The last of the City franchises remaining in the hunt for the 2005?2006 RFG Insurance Belize Premier Football League Championship, rolled into the Carl Ramos Stadium in the nation?s Culture Capital ?Griga appearing upbeat and confident. FC Belize came into hostile territory here today to try and duplicate what they had accomplished two weeks ago at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence ? defeat a southern powerhouse.

Different stadium, fans and team – New Site Erei, under the tutelage of Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez, stole a page out of FC Belize head coach Marvin Ottley?s playbook and used it against them. ?Tilliman? was a student of coach Ottley while with Kulture Yabra, and played FC Belize the way Ottley-coached teams play opponents – use all the space and counterattack with speed.

From the onset of the game, it appeared that FC Belize was in for a long afternoon.

FC Belize got their first opportunity seven minutes into the match with Thomas Castro deep inside the Erei eighteen. Castro stutter-stepped, taking a rather feeble shot that New Site goalie, Woodrow West, was able to cover up. Immediately following that play, Erei drove up the left side with Lloyd Nunez leading the charge at the 11thminute mark. Nunez served a lob pass to the left side where Lennox ?Da Criminal? Castillo swooped in past a couple of defenders and hit a beautiful shot past FC Belize goalie, ?Zabel? Rowley, for the first goal.

The first 20 minutes was all New Site Erei, who were slicing and dicing the FC Belize defenders with relative ease.

The best opportunity for FC Belize came in the 36thminute when a shot from Ian ?Coco? Henry ricocheted off the upright, coming back out to Jerome ?Jarro? James who couldn?t squeeze it past Woodrow West.

The New Site Erei forwards came alive in the 38thminute when FC Belize defenders fell asleep. Ryan Simpson somehow was able to take the ball undisturbed up the left side of the pitch, serving it all the way across the mouth of the goal to Harrison ?Kafu? Roches, who didn?t stop. ?Kafu? forced his way past the defenders, getting ?Zabel? to commit, with ?Jarro? James caught in a defender?s position. The pressure from ?Kafu? forced ?Jarro? to clear it into the back of the net for the 2-nil lead.

At halftime FC Belize made some adjustments to their game and were able to come out for the second half and get the spaces they needed to perform. But the Erei defenders continued to be stingy in allowing them into their eighteen.

FC Belize?s Daniel Thomas, who had been trying to squeeze into the Erei eighteen-yard box, finally got his opportunity 15 minutes into the half. Thomas stole the ball from Harrison ?Kafu? Roches and entered the eighteen to blast one at West, who came up with a beautiful save but injured himself in the process.

Dennis ?Hulky? Myvett was subbed in for ?Jarro? James midway through the second half and a few minutes later he came face-to-face with Darwane ?Cayo? Castillo. Castillo froze Myvett, making him a quick ?poster-child?, but Mark Sambula was up to the task, averting disaster for FC Belize by coming in to cover for Myvett.

?Hulky? redeemed himself when he assisted on a beautiful pass to Clifford ?Calbo? Usher in the 29thminute up the middle. The Erei defenders were caught on their heels and Calbo blasted a shot that strayed harmlessly over the bar and out of the stadium.

In injury time Calbo was up to his tricks again, hitting a heel pass to an open Ian ?Coco? Henry. Henry, anxious to get on the scoreboard, squeezed off a huge bomb and once again the ball exploded high over the crossbar for the last offensive press by FC Belize, who left Griga with a 2-nil loss.

New Site Erei will be coming into the famed MCC Grounds for the second time in less than a month for the FC Belize rematch this Sunday, January 15. FC Belize is faced with a big task of defeating New Site Erei by a margin of three goals to advance to the finals against either BOCA or the San Pedro Seahawks. If FC Belize can gain a two-goal margin, then it?s overtime, then after that penalty kicks.