The Knights FC have become the proverbial lion of March, winning the MSI March Madness tournament and withstanding the toughest test of their mettle yet.

Starting with TAP Barcelona, the Knights cruised to a 5-0 win. With little time to get rested, the Knights went onto the pitch against AC Bethesda, a known and dangerous foe. Unfortunately, AC Bethesda was on their game and the Knights were not. We suffered a 5-1 loss and went home looking forward to the chance to play for a spot in the Championship game. Sunday morning saw us up against the MSC Dragons and we were sorely tested, tied at the end of regulation, we scored in the first extra time period and had a couple of heartstopping runs against us foiled by the deft hands of Oscar. When it is time to replace those gloves they should be bronsed!

This set the stage for the Championship game, once again we were to play AC Bethesda. This was going to be the third time in March that we had met them and Coach Lewis cooked up a strong game plan to counter their potent center striker. Our strategy depended on a strong defense and Zack becoming the shadow of the big AC Bethesda number 12. It worked, with the middies and the defense holding them to just one goal, now all we needed was some offensive fireworks and they were provided by Justin. In the second half he made a wonderful run and took a fabulous shot that caromned in off of the far post. A little while later Max made a run up the right side and centered to Justin who took it off his chest and hook lobbed a shot over the falling backwards goalie...2-0! The game was not over yet and Bethesda pulled one back, scoring on a direct kick and scramble in front of the net.

In the end, though, the Knights had enough gas in the tank to hold and they won their second tournament in March! Congratulations Coach Ty and all of the boys, they had to really dig deep and it showed

The Knights turn in a complete and well rounded performance against the Jefferson Cup Superior Division competition, capping the effort with a Championship game win and taking home the Cup.

Saturday saw eleven goals scored while only allowing one, as every component of the team clicked and everyone's energy was high. Coach Ty and injured players Dylan and Oscar cheered the team on against the FC United where the result was 5-0 and the NOVI Jaguars 95 Green saw 7-1. Notably, Abdi achieved a hat trick in both games. Also notable was our guest goalie, Adam, who in addition to a couple of phenomenal saves also spent time on the field and scored! Other scoring contributions were made by David, Moises, Justin, Chris, and Anthony. Clearly the defense was setting the bar high and the offense was up to the challenge.

Sunday morning saw the toughest test of the weekend. Our regular sweeper Timmy was unavailable and the home Richmond team was determined to make their mark. They probed harder than any opponent to that point, but while the defense led by Anthony bent, it did not break. Nil-nil at the break, it was apparent that the 2nd half would be fierce. The Knights would advance with a tie, but it was clear that Richmond wasn't going to settle for that. Richmond continued to probe and our opportunity came with Justin making a long run from our territory up the left side. Max ran in support while Justin unerringly cut to his right at the 18 and made his way to the goal. He fired the shot near post and it found the back of the net. Time expired with the defense smothering the frantic Richmond attempts at an equalizer.

The Knights met the Hammers in the final and managed to keep the majority of possession in the attacking half. On one of the many corner kick opportunities the curling ball looked to be heading for the net, but it is always good to be sure and Abdi did just that, heading it home for the lead. Some time later Max received the ball in the box and slotted it home for the go ahead goal. Then in the second half Max broke in and found the net again, putting the game out of reach for the Hammers. The work that the Knights have put in this winter really showed as they ran tirelessly for four games and everyone deserves the medals they earned!

Congratulations Coach Ty and the ASC Knights FC!!

Starting at 11:30pm, U12 and U13 boys teams began playing...and kept on playing through the whole night. Each team played 4 games and if the energy was any indicator, everyone from the players to the spectators had a great time.

The boys had a "sleeping bag city" to relax in between games with a large movie screen showing family friendly favorites, as well as a basketball court to keep them busy. But the night was really all about soccer.

Bob Gray and his team did a supper job directing the tournament and the Knights were joined by Harkes United, REAL Juniors, Sterling FC, and 2 Loudon clubs.

Heading home from a long night of soccer as the sun came up was an experience all of us will not soon forget. We are looking forward to next year!

Knights FC come away as the returning Champions of the 2007 August Cup at the Maryland Soccerplex after a very hard fought and hot final. In the first game the Knights played posession soccer against the Hockenssin Heat and came away with a 3-0 win. In the second game the boys battled the extreme heat and a bad pitch to beat the McLean Hotspurs 3-0 and secure a spot in the Semi-Finals against the rising NCSL Division 1 SYC Fusion. With only one sub and battling some key injuries the Knights stood their ground with a team that desperately wanted to win. The Fusion scored early, but the Knights kept their composure and played our brand of soccer enabling us to come back and tie the match placing us in the finals.

With little rest in between games, the Knights took the pitch against the PWSI Courage. The Knights dominated play, despite a scare in the beginning. Again battling the heat with 1 sub, the Knights kept pressing and created many scoring opportunities. The Knights 3-1 victory was sealed by a late free kick. All of our players should be very proud as they stepped up and took on every challenge and came out as Champions again!