By Ryan Makuch
AFC Ann Arbor has always embraced challenges as a club. On the field, a rare fearlessness has been embraced by the squad. Rare in the sense that it is instilled within a club in and of itself. The challenge of the ‘build’ phase of the club has always been epitomized by its players. Countless professional players have walked through the club. Past pros, like Boyzzz Khumalo and Mami Yamaguchi, and present pros, like Joseph Okumu and Dario Suarez, to name just a few, represent the standard-bearers of the club’s on-field results. It is through them that models for the present and shaped and formed.
On the unluckiest of all the days, and facing much adversity, this 2022 iteration of The Mighty Oak once again proved that they have the power to rise up and meet those challenges head-on.
This is the Matchday Diary, where we talk about the games as they were, after they happened, to learn more about the game, our club, and our community.
Today, we’re walking you through 150 crazy minutes of life while loving AFC Ann Arbor. The men kicked off at 7 PM in Spring Arbor, Michigan, a late change from Hope Athletic Complex in Lansing. Likewise, the women kicked off at 7 PM in Alexandria, Kentucky, hoping to Cincinnati’s Kings Hammer FC, but playing in Cincinnati due to the nearness of Kentucky to Cincy (the states share a border on the Ohio River). Let’s dive in.
Friday, May 13, in a whole bunch of places, both literally and metaphorically.
6:45 PM
Team news comes out. Which is a fun sentence to say, because what an integral part of world football is that little flicker of excitement that you get from seeing the starting eleven of your favorite team.
For this writer, that is his cue to split-screen his laptop, and move his chair out to the fire escape to enjoy the first truly sublime summer evening (85! And sunny!) here in Michigan.
This lasts mere moments before carpenter bees swarm, informing me that now since it’s warm out, this rough, unfinished, wood fire escape is very much their territory during the day. They make a very compelling argument, and I scuttle inside.
7:04 PM
Anthems are played at both matches. In her debut at the club, Jayde Riviere would continue to inspire as she kneeled for its playing against Kings Hammer. It was a powerful moment that Bilal Saeed called, “One of the proudest moments I’ve had as Chair of the club.”
AFC Ann Arbor does not play the national anthem for reasons outlined in our 10-Point Accountability and Action Plan drawn up as the founding member of the Anti Racist Soccer Club.
I spoke with Riviere for a USL W League ‘In Profile’ piece and what she said then holds firm to her actions here and now.
I think it's really important to be a part of a team that reflects what its community is like. I can see how tight-knit the community is and I think it's really cool that AFC Ann Arbor gives back while making sure to include people of different backgrounds, races, and ethnicities.
Commitment to understanding the needs of the community is vital in all walks of life. Riviere continues to serve as a powerful image to us all off the pitch.
She also serves as a complete professional model on the pitch, too, because she balls out (we’ll get there).
7:12 PM
We’re off to the races immediately! Our first goal of the night, and it’s one to the good!
Angie Kieh chasing down a ball against Kings Hammer. Kieh’s early back-heel pass was just a sign of the goal and assist to come.
Shion Soga has been electric to start this season. Starting in the midfield in the season opener, he bagged a brace and an assist, the exclamation point being a stunning long-range effort. Against Lansing City, he was similarly excellent. Starting as a number nine, Soga latched onto a deflected ball and had a tap-in eight minutes into the game.
7:15 PM
A warning shot from Angie Kieh. On the right sideline, she lays off a neat backheel to Riviere and makes it look so simple it’s suspicious. This will not be the last time she is mentioned.
7:33 PM
It is at around this point on the men’s stream that I realize that this looks, and sounds, more like an AFC Ann Arbor home game. What makes me recognize that is that I see Main Street Hooligan Brian Hinz preparing to lead another full-throated chant from the away support.
7:38 PM
Another goal! The men make it 2-0, and Yushi Nagao played a central role in his debut for the club.
Nagao made a critical impact in the midfield all throughout the evening, but his work on the second goal was the statement piece of his performance. First, Nagao received the ball not much past the halfway line. Carrying forward, he surged into space and forced the Lansing City defense’s hand.
It was his free kick to take, and while he benefited from a deflection, the effort would have been on target and was struck hard off the boot. The goal came in the 36th minute, and it was a key goal for the side.
7:50 PM
I have in my notes “Nagao ends a career with a shoulder feint” as the last action of the first half for the men. It’s a decent summary for that match, it seemed The Mighty Oak had picked up straight from where they left off on the home opener.
The women’s side also has their final action of the first half at this mark, and it’s their best chance of the game to this point. Tatiana Mason forces the best save of the evening to that point from the Kings Hammer keeper. It’s a low shot that is kick-saved away, but it’s a testament to Mason’s ability to get into good spaces not just in the midfield and in deeper parts of the pitch, but also in the box and within the attack. More than anything in the midfield, she’s a connecter, and her job has been executed well.
7:58 PM
This writer uses halftime to chug a bunch of water and take out his recycling. The bees remain unwilling to share the space at this time, and I must respect their wishes.
8:10 PM
We are about five minutes past the halftime interlude, and this is roughly where AFCAA starts to find more attacking opportunities. Chloe Ricketts has a shot on target saved that saw Riviere on the left getting involved with Brooklyn Whitehead in the build-up.
8:15 PM
Mason sends a through-ball to Whitehead, whose shot is deflected for a corner, that is ultimately cleared.
8:19 PM
It’s Mason again to make a tackle around 35 yards away from the net, dribble a couple of times, and shoot – albeit, it’s a tame effort. Nevertheless, that creative spark mixed with desire is on display in these last ten minutes.
8:21 PM
In this week’s edition of ‘Spot the COYMO Chant’, I hear it loud and beautifully, and the chant leads into another great opportunity as here in the 60th minute Soga makes another shot happen thanks to his speed and dazzling touch.
8:29 PM – 8:58 PM: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
For 29 minutes, things are happening, and they do not stop. They blur together in the moment, but they can be taken apart and broken down.
8:29 PM: Lansing City finds a goal. It’s a long-range effort that just finds its way into the back of the net.
8:34 PM: The women find their breakthrough! It’s Mason – her frenzied banging at the door of the Kings Hammer net pays off. Ricketts feeds her through and it’s 1-0.
Luke Benford accepting his Man of the Match Award from an enthusiastic Main Street Hooligans traveling support.
8:36 PM: It was the worst of times. Lansing equalize. But before you even have the chance to process the scoreline 8:37 PM: It was the best of times! Luke Benford is fed through by an underlapping Tomas Casas, who put in an excellent shift at left-back, and he buries his chance on goal with authority.
8:38 PM: Lina Berrah, another substitute making a massive impact on the field, ensured that the good times would continue to roll, doubling The Mighty Oak’s lead.
8:48 PM: Kings Hammer pull a goal back, and maybe, just maybe, pry the door open …
8:52 PM: Angie Kieh slams the door shut so hard it falls off its hinges.
For the second goal, Kieh was the assisting player, aided in the build-up play by Riviere. But here on the third goal, it was Riviere feeding Kieh and letting the midfielder unleash a strike from 22 yards out. Like Soga’s strike at the men’s opener, it was the emphatic punctuation mark on an excellent evening. Dazzling with her footwork and her final ball, Kieh earned Woman of the Match honors not just for the goal contributions, but for her work all over the pitch.
8:58 PM:
Word of the final whistle in Cincinnati reaches me at the exact same time the whistle sounds on my stream of Spring Arbor. You really couldn’t script it out much better.
9:25 PM: The Aftermath
Last week, the performances of both sides were enough to spur the teams forward hitting the ground running ahead of this Friday night match. Overcoming adversity remained the key domain to pull learnings from.
For the women, the loss at Flint City was an example of where improvements could be made and where strengths could be built upon. The result was a historic victory – the first for the club in the USL W League. Stars from the first match welcomed the likes of Riviere and Ellie Ferguson, who excelled at CB for over 65 minutes and was replaced by an equally strong Anna Doane, making her second appearance as a sub for AFCAA, in the starting eleven. Positive growth is simply figured to be implied.
For the men, a ten-minute blip proved to the side that they were not infallible, like all teams. Eventually, someone would find the back of the net against them. The immediate counter-punch of Luke Benford’s third goal was surely the exact response Men’s Head Coach Rod Asllani was looking for. The fact that it came as a result of some beautiful team build-up play was the cherry on top, and the second win of the season for the men’s Oaks is a joy to behold.
And so here we sit, at 9:25 PM, the calm after the storm settling in. News of the big day begins to fully spread. Pictures (ones you’re seeing in this very article) began to flood in of the events. Dark settled upon Michigan, and so, too, comes the weekend. The celebrations could continue, at least for the time being. Just watch out for the carpenter bees.