Forward Madison Earns 2-1 Victory at Home Against FC Tucson

Forward Madison hosted FC Tucson at Breese Stevens Field for a USL League One match. The Flamingos claimed their first home win of the season, 2-1, with both Nazeem Bartman and Abdou Mbacke-Thiam tallying goals. Saturday’s match kicked off at 7:00 pm CT on June 4th, 2022. The Flamingos opened the first half aggressively, recording their first corner kick in the 9’ following a quick counterattack. Matheus Cassini nearly scored in the 11’ when he got open in the box and just barely shot the ball over the top of the Tucson goal post. At the 17’ mark, Cassini led a counterattack which resulted in Abdou Mbacke-Thiam firing a rocket of a shot on goal that got blocked by the Tucson goalkeeper. FC Tucson was shown their third yellow card of the half in the 28’, when Tyler Allen committed a foul on an FMFC player.

Forward Madison finally broke the seal in the 30’ when Mikey Maldonado passed the ball into Nazeem Bartman who fired a shot past the Tucson goalkeeper to give the Flamingos a 1-0 lead. In the 42’, FC Tucson tied up the match thanks to Charlie Machell scoring off a cross into the box. After a strong first half for Forward Madison, the Flamingos entered the halftime break tied 1-1.

The second half kicked off with Forward Madison controlling the possession early. At the 50’ mark, Drew Conner launched the ball over the Tucson defense to Nazeem Bartman. Bartman got a pass off to Abdou Mbacke-Thiam, who fired a shot past the Tucson keeper to give Forward Madison a 2-1 lead. In the 54’, Tucson had an odd-man advantage in the box but Eric Leonard slid and deflected the shot, leading to a Flamingo clearance. Forward Madison continued to control the momentum in the second half but picked up four yellow cards in the span of six minutes, starting with one at the 63’ mark. Taylor Bailey built on the momentum by coming up with a crucial save in the 73’ to help Forward Madison hold onto their 2-1 lead. Coach Matt Glaeser put some fresh ‘Mingos on the field in the 77’, subbing in Jeremiah Streng and Justin Sukow for Abdou Mbacke Thiam and Derek Gebhard.

“We were able to close it out tonight and take a step in the right direction,” Forward Madison Head Coach Matt Glaeser said.

“From the preseason to now, it’s a completely different team,” Mikey Maldonado said. “Can’t help it, we’re with each other 24/7.”

With five minutes of stoppage time added, FC Tucson started applying more and more pressure in the final moments of the game, but Forward Madison persevered and held on to earn a well-deserved three points. The attendance for the match was 3,070. Next on the schedule, Forward Madison will welcome Greenville Triumph SC for a match on June 11th. After that, the Flamingos will host an international friendly against SC Paderborn 07 on June 15th. As for Tucson, they’ll host Union Omaha on June 11th.

Major Moments:

9’ Thiam Shot deflected leading to FMFC Corner Kick
11’ Cassini Shot Over the top
14’ Yellow Card FC Tucson (Burke Fahling)
17’ Thiam Shot on goal saved
19’ Yellow Card Forward Madison FC (Mitch Osmond)
20’ Yellow Card FC Tucson (Tyler Moss)
22’ FC Tucson corner kick
28’ Thiam Header saved by goalkeeper
28’ Yellow Card FC Tucson (Tyler Allen)
30’ GOAL Nazeem Bartman Forward Madison (Mikey Maldonado Assist)
33’ Forward Madison Corner Kick
38’ Derek Gebhard Shot Saved
41’ FC Tucson Corner Kick
42’ GOAL Charlie Machell FC Tucson
2 Minutes of Stoppage Time Added
45+2’ Corner Kick Forward Madison

HALFTIME

48’ Forward Madison Corner Kick
48’ Forward Madison Corner Kick
50’ GOAL Forward Madison Abdou Mbacke Thiam (Nazeem Bartman Assist)
52’ Yellow Card FC Tucson (Franco Perez)
54’ FC Tucson Sub: 8 on for 29
56’ FC Tucson shot blocked by Eric Leonard
57’ Foul FMFC, no card
63’ Forward Madison Corner Kick
63’ Forward Madison Yellow Card (Drew Conner)
65’ Forward Madison Yellow Card (Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu)
67’ FC Tucson Sub: 10 for 11 9 for 32
69’ Forward Madison Yellow Card (Abdou Mbacke Thiam)
69’ Forward Madison Yellow Card (Bench)
73’ FC Tucson Shot on Goal saved by Taylor Bailey
77’ Forward Madison Sub: Jeremiah Streng and Justin Sukow subbed in for Abdou Mbacke Thiam and Derek Gebhard
79’ FC Tucson Corner Kick
82’ Forward Madison Sub: Ceser Murrilo Jr. subbed in for Nazeem Bartman
84’ Yellow Card FC Tucson (Daniel Bedoya)
84’ FC Tucson Sub: 6 subbed in for 22
85’ Forward Madison Foul, no card
88’ Yellow Card FC Tucson Louis Perez
5 Minutes of Stoppage Time
90+1’ Forward Madison sub: Christian Enriquez subbed in for Drew Conner