Today was a relatively fun, challenging match against our old nemesis, the PE College, despite the 4-1 loss--as Yves noted, apparently correctly, it was our very first loss in 2011. I think most of you would agree that we did a pretty good job holding our own. As usual, their fitness and speed became more apparent in the second half and allowed them to begin taking advantage of our lapses, despite the fact that we were able to read their plays fairly well. We were also missing about 1/3 of our normal starting line-up, including a big chunk of our midfield (Laurent, Lukas, Arno, Gaetan, etc.).

About 5-10 minutes into the match, PE College put in a goal but was then surprised when Compass roared back down the field and Ben returned the favor a couple minutes later. The match stayed tied for quite a long time, with another goal going in before the half. For the vast majority of the game, Chris and David did a stellar job anchoring the center defense and chasing down PE College forwards and midfielders darting into the box, and were ably assisted by Ross, Eugene, Seth (joining us again after a lengthy absence) and Yves, who made a number of good saves throughout the game. In the center midfield, Eric moved up to help Seb, while Ben O. also played most of the game on in a wing midfield position, with Rob starting on the other side. Artem later came in to make strong contributions--despite suffering from a hangover and reportedly getting home at 7 a.m. Sunday morning. Our newest player, Kozo, also premiered with Compass in the midfield while, up front, it was Ben, Michael and Cesar dividing duties and aggressively pressuring and probing PE College's defense. In the final minutes, Cesar came very close to glory with a very nice shot from the the skimmed across the box and just outside the left post.

For the second time in two weeks, this match marks some Compass player comings and goings. Yves, leaving Taiwan in 2+ weeks, says it may be his last match with us, although we're hoping he can squeeze in at least one more game before he heads back to his native Luxembourg for more university. I've greatly appreciated Yves' strong team spirit, aggressive play on the pitch and versatility--serving us well in on the field and in the net. We'll miss you, Yves, and hope you make your way back this way again in the future.

As noted above, I'd like to welcome midfielder/forward Kozo, whose hometown is Osaka, making him only the second-ever Japanese player to join Compass. We look forward to sharing the pitch with you on many future occasions, Kozo!

Moving on to upcoming matches, Compass has schedule games in the Southern League against Phoenix in Tainan and the Pacers in Kaohsiung in May. Also, the Compass and Tubbies are jointly organizing an upcoming Summer Cup tourney in Taichung in the beginning of June.

Doug