Went to the game. It was very sunny and hot. So bright I had problems seeing my phone.
Starting lineup featured Tomas Hut at keeper. Wigg and Holman were the starting interior defenders. I believe Brdaric and Omeze were the starting outside defenders.
The starters at midfield were Ming, Scott, Da Costa and Acquah.
Zambrano and Nutsonutsi started up front.
Da Costa got a red card early for a foolish foul. Since it was an exhibition, Syracuse was allowed to substitute for him. This is a shame because I was looking forward to watching Da Costa play. I suspect he is our most talented midfielder.
At John’s dominated the game for,the first 15-20 minutes. They were better in the air and generally more discipled with the ball. Did’ t really have any great scoring chances but they got a few corners and had 3 shots on goal early.
Then SU started to establish itself and they had the better play the rest of the game. St John’s would not get a shot on goal again until the scrubs were in with 5 minutes to go. Leibold and Fortier were banged up and did not play.
Some general comments…
Zambrano had a collision early and was forced to leave the game. He returned later with a bandage on his head like the fife player in the Spirit of 76. Despite this, he had an excellent game. Made a lot of terrific passes to help set up scoring chances. He was my player of the game.
This was my first chance to see Bright Nutornutsi play in person. He is a terrific athlete who is very fast and has a lot of skill. But he rarely got the ball anywhere near the goal and mostly made quick deft passes.someone was always open and he often got the double team treatment. He was unimpressive in the air (he is pretty small) but he played hard, worked to get open and proved to be a willing defender.
Darko and Cappello were the backups at forward. They looked promising but I think they are not at the level of the starting forwards.
At midfield, Da Costa was gone before he did anything. Acquah looked good out there and had a good scoring chance. I suspect Nutornutsi is going to lead the team in goals and Zambrano in assists, and Acquah is going to be our second leading scorer. Hopefully Leibold gets healthy and contributes on offense, He is another capable goal scorer if he is 100%.
Ming played a lot and had the ball a lot. He is clearly talented and his ability to run to space and get open or beat players off the dribble made him dangerous. He missed a bunch of passes though and has to do better here. Looks like he knows how to play but the game is going a bit too fast for him right now.
Scott played a lot but didn’t get the ball much and didn’t make an impact in the game. Didn’t seem very active or quick. I think Christey was the first middle off the bench. He did okay but didn’t distinguish himself. Darko might have played some midfield but did not stand,out.
On defense, Omeze had a solid game. St John’s did their homework and avoided attacking the SU defense on his side. Wigg and Holman were solid. Especially Holman, who was outstanding in the air and also made a few good passes to start counters. I think Holman might be the most improved player on the team. Brdaric was physical and made a couple good tackles and,passes. Seems a little slow but was tough in the air. Mensah was a solid veteran presence when he played.
Santiago Frias filled in inside and did a nice job. Passed it well, was very vocal and won some head balls. Noedig also played inside defense and did reasonably well there.
To me, the biggest surprise in this game was the play of side full Callum Lugton. He got,some steals, seemed to always be open and made a number of good passes to help initiate offense.
Tomas Hut started at keeper and played well. Kyle Jensen replaced him late and saved the game with a save in the last 5 minutes. I think SU’s best scoring chance was a direct late from near the back line. Ming put it on goal from a bad angle and the goalie just flipped it off the crossbar. Lugton came close with a header just over the crossbar. I,thin, Acquah had a shot but failed to get it on goal.
I think St John’s is a well coached team that might well make the NCAA tournament. Our long standing problem remains. We couldn’t score again. But I think there are pieces in place to address this. I like or defense and goalie and I think the forwards are okay. My worry is the midfield. St John’s owned most of this real estate most of the game and we have to do better with spacing, controlling the ball and covering gaps.
Hopefully Da Costa will be more of a factor at midfield in future games. Hopefully Giona finally gets healthy soon and becomes a factor. I think if we get the ball to Bright inside the box he will come through.
