No Cigar (R)

FC Indiana came ever so close last night to winning the championship in their W-League debut season.

Two Pali Blues header goals in the game's 83rd and 88th minutes gave the Chicago Red Stars affiliate their first defeat of the year by a 2-1 margin.

The game will be replayed on Fox Soccer Channel today at 3 pm CT. I suggest turning the game off around the 80th minute, ignoring any "official" result and popping the cork on a bottle of champagne to celebrate the greatest debut in a soccer league by a team since 1998.

Congratulations to FC Indiana Head Coach Shek Borkowski and Co-Founder Gary Weaver (pictured above in Virginia Beach this weekend with Red Stars Coach Emma Hayes) and everyone at FC Indiana on a fantastic season.

Higher Expectations

Chicago WPS W-League affiliate FC Indiana outshot the Michigan Hawks 18-3 on its way to a 5-0 victory in its home opener in Indianapolis Wednesday night.

Most coaches would take the three points and dominating performance and be pleased. But FCI Head Coach Shek Borkowski, though not angry, was displeased with his team's overall performance - especially their appearance to cruise through the game.

Afterwards, Shek said, “At 3-0 we stopped playing,” he said. “When you lead 3-0 it is natural to think you are going to win – but Michigan made it difficult for us and never gave up.

"Our second half substitutes played with some intensity," he continued. At least one moment had Borkowski cheering. He smiled briefly when Laura del Rio blazed in her third goal after a good pass by Moore to make it 5-0. “Everything about that was perfect,” he said. “Moore’s pass was fantastic, and del Rio produced a great finish. It’s important to us that she keeps on scoring.”

FC Indiana defender Aivi Luik, meanwhile, echoed her coach’s relief at getting past this hurdle. “We are not pleased at the performance – although it’s never easy to concentrate when you’re three goals up,” she said.

i think W-League teams may be in for some tough nights when the League's newest team, FC Indiana, shows up on their schedule this season.

High Expectations

Chicago WPS W-League affiliate FC Indiana outshot the Kalamazoo Outrage 21-1 on its way to a 2-0 victory in its season opener in Kalamazoo Friday night.

Most coaches would take the away points and dominating performance and be pleased. But FCI Head Coach Shek Borkowski, though not "Outraged", was less than pleased with his team's overall performance - especially in the final third.

Afterwards, Shek said, "Statistics mean nothing. We played well at times and tried to win but still are not aggressive enough at running at defenders."

i think W-League teams may be in for some tough nights when the League's newest team, FC Indiana, shows up on their schedule this season.