FC Tucson celebrated the Fourth of July early with a post-game firework show, but really the sparks started much earlier at Kino North Stadium.
In the fifth minute, Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu sent a goal in from outside the box after the Toronto defense tried heading the ball out of play from a throw-in Kyle Bjornethun. FC Tucson went on to score twice more within the first 26 minutes.
Toronto FC II managed to get on the board in the second half on an own goal by Bjornethun in the 77th minute, but FC Tucson’s offensive first-half performance was strong enough for the 3-1 win.
“Fortunately, that’s a weapon we have,” Wheeler-Omiunu said of the team’s throw-in plays. “Kyle Bjornethun, he can throw the ball from the sideline, probably, to the back of the six. Without that, without a challenge in the box to make it difficult in the clearance, I was in the right spot.”
Wednesday’s win snapped a two-game losing streak and was the first win against the Canadian team. Both clubs first met April 13 in FC Tucson’s home opener, which ended in a draw. Toronto FC II won the rematch on its home field on May 24.
FC Tucson coach Darren Sawatzky said Wednesday’s win is great momentum for a team that, after getting a few days off for the holiday, have a long road stretch ahead of them. FC Tucson isn’t set to return home until Aug. 24 when it hosts Orlando City B.
The Men in Black (5-6-3) will play six straight road games in that span.
“I’m proud of them,” Sawatzky said. “Most important, the press and the things we work on, along with Phoenix Rising, showed up in the game today. So, I’m happy about that.”
All three of FC Tucson’s goals were scored by different players.
After Omiunu-Wheeler’s, Devin Vega scored on a left-footed shot from the center of the box in the 19th minute and Jordan Jones scored on a right-footed shot from outside the box in the 26th.
The last two goals were assisted by Raheem Sommersall and Carlos Merancio Valdez.
“We know what everyone’s capable of on this team,” Jones said. “We’re confident in every guy. Whether the goals are going in or not – we know that they’re coming. It’s always the next play mentality with us, with us forwards. We know they’re going to come and we stay confident no matter what.”
After Wednesday’s game, FC Tucson is smack-dab in the middle of its first professional season.
So far, Sawatzky would categorize the season as a roller-coaster ride. And hopefully the team can use the win to get a little more consistent in its play.
Omiunu-Wheeler believes there’s a lot of parity in the 10-team USL League One. And there’s still plenty of games to be played for FC Tucson, which jumped into sixth place Wednesday.
“I’ve watched teams at the bottom of the league beat teams at the top and vice versa,” Omiunu-Wheeler said. “So, I think the tables are still quite packed. There’s a couple teams that have been more consistent with winning and, for our team, all we can do is try to be up there with them.”
Corner kicks
* Two yellow cards were handed to Toronto FC II players. Matthew Srbely and Franco Ramos Mingo were given a yellow in the 41st and 65th minutes, respectively, for bad fouls.
* Wednesday saw the biggest crowd of the season with 1,772 people in attendance. FC Tucson had 1,606 fans in the stands for the home opener April 13, also against Toronto FC II.
