Inland Empire Republic gets a tough win against Capo FC 4-3 in the SoCal Premier-Premier division.
Pre-game
Capo FC– For the Orange County team coming into match week 5, Capistrano had a 1 game winning from their W-L-W form. Their last match was a 4-0 shutout vs. Long Beach City. They were in 3rd place with 6 points and a goal difference of +4.
IER– For the local side, this was their 3rd match after a bye week last weekend. In their second match, they fell to Long Beach City 1-0. They were in 7th place with a 1-0-1 record and a GD of +1 coming into the game.
Match Recap
On a breezy Sunday evening at Ralph Lewis Sports Complex in Fontana, Ca, both IER and Capo are set to kickoff. At 8:04 pm, the match starts with a crowd of 40 people watching to see who comes out on top. Capo from the touch of the ball and starting the game using the width of the field while IER also played long ball, but Capo shut them down constantly. The visiting team physically looks stronger and taller compared to IER and uses this to their advantage. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining first 20 minutes. Both teams played with high intensity, and both teams forced passes in tight spaces. It was back and forth between the two, with IER having the closer chance with a shot that hits the top post. Ultimately, Capo breaks the back and forth pattern in the 21st minute with their forward pouncing on a pass back to the IER goalkeeper who tries to distribute it. The forward gets his foot to make a deflection, and the Capo player puts it in. Shortly after the kickoff, IER pushes on the left-wing, and the forward shoots a straight low shot to the right to tie the match. Play returns and Capo sticking to long balls and pinging diagonally. Making triangle plays and switching the ball to the other side of the field like a bullet. Then in the 31st minute, IER gets the lead with a 2nd goal off a bouncing ball with the forward lobbing the ball in following a collision with a defender who sticks his boot out to save. The defender eventually gets up from the turf after receiving attention from the Capo staff. 4 minutes later, Capo gets the equalizer off a throw into the box where the forward receives it and runs vertically, beating multiple defenders and passes it to his teammate who puts it in. The goalkeeper got a hand on it, but it wasn’t enough. Then around 4 minutes after that, Capo gets their 3rd goal with a nice and fast cross from the left, and the tall striker heads it in with no defender coving him past the goalkeeper’s right side. The scoring continues as IER gets their 3rd goal from a shot from outside the box that goes over the keeper. It was a back and forth first half with Capo having more possession and chances, but IER is playing patient and capitalizing on their counterattacks. As the whistle blows for the first half, an exciting way to end an entertaining 45 minutes still begs the question of who will win this game?
The second half kicks off 5 minutes before 9 pm. Its starts with more of the same from the 1st half; Capo with most of the possession and playing long ball while IER positions themselves for the counter. Then in the 52′ IER clears a dangerous ball on the right side of their box diagonally to the left side of the field, where an IER forward times the bounce against a Capo defender then drives past another defender. He finds a teammate to his right making the run, the runner receives the pass, and he chips it over the keeper. After 7 goals in the match, both teams have still continued their same way of playing, just with Capo pushing more on their long ball plays and IER clearing it in hopes of a counter. The home team didn’t have the intention to run out the clock, and Capo was getting chances to tie it up, being the more organized side. Finally, the whistle blows of the last time of the game with IER on top 4-3 in a terrific 90 mins of soccer.
Post-game
IER gets their 2nd victory of the season as the reserves move up to 5th place with 6 points and a goal difference of +2. Their current record is 2-0-1. On Sunday, they host 1st place Magia Fubtol Academy, which has not lost a game so far in the season. For Capo, on the other hand, their reserves squad (both teams field their 1st team squads in the UPSL) gets lost number 2 and drops to 4th place in the table. Their current record is 2-0-2 so far in the season. They also play next Sunday for match week 6, hosting 8th place Olympiacos Ca.