Dalton Sallengs, an intern joining us for the summer had his first game experience with the Buffalo last night. Here is what he had to say:
The first game of the season took our Buffalo on the road. Game-day for us began at 2:00 p.m., when the coaches gathered the players together to run through the game plan. After the meeting, players gathered their gear and we hit the road. Two and a half hours later, we arrived. For some players, the main priority was getting stretched and taped up in the locker room, while others found their way onto the pitch to get a feel for the grass.
Everyone came together when pregame warmups began. The real energy came right after that. The last thing the team did before heading out to the field for the game was a huddle. The three loudest voices were Leonardo Andrade, Pedro Santos, and Coach Anderson.
Leo opened the huddle by calling for all the players to have their energy high, and remember that training was over and this was the real thing. Team captain Pedro then led a prayer in Portuguese, before Coach Anderson prayed in English and then closed with a couple reminders for the team. The starters were lined up and silent, locked into the game to come. The one exception was Leo, who continued to shout encouragements to the other starters.
The game began with physicality. The Buffalo recorded five fouls in the first 20 minutes of game action, and picked up three yellow cards in the first half. One play saw a player for Jax was ejected with a red card while Breno Correia and Leo Andrade both receive yellow cards.
Andrade picked up his second yellow card just before the half. Despite the Buffalo not having clear chances in first half, it ended in a 0-0 tie and Coach Anderson was very positive in the locker room.
Now with a player down, the game plan had to shift, but that is what separates good from great teams.
Coming out in the second half, Coach Anderson made several substitutions, and moved players around. The two biggest movements was to put Breno onto the left side to try to protect him against a second yellow yard, and moving Nicolai Muench from defense into the mid-field. Both paid off in big ways.
Jax score first but Nicolai entered the stat sheet soon after as he tipped a cross from Breno straight to defender Charlie Naylor, who had come off the bench out of the half, who put the ball in the back of the net. The 67th minute goal tied the game at 1-1.
Midfielder Matheus Ferreira sent a corner kick into the box, and Breno got two shots at the goal, having his first one blocked but his second hit the back of the net.
With only a few minutes left in the game Jax converted a penalty kick to tie the game. Final score 2x2.
Taking one point on the road is still a good thing, and the energy after the game was still high. Some players watched the NBA Playoffs on the bus ride home, and others just slept. We look forward to our next matchup, this Saturday on the road against Brooke House SC.
The season is in full swing. No need to wait long to see the Buffalo on the field again as we will play Brooke House this coming Saturday in Orlando. The game will be streamed by the host and we'll be sure to have the link available for you on our website.
