Forward Madison Advance to the Second Round of the US Open Cup
Christian Chaney scores two goals to lead the ‘Mingos to their first win of the 2024 year.
Lineup Notes
MAD: Sanchez, Chilaka, Crull, Fuderer, Payne (Sousa, 45’), Prentice, Mesias, Cichero (Murphy Jr, 82’), Davila (Galindrez, 82’), Bartman (Boyce, 72’), Chaney
Subs not used: Schipmann, Villalobos, Osmond
Duluth FC: Foltz, Bellamy, Starling, Erazo, O’Mahony, Nahkid, Pickering, Bobai, Limmer, Akinola, Arteaga
Subs: Paredes, Tiemeyer, Oliveira, Figueiredo, Morgan, Van Den Beld, Tibbetts
Match Action
The match started under, surprising, Wisconsin sunshine in March. At the whistle, Forward Madison started with high press, itching to put one on the board first. In less than ten minutes, striker Christian Chaney slotted one into the back of the net off of a long ball from newcomer, Jake Fuderer.
With an early goal, the home team was able to settle into a smooth rhythm, beginning to string along passes from the backline to the midfield. In the 22nd minute, Duluth FC managed to hit a long shot close to frame but wide, keeping the score in favor of Forward Madison heading into halftime.
In the second half, FMFC made one substitute, as Ferrety Sousa came in to continue feeding balls into the box and creating chances. Only seven minutes into the second half, Sousa made his presence felt. In a beautiful touch over a Duluth defender, Sousa crossed the ball into the box where Chaney waited. In one touch, Chaney hit a volley into the corner of the net, doubling Forward’s score to 2-0.
Both sides made a handful of subs as the temperature went down in Madison, Wisconsin. The ‘Mingos played a strong defense, preventing Duluth from creating any dangerous chances on goal. After five minutes of stoppage time, Forward Madison finished the game with 2-0 win and will advance to the second round of the U.S. Open Cup.
Goal Summary
1-0 MAD – Chaney, assisted by Fuderer (9’)
2-0 MAD – Chaney, assisted by Sousa (53’)
Disciplinary Summary
Yellow, Duluth – Pickering (21’)
Yellow, Madison – Sousa (70’)
Yellow, Duluth – Nakhid (85’)
Post Match Reaction
“We obviously rotated the team heavily from the League game on the weekend, so a lot of guys who hadn’t played together played together, some guys played in different roles,” said Head Coach Matt Glaeser. “The mentality was good. It’s good to get a clean sheet. Those games can be very difficult to play against because of the nature of the opponent and not knowing much about them, but overall pleased to advance in the tournament and get some guys some minutes.”
“It was kind of a ‘go out and win at all cost’ mentality, to do the work that needs to be done,” said defender Jake Crull. “I think guys filled in really well. It was good to see guys like Martin (Sanchez) have his first professional shut out and Jake (Federer) step up and got a big assist. I think as a collective it was good to see us have the same mindset to go out and advance.”
“I want to win, I’m here to win,” said striker Christian Chaney. “That’s why I came back to the club and I want to be on the field helping the guys out as much as I can. I think moving forward, the progress that comes from the season is putting teams away earlier, and putting the second or third goals away if we can.”
Next Match
The Flamingos travel to South Carolina to face Greenville Triumph on Saturday, March 23rd. Catch the match on ESPN+ or stop by the Forward Club for the FMFC Watch Party presented by Coors Light. Doors open at 5pm with the match kicking off at 6pm. RSVP here.
