4th of July Games

Today was obviously a very special and prideful day for us, as we were able to represent our country overseas on the day of our independence. Due to an ongoing match we were only able to warm up on the field for 15 mins, but we stretched and did what we could to prepare in the locker room. The fact that we were representing the United States gave us a boost and made up for the lack of pre game preparation.

Our first game, at 1:15, was against SC Stresnovice. They were a better team than Chodov, but we still controlled much of the game and kept the ball in their half. We wanted to test the keeper early, as he was a bit overweight and not the quickest of characters, but we were limited to shots from distance early on. In the first 15 mins we tried to ram it down their throats down the middle, and it was not until we started employing a fluid east-west passing game that FC United had some dangerous opportunities. Due to the fact that Stresnovice's defense over-shifted, balls played into the corners by the defensive midfielders to the wingers created the best chances. On more than one occasions, Steve Rizzo played a deep ball to winger Andrew Baggaley, who controlled the ball, beat one or two Czech defenders, and then slotted the ball to the top of the box to either Ross Trudnak or Mike Schmid. Unfortunately, none of these plays produced a goal, but they did result in about 4 corner kicks in the first half. It was on one of these corners that FC United capitalized. Mike Schmid again picked out Rizzo, who headed the ball in the back of the net. But at 1-0, the Predators knew that one goal may not be enough and kept probing forward. However, that final "killer" ball was absent on the day, so at the half it was 1-0. The beginning of the second half tipped the balance a bit in Stresnovice's favor, and United's chances were fewer. The opposing pressure provided a few corner kicks, but spirited defending ensured the shutout. About halfway through the half the Predators took the game back and created a few scoring chances. On another corner kick, Schmid lofted the ball to Rizzo at the backpost, who headed in for a 2-0 scoreline. Still not relinquishing their hold on the match, FC United began to knock the ball around freely, using the defense to shift the points of attack. A through ball from Devin Harrigan provided Baggaley with an opportunity, but he slotted the ball back to a surging Brendon Weinhardt. Weinhardt struck the ball well, but the goalkeeper stretched out and parried it away. The match ended with a solid 2-0 score. Overall, the lack of finishing and scoreline betrayed the amount of control FC United had on the match.


Between matches we stopped at a mini-mart to get a small snack, then went to another location for our match. Our opponents, ZCE Plzen, had won their previous two games 3-0 and 7-0, so we knew this was the best team we would face all tournament. A short and narrow pitch with a very quick and hard surface eliminated the option of balls played into the corner, and chances were fewer in this encounter. The first half was fought in the center of midfield, as Plzen preferred to bring the ball up the middle in their attack. Plzen also man marked very tightly, a stark contrast to the previous teams we had played. FC United won a few corners in the first half, but none resulted in goals. Conversely, Plzen had a few free kicks in their offensive end, but the heads of centerbacks Devin Harrigan and Andrew Fairchild kept the opponents at bay. At the half the score was 0-0. The second half was more of the same. Very even play with little space to operate, neither team had clear cut chances. Each had a few corner kicks, but tey were dealt with coolly by each sides respective goalkeepers. Justin Orton did well to not let the swarm of Plzen players in his 6 yard box faze him. The game ended 0-0, a fair score for both teams.

Tomorrow we play at 10:30am against a Czech team that won their first game 8-0. Happy 4th of July! I love America!