2013 U.S. Open Friday Recap - Men's Division
Jonathan Neeley
Posted: July 6, 2013 03:46 AM
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Men's Division:
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"Christian Foster looked like Swamp Thing coming out of the mud," said ESPN broadcaster Evan Lepler of the Ironside defender’s layout block that saw him land in a puddle of standing water. "It was the best block I’ve seen all tournament."
That the voice of ESPN’s ultimate coverage named a play from today’s round one Revolver vs. Ironside match up as his favorite is no surprise. The guy knows entertainment, and Ironside’s 15-14 win was the most talked about men’s game of the day for good reason. Ironside took an initial 3-0 lead, Revolver scored five of six points to go up 5-4, the teams were within one at the half and Ironside mounted a late comeback to climb out of a two-point hole against a San Francisco team that has often gotten the best of Boston in recent years. With the game tied at 14-14, Revolver turned the disc over on the goal line, setting up a George Stubbs huck to Teddy Browar-Jarus that sealed the game for Ironside.
"One reason I watched that game so closely was that these are definitely teams we’ll see in the semis," Lepler said. "We’d be lucky if we got a finals game that good."
The spectators here know it, too. Only a few fans were present at first pull, but by the second half, the gathering in the shaded area behind the end zone had grown from a small contingent of USA Ultimate coordinators and U.S. National Team members whose club teams are not in attendance to a large cluster that included a number of Doublewide players, Ultiworld reporters and fans in search of this type of heated match up. It was the first of a number of big crowds that formed throughout the day.
"We rarely see top-level teams in the area," said Miller Yoho, a Triangle native who drove up from Charlotte to watch the U.S. Open. We get Ring and Chain Lightning but not Revolver and Ironside. It’s unbelievable how they excel at the little things most of us wouldn’t even think about. They know what each foot is going to do to get them to a particular place on the field."
Yoho also took a moment to appreciate the view from his folding chair stationed 15 feet off the sideline. "You can hear everything," he said, "the calls and what they’re talking about on the line."
By the second round, fans like Yoho had a feel for the personalities of the men’s division’s best teams: Ironside is sophisticated, using a number of different offensive sets that require chemistry and consistency; Revolver is fundamentally sound, running their clears as hard as their cuts to make space all over the field; Doublewide is explosive but tired – the Texas team has some of the tournament’s fastest players but only brought 17 to play; Ring of Fire is tenacious, fighting hard to stay close against the top three despite early deficits against each.
The bottom four men’s teams continued to struggle against the top seeds but remained competitive amongst themselves. Euforia and Chicago Club each beat Mephisto, and Mephisto beat Ragnarok. Ragnarok beat Chicago Club, Chicago Club beat Euforia, and Euforia beat Ragnarok.
Round by round, the results were as follows:
Round One: Doublewide over Euforia 15-5, Ironside over Revolver 15-14, Ring of Fire over Ragnarok 15-12, and Chicago Club over Mephisto 15-13.
Round Two: Doublewide over Mephisto 15-8, Revolver over Ring of Fire 15-11, Ironside over Euforia 14-7, Ragnarok over Chicago Club 15-11.
"We felt Ironside was calling a lot of picks on purpose," said Euforia captain Andres Angel of his team’s long post-game conversation with observers. "I see here there are more strict cutting patterns [than in Colombia], and maybe our fast disc movement leads to more picks because our cutting isn’t as organized. But when you have five or six picks called in a row, it’s hard not to feel upset.
Round Three: Ironside over Doublewide 15-10, Revolver over Chicago Club 15-7, Ring of Fire over Euforia 15-6, Mephisto over Ragnarok 15-13.
Doublewide’s lack of depth caught up with them in the day’s final round; Euforia and Mephisto are one thing, but Ironside is another when it’s 90 degrees out, and you only have 17 players. When Ironside’s Jim Foster caught a Callahan to take half, Doublewide looked as relieved to get a breather as they did dejected by the play.
Other notes from the first two days of pool play:
- The WRAL Soccer Complex’s grass fields are incredibly muddy thanks to the heavy rains that dumped on the entire Eastern seaboard throughout the past month. Downfield cutters have struggled to get free from defenders because it’s hard to find the solid ground needed to cut aggressively, and receivers have lost throwing time because they have fallen after catching the disc.
- The U.S. Open’s two most recognizable rookies, Doublewide’s Tyler Degirolamo and Alex Thorne, are eager to integrate themselves with a new team after winning their second consecutive college title at Pittsburgh. "It’s the highest level I’ve ever played at and a great opportunity," said Thorne. "It’s the same game, just the guys are bigger, faster and better." For Degirolamo, "It’s interesting. You roll up to a hotel at 3am to an open door and sleep next to people you don’t even know. I’m just trying to get a feel for what everyone does."
- National Team members Mike Natenberg (Doublewide); Ashlin Joye, Beau Kittredge and Mac Taylor (Revolver); George Stubbs (Ironside); and Brett Matzuka (Ring of Fire) are all pulling double duty, along with several of their teammates who are playing in the women's division this weekend. The team is practicing before competition starts every day. "It’s tiring," said Matzuka. "With only 11 guys and a fast-paced practice, it’s a whole lot of running."
Video clips by ESPN
Day 2 video recap:
Photos by UltiPhotos.com (extended highlights gallery)
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