Re: LGU Newsletter
Landgraff United vs. AS Monaco
It's the first game of the Konami Cup's group stage this evening with Landgraff United hosting a strong Monaco side.
Coach Miguel Trincado Settier has been able to pick a full-strength side today, although the departures of Delgado and Adinolfi have left noticeable gaps in the team, and although teenagers Washington and Maxwell are tipped for great things, their lack of experience could prove telling.
LGU - 4-4-2 - Curtis, Sorensson (captain), Hoogstrate, Maxwell, Jonsson, Storms, Washington, van Andel, Prince, Rooijmans, Lewbrant.
The stands of the extended LGU Arena, covered in black and midnight blue with occasional patches of white Monaco shirts, mirror the clear night sky as the teams take to the pitch. The stadium echoes with the cheers and drums of both sets of fans, and the pleasure on the faces of LGU supporters at being able to see their heroes again is reciprocated by the players themselves.
Straight from the kick-off LGU looked lively and focused, their crisp passes to feet creating space into which the strikers and forward-thinking Hunter Prince ran. An eager livewire in the opening ten minutes, Hunter twice nearly played killer passes through to Rooijmans and Lewbrant, only for the Monaco defence to intervene both times.
It was third time lucky for Prince as he succeeded in setting Lewbrant up on the edge of the penalty area. The forward’s first touch was poor however, and by the time he took his shot a covering defender had run across to block his sight at goal. The ball looped towards Prince, whose chest control as exemplary and set him up for a beautiful right-foot volley that fizzed past the Monaco keeper and into the net for 1-0 to LGU.
LGU’s dominance continued after the restart, Prince once again the fulcrum, instrumental in every chance and piece of forward play. As a team they monopolised possession and play, but in the 33rd minute Monaco broke forward along the left flank and when the ball found Di Vaio in the penalty area his low shot hit the back of the net to equalise with Monaco’s first real passage of play.
Seemingly confident about his team’s play, Settier maintained his team’s strategy for the rest of the first half, and just before the whistle Lewbrant took a shot from twelve yards out to see it pushed into the path of Rooijmans, whose cutback found Prince. On today’s form there was nobody else on the pitch LGU fans would sooner have seen the ball fall to, but his shot ballooned over the bar, much to the supporters’ derision.
There was a mixture of cheers and catcalls as the teams went in 1-1 at the break. Most LGU fans’ expressions seemed to reflect this mixture of emotions; on the one hand their team had most of the play with a dominating 60% possession, but the equalising goal had dulled their pleasure with the first-half display.
Although the fans had been disappointed at half-time, the players showed no signs of any hurt feelings as they ran back out to begin the second half, and their optimistic faces shown on the big screen seemed to inspire the crowd.
Their start to the first half was even more inspirational as they refused to show any signs that the goal before half-time had deflated them. In fact, it seemed more likely that Monaco were the shaken side as a few poor passes in the opening side fell to LGU players. Just before the 50th minute the tireless Prince latched onto an underhit pass along the backline, ran it past his marker and slotted his left-foot shot past the keeper to restore Landgraff United’s one-goal advantage.
The remainder of the first-half was of a much slower pace than the first as both teams showed signs that they were still some way behind full match fitness. The three most forward LGU players kept running right to the end, but by the 80th minute the sharpness from their interchanges had dissipated, leaving shots sprayed wide or straight at the keeper. The worst example of this was on the final whistle as the ball fell to Binoth Rooijmans inside the six yard box – with an open goal he somehow calmly slotted the ball wide of the post. Luckily the referee signalled the end of the game to limit his embarrassment, and the roar from the crowd was equal parts relief and celebration.
With a winning start to the Konami Cup, LGU are already in a better position than at this time last season. Settier will have some work to do, particularly on improving the communication between his midfielders – although deserving of his Man of the Match accolade, too often today Hunter Prince was left isolated by the rest of the middle line.
Settier was right to preach quiet optimism; on this unconvincing performance the supporters will find it hard to get carried away.