2020 Fourside Eagles FC season
The 2020 Fourside Eagles FC season is the eleventh in the history of the Fourside Eagles FC, and their tenth anniversary of their inaugural season in 2010. It will be the fifth season under the management of Robin Fraser.
Season Synopsis
The offseason started out with a flurry of activity; even though Fourside didn't lose anyone in the expansion draft, the team did lose Jeff Larentowicz and Drew Moor to Free Agency, But the team did sign Will Johnson to a deal shortly afterward. The Eagles then completed a three-way trade with the New York Red Bulls and the expansion team Nashville SC, sending David Accam to Nashville and GAM plus draft picks to the Red Bulls, receiving another draft pick from Nashville and Kemar Lawrence from the Red Bulls, the centerpiece of the trade. After Evan Newton's contract was restructured to not be counted as a Designated Player, the Eagles had two DP slots available on their roster - and made an immediate splash in the transfer market, paying $7.5 million USD for San Lorenzo forward Nicolas Blandi, and $3.5 million USD for Feyenoord midfielder Renato Tapia. Afterwards, the Eagles signed USL Golden Boot winner Solomon Asante for an undisclosed fee from Phoenix Rising FC, and traded for Brenden Aaronsen in exchange for GAM money.
The season started off with Champions League action against CD Olimpia, as they won the away leg in Honduras 3-1 in 30 degree weather, and won the home leg 2-1 directly after a snowstorm, with -10 degree weather. Their first regular season game was an eventful one, as Fourside found themselves down 2-0 at halftime and 3-1 midway through the second half, but goals from Renato Tapia and goalkeeper Evan Newton (his 2nd for the team, becoming the first MLS goalkeeper to score more than once) ensured that the Eagles would tie against the Red Bulls. After a loss against Atlanta, the Eagles won in Montreal in the CONCACAF Quarterfinals, with a large away crowd in the stands cheering them on.
Following the four-month hiatus from play, Fourside returned to action in the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Florida. The majority of the fans boycotted the event, criticizing the location of the tournament and the league's handling of the health and safety of the players. Just three minutes into their first match against Columbus, Cameron Reid slid on the turf and laid down on the grass injured, which was later revealed to be a torn hamstring. Derlis Gonzalez and Renato Tapia also had to be subbed off due to injury concerns. The team had went through all five of their allowed substitutions by halftime, and further fitness concerns from Jon Bautista and Ventura Alvarado forced Fourside to finish with nine players on the field. Fourside ended up losing the match 4-0. In the second match against Atlanta, Fourside won 1-0 from a goal from Solomon Asante, though the match was overshadowed by James Kelly's remarks towards the referee wishing that he got ill, forcing his removal from the team after the game.
The Eagles won their next game against the Red Bulls 2-0, profiting from an own goal, the first ever in favour of the Eagles. The win advanced the team into the knockout stages of the tournament, where they faced off against Portland in the Round of 16. There, Derlis Gonzalez provided two late goals from miscues from the Portland goalkeeper to advance to the Quarterfinals. At the Quarterfinals, Fourside was dominant in their 3-1 victory over New York City FC. In the Semi-finals, Fourside saw off Philadelphia 2-1, as Evan Newton saved a penalty shot heading into halftime, and Blandi scored his first goal for the team in months. In the tournament final, Fourside defeated hometown Orlando City 2-1, with goals from Michael Donovan and Brian Jansen. The tournament win not only guaranteed that Fourside would be in the CONCACAF Champions League in 2021, but also gave a second berth to a Micronesian team as well. Evan Newton, Brian Jansen, Brenden Aaronsen and Derlis Gonzalez were named to the MLS is Back Tournament Best XI, with Newton winning the Golden Glove award as well.
Returning back to the MLS Regular Season, the Eagles played their home matches out of Boardwalk Park, normally the home stadium of Davenport FC, since Virgin Stadium was in use as a facility to store food and medical supplies, as well as acting as a quarantine facility. Fourside did not score for the first five games back, producing a goalless streak that surpassed the one set back in 2010. Despite this, Fourside managed to get three draws in the five games thanks to their strong goalkeeping. Fourside broke their goalless streak in a 2-1 loss to NYCFC, and finally got back in the win column against the Red Bulls thanks to a goal from Brian Jansen, scored directly from a corner kick. The Eagles won again against Philadelphia, making it the 100th win for manager Robin Fraser in all competitions for the club.
After a huge loss to NYCFC, Fourside won against Minnesota and then lost in another drubbing against Philadelphia. The Eagles then went on a 5-game undefeated streak at home, drawing three times and winning twice. The goalkeeping of Evan Newton was especially noteworthy, as he made dozens of saves during the homestand. Even though Fourside dropped the final two games of the season, the Eagles performed well enough to place 9th in the Eastern Conference, good enough to qualify for the play-in round of the playoffs. There, they faced off against the New York Red Bulls, where they were tied heading into stoppage time, but an own goal from a deflection off Nick Besler and the Eagles lost the game.
The Eagles resumed play in the CONCACAF Champions League after a nine-month hiatus, but their bad form continued throughout the tournament. The Eagles lost the second led of their Quarterfinal to Montreal 1-0, but still advanced to the Semifinals thanks to the away goals rule. There, they faced off against Tigres UANL, in their fourth matchup in the last five years. Brian Jansen was sent off due to a controversial handball that he stated after the game was "purely accidental." The Tigres converted the penalty to take the lead of the match. Another handball penalty gave UANL a 2-0 lead, then Paul Boyd knocked a deflection into his own net, giving Tigres UANL a 3-0 victory, the Eagles' fourth defeat to the team in the last five years.
Regular Season Games
Date | Team | Stadium | Final Score | W-L-T Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 1, 2020 | New York Red Bulls | Red Bull Arena | 3-3 | 0-0-1 |
March 7, 2020 | Atlanta United FC | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 1-2 | 0-1-1 |
July 11, 2020 | Columbus Crew SC | ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex | 0-4 | 0-2-1 |
July 16, 2020 | Atlanta United FC | ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex | 1-0 | 1-2-1 |
July 21, 2020 | New York Red Bulls | ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex | 2-0 | 2-2-1 |
August 21, 2020 | DC United | Boardwalk Park | 0-0 | 2-2-2 |
August 25, 2020 | Chicago Fire FC | Soldier Field | 0-3 | 2-3-2 |
August 29, 2020 | Columbus Crew SC | Boardwalk Park | 0-0 | 2-3-3 |
September 1, 2020 | Chicago Fire FC | Boardwalk Park | 0-0 | 2-3-4 |
September 6, 2020 | Columbus Crew SC | MAPFRE Stadium | 0-3 | 2-4-4 |
September 12, 2020 | New York City FC | Red Bull Arena | 1-2 | 2-5-4 |
September 19, 2020 | New York Red Bulls | Red Bull Arena | 2-0 | 3-5-4 |
September 23, 2020 | Philadelphia Union | Boardwalk Park | 1-0 | 4-5-4 |
September 26, 2020 | New York City FC | Red Bull Arena | 0-4 | 4-6-4 |
October 3, 2020 | Minnesota United FC | Allianz Field | 3-2 | 5-6-4 |
October 7, 2020 | Philadelphia Union | Subaru Park | 0-3 | 5-7-4 |
October 11, 2020 | Toronto FC | Boardwalk Park | 1-1 | 5-7-5 |
October 14, 2020 | Columbus Crew SC | Boardwalk Park | 2-1 | 6-7-5 |
October 18, 2020 | DC United | Boardwalk Park | 2-1 | 7-7-5 |
October 24, 2020 | Minnesota United FC | Boardwalk Park | 0-0 | 7-7-6 |
October 28, 2020 | Sporting Kansas City | Boardwalk Park | 1-1 | 7-7-7 |
November 1, 2020 | Atlanta United FC | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 0-2 | 7-8-7 |
November 8, 2020 | Inter Miami CF | Inter Miami CF Stadium | 1-2 | 7-9-7 |
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Other Games
Goal Scorers
Player | MLS Season | Mic. Champ | CONCACAF | Playoffs | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Michael Donovan | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2[1] | 8 |
Derlis Gonzalez | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3[2] | 6 |
Brian Saramago | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2[3] | 4 |
Nicolas Blandi | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1[4] | 4 |
Solomon Asante | 2[5] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Stephen Sunday | 2[6] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Brian Jansen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[7] | 2 |
Dave Watson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[8] | 2 |
Brenden Aaronson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Renato Tapia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Evan Newton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Juan Elia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Matt Hedges | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Lamar Neagle | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Jon Bautista | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Own Goal | 1[9] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
- ↑ Includes goal in MLS is Back Tournament
- ↑ Includes 3 goals in MLS is Back Tournament
- ↑ Includes 2 goals in MLS is Back Tournament
- ↑ Includes goal in MLS is Back Tournament
- ↑ Includes goal in MLS is Back Tournament
- ↑ Includes goal in MLS is Back Tournament
- ↑ Includes goal in MLS is Back Tournament
- ↑ Includes goal in MLS is Back Tournament
- ↑ Includes goal in MLS is Back Tournament
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