FC Berlin Shines in their Home Opener
We had a new edition of the Canadian Clásico at Coyer Field last night, in what turned out to be a beautiful evening for soccer. These two clubs know each other very well, so we were expecting a hard-fought battle… and we weren’t wrong.
Actions were fast and imprecise during the first 10 minutes of the game. Both teams relied on fast counters taking advantage of the speed of their wingers, but none managed to create any dangerous situations in front of the opponent’s net. As the minutes went on, the game became more physical and soon the referee was forced to intervene, resulting in 3 cautions issued to Chantilly Forever FC players and two more for the home squad.
The second half was a completely different story. FC Berlin looked more poised and began to push harder. Only five minutes into this second period, fullback Jean Tilo made a long run and dribbled his way into the 18 yards from where he sent a low cross that Sean Burke tapped into the back of the net. Just as the visiting team was trying to recover, Berlin struck again! This time it was via a long ball partially deflected by the defence and right into the feet of Kyrell Kavanagh (who had just come in at half). Kavanagh took his time to control the ball and then sent a strong right-foot shot that inflated the mesh behind Chantilly goalkeeper Uchenna Dike.
The visitors began to send fresher players to the field, and they helped create some danger, but they could not make any progress into the 18 yards, due to the strong performance by the Berlin defence line. Tilo (later substituted by Luca Buscaglia), Salim Saleman, Calvin Kron and especially Sonny Simpson formed a compact line that guaranteed Berlin’s goalkeeper Arjit Kang a pleasant evening. Chantilly did not get any shots on target, a testament to the superb work by Berlin’s back line.
Just as the game was in its last minutes, Simpson sent a very long but precise ball for Tiago Palhetas to control and find himself facing the keeper. The young striker had no problem sending this ball into the net and sealing the final score of 3-0 for FC Berlin.
It was another good performance by our lads, who now boast a 2-0-0 record at the beginning of the season. The next game will take place at 4 PM on Saturday, where FC Berlin will again play at Coyer Field, hosting Smugtown FC.
Sonny Simpson was selected as the Player of the Match.
Other scores last night:
* Upstate United FC 0-1 Smugtown FC at Onondaga Community College
* Syracuse FC 2-0 United Elite Krajisnik FC at Camden High School
Game Stats:
FC Berlin:
- 15 shots (9 on target)
- 3 goals
- 2 assists
- 5 fouls committed
- 12 fouls suffered
- 2 yellow cards
- 5 corner kicks
- 5 offsides
Chantilly Forever:
- 5 shots (0 on target)
- 12 fouls committed
- 5 fouls suffered
- 5 corner kicks
- 2 offsides
Check pictures from last night’s game on Cloud North TV’s Facebook page by clicking here:
