Delay of game

Things are busy here at Chelsea. Official foosball games have been hard to come by. We're still waiting on the round one game between Team Bender and Bamfoozled to be played. That's right - ROUND ONE.

But then it's just a couple of quarterfinal games, followed by the two semis, ending in the grand finale.

Patience is a virtue, right?

Quite the quarterfinal!

Alliteration aside, the first two quarterfinal games have been foos-doozies (sorry - couldn't resist).

Game 1: A can of Wu-Paz (they practice alllll the time) went up against Jozy and the Altidores, who proved to be a far more formidable opponent than Wu-Paz assumed. Tom has a sick shot that cuts across that table and into the goal more often than not. And Edgar might seem all nice and "we're just here to have fun", but nooooo. The kid's got bite.

Ups and downs, ins and outs, this crazy game was tense from the beginning. In the end they were tied at 9, but A can of Wu-Paz got the game-winning goal to end take it 10-9.

Game 2: It started as a "hey, we're here - let's play" game, and turned into a nail biter. The picture doesn't really do it justice. Generations of Foos vs. Lethal Weapon H4B (aka Butch Burchfield and Sundance Smitty) brought their best to the table. Generations of Foos looked nervous at times, but came out on top with a final score of 10-7.

When will the other two quarterfinal games be played? Your guess is as good as mine.

Substitution(s) and well wishes

Things happen. People go on vacation, interns complete their internships, etc. So we've had a few substitutions to the original roster.

• Sarah Burchfield will join Preston Smith on team Lethal Weapon H4B (she really really really wanted to play)
• Riley Grant completed her internship (she wrote an email...it's below) and will be replaced by Andrea Conigliaro on Team Bender with David Raia 

"Today is my last day as an intern here at Chelsea. I just wanted to thank you all for a great summer and for being so helpful in my learning process. It has been wonderful to work with and get to know all of you. All the best!"

Antony Wu is going on vacation for 3 weeks! May have to find him a replacement...but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

First game played!

It took a little longer than anticipated, but the first official game of the H4B Chelsea Foosball tournament was played earlier this evening.

Ttwins and Jozy and the Altidores were brave enough to step up to the foosball table and risk being the first team eliminated from the tournament.

A well fought game, to say the least. Jozy and the Altidores game out on top with a score of 10-7. They're set to play the winner between The A Team and A can of Wu-Paz.

32 players. 16 teams. 1 goal.

Demand was high, but only the first 32 people to sign-up for the tournament could be included. These foosball fanatics hail from across all departments within the agency, united by their fondness for fun (or is it for the sweet taste of victory?).

Official Foos Rules

Yes - there are rules for the tournament. And here they are...

• Coin flip to choose sides or get possession of the ball
• Midfield players must have legs down when ball is put into play
• First team to score 10 goals wins 
• Each team is allowed two 30-second timeouts 
• No spinning! The opposing team will get possession of the ball
• Dead ball (brought to life)
• Between two-figure rods gets an automatic restart on the side where the ball died
• Behind two-figure rods, ball gets softly pushed (by hand) into the nearest corner
• Straight restart if in the center
• No bodily harm to the opposing team. Automatic red card.
• No instant replay
• Spectators may not touch the table while a game is in play and must allow adequate room for participating foosballers to play
• All referee decisions are final

Please see the full Rules of Play located in the side pocket of the foosball table. These rules came with the table, so they're pretty much as official as they come.