The Green Bay Glory continued their dream start to the season as they went on the road and beat Chicago Ghost 2-0 at Greg Petry SportsPark in Waukegan.

Far from the most exciting contest, a goal in each half proved to be enough to secure all three points for the visitors. Osvaldo Ramirez opened the scoring with an easy tap-in midway through the first, and a counter attacking move was finished off by Timmy Geocaris to double the lead in the second.

Chicago put up a good fight, and they probably should’ve scored at least once when all was said and done, but they ultimately went ghost when it mattered most.

Story of the match

The first real chance of the contest came near the quarter-hour mark. A Ghost corner was whipped into a dangerous spot, and they had a player get onto the aerial ball, but the header flew right into the arms of the goalkeeper.

Green Bay were controlling the pace of play, and they got a goal soon after. A long ball over the top played Ethan Dietrich into space down the right wing, and his low cross picked out Osvaldo Ramirez at the back post for a simple finish.

Dietrich was through again, but a heavy first touch let him down, and the goalkeeper came out to claim the ball.

The first half died a real death, and the story was the same to start the second half. Ghost had a decent opening past the hour mark via their number #11, but the shot failed to threaten.

Despite a spell of possession in the opposing third from Chicago, it was Glory who scored next. Once again on the counter, Timmy Geocaris got the ball in the box before slotting past the goalkeeper.

Ghost returned to their attacking ways, and they almost pulled one back in style. 7 went on a mazy run, dancing past multiple defenders, but his strike from a tight angle was hit right at the keeper.

That proved to be the final highlight of the evening, with the Glory holding on to secure the victory.

What it means

This result made it four wins out of four for Green Bay this campaign, which vaults them even further into 1st place of the MWPL Heartland Division 2. It’s early, but they’re certainly the favorites for promotion at this point.

Chicago, meanwhile, will stick around the middle of the pack, with four points from four games.

Notes and takeaways

Greg Petry SportsPark is a lovely venue to host a soccer match. There’s so much open air in this part of Waukegan, and it makes you feel like you’re in a different part of the world when compared to most Chicagoland stadiums.

The fact that they’re called Chicago Ghost despite them very clearly playing in Waukegan, which is over an hour away from Chicago, is interesting, but I won’t get too pedantic.

*Image courtesy of MWPL and Miles Whitworth*

Green Bay Glory is one of those names that doesn’t seem like it works, but it does somehow. It’s like the Big Show.

This wasn’t the prettiest game you’ll ever see. Both teams have plenty of talent, and there were some highlights, but there were long stretches were neither could establish any sort of groove. They’d play for a little, there’d be a stoppage for a foul or a substitution, and then they’d have to start all over again. These games just happen every once in a while, no matter what level.

Speaking of substitutions, the Midwest Premier League apparently has a unique substitutions rule, where players can be taken off in the first half and then return in the second half. Called me an out-of-touch old man but I don’t really like it.

Green Bay really capitalized on the space they were given down the right wing in the first half. It’s how they scored their opener, and they really should have gotten another goal the same way.

To Ghost’s credit, they adjusted things in the second half, and they were much more solid as a result.

Man of the match - Osvaldo Ramirez

It’s hard to highlight a specific Green Bay player since they put in a real team effort, but Osvaldo Ramirez got the opener so I’ll just give him the nod.

A proper striker’s goal, his instincts set him up perfectly. He knew where to be, flying into space at the back post, and his finish was a clinical one, simply redirecting the ball into the back of the net.

He seemed to be a focal point of the attack, as he saw plenty of the ball during attacking moves, whether he was centrally or out wide. It was a solid performance, and Ramirez was a key part of the Glory’s win here.

Key quotes

Green Bay Glory head coach Patrick Birder:

“We started really hot, we’ve been doing that all year, and it’s become a big part of us. The biggest thing for us was getting our goal in the first half, and then holding off the storm, and then getting another goal to kill the game off.”

“We defended the game as a unit. When we lose the ball in transition our whole midfield collapses in, which makes it hard for the opponents to move around.”

“Ghost adjusted super well in the second half, I was impressed and nervous until the second goal. Props to them, I thought they were excellent, and they’ll have an excellent second half of the season.”

- Adnan Bašić