#u18s league cup final

[unitedbydevils]

Match Review: Manchester City U18s 1-2 Manchester United U18s

MANCHESTER IS RED (go with it)

When United are mint, everything is mint, and fuck me are United's Under-18s mint - and also double winners. Up the fucking reds!

United started strongly at Leigh Sports Village, with a driving run and fizzing shot from Ethan Williams in the 3rd minute testing City keeper Brits. Three minutes later and Ruben Curley was doing the exact same again, but to no avail. Then, one minute later, magic happened.

A deep ball from just over the halfway line by Nolan lofted into Ethan Wheatley's path perfectly, but the touch and control to bring it down into a shooting action was technique Dimitar Berbatov would have applauded. Unreal composure and confidence, and topped off with a great finish at the near post past the stunned Brits.

City came back at United, and the game opened up into more of a back-and-forth affair, trading shots on goal, but United's organisation kept a very tight defensive structure and limited the Citizens from any real threat on Elyh Harrison's goal - not that the wunderkind needs too much help. Kid's a future star keeper.

The middle of the half approached and Harrison punts a goal kick up field towards RW James Scanlon. The Gibraltan international nods the ball wide to attacking full back James Nolan, who drives a curled pass forward along the ground into the path of Ethan Wheatley. A defender slides, he knocks it, but Wheatley has the pace. He nips in, rounds the keeper, slots home. 2-0 United and LSV is in bits. SCENES.

City kept up the battle though, and a great killer through ball nearly opened United up in the 34th minute but for a huge body interception and block by Harrison in net. City captain Heskey was potentially fouled in the United box by Jack Kingdon - no foul given though - but otherwise come half time there could be no complaints at United's lead.

The second half was more City, with United making substitutes for rotation's sake but also due to the dearth of depth in the first team squad meaning certain promising youngsters have been requested by Erik Ten Hag for Wednesday's Premier League game against Sheffield United.

Both sides had reasonable chances on goal but nothing too serious until Stephen Mfuni nodded home from a corner to give City five minutes of hope... which was almost realised but for a fantastic full-stretch save by Harrison off Alfa-Ruprecht's header.

City's play and persistence did deserve a goal, and with the arguable penalty in the first half, on another day it could have been a different affair. It is nice to see the best two teams make the final though, and make it a memorable contest.

It's the result that matters though, and the silverware is ours. The league and now the cup. What a bunch of lads.

Two games remain this season - both at home. Sunderland visit us this Saturday, and then there's one last game versus Everton on May 4th. Lets end strong. GGMU.

[onmytape]

please do tell about the pg cougars

okay i’m kissing you on the mouth rn for asking. i’ll try to be chill about this

in general the team is very close. partially bc prince george is so much further from other teams so travel is longer and also bc there’s nothing to do in pg and it’s so isolated from other cities so they basically just spend a lot of time with each other. something about being the joke of the league makes you closer…idk. the team this season has been the best they’ve been in a long time. they made it to round two of the playoffs for the first time in 17 years this season (only to be swept by seattle) but they’ve been fun to watch! and they have two top prospects that will be drafted in june. 

here's the notable players from this season. i was going to make a separate post for wheaty/wiebe to beg dallas/anaheim fans to like them next season but whatver. I can’t wait. 

chase wheatcroft #29 (from calgary, ab) was traded a few times and had a mediocre juniors career and went undrafted. winnipeg traded him in the 2022 offseason to pg because they had other 20 year olds and couldn’t keep him, but everyone likes to bring up that he was traded for a fourth round pick and then became one of the whl's top scorers. he’s said that he didn’t fit into the role winnipeg wanted for him, which was an older, enforcer type. he’s a lover, not a fighter. Even though pg has a reputation for being a physical, dirty team, he was a perfect fit. they gave him an “a” and the team and city loved him. literally so humble. he was a favourite for media stuff and the post-game show. he was signed by dallas in march.  

jaxsen wiebe #22 (moose jaw, sk) another undrafted overager, wiebe was also traded a few times. he won the ed chynoweth cup with edmonton last year. He’s a bit of a short fuse and is hated by most whl fans. before getting traded to pg he had five suspensions over three years for a total of 18 games. A lot of dirty hits/fights and generally a poor attitude, yelling at refs and fans, etc. he was suspended on his last team when he was traded in november but eventually he became really well liked in pg. eventually he and wheaty were put on the same line (the team socials call them wiebecroft) and wheaty tamed him...???and taught him how to love...<???idk??. he was invited to and attended the columbus dev camp in 2022 and he was signed by anaheim in march. during the playoffs he was kicked out of game three against seattle for a hit on colton dach and given a suspension so he didn’t get to play his last whl game. 

dynamic duo - riley heidt #27 (saskatoon, sk) and koehn ziemmer #13 (mayerthorpe, ab) are two forwards projected to go first round/early second round in the draft. Both were drafted to pg (ziemmer in 2019, heidt in 2020) and have played their whole junior careers there. despite technically being draft competition, they’ve been dubbed the “dynamic duo” because of their linemate chemistry. theoretically heidt is the playmaker and ziemmer scores the goals but in reality heidt's a princess and ziemmer is his enforcer. they played on opposite teams at the chl prospect game.

ethan samson #4 (delta, bc) was drafted by the flyers in 2021. unanimously voted the captain by the team in 2022 and totally deserves it. looks like he could kill you (and he could) but he also pats his teammates heads like mama duck when they score. was invited to 2022 wjc camp but didn’t make the team. part of the trio.

Honourable mention: goalies (the "ty's") tyler brennan #30 (winnipeg, mb) drafted to new jersey in 2022, ty young #33 (coaldale, ab) drafted to vancouver in 2022. brennan was the third goalie for canada's u18 team in 2021, also invited to the 2023 wjc team camp but didn't make the cut. part of the trio.

blake eastman #28: the third and final part of the “trio” with samson and brennan. he’s not the best player, a fourth liner. not tough enough to be an enforcer but he is definitely a shit disturber. has never blinked in his life. Eastman is the only one of the trio that wasn’t drafted and no pro team has taken interest in him. the trio was all drafted to the whl in 2018 and have played their entire junior careers in pg. samson and brennan will be moving on next year and it’s highly unlikely the cougars will keep eastman as one of their 20 year olds. i firmly believe he could be the new mascot. If he’s not already. 

the team vibes:

[hardtchill]

When is the conversation about US soccer turning a blind eye with their youth system going to happen?

Also the fact that only 5 NWSL players will be in the Quarter Finals !

The rest of the world has caught up & the USA has slowly fallen behind. The talent is there in the US, but unfortunately, NWSL is falling behind in terms of where young and exciting talents want to go and play. The level of competition isn't even that exciting to watch, if I'm honest. It is a somewhat decent challenge cup and a league where I struggle to find any sense of style that I would and can see compared to the European leagues.

2022 U20's - 3rd in Group

2022 U17's - Out in the QF

2018 U17's - 4th in group

2018 U18's - 3rd in group

2016 U20's - 4th overall

2016 U17's - 3rd in group

2014 U17's - Did not qualify

2014 U20's - out in QF

2012 U17's - 3rd in group

2012 U20's - Champions

Jup, i have said it before and i will say it again. Without a good youth system you're screwed. In a lot of top countries academies are popping up like mushrooms giving young players quality training from the age of 8 onward.

The US still relies on clubs (that a lot of parents can't afford) and schools to train their youth which results in them learning very bad habits. Then they rely on colleges who don't play a full season and are a glorified youth league at best. Plenty of great players come from the college system but as woso moves forward it's not going to be enough anymore. Just like players playing for an amateur club until 16 won't be enough anymore for other countries.

A player being trained in an academy and moving towards the senior team at 18 is always going to be more prepared for pro football than a players who doesn't start playing against actual adults until they are 22.

The NWSL needs to stop the insane drafting bullshit, allow clubs to set up academies and scout their own talent. No club is going to do that if there is no guarantee they can hold onto the talent they develop.

[mleonhispath]

U17 & U18 Tottenham teams on their own Finals

It's been a long time since i became a Spurs fan. However, it will be my first time to witness them championing their U17 premier league cup and U18 premier league cup. Although that thing is not a significant trophy for us, It will be their first glory for them and our Spurs future. COYS

[kicksaddictny]

Adidas Eurocamp Announces Roster of Top Next-Generation Basketball Prospects

Adidas Basketball has revealed the roster of top draft-eligible athletes, seasoned coaches, and special guests for the 17th edition of the premier pre-draft scouting event, adidas Eurocamp. The event will take place from June 1-3 at Ghirada La Città Dello Sport in Treviso, Italy. This renowned talent showcase aims to discover the next generation of star athletes, ages 18-22, who aspire to pursue professional basketball careers.

Led by Coaching Director Bill Bayno and Scouting Director Gianluca Pascucci, the high-profile coaching lineup includes David Vanterpool (Washington Wizards), Jason Terry (Utah Jazz), Dave Joerger (Milwaukee Bucks), Jordan Ott (formerly Los Angeles Lakers), Chris Fleming (Chicago Bulls), and Rico Hines (Philadelphia 76ers). These coaches will train and mentor the elite group of players invited to this year’s camp.

Joining the esteemed group of coaches and mentors are adidas NBA athletes such as Nikola Jović (Miami Heat), Austin Rivers (NBA veteran and current ESPN commentator), and Vasilije Micić (Charlotte Hornets), with more special guests to be announced. Additionally, NBA future-Hall of Famer and adidas signature athlete James Harden (LA Clippers) will make a special appearance to support the Harden Vol. 8 "Eurocamp" PE, which is exclusive to this year’s adidas Eurocamp athletes and participants.

The following teams and draft-eligible standouts are slated to participate in this year’s adidas Eurocamp:

Team Next Gen

Jack Kayil (Germany) – MVP of the U18 Final Four Tournament

Savo Drezgic (Serbia) – ABA League champion 2023

Egor Denim (Russia) – FIBA U16 European Challengers 2021

Nikola Bundalo (USA) – Consensus No. 1 player in Ohio, the No. 7 power forward in his class, and a top-30 overall player in the class of 2025

Michael Ruzic (Croatia) – Hoops Agents Player of the Week

David Mirkovic (Montenegro) – 2023 U18 Euro Championship B All-Tournament Team

Team World

Wei Zhao (China) – FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023

Mohammad Amini (Iran) – France Espoirs Elite 2022-23 and Euroleague Adidas Next Generation

Lucas Giovannetti (Argentina) – FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023

Assane Sankare (Senegal) – U18 Next Generation Team Paris

Julius Halaifonua (New Zealand) – Ambassadors Trophy for Male Junior Player of the Year

Team Eurocamp

Nikola Djurisic (Serbia) – ABA League Top Prospect 2023, Euroleague NGT champion 2022

Mohamed Diawara (France) – FIBA U18 European Championship 2023

Martin Kalu (Germany) – FIBA U16 Challenger 2021

Mouhamed Faye (Senegal) – NIJT All-Tournament Team 2022-2023, Zadar Tournament (ANGT) All-Tournament Team 2022-2023

Ousmane Ndiaye (Senegal) – Early entry candidate for NBA Draft 2024

Bogoljub Markovic (Serbia) – MVP of the ABA U19 final tournament 2024

Reynan Dos Santos (Brazil) – All-Star Five honors at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2022, MVP of the FIBA U18 South American Championship 2022

Ruben Dominguez (Spain) – Silver medal FIBA U16 European Championship 2018, MVP of FIBA U16 European Championship 2019

Michael Caicedo (Spain) – ACB All-Young Players Team 2023

Team USA

Darryn Peterson (USA) – Top 3 HS prospect Class of 2025, Consensus top-5 2025 guard and U16 USAB Gold Medalist

Caleb Holt (USA) – Consensus top-5 2026 guard and U16 USAB Gold Medalist

Moustapha Thiam (USA) – Five-star 2025 center and Central Florida commit

Nate Ament (USA) – Five-star 2025 wing

Joson Sanon (USA) – Four-star 2025 guard and Arizona commit

For more information on Eurocamp and to register, visit adidaseurocamp.com.

[emiradamalief]

[lboogie1906]

Wilfried Nancy (April 9, 1977) is a French football manager and former player, who is managing Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew.

He was born in Le Havre to a Guadeloupean father and a Senegalese-Cape Verdean mother. His father was in the French Navy and spent his early childhood in different regions, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Djibouti, and Réunion. At the age of 11, his family moved to Toulon and there he started playing organized soccer before moving to the academy of Toulon at the age of 14.

He played professionally in France as a defender. He had stints at various amateur and semi-professional clubs, including Beaucairois, Raon-l’Étape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Châtellerault, and Orléans before moving to Canada to play with the UQAM team.

In 2005, he became a coach for Collège Stanislas, while at the same time playing for his university team, UQAM Citadins. He was voted MVP in Quebec and named to the first all-star team in Quebec and Canada. He helped the Citadins finish second in the Quebec conference. He became a full-time coach in 2006 and started coaching AAA soccer. He coached Québec’s provincial teams and was assistant technical director of the Association régionale de soccer de la Rive-Sud.

He was part of the Montreal Impact Academy since its inception starting with the U18s, and the U21s in 2014, followed by the U16s (2014-15). He was promoted to assistant coach for the first team (2016).

He was promoted to head coach for CF Montréal becoming the club’s first coach following their re-branding from the Impact name. It was announced that CF Montréal had exercised its option on his contract for the 2022 season. He lead CF Montréal to the final of the 2021 Canadian Championship, beating Toronto FC 1–0, qualifying them for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League.

He was announced as the Columbus Crew head coach. In his first season as coach, the Crew finished third in the regular season. Columbus would overcome their archrivals FC Cincinnati in the conference finals and outlast defending champions Los Angeles FC in the final. He became the first Black coach to win the MLS Cup. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[jrpneblog]

A better week and some improvement

A better week for North End with four points out of six from the two home games against Wigan and Coventry. The first half of the Wigan game was a little bit Deja-vu but North End certainly improved after the break and staged a good comeback to take the three points and leave the Latics deep in relegation trouble. On Tuesday we had a quite entertaining 0-0 draw against Coventry City at Deepdale with North End showing a considerable amount of improvement over the ninety minutes from what we had seen in recent weeks. Some of it was probably facilitated bu Mark Robins team coming to play football and trying to make a game of it instead of just counter attacking which has been our downfall at home in recent weeks, A tougher assignment lies ahead this week with a trip to Vicarage Road on Saturday but it should hold no fear for North End and I expect the improvement seen this week to continue.

Last Saturday saw Wigan Athletic visit Deepdale and with a good following of 3,700+, the Latics must have fancied their chances against a North End side with an appalling home record this season. Things were not looking good by half time with a Greg Cunningham own goal giving the visitors the lead. A stiff talking to at half time by Ryan Lowe seemed to do the trick as North End came out in the second half and were soon level albeit by a soft penalty converted by Daniel Johnson. Soon after Tom Cannon gave North End the lead with a good finish and from then on we looked in control even though the visitors had several corners late on which all came to no avail.

Tuesday saw us play the game rearranged because of the Tottenham cup-tie against Coventry City under the lights at Deepdale. Mark Robins has done a fantastic job with the Sky Blues and his brand of football is one that is very easy on the eye compared to some I have seen this season. The game was competitive and played at a decent standard but, once again North End could not convert a couple of really good chances. Mind you the same could probably be said for Coventry and the draw was probably the right result for two teams bang in the middle of Championship with Neither looking like they are going up or going down this season. The only low point of the evening was the fact that it was our lowest attendance of home fans this season with just 13,045 paying to watch the game.

On Saturday North End visit Watford for the first time since November 2020, a game that was played behind closed doors due to the covid restrictions. Indeed you have to go back to February 2011 of the relegation season for the last time North End visited Watford in the league in front of spectators. That game ended a 2-2 draw and I am fairly sure North End would take that on Saturday. The Hornets currently lie eighth in the Championship four points behind the play off places but they have only won one of their last five games drawing three and losing one. At home they have won eight and drawn four of their sixteen league games to date so North End are going there not without a chance. Backed by over a thousand fans it should be a decent afternoon down in Hertfordshire so lets hope the boys can bring something back up the Motorway with them.

And finally this week:- the gallant U18 youth side bowed out of the FA Youth Cup on Thursday evening going down 1-3 to Southampton. The scoreline didn`t really reflect the game and if North End had taken their chances we could be having a very different conversation. It is a great achievement for a team with only a level three structure to get to the last eight and I hope some of the lads are rewarded with Professional contracts come the end of the season.

.

JR`s HIGH FIVES

Gillingham to beat Harrogate 13/8

A £5 Stake returns £13.13 on bet365

SEASONS STATS

Returns £142.63 Stake £140.00

Percentage profit+/-loss + 1.89%

Predictions 28 won 13 lost 15.

[jiminy-crickets]

someone chirped him and called him a "turd" when he was eight, when he broke his wrist at age 11 he spent 12 weeks not using his arm so that he wouldn't compromise his future, him and his family temporarily moved to sweden during covid so he could train, and when he got there he at age 15 was "too good for u18" so they moved him upto u20, he was rookie of the year at age 15, he attended the 2022 draft as an observer and the new york times profiled him and called him "the most exciting future NHL player attending this week’s draft", he nearly sold out the saddledome as a visiting player in the whl, when people were wanting him to get traded so he could get a chance at the cup his coach said "Connor has the final say. He wants to be a Regina Pat and finish his career in Regina, clear?", he played eleven less games had 36 more points then second highest scorer in the whl his last year playing, entire teams tanked to try and get a higher spot in the lottery so they could pick him, when asked at his combine interview by the team he would get drafted to "many years ahead, when you are done playing what do you want to accomplish" he said "my whole life is just hockey", when he got drafted the first thing he did was hug his parents and say "thank you, i love you", he signed his contract on his eighteenth birthday, he drinks coffee only before games and he takes it black, they sent him to media tour to become face of his team before he played a single game, he was asked in an interview if he has any secret talents and he said "i just play hockey, it's all I do", he's leading his team in goals, assists, and time on ice, he watches his old team play every chance he gets, and only missed one game because he was flying, one of his teammates and his wife and dog stayed over the night he broke his jaw

he will never live up to the expectations we have set out for him because no one can. he was mythologized before he stepped foot on the ice, by the media, by the league, and by his team.

hes eighteen, he will never have normalcy, and he hasn't had it for years, hes eighteen, when his mom comes to town he gets excited for home cooked meals, hes eighteen, all he wants to do is play hockey, hes eighteen, he can't go out in public without getting recognised, hes eighteen, a franchise is rebuilding around him, hes eighteen, at training camp he was worried about not 'making the team', hes eighteen, hes eighteen, hes eighteen, hes eighteen.

what the tabs look like, of a normal girl, who is doing normal things, and is not thinking too hard about 'gifted' kids and the downfall of an adulthood no one prepared you for

[whalepropaganda]

In honor of the start of the season, here’s this!

Now with the promised text-only edition below!

Slide 1:

[image: The Connecticut Whale logo (a blue silhouette of a whale surrounded by a blue, white, and green letter C appears in the background]

Your 2022-23 Connecticut Whale—a primer by whalepropaganda

 Slide 2: Overview.

The Connecticut Whale is a professional hockey team that plays within the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF; formerly known as the National Women’s Hockey League, or NWHL). The Whale is one of the Founding Four teams in the league and the only one of those four that has yet to win the Isobel Cup. They were really bad for several years, but now they’re really good!

NUMBER ONE IN THE LEAGUE LAST SEASON BAYBEYYYY

[image: A red arrow points toward a partial screenshot of the 2021-22 PHF standings. The Whale are at the top of the standings.]

anyway then they lost to Boston in the Isobel Cup Final and honestly I’m still Quite Annoyed About It

Whale games are broadcast on ESPN+ in the US, TSN+ in Canada, and ESPN Affiliates in other countries.

Whale home games will (mostly) take place at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury.

[image: a partial map of New England. The location of the International Skating Center of Connecticut is circled in red and has an arrow pointing to it. The city of Boston is visible near the edge of the map and is crossed out with a red X]

 Slide 3: Oh Captain My Captain

[image: Shannon Turner smiling while surrounded by several teammates, all wearing the Whale’s 2021-22 pride jerseys]

Shannon Turner (prev. Shannon Doyle)

Position: Defender | Born: March 6, 1992 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Markham, Ontario, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 2 | A 5 | Pts 7 | PIM 10

•        One of the few remaining original NWHLers!

•        Also an English teacher!

•        Was part of the first Canadian roster to win a gold medal at U18 Women’s Worlds (2010)!

•        Won a 2021–22 PHF Foundation Award!

•        Came out of retirement for last season and got soooo close to winning the Cup, but alas L L L She says this will be her last season, so I’m gonna need the Whale to remember one thing:

[image: “Do it for her” meme from the Simpsons, with photos of Shannon added to it]

This is Theo! He’s excellent.

[image: A red arrow points toward a photo of a very cute German Shepherd dog]

 Slide 4: Alternate Captains

Alyssa, Janine, and Emma are returning As; Kennedy is new to the leadership group [smiley face emote]

Alyssa Wohlfeiler

[image: photo of Alyssa from during a game]

Position: Forward | Born: May 6, 1989 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Saugus, California, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 8 | A 8 | Pts 16 | PIM 8

•        Wohlfy!

•        An original NWHLer

Janine Weber

[image: headshot of Janine in her Whale jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: June 19, 1991 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Innsbruck, Austria

2021–22 stats: GP 16 | G 5 | A 8 | Pts 13 | PIM 6

•        The first player ever to sign an NWHL contract!

•        Won 2015 Clarkson Cup (CWHL), 3x D1A Worlds silver & more

Emma Vlasic

[image: photo of Emma in her jersey from the 2021-22 All-Star Game]

Position: Forward | Born: September 2, 1996 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Wilmette, Illinois, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 4 | A 9 | Pts 13 | PIM 4

•        Like basically every player with the last name Vlasic, she’s Pickles

Kennedy Marchment

[image: photo of Kennedy in street clothes, flashing a peace sign]

Position: Forward | Born: December 6, 1996 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Courtice, Ontario, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 13 | A 20 | Pts 33 | PIM 8

•        Holy crap she’s good

•        2021–22 PHF MVP!

•        Led league in assists and points last season

  Slide 5: Returning Forwards

Amanda Conway

[image: photo of Amanda Conway wearing her 2021-22 pride jersey]

Born: December 26, 1996 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Methuen, Massachusetts, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 12 | A 9 | Pts 21 | PIM 4

•        Nineteenth overall pick in the 2020 draft!

•        Ranked second in goals and third in points on the Whale last season

•        One of the most, if not the most, underrated Whale players imho

Janka Hlinka

[image: photo of Janka from during a game]

Born: October 31, 1995 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Stratford, Connecticut, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 16 | G 1 | A 1 | Pts 2 | PIM 2

•        Born in USA but represents Slovakia in international competition!

•        Also known as Janka Hlinkova

•        Won D1A bronze in 2022

Taylor Girard

[image: photo of Taylor in athleticwear, giving a thumbs up]

Born: July 17, 1998 | Height: 5’10” | Hometown: Macomb, Michigan, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 11 | A 13 | Pts 24 | PIM 14

•        First overall pick in the 2021 Draft!

•        2021–22 PHF Newcomer of the Year

•        Ranked second on the team in assists and points

•        Also tied for second in PIM lol

Melissa Samoskevich

[image: headshot of Melissa in her Whale jersey, doing the Brandon Tanev stare]

Born: March 31, 1997 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Sandy Hook, Connecticut, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 7 | G 1 | A 1 | Pts 2 | PIM 0

•        Second overall pick in the 2018 draft!

•        Won U18 Worlds silver in 2014 and gold in 2015 (and scored the most goals of the 2015 tournament, with six)

•        Won gold at Worlds in 2019

  Slide 6: Returning Defenders

Tori Howran

[image: photo of Tori in her jersey from the 2021-22 All-Star Game]

Born: June 11, 1998 | Height: 5’9” | Hometown: Bancroft, Ontario, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 20 | G 0 | A 8 | Pts 8 | PIM 10

•        Seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft!

•        Won silver at U18 Worlds in 2016

•        Co-owns a business called A&T Sewing and makes very cute stuff

Hannah Bates

[image: photo of Hannah wearing an athletic shirt with the Whale logo]

Born: May 20, 1999 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Trenton, Michigan, USA

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 1 | A 4 | Pts 5 | PIM 6

•        Twentieth overall pick in the 2021 draft!

•        Currently youngest player on the team

•        Adorable tbh

Allie Munroe

[image: photo of Allie wearing her jersey from the 2021-22 All-Star Game]

Born: April 20, 1997 | Height: 5’6” | Hometown: Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

2021–22 stats: GP 18 | G 3 | A 10 | Pts 13 | PIM 14

•        Led Whale defenders in scoring last season

•        Nominated for 2021–22 PHF Defender of the Year

Slide 7: Returning Goalie

Abbie Ives

[image: photo of Abbie in street clothes, holding her sticks]

Born: October 7, 1998 | Height: 5’11” | Hometown: Bedford Hills, New York, USA

2021–22 stats: GS 15 | W 10 | L 3 | OTL 2 | Sv% .894

•        Nominated for 2021–22 PHF Goaltender of the Year!

•        The tallest member of the team

•        Notorious among her teammates for her phone always being dead

  Slide 8: Whalecome Back

(players who used to play for the Whale and then didn’t play for the Whale and now are once again playing for the Whale)

Kateřina Mrázová

[image: photo of Katka in her Team Czechia jersey, holding her bronze medal from 2022 Worlds]

Position: Forward | Born: October 19, 1992 | Height: 5’5” | Hometown: Praha, Czechia

Most recent team(s): Team Czechia; Brynäs IF (SDHL)  

•        Katka!

•        Played for the Whale in 2018–19

•        Won 2013 Clarkson Cup (CWHL)

•        Won D1A Worlds gold in 2014 and 2015

•        Won bronze at Worlds in 2022 (Czechia’s first medal at that tournament!)

 Meeri Räisänen

[image: photo of Meeri in her Team Finland jersey, sticking her tongue out]

Position: Goalie | Born: December 2, 1989 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Tampere, Finland

Most recent team(s): Team Finland; JYP U20 Akatemia (U20 Mestis)

•        Played for the Whale in 2018–19

•        Won bronze medals at Worlds in 2015 and 2021

•        Won bronze at the Olympics in 2018 and 2022

Slide 9: Primer I Hardly Know ‘Er!

(the new additions)

Caitrin Lonergan

[image: photo of Caitrin in her Clarkson University jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: September 10, 1997 | Height: 5’6” | Hometown: Roslindale, Massachusetts, USA

Most recent team(s): Clarkson University

•        U18 silver (2014)

•        U18 gold (2015)

Lenka Serdar

[image: photo of Lenka in her Whale jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: July 21, 1997 | Height: 5’8” | Hometown: Lexington, Massachusetts, USA

Most recent team(s): Team Czechia; Linköping HC (SDHL)

•        Born in US but plays for Czechia

•        Competed at 2021 Worlds and the 2022 Olympics

Justine Reyes

[image: photo of Justine in street clothes]

Position: Forward | Born: February 14, 1997 | Height: 5’4” | Hometown: Chino Hills, California, USA

Most recent team(s): Linköping HC (SDHL)

•        Was 2018–19 MVP at St. Lawrence University

Emma Keenan

[image: photo of Emma in her Buffalo Beauts jersey]

Position: Defender | Born: November 26, 1997 | Height: 5’7” | Hometown: Mission Viejo, California, USA

Most recent team(s): Buffalo Beauts (PHF)

•        2x NCAA champion with Clarkson University

Mallory Souliotis

[image: photo of Mal in her Boston Pride jersey and a bucket hat after winning the Isobel Cup in 2022 (sigh)]

Position: Defender | Born: April 1, 1996 | Height: 5’5” | Hometown: Acton, Massachusetts, USA

Most recent team(s): Boston Pride (PHF)

•        2x Isobel Cup champion with the Pride (2021, 2022)

•        Won a 2018–19 PHF Foundation Award

Tori Sullivan

[image: photo of Tori in her Boston Pride jersey]

Position: Forward | Born: August 4, 1996 | Height: 5’5” | Hometown: West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA

Most recent team(s): Boston Pride (PHF)

•        2x Isobel Cup champion with the Pride (2021, 2022)

  Slide 10

Misc. Fun Facts

•        Jessica Strack, who was a practice player for most of last season and officially signed with the team late in the season, is back as a practice player for 2022–23. She’s also the Whale’s current equipment manager.

•        Longtime NWHL/PHF player and 2018 Isobel Cup champion Kiira Dosdall-Arena (D) is a practice player this season.  

•        Meeri and Katka are sharing a beach rental in Milford for the season (seemingly also with the Whale’s new athletic trainer). Taylor, Amanda, Tori H., and Hannah are also sharing a rental on the beach. (I feel like these are fun facts, idk)

 “Is [Whale Player] Related to [Dude]?” Containment Zone

•        Mason Marchment is Kennedy’s cousin

•        Alex Vlasic is Emma’s brother, and Marc-Édouard Vlasic is her cousin

•        Mackie Samoskevich is Melissa’s brother

•        The cool guy who showed up to the 2022 playoffs in a whale costume is Janine’s husband, Bruce

 Team Staff

•        Coach: Colton Orr

•        Assistant coaches: Jeff Devenney, Sue Merz

•        Consulting coach: Jack Han

•        General manager: Alexis Moed

 Where Are They Now?

(i.e., are players from the 2021–22 roster playing hockey this season, and if so, where?)

•        Hanna Beattie: Whale director of youth hockey and gameday operations

•        Kaycie Anderson: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)

•        Taylor Marchin: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)

•        Catherine Crawley: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)

•        Kati Tabin: Toronto Six (PHF)

•        Mariah Fujimagari: AIK (SDHL)

•        Rebecca Morse: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

•        Emily Fluke: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

•        Cailey Hutchison: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

•        Emma Polaski: no team as of Nov. 5, 2022

[animalbks]

Football Manager 23 Canadian Database

Compete in a complete restructuring of the Canadian soccer pyramid, complete with 11 levels of competitions, featuring a total of 528 teams from leagues across Canada. Fight for league cups, and a complete overhaul of the Canadian Championship, from an expanded Canadian Premier League of 16 teams, with full Promotion and Relegation. A completely reasonable future for Canadian Soccer, this file allows you to compete as any team in Canada as if Canada was England, allowing little Surrey United to fight a battle against Vancouver at BC place for the chance to represent Canada in CONCACAF.

Download here -> https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2886012558

Check out my discord if you would like https://discord.gg/6dBFcPzRNa

A Full List of Changes

Structure

There are 11 levels of Soccer in this database

The first 2 leagues feature 16 teams, and play for the Sinclair Cup

Level 3 features 32 teams across 2 leagues, and play for the Schmidt Cup. 

Level 4 features 48 teams spread across 3 leagues, and play for the Fleming Cup. Top 8 teams of the Fleming cup play against Level 3 in the Leblanc Cup

Level 5 and Below feature 60 teams, spread across 3 leagues, divided into 2 groups of 10. The top Level 5 teams in the Canadian Championship feature in the Grosso Cup

And then Finally, USports, matching their real world structure, but in 3 leagues instead of 4, complete with a post season Memorial Cup style league, featuring both the League Winners, and the Cup winners, for a 6 team single round robin format

The best of these leagues play for the 3 League cups, to determine who gets a bye to the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship, alongside the winner of the Sinclair cup

Each of the senior teams has a U23 team, and a U20 team, which feature in Regional Youth Leagues, which feature relaxed rules, and a 10 level structure alongside applicable Usports teams, creating a spliced pyramid

Usports gets U18 teams which play in an HSports (Highschool analogue) league

All leagues mandate a certain number of Canadians, a few U21 players, and a U18 player in your match squad

5 subs from 12 for all competitions, some exceptions may be 6 subs, or max of 3 stoppages

Each league comes with a number of awards, such as Canadian Team of the Year

Added Teams

Every team from the following leagues features in the database, up January 2022:

USports, Canadian Soccer League, Pacific Coast Soccer League, Vancouver Island Soccer League, Vancouver Metro Soccer League, Fraser Valley Soccer League, Alberta Major Soccer League, Saskatchewan Premier Soccer League, Manitoba Major Soccer League, League 1 Ontario Reserves, Ontario Soccer League, Ligue de Soccer Elite Quebec, Nova Scotia Soccer League, , New Brunswick Premier Senior Soccer League, and Newfoundland and Labrador Challenge Cup

Also featuring teams like Algonquin College, who have their stadium in the game, to operate as owner for that stadium

Expanding joint teams out, to represent the future where these teams can compete without merging. A joint team will have two parent teams, with the parent teams being whatever the original organizations are

Future Proofing by including future expansion teams like Saskatoon, Langley*, and Windsor [*See note Above]

And just for fun, a minimal amount of fantasy, like a Bundesliga expansion, and my College, BCIT, and Ayr United Sudbury, so Quill18 can have his fun

This brings the total number of Playable teams to 528

Staff

Most teams feature their real world head coach when one was able to be documented

And of course, some female staff from the various Womens league such as Bev Priestmen, who takes over the Canadian U23 national team, hoping to bring home another Gold Medal at the Olympics, or Karina LeBlanc who manages the Portland Timbers 2nd team, an analogue for the Portland Thorns, and Stephanie Labbe who manages Vancouver 2, for the same reason. Give me that NWSL license, Sports interactive

Features

Every team plays in a stadium, all 528

Some teams have their stadiums updated, or changed. Teams like FC Edmonton are future proofed to play into the larger, right next door, Commonwealth Stadium

Every stadium in the game has a team. Olympic stadium houses an amateur team. Can you get them to fill the stadium?

Every team has a proper Jersey, or if one could not be found, one assigned. You wont be encountering any default generic red and blue teams as you make your way up the pyramid

Some teams such as the Church based teams, or the ethnic Community based teams, have club visions to match their status. Churches are asked to develop through their own youth system. Academy teams are asked the same, but also to sign young players, USports teams are asked to recruit out of high school, and teams such as ICSF Columbus are asked to sign Italians. Some fun visions exist too. Can you guess what you might need to do as Goals City FC?

The 2020 Gold Medal Winning Canadian Women's National Team have been added as icons and legends to the applicable teams. Can the Whitecaps live up to expectations and move into Christine Sinclair stadium?

Be on the look out for some interesting challenges. The worst team in the game is Unathletico Vancouver. Can you lead them to Glory?

[unitedbydevils]

U18 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

The women win the FA Cup, the U21 women become national champs, the U18s win the northern league, and now they have beaten Chelsea 2-1 - at Chelsea - to be crowned national champs.

In what was a tough and slightly nervy final at Stamford Bridge, Manchester United came out on top against a strong Chelsea side to be crowned U18 national champions.

Both sides traded blows early on but United mixed it up between the high line and high press with sitting deep and playing long balls for Ethan Wheatley to run on to, which saw the young striker unlucky not to score when he hit the left post.

United's front 4 of Ethans Williams and Wheatley, Jack Fletcher, and James Scanlon look strong though, and it was Wheatley who finally got his deserved goal in the 21st minute with a cool finish off an outstretched Williams pass through the centre.

Chelsea fought back and used the physicality of RCM Ampah to push past United LB Harry Amass, as well as having chances from Runham and George, but good defending from Louis Jackson off the line and keeper Elyh Harrison kept United in front at the break.

That lead lasted for 120 seconds. Sake.

Chelsea held possession at the start of the second half and built a nice attack up the field, before whipping a deep cross in to back post and letting the tall Acheampong dwarf Harry Amass and easily pressure him off to nod home the equaliser. United were very bunched up in the box though, especially towards the front, and the coaching staff will be disappointed with the team's poor marking and positioning to allow Chelsea back into the game.

Chelsea's confidence shone through George in particular, and United's attacks were met with equally fierce counters. The boys in red smartly slowed the tempo down though to allow themselves a foot back in the game, which gave Ethan Wheatley the chance to break on the right side of the Chelsea box for a lovely cutback to Jack Fletcher. His effort was spurned, but the deflection from keeper Merrick fell perfectly to Ethan Williams to make it 2-1 United.

Some great footwork in the 63rd minute by Ethan Wheatley could and should have put United 3-1 up but for a good save and an average shot, but that's experience - and the footwork to get through the box defenders was top notch. Same can be said for James Scanlon the Gibraltan international; a right-sided attacker drifted central and coasting through the Chelsea midfield. Confidence, composure, and determination. Lovely stuff.

Poor defending in the 81st minute from the Chelsea goalscorer Acheampong let Ethan Wheatley in for a shot on goal but again, experience would have helped as the striker was indecisive and tried a late shot on goal rather than the pass to either Williams or Fletcher.

Chelsea continued to attack hard, and had United sat deep and scrambling to stay in the lead, but their wasteful finishing allowed United another two chances on the break - both to Ethan Wheatley again. How he didn't end the night with a hat-trick, let alone a second goal, is baffling, but perhaps it was the pressure of the final or bad luck or fatigue... who knows.

All that matters is that United won come that final whistle in a tough battle against a strong Chelsea youth team, and I'm sure it's a battle we'll see in years to come for some of these aspiring professionals.

[gaywoso]

Some women's basketball dates for the rest of 2021:

MAY

FIBA South American Women's Championship: Monday, May 10th-Sunday, May 16th [CANCELLED]

WNBA: Friday, May 14th-Sunday September 19th (Regular Season) & latest possible final is Tuesday, October 19th

JUNE

FIBA Women's AmeriCup: Friday, June 11th-Saturday, June 19th

FIBA Women's European Championship for Small Countries: Tuesday, June 15th-Sunday, June 20th

FIBA EuroBasket: Thursday, June 17th-Sunday, June 27th

FIBA U16 Women's Americas Championship: Sunday, June 20th-Sunday, June 27th

JULY

FIBA U20 Women's European Championship Division B: Saturday, July 3rd-Sunday, July 11th

FIBA U20 Women's European Championship: Tuesday, July 6th-Wednesday, July 14th

FIBA U16 Women's European Championship Division C: Tuesday, July 13th-Sunday, July 18th

Centrobasket U17 Women's Championship: Wednesday, July 14th-Sunday, July 18th

FIBA Women's U18 European Championship Division B: Friday, July 23rd-Sunday, August 1st

FIBA Women's U18 European Championship: Saturday, July 24th-Sunday, August 1st

Olympics 3x3: Saturday, July 24th-Wednesday, July 28th

Olympics Women: Monday, July 26th-Sunday, August 8th

FIBA U18 Women's Championship Division C: Tuesday, July 27th-Sunday, August 1st

AUGUST

FIBA Women's U16 European Championship Division B: Thursday. August 5th-Saturday, August 14th

FIBA Women's U16 European Championship: Friday, August 6th-Saturday, August 14th

FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup: Saturday, August 7th-Sunday, August 15th

SEPTEMBER

FIBA Women's Polynesia Basketball Cup: Monday. September 6th-Friday, September 10th

FIBA Women's AfroBasket: Friday, September 17th-Sunday, September 26th

FIBA Women's Asia Cup: Sunday, September 26th-Sunday, October 3rd

NOVEMBER

International Window: Sunday, November 7th-Monday, November 15th

South American U17 Women's Championship: Monday, November 15th-Saturday, November 20th

*Fall Unannounced

EuroLeague 2021-22: September/October start (TBA)

EuroCup 2021-22: September/October start (TBA)

Russian league: September/October start (TBA)

Turkish league: October start (TBA)

FIBA Supercup: October (TBA)

NCAA: November start (TBA)

WHERE TO WATCH

FIBA/International/EuroLeague/EuroCup: FIBA YouTube and they may starting to stream on Twitch

WNBA: ESPN & WNBA League Pass

Turkish league: TBF YouTube, Tivibu Spor with VPN

Russian league: Russia Basket website, UMMC Ekaterinburg YouTube for home games

[Note: the list was made on April 18th so anything can change. Sorry if I got any of the days or dates wrong here]

Hope this is useful!

[kuramirocket]

This is going to be a story about why I’m choosing to play for the Mexican national team over the U.S. But while I have your attention, I also want to talk about something deeper.

I want to talk about my experience as a Mexican-American in the United States.

And I want to talk about depression.

But to really get it, you have to understand what I’ve been through, because it’s been a long path to get here. You have to know about my hopes and dreams.

You have to start in Oxnard, California.

When you grow up with Mexican parents in Oxnard, you’re not really living in the United States. You’re in Mexico.

My home was very Mexican, too. After my dad had come home from work and eaten dinner, he would put on a Mexican movie or — even better — a Mexican league game. And if he was really lucky, Chivas would be playing. My dad loves Chivas. My grandpa supports Chivas, too. You can basically go through my entire family tree, and everyone will be a Chivista.

So naturally my dream was to play for Chivas.

That, and to play for the Mexican national team.

I think a lot of my dreams were shaped by my dad. He had been a goalkeeper in his Sunday league team, so when I was four, I chose that position, too. He would always analyze the goalkeepers. We’d be watching a game, and he’d tell me, “You need to be like that guy. Look how good he is!” And I really wanted to be like those guys. I knew every goalkeeper from every team. I especially wanted to be Guillermo Ochoa.

Anyway, when I was 14, I got to play in the Dallas Cup with a local team. Thank God I did well, and I was spotted by L.A. Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Monterrey and Chivas. The Mexican national team had scouts there, too.

When I went to live at the Chivas academy in Guadalajara, they were so proud of me. My Facebook was bombarded with messages. ¡Mi hijo, que orgullo!

Chivas was my club, and I was playing for the Mexican youth national teams, so I was really close to making my dreams come true. I just couldn’t lose this opportunity.

Sadly, it never worked out because some FIFA rules stopped me from playing in the Mexican academy league as a minor. So I returned to the States, and luckily another door opened: I joined Real Salt Lake Academy. Things actually fell really nicely into place there. The academy was run by Martín Vásquez, who was a Mexican-American as well, and his staff all spoke Spanish. The goalkeeping coach was Mexican too.

In Utah, my performances led to a call-up to a Mexican U16 camp. I was about to go, but Real Salt Lake needed me for a tournament at the same time.

I did really well there. I was even called up to another camp to prepare for the U17 World Cup. But that’s when things got difficult. I was trying too hard to impress the coaches, and I ended up making silly mistakes. Off the pitch, I didn’t feel at home at all. There was nobody there who really understood where I was from, or even who I was.

That was the second time I felt depressed. Again I was working so hard without seeing results, and I got anxious about what would happen if I failed. Part of the reason was also that I didn’t actually know what was happening to me. I didn’t know that I was depressed. I just knew that I was hating my life again.

But then I got up to the U18s, and I met a goalkeeping coach named Des McAleenan.

He was Irish, but he had worked at an academy in Mexico, so he spoke fluent Spanish. He knew all of the goalkeepers in the Mexican league. We would discuss the games, the saves, everything. He would go out of his way to talk to me. He would hug me. He just got me. He believed in me. I trusted him with my whole life.

I loved his way of working. It wasn’t technique-based, it was more like flying everywhere and making big saves — the Mexican way. In the U.S. it’s more about gym work and technique. Mexican goalkeepers are skinnier and flashier, and I wanted to be like that. Sure, maybe they can be too flashy sometimes, but that’s why you fall in love with it, right? You want to pick that ball out of the corner and hear everyone go Whooooaaa!!

I became the locked-in No. 1 for the U.S. U18s. Then I was bumped up to the U20s for the U20 World Cup. There were more Mexican-Americans there, like Alex Mendez and Ulysses Llanez. These guys were just like me.

But then Des left to coach for the Colombian national team.

Des kept calling me every month. He kept watching my games. He was coaching players who had made it in the big leagues in Europe, and he would tell me, “You can be better than them. Not as good as. Better.” 

In February, I got the news that Des had apparently taken his own life.

Then I began to look at my own past and recognize that, yes, I had been dealing with depression, too. It’s weird, because when you’re playing soccer, you kind of go on cruise control, and then suddenly two years have passed. But now I could see the symptoms. I had been suffering, but I hadn’t fully understood what I was going through.

Thankfully, the dark thoughts belong to the past.

Last May, the U.S. called me up for the Nations League. Mexico had been knocking on my door for a year, and deep down that was still my dream.

The final against Mexico was weird. Sitting on the bench, I was obviously rooting for the U.S., because I was part of the team. But something in my heart was like, Wow ... these Mexican players are the ones I grew up watching on TV. Guillermo Ochoa was playing. I really felt that Mexico had a place in my heart.

In the end, I became the only player in the camp not to play a single minute. I did really well in training, and I wanted to show what I could do.

When we met Costa Rica after the tournament in a friendly, I was thinking, They have to give me this game.

We were playing where I play home games with Real Salt Lake, in front of my own fans.

At one point, the crowd was chanting for me to come on.

But it never happened.

I’m not gonna lie about it: I was frustrated. I was angry. I felt like they didn’t really believe in me. So when Mexico invited me to a training camp before the Gold Cup, I felt like I had been given the green light to say yes. Tata Martino had coached Barcelona and Argentina — and now he was saying that he believed in my potential. So I went just to train and check things out.

I enjoyed the Mexico camp so much. Nobody was calling me gringo. They were all talking to me, trying to get to know me, and I’m talking about the big guys as well. Héctor Herrera followed me back on Instagram. I know it’s funny how much I look into that, but it really makes me feel like, O.K., this guy is at Atlético Madrid, but he knows who I am. Guillermo Ochoa wasn’t there, but Talavera, Cota, they all were. The players who had been my heroes when I was a kid were right in front of me. They were my teammates.

After three days, I knew I was making the switch. I felt appreciated not just for the goalkeeper I am right now, but for the goalkeeper I can be, you know?

And I realized that, no matter how much I try, I will never be fully American.

So it’s about where I feel more comfortable, and something inside me feels more at home with the Mexican players. They are loud and fun and outgoing.

They even make me feel like I did when Des was around. And at this stage, that’s what I want to feel. I want to feel loved, and at home.

Basically, after all that’s happened, I just want to be happy.

So that’s why I’m choosing Mexico

I have another dream, by the way. I want to become a role model for Mexican-American players. There are so many talented kids playing soccer in little cities like Oxnard, but nobody seems to see them. There are more than 35 million people living in the U.S. who were either born in Mexico or have Mexican origins, but hardly any of them are playing soccer professionally here. It’s really weird, right? There should be many more.

So I hope I can play a part in changing that. I hope that Mexican-American kids can see what I’m doing and think, Wow, maybe I can do that, too.

Maybe some will even watch soccer on TV and say, “Dad, I want to be that guy!”

A kid from Oxnard.

A goalkeeper for Mexico.

A proud Mexican-American.

[martinnecas]

Quick Guide | Carolina Hurricanes: Meet The Team - Opening Night 2019-20

New season means a new quick guide to the roster 

2018-19 season

This took me a couple of days to put together so please appreciate it

Want to know how to pronounce a players name? 

Click this link!

*All gifs made by me* 

Forwards: 

☞ Sebastian Aho™️ #20

Yes there is another “Sebastian Aho” from Sweden but he’s usually in the AHL (Bridgeport/Islanders)

Born: July 26, 1997 (22 years old/Leo) from Rauma, Finland

6′0, Centre, 35th overall CAR 2015

Nicknames: Fishy, Seabass, Sepe, Sebu

He’s the face of this franchise and the only player on this team that the Canadian media knows about

Is being held against his will in Raleigh because he wants to play for Montreal if you don’t know the actual story MTL sent him an offer sheet that he signed because he wanted the money and knew Carolina could pay it, but you know how Habs twitter can be.

Possibly the messiest Hurricane 

Who’s my daddy?! 

Spirit animal is a lion, hear him roar

Avid coffee drinker

Baby face

Painted a picture of his cat one time

☞ Ryan Dzingel #18 

Born: March 9, 1992 (27 years old/Pisces) from Wheaton, Illinois

6′0, Centre, 204th overall OTT 2011

Nicknames: Zinger, Dizzy, Dzingel Bells, D-pingel

Played with the Ohio State Buckeyes for 3 seasons, recorded the first hat trick in Big Ten history against Xichigan

Traded to CBJ Feb ‘19, signed with CAR as a free agent summer ‘19 

Might need glasses, he squints like that ^ a lot 

Golfs... A L O T 

Wants to produce for the team so he can stay here in Raleigh and make it his home ♥︎

Jeep guy 

Looks uncomfortably similar to Tripp Tracy 

UNC fan 

☞ Warren Foegele #13

Born: April 1, 1996 (23 years old/Aries) from Markham, Ontario 

6′2, Left Wing, 67th overall CAR 2014

Nicknames: Foegs, Foegdaddy 

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton

Duke fan 

Accidentally broke Osh*e’s collarbone but TJ and C*p fans will claim he tried to murder him

Spirit animal is a tiger, also hear him roar

Very easily scared 

Duke fan

☞ Erik Haula #56

Born: March 23, 1991(28 years old/Aries) from Pori, Finland

6′0, Left Wing, 181st overall 2009 MIN

Nicknames: Hauls, Haulsy  

Moved to Minnesota in 2008 to play hockey in boarding school

Played for the University Of Minnesota Gophers for 3 seasons

Signed with MIN in 2013, was picked up by the VGK in 2017 as a free agent in the Expansion Draft, then traded to CAR summer of 2019 (for Nic Roy & draft pick)

Suffered a pretty bad knee injury in the 2018-19 season 

CAKE 

Got married this past summer ♥︎

Currently living in Calvin de Haan’s old house 

☞ Jordan Martinook (A) #48

Born: July 25, 1992 (27 years old/Leo) from Brandon, Manitoba

6′0, Left Wing, 58th overall 2012 PHX

Nicknames: Marty, Marty Man, Marty Party 

Signed with PHX/ARI in 2012, traded to CAR in 2018 (for Krüger)

Raw chaotic dad energy 

Doesn’t like corndogs and has a very high pitched scream

His wife gave birth to their first son last season before he got his downstairs fixed in the offseason

LETS GO SVECH

Spirit animal is a dolphin because he has a great impression 

There is so much more I want to put on here but you should really just follow his Twitter 

☞ Brock McGinn #23

Born: February 2, 1994 (25 years old/Aquarius) from Fergus, Ontario

6′0, Left Wing, 47th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Ginner, Brock McWinn, McPing, the new Mr. Game Seven (that one is kind of a joke though), Big Cock Brock 

Single handedly defeated evil not only once but twice on April 24th, 2019, earning him the nicknames “Brock McWinn” and the new “Mr. Game Seven”

Has two brothers who also play professionally; Jamie (NHL) and Tye (AHL) McGinn

Co Owner of the Roanoke Rail Road Dawgs with his brothers and father

His daddy is Bob

Has a high probability of burning his whole house down 

Used to be a fighter, but he didn’t fight anyone last season 

Thor

Was 3rd in the league with most MsS Post (10) in the 2017-18 season earning him the nickname Brock McPing 

☞ Martin Nečas #88

Born: January 15, 1999 (20 years old/Capricorn) from Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Rebublic

6′2, 12th overall 2017 CAR, “He plays, like, Centre”

Nicknames: Neči, Marty, Nacho, Marto 

Your 2019-20 ****** ****** winner 

He’s here to fix out PP units, quote me on that

Little hockey stick chain ^ 

Is known for falling while scoring 

Is it avocado or avocaydo?

Hidden talent: Belly dancing 

Almost killed the entire team with a golf club last season  

Don’t mess with him

Just won the Calder Cup with the Checkers :) 

☞ Nino Niederreiter #21

Born: September 8, 1992 (27 years old/Virgo) from Chur, Switzerland

6′0, Right Wing, 5th overall 2010 NYI

Nicknames: El Nino

Was the highest drafted Swizz born player until Hischer in 2017 

Signed to the Islanders in 2010, traded to Minnesota in 2013, then traded to Carolina in January 2019 (for Rask)

Was about to take a nap when he was traded

Just when canes fans almost lost hope, Nino showed up and saved our season

When he came to Carolina, someone gave him sweet tea and he really liked it

Was voted best dressed by a couple teammates

Loves the surge

Supports women’s hockey

☞ Jordan Staal (C) #11

Born: September 10, 1988 (31 years ago/Virgo) from Thunder Bay, Ontario

6′4, Centre, 2nd overall 2006 PIT

Nicknames: Stallsy, Jordad, Gronk

Arrested at his brother’s bachelor party

Won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009 

Jordan is the youngest out of the other brothers (Eric, Marc) in the league (NHL) 3rd brother is the youngest and is now a coach 

Signed with PIT in 2006, traded to CAR in 2012 (for 8th overall pick, Brandon Sutter and Brian Dumoulin)

Named Captain in the 2017-18 season, became Alternative Captain in 2018-19, is now Captain again in 2019-20 

Great at dad jokes 

☞ Andrei Svechnikov #37

Born: March 26, 2000 (19 years old/Aries) from Barnaul, Russia

6′2, Right Wing, 2nd overall 2018 CAR

Nicknames: Svech, Mother Russia 

Svech is ready

“Just win every game” 

Wears #37 because that’s what his brother, Evgeny Svechnikov (DET), wears

Russia = Cold, Raleigh = Hot

Apparently his biggest talent outside of hockey is… magic? 

Best friends with Warren Foegele and Dougie Hamilton

Likes to shovel the ice during practice 

Me?

Terrible at golf..

.. I mean like really bad  

☞ Teuvo Teräväinen #86

Born: September 11, 1994 (25 years old/Virgo) from Helsinki, Finland

5′11, Left Wing, 18th overall 2012 CHI 

Nicknames: Turbo, Teukka

Shortest Hurricane 

Began with CHI in 2014, traded to CAR in 2016 (along with Bickell for 2nd round pick)

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (Along with van Riemsdyk)

Has the worst sense of smell ever

I mean come on.. pumpkin? toothpaste? 

I could keep going with this I don't know what’s wrong with his nose

Most likely the messiest Hurricane 

Would dump Sebastian on the side of the road after 100km 

Gets scared REALLY easily

His sisters plays hockey over in Finland (and is pretty good at it too) 

☞ Lucas Wallmark #71

Born: September 5, 1995 (24 years old/Virgo) from Umea, Sweden

6′0, Centre, 97th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Wally

My daddy!?

His spirit animal is… a horse? 

^ He enjoys watching horse racing

*Straight face* “Snacks!? Candy!?” 

Deal with it

Showed up to a U12 and U18 team practice to work on skills with kids 

Owns a pug named Lovis

Defense 

☞ Joel Edmundson #6

Born: June 28, 1993 (26 years old/Cancer) Brandon, Manitoba

6′4, 46th overall 2011 STL

Nicknames: Crop Top King, Eddy

Won the cup in 2019 with STL and partied in a crop top 

True Canadian, ate poutine out of the cup

Traded in September 2019 to CAR (along with Bokk for Faulk and draft pick)

Going to strengthen our PK I promise 

Finally, an enforcer 

Forgot to take his skate guards off during his CAR preseason debut in front of 18,000 people 

Is a barbie girl, living in a barbie world 

☞ Haydn Fleury #4

Born: July 8, 1996 (23 years old/Cancer) from Carlyle, Saskatchewan 

6′3, 7th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Fleurs 

Beat his little brother Cale (MTL) during his NHL debut 

Best friends with Trevor van Riemsdyk

Has the cutest dog named Kobe

Won the Calder Cup along with Nečas :)

If you want to giggle watch this 

Has the worst witch cackle you will ever hear 

Apparently the best golfer on the team

Big Duke fan

☞ Jake Gardiner #51

Born: July 4, 1990 (29 years old/Cancer) from Minnetonka, Minnesota 

6′2, 17th overall 2008 ANA

Nicknames: Gards 

Played for the University of Wisconsin for 3 seasons 

Traded to TOR in 2011, signed as a free agent to CAR in summer 2019

Has the cutest baby 

Denied several offers from other teams mtl to play with us instead 

Hands down had the best Halloween costume two years ago

☞ Dougie Hamilton #19

Born: June 17, 1993 (26 years old/Gemini) from Toronto, Ontario

6′6, 9th overall 2011 BOS

Nicknames: D-Ham, Doug the Thug, well his real name is Douglas so I guess Dougie is technically a nickname

Tallest Hurricane 

Both of his parents are Olympians, brother also plays professional hockey 

Started with BOS in 2012, traded to CGY in 2015, then traded to CAR in 2018 (Last remaining player from the huge Hamilton, Ferland & Fox for Lindholm and Hanifin trade)

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Warren Foegele 

Porche guy 

Grew out a mullet because his hair salon couldn’t take him as a walk in

Jack Edwards complained that he was wearing a number retired from the Whalers so he taped a 6 over the 1 in 19 to make 69

Goes to children's hospitals dressed as woman characters 

Lowkey shootout king

Floss

Another Duke fan

Wears the same blazer to every road game

☞ Brett Pesce #22

Born: November 15, 1994 (24 years old/Scorpio) from Tarrytown, New York

6′3, 66th overall 2013 CAR

Nicknames: Pesh 

“I play defense bro”

Played for the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with van Riemsdyk)

Pretty ^

Wears 22 for his dad 

He’ll break your ankles

Fortnite squad

Brought his wonderful brother on the mentors trip

Allergic to cats

☞ Jaccob Slavin (A) #74

Born: May 1, 1994 (25 years old/Taurus) from Denver, Colorado

6′3, 120th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Slav-o

The second ‘c’ stands for captain

Faith and family

Played for Colorado College for two seasons 

Adopted a beautiful baby girl with his beautiful wife

Has an instagram for his two dogs

His daddy is “Robert” 

Not afraid of snakes at all 

☞ Trevor van Riemsdyk #57

Born: July 24, 1991 (28 years old/Leo) from Middletown, New Jersey

6′2, Undrafted 

Nicknames: TVR, Riems

Agreed to terms with CHI in 2014 

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (along with Teräväinen)

Was picked up by the VGK in the 2017 expansion draft 

The next day traded to CAR (for 2nd round pick)

James van Riemsdyk (PHI) is his older brother 

Played with the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with Pesce) 

He’s too tired to be scared 

March Madness

Best friends with Haydn Fleury 

Pride representative for the team 

Goalies 

☞ Petr Mrázek #34

Born: February 14, 1992 (27 years old/Aquarius) from Ostrava, Czech Republic

6′1, 141st overall 2010 DET

Nicknames: Mrazzle Dazzle, St. Petr

Moved to Ottawa at age 17 

Signed with DET in 2014

Was HUGE for them during the 2015 playoff run

Traded to PHI in Feb ‘18, signed as a free agent with CAR in July ‘18

Stylish 

He had custom hats made for every player on the team

Always has Peter Griffin in his helmet design 

Signature move: Poke Check  

☞ James Reimer #47

Born: March 15, 1988 (31 years old/Pisces) from Morweena, Manitoba

6′2, 99th overall 2006 TOR

Nicknames: Optimus Reim, The Statue, Reims

Debuted with TOR in 2010, traded to SJS Feb ‘16

Signed with FLA as a free agent summer ‘16, traded to CAR summer ‘19 (for Darling and a 2020 6th round pick)

Has two kids 

Really good swimmer

You may recognize this famous goalie meme, that’s right, that's him

Optimus Reim helmet art

He looks so much like Weston from Love Island USA 

Honorable Mention

☞ Julien Gauthier #44

I’m including him because everyone expected him to make the team as he did phenomenal in the preseason (playing all 6 games) but due to cap space (and our horrid pp units), he was sent back down.

Born: October 15, 1997 (turning 22/Libra) from Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec

6′4, Right Wing, 21st overall 2016 CAR

Nicknames: Goat, Gauths, Jules

Big boy

Bilingual (French/English)

Cute accent

His uncle played 554 games in the NHL (Denis Gauthier) 

Both his father and grandfather were professional bodybuilders

That explains his muscles

The best thighs in the league (not up for debate) 

Also won the Calder Cup this past season with Haydn Fleury and Martin Nečas

Head Coach

☞ Rod Brind’Amour #17

Roderick Jean Brind’Amour

Born: August 9, 1970 (age 49 years/Leo) from Ottawa, Canada

6′1, Centre, 9th overall 1988 STL

Nicknames: Rod the Bod, RBA 

Played with Michigan State for one season

Started with STL in the playoffs of ‘88, traded to PHI in ‘91, traded to CAR in 2000

Captain of the 2006 CAR Stanley Cup winning team

Played 20 seasons, 1,484(GP) 452(G) 732(A) 1,184(P)

Became head coach for the 2018-19 season

First year as HC broke the team’s 9 year playoff drought and brought them all the way to the ECF

Is known for his extreme workouts

Still in better shape than 98% of the league

Could very well still lace up and play better than 80% of the league 

Lives rent free in W*lson’s and Reirden’s heads

Gives the best post-game speeches

President & General Manager

☞ Don Waddell

I really just wanted an excuse to put this gif in here 

Coached the 1998 DET Stanley Cup winning team 

Named Pres. & GM of CAR in May ‘18

Owner

☞ Tom Dundon 

Lives rent free is Habs fans minds

Estimated net worth is $1.1 billion?

Majority owner of TopGolf (55%)

Chairman of the Alliance of American Football

Purchased 52% of CAR in January 2018 for $420million

Likes to hang around team/fan events 

Stays in the same hotel as me lol

[willridgard]

Run, Forrest, Run!

July 3, 2017: 21 mins 29 seconds. 

April 6, 2020: 25 mins 53 seconds. 

The above times are my ‘personal best’ and ‘personal worst’ for running 5k. The latter achieved a little over a week ago. Quite a staggering difference, hey?

But, why? Why and how has this happened? The coronavirus pandemic has given me a) some motivation to start running again and b) some useful, much-needed reflection time. So here goes...

Dilemma

It’s fair to say that as I’ve got older, the body has got slower - as my 5k times justify! And, in my opinion, it’s true that there is a massive difference in how your body feels from your mid 20s to nearly 30. Sometimes, I think about ordering a zimmer frame for the days that follow after playing football matches!

But it is frustrating. Frustrating to finish a run more than four minutes behind your ‘personal best’. Frustrating to hit your ‘pb time’ and still have another km to go. Frustrating to know that you are trying your hardest and feel like you’re going backwards. And frustrating to start a run knowing you’re never likely to hit previous heights. 

Hang on, I haven’t finished yet. It’s especially frustrating to see your friends (fit, lean bastards) still smashing sub 21 5ks - and people you think you’re fitter / quicker than comfortably beating your recent best efforts that you’ve bled, sweated, and cried for!  

Natural processes

Age and ale (you can never stop working...) are probably the two biggest factors that have affected my body with regards to the completely natural process of putting on weight. I like to call it ‘filling out’. That sounds much better. 

And when I think about it, it all adds up (if you’ll pardon the pun). In 2017, I was a slender, slight figure, which made it a lot easier to glide over the grass. Fast forward to 2020, and I’m now roughly 10 kilograms heavier. Quite a big difference. But one which I’m happy with as a) I was always too skinny growing up and b) I believe being bigger and stronger has helped me nail down my position on the football pitch.

I have always enjoyed running. From a young age, I was always ‘up there’ in terms of cross country, bleep tests, etc. My friends and I have also regularly and  competitively participated at parkrun in summers gone by (mostly Kesgrave and Sizewell). One of which saw Dave King buy me a special, custom-made t-shirt after ‘finding a second wind’ and overtaking me on the Kesgrave straight to claim a famous victory! Rumour has it that a rematch is in order at some point... 

My interest in running goes through phases though. Similar to reading I guess - which is something I’ve been doing a lot of in the current pandemic and something that is also really good for you, and really enjoyable once you get into it.

Motive

My main motive for running is to get fit for the football season. Pre-season / pre pre season: every footballers favourite time of year!

Of course, nobody quite knows when the 2020/21 non-league season will commence, but with everything that’s going on, we have no excuse not to be fully prepared for kick off! 

When I think about the most successful seasons I’ve had - whether it be youth or adult football - they all have one thing in common: fitness. Being able to work hard and give 100% when fully fit makes a massive difference to your game!

The 4 Cs  

In 2007/08, aged 17 / 18, I was extremely proud to win two Manager of the Year awards (Leiston U18s / Sky FC U18s). I think I played 65 games in total that year. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday matches. Consistent. Confident. Committed. Competitive. I absolutely loved it and felt brilliant. 

Unfortunately for me, and in my opinion, it wasn’t until the 2017 / 2018 season when I next had a decent, full season. Some 10 years on! Where the bloody hell did that time go?

Adult life. That’s where! The paths that prevented me from really ‘giving it a go’ include: University (three years), suffering a broken ankle - that took a long time to get over physically and mentally - after uni, reporting on non-league football (four seasons) and living & working in America (18 months). I wasn’t in a position to be / have the 4 aforementioned ‘Cs’ every footballer strives for!

I’ve got to say that working at and playing in an ‘indoor’ sports facility in the US really got my fitness and confidence levels up. And after returning home in December 2016, I came back with the aim of using both on home turf!

After helping the mighty Leiston Orient win the Sunday Shield (what a day!) in May 2017, and having reported on hundreds and hundreds of non-league games (which was effing brilliant), I vowed to hop on the other side of the fence and reignite the playing career! I felt ready to play properly again and I felt like I was missing out by not playing. After all, one of my old work colleagues always said to ‘play as long as you can’...

The comeback

Having watched various non-league teams over the years, I always had a soft spot for Woodbridge Town, who were then playing in the Thurlow Nunn First Division. I spoke to the Woodbridge management team and went along to pre-season. God it was tough! But really enjoyable too. Circuits. Hill sprints. Stair climbs. The works! Unsurprisingly, this was during the time I got my 5k PB - and I was running that distance about three times a week on top of two gruelling training sessions and a friendly match.

I played quite a bit for Woodbridge (who would later go on to win a league/cup double) that pre-season and really enjoyed it - particularly under the guidance of Glenn Snell, one of the best coaches in Suffolk non-league football. If I’d have stayed, I might have occasionally got in the matchday squad, but I wanted to play week-in, week-out - something I did when Richardo Battletelli came in at Leiston St Margarets in the SIL Senior Division.  

All teams considered, I think I made around 40 appearances in my first ‘proper season’ back, helping Saints perform the ‘Great Escape’. Looking back at it, I think I tried too hard to impress at times, leading to some erratic decision-making. It was a great learning curve though and I felt that I had a positive impact overall... One thing was for sure though, the fitness framework started at Woodbridge definitely reignited my hunger and passion to play. 

I felt like I took this into 2018/19 with my current team Benhall. I played virtually every minute for a very competitive Benhall side in 2018/19. We should have finished higher than we did (eighth) having been in the top 5 most of the season, but I really felt like this was a season where I was on top of my game. A mixed, regular routine of an Airborne Fit workout (effing hard), squash, and regular training certainly helped... I thoroughly enjoyed it and all of the 4 Cs were back...

Lessons learnt

*Sighs*. 2019/20 was frustrating. I picked up a troublesome groin injury in April that hampered pretty much all of pre-season. I couldn’t jump, turn, sprint, use my left foot or shake it off. But I still played. Unfit and injured. I shouldn’t have been playing, but the team were struggling. Slowly, when I finally decided to not play and focused on getting right, we started picking results up again. It wasn’t until Xmas that I started hitting some form of fitness and form before the season was lost to us all from coronavirus in March. 

Reflection time

Having this time off has allowed me to think. Do I still want it? How badly do I want it? Where do we go from here? 

The answers are yes, desperately - and onwards! Now is a great time to reflect, put a plan into action, and to move forward. I miss football. I miss watching it. I miss talking about it. I miss reading about it. I miss the social side. But I miss playing the most. 

Time doesn’t stand still. I’m bloody 30 next year! I need to make these next few years of football as memorable as possible. This coronavirus pandemic has given us motive and opportunity to do lots of things. For me, I’m going to try and use it to get my fitness levels as high as my body will allow me to. I know I’m unlikely to hit the dizzy heights of 2017 when it comes to running 5k, but I can try...

This reflection time has also made me appreciate those still playing in their 30s who are doing what’s necessary to keep in shape. You only get one body; Look after it!  

The records

OK, my current ‘best run’ for 2020 is actually 24 mins 32 seconds - set today! I’m still adapting to the tough terrain of the bumpy Saxmundham / Kelsale / Carlton course set by Morpho - one of those still going round like a train! 

I look forward to seeing plenty of people recording their runs on Strava, which must have record-breaking downloads at the minute! Look out for the heavy-footed runner with the strange running technique, not too dissimilar to Shefki Kuqi, bashing his way around with big elbows and big knees... 

For the record, here are my ‘season’s best’ 5k times: 

2017: 21 mins 29 secs

2018: 23 mins 10 secs

2019: 23 mins 55 secs

2020: 24 mins 32 secs

P.s. You should try the Joe Wicks workouts too! They’re brilliant. Hats off to Joe, and others running similar programmes, for keeping thousands of adults and children fit, healthy, busy and inspired!  Stay home. Stay safe. Use your time wisely. And enjoy your permitted daily exercise!