FC Tucson plays its third match in a week on Saturday. And while it’s a tough stretch for any team to handle, the club has embraced the challenge. The team will face North Texas SC in Dallas for its only road game in the month of September.
“I love the quick turnarounds now,” FC Tucson coach John Galas said. “It’s great.”
The sentiment came on the heels of the Men in Black’s 1-0 win over the New England Revolution II on Wednesday, a match that Galas said was among the team’s best performances of the season.
Prior to that, the club lost 2-0 to North Texas SC. There was little time to feel sorry or dwell on the home defeat; another match was looming.
In the days leading up to Wednesday’s win, Galas wanted to identify where things were going wrong.
“We’ve trained enough, we’ve played enough,” Galas said, but the results had yet to show.
Against the Revolution, FC Tucson played to its strengths: defending well and creating scoring chances. And the Men in Black didn’t allow a goal in a match for the first time all season thanks to the play of goalkeeper Amahl Knight. Knight finished with three saves.
“Comprehensively, it was a good performance,” Galas said with noticeable enthusiasm that hadn’t been present in previous post games.
Whether or not the short turnaround actually had a hand in a win is unknown, but there’s no question that it was the team’s most efficient game in a month.
FC Tucson outshot New England 17-14 and passed the ball with more accuracy (90% to 85%). Now, with a pep in their step, the Men in Black can exact a little revenge on North Texas SC. FC Tucson is 3-5-1 with seven matches remaining the regular season, while North Texas is 2-2-4.
“We’ve some heavy legs,” Galas said. “But we’ve also got a lot of confidence.”
To account for the natural fatigue that comes with playing on short rest — the club has three days between matches as opposed to the usual six — Galas is keeping things light. Thursday, the team went through brief drills and watched film to prepare for their opponent. The Men in Black planned to practice Friday, either before leaving Tucson or after landing in Dallas.
Galas said the way he utilizes his starters and substitutions could shift as well.
“You’ll probably see more of a player rotation in this one,” he said. “And we’ve got a really good opponent we’re facing. Might have to change some things tactically.”
