League C, Division D2 Cup Results

The Breakers were knocked out of the D2 Cup in the first round by Stade Rennais FC. Although the Breakers would have liked to have done better in the D2 Cup, being knocked out early was able to allow the team to focus on the more important league games ahead.



The Cup continued with Shakhtar Donestsk facing Willem II in the finals.

The final match was well played at ended in a 2-2 tie after regulation. Neither squad scored in the extra time and the match was forced to penalty kicks.

Willem II beat Shakhtar Donestsk with a 5-4 goals in the penalty!

The fans of League C, D2 Cup could not have asked for a more exciting match and finish.

Congrats to Willem II for being champions for the 2008 - 2009 D2 Cup! Well Done!

D2 Cup Round 1 Match 2: Stade Rennais F.C. vs Santa Cruz Breakers

The Santa Cruz Breakers traveled to France for their round one, second match of the D2 Cup against Stade Rennais FC. The first match ended in a 3-3 tie, which was a disappointment and shock to the Santa Cruz Breakers who started off with a quick 2-0 game to slowly see their lead dwindle and end in a tie with a last minute goal at the 87'.

In their last two league matches the Breakers have only been able to muster up one goal. The Breakers offense has also only had 8 shots on goal compared to 14 by their opponents. Lucky for the Breakers that their defense has stepped up their game by allowing only one goal as well. Both league games ended in a draw which for many Breaker fans are being viewed as victories.


The fans of Stade Rennais F.C. have filled in the stadium and were excitedly cheering on their home team against the visiting Santa Cruz Breakers. The first half of play had both teams going back and forth with no real offensive threats.


However, at the end of the first half in extra time, Stade Rennais FC was able to sneak a goal in at the 45+'. This first score definitely put a damper in the Breakers locker room at halftime who felt they played a solid first half of football.

The second half started much the same as the first half with neither squad having much offensive build up that could lead up to a potential score. Until Wiltord from Stade Rennais FC scored a solid goal at 61' allowing Stade Rennais F.C. to take a solid 2-0 lead.


The Breakers were unable to come back with any attacks and the match ended with a solid win for Stade Rennais F.C. and a 5-3 advantage on goals.

Stade Rennais F.C. fans were excited as their team would be entering Round 2 of the D2 Cup in the coming week. The Breakers on the other hand, while disappointed, could now concentrate more on their League matches and hopefully become a stronger club for the rest of their first Master League Season.

D2 Cup: Round 1 / Match 1 Santa Cruz Breakers vs. Stade Rennais F.C.

The Santa Cruz Breakers hosted Round 1 / Match 1 of the D2 Cup against Stade Rennais F.C. of France.



All week, fans across the United States and all around the world came to visit the "Original Surf City" to watch the Breakers first D2 Cup match game here in Santa Cruz, California.


Stade Rennais Football Club, commonly known simply as Stade Rennais or Rennes, is a French association football club from the city of Rennes, who play in Ligue 1, the top French division, in 2008-09. It is the club's 49th season in the top flight of French football. Founded in 1901 as Stade Rennais Université Club they assumed their current name in 1971. In the same year, the club won its last notable trophy, the Coupe de France, defeating Olympique Lyonnais in the 1971 Final.


The first cup match against Stade Rennais F.C. began with the Breakers putting together a strong offensive attack and Kirby (13) scoring the first goal of the game at the 17'. The Breakers continued their offensive power with a second goal by Manning at the 30'. The fans were excited with what appeared to be a commanding 2-0 lead against Stade Rennais FC.


However, Stade Rennais F.C. scored a late goal before the half at the 45' to make it a 2-1 lead by the Breakers at the half.


The Breakers offensive power began as quick in the second half as it did the first with Sabatani scoring at the 48' allowing the Breakers to again feel more confident with a 3-1 lead.


Unfortunately, Stade Rennais F.C. was not ready to roll over as they came back with a quick goal of their own at the 52' to again make this a one goal 3-2 match in favor of the Breakers.

The Breakers defense stepped up and continued to battle Stade Rennais F.C. in all areas of the pitch.


The 3-2 Breakers lead seemed intact until the final minutes of the match when Stade Rennais F.C. scored the equalizing goal at the 87'. The fans went silent in disbelief that Stade Rennais FC's last minute goal has forced the Breakers into a draw instead of a win.


Although the first cup match was a draw, it was great to see the Breakers offensive capabilities come to light with 8 shots on goal. While their defensive break down in the final minutes was inexcusable, the Breakers defense did play strong for a 30 minte stretch. Breaker fans must see glimmer of hope from this draw!

Santa Cruz Breakers need to regroup for the rest of league play!

The Santa Cruz Breakers travel from Germany to France to take on Havare Athletic Club . The Havre Athletic Club or Le Havre Athletic Club Football Association, is a French football club based in Le Havre, founded in 1872 making it the oldest football and rugby club registered in France.

The Breakers last match against Werder Bremen have knocked them out of the D2 Cup in Round 1. As the Breakers prepared to take on Havare Athletic Club, the manager and coaching staff began to show their frustration about the lack of ball control and offensive power that the Breakers have shown since their only victory of the season (2-1) against LOSC Lille Metropole. In their first showing, the Breakers were able to put together a fairly strong attacking ability and even come back from a 1-0 deficit to remain focused and composed to win 2-1. However, since the match against LOSC Lille Metropole, the Breakers have not not shown much composer or team play.

The Havare Athletic Club on the other hand are currently ranked third in this early season and don't appear to be worried about the Santa Cruz Breakers. The lack of respect for the Breakers by the Havare Athletic Club and their fans might lead the Breakers to "step up" their game?

D2 Cup Round 1 Match 2: Werder Bremen vs Santa Cruz Breakers

The Santa Cruz Breakers knew they were up for an uphill battle against the Werder Bremen squad on their home turf. As the announcer said at the beginning of the match "it's like climbing Mt. Everest with no oxygen" since the Breakers lost their first match against Werder Bremen 3-0 in Santa Cruz. The best case scenario for the Breakers was to hold Werder Bremen scoreless and score at least 3 away goals. This however would only tie the score and 3-3 and require penalty kicks.


The first 45 minutes were uneventful with neither team scoring a goal or showing much offensive power. The Breakers did have one great shot on goal by Choy (14) who broke free and shot was just wide of the left corner of the goalpost.


The final 45 minutes had Werder Bremen with a number of shots on goal. One strong shot on target was by Docue (22) whose shot was bobbled and finally stopped by the Breakers goalkeeper Ustari.

Choy (14) from the Breakers had another brilliant shot on goal late in the game at the 85' mark, but was stopped by the goalkeeper's great jumping ability. The match concluded with a draw at 0-0.


Although the Breakers were disappointed by not winning the match against Werder Bremen, their defense shined by not allowing on the 8 shots on goal. Unfortunately, the Breakers offensive woes continue with only 3 shots on goal.

Next up the Breakers face Havre Athletic Club in league play who are ranked 3rd with a 2-0-1 record.

Tonight the Breakers have thier first road match against Werder Bremen

The Santa Cruz Breakers have traveled to Germany for their Second Match of Round 1 of the D2 Cup against Werder Bremen . This is the Breakers first away game and is expected to be a tough match. While Werder Bremen has the same league record as the Breakers at 1-0-2, the first time these two clubs met in Santa Cruz was complete domination by Werder Bremen who won 3-0.

While the Santa Cruz Breakers want to improve in their performance against Werder Bremen, the chance of the Breakers moving any further in the D2 Cup is slim to none.

A Blessing in Disguise? League Game 3: Santa Cruz Breakers vs Shakhtar Donetsk Again???

For some reason, my auto save didn't save the 0-2 loss against Shakhtar Donetsk. In my last post, I described a tough battle between the Breakers and Shakhtar Donetsk who took a won 2-0 with two early goals. That entry also described what I believed was a poor officiating call of a penalty in the box leading the Shakhtar Donetsk's second goal of the game in the 22' by Vukic.



So, I had to play the match again, which could have been a blessing in disguise! Shakhtar Donetsk was tied for the early league lead with Havre Athletic Club with 2 wins each.


The match began with a fairly quick goal at the 14' mark by Srna.


The Breakers continue their pattern of (1) letting the opposition score first and (2) giving up an early goal. Again, the Breakers are forced to battle back against a strong Shakhtar Donetsk team.



Although the Breakers had a few goal attempts, nothing really came close to being an equalizer.





While it's early in the season, the Breakers definitely need to work on their offense attack and midfield control if they want to have a chance and winning some matches.


The Breakers this time will officially be facing Werder Bremen in their Second Cup game this time on Werder Bremen's home turf.

Ironically, looking at the stats, Werder Bremen is tied with the Santa Cruz Breakers in league play with a 1-0-2 record. Both teams find themselves in the 8th spot in the league... However Werder Bremen's 3-0 win against the Breakers in Santa Cruz give them the advantage for the Cup.

D2 Cup Round 1 Match 1: Santa Cruz Breakers vs. Werder Bremen

The Santa Cruz Breakers were coming off a "high" from their 2-1 victory in their first match of the year against LOSC Lille Metropole. Anticipation was in the air as the hometown Santa Cruz Breakers were hosting their first ever D2 Cup game against the more powerful Werder Breman club.

Werder Breman is a German sports club best known for its football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize of sports equipment to set them on their way. They took their name from the seldom used regional German word for “river peninsula”, describing the riverside field they first played football on

Prior to the start of the match, a number of members of the press asked the Manager of the Breakers why he adjusted their line up and formation. The manager stated that he believed the new 4-4-3 formation would provide additional offensive power that he thought the Breakers would need against the powerful Werder Bremen team. He also stated that his starting line up was selected from the practice sessions all week and thought his starting eleven were the most prepared for the match ahead.



The day was set for a perfect football match and the fans were going wild in Santa Cruz, CA. If you weren't at the match you were probably out surfin' the breaks.



Initially, the Breakers started out in solid form with an immediate offensive attack that led to a couple of corner kicks within the first 10 minutes of the match. However, a stark reality has set in for the Breakers with their atrocious play against Werder Bremen. As the match continued, it became obvious that the Breakers were over-matched and out-played in all sections of the field.

The fans and players appeared frustrated by the excellent play of the stronger visiting squad. The initial score came by Pizarro at the 27'. Pizarro and his mates didn't let up as Pizarro would end up with all the goals for the entire match and a hat trick to boot (53' and 63'). The final score of the match was a tough 0-3 loss.



The Santa Cruz Breakers are made up a young squad that need to shake off this humiliating loss and prepare for the next league match against the Rangers Football Club. However, this huge loss in the first match of round 1 of D2 Cup game at home has definitely placed a large hill for the Breakers to climb, especially if they want to make it past the first round of the D2 cup. (Read more about Cup Play in a future blog post).