Goalkeeping Clinic Leads Potros FC to 2-1 Win Over Atletico Buford in Open Cup Qualifying
Marietta, GA - Potros FC goalkeeper Cameron Verona made three 1v1 saves in a rain-delayed second half, and a late penalty from star Marc Bineau gave the home side a 2-1 win over Atletico Buford last week in an Open Cup matchup of UPSL Georgia heavyweights.
The first chance came in the 17th minute after a bad challenge resulted in a yellow card for Potros left back Sebastian Lopez and a free kick. The dangerous cross into the 6-yard box forced goalkeeper Cameron Verona to dive full stretch and punch the ball away.
In the 24th minute, Buford forward Cristian Suazo received a cross from Eder Cruz on the right wing. With some space afforded in the 18, his half volley attempt was skied over the bar. The ensuing goal kick was flicked on towards Potros right winger Marc Bineau (called Dadynho), who cut back from pressure and, even though he and the ball were moving the opposite direction, turned his hips and played a forward through ball to Pedro Lima. Lima would score to the goalie’s right for the 1-0 lead.
Just nine minutes later, the away side responded. Buford’s Cristian Suazo was played through under pressure from two defenders, forcing him to cut back. When he did, he passed into space on the right flank, where defender Nicolas Salazar was making a rapid run to meet the ball. His shot hit the left side netting, and the game was square at 1-1.
The game would stay level through halftime and for three minutes into the second half. At that time, a lightning delay was called that lasted for over half an hour. When players returned to the rainy, cold conditions, what had once been an evenly matched affair turned strongly in favor of Buford.
In the 56th minute, Cristian Suazo was again involved, taking a strong touch past a defender to go through on goal from the left flank. That gave Potros goalkeeper Verona enough time to slide out and get his arm behind the low shot. Just a minute later, Buford #6’s Martinez ripped a half volley from 45 yards out that dipped towards the top right corner, hitting the bottom of the American football crossbar. Only two minutes after that, #18 Guerra played through Carlos Chavarria, and he managed to beat a defender, seemingly control the ball with his right arm (the handball call was missed), and get off a shot. However, Verona was there again, sticking out a strong left arm to save his team.
It was not one, not two, but three 1v1 saves made by Verona. In the 65th minute, Cristian Suazo was through on goal for the second time after defender Omar Barrow whiffed an attempt to stop a pass. This time, Verona’s right arm was the one that valiantly shot upward and sent the ball over the net.
With only six minutes to play, Potros won a corner that was whipped toward the back post and met by Barrow. His header back towards goal was blocked by the extended arm of a Buford player, and a penalty was awarded. Up stepped Dadynho, who sent the keeper left as he went down the middle, and Potros would see out a gritty 2-1 victory.
For the 4th and final qualifying round of the US Open Cup, Potros will travel to face Kalonji Pro-Profile on November 23 at 7:00pm EST. The Southeast Soccer Report will be present and cover the match.
Post-Game Interview with Coach Frankie Ruiz:
You were on the back foot for the majority of the second half after a really heavily contested first half and the lightning delay. How did you just manage to get it done there at the end?
So, what we’ve been focus on this entire year is our culture of the team when it comes to depth. Everybody on the bench are starters. Everybody that starts are starters. So when it came down to it, we’re looking at the holes, we tried to figure out who’s having an off night, whatnot. So the adjustment that we did today is we took that six and moved him out to the left back position. Once we got him out there with that energy and we replaced the six with a more holding six, I think it solidified our back line a little bit, and once it started getting the solidification of that, we were able to get forward and create opportunities. And one thing this team will do is finish opportunities.
Talk about your defense tonight, because I think both teams in the weather conditions were definitely more spaced out in the back during the first half, but then you really locked down the formation, the shape, and you had an unbelievable goalkeeping performance.
Yeah, honestly, it’s a hats off to Cameron on that one. They definitely should have put three on us, and we did get caught in our counters; our center backs were a little too high. We are notorious of playing a high line, and when that happens every now and then, boys will miss look at their shape and get separated too much. And again, like I say, Cam stepped up with his veteran self that he is and just make some fantastic saves tonight.
You are one win away from being in the U.S. Open Cup first round, potentially playing a professional club. How does it feel, and do you think you can do it?
I know we can do it. I’m confident we can do it, but I’m not gonna lie if I got butterflies as butterflies, because I know we can do it.
Interview with Man of the Match, Potros GK Cameron Verona:
So, coming out of the lightning delay, Potros was mainly on the back foot. Buford’s counter attack was working really well against your high line. So, you had to make 3 one-on-one saves in all sorts of directions here at the end to keep the team in the game. So just go through the mentality coming out for all those saves in the clutch?
So, we have so many good defenders on this team, and often we don’t really play squads that can challenge us and break us apart like that in good runs of play. Often, it’s from our own mistakes. And I mean, I’ll have to look at the film again to see if it was us or if they just beat us, but they were all very different. So the first one, I saw it, and I realized I had time to make a play and read it, and my timing was good enough to throw my foot and get in the way. But the second one, I got a bit lucky. I think that was off of number 10, and we were talking about him before the game. He’s played for his national team before. He’s a high profile player. I got a bit lucky. He probably could have beat me if he lifted it a little bit higher, but I got big enough.
The one that I really liked the most was the last one because it’s just three different situations where you’re getting yourself big, but there’s so many finer details in those situations; but for me, finally an opportunity to get to make an impact on the game in a positive way. When it was the first one, I felt good. The second one, I felt lucky, and the third one, I felt assured of myself, so it was a really good, good day today.
Talk about your defensive line and the effort to really shut down the attack, especially in the second half.
We got so many big boys, man, and guys who have played at all kinds of levels. Kwesi Paul, my right center back, played for his national team as well, and my left center back, Omar, both absolute rock solid guys. Just to shout out as well, Benjamin Uranga, who wasn’t rostered today, because he had a bit of an injury: all just class defenders.
Guys who just never stop talking, guys who will yell at you like crazy, even if you do something wrong and you just can’t get mad at it because they know what they’re doing. That’s the biggest thing that carries us through games like this is we just yell and yell and yell and yell and talk and talk. You can’t stop talking. Our wingbacks, Eric and Caden today and a bit Sebastian Lopez, just all guys who can bomb forward, bomb backwards, and read the game so well, but their pace and their decision making is typically outmatched. So, we thrive a lot on our rock solid center backs connected with our six and our outside backs, who can generate a lot of attack from the sides.
You are a one win away from qualifying for the US. Open Cup first round, likely against another UPSL opponent, potentially Kalonji Pro-Profile or Mint Hill. You’re gonna have a tough game front of you, no matter what. How do you feel about your chances?
I feel good, man. We talked about it in the classroom, when we had the lightning delay. We’re a second half team anyway, it feels like sometimes. We came out, we felt like we were firing, and then we had the lightning delay and came back out and just, I mean, we played blue collar football, man. Our coach, Frankie Ruiz, we call it Frankie Ball: it’s just work rate, work rate, work rate. You got to be fit, you got to be strong. We hit the absolute hell out of each other in training to get ready for games like this, so we’re ready for the moment for sure, and to have the opportunity to be able to do this on this scale is huge, so we’re all very excited.