Kalamazoo FC was the only NPSL side to hold the Mighty Oak scoreless in the first meeting between these two sides. That was far from the case this gorgeous Friday evening as AFC found the net four times in (roughly) the last ten minutes of the first half and extend their lead at the top of the table.
What Happened:
Very similar to the match against Grand Rapids, this was 80 minutes of solid play, with ten minutes of outstanding attacking play. The sides went back and forth in the field of play for a bit, with the first real good chance coming in the 14th from Chris Odhiambo, who shot just high of the net. From there, the next notable incident was really the substitution of Moco Watson following an injury early in the game, at around the 20 minute mark. His substitute was not Matthieu Braem as some may have expected, making a return from the CONIFA World Cup, nor Stanley Okumu who was getting some well-earned rest as he was out of the match-day squad, but rather the Brazilian Breno Stapcinskas, who did his job in a professional fashion for the 70 minutes he was on the pitch.
Things were well-and-good through then, but in the 32nd minute, the floodgates opened. First, AZ Liadi who had a brilliant bit of skill to get past the defenders in his way of the net, then blasted a finish past the keeper. Before you had time to blink, Marc Ybarra was making a marauding run through the center of the field, sending Odhiambo on the wing, then watching as Odhiambo fed the ball to Michael Shaikly as he pinged a hard shot off the post and in. The skill they displayed to this point was scary, Ann Arbor can strike at a moment's notice, but they weren't done yet. It was Jordan Montoya's turn to strike as a Kalamazoo defender slipped while marking Odhiambo, which freed Serge Gamwanya in the middle of the park. Breno's ball fell well to him, and Gamwanya fed Montoya at the perfect angle for the third Ann Arbor goal. The Mighty Oak still weren't done as late into stoppage time Odhiambo, even while slipping, found Shaikly, who turned well in the box and put the fourth goal up on the board for the home team. In not even 15 minutes, this AFC side changed the entire face of the game to a drastic degree.
AFC nearly found a fifth in the 50th minute through Odhiambo, and Shaikly blasted a hat-trick try just a bit wide a few minutes but aside from that the chances were somewhat far and few between for either side. The Mighty Oak were content to hold possession when they could while Kalamazoo seemed happy to sit back and not concede any additional goals and escape Skyline with just the four conceded. Kalamazoo's finest attempt at goal was cleaned up well by Breno who had to track back to make a block. AFC's best opportunities late in the match came off long balls that forced the keeper out of his box, but the visitors were lucky that their man in net was up to task. In the end, the scoreline remained 4-0 for the final whistle, and while Kalamazoo escaped the second half unscathed, it did not matter at the damage of the first half was irreversible.
How Did This Happen:
When discussing this match, the focus lies centrally on the midfield and the tactics surrounding them. Coach Rudland had work to do in game-planning for a KZFC side that held his squad scoreless in their first meeting. Tonight, the men in the middle of the park made sure that wouldn't happen again. Shaikly will get the acclaim, and for good reason because two brilliant goals is worthy of praise, but the light must also be shone on his two fellow middle-mates, Gamwanya and Ybarra. At times the side deviated slightly from their normal look of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 and looked like a 4-1-2-3, with the wingers back enough to almost make it a 4-1-4-1, at times. Ybarra is an excellent attack-minded holding midfielder. Putting him at the base of your side's midfield gives you stability and gives you strength in that area, think of an Emre Can style of player. With Shaikly and Gamwanya both strong attackers as well, putting them both forward at times is a nice adjustment, but the thing about all three players together is that any combination of them can run forward and you don't lose quality depending on which player, or players, are the ones making the runs. Regardless of tactics, though, it comes down to execution, and all three men were brilliant on the pitch tonight.
Someone whose effort shouldn't go overlooked, especially aside AZ Liadi and Jordan Montoya's spectacular efforts, was Chris Odhiambo. Odhiambo made his stamp on AFC fans' hearts with his goal last match at Keyworth, but this was, in my eyes, by far his most complete match in an AFC shirt. His two assists were well-earned as he continually put himself in dangerous positions on the wing despite playing the central striker role. His tracking down defenders who had the ball was very impressive and for someone who works hard match-in and match-out, it's high praise to say this, but in my eyes this was his best overall effort thus far in the season. He made multiple runs to open up space for his teammates to deliver through balls and his speed really made these dangerous attacking option for the Mighty Oak, while also delivering two very nice passes to lead to Shaikly's two goals.
No Okumu on the team sheet had AFC fans a bit nervous, surely, but the strength of the oak in defense held strong as Jack Cawley remains an outstanding leader in the center of the defense and a perfect choice for the captain. Between he and Kyle Breitmeyer, AFC are lucky to have two men who are strong leaders on the pitch and can keep things organized with the side. We also saw the debut of Nick Barry, who came on in place for Mike Novotny with 20 minutes remaining in the game. It was nice to see Barry out on the pitch after a hard opening spell of the season with injuries preventing him from making more appearances. Finally, in defense, it is worth noting that Spencer Turnbull and Sercan Cihan both do an unsung job at times, but have done it consistently well and deserve credit for outstanding play at the full-back positions as they've made it their own.
Final Thoughts:
The big news to go along with AFC's big win is that Grand Rapids FC fell to FC Columbus 3-0 in Grand Rapids this evening, while Detroit City stole a late winner in Milwaukee. Here are the standings following this evening's matches:
1. AFC Ann Arbor: 23 points - 9 matches
2. Grand Rapids FC: 16 points - 8 matches
3. Detroit City FC: 13 points - 7 matches
4. Milwaukee Torrent: 10 points - 10 matches
5. FC Columbus: 8 points - 6 matches
6. Kalamazoo FC: 8 points - 8 matches
7. FC Indiana: 0 points - 8 matches
With a big match Sunday, Detroit City hosting Grand Rapids for second place, favorable results there mean that AFC could clinch a spot in the playoffs as early as next weekend. It has been an exciting season so far for the Mighty Oak, with this evening of four goals in front of the home crowd certainly being up there in memorable moments. This was the completion of the next step to the divisional crown that AFC are oh so close to. They hope it'll be theirs to reach.
As alluded to, AFC's next match is next Friday against Grand Rapids FC in Grand Rapids. They then head to Kalamazoo to play KZFC again on the 26th (a Tuesday) in the Michigan Milk Cup semi-finals.
Follow me on Twitter @RMABTweets for more AFC coverage, including live-Tweeting of the matches, as well as Liverpool FC and Michigan basketball coverage!
Comments
Post a Comment