A change was as good as a rest as Foothills FC bumped a mini slump.
Foothills switched to a back-three to great effect in a swarming 2-0 shutout over the Seattle Sounders Sunday in the Emerald City as the Premier Development League squad remained tied atop the table.
“We had to get our defensive side of the game right, we switched formations and the tactical game plan which the boys executed brilliantly,” said Foothills FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “I thought the back line was brilliant, Joel Waterman, Jonathan Wheeldon and Dominick Zator, and the goaltender Nathan Ingham kept a shutout.
“That was important and allowed us to create some momentum going forward.”
The back-three of Waterman, Wheeldon and Zator allowed for Foothills to switch things up form its typical 4-3-3 formation, adding more of a presence in the middle of the pitch with an extra midfielder in play.
“We wanted to try something different, it’s important in the short season that we’ve got that you don’t always have to play the same way,” the coach added. “We change it up to keep the opponents guessing and we looked really good.
“It allows us to play with two more central attackers because we do have wing backs.”
Foothills opened the scoring on a Sounders own-goal created off the back of forward Nico Pasquotti’s trademark long throw.
Sergio Camargo then notched his first of the season to put the Sounders away. It was poetic justice for Camargo who was handed a red card the week prior versus Portland, a move the league reviewed and rescinded.
“Sergio, now finding his fitness, scores the insurance goal,” Wheeldon Jr. said. “The league did the right thing, they reversed the call and the lad was able to play and he showed his appreciation by producing the goal that got us the three points.”
Foothills dropped its first road game of the season on June 1 in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the TSS Rovers at Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium.
Striker Moses Danto scored in the 90th minute on a brilliant free-kick to get the visitors on the board.
“I watched the game again, to review it in case I missed something or to view it un-emotionally,” Wheeldon Jr. said. “We played well, it was really a case of missed chances and mistakes. We missed enough chances that could have put the game to bed early. They capitalized and defended very well.”
Sunday represented a terrific Foothills reaction from its first loss of the campaign.
“It was a response. The boys were disappointed with the loss on Friday and came back with a bit of a bit between their teeth,” Wheeldon Jr. said. “We had a game plan in mind, the Sounders are always a tough opponent especially as they were on the backs of a loss as well.”
Foothills, 4-1-1 in PDL play, returns to its home pitch at Foothills Composite in Okotoks on June 9 for a 7:30 p.m. kick-off versus Lane United.
For more information go to foothillsfc.ca
