Miami FC Dismantles Deltas Clinches Spring
Published on July 9, 2017 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Miami FC News Release
MIAMI- The Miami FC hosted the San Francisco Deltas on Saturday night, demolishing the NASL's second-best team 7-0. The seven goals scored marked a franchise record for Miami FC.
The Deltas flirted with some dangerous offensive movements early in the match, but Miami bunkered down and responded quickly.
Stéfano Pinho ripped a hole in San Francisco's defense in the 5th minute with an instinctive through ball to Vincenzo Rennella, whose subsequent low cross found a wide open Dylan Mares, who buried home the first goal of the match to give Miami FC an early 1-0 lead.
Miami would double its lead five minutes later, getting its second tally on a left-footed Pinho finish. Pinho was freed up and led through on goal by a precise Mares through ball.
At the time, those two Miami goals equaled the number of goals that San Francisco had given up during its previous seven road matches in the Spring Season.
Not satisfied with the early lead, the Orange and Blue would continue to pour it on and widen the gap. Intuitive interplay started with Richie Ryan finding a streaking Blake Smith on the left wing, and ended with a buried Pinho shot off a pinpoint low cross from Smith to put Miami up 3-0.
With the Deltas down to 10 men after a red card was handed to Reiner Ferreira, Miami took advantage and extended their lead to a whopping 4-0. Mares cleverly flicked forward a through ball to Rennella, who couldn't quite get to the ball before San Francisco goalkeeper Romuald Peiser batted it out. The ball only traveled as far as a nearby Mares, though, who slotted home to give Miami an insurmountable lead.
Miami went into halftime leading 4-0 with braces from both Mares and Pinho.
Eight minutes into halftime, Miami would make franchise history. Halftime substitute Ariel MartÃnez received the ball from Kwadwo Poku with space and time about 25 yards away from the goal. With calm and confidence, he guided a left-footed curling missile past Peiser and into the upper 90 of the goal to give Miami a 5-0 lead.
Miami's offensive onslaught reached its climax in the 75th and 89th minutes, as Pinho scored his third and fourth goals of the match on a tap-in after a selfless Jaime Chávez assist and a cool finish from a meticulous Michael Lahoud through ball to put the game to bed.Â
Once the final whistle blew, Miami FC was crowned the NASL Spring Season Champions, just one year after finishing dead-last in the 2016 Spring Season standings.
The Miami FC remains at home for a crucial U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals match against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, July 12. The Orange and Blue then concludes its NASL Spring Season campaign with a trip to California to face the San Francisco Deltas on Saturday, July 15.
North American Soccer League Stories from July 9, 2017
- Miami FC Thrashes San Francisco to Capture Spring Season - New York Cosmos
- Miami FC Dismantles Deltas Clinches Spring - Miami FC
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