Welcome to the TTP community

Be apart of something great, join today!

Premier [VMSL Premier] Predictions, Results & Banter 2017/2018

Status
Not open for further replies.

Zima

Member
Sep 17, 2015
19
31
Tokens
176
Dirty Money
100
West Van v Coquitlam Metro Ford
Let's hope it's a cracker (would be great to get a match report...)

I made it out to Ambleside on Friday night. West Van scored their first goal very early. A cross came in from the Metro Ford goalkeeper's lefthand side and a West Van attacker got an excellent glancing header to it and redirected the ball just inside the back post. West Van scored their second goal about ten minutes later on a very similar play. A waist-high cross came in from the goalkeeper's lefthand side and a West Van player reached and got a foot to it. His touch was enough to re-direct the ball just out of the goalkeeper's reach and into the far corner. 2-0 West Van within 15 minutes.

The next three chances went to Metro Ford. On Metro Ford's first chance, they were able to spring West Van's backline and whipped in a low cross which was redirected on target by Metro Ford's striker. The West Van goalkeeper made an excellent reaction save to his lefthand side and the ball went out for a corner kick. Metro Ford's next chance was a well struck shot from about 25 yards out that was also saved by the West Van goalkeeper. Their third opportunity was a free-kick about 25 yards out that was blocked well by the West Van wall.

After the three Metro Ford opportunites, West Van almost got their third goal. A freekick from about 40 yards out was put on net. The Metro Ford goalie tried to catch the ball, mishandled it and the ball shaved the outside of the post ad it went out for a corner kick. 2-0 for West Van at half time.

West Van had another chance to go up 3-0 early into the second half. A cross came in for an open West Van player at the back post but he was unable to convert the golden opportunity. Metro Ford had a very good chance to pull one back. A cross came in from the righthand side. A Metro Ford attacker got a foot on the cross but a West Van defender reacted excellently and cleared it off of the line. Metro Ford then put another free kick into the West Van wall from about 30 yards out. West Van had a couple of breakaways to close out the game but one was saved by the Metro Ford goalkeeper, while the other one was wasted as the West Van attacker attempted to chip the goalkeeper, but went clear over the net. 2-0 final.

Metro Ford had a few great chances but in my humble opinion, and no offense intended to Metro Ford, West Van were the better team on the day. Metro Ford had the majority of possession and their front six players were very fluid in their movement and shape, but West Van was very well organized, ruthless in defense and dangerous on the counter attack. West Van was happy to let Metro Ford keep the ball and confident in their system. At the end of the day, it worked for them.
 

Canucks4Ever

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2011
1,921
2,170
Tokens
3,831
Dirty Money
120
It's all Surrey at the business ends of the table as Rovers Tigers sit comfortably on top with only their Newton neighbours, Pegasus, within striking distance. True, if Inter wins both it's games in hand then they too will be near the top of the league, but, for now, some breathing room for the boys from South of the river. Not so for the third tenant out at Newton, CCB LFC, who remain at the bottom of the league, propping up the table. It is very congested in the middle of the table where a positive result can see a team jump three or four places! Entertaining to be sure, let hope this weeks fixtures offer further twists and turns.

Completely Baseless Predictions for Week 7:

EDC Burnaby v Campo Atletico
Chile earned their first point in a month last weekend with a 3-3 draw against bottom team CCB. The Chileans came out blazing to begin the season with a draw over title contenders Pegasus and then a thumping of a very good Croatian team, but, since then, it has been a harsh dose of reality for a relatively young team. While they may have been underdogs during a three game losing streak, they would have, or at least should have, viewed CCB as a winnable game. By not losing and, in doing so, handing the Surrey/Langley boys a lifeline out of the league basement, Chile have still kept some distance between themselves and an all out relegation scrap. However, time will tell if that was a valuable point gained or two even more precious points lost. The Burnaby boys are entering a stretch of games in which they will need to be picking up points off the teams around them in the table and it begins this weekend against Campo. Campo are a good match for EDC as they are a similar group of young, talented players, searching for an identity. They beat CCB when they had the chance two weeks ago but, other than that, their only points came via their shock, opening day win over West Van. Chile should have enough experience in the squad to get the points this week, but some of that experience will be mandated onto the sideline with Hussein, their hulking centreback, is suspended and the Chileans area also missing another body as discipline issues may come back to bite them in this one. Opposite that, Campo need to assert themselves against teams like EDC if they are to have any hope of staying in the division. Neither of these teams particularly care for the poor weather and will be hoping this one slips in between storm cycles on Friday evening. I am tempted to pick Chile, but with them short staffed, particularly at the back, I think it opens the door for Campo to knick a point.

Coquitlam Metro Ford v Rovers Tigers Utd.
MOTW as the slumping title holders welcome current league leaders Rovers to the Tri-Cities. When these two team met for the first time last season it provided Metro Ford with the perfect platform to assert their superiority over the new up-and-comers, Rovers, and they did so emphatically. The scoreline was in the neighbourhood of 5-0 and firmly established that Coquitlam were the class of the league. A year on and the script has been completely flipped. Rovers Tigers are cruising and hold the lone remaining 100% record in the VMSL's top flight. The Surrey boys look to be title favourites, while nobody seems to be able to understand what is causing Metro Ford's struggles. The bottom has completely fallen out for the two time defending league champions and while I think many, myself included, did not think they would make the same short work of their competition as they did last season, I don't think anyone could have anticipated the complete tire fire that is burning out towards the Valley. Just one win and three measly points through five matches, leaving them sitting second bottom and currently occupying a relegation place. Currently, no one expects them to be mired in a relegation battle come February, though I think it is safe to say that a three-peat is now beyond them and they will do well to nail down a Provincial Cup spot before the final weeks of the season. Just to emphasize the stunning gulf between these two teams at the moment, Rovers Tigers have three players who alone have scored more goals than Coquitlam have tallied as a team through five games. Metro Ford have managed only four goals while Rovers' Ryan Dillon leads the league with seven, ex-TFC man Nick Soolsma has five and Chetan "CJ" Jhooty, formerly of Pegasus, has four of his own. Things get worse in the scoring department for the Tri-Cities boys as back to back VMSL Premier Golden Boot winner and Coquitlam talisman, Carlo Basso has three of their four goals but finds himself ineligible through suspension this weekend. Metro Ford have a ton of pride and will no doubt be up for this one, but Rovers surely have long memories and will be looking to show who the new kings of the hill are by exacting a large measure of revenge. Look for a very satisfying win for the Surrey boys in this one.

Richmond v Inter
After a two week renaissance, Hibs have seemingly reverted to their early season struggles. They have been kept of the score sheet in consecutive weeks by Peg and Croatia respectively and look to still be finding their legs for the season. Inter managed to find their legs following their appearance at Nationals last week; they knocked off one of their favourite opponents, Westside, with seemingly little trouble 3-0. It was right back into the swing of things for the Provincial Champions as, perhaps, the extra games at Nationals have served to help them overcome their perennial slow start. At the pace they are projecting currently, they are on course to be in a title race come the new year. The games still need to be played, of course, and there is the chance that fixture congestion begins to play a role at some point for the Italians but, for now, it is likely good to be back to doing their thing, week in and week out. Richmond are a similarly veteran squad which should allow Milad, Milad and co. to do find their rhythm up front in this one for Inter and, more than likely, the back of the net as well. Given Richmond's current goal scoring struggles, that scenario doesn't bode well for the boys from below sea level. Inter to make it two for two in their return to league play.

Pegasus v Croatia
A really tasty one here as second plays third. If it weren't for all the great undertones and story lines in the Metro Ford/Rovers Tigers game, this one would be MOTW. Pegasus are casting off the characterization of a team that is past their prime and, other than a shaky looking opening day draw with Chile, have been perfect to this point of the season. They carry a five game winning streak into this weekend and will fear no one in the league, especially at home. Croatia too stumbled out of the gate, taking a few games to recapture the form that they finished last season in, but since then have only a draw at Westside as a blemish on their record. This one sets up as a cracker with the younger, free flowing Croatia taking on the experienced Pegasus; it could go either way. Croatia have two of the top three scorers in the league currently in David Malamura (6) and Emile Saimovici (5) while Peg still have star power with the likes of former SFU star and Whitecaps residency alumni Sahil Sandhu among their ranks. I can see either team coming away with a victory in this one and, though it is a cliche, it is going to come down to which group turns up on the day wanting it more. The result will definitely help to fill in around the edges of the map in terms of how the season projects though, as a Surrey win keeps Peg within striking distance of Rovers at the top while giving themselves a cushion over the chasing pack, Inter notwithstanding. A Croatia win more or less leaves Rovers in their own class atop the league while creating a tier among those battling for the next four or five spots below first place. As for this weekend's result, the only deciding factor may be Peg's stingy deference, having allowed only four goals against this year, good for the joint fewest goals against in the league. Tempted to call this one a draw, but I'll instead take Peg to eek out a close, low scoring affair.

Westside v West Van
We often look into who's had the recent historical advantage between teams in a match up and this fixture may be the most one-sided of them all. It has literally been years since Westside got anything off West Van. The former Trollers went three for three last season against the Vancouver boys with two league wins and a cup elimination. Albeit, Westside have spent three recent years in the VMSL's second tier, but it's hard to imagine they took anything off West Van in their yo-yo season that ended with relegation in 2014, which means, at a minimum, we are going back five or six seasons to find the last time Westside had a positive result against West Van. The home side will be hoping that means they are due this weekend, however, given their recent form it seems a decidedly tough task. Their 2-0 start to the campaign must surely seem an eternity ago, having just a draw against Croatia to show for their efforts since then and a solitary point from a possible twelve. West Van are trending in the other direction, they began the season 0-2, but are undefeated since then. A 0-0 against newly promoted Rino's catches the eye as a bit of an outlier among their recent results, but their performances have been good enough to see them climb back up the table to a much more West Van-esque top four position. All signs point to yet another West Van victory in this one.

Rino's Tigers v CCB LFC
Another massive clash at the bottom of the table here. As a newly promoted team, Rino's know that, in order to stay up, an established Premier team will need to go down and who better than CCB who are currently rooted to the bottom of the table and without a win yet this season? The Surrey boys finished last season in terrible form and stayed in the league only due to the fact that North Delta and Columbus let themselves wind up too far gone to catch up. Now it is CCB who risk falling into the same trap. A loss this week to Rino's would see the Tigers move onto seven points and, with at least one of Chile and Campo getting points out of their fixture this week, the best case scenario would leave CCB a full three points from the safety line. No one honestly expects Coquitlam to stick around the bottom of the table the entire year, so the Surrey boys could quickly find themselves cut adrift from the pack. One can only imagine the effects that would have on their already notoriously fickle attendance and the egos of their star players. Certainly not a position they want to end up in and the best way to avoid that would be with a win this weekend. Rino's, however, will be acutely aware of just how valuable these particular points are and understand the glorious chance they have in this one to give the club a leg up on survival. CCB should be desperate, but until they turn that desperation into some tangible points, it is difficult to back them. Yes, they showed signs of life against EDC last week, scoring three times to quadruple their goal production to this point of the season and earn a draw, but Rino's will be focused and well prepared. Ultimately, I just think this one will mean more to the Vancouver boys as a team and that will push them over the top.
 

dezza

Well-Known Member
Feb 20, 2005
3,847
2,181
Tokens
4,113
Dirty Money
420
@Canucks4Ever EDC & Richmond both have their starting GK suspended this weekend. I guess it doesn't alter your RFC/Inter prediction, but maybe the Campo/EDC one?
 

Canucks4Ever

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2011
1,921
2,170
Tokens
3,831
Dirty Money
120
@Canucks4Ever EDC & Richmond both have their starting GK suspended this weekend. I guess it doesn't alter your RFC/Inter prediction, but maybe the Campo/EDC one?

Is Hugo Vasquez Chile's keeper? If he got sent off last week that might shed some light on how CCB got a point. I never retroactively change my predictions, but no Hussein and no keeper certainly tips the scales towards Campo.

I don't see Brad or anyone else from Richmond on the hot sheet though...?
 

Canucks4Ever

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2011
1,921
2,170
Tokens
3,831
Dirty Money
120
RTU 2 MF 1. MF scored a late one on a counter.

Thanks for the clarification, the scoreline definitely has the appearance of a different game. Always expected Rovers to be in control.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, following the information provided by @dezza, Campo with a win tonight over Chile. Massive result for the new boys. A similarly massive result for Croatia over Peg as well. Inter, in the end, do get by Richmond, but less than convincingly with 1-0.
 

robj

Lifetime Better Bastard
Nov 10, 2003
961
181
Tokens
1,082
Dirty Money
132
MF had about 7 call ups young and hard working. MF keeper kept them in it. Knowing Basso was out was huge but we were missing some key starters as well. Offensively MF wasn't a threat without Basso and Hawg. Pavi Dillon scored two bringing the Tigers the victory. CJ back next week, on to Westside. Croatia beating Peg gave us some breathing room. Not taking any games lightly.
 

Canucks4Ever

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2011
1,921
2,170
Tokens
3,831
Dirty Money
120
Saw Westside v WestVan on the weekend; decent game in the pouring rain. Not a ton in the way of goal mouth action, but West Van definitely had the better of it in the first half. They forced a great double save out of the Westside keeper, the second of which was I believe with his face. They would ultimately find a way to force the ball into the net off the second phase of a throw in. The ball bounced a couple of time inside the penalty area and the home team looked indecisive with how best to go about defending it. In the end, one or two of West Van's attackers got hungry and wanted it more than their opposite numbers and one of them managed to bludgeon it is via a header at the back post. Westside's best chance came right at the death of the opening half when their striker was in acres of space, completely alone inside the West Van half. He had all day to do as he wished and likely could have taken the goal keeper on, but he spotted the keeper off his line and went for the early lob. It ended up being ill advised as he got it all wrong, a real let off for the former Trollers after a fairly decisive 45 minutes.

Second half Westside carried the play a bit more, but it did not seem to bother the North Shore boys too much. In fact, West Van had a handful of very dangerous counter attacks and could have killed the game off on a number of occasions. For the most part though they were happy enough to sit back and let Westside try and break them down, a task the Vancouver boys proved incapable of, creating only half chances for the most part and a few, tame, long range efforts on target. The win sees West Van keep pace with the other teams seemingly fighting for second, as Rovers Tigers remain the class of the league.
 

Canucks4Ever

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2011
1,921
2,170
Tokens
3,831
Dirty Money
120
Quick hitters; sorry been a busy week.

Completely Baseless Predictions for Week 8:

West Van v Richmond
Two teams heading opposite directions at the moment. Hibs have failed to score in three straight game, which makes it a tough time to come up against West Van who have kept three clean sheets on the spine. The North Shore boys haven't lost in their last five and Richmond appears to be in no sort of form at all. Perhaps having their starting keeper back in the lineup will provide Hibs a boost, but I think West Van look good in this one.

Rovers Tigers v Westside
Similar to Richmond, Westside are trending in the wrong direction at the moment and finding goals hard to come by. With only one out of a possible 15 point over their last five games, I would suggest that qualifies as a slump. No respite this week as they travel to take on league leaders and 100% record holders Rovers Tigers out in Surrey. Rovers look the class of the league by far this campaign and it seems as though it is likely just a manner of holding their nerve most weekends. Maybe they are due for a loss and the soccer gods will conspire against them but, other than that, it's difficult to see, based on current form, any other way the Westsiders get a result in this one. Rovers have only kept a solitary clean sheet all season, so perhaps that is something Westside can look to as a possible spring board, but the Surrey boys are heavy favourites here.

EDC Burnaby v Rino's Tigers
Big game in the bottom half of the table out in Burnaby tonight. Rino's strolled to their second win in Premier last week, beating the seemingly already relegated CCB 7-0 in less than 90 minutes. That win has catapaulted them all the way to seventh and another win would see them climb the table even further. Chile, meanwhile, failed to stop the bleeding against Campo and, after being one of only two teams to surrender a point to CCB, now look to be headed towards a real relegation dog fight. They cannot afford to drop all the points in back to back weeks against both newly promoted teams. A win for Rino's though would be a massive shot towards survival, and perhaps even an opportunity to begin to look up the table, as they would have a second established team well in their rearview and not need to be worried about Metro Ford eventually getting their season together. Should be a cracker at Burnaby Lake tonight with two good, young teams going at it. Rino's are in form, but CCB hardly counts as a massive, momentum turning win; Chile need to be desperate and I cannot see them letting this one slip away entirely. I was going to go for a draw, but more disciplinarian issues for Chile might just tilt things; I'll say Rino's earn a massive win.

CCB LFC v Coquitlam Metro Ford
Not much to analyse in this one as it seems CCB are about ready to throw in the towel. Who knows, perhaps they have some university help on the horizon, but, short of that, they are almost a lost cause already. Surely Metro Ford, as much as they have struggled, will be able to get the three points and kick on in their season in this one.

Campo Atletico v Croatia
Croatia are full value for their current third place standing after a massive win over Pegasus last week. The Europeans have thrown down a real marker to the rest of the league and must be now considered not out of place at all among the best in the division. Campo also found a way to win a crucial game at the other end of the table, beating Chile and, for now at least, vaulting themselves into the top half of the table. Teams should know by now to take Campo lightly at their own risk as they have proven to be a decent side at this level, however, you can forgive them if they exhale just slightly this week. It was job done last time out and they know their season will come down to their results against teams in the bottom half, not the top. I am sure they will give a good account of themselves, but Croatia should be comfortable in this one.

Inter v Pegasus
MOTW Saturday at Memorial. Inter have come back from Nationals and posted a pair of wins without conceding a goal against, so if that's not a message to the rest of the league, I'm not sure what is. Now they face a top side for, arguably, the first time since their opening day hammering at the hands of Rovers Tigers. As the only team left that could stop Rovers title parade without any help, Inter look like a group with a return to Nationals and some unfinished business on their minds. Peg lost a big one last time out to Croatia and will be looking to respond with a bounce back performance. This is the kind of game Inter's big names love though and that might just give them an edge. Two veteran teams going at it in this one so it should be a top quality game, though both squads know it is the results in April that actually matter. I think this one ends level.
 

robj

Lifetime Better Bastard
Nov 10, 2003
961
181
Tokens
1,082
Dirty Money
132
None of our wins have been dominant by any means I give respect to every team we play and we also know that every team is determined to take away the first points of the season for us. We are riding a crazy roller coaster right now and know that eventually someone will take some points off of us that's a reality. The difference with us this year is we are playing for each other and not giving up at any point of any game. We will win and lose as a team. We don't take any team lightly. We have come from behind in 5 games now.

Cheers @Canucks4Ever
 

Canucks4Ever

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2011
1,921
2,170
Tokens
3,831
Dirty Money
120
Heard CMF needed a late equalizer vs CCB or they would have left with nothing. Big win for Rinos/loss for Chile and Richmond just need one to go in off someone's knee at this point.

Looking forward to Peg/Inter...will try to make it out today and post a match report.
 

GoF

Well-Known Member
Apr 29, 2012
387
809
Tokens
1,554
Dirty Money
100
Dominant and impressive 5-2 win for Croatia over Campo this afternoon. Croatia were 4-0 up in first 15 minutes! Penalty in first couple of minutes after sloppy play by Campo keeper. Then they ran riot up the right wing. Campo made it 4-1 after half time, then had a guy sent off, went down 5-2, then scored another late on. Croatia looked slick.
 

GoF

Well-Known Member
Apr 29, 2012
387
809
Tokens
1,554
Dirty Money
100
Was looking at the upcoming fixtures. Anyone know why the Campo - West Van on Nov 25th at Burnaby Lake says "Subject to change. Exclusion at BLW"? None of the other games scheduled for Burnaby Lake say this.

Problem for league or with Campo or West Van?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

No members online now.

Your TTP Wallet

Tokens
0
Dirty Money
0
TTP Dollars
$0

Latest posts

Top