FA Euro will look to score their first win of the season on Tuesday, when they welcome Long Island Rough Riders (2-0) to Aviator Sports and Event Complex for a PDL Mid Atlantic Division matchup.
Tuesday will mark one week since the PDL first team's last contest where they lost to New York Red Bulls U23 on their turf and fell to 0-2 on the season.
In the opening minutes of the game, Red Bulls struck with their first goal of the game before scoring one more to take a two goal lead into the half. Red Bulls kept the pressure on the PDL First team in the second half, capitalizing on a corner kick for their third goal of the game. FA Euro did score one goal late in the game on a beautiful shot by Robi Sillah, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to Red Bulls 3-1.
It has been two years since the last meeting between FA Euro and Long Island Rough Riders when they were division rivals back in the 2016 season. The season series was split 1-1, with both teams winning at their respective homes. After the 2016 season, the Rough Riders were moved to the Northeast Division of the PDL, but with Jersey Express folding this past offseason, the Long Island based club has since re-joined the Mid Atlantic Division and renewed the rivalry between the two teams.
"The game against Rough Riders will be a test for us and an important game to break our negative cycle," said captain defender Johan Mauritzon. "If we get a result tomorrow we will show that we are a team that belong in the Playoffs. It will not be an easy game as they have quality players and their previous performances have proven to be strong, but I know our team has not reached our true potential."
Former PDL forward Charlie Ledula joined the Rough Riders this past offseason and has already made a huge impact on their team. Ledula leads the team with three goals, while scoring his third goal of the season in a one nil victory over Ocean City this past Saturday. The Rough Riders have two wins against the teams that have defeated FA Euro so far.
"Charlie is a great player, probably the best at Rough Riders, said former LIU Post teammate Mauritzon. "He is born with some qualities other players will never have, so It’s going to be hard to stop him, but a lot of us have played with or against him before, so we are aware of what it takes to stop him. A strong collective can break down any individual player, and that is needed to stop Charlie and Rough Riders."
FA Euro has been dealing with a slew of injuries to start the season as defender Johan Mauritzon is listed as questionable, along with fellow collegiate teammates Nico Anderson and Khalid Al Saud, who are listed as doubtful for tomorrows bout. Forward and LIU Brooklyn standout Naeem Charles is questionable after a lower body injury. LIU Post and returning midfielder Morten Wenaas has been ruled out for a third straight game as he recovers from a groin injury sustained in the spring. The first team will be also be without forward and leading goal scorer Robi Sillah, who was handed a five-game suspension after an alleged incident in last Tuesday’s game.
The renewed rivalry can be seen on the I-95 Sports and Entertainment website by logging on to i95sportsnetwork.com, and will also be streamed on Facebook LIVE. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for continuous updates and statistics on the game.
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