[DataKing]

Season 5 – International Friendly Match

Screamin’ Seamen vs. DTNW Cercle

Date: February 4th, 2004
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 4,458 (43,750)
Weather: Overcast

Formation: 4-4-2
Tactics: Normal

Starters (# appearances, *s last time out)

Keeper: #13 Darryl Read (32 career appearances, **)

Right Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier (13 career appearances, ***~)
Central Defender: #3 Ben McMahon (46 career appearances, **~)
Central Defender: #24 Sven Svensson (112 career appearances, ****~)
Left Wingback: #6 Agustin Alustiza (6 career appearances, **~ (midfielder))

Right Winger: #23 Ivan Richardy (15 career appearances, ***~)
Inner Midfielder: #7 Rune Kolberg (6 career appearances, ***)
Inner Midfielder: #4 Jaimy van de Kerkhof (16 career appearances, ***)
Left Winger: #9 Ad Taxwell (5 career appearances, ***)

Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias (35 career appearances, **)
Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson (77 career appearances, **)

Team Captain: #24 Sven Svensson
Set Pieces: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan (70 career appearances, ****)
-Defender: #2 Cameron “Big Mac” McDonald (29 career appearances, ****~)
-Midfielder: #19 Gino Behling (13 career appearances, ****)
-Forward: #14 German Galvez (40 career appearances, **~)
-Winger: #10 Milan Dufek (11 career appearances, ***~)

We’ve got a significant change to what the fans are used to seeing from us, regarding formation. We’re switching to some winger training for the next couple of weeks, and have moved rookie midfielder Agustin Alustiza to a wingback position in order to get him a little bit of experience playing on the wing. The removal of a midfielder from our usual numbers means we’ll be going with a standard 4-4-2 formation, rather than our typical 3-5-2.

Match Report

At The Docks, 4458 punters turned up, and despite threatening clouds at the horizon, no rain came.

Screamin' had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Read - Leier, Svensson, Mcmahon, Alustiza - Richardy, van de Kerkhof, Kolberg, Taxwell - Henriksson, Tobias.

Cercle had chosen a strategic 3-4-3 formation. Lineup: Löytöläinen - Alvarez, Brady, Lanez - de Morgado, D'Alberto, Tommasini, Gaster - Dwi, Hedeland, Prskalo.

FIRST HALF

Cercle seemed to prefer attacking in the middle.

In the 5:th minute cheers broke out as Jaimy van de Kerkhof found his way through the guests central defense line, clipping the 1 - 0 goal in for Screamin'.

After 19 minutes Ad Taxwell put Screamin' ahead 2 - 0 as he rose to head in a hooked ball, the result of an effort from the right side.

A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Screamin' lead up with 3 - 0. Ad Taxwell finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle.

The referee showed Screamin's Forrest “Gump” Tobias the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge.

3 - 0 was the half-time score. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 64 percent possession rate.

SECOND HALF

A couple of quick and successful challenges, followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area after 49 minutes might have resulted in another goal for Screamin'. However, Teijo Löytöläinen made a spectacular save.

Forrest “Gump” Tobias increased Screamin's lead to 4 - 0 by putting a header away on a hooked ball from the right.

The structure of the game started to change as Screamin' decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone.

The referee showed Screamin's Sven Svensson the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge.

With 56 minutes played Ben Mcmahon could have brought this one home for Screamin', had his hooked ball gone in, but it went just a bit too high.

A great save by goaltender Teijo Löytöläinen in the 59:th minute kept the visitors in the game as Forrest “Gump” Tobias struck from the left with a real cannonball.

Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 63 percent possession rate.

POST-GAME

Most important Screamin' player was Sven Svensson. However, Agustín Alustiza made a disastrous appearance.

Most important Cercle player was Flemming Hedeland. Robbie Lanez on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 4, DTNW Cercle 0

Goals
Van de Kerkhof – 1
Taxwell – 2
Tobias – 1

Cards
Tobias – yellow
Svensson – yellow

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Leier: ***~
McMahon: ***
Svensson: ****
Alustiza: *~

Richardy: ***
Kolberg: ***
Van de Kerkhod: ***~
Taxwell: ***

Tobias: **
Henriksson: **

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Inadequate (5)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Solid (7)
-Right Attack: Solid (7)
-Central Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-NSI: 61

DTNW Cercle
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: Solid (7)
-Left Defense: Passable (6)
-Right Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Central Attack: Excellent (8)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 47

Comments

The 4-4-2 worked like a champ today, as the visitors weren’t able to break through the defense provided by an extra player on the back line. Ad Taxwell also had the best performance of his young career, and somehow managed to score two goals in the same minute. Impressive.

Up Next: The weekly training update. Stay tuned!