2019 Premier Postgame Week 7

2019 Premier Postgame Week 7

Lackwanna FCY (4-0-1) 3 - Buffalo United SS (1-2-3) 1

This weeks BDSLRumors game of the week featured 2 teams known for their offense.  Lackawanna FCY came in to the game leading the league with 19 GF, while BUSS had tallied 13.  A more interesting stat is that both of BUSS's losses this season came at games they played away.  And The Cage is a menacing place for those who struggle on the road.  The Cage, and Lackawanna FCY proved to be more than BUSS could handle, keeping Lackawanna at the top of the division, and BUSS wondering if their playoff hopes are gone.  

We spoke with BUSS first:

"One of the better games we have played this year. We were missing key players in the CM and had to move some guys around. I would say that Lackawanna definitely had the better of possession, but when we were able to possess we looked good. We scored within a few minutes on a through ball from Prince to Mo C. We hit halftime at 1-0. A short time later they scored on a tight angle shot that we would like to have back. They kept up the pressure on us all game. We had to just get the ball out of our third and play the counter attack. Our guys were tired, as we only had 14, and Lackawanna was relentless. They scored again with about 10 to play on a deflected shot that found the upper corner. We put a lot of pressure on them the last few minutes and threw everybody forward. They scored in the last minute of stoppage time or so to go up 3-1. Overall it was a really good game I though. The officiating was decent, anybody who had to ref this game would have been in over their head. Lots of physicality and enemies on the field. But also lots of respect and friendships after the match."

Who was your best player?

"It’s hard to pick a guy cause everybody played great. Some standouts were Andre (our MVP this season in my opinion) who slid into a midfield role, Polo and Hammer shut down former teammate Abdullahi, and Jason. Prince was great as well, he forced Lackawanna to switch Zac from the right wing to the left, cause he couldn’t beat him."

Did anybody stand out for your opponent?

"For Lackawanna, Zac was good, scoring two of their goals and being a menace all game long. Saleman Salim was tough to beat. Nobody else really stood out, but they are a strong team overall."

This was a big game for you, how do you feel about the season after losing an important game?

"I’m gonna stick with my prediction, we will make the playoffs. I won’t lie, I was really bummed about losing this one. The silver lining is that we played with them, hell, we should have beaten them if we buried our chances, despite missing three of our best players in Wes, Walsh, and Musse."

You guys haven’t been active during the window so far, even though you have had attendance issues. Will you be making any moves?

"We have some options that are lining up nicely. A couple difficult roster decisions will have to be made though, I am not looking forward to that. But the moves that are in the works would be game changers."

Where does Lackawanna stack up to the teams you have faced so far?

"Lackawanna is a really good club. I have a lot of respect for those guys. For me though, they are still below Raiders and Sharpshooters. Maybe equal with Sharpshooters, it’s tough to say."

Lackawanna FCY implied that the game was closer than the scoreline would indicate:

"The game yesterday was exactly what I thought it would be ,BUSS came out Very strong quickly attacking with Speed Scoring within five or six minutes into the game and that was a booster for them they kept on going try to get the second one in , we were also attacking back and got a few chances it was back-and-forth very physical we score the tying goal and was the same back-and-forth after that .we put the second goal in ,they started to push up more that made their back line weaker and we took advantage of that scoring the third goal on a counterattack that sealed it for us."

"We had only one sub all played great . Zakaria scored two unbelievable goals , Ali Mohamed scored the third goal From a tight angle awesome finish"

Who were your best players?

"The back four James,Salim,Akram, and Hussain"

Did anybody stand out for your opponents?

"Polo, Prince they are solid and very experienced"

How was BUSS compared to other opponents you have faced this season?

"BUSS is a team that should be in the top 4 in our division .if I was to compare them to other teams we played I can say BUSS was the toughest after the Sharpshooters Cup game last Thursday."

Do you think you will have what it takes to beat Sharpshooters, and BSC Raiders in the next 2 weeks?

"BSC Raiders and The Sharpshooters are the two teams in our division that we look forward to play against. We feel that we can compete and win against both . The players availability and injuries can change everything in any given game for any team .We will do our best and have fun with it ."

Our take:

Is Lackawanna a contender this year?  Like really a contender?  They definitely have the roster for it, with the merging of the two Yemen clubs.  They have come out strong out of the gate and have yet to slow down.  Zakaria Shaibi has 9 goals in regular season play already, leading the Golden Boot race this season.  But as mentioned, their schedule gets very difficult with their next 4 games against teams in the playoffs at this time.
This was a big game for BUSS.  Being in the match and keeping it close can only take them so far.  They are not getting the results necessary against the clubs they need to, losing to the top 3 clubs in the division.  If they do not earn 3 points against Queenston this week we are throwing in the towel for them.

Questions??

Lackawanna mentioned a light bench this week against BUSS.  If they show with similar numbers against Amherst and Raiders can that hurt them?  Can Shaibi continue his hot streak and score on two strong defenses in the coming weeks?
BUSS continues to struggle this summer.  Can they rally the troops and earn 3 points in games they should win on paper?

Williamsville Willies (2-2-2) 2 - Wolves FC (1-5-0) 2

Willies lost this week in Tehel Cup action on what could be considered a bit of an upset.  They lost to Championship division team Beast City SC by a score of 3-0.  Wolves FC also bowed out of the tournament with a shocking loss to 1st division side West Seneca FC a few weeks prior.  While both teams may be knocked out of cup play, they are both alive for the playoffs as only 5 points separates playoffs from relegation in the muddled Premier division.  Neither team was able to earn the 3 points, keeping the division a tight race.

Willies were disappointed with the draw:

"The usual. Thought we played better at 3 in the back but we were also playing from behind so it might have just been desperation push. Most if our chances came off of crosses through the middle, but the goals came from shots in the middle, probably because we they had to spread wide to cover the attacks from the wings. Goals against were a corner, completely my fault and the other was just a really good through ball to a breakaway, other than that all the threats were fast breaks."

Who was your best player?

"Pretty rick played a great game against his former team."

Did anybody stand out for your opponents?

"A guy named Franky stood out for them"

Would you consider this to be a disappointing result?

"I think it is. We’ve played Wolfpack or wolves before and we know how they play. I think on paper we are the better team but as I said last week no game is a gimme in the division. We were unfortunate not to have smith in the net and it took away a a talented outside back in Soos that we had to fill."

If our stats are correct this puts you guys out of the playoffs and into 7th place. Are you concerned with only a few games remaining?  (Our stats were not correct)

" I’m still confident in our guys. I just hope that Pendleton will not continue to give away free points to whoever they play fo the rest of the season."

Our rep from Wolves did not have time to answer questions.  They did tell us:

"Our best was Franco Cardillo, Connor Wilkinson is who stood out for them".

Our take:

This was a game that Willies really needed to earn 3 points.  They sit at 9 points with Lackawanna and BSC Inter still to play.  If they split points against their next 4 opponents they would finish with 15 points.  15 points may not be enough for playoffs this season.  All though it was last year for their opponents Wolves (formerly Wolfpack).
What is going on with Wolves?  They brought in some quality players this season to help push them in with the league contenders.  But they have failed miserably.  They have a tough schedule as well.  After this week they play BUSS, BSC Raiders, and Sharpshooters to finish off the season.  We see them finishing with 7 points BARELY escaping relegation.

Questions??

Willies need to step up starting this week.  Can they find points in places, theoretically, they shouldn't?  Will 15 points be enough this summer for a playoff berth?
Wolves also have a must win this week.  Can they squeeze enough life out of their team to beat Pendleton United?  Neither team seems very motivated.  With all their offseason additions, can Renkas motivate this group of strangers to play for one another in a crucial tilt?

Queenston FC (2-2-1) 0 - BSC International (3-1-2) 1

This game features two teams who have played strong defensively this summer.  BSC Inter have maintained themselves in playoff contention all summer, while Queenston have had to work hard to overcome a slow start.  BSC International kept their dream of a season rolling, earning 3 points in this low scoring match.

BSC International confirmed the defensive battle:

"Small field, fast and physical game. Lots of momentum changes but only a handful of good looks total as both sides played well defensively with few mistakes. In the end we converted the chance that mattered. Easy to speak well of our team for grinding out the win, but Queenston definitely did enough to be frustrated by the outcome. They match up with anyone we have faced."

Who was your best player?

"Team effort, especially the back line, but Otto and Drew stood out"

Did anybody stand out for your opponent?

"Suitor. Understand the need for him in the back, but Queenston really needed to get him up the field more/sooner"

Another strong showing from you guys. Do you need to change anything up or just keep going as is?

"If we are making a change it will be small as we are pleased with the continuity. But unlikely to happen as we have had a good turnout from everyone"

As per usual, Queenston (one of our favorite interviews) was able to provide us with some great insight:

"As for the game itself, it was pretty even, maybe slightly in our favor honestly. Our first 30 minutes were very strong, as we confidently moved the ball around all over the place. We had one very good look early with Schiltz almost connecting on the end of his slide back post, but to Inter’s credit they knocked it out for a corner. Then another potential PK but it was 50-50 so we weren’t too upset about it. I’d say as the game went on, we had bouts of worrisome passing and then probably between minutes 60-80 we completely ran out of ideas and started settling for low percentage long crosses from the wing, which our opponent was up to the challenge for. Then they scored on a nice counter. Last 10-15 we had almost all of the ball as we pressed for a draw while Inter sat in protecting their 3 points. Excellent organization from them, and we had a header just wide by Netter off a corner with no time left that might as well been our best chance of the game aside from a couple early on in the game."

"Two really even sides, but this is gut wrenching for us since we have a VERY tough schedule remaining. I think we are better than our record shows but we dug ourselves this hole. Focus should be on surviving relegation now, and once we (hopefully) get 3 more points we can then shift our focus to the playoffs, if that door is ajar later on"

Who was your best player?

"Our best player was Ross Suitor. He did basically everything for us defensively down the middle and also strung some nice passes up to our midfielders to get the ball into our attacking zone quickly."

Did anybody stand out for your opponents?

"Their best player was probably Rahim Melon since he thwarted all of our crosses once we got into the final third.  I will add that Mo Hussein, once he arrived maybe midway through the first half, was the missing threat they needed offensively, and he managed to get the game winner with about 15 left to spare."

 Do you think Inter is as good as their record indicates?

"Depends on how you look at it. Inter is a TEAM. They are probably a bottom third premier club based on talent but you don’t accidentally sit at 4-1-2 in this division. So I guess I’ll say yes, they are as good as their record indicates."

What kind of changes can you guys make to survive relegation?

"As for us, we have the personnel to survive. We just aren’t shooting the ball enough. Really need to get more creative in finding ways into the 18’, and once there, have the confidence to strike it. We’ve allowed 7 goals in 6 games; 4 of those in one half. So you can’t ask much more from our defense at this point"

Our take:

BSC International is that little engine that could (sorry).  They are strong defensively, and have proven they can score goals.  We are a little worried that they have had so many close games but 3 points is 3 points.  We were not expecting them to sit in 4th place at this point in the season.  But they have proven their worth.  The next month will be very telling for them.
Queenston is in some trouble here.  Let's just say they lose out (very possible given their tough schedule) they would finish with 7 points putting them in the relegation zone.  We don't see that happening though.  We think they find a way to earn a couple points keeping them in the division, but unfortunately out of the playoffs this season.

Questions??

Can Inter keep this streak of wins alive?  Can they keep finding goals in clutch situations? 
Can Queenston keep team morale high enough if they lose 2 or 3 in a row?  Attendance usually isn't an issue, but could it be if they season continues on this trend?

Amherst Sharpshooters (4-0-2) 3 - Celtic United (2-3-0) 2

Celtic United has struggled to find consistency so far this year.  Some shocking results have plagued their campaign putting them close to relegation.  Amherst Sharpshooters have been a force.  Their defense has played strong and their offense have found ways to score in clutch moments. In the end, Sharpshooters continued their unbeaten league run, dispatching a pesky Celtic United squad.

Amherst:

"It was a pretty even game for the most part. Both teams had some good chances in the first half and both GKs made good saves. Celtic United got a pk first on a pretty soft call and missed wide. We then got a pk on a pretty soft call also. Loncar converted ours to make it 1-0. Players then started pretty clearly looking for pks in the box. Shawish scored a really nice goal from Lon to make it 2-0 pretty quickly after our first goal. Then Celtic picked up a red card and we scored a 3rd goal (Loncar from Shawish). We pretty much stopped playing at that point and Celtic to their credit kept hustling. We gave up a bad pk go make it 3-1. Then Cancilla scored a nice goal to make it 3-2. We should’ve probably scored another goal or two late to kill it off but held on for the 3-2 win."

Who was your best player?

"oncar and Shawish were good going forward. Riley Wagner and Andrew Crawford were very good at CB. Zack Schwartz played really well at outside back. Brendan Lawler had 2 good efforts that were well saved. Ishaan played well in midfield too."

Did anybody stand out for your opponent?

"Their best player was probably Augustyn with at least 3 huge saves i can remember (2 from Lawler and 1 from Shawish). Pablo and Keller played well. Tiedt was a handful."

You guys had a tough loss this week against Lackawanna FCY in Tehel Cup action. Can you keep your guys motivated to make a run at the league title and playoffs?

"Lackawanna is a good team but we definitely were flat in the 2nd half. Maybe a hangover from playing Raiders the game before. This week we looked a little off again, but hopefully we can get things back on track. Injuries have started to pop up which isn’t helping."

Do you think CU can sneak into the playoffs based on what you saw from them this week?

" I think Celtic United has the talent to make the playoffs, but there’s a lot of teams in the mix so it’s tough to say if they’ll make it"

We were unable to get a comment from Celtic United before our deadline.

Our take:

Sharpshooters are still where they should be.  They are unbeaten and playing very well.  As of today, they are top of the league.  We expect them to finish in 1st place as Raiders will do what they usually do and forfeit the game they hold over the rest of the league.
The rest of the season should give us an indication of what Celtic United team this is (Duh).  It's so hard to pin these guys down, and they rarely give us one of those spectacular games that vaults them up our rankings.  We think they escape relegation, but that's only because we think Pendleton United has given up and CU will earn at least 9 points.

Questions??

As we asked Sharpshooters, can they keep the team focused with only league play remaining on their schedule?  With injuries starting to pop up can the young guys keep blazing the path they have started?
Can CU stay motivated as well?  As the weather gets nicer they have a tendency to bring less guys every week.  Will this be another issue for them?

Southtowns FPFC (1-5-0) 2 - BSC Raiders (4-0-1) 6

This game is the epitome of David vs. Goliath.  The mighty BSC Raiders, who have remained undefeated take on Southtowns FPFC, who have been stuck at the bottom of the division this summer.  In the story, David finds a way to win.  This result was not go David's way though with SFPFC surrendering 6 goals to 2018 treble winners.    

Southtowns had this to say:

"yesterday was a tough game , at times we played very well but couldn’t keep it much of a game as we made too many mistakes . Not good enough enough on set pieces and a couple of turnovers costed us dearly . When you’re playing a team such as the raiders those are things you have to do well on if you’re going to give yourself a chance to win . The Raiders are a well oiled machine that knows how to score goals and how to win games ."

Who was your best player?

"Our transfer additions played well and we are looking forward to next week"

Did anybody stand out for your opponent?

"Number 3 on the raiders did a very good job of holding up the play so they could go forward .  (They do not have a #3 on the roster)

BSC Raiders still will not grant us any responses.

Our take:

Southtowns FPFC keeps fighting and clawing along.  They aren't earning points, but they seem to be giving effort and refuse to give up.  They have a difficult schedule, with Willies, Clarence, and BUSS still on the schedule.  Unless they win a game they shouldn't unfortunately, and it pains us to write this, they will be relegated to Championship next summer.  We have them finishing with 6 points.
BSC Raiders are who we thought they were.  They are still a strong, dominant force in the division.  We see them forfeiting their make up game against Celtic United and finishing in 2nd place.

Questions??

Can Southtowns find some points they shouldn't?  Will another team in the division stop giving the effort needed?  We are thinking Wolves or Queenston for this.  If one of those squads gives up can SFPFC leap them in the table?
How can a team with so many egos coexist as they do?  The leaders have done a great job managing their players as usual.  With so many players playing for FC Buffalo, will they miss games leading to a limited roster?

Pendleton United  FC (0-4-2) 0 - Clarence (2-2-2) 2

Pendleton forfeit.  Not much to say about this one.

 

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

1. Sharpshooters

2. Raiders

3. Lackawanna

4. BSC International

5. Clarence

6. BUSS


JUST OUTSIDE

7. Willies

8. Queenston

9. Celtic United

10.Wolves FC


RELEGATION

11. Southtowns FPFC

12. Pendleton United






Thanks for reading, we will catch you next week!