Arizona United Still in Quest for Coveted Playoff Slot

The road to a possible USL PRO Soccer playoff berth keeps getting tougher for Arizona United Soccer Club after the team lost its latest game against Sacramento Republic FC by a score of 2-1.

  

Arizona entered the game needing a victory and help from other teams in the league to gain ground in the quest to capture one of eight playoff spots available in the 14-team league.

  

Prior the the game the team had 21 league points.

An Arizona United victory and losses by Orange County and Charlotte would have put Arizona in a three way tie for 10th place and within two points of a coveted playoff spot.

  

Orange County and Charlotte did their part by losing their respective games, but the loss by Arizona and a victory by Pittsburgh pushed Arizona United further down the league table into 13th place.

  

Arizona’s record now stands at 6 wins, 11 losses and 5 draws.

  

To add insult to injury, the team is also feeling the impact of serving a 2-point penalty for inadvertently playing an ineligible player who should have been benched due to yellow card accumulation.

In Saturday’s game, Sacramento seemed to control the ball and tempo throughout the first half. Arizona United Head Coach Michael Dellorusso, however, felt that his team held its own against the fourth-place Republic.

  

“I don’t the intensity was lacking at all,” Dellorusso said. “We knew they would come out fast. They’re a team that like to press and and likes to play quick.

  

“I think our guys did a fantastic job in the first half—staying compact; staying organized.

  

“In the second half the boys did everything I asked of them. What it came down to was them making plays and us not.”

  

The game was scoreless until the 53rd minute when Sacramento’s Jeffrey Koval scored. 

A mental mistake by defender Tyler Ruthven turned the ball over to Sacramento just in front of the goal. 

After a few passes, Sacramento’s Thomas Stewart fed the ball to Jeffrey Koval who slotted the ball into the net to give Sacramento a 1-0 lead.

Arizona United’s Tyler Ruthven (2) walks away dejected after a turnover led to a Sacramento Republic goal.

Arizona was able to even the score just 11 minutes later after substitute forward Jonathan Top took a Jon Okafor centering pass and blasted the ball past Sacramento goal keeper Jacob Gleeson.

Arizona United's Jonathan Top scored a goal in the second half to even the score at 1-1.

“I was able to get in a good spot and thankfully found the back of the net today,” Top said.

  

Unfortunately for Arizona the lead would only last 14 minutes as Sacramento’s Justin Braun scored during the game’s 78th minute. Braun took possession of the ball near midfield after a pass was intercepted by midfielder Dakota Collins. Braun dribbled masterfully around two Arizona opponents and then chipped the ball over onrushing Arizona goal keeper Evan Newton for the score.

Arizona United’s Evan Newton (in green) can only watch a ball chipped past by Sacramento’s Justin Braun sails toward the net to score the winning goal in Arizona United’s 2-1 loss to the Republic.

Asked what he tells his players now, knowing that the opportunities to work into a playoff spot are dwinding, Dellorusso simply said “It’s all or nothing”.

Other Notes:

Bryan Gallego, who was on loan to Arizona United by Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers is currently training with the U.S. Men’s National Teams U-23 team. The team is in the Bahamas for a five day training session that included a game against the Bahamas on Wednesday. The U.S. team won that game by a score of 5-1.

Benji Lopez was called up to the USMNT U-20 team earlier this year and participated in an international tournament held at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., in July.

USL PRO Soccer CEO Alec Papadakis was in Peoria for last week’s Arizona United vs. Sacramento Republic game.

  

Papadakis met with the media prior to the game and praised Arizona United Owner Kyle Eng’s leadership and energy and said he expects Eng to be a leader in the USL PRO community.

  

Papadakis also revealed he was in the state to speak with leaders from FC Tucson, a team in the Premier Development League. He said Tucson and other cities in the Southwest are on the USL PRO radar for future expansion.

  

Papadakis said there may be as many as 22 teams in the USL PRO league next year, due mainly to the fact that many MSL teams will be fielding USL PRO affiliates in place of reserve teams in the coming season. Papadakis said the addition of a Tucson team would make a great rivalry for Arizona Soccer fans.

Arizona United SC Drops Inaugural Game at Home

When is a loss not a loss?  If you’re a valley soccer fan that question was answered Saturday night after USL PRO Soccer’s Arizona United Soccer Club fell in its inaugural game against Oklahoma City’s Energy FC by a score of 4-0 at Peoria Sports Complex.

An announced attendance of 2,888 spectators enjoyed a game few could imagine happening just a month ago.

The constant silence of the Phoenix FC Wolves organization and the sudden announcement that the team will no longer be operating a USL PRO franchise burst a bubble that seemed destined to pop as the organization floundered despite having open tryouts for prospective players just weeks before.

But, as soon as all seemed for naught, there was new life infused into soccer supporters as word of Phoenix FC’s demise was quickly followed by news of the formation of Arizona United, fronted by Peoria businessman Kyle Eng.

Eng spent more than 20 minutes with the media prior to Saturday’s game and walked through the chronology of the team’s formation from first contact with USL PRO on Feb. 21, through the announcement that soccer would indeed continue in Arizona on March 13.

During the first meeting with USL PRO it became apparent that Eng and his team would be right fit for ownership of a franchise.

“We want to be Arizona’s soccer team,” Eng said. “We are Arizona’s only professional team in Arizona. We want to be united in that.” Hence the name Arizona United SC.

The next order for Eng and his staff was to hire a coach.  He told his staff to “find a guy who has a winning tradition, who knows how to win on the field and who brings something different.”

They found that coach in Maryland assistant coach and USL PRO veteran Mike DelloRusso.

Earning fans back is important to Eng, who has adopted three mottos: Put a quality product on the field; create a great fan experience; put together a team that people can be proud to cheer for.

“If we can do those three things then we’ve accomplished our goal,” said Eng, “We’ll earn our fans back”

Eng acknowleged it has taken a lot of hard work to pull off game one in such a short period of time and some tasks as formal game uniforms and signage were not quite ready. Other areas such as concessions and merchandise booths will be assessed.

As for the game on the field, Arizona United held on during the first half to take a tie going into the locker room, but Arizona United faced a steep challenge in the second half due to the dismissal of London Woodberry who received two yellow cards in the first half.

It did not take long for OKC to take advantage of the United's one-man deficit.  Just a minute into the second half, OKC's Steven Perry tucked a shot into the right side of the net to give the Energy a 1-0 lead.

Minutes later, Kyle Greig was able to head in a cross to double the score.

Throughout the game, Arizona United struggled to maintain possession; a testament, perhaps, to the scant practice time as a team.  Many players on the United side had one week or less to practice with the entire squad.  OKC added two more goals by Kyle Miller (65') and Adda Djeziri (70') to put the game out of reach.

Arizona United did manage to threaten OKC keeper John Kempin on a few occasions during the game.
Following the game, Arizona United Midfielder Matt Kassel was not making any excuses.  "I don't want to make any excuses," Kassel said. "Everybody's played the game before. They (OKC) have played a few games already. You could tell that," suggesting the match fitness level of OKC gave the Energy the advantage.

"The red card was unfortunate," Kassell added "It's something all of us will learn from. We've got to take it and move forward."
Kassel went on to say he was impressed by the level of support for the team in its first game. He acknowleged the soccer community in the valley and the support demonstrated by the fans and supporters at the game.

Next up, Arizona United will face Sacramento at Peoria Sports Complex on Saturday, April 19. Game time is 7:00 pm.

Front: Joey Dillon, Joseph Toby, Paolo DelPiccolo, Jonathan Top, London Woodberry; Rear: Daniel Antunez, Evan Newton, Tyler Ruthven, Jon Okafor, Bradlee Baladez, Matt Kassel

Joseph Toby

Bradlee Baladez

Jon Okafor

Matt Kassel

Jonathan Top

Scott Morrison (23)

Charles Renken

Devon Grousis

Tyler Ruthven

London Woodberry

Evan Newton

Joey Dillon

Paolo DelPiccolo

Brandon Swartzendruber