The Miami FC vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks
Finally, the brand new USL Championship season has arrived with the first match of the season happening at FIU Stadium. The Miami FC enters the new season under new direction with Italian legend Antonio Nocerino at the helm. Nocerino played for the likes of AC Milan in the Italian Serie A, the Italian national team, and Orlando City SC of the MLS. He led his team to open up the season against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.
It's a brand new roster for Miami entering this season and it showed in the opening minutes of the match as it took time to find a rhythm. The South Florida side came under pressure from Colorado Springs who opened up the match on an attacking note. The Switchbacks enter the season after finishing 5th in the Western Conference with 53 points. For Miami it was a 9th place finish in the Eastern Conference with 41 points missing out on the playoffs.
Jairo Henriquez gave Miami fans a scare in the 8th minute with a shot that found its way past Daniel Gagliardi and off the post. It was the Switchbacks again in the 11th minute with Duke Lacroix having an opportunity but this time it was Gagliardi coming up with the save. Henriquez with another chance in the 15th minute missed wide leaving the former FIU man in Gagliardi with nothing to worry about.
By the 16th minute possession started to increase for Miami and this very minute they saw their hard work pay off. A cross from the right side of the box found the waiting Andrew Booth who punished Colorado Springs to make it 1-0. Booth who was recently signed by Miami is also a former FIU Panther reuniting with his former teammate. The home team would head into the dressing room holding onto that one goal lead.
Miami would double the lead in the 85th minute finally finding relief from the continued pressure from Colorado Springs. David Mejia would be brought down in the box prompting the referee to point towards the spot. Manual Botta would take the penalty and bury it in the bottom left corner to make it a 2-0 lead in the dying stages. Miami would go on to secure the three points to open up the season with a 2-0 victory.
Next up for The Miami FC is a home match welcoming the Sacramento Republic to FIU Stadium.
Written by: Daniel Torres
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