The Break Curve: Flamingos scoop up three points in the 6

Pairing effort with execution, Forward Madison defeated Toronto FC II on the road.

Moments after a 1-0 victory over OCB last week, Daryl Shore, Technical Director and Head Coach of Forward Madison, said to the press that his club’s product in the final third wasn’t good enough. Shore was addressing his club’s struggle with finishing on the chances they were creating that evening. This past Wednesday, Forward Madison netted four of their twelve chances created and came away with a 4-1 win over Toronto FC II at BMO Training Ground.

Mingos Maraud (Forward Madison: 7-7-4)

Shore and his club’s decision to run a high press on Toronto changed the tempo of the match. Toronto had been giving Forward Madison fits in its defensive third early in the match.  The press broke up Toronto’s attacking play and forced them to put balls in the air. This is where Toronto’s style of play started to look very inconsistent.

Forward will create many chances with their attack strategy and defensive tactics. The most important detail about chance creating that wasn’t there against OCB was finishing the chances up for additional scores. On the day, Forward was credited for three goals and Toronto was charged with an own goal. There is still much work to be done in this area.

Forward Madison had 11 offsides calls in their previous 1-1 result against Toronto. They managed to only be called offsides 7 times in this match.

The Mingos’ trap game is the defensive pillar of strength for them. This club managed to avoid yellow card calls throughout the entire match. They played the ball on every approach and came up huge when the final whistles blew.

Forward Madison 4, Toronto FC 1: FM — Paulo Júnior (Smart), 42nd; Paulo Júnior (White), 61st; Romeo, 65th (OG). T — Perruzza (Fraser), 68th. FM — Bement (Bennett), 86th.

FlareMingos

Paulo Junior: Junior walked away from this match with a brace (42, 61). He had even managed to set up the goal for Carter Manley that was later ruled as an own goal for Toronto.

Christian Diaz: Diaz is credited with creating three chances on the day. I think this is a big part of the chance creating puzzle that Shore and the club are trying to solve. It’s nice to credit goals and assists, but let’s not forget about the chance creators. 

Wyatt Omsberg/Eric Leonard: Omsberg and Leonard came up big for Forward Madison all day. I want to recognize defenders in this column as well. Omsberg had four interceptions, five clearances, two tackles and even managed to create one chance. Leonard had four interceptions and four tackles

Tonight’s Foe (FC Tucson: 6-6-5)

Forward Madison defeated FC Tucson at Breese Stevens Field with a score of 2-1, which FC Tucson found themselves down 2-0 through 90 + 5 minutes of stoppage time. Since that match, FC Tucson have gone unbeaten in their last 4 matches, one of which includes a 3-1 victory over Toronto FC II. A win tonight would put FC Tucson in the running for the fourth playoff spot. Forward Madison is currently sitting in that spot and a win tonight would create some distance between them and the rest of the table. FC Tucson is 3-5-2 on the road.

Team Leaders: Devyn Jambga (Goals: 5), Jordan Jones (Assist: 2), and Jamael Cox (Chance Created: 15)

Mingo Momento

• Forward Madison is 4-2-2 at home, 1-0-0 record against FC Tucson
• Team Leader in Goals: Don Smart (6) (Tied for 6th in USL One)
• Team Leader in Assist: Don Smart (4), Paulo Júnior (4) (Tied for 4th in USL One)
• Team Leader in Chances Created: Josiel Nunez (33) (3rd in USL One)

Next Flight

Saturday, 8/3, at 7 pm Central Time.

FC Tucson at Forward Madison