Lou City 1-Tulsa 1
Cameron Lancaster scores the first goal of the match to put Lou City up 1-0 over Tulsa in stoppage time.
For two sweet minutes, Lou City fans tasted victory and celebrated with Cam. I admit, I was admiring the awesome celebration shots I captured until it got eerily quiet and I noticed that play had shifted to the Lou City goal and Tulsa was trying to score rather than simply time waste. But Damian Las had already won Man of the Match and had a clean sheet! No way is he going to let Tulsa…frick. Just like that, our hopes and dreams of a victory were swept away, gentle into that good night.
Except it was not a good night. It was a brutal, chaotic, physical night for the Boys in Purple as they took on the 1985 Chicago Bear defense, I mean the Tulsa Timewasters, and the Helen Kelleresque Referees. Luckily, I have photo evidence to back-up my name-calling. Let’s take a stroll through the evening that included superheroes and feel-good moments to offset the insanity that was the game play.
There are two types of soccer players - those that bring an air of calm and control to the game every time they touch the ball…and then there’s Aiden McFadden. A friend recently told me about a typical restaurant experience with her 10-month-old daughter. Her daughter squeals with delight when she sees her food on the way to the table. I think this is Aiden’s general reaction to seeing a soccer ball in any setting, even warm-ups. We feel you, Aiden, and we love you and your glorious expressions.
I think it’s the hair, but Evan Davila always gives me this impression of a teenager who was coaxed out of bed by his long-suffering parents and driven to the match with very little context provided. Or that guy that never goes to class or studies but shows up late for the final exam and aces it? You know the guy.
I really think this should be the image on his USL card.
Superheroes Amadou Dia and Zeek warm-up the pitch for a night of brawling.
The love for Zeek was everywhere! Let’s get all the feels going before we remind ourselves how much Tulsa hates Lou City. Gallery.
If you ever wonder how hard it is to watch a Lou City match and not be able to cheer/ complain/ hug a player despite being THIS close, ask Felice Smith, our intern-for-the-match!
Players huddle as Coach Danny glares down at them from the Jumbo Tron and an ominous cloud covering rolls in.
Probably the last time all the uniforms were still dry. The sweat came early this match.
And we’re off! Get ready for a match of head-scratching, arms flailing, and ignorant refereeing starring Luis Diego Error-o, I mean Arroyo. Here he is, already looking pretty pleased with himself.
Phil Goodrum - who maybe used to play at Tulsa or something? - got a yellow card in the locker room and proceeded to play each of his minutes like he was avenging the death of his childhood puppy.
Everybody take a deep breath. We’ll wait for Arroyo in the parking lot after the match and figure this out.
The intensity of play on the Lou City corner kicks was a la “pluto is no longer a planet” and I’m not saying I saw anything, but IF an unnamed Tulsa player wouldn’t stop bear-hugging Kyle Adams, and IF the refs refused to call fouls, I could see where Kyle may want to take that unnamed player and throw him to the ground like a used Kleenex. Hypothetically.
The Lou City fans were happy to see Tulsa players getting their share of the nonsensical calls.
A rare moment of actual play, no time wasting, just an angry kick from Las.
Kevon Lambert had an amazing match and managed to avoid the drama by being too fast for Tulsa to catch up with.
He we go, the 5’11” Goodrum v. 6’3” Cissoko, round 1. Goodrum is down early.
Round 2, Cissoko is pretending to be down for the count so that he can draw a foul.
Phil takes on a side quest to spar with the Keeper while Cissoko is putting an ice pack on his bruised ego.
Captain Kyle Adams calmly asks Arroyo if he’s ever seen a soccer match before.
There’s that Aiden-McFadden energy that we need to get through this match without throwing things on the pitch.
Tell me this isn’t a crew that Mike Ditka would be proud of.
It’s been a minute since I posted a picture of Las randomly screaming so here you go. Josh Jones blocks out all negativity with his Zen-ness and the match continues.
McFadden tries to appeal to the logic of the line judge since Arroyo is clearly cuckoo for cocoa puffs. Again, requests to start managing the play of the game fall on deaf ears.
At this point, it’s so hot that the ball is sweating.
Now that’s a header. McFadden sure made this guy’s day.
Even this Oakland A’s fan has noticed the lack of officiating in this game. Someone get this man a Lou City shirt.
Okay if you can actually get Josh Jones to the ground, you should be in Iron Man, not the USL Championship league. I’m guessing Arroyo was too scared to call a foul.
Arroyo explains his game-officiating style to Kyle Adams. It’s something he saw on Paw Patrol.
Phil Goodrum hitting the deck like he’s on the Kiss-Cam at a Coldplay concert. Or else he was pushed.
This guy is looking way too proud of himself and his ability to ignore the rules of the game.
Geez, maybe buy Adams dinner first.
Round 9 of the 160 lb-Goodrum v the 20%-of-the-‘85-Bears-defensive-line (Cissoko) Gallery
Taylor Davila, quietly managing the game with gauze in his nose. Take ‘em to school, Taylor.
Still 0-0, the Tulsa Keeper is on the verge of a yellow card for time wasting, and we are all Aiden McFadden at this point.
Subs brought some fresh energy to the pitch and woke up the Keeper.
MVP for Tulsa, the Keeper’s personal medic/water girl/ junior time waster.
Rare sighting of the special device used for repairing socks that don’t have holes in them. Another tool in the time-wasting toolkit?
Cam making a run for the goal with his John Travolta dance moves.
That goal by Cam (and the retrieval of the ball from the net by Morris) deserves its own Gallery
Amazing-Play-that-Somehow-Happened-Despite-the-Time-Wasting Gallery
Referee Complaint Gallery
Fan Appreciation Gallery
