From the Lion's Mouth

            The boots have been packed away for a few months and all of the lads get to enjoy a couple months of respite before a new Cosmopolitan League season starts again. The Boys in Black and Gold ended their campaign with some highs, some lows, but overall, and objectively good season. After a wake-up call into their new home in the second division, losing in a controversially contested match 2:0 to NYPD, they went on to win 5 in a row and at one point, getting within 4 points of taking the automatic promotion spot. Outside of the league, they were making waves as well in the Kilby Cup, beating the likes of Hoboken, eventual Div. 1 winners, in the semifinals, drawing 1:1 against Shamrock Rovers in the group, and taking Div. 1 Powerhouses, Borgetto to PKs in the Finals. After the Cup run, the wheels came off a bit for the Lions resulting in a temporary feeling of disappointment, finishing 6 points off from the playoffs, in 4 ...

     With a score line history of 2:1 and 1:0, NYIFC (R) and CPR Reds (R) are familiar with small margin affairs when they meet up and this Division Two Reserves Championship would be no different. The match itself was predominantly marked by stiff midfield battle between both sides leaving neither with many opportunities going forward on big breaks of counters for large periods. The Lions would open up scoring in the 4 th minute with a penalty and the meat grinder began. It would take until the 65 th minute for the Reds to answer with a penalty of their own. The penalty itself was questionable. In the buildup of the play, Claisse hustled back on a Reds’ counter, slid in for a tackle and based on all other eyes on the pitch, got all ball. Unfortunately, the sideline ref disagreed and Claisse picked up an injury and the Reds picked up their equalizer. This shot life into the opposition and they began adding even more pressure, in the 85 th , they fired an absolute rocket...

  Location : 998 E 6th Street New York, NY 10009-7128 KO: 6/12 @ 3PM NYIFC (R) face their final challenge of the season this coming Sunday as they square off against 2 nd place CPR Reds (R) for the Cosmopolitan Soccer League, 2 nd Division Reserve Championship. Each side has their interesting story coming into this. The Reds first team won their division and this group ended the regular season with the 2 nd best offensive record, 58 GS, and the best defensive record, 14 GA in the league. The Lions, on the other hand, went undefeated in the spring season, defeating the Reds in the process. Both previous encounters were closely contested, the Reds took the first match 2:1 and the Lions returned fire winning 1:0. As the lads prepare for the biggest match in the season, I sat down and had a chat with Manager Minty. The Pride : It should make for an interesting one, with each side picking up a win. They struck first with a 2:1 victory in the first half and your side winning 1:0 as pa...

                        The NYIFC Firsts returned to their familiar stomping grounds and hosted Block FC on 29APR22. The match could be summarized as a night of “justs”. Shots just missed their mark, passes either had just too much sauce or the touches just lacked control. It was difficult for the Lions to get a rhythm and play the free-flowing football they enjoy due to Block’s performance, though it was more theatrical than sporting. NYIFC opened up the scoring by Edvin Loefgren. Block answered this with two unanswered. Brendan Martin equalized it towards the end of the second half and Adam Lee celebrated with the Pride CSG.            The end of the match was punctuated by manager and goalkeeper Gary Philpott picking up a second yellow for dissent and earning him his third red card for the season. This will keep him out of a key fixture against NY Ukrainians, who lost the night after agains...

 NYIFC (R) played and got revenge against Block FC (R) on 29APR2022. While most of the match sat at 1-0 for the Boys in Black and Gold, the ending stages erupted into chaos. Block FC (R) equalized, NYIFC (R) returned fire quickly, and Block FC (R) answered in turn. In the last breaths of the game, The Lions slotted the winner against the opposition keeper and secured their 7th win on the bounce. Goal Scorers: Alex Teodorescu, Tom Hose, Alex Teodorescu Assists: Sulaimain Jalloh, Sulaimain Jalloh Post-Match Interview: Pride CSG: The match got quite lively near the end. It seems like Block had quite a lot of pace on their side, were the Boys working on tired legs near the end or did Block capitalize on some very good passes through the middle? Coach Minty: Block are a good side. When you give them the opportunity to play, they can take advantage. P: Seven wins in a row is nothing to sniff at. What’s been your biggest key to success in maintaining such good form? CM: We’ve got a core g...

      NYIFC Reserves traveled to Prospect Park to secure a comfortable 3 points on 04/24/22 against Desportiva Sociedad (R), netting 5 goals and getting revenge for a defeat earlier in the season, 1-4. Alex Teodorescu and Con King bagged braces with Ronan Mackle securing a fifth. Con King paired his goals with an assist, Nick Platt provided 3 himself, and Jack Kiernan secured one for himself. I sat down with Manager Chris Minty and discussed the match, the Reserves Team itself, and the future of the season: The Pride: Pulling five goals and keeping a clean sheet, it doesn’t get much more comfortable than that. Do you think the score line reflects the product on the field by the team? Minty: The scoreline was certainly a reflection of how many chances we can create and put away. We played some great stuff during major portions of the match and dictated the pace/intensity of the game. We also didn’t get distracted by things out of our control and focused on getting th...