Nordreich Liga Season III

Nordreich Liga Season III ran from April 1, 2010 to August 26, 2010.

Heading into Season III, The Scimitars and Valkyries (both last place in their respective divisions in Nordreich Liga Season II) folded while Nacional FC from Costa Libertad (managed by Liga Mundo commissioner PremierApex) joined as an expansion club. With the subsequent loss in numbers from 12 to 11 teams, all Liga 2 teams were moved up into the Liga 1 Division. During the season, Neon City came under new management after Nemhauser was sacked by the club. =Final Standings= text =Regular Season=

Nordreich Liga 1
insert table

Statistics Leaders
text

Liga 1 All-Star Team
text =Retirements= text =League MVP= text =Manager of the Season= text =Nordreich Cup=

First Round

 * Zemo City Avengers defeated Nacional CF (2-0, 4-1)
 * North Pacific United defeated Vlaamsche Boerkens (2-3, 2-1)
 * FC Craiova Sud defeated C.S. Napoli (3-0, 3-5)

Quarter-Finals
Matches played on April 11 and April 18, 2010 APRIL 6, 2010 - Nordreich Cup Quarter-Finals Preview
 * Dorpat Lions defeated FC Craiova Sud (0-3, 4-0)
 * Zemo City Avengers defeated FC Oder-Festung 1920 (2-0, 2-1)
 * Scottoria FC defeated Neon City (4-0, 0-0)
 * NVK Kaapstad Hornets defeated North Pacific United (0-1, 5-1)

Dorpat Lions vs FC Craiova Sud: Despite Dorpat being the defending champion, this series could end up being closer than expected if Craiova Sud is able to get full effort from its midfield and forwards to counter its backfield deficiencies. However smart money is on Dorpat to advance with a pair of wins in its pocket.

Zemo City Avengers vs FC Oder-Festung 1920: O-F 1920 were the darlings of the ball last season with their impressive cup run – pushing aside string opposition from Zemo City and Kaapstad – to face down Dorpat in the finals before succumbing by four goals. However this time around, don’t expect any heroics from O-F 1920. Guaranteed that Zemo City Avengers will be on the hunt for revenge after their humiliating exit in the quarter-finals, the Avengers are flying high right now with the best display of team form in the Liga while O-F 1920 are at the opposite end of the spectrum with easily the most atrocious form after the off-season progress report. O-F 1920 midfield looks particularly tired right now and which could well be the O-F 1920 downfall.

Scottoria FC vs Neon City: An easy set of practise matches for Scottoria. Manager Norwood’s squad goes through the necessary motion as Neon City folds their tents early. Not even close.

North Pacific United vs NVK Kaapstad Hornets: NPU has made vast improvements during the off-season after two campaigns of neglect but will it be enough in time to penetrate the Hornets’ famous defensive wall? North Pacific needs to exploit the Capetonians’ lacklustre and uncreative midfield line if they are going to put any sort of pressure on the net. Hornets should advance but all-too-close results will keep Manager Botha awake at night with cause for concern.

Semi-Finals

 * Zemo City Avengers vs Dorpat Lions
 * Scottoria FC vs NVK Kaapstad Hornets

APRIL 19, 2010 - Nordreich Semi-Finals Preview

Zemo City Avengers vs Dorpat Lions: a classic series lined up here as both clubs have won the Nordreich Cup and know full well what needs to be done on the pitch. Zemo City has a slight advantage in head-to-head game results, with a 3-2-2 record against Dorpat. Home field seems to play a factor in meetings against these two clubs, with neither side able to gain wins away from home. Dorpat Lions seem to be riding strong form lately but the two sides are fairly balanced on paper. Overall for talent, Dorpat has the slightest of advantages – with their strengths leading in midfield and the attack, while Zemo City has a much more noticeable strength in net and defense. This series could go either way and the derby atmosphere between the two managers makes it too close to call. The team that can bag the most goals on the road should have the edge to advance. Nod right now goes to Zemo City mostly because they will be seeking retribution against Dorpat and will be more fired up to win.

Scottoria FC vs NVK Kaapstad Hornets: Despite Manager Botha’s cautiousness, everything on paper says the Hornets should be able to beat Scottoria in this series. The Hornets have a 2-1-1 record in previous meetings and most notably a draw on the road. The teams are fairly even strength although Kaapstad has a distinct advantage with form right now and their defense is rock solid. Goaltending however is a little suspect as newcomer Wollo Schampa has yet to find his stride. Scottoria will need to take exploit the Hornets’ inexperience and collective weakness on midfield. This series will come down to who plays stronger and scores more at home. Nod goes to Scottoria as NVK Kaapstad Hornets puts up a good fight but is undone by its own inconsistency and inexperience with the midfield and goalkeeping duties.

Nordreich Cup Finals
text

=Team Pages=
 * NVK Kaapstad Hornets