By Diego Zuñiga Georgetown, DE (October 27, 2020) The Baltimore Kings pro men’s soccer team scored three goals in the first 25 minutes and held on to the lead, winning 3-1 on the road this past Saturday at Atlético Zacatepec DE in Georgetown, DE. The Kings came out sharp and looked good in possession early on. The scoring began when outside right winger Pat Fleming broke down the right flank and played a ball on the ground in-behind a high back line. Left back Caleb Kaiss, who pushed up high into the attack for most of the first half, was there to finish past the goalkeeper to put the Kings up 1-0. Just a few minutes later, center back Ajay Jagadesan played a beautiful long diagonal ball over the back line into the path of Alex Shipley’s run. Shipley popped the bouncing ball over the goalkeeper’s head and into the back of the net, eventually proving to be the game-winner, to put the Kings up by two. Baltimore continued to press forward which opened up another offensive opportunity with a foul on the outside left corner of the 18-yard box. Forward Vaughn Ridings played a perfectly weighted free kick into the box which took a deflection off of a Zacatepec player into the goal. In the second half, the Kings played more of a defensive and cautious approach to attacking, looking to preserve the lead. Man-Of-The-Match Devon Douglas stepped up and led the backline, was strong in possession, and made several key tackles that started counter-attacking opportunities. Playing out-of-position due to a last minute roster change, Jagadesan looked comfortable in the backline and complemented Douglas well. The tempo of the game was set by the high work rate of center midfielders Ken Truong, Alex Shipley, and Gian Peixoto. Truong covered a lot of distance on the field, was strong in possession, and consistently converted his passes in the center of the field. Zacatepec created many offensive opportunities in the second half, but couldn’t put them away. As Zacatepec threw numbers forward, goalkeeper Brian Greuter made a few key saves in the second half that helped preserve Baltimore’s lead. Forward Chris Roberts came off the bench and was electric, putting in a gritty performance to spark several counter-attacks. Baltimore gave up a late penalty from a questionable foul in the box, resulting in a 3-1 final result. In a last-minute roster change, Baltimore Kings captain Josh Danza did not travel with the team to be with his family as they welcomed the arrival of their baby boy, Nehemiah Charles Danza, that same day. It is still possible to support our Baltimore Kings players. Individual player sponsorships as well as team sponsorships are available here. STARTING XI: Brian Greuter, Caleb Kaiss, Devon Douglas, Ajay Jagadesan, Tommy Humphries, Ken Truong, Gian Peixoto, Alex Shipley, Junior Escobar, Pat Fleming, Vaughn Ridings (c). SUBS: Nick Verdi, Axel Bax, Austin Murphy, Ioannis Kiotsekoglou, Gustavo Vera, Chris Roberts. SCORING SUMMARY: Goals - Caleb Kaiss, Alex Shipley, Vaughn Ridings; Assists - Pat Fleming, Ajay Jagadesan. Founded in 2015, the Baltimore Kings are a minor-league professional soccer club whose men’s team competes in Pro Soccer Alliance. In addition to a men’s soccer team, the Kings also have a pro men’s futsal team, men’s pro reserve team, women’s team, U23 teams, youth futsal academy, and a free youth soccer academy.
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 By Diego Zuñiga Baltimore, MD (October 20, 2020) The Baltimore Kings pro men’s soccer team will be traveling this weekend to play Atlético Zacatepec DE in Georgetown, Delaware - traveling out-of-state for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. “Many of our guys have been looking forward to this game and getting back on the field,” captain Josh Danza said. “As is true with most businesses in 2020, I’d be lying if I said we didn’t take a hit from everything that has happened. Although many of our games were cancelled throughout the year because of the pandemic, our club is alive and well, and our guys have been working hard behind the scenes.” The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has flooded professional sports organizations around the world with uncertainty, causing many minor league teams to temporarily or permanently shut their doors. Many players have been forced to make big decisions regarding their career. “The goal of the club is to create a platform to showcase talented players whose desire is to play at the next level and push them on to bigger opportunities. Some of our guys had previously lined up opportunities to play overseas, but were not allowed to leave the country because of travel restrictions. At one point we even had some of our guys stuck in foreign countries, not able to travel to the U.S. Of everyone, I really feel it most for the players. Most have made incredible sacrifices to continue their careers while seemingly everything is working against them. This club was created for them, so it is great to be back on the field playing.” Although this will be a closed-door match, it is still possible to support the players. Individual player sponsorships as well as team sponsorships are available here. Some familiar faces on the roster include Josh Danza, Tommy Humphries, Axel Bax, Austin Murphy, Ken Truong, Pat Fleming, Gian Peixoto, Yassine Iguidre, Alex Shipley, Ajay Jagadesan, Caleb Kaiss, Vaughn Ridings, Chris Roberts, Brian Greuter, and Rob Jamieson. Defender Devon Douglas was signed to the Pro Team in August after an outstanding summer with the U23s. Nick Verdi will also join the Pro Team after spending the past year training with the Pro Reserves. Former DC United standout Junior Escobar joins the Kings this weekend in his first match with the club. Escobar has also spent time with Esporte Clube São José in Brazil and C.D. Audaz in El Salvador. Midfielders Ioannis Kiotsekoglou and Gustavo Vera both impressed after coming in on trial for the past few weeks and will be making their debut with the club on Saturday. Roster vs. Atlético Zacatepec DE GOALKEEPERS: Brian Greuter, Rob Jamieson DEFENDERS: Josh Danza (c), Devon Douglas, Tommy Humprhies, Wilmer “Junior” Escobar, Caleb Kaiss, Nick Verdi, Axel Bax, Austin Murphy MIDFIELDERS: Ken Truong, Pat Fleming, Gian Peixoto, Yassine Iguidre, Alex Shipley, Ajay Jagadesan, Ioannis Kiotsekoglou, Gustavo Vera FORWARDS: Vaughn Ridings, Chris Roberts  Founded in 2015, the Baltimore Kings are a minor-league professional soccer club whose men’s team competes in Pro Soccer Alliance. In addition to a men’s soccer team, the Kings also have a pro men’s futsal team, men’s pro reserve team, women’s team, U23 teams, youth futsal academy, and a free youth soccer academy. |
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