After putting up such a spectacle against Barron Soccer Club last weekend in a US National Cup Match that ended 8:1 in favor of the City Lions at the club’s home turf in Osseo, MN, FC Minneapolis traveled to St Joseph yesterday for their first league game against Granite City, a club they lost twice to last year.
There were minor changes in the City Lions’ lineup introducing Fredrick Morlu as a right back and Layton Blair as an attacking mid who played with Ian Sendi and Leon Brownell in the Club’s 4:3:3 middle field.
After moving to Granite City, playing 6 games and scoring 4 goals for the Rocks last year, Rolando Barclay finally returned to FC Minneapolis and had his debut against Barron SC last weekend making yesterday’s campaign against his former teammates his second this season.
The 26 year old striker struggled to find the back of the net last weekend and he knew there was going to be increased pressure on him if he did not lift up his hood soon, so he came with a passion and determination to score goals, and that he did!
By the end of the first half, FC Minneapolis was leading three nil with two of those goals scored by Barclay and the other by Layton Blair, the 21 year old Jamaican playing with the City Lions under the Club’s International Players Program.
Rolando Barclay managed to score two more goals in the second half making him the league’s top scorer so far and the man of the match.
Ian Sendi suffered from an ankle injury at the beginning of the game, and even though he managed to muscle it out for the most part of the game, he was replaced by Emmanuel Togar in the 68th minute.
His fellow country man Nathaniel Atamba was not able to finish the game due to a sustained groin injury. He was replaced by Lorestho Banks in the 70th minute, but the striker also finished the game with a quad muscle tear and he is expected to be out for the next few games.
Another International Players Program legatee Michael Sekitoleko was introduced in the game to replace Layton Blair in the 73rd minute of the game. Lawrence Guilao, and Francis Halb replaced Leon Brownell and Emmanuel Morris in the last 12 minutes of the game consecutively.
Speaking about Rolando Barclay, Ian Sendi said that, the Liberian-American forward is one of the best strikers he has ever played with. He added to quote that “Rolando Barclay is ready to play at the highest level there’s in football.”
FC Minneapolis will be resuming practice tomorrow in Brooklyn Park as they prepare themselves for an away trip to South Dakota to face Dakota Young stars this Saturday in Sioux Falls.
