West Virginia Chaos - History

History

West Virginia Chaos, which is part of the larger Chaos soccer club, joined the PDL in 2003, but suffered a disappointing first season, ending in 6th and last place in the Mid-Atlantic Division with a 2-14-1 record; their only wins came over Greenville Lions in May, 1-0 off a goal by Stuart Bracher, and over the Columbus Shooting Stars in June, 3-2 with goals by Thomas Whittaker, Benjamini Chavolla and Hans Schubert.

2004 saw an improvement in form, with four wins on the season, but the team still finished last in their division, behind Chesapeake Dragons on goal difference, and 21 points behind league leaders Carolina Dynamo. The Chaos actually began the season strongly, winning three of their first four games (3-1 over Chesapeake Dragons, 4-0 over Raleigh CASL Elite and 1-0 over Williamsburg Legacy), and played out an astonishing 10-goal game against Carolina Dynamo in which Chaos's Shaun Oliveira scored a hat trick but still ended up on the losing side. However, the Chaos suffered a dramatic downturn in form as the season progressed, suffering a 6-1 thrashing by Chesapeake Dragons, and three consecutive 4-0 losses to Raleigh, Williamsburg and Richmond Kickers Future.

2005 was much of the same; a disappointing series of high-scoring losses peppered with one or two impressive wins left them Chaos fifth of six in the mid-Atlantic, with 5 victories on the board, but a much too leaky defense. The highlight of the year was a dramatic come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Richmond Kickers Future on the final day of the season, with the winning goal being scored by striker Stanton Smith. Unfortunately, too many comprehensive losses kept Chaos from progressing much further - Carolina Dynamo beat them 4-0 in mid-May, Augusta FireBall put six past them in mid-June, and Williamsburg Legacy out-shot them 5-2 at the end of June. Stanton Smith was the Chaos's top scorer, with 4 goals for the season, while Shaun Oliveira contributed 5 assists.

There wasn't much of a change in Chaos's fortunes in 2006, as for the fourth consecutive year they finished outside the playoffs - although the team did pick up six wins, their highest annual victory tally to date. Despite failing to put together a positive streak at any time in the year, Chaos did enjoy some encouraging results: they hammered Northern Virginia Royals on the road in early June off a brace by David Lilly and, most impressively, beat divisional champions Virginia Beach Submariners 3-2 on the final day of the season, with two goals by Karim Boukhemis. Unfortunately, Chaos continued to be weak at the back, with Raleigh Elite, Atlanta Silverbacks U23's and Virginia Beach Submariners all putting four or more goals past them.

However, as encouraging as 2006 was, 2007 was - at the time - the worst season in Chaos's history. They picked up just three wins all year, and finished dead last of the 9-team Mid Atlantic Division, 34 points behind champions Hampton Roads Piranhas. The single bright spot of an otherwise dismal season was the 3-1 victory over Northern Virginia Royals at the end of May; elsewhere, however, Chaos suffered defeat after defeat, and having to endure a 7-game winless streak until the final game of the season, when they bested new boys Fredericksburg Gunners 3-2. Chris Whalley, Stanton Smith and Chad Duernberger were the Chaos's top scorers, netting 13 of their 20 goals between them.

Chaos's poor form continued on into 2008, despite transferring from the Eastern Conference Mid Atlantic Division to the Central Conference Great Lakes Division, and despite hiring a young, talented head coach in the shape of Englishman Luke Ibbetson. Chaos endured a demoralizing 14-game winless streak from the beginning of the season through to mid-July, during which they picked up just 5 points from five tied games. They lost 3-0 to eventual division champs Michigan Bucks, were overpowered 5-0 by Cleveland Internationals, and suffered another 5-0 defeat, this time to Indiana Invaders at the end of June. They even managed to let winning positions slip, conceding two late goals in their tie with Chicago Fire Premier; their single victory came in the penultimate game of the season when - out of the blue - they annihilated Fort Wayne Fever 5-0 in front of a set of home fans who had waited three months for a victory. Ultimately, however, Chaos finished the season rooted to the bottom of the division, a full 31 points behind Michigan, and the overall fifth-worst team in the country. That the three players tied at the top of the goalscorers list - Matthew Clare, Luke Ibbetson and Avneet Shergill - scored just two goals each highlighted perfectly the team's main problem.