United slammed by Colo Colo, coach PORTAGE DAILY GRAPHIC

BY RYAN DIXON
Thursday June 23, 2005

Portage la Prairie — It was ugly. Real ugly.Southport United’s gruesome 6-1 loss to Colo Colo in Manitoba Major Soccer League Fourth Division action last night at Southport Recreation Centre had both South-port’s coach and team captain questioning the commitment of more than one United player.“We’re lacking determination, we’re lacking effort,” said a visibly-frustrated Karl Seidlitz, sideline boss for United (1-4). “They’re just going through the motions, and that’s exactly how I feel. The effort is not there. Period.“We have the speed to burn this team. We can run around them if we want to. They just don’t want to.”Captain Glenn McCulloch was shaking his head, too.“It makes you not want to come out a few times, when you’ve got four or five guys putting in a full effort and a few that, if they don’t get the ball on their foot, they don’t go for it,” McCulloch said.“It doesn’t seem like they’re putting in a full amount of effort. It destroys the team.”The carnage came quickly last night, as Colo Colo (3-1) hopped out to a 1-0 lead mere minutes into the game on Dave Epp’s brilliant header off a direct kick.Colo Colo’s James Friesen made it 2-0 by converting a penalty kick after Southport’s Pe-ter Reimer was nailed for an infraction in-side the 18-yard box.Both Friesen and Epp would add markers in the opening half’s dying minutes, and the rout was on.Seidlitz had a few choice words for his club at halftime.“I stated to them that if they’re only going to play half a game, I will become a halftime coach. I will only show up for half a game if they want me to,” he said bluntly, addressing a tendency on United’s part to only put in 45 minutes of work.“I sometimes put my family aside to do this for them, and I don’t need to do that. I don’t expect them to win all the time. That would be unrealistic for any team, but at least put in the effort.”United’s Michael Chaves (fourth of the season) did break the goose egg with a goal in the second half, after Colo Colo’s Ian Goodall-George had made it 5-0 for the visitors.Tony Frias, who McCulloch thought dominated the pitch, scored the final Colo Colo tally.“One guy destroyed us in the middle,” McCulloch said of Frias.“It took four guys to try and stop him and he’d pass it to one of the guys that was wide open and they’d finish.”Friesen said Colo Colo exploited a weakness it perceived in Southport’s defence.“They had one sweeper in the back instead of playing four across so (Colo Colo keeper Warren Beleyowski) would kick it to one of the sides and we had a lot of two-on-ones right at the beginning and it seemed to work for us,” he said.As for how to right the Southport ship, McCulloch is at a loss.“I have no idea,” the captain said, adding on paper, United has all the makings of a great club, but just cannot put it together.“We’ve tried leading by example and a few of us putting in as much as we can and running our butts off, and it just doesn’t seem to help.“It just seems to put us more out of position and then we have to run twice as hard to get back. It’s frustrated us all year so far.”United will be looking for a monumentally different result when it travels to Winnipeg on June 28 to battle the Rangers.The club will not revisit the scene of last night’s debacle until its hosts Ragnarok at Southport Recreation Centre on July 17.

Inconsistent play adds up to defeat for Kickers - Carman Valley Leader

By Gene Still
Friday June 24, 2005 Carman Valley Leader — Playing their first “real” home game of the season didn’t help the Carman Kickers when it came to the end result. The Kickers took to the Carman Collegiate Soccer Field for the first time this season as they faced the Sudan-Nile squad this past Saturday afternoon. Due to scheduling conflicts their first home date on May 30 with Ragnarok was postponed and their next “home game” with St. James actually had to be played in Winkler due to yet another conflict with using the collegiate field. But after finally getting an opportunity to host a contest, it was the visitors from Winnipeg who emerged from the hot and humid day (Humidex readings at around 36º C) on June 18 with a 5-2 victory. A few bright spotsDespite the final score, it wasn’t all bad for the Kickers according to their head coach William Hoogerdijk. “It was an excellent example of how we can play (very well) and how we shouldn’t play (not so well),” Hoogerdijk said. Carman actually scored the opening goal as Jordan Vanderveen was tripped in the Sudan-Nile box. And sniper Lyle Vanveen made the most of the ensuing penalty kick to give the Kickers a 1-0 lead just about twenty minutes into the contest. “Up until that point, I though we were doing a good job of controlling the pressure on them,” Hoogerdijk said. But Sudan-Nile seemed to pick-up their play following the opening tally and they’re efforts paid off about five minutes later when they tied things at 1-1. But Vanveen restored the Kickers’ lead with his second of the afternoon, with around 10 minutes to go before the intermission. Carman was unable to hang onto the advantage as the visitors tied it again with about five minutes left in the half. Despite playing their opposition “pretty even” to start the final half, it wasn’t enough as the visitors proved too much for the Kickers, at least on this day. “In the second half, we started well. We had some chances but so did they, so it was pretty even at the start,” Hoogerdijk said. Took the leadBefore the frame was ten minutes old, Sudan-Nile had recorded two goals to take a commanding 4-2 lead. They followed that up with their fifth of the afternoon, about 15 minutes later. “We had a few chances after that, but nothing we able to cash in on,” Hoogerdijk said, as the loss dropped their early record to 1-2 for the season. And while a defeat is never easy to accept, the coach said he was impressed with what he saw from his team, at times. “I’m hoping it’s a kind of learning experience for us because I saw how good the guys are capable of playing,” Hoogerdijk said. “Now we just need to start putting into practice what we’ve learned otherwise we’ll be in the same place were we ended up last year – out of the playoffs

LUCANIA shuts out Spitfire -Sioux Falls Argus Leader

June 20, 2005 Troy Lindholm

For the Argus Leader (Sioux Falls)

One day after breaking a six-game losing streak, the Sioux Falls SpitFire'sencore didn't turn out the way it wanted.The SpitFire's unblemished home record came to an end Sunday afternoon asWinnipeg defeated Sioux Falls 2-0 in an exhibition game on a hot, windyFather's Day at McEneaney Field.After Saturday's 4-1 victory over Winnipeg on Saturday, the SpitFiresuffered from missed opportunities and poor finishing on Sunday.Neither team could muster much in the first 45 minutes, heading intohalftime deadlocked at 0-0. Winnipeg missed a chance to notch a goal in the44th minute when Franco Cassano couldn't find the back of an empty goal witha shot that sailed wide left.The SpitFire (2-6 in the Premier Developmental League, 3-7 overall) had moreshots on goal than Winnipeg at 13-9.

Lucania goalkeeper Brian Oleksiuk kepthis opponents in check by providing eight saves, five of them in the secondhalf."I think today they took the game to us and played more physical than wedid," said first-year Sioux Falls coach Daniel Ohayon, who watched his teamattempt four corner kick chances in the last half. "We could not put it awaytoday, but we were able to get some of our starters rested for Wednesday'sconference game."Danny Padilla came up with five saves for Sioux Falls, while B.J. Wylie ledthe offensive attack with a team-high four shots on goal. Philip Kleinattempted three shots for the SpitFire.Winnipeg broke a scoreless tie in the 49th minute when Rob Gale broke freeand hammered home the goal past a diving Padilla to make it 1-0."We just had a bad day and just couldn't get it in the net," Wylie said. "Wehad tons of chances, and if we could have got one to go, it may have givenus some momentum."Herb Blackwood led Winnipeg with five shots and also provided its secondgoal with an unassisted right-footed shot past a sprawled out Padilla in the73rd minute.The SpitFire travels to Kansas City to face the Brass on Wednesday in aHeartland Divisional showdown. Sioux Falls will host Indiana at 7:30 p.m.Saturday. Sioux Falls will also host Des Moines at 7:30 p.m Sunday.

Furious goal exchange results in tie for Aeros - PORTAGE DAILY GRAPHIC

BY RYAN DIXON
Thursday June 16, 2005

SOUTHPORT — For a long time, it looked as though Southport Aeros would do well to draw against United F.C. As it turns out, a tie was a bit of a tough pill to swallow.After a late-game goal flurry last night on the pitch at Southport Recreation Centre, the Aeros and United concluded their Manitoba Major Soccer League Second Division game in a 2-2 draw.Southport (2-1-1), which trailed 1-0 for the majority of the game, finally broke through in the game’s late stages, as midfielder Danny Brooks (second of the season) wired a shot from outside the 18-yard box past United keeper Julio Acuna and inside the left post to square the affair.Minutes later, the Aeros were back for more as forward Ian McCallister showed some deft touch by redirecting a pass into the United net for his first of the campaign for what looked like the game winner.But the visitors weren’t ready to go home empty-handed just yet.Just as it appeared Southport was going to be able to run out the waning minutes on the clock, F.C.’s Roland Magne used his upper-body to nudge the ball past Aeros goalie Bill Maluzynsky from in tight.All of a sudden a game that should have been a dead issue was once again a draw, according to Brooks.“It shouldn’t have been that close,” the player-coach assessed.“We had plenty of chances to put these guys away.”Robert Thompson, who fills the role of player-coach for United (2-1-1), said despite the fact his club led most of the game, F.C. will take their tie with a smile.“I’ll take that point,” he said.“I think these guys were better physically fit than we were. Honestly, I think it showed a little bit. In the beginning of the game, we took it to them and then after that it changed. In the second half, they were really dominating the game.”The Aeros actually dominated the match’s early stages, but Chris Carson fired wide on a breakaway and a sizzling boot from Darren Reichert struck the crossbar, preserving each team’s goose egg.United seized the momentum shortly after Brooks, who questioned the legitimacy of the call, was nailed for an infraction inside the 18-yard box.Whether it was a fortuitous break or not, F.C.’s Josh Raizman found the mark on the resulting penalty kick, and United carried the play into the halftime hiatus.“We still should have been up by about three goals in the first half,” said Brooks, referring to his squad’s ferocious start.“We had the pressure on them and the more the game went on, the more confidence they got. And the more they started playing, the more we started panicking.”If the Aeros want to prevent future wins from dissipating into ties, the squad must start to put the body in motion.“The biggest thing is we’re standing around,” remarked Brooks.“We’re waiting for something to happen instead of going out and moving into space. You’re easy to mark when you’re standing still.”The tie moved both teams into second place with seven points, three back of division leader F.C. Lusitania (3-0-1, 10 points).Southport travels to Winnipeg to take on Kildonan Cavaliers on Monday.The Aeros’ next home game is on June 26, when they host Selkirk at 7 p.m. at Southport Recreation Centre.

Selkirk’s mens soccer clubs off to solid start in 2005 - Selkirk Journal

Getting their kicks

Selkirk’s mens soccer clubs off to solid start in 2005

By Mark T. Buss

Friday June 10, 2005
Selkirk Journal — The Tri-S senior men’s soccer teams are sending an early message to their Manitoba Major Soccer League competitors.Finishing their 2004 seasons as also-rans before being quietly dumped from the playoffs, Selkirk’s Div. 2 and Div. 5 clubs are well on their way to more productive seasons in the MMSL.The Tri-S senior team is holding onto a .500 record of 1-1-1 while the junior club has kicked their way to first place in the fifth division with an undefeated 3-0 record.While both teams find themselves in solid standing, midfielder Paul Gadient said both sides are determined to keep moving the ball forward.“We got off to an awful start last year so we’re making a push to move up a division this year,” Gadient said. “Both teams are looking good.”Last year the Div. 2 squad started the season 1-4 and eventually ended up finishing fifth out of the 12-team division with a 9-7-6 record. They made a point of getting out of the gate early with a 2-2 tie against the St. James Spurs May 19: a game Tri-S controlled with goals from Kelly Kowalchuk and Rob Markevich but they allowed the Spurs back in.“They really only had two chances and they scored on both of them,” Gadient said. “We dominated them but that’s how things go sometimes.”Selkirk continued their dominant play against IPAC Ukraine with a rousing 2-0 win May 30 but came up short in a 4-1 loss to Spitfire F.C. June 5.Spitfire moved up after finishing with a 20-1-1 record in the third division last year and Gadient believes they will be one of the teams to beat in Div. 2.The Tri-S Div. 5 team has been more than a pleasant surprise so far this season. Closing the 2004 campaign at 11-6-7, Selkirk has found its offensive touch offence scoring 11 times in three games with five of those goals coming off the foot of Chris Spicer.Selkirk defeated the King’s Park Rangers 5-0 in their season opener May 25 and followed that up four days later with a 7-2 win over Croatia United.Travelling to Optimist Park June 6, Selkirk came out on top 2-1 in a tough contest with The Black Watch.Div. 2 Tri-S coach Ken Simperl believes both teams are having more success because they’ve simply had more time to play together. Last season an influx of new and unfamiliar players were thrown together in a less than cohesive mixture.“Both teams are starting to play together as teams and we’re using each others strengths to our advantage,” Simperl said. “We have a good blend of youth and we don’t have to give up skill for team speed.”“It’s going to be a long season and we’re hoping to gather speed as we go.”The next Tri-S Div. 2 game will be a home contest Jun 12 when they host the Chilean Selects at 7 p.m. at the Selkirk Rec Complex. The Div. 5 squad will be on the road that same night when they play the Silver Bullets at John Blumberg in Winnipeg.

Aeros blast off in opener - Portage Daily Graphic

BY RYAN DIXON
Thursday May 26, 2005

SOUTHPORT — The second half was Southport Aeros’ time to shine.After a scoreless opening frame, the Second Division Aeros took flight over the final 45 minutes of their game with IPAC Ukraine, earning a 2-0 victory in their first Manitoba Major Soccer League game of the year last night at Southport Recreation Centre.Striker Rob Gemmell finally broke through for Southport (1-0) in the game’s 60th minute, rolling a ball into the left side of the cage.“Jake (Stecher) put a nice ball through the middle and I just one-timed it and picked the corner,” Gemmell explained.“I was a bit lucky. I didn’t hit it as solid as I would have liked, but a goal’s a goal.”In this case, it was more than a goal, as Gemmell’s tally seemed to loosen up an Aeros bunch which appeared to be frustrated by its inability to cash in on the chances its tenacious attack was affording.But just one minute after Gemmell’s goal, Southport struck again, as Stecher snuck a ball inside the left post.That marked the high-point for Stecher, who had to leave the game before the ensuing kickoff because his calves were cramping up.Southport continued to pressure Ukraine (0-1), rattling a few more posts before the final whistle blew.“We had lots of chances,” Gemmell stated. “We could have had six or seven tonight, really.”Southport co-coach and midfielder Danny Brooks said some halftime adjustments, which included moving Stecher up to striker, paid off for the club after the Aeros battled through a somewhat tentative first half.“We pretty much controlled the play in the second half,” Brooks remarked.“We were pushing the ball around, getting the ball down the wings.”According to Brooks, the defining difference in Southport’s game during the second stanza was the Aeros’ ability to identify and cover their respective checks.“I thought we marked up better in the second half, for sure,” he assessed.“I think that was the difference right there, marking up a little tighter.”Ukraine coach Jerry Ochrymowicz said his team, which is playing in Second Division for the first time in several years, will require some more games before it starts to gel.The coach thought Southport’s aggression and knack for controlling the middle of the pitch played a crucial role in their win.“We lost the middle, then we lost the game,” Ochrymowicz stated.Brooks said he knew smothering Ukraine’s players would yield positive effects.“I said right from the start, these guys, they don’t like pressure,” he noted.“Get on them, be first to the ball and a lot of times, they’ll just quit.”The Aeros host Spitfire F.C. on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Southport.