By Ryan Makuch
They say you support your teams “win, lose, or draw”. AFC Ann Arbor fans got a sampling …
Wait, this one sounds familiar.
Oh, yeah.
It’s hard not to feel deju vu, especially when you consider the circumstances around the double matchday that just took place, with results exactly mirroring the one prior, even the start times were the same!
But now we set to brace for something else entirely different, and if you’ve looked at the AFCAA schedule, you know exactly what I’m referring to–a busy stretch that picks up this weekend, starting with games on four consecutive days, and a mid-week trip to Louisville.
This weekend was the final whistle-stop before an ‘all-aboard’ full-steam-ahead conclusion to June, with the mid-week away day serving as one last chance to get off the ride before we really pick up steam.
Still on the bandwagon? Good! Let’s jump in.
June 10 – (Another) Double Matchday
For the third time this season, and for the second involving a home match, both the men’s and the women’s sides at almost the exact same times, necessitating a two-screen for anyone choosing to follow along with the club.
And yet again it seemed like the weather wouldn’t take a break at the home venue, as almost out of nowhere before the match it began to pour rain … and pour … and pour. Anyone outside helping zip tie up the flags of the members of the AFCAA Family got tremendously soaked.
The weather in Grand Rapids, on the other hand, looked perfect for soccer, and at 7 PM, as it still came down in buckets in Washtenaw County, on the west side of the state kick-off went underway as per normal.
It was a match that, talking about deja vu, was remarkably similar to the season opener. AFCAA had to lean on Rob Spradlin, the first of those times being on a rare free-kick inside the box that is not a penalty. It was Spradlin making the save in the 13th minute to keep the match level, and this would not be his only save of the day, as he had to step up several to keep a shutout for 87 minutes before a Midwest United consolation goal.
Those first 30 minutes of the match, like the opener against Oakland County FC, were very tricky for the side. But two diagonal balls from another league-match debutant, Nick Stone, unlocked the Midwest United defense and led to goals.
The first long ball was to Junior Nare, who finished brilliantly, cutting inside from the wing to finish past the keeper with a nice strike. In the 38th minute, it was Tomas Casas’s turn to benefit from a perfectly-struck ball, and Casas replicated Nare’s goal ten minutes earlier with his own cut inside and sweet finish.
The first half was the well-timed jabs that rattled the side playing host to them on the evening. The second half was the vicious KO. And it only took a minute to really seal the deal. Nare played provider with a nice move to make some space, and it only took a short pass to Yushi Nagao, who did the rest with another excellent finish.
That was the goal that allowed AFCAA to be completely secure within itself in the run of play. Luke Benford subbed on in the 65th minute, and for the second time this season, he provided a lift off the bench with a goal, wait, make it two!
Benford’s two goals came in rapid-fire success, just four minutes separating the two. The first was the end result of a well-delivered Malcolm Young, which required a skillful right-footed finish at the near post of the keeper and a defender right on his back. Nagao earned an assist for himself with an excellent bit of play for the second goal, feeding Benford for another quality finish.
It was five goals, drawn out over a full game, but the five almost felt like it happened nonchalantly. The loss of the clean sheet only served as a brief pause to the celebrations, the end result was a 5-1 victory to continue the high-flying, goal-scoring, times for the men.
While this was going down, kicking off at 7:30, we saw a truly riveting game of soccer between The Mighty Oak and national powerhouse Racing Lousiville FC.
Celebrating Pride Night at the game meant that yours truly got free reign on the aux, so I put considerable effort into this playlist, marking perhaps the only time Phoebe Bridgers’s ‘Motion Sickness’ has ever been played before a sporting event.
It was another measuring stick showdown against one of the top two teams in the division, and it delivered in spades in entertainment, as well as stress for all parties involved.
Much of the first half was spent staying organized and united as a collective in defense. Claire Cahalan helped greatly in controlling the midfield, and she had the closest chance for The Mighty Oak, a long-range effort from her went just a touch wide.
But Louisville got their goal in the 41st minute off of a set piece. It was a dangerous ball that just seemed destined to cause trouble, and it certainly did, putting Lousiville up at the break.
Louisville had the lead for roughly 30 seconds in the second half. Luana Grabias made sure that would not last. Holder of the AFCAA record for fastest goal scored, Grabias continues to prove herself as someone who can help get a goal, or create one, with serious speed.
Using a move that is quickly becoming her trademark, Grabias pressured the center back after some other well-structured pressing from teammates Angeline Kieh and Lina Berrah. The defender took a heavy touch, and Grabias was there to immediately pounce, and finish off the press with a sweet finish.
To cap the move, Grabias jumped up to celebration with the crowd, where her girlfriend awaited her at the fence separating the field and the stands. A big hug and kiss were caught by Arbor Broadcasting, and it was a moment that many fans and members of the club felt deeply moved by. Especially on Pride Night at the match, it was an excellent gesture of love.
It is those personal moments that players share with us publicly that make seasons special. And this is absolutely going to go down in AFCAA lore as one of them.
Fans had even more to cheer about in the 74th minute thanks to the boot of Brooklyn Whitehead. Whitehead has just graduated high school, she is another one of those young Mighty Oak players that feel too good to be that young. And yet, here is Whitehead, receiving a ball over the top, taking a touch, going through two defenders, gliding past with ease, and finishing with a pinpoint accurate finish.
Whitehead’s goal in the season opener at Flint was a sign of things to come for the striker. The performances of the Toledo soccer commit have continued to get better, and her ability to relentlessly press the opposition offers a valuable option to lead the attack.
Unfortunately, it was a gut-punch of a 90th minute equalizer that ensured the AFCAA women wouldn’t leave home with all three points. Regardless of that, though, it was another inspired performance from a side determined to prove themselves.
June 15: Hamtramck, MI
Up until this point here in Michigan, the weather has certainly been on par for Michigan’s summer, but it wasn’t until Wednesday, June the 15th, that we really got the heat and sun together in unison to really bear down from above and make it dangerously hot.
So, naturally, it was the perfect day for an away day to Keyworth Stadium, squarely in the heart of the residential neighborhood of Hamtramck. Hamtramck is a beautiful town, a gem of metro Detroit, and, in fact, an enclave city of Detroit, making it what I would call the heart of Detroit.
The only city in the entire United States with a Muslim-majority population, Hamtramck, in November 2021, also elected an entirely Muslim city council and mayor; an incredible touchstone moment for a beautiful and diverse city that represents that positive and loving local sentiment that is so important for us all. It’s a really excellent community, and it’s one that I enjoy getting to as much as I can.
In the all-important decision of ‘what food do I want at the game’, the Balkan House’s incredible doner sandwich won out, and boy am I glad it did. While it was tempting to get a kielbasa, if I wanted to return to my Polish roots in Hamtramck, I think I’d have to go directly to the source.
The heat was sapping, even in the shade of the media tent. As the game's name in the stands was to beat the heat, the match on the field started for The Mighty Oak, who relied on the keeper to keep them around throughout the half. Stefane Rosa’s biggest save of the half was a brilliant stop on a one-on-one opportunity where, seeing the whites of the attackers' eyes, Rosa made a great low save to keep AFCAA in the match, already down a goal at that point.
Unfortunately, in the 42nd minute, the DCFC lead was doubled. Rosa couldn’t do a single thing about the effort that managed to sneak past her as a result of her being screened like a hockey goalie in front of the net.
Halftime was a welcome regrouping moment for the side. I heard a dog barking from the neighborhood located approximately 300 yards to my left. A well-timed train earned one of the biggest cheers of the night from the crowd. The sun also finally started to go down.
Propelled by a renewed energetic spirit after the break in the cool AC of the locker room, The Mighty Oak got off to a quick start in a time of the match that has seemed to become their sweet spot. To kick things off immediately, Chloe Ricketts made what is fast becoming her signature stepover move, absolutely shredding the right-back in the process, and getting a shot off on target, but saved.
It took another ten minutes of pressing the right buttons, but AFCAA got on the board in the 57th minute thanks to an excellent finish from center back Ashley Zugay, finishing her forward run with a tap-in finish in the box.
The move was started, though, by Luana Grabias, who, for the third time this season and in her second game in a row, has now picked the pocket of a defender with the ball, like this was basketball and she was a point guard stealing the ball at mid-court, and contributed to the finish – either via goal or assist. Grabias’s pressing has been a lynchpin of the side, and in her first full 90 with The Mighty Oak she impressed throughout.
AFCAA continued to prod, and the women would strike the crossbar twice on free kicks, once from Grabias in the 70th minute, and again from Angeline Kieh in the 81st minute. Those were perhaps the best chances after that goal, but this is not horseshoes, and close does not count.
It was a difficult defeat to swallow, but in the 75th minute, Jinseong Kim, Media Extraordinaire (official title) nudged me and pointed over to the traveling support. Bearded Brian now had a legion of kiddos joining in on the COYMO chant, adding an extra sense of vim and vigor to the group. Eventually, they would join in on the drumming, and, of course, they cheered enthusiastically for the players on the pitch through the final whistle.
Memory-creating moments like that are what makes this club special to me. Regardless of the results on the field, the love does not evaporate, and there are always a few friendly voices to pick you up at the end of the day.
Some of those newest, youngest, and loudest fans can be seen in the stands as the AFCAA women cool down post-match.
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