Academy Task 5: Not the Underdogs

[RAmenAmen]

The Season 15 SSL Cup was a remarkable tournament for many reasons, but perhaps most notable was the underdog run of minors team North Shore United, which overcame the odds to defeat perennial juggernaut Reykjavik United in a stunning Cup Final on penalties, 5-4. The silver lining for Reykjavik, of course, was that the team they lost to was their own minor league affiliate, a major win for what could be argued as the top organization in the SSL, but would be just one of many Cup Final losses for Iceland’s finest. Was this the greatest upset in the SSL? The real question might be whether this was an upset at all.




First, let’s take a look at the end of season standings. In the majors, Reykjavik came just shy of another title, falling behind SFC by 4 points, with a 2nd best 45 goals scored and a league best 10 goals against. Losses to AC Romana and SFV marred their record, along with draws to SFV and Hollywood. In the minors, North Shore United bullied their way to a 13-0-1 record and the league title by a whopping 12 points, scoring 65 goals, not only best in the league but just 3 shy of doubling the next best offense in the league. They also had the best minors defense, allowing 14 goals. While it certainly isn’t fair to compare goal differential across leagues, it’s safe to say that North Shore stood alone in a tier above their competitors, with only a stunning 5-1 loss to FC Kaapstad keeping them from perfection. North Shore would go on to avenge that loss with a 7-0 drubbing at the end of the season.



On an individual level, both teams had standout stars. North Shore led all leagues in goals, so it’s no surprise that they have not one, not two, but three players in the top 10 goal scorers. Charles-Andrew-Simon Utley-Abara-Lunga’s 29 goals puts the rest of the leaders to shame, but Alessandro Del Pirlo (18, 3rd) and Pat Taytow (15, t-6th) also made impressive contributions. Reykjavik’s Jean-Claude Goddamn led the charge for his team, with 17 goals (t-4th). Both teams would have two representatives on the assist leaderboard, with Reykjavik’s Henry Andrews claiming the lead with 14. Furious Chicken (Reykjavik), Pat Taytow, and Viktoria Snooks (both North Shore) would join him with 11, tied for 5th. Scoring wasn’t the only area these teams succeeded, though, and both teams would have at least one top 10 player in successful passes, tackles, created chances and interceptions, showcasing a level of dominance that any team would envy.

But Ramen, you say, how can this be a fair comparison? Surely a team like Reykjavik would have even more success against minor league teams, and North Shore wouldn’t keep that dominant offense if they had to face the top teams in the SSL every week! Well, theoretical reader, there’s only one place we can put that to the test, and that’s the SSL Cup! Each team’s path to the cup final is unique, but both squads would face teams from the majors and minors, with Reykjavik facing off against SFV, Athenai and Cairo City in the group stage, before taking down AC Romana and SFV on their road to the final. On the other side of the tournament, North Shore drew Sao Paulo, CF Catalunya and CA Buenos Aires in the group stage before tackling Inter London and Hollywood FC in the knockout stage. For those counting at home, that’s 5 games against majors teams and 2 against minors teams for each team. Not all teams are created equal, but for the sake of comparison that’s as good a sample size as we’ll get for an “even” playing field between the teams. What does that mean for our comparison, then? Let’s dig into the cup stats.




Including the final itself, both teams ended the tournament with 5 wins, and North Shore edges out Reykjavik with 3 draws to their 2 draws and a loss. Reykjavik would end with 1 more goal and 3 fewer goals allowed. Among the individual leaders, North Shore’s CASUAL would grab the scoring title with 7 goals, tied with Hollywood’s Gerd Klose, and Reykjavik would grab the assist lead twice, with Chicken and Andrews each claiming 6. Reykjavik would lead in completed passes and North Shore in tackles, but the real winner was the organization itself, as both teams were clearly ahead of the rest of the cup teams.

I’m sure that TPE would tell us an underdog story, that Reykjavik’s major league roster should have been the clear favorites against their prospect pool. The results in the cup games, though, tell us a different story. Some finals paint us a picture of a dominant offense going up against a punishing defense, or an MVP carrying a team to glory in spite of the odds. The S15 Cup Final had no such imbalance. Both teams had MVP candidates, scoring leaders, top notch defenders to keep the lead safe, and veteran goaltenders between the pipes. Both had been tested. Both had faced down the SSL’s best. On paper, this match was a draw, and on the field we’d see more of the same. A back and forth battle saw North Shore take an early 2-0 lead with goals from Del Pirlo and Tentacles, but Reykjavik's dominant attack would answer with back to back goals from Zizou Lopta. Extra time would see a back and forth affair, with each team alternating goals from Goddamn, Taytow, Scarpetta and Del Pirlo. The draw on paper was a draw on the field, and only penalties would give us an answer. Brick Wall may have been the better goaltender throughout the season, but veteran Scott Sterling would go out on top against his former team, stopping two penalties to give his team the win.

Was this an underdog story for the ages? I’m sure that anyone on the S15 North Shore roster would tell you they could beat anyone in the world. Turns out, they may have been right.