Great win for Green Briar in semi of Boston Irish Cup

Kendall Wanders A 1:2 Green Briar FC

Green Briar, who ended group play with a pair of draws and a second place berth in Group B, showed much better form in the semi final against a talented Kendall Wanderers side who topped their respective Group with a pair of wins over Groton House and Paddy Barry's.

Green Briar displayed the resolve to come from a goal down to record an impressive 2-1 victory with a wonder strike from Gary Clarke and a typical thundering drive from Eamonn McCarney.

After a lengthy warm-up the Briar players were focused and ready to go for the 6:30pm kick off. That focus would see them dominate possession and territory in the first 15 minutes of the opening half. Brian McGuinness only managed to hit the post with an early shot and Tom Caldwell saw a crisp low strike turned away expertly by the Kendall keeper.

The Briar were caught on the break however and were left to rue not capitalizing on their earlier dominance. The Kendall striker finding a pocket of space in front of goal and slotting home neatly.

The equalizer was worthy of any competition, and testiment to the healthy state of Irish soccer in the Bay State. Brian McGuinness lifted a long diagonal ball to the right wing towards a flying Gary Clarke. Showing tremendous technique and composure in front of goal, Gary met the ball on the full volley and guided a powerful curling volley to the top corner with the inside of that cultured left foot of his.

The tempo of the game somewhat cooled in the second half with neither side creating any great openings. Eamonn McCarney did manage to find the net with 15 minutes to go, after his drive was too much for the keeper to handle and nestled nicely in the bottom corner.

The final minutes became frantic once again as Kendall searched for the equalizer that would prolong their tournament. Tom Caldwell was sin binned for an over exuberant challenge and that left the Briar short handed for 2 long minutes. In a terrific display of energy, concentration and stalwart defending the Greens managed to hang on to secure a place in the final next Wednesday April 4th @ 7pm.


Line Up: De'Pieri, Hennessy, Clarke, Coen, McGuinness, Caldwell, McLoughlin, McCarney, Doonan, Dupuis, Glynn, Dean, Kieran

Games for this week

Please be at the field at least 30 minutes in advance of Kick Off

Boston Irish Cup Semi Final
Thurs Mar 29th: Kendall Wanderers A vs Green Briar FC ( 6:30PM Kick-Off @ Marina Bay)

OTHSL O30 League Game 1
Sun Apr 1st: Green Briar O30 vs Medfield ( 9:00AM Kick-Off @ Wheelock School)

MSSL League Game 1
Sun Apr 1st: Albania United SC vs Green Briar FC ( 4:00PM Kick-Off @ Millennium Park)

High scoring draw versus Suchi FC

Green Briar 4:4 Suchi FC

A hatrick from Gary Cassidy and a single goal for Mickey Sexton was a good return for the Briar strikers, but that was not enough to earn the victory. Suchi FC came from behind on three occasions to earn a draw on a fresh morning at Danehy Park in Cambridge.

Green Briar raced into a two goal lead early on. Gary Clarke set Cassidy racing through with a terrific ball over the top and the Limerick man made no mistake with the finish. Later, Cassidy found some space in the box and his somewhat scuffed effort was deflected kindly into the Suchi net to double the lead before the 15 minute mark.

Suchi found themselves back on level terms with a pair of goals either side of the half. The first came following a movement down the right wing and after the cross was not dealt with properly, the Suchi striker swept the ball home nicely on the half volley. Just after the break Suchi won a penalty when one of their midfield players was helped to the ground by a challenge from behind. The spot kick was converted crisply to restore parity.

Green Briar regained the lead through Gary Cassidy once again. Left unmarked at the back post, he found the far corner with his free header, guiding it downwards and across the goal mouth. Suchi found yet another equalizer when a shot from the left hand side could only be parried to another Suchi player on the edge of the six. The striker duly took the gift to make it 3-3.

Green Briar kept making chances, even though Suchi were enjoying more quality possession in midfield. Colin Roux should have found the net when he arrived late to meet a cross at the back post. It would be Mickey Sexton who would eventually help the Briar regain the lead however, as he side footed a chance to the left corner of the net.

The final word came from Suchi, who completed the goal blitz with the eighth of the match, beating the offside trap and converting the resultant two-on-one break away.

A good workout for a Green Briar team looking to find its identity for the 2012 season. The next action should be a Boston Irish Cup match mid-week followed by the league opener on April 1st.

Line up: Mullane, Hennessy, Altidore, Doonan, Clarke, Hardy, Roux McGuinness, Caldwell, Claus, Cassidy, Jones, Sexton, Nguyen, Goin

Friend of Green Briar FC needs help

Dina Apovian, a long time supporter of the team needs your help. Her young nephew Adam is ill and if you can support her fundraising efforts by donating on-line and / or attending this event it would be a great help to her family. Click here to help.

VERY IMPORTANT: 2012 Registration

You cannot play for either Green Briar team (MSSL or OTH) until you register yourself on the Mass Player Registration system. 

There's a lot to read about it below but the long and the short of it is as follows: every amateur soccer league in the state is going ahead with this new system as it improves Mass State Soccer's ability to administer its affiliated leagues, allows for better insurance coverage for the players, and makes for more professional and accountable inter-league competitions.

If you are going to play on Green Briar FC in the next two years you have to fill this out. If you are playing on both our teams and/or in another league in the next two years you only need one registration card.

It costs $25 for the two years. A duplicate card costs $3.

It went live last Saturday March 17th. The URL is http://reg.mass-soccer.org/

To register, players will need an e-mail address, a digital photograph and a credit card to pay the $25 fee.  For $25 players will get a laminated passcard and will be registered for two years with USASA. Massachusetts players have by far the lowest registration costs in the country.  In most states the fees vary from $30 -$50 dollars per player per year.  Your liability insurance costs will end up being just $12.50/year.

There is also an option to purchase a duplicate ID card while registering online.  This is an additional cost of $3 per player. This may be useful for players who play on multiple teams or are prone to losing things.

Once registered, please let your respective team manager know your registration number so you can be added to the roster of one or both teams. Reminder, you will not be allowed play in any affiliated league unless you have a registration card.

This season, the club is also looking for $100 per player to cover operating expenses during the year. (you can pay that to Paul Glynn or Michael Graham by bringing a check payable to Green Briar FC.)

Any questions PLEASE let one of us know as soon as possible.

MASS Player Registration System

Player Process:

Every player will create an account at http://reg.mass-soccer.org by providing an accurate email address. The system will then email the player a link directing them back to the online registration site to complete registration. Each player must have a unique email address to register with MASS Soccer.

·  Player enters demographic information and uploads photo

·  Player enters government ID number (driver's license, passport)

·  Player electronically signs liability waiver

·  Player pays affiliation fee via Paypal or credit card

·  Player prints temporary paper Mass Soccer Player Passcard

·  Mass Soccer office validates information and generates permanent Passcard

·  Player receives permanent Passcard via US mail within 3 weeks of completed registration

·  Player presents Mass Soccer Player Passcard to referee at game time

Registration is considered complete once a player has entered all the required data, uploaded an acceptable photo (subject to approval by MASS Soccer), paid their USASA/US Soccer affiliation dues, and received a Mass Soccer ID number.

We know what they say about self praise...

Boston Irish Cup Tables

Group A
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Kendall Wanderers A	2	2	0	0	4	1	6
Paddy Barry's	2	1	0	1	4	3	3
Groton House	2	0	0	2	0	4	0

Group B
Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Kendall Wanderers B	2	1	1	0	7	6	4
Green Briar FC	2	0	2	0	6	6	2
Bohemians	2	0	1	1	8	9	1

Remaining fixtures can be found here.