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August 8, 2010 – U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2) Miami FC
August 8, 2010 – U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2) Miami FC
Miami, FL – Miami FC came from behind and earned an important 1-1 draw against the Puerto Rico Islanders to conclude their long road trip and stay within striking distance in the playoff race. The game marks the end of a grueling stretch for the Blues in which seven of its past eight games were away from South Florida.
The Blues return home next weekend with a Coastal Cup matchup against the FC Tampa Bay Rowdies on Aug. 14 at Lockhart Stadium. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Blues fell behind early when the Islanders capitalized on a corner kick opportunity as leading goal scorer David Foley headed the corner past Miami FC goalkeeper Caleb Patterson for his seventh goal of the season.
Miami FC settled down and went on the attack, looking for the tying goal during the remainder of the first half. Despite applying pressure on the Islanders backline and creating a number of corner kick chances, the Blues were unable to tie the score at half time.
About 10 minutes into the second half, the Islanders almost extended their lead but Patterson denied Puerto Rico the insurance goal with a spectacular save on a shot taken by Kendall Jagdeosingh inside the box.
Jagdeosingh would get another chance just minutes later when he made a run deep into Blues territory and took a shot from the top of the box but Patterson dove to his right and got a hand on the ball, knocking the dangerous shot away from the net.
Then it was Miami FC turning things around and putting a scare into the Islanders when Abe Thompson gathered the ball and had a clear shot from the top of the box, but the shot went wide of the right post and the Blues remained down a goal.
Thompson would finish the job later on in the half after the Islanders failed to clear a Miami FC corner kick and the careening ball ended up at his feet. The forward turned around a fired a shot into the back of the net to even up the score at 1-1 and swing the momentum in Miami FC’s favor.
Chris Gbandi picked up his second yellow card of the match late in the game after making a hard tackle on an Islander attacker late in the match, putting the Blues a man down for the remainder of the second half.
Despite being a man down, the Blues remained firm on defense and prevented the Islanders from getting a goal as the both teams left the match with a point each.
