Game Recap: UPSL Match Day 7, Sat May 31st 2023, 8 pm Kickoff – Coyer Field
Full Time: FCY New York 4 – 1 FC Berlin
What a night it has been here at Coyer Field in Buffalo, New York. An eagerly anticipated rematch from 2022 season between the Canadian side, FC Berlin, and the home team, FCY New York, following last year’s game where the Canadian side reigned supreme.
As the lights pierced the warm summer darkness, FCY New York sat in second place in the UPSL Premier Standings with one game in hand, fresh off a tight contest against FC Dutchmen of Albany last weekend. Tonight, it was FC Berlin in their sights, a team sitting mid-table, but with a handful of extra games yet to play.
From the moment the whistle sang to kick-off, It was a fast and furious game, both teams eager to assert their dominance with aggressive possession and an array of through passes, only to be stopped by the vigilant goalkeepers.
It was FCY New York who drew first blood just 6 minutes in. A delightful, lofted pass from number 15, Zack Shaibi, found #10 Ali Alomari who sliced through the defense to slot the ball home, nestling it into the right side of the net on the first touch. FCY New York quickly took a 1-0 lead.
But FC Berlin were not shaken. A quick-fire attempt saw a shot sail wide before a wayward pass from an FCY defender gave FC Berlin’s number 20, Almada a gift of a chance. He unleashed a hard strike, only to be denied by a magnificent save from FCY’s ‘keeper, number #00, Spencer Catalano.
The New York side then turned up the heat, Hernandez and Alomari combined but narrowly denied by the offside flag and a strong save from the Berlin goalkeeper. FCY’s number 19, Moe Saif, also saw a low shot drift wide.
FC Berlin continued to press. #7 Acimovic stormed down the right flank, fizzing a low cross that just evaded the outstretched boots of his onrushing teammates. Berlin’s aerial attempts were met with a all-season solid FCY backline, stopping any threat in its tracks.
FCY NY almost struck again in the 25 min , when crowd favorite Zak Shaibi fired a shot, saved by the goalkeeper only for the rebound to be volleyed onto the crossbar by #17 Witman Hernandez. A minute later, a beautiful sequence of play saw Ali Mohammed, Shaibi, Witman, and Alomari combine, with a 1-2-3-4 combo, with Witman eventually slotting it past the keeper. 2-0 FCY New York.
The 33rd minute brought a moment of magic. A throw-in from JB Almontaser was met by a sensational one touch bicycle kick by #7 Ali Shawish from around the 18 yd box, soaring into the back of the net. This one could easily be UPSL 2023 goal of the year, unless someone can top it with bicycle kick after doing 2 back-flips which prob won’t happen. FCY New York were now cruising at 3-0 with about 60 left to play.
Despite the commanding lead, New York did not take their foot off the pedal. A Zak Shaibi and FCY NY’s LB #2 Hussain Omar combination saw Omar taking a nice shot but thwarted by the resilient FC Berlin ‘keeper.
End of Half
Coach Hesch’s half-time message was clear: maintain composure, and protect the 3-0 lead.
The second half saw a lull in the frenetic pace. Around the 60-minute mark, substitutions for FCY New York saw Majid Albari and Diego Rivera, last week’s late game hero vs FC Dutchmen, enter the fray.
The home side were comfortable in their low block, soaking up the pressure and lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike. And strike they did in the 69th minute. Witman Hernandez released Ali Alomari who skillfully evaded FC Berlin defenders and calmly slid the ball past the ‘keeper, stretching their lead to 4-0.
In the closing stages, FCY New York’s #22 Adam Saif was penalised for handball in the box, earning him a red card and gifting FC Berlin a penalty. Number 23, Keripe, stepped up and buried the PK, clawing a goal back for the visitors, 4-1.
The last 10-15 minutes saw Mo Channer, Chris Inganji and Cory Nash enter the fray for FCY New York. They were tasked with keeping Berlin at bay and they did exactly that. With the final whistle, FCY New York was victorious, sealing a memorable night here at Coyer Field. An exhilarating display of football with no shortage of drama. The fans definitely appreciated this one.
FCY New York’s starting lineup featured Spencer Catalano, Jabreel Almontaser, Abdulgawi Albari, Adam Saif, Hussain Omar, Ali Shawish, Mohammed Saif, Ali Alomari, Ali Mohamed, Zack Shaibi, & Witman Hernandez. Substitutes included Diego Rivera, Chris Inganji, Cory Nash, Majid Albari, Patrick Logsdon, Jack Root, Mo Channer, Mustafa Alfurat,
Streaming Live Match by Joel Balthasar and commentary provided by Ramsey Abdulmalik (Ramsexy) and Admir (Ado) Kadric
WATCH THE GAME ON FCY New York’s YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT8QKBS5n30
