Forward Madison FC hosted USL League One league-leader Charlotte Independence in a battle of undefeated clubs at Breese Stevens Field on Saturday, April 29th. The match was a Family Night match beginning at 5pm CT, with the match also doubling as Star Wars Night for the Club.
Charlotte controlled possession to start the match, putting the FMFC defense under early pressure. The back line stood strong and Forward Madison slowly worked their way into the match. The first dangerous chance by the Flamingos came in the 16th minute when a ball outside the box fell to the feet of Jacob Crull, who sent a rocket off the crossbar. For the rest of the first half, Forward Madison would go back and forth with Charlotte with chances and possession, entering the break even at 0-0.
The second half started off with both squads feeling out the match, but a flurry of late chances by the Flamingos forced major saves from Charlotte goalkeeper Austin Pack. The biggest of those saves came in the 72nd minute, when Derek Gebhard played a curving ball into the box towards Christian Chaney that was denied by Pack. After a couple of late free kick attempts for FMFC, the final whistle blew with the scoreline at 0-0.
“Charlotte’s the first-place team so I knew it was going to be a difficult match,” Head Coach Matt Glaeser. “It’s just one of those where you look at the numbers, how the game went, and we have to be winning these and capitalize on the opportunities.”
“Something we’ve spoken with the guys about is being adaptable, being resilient,” Glaeser said. “That’s what we have to be about if we’re going to be a playoff team.”
“I think we dominated the majority of possession and had the majority of the better chances,” FMFC defender Stephen Payne said. “It’s just about finishing and punishing teams when we get into these opportunities.”
Next up, Forward Madison will travel for a midweek match against USL League One newcomer One Knoxville SC on Wednesday, May 3rd at 6pm CT. The next home match for Forward Madison is on Thursday, May 18th at 7pm against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC. Tickets are available for that match here.
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Forward Madison FC:
55 Schipmann
5 Mehl
4 Osmond
16 Crull
22 Payne
23 Mesias
7 Martinez
14 Cichero
17 Gebhard
9 Chaney
28 Wheeler-Omiunu
Substitutes: 56 Sanchez, 2 Screen, 12 Brotherton, 8 Conerty, 18 Jno-Baptiste, 19 Prentice, 24 Bartman
Head Coach: Matt Glaeser
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Charlotte Independence:
1 Pack
2 Ngah
4 Spielman
5 Dutey
7 Flanagan
10 Ibarra
8 Joel
6 Ciss
12 Dunwell
11 Mbuyu
90 Bennett
Substitutes: 31 Abrams, 3 Acosta, 15 Tallboys, 14 Alvarez, 32 Morrison, 9 Kelly, 45 Ibrahim
Head Coach: Mike Jeffries
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Major Game Moments:
1st Half
2′ FMFC free kick
4′ Charlotte free kick
14′ FMFC free kick
16′ FMFC shot off the post
19′ Charlotte free kick
22′ FMFC corner
26′ FMFC corner
28′ FMFC yellow card #22
40′ FMFC free kick
44′ FMFC free kick
47′ FMFC free kick
Half Time: FMFC 0 – 0 Charlotte
2nd Half
56′ Charlotte free kick
57′ FMFC yellow card for the bench
65′ Charlotte sub: #9 in for #90
65′ Charlotte yellow card #10
68′ FMFC Subs: #25 in for #23 and #19 in for #14
69′ FMFC corner
75′ Charlotte sub, #14 in for #10
76′ FMFC free kick
78′ FMFC sub, #8 in for #28
79′ Charlotte yellow card #8
81′ FMFC yellow card #9
83′ Madison free kick
89′ FMFC free kick
91′ FMFC free kick
92′ Charlotte yellow card #12
93′ Charlotte sub, #15 in for #11
Full Time FMFC 0 – 0 Charlotte
Discipline:
Forward Madison FC
- 28′ Yellow Card #14 Cichero
- 57’: Yellow Card Bench
- 81′: Yellow Card #9 Chaney
Charlotte Independence
- 65’: Yellow Card #10 Ibarra
- 79’: Yellow Card #9 Kelly
- 92′: Yellow Card #12 Dunwell
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Venue: Breese Stevens Field, Madison, WI. Attendance: 3,541
