FC Tucson will take the field Saturday night looking for its third win in the last four matches, and more than just Fort Lauderdale CF stands in its way.
The Men in Black are dealing with both injuries and fatigue following last week’s trip to Texas and Wednesday night’s home victory.
Forward Shak Adams, whose four goals this year lead the team, sustained what coach John Galas described as a “muscle injury” last week. Adams missed Wednesday’s match against Forward Madison FC and isn’t expected to suit up this weekend, though he does have a shot at returning before the end of the regular season. Adams ranks fourth in USL League One in goals.
“The prognosis is better than we originally thought,” Galas said. “Hopefully he’ll be back in a couple of weeks.”
Adams’ absence comes at a critical juncture in the season. FC Tucson has risen to fifth in the league standings with five matches remaining in the regular season; the top four teams make the playoffs.
In FC Tucson’s latest win, a down-to-the-wire 2-1 victory over Forward Madison FC, the club saw two other players — forward Josh Coan and midfielder Elivelton Oliveira — fill the shoes of the dangerous goal scorer.
Both found the back of the net — Elivelton’s goal in the opening minutes, and Coan in the second half.
“He does all the little things well,” Galas said of Elivelton. “It’s the culmination of all the hard work he’s put in over the last 10 games.”
FC Tucson’s Manuel Ferriol (14) clears the ball, practically off the head of Forward Madison’s Eric Leonard (3) during a collision at midfield in the second half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., September 23, 2020.
The first-year head coach also referred to Coan as a “really nice replacement for Shak.”
Just weeks ago, FC Tucson’s postseason chances seemed bleak. The club sat in ninth place and had lost two of its previous three matches. Following a 2-0 home loss to North Texas SC two weekends ago, Galas assured that the best was yet to come. The coach reasoned that there was a lot of potential still to be explored in his group.
Galas’ intuition proved to be on the mark as FC Tucson has won two of its last three games — the other result was a 1-1 tie in the follow-up road match against North Texas.
The seven points earned during that stretch have pushed the Men in Black into the heart of the postseason race.
“We’re winning games right now. I’m happy and the team’s gonna be happy,” Galas said.
The hot streak has also come at an interesting time in the schedule. FC Tucson is on the backend of a stretch of five games in 14 days, a stint that began Sept. 12.
FC Tucson’s Esteban Calvo (5), left, gives Elivelton Oliveira (6) big hug after Oliveira notched the opener for a 1-0 lead against Forward Madison in the first half of their USL League One game at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz., September 23, 2020.
And while the team has been winning, there’s some added fatigue that will come into play. Galas said following Wednesday’s match that he’ll monitor the load of minutes the starters are logging and keep practices light leading up to the game.
At least one reinforcement is coming. Charlie Dennis, who served a one-game suspension after receiving a yellow card against North Texas on Sept. 19, will be back.
“He should be back in the mix, with fresh legs,” Galas said.
The other advantage FC Tucson does have working its way is that they’ve already beaten Fort Lauderdale CF, a 2-1 win on July 25.
