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War! Part One, BDF 1 – Verdes 1

SportsWar! Part One, BDF 1 – Verdes 1
The MCC Garden in Belize City looked especially pretty in the afternoon sun yesterday as a refreshingly handsome crowd of football fans came out to witness the best of BPFL football in an intense and tension filled battle, game one in the home and away championship finals series between home standing Belize Defence Force (BDF) and Hankook Verdes of San Ignacio. It was a battle indeed, with splashes of athletic brilliance amidst the turmoil of physical aggression that dominated the atmosphere on the field, as, for the fourth time in five encounters this season, twice in the regular season, once in the playoffs, and now once in the finals series, the two teams had to settle for a stalemate, this time 1-1, leaving the final showdown for next week at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio.
 
The game itself was not the pretty passing game of yesteryear, as some old fans and football Hall of Famers who showed up for this big one may have hoped for, but it nevertheless had its thrilling moments as the young stars did not disappoint.
 
League MVP Daniel “Danny” Jimenez struck for Verdes at the 11th minute following a beautiful serving from a goal line drive by elder brother Orlando “Leech” Jimenez, perhaps the best wing line drive runner, left or right side, in the league right now. Tightly marked by BDF’s Erwin “Bird” Flores, the roughest marker in the league, somehow Leech, with his long measured strides, engineered enough breathing space to slip by Bird on the turn from the right sideline towards the right goal line approaching the Seaview bleachers, with Bird in hot pursuit. Many fans, as well as the referee, Gerald Henry, and his assistant, apparently did not see the aftermath of Leech’s right-footed centering ground pass across goal to the advancing Danny, as, while all eyes were focused on Danny slamming home the go-ahead goal past a defenceless Charlie Slusher, Leech was being taken down by a late and vicious tackle from Bird. After a ten-minute injury break, during which his ballooned up right ankle was iced and wrapped, Leech hobbled back onto the field, but eventually had to leave the game at the half-time break. The Verdes staff is hopeful that he will be playable next week for the final championship game.       
 
And, predictably, it wasn’t too long, about twenty-five minutes, after Leech was hurt without any referee sanctions issued, that another superstar, this time BDF’s midfield ball wizard Marcos “Magoo” Souto, was brought down and out of action by Verdes’ Stanley Robinson near the sideline in front of the Verdes team bench. Again, no sanctions. Magoo did manage to return to action after five minutes of medical attention.
 
The game was “physical” all the way, but some fifteen minutes into the second half, again in the Seaview goal, it was the home team’s turn for a brother to brother attack, as BDF’s astute midfielder David “Dav” McCaulay’s center from the right side found the head of brother Deon McCaulay on the run from the left side. Deon struck it hard, down low and too mean for Verdes goalie, Jamie Brooks, who had a few minutes earlier made a spectacular “push over” of Deon’s free kick, to stand any chance. 1-1 ball game, and that’s how it ended.
 
There is now one game left, and a winner must be produced in San Ignacio next week. According to the Mighty Press Cadogan, the last three times the top seed team in the BPFL gave up home field for the first game to finish the series at home, they got burned. By Press stats, Juventus gave up home field to Acros in 1992, and lost the series; so did Belmopan Bandits in 2002, who voluntarily gave up home field for the first game to Sagitun; and in the latest occurrence, in 2007, Wagiya chose to give the home field to F.C. Belize for the first game so that they could finish the series at home on 18th of November night. Wagiya also lost. But there is another school of thought, that says “every day carry bucket to the well..”. Will Verdes also fall victim to the top seed jinx, or will they be the ones to make the “bottom drop out” for the BDF?      

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