CHARLESTON, SC. (August 26, 2020) — The Miami FC suffered their fourth loss of the season on Wednesday night, on the road facing Group H rivals Charleston Battery. Despite an early goal in the second half by forward Miguel Gonzalez, Miami FC was unable to come from behind to gain points at Patriots Point Soccer Complex.
“The guys have been making giant leaps in recent matches regarding their performances,” said Head Coach Paul Dalglish. “Tonight, we didn’t start the game with the right kind of intensity. We didn’t het close enough to people in the first half. But then you see the second half and see how close we were to them, it’s disappointing to then look at how we started the match. It’s something we are going to have to work on.”
While both clubs tested the waters early on, Miami FC Bryant Gammiero made his first of several saves of the match in the 26th minute. The Venezuelan goalkeeper made a great save on Romario Piggot, stretching to his left to keep it 0-0.
Moments later, Charleston would have another chance which Gammiero would be unable to stop. After A. J.Paterson sent a week shot into the box, Logan Gdulo stopped the ball on the way to the goal and smashed it past Gammiero.
Piggot would get his revenge on Gammiero moments later, putting Charleston up 2-0 in the 34th minute. The midfielder found a clearance at the top of the box, and after finding space, sent his left-footed shot past Gammiero.
The second half began with Miami FC pushing to cut the home side’s lead to just one. Two early chances by forward Romario Williams were denied by Charleston’s goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky as it seemed to be the breaking point for a strong home defense.
With the clock inching towards the 54th minute, Miami FC would find their breakthrough moment. Gonzalez received a low cross from second-half substitute Miguel Gonzalez and fired a shot on frame finally beating a diving Kuzminsky.
The one goal deficit would only last 10 minutes, as second-half substitute Dante Marini would find the ball at his feet inside the 18, and after a fortunate deflection score the last goal of the match.
Miami FC continue to push in the final moments of the match, but Kuzminsky would deny forward Lloyd Sam in the 79th minute, and then defender Hassan Ndam would see his 88th minute shot go just wide.
“As we get more into the season and play more and gain fitness, we need to work on our mental fitness,” said Dalglish. “That mental ability to prepare for games correctly and start them right, especially on the road against good teams is something we’ll need to work on. We have a week to prepare for Tampa Bay and we need to use these days correctly to work on the things that need improving.”
Miami now travels to St. Pete to face in-state rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies for the third time of the season. This match will be crucial for Miami FC’s playoffs aspirations. Kickoff on Wednesday, September 2 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and you can watch all the action on ESPN+.
