Silverbacks Down Georgia State, Draw Georgia Southern

Published on March 7, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


ATLANTA - Just 10 days into preseason training, the Atlanta Silverbacks and first-year head coach Gary Smith took the pitch to open their preseason schedule. The Silverbacks hosted Georgia Southern and Georgia State in a set of modified 70-minute matches on Saturday at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.

A team made up entirely of preseason trialists settled for a scoreless draw against Georgia Southern, despite holding the majority of possession and outshooting the visitors 10-4.

"All of those guys are out here trying to achieve the goal of signing a professional contract," Smith said of his trialists. "I think there were several that did very well in expressing themselves; everyone had the chance to show what they are about and, of course, some will walk away saying 'I could have done better than that.'

"But, the fact is, there were a number of good performances and that's what I have to evaluate and decide if they will be a part of this season."

The second match, against Georgia Southern, presented the closest thing to Smith's First XI. With 10 of 11 players on the field currently under contract, Atlanta clearly dictated their tempo and style onto the Eagles.

Midway through the first half, forward Matt Horth broke into the 18-yard box from its center and connected with Kyle Miller's sniper-specific delivery. After a quick touch, Horth's right-footed attempt was buried into the far corner.

"Listen, it's always nice to find the back of the net - no matter if you're a forward like Matt Horth or any other position," Smith said. "There were three or four very nice buildups of play, and that one turned into a goal. It's something I'll be expecting more of as we develop more as a group."

Horth returns to the Silverbacks after leading the team in scoring during the 2011-12 seasons. Since then, he's featured for the New England Revolution and Leiknir Reykjavík in Iceland. Porter signed with the Silverbacks on Wednesday after two years with D.C. United.

"It was good to score here again," Horth said. "It was a good passage of play that came from some great group pressure. We had three or four guys high-pressing the ball and, when they won it, I just tried to get into an advantageous position to score.

"Kyle Porter slipped me the ball and I was able to take a touch before finding the bottom corner. It's always good to hit the back of the net and it's good for a striker to start scoring early."

The Silverbacks will take their pair of clean sheets and victory into another week of training before hosting the Charlotte Independence of the third-division USL on March 14 at 4 p.m.

"In all honesty, this was our first team activity in a competitive environment and it has me very pleased with a number of individuals who worked tirelessly." Smith said. "The team's defensive work toward our shape and organization, and everyone's specific role within those areas laid a strong foundation as we move forward.

"There were some very nice passages of play and, most importantly of all, the group is coming together with strong cohesiveness."

The Silverbacks home opener presented by Allstate is on April 4 against the Indy Eleven at Silverbacks Park. The club is offering a special Home Opener Gift Pack, which includes four general admission tickets for only $48 (savings of $32 from box office price) or four reserved tickets for only $68 (savings of $52 from the box office price). To purchase tickets, call the Silverbacks Ticket Office at 404-969-4900.

QUOTES:

POSTGAME QUOTES: March 7

Atlanta Silverbacks 1, Georgia State 0 (70-minute Friendly)

Atlanta Silverbacks 0, Georgia Southern 0 (70-minute Friendly)

ASFC vs. Georgia Southern

Coach Gary Smith:

On the trialists

"All of those guys are out here trying to achieve the goal of signing a professional contract, so what we have to remember when evaluating them is that there are stresses and pressure that comes with that. I thought the guys all came together well even though they've never played together before. That's difficult to do. I think there were several that did very well in expressing themselves; everyone had the chance to show what they are about, and of course some will walk away saying 'I could have done better than that.' But, the fact is, there were a number of good performances and that's what I have to evaluate and decide if they will be a part of this season."

ASFC vs. Georgia State

Coach Gary Smith:

On the First Team (vs. Georgia State)

"In all honesty, our first team activity in a competitive environment has me very pleased with a number of individuals who worked tirelessly. The team's defensive work toward our shape and organization, and everyone's specific role within those areas laid a strong foundation as we move forward. There were some very nice passages of play and, most importantly of all, the group is coming together with strong cohesiveness."

On Matt Horth's goal

"Listen, it's always nice to find the back of the net - no matter if you're a forward like Matt Horth or any other position. There were three or four very nice buildups of play, and that one turned into a goal. It's something I'll be expecting more of as we develop more as a group."

"You can see the relationships growing between everyone, and with those come belief in each other. It's impressive to see so much after only just coming together a week and a half ago. The enthusiasm to do well is there for everyone, despite it being early in the preseason, but there are some extremely encouraging signs."

Forward, Matt Horth:

On his goal

"It was good to score here again. It was a good passage of play that came from some great group pressure. We had three or four guys high-pressing the ball and, when they won it, I just tried to get into an advantageous position to score. Kyle Porter slipped me the ball and I was able to take a touch before finding the bottom corner. It's always good to hit the back of the net and its good for a striker to start scoring early."

On the first game with the team

"On a whole, after only a week of preseason, I thought things went really well - especially defensively. Our guys were able stand tall on defense, win back possession and then transition into an attack. Back-to-front, I thought it was a good start with a lot of positives.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



North American Soccer League Stories from March 7, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central