Med City FC vs. Duluth FC
Rochester Regional Sports Center | Rochester, MN
5.23.18 | Game #3
Current 2018 Records (W-L-T):
Duluth: 0-0-0; 1-0-1 at home/on the road
Med City: 1-0-0; 0-2-0 at home/on the road
Having gathered four points from their first two games, both on the road, Duluth FC now will aim to end their first stint of road games with a victory at Rochester-based club Med City FC. While Duluth’s road games have largely been positive, Med City have struggled. On the road against Minneapolis City and VSLT they dropped all six possible points, conceding a total of four goals and scoring two. While these matches were against the the clubs that currently look the strongest in the conference, they have established that Med City have weaknesses to exploit. Their one win was a 5-1 home win against La Crosse Aris, who Duluth have just previously beaten 1-7 in La Crosse.
The two clubs have played each other before, having spent 2017 in the Northern Conference together. Perhaps most notable of their meetings was the away fixture in Rochester last year, during which former BlueGreen Andrew Jenkins’ last minute equalizer in a 1-1 draw was a key moment in Duluth’s cementing of the 2017 conference title.
Having rested and rotated several common names from the starting XI for the match against La Crosse Aris, Head Coach Person will have the closest he’s had to a fresh roster since the marathon of games began two weeks ago, with consistent players like Kyle Farrar, Sean Morgan, and Julian Villegas not on the roster over the weekend. Person will, however, have to manage the looming target that is Duluth FC’s home opener the weekend of the 26th, during which the BlueGreens will host a Minneapolis City side that have so far dominated their matches, the only blip being their 2-2 draw against Sioux Falls, who have struggled since their win against La Crosse Aris in week two.
When it comes to goals the BlueGreens have relied on an interesting mix of sources. Dana Kowachek is currently lead goal scorer with three, one against TwinStars and two against La Crosse, while defenders Ivan Adika, Cori Hill, and Ryan Tyrer have collectively contributed four of the club’s ten league goals this season, Tyrer with the most goals at two. Strikers Kyle Farrar and Mally Lumsden have both notched one goal so far this season, while Joe Watt has managed one goal in the NPSL and the U.S. Open Cup each. Winger Ricardo Ramos, who is currently not available to play, was the BlueGreens’ highest scorer in the USOC with two against the Dakota Fusion.
