By Datti Jinkiri
The boys in Carolina blue will hit the road this week and travel to the city that labels itself as “The Gateway to the West”. The Saint Louis FC U-23s will be the nemesis for two critical Mid-South Division battles.
Brilla picked up four points this past weekend against the previously unbeaten Oklahoma City Energy U23s. An impressive 2-1 victory on Friday night was followed by a 1-1 draw in a weather-delayed affair on Sunday. Now, Brilla sits in third place in the division and are just three points behind the Energy. They also sit seven points behind division leaders Midland, but the Sockers have a game in hand.
Oscar Jimenez put in a man of the match performance on Friday, scoring once and assisting on another goal. However, the revelation of the weekend was Newton Henry. The Jamaican forward entered Friday’s match and promptly scored the winner. He did more of the same on Sunday, scoring a second half equalizer to secure a point for Brilla.
Saint Louis FC currently are the cellar dwellers of the division with an 0-4-1 record. However, three of their losses have come by just one goal. They are a competitive team despite their seemingly subpar record.
Evan Kahsay, who plays his college ball at Akron, has scored twice this season for Saint Louis. Midfielder Mike Lightbourne is tied with him with two goals of his own.
Thursday’s and Saturday’s matches will both kickoff at 6:00 P.M. The SLSG Collinsville Complex in will be the venue for both matches.