WE’RE HALFWAY THERE…… Midway through and Madrid is looking pretty damn good.

To suggest we would be where we are before this season began would have been a dream at best. But currently, your lads are on the verge of making big strides and are in a good position to make some noise over the next couple of weeks. With two big games on the schedule this week, the platform is set for Madrid to leap itself into notoriety in the books of Soccer City history. Tonight, a crucial division game against the TTC nomads Redpath, where every win counts in an ever so tightening divisional race. Saturday, a semi final game that could lead us to a championship berth in the cup final. Excitement abounds, and the mood is indeed electric as fans rush out to buy their favourite players jerseys in support. (the Greeks #3 jersey of course leading the way in sales yet again with 98% of the purchased by females, and 2% by infatuated gay men)

Midway, it has been good so far stats wise. A brief rundown as follows:

Record : 6 wins 3 losses 0 ties. ( 3 cup wins also, hence making it an actual record of 9-3-0) Goals for : 23 ( 5th out of 6 teams.) Goals against : 23 ( 3rd out of 6 teams) Current placing : 3rd ( yet games in hand in our favour) Top scorers : Baz, Paul, Chris all with 5 Louis, Jack with 2 a piece Others with 1

Coaching – whatever this man Grimes has done, whether it be by accident or as part of a game plan, is working indeed. With his head on the chopping block at the beginning of the season, he has skyrocketed his approval rating tenfold with management and is the man that will lead this squad in the future. With the odd exception ( allowing Warren to stay on the field and frazzle his own teammates) , the chess game he has played by inserting quality players here and there and playing certain players in certain positions has definitely worked out. The Vince Lombardi of SoccerCity? Remains to be seen, but is looking pretty good.

Goalkeeping – superb. Karsten has stood on his head this season and is invigorated with new life. Solid saves and animalistic attacking of balls ( soccer balls, not testes) has proven to be a key deciding factor in close games. It all starts in the back, and it indeed starts well. Back-ups Warren and Mario have also played great when needed, keeping Madrid rolling.

Defense - the best in the league. Take away the 7-1 thrashing from the Ukraine earlier in the year and you’ll see what I mean when the goals against drops from 23 down to 16. why the dramatic change from last year? Heart and soul my friends. Darren is the come back player of the year and sweeps with authority. Rennie, Ritchie, and whoever else is out on the field play with 110% effort every time they hit the field. For what they may lack in speed, they make up for in aggressiveness squashing any attempts by opposing offences. Don’t let this get to your heads lads……….still many more games to play. But continue playing like this, and things look very bright for Madrids future.

Midfield – led by the bulldog Newman once again, this crew goes out and does what needs to get done. There is no doubt that Ian is the heart and soul of this crew, and how he plays dictates how things go. He has a good game, we have good results. He’s not there? Well, we’re living on a prayer. Speed has been the new look for this crew, as Chris F has become a perfect complement on the left side to the greek who commands the right side. With now more options in moving the ball, Madrid has new outlets to hit and a more dynamic offense. Chris has exploded with 5 goals into the player we have always known to be capable of, while the greek adds his usual odd goal or assist here and there. Middle boys such as Grimes, and Mark have contributed nicely and give a good effort everytime. Grimes’s 5 goals and hard play making up for his lack of speed, further supports his coaching quest for silverware. But as always it falls back on the playmaker Ian to create. Some say a lot of pressure for one man, but with a bronzed body like that…………………more then capable of handling it.

Forwards : Jack passing? Baz scoring? Simon away for a month? The exact opposite of what we did last year has worked out wonderfully this year. Baz always seeming to be in the right place at the right time, Jack distributing the ball, and keeping Simon off of the field have paid dividends for this squad. We may not be explosive as our ranking shows, but we all know that defense wins championships and ours is playing at a championship level. One can only wonder what will happen when jack explodes out of his bubble and starts connecting again. When Trevor hits his form again after being out with a foot injury and regains his form of the german monster will all love and that teams fear. And if this past Sunday is any indication of what happens when Simon gets back into the swing of things……….the opposition will fear us. With size and a killer shot up front, Madrid may just explode.

Coming up: Its crunch time and the schedule is tough. Redpath twice, Ukraine, Strella, and Hotspurs remain on the sked and these final weeks could decide if we are league champions, playoff contenders, or even a team that might end up on the outside looking in seeing how tight things are. But with the motivation of sending our friend Simon off on a high propelling us from within, the glory days of a championship dynasty might just come to pass. We began the season wondering what we were doing in this division, we can end it by proving we do indeed belong here.