I don't know Darren. I know a lot of the NWSL talk was fixed on business aspects and I wrote about some of the issues confronting the league awhile back. Maybe we should have a discussion away from the show about something examining that."
DA: "I'd be happy to."
LF: "when we're not making news, we're facilitating others to make news. (laughs) Jeff, anything you'd like throw in?"

JL: "pretty soon we'll all be crossing paths and sharing info and opinions, and I personally can't wait. The AOCAF got me really optimistic about the National Team in the near future."

LK: "oh I did the math Jeff, on the preliminary squad that was announced for quali, 14 of the 34 were on the DBC or under 18 SWC team."

LF: "Leanne King always on top of the breaking facts. That's all we have time for tonight, I want to thank all of our guests on the show—Mindy Cartwright, Frank Armitage, Leanne King, Oliver Stanley, Darren Anderson, Lawrence Barber, Jeff Logan and Alan Lilly. I'm Lowell Friedman, good night."

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

"Good Evening, welcome to CBC2's coverage of the Baker Park National Team's preparations for qualifying for World Cup 83, as they prepare to take on Siovanija & Teusland at Old College Park at the top of the hour. I'm David Blake, alongside my usual sidekicks, Gary Kostka and Aiden Donnan. Guys, we have now entered the Pam Scott era, so far it doesn't look or feel any different. Gary, talk a little about the change."

GK: "Obviously this rare territory we're in, as there has only ever been one previous occasion where a successful manager turned things over to an assistant, that being Peter Griffith coming in after Alan Lilly. But this is completely different as Pam has way more experience that Peter did."

DB: "which is the perfect transition to Ady, you played under both Alan and Peter..."
AD: "and Gary..."

GK: "...still not sure what was in my head then."
DB: "Gary gave you your first cap, right?"
AD: "he did. and then he quit. (laughter)"

DB: "back to the original question...what do you recall about that change at the top?"

AD: "Griff came in because Alan left to take the job at Saxons at mid-season. Normally managerial changes for the national team came in the summer, in between the spring & fall tours. We stuck with Alan's system for the first match, but Griff wanted to use the spring tour to experiment with lineups, which I don't think Alan would've done--and I'm not seconding guessing you Griff, you were always straight with me--but we were, as a squad, sort of on the down slope, which we didn't realize while it was happening. Pam has possibly the best group of players this country has ever produced, and they all have a massive amount of experience playing together, and in a system they all know backwards & front."

GK: "I don't think you can emphasize that last bit enough. When I got my first callup, I think we trained for 4 days, flew out, trained 1 day in Belgium, played the match & flew out, trained the next day, played and flew out and trained the next day, played and flew home. We played 3 matches and trained seven times, and only the first couple of sessions did we really talk about tactics."
AD: "That's insane"

DB: "Why was that Gary?"
GK: "at the time, I'd have said money, but we stayed in decent places. Those were the last matches before Charlie took over and from then on, everything was miles away from that experience. And to defend the gaffer, Don Squire, it wasn't really up to him. The fact is that our national team camps weren't that much different from everyday club training."

DB: "I want to come back around to these warmup friendlies, but let's take a break before we do. Join us back here on CBC2 Soccer Night after these messages."
_____________________________________________________________________

David Blake: "welcome back to CBC2 and Soccer Night ahead of the match between Commonwealth and Siovanija & Teusland, and we'll be going out to hear from our team at Old College Park in a bit. First, Gary wants to finish up with one point..."
Gary Kostka: "I only played in the last match--my first ever cap--and we drew 2-2 with Zaire that ended an 8 match away losing skid."

DB: "Let's just look back at these previous three matches that have been played--as usual the FAC isn't looking for easy wins, they are scheduling top class nations."
Aiden Donnan: "I think that's just who we are. Gary & I can both tell you about matches we played against teams we had no business being on the pitch with. (Kostka nods in agreement) Dave Carlson said a long time ago that to be the best you have to play the best. I think Pam is really trying to fine-tune a lineup and a get a good grip on who is going to click into place as replacement pieces."

GK: "She played the probable starting XI in Banija and worked them for 55 minutes in pretty brutal conditions, to be fair. And this is where I want to make a small observation about a difference between Pam & Trevor--Pam puts a great deal of stock on the concept of "toughness", which is really a bit of an abstract concept, don't you think Ady?"
AD: "Yeah, in that there are a lot of different ways to define and quantify it."
GK: "Exactly. And she does so to suit her immediate needs. I think she people-manages in an entirely different way than Trevor did, and I think you can almost pick out the individuals who have played a lot for her in the past--BoF, AOCAF, previous qualifying--without much effort.
DB: "Ady, your thoughts on the Banija match?"
AD: "hmm...I guess now I have to look at it from Gary's perspective, I'd say it was a strong, gutty performance. In hindsight, a pretty decent start."

DB: "So Ady, a decent start, when you hold it up to the next match against Qusmo, right?"
AD: "Yeah, I think because you see an example of where you have a completely different lineup from the start, and they put on an exhibition of passing, movement and tactical perception against a team of the quality that Qusmo have, it makes you doubt everything you think you know about the game."

DB: "Oh, I should mention to Ady that Peter Griffith has responded on social media, and I quote. 'much respect Donnan, tho if you'd been a bit better...' (laughter) But Gary, the three of us have talked a lot off-air about the Qusmi'i and our admioration for their rise."

GK: "So much of the FAC's increase in stature has come from the national setup, at youth and senior level. For Qusmo, they have pushed their domestic game and their national teams forward at an equal rate--steady, building from strength to strength, not cutting corners. I don't know how, short of a complete overhaul of the NSL. we could get our clubs headed on a trajectory similar to theirs."

DB: "But when you look at it through the lens of a second XI BP team against their National Team, on their own turf..."
GK: "Could have had an off night. It was the end, for them, of a 5 match warmup and they didn't play any soft touches. They beat Saltstead right before we played."

AD: "I'd like to get through this match and then make a more definitive call on that scoreline. Oh and cheers Griff!"

DB: "Fair enough, now lets talk about the most recent match, at the Dagan Airways Stadium in Concord Heights against Cassadaigua. We know that the FAC counts them as one of the nations they measure themselves against, and although they have participated in both Open Cups, this was the first senior team meeting between the two sides."

GK: "It was the match against the Dagans at DBC 42 that really put the Commonwealth on the map, as far as I'm concerned. This one was a close run affair, liberal substitutions from both sides, and an 85th minute winner from Lainey Wadsworth that was a piece of beauty."

AD: "I haven't been this excited about an up & coming player since you and I went gaga for Veronica Navarro at the BoF, Gary."

GK: "And that worked out pretty well for her...and us." (laughter from all three)

DB: "Which brings us full circle really, as that night that Ady was crushed that he didn't become Navarro's agent (laughter in the background) was the match against tonight's foe. The Goldhorns and the Bees will face one another for the first time since that quarterfinal match at Star Field in Herzegovina City. Gary, there was a bit of nostalgia involved in arranging this match?"

GK: "I don't think it was specific to Pam, but yes, the FAC were eager to host the Goldhorns, a fellow AO nation who didn't play here during the regionals. Quite of few of our closest relationships are countries in the Glorious Southwest, so I think this is a bit of courtesy invite to another member of that group."

DB: "and on that note, we will turn our attention to the activities at Old College Park in Southend, and when we return from this break, we will bring on Mark Tolbert and Craig Snyder to preview the match. See you in a bit."

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Navarro, Taborn an unlikely, beautiful partnership
Frank Armitage
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

It's the same disagreement played out in a different style, every day.
"Put the ball into the space where I'm running."
"No, you need to run to the space I'm passing it to you"

Both of them hone and refine their point as the training drills change from offensive technique to defensive responsibility.
"Tuck in when I'm outside of you."
"Track back towards the center if the wing gets deep."

The coaching staff and the other players in the squad let the antagonists sort out the difference of opinion on their own; in the end, they always work out a compromise.
"Look college girl, you need to get it into your head..."
"Yeah, you're not telling me anything, academy has-been..."

Veronica Navarro and Lorenzo Taborn are not romantically involved; Navarro is engaged to her boyfriend of 3 years and set to be married in next interim between the end of this qualifying competition and the World Cup proper, while Taborn married his partner of 4 years right after the AOCAF. The two couples have spent time on vacation together and have been often spotted taking in club matches that the two National Team midfielders play.

But make no mistake, their's is a volatile, mutually abrasive, co-dependent relationship built on unconditional trust and love.

"Nuts. She's gotten nuttier the longer I've known her", says Taborn, the Westwood Sprites star who came through their youth academy and has been a regular in the lineup through promotion to, and now relegation from the Championship.
"A baby. I have to mommy him because he won't be told", replied Navarro, the 2 time all-UAC star at University of Ezriquay who now plays for Hamilton Wanderers Ladies in the NWSL, barely able to keep a straight face.

From their first encounter on Pam Scott's Baptism of Fire squad, both 21 year olds from different regional backgrounds, the pair have bonded in an unusual mix of respect and disdain, leaning heavily towards the former.

"Renz was the laziest training partner I've ever seen when we first met. He was like, 'I was Academy POY for Sprites two years running' and then we go out and he can't make 5 passes in a row", Navarro relates about their initial encounter, with a hearty chuckle. "He really believed because I hadn't gone through the youth team system that I was somehow inferior."

It took just 2 days of training for Taborn to learn a lesson about humility. "We're in a drill where you go for a 50/50 ball, and Roni steps around, shoulder-chucks me and then dribbles away, then looks back and says 'Sprites must have the worst academy in the world', then a couple of minutes later she beats me clean on pace, and I'm thinking 'what's all this?'"

They agreed to a cease-fire over a mid-session lunch soon after and worked together post-training on positioning and movement. "We would talk about picking up a pass slightly off to one side, to open up space on the defender behind", Navarro remembers. "He would lay off a ball that would free you up for a good first touch, and I started to imagine different angles and how quick returns developed. We didn't play the same fast passing at Ezriquay that we do on the national team, so it was a new experience."

Sometimes they just practiced shooting, or they would run sprints, or take a jog around the training pitches at the FAC Development Center. "We went from being in a head-to-head battle to becoming friends, talking about ourselves and our perspectives, because she will talk for days if you let her." Taborn laughs at that thought, and soon after the two of them side by side across the table, now able to go into what's called inside the dressing room 'The R&R Show'.

"I'm the one, when we are talking on the phone, who has to say 'Renz, I gotta go. I have a life.' He'll tell you about every match he's ever played in if you let him", Navarro says, waving her hand and shaking her head. Taborn rolls his eyes and makes a circular motion with his index finger around his ear.

At the end of the day, after all of teasing, joking and banter between them, they have come to appreciate and respect one another beyond the professional relationship they both cherish.

Navarro recalls, "During the BOF, the FAC was really generous about covering most of the expenses for the players families, but I don't think anyone spent the whole tourney in country, so you had parents, friends, partners and spouses coming in for a few matches and then going back home. My parents weren't able to come until the semis & the final, but Renz's mom & dad came for the quarterfinal. He invited me along to dinner to meet them along with JB and Jonesey (Jamari Bozeman & Tyrek Jones, the four players all about the same age) and we get there and he's introducing us--'this is my mate Jamari, this is my mate Tyrek, and this is a complete & total bitch I know, Veronica' at which point the guys are laughing but Mr & Mrs Taborn are in shock. His mom looks at him with the evil eye and says 'you do not refer to a young lady as a bitch', and I spoke up and said, 'it's fine Mrs Taborn, I'm not completely and totally a bitch, your son has been been teaching me a lot about being one', at which point his dad burst out laughing, and his mom looks at me and smiles while she winks at me."

Taborn responds, "from that point, Roni was like one of the fam. They realize that this girl must have the drop on me to say that something like that on her very first introduction. Mom says 'you come sit here next to me, dear. I like you already'".

Asked to say something from the heart about the other, Taborn didn't hesitate. "Roni is the player I wish that I was. She's the person I wish really was my sister. I'm lucky to have gotten the chance to be her friend." Navarro was equally effusive with her praise. "Renz is the big brother I never had, and he's my very best friend. I also feel very lucky to have been able to get to know someone and earn their trust like him, to be considered like family to him. My family feels the same way about him. I suppose we are each other's cosmic half." They reach out and grasp hands in friendship.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Simmons discusses WC, Promo
by Oliver Stanley
The Post Senior Soccer Correspondent

It's been a whirlwind of change for DeAngelo Simmons over the past 18 months. The Monmouth Park striker has gone from the joy of promotion back to the Championship, to the high of contributing to the success for the Commonwealth National Team in the qualifying for World Cup 83, followed by the sudden loss of his grandfather--and namesake--DeAngelo Crosswell, to an unexpected stroke in the weeks following the final preparation for the trip to Banija for the World Cup Final.

Simmons has a unique perspective, as his inclusion on the final 23 player roster for the World Cup means he will become the first NT selection to make a squad in every competition that Baker Park has entered in the NS Era, save the Baptism of Fire; even in that case, he would've been a strong candidate had he not appeared in both the DiBradini Cup and the Under 18 Championships back to back, in advance of his sophomore season at the University of St Leon.

Simmons sat down to talk about his experience with club & country, with the memory of his late grandfather still fresh in his mind.

OS: "DeAngelo, thanks for the time, and condolences to you and your family from The Post on the passing of your grandfather."

DS: "Thanks Ollie, I appreciate that. He was such a great supporter of mine, it's hard to think he won't get a chance to see me turn out for the national team in the World Cup."

OS: "Before we talk about the present, let's go back to near the beginning. You were a highly rated player going into college, because you hadn't come through the academy system, and you'd made a huge leap in physical growth and in your ability during the time you were in high school in Fairport. Then you jump right in and score 21 goals as a freshman at USL. In your mind, was turning pro at that point the biggest thing you dealt with?"

DS: (laughs) "Strangely, no. My parents understood where things stood at the end of high school before I made a choice to go to college; they were really negative about the way clubs came on so aggressively at the end of my first college season.
I'll tell you who I talked about this with on a coach ride during one of our away trips--AB (Annabeth Westmoreland). She knew exactly the whole thing, and she said once I made the choice to go to college, it was smarter to stay in school for as long as I could rather than jump."

OS: "Obviously she had a completely different experience than you did, but she has said many times she wished she had gone to college before turning pro"

DS: "Right. She's so enormously confident & incredibly smart, you wonder if she would've even stayed in the sport of she'd gone to college. She loves to play, but I don't think she plays because it's the only thing she wants to do."

OS: "Since we've diverted onto talking about teammates, you've played on the DBC roster, you won a medal at the SWC, you played in the Olympics and you've played in two WCQ tourneys and earned a medal at the last AOCAF. You've been exposed to so many different players, could you talk about what insight you gained across all these experiences?"

DS: (looks away in thought for an extended time) "I think the only thing that jumps right out in my mind--and I imagine that a lot of players might say the same--is the fact that everyone you train with is aware that there are only a finite number of places open, and that you have to put everything into performing to a level to earn one of those spots. But over the course of a couple of weeks, or an extended period, you build more relationships than you do rivalries; in the (WCQ) camp, there were eight of us, and we knew that probably only 5 were going to make the cut. You've got a midfielder (Jamari Bozeman) who is starting in a forward spot every time out...8 goes into 2...so One Lane (Lainey Wadsworth), who I've known longer than the rest, she knows she's here to fill in; she's fun, works like her life depends on running 5 miles a day. She's gonna be an automatic on the team sheet in a couple of years. Me, Wags and Jess (Eddie Wagner & Jessica LeClair) all essentially play the same position. Wags is a classic center forward, Jess is a penalty box poacher and I'm a combination of those two. None of us are going to play in the slot, because we aren't technically proficient enough. We always knew it was only gonna be one of us, but we never failed to have fun, to be great mates, to appreciate that we were lucky to be in the position we were in. The two of them will be with me in spirit, I guarantee."

OS: "You brought up the U18 (SWC) experience, that was the first co-ed team. What did you learn or take away from that? What was your thinking going into the build-up?"

DS: "We'd been asked by the staff at the DBC if we could imagine playing alongside women in the same team, and if we'd be okay with it. That was after the Cassadaigua match, and I was one of the squad who said I'd have no issue. I knew even then that there were women who could hold their own, and as long as everyone was judged on an even scale, it wouldn't be a problem. I was glad that I was vindicated when we got into camp, and Tony (Weiss) & Jen (Prescott) laid down the rules. I'd played for Tony in the 15's and I knew he was a pretty straightforward coach, Jen really pushed a lot of us further than we expected, and she had LaRue (Chris LaRue, who was a 1st year full-time coach) on her side.
We're going along in training one day, in a 7v7 scrimmage and Kelly O'Connell, who had something like 60 youth caps at that point (laughs), was marking me and literally beat me to a pulp; she kicked me about 5 times in a row, elbowed me in solar plexus during a corner, and muscled off a 50/50 challenge and mocked me. So I came away with the idea that I'd best keep Kelly happy! (laughter)"

(continued in Part 2)