Taipei City wrap up BML season in style with win
By John Phillips
Taipei Times
Tuesday, Mar 30th, 2010
Taipei City FC wrapped up a successful Businessman’s League (BML) campaign with a narrow 2-1 victory over last season’s champions Fritz FC at Shilin’s Bailing Bridge on Sunday. With City having already made their second BML championship mathematically secure last week, both teams went into the season’s final game with little to play for but pride.
The multinational expat side opened the scoring early in the first half with a fine solo effort from Alex Ramirez, the Mexican outpacing the Fritz defense to slide a neat finish past the ’keeper.
Ramirez’s goal seemed to act as a wake-up call for Fritz, who were soon back on level terms when a deflected shot from outside the box squirmed past Alex Moga in the City goal. But with the half-time interval approaching, Ed Cartee put City back on top with a moment of individual brilliance.
After gaining possession near the left wing, Cartee skipped past a couple of defenders before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the far corner, underlining just why a top Argentine club have agreed to give the 22-year-old American a one-month trial with a view to a professional contract.
In the second half, Fritz dominated possession as they went in search of an equalizer, but it was City who were guilty of profligacy at the other end, spurning numerous chances to put the game away.
In the end neither team could add to the goals tally and City held on for a deserved, if narrow, victory.
The win capped a triumphant season for City, who finished 10 points ahead of runners up Hong Min FC. Over the course of their 18 games, City dropped points on only three occasions, suffering just one loss in the competition that brings together some of the best local and expat soccer talent in the Taipei area.
City also scooped all three of the individual awards, with the MVP going to Tim Murphy, Coach of the Year to Ross Conlon, and Dan Calvert bagging the Golden Boot with a tally of 19 goals.
City beat Fritz to go Top
Time: 7pm, January 9th, 2010
Venue: Bai Ling Bridge Riverside Park
By Alice Davis and Michael Christie
With lashings of rain for a week beforehand, some doubted if the game would go ahead. But the skies cleared on Friday afternoon, so it was surprisingly warm and dry when the top two teams of the BML took to the field at 7pm on Saturday evening. The preparations were good by all the City players, Dan and Ross gave a serious team talk before the game which was just what everybody needed. The starting line-up was Dale Neal in goal; a back four of John Philips, Tim Murphy, Yunusa Njie and Matt Wharton; Ed Cartee and Ross Conlon on the left and right flanks, with Mike O’Gorman and Ebrima Njie in centre midfield; and, Dan Calvert and Dawda Fatty up front. The new, experimental formation wasn’t really tested last weekend. Nevertheless, the management stuck to their strategy of providing more cover in defensive positions and nicking a goal at the other end rather than being drawn into a straight shootout with Fritz.
From the moment the game kicked off it was evident that both sides meant business, as did the referee who had awarded Ebrima a yellow card for a crunching tackle on the opposition before the first 60 seconds were up. Fritz looked commanding at first, but City didn’t lose spirit. Early shots from Dawda and Calvert helped the Blues reinforce a confidence they needn’t feel guilty of showing, and they had taken the reins from the champions by the end of the first ten minutes. Fritz, however, are not easy to tame, and the sides settled into a lively game at tempo, both looking for the attacking advantage.
Fritz took the first corner of the game, which was well-handled by City’s defence, but they kept possession and Fritz’s 18 tried his luck as he shot just over the bar. City persistently worked away at the opposition as Fritz tried to build up momentum. Their persistence prevented Fritz from taking the initiative and, apart from an edgy moment when a Fritz free kick went close at the 20-minute mark, City can be proud they looked like a strong, calm, organized team even under pressure.
The result of this was a string of chances, with almost everyone on the City side being able to have a go at goal. Dawda and Calvert kept up the pressure, and a long, low shot from Cartee skimmed the woodwork. But with nothing yet to show for their perseverance, frustrations were becoming visible as halftime grew nearer. As Calvert and Conlon tried to keep City from losing their calm, a couple of great saves from Dale ensured City hadn’t conceded as they walked off the pitch at 45 minutes. But they hadn’t scored, either.
At halftime, Alex Ramirez replaced Conlon on the left wing, but the game re-started mirroring the first half, this time with a Fritz player notching up a yellow card for a tackle on Ebrima in the first minute. City kept looking to score, and though the second half saw fewer shots than the first, play remained organized and the defence and midfield kept working hard to create the canvas for a goal.
An interesting piece of refereeing saw a Fritz player booked for shirt-tugging incident, but then, as if to balance out the punishment, the free kick was awarded to Fritz. As the referee grew more myopic the game became more heated. A foul near the City goal was so blatant everyone looked to the ref for the whistle. The whistle failed to sound though, and Dale was lucky Fritz did not manage to capitalize on his lull in concentration. He soon made up for the error as he was forced into making a couple of saves. At this stage Michael Christie replaced Ebrima who had worked tirelessly covering ground in the midfield all day.
At around 20 minutes, City finally reaped the rewards they had been working so hard for with a goal. The prolific Calvert guided a fine header into the Fritz net from a long speculative cross. Ten minutes later, Dawda and Calvert went close, but it was Ramirez who knocked in Fritz’s third failed attempt to clear the box to sew up what was certainly a deserved victory. Mamadi Colley replaced Calvert in the final minutes giving the Fritz defence more fresh legs to worry about. Solid teamwork was the backbone of this display, and all City’s players ought to congratulate themselves on a motivated, confident performance that had plenty of moments magic. A well-earned three points puts City two points ahead of their skilled opponents.
The defence held strong and the midfield always provided the cover to stifle the Fritz forwards. The spaces were unusually restricted so both teams had to be precise with their passing in all areas of the park. Eventually, Taipei City showed more dynamism and had more of the element of surprise going forward. Taipei City were the better team on the night. With a performance like that, some people were asking how we lost to Rogue earlier in the season. The answer is Rogue were the better team on the day, a lesson in preparation that City need to take into every game they play.
Fritz puts the icing on the BML cake
by Michael Christie
Location: Bai Ling A
Time: 4pm
Conditions: Wet and muddy
Starting Line-up: Steve, John, Tim, Christie, Spencer, Jamaican Ollie, Canadian Ollie, Alex R, Danny, Dan, Gustavo
Subs: 0
A Game of Two Halves:
There was a good shape to City as they begun the game. The midfield settled early and were able to thread quick balls all around the park. The midfield and forwards worked extremely hard to keep Fritz penned in deep. This compressed the play and put Fritz under a lot of pressure so Dan and Gustavo were frequently able to intercept the ball and renew the attack. The two Ollies won a lot of the ball and Alex never stopped harrying. Spencer and Danny were also sharp picking up loose balls. Both were able to cut in or break out wide and do good work. It was very hard work, though, because Fritz are an extremely good passing side. That was in the first half, because the second half was a different story.
For the first ten minutes, City were more direct going forward. Without creating any clear chances City kept most of the possession and kept Fritz on the back foot. It was Fritz who struck first, though. Working the ball to the left flank, the winger stroked a low, crisp cross-field pass toward the league’s sponsor, Billy, who dummied by letting the ball through his legs into the path of an oncoming Fritz midfielder. A sharper defender would have intercepted between Billy and the actual recipient, but Christie’s foot was an inch too short. The Fritz player deserves credit for a good first touch and being strong enough to resist a strong challenge from Tim as he finished. 1-0 to Fritz.
A goal down from nowhere, City set about putting the match to rights. The reply was almost immediate, City working the ball into the danger zone. It came out but only as far as Canadian Ollie, who fed Spencer. Spencer’s cross was finished well by Danny from a tight angle at the far post. 1-1.
It was following the goal that City enjoyed their best football of the match. For at least fifteen minutes it seemed like every move ended in a credible chance. Unfortunately, only that one chance was converted.
Towards the end of the second half, some Fritz player took a punt at the City goal from a long way out. It was a bit of an insult, really, except that this time by an outrageous fluke it squeezed through Steve’s hands. If it had been a more dangerous shot it wouldn’t have gone in. Nevermind, City still played the better football up to the half-time whistle. 2-1 to Fritz.
In the second half, Spencer stepped in between the posts for Steve, who took up Spencer’s first-half position on the right flank. If the first half had belonged to City, now the second half was all Fritz. The first ten minutes were predictably rocky, with Fritz looking to put on the pressure. The game was still fairly even, until a strange refereeing decision gave Fritz a free-kick outside the box. It was taken before the referee had given any signal, hit the bar and bounced kindly for the senior referee, turning out for his employers in a player’s shirt for a change, who gratefully headed the ball into the net, 3-1 to Fritz.
From here the performance from City was mostly downhill. It wasn’t so much a lack of effort as a lack of nous. The movement dropped off and nearly every player held on to the ball too long. Credit goes to Danny and Alex R for continuing to perform well in these circumstances. John and Canadian Ollie also deserve a mention for continuing to do a good job.
Halfway through the half, Tim swapped his sweeper’s role for Jamaican Ollie’s defensive midfield action. Rescussitation for City, however, was a forlorn hope. The short, threaded balls which had worked so well in the first half were now quickly pounced on by the sharper Fritz players. There’s no point dwelling on the second half performance, except to say that City had obviously run out of steam.
Near the end, Fritz’s fastest player thought he’d have a last effort at Christie and this time he beat him – a little too easily. He got to the byeline and set it up for one of three who were waiting. This was 4-1, perhaps flattering on the day but Fritz had won.
Shaking hands at the start of the game
Halftime
2nd place
1st place
Fritz 3, Taipei City 1
After a long Chinese New Year break, the boys in blue suffer a bad defeat to Fritz.
To quote Michael Christie’s email:
“In possession, City gave the ball away too easily. Only Ebu was able to impose himself on the game going forward, otherwise the passing was either too predictable, in which case Fritz easily intercepted, or wayward. There was hardly any play, just negative possession at best and frantic punting it forward at worst.
Worse than this, there was little covering from midfield. For both the second and third Fritz goals they had a free man. Whether the tactics had anything to do with this is a moot point. The players on the field simply didn’t have the energy or the tactical sense to track back when they should have. It made Fritz look much better than they really are.
The second half was not all glorious football from City. There could have been more width and both wide players were underused, but however that may be it was a massive improvement on the first half.”
Sean did manage to score for Taipei City, the only bright point of the day really.
Team lineup before the game.
Taipei City Wins the BML Championship
After a long grueling season, Taipei City finishes at the top of the BML after defeating the current champions, Fritz.
Read the report in the Taipei Times.
Team Lineup
Alex Daly goes in for a tackle
Wes takes a shot on goal
Steve and Ross celebrating the winning goal
Expat soccer team hoping to make history
By Tony Phillips
Taipei Times, Staff Reporter
Taipei City FC are on the verge of making a little bit of history as they prepare for a game which, should they win, could see them become the first expat team to claim the Businessmen’s Soccer League (BML) title for 16 years.
The feat would be all the more remarkable as the side are in their first season, and their initial campaign started unpromisingly, as joint club captain Ross Conlon recalls.
“After our first four games we only had four points, but we haven’t dropped a point since,” says Conlon, a 26-year-old Irishman from Ennis, County Clare.
The teething problems came from trying to get a new group of players to gel and from searching for the right playing formation.
“We started out with 4-4-2 but it was too defensive,” says 31-year-old Englishman Dan Calvert, the other club captain. “Most of our players are good going forward, so we switched to 3-5-2.”
Taipei City have their roots in long-standing expat side Taipei Animals, who both Conlon and Calvert played for.
“There were some differences of opinion — over tactics, the way forward,” Calvert recalls. “We decided to set up our own side but we still have good relations.”
The Animals play in the Tavern Premier League (TPL), composed almost exclusively of expat teams, while City stayed in the BML, which, apart from City and one other side, is made up of all-Taiwanese teams.
“The standard of play in the BML is better overall than in the TPL,” Conlon says. “There is a fair amount of overlap though, as most of our players also play for TPL sides.”
“There are eight expat teams playing in the TPL, so the talent pool is diluted between the clubs, but many of the best players in the league play for us too,” Calvert says.
Part of the reason for the split was a desire by Conlon and Calvert to be as competitive as possible and play at the highest standard they could.
“We aspire to be one of the best teams in Taiwan, not just the best expat team,” Conlon says.
The BML is one level below the top tier of Taiwanese soccer but still includes clubs able to field former Taiwanese internationals and, indeed, proficient expat players like Calvert, once on the books of English professional side Peterborough United, and Conlon, who played for highly rated Irish junior side Avenue United.
The style of play is another thing that marks the leagues apart.
“Teams in the BML tend to keep the ball on the floor, they pass and move,” Conlon says. “Expat teams tend to play more of a long-ball game and the TPL is probably slightly more physical.”
The BML is a national league, although all matches are played in the Taipei area because of superior facilities and the fact that it’s where most of its clubs are based.
Taipei City’s final game of the season on Sunday week is a winner-take-all clash against league leaders Fritz FC. Fritz are firm favorites to win their penultimate game this weekend, which would leave them three points clear at the top of the table.
Should City beat Fritz the title could come down to goal difference. As things stand, City have the edge on this score so things couldn’t be poised more tantalizingly.
Win, lose or draw, City have good cause to be pleased with the way things have gone in their first season. Even so, there is no chance of them resting on their laurels.
Although they lack Taiwanese players at present, it’s a situation City hope to remedy. Probably the most encouraging avenue for progress is young players.
Calvert coaches local children and hopes that some will eventually strengthen City’s ranks.
He is cautiously optimistic about the future of soccer in Taiwan, having been impressed by the standard of the kids he has worked with, but believes the game needs a higher profile before it can compete on a more equal footing with basketball and baseball.
City’s final game of the season against Fritz FC takes place at Bai Lin Bridge in Shilin, Taipei, on March 23. Kick off is at 4pm.
Taipei City FC