Tehel Cup Quarterfinal Predictions

We've reached the last eight in this tournament and we've got some interesting storylines developing. First, it's still possible we see a re-match of last year's final if Yemen Elite were to play Queenston. You've got the Boomslang/Roos matchup pairing former linked clubs against one another. You have a likely relegation candidate from the premier league in Clarence playing a likely promotion candidate in FC Yemen from the Championship division, and it's possible the two Yemen clubs could see eachother in the semis while it's also possible the biggest of all BDSL rivalries could take place on the otherside if both Roos and Queenston reach the final four. I'll do my best to see how it pans out below:

Yemen Elite (8-2-3) vs. Lazio (7-2-3)
Likely Game location: West Seneca Soccer Complex

Yemen Elite defeated Lazio this year in league play soundly by a score of 4-0. Although I think that's more of an abberation, I still think Yemen Elite gets the job done Thursday, and it's really no disrespect to Lazio but I think fixture congestion could be an issue for them. I would hope that Lazio understands that if they don't make up their game against Rush this year, this week, that they will almost certainly miss out on the playoffs in Premier league play even if they defeat SoHo this coming Sunday. Raiders are in, and with a SoHo loss (Lazio win), a BUSS win against Chelsea, and an Elite win over Sharpshooters, Lazio can finish no better than 6th without of course playing that Rush game. We'll see, as maybe I'm over thinking this too much considering their first of many games this week will be the Tehel Cup match, so perhaps this doesn't really apply. I think Elite gets the job done though by way of the PK spot in what's easily the highest quality matchup we have left among all four fixtures.

Prediction: Yemen Elite 2, Lazio 1

Clarence (4-7-1) vs. FC Yemen (10-1-2)
Likely Game location: Clarence Soccer Center, Field #11

Despite a puzzling draw FC Yemen just took against Wolfpack in league play, I worry more about the remaining commitment level of Clarence, based on their attendance against my team in league play this past weekend. Maybe at this point their focus is fully on the Tehel Cup though. Anyway, I think Clarence's defense could be left exposed far too often against a speedy FC Yemen side who's had no issue burying goals in bunches this year. Lenny Previte will have to bring his A++ game for this one, since he will be busy. FC Yemen has knocked off SoHo FC and Rush FC from the premier league already, and I don't expect the trend to buck just yet.

Prediction: FC Yemen 3, Clarence 1

Boomslang FC (9-3-1) vs. Roos FC (7-3-3)
Likely Game location: Mulroy Park Turf

As cool as it would be to see a former 'baby sister' club defeat the original after branching off in hopes to be something better (See 'United States of America', for example), I wouldn't get your hopes up. I get the idea I know what Boomslang has been like this year. They're good enough to win the games they're supposed to, they're deserving in my mind of a playoff spot in the Championship division, but ultimately I don't think they step up in the big games (Hoops, Rangers, BSC Inter, 2015). It worries me how many goals get scored on their back four this year when it comes to playing athletic teams (FC Yemen aside, as they played them week 1 with a limited FC Yemen roster). So in comes Roos FC who have seen a great year out of striker Alex Reid. Could be a dream matchup for this forward. The area in which I'd expect Roos to dominate in order to get Reid some quality chances is their midfield. Their midfield is arguably one of the best in all of the BDSL, so that should be the area of focus for Boomslang. I think Roos wears down their opponents in this one and gets some late cushion goals to manage their way into the final four.

Prediction: Roos FC 4, Boomslang FC 1

Celtic United (5-5-3) vs. Queenston FC (6-5-1)
Likely Game location: Ellicott Creek Park

Barnes & Rodrigues are out for this one as they are Brandon Galanti's coaches this fall at NU, who is expected to play, so there's a nice swing in favor of Celtic United right off the bat. However, Queenston has been playing some solid football lately, probably better than United has played and that could boil down to commitment/desire down the stretch. It's always difficult to carry the bullseye on your back as a defending champion. The extra pressure or the extra motivation from an opponent can hurt, but our side seems to do what it takes in elimination games lately, as we're in search for a 10th consecutive win in elimination games (Five 2014 Tehel Cup matches, two 2014 playoff matches, and thus far two 2015 Tehel Cup matches). I think these two sides are more similar than each think, defensive minded sides who work for their goals, so it should be a relatively evenly played game. And I think it'll show on the below prediction.

Prediction: Queenston 1 (4), Celtic United 1 (3) - Parliament advance on penalties