Reading United News Release --
www.readingunitedac.com
Thursday, July 25, 2013
READING, Pa. – For the second consecutive season,
Reading United A.C. have advanced to the PDL’s Eastern Conference
Championship weekend. United are now just one of 16 clubs still fighting
for a chance to lift the PDL’s championship trophy. This season, the
Eastern Conference Championships will be played in Ocean City, N.J. and
will be hosted by the Mid Atlantic Division champions, the Ocean City
Nor’easters. Reading will face the Northeast Division champions, the
Ottawa Fury (11-1-2), in the Conference Semifinal on Saturday at Ocean
City’s Tennessee Avenue Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
United
earned their trip to the conference championship with a thrilling 3-1
victory against the Baltimore Bohemians on Tuesday night. Reading
thoroughly dominated the match, with leading goalscorer Mario Pinto
opening the scoring in the second minute. The Bohs were able to level
the match on a Geaton Caltabiano free kick in the 29th minute. Early in
the second half, United were reduced to 10 men when midfielder Keegan
Rosenberry picked up his second yellow card of the match and was
ejected.
Though down a man, United peppered the Bohs with 12 shots in the
second half and forced the match to extra time. In the 96th minute,
Jason Plumhoff hit a perfectly lofted free kick that Fatai Alashe headed
into the back of the Baltimore goal. Six minutes later, Dante Marini
sealed the victory for United, taking a pass from Plumhoff and scoring
past Bohs goalkeeper Zach Kane.
The Fury were one of the best clubs during the PDL’s regular season
and are a very formidible opponent. The Northeast Division champions
have one of the league’s top scorers in Carl Haworth and boast a
defensive unit that has not conceded a goal in 814 minutes of
league play.
Goalkeeper Chad Bush has recorded a league-leading 10 clean sheets this
season. As a team, Ottawa has conceded just seven goals during the 2013
campaign. Ottawa also features former Reading United midfielder Jacob
Barron. The Penn State alum has a goal and four assists for the Fury.
Reading will need to pay close attention to Haworth. Ottawa’s captain
has 14 goals and 12 assists this season and recorded a hat-trick in the
Fury’s divisional playoff match against GPS Portland Phoenix. Haworth
is a member of Canada’s Under-23 Men’s National Team and represented his
country at the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The
midfielder was selected by the Montreal Impact in the fourth round of
the 2012 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft.
United’s challenge will be finding a way to break down one of the
PDL’s top defensive units. Throughout the middle of the season, United’s
offensive unit has struggled in front of goal despite strong build up
play.
Thirteen goals in the last four matches may indicate that Head Coach
Brendan Burke has his United players peaking at just the right moment.
With a win over Ottawa on Saturday, United would face the
winner
of the other conference semifinal, either arch-rival Ocean City or the
Carolina Dynamo on Sunday. The conference championship match is
scheduled to be played at picturesque Carey Stadium, just off the Ocean
City boardwalk. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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