Day 2

So we came into playoff Sunday ranked 6th out of 7. We had the first game at 9AM vs Florida 2. The NY Ramblers came out strong with the first goal scored by Aaron (mama) This set the tone for the game but two break aways gave Florida 2 a 2-1 lead going into the second half. Atlanta had provided us with one extra sub Matt, who proved to be key in working with Gerald/Brian D and Aaron up top. The defensive line saw its errors in the first half and did not give up in the second half, keeping the ball on the Florida side for over 10 minutes. During the second half NY scored twice but Florida also scored one goal making it a 3-3 tie. As it has been in many tournaments for the Ramblers, this game went to penalty kicks. Aaron, Matt, Yariv, Brian and Tony lined up for the penalty kicks but in the end, NY lost.

The NY Ramblers played with heart and knowing they had 1 to no subs all tournament, played on and ended the weekend with a 0-2-2 record. In the end it would be San Diego and San Fran, but the Atlanta host team(s) said NY was the most liked team! We supported our friends and stayed for their games, supported the tournament by going to every event, and introduced ourselves to new members of all the teams playing. This tournament has set the tone for Argentina, and now we just need to continue moving forward. Hotlanta is back better than ever! and we will be back in 2008!

I would like to give a big thank you to Captain Brian Daly who kept the team united, calm and focused on the games. To Amanda for making it clear on what had to be done and made it clear when we were not doing it right. And finally to the entire Ramblers team that went to Atlanta, some of you got hurt, but knowing we had no subs, go up and played on, and played even harder. This team (10 strong) proved that we as a team will never back down or give up. In the end we may not have come home with a medal, but every team at the tournament gave us their respect for keeping each game competitive.

Day 1

From the get go, we arrived at Atlanta with only ten players, but just like San Fran, and Florida, we were able to get subs. Jason, our goalie and Todd, a defender.

First Game against Atlanta 1 started off with a Rambler goal from Aaron (mama) who worked a set play and scored a "pretty" goal. This put the Ramblers in the lead until the second half when Atlanta 1 came back, pressuring us on every play. While defending a corner kick Spiro and the rest of the defensive line fought hard but the ball hit four players in the box and then an Atlanta player managed to get the ball in the net. The Ramblers kept their mind in the game and ended the game with a 1-1 tie.

Second game against Florida 1 was difficult since this was Florida's first game and our second. It was 10 minutes after our tie with Atlanta 1. We fought hard but did not succeed in scoring and lost 4-0.

Third game against San Diego began with a scoreless first 20 minutes, but during a corner kick, the ball hit two Ramblers then was tipped in by San Diego and the score at half time was 1-0. The Ramblers had only 1 sub and then no subs for the second half, and Hotlanta lived up to its reputation. The Ramblers team under the leadership of Brian Daly and Amanda (coach) showed its true colors. Yariv and Brian got hurt during the game, but both got up and came back in to play. Brian continued to do everything he could setting plays with Anthony and Aaron trying to score. In the end we lost 2-0, but we made San Diego fight for possession and we proved that in the heat, without any subs, New York Ramblers will not back down.