Academy Blog- Match vs. Fire 05/17/09

We started off the day waking up at 8 and heading down for breakfast around 8:15. After breakfast, we went back to our rooms, packed up our things, and headed out for the fields. The bus ride lasted around 45 minutes and we arrived around 10. Both teams were playing the Chicago Fire Academy team. The 92’s played first and started off the game very strong. We had the Chicago fire on their heels from the very start. After a scramble around the eighteen, the ball popped out to Billy Donovan and he buried the ball into the upper 90. After that goal, we continued the pressure on the fire and created chance after chance. Finally, we scored a second goal after Sam Carenza played a long ball and Catarino Jose received it off an error from the fire’s centerback and placed it side netting. For the rest of the half we continued to apply the pressure and could have scored one or two more goals. Second half came around and the fire brought in 5 new players. Around 5-10 minutes into the second half, one of the fire’s wingers broke free down our right side and slid the ball back to an open fire player who slotted it into the back of the net. The fire continued to press us and a couple of minutes later they scored off a corner kick at our near post. The ball was flicked at our near post and into our net. So at this point the game was 2-2. A few minutes later, a ball popped out to a fire player outside the eighteen and he hit a volley into the side netting. This made it 3-2, in the favor of the fire. All of these goals were scored in a span of 12 minutes. For the last 20 or so minutes, we continued to press the fire and look for an equalizing goal. We pushed everyone up and continued to hit ball after ball into their box, but never found the equalizing goal. In the end, we lost 3-2 in a disappointing game.
After the 16’s defeat it was up to the 18’s to leave a name for the Scott Gallagher Metro Academy.

In the first ten minutes the 18’s decided to wait for the Fire to press them and at first the Fire were reluctant to do so. It was extremely bizarre. The Fire would drop off into their own half after they lost the ball and would not come into our half to get the ball back. Our win over the Magic the day before came at a cost as Jared Tejada was too injured to play and serveral of the 18s were either banged up or extremely fatigued from the 90 minute match the day before. We started the match with 3 subs and a striker, Seth Rudolph, who was playing through a nagging tendon issue in his knee. Obviously, we were quite happy to stay in our own half and pass back and forth eating time off the clock. This lasted for about 15 minutes and in the end was a huge advantage for SLSG Metro. After about 15 minutes the Fire decided to press, but even then they were quick to drop off after losing the ball. The first half ended with a few chances for either team, but nothing that was too pacey or intense.

The second half the Fire decided to come out to play. After creating several chances in the first 15 minutes, we started to lose our intensity and the Fire scored an unfortunate goal off a diving header in the 73rd minute. Although this was a blow to the 18’s, they did not give up and Dakota Gilbert soon scored the equalizer. He first hit a very hard shot that deflected off the cross bar and then just moments later scored after his shot deflected off a Fire defender and went into the goal. The Fire responded with a huge amount of energy, however,the 18’s were able to create a few more chances. In the end, the worn down, battered SLSG Metro 18s fought to hang on to a 1-1 draw.

After we (the 16’s) came away with 1 point and the 18’s came away with 4 points on the weekend, we went to eat at Portillo’s Hot Dogs, a place that gave us a diverse variety of choices. Finally we made the long trek back home on the bus and Ken the bus driver led us to the Metro Complex in Collinsville.