FENTON, Mo. (March 7, 2020) — The Miami FC kicked off the 2020 USL Championship season with a tough 4-1 loss to Saint Louis FC at West Community Stadium.
With Saint Louis FC scoring two early goals and two late goals, Miami FC suffered from early on, never being able to climb back into the match.
“Anytime you go on the road and you concede two goals so early and in the manner that we did, it’s tough to bounce back,” said Miami FC Head Coach Nelson Vargas. “I don’t necessarily think we were nervous, but we did come out flat and did not match Saint Louis FC’s intensity. Looking back, we need to do a better job with that and come out differently from the start.”
An early defensive mistake from defender Lloyd Sam led to Saint Louis FC’s first goal as Kyle Greig intercepted a back pass which was intended for goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre. Greig poked it past Sylvestre and slotted it into the empty net to make it 1-0 in the 10th minute.
Saint Louis FC kept pressing Miami’s backline early on and if it wasn’t for several sprawling saves by Sylvestre, their lead would have increased rapidly.
Despite the goalkeeper’s efforts, a strange play by Sylvestre led to an indirect free kick just 7 yards away from goal. Forward Russell Cicerone stepped up and fired the indirect free kick into the back of the net despite all 11 Miami FC players lined up on the goal line.
After a tumultuous start to the match, Miami FC ended up settling into the match and gained more possession of the ball.
The visiting team was able to cut the lead in half in the last play of the half, as forward Prince Saydee was taken down inside the box and the referee awarded Miami FC a penalty kick. Forward Romario Williams stepped up to the spot and capitalized on the opportunity to score his first official goal since joining the club in January 2020.
The second half continued to see Miami FC grow into the match further creating several chances through Vincent Bezecourt and Williams once again.
“We made adjustments at halftime which allowed us to win the territorial battle,” said Vargas. “I was proud of the guys and how they battled their way into the match, because it’s not easy when you get scored on twice very early in the match.”
Despite the dangerous opportunities early on in the second half, they were unable to equalize the match and Saint Louis would soon secure the three points.
Moments after coming on the pitch, Saint Louis FC substitute Tyler Blackwood beat the visiting team’s backline and curled his shot into the far corner of the net.
At 3-1 Miami FC continued to throw men forward trying to come up with two goals in the final minutes of play. This created space for the home side, which would notch one last goal in the 92nd minute, with Cicerone securing a brace in the first match of the season.
“It’s a long season and we are looking forward to coming out and playing in front of our home crowd. We need to get this game out of our system, and having the home opener next Friday is the perfect way to do that. It’s good that we go home Eno wand work to get a positive result against the Rowdies at Riccardo Silva Stadium.”
Scoring Summary
Saint Louis FC: Kyle Greig – 10th minute
Saint Louis FC: Russell Cicerone – 21st minute (Assisted by Todd Wharton)
Miami FC: Romario Williams – 45th minute (Penalty Kick)
Saint Louis FC: Tyler Blackwood – 77th minute (Assisted by Todd Wharton)
Saint Louis FC: Russell Cicerone – 92nd minute (Assisted by Joaquin Rivas)
Caution Summary
59th minute – Sam Fink (Saint Louis FC)
71st minute – Phanuel Kavita (Saint Louis FC)
84th minute – Paris Gee (Saint Louis FC)
Lineups
Miami FC (4-3-3): GK Brian Sylvestre; D Sam Lloyd (Miguel Gonzalez 83′), Brenton Griffiths, Lawrence Olum, Othello Bah (Brian James 75′); M Lance Rozeboom (Tomas Granitto 46′), Harrison Heath, Vincent Bezecourt; F Sebastian Velasquez, Romario Williams, Prince Saydee
Saint Louis FC (4-4-2): GK Kyle Mortan; D Paris Gee, Sam Fink, Phanuel Kavita, Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare; M Mour Samb (Kadeem Dacres 82′), Todd Wharton, Wal Fall (Joaquin Rivas 90′), Oscar Umar; F Russell Cicerone, Kye Greig (Tyler Blackwood 76′)
UP NEXT
Miami FC returns to Miami to make their home debut on next Friday, March 13 against in-state rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies. That match will take place at Riccardo Silva Stadium on the campus of Florida International University and will kick off at 7:30 p.m.
To purchase tickets, call (305)371-9760 or click here.
