WEEKLY WHINE
Who will take the flagpole?
The first round of the 2008 FCU Champions League begins at 12:00 UTC on THU 22 MAY 2008. Here now is GoobNet’s projection of how it all will go down, beginning with a review of this year’s participants sorted in order of their respective nations’ seedings.
- Newcastle Lions [Australia]
- Los Angeles Lemmings [USA]
- Tshwane Flagfinders [South Africa]
- Vancouver Sliders [Canada]
- Kristiansand Geckos [Norway]
- Mons Veneras [Belgium]
- Mexico City Descargados [Mexico]
- Agra Tigers [India]
- Granada Redactores [Spain]
- Nagoya Octet [Japan]
- Şişli Aslanlar [Turkey]
- Marseille Cantoniannes [France]
|
| Los Angeles [USA] |
| [Winner AGR-NGY] |
|
| [Winner QF1] |
| [Winner QF2] |
|
| [Winner SF1] |
| [Winner SF2] |
|
| Kristiansand [NOR] |
| Granada [ESP] |
|
| Newcastle [AUS] |
| [Winner KRI-GRN] |
|
| Mexico City [MEX] |
| Şişli [TUR] |
|
| Vancouver [CAN] |
| [Winner MEX-SIS] |
|
| [Winner QF3] |
| [Winner QF4] |
|
| Mons [BEL] |
| Marseille [FRA] |
|
| Tshwane [RSA] |
| [Winner MON-MAR] |
|
AGRA TIGERS – NAGOYA OCTET
Nagoya, with their second straight Japanese championship, looked far better than in the previous season, as Aoki Bondadora and Katiimi Najimi worked together flawlessly. The Tigers, first time Indian champions, look as though they don’t quite have enough to get through to the next round.
GoobNet’s forecast: Octet by sixteen hours
KRISTIANSAND GECKOS – GRANADA REDACTORES
This is one of two pseudo-rematches in the FCU Champions League first round this year, as last year the Norwegian and Spanish champions met at this stage. Last year, the Seagulls of Haugesund took the Valladolid Caballeros’ flag with only two days elapsed. The Redactores had a better season than did the Caballeros, so we can expect a better fight this time. Even so, don’t be surprised to see Cristian Saand and his oddly coincidental name win this matchup.
GoobNet’s forecast: Geckos in fifty hours
MEXICO CITY DESCARGADOS – ŞIŞLI ASLANLAR
Şişli borrowed their nickname from Galatasaray, the football club that also resides in the Istanbul district of Şişli. It must have paid off, because this year both groups of Lions won their respective national championships. In this match, expect to see Mexican flag capturing continue to decline; no Mexican club has yet reached the FCU Champions League final. Shisen Molbrantyev and his Aslanlar teammates should make it past Mexico City and on to face Vancouver.
GoobNet’s forecast: Aslanlar by twenty four hours
MONS VENERAS – MARSEILLE CANTONIANNES
If you have not yet heard Mons’s team nickname, afford yourself a giggle, and then contemplate their likely quarterfinal meeting with the Flagfinders. Juliette Warnack, Ulia Paisandova, and Héléne Jaille formed the dominant defensive triplet in the Belgian league, and while Marseille did surprise many over the course of the French season, it would be nothing short of a complete shock to see them defeat the Veneras this week.
GoobNet’s forecast: Veneras by twenty four hours
