The Forward Madison Flamingos took to Breese Stevens Field for the first USL League One game of the season Saturday, April 19, facing Texoma FC in a thrilling 1-1 draw.
The matchup marked a notable milestone for Texoma, as they earned their first-ever point as a professional club, having lost their first four games by a combined score of 12-2.
‘Mingo’s Head Coach Matt Glaeser had no choice but to watch the game from the suites on Saturday evening, after receiving a one-match ban thanks to two yellow cards in under a minute in the match against the Charlotte Independence. Assistant Coach Neil Hlavaty led the team, which struggled without star players Devin Boyce and Garrett McLaughlin, who are recovering from injury.
.sno-6808d1327daf2 {
background-color: #ffffff;border: 5px solid #888888;box-shadow: -1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 0 1px 1px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 24%);margin: 30px auto; float: none;}
.sno-6808d1327daf2 h5 {
color: #000000;
}
The ‘Mingos dominated the first half with 61% of the possession, as well as two shots on target to Texoma’s zero. Madison also completed 87 more passes than Texoma, further solidifying the control the ‘Mingos had on the game, even if the score remained 0-0.
“I think we dominated the first half, it was a couple details that we had to tidy up at halftime. We came out and made the adjustments,” Madison captain and defender Mitch Osmond said postgame. “It’s just a matter of continuing to improve and develop the group collectively in the way we want to play.”
Madison favored wing play during the matchup, utilizing Nico Brown on the left and Ferrety Sousa on the right, as both wing-backs had free rein to push up and create opportunities. Texoma, on the other hand, played a very compact back line, stifling crosses and clearing balls that made their way into the box.
“A tough thing for [scouting] new teams is identifying what they’re trying to do, their trends, offensive ways, defensive ways, it’s tough to do,” Hlavaty said postgame. “They’ve had five games, so there’s a decent sample size, and they’ve tried to do a few different things, a lot of formational shifts game-to-game.”
In the second half, ‘Mingo fans were happy to see more of the same, as Madison controlled 74% of the possession and continued to pour pressure on Texoma’s 22-year-old goalkeeper, Mason McCready. McCready earned his highest rating of the season against Madison, a 7.0 according to FotMob, and Saturday’s game was the first of the season where the Texoma defense conceded fewer than two goals.
Texoma winger Brayan Padilla stunned the jovial home crowd in the 73rd minute when the ‘Mingos failed to pick him up after a corner, leaving him wide open in front of goal when a second cross came in, scoring his first goal of the season after being substituted on only nine minutes earlier.
Madison scrambled to recover, floating crosses in from both flanks, forcing McCready into several key saves in the final 20 minutes.
But, against the run of play, Texoma launched the ball forward and won a free kick right in front of the Texoma bench. In the setup for the free kick, referee Drew Klemp showed Texoma striker Brandon McManus a red card. McManus had been substituted off for the goalscorer, Padilla, but he will now be suspended thanks to the decision.
Madison didn’t let the commotion distract them, though, as they controlled the ball, allowing Texoma to “park the bus,” or stack all of their defenders in the box to frantically prevent a goal. No matter what Texoma did, it was not enough to prevent the inevitable.
.sno-6808d1327f4fa {
background-color: #ffffff;border: 5px solid #888888;box-shadow: -1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 0 1px 1px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 24%);margin: 30px auto; float: none;}
.sno-6808d1327f4fa h5 {
color: #000000;
}
In the fifth minute of added time, Madison defender Damià Viader found himself on the left wing and floated in a cross to the penalty spot. Midfielder Adrien Graffin flicked the ball across the face of the goal, where a slight touch by McCready sent the ball into the far post.
After a scramble for the loose ball, ‘Mingo legend, the club’s all-time leading appearance maker Derek Gebhard poked the ball into the back of the net to rescue a draw for his side.
“Damià [Viader] crossed it in, Adrien [Graffin] headed it… I thought it was going in, but the keeper barely touched it, it came off the post, and I was right there able to tap it in,” Gebhard said postgame. “I told Adrien ‘that’s all him,’ that was well done from him.”
Despite the cheers from the crowd and the elation of scoring a late goal, the ‘Mingos knew they had to perform better against a team that has struggled to find form in USL League One.
“It’s the story of the season so far – one mistake and it seems to end up in the net,” Osmond said. “I thought we defended really well tonight, [but] we definitely have to do better on the goal, we can’t accept that.”
The ‘Mingos will not return to league play until a matchup against Union Omaha on May 3, but before then they have their first match in the new format of the USL Cup, against the Indy Eleven on April 26.
Both games will be held at Breese Stevens field, giving the ‘Mingos the opportunity to defend home turf, and are available to stream on ESPN+.