The FC Tucson men kicked off their 2023 campaign with some fireworks on the pitch and some after a game before a record-breaking crowd.
FC Tucson beat Guanajuato Selección XI 3-1 in a friendly at home on Friday night in front of an announced crowd of 1,793 at Kino North Stadium, an FC Tucson home-opener record.
“What a great game, what an entertaining game for our fans. So happy for our players to be able to start off the season on the front foot I think it’s really positive,” FC Tucson coach Mark Biagi said. “Great night overall, great weather, great fans, fireworks now, got some players from Tucson in the game, what a great opponent as well. It just shows you that there’s a lot of talent in Tucson.”
Guanajuato Selección XI is an all-star team representing Tucson’s Guanajuato AZ Soccer League.
“What a great opponent, I couldn’t ask for a better opponent,” Biagi said. “They’re all Tucson guys. I’ve known some of those guys for over 10 years, and they’re like little brothers to me and kids that I’ve coached, kids that I’ve worked with, so it was great to see them out here representing our city in another way.
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“It was vital for us to get a quality opponent before we start our season, and they were exactly that.”
In the ninth minute, Guanajuato’s Ricky Florez scored a long-distance goal against the run of play, kicking it over FC Tucson goalkeeper Casper Mols’ head.
FC Tucson responded in the 20th minute when defender Patrick Strauss scored off a corner kick. Defender Fernando Garate provided the assist.
“It was an unbelievable feeling,” Strauss said. “Honestly I like going behind, it showed our character a little bit, it showed what we have in store for the season, and I think there’s a lot to look forward to, a lot of positives.”
Strauss previously played in League Two for Asheville City SC.
“I’ve played League Two before and this by far beats every program that I’ve played at,” Strauss said. “The quality of players, the atmosphere around, like I said, the equipment, the coaches, the staff, everything behind the scenes, it’s all top gear, so I’m very happy to be here, very blessed to be here and yeah, looking forward to the rest of the season.”
FC Tucson defender Patrick Strauss heads the ball toward the goal during the team’s 3-1 victory over Guanajuato Selección XI in a friendly on Friday, May 5, 2023.
In the 36th minute, FC Tucson forward Shoki Yoshida scored. Guanajuato closed out the first half with a shot that hit the crossbar.
In the 73rd minute, FC Tucson midfielder Vilius Labutis scored from about 25 yards out a few minutes after he hit the post when he got behind the Guanajuato back line. Labutis celebrated with a cartwheel and a somersault and by hugging an FC Tucson sub.
FC Tucson’s players just got into town a few days ago; midfielder Nathan Hurtado even came in last night and played.
Biagi said the team didn’t have any injuries, which is “massively important.”
“It’s very hard to put a team together and then get them on the field in two, three days, but the players showed that there’s a reason they’re here. I trust them; the coaching staff trusts them,” Biagi said. “We’ve had a lot of conversations over the past three to four months about who we want to be and how we want to play.
“At the end of the day, players win games, and that’s what happened today.”
FC Tucson outshot Guanajuato 11-7.
Up next for FC Tucson is another friendly against FC Arizona on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at home on Sensory Night. FC Arizona is from Gilbert and plays in the National Premier Soccer League, which is on the same level of the U.S. Soccer pyramid as USL League Two.
FC Tucson opens League Two play on May 13 at Redlands Football Club.
Corner kicks
FC Tucson debuted a new kit with a light blue jersey and white shorts. Last year FC Tucson wore mostly black uniforms at home except for when the Las Vegas Lights asked the club to wear white for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and against the Greenville Triumph on Aug. 20 when the team was looking to end a home losing streak. “This is a new sharp look,” Biagi said. “We’re excited to sport this, and I’ve heard a lot of good comments. The guys seem to love it, and 1-0 in them so far, so it’s not too bad.”
In an article on uslleaguetwo.com, the league named Mols as one of the players to watch this season.
