Miami FC Looks To Remain Undefeated On The Road
June 1, 2010 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release
Miami, June 1, 2010- Miami FC will hit the road looking to remain unbeaten away from home against the Puerto Rico Islanders on June 2nd. Game time is set for 8:05 p.m. at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium.
It will be the first of four meetings between the two clubs this season as they enter the fourth year of their rivalry.
The Blues will continue their short, international road trip against the Montreal Impact on June 6 before returning home to face Crystal Palace Baltimore on Wednesday , June 9th.
SCOUTING PUERTO RICO
The Islanders are coming off a 2-1 loss on the road to the FC Tampa Bay Rowdies and have lost three straight games after winning their first two games of the season. In each game they have lost by a slim one-goal margin.
Against the Rowdies, the Islanders dug themselves into a hole in the first half after Joseph Salem was issued a red card in the 37th minute. Puerto Rico fell behind going into the half after surrendering a goal to Tampa's Aaron Wheeler in the 44th minute to give the Rowdies a 1-0 advantage.
Puerto Rico tied the game on a Marco Velez header off of a corner kick in the 56th minute but Tampa Bay scored again at the 83rd minute with a goal from Aaron King to seal the Islanders loss.
The Islanders are seventh in the league in goals scored with eight, six of which came in the first two games of the season, both wins. Since then, the team has only been able to manufacture two goals in three games.
On the defensive side, Puerto Rico has allowed seven goals so far this season, good for sixth in the league.
Joshua Hansen and David Foley lead the Puerto Rico offense with two goals each.
LAST TIME OUT
The Blues suffered their first loss of the season on May 26 in a 3-1 loss to first-place Austin Aztex at Lockhart Stadium.
After Austin took the lead on a booming shot by Yordany Alvarez in the 10th minute, the Aztex scored again when Miami FC defender accidentally struck the ball into the net to put the Blues behind 2-0.
Paulo Araujo Jr. broke free after receiving a nice feed from Abe Thompson, putting a shot past Austin goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo to cut the lead in half in the 39th minute for his fourth goal of the season to make it a 2-1 game.
Austin would strike back moments later as Eddie Johnson knocked a rebound past Miami FC goalkeeper Caleb Patterson to give them a 3-1 lead heading into the half.
Despite a number of opportunities and an aggressive offense, the Blues were unable to score a goal in the second half as the score remained the same after 90 minutes.
PAULO JR. CONTINUES TO PRODUCE
Paulo Jr. scored the lone goal against the Aztex as he continues to send a message to the rest of the league that he is one of the most dangerous and explosive players on the pitch.
The goal gave him a team-high four goals on the season and he is now tied for fourth in the league. The Brazilian forward now has 10 points and remains in sole possession of fourth place in that category.
Paulo Jr., and Christian Gomez have tallied two assists each on the year and are both tied for second in the league in assists.
U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from June 1, 2010
- Beavers Face Salt Lake in Homestand - Portland Timbers
- Impact Faces AC Milan - Montreal Impact
- Miami FC Looks To Remain Undefeated On The Road - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Celebrate Whitecaps FC Week Of Soccer - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Whitecaps Visit Reds In Toronto - Vancouver Whitecaps
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