Sunday September 11^th, 2011

Starting XI: Campbell, Gonzalez, Miller, Marks, DelPiccolo, Woodworth, Greenley, Firebaugh, Ogletree, Marchant, Bravo

Subs: Best, Harrison, Elbin, Burns, Bourland, Kroening, Yarletts

FC Denver Premier was anxious to take on the Rapids “Development” squad at Broomfield Commons Park this Sunday.  The players were hoping to see how they stacked up against team representing the local MLS club.  When they arrived at the field they were surprised to find themselves against players whose parents had to drive them to the field.  While the age of the Rapids Development team was somewhere south of 18, they had signed up for a men’s league and their first test would be against the best men’s league team in the state.

The start of the match would see the youthful exuberance of the Rapids Development team catch FC Denver Premier a little unprepared.  While no chances ever threatened goal, the pace of the game led to a very fragmented affair for the first 10 minutes.  With neither side able to establish themselves offensively in the early going, the importance of having an organized defense and a strong effort on all parts of the field became abundantly clear.  The effort of FC Denver on both sides of the ball began to pay dividends about midway through the first half and high pressure that the Rapids Development squad had displayed in the early going, subsided to their half of the field.  With the recessed pressure, FC Denver was better able to impose their style of play and had the better chances going forward.  Michael Ogletree was unfortunate to not open up his scoring account for the season when his shot beat the keeper but was unable to beat the post.  FC Denver was unfortunate on several occasions not to open the scoring in the first half.  The stats would show that FC Denver was the aggressor as the Rapids Development team had zero corners to FC Denver’s 6 and had Zero shots to Denver’s 5.

One of the real positives to having a consistent group of players that are willing to work hard and that have a firm belief in each other is that even when a game hasn’t gone exactly to plan, there is never a sense of panic.  So it was in the second half that FC Denver took the field with the full belief that they would prevail when the final whistle blew.  As they had in the first half, FC Denver’s defense was a rock that completely took the Rapids Developmental forwards out of the equation.  Out of the back, FC Denver were able to start running at the Rapids Developmental defense and began to make better use of the wide lanes that had opened up.  Unable to keep up with the “old men” of FC Denver, the Rapids Developmental squad had to rely on their ability to grab and hold their opponents to try and stay in the game.  Too bad for them that they weren’t able to hold on to George Marchant when he unleashed a wicked shot from just outside the 18 yard box that left the keeper flailing at air.  Sensing blood in the water, FC Denver Premier kept up their pressure and absolutely closed down their opponent everywhere on the field.  This was most apparent in the midfield where Jesse Woodworth and Marco DelPiccolo were busy busting up any attack before it had an opportunity to materialize.  When you are able to hold the ball so far up the field, you are able to spring quick attacks and it was from just a situation that FC Denver’s insurance goal came.  A through ball from the FC Denver midfield looked like it would be gobbled up by the Rapids Development keeper, but the strong pressure from Kyle Burns made him wet his diaper and bumble a routine save.  Burns knew what to do when he found the ball at his feet and put the game away.  From there it was only a question if FC Denver could make it three.  They couldn’t.

Skipper Firebaugh’s thoughts on the match:

“I think offensively we struggled a little bit. Our starting front line had trouble breaking through the center of the field because the outside defenders pinched so far inside and broke up plays going through the middle. We are so lucky to have players available with such a different style of attack. When we make a substitution, it’s not only a change of players, but a change in the style of play. I think Kyle Burns, Chris Harrison, and Brandon Best make us so dangerous from the outside when they come into the game. Defensively, that’s the best I’ve seen us play in awhile. So composed and so organized. It makes the entire game easier when you have that kind of confidence in your defense. Well played gents.”

Co-Coach Elbin added:

“We forced the opponent to give us time on the ball by going at guys early and beating them. This made it a lot easier to move the ball around and get the ball into some dangerous wide situations.“

Congratulations to this season’s first co-Man of the Match recipients:

Jesse Woodworth and Marco DelPiccolo

According to Skipper Firebaugh:

“I think going into the game against a brand new league opponent can be difficult. No one has seen their players, no one knows their style… you can only assume so many things. In soccer, you can’t be too one dimensional in your attack. Especially if that one style is not working! Our opponents today did their best to play the long ball on us and it just doesn’t work when you’ve got an experienced backline like ours. The workrate of Jesse and Marco was amazing. Their defensive coverage in the middle of the pitch forced the other team to play the ball long right into the hands of our defense. I can count on one hand the amount of times the other team strung together more than 2 passes in the middle of the field. Amazing.”

Written By Brandon Best – Pictures By Destiny Fernandez

Match day: Sunday August 28^th, 2011

Starting XI: Campbell, Marks, Miller, Burstein, Yarletts, Woodworth, DelPiccolo, Elbin, Greenley, Marchant, Firebaug

Subs: Best, Harrison, Wilson, Bourland, Burns

Commerce City, CO (Dick’s Sporting Goods Park) -

This past Sunday’s Match against an always motivated Aguilas squad, was a dangerous affair.  As is often the case after a big win and with a high profile match up next, there was a real possibility that FC Denver Premier would let points slip against an Aguilas side that has punished Premier in the past for overlooking them.  With a strong breeze out of the north, FC Denver won the toss and hoped that the wind would help them put away their opponents early enough that they could enjoy the music coming from the Rock the Range concert out at the Dick.

From the kick off, it was apparent that Captain Luke Elbin had chosen wisely when selecting to go with the wind in the first half.  FC Denver Premier was the obvious aggressor early on as they kept Aguilas pinned into their half of the field.  Rarely did a ball find its way past half field line without defenders Tom Marks, Joel Miller, or Mario Burstein collecting it and ramping up the attack again.  The first real opportunity of the match came as Skipper Kyle Firebaugh found himself wide open in front of goal looking to head in a cross from the left side of the field.  Unfortunately for him, his head back across the goal went just wide, fortunately for him though, Mrs. Firebaugh was not there yet to witness it for herself.  The disappointment of a missed opportunity would not last long though, as George Marchant would lash home a goal soon after.  Marchant beat the Aguilas keeper with a worm burn which he unleashed from just outside the 18 yard box.  As sometime happens though, Premier was unable to put their foot down on the throat of their competitor.  The longer the first half went along, Aguilas was able to do a little better finding their forwards and having a couple of shots on goal.  Nothing would ever seriously trouble Ian Campbell, except for a through ball that caught some wind and looked like it might just sit up for an onrushing Aguilas striker.  The Aguilas striker would never get his chance though as Campbell was quick off his line and made the clearance just outside the 18.  After their goal, FC Denver Premier would have trouble finding their midfielders and gave more than a few goal kicks away as the wind helped the ball over the end line.  The first half would come to a close with another great opportunity for Marchant.  Marchant was able to beat his defender and from an angle hit a shot that the Aguilas goalkeeper did well to save and knock out of bounds, as Kyle Burns was waiting in the center of the box for any type of rebound opportunity.

In the second half the wind was dying down and so was the pace of the game.  Much like in the first half FC Denver’s defense rarely allowed a dangerous opportunity on net.  In fact the biggest threat seemed to be that Campbell might miss a trap in his box and let the ball go out for a goal kick.  FC Denver’s midfield did a good job of matching up with their Aguilas counterparts and won a good majority of the individual battles in the second half.  With that said, there was rarely a dangerous opportunity created by FC Denver either.  Most of the second half was a grind, with neither side able to produce much in front of goal.  Firebaugh did on one occasion though find himself in on the goal, before having his opportunity squashed by the Aguilas keeper.  In a way the second half was a good showing for FC Denver as they were able to keep their focus and not allow Aguilas to slip back into the game as they had done in the past.  Perhaps this was an opportunity for FC Denver to show their character and resolve when playing a lesser opponent.  The insurance goal scored late in the second half would serve as a great characterization of the rest of the match.  Kyle Burns was played through and battled with his defender before hitting a shot that jumped off the defender’s shin and sailed up and over the keeper who was caught in no man’s land after coming off his line.  The ball would bounce into the far side of the goal and deflate any hopes that Aguilas had of coming back for the tie.  The game would end with all 22 players still on the pitch and FC Denver Premier’s unbeaten streak in regular season games extended.

Labor Day weekend has no games, but the week after FC Denver Premier takes on a Rapids squad that is a new addition to the league.  Thanks to all of the FC Denver United players and their families that stayed to BBQ after the match.  Also, congratulations to the United Squad who put up their first win, beating Saprissa 2-0 on Sunday

Coach Firebaugh’s thoughts on the match:

We were missing some players and that limited our playing style. When every player is available, our attack can be so diverse. I thought we were not as creative as we could be. We have some things to think about before making a line up for next game. Players are pushing one another for playing time at this point and players that are subbing in the game aren’t just filling gaps, they are providing fresh legs and a completely unique change in our style of play. It’s keeping us dangerous around the goal for 90 minutes. That’s exciting to me.

Man of the Match:

Congrats to Kyle Burns on winning this week’s  Man of the Match Award, largely based on securing FC Denver’s second goal to wrap up the hard-fought win.  As coach Firebaugh stated, “No matter what the goal looked like, we F’ing needed it. Kyle’s tenacity on offense and defense was a real pick-me-up for the team.”