Taft's formula for success reaping rewards
1-0 win over Kennedy built on high-intensity play
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO— Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the dictionary definition of insanity. Sports applications have their own language and idiom.
Taft has created its own template, and the repetition and sameness has produced a textbook formula for success.
The Eagles have utilized their speed and aggressive high pressure to score an early goal, and then relied on an air tight and suffocating defense to frustrate and thwart the other side for an impressive victory.
Taft has its own wave, its own style, and it has proven tremendously effective.
Junior reserve midfielder Agustin Gallo expertly played a rebound ball in the ninth minute for the game-winner, as visiting Taft deftly synchronized the different pieces for the 1-0 victory over Kennedy on Thursday at Wentworth Park, on the city’s Southwest Side.
Taft won its fifth-consecutive game and posted its eighth shutout of the year. The team has won all four of its conference games by a count of 1-0.
“We have 23 guys on the team, and I play everyone,” Taft coach Jeffrey Lucco said. “I am confident in every one, so we have a lot of depth. We have a lot of speed on the outside, and I think in the beginning of games that catches people off guard, defensively. It’s hard to get organized defensively right away.”
In a showdown of unbeaten division leaders, Taft (8-3-1, 4-0-0 First Division) gained the upper hand. The team plays with a fury and control -- direct in its methods though very relaxed and confident in manner. The contributions have come from unexpected quarters.
Just a wisp of a player physically at 5-foot-5, 130 pounds, Gallo is nervy and has a feel for the ball. When senior midfielder Julio Zamora drove the ball down the right edge and crossed to forward Patryk Knap, Gallo read the play and sharply anticipated the next move.
“It was like a team effort,” he said. “We were pressuring, and Julio sent it and Patryk shot it, and then it rebounded off a defender, and I came in and scored.” Gallo scored his second goal of the year. He also earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
“When we score first we get motivated, and then we start pressuring even more,” Gallo said. “We try to create more chances for ourselves, so we can keep scoring.”
The early speed caught the Crusaders off guard.
“Mistakes happen, and you have to cover them up,” Kennedy midfielder Gracjan Rusinek said. “The ball slipped, and it was moving very fast. They got an opportunity and scored. We just did not finish ours.”
Putting at least a goal on the scoreboard is the easy part of the equation for the Eagles.
“Scoring early pushes us because now [Kennedy] has more pressure on them,” Julio Zamora said. “We see that, we notice that, and at the end of the day it helps us feel good and motivates us for the next game.”
Taft has excelled at changing the narrative, reversing its fortunes by dictating the terms and forcing other teams to adjust to its style and practices. The style of play is demanding and hard to pull off.
Playing with a lead has never felt so secure.
“In a way this is stressful for the defense,” junior defender Melvin Zamora said. “We create chances for ourselves and then we push each other to go at the other team more offensively. Even if it’s defensive most of the game everybody on the field is trying. Everybody is pushing forward and defending.”
Success begets confidence.
“It is the opposite of what are used to,” Lucco said. “We are scoring early, and then we defend the whole game. It’s tough, but the guys throughout the season have really bought in.
“Last year we weren’t very organized. A lot of that fell on me, because I was trying to push, push, push instead of working with the players I had. We are organized now. It’s not always the best soccer, but we are playing defense and not letting people score.”
The Zamora brothers and defender Jonathan Ramirez are the pace setters.
“Julio just runs all day,” Lucco marveled.
Defensively, the Eagles flow to the ball and disrupt passing lanes and create a certain amount of havoc.
“It’s just the teamwork that we put in together,” Julio Zamora said. “We like playing together. We have a lot of trust in the back.
“We learned from our experiences last year, from all the mistakes that we made. Kennedy was a good team. They were really fast. Fortunately, the defenders and [keeper] Patrick [Mieczkowski] kept us in the game the whole time.”
Kennedy (4-3-1, 3-1-0) was down a couple of key offensive players who were lost to injury.
“Taft is a very good team,” Kennedy coach Carlos Hernandez said. “It’s a great program, very well coached. There were not a lot of opportunities on either side, but they got the goal.
“We had the one great through-ball that might have been a breakaway, and their keeper [Mieczkowski] made a great play on the ball to take that away from us.”
Taft is loose and confident. Knowing virtually his entire team was returning for this season, Lucco had one message after last year’s disappointing campaign ended: Get in club and play soccer year round. The only way to get better is from time, experience and playing.
“We did not have many guys who played club soccer, and a lot of them went out and did,” Lucco said. “They played soccer year-round. We also played in a summer league, at Reavis, for the first time. Kennedy, Solorio, and Curie were there, so were teams like Stagg, a big, physical side. We won some games there, and that was good for us.
“You have to feel what winning feels like, otherwise you are just going to continue to lose.”
Mieczkowski is the team cut-up and prankster who keeps the team together. During the game he is all business. The four-year starter made three saves. He has seen every scenario play out.
“Last year we usually got scored upon early and then we fell apart,” Mieczkowski said.
“This time we are scoring early and we are strong defensively. I trust the defense, the coach trusts the defense. It’s just a confidence-booster when you know you have done it before and can do it again.”
Starting lineups
Taft
GK: Patrick Mieczkowski
D: Melvin Zamora
D: Marek Klimek
D: Jonathan Ramirez
D: Byron Abayay
MF: Thomas Wojtyga
MF: Konrad Knap
MF: Kacper Spiewak
F: Julio Zamora
F: Jonathan Meneses
F: Alexis Sanchez
Kennedy
GK: Krystian Sroka
D: Brayan Rojas
D: Gracjan Rusinek
D: Raymundo Hernandez
D: Zuriel Calderon
MF: Jair Canelo
MF: Raul Ruiz
MF: Lukasz Sroka
MF: Michal Biziak
F: Jose Bravo
F: Ernest Antwi
Man of the Match: Agustin Gallo, MF, Taft
1-0 win over Kennedy built on high-intensity play
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO— Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the dictionary definition of insanity. Sports applications have their own language and idiom.
Taft has created its own template, and the repetition and sameness has produced a textbook formula for success.
The Eagles have utilized their speed and aggressive high pressure to score an early goal, and then relied on an air tight and suffocating defense to frustrate and thwart the other side for an impressive victory.
Taft has its own wave, its own style, and it has proven tremendously effective.
Junior reserve midfielder Agustin Gallo expertly played a rebound ball in the ninth minute for the game-winner, as visiting Taft deftly synchronized the different pieces for the 1-0 victory over Kennedy on Thursday at Wentworth Park, on the city’s Southwest Side.
Taft won its fifth-consecutive game and posted its eighth shutout of the year. The team has won all four of its conference games by a count of 1-0.
“We have 23 guys on the team, and I play everyone,” Taft coach Jeffrey Lucco said. “I am confident in every one, so we have a lot of depth. We have a lot of speed on the outside, and I think in the beginning of games that catches people off guard, defensively. It’s hard to get organized defensively right away.”
In a showdown of unbeaten division leaders, Taft (8-3-1, 4-0-0 First Division) gained the upper hand. The team plays with a fury and control -- direct in its methods though very relaxed and confident in manner. The contributions have come from unexpected quarters.
Just a wisp of a player physically at 5-foot-5, 130 pounds, Gallo is nervy and has a feel for the ball. When senior midfielder Julio Zamora drove the ball down the right edge and crossed to forward Patryk Knap, Gallo read the play and sharply anticipated the next move.
“It was like a team effort,” he said. “We were pressuring, and Julio sent it and Patryk shot it, and then it rebounded off a defender, and I came in and scored.” Gallo scored his second goal of the year. He also earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
“When we score first we get motivated, and then we start pressuring even more,” Gallo said. “We try to create more chances for ourselves, so we can keep scoring.”
The early speed caught the Crusaders off guard.
“Mistakes happen, and you have to cover them up,” Kennedy midfielder Gracjan Rusinek said. “The ball slipped, and it was moving very fast. They got an opportunity and scored. We just did not finish ours.”
Putting at least a goal on the scoreboard is the easy part of the equation for the Eagles.
“Scoring early pushes us because now [Kennedy] has more pressure on them,” Julio Zamora said. “We see that, we notice that, and at the end of the day it helps us feel good and motivates us for the next game.”
Taft has excelled at changing the narrative, reversing its fortunes by dictating the terms and forcing other teams to adjust to its style and practices. The style of play is demanding and hard to pull off.
Playing with a lead has never felt so secure.
“In a way this is stressful for the defense,” junior defender Melvin Zamora said. “We create chances for ourselves and then we push each other to go at the other team more offensively. Even if it’s defensive most of the game everybody on the field is trying. Everybody is pushing forward and defending.”
Success begets confidence.
“It is the opposite of what are used to,” Lucco said. “We are scoring early, and then we defend the whole game. It’s tough, but the guys throughout the season have really bought in.
“Last year we weren’t very organized. A lot of that fell on me, because I was trying to push, push, push instead of working with the players I had. We are organized now. It’s not always the best soccer, but we are playing defense and not letting people score.”
The Zamora brothers and defender Jonathan Ramirez are the pace setters.
“Julio just runs all day,” Lucco marveled.
Defensively, the Eagles flow to the ball and disrupt passing lanes and create a certain amount of havoc.
“It’s just the teamwork that we put in together,” Julio Zamora said. “We like playing together. We have a lot of trust in the back.
“We learned from our experiences last year, from all the mistakes that we made. Kennedy was a good team. They were really fast. Fortunately, the defenders and [keeper] Patrick [Mieczkowski] kept us in the game the whole time.”
Kennedy (4-3-1, 3-1-0) was down a couple of key offensive players who were lost to injury.
“Taft is a very good team,” Kennedy coach Carlos Hernandez said. “It’s a great program, very well coached. There were not a lot of opportunities on either side, but they got the goal.
“We had the one great through-ball that might have been a breakaway, and their keeper [Mieczkowski] made a great play on the ball to take that away from us.”
Taft is loose and confident. Knowing virtually his entire team was returning for this season, Lucco had one message after last year’s disappointing campaign ended: Get in club and play soccer year round. The only way to get better is from time, experience and playing.
“We did not have many guys who played club soccer, and a lot of them went out and did,” Lucco said. “They played soccer year-round. We also played in a summer league, at Reavis, for the first time. Kennedy, Solorio, and Curie were there, so were teams like Stagg, a big, physical side. We won some games there, and that was good for us.
“You have to feel what winning feels like, otherwise you are just going to continue to lose.”
Mieczkowski is the team cut-up and prankster who keeps the team together. During the game he is all business. The four-year starter made three saves. He has seen every scenario play out.
“Last year we usually got scored upon early and then we fell apart,” Mieczkowski said.
“This time we are scoring early and we are strong defensively. I trust the defense, the coach trusts the defense. It’s just a confidence-booster when you know you have done it before and can do it again.”
Starting lineups
Taft
GK: Patrick Mieczkowski
D: Melvin Zamora
D: Marek Klimek
D: Jonathan Ramirez
D: Byron Abayay
MF: Thomas Wojtyga
MF: Konrad Knap
MF: Kacper Spiewak
F: Julio Zamora
F: Jonathan Meneses
F: Alexis Sanchez
Kennedy
GK: Krystian Sroka
D: Brayan Rojas
D: Gracjan Rusinek
D: Raymundo Hernandez
D: Zuriel Calderon
MF: Jair Canelo
MF: Raul Ruiz
MF: Lukasz Sroka
MF: Michal Biziak
F: Jose Bravo
F: Ernest Antwi
Man of the Match: Agustin Gallo, MF, Taft