Wednesday, June 28th, 2023; 6:30pm CT
Location: Tormenta Stadium, Statesboro, Georgia
Follow @ForwardMSNFC on Twitter for live match updates
Coming off a huge home win against Lexington SC, Forward Madison will have a busy week beginning with a midweek game on Wednesday, June, 28th against South Georgia Tormenta FC at 6:30pm. After the Flamingos’ third win in a row last Thursday, FMFC is looking to continue their run of good form on the road. Forward Madison enters Wednesday’s match in 4th place in USL League One, only one point away from first place, with Tormenta sitting in 9th.
Coaches and USL League One 2023 Records:
Forward Madison FC (6-3-4)
Head Coach: Matt Glaeser
South Georgia Tormenta (4-6-3)
Head Coach: Ian Cameron
Key Players to Watch:
Nazeem Bartman: After scoring last Thursday against Lexington SC, and earning the ‘Mingo of the Match recognition, Tormenta will want to be on the lookout for Bartman causing problems in the middle of the pitch. With his strong drive to go forward and create chances, we can expect to see Bartman stirring up some opportunities for the Flamingos on Wednesday.
Christian Chaney: Being Forward Madison’s leading goal scorer, Chaney is just getting started. While scoring a majority of the goals for the Flamingos, Chaney also uses his strength to hold defenders off and keep the ball moving to create some of Forward Madison’s best chances. After stripping the ball off a Lexington defender from his pressure, Chaney capitalized on his 1v1 opportunity with the goalie tallying another goal for Forward. We can expect to see many shots and opportunities created by Chaney on Wednesday.
Jake Crull: Being a defender with 2 goals on the season isn’t a typical sight we see, but Crull has had no issues being a significant player for the Flamingos on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. With his great sight for goal going forward, Crull helps to build out of the back and create opportunities in the final third. With the second-highest number of clean sheets in the league, Crull has played a major role in making this happen. We can expect Crull to make major contributions to Forward Madison’s offense and defense on Wednesday.
Key Match Up:
Kazaiah Sterling vs. FMFC Backline
Coming back from injury, South Georgia Tormenta’s striker Kazaiah Sterling is a force to be reckoned with. He played an incremental role in their team’s championship run last season, scoring 17 goals in 26 matches. This season, Sterling has played in the last five matches for the club, and has already tallied two goals. He will be a large threat to an FMFC defensive backline who has been a tough unit for opponents to score against.
Keys to the Match:
- Possession: While FMFC has started to find its groove when it comes to scoring goals, their possession percentage states otherwise. The ‘Mingos can focus on building possession, specifically from the back. Staying composed in high-press situations and creating space in the middle to feed to the flanks will continue to fuel the team’s goal-scoring energy.
- Communication: Forward Madison’s defense found themselves exposed at times during the match against Lexington SC. The lack of communication in the defending third led to two easy goals from the opponents, making it a tighter match than it should have been. As long as FMFC can stay compact and maintain constant communication with each other, they will be a hard unit to break.
Previous and Next Match:
The Flamingos come into this match after a 3-2 victory against Lexington SC at home. Next up, Forward Madison will stay on the road to play Greenville Triumph on Saturday, July 1st at 6pm CT.
