Fire Reserves 2 – Crew Reserves 3

There was a good crowd on hand for the reserve match between the Fire and the Crew (even Mr. and Mrs. Gaven were in attendance). The pace was almost as blistering as the morning sun. The Crew goals were scored by Cory Elenio with a solo run and shot that deflected of a Chicago player into the goal in the 35rd minute, Jason Garey on a penalty kick in the 53rd minute, and Andrew Peterson with a looping 30 yard shot in the 73rd minute.

Crew 1st half lineup

———–Lenhart——-Garey———–

Elenio–Oughton-Miglioranzi-Peterson

Junge—–Zayner—McKenney—-Miller

—————-Gruenebaum————–

Crew 2nd half lineup

———–Lenhart——-Garey———–

Elenio–-Oughton—Josten—Peterson

Junge—–Zayner—McKenney—-Miller

——————-Schoeni——————

Ricardo Pierre-Louis came in for Lenhart in the 53rd minute

Player Notes:

• Lenhart has some speed, but little acceleration. His first touch is pretty rough and his shot is erratic, but he is a irritant and gets into goal scoring position like Ale Moreno. Drew the PK that Garey converted.
• Garey had a decent game. He can hold up the ball pretty well when it is played to his feet. He continues to be a non threat in the air (no surprising given his height).
• Oughton looked pretty solid playing the disruptive two way midfield role. He took all of the set pieces, but really did not create too many opportunities off of them.
• Miglioranzi showed little rust in his 45 minutes of action. His close control is good and he does not shy away from contact. He disrupted the Fire attack several times.
• Zayner looks very good with the ball at his feet. His defending is solid, but I think he is undersized to play centrally. Got involved in the attack a couple times with some weaving runs and timely distribution.
• McKenney looked out of his depth. He was slow and his decision making was suspect.
• Elenio is feisty and he will hustle. He created his goal with those skills. He was caught upfield a couple of times though as he was slow to track back. His outside shot is impressive as he came close a couple of times.
• Andrew Peterson did not stand out. His goal was beautiful, but he has a defenders mentality and Oughton was telling him to push up several times throughout the game.
• Ricardo Pierre-Louis had a much better game. He showed none of the nerves from the last time I saw him. He hustled to apply pressure defense and scrap for loose balls. He also showed skill on the ball and created a couple chances. He did like to play a little wider than Lenhart had been.