House drops 2nd 1-goal decision to Detroit
CHAC staff report
BRIDGEVIEW -- Chicago House AC (1-0-3, 3 points) fell 1-0 to Detroit City FC 1-0 (3-1-0, 10 points) Sunday at SeatGeek Stadium. A converted penalty kick from Maxi Rodriguez in the 65th minute sealed the deal for the defending NISA League Champions.
Similar to the previous home match August 21, the House had some quality chances early in the game. The first came in the 12th minute when Drew Conner sent a cross-pass to Derek Huffman for a header, but the attempt went wide. In the 16th minute, Musa Morris blasted a shot from the top of the 18-yard box, but Detroit City goalkeeper Nate Steinwascher corralled the ball.
Huffman had another chance in the 25th minute, but Steinwascher stepped up with another big save. In stoppage time, Huffman got his final first half chance when he received the ball from Wojciech Wojcik, got an opening and took a shot, but the ball went straight to the keeper's chest.
The game-changing moment came in the 63rd minute of the second half when House midfielder Michael Kafari was called for a foul in the box, and the head official awarded Detroit City FC a penalty kick. Maxi Rodriguez scored his second penalty kick goal against goalkeeper Michael Novotny and the House on the season.
Head coach and technical director C.J. Brown felt his team improved from their previous match, a 4-0 loss to New Amsterdam.
“The guys played to a tee on what we've been working on in training," Brown said. "I thought we held and moved the ball very well.
“We didn't get a lot of opportunities on goal, but we are making baby steps to become a better soccer team. From our performance last week to now, I saw guys that wanted to play and were working hard to make that happen. I'm happy with a lot of the guys' performances.”
Coach Brown also added that the club is still focusing on the bigger picture despite the tough start.
"We’re a team that's going to grow every day. We train hard; we fight hard," Brown said. "To come out tonight and fight the way we did after a disappointing result last week, I thought we had a good improvement."
House midfielder Michael Kozielek gave some insights on his change to defense Sunday.
"I got to play left back for a solid three years in college and played a little bit out of my first year out of college in Sweden," explained Kozielek. “I'm familiar with it, and it wasn't too bad of a shift.
"I got a few reps in training and did what C.J. was calling upon. There are going to be a few guys moving around throughout the season. It's still early, and we’re just trying to get our best players on the field and figure it out from there. So I'm happy to do it."
After the loss Sunday, the House dropped to 10th in the NISA Fall Standings while Detroit City FC moved up to 1st in the table.
The House will travel to face Michigan Stars FC at 2:30 p.m. EST on Saturday at Romeo High School Stadium in Washington, Mich. Fans can view the game by visiting www.chicagohouseac.com/watch-live. For team updates and information, follow the team's social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@ChicagoHouse_AC).
CHAC staff report
BRIDGEVIEW -- Chicago House AC (1-0-3, 3 points) fell 1-0 to Detroit City FC 1-0 (3-1-0, 10 points) Sunday at SeatGeek Stadium. A converted penalty kick from Maxi Rodriguez in the 65th minute sealed the deal for the defending NISA League Champions.
Similar to the previous home match August 21, the House had some quality chances early in the game. The first came in the 12th minute when Drew Conner sent a cross-pass to Derek Huffman for a header, but the attempt went wide. In the 16th minute, Musa Morris blasted a shot from the top of the 18-yard box, but Detroit City goalkeeper Nate Steinwascher corralled the ball.
Huffman had another chance in the 25th minute, but Steinwascher stepped up with another big save. In stoppage time, Huffman got his final first half chance when he received the ball from Wojciech Wojcik, got an opening and took a shot, but the ball went straight to the keeper's chest.
The game-changing moment came in the 63rd minute of the second half when House midfielder Michael Kafari was called for a foul in the box, and the head official awarded Detroit City FC a penalty kick. Maxi Rodriguez scored his second penalty kick goal against goalkeeper Michael Novotny and the House on the season.
Head coach and technical director C.J. Brown felt his team improved from their previous match, a 4-0 loss to New Amsterdam.
“The guys played to a tee on what we've been working on in training," Brown said. "I thought we held and moved the ball very well.
“We didn't get a lot of opportunities on goal, but we are making baby steps to become a better soccer team. From our performance last week to now, I saw guys that wanted to play and were working hard to make that happen. I'm happy with a lot of the guys' performances.”
Coach Brown also added that the club is still focusing on the bigger picture despite the tough start.
"We’re a team that's going to grow every day. We train hard; we fight hard," Brown said. "To come out tonight and fight the way we did after a disappointing result last week, I thought we had a good improvement."
House midfielder Michael Kozielek gave some insights on his change to defense Sunday.
"I got to play left back for a solid three years in college and played a little bit out of my first year out of college in Sweden," explained Kozielek. “I'm familiar with it, and it wasn't too bad of a shift.
"I got a few reps in training and did what C.J. was calling upon. There are going to be a few guys moving around throughout the season. It's still early, and we’re just trying to get our best players on the field and figure it out from there. So I'm happy to do it."
After the loss Sunday, the House dropped to 10th in the NISA Fall Standings while Detroit City FC moved up to 1st in the table.
The House will travel to face Michigan Stars FC at 2:30 p.m. EST on Saturday at Romeo High School Stadium in Washington, Mich. Fans can view the game by visiting www.chicagohouseac.com/watch-live. For team updates and information, follow the team's social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@ChicagoHouse_AC).