Tigers Claim Regular Season Championship, finishing 7-1-1 in league play and 7-3-1 overall, including a "friendly" with the Charlotte Eagles.
The Fall 2004 season was one of the most successful in club history.  With a large number of players returning for the Spring 2005 season, hopes are high.

Game recaps are provided below. 

FALL 2004 REGULAR SEASON FINAL STANDINGS

  FALL 2004 TOURNAMENT BRACKETS 
All games played at McAlpine Greenway Park field #2

MATCH REPORTS

Tournament Final - Tigers Lose to "Rivals" 1-0
Sunday, January 9, McAlpine Greenway Park
Congratulations to the Rivals, Tournament Champions for the Fall 2004 season of the Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Adult Soccer League by virtue of their 1-0 victory over CPCC in the tournament final.  The one goal margin was identical to the teams' two regular season meetings, with the Rivals claiming the edge in the first match with CPCC enjoying the margin in the second. This match was begun on December 6, but suspended at the half due to teams leaving the technical area on the occasion of a disputed goal. The Tigers' speed and communication seemed to be slightly off of their regular season form on this day, as the Rivals scored a goal midway through the first half and successfully defended for the remainder of the match.  The keepers for both sides deserve much of the credit for this low scoring affair. 

The Rivals had to share championship trophies with the Tigers owing to CPCC's first place finish in the regular season.

Many thanks go to all the players who came out so consistently to matches and practices during the fall 2004 season.  Also appreciated are the friends and family who came to our matches and for all the support they provided throughout.

Match #10 Report
Tigers roar into tournament final with 7-0 shutout of Charlotte United
Six players scored goals as CPCC drilled a Charlotte United team that had played its way into the match with a win over the Mambo Kings earlier in the day.  The defense maintained its tally of goals allowed in league play to 11.  The Tigers now seem to be firing on all cylinders as they head into the final vs. the hungry Rivals.

Match #9 (friendly vs. the Charlotte Eagles)
Coach De Lucca declared himself pleased with the results of the friendly match played against the Charlotte Eagles Tuesday evening (11-16-04) at Col. Frances Beatty Park.  It was the two teams first ever meeting, and the CPCC players were given a great lesson by the city's professional club.  As expected, the Eagles overwhelmed CPCC with superior skills, cohesion, and conditioning.  But the Tigers were impressive in stretches, actually mounting some sustained possessions, even managing a goal in the 28th minute by Juan Manuel Cerpa.  Upon conclusion of the match, coaches for both sides expressed satisfaction with the result, and a desire to get the two sides together again in the near future.  Hopefully, Tuesday's match signals the beginning of an ongoing relationship between the two clubs. 

Match #8 Report
The Tigers finished the regular season against Charlotte United, duplicating the 3-2 result of the teams previous meeting.  With the win, the Tigers finished the regular season in first place with a record of 6-1-1. It is the Tigers first regular season championship since the spring 2002 season.

Two Tigers were shown red cards during the match, bringing to a total of four the number of cards handed out to CPCC this season. 

CPCC 3:2 Charlotte United
First Half
Roland Kamara (12')
Sincere Connor (22')
Alex Lyle (28')

Match #7 Report
On Sunday, the Tigers returned to the familiar environs of McAlpine Creek Park to face the Mambo Kings.  In a game characterized by missed opportunities, the Tigers failed to protect their early goal. Instead, a last-minute mistake by the usually solid Tiger defense gave the Mambo Kings a PK, which they converted to salvage a 1-1 draw.  Jaime Bueno scored the lone CPCC goal in the 16th minute.

CPCC 1:1 Mambo Kings
First Half
Jaime Bueno (16')

Match #6 Report
Everything about match #6 had a different feel.  For starters, the Saturday kickoff was a first for the season, as was the Sugar Creek Park venue. Perhaps most unfamiliar was the opponent, for while the team taking the field against the Tigers wore the familiar Inter-Meck jersey, they were being worn by a seemingly all-new roster, and they had come ready to play. Thankfully, 18 of Coach De Lucca's finest soccer warriors showed up on-time and just as ready. Inter-Meck opened the game with an unrelenting offensive push.  Though much of the game was played on CPCC's side of the field, Inter-Meck was held to no more than 3 or 4 shots on goal.  Both CPCC's goals were made in the first half, with Juan Manuel Cerpa (10') and Sincere Connor (15') continuing their brilliance on the attack.

Coach De Lucca was particularly proud of the poise displayed by CPCC during the course of a particularly tense match.  When a red card was shown to an Inter-Meck player, the Tigers kept their composure and focus on achieving the shutout. 

CPCC 2:0 Inter-Meck
First Half
Juan Manuel (10')
Sincere Connor (15')

Match #5 Report
A very physical match with the Rivals resulted in an injury (Alex Lyle), a red card (Juan Carlos), and a 1-0 win, sending CPCC to the top of the league standings.

Coach DeLucca took a more conservative approach to this match by employing an extra midfielder.  As usual, the team effort was built upon a rock-solid performance in the defensive back.  In the 16th minute, Juan Manuel made a great pass to Alex Lyle, who put it away for what would be the only goal of the match.

CPCC 1:0 Rivals
First Half
Alex Lyle (16')

Match #4 Report
Late goal gives Tigers a 3-2 victory over Charlotte United. Charlotte United gained an early lead on a PK in the 10th minute.  Just eight minutes later, Adam Navratil was shown a red card after protesting a non-call.  In the 30th minute, Juan Manuel converted a PK to tie the match for a half-time score of 1-1.  CPCC would have to play the entire second half with just ten players. 

In the 12th minute of the second half, Juan Manuel Cerpa made a great goal from the field, but just two minutes later, United would draw even again on another PK.  In the 26th minute, Juan Manuel Cerpa served a beautiful ball into the box where a waiting Jason Murphy cleanly touched the ball into the back of the net for a 3-2 Tiger win! 

Sometimes, a team must find a way to win even when it does not play well.  Such was the case today.  Now, the Tigers must face the Rivals without a key midfielder.    

CPCC 3:2 Charlotte United
First half
Juan Manuel Cerpa (PK - 28')
Second half
Juan Manuel Cerpa (12')
Jason Murphy (27')

Match #3 Report
The Tiger's third match of the season pitted them against their long-time rival, the Mambo Kings.  Though the first half was played at the Mambo's preferred pace, Angel Cerpa scored early and Juan Manuel Cerpa added another goal in the 28th minute.  Despite the 2-0 halftime lead, Coach DeLucca remained unimpressed with the Tiger's quality of communication and time of possession, and used halftime to urge a renewed focus on imposing the team's will on the match.  The Tigers responded magnificently to Coach DeLucca's halftime challenge.  With Jason Murphy taking leadership in the back, and Alex Lyle winning and distributing the ball with great consistency up front, the Tigers exploded for four second half goals, utterly dismantling the Mambo Kings, and gaining the season's first shutout. 

The second half of this match may well be remembered as the moment in which CPCC took a big step toward another league championship.  Clearly, the club has quality players at every position, but what makes CPCC potentially intimidating to other league foes is its depth.  Five of the six goals scored in this match were by players who did not start!  The Tigers are deep and seem to have "gelled", giving rise to speculation that they may once again lay claim to the championship that has for several seasons been beyond reach.

The Tigers' true test will be "round two" against the league leading Rivals.  Next up, however, is a revamped Charlotte United team that is tired of being pushed around.

CPCC 6:0 Mambo Kings
First half scoring
Juan Manuel Cerpa (28')
Second Half Scoring
Roland Kamara (05')
Orlando Zarate (11')
Arton Fazliu (18')
Miguel Cerpa (23')
Miguel Cerpa (30')

Match #2 Report
Tigers race out to early 3-0 lead on way to 5-2 victory over talented Inter-Meck.  Details here soon.

Match #1 Report
Tigers drop first match 2-1 to RIVALS on referee's controversial action. 
CPCC opened its season with a 1-2 loss to the RIVALS when one of the game officials refused to let the match continue.  CPCC keeper Juan Cerpa went down hard in the 25th minute of the second half when an opposing player made physical contact on the way to a goal.  With play stopped and his keeper apparently injured, Coach DeLucca asked permission from the official to go on the field to see about his condition.  When DeLucca determined Cerpa could continue playing, the official then insisted a substitution be made for the keeper in order for play to resume.  Citing the exception for keepers in the FIFA rules in such circumstances, DeLucca refused to make a substitution. The officials did not authorize play to resume and called the match a 2-1 win for the Rivals.