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Pachuca Prevails in 1st Match of the Blue Chip Showcase
24 Apr. ’09. Since MD State Cup officials mandated that Round 3 must be played tomorrow, 25 Apr. ’09 at 12:45pm, the Internationals coordinated with Blue Chip tournament officials to arrange a 2-game format for today. Fortunately, the BC officials kindly obliged and arranged an early morning match with our Region I Premier League 2008 friends, Manhattan Phoenix (NYE), followed by the regularly scheduled match with Javanon (KY) at 2:40pm. Thus, the other two games with Scott Gallagher (MO) on Sat., 25 Apr., 10:30am, and Eclipse Select (IL) on Sun., 8:00am, would be released but Pachuca would incur a one-game forfeit penalty accordingly, and the Internationals would fly back to Maryland out of Columbus later tonight.
The Blue Chip Showcase is the biggest, single, most-attended U17 college showcase tournament in the country and our juniors were eager to display their talent against some very tough competition in their bracket.
On a very breezy, warm morning out at Oxford Community Park near picturesque Miami of Ohio U., Pachuca squared against the Manhattan Phoenix (NYE), whom it battled to a hard-fought 1-0 decision in Manhattan last spring 2008 in Region I Premier League South play. Manhattan kicked off against the wind. The Phoenix players were big, fast and worked hard, although Pachuca controlled most of the play. Inter’s usual strong defense held Manhattan to just 3 shots on goal which went wide/over cross-bar and 1 shot from 20 yds. left which Seth caught, and 1 corner kick which was unsuccessful while committing 6 fouls (including 1 offsides). At about the 6 min. mark, a ball was served in the box by (?) and Skylar’s header went wide left. Around the 14 min. mark, Stephen passed a nice ball from mid-center over to Nate about 25 yds. left who dribbled a couple of yards to setup a hard left-footed shot from around 22 yds. which hit the far post side bar and bounced into the net to put Inter up, 1-0. One min. later, Alex collected a pass near 10-12 yds. on the right but the shot went over the cross-bar. At the 18 min. mark, Erik possessed a ball in the mid-field, dribbled upfield a few yards to around 25 yds. center and launched a blast which the wind aided to sail into the upper net past the GK to put Pachuca up, 2-0. About the 27 min. mark, Nate collected a ball near 20 yds. center and fired a shot which went wide left, and around the 30 min. mark, Chris passed a ball from the left side of the box over to Schillo on the right side whose shot was blocked by the GK. Inter also setup 2 corner kicks which were unsuccessful while committing 6 fouls, and the half ended, 2-0, Pachuca.
Pachuca kicked off in the 2nd half against the wind. The Phoenix would manage only 3 shots on goal which Seth caught two shots and the other went wide left. Manhattan also setup 3 corner kicks which were unsuccessful while committing 6 fouls (including 1 handball). Inter took 3 shots on goal and setup 2 corner kicks while committing 4 fouls (including 1 handball). At about the 8 min. mark, Erik dished a ball in the middle over to Schillo about 20 yds. left whose shot was finger-tip-saved by the GK for a corner kick. One min. later, Schillo possessed a ball, maneuvered near 18 yds. center and fired a shot on goal which the GK caught. At the 13 min. mark, Erik passed a ball to Schillo near 18 yds. center for a shot which went wide right, and the match ended later, 2-0, Pachuca.
Pachuca Drops 2nd Match of the Blue Chip
24 Apr. ’09. After the early morning match vs. Manhattan, players remained onsite to rest and await the 2nd game vs. Javanon later in the mid-afternoon instead of trekking back to the hotel in Cincinnati (45 mins. each way). Javanon is a nationally-ranked top team (5th): Region 2 Champion/National Semi-Finalist 2008, and Pachuca hoped to compete well against this strong team after playing a hard-fought match vs. Manhattan in the morning. Inter kicked off in the 1st half with a strong diagonal cross-wind to their left side/backs. The Javanon team was big, fast, athletic and very talented, challenging the ball on every possession by Inter, giving little time but mostly for one-touch passing. Javanon scored twice early on off of counter-attacks as a result of some ineffective passing in the middle which caught the back line out of position at about the 16 min. and 20 min. marks. Earlier, at the 7 min. mark, Javanon served a ball in the box for an unsuccessful header attempt which was grabbed by Seth. Javanon did not take any corner kicks while committing 6 fouls. Inter had several chances, taking 4 shots on goal and 3 corner kicks but could not finish while committing just 2 fouls. At the 26 min. mark, Skylar’s right corner kick into the box was headed by Erik on goal but it was caught by the GK, and an identical scoring opportunity ensued at the 33 min. mark. Inter’s best chance came at the 39 min. mark, when Skylar collected a pass near 25 yds. left, dribbled a few yards ahead and fired a hard blast but the GK layed out to his left for a finger-tip-save and resultant corner kick. One min. later, Erik passed a nice ball in the middle over to Skylar about 25 yds. center but the shot went wide left, and the half ended, 2-0, Javanon.
Javanon kicked off in the 2nd half with the diagonal cross-wind to their left sides/backs. Their defense tightened up, holding Pachuca to just 2 shots on goal and 1 corner kick. At about the 21 min. mark, Nate collected a ball near 20 yds. center and fired a shot which went over the cross-bar, and one min. later, Schillo’s shot from 25 yds. center also went high over the cross-bar. Inter committed just 2 fouls but committed several more unforced passing errors. Javanon launched a barrage of shots on goal (6) and setup 4 corner kicks while committing 4 fouls. Several shots were caught or deflected by Seth but Javanon would score off of a counter-attack on another ineffective pass in the middle at the 17 min. mark, and the match ended, 3-0, Javanon. Although Javanon was clearly a superior team, Inter showed fatigue from having played a hard match earlier in the morning and did not execute its normally sound fundamental possession play on the thickly cut grass. Congratulations to Javanon on its well-earned victory!
Pachuca flew back home from Columbus later in the evening to play MD State Cup Round 3 on Sat. vs. MSC Scorpions, thus, forfeiting its 3rd match of the Blue Chip event.
21 Apr. '09. Despite Inter's offer to play Round 3 during mid-week on any day or time in the afternoon or evening, or late Sat. evening or early Sun. morning, the MSC Scorpions elected to play Round 3 as scheduled by MSYSA on Sat., 12:45pm.
Inter Advances In MD State Cup Round 2
Inter’s Round 2 opponent, MSC Revolution, formerly MSC United (Green Machine) is an old friend/foe whom Inter has played through the years many times (rarely prevailing) while with Bethesda/Potomac clubs prior to its association with newly formed Pachuca FC USA. Its founder and highly emotional and colorful coach, Julio Arjona, is no longer associated with the team for the past 2 years in order to focus on younger age group MSC team(s), and thus, the renamed Revolution is now coached by the well-known local soccer guru, Philip Gyau.
MSC United kicked off in the 1st half but Inter had a blowing cross-wind to their backs which would swirl around, shifting back and forth throughout the entire much. Patrick was sitting out nursing a sore ankle and Jamie was home with the flu. The Revolution played hard and very physical, committing 13 fouls while Inter’s strong defense held the Revolution to just 1 shot on goal in the opening minutes from near 18 yds. mid-center which went wide right. The Revolution’s stout defense held Inter to just 2 shots on goal and 2 corner kicks which were unsuccessful. At about the 31 min. mark, Vitalis rcvd a ball near 25 yds. center and fired a shot which went wide right, and at about the 41st min, Skylar’s left corner kick into the box was headed by Erik on goal and caught by the GK. Inter committed 8 fouls, and the half ended, 0-0.
In the 2nd half, Inter kicked off into the wind which was still shifting directions. Inter’s stingy back line held the Revolution to no shots on goal or corners while they committed 11 fouls (including 1 offsides). Inter committed 8 fouls (including YC shown to Skylar for USB retalliation on a player who kept stepping on his foot and another elbowing him the back in the box during a free kick attempt by Nicholas from 35 yds. out; and, 1 high kick). Inter intensified its offensive attacks/counters, taking 6 shots on goal setting up 4 corner kicks which all were unsuccessful. At about the 5 min. mark, Skylar served a right corner kick into the box where Nicholas' header went over the cross-bar. At the 12 min mark, Schillo passd a ball from near 25 yds. right over to Chris near 22 yds. center whose shot sailed wide right. At about the 20 min. mark, Erik possessed a ball, dribbled near 20 yds. right and fired a shot which went wide left. At about the 36 min. mark, Nate took a shot form 20 yds. center which went over the cross-bar; and, at about the 45 min. mark, Syklar served a free kick ball form 20 yds. left sideline into the box where Nicholas’ header hit outside of the left side net, and the match ended in regulation, 0-0.
MSC kicked off in the 1st of 2 x 15 min. OT’s. Inter’s solid defense held the Revolution to just 1 shot on goal which came around the 12 min. mark from 22 yds. left and went wide right. Inter controlled most of the play in the 1st OT, taking 5 shots on goal and 1 corner kick while committing 3 fouls (including 1 offsides). At about the 2 min. mark, Skylar served a right corner kick ball into the box and Nicholas’ shot went over the cross-bar. At the 4 min. mark, after a foul by MSC, Schillo struck a hard free kick from 25 yds. center on goal which the GK bobbled and Alex was positioned nearby to easily tap in the go-ahead goal. Five mins. later, Schillo rcvd a ball near 22 yds. cetner and took a shot which went over the cross-bar. At about the 13 min. mark, Erik rcvd a ball, dribbled in the box and dished off to Schillo near 5-6 yds. whose chip over the GK went over the cross-bar. The Revolution committed 2 fouls (including a YC shown to a player on the sidelines for chest-trapping a ball thinking it was going out of bounds but was still in play), while Inter committed 3 fouls (including 1 offsides).
In the 2 x 15 min. OT, Inter kicked off and held MSC to no shots on goal or corner kicks while committing 3 fouls. Inter created several scoring situations including 2 shots and 2 corners by Nate from the right while committing just 1 foul. At about the 8 min. mark, Schillo passed a ball from mid-center upfield on the left to Matt near 20 yrds. left who beat a defender near the end line to serve the ball into the box where Schillo descended onto it to knock in the go-head goal. At about the 13 min. mark, Matt rcvd a pass from (?) on the left near 35 yds. on MSC's side, dribbled into the box , beat the defender and was fouled for a PK which Ebo took to put Inter up 3-0. Several minutes later, Ebo was shown a YC for some USB comments (?), and Inter held on to notch Round 2 and advance to Round 3 to play the MSC Scorpions, whom Inter will try to coordinate a re-schedule with during mid-week.
