Whats good, La Familia?
After a brief hiatus, we are back at it with Pink Smoke! This edition will cover the Fort Lauderdale game against Chattanooga Red Wolve SC as well as some other key points and take aways from action across the organization. Let’s dive in!
Red Wolves clip the Herons
Our boys went down Chattanooga on a high after the 5-1 annihilation of FC Tucson and looking for another win. The starting line up most notably was missing George Acosta but had the addition of Manchester United Academy product, Harry Neville.
From the opening minute, Chattanooga took the game to FTLCF which was a tell tale precursor to how the match would play out. Our defense was slugglish at time leaving gaps in the back line for the Red Wolves to take advantage of. In the 19th minute, Angel Espana tapped home a shot past the out stretched gloves of Callendar to give the home side a 1-0 lead. The offensive onslaught continued with only the half time whistle giving our defense reprieve.
The 2nd half saw the return of George Acosta to the pitch which resulted in new life for the boys. In the 72nd minute, Acosta drilled in a deep corner kick and Captain Fantastic, Ethan Hardin, headed home a beauty of a goal to level the game up. Unfortunately, this gave the Red Wolves more determination to drive forward and gain the points they felt they deserved. In the 93rd minute, the Red Wolves had a free kick in a dangerous position after a poor tackle by Frank Nodarse from FTLCF. Ricky Ruiz would set up Jason Ramos with the shot to put FTLCF to the sword and capture all three points for the home side.
Take Aways:
Bring back Zamudio in goal
We know that Callendar is most likely next man up (for now) at the senior level but Zamudio has looked more calm in the box and the defense has the most synergy with him. Zamudio coming back on the pitch might help alleviate some of the cracks that are forming on our back line.
Return of Felipe?
Felipe should be loaned back down to FTLCF to game some more game minutes. Yes, it is beneficial for him to be learning from more experienced players but it also does him no good to be not playing. Slotting him back in an already talented midfield with Venton Evans, Drew Hardin, etc will only benefit the squad.
STAY FOCUSED
As touched on at the beginning of the season, the squad needs to play 90+ minutes of futbol. Plenty of times, FTLCF have momentarily switched off which has cost them dearly.
The Azcona Debate
Edison is a pod favorite and arguably a favorite of the entire La Familia. With that being said, why aren’t we seeing more of him? While we understand that his age and lack of experience has a part to play in the decision, one would think he would be earning game time with Robbie’s continuing injury problems. Edison has proven through international call ups that he won’t shy away from the bright lights and pressures of big moments. He might be the shot in the arm that this team needs in terms of youth and pace. Its easy to say that placing him out on the pitch might be “fan service” but you also cannot let talent like his sit on the bench and no be used.
Midfield, We Have A Problem.
It is common knowledge that without an engine, a vehicle won’t run. The same goes for a futbol team and the midfield (engine) of that team. If you take Gregore out of the equation, our midfield has just disappeared as of late. Blaise is making more mistakes than a U6 player, Jay Chapman tried to do his best but ended up more of a hinderance than anything, Lewis is being pressured to do so much for the team that he is making uncharacteristic mistakes and Pizarro is off sulking and stroking his ego on the bench. Adding Gregore back in, you have a pitbull on the field who is consistently trying to making thing happen to the point where he gets caught out of position. Hopefully Phil sees this while reviewing tape and helps make the changes needed to calm the waters and propel this team forward.
Booking the Bookie
New to Pink Smoke is our look into the betting world and seeing where the bookies have Inter Miami for their upcoming matches. At the time of writing, Inter Miami opens up as the favorite (-134) over DC United (+400). The sportsbooks also favor Inter Miami to score over 1.5 goals (-132) while DC United is favored to score over 0.5 goals (-215). In terms of any time goal scoring, Gonzalo leads the way as the IMCF favorite at (+123) while Ola Kamara leads the way for DC United (+270).
If only there was a way to bet on an LGP yellow card…….
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