NEWS

This page contains the most recent news for the amazing Belly Dancers. For the list of scheduled matches, click here; for the final league standings, click here.

In a match that had been postponed due to inclement weather in the greater Austin area, the Belly Dancers ended their first glorious season by going down unceremoniously 1-8 against the Storm.

Go Bellies! 

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The Belly Dancers score another impressive victory and are on their way to a spectacular 4-0 finish of the season! 

What's more important with respect to the Bellies' chances for next season is that the match provided the opportunity for a bright new and shining star to be born! Yes, indeed, Thanasis "The Executive" -- with the killer touch -- Iatrou displayed his latent offensive brilliance by scoring three spectacular goals and nailing the Beach Boys' coffin!

The latest Belly Dancer offensive blitz was once again masterminded by the blistering pace of Max "Maradona" Ekesi, who scored two goals and assisted on 4 others. Amazingly, after only three matches (compared to 9 for most of everyone else), Max has climbed to second place in the entire league in total points (5 goals + 10 assists). Just imagine where the Belly Dancers could have been had Max joined the team from the beginning...

Also impressive is Terry Angelos' climb to 9th overall in the league with 10 points (6 goals + 4 assists), despite his having lost four matches due to injury.

As always, the team's fantastic performance could not have been rendered without the astounding work of Yannis Kastanos in goal, Yannis Spiropoulos, George Angelou (who scored his first -- and very beautiful -- goal of the season), and the impeccable Scott in defense, the new, slimmer and trimmer Angelos and James in the midfield, and, of course, Pete in offense.

Tonight's last match against the Storm will be a thrilling replay of the sad match of July 30, when the Bellies had victory snatched from them in literally the LAST second of the match! No doubt, that last second is forever etched in the memory of each and every one Belly Dancer. As a result, one would assume that the Storm will suffer an excruciating, humiliating, devastating defeat tonight, one that may help wipe the slate clean for the Bellies

Indeed, if the Belly Dancers win by scoring five or more goals scored tonight, and if the Psychos lose their last match, the Belly Dancers will end up in third place in the league -- an astounding feat for these "virgin" indoor soccer players.

Rumors have it that a thunderous throng of Belly Dancer fans will be on hand tonight to celebrate the Bellies' victory and the Bellies' first season! Go join them and share the joy and even sheer exaltation of watching your favorite Greek soccer gods!

Go Bellies! 

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How sweet it is! Ten days after the Psychos illegally pushed and kicked and punched their way through the Belly Dancers' defense, the Bellies took their revenge with an easy 5-3 victory! In fact, the final score does not do justice to the clear dominance of the Belly Dancers, who took control early in the game and ran the score up to 5-1 before relaxing and allowing the Psychos to close the gap.

With a game that was superior to even last week's thrashing of the Beach Boys, the Belly Dancers were almost perfect in strategy and execution. Had they not missed countless easy chances in front of the Psychos' goal, the final score would have looked even more lopsided.

The team was also strengthened by the addition of the second (or is it by now third, fourth) "African," Denis Phocas, who displayed a phenomenal mastery of the game, and of the adopted Greek son, Tahseen Khan, whose elegance and technique could only be compared to his compatriots' talents in cricket.

As always, the work horses of the team, James and Yannis Spiropoulos on defense, Dimitris Velenis in the midfield, and Pete on offense provided the stability and continuity the team so desperately needs in light of the countless injuries and other circumstances that have plagued the Belly Dancers since the beginning of the season. We should be sure to note that, in addition to Terri's four goals, the most spectacular goal of the game was the left-footed volley shot by Pete that left the Psychos' goalie frozen in his tracks as he watched the ball sail to his upper right-hand corner!

Next week's rematch with the Beach Boys should be another easy victory for the Belly Dancers who would then solidify their fourth place in the league and have a legitimate shot at ending this, their first-ever season, in a very respectable third place! Indeed, two victories in their two last games should be easy to accomplish, if the Belly Dancers keep their focus and do not become arrogant and aloof.

Go Bellies!

PS: A tape of the second half of this match against the Psychos is available for purchase at three easy installments of $19.95 (plus tax and one-time shipping and handling fees of $6.95). A must-have for every soccer enthusiast! Put it in your video library right next to the 1998 World Cup Final, and watch it over and over again. A treasure for the whole family! Call now 1-800-IMA-JERK!

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Move out, Blitz! Here come the Belly Dancers!

In an amazing display of beauty and elegance, the incredible, glorious, brilliant Belly Dancers scored their most impressive win of the season by annihilating the helpless Beach Boys 12-3. It was actually a mercy-killing, since the Belly Dancers left many an opportunity to score go unused.

Yiannis Kastanos played a strong goal completely shutting out the opposition in the second half.  He also handled the ball very effectively as a sixth attacker and helped to further tire the opposition with this strategic ball movement.

Pete and James played strong forward for the Belly Dancers, working the ball in a triangle with Max and helping to drive home numerous goals in the team's newfound domination of the opposition.

Dan "Anonymous" became ...synonymous with a rock on defense and in the midfield, dominating the center of the field and dishing out crisp passes to place scorers into position. No one was able to beat him on any position!

The tireless soccer master, Scott McAllister, shocked all with a quick jaunt down the left wing from the defense drilling the ball just inside the far post and past an astonished keeper. What a remarkable goal from such a truly gifted player!

All in all, it was a phenomenal game!  Max and Dan did an incredible job of helping the Belly Dancers better control the field, spread things out, and develop open shots for one another. The hope is to see more Bellies at the next game as all six players present played the entire match. The score would clearly have been much higher had the six Belly Dancers been better rested...

Next match is against the "Psychos," the team that crushed Alexis' ambitions to claim the league's high-scoring title by eliminating him from contention via a devastating ankle injury! Given the Bellies' performance against the Beach Boys, it will be interesting to see the level of revenge that the Belly Dancers will exact from the pathetic Psychos!

Go Bellies!

(This article was supplemented with material from MPI - McAllister Press International)

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The frustration from a tough schedule, continued injuries, and bad luck almost exploded on this miserable Tuesday, as the Belly Dancers fell 4-1 to the Psychos after a hard-fought and balanced match. Pete Demopoulos, who scored a remarkable goal thanks to sheer persistence (and a little pushing and shoving), was given a 2-minute warning for getting himself in a fight with one of the Psychotic players. 

Indeed, George Skevofilax also came himself close to being expelled, after he dished out to his opponents what they were scrupulously giving him -- pushes, shoves, fists, and kicks. "If these guys don't belong in a straight jacket, I don't know who is!," George exclaimed at the conclusion of the match

The biggest culprit for the Belly Dancers' losses on the court has to be the unending streak of injuries, which result in the Belly Dancers having to line up with a completely different team every time. It is clearly impossible to establish even  rudimentary team cohesion when players and positions have to be reshuffled every match. The latest casualties were Nikos Spiropoulos who suffered a muscle pull that will sideline him for 6-8 weeks and Alexis, whose "severely sprained" ankle (and "possible ligament tear") essentially ended his otherwise phenomenal season.

As far as the match itself, the Belly Dancers started with a powerful push that quickly brought about Pete's goal. Unfortunately, it didn't take long before sloppiness in defense reversed the course of the match and had the Belly Dancers stare at a 1-4 deficit at the half.

The second half saw the Bellies mount an all-out offensive, with Scott, George Skevofilax, and Thanasis constantly pounding the Psychos' goal, though once again without success. In addition to one amazing foul shot by Scott, a magnificent header by Thanasis, and a constant attack by George, Pete also failed to convert a penalty shot for the Bellies. Clearly, a look at the standings reveals that the Belly Dancers (with the worst offensive performance of the league) need to become more experienced in the indoor style of play. There need to be more shots against the goal, more rebound play off of the sidelines, less combination and more straight-forward advance. (Is it maybe time for the acquisition of a new midfield/offensive player...?)

On the other hand, the defense has been incredibly consistent, playing at a high level and has, deservedly, earned the respect and confidence of the entire team. The play of Yannis Sasaridis, Yannis Kastanos, George Angelou, Dimitris Velenis, and especially Scott (who played the match of his life) was impeccable in the second half and left no room for doubters.

Fortunately for the Belly Dancers, the team assistant coaches, Petros and Esther, were diligently compiling the match statistics on their highly-acclaimed and widely-admired DELL laptops. The team captain, Dimitris Brilis, can now study the facts, analyze the statistics, and determine the best possible line-up for the remaining few matches. 

Once again, one of the best aspects of the Belly Dancers matches was the enthusiastic gallery.

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Injuries, travel, and inexperience hobbled a magnificent Belly Dancers team and forced it to an unflattering and largely undeserved 1-7 defeat at the feet of the Avenging Disco Godfathers. Indeed, with Dimitris Brilis, Terri, and Thanos injured, and Angelos and Scott out of town, the Belly Dancers were forced to make do with an inexperienced lineup, which -- though richly talented -- clearly lacked the experience of playing the game and even playing together as a team.

It is indicative that the Belly Dancers were penalized with multiple penalty shots and 2-minute warnings, mostly for rule violations that had nothing to do with actual match play. In most of these instances, the Bellies were not even aware of the infractions that they were penalized for.

And though ignorance of the rules is by no means a legitimate excuse, these penalties took their toll. After standing its ground for the entire first half, when the Belly Dancers were down only by 2-1 (thanks to a splendid goal scored by Pete), the team started to unravel once the demoralizing penalties started amassing. A penalty shot, a 2-minute warning, and two own goals (through unfortunate rebounds) later, it was too much and too late for the Belly Dancers.

Despite exceptional play by stand-in goalkeeper Yannis Kastanos and defensive coordinators George Skevofilax and George Angelou, it was no longer possible to contain the Disco Dancers and the game was over for all practical purposes. Indeed, the courageous play of the midfield, led by first-timer Thanasis Iatrou and veteran Nikos Spiropoulos, did create some chances, but the final shots by Pete and Alexis (who came in the second half, almost straight from the airport to support the team) missed their mark.

 Dimitris Velenis and Yannis Spiropoulos ran up and down the crowded field with self-abandon and were exceptional in their overall play, especially when they had to endure the rough and often unsportsmanlike conduct of the Disco Beaters.

With the first half of the season over, the Belly Dancers are looking forward to the easier second half, when they will face teams that are clearly more manageable. In assessing the situation, captain Dimitris Brilis had this to say to our reporters who interviewed him by phone at the sports medical facility in Baden-Baden, Germany, where he is recuperating from his disastrous injury:

Keep this in mind as the judging goes on around the game: It takes time to evaluate any deal, sometimes a year or more.

Consider last year's July blockbuster that sent Curt Schilling from Philadelphia to Arizona. Both clubs wound up firing their managers at season's end, but a year later both teams are at or near the top of their respective divisions. 

When Philadelphia made the Schilling trade, I think everybody in baseball said, 'Wow, who did they get?'. Well, now Travis Lee looks like he's turned the corner. He's more the player everyone thought he was going to be. Omar Daal has his mirrors working. Nelson Figueroa and Vicente Padilla have been pretty good. You look at it now, and that's not such a bad deal for the Phillies.And that's with Schilling perhaps headed for his first Cy Young Award. 

So, then, come back and talk to me in two years. That's when we'll know how we did.

The season is looking up for the Belly Dancers and their captain's optimism and positive attitude (as exhibited above) should keep the team going in the next stretch. It is fair to say that the Belly Dancers have but one goal going forward: a 5-0 finish! Keep your Greek fingers crossed!

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Fate played a cruel game on the Belly Dancers on this wet, cold night. Alas, as we wisely like to say in Greek: "H mpalla timwrei!"

After completely dominating the hapless Storm for 39 minutes and 59 seconds, the Belly Dancers conceded an unbelievably idiotic goal in literally the LAST second of the match! Before the astonishment in the Belly Dancers' faces had disappeared, the end-of-match siren sounded its whaling sound, robbing the Bellies of a much-deserved victory.

An impeccable effort on defense lead by Yannis Kastanos, a lively midfield commandeered by Terry Angelos, and a multi-faceted attack led by Pete Demopoulos, all were to no avail, as a momentary lapse of concentration lead to the disappointing tie.

The reason for this final 1-1 tie was plain and simple, according to captain Dimitris Brilis. "If Alexis had made a couple more of the incredible opportunities he had, we would have sailed through without a problem. Sure, he scored our only other goal, but, if I were him, I'd be scared to death about my starting role in this team. He'd better step it up or he's history!"

In truth, the goal was a beauty: a dazzling combination of Dimitris, Terry, and Alexis, a couple of blocked shots, sustained pressure on the goal, magnificent dribbling and a great assist by Terry -- all culminating in a beautiful finish by Alexis.

Feeling confident in the back thanks to the solid defense played by the Yannis trio (Kastanos, Sasaridis, Spiropoulos) and the sure play of goalkeeper Dimitris "The Blind Man" Venetis, the midfield and the attack were free to roam the opponents' side of the field, creating chance after chance. The Belly Dancers' continuous attack, initiated in turn by Scott, James, and the heroic Nikos Spiropoulos fed one ball after another to the offensive line, but no shot or header by Dimitris , Terry, Pete, or Alexis was enough to overcome the Storm's incredible goalkeeper.

As a result of the way the match was playing out, the final outcome had to be demoralizing for the team executives, Angelos Angelou and Thanasis Iatrou, who were watching on the stands. Here you see poor Thanasis losing his mind over the misfortune of the Belly Dancers...

Incidentally, adding injury to insult, Dimitris Brilis suffered a potentially season-ending injury at the end of the match and had to watch the final painful moments from the stands.

Thankfully, some of our stunning Belly Dancer fans will never quit supporting us, no matter how tough things turn out. Thank you, girls, we reaaaaaly appreciate it!

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No comment! The final score says it all...

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Go Bellies, go Bellies, go Bellies! Ra, ra, ra...!

Beauty, victory, eternal glory! With goals by Alexis (1) and Dimitris Brilis (2) -- all three of them beauties -- the Belly Dancers proved they are going to be significant players in this league.

Go Bellies, go Bellies, go Bellies! Ra, ra, ra...! 

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"Baptism by fire" we believe they call it... Well, it was difficult and tough for the Belly Dancers, but they made it through somehow, even though they ultimately fell to the dancing Boogie men!

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