2012 Fourside Senators season
The 2012 Fourside Senators season is the third season in the Fourside Senators's existence. Juan Manuel Lillo was the teams' head coach going into the season, but was sacked after the Micronesian Championship. Richie Williams is the current head coach.
Synopsis
The team did well in the SuperDraft, drafting defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste and goalkeeper Ryan Meara. For the first time in the team's history they participated in the Supplemental Draft, picking up midfielder Michael Green and defenders Mykel Bates and Stefan Antonijivic.
On February 16, the Sens traded Michael Farfan and Eduardo Coudet for Bright Dike, and acquired Eddie Johnson from Montreal for an undisclosed fee. They also traded Alan Gordon for Geoff Cameron from Houston, and Aaron Horton from Columbus for Stefan Antonijovic. Later in March they also released Brian Sylvestre (seeing how they had four goalkeepers at the time) and traded Mykel Bates to Montreal for Bryan Arguez and Calum Mallace.
The first game of the season was unsuccessful as the Sens lost 3-1 to Portland. They also lost to Colorado and tied Chicago. While playing Chicago, Sebastien Le Toux was injured in the knee and is slated to be out for the season. After a 1-0 loss to Vancouver, the Senators released Owen Hargreaves a year early from his contract. The reason given was "a lack of doing anything notable." The Sens lost 2-1 to Columbus while losing Swartzendruber and Torres to injuries.
In the regular season, the Sens tied Chivas USA and Seattle, putting their points total to 3. In the Micronesian Championship, the team got 14 out of 18 points in the group stage and made it to the final, only to lose to the Dawson Lions in extra time 1-0. Lillo was fired within an hour following the game and was driven out of the country. Meanwhile, non-supporters took the time to support the Lions in the CONCACAF Champions' League. This marks the first time in the teams' history that they did not make the CONCACAF Champions League.
Their replacement was longtime assistant coach Richie Williams. His first game was against New York, and not surprisingly, they lost 2-0. Williams' first decision was to strip Newton of the captaincy of the team, citing that "goalkeepers cannot carry a team on their back."
After tying with FC Dallas, the Sens faced rivals Toronto FC, who, like the Sens, did not have a win. A loss for the TFC would also mean that the TFC would have a 10-game losing streak - which would tie the record set by the Sens in 2010. It looked like it was going to be broken going into stoppage time in the second half but two minutes into the four-minute stoppage time, recently signed midfielder Miguel Senna scored a brilliant laser shot from the corner of the field, and with his left foot, which isn't his striking foot. It meant that the Fourside Senators were no longer perennial cellar dwellars, now that they have defeated Toronto, and put the TFC in the record books (albeit in a dubious way).
The Senators' luck continued with wins over DC United and Kansas City, the latter in a thrilling match that was capped off by yet another goal from Miguel Senna. Senna scored three goals in three matches to give the team their longest winning streak before losing to rivals Houston. The good news in that game was that star Danny Mwanga returned to the lineup after being out due to injuries for a while. There are some reports that Fourside is interested in trading for David Beckham or Landon Donovan from the LA Galaxy.
The Senators dealt away Levi Houapeu, Jack McInerney (both who were on the roster for the first game of the teams' history in 2010), Bryan Arguez and their 2013 Second Round draft pick for Danny Koevermans and Logan Emory of Toronto. The trade was met with astounding approval of the fans. They went on to defeat Toronto 2-0 in the next game. Newton was eventually made captain of the team, since Richie Williams could not find an obvious replacement for Newton as captain. Newton said that he wasn't effected at all by the decision that removed him as captain, but is now glad that he is captain of the Senators again. The team went on to win three straight, before tying with Columbus, losing to Chicago and winning over New England.
Fourside, now flirting with a playoff spot, has never been this close to obtaining a major trophy - the MLS Cup. But tying to playoff contenders Houston and Sporting Kansas City jeopardized their chances, which meant the team had to get a huge win over rivals New York Red Bulls. Senna scored late in the game to give the team a much needed win - and advanced into the playoffs for the first time.
The knockout round against D.C. United was fairly easy - Koevermans scored early on to lift the team to the Semi-Finals against Kansas City. They tied on the road in a scoreless draw, so all was on the line at home in Virgin Stadium. Despite a good start, they could not get a goal - and a missed wide open shot by Brandon Swartzendruber didn't help either - and the Senators lost 1-0.
Regular Season
Date | Team | Location | Final Score | W-L-T Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 12, 2012 | @ Portland Timbers | Jeld-Wen Field | 1-3 | 0-1-0 |
March 18, 2012 | Colorado Rapids | Virgin Stadium | 0-2 | 0-2-0 |
March 24, 2012 | @ Chicago Fire | Toyota Park | 0-0 | 0-2-1 |
March 31, 2012 | Vancouver Whitecaps | Virgin Stadium | 0-1 | 0-3-1 |
April 14, 2012 | Columbus Crew | Virgin Stadium | 1-2 | 0-4-1 |
April 21, 2012 | @ Chivas USA | The Home Depot Center | 0-0 | 0-4-2 |
April 28, 2012 | San Jose Earthquake | Virgin Stadium | 1-3 | 0-5-2 |
May 5, 2012 | @ Seattle Sounders FC | CenturyLink Field | 1-1 | 0-5-3 |
May 13, 2012 | New York Red Bulls | Virgin Stadium | 0-2 | 0-6-3 |
May 19, 2012 | @ FC Dallas | FC Dallas Stadium | 1-1 | 0-6-4 |
May 26, 2012 | @ Toronto FC | BMO Field | 1-0 | 1-6-4 |
June 16, 2012 | D.C. United | Virgin Stadium | 2-0 | 2-6-4 |
June 23, 2012 | Sporting Kansas City | Virgin Stadium | 2-1 | 3-6-4 |
June 30, 2012 | @ Houston Dynamo | BBVA Compass Stadium | 0-1 | 3-7-4 |
July 4, 2012 | @ Los Angeles Galaxy | The Home Depot Center | 5-1 | 4-7-4 |
July 8, 2012 | Toronto FC | Virgin Stadium | 2-0 | 5-7-4 |
July 14, 2012 | Montreal Impact | Virgin Stadium | 0-1 | 5-8-4 |
July 21, 2012 | @ New York Red Bulls | Red Bull Arena | 2-2 | 5-8-5 |
July 29, 2012 | New England Revolution | Virgin Stadium | 2-1 | 6-8-5 |
August 4, 2012 | @ Montreal Impact | Saputo Stadium | 1-0 | 7-8-5 |
August 12, 2012 | Chicago Fire S.C. | Virgin Stadium | 1-1 | 7-8-6 |
August 19, 2012 | @ D.C. United | RFK Stadium | 2-1 | 8-8-6 |
August 24, 2012 | Real Salt Lake | Virgin Stadium | 1-0 | 9-8-6 |
August 29, 2012 | Columbus Crew | Virgin Stadium | 0-2 | 9-9-6 |
September 1, 2012 | @ New England Revolution | Gillette Stadium | 1-1 | 9-9-7 |
September 15, 2012 | @ Toronto FC | BMO Field | 3-0 | 10-9-7 |
September 20, 2012 | D.C. United | Virgin Stadium | 1-0 | 11-9-7 |
September 23, 2012 | Houston Dynamo | BBVA Compass Stadium | 3-1 | 12-9-7 |
September 29, 2012 | @ Columbus Crew | Crew Stadium | 0-0 | 12-9-8 |
October 3, 2012 | @ Chicago Fire S.C. | Toyota Park | 0-1 | 12-10-8 |
October 6, 2012 | New England Revolution | Virgin Stadium | 1-0 | 13-10-8 |
October 20, 2012 | @ Houston Dynamo | BBVA Compass Stadium | 1-1 | 13-10-9 |
October 24, 2012 | @ Sporting Kansas City | Livestrong Sporting Park | 0-0 | 13-10-10 |
October 28, 2012 | New York Red Bulls | Virgin Stadium | 2-1 | 14-10-10 |
Playoffs
Date | Team | Round | Location | Final Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
October 31, 2012 | D.C. United | Knockout Round | RFK Stadium | 1-0 |
November 4, 2012 | Sporting Kansas City | Conference Semi-Final Leg 1 | BBVA Compass Stadium | 0-0 |
November 7, 2012 | Sporting Kansas City | Conference Semi-Final Leg 2 | Virgin Stadium | 0-1 |
Other Games
Goal Scorers
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