Forward Madison FC hosted their first-ever knockout match at Breese Stevens Field on Wednesday, Sept. 11, defeating Charlotte Independence 2-1 as a part of the new United Soccer League Cup competition.
Forward Madison came into Wednesday night’s game having not lost in their last six matches. The flamingos most recent loss came in July against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC — their opponents in the upcoming final.
Both teams started the match with high intensity, with Independence forcing a diving save out of Flamingo goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann within the first 90 seconds. Schipmann was called to action again only seven minutes later, saving a sure goal and keeping the scores level.
“There’s a reason [Schipmann] is one of the top ‘keepers in the league,” captain Mitchell Osmond said postgame. “We don’t expect anything else, he comes up in big moments for us.”
The Independence managed to keep the Flamingos on the back foot, winning five corner kicks in the first 15 minutes of play. But, Forward Madison were able to find their footing, forcing several saves by Independence goalkeeper Austin Pack and winning a corner kick in the 34th minute.
Midfielder Devin Boyce swung the ball into the box, and following a scramble the ball fell to the feet of Osmond, who was able to fire the ball into the roof of the net, giving the Flamingos the 1-0 lead.
“I was quite calm, surprisingly,” Osmond said. “[Scoring a goal] doesn’t happen very often, I was probably in a bit of shock.”
Forward Madison’s lead wouldn’t last very long, as Independence midfielder Luis Alvarez poked a shot past Schipmann with less than 10 seconds to go in the first half, tying the score 1-1 at the break.
Following the intermission, Forward Madison wasted no time regaining the lead as their all-time leading goalscorer, Christian Chaney scored a left-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box only two minutes into the second half and celebrated with his trademark backflip.
“We talked about starting the second half properly, and we started it really well,” Forward Madison head coach Matt Glaeser said.
The intensity of the game never wavered, and tensions came to a boil in the 67th minute when Chaney was sent off for a second yellow card.
But, the red card did little to calm the game down as only 15 minutes later Independence midfielder Bachir Ndiaye was sent off for a straight red card due to a dangerous slide tackle on Flamingo attacker Juan Galindrez.
In the end, Forward Madison was able to hold on to their lead and advance to their first-ever cup final, which will be hosted by the Hailstorm in Windsor, Colorado on Saturday, Sept. 28.
“We’ve gotten a group together that we know should be competing for trophies,” Osmond said. “Every day that we come in, it’s to get into finals and to win silverware. The focus is there.”
Besides the USL Cup, Forward Madison currently sit in third place in the USL League One regular season standings, only one point behind both Union Omaha and Charlotte Independence.
“The club deserves [a win in the final], the fans deserve it, the city deserves it,” Osmond said. “We’ve put in a lot of work to be in this position. We’re going to win it.”
Last season, the Flamingos snuck into the six-team playoffs in sixth place, only one point ahead of South Georgia Tormenta FC, losing 4-1 in the quarterfinals to the Hailstorm.
They look to improve on that performance, and with only six matches left in the regular season, the Flamingos look to post their best-ever regular season finish, currently standing at fourth place during their inaugural season.
