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Internationals Win 3rd Region I Premier
11 Apr. ’09. The Internationals traveled to Kirkwood SC in New Castle, DE, to play its last two matches of the season in Region I Premier League play today at 10:00am and 3:00pm, respectively. It had been raining all night and into the morning in Delaware but the fields were in good shape and the games would be played. The scenario was eerily similar to last season when the Internationals needed to win the last 2 matches to advance in the playoffs, and today, it would again need to win the last 2 matches against the same two teams it played last year, Jersey Knights Fire and YMS Xplosion,whom the Internationals lost to in both matches, 0-1, and 0-3, respectively.
In the 1st match, the Internationals faced a determined Jersey Knights Fire team who were winless this season – thus far. Recalling last year’s quick goal struck by the Jersey team and Inter’s inability to finish a goal in that match, the Internationals were equally determined to create a different outcome in this year’s contest. Inter kicked off in the 1st half but the Fire had the fierce 15-20 mph wind at their backs -- and it would be a significant advantage for the Fire as well as Inter in the 2nd half. In the very 1st min., the Fire threatened with a long ball aided by the wind which fell deep into the box. As Seth came out to grab the ball, it bounced dangerously up high and Seth finger-tipped it over the cross-bar for an ensuing corner kick. During the half, the Fire would take 6 shots on goal, including a dangerous shot from around 12-15 yds. which Seth punched out/away while the others went wide. The Jersey team also setup 4 corner kicks which were all unsuccessful while committing 9 fouls (including 1offsides). Against the wind, the Internationals were contained mostly on their side except for a couple of opportunities. At about the 7 min. mark, Skylar passed a ball on the left to Vitalis near 20 yds. whose shot on goal was caught by the GK. About 2mins. later, a ball served in the Fire’s box was headed by Alex just wide left. Inter also setup 2 corner kicks which were unsuccessful while committing 4 fouls (including a YC shown to Erik for a hard foul and 1 offsides), and the half ended, 0-0.
In the 2nd half, the Fire kicked off but Inter had the wind advantage in their favor. The Jersey team would only manage just 2 shots on goal against the wind and1 corner kick which were unsuccessful while committing 4 fouls. Inter would take 6 shots on goal and 4 corner kicks while committing 11 fouls (including 6 offsides). At about4 mins., Schillo's shot attempt from near 18 yds. right went over the cross-bar. At about 7 mins. , V served a left corner kick in the box which Nick A.’s attempt also sailed over the cross-bar. Also, at about the 14 min. mark, Chris served a ball form the left side into the box to Schillo near 6-8 yds. whose shot went wide left. And, about the 22 min. mark, Erik passed a ball from the middle near 25 yds. center to Schillo about 10-12yds. on the left whose shot was stopped by the GK. One min. later, Ebo’s served a left corner kick into the box where the ball was struck by Chris near 5-6 yds. which went wide right. But, alas, at about the 25 min. mark, Inter would finally succeed in scoring off a ball sent into the box where Schillo attempted to control it while falling to the turf but it deflected out to Alex nearby who struck in the goal. The Fire were distressed with the non-call for supposedly dangerous play by Schillo on the ground and several players were shown YC’s for USB (#7, #12 & #25) as well as their coach sent off for USB. Inter held off the doggedly determined Jersey team and the match ended,1-0, Internationals.
Internationals Tied in Last Region I Premier
11 Apr. 09. Back out at Kirkwood SC for the final and crucial match of the short Region I Premier season, the Internationals would face its friends/foe from PA-E whom it lost in the last match of the season last year, 0-3. Although Inter prevailed over YMS in the PDA Showcase last Nov., 2-0, it knew it would be in for a hard-fought contest as it was a hugely important match for both teams. If YMS would win, it would go on to finish in 2nd place behind LMSC Velez in the South division and earn a spot in the playoffs. If Inter would win, it would finish in 2nd place and knock YMS out of a playoff spot. Simple as that.
The rain and strong winds continued at the beginning of the match but would abate by the start of the 2nd half. In the 1st half, YMS kicked off but Inter had the wind advantage in their favor. However, YMS' strong defense would hold Inter to just 2 shots on goal and 2 corner kicks which were unsuccessful. At about the 16 min. mark, Schillo served a ball from near 20 yds. left into the box where Chris’ header went wide right. Later, at about the 32 min. mark, a ball was served from the left near 20 yds. left by (?) into the box where Skylar’s header was caught by the GK. Inter committed 5 fouls (including 2 offsides) while YMS committed 8 fouls (including a YC shown to #15 for a hard foul on Jamie). YMS also would take 2 shots on goal and 2 corner kicks which were wide/unsuccessful, and the half ended 0-0.
In the 2nd half, Inter kicked off but YMS would have the wind advantage. Against the wind and YMS’ strong defense, Inter was held to just a single scoring opportunity which came at about the 11 min. mark. Patrick passed a nice ball in the middle to Schillo near 20 yds. left but his shot was caught by the GK. Inter committed 9 fouls (including a YC shown to Nicholas for a hard foul, 2 handballs and 1 offsides) while YMS also committed 8 fouls (including 3 offsides). YMS would take 6 shots on goal and setup 2 corner kicks which all went awry/unsuccessful and the match ended in a scoreless draw.
LMSC Velez would finish in 1st with 16 points, winning the South division for the 2nd year in a row. YMS would finish in 2ndplace, while newcomer SAC United, who surprised Inter with a 2-0 victory in the1st game of the season, finished in 3rd with 12 points, followed by Inter in 4th place with 12 points, Freestate Elite in 5thplace with 11 points, Beadling, Empire and Jersey Knights. Congratulations to LMSC Velez for another successful season and South division Championship! Good luck to both Velez and Xplosion in the Region I playoffs as well as the National League playoffs.
Internationals Fall to U16/Real Madrid in Tiffany Cup
9 Apr. ’09. For the 3rd match play in the group, the Internationals were back out at Georgetown University to face the highly acclaimed U16/Real Madrid team who bested DCUnited, 1-0 ,and, Saprissa, 5-2, in earlier matches of the tournament. Real Madrid’s strong back line held the Internationals to just 1 shot on goal and 1 corner kick which were both unsuccessful while committing 4 fouls (including a YC shown to #5 for a hard foul on Schillo and 1offsides). Although Inter’s normally solid defense kept Real Madrid to just 3 shots on goal and 2 corner kicks, the talented Spaniards would quickly notch a goal in the 4th minute off of a nice sequence from a pass from the left side into the middle near 22yds. left center to a player inside the box 18 yds. center who then dished off to a RM player streaking into the box on the right near 17-18 yds. who sent a hard blast into the upper left corner of the net to take the lead, 1-0. Real Madrid had another chance at the 9min. mark off of ball served into the box but the header went wide right. However, at the 15 min. mark, Real Madrid would strike again off of a counter-attack from a long ball sent upfield behind the back line in the middle near 22 yds. where a player collected the ball and outran the last defender for 1v1 on Seth to send in a shot to the left net to put Real Madrid up 2-0. Luckily, Real Madrid was called for an offsides to negate a goal scored off a header in the box around the 30 min. mark. Inter had a couple of chances, once at the 18 min. mark from a counter-attack off a long-ball by Erik near mid-field sent upfield to Chris near 20yds. left who descended on the bouncing ball in the box at the same time as theGK came out to defend the play and the deflected ball hit the left outside of the net. At about the 44 min.mark, Schillo collected a ball upfield near 20 yds. left and fired a hard shot towards goal which went wide right. Inter set up just 1 corner kick opportunity which was unsuccessful while committing 4 fouls (including 1 offsides), and the half ended, 2-0, Real Madrid.
In the 2nd half, Real Madrid’s strong defense stymied the Internationals, allowing just 1 shot on goal and no corners. Inter committed 7 fouls (including a RC shown to Mike for a cleats up slide tackle and sent off the field at about the 28 Min. mark). Real Madrid’s offense created many scoring opportunities, taking 10 shots on goal which were all either wide or high over the cross-bar or weakly struck and gobbled up by Seth – except for one. At about the 7 min. mark a ball in Inter’s left back was not cleared in time before it was challenged and deflected back into Inter’s box where a RM player dribbled dangerously towards the end line to shoot or cross the ball but he was unluckily fouled for an ensuing PK which was well struck for RM’s 3rd goal. Fortunately, RM had 2 other scores negated due to offsides calls. Inter’s only chances came at about the 23 min. mark when Skylar’s free kick attempt from 25 yds. center was struck low into the wall and deflected outward. Then , at the 27 min. mark when Vitalis received a ball on the left side near 35 yds. and worked his way upfield to around 20 yds. left to fire a shot on goal which the GK caught, and the match ended, 3-0, Real Madrid.
Real Madrid will play Blackburn Rovers (ENG) for the Championship match on Sat., 11th Apr., at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA.
Internationals Upend U16/DC United Academy in Tiffany Cup
6 Apr. ’09. Forits 2nd contest of the Tiffany Cup event, the Internationals were matched up with its friends from U16/DC United Development Academy out at RFK Auxillary turf field in DC. The winds were still kicking up and the temperature was on the cool side. DC United kicked off in the 1st half and would control most of the play taking 5 shots on goal and 3 corner kicks while committing 7 fouls (including 1 offsides) – and would score once. Inter was held to just 3 shots on goaland no corners while committing 7 fouls (including 1 offsides) – and could not finish. At about the 3 min. mark, DCU sent a free kick from 25 yds. right that sailed wide left. At the 9 min mark, DCU fired a hard shot from 25 yds. center which Seth punched away. At the 15 min. mark, DCU penetrated inside the box near 15 yds. right and sent another hard shot on goal which Seth caught. Two mins. later, DCU sent another shot on goal from 22 yds. center which Seth caught. Around the 27 min. mark, after a right corner kick into the box and an ensuing melee/scrum in the goal mouth, DCU punched in a shot into the net but it was luckily negated by an offsides call. At about the 35 min. mark, after a ball was unable to be cleared away, DCU collected the ball and launched a hard blast from 22 yds. right into the upper corner of the far post to put in DCU up 1-0. Inter had a chance for the equalizer at the 19 min. mark off a nice cross from Chris on the left near 10-15 yds. into the goal mouth to Skylar far post whose shot went into the side net. At about the 26 min. mark, Erik collected a pass near 22 yds. right and sent a hard shot on goal which Samir/GK caught, and Skylar took a shot from near 25 yds. right which went wide, and the half ended, 1-0, DCU.
In the 2nd half, Inter controlled most of the play, holding DCU to just 2 shots on goal and 2 corner kicks which were unsuccessful while committing 8 fouls (including a YC shown to #3 for hard foul on Chris & 1 offsides). Inter took 9 shots on goal and 2 corner kicks and would finish twice while committing 5 fouls (including a YC on Nat for USB). At about the 3 min. mark, Patrick collected a ball around 20-22 yds. center and dished a nice through-ball pass into the box to Skylar near 15 yds. center who dribbled one step forward and fired as Eric/GK came out low to block the shot but it sailed into the left corner of the net to knot the score, 1-1. At about the 15 min. mark, Nate served a nice cross from around 18 yds. on ther ight into the box where Skylar attempted a diving header shot which went wide right. Two mins. later, Chris received a pass near 20 yds. center and sent a hard shot which went wide left. At about 21 min. mark, Ben passed a ball to Erik just inside the box 17-18 yds. center whose header was caught by the GK. A couple of mins. later, Nate served a free kick from about 22 yds. right into the box which the GK caught. One min. later, Nate tapped a free kick ball on the right about 22 yds. over to Chris a few inches away who struck a hard shot which went over the cross-bar. At about the 28 min. mark, Nicholas pushed up near 22 yds right, collected a ball and fired a shot on goal which was deflected wide left for an ensuing left corner kick. About the 30 min. mark, Nate served a pretty free kick from the near the right side line into the box where Chris timed his leap to jump up and hit a monster header into the right corner of the net to put Inter up, 2-1. And, just a few seconds before the match ended, Chris received another ball near 22 yds. center and sent a shot towards goal which went wide right, and the match ended, 2-1,Internationals.
Internationals Fall to U16/Saprissa in Tiffany Cup
4 Apr. ’09. In the little before heard of Challenge for Tiffany Cup, an international invitational soccer event held for the 3rd time in DC since 2006, the Internationals were invited along with 3 other top local teams, DC United Development Academy, Freestate Elite and Great Falls 91 Elite, to compete against 4 other premier U16 youth squads from around the world, Blackburn Rovers (ENG), El Deportivo Saprissa (CTR) and Real Madrid (ESP).
In the 1st match today, the Internationals faced the much-heralded El Deportivo Saprissa squad at Georgetown University on a splendid, sunny day. The grass pitch adjacent the hospital and noisy heli-port was in superb condition but the wind after a passing storm system yesterday was blowing hard with some occasional strong gusts. The Internationals kicked off in the 1st half with the wind blowing behind them. Surprisingly, the Saprissa squad, dressed in their classic purple/white uniforms, did not pressure the ball as intensely as would be expected, giving the Internationals ample time to work the ball around. Early in the opening minutes, Skylar sent a nice cross from the right side into the goal mouth but Chris’ shot on goal was caught by the GK. Saprissa would score first on a counter-attack around the 23 min. mark. A long ball was quickly sent upfield on the left behind the right back line where a Saprissa player collected it to send a blast from about 25 yds. out past Seth into the net to put Saprissa up, 1-0. At about the 35 min. mark, Chris received a pass around 25 yds. on the right and fired a shot towards goal which went wide right. A few minutes later at about the 38 min. mark, Schillo launched a shot from near 25-28 yds. in the middle which sailed wide left. One min. later, Saprissa sent a hard shot from about 20 yds. on the right which went high over the cross bar. Saprissa would take just 3 shots on goal, no corners and committed 4 fouls, while Inter also would take 3 shots on goal, setup 2 corner kicks which were all unsuccessful while committing 4 fouls, and the half ended, 1-0, Saprissa.
In the 2nd half, Saprissa kicked off with the wind at their backs and at about the 4 min. mark, Saprissa sent a hard shot from about 30 yds. on the right which sailed high over the cross-bar. Two minutes later, Vitalis served a corner kick from Saprissa’s left side into the goal mouth where Nick A. jumped up far post to head the ball past the GK’s outstretched arms into the net near post. At about the 27 min. mark,Vitalis received a ball on the left side and sent a hard shot on goal from about 25 yds. left which the GK caught. Saprissa would notch the go-ahead and game-winning goal at about the 36min. mark off of a left corner kick. Inter created a couple more chances to even the score. One min. later, Alex fired a shot from the middle about 22 yds. out center which the GK caught. Also, at the 40 min mark, Nicholas sent a long shot from 30 yds. center which went wide right. Although Inter controlled most ofthe play in the 2nd half, taking 4 shots on goal and setting up 3 corner kicks while committing just a single foul, it was unable to finish another score. Saprissa was held to just 2 sots on goal, 1 corner kick while committing 4 fouls, and the match ended, 2-1, Saprissa.
