Reading United stay unbeaten with 2-0 win over F.A. Euro
Reading United A.C. improved to 3-0 with a 2-0 victory over visiting F.A. Euro in the club’s Premier Development League home opener at Wilson High School’s Gurski Stadium. The match was a tale of two halves as both teams struggled to create chances in the first half, while some timely tactical substitutions in the second half helped the hosts score the win and leapfrog the Long Island Rough Riders into first place in the PDL’s Mid-Atlantic Division.
The first half of the match left much to be desired as both sides struggled to create much in the way of scoring chances. The best opportunity of the opening forty-five minutes came in the first minute of first half stoppage time when United winger Mo Conde lofted a perfect cross from the left wing into the penalty area for Khori Bennett. The United forward got his head on the ball and powered his shot toward net from close range, only to be denied by the crossbar.
Reading United Head Coach Alan McCann, not happy with a first half showing he later described as “not a Reading United performance”, inserted midfielders Aaron Molloy and Zach Zandi at the start of the second half.
The changes turned the tide of the match as United put their guests under near constant pressure to begin the second half.
Zandi would be the man to help get Reading United on the scoreboard. Taking a pass in the left channel, the former Union Acad emy star raced into the penalty area and played a low, hard cross across the face of goal. The ball would deflect off the leg of F.A. Euro defender Leo Folla and into the net to give Reading a 1-0 lead.
F.A. Euro offered little threat to the Reading United defense as the hosts would continue to push for an insurance goal that finally came in the 90th minute.
Aaron Molloy, sitting deep in midfield as extra cover for the Reading defense, collected a ball and played a pass to the right flank for Kieran Roberts. The Englishman, who came on in the 80th minute, sprinted down the right sideline and into the F.A. Euro penalty area. Roberts beat his marker with a clever nutmeg and calmly finished through the legs of F.A. Euro goalkeeper Oliver Foss-Hansen to make it 2-0 to Reading.
The Reading United defense scored its third clean sheet of the season and stretched their shutout streak to 270 minutes.
After the match, Coach McCann credited his team’s second half performance in earning the win, saying, “We were more successful because we moved the ball quicker, touch and a half tempo. We found more pockets in between their lines and we were more creative and exciting in the final third. That’s more Reading United’s style.”
Reading United will return to action at Wilson’s High School’s Gurski Stadium for a critical Premier Development League clash with the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Division champions, the New York Red Bulls U23s on Saturday, June 2nd. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 7:00pm and tickets are available at www.readingunitedac.com/tickets.
