1776 Draw Emeralds Away In NJSL League Cup

(Ramsey, NJ)- The Morristown 1776 AFC have drawn Emeralds FC in the 1st round of the NJSL League Cup. The match is scheduled this Sunday, October 5th at Emeralds, 10 am at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield.

Emeralds plays in the NJSL US Division, one division above Morristown's NJSL NJ Division in the NJSL promotion/relegation league structure. Emeralds has played three matches this season with 1 loss and 2 ties.

A Morristown victory could see a quick rematch with Lyndhurst FC as they face first division Spring Street Strikers Sunday in NJSL League Cup action.

1776 Fall To Hispano 2-0

(Parsippany,NJ)- The Morristown 1776 A.F.C. took the pitch at a foggy Smith Field early Sunday morning knowing the side they were to play against had just last week tied a Lyndhurst FC squad the 1776 fell to 7-1 Wednesday.

But the underdog tag is something that never bothered manager Ryan Vinton's eleven chosen lads. Although they fell 2-0 to Hispano on this day, the Continental side looked as inspired as they have in months,in a match that could have easily gone the other way with a few breaks.

A revamped Morristown defense, led by former captain Ryan Deighan back at center back for the first time in 2 matches, appeared on the same page and looked a cohesive unit in holding Hispano to a 20th minute strike on a shot from outside the 18 yard box and an early second half PK.

The attack had their opportunities but failed to convert, Center forward Brian DeMarco and striker Brady McDonald were each denied two scoring chances apiece. Right wing Russell Bauer was also denied a good look in his first match ever wearing the Continentals arm-band.

1776 is in action next Sunday in the first round of the NJSA League Cup. The draw is expected from the league later tonight or tomorrow morning. Their next NJSL League match is Sunday October 12th v. Frankies Finest FC, home at Mennen Field 11am.

Maiwand FC Forfeit Sunday Match, 1776 Awarded 3 Points

(Morristown, NJ)- Maiwaid FC have forfeited their match Sunday v. The Morristown 1776 AFC according to NJSL league sources.

The Continentals will be awarded 3 points. Morristown next plays Wednesday Night at Lyndhurst FC at Lyndhurts Rec. Center.

Maiwand FC Match Sunday, Lyndhurst Makeup Scheduled

(Morristown, NJ)- The Morristown 1776 A.F.C. will take on Maiwand FC in a NJSL NJ Division match, this Sunday, 5pm at Smith Field in Parsippany.

Maiwand FC dropped their opening match to Lyndhurst FC, The Continentals opponent next Wednesday night, 7-4.

1776 also announced the match postponed due to Tropical Strom Hanna will be made up Wednesday, September 24th, 8pm at Lyndhurst Recreation Center.

'76 Drop Opener To Sportfriends

(Morris Township,NJ)- The Morristown 1776 A.F.C. dropped their NJSL NJ Division opener Sunday at home 4-1 to Sportfriends FC.

Sportfriends FC, a club relegated from the upper division last season for disciple issues staked out a 3-0 halftime advantage at Mennen Field. 1776 looked outmatched and outplayed in the 90 degree weather for the first half.

Manager Ryan Vinton, in his first match since losing the "interim" tag, must have lit a fire under the Continentals during the intermission as they looked a different side after the break.

A few key tactical changes including moving former captain Randao from defense to the midfield, club newcomer and former trialist, 17 year old newcomer Marco Carvallo to centerback and utilizing Tyquan Griffin as a marker
seemed to make a world of difference.

The return of Brian DeMarco to the club provided a spark to the attack with his numerous cutting runs and the clubs staple at forward, Brady McDonald ,struck in the 65th minute to bring the Continentals within two off a assist by Russell Bauer, who looked like he really improved his attacking abilities over the summer and figures to play a much more significant role in the 1776 attack this campaign.

Sportfriends found their last goal after the 90th minute when Morristown had committed virtually the entire team to the attack, as they were trailing by 2 in the waining minutes.


Note: Brady McDonald netted his 8th career goal, tying Peter Luthi for the club's all-time leading scorer.


'76 Scoring


McDonald(1)65th minute [Assist:R.Bauer (1)]


'76 Discipline
Griffin(78') Yellow, Intentional Handball




'76 Shots


McDonald(3)
DeMarco (3)
O'Shea (2)
R. Bauer (1)
Deighan(1)
Mazza (1)





'76 Saves

Basso(7)





'76 Offsides

Deighan(2)
McDonald(1)




Corners
1776 (3)




'76 Starters

4-1-2-1-2


Basso
Daire Deighan Pollack D. Bauer
Clayton
R. Bauer Mazza
DeMarco
McDonald O'Shea




'76 Subs

Bhandari
Griffin
Carvallo

NJSL Opener Postponed due to Hanna

(Lyndhurst, NJ)- Tropical Storm Hanna downed trees, flooded streets, knocked out power and postponed The Morristown 1776 A.F.C.'s season opening NJSL match at Lyndhurst FC Sunday morning.

Flooding and downed trees at Lyndhurst FC's pitch were the cause of the postponment. The match is most likely to be made up as a midweek tie as both clubs have a busy upcoming weekend fixture list.

In other NJSL Premier NJ Division action Sunday, Sportfriends and Vikings FC tied 3-3 as did RD Benders and Frankies Finest by a score of 1-1. Two other matches were also postponed by Hanna, Waldwick v. Maiwand FC and TrinJersey v. Hispano.

The 1776 are in action next Sunday (14 Sept), vs Sportfriends, home at Mennen Field with a kickoff scheduled for 11am.

Club to Kick Off NJSL Season Sunday

(Morristown,NJ)- The Morristown 1776 A.F.C. will kick off their inaugural season in the North Jersey Soccer League(NJSL) this Sunday, 9am vs Lyndhurst FC at Lyndhurst Recreation Center in Lyndhurst, NJ.

The "Continentals", as The 1776 are called by their faithful supporters, have played the previous 2 seasons in the Morris County Senior Soccer Association(MCSSA) and have moved on to the NJSA New Jersey Division for the 2008-2009 season.

The Sunday morning matchup will kick off PROMPLY at 9:00AM due to other commitments at Lyndhurst FC's ground later in the day.

Morristown's opponent Lyndhurst FC are also new to the NJSA this season.


For directions to Lyndhurst Recreation Center, CLICK HERE.

A club carpool for players and staff will be organizing at The Morristown 1776 A.F.C.'s home pitch,Mennen Field and leaving promply at 7:55 am, PLEASE BE THERE NO LATER 7:45AM. Supporters are welcome to follow.

Exclusive Look Into Dan Clayton: Continental Captain

We got the opportunity to sit down with the continental’s newest captain Dan Clayton. This is what he had to say….

Q: So let’s start from the beginning, where are you from?

A: Actually that’s a funny one; I live in a small town called Hope. It’s about ten or so miles from the Pennsylvania border.

Q: Wow, that’s pretty far way, how did you find out about the club?

A: (chuckles) Well actually, I was about to stop playing soccer all together, until my good friend Aaron told me about the Continentals. I figured this is my last shot at playing so what the hell.

Q: (laughs) so I’m guessing it turned out all right then?

A: well so far so good, I can honestly say if it wasn’t for Ryan (Ryan Vinton, Interim club manager and chairman) I would be just working and watching soccer on T.V. He gave me confidence and the desire to play again.

Q: You say desire, we had a previous conversation with former captain and President Ryan Deighan ,A.K.A Randâo said you had the most heart on the team and this led to your appointment as the new captain, do you care to comment on this?

A: Yeah, I guess you can say I always had heart. I gained my work ethic from my father. He never played soccer once in his life but I remember specifically the summer going into 8th grade he made me run every damn day. I hated him from it (smiles) but when I wanted to give up or I was too tired to keep running, he was right behind me to keep moving and said I would be fine. He always got in my face and told me I sucked if I had a lousy game. He really made me better and made me truly enjoy the game of soccer.

A: (Continued) as for my appointment as captain. I was nothing but happily shocked. As a first year player I did nothing but work and do all I can for the team to help it win, even if I had to play center back, a position that I was not very familiar with. Unfortunately our performance did not show how well we worked. I knew not everyone played to their potential and I tried to lead best by example.

Q: So I heard you played through many injuries, could that have contributed to the team’s misfortunes?

A: A true warrior never makes excuses and a captain doesn’t make excuses. I wish I could say I was 100% for every game but I wasn’t. Everyone who plays throughout the season gets their fair share of knocks, I just glad it was not anything too serious like Ryan’s injury (Ryan Vinton: Torn Knee ligaments, out until spring 09)

Q: However; rumors are swirling that there is a rift between you and manager Ryan Vinton; some sources say you even have defected to another club. Is here any truth to this at all?

A; (emphatically) No! And it’s BS otherwise. Yes it’s true that I am currently playing with another team, the County College of Morris Soccer team. I got permission and the blessing from Ryan (Vinton) to pursue and play for the team. It gains me valuable experience that I can pass on to my teammates and ultimately help the Continentals move up in the tables.

Q: Well can you make some predictions for this 08-09 season?

A: I'll make a bold one. We WILL be one of the top 2 teams in our division; I like what our manager did in bringing in some new guys, and keeping the core unit together. I currently still am fighting some injuries from the summer and from my college team. But I can honestly say with the core guys we have we will put up one hell of a fight, and we either go big and meet every challenge and exceed out expectations or we go home. We have too talented a group of guys to do anything less, and I expect big things……

-Thank you for your time.

* Thank you for having me, and come support our games and donate to a good cause. These young men are just like me. Chasing a dream to play soccer and would love the support.