Hollywood United Hitmen News Release - www.hollywoodutd.com
Saturday, July 18, 2009
LA MIRADA, CA -- On a beautiful night in the Southland, with the sun setting over the city, on a soccer field just eight miles from Disneyland, dreams came true for the Hollywood United Hitmen, who beat the Southern California Seahorses 3-2 at Goodman Stadium on the campus of La Mirada High School, and in doing so clinched their first ever PDL Southwest Division title.
The surprising defeat of their closest rivals, the Los Angeles Legends, at home to Fresno Fuego the night before had left the door wide open for Hitmen, who knew that three points in tonight’s fixture would give them an unassailable lead at the top of the standings. Head coach Matt Harold was forced with the unusual situation of having five starters unavailable for selection, with Federico Bianchi and Ricardo Mendoza still out injured, and Nick Kohlschreiber, Carlos Morales and Armando Ochoa suspended following the fracas in last week’s game against the legends. However, his team was bolstered by midfield dynamo Rene Corona’s return from suspension, the continued good form of strike partners Jaime Chavez and Willie Sims, and the solid defensive play of Peter Hazdovac and Amir Shafii.
With temperatures having peaked at over 100 degrees during the day, and in front of 350 Seahorses fans, the Hitmen took to the field in a determined frame of mind, but unexpectedly fell behind after just 12 minutes when Seahorses defender Mark Bagby connected with midfielder Tomislav Colic’s cross and headed past Hollywood goalkeeper Jose Miranda.
It was a setback for Hollywood, and it may have been easy for a lesser team to let their heads drop, but the strength of the team soon became apparent; the team re-grouped and equalized 7 minutes later, when Nick Blanco crossed from the right, the Seahorses failed to clear their lines properly, and the ball fell to top scorer Jaime Chavez, who buried the ball from ten yards for his tenth goal of the season.
After this frantic opening, the game settled into a fluid, back and forth game in which both teams had plenty of possession and plenty of chances. On the Seahorses side, Zambian wide man Kennedy Chongo looked threatening with his pace on the wing, while stocky target striker Ryan Shaw was a thorn in the side of the Hollywood back four with his strength and tenacity. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s offensive duo of Chaves and Sims linked well and assailed the Seahorses goal with a chances, playing off the creative midfield play of Corona and the speedy, skilful Jose Munoz, who was having an especially good game.
It was Willie Sims who gave the Hitmen the lead on 36 minutes, pouncing on a wayward pass from Seahorses defender Mark Bloom, moving with pace into the penalty area and finishing confidently past home keeper Mitchell McKay from twelve yards. The first half finished with the Hitmen ahead 2-1, knowing that another solid 45 minutes would give them the title.
Coach Harold was as forced into making a change at half time, replacing Jaime Chavez with Diego Barrera when the burly striker injured his toe just seconds before the half time whistle. The Hitmen shuffled their formation around a little, utilizing Sims as a lone striker, Barrera playing just behind him, and Earl Alexander and Fergie Agwu continuing prowling the sidelines, looking for that killer through ball.
The tactical switched paid dividends just five minutes into the second half when Sims scored his second goal of the game, running strongly through the Seahorses defense and placing the ball past McKay for his second goal of the game. Unfortunately, the Hitmen forgot one of the golden rules of soccer – “you are most vulnerable just after you’ve scored” – and forgot how to defend for 30 seconds, allowing Kennedy Chongo to dribble the ball from the center circle to the penalty area straight from the kickoff and finish past Miranda to make the score 3-2.
The Hitmen enjoyed several periods of sustained possession, passing cleanly and confidently between themselves, keeping the ball under control; however, as the second half progressed, the Seahorses threw everything at the Hitmen in a desperate search for an equalizing goal. The insertion of attacking substitute Dustin Suppe gave the Seahorses a new lease of life, and caused problems for Hollywood’s left back Erik Robert; Suppe sent several dangerous-looking crosses into the Hollywood six yard box which the Seahorses failed to convert, pushing several chances wide, and forcing Miranda to make a couple of important saves at close range.
Rene Corona was forced to briefly leave the field with a gash on his head, and later Albert Racca and Bryan Hernandez entered the game to spruce up Hollywood’s midfield with fresh legs. As the game drifted from 90 minutes into 4 minutes of stoppage time, and with the 20 or so visiting Hollywood fans hollering at referee Steve Elliott to blow the final whistle, the Seahorses continued to stream forward looking for that one clear cut chance, but it was to no avail. Elliott blew for time, reserve goalkeeper Laurent Grill dumped the ice chest over Coach Harold, and the players jumped and celebrated - Hollywood United Hitmen had won the title.
It’s a remarkable achievement for a first year team who only entered the league six weeks before the season kicked off, but who through a combination of hard work, teamwork and genuine talent, rose to the top of a difficult league filled with several strong teams.
The Hitmen complete their regular season schedule on the road against Fresno Fuego tomorrow, and can enjoy their trip up to Chukchansi Park knowing that the pressure is off. The work begins again next weekend when the Hitmen will host either Ventura County Fusion or the Los Angeles Legends in the divisional playoff final at Pacific Palisades High School; details to be confirmed.
