Kickers claim three on opening day
The opening day of the season is always an exciting time, expectations are at their height as the squad finally begins to take shape. All the pre-season rumors and speculation take a back seat to the action on the field and we look to reacquaint ourselves with returning stars and get to know the latest crop of new signings.And what a glorious day to begin the season, the sun beamed brightly over the blooming city - perfect for the planned tailgate in the parking lot beforehand. I arrived at the stadium shortly after 5pm and was surprised to see the number of families who uphold this American sporting tradition at little old UofR, I think it is something our band of fans (the Corner Kicks? the Red Army?) should partake in more often.
Unfortunately, almost predictably, the first half of the game was a severe let-down after such a wonderful build-up. Both teams entered the game looking uninspired and rusty, finding it difficult to string along any meaningful passes (or long-balls) together. The misery was compounded when Kevin Knight had to be substituted 12 minutes in after pulling his hamstring, clearly the man’s sabbatical has left him a little out of practice. We had one decent chance when Luke Vercollone blasted a saved shot over the crossbar, but other than that it was a pretty forgetful period.
Fortunately the Kickers finally awoke from their hibernation in the second half and actually started putting the moves on. I have to say that Ben Hunter already looks like the big acquisition for this season, he is a tireless runner and always seems to put the ball into dangerous positions. Having assisted two goals in the pre-season friendly against DC United, he played a part yet again in what was an incredibly orchestrated opening goal.
Mike Burke took a free-kick from 25 yards out. He passed it to Vercollone on the edge of the box to his right, Vellocrone then one timed a looping pass to Hunter on the left edge of the six-yard area. Rather than shoot, Hunter volleyed the ball across the face of goal where Anthony Catalano was waiting to head the ball past a diving Matt Glaeser and into the back of the net. This impressive maneuver was clearly developed on the training ground and I can only imagine how confused the defense were as they watched the ball ping back and forth in the box.
The second goal was a classic cross and volley as Hunter provided his second of the night, this time to Mike Burke. I have a feeling we will see a lot of goals scored like that this season as once again our strength (and speed) is on the wings, which is fine as long as our forwards can finish the job.
The Pioneers were pretty much finished after that, obviously they tried to push forward but it was nothing our back-line couldn’t handle (especially when it came to a certain Neil Kraus, the guy is built like a tank and moves like one too). The Kickers finally finished them off in the 89th minute when Stanley Nyazamba, just on for Burke, was clattered down at the edge of the box. David Bulow scored easily from the penalty spot, perhaps drawing the attention of Fabio Capello.
And that was that, opening day ended with three goals, three points and a shut-out, not a bad days work all considered. There are definitely a few kinks to work out as the players are continue to work on their chemistry, but it’s a confidence-lifting result going into a crucial road game against Charlotte this weekend. 2 months ago