Fresh off two consecutive road wins, FC Tucson returns home to Kino North Stadium on Saturday to face Toronto FC II — a team it’s already familiar with, having beaten Toronto in Casa Grande a week and a half ago.
A 2-1 victory over Toronto on May 26 was the Men in Black’s first victory of the 2021 season.
Three days later, FC Tucson earned another 2-1 road victory, this one coming against North Carolina FC. Through five matches, FC Tucson is 2-2-1.
“I think we needed to get the first win just to get the ball rolling,” FC Tucson captain Dakota Barnathan said. “Sometimes the first one’s the hardest.”
FC Tucson could have something else going for it on Saturday — a homefield advantage.
The team’s 7 p.m. match against Toronto (1-1-2) will be played at full capacity and with no restrictions after the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted to lift COVID-19 restrictions for county properties.
The Men in Black’s first home match of the season on May 8 was limited to 700 fans, and its entire 2020 home slate was played in an empty Kino North Stadium. FC Tucson will now offer concessions and hold pregame ceremonies and theme nights; Saturday is Women’s Soccer Appreciation Night.
It had been a less than ideal start to the year for Barnathan and FC Tucson. On May 16, the team was routed 5-1 by Fort Lauderdale CF, bringing its record to 0-2-1.
But Barnathan, a 26-year-old defenseman, said he and the players didn’t get down on themselves.
The schedule makers didn’t do the team any favors, either; four of FC Tucson’s first five matches were played on the road.
“We just needed to start taking care of the details of the game, just in terms of possession and how we set up our defense,” Barnathan said. “And that’s what we did. In that Toronto game, it took a lot of grit and a lot of heart.”
Now back in Tucson, the club is looking to carry over the momentum earned during its six-point road trip. FC Tucson forward Deri Corfe and defender Maxi Schenfeld were named to the USL League One Team of the Week on Monday.
Corfe scored the game-winning goal against Toronto FC in Casa Grande, and Schenfeld compiled nine clearances, six interceptions and two chances created across the two victories.
With a win Saturday, FC Tucson will be over .500 for the first time since July 25, 2020.
Barnathan said if FC Tucson “plays smart and locks down defensively”, he’s confident the team will be able to earn three points for the third consecutive match.
