Metea can't find scoring
touch against Solorio
Mustangs control play, not the score in 2-0 defeat
By Derek Wolff
LA GRANGE — The Metea Valley boys’ soccer team was visibly frustrated following Saturday afternoon’s 2-0 loss to Solorio (5-0-1) in the opening round of the 2015 Pepsi Showcase.
It wasn’t hard to see why.
The Mustangs (1-5-0) were snake-bitten throughout the game, despite controlling the majority of the possession. That was particularly true in the second half, when it seemed like the ball only left Solorio’s defensive third once.
That trip upfield was enough, with Solorio forward Luis Nambo rocketing an upper-90 strike past Mustangs goalkeeper Joey Coryell to make it 2-0.
Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson credited his goaltender and backline of defense with playing a strong game but lamented that the lack of a finishing touch has made things awfully difficult.
“We worked hard, we just can’t score,” Robinson said. “We’re putting too much pressure on Joey (Coryell) and (senior defenders) Brandon (Howard) and Ryan (Donovan) to do everything, so it makes it tough for us to play.
“They (Solorio) were in our half for a minute in the second half, and they got the goal. Brilliant finish, congrats to them.”
Nambo, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, gave his side some breathing room and took the edge off of Metea’s relentless second half attack.
“It was kind of a sigh of relief, because we were working our butts off to get the win,” Nambo said. “We got it, thanks to all the work that everyone put in.”
Metea controlled the ball at the start of the game, with Solorio goalkeeper Jose Salgado making a brilliant save on his goal line in the third minute to keep things level.
Salgado dove to his left for a loose ball, spinning to corral it before it went over the goal line and pushing it out to safety on the left side.
Solorio’s David Mendoza received a yellow card in the ninth minute, leading to a free kick from just outside the 18 that the Mustangs couldn’t convert.
In the 22nd minute, Solorio’s counterattack caught Metea when the Mustangs failed to execute an offside trap, allowing junior defender Adrian Zaragoza to slip in behind the defense on a ball over the top and beat Coryell for a 1-0 lead.
Metea’s best chance to equalize before halftime came in the 35th minute when Brandon Howard’s header missed over the Solorio crossbar.
Solorio coach Adrian Calleros said his side was dealing with a few injuries and absences on the day but were able to prevail thanks to a solid understanding of Metea’s tactics.
“I told them at halftime, ‘They’re (Metea) going to have to connect five passes to score a goal,’ ” Calleros said. “As long as we don’t foul them and give in to their dangers ... the most dangerous parts of their game were throw-ins, free kicks and corner kicks.
“With the ball rolling, I don’t think they really took a good shot on us. It becomes tactical. When you get limited in numbers, you do what you have to do. I think we did a nice job today.”
The win for Solorio, a youthful program established in 2010, was one of many for non-seeded teams in the Showcase on the afternoon. Metea Valley was seeded No. 11.
Calleros spoke about how even the high school game is these days.
“Nowadays soccer has so much parity, there’s so many good players, there’s so many good kids playing club everywhere,” Calleros said. “There’s good soccer everywhere.”
Metea Valley veteran goalkeeper Joey Coryell went through the rigors of an up-and-down season last year and said that scoring will take the pressure off.
“It’s definitely rough,” Coryell said. “We’re working hard in practice, and we seem to be improving in practice. Then it’s just implementing the things we’ve learned in games that we’re struggling with a little bit.
"That’s causing us to not be able to put the ball in the net, and we’re putting a lot of pressure on the guys in the back since we can’t put those balls in the net early and get a quick advantage.”
Coryell also knows it’s important to stay positive when things aren’t going well.
“You have pride in how you play," he said. "You’ve got to come out every single day and play your hardest. Just because we lose a game doesn’t mean you’re going to give up the next one; it’s a new day, a new game and another chance to prove yourself and earn your time. We’ve got to keep working.”
It’s a trickle-down message delivered from Robinson, who emphasized that the Mustangs still have big games remaining to be played in the Showcase before starting conference play.
“That goal that gets you back on track is going to be ugly,” Robinson said. “It’s not going to be beautiful, it’s going to be grinding it out and working hard. I think we’re emphasizing staying positive, working hard but also accountability.
"We have some kids that love to play and work but it’s just trying to keep them positive, keep them motivated.”
Starting lineups
Solorio
GK Jose Salgado
D Erik Ortega
D Adrian Zaragoza
D Jaime Espinosa
D Issac Reyes
M Julian Arroyo
M Alonzo Nava
M David Gamez
M Ricardo Silva-Torres
M Angel Nava
F Luis Nambo
Metea Valley
GK Joey Coryell
D Ryan Donovan
D Brandon Howard
M Billy Cihlar
M Connor Lang
M Esteban Castillo
M Michael Adams
M Alex Perez
M Jacob Kellogg
M Michael Lothridge
F Alfonso Castillo
Man of the Match: Luis Nambo, F, Solorio
touch against Solorio
Mustangs control play, not the score in 2-0 defeat
By Derek Wolff
LA GRANGE — The Metea Valley boys’ soccer team was visibly frustrated following Saturday afternoon’s 2-0 loss to Solorio (5-0-1) in the opening round of the 2015 Pepsi Showcase.
It wasn’t hard to see why.
The Mustangs (1-5-0) were snake-bitten throughout the game, despite controlling the majority of the possession. That was particularly true in the second half, when it seemed like the ball only left Solorio’s defensive third once.
That trip upfield was enough, with Solorio forward Luis Nambo rocketing an upper-90 strike past Mustangs goalkeeper Joey Coryell to make it 2-0.
Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson credited his goaltender and backline of defense with playing a strong game but lamented that the lack of a finishing touch has made things awfully difficult.
“We worked hard, we just can’t score,” Robinson said. “We’re putting too much pressure on Joey (Coryell) and (senior defenders) Brandon (Howard) and Ryan (Donovan) to do everything, so it makes it tough for us to play.
“They (Solorio) were in our half for a minute in the second half, and they got the goal. Brilliant finish, congrats to them.”
Nambo, Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, gave his side some breathing room and took the edge off of Metea’s relentless second half attack.
“It was kind of a sigh of relief, because we were working our butts off to get the win,” Nambo said. “We got it, thanks to all the work that everyone put in.”
Metea controlled the ball at the start of the game, with Solorio goalkeeper Jose Salgado making a brilliant save on his goal line in the third minute to keep things level.
Salgado dove to his left for a loose ball, spinning to corral it before it went over the goal line and pushing it out to safety on the left side.
Solorio’s David Mendoza received a yellow card in the ninth minute, leading to a free kick from just outside the 18 that the Mustangs couldn’t convert.
In the 22nd minute, Solorio’s counterattack caught Metea when the Mustangs failed to execute an offside trap, allowing junior defender Adrian Zaragoza to slip in behind the defense on a ball over the top and beat Coryell for a 1-0 lead.
Metea’s best chance to equalize before halftime came in the 35th minute when Brandon Howard’s header missed over the Solorio crossbar.
Solorio coach Adrian Calleros said his side was dealing with a few injuries and absences on the day but were able to prevail thanks to a solid understanding of Metea’s tactics.
“I told them at halftime, ‘They’re (Metea) going to have to connect five passes to score a goal,’ ” Calleros said. “As long as we don’t foul them and give in to their dangers ... the most dangerous parts of their game were throw-ins, free kicks and corner kicks.
“With the ball rolling, I don’t think they really took a good shot on us. It becomes tactical. When you get limited in numbers, you do what you have to do. I think we did a nice job today.”
The win for Solorio, a youthful program established in 2010, was one of many for non-seeded teams in the Showcase on the afternoon. Metea Valley was seeded No. 11.
Calleros spoke about how even the high school game is these days.
“Nowadays soccer has so much parity, there’s so many good players, there’s so many good kids playing club everywhere,” Calleros said. “There’s good soccer everywhere.”
Metea Valley veteran goalkeeper Joey Coryell went through the rigors of an up-and-down season last year and said that scoring will take the pressure off.
“It’s definitely rough,” Coryell said. “We’re working hard in practice, and we seem to be improving in practice. Then it’s just implementing the things we’ve learned in games that we’re struggling with a little bit.
"That’s causing us to not be able to put the ball in the net, and we’re putting a lot of pressure on the guys in the back since we can’t put those balls in the net early and get a quick advantage.”
Coryell also knows it’s important to stay positive when things aren’t going well.
“You have pride in how you play," he said. "You’ve got to come out every single day and play your hardest. Just because we lose a game doesn’t mean you’re going to give up the next one; it’s a new day, a new game and another chance to prove yourself and earn your time. We’ve got to keep working.”
It’s a trickle-down message delivered from Robinson, who emphasized that the Mustangs still have big games remaining to be played in the Showcase before starting conference play.
“That goal that gets you back on track is going to be ugly,” Robinson said. “It’s not going to be beautiful, it’s going to be grinding it out and working hard. I think we’re emphasizing staying positive, working hard but also accountability.
"We have some kids that love to play and work but it’s just trying to keep them positive, keep them motivated.”
Starting lineups
Solorio
GK Jose Salgado
D Erik Ortega
D Adrian Zaragoza
D Jaime Espinosa
D Issac Reyes
M Julian Arroyo
M Alonzo Nava
M David Gamez
M Ricardo Silva-Torres
M Angel Nava
F Luis Nambo
Metea Valley
GK Joey Coryell
D Ryan Donovan
D Brandon Howard
M Billy Cihlar
M Connor Lang
M Esteban Castillo
M Michael Adams
M Alex Perez
M Jacob Kellogg
M Michael Lothridge
F Alfonso Castillo
Man of the Match: Luis Nambo, F, Solorio