The football weekend of September 24-25 moved the rankings toward parity and the leaders away from near-perfection in two top-flight leagues: one on an Island a long swim from Calais; the other nestled in a valley at the foot of the Flatirons just east of the majestic Colorado Rockies.

Going into week 4 in the Barclay’s Premier League, Manchester United was solidly top of the table with a perfect 5-0 record for a maximum fifteen point. Peter Crouch had something to say about that. Crouchy not only had the equalizer in a draw; the headlines proclaimed “Tall Story: Crouch Too Much for Red Devils to Handle.” He gave the 2010-11 CL runners-up everything they could handle and more.

Going into week 6 of the Boulder Mens’ DIII, Pellmans Automotives were unbeaten at 5-0-2 and within a point of the table-topping Gunners who entered Sunday at 6-1-0; their only setback coming against the Automotives in a torrid comeback from a 1-3 halftime deficit that will remembered, around coolers in carparks and over pints on planking, long into the future. A comeback the Gunners acknowledged as they assembled for the 11 game; after the Automotives first loss of the season.

In the season’s fourth, or was it eighth, 9 am start – Tenny was a few minutes late and Pellman unavailable.

Kugizaki stepped up for net duty at the opening whistle. Murphy’s had some early control until the Automotives unleashed a near-chance counter. The thing with counters is they can lead to counterattacks of counterattacks. As happened here.

Murphy’s regained possession; sent a long ball through the middle where only three Automotives hadn’t joined the counter and it was a race to a fast moving ball between the center circle and the top of our box. One touch and a long dribble past the defender by the sprinting frontman Chad; Kugazaki rightly left his box to break up the play before it got more dangerous but was juked and a nice finish had the undefeated Automotives down one only five in.

Focus and get it back was the mood of the Men in White. Let it go it’s gone in. They responded well. Midway through the half Crain served a corner to the near top of the goalie box where Bowen have it the barest of misdirecting flicks and the ball bound far back side netting. If all eleven Murphys had been standing on the goal line they couldn’t have stopped it. Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller & Tim Howard could have all three wearing the gloves with the right to use them and this Most Perfect of Corners would have eluded the top triumvirate of great American goalkeepers since the millennium.

Murphys found net again just before the half following at least the third bad throw-in by the Blacks; none of them whistled. Apparently assuming that his Yankee cousins in yellow might not be adequately versed in FIFA Law of the Game 15, Tenny helpfully pointed out certain irregularities in the manner by which Murphy’s conveyed the ball back onto the field, to wit:

At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower:

• faces the field of play
• has part of each foot either on the touch line or on the ground
• outside the touch line
• holds the ball with both hands
• delivers the ball from behind and over his head
• delivers the ball from the point where it left the field of play
• All opponents must stand no less than 2 m (2 yds) from the point at which the throw-in is taken. The ball is in play when it enters the field of play. After delivering the ball, the thrower must not touch the ball again until it has touched another player.

Despite having nothing but the best of intentions in a purely educational vein, Tenny received a carte jaune for his trouble, quickly following by a query to Bowen, who found himself in a similarly helpful and constructive frame of mind, along the lines of “Would you like one, too, Chris.” The query was met with silence, which appeared to be the “right answer” under the circumstances. In any case, Tenny had no chance -- as his view of the unfolding play (tainted by what Cohen described as “the fruit of the poison tree,” sending Otte to consult his “Black’s Legal Dictionary” on the sideline) -- was shielded by a scrum in front of the net before the ball was tapped in without fair warning.

Down 2-1 at half, the Automotives concurred that the next goal would decide the game. Having so decided, the White Shirts were in a position to confidently assume the game was ours at 55 minutes. Some slick passing up the left side of the field resulted in a throw-in. Chiropolos opted against his usual 100-plus foot throw instead going with a short one to the foot of Edwards, who one-touched it back to the thrower, who had time to trap and send a cross over the mouth of the goal where Agostinelli (Ray) met the ball in midair with his head and at the very same time misdirected it into the net not unlike Crouchy in the box against the Red Devils. 2-2.

Next thing you know, Bowen found Cohen near the top of the box and Cohen closed on the ball with room to try his luck. It looked like he might have an opening. He struck. What a strike! The ball rifled upper right curving into the back. Wham bam thank you Ma’am no question about this one. Top ten goal of the week in addition to being entered into the Strike of the Season competition.

3-2 Automotives. Strong play on many sectors of the field. Otte, Colon, Dekloe Lewis, & Reynolds on D; Crain Edwards Chiropolos Kugizaki in midfield; Agostinelli Bowen & Cohen up front. Observers noted at least one sequence evoking Wenger’s Gunners firing on all cylinders with pinpoint passing and just one touch too many.

Then. Then. Then. It was looking good. 9 to play. 7. Breakaway by black. Conversion. 3-3. Well, at least we’d salvaged the point, right? Not so fast, and why didn’t we attack and press our advantage instead of letting them take it to us? Free kick above the penalty area to the right. Two man wall. Mike struck for Murphys, eluded the wall to the right, the ball bounced once and over the outstretched hands of a diving Tenny who was slightly shielded by a wall that was two men short and two feet too far to center – as it turned out.

Well. Man U won’t have maximum points in the EPL, and Pellmans’ undefeated streak was over at 7.

Tenny arrived and made a few killer saves including one on a 40-yarder from the ragheaded center back that popped with furiously spinning velocity right to the top right. Another one was a fully extended dive to barely tip a sure goal just left of the bar.

Early in the second half, it was looking like the Pellmen would notch another comeback on a day featuring nearly 90 degree sunshine and wet grass.

That island a long swim from Calais? Not much bigger than Colorado, but home to three football associations, each of which enters what it calls a National Side in international competitions; and has a vote at FIFA conventions. Three votes, four counting Northern Ireland, it was pointed out – that did little to advance the Island’s quest for the Cup in 2018.

Like England seeking the glory of ’66; the Automotives will have to wait until next season to play an entire campaign without dropping maximum points in any single match as Arsene’s Invincibles did in 2003-04. One wag noted that none of Wenger’s men missed matches for more trivial pursuits such as baby showers at Brighton Rock; honeymoons in Croatia and the Dolomites; zen; visiting one’s college age daughter at college less than a month after dropping her off; or earning a living zephyring around Europa – but was rightly ignored by the still-married men gathered around the blue cooler and massacre site of spent Tecate soldiers. . .

9/18/11 - Bowen Blitz Paces Pellmen Past Internationals

We can only guess what spirit animated Chris today - it could have been last month's visit from his (and Alix's) family in town or the months-old kitten that recently purred its way into the new apartment, and presumably the hearts of the inhabitants, on Adopt a Cat Day at the local shelter. But for purposes of argument, not to mention dramatic content, let's just say it was the ghost of a grandparent with memories of lightning strikes over London who thought a five-goal outburst might be just the thing to send a reminder of past Empire to a team somewhat presumptuously called The Internationals.

As in all great campaigns, the victory today was earned by all 12 men deployed, from trench line to front line, by air and by ground.

Goal one was the prettiest, Matt on the flank, serving the first of his three assists into the danger zone where Chris's flash header left the keeper a statue.

Goal two was the winner, Tom with an entry pass to Matt, who slides it through traffic onto an on-rushing Mike, who claims it with volume and pounds it up the gut with passion.

Goal three, minutes into the second half, had Justin linking with Ray, slotting to Chris, and Chris doing that thing where you think he's going to shoot it, and then he holds it, and then he pulls it back, and then the defender lunges, and then another defender lunges and then the keeper is somewhere he really should not be, and then Chris says to himself, "Right. There." And then we are all walking back to the center circle with smiles on our faces.

Goal four was, I think, Chris cracking it from distance.

Goal five was Jared capping a dominant midfield performance with a curling shot from 25 after receiving the ball from Justin, whose three assist day rivaled Matt for "playmaker of the day."

Goal six was Jared demonstrating that those nimble stick-legs that have been touching balls past opponents all season also pack a punch, rippling back net with an angry pounder from 20, not long after having been taken down by a nasty tackle. (Note to team: get Jared angry.)

Goal seven was second prettiest - Justin worm-burning an entry from along the touchline the way you see Barca and ManU doing it, with Chris playing Chicharrito with the one touch bingo.

Goal eight was, oh crap, something equally magnificent, I'm sure, but memory really does fail at some point and this is that point.

Amidst the 8 goal deluge, we pause to recognize a stalwart D that gave up a meager one goal on a powerful and well-placed shot from about 18, highlighted by a spectacular save by Joe on one header that had eyes for the net early in the second half and a goal-saving head-clear by Jeff Campbell of a ball indelibly bound for the upper left corner that would have closed a still narrow gap in the early going.

Chris and Joe have accepted pony duties for next Sunday, but Chris has done it before so let's accept their legwork in stocking the cooler but how about a kitty to cover the costs from the rest of us next Sunday. Speaking of which, someone's got to feed that new Bowen household feline. How else will the ghosts of grandparents past make their way into the conversation but through the whispers of animated animal spirits?

9/11/11 - Two Draws Stall the Roller-Pellman-Coaster

The Black & Gold's outstanding early season form slipped slightly over the past two weeks as they left points on the pitch against Bounty and West End.

Against Bounty, Chris started what will sure to be his rise up the stats chart with a dancing goal in the box at the tail end of a pinpoint entry pass from Paul. Adam stretched the lead from the penalty spot after a chop-down of Jared who was linked forward from Jeff after the play started with Tom's distribution from the back. The Mutineers closed the gap in the second stanza, the equalizer coming with a minute to play.

Against West End, a somewhat listless performance from both squads had all the signs of a nil-nil draw until Chris, with fifteen minutes to go, determined to make things interesting with a sharp-angled shot from the left flank that found the side net. The Greens equalized with 7 minutes remaining on a well-executed combination that found Dante one-timing past Brad, who could only glance at it.

8/28/11 - Early 3-Goal Deficit Puts Pells to the Test

The showcase bowl field was an appropriate venue for the first meeting this Fall between table-toppers Pellmen and Gunners. Unfortunately for the black-and-gold (wearing home whites today) only one side brought their scoring acumen to the game's early going. And that was the other guys. Inside 5 minutes, a deft counterattack freed a man behind the defense, who found side netting. Shortly thereafter, a punt from Brad was gathered by the Gunners' best player, whose long looper caught Brad off his line before he could retreat.

Play was distributed well across the large pitch, touchline to touchline. The Gunners showed poise and adroit internal passing. The Pellmen tested the outside defense, earning several chances that found the keeper's hands, but no net. Pressing for an ice-breaker around the 25 minute mark, the Pellmen overextended on the attack and again fell victim to a quick man-advantage run into the box followed by another side net goal. Nil-3.

With memories of Game One's four unanswered goals still fresh, with Bowen's folks visiting from across The Pond cheering in The King's English, with a hearty six-man bench featuring Keiran in from SoCal, was another dramatic comeback in the offing? Highly unlikely.

But the Pellmen do not give up. They buckle down. One goal before half would change the tenor of the game. It came at the 45 minute mark. Jared's driven corner into the six yard box was an invitation for boldness that Darren answered, as he has time and again, by crashing through the box like a berserker, throwing his body skyward, and propelling the ball into the net with any available body part, in this case his face.

The halftime whistle blew on the restart. The goal animated the crew during the break. Tommy commanded the defense into a huddle away from the rest of the team and the madding crowds. What was said there may never be known by any outside the clan. The strikers kicked dirt and vowed to do better.

In the second stanza, the Pellmen insisted upon possession, consistently winning balls in the back and advancing at angles into offensive territory that felt increasingly fertile. Less than 10 minutes in, Matt slotted to Ben deep in the right corner. Breaking down two opponents, Ben served expertly to the back post where Ray headed with force down, bounding the ball up past the keeper and into the top netting. 2-3.

The Pellmen pressed the attack, sensing an equalizer. But it would not come. Despite Arnie launching balls into the box, despite Josh sliding around opponents and shooting from distance, despite Chris entrancing the defense and getting shots on frame, it would not come.

Until it did.

JeffCo wins the ball thirty yards out, as he'd been winning balls all game. In a blink, he spies Joe barreling goalward with one defender on his hip, puts the ball on Joe's foot and Joe's feet do the rest, carrying behind the defense and closing with a poignant teardrop lefty chip over the sliding keeper. 3-3 with about 15 to play. The crowd is in a state of near hysteria at this point (video may prove otherwise, but let's indulge ourselves for the moment) and the opponents in disbelief.

But the Gunners are a class act and they had sharp-shooters on the pitch. A draw would be a loss for them at this point. They threw men forward, in waves. Brad was equal to every challenge. Inside 10 to play, Jeff again wins the ball in mid-field, links with Jared around the top of the box, Jared dances, distributes - it's Joe again, defiant. Is a keeper in a field man's kit still a keeper? No, he's a striker. Again inside the defense, again with iron nerves, a flick of the outside right boot, the ball bounds towards the far right post and nestles inside it for the game winner.

Joe never got props for his two goal performance in last season's finale. He's got a nice little habit going. The Pellmen trust he keeps it going as they head into the middle stretch of the season, alone on top.

8/28/11 - Pells Top Murphs in Mid-Week Tilt

Game reporter was unable to attend this game but the account on the grapevine is that Adam scored in the first half on a PK, the other guys equalized in the second, and then with minutes remaining, Josh secured victory by beating a few guys and then doing a sort of semi-overhead volley from the ground. (No, it didn't make any sense to me, either, but I no longer seek sense in Mike's words, only poetic truth.)

8/21/11 - D and Mids Shine in Decisive Victory

In their inaugural season in the league, the Internationals fielded a more robust squad than they had during the Summer campaign, although they were outclassed across the pitch today by a veteran Pellman's side staking an impressive claim to preeminence in the Fall's early going.

The Pellmans' run of success over the years has been anchored by a cohesive, committed defense. Before the weeks fade too quickly into memory, it needs saying now that the stalwarts manning The Wall in black and gold are the league's best. We remember Eiffert tracking back to flush a 99.9% definite goal off the line (Play of the Season, 2008) and see the through-line to the "Here, But No Further" physical ultimatum posed today to the redshirts by Dave and his kinsmen in back, Tom, Eric, JeffCa, and Arnie, that same line extending to a ridonculous "roll-over-knee-buckle-half-twist-back-up-and-go" move by Dave that left two opponents befuddled and the Pell strikers asking "Can you teach me that?" (It really was a thing to behold.)

In transition, Jared proved for the second week running to be a force the other guys' could not figure out and wish would go away. When the opponents wander over after the game and say "we could not deal with that guy," you know your team's success relies on a healthy portion of That Guy. One goal called back today on a dubious off-sides, another rattled off the post, with a coterie of Crains in the cheering section. It was a Crain kinda day, and all the better for it.

On the scoring front - 15 mins in : Ben drives a ball from wide, escaping the defense, Ray traps and cashes. 30 mins in: Mike lofts a run-on that the opposing D misplays, Ray poaches. 2-nil at half. 5 mins into the second half: Ben reclaims a ball pinballing around the deep - almost endline deep - right corner, "shoots" (a perfect parabola, an angle more acute than a comeback 8-ball), SCORES, top left side netting! Then, ten or so to play, a sublime combination, starting with Tom distributing to Eric, linking with Paul, Paul advancing past two players, a nice pivot, then a "go get it, bro" invitation to Ray who closes inside the defender and pushes past the keep.

4-0 final. Could have been more for the Pells'. And, fact is, it could have been more for the redshirts, too - they had some wheels up front and shots at close range - but Josh absorbed every challenge that the league's best D ensured were taken weakly, at odd angles, with breath at their backs, and with little chance for success.

With Brad, Joe, and Josh out, it fell to Eric to stand in between the pipes and he acquitted himself well in the early going, closing strong to deny the West End speedsters room to maneuver. The greens struck first inside 15, however, young Dante tallying his first of three on the day.

There were more goals to be had on this day, all knew, so without desperation the Pells pressed the attack. Allan drove a powerful header into the crossbar. Ben broke down the D and teed up a quacking duck for Ray, who duly drove it wide.

Man D on Dante and Kevin cooled the counterattacks while a hard-tackling midline led by Allan kept the possession in the Pells favor. 30 minutes in, Jared sent a seeing-eye corner to the 8 yard spot where Darren bodied off a man and rippled net with an unstoppable volley.

The scoreline held at 1-1 through the half, and through 5 minutes of the second before Dante broke through with his second goal, capitalizing on a squirrelly incoming shot that found its way behind Eric. Unimpressed, the Pells felt another equalizer directly at hand, but the greens extended the advantage on Dante's third, a point-blank shot off a bounding service from distance. 3-1 Greens.

Two goals down, the Pells heads and spirits remained up. Off the ensuing restart, Allan advanced ten yards, passed control to Dave Edwards, who took it another 5 and threaded a perfectly weighted ball to Ray, whose angled one-time shot from the top of the box found lower left netting past the onrushing keeper. Instantly back to a one goal deficit with plenty of time to play, with arch-rival greenshirts across the pitch and a late Summer sun bashful behind a thin cloud cover, the Pells can be forgiven for thinking - why the hell NOT make it a comeback to remember?

If it would happen it would start with denial in back, and sure enough, persistent pressure from the angered opponent was continually rebuffed by Tom, JeffCa, Matt, Dave Eiffert, and Arnie, backstopped with a new fury from Captain E, who gathered up everything in the vicinity and sent booming punts past the midfield line to initiate the Pellmans' counters.

Jared made beautiful Art of the second equalizer, linking with Allan and Jeffco deep on the right flank, dancing around two opponents and sending a scorcher into the six yard box where it flushed off a defender's toe and over the touch line. Desperation was visible in the eyes of the West Enders, pure hunger on the home side.

In his impressive return from a nasty groin pull, Ben's long throws had been supplementing his disruptive speed all day. With 15 minutes remaining, he launched one from deep left, Allan rose in a crowd to flick it goalward and JeffCo, coaxing every inch out of an extended waist, torso, and neck, gestured the ball sweetly over the keeper's windmilling arms, just under the crossbar. 4-3 Pellmen at this point, in case you've lost track.

Inside ten to go, Jared continued to beguile the West End midfield, earning space wide out on the left. Linking deep toward the touchline, Ray earned space and spied Allan striding in from way up top. Allan's first touch was a winning advance that sliced through three defenders and set him up squarely in front of goal, his second touch was a lefty wormburner that the keeper could only wave at.

Four unanswered goals, the byproducts of character and commitment, turned a two goal deficit into a two goal victory margin. Eric standing tall gets POG (and pony) honors, with Allan's 5-point statistical day a close second. But everyone on the pitch earned this one. Nice start to the season, boyz.