Friday night’s Third Coast Soccer Game of the week will feature FC New Orleans and Northshore United, two unbeaten teams that sit on top of the Central Conference standings. FC New Orleans is undefeated in their last three games with a draw at home versus Gaffa FC while Northshore United has won their last three straight matches.
Northshore Coach Chris Penton seems unfazed by FC New Orleans’ impressive undefeated record as he has not changed his team’s game plan going into this weekend’s tough matchup. “The approach will be similar to the last 3 games,” Coach Penton commented. “We have to work on how to dictate space and create opportunities for transitions into the final 3rd. We’ve been getting to know the players and are starting to get a better feel for our own teams strengths and weaknesses. FC New Orleans gives us a different challenge in terms of style of play and experience. It should be a great game for the fans on Friday.”
In just their second season in the GCPL, Northshore United has been extremely dominant and have been putting in a lot of hard work during the off-season as well as regular season to get to where they are now.
“Learning from year-one mistakes through what worked and what did not helped us get back on track for this season,” United Owner Robbie McCray commented. “We, as a club, wanted to refocus on training which is most important to us. Winning is a result of all the hard work the guys are putting in at training.”
Cam Robinson featured in the GCPL Week 3 Team of the Week. Photo credit: Doug Arrowood
United Midfielder Cameron Robinson is among the top players to watch for come Friday night. Robinson is a winger who has a lot of pace and likes to run. He has two goals and one assist on the season. Another Midfielder to keep your eyes on is Eric Schwing. Schwing is a defensive mid with great ball distribution and outstanding counter attacking plays. The last player to look out for is Andrew McInnis who is a physical forward that likes to motivate his team and lead by example. He is Northshore’s leading scorer with four goals on the season.
FC New Orleans Coach Wilmer Peralta also seems unbothered by Northshore’s intimidating unbeaten record because his club has been preparing for this Central Conference powerhouse matchup in the same way that they did for their first three games.
“We are approaching this match with the same seriousness as always,” Coach Peralta commented. “Every rival is to be treated as a high-level opponent and this is no different. Northshore United has proven itself worthy of being the top team in our Conference and our preparation will be tailored to try to expose their weaknesses. At the end of the day, however, we will be focused on honing our strengths, as that is our best defense against a strong team on their home turf. Continuing to fortify our formidable back line, perfecting our tiki-taka style of passing, and finishing all of our opportunities on goal – those are just a few of our big preparation aims. We will hold nothing back and are confident in obtaining a convincing win.”
FC New Orleans led by captain Marco Figueroa. Photo credit: Marshall Roy
The men from NOLA have yet to lose a game this season, but they still feel as if there is room for improvement and they are striving to get better with every match they play.
“Though FC New Orleans has had a great bout of success, early on, it is still a very new team,” FC New Orleans Director of Operations Pepe Serrano stated. “That comes with a lot of growth, and a lot of room for improvement. The strength has come from our adversity. We played a few pre-season matches that didn’t go our way and are still growing accustomed to the unique league rules (e.g., hockey-like substitutions). Nevertheless, the struggles we have faced have brought us closer together – and our drive is our fortitude.”
A top player on FC New Orleans to watch for is nifty Forward Roger Llergo. Considered to be FC New Orleans’ secret weapon, Llergo feels right at home between the defensive backline and midfielder set. He uses his speed to pressure opposing teams in their own half which allows him to quickly transition to attack where his finishing accuracy is to be feared by any keeper. The second player to look for is Gustavo Castillo. Castillo’s face-value talent is his crisp ball distribution and high pass accuracy, but he is good for a few knuckleball shots on target from long range. Not to mention, he had a 40 yard upper-90 bomb of a goal in his club’s home opener v. Gaffa FC, so you can expect him to put constant pressure on the United keeper as well.
This Central Division matchup between these two top dogs will be on Friday night at Wolverine Stadium at 7:00pm. It will be a great match to watch and I wouldn’t want to be someone who misses it.
This Game of the Week feature is sponsored by Third Coast Soccer. The largest retail soccer store in the gulf south. Visit www.thirdcoastsoccer.net today!
