Match Preview: Peachtree City Open Second Half of Season Against Memphis

After such a promising start to the year that saw MOBA open 2-1-2 and reach the top of the table, back-to-back 2-0 away losses have sparked some fear that this season may degrade into a carbon copy of the previous two. As a result of the two losses and results across the division, South Georgia Tormenta FC and Mississippi Brilla FC are running away with the division, and if MOBA want to get themselves back into the race, it will require an immediate turn around and some immediate success. Thankfully, Peachtree City have back-to-back home fixtures against the perfect team.

A common theme throughout Peachtree City's most recent loss to the Tri-Cities Otters was disorganization. All ten of the field players seemed to be on completely different pages, and it cost them dearly. While there is no official count, MOBA couldn't have completed more than maybe 60% of their passes, as time after time balls were getting played straight into the teeth of the defense. A part of the issue came as a result of the two attacking midfielders/forwards Chris Davis and Kai Bennett continually leaving Dean Foster on an island upfront. The spacing between the three attackers meant that the defense could focus intently on Foster and take him out of the match, which they did really well. Defensively, the center-backs Jerry Wiltshire and Artur De Luca kept bleeding out to the wings, leaving nobody defending Guillermo Segovia, who scored both of the Otters' goals. The sole bright spot on the team was goalkeeper Konrad Dziedzic, who had a stellar outing despite the two goals allowed which included a PDL Save of the Week candidate off an early free kick that kept things 1-0. Going forward, it will require a lot of work to get things turned around, as following their two match stretch against Memphis, MOBA have to face Mississippi three times in their final five matches, two of which are on the road. Omar Jarun has all the pieces he needs to make a successful team, but the puzzle has to start coming together, otherwise it will be a long final seven matches.

While the results have been tough, Peachtree City find themselves looking at back-to-back matches against the last-place team in the division, Memphis City FC. Through their first seven matches, Memphis are without a win, sitting at 0-6-1. They are last in the division in goals scored and goals allowed, with a goal differential of -13. Peachtree City got both of their wins against Memphis earlier in the season, topping the newcomers 4-3 and 3-0. If Peachtree City want to turn their season around, they have to take advantage of what they have before them and find a way to get six points out of these two games.

Keys to Success:

• Organization: Step one is obvious: stay organized. Nothing is going to come easy, but if there can be more dedication to the formation and game plan, things will be a lot simpler. Nobody is going to hand you a win, but if Peachtree City can commit to what they have worked on in training, they will have a great chance to get some positive results.
• Shoot: Another thing that doomed MOBA was just a lack of trying. To accrue just six shots against one of the worst defenses in the division is not a recipe for any sort of success. In order to start getting back in the win column, there needs to be some more pressure from the offense on the opposing goalkeeper. As the old saying goes, you can't score if you don't shoot.

Kickoff for Peachtree City MOBA vs. Memphis City FC is scheduled for June 21st at 7:30 PM at the MOBA Soccer Academy in Peachtree City. Tickets for the match are available at MOBASoccer.com/tickets.

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