Team NSC - USA Soccer Ball

[Mendoza]

My NSC BELIEVE scarf arrived in the post today. It will make a withdean appearance soon

Thanks to Gumbygrrl for that and the shirt! What a lovely lady

 

[KneeOn]

Against Oldham, Gary Hart will be chased for an Autograph, while SoccerBoy is sending me Louis Crayton's signature! Brilliant!

 

[GregX]

Think happy thoughts tomorrow when we play AC St. Louis. The team are in desparate need of points.

In the meantime, you can debate the thought process of an American city named for a French king who decides to go with an Italian designation for its football club.

 

[Stoo82]

Come on boys beat those Frenchie wankers!

NSC! NSC! NSC! NSC!

 

[KneeOn]

3-0! TO THE NSC! 3-0! TO THE NSC! 3-0! TO THE NSC!

It was a good week for both the Albion and NSC!

 

[KneeOn]

In a game that could only be described as a must-win for both teams, the NSC Minnesota Stars offense exploded in the first half, leading the team past AC St. Louis to its first win since July. The win put a serious dent in St. Louis’ playoff hopes, which had been revived thanks to a run of good results, and gave the Stars three points of separation from FC Tampa Bay for the USSF Division 2 Pro League’s final playoff spot.



The Stars attacked from the onset, apparently intent on reversing the trend of trailing early against St. Louis. In the teams’ four previous meetings -- three in league play, one in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup -- St. Louis took the lead every time, although the Stars battled back to claim a win and two draws in the league matches. The Stars took a deserved lead in the 25th minute courtesy of Simone Bracalello’s third goal of the season. Scott Lorenz found Bracalello with his back to goal in the center of the field, and the Italian turned away from his defender before firing a curling effort into the bottom-right corner from about 30 yards out.



Eight minutes later, the Stars doubled their lead. St. Louis cleared a Daniel Wasson corner kick, but soon lost control of the ball, giving the Stars a quick counterattack. Wasson carried the ball to the endline before floating a cross to the back post, which an unmarked Ely Allen met enthusiastically with a volley from about two yards out. The goal was Allen’s third of the season.



In the 38th minute, Kentaro Takada nearly made the game 3-0 with a left-footed shot from the same spot Bracalello had scored from earlier. Takada’s blast changed direction sharply near goal, forcing Dufty to palm the ball instead of catching it. The shot momentarily got behind Dufty, but the St. Louis goalkeeper picked it up before forwards Bracalello or Devin Del Do could pounce on the rebound.



Just before halftime, the points were secure. St. Louis defender Mark Bloom fouled Lucas Rodriguez behind the play, touching off a scuffle at the top of St. Louis’ penalty box. Bloom and two other St. Louis defenders received yellow cards, and when the dust settled, the Stars had a free kick less than 20 yards from goal. With Wasson standing next to the ball as a decoy, Bracalello drove the ball hard and low past the St. Louis wall, and although Dufty looked to have gotten down to stop the shot, he couldn’t prevent Bracalello’s second goal of the game.



The Stars eased up somewhat in the second half, focusing instead on protecting the shutout. Goalkeeper Joe Warren had little to do, although St. Louis came close to a consolation goal several times in the last 10 minutes but failed to put its best chances on target. Luke Kreamalmeyer and Mike Ambersley, who have both scored against the Stars in matches earlier this season, both had shots blocked within a minute of each other. Second-half substitute Anthony O’Garro came closest for St. Louis in the 88th minute when he tracked down a deep pass, and from near the endline chipped a volley over Warren and off the back side of the crossbar.



With the win, the Stars improved to 8-12-7 with 31 points on the season. They’re three points clear of FC Tampa Bay, who lost 3-0 at Rochester Saturday night but has played one less game. The Stars return to action at home on Wednesday night against the Carolina RailHawks. The Stars beat the RailHawks 1-0 on the road in April for the franchise’s first-ever win. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at the NSC Stadium in Blaine, Minn


My own state-of-preference plays against the Stars on Wednesday. I'm rooting for teh Stars but a Carolina win wouldn't be as distressing compared to a loss against St Louis.

 

[Ayeready]

It doesn't happen very often, but we humped St Louis. It was like watching a different team.

Bracalello and Allen were as fantastic as I always think they will be, but this time it really paid off. The combo of Bracalello and Del Do really seemed to work, I hope they stick with it for our remaining three games.

Takada and Rodriguez both played really well, but both picked up knocks. Takada to the head (blood injury I assume because he had to change shirts and came back out wearing a headband) but it didn't stop him from his usual adventurous play. Rodriguez took another leg injury which saw him off the pitch.

I can't wait to see those goals again.

 

[KneeOn]

It doesn't happen very often, but we humped St Louis. It was like watching a different team.

Bracalello and Allen were as fantastic as I always think they will be, but this time it really paid off. The combo of Bracalello and Del Do really seemed to work, I hope they stick with it for our remaining three games.

Takada and Rodriguez both played really well, but both picked up knocks. Takada to the head (blood injury I assume because he had to change shirts and came back out wearing a headband) but it didn't stop him from his usual adventurous play. Rodriguez took another leg injury which saw him off the pitch.

I can't wait to see those goals again.

Could you post a link up here? I'm following the Stars on twitter, but its not the same as watching the goals.

Play offs, here we come, 3 games left and we need to make 4 points more than tampa bay?

WE CAN DO IT

BELIEVE!

 

[hairygrump]

Could you post a link up here? I'm following the Stars on twitter, but its not the same as watching the goals.

It'll probably take until tomorrow or later tonight (our time) before they get it up, but you should be able to watch the whole game here:

NSC Minnesota Stars - ARCHIVE GAMECASTS

I'm sure they'll have video highlights posted up on twitter soon too. It's a long bus ride home, so they're all probably just now still dealing with the "fallout" from road food on the way home.

 

[Stoo82]

Sounds like a great victory!

Go Minnesota Stars!!

 

[Mendoza]

Takada had to change shirts and came back out wearing a headband) .

do you have photos of this? that would be proper bo flair tekkers

 

[Ayeready]

1-0 Stars!

Absolutely pissing with rain and the game delayed until it eased up a bit. The refs apparently thought the comically puddly pitch was playable.

The midfield pools caught any pool that went into it. Despite this, Bracalello and Del do combined well. Del Do inserted himself into the box (ahem) and put one away for his first goal for the stars. The Railhawks had two men sent off and couldn't get anything back.

Weird, enjoyable time at the drenched NSC!

 

[Superphil]

Sounds like Withdean ala 2002ish before the new drains were put in

 

[Ayeready]

Game report:

Del Do's first career goal provides the difference

With his parents looking on in the sparse, rain-soaked crowd, Devin Del Do picked a perfect moment to score his first professional goal, leading the Stars to a 1-0 win Wednesday night against the nine-man Carolina RailHawks. Del Do deflected a Lucas Rodriguez shot in the 35th minute for the game’s only score.



The game started nearly 90 minutes late after lightning in the area forced a delay. Despite the delay, the Stars came out looking fresh and fired up.



“We kind of knew it would be a strange night with the weather and the late start, but I thought the guys absorbed the adversity of the game, especially in the first half,” Stars head coach Manny Lagos said.



The first 10 minutes were unsurprisingly sloppy, as standing water near midfield stopped the ball in its tracks, leading to several comical losses of possession for both sides. With the center channel cut off by the water, the Stars quickly began attacking the wings. Del Do deflected an Ely Allen shot just wide in the 13th minute, and the slick field yielded a penalty shout for the Stars less than a minute later, although the referee didn’t punish Carolina’s Daniel Woolard for handball.



The game turned heavily in the Stars’ favor in the 18th minute. Simone Bracalello played an early cross for Del Do, and Carolina goalkeeper Nik Platter slipped as he came out to clear the ball. With Del Do closing in on the loose ball, Carolina defender Devon McKenney hauled down the Minnesota forward. The referee pointed to the spot and sent McKenney for an early shower with a red card.



Coming off a pair of goals Saturday at St. Louis, Bracalello placed the ball for the ensuing penalty kick. Recent form went out the window, however, as Bracalello sent his shot high over the bar and gave the RailHawks a momentary reprieve.



The Stars continued pressing, and Bracalello nearly redeemed himself in the 25th minute, taking a ball in stride before unleashing a right-footed volley from about 20 yards out that went just wide of Platter’s near post. The Italian forward then forced a save out of Platter with a swerving shot in the 27th minute.



Carolina mustered its first significant attack of the game in the 31st minute and nearly scored. Matthew Watson collected the ball near the left edge of the Stars’ penalty box and took a touch toward the endline before driving a low shot toward the back post. Stars goalkeeper Joe Warren reacted well to steer the ball out for a corner kick, making his first of three saves on the night.



Four minutes later, the Stars were in front from a corner kick of their own. Carolina could only partially clear Andrei Gotsmanov’s out-swinging cross before Rodriguez drove the ball back into the crowded penalty area. Rodriguez was definitely shooting wide, but his shot-turned-cross was turned in at the back door by Del Do, who was unmarked along with several other Stars’ players.



For Del Do, the goal was a case of being in the right place at the right time, an instinct he said a lot of people don’t appreciate enough in forwards. “I’ve always depended on my hard work,” he said, “and I try to get into good positions and hope to make things happen for me and obviously for my team.”



Del Do had an opportunity to double the Stars’ lead five minutes before halftime after more quality play from him and Bracalello. The Italian rewarded Del Do’s diagonal run into the box with a through ball. Del Do took a touch away from Platter but couldn’t overcome his momentum as he stretched to shoot the ball just wide of the near post.



Up a man and a goal, the Stars contented themselves with counterattacks and stifling Carolina’s attack before it could cause any danger. The Stars possessed the ball well and closed down space in their defensive third, limiting the RailHawks to long-distance shots and hopeful crosses into the area. Overall, the half lacked the intensity of the first half, but a second Carolina red card in the 80th minute, when Amir Lowery hacked down Geison Moura from behind in front of the Stars’ bench, provided the Stars with several favorable breaks in the final 10 minutes.



Platter had to be alert in the 83rd minute, coming well out of the penalty box to beat Melvin Tarley to a ball over the top. Platter made his last of five saves in stoppage time as Allen, Tarley and Brian Cvilikas combined during a three-on-one, but Cvilikas’ low shot was too close to Platter to put the game away. The good performance was bittersweet for Platter, who was a fan favorite during five seasons with the Minnesota Thunder.



“I have a lot of great memories here from over the years,” the RailHawks goalkeeper said after the match. “I had to keep reminding myself that I never played for [the Stars], but it’s different being on the other side of things.”



With the win, the Stars improve their record to 9-12-7 and sit in eighth place in the USSF Division 2 Pro League, six points clear of FC Tampa Bay. Tampa has played two fewer matches than the Stars, but the win will apply added pressure to the Florida club as they make up the games in hand. The Stars finish their home season Saturday night against the Major League Soccer bound Vancouver Whitecaps, who currently sit atop the league’s NASL Conference, before completing the season Sept. 24 with a huge game at Tampa.

 

[GumbyGrrl]

Mendoza: No luck yet on photos of Takada, or game video either. The video comes from the home team, and I don't have much faith in AC St Louis getting it done.

Last night's game was great fun - very WET great fun - and NSC should have the video up soon.
I'm pretty sure Nessy was swimming near midfield...

 

[Man of Harveys]

Excellent - well done NSC. Good result and two sendings off = top entertainment.

 

[Simster]

How is my boy, MELVIN Tarley, playing?

 

[hairygrump]

How is my boy, MELVIN Tarley, playing?

Tarley's recently lost his starting position in favor of a Bracallelo/Del Do partnership that's been much, much more effective. Tarley's role has changed to coming on late to play a bit withdrawn and try to work chances as they come. Honestly this seems to suit him better than the 4-4-2 he was starting (and mostly sucking) in.

 

[Simster]

Thanks. It sounds like he's a bit shit.

I'll have to choose someone else for next season.

 

[Ayeready]

They've just posted the highlights, albeit with some interesting editing choices.

You can see what a rough shape the pitch/fans/play was in.

I'm the fat twat in the hawaiian shirt, soaked to the bone, slipping into a deliriously hypothermic state, not sure if I'm watching us win a game or dreaming that I'm watching us win a game.

P.S. Simster, welcome aboard the "Disappointed with Melvin Tarley" bus. Truly now you know our pain.