JAMAICA, NY--After a disappointing defeat at the hands of Jersey Express, FA Euro New York (1-2-0) looked to rebound with a win in their home opener against the Ocean City Nor’easters(3-0-0).
FA Euro put early pressure on the Nor’easters with Italian Alberto Rebecca nearly getting his team out to an early lead. In the 14’ minute Rebecca got his head on the ball in front of the net before it ricocheted off a defender and out of play.
Things got heated in the 17’ minute when FA Euro’s Charlie Ledula got tied up with Ocean City’s Dan Nimmo. Both players were issued yellow cards on the play.
In the 32’, FA Euro had another opportunity to take the lead when Charlie Ledula had a breakaway only to be fouled in the box by Nor’easters Keeper Jimmy Slayton, who was issued a yellow card. The ensuing penalty shot by captain Christian Camacho was saved by Slayton.
The first and only goal of the match came off the counter attack for Ocean City when Midfielder Francisco Neto buried the ball into the bottom left of the net. It was a frustrating moment for FA Euro who carried most of the momentum up to that point.
The FA Euro Squad looked out of sync after halftime, never being able to regain the momentum they had in the first. Then in the 64’ minute, Ledula was issued his second yellow card resulting in him being ejected from the game.
The Red Cards continued for FA Euro in the 90’ minute when Coach Joe Balsamo and veteran Adam Marcu both received red cards from the bench.
Late opportunities looked promising for the FA Euro squad, but they ultimately couldn’t get passed Nor’easters Keeper Slayton, who finished the game with 5 saves. After 10 shots and no goals, FA euro has now been shut out in back to back games.
The FA Euro New York season continues when they travel to Reading, PA to take on Reading United AC on Saturday at 7:30pm