Los Zorros left Salt Lake City the victors. Taking home all three points from an important away game against a strong side. The Foxes proved their grit and determination, and coach Smith made some changes to the team in anticipation of our match against Sacramento on Wednesday.

First Half – SLC 1 – FRS 1

The first 15 minutes saw both teams testing the waters. It was swift when the Monarchs did eventually get on the board. In the 16th minute, Fresno had a free kick in the Monarchs half, but SLC hit us on the counter. There was a high ball on the right side, Cooper missed it, and Adam Brody took it past. Then he hit a long ground cross into the box to an unmarked Maikel Chang who slotted it into the left corner. Easy goal for the Monarchs, they were up 1-0.

It took a minute for Fresno to recover. I didn’t know if it was something we were going to come back from, or if this would be the nail in our coffin. The Foxes stayed in the game and kept trying to make something happen. Elijah Martin won a foul near the Monarchs corner in the 26th minute. Alihodzic swung in the cross, and Christian Chaney popped in a sweet chip off his head into the right corner of the goal. It was 1-1.

There were a lot of good plays, and the Foxes seemed dangerous for the rest of the half. Chaney had an attempt on goal, and Jackson in the 41st had a great opportunity that was squandered. There were a few fouls as the half ended, but it looked like the Foxes had some control.

Notes:

We went up to the Monarchs expecting the stellar team from last year, what we ended getting was a team that isn’t quite sure who they are. They had some attacking prowess, but they didn’t manage to get the ball to their scorers as often as they needed to.

The Foxes showed a lot of fortitude to stick to the plan. They weren’t worried, they didn’t fall apart when we went down 1-0. That type of mental toughness is something we have been missing in other games like Reno and OC.

The team comp was entirely different. Caffa didn’t play this game at all, and Johnson was a late game sub. Caffa and Johnson are two players that we couldn’t play without last year. This year we managed pretty well in their absence. That level of depth is a blessing for Coach Smith.

Despite some rotation this game there are still players we haven’t seen. The competition this year is going to be tough for fringe players to get in, but those new players who are making an impact like Martin are vying really well for their spots.

Jackson is leading us in assists, but he needs to be less selfish and see the more significant play of the game. In the 41st he took a bad shot instead of playing Chaney into space, that was a goal, and he let it go for a chance at glory. I won’t fault his hunger, but the team matters more than any one player.

Second Half SLC 2 – FRS 4

The second half was crazy. The Foxes came out guns blazing. First Cooper was subbed off for Casillas in the 50th minute. The next ten minutes saw two attempts by the monarchs and 5 attempts by the Foxes and an own goal by one of the Monarchs. In the 57th minute Zach Ellis-Hayden comes in from the left side, and his shot is blocked by Ochoa who, in fairness, made a good save – but that rebound was then accidentally run in by Kalen Ryden in the 58th minute. 2-1 for the Foxes.

Then just three minutes later, Casillas brought the ball forward in the box and played it through to Jackson who hit a beautiful ground cross to Chaney who toed it in at the near post in the 61st minute. 3-1 to the Foxes and we were flying high.

The game started to slow down after that. There were some fouls and shots. Elijah Martin went down in the 68th and then was subbed off for Jemal Johnson in the 69th minute.

Play continued with the Monarchs starting to turn up the pressure. They knew they needed a goal to get back in it and they were searching for one. Chaney was subbed off in the 77th for Qudus Lawal.

Between the 80th and 85th minute, the Monarchs took 5 attempts on goal. Then in the 85th they finally made their break and scored a goal that puts us to shame. Luis Arriaga sent in a low cross from the right side, and Josh Heard backheeled it into the goal with his right foot. It was a nice goal, but also damn.

This was nailbiting time. The Foxes last year were liable to let the Monarchs score us into a draw, and I was worried we still had that in us. In the 86th we were looking for goals, Casillas had an excellent shot, and then Basuljevic hit the crossbar, and it came off, he then tried a bicycle, but nothing came of it.

Fresno managed to close up shop in the 90th minute when Lawal played a brilliant backheel to Johnson who took a left-footed shot right over the keeper. The game ended 4-2.

Notes:

This is the Fresno side we have all wanted to see. It is what we have known Fresno could be, and it was beautiful to watch. This is the first game this season where we truly played attacking football and didn’t just rely on our defense to see us through.

Christian Chaney might just be the striker we have been looking for – it’s game 7, and he has 3 goals, that isn’t the best in the league or west, but for someone who has only started 3 games, it’s excellent. I think he is putting himself up for coach Smith and saying, “You have to play me, I am good for goals” – and it’s fantastic.

Johnson grabbed a goal in the dying minutes, something we rarely managed when we needed it last year. It was reassuring and at the same time invigorating.

I want to see more of Casillas and Basuljevic playing together, and I want to see more of a lot of our midfielders. We did really well this game and put the Monarchs on their back foot. If we can find some form and make a plan, it might mean we build a strong push for playoffs and putting ourselves in a good position when we make it.

We played very attacking football – we managed 8 shots on goal, and 17 shots total. That’s not bad for only having 40% of possession. Even more than that, we only took 3 shots outside the box, meaning 14 of our shots were much closer than they have been in the past – telling us that our attacking style is evolving.

Nice to note also that even though we attacked better, our defense was no slouch. We had 80% tackle success rate, 19 tackles, and forced the Monarchs to take 7/16 shots outside the box.

No one got a yellow card, it’s a miracle.

Player Ratings

Cochran – 5

C.J. had a tough game. He conceded two goals – both were more defensive failures than his own, but he made 2 saves and 1 catch.

Ellis-Hayden – 7

Ellis-Hayden had a good game defensively and even took some shots. He managed 2 tackles, 2 clearances, and 1 interception. He also made the shot that was then run in for our second goal so kudos on that.

Daly – 6

Daly had a good game. He made a tackle and a clearance. He won most of his duels and completed 66% of his passes.

Del Campo – 8

Del Campo was stellar as always. His defensive stats are phenomenal with 3 tackles, 4 clearances, and 2 interceptions. He also managed a shot and won nearly 60% of his duels. He had a great night, and if not for the goals, he would be MOTM material.

Cooper – 6

Cooper came off at 50, but he had a quiet defensive game. He played more as a wingback than a fullback. He tried 5 crosses, with 1 connecting. He also created 2 chances this game. Not bad with 84% passing success.

Martin – 7

Martin had 3 tackles and an interception. He also won the foul that led to our first goal so good job on that. He had a very good game as a quasi-defensive midfielder. His passing accuracy was high at 87%.

Alihodzic – 8

Emir came into his own tonight. I will be honest, I have had reservations about him in the past, but if he can play like tonight more often, he should be in the starting 11. He had 2 tackles, and 2 clearances, 3 successful crosses, 2 chances created, and 1 assist on Chaney’s first goal. He also managed 78.6% passing accuracy in the opponents half and just 1 foul.

Kurimoto – 7

Kurimoto played his first full game for the foxes and was mostly a midfield cog. He made 2 tackles, took 1 shot, and created 1 chance. He made 39 passes, the most in the midfield and had 84% passing accuracy. Not bad for his first real play for the team.

Jackson – 7

Jackson played well, but some of his play never changes. His passing accuracy was terrible, just 52.4%. He did manage 1 shot, created 2 chances, and got 1 assist for the ball to Chaney. He had 1 tackle and 1 clearance. Despite the poor passing, he had an excellent game. I think his score would have been higher if he had given Chaney the chance in the 41st, but no use crying over spilled milk.

Basuljevic – 7

Arun was an active utility player in this game. He had 90.5% passing accuracy in the opponents half and tried for a goal 5 times. He almost had one, but the crossbar kept it out. He created 1 chance. Not a bad game, unlucky not to score.

Chaney – 9 MOTM

Chaney had a great game. He scored two goals, took 4 shots, and created a chance. He also had 3 tackles and 1 interception. He also managed to win most of his duels – something he hasn’t done in the past. It’s an exciting time for players from Fresno, and especially for him.

Casillas – 6

Not much to say, he had 1 shot on target and tried another shot. He also had 1 tackle. I think he needs to play a full game to see what he is capable of, he did set up Chaney’s second goal with his play which was great.

Johnson – 8

Just three passes for Jemal this game, but he made the most of his time. He had 1 shot blocked, and then his goal. He also made 1 tackle and blocked another shot. A good game for only being on 23 minutes.

Lawal – 7

He was only on for 13 minutes, but he managed 6 passes with an 80% accuracy in the opponents half. He created 2 chances and assisted Johnson’s goal. Overall a good game for him – hopefully, he will see some minutes in the open cup.

Change in Formation

Something coach Smith did this game was change up the formation and starting 11. It was something new to see Kurimoto in the side and Martin playing midfield instead of right back. With Martin and Alihodzic holding down the midfield we saw something different in the creative play that happened.

With the two players (Martin and Alihodzic) we had to sacrifice having Caffa in the side, instead opting for two somewhat defensive minded players. They together managed 5 tackles, but their passing accuracy and creative play were equally good. With Caffa and Moses in the side, we get some of each, but not the work rate that the two brought to the table. Add in Kurimoto, and it brings the tackles up to 7, and the passing accuracy meant when we had the ball it stayed with us.

While I don’t think we are going to forsake Caffa(He is our super captain), I do think it provides Smith something to think about. We didn’t have anywhere near a majority of possession, but making the midfield more balanced between “total” players rather than offensive or defensive players, made the play more cohesive and honestly more creative. We had more shots and more goals against an excellent team on the road. That’s gotta make him think.

Looking Ahead

We have a tight schedule ahead of us. We take on the Sacramento Republic on Wednesday the 8th, then LA Galaxy 2 on Sunday the 12th, and then play our first round of the open cup on Tuesday the 14th against an undecided team. We then get a few days off before we play Austin Bold on the 22nd, and then Tacoma Defiance (noted as Seattle 2 on the calendar still) on the 26th.

This month is packed because of our Bye weeks, and that means coach Smith is going to have to keep rotating players to keep everyone’s legs fresh. I expect to see more of Kurimoto, Casillas, and Lawal in the coming games. Who knows, maybe he will play some of our waiting players during the USOC and well see an entirely new team?

One thing is for sure: there will definitely be enough soccer to go around.

Final Thoughts

The game was spectacular. I accidentally scared some women in the parking lot of Walmart when I yelled after Johnson scored his late goal to seal it. This is a game that proves we are better this year, and that other teams should be worried about us. When I was listening to a Real Monarchs podcast this week, it made me angry how flippantly they think about us, and it isn’t just them. For many teams, it’s going to take Fresno proving over and over that we are not just a fluke, and that we do belong in the playoffs before we get any respect. Fresno is real, and we’re going to prove it.

#DaleFresno #SomosZorros #BuiltforFresno #WeReal

Highlights