FC77 Rangers 3:7 Salem Kickers

FC77 Rangers 3 - 7 Salem Kickers

(Switzer 35' and 85'; McConnachie 40')

With the Fall 2009 regular season drawing to a close, Rangers found themselves at the Montessori Earth School against the dominating Salem Kickers for the finale. This second meeting of the O-30 Third Rose City titans could be viewed as the epic sequel to Match Day Three's frustrating rout in the Cherry City...OR...more accurately, it could be seen as the pivotal middle clash in a dramatic trilogy of kick-ass footballing titans battling for eternal recreational sports glory! The formula is most obvious, on a slightly different scale, in most every "Rocky" movie ever made during the final fight. In the first part of the fight--say, rounds one through five--Rocky pretty much gets his ass handed to him. Like a 0-5 (not 0-6!) loss in soccer. In the middle part of the fight, generally rounds 6-10, the indefatigable protagonist battles through adversity and pending defeat to start delivering some punishment of his own...usually working the middle over when all seems lost and getting some good strikes to prove the adversary isn't invincible after all. Hope is not lost. Like a 3-7 defeat in soccer on Match Day Ten.

Then comes the third and final act: A vicious street fight for all the marbles. Nothing left to lose and everything to fight for...and it can end in two different ways: It can end with everything left on the mat/pitch in noble, dignified defeat, like "Rocky"...OR...it can end in uproarious, awesome victory with the crowd screaming your name and your spouse running out to give her bloody, sweat-stained man a dramatic kiss, like in "Rocky II", "Rocky III", "Rocky IV", probably "Rocky "V" (didn't see it) and "Rocky Balboa" (sorry, didn't see that one either.)

Well, Rangers. Which ending is it gonna be?

To give further dramatic umph to this post, I wanted some rousing background music from "Rocky" to get your blood pumping in advance of the final championship match. Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now", the legendary Rocky theme when he runs the steps of Philly? Cliched. Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger"? Too obvious. No, instead I offer Robert Tepper's "No Easy Way Out", the rousing montage theme that plays in "Rocky IV" when Balboa is deciding to fight Ivan Drago after he kills Apollo Creed in the ring. Not the obvious choice, but that's how 'Gers roll:

Starting XI:

DeBar, goalkeeper

Pullen - Bauman - Seaton, fullbacks

Calkins, holding midfielder

Bennouri - Radigan - Snyder - Ingersoll, midfielders

Switzer - McConnachie, strikers

Reserves: Burden, Fahrbach, King, Gaffney

'Gers came out aggressively from the opening kick-off with Radigan making two hard challenges in the first few minutes. Referee Ernie went to his pocket early and carded the center midfielder for a tackle on Salem Kicker Kevin Plechl after just five minutes. The Kickers began to play their familiar possession ball through the center of the pitch, always looking for a fast sortie behind our defense. Their first goal came around the tenth minute and a second not long after that. When the third went in around the thirtieth minute, the situation seemed all but hopeless...

...but then Rocky--er, Rangers--started to rally. Switzer answered in the 35th minute with a run through the middle. His shot just beat the onrushing defender, who crashed into his jaw and left Switzer sprawled on the grass for several minutes. The ball rolled just past the keeper and was almost kicked off the line by another retreating defender, but his attempt at a clearance bounced off the inside of the upright, leaving the ball in the net. 1-3. As Switzer hobbled off the pitch, 'Gers realized that Drago--er, the Kickers--were not invincible. This collective realization emboldened the Yellow and Black who started moving forward in attack with more vigor. McConnachie doubled up the FC77 tally about five minutes later with another direct run that caught their keeper stranded. His shot back across the goal landed in the net and never had a chance of being blocked. 2-3...hmm... FC77 continued to rush forward, allowing fullback "Angry" Mike Pullen to get a shot on goal and apply regular pressure on the Powell Street End. Calkins also was cautioned for dissent on a blown offside trap call that saw the striker go one on one with DeBar. Calkins' vociferous protestations would normally have been ignored by the official until after advantage had been played, but Referee Ernie seemed to take special umbrage at the holding midfielder and stopped play to issue a caution...then gave us a drop ball in our box...making it the most brilliant professional foul ever! No contact! With a prime goal-scoring chance nullified, Rangers resumed play with our lines reformed.

Seaton came off with a hamstring pull late in the half and was ably attended to by unofficial team physio Thom Fahrbach, who had also previously inspected Switzer's jaw. Only down a goal at half, hopes were high for the second half, but Kickers didn't go 9-0 without a reason and managed to add several more goals during the course of the half. The boggy conditions were probably as much a hinderance as they were an advantage to our pro-tackle defending, with players on both sides sliding and struggling for balance. 'Gers collected a third with five minutes to go when Ingersoll and King worked some short passes inside the box, King releasing Ingersoll just outside the six. The manager blasted an outside of the foot shot at the Kickers' keeper, who fumbled the possession to Switzer's feet and allowed him to tap in a brace from point blank distance.

So it was that the second act ended in defeat, but with marked signs of improvement and optimism for the final, epic Asoccerlypse. Without a doubt, the Kickers are probably the best team we've faced since...Bridgetown 0-30 FC?

Hmm...how did that finish up again...?

Match notes...Attendance varied from 10-16, with Salem bringing a half dozen supporters...The three goals Rangers put in represented almost 23% of the total goals the Kickers gave up all season...'Nuther Nike ball was lost over the fence during the match...

Next Match:

O-30 Third Division Rose City Championship

FC77 Rangers v. Salem Kickers

Time and Date To Be Determined