Week 3: 5 Thoughts

Results from this last weekend leaving many questions about what is and isn't for real

Week 3: 5 Thoughts

For many teams with 3 games in the books now the shape of their seasons are starting to take. For some its a welcome sight while other need to take a long look in the mirror. Let's tackle some thoughts.

 

1) Pleasant Surprises

There are several teams that open the standings page today and must like what they see. First and for most is Clarence for me. Down 2-0 late to Amherst, they netted two in the final 5 or less of the game to scrape a point. Currently at 2-0-1 this team has looked revitalized with their fresh recruits this year. Sure the vets are leading the way especially Beradi but its been a team effort across the board that has landed then near the top of the table in Premier. Relegation is never fun and for some teams is a death sentence. So its been great to see a team like NMB FC land on its feet back in D1. Andy Loomis is having an excellent rookie campaign so far as NMB is in the thick of the playoff race in a crowded D1 Mingle division. Lastly Cheektowaga in D3 is another team that has turned some heads in D3. On the brink of not existing a month before season started, Cheek's new leadership has seemingly made all the right moves in rebuilding. The Eagles sit atop D3 after another win on Sunday led by a brace from Mason Cruz. 

 

2) Gut Check

On the other hand some teams need to maybe reevaluate their current direction here before their is no point of return. Lykan FC in Championship was thumped 5-0 by Roos and have the worst G/D spread in the entire division. It's a slightly easier schedule then their May slate but they need to figure it out quick here. Hamburg FC i thought would be better suited in D2 here but it appears the wheels have totally fallen off here. At 0-3 and commitment to the club waning, the clock is ticking on this team. Lastly raise your hand if you had BUSS with just 2 points here thru May. This side is probably the most disappointing team in all the BDSL. This talented team has limped out of the game and have yet to score a single goal in the run of play. 3 of their next 4 games are against undefeated Premier sides. I'm not ready to kick dirt on them yet but they've certainly dug a hole here to start. 

 

3) Newbs Report

First year BDSL clubs sometimes have a lot to learn when it comes the ins and outs of a BDSL season and this year is no different for FC Draco. A pretty good roster has been thrown into the fire here in D1. They were dropped hard by SoHo FC this past weekend. In their 2 loses they've given up 9 goals so reexamining those issues would be the first step in rebounding here for me. Flashy graphics can't help them out of this rough start. Other new teams have hit the group running here. We've touched on USAB & Cavalucci's strong starts but Buffalo Brighten Stars joined them with a big 1-0 victory over Delco Academy this past Sunday. Simpkin looks maybe even weaker then expected so the Stars should be in fighting spot for a postseason berth all year here.

 

4) Overthrow in O-35

2 games into the O-35 season and the team that never even wanted to be here is leading the division. Celtic Old Bhoys crushed CS Italia in week one and then got a big last minute win over West United in a feisty week 2 to lock down first place. It was also good to see a new look Oranje get on the board with an early season victory as well. Its extremely early going here in O-35 but some different looking teams making things exciting here.

 

5) None Shall Pass

Ten teams look to end May all with perfect records (4 alone in Championship). Can any of these teams run the slate with no league losses at all? Time will tell. Even more impressive then an perfect record is that 5 of these sides have given up no goals and and no one has given up more then 2. These teams so far has toppled their opponents as they lead their respective divisions.