In what could be described as a war at times, with John Ferraro 7 sporting its usual dust clouds and absence of anything green (yes grass is green) -- Apache FC took on their nemesis from last season -- Los Andes, the squad that knocked the Warriors out of the spring playoffs.
The game, which got serious very quickly, saw the Warriors go up 2-0 in the first half off a pair of goals from Pep Lupo (6', 30'), one off a PK after Lupo was hauled down in the box. The match saw the return of Alex Martinez after a one game suspension, Mike Barthel (in his first game of the season), and Sammy Xaylitdet, who played a strong 90 minutes in the sweeper role after missing last week's game against GOALFELLAS. Play was rough and chippy at times, but cooler heads prevailed for the first 45.
The same could not be said for the second half when frustration boiled over on both sides. Apache defender Cruz Roque was red carded after retaliating against a Los Andes player who elbowed him (yes the refs missed the initial call ... one thing that was consistent in the game). Not satisfied with that, the Los Andes player then cleated Roque while trying to retrieve the ball from the sidelines ... and all hell broke loose with both squads squaring up. Said player was finally red carded and forced to leave the field. Unfortunately the controversy created enough confusion in what had been a strong defensive effort by the Warriors, allowing Los Andes to slip in two goals before the final whistle ... and leaving the score tied at two.
Only the two top squads qualify for the playoff round, so the Warriors will have to turn the positives from this match -- a gutsy performance and some quality goals -- into a string of wins in the second half of the LA Muni season.
Apache FC face Hollywood United for the second time this season next week at Griffith Park (Oct 4 | 8:50 PM kickoff), a team which has also struggled thus far. Come and cheer on the Warriors in their away blues to a win.
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