Miami FC 0 - 1 Carolina: Railhawks Leave It Late
Miami, May 4, 2008 - Miami FC continues their winless home record as they lost 1-0 to the Carolina RailHawks. Daniel Antoniuk's late strike sealed the victory for the visitors.
Miami FC fielded new signings Avery John and Eddie Gutierrez against the visiting Carolina RailHawks for their 5th game of the USL 2008 season. Miami had to play without injured defender JP Rodrigues and forward Sean Fraser as well as Cristiano Dias (suspension).
The first half failed to produce any exciting soccer and both teams couldn't create any real scoring chances. Miami enjoyed most of the possession in the opening minutes. Perhaps the best chances were near the halftime whistle with defender Chris Williams shooting twice off corner kicks. His first effort came in the 42nd minute forcing RailHawks keeper Chris McClellan to tap the ball out for another corner. Chris Williams again found space in the box, but McClellan made himself big with another fine save.
Miami FC midfielder Leandro Mineiro had to be replaced by Eric Vasquez after he picked up a shoulder injury, at the 17th minute.
At minute 44, Carolina defender Mauricio Segovia almost made it 1-0 with an own goal after his close range clearance appeared on target.
The second half was faster paced than the previous. In the 47th minute, captain John Pulido tested keeper McClellan with a long-range effort. Five minutes later Alex Afonso, Miami FC's leading scorer with 3 goals, had a powerful header hit the crossbar after a delightful Sean Cameron cross.
Avery John's 56th minute header off a free kick forced another good save from McClellan. Carolina absorbed the pressure nicely and were able to respond with Kupono Low's low range strike that went just wide of the goal. Antoniuk could have made 1-0 in the 68th minute, after a nice combination with his teammates. However, his close range effort sailed high. Tempers flared after an earlier scuffle between Afonso and McCllellan. Nico Mosquera earned a caution before being substituted in for Juan Pablo Galavis.
With the clock ticking, head coach Zinho made a tactical substitution by replacing defender Eduardo Gutierrez with forward Sean Barrett. The gamble didn't pay off as the defense was left exposed during counter attacks and Antoniuk was able to slot home the game winner in the 87th minute just before being replaced.
Miami FC pressured in the final minutes and almost earned the equalizer through Sean Cameron, but his header went over the crossbar.
It was a harsh blow for Miami FC who remain winless at home. The Blues now will make the trip to Blackbaud Stadium on Friday, May 12 to play the Charleston Battery with their record now 1-3-1.
Miami FC's next home game at Tropical Park is May 16 (Miami Dade County Public Schools Day), at 5:30 PM as they host the Vancouver Whitecaps. Season tickets are currently on sale by visiting
http://www.miamifc.com or by calling 305-728-2612. Single game tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-866-57-MIAMI. Watch all games live on USL Live
This article was published on Sunday 04 May, 2008.
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