If one thing was apparent in Saturday’s 1-1 draw between Sounders FC 2 and Orange County Blues FC, it’s that S2 is a hard team to beat when its midfield is at full strength.
Saturday saw Andrés Correa, Duncan McCormick and S2 captain Amadou Sanyang return to the starting XI after all three sat out a number of matches due to various injuries. McCormick made his third start of the season, while Correa was put in a new position playing left wing instead of his usual left back.
“We like players who are able to play several positions. Being versatile helps the team, especially when making the First Team is so competitive,” said S2 Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson. “Correa played really well especially coming off a six-week injury and slotting in exactly how we needed.”
Correa ended up playing quite an important role in the lone S2 goal of the night, picking the pocket of Blues defender Jack McCracken to set up an S2 counterattack that led to Darwin Jones’ tidy finish. The entire play took 12 seconds to develop, giving S2 the advantage in the 31st minute.
Throughout the night, the defender-turned-midfielder seemed eager to get forward, creating multiple chances for the Rave Green, but in the end, S2 would only be able to find the one goal to secure the point and the club’s second draw on the road of the season.
Sanyang, the club’s captain also put in a solid shift Saturday night. He looked like his old self on the pitch, controlling most of the play that went through the midfield without committing a single foul in 93 minutes played.
It was a rare call in the second half that gave OC Blues FC the equalizer in the second half. S2 goalkeeper Charlie Lyon held on to the ball a little too long for referee Ramon Hernandez’s liking, leading the official to whistle for an indirect free kick at the top of the 18-yard box.
Christopher Santana tapped the ball over to Didier Crettenand, and the Blues’ leading goal-scorer made no mistake, placing his right-footed shot through the wall to the bottom left corner.
S2 remains at the top of the USL Western Conference table, and is the first in the conference to reach 20 points. The club is also undefeated in five matches across both USL and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play.
“When you consider the amount of matches we have been playing and the injuries and illnesses in the team, Saturday was a very good performance,” said Hendrickson. “The new players like Diego Silvas came in and did their jobs, and we are happy with the way our guys have been able to adapt, regardless of who we put out there.”
With a solid defensive performance against the Blues, defender Nick Miele earned USL Team of the Week honors. It was the second time making the list for Miele, who has played 810 minutes across all competitions this season and scored one goal.
“Miele has been very good for us and is a very good one-on-one defender,” said Hendrickson. “He is someone we look to force play in the back and he is developing very well within our system. We look forward to his future with the team.”
S2 faces Tulsa Roughnecks this Friday, June 5, at Starfire Stadium, where the club boasts a perfect 5-0-0 record so far (7-0-0 across all competitions). Tickets to the match are available here.
