For the second time this season, AFC Ann Arbor held Detroit City scoreless and found their way into the net for a 1-0 victory over the regional rival. The win means the Mighty Oak have swept Detroit City in the regular season for the second straight season and, more importantly, give them three more points at the top of the table.
What Happened:
Similar to the last time these two teams met, the first half consisted of a feeling-out period that consisted for the better majority of the half. The first chances came from Ann Arbor and with just one long ball, it became evident that the wind would play a factor. Stanley Okumu sent one long seemingly for Chris Odhiambo, but with the wind carrying it he decided to not make a play on it, allowing Serge Gamwanya to take a hit just wide. Detroit had a shot early too in the 12th minute, but Jordan Montoya made a vital tackle and sent the ball out for the corner. DCFC won several corners throughout the game, however on most of them they didn't seem to threaten AFC too much, even with one where Okumu was on the sidelines after the doctors were sent on for his head injury. Jimmy Fiscus made a mistake under pressure by Chris Odhiambo and AZ Liadi put on the first shot on goal, which was saved by Fernando Pina, albeit slightly shakily with a bobble. Just minutes later, Jack Cawley would have a go on a free kick from about the halfway line with Pina off his line. This forced Pina to hustle back and tap the ball down to himself as AFC nearly found their breakthrough in the most remarkable of ways.
Detroit would take the attack in the next stage of the game, but couldn't find their first shot on target. This spell lasted about five minutes and saw AFC win a couple of corners, but they couldn't find their breakthrough either. AFC almost benefited from the wind again as on a ball high in the air, Pina couldn't get a proper read on it and dove down to the ground with no choice but to slap it out for a corner, in which he made a save. Detroit finally had their first chance on target in stoppage time, but a combination of Mike Novotny's efforts and the Oak's defending held off the DCFC attack despite late first-half pressure.
The second half started a bit slow, similar to the first. Detroit saw the lion's share of possession and Ann Arbor seemed pinned back a bit. This changed with one counter attack as AZ made an outstanding run on the right-wing and found Odhiambo in the middle. The shot seemed to be saved at first, but Pina was ultimately beaten near post and the Mighty Oak celebrated a 54th minute goal to put them ahead. Tensions would run high minutes later with Fiscus getting a yellow card (the first to a man in red) after involving himself in some frays, including one that followed a hard Jordan Montoya tackle in which he saw yellow afterwards as well. Fortunately for both sides, the game did not get out of hand at that moment and cooled down rather quickly. From here, we saw a truly back-and-forth match. Detroit began to commit numbers forward, but at the same time found most of their most dangerous opportunities through the counter attack, a theme for the game. The best chance from AFC was from Odhiambo who freed himself in the box with a lovely spin move and put a shot on target saved by Pina. He had a nice hard shot on Pina just minutes earlier his lovely touch, and Lasinski would have another shot on target saved by Pina who could not hold on, but fortunately for him saw it roll into no man's land.
Amidst these Ann Arbor chances, however, was sustained pressure from Detroit City. Trevor Amann saw the best chance in the 82nd minute after Seb Lawson headed the ball to him, he seemingly had a free attempt at goal. Amann, however, could not get a touch right and the ball bounced off his chest at an angle that sent the ball to the post and wide for a goal kick. Shaun Lawson had the final chance for the Rouge and Gold, but Okumu came up with another massive diving block on his shot and AFC ate a bit more pressure until the referee finally blew his whistle letting the celebrations begin. The AFC players celebrated with the joyous Main Street faithful as their second win over Detroit City saw them further up the table.
How Did This Happen:
I have to dedicate a whole segment of this to the lone goal. First and foremost, the timing of it. Ann Arbor was on the back foot and, while never truly troubled in the second half to that point, were absorbing quite a bit of pressure. You then had an AFC clearance, a DCFC clearance that fell kindly for Ann Arbor, then the break was on for AZ. There's something ironic about Detroit looking strongest on their own counter attacks, but conceding their goal on a counter, but I'll discuss their attacking more in a bit. As for the goal itself, Odhiambo did all he needed to do to put it on goal, and the defending of City was not strong on this counter (a change of pace from the rest of the game, as they were solid in quieting the AFC counter), but blame for the goal unfortunately has to fall on Pina in net. As a keeper, at any level, you must protect your near post. Pina, instead of blocking it with his body and getting in front of the shot, was more interested in gathering the shot in front of the net, and it bounced off his hands and in. Credit also must go to AZ, whose run was absolutely outstanding, as was the rest of his performance on the evening.
As for man of the match, Stanley Okumu played one of the best performances at center-back you will see in an NPSL game. Combined with Cawley, any header seemed to cause AFC fans no trouble as you just expected it to be cleared. Okumu made clearance after clearance and thumped long balls away if they were immediately troubling, or saw them out of play if he could. At this moment, I would say that Stanley Okumu is the best center-back in the Great Lakes Division without question, I would go as far to say as best player, period, in the division, and perhaps in the entire NPSL Midwest Region. His passing range is outstanding, his size and jumping ability allows him to get any header in the air he chooses, additionally, he has incredibly long legs which allows him to lift them higher than some players' heads for clearances, and today he made a clearance in the final minutes to make sure AFC saw all three points. Praising Okumu seems to be a regular section of these recaps, but it must be emphasized, he is an absolute game-changer for Ann Arbor.
As promised, what went wrong with Detroit City's attack? I wouldn't say anything was 'wrong' per say, but you had a side that simply didn't seem threatening. Far too often would City commit a turnover in the middle of the pitch that killed a spell of possession. You generally had City play a 4-2-3-1 in defense, which I felt was smart and allowed them to not face huge portions of AFC pressure, but in attack they seemed without focus. It is one thing to have players not bound to a position, Ann Arbor does this well with their sort of Liverpool inspired midfield of roaming midfielders, but it is another thing to have an attack that seems unfocused and confused as to what their exact jobs are. When you have them in the final ten minutes of the match and desperate for a goal, they fully committed numbers forward, but then seemed content to allow Ann Arbor opportunities to counter, trusting in their defending, so then they could counter attack. It seemed to me that the attacking options of City were not as strong as the Mighty Oak, and that also limited their outputs as well.
Before moving on to my final thoughts, credit must go to the midfield. Serge Gamwanya and Marc Ybarra deserve much praise for winning the midfield battle against City. Both men did a job in defending and Gamwanya in particular attacking plenty of times with relative ease. Ybarra is a spark-plug in the middle of the pitch and plays with a lot of grit to go along with the sort of technical skill that had him nailed into the Big Ten Championship winning Michigan starting eleven in the NCAA season. The combination of Michael Shaikly and Caio played the role of the attacking-minded-middleman well, too, with both men having quiet nights, but neither man putting a foot wrong. All the midfield's men should take a well-deserved bow for their performance tonight.
Final Thoughts:
It was lovely to see the passion of the players after the win. Jack Cawley deserved that captain's armband and was exuberant after the match. Marc Ybarra was spotted doing a little jig following the victory. Many of the players joined in the AFC sections chants following the match. The fact is that Detroit City is a national name in American soccer and is perhaps one of the top-three most well-known clubs in the United States outside of the MLS. To take a game for the second straight year in the NPSL season in front of the famous National Guard is a true feat. They are the only team to beat Detroit City FC, in league play, in front of their home fans, from the start of the 2017 season, and they've done it twice now. Keyworth Stadium is no joke to play in, but Ann Arbor were not too troubled. Results elsewhere keep Grand Rapids FC on their tail for the division title but, for the night, it's okay to celebrate the evening's accomplishments.
Follow me on Twitter @RMABTweets for live coverage of AFC Ann Arbor as well as Liverpool FC and Michigan basketball.
What Happened:
Similar to the last time these two teams met, the first half consisted of a feeling-out period that consisted for the better majority of the half. The first chances came from Ann Arbor and with just one long ball, it became evident that the wind would play a factor. Stanley Okumu sent one long seemingly for Chris Odhiambo, but with the wind carrying it he decided to not make a play on it, allowing Serge Gamwanya to take a hit just wide. Detroit had a shot early too in the 12th minute, but Jordan Montoya made a vital tackle and sent the ball out for the corner. DCFC won several corners throughout the game, however on most of them they didn't seem to threaten AFC too much, even with one where Okumu was on the sidelines after the doctors were sent on for his head injury. Jimmy Fiscus made a mistake under pressure by Chris Odhiambo and AZ Liadi put on the first shot on goal, which was saved by Fernando Pina, albeit slightly shakily with a bobble. Just minutes later, Jack Cawley would have a go on a free kick from about the halfway line with Pina off his line. This forced Pina to hustle back and tap the ball down to himself as AFC nearly found their breakthrough in the most remarkable of ways.
Detroit would take the attack in the next stage of the game, but couldn't find their first shot on target. This spell lasted about five minutes and saw AFC win a couple of corners, but they couldn't find their breakthrough either. AFC almost benefited from the wind again as on a ball high in the air, Pina couldn't get a proper read on it and dove down to the ground with no choice but to slap it out for a corner, in which he made a save. Detroit finally had their first chance on target in stoppage time, but a combination of Mike Novotny's efforts and the Oak's defending held off the DCFC attack despite late first-half pressure.
The second half started a bit slow, similar to the first. Detroit saw the lion's share of possession and Ann Arbor seemed pinned back a bit. This changed with one counter attack as AZ made an outstanding run on the right-wing and found Odhiambo in the middle. The shot seemed to be saved at first, but Pina was ultimately beaten near post and the Mighty Oak celebrated a 54th minute goal to put them ahead. Tensions would run high minutes later with Fiscus getting a yellow card (the first to a man in red) after involving himself in some frays, including one that followed a hard Jordan Montoya tackle in which he saw yellow afterwards as well. Fortunately for both sides, the game did not get out of hand at that moment and cooled down rather quickly. From here, we saw a truly back-and-forth match. Detroit began to commit numbers forward, but at the same time found most of their most dangerous opportunities through the counter attack, a theme for the game. The best chance from AFC was from Odhiambo who freed himself in the box with a lovely spin move and put a shot on target saved by Pina. He had a nice hard shot on Pina just minutes earlier his lovely touch, and Lasinski would have another shot on target saved by Pina who could not hold on, but fortunately for him saw it roll into no man's land.
Amidst these Ann Arbor chances, however, was sustained pressure from Detroit City. Trevor Amann saw the best chance in the 82nd minute after Seb Lawson headed the ball to him, he seemingly had a free attempt at goal. Amann, however, could not get a touch right and the ball bounced off his chest at an angle that sent the ball to the post and wide for a goal kick. Shaun Lawson had the final chance for the Rouge and Gold, but Okumu came up with another massive diving block on his shot and AFC ate a bit more pressure until the referee finally blew his whistle letting the celebrations begin. The AFC players celebrated with the joyous Main Street faithful as their second win over Detroit City saw them further up the table.
How Did This Happen:
I have to dedicate a whole segment of this to the lone goal. First and foremost, the timing of it. Ann Arbor was on the back foot and, while never truly troubled in the second half to that point, were absorbing quite a bit of pressure. You then had an AFC clearance, a DCFC clearance that fell kindly for Ann Arbor, then the break was on for AZ. There's something ironic about Detroit looking strongest on their own counter attacks, but conceding their goal on a counter, but I'll discuss their attacking more in a bit. As for the goal itself, Odhiambo did all he needed to do to put it on goal, and the defending of City was not strong on this counter (a change of pace from the rest of the game, as they were solid in quieting the AFC counter), but blame for the goal unfortunately has to fall on Pina in net. As a keeper, at any level, you must protect your near post. Pina, instead of blocking it with his body and getting in front of the shot, was more interested in gathering the shot in front of the net, and it bounced off his hands and in. Credit also must go to AZ, whose run was absolutely outstanding, as was the rest of his performance on the evening.
As for man of the match, Stanley Okumu played one of the best performances at center-back you will see in an NPSL game. Combined with Cawley, any header seemed to cause AFC fans no trouble as you just expected it to be cleared. Okumu made clearance after clearance and thumped long balls away if they were immediately troubling, or saw them out of play if he could. At this moment, I would say that Stanley Okumu is the best center-back in the Great Lakes Division without question, I would go as far to say as best player, period, in the division, and perhaps in the entire NPSL Midwest Region. His passing range is outstanding, his size and jumping ability allows him to get any header in the air he chooses, additionally, he has incredibly long legs which allows him to lift them higher than some players' heads for clearances, and today he made a clearance in the final minutes to make sure AFC saw all three points. Praising Okumu seems to be a regular section of these recaps, but it must be emphasized, he is an absolute game-changer for Ann Arbor.
As promised, what went wrong with Detroit City's attack? I wouldn't say anything was 'wrong' per say, but you had a side that simply didn't seem threatening. Far too often would City commit a turnover in the middle of the pitch that killed a spell of possession. You generally had City play a 4-2-3-1 in defense, which I felt was smart and allowed them to not face huge portions of AFC pressure, but in attack they seemed without focus. It is one thing to have players not bound to a position, Ann Arbor does this well with their sort of Liverpool inspired midfield of roaming midfielders, but it is another thing to have an attack that seems unfocused and confused as to what their exact jobs are. When you have them in the final ten minutes of the match and desperate for a goal, they fully committed numbers forward, but then seemed content to allow Ann Arbor opportunities to counter, trusting in their defending, so then they could counter attack. It seemed to me that the attacking options of City were not as strong as the Mighty Oak, and that also limited their outputs as well.
Before moving on to my final thoughts, credit must go to the midfield. Serge Gamwanya and Marc Ybarra deserve much praise for winning the midfield battle against City. Both men did a job in defending and Gamwanya in particular attacking plenty of times with relative ease. Ybarra is a spark-plug in the middle of the pitch and plays with a lot of grit to go along with the sort of technical skill that had him nailed into the Big Ten Championship winning Michigan starting eleven in the NCAA season. The combination of Michael Shaikly and Caio played the role of the attacking-minded-middleman well, too, with both men having quiet nights, but neither man putting a foot wrong. All the midfield's men should take a well-deserved bow for their performance tonight.
Final Thoughts:
It was lovely to see the passion of the players after the win. Jack Cawley deserved that captain's armband and was exuberant after the match. Marc Ybarra was spotted doing a little jig following the victory. Many of the players joined in the AFC sections chants following the match. The fact is that Detroit City is a national name in American soccer and is perhaps one of the top-three most well-known clubs in the United States outside of the MLS. To take a game for the second straight year in the NPSL season in front of the famous National Guard is a true feat. They are the only team to beat Detroit City FC, in league play, in front of their home fans, from the start of the 2017 season, and they've done it twice now. Keyworth Stadium is no joke to play in, but Ann Arbor were not too troubled. Results elsewhere keep Grand Rapids FC on their tail for the division title but, for the night, it's okay to celebrate the evening's accomplishments.
Follow me on Twitter @RMABTweets for live coverage of AFC Ann Arbor as well as Liverpool FC and Michigan basketball.
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