What's good, La Familia?? 🤘
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Another long week was capped off by some 305 futbol as both squads were in action this weekend. You all know how the senior squad faired against Nashville with everyone and their brother out, injured or ill. We turn our attention now to the match that occurred in our back yard…..
Fort Lauderdale CF
The boys got a night under the South Florida stars as they faced off against the Richmond Kickers at DRVPNK Stadium. After a cagy opening few minutes, Ignacio Poplawski won the ball in a midfield challenge which led to dangerous link-up play between Venton Evans, Shann Hundal, and George Acosta. The final pass resulted in a venomous shot by Venton Evans which was saved only to be blasted back at goal by Hundal. There was no denying Hundal of this goal and the home side took a 1-0 lead which they saw out through halftime.
In the 73rd minute, Zamudio was beaten by a nasty shot from Richmond’s Vinyals. The ball came off Vinyals foot with an awkward spin and flight path which resulted in Zamudio misjudging it, the ball popping out and crossing the line. Fears of their latest collapse against North Texas could be felt creeping into the stadium and the touchline for all but one man….
In the 83rd minute, a ball was blasted across the face of goal by George Acosta which found Hundal at the back post. Hundal expertly settled the ball and put the ball between the keeper’s legs and back into the net. It was a well-deserved goal from a man who seems to be turning almost everything he touches into gold!
After an absurd 8 minutes of stoppage time, the squad was able to exhale and celebrate a win which propelled them to 2nd in the league.
Up Next: Union Omaha – Friday – 7pm EST
Where In The World Was Aime??
It goes without saying that the inclusion of Aime Mabika was a surprise to all of us here at the pod. The 2021 Super Draft selection was MIA for the longest time, leaving fans to speculate about the future of our towering defender.
It cannot be said with all things but this wait was definitely worth it….
Aime played a strong game for FTLCF with a full 90 minute shift put in. He was all over the pitch including a few marauding runs up the middle which allowed our playmakers to find space and turn the screws on the Richmond defense. He strength was put on display numerous time especially later on where he was continually boxing out the Richmond Kicker’s striker and making him look like a toddler against an adult. The Inter Miami Podcast Discord (hit us up for the link!!) was salivating over the though of him gaining experience and joining the first team to be paired up with a unit who are definitely coming into their own!
Speaking of…..
No Respect I Tell Ya….
How much longer are we going to let the USL refuse to acknowledge the FTLCF backline??
Ethan Hardin, Allen and Young have played outstanding futbol (minus the Texas disaster). Ethan Hardin leads the league in passes (213) and Allen leads the league in crosses (21) with Young hot on his heels with 18. Young leads the league in chances created with 8 while Allen is tied for 2nd with George Acosta at 7. At some point, the defense for FTLCF needs to be applauded and recognized as a unit for the clinic they are putting on at the moment. If they can continue their run of form vs Union Omaha and the rest of the month of May, you might wake up to see FTLCF running away with the league. Not trying to over hype but that is how much talent we have at our disposal. Throwing in Mabika just adds one more dimension that teams have to plan around!
Academy Update
The Inter Miami Academy announced a new initiative to help the youth in South Florida gain exposure and come together with others who love futbol. The “Community Cup” will be a tournament style competition that will not only add additional games to local programs but will offer up the world class facilities of Inter Miami to them. IMCF Director of Player Development, Darren Powell, was quoted as saying this….
“We’re super excited about the Community Cup. We think it’s an opportunity for a lot of the local clubs to showcase themselves within their own environments, but also get the opportunity to come into the world class facility that we have, and for us to be able to share that with some of the young players in South Florida, but within a competitive meaningful format. We’re looking forward to getting the cup off the ground in the fall in September”
The cup will feature 10 teams per age group from U-13 through U-17. The Academy teams will also be put through their paces as they will be pitted against teams a year older than them. Group stages for the competition begin in September and the finals will held at the IMCF Training facility in April of next year. Major props for the club for sticking to their guns and promoting youth experiences and development!
And thats a wrap for this weeks edition of Pink Smoke! What are your thoughts about the topics above? We want to hear from you!e Feel free to reach out to us by clicking on any of the links below!!
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As always….
VAMOS MIAMI!!
✌️IMPC