By @SAdyson
It felt like something exciting was supposed to happen — like we were supposed to go to the mall and meet the Easter Bunny — but got stuck with this horrific experience instead:
The Hounds came into this game needing three points, and it looked as though we were going to steal them at City Stadium. Evans shifted the team to a 3-5-2, and it seemed to catch the Kickers off-guard.
Then, ghosts of 2013 past came to haunt us — the team allowed 2 late goals to sneak out of the match with a 2-2 draw.
It’s safe to say this is not the start to the season that Tuffy & Jason envisioned when the team made a few splashes in the offseason to bring in more talent.
Same crap, different season. Start off slow, take until half-way through the season to build chemistry, and MAYBE sneak into the playoffs.
STARTING XI:
Lisch, Green, Arena, Earls, Ownby, Kerr, Oboadi, Ngwenya, Dallman, Arteaga, Johnson
GOALS
Ownby (11′), Arteaga (61′)
SUBS
Vincent (for Obodai, 70′), C’deBaca (for Ownby, 78′)
CAUTIONS/EJECTIONS
Earls (Caution, 20′), Obodai (Caution, 22′), Dallman (Caution, 63′)
STARTING XI:
Asante, Callahan, Davis, Jeffrey, Porter, Shanosky, Vercollone, Kemp, Yomby, Seaton, Taylor
GOALS
Porter (65′), Delicate (77′)
SUBS
Delicate (for Seaton, 12′), Spitz (for Davis, 82′), Francois (for Asante, 84′)
CAUTIONS/EJECTIONS
Davis (Caution, 26′), Yomby (Caution, 33′)
The Riverhounds currently sit 12 out of 14 in USL PRO, out of playoff position.
NOTES:
- The new-look 3-5-2 paid dividends for the Hounds early. Their biggest strength right now is their depth at the midfield position, and having Obodai, Ngwenya, Kerr, Ownby, and Dallman all out at the same time seemed to catch the Kickers off-guard. Look for Evans to use this formation more often moving forward.
- The most glaring weakness right now for the Hounds is defense. Fekete did not travel with the team, and for some reason, Andrew Marshall — the captain chosen at the beginning of the season — rode the bench the entire game. That left Arena at CB, a young, inexperienced player commanding the back line. It will be interesting to see what happens with this mess of a back line moving forward.
- Lisch added a new dimension to the goalkeeping position this game. He played angry, and was aggresive in the penalty area. It was a shame that that second goal was not saved — it went right through the five-hole and should have been an easy straight-on save. Look for Lisch to get more looks throughout the season, but we expect to see Hunter back in net a few times after he recovers from his injury.
#UNLEASH
