Meadow Cup Musings / Round Three
Zino Stiles-Johnson – Correspondent for TSS
I got my wish. Oh-so-proudly wearing my TSS Press Badge, seated among the other media reporting on the Mulhouse Locomotives’ match in Salzburg against the legendary Edelweiss in the third-round of the 2025 Meadow Cup in the scenic and historic Kletterpark, I was privileged to witness the most highly-anticipated match of the tournament to date. Mulhouse, newly-promoted to the Wheat League after an almost perfect 17—0—1 trampling of the Harvest League, have come out of France and presented a display of defensive mastery seldom seen in any competition in any year, blanking Ebensee 6—0 before shutting out Tyrol League stalwarts Cortina 3—0.
But … Salzburg. They’re a different thing altogether. The fifth of the Original Eight to form as a team, the creators of the “Fair Play” Charter, the Flowers have captured 24 Tyrol Cups (the most ever) and 9 Meadow Cups, claiming 6 of the 15 Parzer Pairs ever achieved. And this incarnation of the most-storied team in Wiesespiel history, winners of the Tyrol Cup in 2021 and 2022, features Paul Lackner, the player of his generation. No one, we assumed, keeps Salzburg off the scoreboard.
Well, well. Mulhouse took all of the tradition, talent and atmosphere and utterly dismissed it. The Railmen defeated the Edelweiss 8—0, marching into the Quarterfinals without having yielded a single point in their three wins. Not a point. One Tournament (The FA Cup in England) on earth pre-dates the Meadow Cup, and in the 150-year history of the AL’s Summer Tournament, how many teams before the 2025 Locomotives had shut out their first three opening foes? TWO. The 1903 Parzer Pair-bound Klagenfurt Lindwyrms blanked their first FOUR opponents on their way to the Cup, and the 1932 Munich Lederhosen stormed through the first three rounds (14—0, 20—0, 13—0) and clobbered two more teams (14—3 and 22—5) before being shocked in a Final that remains one of the great Meadow Cup upsets ever as the Vaduz Diplomats surprised the Hose 8—4. Therefore, Mulhouse, welcome to a very exclusive fraternity.
So, where Mulhouse goes from here cannot be known yet, but on the evidence so far available, few will bet against them. This reporter forecast a 12—6 Edelweiss win, and I spent the afternoon of Wednesday, June 11 waiting for the Salzburg offense to arrive; the 14,000 fans in attendance did the same. Mulhouse’s defense – three stout Gates and a very lock-heavy Schliessmann line – did not budge. Lackner had moments when his speed and power freed him from the clinging French middle- and back-lines, but their collective spirit and positioning could not be penetrated.
Late in the match, Hugo Thurner, the towering and intimidating Edelweiss Gate, sought out the standout Mulhouse Gate Laurent Petit, to shake his hand and clap his broad back. Petit was a tower of resistance to as talented an offensive group as one can find this side of Bern, and Thurner gave him his due, later exchanging jerseys with him (they both wear #2, in fact). Petit is clearly the front-runner for the Outstanding Player Award half-way through the Meadow Cup. Remember: 0 points allowed.
“Mulhouse is a scary team,” Lackner said moments after the match ended. Asked about an ankle sprain he suffered in Round Two, Lackner waved that away. “That’s not relevant. What matters is this: they were better than we were today. And make no mistake: we wanted to win. We have nine Meadow Cups; we want ten. I played poorly. My passing, my reading of the Locomotives’ defense, my help back on defense. Long way to go to be a team that can challenge Bern come November. But, today, all that matters is to salute Mulhouse, wish them well in the next round, and thank our stars that they’re not in the Tyrol League. Yet.” Lackner turned back to the knot of writers gathered around him and added, “Oh, and one more thing. We plan to buy them a round of good Austrian beer. They’re French. What do they know about beer?”
Mulhouse faces Oberammergau in three days’ time, and on this form, they will be seen as heavy betting favorites. This reporter, properly scolded, will certainly treat them with full respect in my “Prognostications” below.
Mulhouse was one of several squads to deal a defeat to the contingent of five Original Eight teams that had survived the opening two rounds. The Edelweiss, Schuhplattlers, Downhillers and Tirolerhuts all suffered losses, leaving only the Vienna Composers to represent the O8 in the Final 8.
PLAY OF THE WEEK:
In Round Two, Lucerne Forward Gabriel Furrer scored the late skot that propelled the Cheesemakers past Munich 22—20. But if Lucerne was never in quite as dramatic a position against Spittal in their 25—21 victory, that’s because Furrer’s three skots in the 40 had them comfortably in the lead, 14—5, at halftime before a late rally pushed the Schuhplattlers back to the respectable final tally. Furrer’s second score mirrored his winner last week against the Germans – blazing past the Spittal Gates in his best imitation of “La Comete,” Henri Tissier.
MEN OF THE WEEK:
3] Marc Oberholler, Center and Captain, Zurich Tirggel.
Oberholler has labored many seasons with the Financiers / Tirggel, and no one has reveled more in the recent, rocket-powered return to prominence of Zurich. And while he enjoys passing to the likes of the dangerous Ozi Mannheim and bullish Armand Flamur, Oberholler was the fulcrum of the attack that produced a narrow 19—16 decision over a determined Sölden side.
2] Édouard Bombelles, Forward, Mulhouse Locomotives.
Bombelles missed several matches last season with two different rib injuries, and his return will bolster a team that hasn’t lost a contest since their 15th game in the Harvest League in March 2024 (that’s 24 matches!). Bombelles’ skot halfway through the 43 sealed their 8—0 win and cemented his partnership with Marcel Alsace as a dangerous Farmhand duo bracketing the clever Center Nicolas Calvet.
1] Nicolas Irmiger, Center, Vienna Composers.
Irmiger’s leap into prominence last season led to his second-place finish in the voting for the Steinwender Medal, won deservedly by the aforementioned Lackner. No one foresaw Irmiger tying Henri Tissier for 3rd in the Klammer Medal race and trailing the Klammer winner – Mule Brunner – by only 7 points. In the only Round Three match that pitted two Tyrol League teams, Vienna out-pointed the Brenta Burci, 26—18, and Irmiger’s form was a continuation of his growth and promise. His big season last year means he won’t surprise anyone anymore, but he walks with a confidence that says he doesn’t need to.
NEXT WEEK – QUARTERFINAL ROUND ATTRACTIONS:
2] The French Revolution. Besançon has been tremendous, and Mulhouse has been historic. The Artisans’ clash with an equally impressive Bad Ischl team has TSS field reporters clamoring for that writing assignment, and Mulhouse seeks to do what only the 1903 Klagenfurt and 1932 Munich squads accomplished (see above).
1] The Capital Clash. Vienna faces Bern in the only Tyrol-v-Tyrol match in the Quarterfinals. Bern throttled Moena 14—2 while Vienna passed a much more stern test, downing fellow Tyrol Cup inhabitants Brenta. It is never not a noteworthy occasion when the Swiss and Austrian capital cities face each other across a Meadow.
AND, YES, ONCE AGAIN, A FEW PREDICTIONS:
Last week, I had fun making a few “amateur prognostications,” as I dubbed them. “Amateur” proved to be an understatement. I apologize to both Innsbruck and Salzburg and their legions of fans, as both teams lost and failed to score a point despite my predictions that they would each carry the day. Sure, I called Bern’s win, but so did everyone else as the Armed Bears are clearly the best Meadow Game team in the world right now, and I was still very wayward on both their and the Moena Janissaries’ point totals. Having endured much ribbing online from you sharp, humorous readers and an office-full of veteran TSS writers who warned me about making predictions, what else can I do but have another go? With apologies to the four teams whose fortunes I may be ruining ….
4] Alpine Leaguers pitted against a Tyrol team or not, Lucerne has been a forceful unit, and Cheesemaker Forward Gabriel Furrer is the chief threat to Laurent Petit for the Outstanding Player Award so far. Only because the Meadow Cup is a hotbed for surprise outcomes, I lean slightly toward Lucerne against a Zurich team that has been outstanding since February: 13—10.
3] In my 64-team Bracket that I completed a few weeks ago – the walls at TSS are papered with them right now – I had Mulhouse losing in the opening round. Fool me three times, shame on me. I’ve climbed aboard the Locomotive: 10—0.
2] The Capital Clash. One simply cannot predict a Bern loss currently. Armed Bears 22—15.
1] The Bad Ischl-Besançon battle is a fascinating match between two stubborn, gritty teams that do not make mistakes. Yes, Bad Ischl blew Innsbruck off the Meadow and recorded an impressive 20—0 win, but Besançon has allowed 3, 0 and 11 points – 14 total – in three matches so far. In as close a game as we’ll see this weekend, I believe the Artisans edge the Salzkammer 14—13.
Those outcomes would leave two French teams and two Swiss teams fighting for a place in the Meadow Cup Final. In three short days, we shall see what happens. Thank you as always, readers. For more coverage, visit TSS.com or find our print version at every kiosk and news outlet in the Austrian League realm.