Med City FC Overcomes Obstacles, Then Minnesota TwinStars FC 3-1, Wednesday Night
Although the trip up to Med City FC’s NPSL North Conference match-up with Minnesota TwinStars FC was anything but ordinary, the game’s result was almost all they could have hoped for, as the Mayhem overcame the TwinStars 3-1 on Wednesday night in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
The Mayhem encountered challenges before ever reaching the stadium, as major traffic issues in the Twin Cities led to a late arrival, giving them just 25 minutes to warm up for the match. The lack of pre-game preparation was telling early, too, as TwinStars enjoyed a majority of possession the first several minutes of the game and the Mayhem focused on keeping their team shape and keeping TwinStars players in front of them and away from their goal.
But as the first half wore on, Med City FC began to get their rhythm, upping the tempo and moving the ball around more quickly. The increased speed of play paid dividends in the 20th minute, as Mayhem forward Claudio Repetto (Genova, Italy) received a pass from midfielder Niklas Roessler (Stuttgart, Germany) and unleashed a beautiful curling shot past outstretched TwinStars goalkeeper Sean Teske and into the top corner of the net to give Med City FC a 1-0 lead.
The TwinStars would strike back less than ten minutes later. The Mayhem had trouble clearing a bouncing ball out of the area and the TwinStars poked it into the back of the Med City FC net from a tight angle to tie the score at 1-1.
Med City FC would strike again, however, in the 41st minute. Defender Alvaro Adan Urrea (Madrid, Spain) blasted a free kick from just outside the area into the far corner of the net, despite the efforts of TwinStars keeper Sean Teske to keep it out. Man of the Match Claudio Repetto would add his second just three minutes later, as Mayhem goalkeeper Nate Levy (Byron, Minnesota) sent a towering punt to the isolated forward, who beat his defender one versus one and sent a shot low into the corner of the net to give Med City FC a 3-1 lead, and Levy a rare assist, shortly before the halftime whistle blew.
The Mayhem had several chances to add to their lead in the second half, most notably around the 60th minute, when substitute Midhat Mujic’s (Rochester, Minnesota) header from an Alvaro Adan Urrea cross missed by just inches. Med City FC’s defense continued to constrict with TwinStars attack, restricting them to mostly speculative efforts. Levy made a couple big saves toward the end of the match, and the Mayhem left the Twin Cities with a 3-1 win.
Up next for Med City FC is conference-leading foe Minneapolis City SC in Rochester on Saturday night. The Mayhem lost a tight match to the Crows in early May, 3-2, in the Twin Cities. TwinStars FC has the weekend off, but will welcome Sioux Falls Thunder FC to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area next Wednesday, June 13.
Contributor: Frank Spaeth/Med City FC
Photo Credit: Frank Spaeth/Med City FC
