Forward Madison FC Advance To The USL Jägermeister Cup Final
Goals by Mitch Osmond and Christian Chaney lead the ‘Mingos to a 2-1 victory over Charlotte.
Lineup Notes
MAD: #1 Schipmann, #4 Osmond, #5 Mehl, #6 Murphy Jr. (74’ Mesias), #7 Prentice (74’ Chilaka), #8 Boyce, #9 Chaney, #16 Crull, #17 Gebhard (63’ Galindrez), #21 Villalobos, #22 Payne (63’ Sousa)
Subs not used: Sanchez, Dieye, McLaughlin
CLT: #1 Pack, #4 Spielman, #6 Ciss (88’ Owoahene-Akyeampong), #7 Djedje, #8 Alajarin (80’ Ibarra), #11 Mbuyu (70’ Corea), #13 Sorenson (80’ Dutey), #14 Alvarez, ##17 Dimick, #27 Ndiaye, #56 Obertan (80’ Pierre)
Subs not used: #3 Shipman-Roberts II, #28 Levy
Match Action
It was a beautiful night in Madison, Wisconsin for the first-ever knockout match hosted at Breese Stevens Field. The ‘Mingos sported their new 2024 Alternate Kits for the semi-final match against Charlotte Independence. To start the match, Charlotte had a few close opportunities on frame, but FMFC keeper Bernd Schipmann made a couple of impressive diving saves to keep the game at zeros.
In the 20th minute, Forward had their own shot on goal as Devin Boyce made a run along the right side of the field and played the ball into the box. Derek Gebhard made a storming run into the box but shot it directly at the Charlotte goalkeeper. Five minutes later, Charlotte countered on the other end, catching the ‘Mingos with low numbers on the defensive end. Gabriel Obertan dribbled into the box, but Timmy Mehl made a sliding play to keep the ball out of harm’s way.
In the 35th minute, the home team was able to capitalize. Boyce played the ball into the box off of a corner kick, and after bouncing around near the penalty box, captain Mitch Osmond volleyed it into the back of the net to put his squad in the lead.
Before the end of the second half, Charlotte was able to equalize in stoppage time. Anton Sorenson played a ball into the six-yard box, and after skipping by a few Charlotte players, Luis Alvarez found the top left corner to level the game 1-1 heading into halftime.
The ‘Mingos started the second half with determination, and In just two minutes, Forward took the lead. Stephen Payne played a square ball into the box, and Christian Chaney easily slotted it back post for the go-ahead goal.
In the 67th minute, however, the game-winning goalscorer, Chaney, was given his second yellow and was sent off the field, leaving the home squad to defend with 10 men. Both sides made a few strategic substitutions to give their team the best opportunity to win. In the 75th minute, FMFC substitute Juan Galindrez had a near chance to extend the lead for the ‘Mingos, but Charlotte keeper Austin Pack made a diving save to keep his team within one.
In the 82nd minute, Charlotte also found themselves a man down when Bachir Ndiaye was shown a red card after a tackle on Galindrez. The match would continue with both sides playing with 10 men on the field.
As the game neared the end, Galindrez had another chance on goal, but Forward would end up holding on to their 2-1 lead and advancing to the USL Jägermeister Cup Finals.
Goal Summary
1-0 MAD – Osmond (35’)
1-1 CLT – Alvarez (45+2’)
2-1 MAD – Chaney (47’)
Disciplinary Summary
Yellow, CLT – Alvarez (33’)
Yellow, MAD – Chaney (49’)
Yellow, MAD – Osmond (65’)
Second Yellow, MAD – Chaney (68’)
Red, CLT – Ndiaye (82’)
Yellow, CLT – Ibarra (90’)
Yellow, CLT – Owoahene-Akyeampong (90+4’)
Yellow, MAD – Villalobos (90+8’)
Post Match Reaction
“It doesn’t always go as we drew it up. It’s not always exactly how the game plan was, but big credit to the guys, and the substitutions for coming on and making an impact,” said Head Coach, Matt Glaeser. “Hindsight is always 20/20 but, at the end of the day, we got the result.”
“We went into this season wanting to be better at scoring scrappy goals, not just pretty goals. It fell to us, and we converted,” said captain and defender, Mitch Osmond. “Going into the second half, we let our frustration get out within the first couple of minutes, and then we went out there and controlled the second half as much as we could. Made a couple tweaks and adjustments, and the first chance we got, we knew to convert, and we did.”
“I came to this team for a reason. Coach believed in me, and wanted to build a team that could help in the middle, control the tempo, and create some chances, and that’s the kind of team we have,” said midfielder, Jimmie Villalobos. “The goal is to win it all. Cup or Shield, it doesn’t matter, the goal is to win it all.”
Next Match
Next up, FMFC plays their third friendly against Chicago House AC on Saturday, September 14th at 6pm CT. Fans can purchase their tickets to the match here.
