Preview: FC Monmouth vs Atlantic City FC
Written by Chris Dailey
FC Monmouth travels south today for a 3 PM showdown against Atlantic City FC. FC Monmouth is currently ranked #5 in the nation by The League for Clubs and is riding high following a gutsy 2-1 win over NY Braveheart SC.
The Blue and Gold are currently sitting atop the Northeast Conference, boasting a perfect 3-0 record. The team opened their campaign on the road against Lighthouse Boys Club of Kensington, thrashing them 6-0 behind Lenny Aviles’ hat trick.
FC Monmouth have since hosted two games at Count Basie Park, defeating Kingston Stockade and NY Braveheart. Both games came down to the final minutes and left FC Monmouth fans on the edge of their seats for the full 90 minutes.
Now approaching a heated in-state matchup against a club FC Monmouth shares a long-standing history with, head coach Hugh MacDonald has put in detailed work to ensure the Blue and Gold play the best possible soccer – and avoid letting the game come down to the final minutes.
“I’d like for us to focus on ourselves and not worry or think about outside noise,” said MacDonald. “We’ve been working hard on getting closer to our game idea this week. If we can lean into each other and trust the work we’ve been doing, hopefully a positive result will be the byproduct of our performance.”
MacDonald will once again look to his captain, Andrew Araya, to deliver another big performance. After playing in a deeper holding midfield role last season, MacDonald has moved Araya up to a more attacking position within the midfield. Subsequently, Araya has scored a goal in each of FC Monmouth’s first three games of the season.
Alongside Araya, Davide Caputo has showcased his brilliance in the middle of the pitch. Caputo already has four assists on the season. He now holds the all-time assist record in club history. He’s also tied with Bryan Hawkins for the most assists in a single season, even though he still has seven regular season games left to play.
The two midfielders will have their work cut out for them as they square off against a formidable Atlantic City FC, who received an honorable mention in The League for Clubs’ national power rankings.
Alantic City FC have picked up one win and one draw through their first two games of the season, both of which were on the road. They opened their season with a dominant 7-1 victory over Lighthouse Boys Club of Kensington and were held to a scoreless draw against Kensington SC a week later.
Centerback Kai Forsyth has been Atlantic City FC’s top performer throughout the first two games. The Englishman scored a brace against Lighthouse Boys Club of Kensington, and his vocal presence defensively inspired Atlantic City’s efforts in holding Kensington SC goalless.
FC Monmouth will be eager to expand upon their flying start to the season as they aim to notch their fourth win in a row.
The match will be live streamed on the National Soccer Network https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmMULrEIIxE. To follow along with live updates of the game and all things FC Monmouth, follow @wearemonmouth on social media.