Imperial Cup 2018 Imperial Cup

[Canucks4Ever]

Found this lurking on the Excellent Site:



Fantastic draw for Croatia who look to have the easiest path to the semis of the four seeds. Assuming they don't trip up against Richmond/Campo it will be a Division 1 team in the quarters and, likely, the renewing of hostilities against the former Serbian White Eagles. Not sure if they will need the full police presence as in days of yore, but it would be a spicy one I am sure.

The seed with the toughest quarter looks to be Pegasus as they will have to navigate a reinvigorated CCB before dealing with Metro Ford/West Van who look set to meet once more in cup competition. It should be interesting to see how Columbus and NorVan stack up against Premier league competition in the top quarter, particularly Columbus's opener against relegation threatened Chile. The second quarter looks to be rather smooth sailing for Rino's Tigers, but there could be some fun as they are likely to meet the winner of the derby between their Division 1 cohorts, Rino's Fury and arch rivals Westside.

 

[Canucks4Ever]

The Imperial Cup offers a lifeline to those who will finish outside of the top four in league to qualify for the Provincial Cup. With the battle to lock up a guaranteed spot via the league looking like going down to the wire, the teams who can give themselves a chance to make the Imperial Cup final might just have the teams who finish fifth and sixth in the table sweating bullets. It is also a chance for the Division 1 teams to test themselves against the VMSL's elite and any match-ups between relegation contenders and promotion hopefuls are always worth keeping an eye on for a clue into how the potential new boys for next season might fare at the top level. Always a fascinating competition, and surely the 2018 edition will be no different, so let's get to it!

Completely Baseless Predictions: Imperial Cup

Preliminary Round:

EDC Burnaby v Columbus
This was a much better looking tie when it was drawn a few weeks back. At that time Chile were mired in the relegation zone while Columbus were picking up momentum in their charge towards promotion. Fast forward a few weeks and Chile have climbed out of the relegation zone, though they are still far from safety, while the wheels have just about come off for Columbus and their hopes for an immediate return to Premier following their relegation last season. A record of 1-2-1 over their last four means that they have dropped fully seven points over that span and promotion rivals Guildford have been quick to pounce and wrestle control of the promotion battle away from the Italians. Those two will meet next week in what could be an absolutely decisive league match. If Guildford win, they will surely be going up, needing only one win from their final three games or another Columbus loss to confirm their place. A draw would have essentially the same effect as Guildford have a game in hand over Columbus, so the East Van club will essentially be in a must win scenario. Should Columbus win, however, and suddenly Guildford's remaining game against league leaders and already promoted NorVan begins to loom large. Similarly for Chile, they have a massive game next week against Westside who have taken over on the bottom of the table. A win for the Chileans would all but seal the fate of the Vancouver boys while simultaneously putting themselves just this side of guaranteed safety. A loss though and all the permutations go out the window and the insane relegation battle only intensifies. Therefore, with the winner promised a trip to Surrey to face likely Premier Champions Rovers Tigers, you could forgive these two for looking past this cup match. Instead of being a welcome distraction, it may instead be viewed as somewhat of a burden. I am still picking it as the MOTR as I think it provides the most intriguing match up of all the Preliminary Round fixtures, though two weeks ago I would have really fancied Columbus. I will still also make this one my Upset Special of the round and suggest that the wily veterans for the Italians have a few cup tricks up their sleeves for Chile's young guns. That being said, I am much less confident of an upset after this recent downturn in form for Columbus, but I am sticking to my guns!

Binger's Army v NorVan Lions
An all Division 1 match up here sees relegation threatened Bingers matched against league leaders NorVan Lions. Staring relegation square in the face the Army have produced their best form of the season. After a potentially devastating loss to bottom of the table GN North Delta in their first game back after the break, Binger's have now rattled off three wins in a row and have climbed to ninth, seven points above the drop. With only three games left to play it is nearly job done for the Army and you could forgive them if they take this cup game as an opportunity to exhale. NorVan meanwhile will be returning to Premier next season and are just one win away from clinching the league title. No doubt they have visions of a decent Imperial Cup run and, at the very least, the opportunity to test themselves against at least one of their future competitors. In order to do that they will need to get past their domestic rivals which would set up the visit of defending Provincial Cup Champions, Inter. Binger's are always a tough out in the cup, I believe they pushed Premier Westside to extra time last season, but I have to believe a very motivated NorVan side will have enough to book their place among the last 16 teams.

Metro Athletic v Guildford
Another domestic Division 1 clash has promotion hopefuls Guildford against former promotion hopefuls Metro Athletic. Metro's quest to go straight through Division 1 to Premier after being promoted from Division 2 just this past season fizzled out, as it has done for many a newly promoted team before them. Dropping all six points on offer to Guildford certainly did not help their cause, but ultimately it was their inability to get points off the lower teams that sunk the Burnaby boys. Between the middle of November and the middle of January Metro only managed to pick up five points in five games against teams below them in the table. It is a stat that proves there really are no games off in Division 1 if you are serious about contending for promotion. That is a lesson that Guildford have learned the hard way during their first two VMSL seasons having twice faded out of the promotion race down the stretch. Usually that leaves them in a rather surly mood come Imperial Cup season and leads to them fielding a weakened side and just mailing it in. This season though, the Surrey boys are in control of their own destiny win only a handful of games left so it will be interesting to see how seriously they take this competition. If Guildford come to play then certainly they have to be favourites here against a disheartened Burnaby side. That being said, this will be upstart Metro's first ever Imperial Cup game and I am sure they will be keen to have a good showing. Ultimately I feel like Guildford want to be taken seriously this season and what better way than by beating a promotion rival to set up a date with one of the team that pipped you to the finish line in Division 1 last year, Rino's Tigers!

Rino's Fury v Westside
A spicy Premier/Division 1 tilt here has a local derby between Westside and Rino's. Westside are in all kinds of upheaval now having lost nine in a row and sunk to foot of the Premier table. That makes them a pretty good looking proposition for any Division 1 teams looking to pull off an upset. Rino's certainly will have absolutely no love lost for their one time club mates, and one has to think that they are beyond motivated for this one. Unfortunately for Rino's they have not had a banner year themselves. Last season they were high flying after their promotion from Division 2 and ended up finishing third in the table. That Rino's team might have been favourites in this one, but this year the Fury have had a bit of a tougher go of things. They are sitting eighth on 20 points and are not yet entirely safe from the drop, though it would be a stunning collapse to see them go down at this juncture, having amassed only six wins, one of which came via forfeit. A closer look reveals as well that, other than a surprise win over then promotion contenders Metro Athletic, the only team that Rino's have taken points off them who sit above them in the standings is newly promoted NorVan Storm who they have drawn and beaten. An underwhelming season for sure, but Rino's always try to put their best foot forward for the Imperial Cup and with the winner of this match earning a home date against Division 1 basement dwellers GN North Delta follows by what will likely be another derby with Rino's Tigers, I am sure both teams will be fancying the chance of catching fire in the cup. At the end of the day in this one I have to believe that surely Westside, as poor as they have been of late, will be able to find enough to get past a lower table Division 1 side.

CCB LFC v Romania
A bit of a mismatch here as resurgent CCB from Premier are drawn against indifferent Romania. CCB have been on a tear. After spending the entire season propping up the table in Premier they have now won three straight games, including wins over Rino's Tigers and Coquitlam Metro Ford, and look odds on to beat the drop. After a great start to the season, Romania pretty much checked out once it was clear that promotion was not an attainable goal and that they were, in all likelihood already safe from the drop. They have picked up just a solitary point from their last eight games and seem to have, for all intents and purposes, shut up shop for the season. While for a time it was looking like, if they were not careful, that the Europeans might find themselves dragged into a shock relegation fight, Romanias rivals below them have canabalized each other and the safety mark now hovers at 25 points. Romania are sitting on 23 meaning that they just need either one more win or the relegation teams to pick up one more loss and they are mathematically safe, thus they are just playing out the string. It should be note though that Romania were the first team to pick up a point off runaway league leaders NorVan Lions, so they can pose a threat on their day, but overall I would expect this one to be comfortable for the Surrey boys.

NorVan Storm v Coquitlam Metro Ford
Welcome to the big leagues NorVan Storm. After negotiating their way into Division 1 and starting rather slowly, NorVan have established themselves in the league and are all but assured of staying up. They now get to play their first ever Imperial Cup game and, after winning the Division 2 Cup last season, know what it takes to get the job done in knockout football. This is a whole other can of worms however and they have been handed a stiff test against reigning Premier Champions Coquitlam Metro Ford. It has been a rough season for the Tri-Cities boys, but they have bounced back and are right in the thick of the race for Provincial Cup berths. They have won eight of their last ten and are one of the form teams in the VMSL at the moment. With the battle for Provincial places being so tight, the Imperial Cup may offer Metro Ford's best chance at qualification. Having made the Imperial Cup final in consecutive seasons, and winning the whole thing in 2016, Coquitlam are a veteran group who are no strangers to knockout football themselves. They are definitely the favourites against a mid-table Div. 1 side in this one.

Richmond Hibernian v Campo Atletico
The only all Premier match up of the first round sees these two relegation rivals duking it out in the bottom quarter of the draw. It is a relatively weaker quarter with three Division 1 teams and only Croatia, the seeded team in this quarter and the team the winner of this match up will face in the next round, from Premier with which to contend. Hibs have taken all six points off Campo this season and will no doubt be confident of doing so again. Campo have lost three straight coming into this one after a massive win over CCB that gave them a real chance of staying up. The problem is that the newly promoted lads have easily the toughest remaining schedule of any of the relegation threatened teams and they have no six-pointers left against any of their rivals. At this point they might just be hoping that the points they have are enough to earn them at least a playoff to try and stay in the league. Richmond themselves are not exactly in a rich vein of form by any stretch, having lost three of their last four earning just a point over that span. I am sure that whoever wins this one would rather have the points in the league than the date with Croatia, but there has to be a winner all the same and, based on their previous meetings I back the boys from below sea level.

GN Sporting v Richmond Royals
This fixture would usually qualify as a "Who Cares?" match as two relegation threatened Division 1 sides lock horns with no real hopes of a deep cup run. However, it is Division 1 Burnaby Selects who are waiting in the next round and this is easily the weakest quarter of the draw, which means that one bounce at just the right time might be enough for a bit of cup magic for one of these two teams. Richmond currently occupy the second relegation place in eleventh with GN sitting in tenth, four points above them. The Royals, however, have two games in hand which could yet prove vital down the stretch. GN are no strangers to a relegation battle, having only just survived the drop last season. Neither team has one a game since November and with that kind of form you would be tempted to predict this sort of a fixture to end in a draw. Conveniently enough, in a fun scheduling quirk, these two teams played last week in the league and what do you know, it finished level at 2-2. Penalties would not be out of the realm of possibilities in this one, as for a prediction, toss a coin. I'll take GN at home.

 

[Regs]

Columbus with the first upset 3-1 over Chile

Metro with the second upset 3-1 over Guildford

CCB continue on their impressive recent form, 6-3 over Romania

GN 2-1 Richmond Royals rounds out the Friday Night Lights cup schedule

 

[Regs]

Richmond 3-2 Campo
Rino's Fury 4-1 Westside
MF 6-1 Norvan Storm
Norvan Lions 2-1 Bingers

 

[SmartCoach]

Richmond 3-2 Campo
Rino's Fury 4-1 Westside
MF 6-1 Norvan Storm
Norvan Lions 2-1 Bingers

Rino’s Fury div 1
Might have to get out the old Westside Rino’s
Uniforms
As they are the real Westside team

 

[cerebral smallsy]

Rino’s Fury div 1
Might have to get out the old Westside Rino’s
Uniforms
As they are the real Westside team

Laughable. Real?? Couldn't polish the boots the boots that wore the "0ld Westside Rinos" uniforms.

 

[SmartCoach]

Laughable. Real?? Couldn't polish the boots the boots that wore the "0ld Westside Rinos" uniforms.

I was never saying our div 1 team was equal to the old Westside Rino’s team
That was truly was a excellent team
Just superior to the current version that’s in premier
Please remember this is TTP

 

[Canucks4Ever]

Cup football always produces upsets and perhaps I was the lucky/unlucks charm as all three of the matches I took in ended in "upsets". First up was Chile against Columbus and things started off brilliantly for the Division 1 crew as Columbus had the ball in the net inside two minutes. A nice power move by the striker to beat the defender and slot for the opener. Chile looked to be rotating their squad somewhat in this one and they were completely out of sorts in attack. Their front runners looked to all be on different pages and they hardly threatened the Italian's 16 year old looking goalkeeper. Twenty minutes in and a complete defensive breakdown by EDC left Columbus on a two on one which they made no mistake finishing off to double their advantage. Chile were handed a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty right before halftime. The Columbus defender needlessly had his arm raised above his head and the ball clearly struck it. A penalty looked to be the right decision, but not a single Chile player made any appeal for the decision, so Columbus were understandably frustrated when the whistle went. 2-1 at half time and, meanwhile, Guildford and Metro Athletic had kicked off down on the other side of the parking lot.

Despite their improved league position and promotion push, Guildford did not seem to show any increased interest in this competition. They fielded a side missing several regular starters and were made to pay when a motivated Metro side took the lead ten minutes in. Things got worse when some poor defending allowed a Metro striker to get behind the Guildford backline and he used his body position well to draw the foul and earn a penalty. Like the Chile decision, it did look to be the right call, though Sasa, Guildford's coach, did not see it that way leading to one of his trademark meltdowns. As the action resumed back at the Columbus/Chile game Metro extended their lead to 3-0, scoring right on the stroke of half time. Having gotten back into the game right before the interval, Chile did not exactly emerge inspired in the second half. They still were not creating anything to write home about and life remained easy for the Columbus keeper who appear technically sound in distributing the ball and stretching for routine diving saves, but seemed to struggle when ball were played into traffic and he had to make a decision. Chile never changed their tactics and settled for long shots or saw attacks fizzle when they took defenders on one-on-one around the edge of the area. Columbus made it safe when their striker got in clean on the Chile keeper who got a big piece of the ball when he challenged at the top of the box, but did not get quite enough of it. The ball continued to roll towards an empty net and while the scrambling centreback reach the ball on the goal line, he could only direct it into the roof of his net. Columbus could have added another within minutes, but the striker's well weighted chip bounced just the wrong side of the post. The game was effectively finished as a contest however and Columbus saw out the remaining time rather easily. Back down on Field 4, Guildford had pulled one back and were pushing to make things interesting. They forced some saves out of the Metro keeper, including one great sequence that saw the Surrey boys stopped twice before then hitting the crossbar. For the most part, however, Guildford were impatient and settled for ambitious long range attempts that continued to sail wide until the clock ran out.

Saturday the upsets kept coming as Rino's won a very personal one in the derby at Point Grey. Westside started the game looking entirely disinterested while a motivated Rino's side ran roughshod all over them. The opener came from a free kick just outside the penalty area that everyone and their dog could see was going to be worked short, but, nevertheless, Westside refused to switch on to it. Sure enough the ball was passed around the wall and met first by a Rino's man at the front post. Westside continued to sleepwalk and their sloppy passing in their own third saw them turn the ball over and in their attempts to recover they conceded a penalty. It looked a half decent challenge and, again, few appeals from the Rino's side, but the referee was well positioned and had no hesitation pointing to the spot. Down 2-0 Westside finally crossed half and created a few chances, their finishing was woeful though they did look to have halved the deficit but for a sliding goal line clearance by a Rino's defender. The Division 1 boys continued their assault themselves, hitting their third post of the period just before the half time whistle. In the second half Westside threw everything at getting back into the game and Rino's clung on for the opening 20 minutes while the Premier side attacked in waves. The chances were piling up, but they could not force one in until a well swung free kicked was redirected for what appeared to be an own goal. It looked like things were setting up for a grandstand finish, but, as Westside continued to commit bodies forward, it left them exposed at the back. After Rino's cleared a corner kick they took off down the pitch with numbers in a textbook counter and found the dagger to make it 3-1. Huge appeals for offside from the Westside camp, but to no avail. They continued to push though and were caught out once again on a counter for Rino's fourth goal which was really well worked and capped off with a classy finish; no questions regarding offside this time! Rino's were fully deserved winners on the day and, per @SmartCoach, with the VMSL's new King's Court style league system, because Rino's won a one off game against a team higher than them they will now replace Westside in Premier and I guess Columbus get Chile's spot as well. While Columbus may yet go up and Chile and Westside both have a real chance of going down, Rino's most definitely will be staying in Division 1 and can perhaps use their league games against one or all of those other teams next season to prove who's better than who...

 

[SmartCoach]

My point was the current Westside team is at div 1 level
Our Rino’s fury team is a Div 1 team
And will stay there as long as our premier stays up
Rino’s Tigers team in premier is
Playing excellent football this season

 

[dezza]

Assuming Fury dispatch of GN ND, and Tigers don't bottle it against against div1 opposition, we'll get a Fury vs Tigers quarterfinal . What would be better than declaring the winner gets to play premier next year?

 

[Canucks4Ever]

There are 16 teams remaining in the Imperial Cup and we are guaranteed two quarter finalists from Division 1. Plenty of upsets in the first round, though they will likely be tougher to come by here as the big boys enter the fray. Also some serious Provincial Cup implications as team outside the top four in the VMSL Premier division can all qualify via making the final of this competition. Lets see what round two holds for us!

Completely Baseless Predictions: Imperial Cup
Preliminary Round: 6/8
Overall: 6/8

Round of Sixteen:

Rovers Tigers v Columbus
Columbus have won a pair of big games in their last two outings pulling off the upset against Premier Chile in the first round and then winning an absolute must win against Guildford to keep their promotion hopes alive. The former Premier Champions, though those days surely seem a distant memory now, will play the current Premier Champions in Rovers Tigers. The one time Sapperton boys locked up the title with a quiet 0-0 draw against Pegasus last week and will now turn their attention to adding another trophy to their cabinet. With nothing else to focus on until the Provincial Cup tournament begins, surely Rovers will be fielding their best side for the Imperial Cup and they have to be favourites in this tournament. Columbus are a nice story, but they are playing in a different stratosphere at the moment; Rovers to be comfortable.

NorVan Lions v Club Inter
These two teams will play twice next year as NorVan have won promotion back to Premier after two seasons away from the big time. They also used the week in between cup rounds to clinch the Division 1 title and will now be keen to test themselves at the next level. Unfortunately for them, they will have to do it without their leading scorer as 20 goal man Will Kendall is suspended after it looks like he was sent off for a second bookable offense in their opening round 2-1 win over Binger's Army. Inter received a bye into the Round of Sixteen and have instead used their time to climb the table. We are into the home stretch of the season and, traditionally, this about the time when Inter turn it on. Certainly their offense has clicked into gear after limping along at a snails pace until a month ago, they have now scored 17 goals over their last five games and picked up 13 points, lifting them to fourth in the table with a chance still to climb higher. Losing to a Division 1 side, even if they are champions, would be an embarassing blow for the current Provincial Cup holders and one that it just this side of unfathomable. Add in the fact that NorVan will not have a chance to field their best eleven and I think this sets up as a fairly straight forward day at the office for the "Italians".

Rino's Tigers v Metro Athletic
Rino's stopped the rot and got an extremely valuable three points in their league game last week against Coquitlam. That keeps them right in the hunt for the top six, though automatic qualification for their first Provincial Cup is now looking like a long shot. Their best option might just be via the Imperial Cup and they have a chance to benefit from a great draw. They sat fourth in the table when the draw was made which earned them a free pass to this round where they will face lower league opposition in Metro Athletic. The upstart Burnaby boys fell short in their bid to go straight through Division 1 to Premier, but took advantage of a disinterested Guildford squad in their opener and won the club's first ever Imperial Cup game comfortably 3-1. They now get the chance to test themselves against a Premier side and, while they will certainly be motivated and relish the opportunity for an upset, they will know that they are heavy underdogs. Thanks to the handy work done by Tigers' cousins, the Fury, Rino's are guaranteed to play another Division 1 team if they progress where they would be favoured again to make the semi-final and would bring themselves one win away from the Provincial Cup. I cannot see them bottling this chance.

Rino's Fury v GN North Delta
One of two domestic Division 1 match ups in this round, Rino's reward for dispatching a woeful Westside Premier squad in the opening round is a date with the lowest ranked team in this competition, GN North Delta, who sit bottom of Division 1. The Fury have a chance to set up a spectacular derby with their clubmates Tigers with a win and they win definitely be favourites here at home. GN have just about nothing left to play for as, even if all the stars align, the best they can hope for is a relegation playoff against fellow GN side, Sporting. Tough to see them making that much of a go of this one, but one of the few teams that ND have taken points of of this season was Rino's, so the Fury would do well to come with the same sort of motivation that they brought to see off their arch rivals last time out.

Pegasus v CCB LFC
Pegasus are currently in their worst form of the season and it has cost them their chance to be VMSL Premier Champions. They are 0-2-2 in their last four and it was capped off with a 0-0 draw last weekend that saw them witness their local rivals, Rovers Tigers, claim the title. CCB are in a surprise fight for survival at the other end of the table. The Surrey boys looked dead and buried, headed for Division 1, until three straight wins made an escape a reality. Their charge to safety was halted last weekend at Richmond, but CCB are notoriously better at home. While they technically the visitors in this one, it is still at Newton on a Friday night and they will surely be able to field a strong side. This should be a good old fashioned derby and I'll make it my Upset Special of the round. I think Peg are vulnerable at the moment and CCB, after long being the third wheel out in Surrey, would no doubt love the chance to stun their neighbours.

Coquitlam Metro Ford v West Van
MOTR here as these two meet in knock out competition for what seems like the hundredth competition in a row. Metro Ford have definitely had the better of these cup tilts in recent years, but this season has hardly been a normal year. The Tri-Cities boys are seemingly racing the clock to try and avoid missing out on the Provincial Cup for what would should feel like the first time in living memory. Metro Ford currently sit seventh, which would leave them no chance of qualifying via the league standings. However, they do have a pair of games in hand over the teams they are chasing. If they were to win those games they would be level in the race and it would be all to play for coming down the stretch. West Van were once in the same scrap for Provincial Cup qualification, but they have found a different level and now look like a threat to win the trophy, nevermind to qualify. The North Shore boys have not lost since November and have climbed all the way to second in the table. Their 40 points will be enough for them to finish in a fourth place tie at worst and means that they are all but assured of a spot in the big dance. West Van`s recent hot streak included a 4-0 drubbing of Metro Ford during their last trip to Coquitlam and I think this one will be just that little bit personal for them. Standings aside, so many of their tournaments have ended at the hands of Metro Ford in recent years and now it is time for some pay back!

Croatia v Richmond Hibernian
After a strong season, Croatia have taken their foot off the gas in recent weeks. They were well off the pace against West Van last week, getting blitzed 6-2 and have been bleeding goals of late, allowing 17 against over their last four games. Prior to this run, they had only conceded 21 goals in 17 games, so all is not well in Croatia's world at the moment. Things are on the up for Richmond, however, after they carried the momentum of their opening round Imperial Cup win over Campo to a massive win over CCB in the relegation battle. Those three points will just about make Richmond safe and perhaps now they can play looser and more relaxed the rest of the way. They still have a dodgy fixture against Chile to come that if they lost would put them back in the muck a bit, but skies are certainly looking brighter overall for the boys from below sea level. Both teams will fancy their chances of a cup run with lower league opposition guaranteed to be on deck in the next round. Croatia's last real solid performance was a 4-0 over Richmond. Having slipped out of the top four with only one game left to play, it is looking increasingly likely that Croatia might be waiting to see who reaches the Imperial Cup final before knowing their Provincial Cup fate. In which case, it would likely behoove them to take all the suspense out of it and just make the final themselves. Richmond will be full of confidence, but I will have to go with the table on this one and take Croatia to advance.

GN Sporting v Burnaby Selects White Eagles
Not too much compelling about this one other than the fact that another Division 1 team will be advancing to the quarters. GN's only win since the middle of November came in the Preliminary round when they snuck by Richmond 2-1. They were right back to losing way though this past weekend when they fell 4-2 to these very same White Eagles. Ironically, that last league win in November was against Burnaby, but the teams have gone in completely different directions since then. GN are clinging to life in Division 1, sitting in tenth and pretty much just hoping that the teams below them lose at this point. Burnaby will finish their debut season in the top five and look like they are on a path to potentially trying to climb back in Premier after what is surely now closing in on a decade long absence. Adding to their motivation this week is the fact that a win sets up a potential showdown against their hated rivals, Croatia, a fixture that has not been on the docket for years. With that to play for coupled with their high powered offense, 64 goals for, second most behind Division 1 Champions NorVan, and GN's overall poor form, it is tough to see how White Eagles would lose this one. True, it is often tough to beat the same team in back to back week (and in a fun schedule quirk this is the second round in a row that GN will face the same team that they played the week before in the league, in the cup) but I expect Burnaby to move on from this one.

 

[club_i_champ]

Croatia 3 RFC 1

 

[Regs]

Other results:

GN Sporting 1-0 White Eagles
WV 2-1 MetroFord
Sapperton 2-0 Columbus
Peg 1-0 CCB

 

[Regs]

Inter 2-1 NV Lions
Rino's Tigers 2-0 Metro Burnaby

 

[GoF]

Forgot to post this earlier, but here's some highlights from Rino's Tigers win over Metro Athletic. Didn't get second goal (just celebration) as camera couldn't focus in the disappearing light.

 

[Prince_TM]

Forgot to post this earlier, but here's some highlights from Rino's Tigers win over Metro Athletic. Didn't get second goal (just celebration) as camera couldn't focus in the disappearing light.

That was a penalty? I realize the tigers are a premier team but that’s a soft call for a PK at any level :/. Well done to metro for keeping it close with 10 men.

 

[dezza]

Speaking of soft, is the Metro guy who made the foul wearing a neck warmer?

 

[Canucks4Ever]

Well, the snow has thrown a bit of a wrench in things, but we should be back at it this weekend, barring any sort of unforeseen further weather phenomena. We're getting down to brass tacks now, with just two more wins needed to secure a berth in Cup Final Day, as well as a ticket to the Provincial Cup.

Completely Baseless Predictions: Imperial Cup
Round of 16: 5/7
Overall: 11/15

Round of Sixteen:

Rovers Tigers v Inter
Right away the MOTR and also my Upset Special for this round. It's first against fourth in the Premier table, though, Inter could leap frog West Van and Peg into second by winning their game in hand against the Surrey boys. The Vancouver side are renewed and fully looking like the team that won last year's Provincial title. They are unbeaten in their last six, but, more importantly, their offence has emerged from hibernation as they have tallied 19 times over this run, easily their most productive stretch of the campaign. Milad and Milad are back to being a fearsome sight for opposition defenses, which can only bode well for Inter as we head towards trophy season. Rovers locked up the title with a rather banal 0-0 against Peg and then sauntered past an inferior Division 1 Columbus side 2-0 in their Imperial Cup opener. As much as Rovers will of course be motivated to try and pull off the double (on their way to what they will no doubt hope becomes the treble) they have not played a ton of football of late and what they have played has not been to really the standard they set to begin the campaign. They had a week off before the flat performance against Peg and sandwiched a pair of 2-0 wins around it against lesser lights. That was preceded by a 4-1 thumping at the hand of Coquitlam, so it would seem fair to say that we haven't really seen Rovers at their best since a 3-1 triumph over Rino's back on January 13. All this leads me to believe that they are ripe for the taking in this one, especially coming off another week without football. Inter are known for their big game performances and this would be right up there if they could pull it off. Also gnawing at the "Italians" will be the fact that Rovers have taken all six points from them this season, so plenty to play for at Newton on Friday. Hoping for a classic here, but I am taking Inter to put a shock into the competition with the upset in this one.

Rino's Tigers v Rino's Fury/GN North Delta
TBD. Obviously you would have to think it will be a Rino's derby, but only time will tell...

Pegasus v West Van
Another top quality tilt here as second plays third in the Premier table and these are the match ups you hope to see at this stage of the competition. As much intrigue as a Cinderella can offer to the party, these competitions are about the cream rising to the top and the top teams having one more chance to go best on best in a winner take all situation. West Van have been on an absolute tear and are the hottest team in the league at the moment. The North Shore boys are forgetting what it feels like to lose as they have not tasted defeat since November. There record is 8-3-0 in all competitions since a 1-0 loss to Inter on November 18 and if cup football is about winning at the right time then this is the horse to which you will want to hitch your wagon. The former Trollers have used this run of form to catapult themselves out of the scrap for Provincial places and into second place on 40 points. They are now guaranteed, at worst, a playoff for Provincial Cup spot, and while odds are high that at least one of the teams chasing them for a Provincial spot will falter, they can also remove all doubt if they can come away with a point, or all three, in their loan remaining league fixture against Inter. At the moment, however, their focus is on the Imperial Cup, a trophy that they have not won since 2015. Standing in their way is a Pegasus side that seem less than motivated at the moment. The Surrey boys were handed chance after chance to reel in their neighbours, Rovers, atop the standings and spurned every last one of them. Their 1-0 win in the Round of 16 over relegation threatened CCB was their first win since the middle of January, a stretch that includes a 2-1 to West Van. Of greater concern is the fact that their offense is seemingly vanishing at the worst possible time; they have scored only six times in their last five games since an 8-1 drubbing of lowly Campo and that is assuming their cup contest was settled from openly play and not penalties. No such trouble for West Van who are averaging better than three goals again since the turn of the calendar. I think this one points only to a victory for the visitors.

Croatia v GN Sporting
In the end it did prove difficult to beat a team twice in a row and GN were able to get the better of their Division 1 mates Burnaby Selects White Eagles in the Round of 16, after having been beaten rather convincingly 4-2 by the same opponent in league play just the week previous. The 2-1 win for the Surrey boys advanced them to an unlikely Quarter Final berth and deprived us all of the renewing of hostilities between Croatia and the once Serbian White Eagles, a rivalry that was once, arguably, the best in the VMSL. In the end, likely both Burnaby and GN would have been happy to swap the league and cup results given that Burnaby have nothing to play for as they are set to finish mid-table and would surely have relished the opportunity to match up against their old nemesis. Meanwhile, GN are hovering just above the drop zone in Division 1 and would likely have preferred the points to a date with a Premier side. As it is, that is not how it played out and now Croatia should have a relatively straight forward path to the Semi Finals. True, the Croatians have not been at their sharpest of late, conceding 17 goals over their last five games, but they put in a rather tidy performance against Richmond in the last round, running out 3-1 winners. They have also put up 15 goals of their own over that same five game stretch, good enough to keep them afloat in the Provincial Cup race with a 1-1-2 league record, plus their cup win, and they do boast David Malamura, the Premier Division's leading scorer, among their ranks. Safe to say it would be beyond stunning to see GN in the semis at Croatia's expense and while you can't play the game on paper, I certainly would not be putting money on an upset here.

 

[Canucks4Ever]

WOW...

Incredible poor form by GN to forfeit to Croatia. Why even enter the cup? You knew this ended with facing a Premier team at some point. Massive slap in the face to Richmond and Burnaby who they beat to get to this point.

 

[dezza]

Fury are struggling for players... might forfeit to GN North Delta tomorrow.