(DUDLEY FIELD, El Paso, TX) – It’s only a first match and there were plenty of missing puzzle pieces for both teams, but at long last perhaps “Helter, Skelter” has been rendered an infamous Beatles tune and not an organizational theme for El Paso Patriots soccer.
The Patriots christened the brand new Calgary Storm franchise with a 4-0 drubbing at a wind-blown, but still well-attended Dudley Field – the Pats first match at the 80-plus-year-old former baseball stadium in five seasons.
And eight minutes of 0-0 was as close as Calgary got.
Granted, the Storm was missing three important cogs in an untested machine. Most notable was the absence of goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld, currently on a trial run with Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League. Also missing were forward Chris Lemire and midfielder Waldemar Dutra, both in Germany with Canada’s U-19 select team.
But an El Paso lineup minus injured winger Carlos Martinez and sweeper Michael Griego also lost lauded middle defender Sidnei dos Santos in the game after a bell-ringing collision near the Patriots 6-yard box in the first half. There was no official word on the Brazilian, who had to be helped off the pitch for further medical attention.
The good news is: new head coach Milton Queiroz’s team showed good balance, solid and even inventive thinking, a nose for the goal and – perhaps most important – discipline.
The former Brazilian national teamer has cracked down – some close to the program say more than any other previous coach – on physical fitness and preparation. The Patriots were a bit undersized, but ran Calgary into committing a number of physical fouls to slow the game.
El Paso opened up the scoring in the first half as returning forward and El Paso native Matt Stewart took the play into the right corner. A bit of nifty footwork put the ball to the head of Nashville refugee and Dallas native Dominic Schell, who quickly pinged it to Jose Abarca for the one-timer past Storm goalkeeper John Hawreliak for a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute.
The rest of the first half saw multiple Patriots long balls catch the wicked wind from the west and float harmlessly ahead of puffing forwards and in touch for Calgary.
However, the second half was a much different story.
Moving into the stiff breeze, El Paso settled into a precision-passing game that suited a ball-control offense. And it only took six minutes to get on the board this time.
Schell got the ball along the Patriots left wing just inside the 18-yard-box and zapped a low, bouncing shot under a skidding Hawreliak to make it 2-0 in the 52nd minute.
Then in the 64th, Abarca lofted a long pass to Brazilian midfielder Luis DaGama, who had been earning his living on the left wing. Hawreliak tried to run down the ball, but DaGama beat him to the space and tagged a 25-yard shot into the back of the Calgary net for a 3-0 lead.
El Paso’s final goal was clinched by Santa Teresa, NM’s Jose Lomeli, back from a loan to CD Zacatepec of the Mexican second division. Lomeli received a nice pass near the top of the Calgary box and charged in against two defenders for the shot. Lomeli’s first crack was initially blocked, but coming around for a second try he was taken down with possession and referee Gibby Widner immediately pointed to the spot for a penalty kick.
DaGama zipped his shot over Hawreliak’s outstretched left arm in the 81st minute and El Paso had a solid start to its season assured with a full four points.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Patriots’ goalkeeper Jesse Llamas faced only two shots on goal from the Storm the entire evening, one in each half.
El Paso controlled the match in every facet, winning balls in the air and on the ground, frustrating Calgary’s attempts at setting up an offense with superior control and possession time.
These two teams will face each other three more times this season, though. The Storm is most certainly not over.
However for the El Paso Patriots, a record with a Fab Four points is much better than a certain record containing the original.
