The Flint City Bucks set the stage for a playoff rematch with Steel City FC out of Pittsburgh by defeating FC Buffalo 2-0 in the first round of the USL League 2 playoffs on July 17.
The match was originally slated for Atwood Stadium, but was moved to an indoor field at Legacy Sports in Brighton due to ongoing air quality issues resulting from Canadian wild fires north of Minnesota.
Bucks fans packed the fieldhouse in Brighton, taking a raucous home field advantage on the road, and were rewarded with a dominant effort by the team that saw them dominate possession throughout the game.
The Bucks scored their first goal in the 42nd minute, with Jace Foster breaking through multiple defenders and finding a cutting Remi Agunbiade with a precise pass that Agunbiade beat keeper Jack Root on.
Flint scored again in the 64th minute, after a foul on Jack Roman created a free kick opportunity, Carles Zomeño curled the ball into the left corner of the goal to make it 2-0.
The Bucks had several scoring chances throughout the game and put constant pressure on the Buffalo defense, while Steve Clark, a former MLS player who last played for the Flint City Bucks on their national championship team in 2006, a stepped in at goal and recorded the shutout.
A Balanced Attack
The Flint City Bucks have a track record of success that predates their relocation to Flint in 2019, so it’s not a surprise to see them perform well in the postseason. But, with personnel that changes each year, it is interesting to watch how each squad develops a different identity and different strengths.
Prior to the playoff game against Buffalo, the team’s leading scorer, Oliver Moller-Jensen, credited that to the flexibility of the team’s coaching staff.
“They (the coaches) let us be free when we play,” Moller-Jensen said. “They don’t set a ton of boundaries on how we have to play or make us robots. They kind of give us the information we need to know, and then they let us figure it out, which is a great way of doing it.”
Last year’s team was talented and made a deep playoff run, but a lot of their attack was focused around one dynamic player, Donavan “Gusto” Phillip, who had a record-setting season with the Bucks and then won the NCAA’s MAC Hermann Trophy before moving on to play professional soccer. This year’s team still has dynamic scorers, but they also have more balance and more ways to attack opponents.
“I’ve been really impressed with our attacking group,” said defender Will Smith. “Obviously, Flint had Donavan Phillip last year, who was kind of just an out and out goal scorer and a very good player. This year we might not have that one guy, but we just have talent across the board. So I think being able to not just rely on one person to score all the goals and, and kind of share the wealth across the team with everybody having the ability to get on the score sheet. It’s, it’s cool to see as many people getting involved as there has been, and that’s really stood out to me.”
Against Buffalo, the balance of the team was on full display. Moller-Jensen had multiple good shots and opportunities to scorer. The team’s passing was exceptional, quickly advancing the ball up the field and holding possessions, patiently surveying the field for the right scoring chances. The play of the midfield was particularly, with Tweneboa ‘Bingo’ Kodua, Wes Carnevale, and Zomeño being nearly impenetrable every time Buffalo had opportunities to try and advance the ball.
The Bucks have been a high-scoring team this season which stands out, but prior to the Buffalo game coach Paul Doroh had noted that the team’s defense has been exceptional.
“It makes life a little bit easier when you can score multiple goals in a game,” Doroh said. “We’ve done that a lot this year. The front group has been fantastic. We don’t have a lot to show for it by way of shutouts, but our defensive group has been really, really good this year. They’ve come up in some big moments.”
A Playoff Rematch
Last year, the Bucks defeated Steel City FC 4-3 in an exciting match at Atwood Stadium. Carnevale scored the game-winner in the 65th minute in the first round of the playoffs.
This season, Steel City advanced to the conference semifinals with a 1-0 win over Northern Indiana FC on a goal by Johan Nissen-Lie in the 63rd minute. Keeper Joshua Lane recorded the shutout.
Steel City has yet to lose this season, with 10 wins and 3 ties. Flint enters the match with an 11-1-1 record after their victory over Buffalo.
Jaxon Irvin led Steel City with five goals during the regular season, but he didn’t play in their playoff opener. Nicholas Niebauer and Nathan Prex each scored three times and Keke Abai scored twice. Moller-Jensen leads the Bucks with nine goals this season.
The teams play each other at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, at Atwood Stadium, with the winners staying alive in the postseason. Tickets are available at flintcitybucks.com.
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