This week, the Bamako season wrapped up, setting the stage for a mouthwatering playoff. In Group A, Inter Milan managed to grab their first point in their last game of the season, which saw them face AC Madou. This result opened the door wide open for either team to win the group, and set up a massive final match in Group A between AC Madou and Pagou Foot last weekend. Because of AC Madou's draw with Inter, Pagou Foot knew they would still require a full 3 points from the match in order to take the top spot of the group, while AC Madou only needed a draw. When the teams met in the first round, AC Madou topped Pagou Foot by two goals. In the return fixture, Pagou Foot managed to overturn the last result, this time winning by a scoreline of 3-0, and securing a first place playoff bid.

Pagou Foot vs AC Madou

This was a surprise result, as AC Madou had began the season winning both first round games. They were unable to continue that streak in the second round, dropping two points to Inter Milan and suffering their first defeat at the hands of Pagou Foot in the final match - an untimely result as this meant they would have to settle for second place in Group A.



The final points tally for Group A were as follows:

Pagou Foot - 9 points
AC Madou - 7 points
Inter Milan - 1 point


Group B had a similarly enticing final fixture, with Centre Gata and C.I.D. both looking to claim the top spot. After beating FC Morino with a convincing 3-1 win last week, C.I.D. went into the final second round match with a two point advantage over Centre Gata, meaning they would only need a point from this game. Centre Gata would require a full 3 points in order to take first in the group.

C.I.D. faced Centre Gata in a toughly contested match

Both teams came into the match undefeated. In their first round encounter, neither team was able to find the back of the net, with the game ending 0-0. In a hard fought contest, C.I.D managed to edge out Centre Gata by a single goal, winning 1-0 and claiming first place in Group B.

The final points tally for Group B were as follows:

C.I.D. - 10 points
Centre Gata - 5 points
FC Morino - 1 point

The first round of the playoffs will take place this weekend, with the following fixtures:

On Saturday, C.I.D., who remained undefeated throughout the season, will face AC Madou. On Sunday, Group A winners Pagou Foot take on Centre Gata.

Pagou Foot v Inter Milan

The first match of the second round saw Pagou Foot taking on Inter Milan. In their first meeting, Pagou Foot managed to shut out Inter Milan by a scoreline of 3-0. This time, however, Inter Milan put up quite a fight. In a 9 goal thriller on Saturday, Pagou Foot managed to top Inter Milan 6-3. This win brings Pagou Foot level on points with group leaders AC Madou, who have a game in hand. Furthermore, this loss from Inter  mathematically eliminates them from being able to reach the playoff stage despite their strong efforts this summer.

In our Sunday fixture, both Centre Gata and FC Morino looked to secure their first win of the summer. After drawing both of their two first round matches, including their first encounter with FC Morino, Centre Gata claimed a vital 3 points with a 2-0 defeat over FC Morino. The win took their point total to 5 for the campaign, leapfrogging C.I.D. for the top spot in Group B, and earning the first playoff bid from Group B.

Centre Gata taking on FC Morino

With two matchdays remaining before playoffs, we know 3 of the 4 teams that will be competing for the league cup - Pagou Foot and AC Madou, both title favorites, and newcomers Centre Gata. However, the top spot for each group is still up for grabs.

Jostling for possession

C.I.D. already has one foot in the playoffs, needing only 1 point from their remaining two matches to become the fourth team entering the next stage of the competition. FC Morino can still technically advance, but need to beat undefeated C.I.D. next week by a heavy margin and then get some help from Centre Gata on the final matchday.



Next weekend, FC Morino has one last chance if they hope to qualify for the playoff stage as they face C.I.D., who is eyeing the top place in Group B. Inter Milan, although eliminated from the competition, will face undefeated AC Madou, who will want an advantage over Pagouh Foot going into the last matchday

We have the scores in from the last set of fixtures for the first round!

On Saturday, July 21, AC Madou took on Pagou Foot. Going into the match, both teams were level on 3 points apiece, and they battled for control of the Group going into the return fixtures. These two teams are very familiar with each other, and each had won one of the opening two Little Eagles tournaments. On this encounter, Pagou Foot managed to edge out their rivals by a scoreline of 2-0.

Pagou Foot defeated AC Madou

On Sunday, Round 1 finished off with a match featuring our two new Little Eagles expansion teams. Centre Ibrim Diallo was looking to build on their opening win against FC Morino, while Centre Gata hoped to find their first win of the summer. Almost fittingly, both new teams managed to cancel each other out, and finished with a scoreline of 0-0.

Center Gata taking on C.I.D.

At the end of Round 1, AC Madou is on target for a spot in the playoffs, being the only team to take a maximum 6 points from the first two games. Pagou Foot sits in second place in Group A with 3 points, and Inter Milan will be looking to change their luck around in the second round and find their first points.

Group B is wide open going into the Round 2. C.I.B., with the only victory of the first round in Group B, sits in first with 4 points, followed by Centre Gata, who drew both matches. FC Morino managed to pick up 1 point in the first round, and will be looking to build on that in Round 2.

We've seen some great action in the first round of games, and all the teams are still alive in the hunt for a trip to the playoffs. Round 2 begins on Saturday, July 28, with FC Morino looking to leapfrog Centre Gata in the Group B standings. On Sunday, July 29, Inter Milan will attempt to stage a comeback and pick up their first points of the season against a strong Pagou Foot.

Center Gata Team Talk

C.I.D. Team Talk

Check out the Facebook page for videos and pictures of the action!


-Seydou

AC Madou found a late winner against Pagou Foot

The action continued in the Little Eagles Bamako Summer League this weekend, with AC Madou and Center Ibrim Diallo getting their first matches of the season. In Saturday's Group A fixture, Inter Milan looked to recover from their opening season loss to Pagou Foot against AC Madou, who are fresh off their Easter tournament trophy win. In a hotly contested affair, it looked as if the match was destined to finish deadlocked at 3-3. However, a few minutes from full time, AC Madou found an exciting late winner, giving the team a full 3 points in their first match of the summer.

FC Morino v C.I.D.

In Group B, played on Sunday, July 15th, Center Ibrim Diallo opened their campaign with a Little Eagles program debut against veterans FC Morino. After drawing their first match with Centre Gata, FC Morino were looking to secure their first win of the summer. However, C.I.D. gave an impressively strong performance, putting 4 goals past Morino, who could not find a reply.

After Week 2, Pagou Foot and AC Madou lead Group A with 3 points apiece, and will face off next Saturday for control of the group going into the return fixtures. Inter Milan, who have yet to find points in their tough group, will have their work cut out for them in their second round games. Group B is wide open, with C.I.D. leading with 3 points, and FC Morino and Centre Gata tied with 1 point each. C.I.D. will look to increase that advantage on Sunday, when they face the other new expansion side, Centre Gata.

C.I.D. won their opening match against FC Morino

Hey All!

Corner kick for Pagou Foot

This weekend marked the launch of the first Little Eagles Football summer league in Bamako! Our 6 teams are broken up into two groups of 3 teams each. Inter Milan have their work cut out for them as they are joined by heavy hitters Pagou-Foot - the New Years trophy winners, and AC Madou, our Easter tournament champions, in Group A. Group B has FC Morino, who are joined by newcomers Centre Gata and Centre Ibrim Diallo. 


Each team will play the other two teams in their group twice. At the end of the season, the top two teams will face off in the semi finals. The winners will enter the Finals, and a season champions will be crowned on September 2nd.

Pagou Foot vs Inter Milan

Week 1 kicked off on Saturday, July 7th with Pagou Foot taking on Inter Milan. At full time, Pagou Foot topped Milan in our season opener by a scoreline of 3-0, a strong showing as they take their first step to find a second trophy. The Group B match took place on Sunday, July 8th. Newcomer Centre Gata faced a resilient FC Morino, as both battled hard to a 2-2 draw. Check out the Facebook page for more pictures. Videos will follow asap.




Week 2 will continue on July 14th and 15th. Inter Milan will look to get back on the right track against AC Madou. AC Madou are looking to follow up their Easter trophy with a league title. The second match will see FC Morino and Centre Ibrim Diallo fight for the early top spot in Group B.

I'll be setting up a league table for everyone to be able to follow the action as it unfolds throughout the summer. Stayed tuned!


-Seydou

Sekou and the fans looking on during our first match of the summer league.

Hey All! Please forgive me for such a long absence! Things have been crazy finishing up school and working, but I'm hoping to start updating this more frequently again as more Little Eagles projects have begun to kick off!

First things first, if you haven't heard, there has been some unrest in Mali in the past few months. Scott Lacy, the Founder of African Sky, released an update back in March regarding the current situation. Please check it out to get up to speed:

http://africansky.org/update.html

I am very happy to report that despite the situation, Sekou, Yacouba, and all of the African Sky family is doing well.

Sekou organizing the Summer league during the coaches meeting.

Sekou has also been hard at work organizing Little Eagles programs throughout the situation, which has been a tremendous boost for our kids in Bamako and Dissan. In April, Sekou organized an Easter tournament in Bamako between four teams, and another event in Dissan. I will post the results of the tournament and pictures in the near future.

Hey All!

Forgive me for not writing about the end of the trip yet - I promise that I'll get to it soon.

I wanted to share the Youtube page with you, as I have uploaded some of the best ones shot during this trip of soccer games, celebrations, the trip to the stadium, and the girl's game.

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/user/LittleEaglesFootball

-Seydou (although I guess I'm back to Rob now)