We managed to get out of a low-scoring affair with CD Andes to take the win for the week and jump them in the standings for 5th place. We now stand just 2 games back behind first place, and our climb to the top will be helped by the most of the other teams at the top of the table are playing each other. That includes the Golden Lions too, as we head back home to the Calabash to face Berlin, who sit 7th in the table as of now. It will be a competitive match with our squad nearly back at full strength, though a late injury to Ollie Watkins prevents us from being at our absolute best. It will not stop us, as young midfielder Mo Kudus gets the spotlight once again as our most productive player. The young starter made himself an assist, had one off-target shot, created two chances, sent in two accurate crosses, and won four out of five tackles in last week's game, proving himself quite useful anywhere on the pitch. We'll hope that he continues that usefulness as we return to the standard kits in another top-of-the-table match. #StayGold

What's that? A competent offense? Guess it took us some Thanksgiving Day turkey to get an offense going, as we took a lead on Thursday and never looked back against the Raptors. New acquisition Raheem Mostert ran for 2 TD's, Zay Flowers got in for 2 of his own, and featured player DB Johnathan Owens returned a fumble from Utah QB Lamar Jackson to the house as well as combining for 12 total tackles. We're now back at 6-6 and just a game out of a playoff spot, but we'll need to win out and get some help from other teams to get in. To do our part, we'll have to win our final game on the road against Kansas City, who are also 6-6 and fighting for the playoffs. It will be a fierce divisional matchup fighting for either better draft position or one step closer to the playoffs. We'll wear the standard road combo of white/white/red/white for the final game away from home. #StormWatch

Well that went about as expected. Even though the Cyclones had a slim chance to take the game from the Emperors, but New York ran away with the game late to put us back under .500. We won't get much time to recover from that loss, as we head out west to play a Thanksgiving game against the Utah Raptors. They're fighting with the rest of the West for the division lead, while we're out here trying (and not doing too great at) to win games by scoring a decent amount of points to get into the playoffs. Featured this week is WR D.K. Metcalf, who had a decent week with Cooper Kupp out due to injury, catching 5 passes for 94 yards and a TD to get the offense rolling. We'll be in the traditional uniforms of white/white/red/white for turkey day. #StormWatch

1954-55 Offseason

Retirements
Perhaps the biggest retirement in the brief history of the AFL is Chicago QB Alfred Walton. From when he first signed with the Hogs, his offensive impact was immediate, winning a MWFC title in just his second year. His time as a playcaller brought great stability to a Hogs team without an offensive identity, leading them to 4 MWFC titles and 3 AFL titles. Walton should remain as the prototypical comparison for any young QB entering the world of pro football. Two other key members of those Hogs title runs also called it a career after winning it all one last time, with DL Joel Valentine and LB Douglas Marks retiring after 9 and 11 years as a pro, respectively. Valentine terrorized offensive lines during his career, molding the Hogs defensive unit into one of the best football has ever seen, and his pairing with DL Eric Forbes only furthered this belief. Journeyman OL Alexander Hunt also retired this offseason, spending 11 years between Chicago in the MWFC, and Cleveland and Buffalo in the AFL. He was a reliable and consistent starter for all the teams he played for, setting a record for most consecutive games started at an offensive lineman position at 134 games, never missing a single game in his career. 2-time All-Star DB Jim Farmer also called it a career, playing all of his 11 year career with the Cincinnati Rivermen, never winning a title but came close during the 1951 AFL season. Farmer never won a major award, the closest he came was finishing second to DB Vincent Kelly in 1950 for Defensive Player of the Year. However, he did serve as a great veteran mentor to young Rivermen Kerry Lantz and Adrian Barboza in the secondary, retiring knowing that they might even succeed him as the best secondary players in Cincinnati. Tri-Cities WR Dale Riggs was the final major player calling it a career, spending his entire 11 year playing career with the Hawks. He played a major part in the Hawks’ offensive atta

Thanks to some first-rate shenanigans by DB Kenny Moore (which included 2 pick-sixes off of Jordan Love), the Cyclones took down the Steelheads and rose to 5-4, getting over .500 for the first time all year. We're still in the hunt for a playoff spot, and we'll see if we can rise above our setbacks this week to get another win against the San Diego Destroyers at home. The Destroyers are in a similar spot to us, who need a win to gain possession of the West Division lead. The offensive struggles were real last week, though thankfully K Chase McLaughlin realized that this week was Kicker Week™, and hit 3/3 on field goals (from 35, 49, and 55 yards out) and 4/4 on extra points to make him this week's featured player. The regular home uniforms of white/red/tan/red will be brought out once again for another entertaining game (depending on your definition). #StormWatch