New Gesem Domestic Sports Newswire

[New Gesem]

Welcome. It is currently Summer 2014

International Competitions

Dates      Competition  Result
Spring 2012 WB XLII     Group stage
Spring 2013 NSCF 25
Spring 2013 WBC XLIII   Group stage
Spring 2014 NSCF 26
Spring 2014 WB XLIV     Round of 16

Gesemite League of Soccer Seasons

Dates Garnier Trophy    GLS Cup
2012  Haysville Hate    Haysville Hate
2013  Thebes Stars      Thebes Stars
2014  FC Constantinople
2015  Season Canceled
2016  FC Constantinople FC Constantinople

[New Gesem]

Soccer.com.ng Proudly Presents:
Gesemite League of Soccer 2013 Season Preview

# Team                          P   W  D  L For  Ag +/- Pts
 1 Haysville Hate               14  9  3  2  18  11  +7  30
 2 Alexandria Lazersnakes       14  9  1  4  26  17  +9  28
 3 FC Constantinople            14  6  5  3  16  13  +3  23
 4 Thebes Stars                 14  6  1  7  17  15  +2  19
 5 Rosetta Riot                 14  6  1  7  16  17  -1  19
 6 Alexandroupolis Wizards      14  5  2  7  12  15  -3  17
 7 Busiris Blaze                14  4  2  8   8  17  -9  14
 8 Northhaven Pioneers          14  2  3  9   8  16  -8   9

Quarterfinals
Hayesville Hate 4-1 Northhaven Pioneers

Alexandria Lazersnakes 3-0 Busiris Blaze

FC Constantinople 3-2 Alexandroupolis Wizards

Thebes Stars 2-1 Rosetta Riot

Semifinals
Hayesville Hate 1-1 Alexandria Lazersnakes (1-1 AET, 3-1 PKs)

FC Constantinople 1-0 Thebes Stars

Final
Hayesville Hate 1-0 FC Constantinople

Welcome to soccer.com.ng’s annual preview of the Gesemite League of Soccer, 2013 edition. My name is Dimitri Knox, and in my daily life, I’m a sports beat writer for the Alexandria Post-Dispatch, but this site is my personal blog, dedicated to the emerging sport of soccer in New Gesem.

The Gesemite League of Soccer is the top flight of soccer in New Gesem, a nation known more than anything for its disdain for soccer. Eight semi-professional teams compete in a May to October schedule, playing mostly in half-empty gridiron football venues on poorly-maintained turf crisscrossed with gridiron lines. The winner of the regular season is awarded the Garnier Trophy, while the GLS Cup is reserved for the winner of an eight-team postseason playoff (yes, all eight teams make the playoffs. It’s the closest thing we have to a cup)

The GLS originated a decade or so ago as a passion project of Alice Garnier, grand chairwoman emeritus of the Silver Leaf and Hibiscus Society, a fraternity of Quebecois-descended Gesemites. Garnier’s son Dylan was a standout player for the Alexandria Quebecois, at the time the premier adult soccer club in New Gesem, but was seeking a greater challenge. Alice convinced the SLHS and its affiliated bank, the Quebecois-Gesemite Credit Union, to bankroll a four-team, single-entity league with teams in Alexandria, Alexandroupolis, Rosetta, and Thebes.

Since then the league has expanded twice, first to six and then to eight teams. The majority of clubs are second teams owned by GFL or GBA owners as window dressing to their investment portfolio. Teams play under a prohibitive salary cap, and the vast majority of talent is drawn from the thoroughly mediocre ranks of GCAA soccer players through the GLS Superdraft.

It’s not all bad news, though; some clubs have started academies which seek to break the pay-to-play cycle of Gesemite soccer. In other places, an organic fan culture has begun to emerge, with support organizations seeking to hold team ownership accountable and be agents for change. In 2012, Hayesville Hate did the double, winning the Garnier Trophy and the GLS Cup, and in 2013, clubs will have an additional incentive, as the winner of each competition will participate in the third edition of the LigAnaia.

Without further ado, let’s get into these previews.

Alexandria Lazersnakes
Last season: 2nd, GLS Cup semifinal
Stadium: The Dome (40,000)
Colors: Neon pink and blue
Prediction: Title challenge
Key Player: GK Shayne Hill (28)
Formation: 3-5-2

One of the founding franchises of GLS and the winner of the first two seasons, the Lazersnakes have been eclipsed in recent years by more recent additions to the league. 2012 was to be their year, with Hill coming into his role as sweeper-keeper and the defense shored up by the addition of draft pick centerback Danny Fitzgerald from Excalibur, but a tough loss on penalties to Haysville in the playoffs ended their hopes of silverware. With a LigAnaia slot on the line, the ‘snakes will look to execute their gameplan better with a similar lineup this year. A year of GLS experience may have made Fitz into the mauler they need him to be, and playing three-at-the-back is no longer new.

Alexandroupolis Wizards
Last season: 6th, GLS Cup Quarterfinals
Stadium: Redbird Stadium (61,000)
Colors: Red
Prediction: Mid-table
Key Player: ST Reuben Gold (33)
Formation: 4-4-1-1

The Wizards entered the league in their current incarnation six years ago, as a replacement for the original Alexandroupolis Wizards franchise, which relocated to Northhaven and became the Pioneers. They were paired with the Haysville Hate as the fifth and sixth franchises and since then, Haysville has steadily grown into a dominant force while Alexandroupolis…hasn’t. Reuben Gold was a marquee signing six years ago, but the Wizards front office has consistently failed to sign players capable of giving him any kind of service, and his ability to carry the team solo diminishes each year.

Busiris Blaze
Last season: 7th, GLS Cup Quarterfinals
Stadium: Iron Stadium (3,000)
Colors: Orange
Prediction: Near the bottom
Key Player: RW Ed McPherson (21)
Formation: 4-3-3

When the Blaze entered the league three years ago alongside FC Constantinople, it was hoped that Busiris could follow the Haysville blueprint of low overhead, strong community engagement, and player development to become another tentpole franchise. Instead, Blaze has cut corners, used gimmicks, and signed a continuous string of underdeveloped youth talent to make a team on a shoestring budget, even by GLS standards. McPherson dropped out of Alexandroupolis a year early to become the club’s latest great hope, but the 21 year-old captain can’t do it all himself.

FC Constantinople
Last season: 3rd, GLS Cup Final
Stadium: QED Stadium (26,000)
Colors: Blue/orange
Prediction: Title Contender
Key Player: AM Jason Brock (25)
Formation: 4-2-3-1

Despite being a meme for years prior to the club’s inception (and, some would say, years after), the Foosball Club of Constantinople (named for their sponsor, a local barcade) has been one of the league’s success stories in recent years. Its first draft pick, Jason Brock, has emerged as a star at the head of a talented group of young players and a competent front office. FCC will look to continue its rise and take one of the first LigAnaia berths for the GLS.

Hayesville Hate
Last season: 1st, GLS Cup winners
Stadium: Grayson County Stadium (1,500)
Colors: Black/red
Prediction: Title Contender
Key Player: LB Trent Blanchard (29)
Formation: 4-3-3

The subject of a massive social media campaign under the hashtag #GLStoHaysville, the Hate were awarded a franchise in the first round of expansion alongside the new Alexandroupolis Wizards franchise. Despite being in a small town on the fringes of the Constantinople metropolitan area, the Heat drew strong crowds and generated significant local interest, eventually parlaying that support into an impressive local soccer infrastructure which has paid dividends. As the reigning champions and cup-holders, the GLS Cup is largely the Hate’s to lose.

Northhaven Pioneers
Last season: 8th, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Stadium: Northhaven Stadium (3,000)
Colors: Cyan/black
Prediction: Near the bottom
Key Player: CM Martin Harris (30)
Formation: 5-3-2
After the original Alexandroupolis Wizards franchise was sold to a conglomerate of local businesses in the Northhaven area, spirits were relatively high that the underperforming franchise might benefit from some investment and local flavor. No such thing was to happen. Relegated to a tired old stadium, the “Pioneers” have proven to be anything but, treading no new ground and taking no risks. With stable finances and no danger of actual relegation, the Pioneers show no signs of life.

Rosetta Riot
Last season: 5th, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Stadium: Purple Reign Field (5,000)
Colors: Purple/gold
Prediction: Mid-table
Key Player: FW Cyrus Solomon (26)
Formation: 4-4-2
In the first season of the GLS, the Rosetta Riot took second and the Thebes Stars took third, out of four teams. Ever since then, these two teams have been the most reliably midtable of clubs, never dipping too low, but never really threatening for a title, either. The most exciting matches of the year for these two clubs are when they play each other, as this typically determines which team will finish above the other, and is the closest thing the GLS has to a true rivalry.


Thebes Stars
Last season: 4th, GLS Cup semifinals
Stadium: Gesem Bowl Memorial Stadium (62,000)
Colors: Green/gold
Prediction: Mid-table
Key Player: LW Hugh Stevenson (27)
Formation: 4-3-3
In the first season of the GLS, the Rosetta Riot took second and the Thebes Stars took third, out of four teams. Ever since then, these two teams have been the most reliably midtable of clubs, never dipping too low, but never really threatening for a title, either. The most exciting matches of the year for these two clubs are when they play each other, as this typically determines which team will finish above the other, and is the closest thing the GLS has to a true rivalry.

[New Gesem]

Soccer.com.ng Proudly Presents:
Gesemite League of Soccer 2013 Season Halfway Review

# Team                          P  W  D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 FC Constantinople            7  5  2  0  14  5  +9  17
 2 Haysville Hate               7  4  2  1  10  8  +2  14
 3 Thebes Stars                 7  3  2  2  10  7  +3  11
 4 Alexandroupolis Wizards      7  2  3  2   7  8  -1   9
 5 Rosetta Riot                 7  2  2  3   6  8  -2   8
 6 Busiris Blaze                7  2  1  4   4  6  -2   7
 7 Alexandria Lazersnakes       7  1  3  3   7  9  -2   6
 8 Northhaven Pioneers          7  1  1  5   3 10  -7   4

We’re already halfway through the GSL season, and the race for the Garnier Trophy is heating up as last year’s double winners the Haysville Hate lag three points behind FC Constantinople. At the other end of the table, last year’s runners-up Alexandria Lazersnakes have one win from seven and are sitting second from last, just two points clear of Northhaven Pioneers who are–yup–in the same position as last year. Some things never change.

FC Constantinople
Last Season: 3rd place, GLS Cup Finalist
Currently: 1st
Things seem to be lining up for the undefeated Foosball Club, who dispelled any doubt of their legitimacy with a 3-0 dismissal of the Hate in week five of this season. Brock has remained the leader we all know he is capable of being, but FCC’s major success has come from its target man, first-round draft pick Alfred Love. The former All-Gesemite player for the Excalibur Swordsmen has proved to be the missing link, scoring five goals and notching four assists in seven matches.

Haysville Hate
Last Season: 1st place, GLS Cup Winner
Currently: 2nd
One problem with naming your club the “Hate” is that when you underperform, the journalistic quips write themselves. You hate to see the Hate in such a hateful state, but after their 3-0 drubbing by FCC, the reigning champs have nowhere to look but in the mirror for the source of their woes. Part of the problem seems to be with a lack of clear communication in the midfield, which has created turnovers leading to the team’s eight goals against, only two off from the cellar-dwelling Pioneers.

Thebes Stars
Last season: 4th place, GLS Cup semifinals
Currently: 3rd
Stars fans, by their nature, are cautious and unassuming. Like the blue-collar city in which they reside, they manage expectations and don’t let themselves get caught up in the hype. With that said, third place and three points clear of the Riot at the halfway mark is the best start to a season the Stars have had since there were only four teams in the GLS. Most Stars fans will be happy if they remain ahead of Rosetta for the rest of the season; third place, well, that’s just icing on the cake.

Alexandroupolis Wizards
Last season: 6th place, GLS Cup Quarterfinals
Currently: 4th
Despite being in a strictly better place than last season, Wizards fans see little reason to be optimistic, and their discontent has made more of a story than the Wizards’ mediocre season thus far. Currently their largest supporters’ group is on strike, as announced in a blog post which demands the ownership group do “something, goddammit, anything”, while providing few concrete options or goals. Expect Wizards fans to continue to be disgruntled barring Alexandroupolis pulls out some unexpected wins down the stretch.

Rosetta Riot
Last season: 6th place, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Currently: 5th
Riot fans, by their nature, are pragmatic and hard to shake. Like the agrarian city in which they reside, they keep their chins up and don’t give themselves the luxury of self-pity. With that said, sixth place and three points in back of the Stars at the halfway mark is the worst start to a season the Riot have had since there were only four teams in the GLS. Most Riot fans will be happy if they catch Thebes at some point in the rest of the season, or just win the return fixture; finishing in the top half, well, that would just be icing on the cake.

Busiris Blaze
Last season: 7th place, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Currently: 6th
Buoyed by the shockingly awful Lazersnakes, the Blaze have lifted themselves off the floor only by putting two even more miserable clubs beneath them. Having joined the two-wins club by virtue of a freak 1-0 win over Thebes on matchday seven, the Blaze may hope to hold onto the bliss of being in the third quartile, but regression to the mean is inevitable. Moreover, the Lazersnakes can hardly keep losing, can they? Can they?

Alexandria Lazersnakes
Last season: 2nd place, GLS Cup semifinals
Currently: 7th
Remember when the Lazersnakes used to be the flagship team of the GLS? Neither do we. We do, however, remember when the Lazersnakes were a close second behind the Haysville Hate and took them to penalties in the GLS Cup semifinal. What happened? Shayne Hill is still a brick wall as ever, but even he can’t stop the deluge of shots coming to him through a dysfunctional backline and a midfield that disappears for long stretches. The Lazersnakes need to rediscover their identity and fast or risk becoming a laughingstock.

Northhaven Pioneers
Last season: 8th place, GLS cup quarterfinals
Currently: 8th
Nothing to see here, move along.

[New Gesem]

Soccer.com.ng Proudly Presents:
Gesemite League of Soccer 2013 Season MD 8-13 Review

#                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Thebes Stars              13    8   3   2    19   10   +9    27
2 Haysville Hate            13    6   4   3    24   15   +9    22
3 FC Constantinople         13    6   4   3    21   14   +7    22
4 Busiris Blaze             13    4   5   4    14   11   +3    17
5 Alexandria Lazersnakes    13    4   5   4    16   15   +1    17
6 Rosetta Riot              13    4   4   5    14   16   −2    16
7 Alexandroupolis Wizards   13    3   5   5    12   20   −8    14
8 Northhaven Pioneers       13    1   2  10     6   25  −19     5

Just like that, we are 13/14ths of the way through the season. Some unexpected results down the back stretch of this season, including Thebes soundly defeating Haysville 2-1 on matchday 12 to secure their first-ever Garnier Cup. Though the top three appear to be set, there is plenty up for grabs further down the table as teams jockey for position in the GLS Cup playoffs.

Thebes Stars
Last season: 4th place, GLS Cup semifinals
Currently: 1st
The Stars won the league on MD11 with a decisive win over the Hate, and with that they have secured the first silverware in club history. Though the Stars will likely never equal the profile of the GFL’s Hellcats, GBA’s Lions, or the University of Thebes Tigers, the Stars have seen their stock increase some. The club has opened the upper bowl of New Gesem Bowl Memorial Stadium, the university’s 60,000-seater gridiron stadium, for the first time for the team’s MD14 match against the fourth-place Busiris Blaze.

Haysville Hate
Last Season: 1st place, GLS Cup Winner
Currently: 2nd
The defending champions hold onto second place on goal difference, though their situation is quite tentative. Crosstown (well, for a given value of “town”, more like “cross-consolidated metropolitan area”) rivals FC Constantinople have their final match against the always-abysmal Northhaven Pioneers, meaning the Hate’s two-goal advantage may prove not to be enough regardless their result against the Lazersnakes. Third isn’t a bad result, but after last season it would be hard to match the fans’ expectations.

FC Constantinople
Last Season: 3rd place, GLS Cup Finalist
Currently: 3rd
FC Constantinople were in first place at the halfway point of the season, a position which they held onto until a shock 1-0 loss to Rosetta in week 12 lost them their place to the resurgent Hate. Fortunately, Haysville lost to Thebes the same week, setting up a showdown for second place between them and FCC in week 13. That match ended in a 1-1 draw, putting the teams on theoretically level terms, but with Haysville ahead of FCC on goal differential and Constantinople facing last-place Northhaven in week 14, there is a strong chance their fortunes could flip.

Busiris Blaze
Last season: 7th place, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Currently: 4th
The team with the greatest change, both from last year’s standings to this year’s and from the halfway point to the end of the season, the Blaze are on the cusp on finishing in the top half of the league for the first time since their founding. However, they will need a result on MD14 in order to maintain their standing as they play the first-ranked Stars, while the Lazersnakes play the second-ranked Hate. The likelihood is that these teams will have congruent results, and the margin of victory will determine the final positions.

Alexandria Lazersnakes
Last season: 2nd place, GLS Cup semifinals
Currently: 5th
After a disappointing start to the season, the Lazersnakes find themselves within a point of salvaging. They’ll need a result against the Hate on the final matchday, or at least not to lose as badly as the Blaze to overtake them in the standings, but with an impressive 1-1 draw to the first-placed Stars on their resume, momentum is on the Lazersnakes’ side.

Rosetta Riot
Last season: 6th place, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Currently: 6th
The Riot haven’t so much gotten worse as they have stagnated while other teams have improved. This season has mostly been a lackluster follow-up to a lackluster season by Rosetta, which has only looked worse by comparison to their rivals’, the Stars’, resurgence.

Alexandroupolis Wizards
Last season: 6th place, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Currently: 7th
With a single point in six games to their name, against the equally uninspired Riot, the Wizards are fortunate that the Pioneers are in this league to buoy them against last place. Seventh seems about right for a team that’s shown no initiative this season.

Northhaven Pioneers
Last season: 8th place, GLS cup quarterfinals
Currently: 8th
No comment.

[New Gesem]

Soccer.com.ng Proudly Presents:
Gesemite League of Soccer 2013 MD14 and Playoffs Review

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Thebes Stars              14    9   3   2    22   10  +12    30
2 FC Constantinople         14    7   4   3    25   14  +11    25
3 Haysville Hate            14    7   4   3    25   15  +10    25
4 Alexandria Lazersnakes    14    4   5   5    16   16    0    17
5 Busiris Blaze             14    4   5   5    14   14    0    17
6 Rosetta Riot              14    4   5   5    15   17   −2    17
7 Alexandroupolis Wizards   14    3   6   5    13   21   −8    15
8 Northhaven Pioneers       14    1   2  11     6   29  −23     5

That’s all, folks! Matchday 14 saw some fortunes rise, some fall, and some remain the same, but the field is now set for the GLS Cup Playoffs. Will Thebes complete the double in their first-ever championship season? Will Constantinople or Haysville salvage some silverware this season with a late surge? Or will a dark horse rob the top three of their glory? And stay tuned after the review for everyone’s favorite segment: expansion rumors!

Haysville Hate 1-0 Alexandria Lazersnakes
The rare match wherein winning was never going to be enough. Haysville kicked off at home against the resurgent Alexandria at the same time as Constantinople played cellar-dwelling Northhaven. What this means is the Hate had no idea of the number of goals they would need to score to hold onto second place, while Alexandria knew they could play the spoiler simply by keeping the scoreline reasonable, knowing that Constantinople was likely to blow out the Pioneers. Sometimes things play out the way you expect them to: Alexandria parked the bus, allowing only a second-half penalty from Trent Blanchard, while Northhaven gave up a whopping four goals to put Constantinople over the top on goal difference.

FC Constantinople 4-0 Northhaven Pioneers
FC Constantinople understood the assignment on the final matchday of GLS play and banged in four goals over a hapless Northhaven squad to secure second place in the league and the second seed in the GLS Cup playoffs.

Thebes Stars 3-0 Busiris Blaze
A mostly meaningless game, yet Thebes manager Gary Shane played his full starting eleven, as if to give them an opportunity to bask in the historic glory of winning the Garnier Trophy. Thebes executed their game plan as they have all season, and Busiris seemed aware they had nothing to play for, rarely moving the ball out of their own half in the second half of play.

Rosetta Riot 1-1 Alexandroupolis Wizards
The one match where winners and losers weren’t all but preordained, and so of course it was a draw. Alexandroupolis came out fast and furious with a vintage goal by striker Reuben Gold, but they were quickly matched by Rosetta, who proceeded to park the bus in order to keep their tenuous grasp on (checks notes) sixth place. On to the playoffs!

GLS Cup Quarterfinals
Thebes Stars 4-0 Northhaven Pioneers
Oh, so that’s why Thebes didn’t rest their starters against Busiris.

FC Constantinople 2-1 Alexandroupolis Wizards
A surprisingly robust effort from Alexandroupolis which fell short in the final minutes. Gold once again proved to be the best part of the sagging Wizards’ offense with a strong header goal in the fiftieth minute, but Brock would equalize fewer than ten minutes later, and a late goal from young striker Antoine Brooks put the Foosball Club into the semifinals.

Hayesville Hate 0-0 Rosetta Riot (1-0 AET)
Another surprising effort by the lower-seeded side, Rosetta managed to play as compact as they have all season and attack with enough efficiency to keep Haysville on their toes. Conditioning came into play late in the second half as both teams used up their allocation of substitutions, and Haysville’s depth was what ultimately won the day with a cracker of a goal fro second-string striker Lester Bradshaw.

Alexandria Lazersnakes 0-2 Busiris Blaze
The only nominal upset in the quarterfinals, which should still surprise no one, since Busiris has managed to stay ahead of Alexandria throughout most of the season, falling to fifth place only on the last matchday based on a 3-0 drubbing by the merciless Stars. The Blaze played like a team with something to prove, and prove it they did with a suffocating 2-0 win that gave the Lazersnakes no chance for rebuttal.

GLS Cup Semifinals
Thebes Stars 2-1 FC Constantinople
A disappointing effort from the Foosball Club, which rode the high of an early 1-0 lead off a fluke goal straight into complacency, allowing two straight in the second half to give up the lead and in the meantime failing to so much as sniff the Stars’ goal. If you’re looking to knock off the clear favorites and the reigning

Hayesville Hate 0-0 Busiris Blaze (1-1 AET, 0-2 PKs)
A barn burner of a game that is sure to provide a rebuttal to all the jokes about “0-0 ties” from Gesemite sports pundits for years to come. Both goalkeepers stood on their heads to deny a torrent of shots, making the 0-0 outcome a testament to both of their skills and tenacity. The penalty shootout, therefore, was perhaps a more fitting end to this match.

GLS Cup Final
Thebes Stars 1-1 Busiris Blaze (2-1 AET)
Another surprisingly live match between two opponents who are on paper in completely different classes. Busiris showed a different side of themselves as they scored early and managed to fend off Thebes’s robust attack until the eightieth minute, when the Stars equalized. Conditioning and depth came into play in extra time, when fresh legs found the back of the net for the Stars, winning them the double in their first-ever championship season.

New Gesem (NGS) Qualifiers
Champions' League: Thebes Stars
Challengers' Cup: Haysville Hate, FC Constantinople

CAFA LigAnaia: Thebes Stars, Haysville Hate
IUCC: Excalibur University Swordsmen

[New Gesem]

GCAA Fall 2013
Soccer

Team                                           P   W  D  L For  Ag +/- Pts
 1 Excalibur University Swordsmen              14  7  1  6  24  19  +5  22
 2 Naucratis College Blue Jays                 14  4  9  1  11   7  +4  21
 3 Brimstone College Fire Ants                 14  5  5  4  12  12  +0  20
 4 Alexandria University Angels                14  4  6  4  13  15  -2  18
 5 Rosetta University Orange Aces              14  4  6  4  21  19  +2  18
 6 University of Alexandroupolis Redbirds      14  4  5  5  11  12  -1  17
 7 University of Thebes Tigers                 14  4  5  5  19  20  -1  17
 8 Constantinople University Binturongs        14  4  3  7  10  17  -7  15

[New Gesem]

Soccer.com.ng Proudly Presents:
Gesemite League of Soccer 2014 Season Preview

Welcome to soccer.com.ng’s annual preview of the Gesemite League of Soccer, GLS, 2014 edition. My name is Dimitri Knox, and in my daily life, I am a beat writer for the Alexandria Post-Dispatch, as well as a part-time driver for Mover since the paper cut our healthcare plan (follow my social media for free ride codes!). This, however, is my personal blog, dedicated to the still-emerging sport of soccer in New Gesem.

The Gesemite League of Soccer is the top flight of soccer in New Gesem, a country known as much as anything for its disdain for soccer. The format, in case you forgot, is a single-table double round robin with a year-end playoff tournament featuring all ten teams this year (it’s still the closest thing we have to a cup). The winner of the regular season (so what most of the multiverse would consider the winner) is awarded the Garnier Trophy, while the GLS Cup goes to the team that wins the playoffs. With the latest expansion and reshuffling, fans are optimistic that there may be more eyes on the league than ever before, but, well, they said that the last time. Nevertheless, it’s a good year for scarf collectors, as two new teams have been added and one rebranded.

The expansion teams are truly a study in contrasts. The Eriksberg Krewe is the city’s first professional team in any sport, the result of a yearslong grassroots effort by local influencers to lure a GLS franchise. In an unprecedented move, the city government of Eriksberg took out a loan from Five Thirds Bank in Constantinople in order to fund the construction of a soccer stadium, all before a franchise had even been awarded. The club itself, owned by a holding company consisting of local businesses, may or may not have the budget to support its lofty expectations.

Capitalizt Alexandria, however, should have no such issues, being owned by Henza Architecture out of Chromatika and affiliated with Chromatik, a major side in the Red League. Playing at Henza Field in downtown Alexandria, as opposed the Lazersnakes’ suburban location, Capitalizt hopes to capture the urban elite as its primary fanbase. The team’s inaugural roster consists mostly of journeymen and unproven youths, but they have the cash to splash for bigger signings as they gain momentum.

Last, the beleaguered Northhaven Pioneers have moved for the second time in franchise history, after starting out as the original Alexandroupolis Wizards and later moving to Northhaven. As often happens, early optimism was tempered by the realization that it costs money to play competitive football, leading the team to dwell in the cellars of the GLS for a few season while the new owners, who had been so adamant about moving to Northhaven, did the absolute minimum to keep the team afloat. Now as the Damascus Yellowjackets, owned by an oil extraction conglomerate, it is hoped that the team can compete with the other nine in the GLS.

Now, without any further ado, I give you the soccer.com.ng team-by-team previews!

Thebes Stars
Last season: 1st, GLS Cup Champions
Colors: Green/gold
Prediction: Contenders for both trophies
Key player: LW Hugh Stevenson (28)
Last year was an unprecedented run of success for the Stars as they secured the team’s first two trophies and only the second double in the history of the GLS after the Hate did it two years ago. Whether or not they can repeat their success is an open question; this year’s crop of college grads was weak in their positions of need, especially in the midfield, and they lost several key pieces in the expansion draft. The team’s depth will especially be tested this season as they must contend with both the LigAnaia and ICFC Champions’ Cup during the season. Nevertheless, they stand a good chance of sweeping their annual derby with Rosetta, which is all the fans really care about, anyway.

FC Constantinople
Last season: 2nd, GLS Cup semifinals
Colors: Blue/orange
Prediction: Favorites to win either or both
Key player: AM Jason Brock (26)
After losing out on both the GLS Cup and the Garnier Trophy to the red-hot Stars last year, fans of the Foosball Club of Constantinople feel once again that this could be their year, and for once they may actually be right. Despite being perennial underachievers, several factors appear to be working in FCC’s favor this season: they didn’t lose anyone to the expansion draft that they couldn’t replace and they had arguably the best haul of college grads of any team, greatly expanding their depth. That depth will be important in a longer season, with the meager talent pool spread over more teams.

Haysville Hate
Last season: 3rd, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Colors: Black/red
Prediction: GLS Cup semifinals and an IFCF berth
Key player: LB Trent Blanchard (30)
A year after doing the double, the Hate failed to live up to expectations by losing to a mediocre Rosetta team in the first round of the GLS Cup and finishing third in the Garnier Trophy standings. This year, with the addition of the IFCF Challengers’ Cup, it remains to be seen how the Hate will cope with increased fixture congestion with a depleted roster. Though they managed to hold onto Blanchard and most of their starters in the expansion draft, like most of the league they lost several important depth pieces.

Alexandria Lazersnakes
Last season: 4th, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Colors: Neon pink and blue
Prediction: Top half
Key player: CB Danny Fitzgerald (24)
Last year was to be the ‘Snakes’ year, but they once again finished with a whimper, barely in the top half of the table and with a 2-0 loss to a lackluster Busiris side in the GLS Cup playoffs, thus keeping alive the team’s legacy of mediocrity. Nevertheless, depth has always been a strong suit for the men in pink and blue, and they were able to shore up several key areas in the college draft. If the ‘Snakes do finally pull something off this year, it’ll be because they were less mediocre, but they don’t ask how, do they?

Busiris Blaze
Last season: 5th, GLS Cup final
Colors: Orange
Prediction: Darkhorse title contenders
Key player: RW Ed McPherson (22)
Busiris made a surprising run in the playoffs last year, upsetting the Lazersnakes and downing the Hate on penalties to make it to the final, where they took the red-hot Stars into extra time before finally giving up the ghost. In retrospect, it was a case where all the pieces were present and just took their sweet time coming together; in particular, standout wing Ed McPherson needed some time to adapt to the professional game. Now having survived the expansion draft mostly intact and managed a decent haul from the college draft, owing to their unimpressive finish, the Blaze looks to be one of if not the only team that’s improved over how they looked at the beginning of last season.

Rosetta Riot
Last season: 6th, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Colors: Purple/gold
Prediction: Mid-table
Key player: FW Cyrus Solomon (27)
Last year, the Stars blanked the Riot twice en route to their first-ever GLS Cup and Garnier Trophy, dealing a fatal blow to the egos of many Riot diehards and causing them to swear off soccer altogether. Of course, those same fans will be in the stands this year, talking about how it’s Rosetta’s turn to the “do the double”, and when they do they’ll point to the relatively active offseason the Riot have had, trading some excess players for positions of need and shoring up their losses from the expansion draft. Still, Rosetta’s management has yet to prove they can do anything in this league but tread water.

Alexandroupolis Wizards
Last season: 7th, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Prediction: Maybe ahead of the expansion teams. Maybe.
Colors: Red
Key player: ST Reuben Gold (34)
Is this the year Reuben finally calls it a day? After seven seasons being left out to dry by apathetic management and toxic fans, he has got to be a masochist to have stuck around so long. Nevertheless, he appears to be playing this year, so there’s a good chance the team will meet with just enough success to justify continuing on their current path. The expansion draft didn’t hurt, much, but only because there wasn’t much to take from; similarly, despite a high pick in the college draft, the Wizards were unable to address positions of need. It’s going to be a long season.

Damascus Yellowjackets
Last season: 8th, GLS Cup quarterfinals (as Northhaven Pioneers)
Prediction: Can only get better
Colors: Black/yellow
Key player: CAM Dwayne Wright (22)
Let’s ignore the fact that this season is likely to be rough for the new-look Yellowjackets, and just take a moment to celebrate the fact that this club is out of the doldrums in Northhaven and resident in a proper city, with proper sports fans. At least now the possibility exists of clawing their way up from the bottom of the table, where it definitely didn’t before. Not only that, but the new ownership seems engaged, having signed legitimately the best player available in the college draft in the Excalibur Swordsmen center-mid Dwayne Wright.

Eriksberg Krewe
Last season: N/A (expansion team)
Prediction: Bottom half
Colors: Red/white
Key player: FW Ricky Ruiz (26)
Eriksberg is a city that has long been neglected by professional sports, in large part due to the dominance of the-sorry, The Eriksberg University Chestnuts. With the Chestnuts fading slowly into irrelevance thanks to the international success of other River Conference institutions, the time may be right for a professional soccer team to capture the city’s imagination. Despite a decent showing in the expansion and college drafts, it seems unlikely that the Krewe will make any noise on the field this year, but fans should revel in having a team at all.

Capitalizt Alexandria
Last season: N/A (expansion team)
Prediction: Bottom half
Colors: Blue/white
Key player: CM Wayne Samuelson (23)
For all the hype the announcement of this team brought, their inaugural preseason has been fairly quiet. Playing in Founders’ Park in downtown Alexandria, Capitalizt will look to capitalize on the urban fans who by and large follow other Anaian leagues in preference to the GLS, as well as the market which can’t make the trek to the suburbs to watch the Lazersnakes. Like the Krewe, Capitalizt made a reasonable showing in both drafts, but can’t be expected to shake up the league too much in its, albeit historic, inaugural season.

[New Gesem]

Soccer.com.ng Proudly Presents:
Gesemite League of Soccer 2014 Season Halfway Review

#				Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 FC Constantinople 		9   5 3 1 9  5 +4  18
2 Thebes Stars 			9   5 1 3 16 9 +7  16
3 Rosetta Riot 			9   4 3 2 7  6 +1  15
4 Alexandria Lazersnakes 	9   2 5 2 10 6 +4  11
5 Eriksberg Krewe 		9   2 5 2 9  14 −5 11
6 Damascus Yellow Jackets 	9   2 4 3 10 9  +1 10
7 Capitalizt Alexandria 	9   2 4 3 10 11 −1 10
8 Hayesville Hate 		9   2 4 3 7  10 −3 10
9 Busiris Blaze 		9   2 3 4 7  12 −5 9
10 Alexandroupolis Wizards 	9   2 2 5 7  10 −3 8

We’re once again halfway through the elongated GLS season. At the top of the table, the Foosball Club of Constantinople has held onto first despite dropping points to teams that, on paper at least, looked clearly inferior, including a 1-1 draw to the fledgling Eriksberg Krewe; 0-0 to the struggling Hate; and an embarrassing 3-0 loss to the Damascus Yellow Jackets, whom we’ll count among the expansion sides if it means forgetting there ever was a team in Northhaven.

Rounding out the IFCF places after nine match days are rivals Thebes Stars and Rosetta Riot, separated by a single point. Rosetta’s one-point away victory over Thebes may prove crucial in the hunt for the IFCF slots and the payday that comes with them. Similarly in lock step just over the crease of the table are an old team and a new team; the Alexandria Lazersnakes, looking improved over last year but still falling short and the Eriksberg Krewe, who have pulled off some impressive results in their first year in the league.

The bottom half of the table is the same old story for many of these clubs, although we can’t emphasize enough how great it is not to see Northhaven giving points away at the bottom of the table anymore. Hayesville has fallen victim to their own success, being spread thin between LigAnaia and Challengers’ Cup qualifying and league matches. Now that they’ve crashed out of both international tournaments, it will be interesting to see how they fair in the second half of the GLS season.

After the jump, check out our week-by-week coverage and a breakdown for each team.

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GLS Week 1: 4-10 May 2014
Thebes Stars 6-1 Eriksberg Krewe
FC Constantinople 1-0 Capitalizt Alexandria
Hayesville Hate 1-0 Damascus Yellow Jackets
Alexandria Lazersnakes 1-0 Alexandroupolis Wizards
Busiris Blaze 2-1 Rosetta Riot

The Blaze score at the death to take all three points at home against the Riot, a team they narrowly beat in the 2013 standings.

GLS Week 2: 11-17 May 2014
Capitalizt Alexandria 1-2 Thebes Stars
Damascus Yellow Jackets 2-2 Eriksberg Krewe
Alexandroupolis Wizards 0-2 FC Constantinople
Rosetta Riot 2-1 Hayesville Hate
Busiris Blaze 0-5 Alexandria Lazersnakes

After grinding an impressive win in week one against one fellow seventeen-point team from 2013, the Blaze go on to collapse against the other, giving the Lazersnakes a healthy injection of GF which may prove handy down the stretch.

GLS Week 3: 18-24 May 2014
Thebes Stars 2-1 Damascus Yellow Jackets
Capitalizt Alexandria 1-2 Alexandroupolis Wizards
Eriksberg Krewe 0-0 Rosetta Riot
FC Constantinople 1-0 Busiris Blaze
Hayesville Hate 1-1 Alexandria Lazersnakes

A hard-fought draw to mark the first points earned by either of the 2014 expansion teams.

GLS Week 4: 25-31 May 2014
Alexandroupolis Wizards 2-0 Thebes Stars
Rosetta Riot 1-0 Damascus Yellow Jackets
Busiris Blaze 0-1 Capitalizt Alexandria
Alexandria Lazersnakes 1-2 Eriksberg Krewe
Hayesville Hate 0-0 FC Constantinople

Both expansion sides notch wins against more seasoned franchises, while Constantinople drops its first points of the year in a bitter, chippy match against a heavily-rotated side from the Hate.

LigAnaia Qualifying Round, Matchday 1: 28 May 2014
Haysville Hate 2-4 Paragon (EVM)
Thebes Stars 4-2 Pale Victory (STR)

Identical scorelines for the first-ever international soccer matches by Gesemite teams. While Thebes’s winning recipe of consistent, clean play seems to have translated to the international stage, Haysville simply committed too many errors and were summarily punished by the Evermark side.

GLS Week 5: 1-7 June 2014
Thebes Stars 0-1 Rosetta Riot
Alexandroupolis Wizards 1-1 Busiris Blaze
Damascus Yellow Jackets 0-0 Alexandria Lazersnakes
Capitalizt Alexandria 1-1 Hayesville Hate
Eriksberg Krewe 1-1 FC Constantinople

A big win for the Riot over their rivals in Thebes, and an important match to shape the top end of the table going forward.

LigAnaia Qualifying Round, Matchday 2: 4 June 2014
Paragon (EVM) 1-2 Haysville Hate (5-4 agg.)
Pale Victory 1-2 Thebes Stars (3-6 agg.)

Again identical scorelines, albeit with different results. The Hate salvage some pride on their way back to New Gesem, while the Stars get to eagerly await the group stage draw.

GLS Week 6: 8-15 June 2014
Busiris Blaze 2-3 Thebes Stars
Alexandria Lazersnakes 0-0 Rosetta Riot
Hayesville Hate 2-1 Alexandroupolis Wizards
FC Constantinople 0-3 Damascus Yellow Jackets
Eriksberg Krewe 1-1 Capitalizt Alexandria

A statement win for the Yellow Jackets as FCC’s second-stringers fail to get it done.

IFCF Challengers’ Cup Preliminary Round, Matchday 1: 10 June 2014
Haysville Hate 3-0 Second Period Honors Bio (LDP) (4-0 agg.)
Capital Cove Defense Forces 1-3 FC Constantinople (2-4 agg.)

Haysville pulls out all the stops to get a win in its first IFCF match, though one has to wonder how necessary it was to field a full-strength team against a motley assortment of teenagers. Meanwhile, FCC manages a convincing win in its first-ever international matchup.

IFCF Champions’ Cup First Qualifying Round, Matchday 1: 11 June 2014
Bakermouth (EOT) 0-1 Thebes Stars

Thebes continues its streak of success against Anaian teams, scoring a tidy result on the road against the side from the Euran Oceanian Territory.

GLS Week 7: 15-21 June 2014
Thebes Stars 0-0 Alexandria Lazersnakes
Busiris Blaze 0-0 Hayesville Hate
Rosetta Riot 0-2 FC Constantinople
Alexandroupolis Wizards 0-0 Eriksberg Krewe
Damascus Yellow Jackets 2-2 Capitalizt Alexandria

A cracking victory for FCC in a hotly-anticipated matchup with major implications up and down the table.

IFCF Challengers’ Cup Preliminary Round, Matchday 2: 17 June 2022
Second Period Honors Bio (LDP) 0-1 Haysville Hate (0-4 agg.)
FC Constantinople 1-1 Capital Cove Defense Forces (CPC) (4-2 agg.)

A significant cooling of the euphoria for both sides, though both advance to the First Qualifying Round, and a reality check to the effects of fixture congestion.

IFCF Champions’ Cup First Qualifying Round, Matchday 2: 18 June 2014
Thebes Stars 3-0 Bakermouth (EOT) (4-0 agg.)

A much more convincing win by a Thebes side starting to show their swagger.

GLS Week 8: 22-28 June 2014
Hayesville Hate 0-3 Thebes Stars
FC Constantinople 1-1 Alexandria Lazersnakes
Eriksberg Krewe 0-2 Busiris Blaze
Capitalizt Alexandria 1-1 Rosetta Riot
Damascus Yellow Jackets 2-1 Alexandroupolis Wizards

A big win by the Blaze despite a tenacious effort from the expansion side.

GLS Week 9: 29 June-5 July
Thebes Stars 0-1 FC Constantinople
Hayesville Hate 1-2 Eriksberg Krewe
Alexandria Lazersnakes 1-2 Capitalizt Alexandria
Busiris Blaze 0-0 Damascus Yellow Jackets
Rosetta Riot 1-0 Alexandroupolis Wizards

A gritty win for the Krewe and a stinging loss for the Hate, who haven’t recovered all the way from the injuries and fatigue brought on by the early-summer IFCF and LigAnaia qualifier.

IFCF Champions’ Cup, Second Qualifying Round, Matchday 1: 2 July 2014
Thebes Stars 1-2 Blinding Lights (CHA)

The Stars have their work cut out for them in the away leg vs. the Chromatikan team.

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FC Constantinople
Last season: 2nd, GLS Cup semifinals
Currently: 1st place, qualified to IFCF Challengers’ Cup first qualifying round
Colors: Blue/orange
Key player: AM Jason Brock (26)
For once in the history of the Foosball Club of Constantinople, everything seems to be coming up blue and orange, having successfully navigated the difficulty of early-season international matches to wind up two points clear in first. ‘Nople’s depth will be severely tested down the stretch, but if they keep up the consistency they’ve shown in the first half, they may well bring home the first silverware in club history (from the GLS, to be clear. No one is expecting them to win anything internationally)

Thebes Stars
Last season: 1st, GLS Cup Champions
Currently: 2nd place, IFCF Champions’ Cup second qualifying round
Colors: Green/gold
Key player: LW Hugh Stevenson (28)
Last year’s champions are still hanging tough despite a loss to their rivals Rosetta, who are currently placed one point below them in the standings. With wins in the qualifying rounds of both the LigAnaia and Champions’ Cup, Thebes looks poised to both challenge Constantinople for a repeat title and represent New Gesem on a multiversal stage. Like FCC, their wins have primarily been a factor of strong depth and good man management, and they will look to continue throughout.

Rosetta Riot
Last season: 6th, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Currently: 3rd place
Colors: Purple/gold
Key player: FW Cyrus Solomon (27)
Rosetta are back, baby, after a disappointing 2013. If there was any doubt, just check the scoreline of their rivalry match vs. the Stars. As it stands, Rosetta will be only the fourth club to represent New Gesem on the international stage next season, and it may well overtake Thebes in the second half for second place in the league.

Alexandria Lazersnakes
Last season: 4th place, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Colors:

Eriksberg Krewe
Last season: N/A (expansion team)
Colors: Red/white
Currently: 5th place
Key player: FW Ricky Ruiz (26)
What a season it’s been for the fledgling Krewe, routinely selling out their home at FreeMaps Stadium and playing in front of the roaring crowds in the Sørdecke. Finishing above the crease is only the icing on the cake for a team that’s been a long time in the making and already appears poised to set the standard for expansion teams in the years to come.

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Damascus Yellowjackets
Last season: 8th, GLS Cup quarterfinals (as Northhaven Pioneers)
Colors: Black/yellow
Currently: 6th place
Key player: CAM Dwayne Wright (22)
Thank God they aren’t in Northhaven anymore. Has their season been ideal? No. Has it been better than every season they played in Northhaven in every possible way, statistically and otherwise? Absolutely. Eventually the euphoria will wear off and I’ll have to write some actual analysis about this team, but fortunately that day hasn’t come yet.

Capitalizt Alexandria
Last season: N/A (expansion team)
Colors: Blue/white
Currently: 7th place
Key player: CM Wayne Samuelson (23)
For all the hype about this team’s historic first season, they had a quiet inaugural preseason. For all the hype about this team’s quiet inaugural preseason, it’s put together a respectable first season, albeit one eclipsed by the relative success of Eriksberg and the sheer bliss that the Northhaven Pioneers are no more. Even so, this team’s best days are ahead of it, when that Chromatik money finally stars coming in.

Haysville Hate
Last season: 3rd, GLS Cup quarterfinals
Colors: Black/red
Currently: 8th place, qualified to IFCF Challengers’ Cup first qualifying round
Key player: LB Trent Blanchard (30)
After winning the double in 2012 and underperforming expectations in 2013, the game plan for the Hate was simple in 2014; win international games, raise the profile of the club, and invest the proceeds back into the club. Unfortunately, with the way Haysville’s depth is set up, the coaching staff have been stuck chasing two rabbits and catching neither when it comes to international play and the domestic season. Having lost already in the LigAnaia qualification, Haysville is down to two competitions to focus on, and it’s hard to imagine any among the Hate faithful (known as the Hateful) will be too disappointed if they should fail to qualify for the Challengers’ Cup group stage.

Busiris Blaze
Last season: 5th, GLS Cup final
Colors: Orange
Currently: 9th place
Key player: RW Ed McPherson (22)
After a surprising run to the final of the GLS Cup last year, regression to the mean and a profoundly unimpressive bench have finally caught up with Busiris. In dropping points to expansion sides or otherwise in matches where they ought to expect a result, the Blaze have dug themselves a hole from which it will be difficult to recover in the second half of the season.

Alexandroupolis Wizards
Last season: 7th place
Colors: Red/white
Currently: 10th place
Key player: ST Reuben Gold (34)
Last season, the Wizards had the Pioneers to keep them off the bottom of the table. This year, they don’t.

[New Gesem]

Gesemite League of Soccer 2014 Season Standings

#  Team                          P   W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 FC Constantinople            18  12  4  2  27  12  +15  40
 2 Thebes Stars                 18   9  4  5  30  20  +10  31
 3 Hayesville Hate              18   8  5  5  19  15   +4  29
 4 Rosetta Riot                 18   7  6  5  16  15   +1  27
 5 Eriksberg Krewe              18   6  5  7  20  28   -8  23
 6 Alexandria Lazersnakes       18   5  8  5  23  17   +6  23
 7 Capitalizt Alexandria        18   4  7  7  20  24   -4  19
 8 Damascus Yellow Jackets      18   4  7  7  18  19   -1  19
 9 Busiris Blaze                18   3  7  8  15  28  -13  16
10 Alexandroupolis Wizards      18   3  5 10  13  23  -10  14

IFCF Champions' Cup
IFCF Challengers' Cup

New Gesem (NGS) Qualifiers
Champions' League: FC Constantinople
Challengers' Cup: Thebes Stars, Hayesville Hate

CAFA LigAnaia: FC Constantinople, Thebes Stars

[New Gesem]

GLSSoccer.com.ng and Covenant Autoworks Proudly Present:
Gesemite League of Soccer 2016 Season Preview

Welcome to soccer.com.ng’s annual preview of the Gesemite League of Soccer, 2016 edition, presented by Covenant Autoworks. My name is Dimitri Knox, former beat writer for the Alexandria Post-Dispatch, author of the now-defunct website soccer.com.ng, and current staff writer for GLSSoccer.com.ng, your source for all things Gesemite Soccer League!

The Gesemite League of Soccer is the top flight of soccer in New Gesem, a country known as much for its disdain for soccer as anything else. The format for the 2016 season is significantly different from anything that’s come before–but more on that in a little bit. What hasn’t changed is that the team finishing at the top of the regular-season table wins the Garnier Trophy, while the winner of the playoffs (which no longer include the entire field, but more on that later), wins the GLS Cup.

Now is as good a time as any to address the elephant in the room–namely the GLS’s season, or lack of a season, in 2015. The reasons are myriad, and there is plenty of blame to go around, but the short version is this; revenue shortfalls caused several teams at the bottom of the GLS table to fold after the 2014 regular season, leading to a cascading effect which eventually enveloped all but a few GLS teams (which teams they were remains shrouded in mystery). League leadership waffled a few times on whether to hold the season with a reduced number of teams, further shaking investor confidence until the entire league’s sponsor base was imperiled.

The 2015 season ended up canceled by default, the league folded, and its assets were bought at auction by the Grand Fraternal Bank, a financial institution run by the “Big Five” Gesemite fraternities, whose main purpose is underwriting loans and insurance provided by its member institutions. The GFB used the GLS’s intellectual property to create a new league under a “single-entity” model. It established twelve new teams, some using existing trademarks, others under entirely new intellectual property, and conducted a draft to reallocate players.

The new-look “GLS 2.0” hasn’t proved immediately popular, but its business practices are immeasurably more sustainable than its predecessor’s, and the fraternal connection has provided a base of support and a safety net that did not exist before. Moreover, the GFB has already stood up the beginnings of a national team, with the nickname “the Brotherhood” alluding to the fraternal connection, which was too much to hope for under the old regime. The Brotherhood crashed out of the Brevity Cup in just two matches, but the faithful maintain their hope.

A couple more notes on format. First it appears that the GLS Cup playoff format will change. Instead of a season-ending tournament featuring all the teams in the league, the playoffs will consist of only the top six, where the first- and second-placed teams in the table will get a bye to the semifinals, while the third- through sixth-placed teams will play off for the other semifinal berths. Additionally, GFB will sponsor a national youth league for the first time in the history of Gesemite soccer; each team will be required to field a U18 side, and the winners of this league will qualify for the IFCF Rising Stars' Cup.

[New Gesem]

2016 Gesemite League of Soccer Results

#                               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 FC Constantinople             22    9   8   5    24   18   +6    35
 2 SC Sebastopol                 22    8   8   6    21   14   +7    32
 3 Captalizt Alexandria          22    8   8   6    20   13   +7    32
 4 Griffinsberg SC               22    7  11   4    20   17   +3    32
 5 Racing Rosetta                22    7  10   5    21   17   +4    31
 6 FC Alexandroupolis            22    7  10   5    16   12   +4    31
 7 Eriksberg Krewe               22    7  10   5    20   18   +2    31
 8 SC Alexandria                 22    7   7   8    25   23   +2    28
 9 Damascus Yellowjackets        22    6   9   7    14   19   −5    27
10 Thebes FC                     22    6   5  11    19   29  −10    23
11 Weepwee Twelve                22    4   9   9    13   21   −8    21
12 Constantinople Wanderers      22    3  11   8    16   28  −12    20

IFCF Champions' League 12
IFCF Challengers' Cup 12

GLS Cup Quarterfinals
Captalizt Alexandria 3–1 FC Alexandroupolis
Griffinsberg SC 3–0 Racing Rosetta

2016 GLS Cup Semifinals
SC Sebastopol 0–1 Captalizt Alexandria
Griffinsberg SC 1–3 FC Constantinople

2016 GLS Cup Final
FC Constantinople 1–1 Captalizt Alexandria (2–1 AET)

New Gesem (NGS) Qualifiers
IFCF Champions' League 12: FC Constantinople
IFCF Challengers' Cup: SC Sebastopol, Capitalizt Alexandria, Griffinsberg SC
CAFA LigAnaia: FC Constantinople

[New Gesem]

2015 GCAA Soccer Results

##Eastern Conference Results           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Alexandroupolis Redbirds              14    8   3   3    21   10  +11    27 IUCC
2 Southern Weepwee Shriekin' Chickens   14    6   3   5    12   14   −2    21 IUCC
3 Constantinople Binturongs             14    6   2   6    14   13   +1    20
4 Metro East Wildcats                   14    5   4   5    16   17   −1    19
5 Alexandria Angels                     14    3   8   3    12   11   +1    17
6 Coleman Miners                        14    3   7   4    11   13   −2    16
7 Founders Bruins                       14    3   7   4    13   18   −5    16
8 Thebes Tigers                         14    1   8   5    13   16   −3    11

  Western Conference Results           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts  
1 Athens Wildcats                       14   10   3   1    24   11  +13    33 IUCC
2 John Griffin Viceroys                 14    8   1   5    14   11   +3    25 IUCC
3 South Constantinople Crusaders        14    6   2   6    17   13   +4    20
4 Griffinsburg Corsairs                 14    5   2   7    10   14   −4    17
5 Damascus Cougars                      14    3   7   4    11   12   −1    16
6 Myonia Bulls                          14    4   4   6    14   17   −3    16
7 Finn Foxes                            14    3   6   5    12   16   −4    15
8 Eriksberg Chestnuts                   14    1   7   6     7   15   −8    10

2015 GCAA Cup Semifinals
Alexandroupolis Redbirds 1–1 John Griffin Viceroys (1–1 AET) (4–5 pen.)

Athens Wildcats 0–5 Southern Weepwee Shriekin' Chickens

2015 GCAA Cup Final
Alexandroupolis Redbirds 0–1 Southern Weepwee Shriekin' Chickens

2015 GCAA Football Results

##Metropolitan Conference                        Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 University of Alexandroupolis Redbirds           7   7  0  0  196  88 +108  21
2 Founders University Bruins                       7   5  0  2  167 140 +27   15
3 University of Thebes Tigers                      7   4  0  3  178 123 +55   12
4 Anthrakis University Warriors                    7   4  0  3   97 104  −7   12
5 Western Blue Heelers                             7   3  0  4  140 128 +12    9
6 Alexandria University Angels                     7   3  0  4  112 148 −36    9
7 Rosetta University Orange Aces                   7   1  0  6  117 195 −78    3
8 Metro East University Wildcats                   7   1  0  6   96 177 −81    3

  River Conference                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Eriksberg University Chestnuts                   7   6  0  1  165  83 +82   18
2 University of Constantinople Binturongs          7   6  0  1  149  77 +72   18
3 Weepwee University Willows                       7   5  0  2  175  67 +108  15
4 Excalibur University Swordsmen                   7   3  0  4   98 134 −36    9
5 Coleman University Miners                        7   2  0  5  113 142 −29    6
6 Weepwee University-Weepwee City Panthers         7   2  0  5   96 152 −56    6
7 Southern Weepwee College Shriekin’ Chickens      7   2  0  5   78 140 −62    6
8 South Constantinople Crusaders                   7   2  0  5   90 169 −79    6

  Mountain Conference                            Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 West Baighad University Climbers                 7   6  0  1  209 110 +99   18
2 Athens University Wildcats                       7   6  0  1  168  79 +89   18
3 University of Damascus Cougars                   7   5  0  2  174 107 +67   15
4 Griffinsburg University Corsairs                 7   5  0  2  150 111 +39   15
5 Finn College Foxes                               7   3  0  4  153 184 −31    9
6 Summit University Zigs                           7   2  0  5  103 155 −52    6
7 John Griffin College Viceroys                    7   1  0  6  78 186 −108    3
8 Myonia University Bulls                          7   0  0  7  77 180 −103    0
Playoffs w/ first round bye
Playoffs

2015 GCAA Football Playoffs Round 1
Eriksberg University Chestnuts 37–27 Athens University Wildcats
University of Constantinople Binturongs 22–10 Founders University Bruins

2015 GCAA Football Playoffs Semifinals
West Baighad University Climbers 10–36 Eriksberg University Chestnuts
University of Alexandroupolis Redbirds 21–13 University of Constantinople Binturongs

2015 GCAA Football Championship
University of Alexandroupolis Redbirds 13–13 Eriksberg University Chestnuts (13–20 OT)