Preseason Friendly: Rangers 4-1 Wolfhounds FC

FC77 Rangers 4 : 1 Wolfhounds FC

Duniway Park, Portland, Oregon

Attendance: 10...and some joggers

FC77 Rangers played their only preseason match of the Winter 2011 season on Sunday, 6 February against Wolfhounds FC and came away with a well-earned 4-1 victory. The match had originally been scheduled for PSU's Community Recreation Field for a 12:30 kick-off, but unscheduled turf maintenance sent the two teams to nearby Duniway Park for a good-spirited and lively seventy minute scrimmage. (Did you know that turf needs to be mowed or rolled? It's true, apparently.) Several new squad players debuted with Rangers, including Dan Harris, Paddy Schutte, and Charles Gullung and all made a positive impact on the afternoon. The Yellow and Black side also included guest players Tyler Shook and Jason Carney.

Starting XI:

Payne, goalkeeper

"John" from Wolfhounds - Shook - Pullen, fullbacks

Snyder, holding midfielder

Schutte - Harris - Carney - Gullung, midfielders

King - Youssef, strikers

Reserves: Ingersoll, Burden, Calkins

Not available: Switzer, Bauman, Muralt, Silverman

After a thirty minute delay to get to Duniway Park and stretch out, the match kicked off at approximately 1:00 p.m. with 'Gers in their typical 3-1-4-2 formation. Payne graciously stood between the posts as keeper and proved his keeper skills are not limited to the indoor style of play. Relatively unbothered for most of the match, Payne was only forced into a few collections and a couple of punches on corners. The back line proved stalwart and maintained good control of the ball when it got into our half. The Wolfhounds keeper pulled a hip muscle early on in the match and was soon substituted, forcing the new arrival to face a series of wing-inspired breakaways and touchline sprints down both flanks. Harris led a calvary charge ten minutes into the match that netted--if there had been nets, obviously--the first goal with Youssef (I believe) finishing a similar sequence shortly thereafter with a tap-in. Harris may have had a second, also (sorry Dan, I can't remember) and Snyder added the fourth in the second half after a quick throw-in from Shook on the near sideline.

More important than the goals, however, was the relatively good movement and passing the team exhibited for their first practice together. The field was boggy in spots, to be sure, but 'Gers seemed to knock the ball around well on a short pitch and really opened up the wings...much like our regular style of play.

With the regular season starting next Sunday at Gladstone High School, let's hope that ball control and movement translates to a good start on an artificial pitch.