Editing Norge Vikings

{{Club |
teamname = Norge Vikings |
teamid = 222919 |
logouri = [[Image:Nordic.gif | ZeekLTK]] |
htuser = ZeekLTK |
country = United States |
region = Michigan |
arena = Fjord Field|
fanclub = Norsemen}}
The '''Norge Vikings''' are a club owned and operated in the [[United States]] by [[ZeekLTK]] who are currently in division [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]]. The club is based in [[Michigan]] and plays its matches at Fjord Field.<br>
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== History ==
The Norge Vikings were formed on Febuary 10, 2004, playing their first season in [[VI.130 (USA)|VI.130]] during [[Season 22]]. The club finished 4th that season and then managed to beat out the [[Dallas Red Knights]] to capture the championship the following season. After earning first place, the Vikings were promoted to [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]] where they have been ever since, finishing 3rd in the inagural season followed by numerous top 5 finishes ever since.<br>
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In [[Season 30]], the team's seventh season in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], the Vikings finally won the championship. The season started out poorly, with losses to [[KalveKEK]] and [[Greeley Soro]] in the first two weeks of the season. The manager decided that drastic measures needed to be taken to make the team competative, and the club purchased midfielder Andrea Vaccaro the following week for $2.2 million. Vaccaro was worth it, as he led the team to the 5th round of the US Open Cup, the furthest they had ever been. Combined with all-star keeper Dennis Figueroa and set piece specialist Peter Sedstad, Vaccaro led the team to an 11-1 finish in league play, including two back-to-back 3-1 wins over the defending champions [[Titan FC]]. In the last two weeks of the season, the Vikings avenged their earlier losses with 6-0 and 6-1 victories over [[Greeley Soro]] and [[KalevKEK]] to clinch the championship. Sedstad scored 4 goals in the final game against [[KalevKEK]] to ensure the Vikings first division V title, beating out [[Titan FC]] by 2 points in the standings, 33-31.<br>
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The following season saw the Vikings again in the title race against [[Titan FC]], and it came down to the last matchday with Titan leading the league 31-30. The final match for the Vikings was in Texas against the leaders. The Vikings had two key players suspended from the previous game, but tried to negate that by buying Modest Perkhun, an expensive Israeli midfielder, to replace one the midfielder who was suspended. It didn't help much, as Titan dominated the match, winning 4-1 to force the Vikings to settle for 2nd place. Perkhun was sold back to Israel a few days after the match.<br>
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For [[Season 32]] the Viking came flying out of the gates to start the season by smashing the defending champions 9-0 on the road, in the same stadium they had lost the title at the end of the last season. This momentum carried the team to a great start, where they won 9 of their first 11 matches of the season, the only losses coming on the road to an up and coming [[KalevKEK]] side and the always dangerous [[Black Hawks F.C]]. In Week 12 the Vikings had a chance to clinch the title as they hosted KalevKEK, who were 2 points behind the Vikings entering the match. However, the Vikings had lost one midfielder to a red card the week before, and two more to injuries in a friendly earlier that week, so they were unable to counter the strong Estonian midfield and lost 0-3, which put KalevKEK into first place by a single point with 2 games to go. Both sides won their Week 13 matches, Vikings surprisingly on the road against a good squad, the [[Oklahoma City Spirit]]. This set up an exciting end to the season where the Vikings would host long time rivals [[Titan FC]] while KalevKEK went on the road to Black Hawks F.C.<br>
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The Vikings again trailed 31-30 in the league entering the last match day. This time Titan couldn't win the title, but they could again prevent the Vikings from doing so. However, the Vikings were completely focused on the task at hand and took it to Titan again, routing their main rivals 8-1. The defending champions, Titan FC, finished 4th place and only allowed 27 goals total on the season, 17 of which came from the Vikings. The Vikings had done everything they could, it was up to the Black Hawks now. As the Vikings retreated to the locker room following their win, they were elated to find out that Black Hawks had held KalevKEK to a 3-3 draw, the Vikings had won the league title 33-32!!<br>
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== Other Sports ==
The Vikings also field a cricket team in [[Battrick]]. That squad competes in the West Indies division III.7. It was founded on April 29, 2005 and has competed in the same division, III.7, every season so far.<br><br>
Inbetween Seasons 5 and 6 the Vikings were put into the international spotlight when 24 year old wicket keeper Junior Mason was called up to the West Indies' national team. Mason played 10 matches for the West Indies, compiling a 3-7 record.<br>
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2/20/07: West Indies 216 - 221 South Africa (Mason: 9)<br>
2/28/07: Pakistan 261 - 262 West Indies (Mason: 13)<br>
3/06/07: India 263 - 261 West Indies (Mason: 0)<br>
3/14/07: England 193 - 192 West Indies (Mason: 0)<br>
3/21/07: West Indies 183 - 182 Australia (Mason: did not bat; 4 outs)<br>
3/28/07: New Zealand 246 - 242 West Indies (Mason: 0)<br>
4/04/07: Sri Lanka 236 - 235 West Indies (Mason: 60)<br>
6/27/07: West Indies 207 - 261 India (Mason: 4; 5 outs)<br>
7/04/07: New Zealand 225 - 250 West Indies (Mason: 1)<br>
7/10/07: South Africa 295 - 291 West Indies (Mason: 2)<br>
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Despite his lackluster international career, Junior Mason would eventually become one of the highest rated players on battrick, achieving a BT rating of 905,135.<br><br>
On November 25, 2007 Junior Mason's salary of £398,656 became too much of a burden for the Vikings. Faced with bankruptcy, the club was forced to put him for sale. He was sold to [[Curzon Ashton]] in [[South Africa]] for £2,987,736.<br><br>
When Junior Mason was sold he was 26 years old and had the following stats:<br><br>
Junior Mason (78255)<br>
LH Batsman, LM Bowler, superb batting form, superb bowling form<br>
A  defensive player with strong leadership skills and proficient experience.<br>
Stamina:  	superb  	Wicket Keeping:  	exquisite<br>
Batting: 	wonderful 	Concentration: 	elite<br>
Bowling: 	feeble 	Consistency: 	elite<br>
Fielding: 	exquisite<br>

== Cups & Tournaments ==
The Norge Vikings have also competed in many cups over the seasons. The team won the Utopia Cup, a minor eight-team competition of teams from NCAA Utopia, in Season 23. The team also entered a Polish Cup (Polonia Cup II) during Season 24, which they fielded mostly reserve squads for. The Vikings were the only non-Polish team in the cup. The team managed to advance past the group stage, but lost in the first knockout round to the cup's eventual runner up, [[SKS Star]].<br>
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The Vikings also originally created the [[Norge Invitational]] which was held from Seasons 23-26. It was discontinued as the Vikings preferred to compete in the newly formed [[V.233 Cup]] and did not even enter the [[Norge Invitational | Norge Invitational IV]]. In the competition, the team failed to advance from the group stage in two of the three appearances (I and III), and were eliminated in the first knockout round, the quarterfinals, in the only competition that they progressed from the group stage (II).<br>
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The Norge Vikings have also been a main force in establishing the [[V.233 Cup]], which was first contested in Season 26 by 16 teams from 13 different nations, all of which were in Division V.233 at the time. The Vikings took second place in a group which included teams from [[Magyarország|Hungary]], [[France]], and [[Hrvatska|Croatia]] to qualify for the knockout stage. There, they upset [[Hapoel Mishmar]], the [[Israel|Israeli]] V.233 Champions that season, to advance to the semifinals. Their run was finally ended by a [[Deutschland|German]] team, the [[Mystic Knights]], who went on to win the championship.<br>
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In the 2nd [[V.233 Cup]] (during Season 27) the Vikings again qualified for the knockout round by placing second in a group which included teams from [[Schweiz|Switzerland]], [[Sverige|Sweden]], [[France]], [[Malaysia]], and [[Polska|Poland]]. The team was eliminated in the knockout round by the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] side [[Congregação dos Infames]], who ended up winning the Cup.<br>
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The Vikings participated in the 3rd [[V.233 Cup]] during Season 28. The team topped their group that included teams from [[Nederland|Holland]], [[Deutschland|Germany]], [[România|Romania]], [[Polska|Poland]], and [[Bolivia]]. The Vikings knocked out [[FC Mazepa II]] from [[România|Romania]] in the first knockout round and then [[Vienna Bolzers]] from [[Österreich|Austria]] in the quarterfinals before falling to [[FC Smuzie]] from [[Nederland|Holland]] in the semifinals. FC Smuzie went on to beat [[Teenage Mutants Ninja Turtles]] from [[Oceania]] for the cup's championship.<br>
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In Season 29 the Vikings again participated in the 4th [[V.233 Cup]] but the cup was discontinued midway through due to the owner traveling to Bamako, Mali (Africa) for five weeks and not having access to update the tournament. By the time he returned to the United States, the season was over and it was impossible to resume the cup, which was still in the group stage. It was cancelled, and has not been continued since.<br>
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Season 31 saw the return of the [[Utopia Cup]] which the Vikings participated in again to defend their title from eight seasons ago. This edition was slightly larger than the first cup, with 13 teams participating. The Vikings did not get a first round BYE and promptly smashed their opening opposition, FC Stay Puft, 5-0. The next two fixtures saw the Vikings scrape out two one-goal victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals against Junior Irish (2-1) and Texas Aggies (3-2), respectively. The Vikings met [[Project Mayhem]] in the championship match, which was the team they had defeated in the first [[Utopia Cup]] championship back in Season 23. That time it was a 2-0 win for the Vikings. This time, with their top 2 keepers injured, the Vikings saw their former scoreline reversed as it was [[Project Mayhem]] winning 2-0 for the title.<br>

== Results ==
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'''Norge Vikings on Hattrick'''<br>
Season 22 - 4th place in [[VI.130 (USA)|VI.130]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 1, Fourth in Group Stage in [[Big Soccer Cup|Big Soccer Cup I]]<br>
Season 23 - 1st place in [[VI.130 (USA)|VI.130]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 2, Champion of [http://history.cupmanager.org/cup.php?nCupId=1462 Utopia Cup], Group Runner Up in [[Norge Invitational | Norge Invitational I]]<br>
Season 24 - 3rd place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 1, Quarterfinalist in [[Norge Invitational | Norge Invitational II]], Round of 32 in [http://history.cupmanager.org/cup.php?nCupId=4762 Polonia Cup II]<br>
Season 25 - 4th place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 3, Third in Group Stage in [[Norge Invitational | Norge Invitational III]]<br>
Season 26 - 5th place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 2, Semifinalist in [[V.233 Cup]]<br>
Season 27 - 2nd place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 3, Quarterfinalist in [[V.233 Cup]]<br>
Season 28 - 5th place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 1, Semifinalist in [[V.233 Cup]]<br>
Season 29 - 5th place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 4, Semifinalist in [[Big Soccer Cup|Big Soccer Cup VIII]]<br>
Season 30 - 1st place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 5<br>
Season 31 - 2nd place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 3, Second Place in Utopia Cup II<br>
Season 32 - 1st place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 2<br>
Season 33 - 6th place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 2<br>
Season 34 - ??? place in [[V.233 (USA)|V.233]], Eliminated in [[US Open Cup]] Round 3<br>
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'''Norge Vikings on Battrick'''<br>
Season 1 - 5th place in III.7, Eliminated in West Indies Cup Round 3<br>
Season 2 - 2nd place in III.7, Eliminated in West Indies Cup Round 4<br>
Season 3 - 3rd place in III.7, Eliminated in West Indies Cup Round 2<br>
Season 4 - 3rd place in III.7, Eliminated in West Indies Cup Round 3<br>
Season 5 - 3rd place in III.7, Eliminated in West Indies Cup Round 3<br>
Season 6 - 4th place in III.7, Eliminated in West Indies Cup Round 3<br>
Season 7 - 4th place in III.7, Eliminated in West Indies Cup Round 3<br>

== Trophies ==
* {{divVI}} VI.130 Champions (Season 23)
* [[Image:cup_sm.gif]] Utopia Cup Champions (Season 23)
* [[Image:cup_bronze.jpg]] V.233 Cup Third Place (Season 26)
* [[Image:cup_bronze.jpg]] V.233 Cup Third Place (Season 28)
* {{divV}} V.233 Champions (Season 30)
* [[Image:Silver.gif]] Utopia Cup Second Place (Season 31)
* {{divV}} V.233 Champions (Season 32)

== Travel == 
The Vikings have visited numerous nations in [[hattrick]]. Below are all of the flags collected by the Vikings as of Februrary 21, 2007.<br>
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{{Flagicon|NOR}}{{Flagicon|SWE}}{{Flagicon|FIN}}{{Flagicon|POL}}{{Flagicon|ENG}}{{Flagicon|GRE}}{{Flagicon|GRE}}{{Flagicon|ISL}}{{Flagicon|PER}}<br>
{{Flagicon|EST}}{{Flagicon|ALB}}{{Flagicon|BRA}}{{Flagicon|DEN}}{{Flagicon|CHI}}{{Flagicon|VEN}}{{Flagicon|ARG}}{{Flagicon|RSA}}{{Flagicon|PAN}}<br>
{{Flagicon|MKD}}{{Flagicon|BLR}}{{Flagicon|EGY}}{{Flagicon|MAS}}{{Flagicon|MDA}}{{Flagicon|ROU}}{{Flagicon|SUI}}{{Flagicon|POR}}{{Flagicon|LIE}}<br>
{{Flagicon|LTU}}{{Flagicon|BUL}}{{Flagicon|FRO}}{{Flagicon|IND}}{{Flagicon|MLT}}{{Flagicon|SIN}}{{Flagicon|BIH}}{{Flagicon|JPN}}{{Flagicon|BOL}}<br>
{{Flagicon|GER}}{{Flagicon|CAN}}{{Flagicon|IRL}}{{Flagicon|CHN}}{{Flagicon|URU}}{{Flagicon|ESP}}{{Flagicon|BEL}}{{Flagicon|UKR}}{{Flagicon|CRC}}<br>
{{Flagicon|HON}}{{Flagicon|LUX}}{{Flagicon|MEX}}{{Flagicon|TUR}}{{Flagicon|PAR}}{{Flagicon|RUS}}{{Flagicon|ITA}}{{Flagicon|CYP}}{{Flagicon|HKG}}<br>
{{Flagicon|SLV}}

[[Category:American Clubs|Norge vikings]]