FC Monmouth vs Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals Preview
After 11 days away from soccer, FC Monmouth returns to action Wednesday night, as they play host to the first-place team in the NPSL Keystone Conference, Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals.
With a 7pm kickoff time scheduled at Count Basie Park, FC Monmouth will look to capture their first win of the 2022 campaign against the Philadelphia outfit, who are amidst a seven-game unbeaten run, six of which were wins.
Despite the lack of accumulation of notches in the ‘W’ column, FC Monmouth has had several performances in which there were multiple positive elements to build upon, most notably being the draws with FC Motown and Hershey FC respectively.
Additionally, the gulf between the two sides on the table is not as large as it seems. With a win this evening and other results in the conference going their way, FC Monmouth could rise as high as 5th place when the dust settles, just one spot outside of the playoffs.
The emphasis on securing those elusive first three points of the season was made extremely clear by Head Coach John Killick and his staff this past week at training, with a special focus on team bonding and tactical analysis employed to help stitch together the complexities caused by several injuries and new faces this season.
“We have a wonderful group of guys, I’ll swear by it. We’ve just been tasked with a lot of obstacles,” began Killick.
“We are certainly on the right track. It’s evident in the sessions, the desire these players play with. We all want to win and be successful.”
Coming off the back of what was arguably the team’s best performance last week, a 2-2 heartbreaking draw which saw the three points get snatched by an 89th minute equalizer against the run of play, there is quite a lot to be excited about for tonight’s contest.
Furthermore, the two goals provided FC Monmouth’s first multiple-goal game this season, combining a beautifully tucked away solo finish from Rob Saunders with a cooly slotted penalty from Louis Pennington- accompanied by quite a savvy celebration.
The goalscoring, combined with some neat passing and increased possession, saw FC Monmouth’s philosophies instilled from training begin to pay off in game scenarios.
One product of the increased possession saw FC Monmouth’s time on the ball increase significantly in the opponent’s final third. One scenario that nearly defined the game was a driving run by Pennington, who was able to beat his man and eventually get fouled in the box- a direct result of sustained pressure.
He then went on to convert his penalty, smoothly. The celebration was an even bigger spectacle than the goal itself, a carefully executed front flip that was inch-perfect, with the rest of the team in full sprint to celebrate beside him.
“I actually practice that [celebration]- I was waiting to use that, ha!” Pennington said post-game.
“To score in my first home game, in front of all the fans, the kids- it felt absolutely amazing. I wish we could’ve gotten the three points, but it was a positive result and we’ll keep moving forward.”
Returning home and moving forward indeed, here is your 18-man roster for tonight’s match down The Shore, including a debut appearance for midfielder Erson Gerbeshi:
#1 Jake Nicoll Goalkeeper
#33 A.J. Montana Goalkeeper
#3 Mason Martelloni Defender
#6 Robert Tapp Defender
#20 Jack Longo Defender
#23 Connor Anderko Defender
#27 Evan Walters Defender
#2 Brett Sieg Midfielder
#5 Joseph Lozowski Midfielder
#8 Johnny Hart Midfielder
#12 Aniello Lubrano Midfielder
#17 Michael Mallon Midfielder
#42 Erson Gerbeshi Midfielder
#66 Rhys Cotter Midfielder ©
#7 Christian Hernandez Forward
#11 Mickael Rodriguez Forward
#30 Rob Saunders Forward
#77 Louis Pennington Forward
Although this is our second-to-last home game of the season, it is our absolute pleasure to invite you, your loved ones and friends to come and support your local Jersey Shore club!
Tickets are on sale here for our final two matches; there is still plenty more goals, thrills and family fun in store for our summer at Count Basie Park!
Like all of our home matches, the gates will open an hour in advance, which is at 6pm this evening. Fresh food options, merchandise, games for the kids at halftime and so much more will be on offer from the moment we welcome you to the moment you depart.
“We love all of the fans, the kids, the support is incredible. Thank you for coming out and we hope to see you again soon!” Goalscorer and local favorite Rob Saunders proclaimed after our last match.
Come have a nice Wednesday evening out, and hopefully enjoy our first win of the season. We hope to see you there! #WeAreMonmouth
Kieffer Braisted is a writer and social media manager for FC Monmouth. Having graduated from Kean University with a degree in communications and journalism, Kieffer brings a plethora of experience to the FC Monmouth media team, and will be producing both written content and managing social media platforms for the club.