First Half – RGV 0 – FFC 1

No changes to the line-up from last week, and a nice promo of Fresno Fire Squad in the USL commercial before the game. On the USL graphic, it appeared that Caffa was moved to a more central attacking position, but the FFC graphic on Twitter showed the line-up as exactly the same as last week.

The first half of the game exploded out the gate. We scored a goal in the 2nd minute.

It was a great goal with some fancy passing between Basuljevic (scored his first) and Jackson (1st assist). The game then became somewhat stable, we had some good chances early on, but after about 10 minutes we turtled up and went into defensive mode. We had a string of yellow cards – Chaves 13′, Ellis-Hayden 22′, Moses 33′ – and that really summed up not only the how strict the ref was, but also how defensively we were playing. Not until the dying minutes of the half did we really push their defense again. Johnson, Jackson, and Caffa all had shots blocked or saved in the last 2 minutes of the half.

Notes:

We need to be more careful. Strikers like Chavez getting yellows is dangerous. We can’t afford to have people sent off when away from home.

Basuljevic’s goal was beautiful, and he is looking to be a high standard player for our team.

Moses is a BTB midfielder, but he has been used as a CDM in our formations. We need to work on his rate of fouls, mostly because he got a yellow in the 33rd, and then fouled someone again in the 35th. It is too close for comfort.

Second Half – RGV 0 – FFC 2

We came out of the locker room a different team. The second half we recorded 4 shots in the first 15 minutes. We were putting the pressure on, rather than standing back and defending, we were hungry for a goal. Then a goal came in the 60th minute.

Caffa took the ball at about 40 yards and popped it over the top to Basuljevic, who cradled it beautifully, turned and shot it across goal into the left corner. It was one of the best goals I have seen from the foxes, not the usual rocket from 35 yards, but just well done in craft and style. Basuljevic bagged his brace and cemented his place in this team.

It seemed like there was no coming back for RGV, but then in the 66th Del Campo went into a 50-50 challenge against Michael Salazar. Del Campo pushed him over, and RGV had a penalty awarded.

Maalique Foster (#9) stepped up to take the penalty. He sent Cochran the wrong way but hit the post and didn’t capitalize on the chance. FFC still had the possibility of a clean sheet.

There were some more chances for both sides, but FFC decided to slow down play and go back to the defensive formation about the 80th minute. Martin replaced Jackson, and Lawal came on for Chavez. At 86 minutes Cassillias replaced Basuljevic and the team wound down the time.

After four minutes of added time, the Foxes had sealed their first victory of the season.

Notes:

The missed penalty was a fluke, a rare bit of luck that we shouldn’t count on in the future. We need to shore up those type of mistakes in the future because better opposition can use a penalty to rally for a comeback.

Our team was great in the second half, they play some very exciting football and really showcased how the team this year is different from last year.

3 points going into our home opener against Reno next week is exactly what we wanted. Smith is probably ecstatic with the performance and it should boost morale as we come to the Chuk on Saturday.

Player Ratings

Cochran – 7

Cochran had a good game. He made 2 decisive saves and won an aerial duel. He did go the wrong way on the penalty but that didn’t cost us the clean sheet.

Ellis-Hayden – 6

Ellis-Hayden had an all-around solid game. He didn’t rack up as many tackles as last game, but his offensive output was solid and he won about 60 percent of his duels.

Daly – 6

Daly finished the game with no tackles, but 2 clearances and 2 interceptions. He did well to get the ball out of our danger zone and even had a chance created. Not bad for a CB.

Cooper – 6

A much quieter game than against NMU, Cooper had only 1 cross the entire game. He did do the job on defense with 3 tackles, 1 clearance, and 3 interceptions. Hopefully, it was just a one-off thing and he will bounce back next week.

Del Campo – 7

If the penalty had been scored things would have been different, but otherwise Del Campo had a good game. His passing accuracy was 93%, he created a chance and won most of his duels. He led the team in clearances, notched 2 tackles, and 3 interceptions. He did well in the air.

Johnson – 5

Johnson had a rough game. His score is largely due to his defensive work which was stellar. Especially his 4 interceptions. He only managed 1 cross and had just 1 shot on target this game. It was a good header, blocked, but still nice looking. He had a low pass accuracy and that is something he will hopefully correct for next week.

Jackson – 7

Jackson had a great game. Defensively he did well for a winger with 2 interceptions. His passing accuracy was nothing great, but he did manage to create 3 chances and notched up one assist. More to come I hope.

Moses – 6

Moses had a solid game. He led the team in two stats. Tackles (7) and fouls (4). He was our defensive bedrock in the midfield and that allowed other players like Caffa some freedom to play the ball forward. His passing accuracy was good at 85%.

Basuljevic – 9 (MOTM)

Basuljevic was the clear man of the match. His passing accuracy was 95% for the second week in a row. He kept the ball decently and he did well on the dribble. He created no chances this game, but instead, he scored two beautiful and decisive goals. Great player, great game.

Chavez – 6

Chavez had a better game this week than last week. His passing accuracy was bad, he needs to work on that – but he won 9 aerial duels and only lost 2. He also won the majority of his duels on the ground. He didn’t create any chances this game, but he had 3 shots. More crossing, like last game, does him well and this game he was relatively quiet.

Caffa – 7

Caffa had a much better game despite still playing back. It seems like Smith has worked out the kinks at least a little bit with this new formation. He had a decent passing accuracy at 85%, he kept the ball well 3 duels won 0 lost on the ground. He got an assist that was masterfully done. More to come hopefully.

Martin – 5

He was only on for about 15 minutes but he did manage a tackle in the time. Only had a few passes. I think we should reserve real judgment for when we see him play more.

Casillas – 5

He was only on for about 10 minutes. Still got a tackle. Same for Martin needs more minutes before we know a verdict about him.

Lawal – 4

Despite being on for about 15 minutes, it felt like Lawal was not in this game as much as he was in the last one. I want to see more of him, maybe a chance to start in the coming games?

Final Thoughts

Smith worked out a number of issues we had in the first game. We were altogether more cohesive and it seemed like we had a real strategy for how to beat RGV. That is of ultimate importance going into our first home game this week. Reno is coming off a win as well so it is going to be something to see who utilizes the energy best.

The game at the Chuk this week will give us a better clue, another piece to the puzzle, that will help us understand where we will stand this season. At the moment we are 4th in the western conference (it’s early, but it’s still cool). Reno was a tough match last year so it will be interesting to see how Smith handles the game.

On another note – FresYes Fest will be taking place next Saturday so be sure to come out early and get your parking spot. See you all on the 23rd.

Highlights