Mustangs Playoff Preview
February 25, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Chicago Mustangs News Release
Hoffman Estates, IL- The Chicago Mustangs, proud members of the Major Arena Soccer League (www.MASLSoccer.com), play host to the Milwaukee Wave for game 1 of their first round series on Thursday, February 26 at the Sears Centre Arena.
The path to the cup has been a rollercoaster, to say the least, but the Mustangs look to put their best foot forward and crush the wave. The teams split their regular season series 1-1 with each team winning their respective home game. This bodes well for Chicago, who is looking to get an early advantage after a rough week on the East Coast against Syracuse and Baltimore. Chicago looks to be completely healthy and have a full roster going into the playoffs which could spell dangerous for the league if everything is clicking.
TonCar 3 Keys of the Weekend!
1) Learn from last weekend instead of dwelling on it. While the Mustangs kept it close with Syracuse and played an action packed game, the Baltimore game was a complete blowout. This is the type of loss that can either completely deflate a team or one that can unite them. Coaches Gamboa and Delevski are smart and will be able to turn the blowout to one of the league's best teams into a positive learning experience. You can focus on how rough the East Coast trip was, or you can see where they had your number and shore it up for Milwaukee. This is a smart team, there's no reason to think it won't be the latter.
2) Communicate. Some of the big focuses during this week's practice were positioning fundamentals and communication. Everybody in the locker room believes that they can be one of the most dangerous teams on the field as long as they stick to the gameplan and communicate effectively. A lot of times, when the Mustangs falter, it is because they are beating themselves and creating opportunities late in games that they wouldn't normally give up. If everybody stays on the same page against Milwaukee and they play like they have been scrimmaging in practice, this is going to be a very fun team to watch.
3) Know your mortality, but don't panic. This is the playoffs. You either win and go on, or lose and go home. That second fact always sits in the back of your mind, but you can't let that affect you and force you to stray away from your game. Sometimes you get caught up in the fact that it can all end so quickly, but that is when you lose focus and start making mistakes. These are very important games, no doubt, but the team must maintain a calm presence about the potential finality of the season even with a boosted intensity for these playoff games. Stay calm, cool and in control and things should be alright.
Players to keep an eye on
Chicago Mustangs:
1. Hewerton, Forward - Hewerton took the rough East Coast trip off with an injury, so he should be feeling fresh going into the series against his old squad. While we haven't called his name lately, Hewerton was red-hot keying some major Mustangs wins before taking his time off. With both Hewerton and Matthew Stewart being rested, Mustangs Nation is hoping for some more sweet connections from the 2 to help boost the offense. Having played just 2/3 of the team's games, the Brazilian Boot is right among the team leaders in points and goals and will be an important figure in this offense if they are to succeed.
2. Taylor Bond, Forward - The rookie forward has had himself quite a season and has really seemed to hit the next-level recently. Having taken a more vocal, active role on the field, Bond is becoming a positive leader for a Mustangs team that has struggled to maintain their identity all season. Taylor scored 2 big goals at Syracuse and also had a hat-trick in the playoff clinching game at Detroit. Bond has had a nose for the ball and his energy and mind for the game will be very crucial components in the upcoming Milwaukee series.
Milwaukee Wave:
1. Luan Sales Oliveira, Midfield - The attacking midfielder is 3rd on the team with 37 points on 22 goals and 15 assists. Oliveira helped key a 12-6 victory over Detroit with 2 assists and a goal. Much of Milwaukee's offensive presence comes from their midfield and Oliveira is one of their most dangerous weapons.
2. Stefan St. Louis, Forward - Acquired from St. Louis in a midseason trade, Stefan has scored 14 points in 7 games. Between his 2 teams, St. Louis has 26 points on 14 goals and 12 assists. Unfortunately for Chicago, St. Louis is hitting his stride as he is coming off of a red-hot 3 goal, 1 assist game against Detroit. The athletic forward has been racking up the points and will prove to be a tough test for Chicago's Jesus Flores.
For more information, visit the Sears Centre box office, call the Mustangs front office at (847) 805-6633 or visit us on the web at www.chicagomustangspro.com for all of your ticket needs.
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