Last Monday, the B1 Players had the opportunity to play another friendly match against a team from the United States, specifically from the state of Pennsylvania, the Wilkes University Men’s Soccer.
The match started at 10 am at the facilities where the players of the academy usually train, in Can Carelleu. Preparations and a good warm-up for what turns out to be the second friendly match of the year.
The idea is to start assessing players to compete in the famous MIC tournament held in April on the Costa Brava, Girona, where B1 will participate again this year, with two teams, one U18 category, and one U15 category.
Equal first part
During the first 45 minutes, we could see two cautious teams, with a lot of defensive vigilance and trying to know the game of the rival team. There were chances in both goals, but it was the Colonels, also known by their famous mascot, who opened the scoring in a well-braided play with a low cross to the wing that the center forward managed to finish the action with the ball in the net.
The B1 Soccer Academy team’s response was immediate and Marc Fortuny‘s players began to circulate the ball and create superiority inside, causing the opponent to lose the positioning that helped them keep a clean sheet for the first 20 minutes.
In a great individual play by Leo, after a pass into space by Emilio Magaña, he managed to score the equalizer with a cross-shot.
After tying the game, the B1 team was superior in all phases of the game, and this superiority led to many scoring chances, with great saves by the goalkeeper of the American team. Until, with 10 minutes left, Jesse managed to head in a masterful way a great corner cross from Leo. Leaving the score in favor of the home team by 2 to 1.
45 more minutes and a final draw
After the 15-minute break, the referees started the second half of the match. The Pennsylvania Wilkes team introduced many changes, as 20 players arrived with the expedition to Barcelona, Spain.
The dynamism in the changes helped the visiting team to start to generate dangerous chances, with between two and three attackers in each action. The work of the attack began to pay off when the American midfielders were looking for passes into space and behind the backs of the B1 Soccer Academy fullbacks.
And precisely in one of these actions they managed to get a penalty in favor, which they converted to put the final tie at 2 on the scoreboard.
It was a pleasure to be able to share this beautiful experience with the players and staff of Wilkes University Men’s Soccer and we wish them much success in their national championship.