Club Atletico Saint Louis Falls to OKC 1889 FC 3-1

By Club Atletico Saint Louis

Club Atletico Saint Louis opened up their season against OKC 1889 FC away.  Club Atletico traveled 8.5 hours to play a gritty OKC 1889 FC team.  Club Atletico brought a young, mostly U-20 team to challenge the young men. 

“I am proud of these young group of men today,” CASTL head coach Ricardo Garza said. “We used all eighteen players to start off a doubleheader weekend.  I felt we had the better of possession today, we missed some key chances, our defending could have been much more organized at times but overall a good game.  We gave up two PKs in the second half that hurt the momentum I felt we were gaining.  Tomorrow will be a great test for the guys after bouncing back from a tough loss.”

Club Atletico is rostering a very young pool of players this season.  The coaching staff’s vision is to develop a young base this season and build a long-term culture and depth pool for years to come. 

Mustafa Hasan was Club Atletico’s Man of the Match.  Hasan scored a PK in the second half. Ethan Blake could have easily been co-man of the match after a dominant performance in the midfield.  Eric Bauche got the start in goal, tallying several key saves to give his team a chance to regain momentum in the second half.  Greg L’Hommedieu started the second half.  Both keepers proved to have a great presence between the posts. 

Charlie Leech and John Makoweicki both played wingback and shut down the attack from the outside.  Noah Henry and Preston Meyer teamed up at center back and were a strong duo.  Ethan Blake, Grant Polman, and Jake Karolczak held down the midfield while Miguel Souza showed the team he can be a great target moving forward.  Club Atletico will lean on Souza for goals against Tulsa.  Tony Petruso and Robert Suellentrop dominated the flanks.

Club Atletico went into the half with momentum and entered three substitutions.  Mustafa Hasan, Amar Mujezinovic, and Greg L’Hommedieu brought fresh legs to the match.  They raised the energy level of the second half and were complimented with the additions of Andy Mujezinovic, Kyeron Daws, Luke Kos, and Timmy Jurado.

Club Atletico switched to a 4-3-3 in the 65th minute which put so much pressure on the OKC 1889  FC backline.  The pressure led to a PK and numerous scoring opportunities.   If a few chances had been put away, the game could have had a much different scoreline.  Club Atletico supported one another from the bench, truly embracing the culture of the team: to be a family.  Club Atletico is focused on developing players for the next level.

Photo Credit: CASTL