A week that started out with a massive 14-0 victory over the ironically named Victory F.C. Sadly ended in a thud.

Olympique Rouen fell to Fuboleros F.C. in the T11 Cup round of 32 by a 6-3 agg total. Most frustrating is that the teams usual strength at defending set pieces fell apart for this match allowing all 3 of the opp goals from set pieces. Had the team defended like they usually do in such cases OR would have spent much of the game chasing what would have been only one more goal to advance on road goals but in the face of the defensive lapses the team didn't have enough fight to overcome such long odds.

The team can take some solace in advancing one round further than the previous season in spite of jumping up 2 more cup levels and defeating the two highest lvl opponents in franchise history. For a lvl 4 team to defeat not one but two lvl 7 sides in two legged cup ties is an impressive feat in and of itself and the cash injection from those victories came in handy in replacing much of the net spend during the summer transfer window.


This week sees a rare break in the action for international play. Les Coqs Gaulois next play on 4/17 in league play against a mid table side from Egypt before completing the CL group stage in what amounts to little more than a friendly against the worst performing team in the entire 32 team field from the Ukraine who have conceded 22 times in 5 games without a single goal scored while dropping all 5 games to date.

On match day 5 OR rolled out their B side and held on for a 2-2 draw that secured them 1st place in group H with a 3 point lead and the head to head being won during the previous meeting with swatcat ending 4-0.

Olympique Rouen will then await the results of the draw for the round of 16. The team has never lost over in the competition prior to the final in which they have fallen twice in a row. The team is looking to get that monkey off their back and with more than a full * advantage over all possible opponents the quest is looking promising.

Club manager and president David Grizzle had this to say. "The amazing fans in Rouen and the whole region of Upper Normandy have embraced the team in a way that is beyond what we dreamed of when we moved the club here over two years ago. They have been a part of both League and T11 Cup victories but the Champions League is the last major prize left out there to be won and the heartbreaking fashion in which the club has been denied the last two years have made everyone here determined to deliver the goods this season. While we have won two major trophies in the two seasons they have yet to win a double here and there are no fans on earth who deserve it more".


The team has filled the maximum allowed seating capacity for a lvl 4 club each and every game this season. There is also a very long waiting list for season tickets and many fans are openly questioning why a club with a stadium that can hold 31,000 fans and the fan base to support such a crowd has to be limited to 11,500 tickets per game.

One supporter put it like this. "I can understand the need to keep some competitive balance among clubs of the same lvl with many only having a capacity for 3,000 or less but there are already so many ways that teams can gain a financial edge through less legitimate actions including rich oligarchs losing millions of their own fortunes in order to buy players that normal clubs cannot afford. Why make it so that the attendance restrictions actually cause the ticket/merch revenue to fall below the allowable win bonuses for league play. It is only the CL and Cup that the team actually turns a profit on. I have been on the waiting list for 2 years and cannot get a seat at the stadium while nearly 20,000 seats remain covered for home matches. The stadium is still being expanded to seat well over 40,000 before the season is over and yet not one of those seats will be filled until the cap is lifted some next season. It is ridiculous!"