MATCH DAY 2 PREVIEWS

Hope this blog post finds ya'll in good health and not swamped in work like I am, what am I saying most of us are UWI students. Perfect stress reliever for the evening then should be found out by the hockey turf as UWIFA match action resumes for Thursday 29th September, why would you be at the stadium ?

Manchester City vs Porto

"The Big talkers" of the competition, Porto, will have to prove their bite is worse than their bark as they kick off this evening against Manchester City. After losing Andre Leslie due to him failing his registration application the team brought in Mario Vanterpoole and the fleet footed winger would look to make an instant impression. Tonight they would also unveil their "Hope Solo" signing who is looking to come up big in this year's tournament. Another mystery team in City, but we hope they actually show up and get ready to come out with all guns blazing  as they will have a very tough time against this Porto outfit. I expect Porto to dominate this match but they should be wary of complacency as they shouldnt take the opposition lightly.

Players to watch (Porto) 

Rico "Coco" Holder, Stefan Ward and "Hope Solo"

Arsenal v NY Red Bulls

The Red Bulls smashed the deadline day transfer window with 5 signings. Among those signings were Courtney Forde, Jabbar Niles and forward Andre Fields. That foray in the transfer market signaled the intent of manager Dexter Franklyn to take the competition by storm. Their first test will be up against another mystery outfit in Arsenal as no news sources close to UWIFA knows who these guys are, but one thing for sure is that the opponents should not be taken lightly. As an experienced side in the competition NY Red Bulls should see off the threat of the gunners pretty easily but its all based on if they put away their chances, but with a striking pair of Dario "Ears" Greenidge and Fields expect pace and clinical finishing.

Players to watch(NY Red Bulls)

Andre Fields, Dario Greenidge and Jabbar Niles

Juventus v Borussia Dortmund

If there ever was a time to show and prove, the time is now for the bianconeri. The Dortmund team is filled with experienced UWI FC players and coaches Christian "cake soap" Renwick and Ricardo "Cracka" Goddard. After a solid showing on Monday, Randall Jordan and co. will have a stern test against their seasoned opposition. Juve shot stopper Antonio will have it all to do tonight but he shouldn't be intimidated by a story that lingers around the football fraternity concerning "Cracka", a penalty and a goalkeeper left with swollen hands. As long as Juve are confident in possession and grab their chances with both hands they could pull a surprise win but they have it all to do against Dortmund and I dont see them getting any thing from this match.

Players to watch( Juventus)

Antonio , Ramon Manning and Randall Jordan

Players to watch(Dortmund)

Christian Renwick, Ricardo Goddard and Henderson Forde

(incomplete)

    

TEAM PHOTOS

Juventus

Chelsea

AC Milan

For more Team Photos visit: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150394541897814.403139.665997813&l=820aaa74a8&type=1

MATCH DAY 1 REVIEWS (part1)

Monday 26th September 2011

On a cool Monday evening excitement was in the air and students were buzzing about the upcoming UWIFA games. Such excitement had spectators in the bleachers from as early as 4:30 pm all wanting to reserve their seats for the action. Close to the scheduled 6pm kick-off none of the teams, who were on the field warming up, had their shirts. It was brought to my attention that the shirts (which were to be picked up at the Sports Office for 4pm) were running late and this delayed the start time, but fans close to Barbadian football had no qualms about it as they are used to football starting way after the allotted time (BT = bajan time).

Around 6:30 pm the first match between Chelsea and Juventus was set for kick off. Fans and football enthusiasts took up every vantage point as the bleachers were filled to capacity and the Hockey Turf surrounded by spectators, who knew cricket was playing right next door ? The ladies were out looking nice and the cooler man kept the drinks flowing, it was going to be a great night of football.

Chelsea v Juventus


The night kicked off with this highly anticipated clash and it failed to live up to its expectation. Chelsea started with their strongest line up and controlled posession in the early with captain Damian Small pulling the strings in the middle while Shane 'Munilah' Weekes and Tevyn Gill kept solid in the back. The Juventus "Freshers" started a bit nervy with some of the players losing possession easily and finding it difficult to come to grips with the hockey turf as they slipped and tumbled but Ramon Manning and his keeper Antonio cleaned up any mistakes.

David "Teets man" Forde skyed an early chance after Tevyn lost the ball in midfield, a perfect opportunity to take the lead. The Chelsea attack tried everything as Shaquille Layne, Daniel Rowe and Christopher Greenidge weaved their magic in attack but failed to bring any thing into fruition with Rowe and Greenidge missed two guilt edged chances. Juventus survived a penalty scare after a Chelsea player was brought down in the area but the referee allowed play to go on.

The second half began as the first with Chelsea taking control of the proceedings and throwing everything plus the kitchen sink at the Juve custodian who thwarted every attack that came his way. With the Juve losing  their captain Randall Jordan for academic reasons in the first half, Manning dictated play from the back but Chelsea's defence was just as resilient. The boys in blue suffered a late scare in the second half as keeper Hosea Boyce wanted to showcase his skill beating a player and losing the ball but his defence covered the empty goal just as the opposition was taking a shot on goal. With teams trading posession and impotent attacks the game petered out into a goalless draw.

Man of the match = Juve keeper Antonio

Ajax v Inter

As noted in Monday's previews this match was all Ajax from start to finish. Ajax dominated possession with flair and precise passing but complacency reared its ugly head as they tried to do too much at times. Rene "Sizz" Best set the tone for his night by fluffing an early chance to put the dutch ahead of Inter. Lady luck smiled on Inter as some of Ajax's shots flew wide and some into the hands of the goalie. New signing Gregory "Boo" Applewaithe would join Best in his profligacy by missing an easy chance which was just one of his plethora of misses. With every rare attack Inter threw at Ajax, Caleb Morgan was there to clean up as he hardly put a foot wrong for the night. Inter would however undo there hard work after losing possession too easy in defence allowing Omari Eastmond to score a rasping drive to take the dutch ahead.

Who would've seen this coming ? A half time transfer request (beg for play) saw contract rebel and free agent Tunde Adebanjo turn out for Inter. He was cheered on by a small section of the crowd with every touch but this did not help his team's cause as Ajax had the game under control. Applewaithe continued to "fire wild grain" and it took another defensive mistake for Eastmond to score again for the Dutch as they saw out the game very easily but really should've scored more. Good showing by Inter who will have to put their campaign back on track against Sao Paulo.

Man of the match: Caleb Morgan

AC Milan v Valencia

Valencia were a no show for this match so Milan won by default

Manchester United vs Lyon


Turns out the "Mystery men" of Manchester United is the staff team that is entered every year. The "old boys" always come to duke it out with the "youngsters" and in this match their experience showed as they dominated a side of individual performers. The Red devils controlled play from the off as they were helped by a side that couldn't seem to string 5 passes together. Lyon had a few forays forward but their attacks petered out in the final third as team mates failed to pick out the killer pass. United took the lead after Clint Hurley's "daisy cutter" from outside of the box beat the defense and the goalie, embarrassing on Lyon's part.

Lyon started strong in the second half and even had a claim for a penalty when one of their players was slide tackled in the Manchester box, but the referee gave an indirect free kick instead. Man United's strength and composure kept their opponents at bay but the attack led by Festus Drakes couldn't turn possession into goals. Lyon would however pay for their discrepancies as a misplaced pass was intercepted by a United player who found Festus with yards of space and his shot was punched into the net by the keeper. It was a night to forget for the Lyon keeper Dario Agard. It was an easy victory in the end for the Red Devils and the men of Lyon will have to pick themselves up after this.

Real Madrid v Bayern Munich


The fourth match of the night was one of promise as this was built up to be "The Main Event". The match started with both teams trying to settle their nerves as they tried to control possession but failing to do so. Madrid's Kemar "Cornesma" Codrington finally settled his team by dictating the pace of the game sitting right in front of his back two winning possession and turning it into attack in the blink of an eye. Bayern asked questions of the madridistas which they failed to answer but custodian Richard Clarke produced some top saves to keep them at bay. Munich's danger man Tareq Branch had the beating of the defence many times with his change of pace and close dribbling but could not bring anything into fruition. The bavarians made full use of the rolling sub system with Rex Suckoo being the scapegoat of some fast changes.

After a dull first half Los merengues took the lead through talisman Taurean Hall with a solo effort reminiscent of his many scrimmage goals. Clearly ecstatic with his goal Hall didn't know which celebration he had planned to use and it looked like he was getting a seizure as he could not contain his excitement much to the amusement of the onlookers. Bayern looked to captain Renn Belgrave Herbert as he urged on his team mates being very vocal in his demand. Munich's Raymond "Smiley" Ward tried many things out of his bag of party pieces but to no avail. The game finished with both sides trading possession and "Cornesma" being the work horse in his teams defence and eventually getting three precious points for Los blancos.

Man of the match: Kemar Codrington

Liverpool v Barcelona 


Another match that much was expected of didn't live up to its hype. The full bleachers were a far cry from the ghost town that was there when this match started, but with school tomorrow and time getting away one could understand. As with most of the matches before no team could control possession in the early. Liverpool tried to exploit the pace of Les Warner in the early by concentrating play down the flanks but the Barcelona defence of Kenray Browne and Dafar Armour-Shillingford stood firm. Liverpool also defended well with Michael Rogers and Bishon Williams. Playing Bishon in defence was a questionable tactic as his pace along with Warner's could have caused the catalans a few head aches.

Second half resumed as the first but this time Dafar took up residence in goal, another questionable tactic. Barcelona would've been put ahead by Dannilo Hutchinson had he buried his one on one chance with a year and a day to decide. Apart from a chance where James Ballantyne should've squared the ball back for Dabian "Tallman" Forde to score an easy tap in, there was not much to note in the second half and the teams shared the spoils.

Man of the match: Michael Rogers

MATCH DAY 1 PREVIEWS (part1)

Summer Vacation, “Ahhh” the life. Beach filled days and alcohol soaked nights complete with smorgasbords of food and a bevy of bikini clad bajan beauties. Lazy days and partying every night for the week with not a care in the world but yet, you’re not happy. No football, No La Liga, No Premier League, No Serie A and the most dreadful fact ... NO UWIFA. Fast forward to September 26^th where the dreariness of school is taking a toll on you but yet there is joy, joy in your heart of knowing that UWIFA will be starting today !!

The Cave Hill campus’ premier football competition will be taking the 7 a side format this year as this competition will be used to spear head the campaign to take football on campus to the next level this year. Teams are expected to be uniformed and take on these games with discipline and a hint of professionalism but not excluding the “fun factor” as they chase for the grand prize and the ultimate bragging rights. Match action begins tonight Monday September 26th 2011 and we kick things off with the match pre-view of Chelsea versus Juventus.

Chelsea v Juventus

Hockey Turf

6:00 pm (6:30 pm BT*)

A mouth watering clash to kick off the UWIFA 7-a-side tournament with the fresher only team Juventus wanting to make their mark on the competition by upsetting experienced opposition Chelsea. Chelsea player/manager Damien ‘Hoff’ Small recruited Shaquille “Shaq” Layne, Daniel ”Chubby” Rowe and Justin “Smooth” Luke amongst other big names in the transfer market and have a high expectation to take the 3 points in this match but the “Freshers” have some talented youth players in their ranks. “The Black Steven Gerrard” Randall Jordan along with compatriots Ramon Manning and  David “Teets man” Forde have been the talk of the Juventus side as the ones to watch but it would be interesting to see how they play with their team mates as it has been rumoured there are 30+ players registered for the team.

Juventus would be up against it and the “Fresher” side will have to settle their nerves and find cohesion in the team if they are to prove a threat towards Chelsea. Hoff’s side will have experience on their side with a pacy attack complete with dribble demons, a strong defence and Hosea “Biggz” Boyce in bars for surety and should come away with the win. This one will be a battle of nerves as it is the first match but I have Chelsea to win comfortably but Juventus will not go down without a good fight.

Ones to watch: (Chelsea)

Shaquille Layne, Christopher Greenidge and Damien Small  

Ones to watch: (Juventus)

Ramon Manning, Randall Jordan and David Forde

Ajax v Inter Milan 
Hockey Turf

6:30 pm (7:00 pm BT*)

Last years champions Ajax have set out to repeat last year's feats with an improved and vastly experienced side with premier league, semi pro and UWI FC players in the mix they are the team to beat. Rene "Sizz" Best recruited Tito Beckles and Gregory "Boo" Applewaithe to bolster defence and attack respectively but were dealt a blow as they lost Noel Harris to injury. Whispers of the Inter Milan side being made up of mostly hockey players (also 3 women) like last year for fitness reasons. Josanne Thomas, the impressive defender for UWI FC's women's team will be looking to sure up the Inter defence.

This match will be pretty one sided with Ajax dominating possession and showing copious amounts of skill with Omari Eastmond banging in the goals and Shavar Jones providing the saves. Out of form Rene Best has a point to prove as his goal drought continues. Ajax should be clear winners in this match and it would be a great upset if they do not. Inter Milan only have one goal in this match and that is to try to prevent a cricket score.

Players to watch (Ajax)
Omari Eastmond, Chad Bynoe and Gregory Applewaithe

Players to watch (Inter Milan)
Joseanne Thomas, Nevin Roach and Carlos Brathwaite


AC Milan v Valencia
Hockey Turf

7:30 pm (8:00 pm BT*)


Games Committee Chairperson Marcus Green will be looking to take his AC Milan side all the way this year after coming so close last year after being defeated in the final by Ajax. Green seemed to persuade Harcourt 'Harry' Husbands to dust off his "boots" and come out of retirement for yet another year. Husbands along with team regulars Alain London, Rico Brathwaite and Seanon Williams will have no mercy on a virtually unknown Valencia side. "Mystery men" Valencia should come out ready with guns blazing to take on an experienced AC Milan side who would be looking to start the campaign with 3 points.

This should be a comfortable win for Milan unless the Valencia have something special up their sleeve.

Players to watch (AC Milan):
Rico Brathwaite, Marcus Green and Alain London

Players to watch (Valencia):
All

Manchester United vs Lyon 
Hockey Turf 
8:00 pm (8:30 pm BT*)


Another mystery team in Manchester United as no one close to UWIFA News knows who they are and they aren't even registered on the UWIFA stats site ( http://bit.ly/netks8 ). Lyon however first seemed to miss the tournament as player/manager Akeel Gill didnt get a registration form in time, but due to the merging of the freshers' team the former semi finalists are set to strut their stuff on the UWIFA stage. With Akeem "Dogman" Broomes and Dario Agard in the side the Lyon team should overcome the mysterious Manchester United but should be wary of complacency.

Players to watch ( Lyon)
Akeel Gill, Akeem Broomes and Dario Agard



Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid
Hockey Turf
8:30 pm (9:00 pm BT*)


THE MAIN EVENT !! Plenty of banter has been made between these two sides and its time to do thier talking on the pitch. Renn Belgrave- Herbert brings a pretty impressive Bayern Munich side on paper with names like Tareq Branch, Shane Griffith and Raymond "Smiley" Ward. Patrice Marshall's  Real Madrid will be ready for battle to defend the name of "El stade de Roots" with regulars Joel Franklyn, Daniel "FM" Haynes, Taurean Hall and the acquisitions of Chad Glasgow and Akil "Kun" Dowridge.

I expect this match to go down to the wire and a draw is on the cards. This all depends on if Raymond Ward and Taurean Hall have brought their "shooting boots" as the profligate strikers have their respective teams scoring on their shoulders. Real Madrid can also win this if "Kun" Dowridge feels like playing football and not with the regular showboating. Madrid should also be wary of the threat Tareq Branch poses as he is a player to make something out of nothing.

Players to watch (Bayern Munich)
Raymond Ward, Brad "Brad-o" Taitt and Tareq Branch

Players to watch (Real Madrid)
Kemar Codrington, Chad Glasgow and Patrice " Patzini the girls them zucchini" Marshall