It’s only the second game of the season, but already the Brave SC lineup will look very different when the Buffalo (0-0-1) take the field against Brooke House FC (0-2-1) in Winter Park on Wednesday.
“It’s changed big time,” head coach Anderson DaSilva said.
Brave will face the USL League Two newcomers for the first time in its second game of the current campaign, now with new reinforcements in the ranks. The Buffalo managed a 1-1 draw in the opener against Florida Elite SA (2-0-3) in St. Johns, but were limited in depth. This time around, that won’t be a problem.
“Just to set up the 22 to play the 11-v-11 in training, I was leaving players out of the 22 that could be starters,” DaSilva said. “What a good headache to have.”
Multiple players who were ineligible for the opener have since received league and U.S. Soccer Federation approval and others have arrived in the days since the first of the year. Already, their impact is being felt in training.
“I feel the group is definitely getting stronger with the weeks,” forward Agustin Iusem said. “We’re also getting to know each other, training with each other for a couple weeks now and learning each other’s movements, what we like to do on the field.”
That growth in chemistry is also starting to show in training.
“In practice, every day, the level is increasing,” forward Atem Kato said. “The first day I got here, some other guys had just come in, but the next day and the next day and the next day, I could see the improvement. I feel like everyone is feeling comfortable and it makes it easy for a player to express themself and show what they have.”
Now, the trick is turning what shows up in practice into results. This will be the Buffalo’s first match ever against Brooke House, but DaSilva says they refuse to overlook the first-year club just because of the Lions’ newness.
“They are a super solid defensive team when they go into their box,” Iusem said.
“We definitely want to be patient and try to create chances. Also, defending set pieces, I think, will be a big key to the game, because that’s a point where they can hurt us, so we have to be really switched on for set pieces and be ruthless in front of the goal.”
With a win, the Buffalo can match the Southeast Division-leading point-per-match pace of Inter Gainesville (1-0-1), putting themselves in position to climb into second on the table with a second win in Saturday’s home opener against Brevard SC (0-1).
Brave SC and Brooke House FC will kick off at 7 p.m. May 29 at Showalter Field at Cady Way Park in Winter Park.
For more information on Brave SC, including a roster and complete schedule, visit BraveSC.com.