First Day is today: I look for Vaduz, Lausanne, Lugano, Luzerne and Sion to be the teams leading the pack. With Winterthour, Baulmes, Wohlen and Chaux-de-Fonds fighting to stay in the CL. Opening day's results: Baden - Lugano 1:1 (1:0) 9' [1 - 0] Markovic (pen.) 50' [1 - 1] Viola Concordia - YF Juventus Zurich 0:1 (0:1) 8' A. Peco Red Card 24' [0 - 1] Parmo I wonder what Peco did to get a red card that early.
Since the SRG idiots don't have cameras at CHL matches it will be very difficult to find highlights. The clear favorites this year are Sion and Vaduz. Sion sold 6,000 season tickets (!)
I will try to link TSR highlights here. Usually Sion has highlights along with Meyrin. I imagine that Lausanne will also get coverage. 6000 season tickets is quite a large number. I still have problems rooting for Sion due to their loveable president/owner whatever his role/title is now.
19:30 Chiasso ? - ? Bellinzona 19:30 Kriens ? - ? Wohlen 19:30 Lausanne Sports ? - ? Winterthur 19:30 Locarno ? - ? La Chaux-de-Fonds 19:30 Sion ? - ? Lucerne
Baulmes - Wil 2:0 (1:0) Vaduz - Meyrin 4:0 (0:0) Chiasso - Bellinzona 0:0 Kriens - Wohlen 0:2 (0:1) Lausanne-Sport - Winterthur 5:4 (2:2) Locarno - La Chaux-de-Fonds 0:1 (0:0) Sion - Luzern 1:0 (1:0) Concordia Basel - YF Juventus Zürich 0:1 (0:1) Baden - AC Lugano 1:1 (1:0) A big win for Sion and a crazy game in Lausanne where Chapuisat scored two from the spot.
There were a couple of shockers. I think Lausanne and Sion had good home starts. The La Chaux de Fonds result was the most amazing one. At Locarno and they come away with three points. Today's Matches: Baulmes 2 - 0 Wil Vaduz 4 - 0 Meyrin Vaduz did not charge for the match. They wanted to say thank you to the supporters for last year, expecially those who went to FCS for the away leg of the promotion playoff.
There are highlights of the Lausanne - Winterthour match on tsr.ch When the main page opens up. Click on Sport. Then click on "Samedi Sport" At the bottom of the list that will appear after it asks how you want to play the video, click on Football/Challenge League, it is next to last. The second Winterthour goal is an amazing header. Lausanne's first goal is a great volley from about 15 meters out. The third Winterthour goal is nice also. Terrible mistake on the 4th Winterthour goal. It is a direct kick that is poorly taken. The ball bounces on the 6 meter line, then the keeper puts his hands on the ball and it squirts over him into the goal. Very nice goals scored in the match. Nice way for Lausanne to return to the Challenge League. The official seemed to be not taking any lip from the players. There were at least three cards given for "dissent", all given for arguing the pk's given.
Except for Meyrin, a good start for the Romand teams: Meyrin was thrashed 4-0 at Vaduz, Lausanne beat Winterthour 5-4, Sion beat Luzerne 1-0, and Baulmes beat Wil 2-0.
Week One Attendence: Baden - Lugano: 820 Baulmes - Wil: 650 (about half the town) Chiasso - Bellinzona: 1558 (Ticino Derby) Concordia Basel - YF Juventus: 890 Kriens - Wohlen: 980 Lausanne - Winterthour: 4300 Locarno - La Chaux de Fonds: 1100 Sion - FCL: 10100 (Great crowd) Vaduz - Meyrin: 1800 (despite a free attendence policy at this match) I think that Sion will lead the way during the season with Lausanne next.
Sion has superb fans, they simply belong in the Super League. (And hopefully Constantin finally realizes that Sion belongs in Sion and nowhere else.)
Upcoming matches this weekend: July 22 19:30 Concordia ? - ? Baulmes July 23 17:30 Wil ? - ? Kriens 17:30 Winterthur ? - ? Vaduz 19:30 Bellinzona ? - ? YF Juventus Zurich 19:30 La Chaux-de-Fonds ? - ? Chiasso 19:30 Lucerne ? - ? Wohlen 19:30 Lugano ? - ? Locarno 19:30 Meyrin ? - ? Baden 19:30 Sion ? - ? Lausanne Sports The Sion LS match should be good. I hope Meyrin can recover from the beating that Vaduz gave them. Lugano/Locarno should be interesting also.
FT Concordia 4 - 1 Baulmes FT Wil 2 - 0 Kriens FT Winterthur 1 - 2 Vaduz FT Bellinzona 0 - 0 YF Juventus Zurich FT La Chaux-de-Fonds 3 - 1 Chiasso FT Lucerne 0 - 1 Wohlen FT Lugano 0 - 0 Locarno FT Meyrin 1 - 1 Baden FT Sion 1 - 2 Lausanne Sports Sion led for most of the match but LS scored two goals in the 72' and 78' one by Chapuisat to get the win. Chiasso does not seem to be the same team that made a run at the SL this year. A draw in the Ticino derby. FC Luzerne is not doing themselves many favors by losing to Wohlen. I know that it is still very early, but two losses in the first two matches does not bode well for them. Meyrin gets a good draw. Baden scored in the 88' and Meyrin through Boughanem scored in the 90'.
That was am impressive victory by Lausanne in front of over 14,000 (!) at the Tourbillon. Highlights: http://real.xobix.ch/ramgen/sfdrs/v...0723_002.rm?start=0:23:39.402&end=0:26:23.888
Attendence for week 2: Bellinzona - YF Juventus ZH : 1000 Chaux-de-Fonds - Chiasso : 600 Concordia BS - Baulmes: 680 Lugano - Locarno :1738 Luzern - Wohlen : 2820 Meyrin - Baden: 540 Sion - Lausanne: 14250 Wil - Kriens : 950 One again huge numbers at the Sion-Lausanne match. I guess that I am a little dissipointed with the numbers at the Lugano - Locarno match. I thought this would have generated a little more attention. Luzern with a decent attendence.
Week three matches: July 29 19:30 Baden ? - ? Winterthur 19:30 Wohlen ? - ? Wil July 30 17:30 YF Juventus Zurich ? - ? La Chaux-de-Fonds 19:30 Chiasso ? - ? Lugano 19:30 Kriens ? - ? Concordia 19:30 Lausanne Sports ? - ? Lucerne 19:30 Locarno ? - ? Meyrin July 31 14:30 Baulmes ? - ? Bellinzona 16:00 Vaduz ? - ? Sion Vaduz - Sion should be a very interesting match. Sion can not really afford to loost too much ground in the early part of the season. LS - Luzerne is very important if Luzerne hopes to get promoted. They have no points from 2 matches and are looking at possibly being 9 points behind the leaders after only 3 matches. The Chiasso - Lugano Tessin Derby should be interesting. Here is hoping that Meyrin can take a point in Locarno.
July 29 FT Baden 0 - 0 Winterthur FT Wohlen 1 - 2 Wil July 30 YF Juventus Zurich 2 - 2 La Chaux-de-Fonds Chiasso 0 - 2 Lugano Kriens 4 - 1 Concordia Lausanne Sports 4 - 1 Lucerne Locarno 1 - 0 Meyrin July 31 14:30 Baulmes ? - ? Bellinzona 16:00 Vaduz ? - ? Sion Luzerne is in a big hole. LS now has 9 points from three matches while Luzerne has 0. They can almost kiss their SL dreams goodbye already. Lugano with as strong win at Chiasso, ahile Locarno squeeked by Meyrin. Vaduz can keep pace with LS tomorrow with a huge match with Sion. If Sion looses, they only have 3 points from 3 matches. Granted two of their losses are against what seem to be the two best teams.
Baden - Winterthour: 760 Wohlen - Wil: 850 YF Juventus Zurich - La Chaux de Fonds: 450 Chiasso - Lugano: 1320 Kriens - Concordia: 700 Lausanne Sports - Lucerne: 5600 Locarno - Meyrin: 1170
July 31 Baulmes 2 - 0 Bellinzona : 810 Vaduz 0 - 0 Sion : 2430 Here are the current standings: 1. Lausanne 3 9 2. Vaduz 3 7 3. Chaux-de-Fonds 3 7 4. Wohlen 3 6 5. Baulmes 3 6 6. Wil 3 6 7. Lugano 3 5 8. YF Juventus ZH 3 5 9. Sion 3 4 10. Locarno 3 4 11. Baden 3 3 12. Concordia BS 3 3 13. Kriens 3 3 14. Bellinzona 3 2 15. Winterthur 3 1 16. Chiasso 3 1 17. Meyrin 3 1 18. Luzern 3 0 There are quite a few early suprises. Baulmes and La Chaux near the top while Luzern is at the bottom.
FT Baden 1 - 2 Lausanne Sports FT Wohlen 5 - 1 Bellinzona August 20 17:30 YF Juventus Zurich ? - ? Meyrin 19:30 Chiasso ? - ? Winterthur 19:30 Kriens ? - ? La Chaux-de-Fonds 19:30 Locarno ? - ? Sion August 21 14:30 Baulmes ? - ? Lugano 14:30 Wil ? - ? Concordia 16:00 Vaduz ? - ? Lucerne Another away victory for LS. Chapuisat with two PK's. Nice victory for Wohlen. There are some interesting matches this weekend. The Vaduz-Lucerne(Luzerne) and the Baulmes - Lugano should both be good. Meyrin needs something in Zurich to right their season.
It has been a while. Here are this weekends matches. August 26 19:30 La Chaux-de-Fonds ? - ? Wohlen August 27 17:30 Lugano ? - ? Kriens 17:30 Winterthur ? - ? YF Juventus Zurich 19:30 Bellinzona ? - ? Wil 19:30 Lausanne Sports ? - ? Locarno 19:30 Lucerne ? - ? Concordia 19:30 Meyrin ? - ? Baulmes 19:30 Sion ? - ? Chiasso August 28 16:00 Vaduz ? - ? Baden The match of the weekend looks to be La Chaux vs Wohlen. Meyrin has a chance to get a few points this weekend.
August 26 FT La Chaux-de-Fonds 2 - 2 Wohlen - 650 August 27 FT Lugano 1 - 1 Kriens - 937 FT Winterthur 0 - 1 YF Juventus Zurich - 950 FT Bellinzona 0 - 0 Wil - 600 FT Lausanne Sports 2 - 1 Locarno - 5600 FT Lucerne 5 - 1 Concordia - 2733 FT Meyrin 0 - 2 Baulmes - 485 FT Sion 1 - 1 Chiasso - 8800 August 28 FT Vaduz 4 - 0 Baden - 1250 Classment: 1. Lausanne 19 2. Vaduz 14 3. Baulmes 14 4. Chaux-de-Fonds 12 5. YF Juventus ZH 12 6. Sion 12 7. Wohlen 11 8. Wil 10 9. Lugano 9 10. Luzern 8 11. Chiasso 7 12. Bellinzona 7 13. Concordia BS 7 14. Kriens 6 15. Baden 6 16. Locarno 5 17. Winterthur 4 18. Meyrin 3
Highlights of the LS and Sion matches are here: http://www.tsr.ch/tsr/index.html?siteSect=800000 Click on "Samedi Sport" Then "Football Challenge League" There are two seperate highlights.
Lausanne continues to amaze me and they are starting to draw ASL worthy crowds as well (6,450 in this one)