Join me, Steven Ramirez, every week as I take a look at matches from around the country. While I do have a Southern California bias, I will cover all aspects of amateur soccer, from women's to men's and amateur to professional leagues. Come and celebrate the vibrant world of lower league American soccer with me every Wednesday on YouTube @PitchPerspective. Together, let's delve into the exciting action and captivating stories of the beautiful game at its grassroots level.

Matchday photo from Georgia Storm Facebook Page

Georgia Storm vs. Appalachian FC

This NPSL clash was a competition between two different styles of play. The Storm played quickly on the counter, trying to find any open space as quickly as they could, usually with a ball over the top. Team Squatch preferred to play a possession style, keeping the ball on the ground moving it horizontally, until they found an attacker.

The hosts Georgia Storm put on a great match with a vibrant crowd and entertaining soccer all featured on a good broadcast. On the field the Storm looked good as a counter attacking team. The style for Georgia was consistent, dispossessing the ball in midfield and counter quickly with one or two passes. It worked quite well. In the first half, they played narrowly, in what looked to be a 5-3-2 / 3-4-1-2. Instead of using the wing backs as offensive tools, they rather focused on taking away on the outside, forcing Appalachian to play inward. The Storm focused its defensive shape and didn’t push offensively till about the 35th minute. At that moment, the speed of play changed for Georgia. Instead of one or two touches before launching a counter, they played on the ground a bit more, causing Appalachian to chase the ball more often, leaving gaps in the defense to be exploited.

The visiting Appalachian FC traveled well and employed a well focused possession based style. They were always quick on the restart and pressed at moments in the match, instead of through queues and gameplan. AFC looked well practiced and ready for the match. Almost immediately AFC settled into its play style. Their passes were purposeful, they picked the right passes and took the right chances on goal. The only thing lacking for the Hairy Squatches from Boone, NC, was the timing on all of these moments in the game. Passes were just a touch late, which led to multiple counters from the Storm. Appalachian’s # 11, dominated the match with his speed, dribbling prowess and vision to pick out the right pass, either advancing the ball or maintaining possession.

In the second half, the Storm continued with that same tempo and pressure which they had at the end of the first half. On top of the attacking tempo, they began to press once the Squatchy backline passed amongst themselves. This created multiple chances on goal, including intercepting an errant pass in the box from the AFC keeper. Overall the Storm’s varied systems of play caused Appalachian to search for answers to stop the attack or find the right space in the Georgia half. Throughout the match, Georgia committed fouls in bad spots, allowing a chance on goal for AFC, that fortunately for the home squad, all failed. The Storm players went on to maintain possession throughout the second half becoming the aggressor in the last 45’.

While AFC looked dominant and in control of the first half they were unable to match the quick tempo that was set by the Storm. There were moments in the match where Georgia could match Storm’s intensity, but were unable to capitalize on any of the chances created. One of those chances in the in the 11’ when a bad back pass was intercepted by #11, who beat the Storm center back, dribbled past the goalie where he was fouled earning a penalty. The penalty was converted by #2. It was hard for Appalachian to keep up with the speed of play for the entire second half. Often the team was caught flat footed, unable to launch the quick counter or defend from the Storm press.

Overall both clubs looked competitive. There were multiple chances on each side, which led to the 1-1 scoreline. One aspect of the match that stuck out was that whoever controlled the half, was the team that got scored on. When scored on, the opposing club tried desperately to get one back, forcing the scoring team to play defensively.

Matchday photo from Project 51O Facebook Page

Project 51O vs. Davis Legacy

Finally, USL League 2 is back in action, marking the start of a new season with its usual growing pains. In this bout between Project 510 and Davis Legacy, both squads showcased their learning process within an intense physical battle. The tempo was fast, and the physical challenges resulted in multiple fouls within goal-scoring distance.

The first 15 minutes of the match appeared vastly different from the rest of the game. Project 510 maintained possession and consistently found open spaces in the Legacy defense. They utilized wide play and frequently switched wings, favoring the right side. The young Project 510 squad showed persistence, putting their mark on the game, leading to their first goal in the 7th minute. Following the goal, 510 continued their attacking approach, while Davis Legacy struggled to keep up with the speed of play. However, around the 15-minute mark, the match took a turn.

Both squads increased their tempo, resulting in an endless cycle of interceptions and counterattacks. The play became sloppy, with both teams making ill-advised fouls and struggling to match the tempo they had set themselves. The momentum started shifting in favor of Davis Legacy as they adjusted to the speed of play, moving the ball around the pitch and capitalizing on mistakes made by Project 510. Davis Legacy displayed their aggression, leveraging their size and experience, finishing the first half with two goals, leading 2-1 against the host, Project 510.

The second half saw Project 510 dominate the game. The young squad showcased their seemingly boundless energy. Similar to the first half, the opening 15 minutes of the second half witnessed a back-and-forth battle between both teams. Project 510 equalized in the 60th minute, displaying their persistence in winning back the ball and creating scoring opportunities. Davis Legacy's steam started to fade, and two minutes later, Project 510 took advantage of their opponents' fatigue, forcing multiple mistakes from Davis Legacy, including a horrendous goalkeeping error that led to a goal. Davis appeared mentally defeated, struggling to respond to the relentless attacks launched by Project 510.

Davis Legacy encountered difficulties in maintaining solid passing sequences and possession. They struggled to match the speed of play once again. Even when they managed to create goal-scoring opportunities, their efforts were intercepted, hindered by poor passes, or met with double-teaming and pressure from Project 510 players. Davis Legacy started finding some rhythm in the midfield during the last 20 minutes, retaining possession and stringing together passes, which provided glimpses of goal-scoring chances. However, Legacy's attackers consistently faced strong opposition from multiple Project 510 players. Project 510's unmatched stamina became overwhelming for Davis Legacy.

Davis attempted to mount a comeback for the remainder of the half but appeared demoralized by the 90th minute. In stoppage time, Project 510 scored three goals, the first one from a corner at the back post, punishing a lack of awareness from a dozing Davis defense. Immediately at kickoff, Davis missed the first pass, allowing Luis Saldana to sprint down the field unchallenged and score a beautiful low curling shot. The match concluded with Project 510 breaking through the entire length of the pitch, with a shot on goal that was deflected, finding its way back to Luis Saldana once again.

Overall, Project 510 performed impressively. Their bench players made impactful contributions, and they displayed a dangerous and promising performance in this opening matchup. As for Davis Legacy, they require more time to establish cohesion and achieve match fitness. Although they demonstrated good possession play on the ground, they struggled to contend with the scrappy challenges posed by the young Project 510 squad.

by Steven Ramirez
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