Road to the Champion…

Dragon 30 3:2 Inferno

---Written By Wei Zhou

Win or go-home in 90 mins

first thing first. The scheduled Championship game is this Sunday with Dragon 30 (standing#4) playing with Ranger FC (standing#3) at Sam Garland (Hobby) field #7. Please arrive before 3 pm.  we need some time to discuss tactics, warm-up, set up net etc...  Did i say "Game starts at 3:30 pm", yes, please use your discretion. Apology for last Sunday's trick.  

Ranger is the team we have lost 3:4 this season.  They are a typical american team, tall, plays high-ball,  defense line is slow

in turing-back except one black sweeper...

if you are not able to show for Sunday's game, please let us know so that we can be prepared and make arrangements.

Yes, we made to the final and our effort really pays back - we eraned ourselves a T-shirt and another bonus 90-mins next Sunday. "Bad" news is we have to play another

game next Sunday to get it.

As to the playoff game last Sunday with Inferno. This is the team we lost twice 0:1 this season. The score was 0:1 again after the first half ( I bet they were day-

dreaming again), due to our sweeper's mind carriered away by league officer. Both team missed one or two other chances.  We just made 11-palyers before kickoff (

thanks to sideline support from Yunfei and Xin Weiping, even though you didn't get to play most of the time at all. This was really a supportive teamwork). However

in the first half, we playedground ball, tried to pass to find team support patiently. It was a good sign.

In the 2nd half, we showed we are really  capable to play

a smooth game with non-stop quality short-pass and well-controlled mid-field, especially after 10 mins into the 2nd half our defense line pushed all up to the

midfield. I was kind suprised that we didn't have any fumble or turn-over when doing this ground short passes. Charlies and Zhigao's each 20 minutes quality play not

only enabled us reverse the score but most importantly it indeed helped us set our playstyle - fully controlled everywher in the field. With our dominating ball-

processesing time, their energy-level drained down so quickly that could not catch up our offense any more and our victory was inevitable. We had no necessary

dribbling at all but only at the right time and right places - our right wing.  Alex's super dribbling-achholic really amazed us.  1st goal - penetrated from right

wing by Alex, smart easy pass to the middle and Chalies non-stop airy shooting sent the ball into the far-left corner. Charlie left the game sub'ed by Jason. Now the

2nd goal - Zhigao steal the ball from their defense on the right wing and low accurate cross pass and full-energized Jason calmly touched and scored again. And

Zhigao left the game. Now it was Alex's turn, he penatrated a few times from right wing all with quality cross-pass to the middle. First time Xu Zhe' headball was

saved by their super goalie and 2nd time Xue Zhe received the ball so comfortably then sent into the low left-corner.  After that, we turned a little loose and lost

one high ball - proved that we are still not good at high ball.

Thanks for everyone who cares about us and make this happen this season, inside and ourside.

Let us well-prepared for next Sunday and can we play such smooth well-controlled ball game again?  Win-or-go-home, oops win or lose we go home anyway. So let us win

it and go to College Station (no go-home :-)

Go Dragon!