This weekend's double header at Centennial features the same two teams on back-to-back days, with both sides eliminated from the MASL2 playoffs. Blizzard have a change in goal for the weekend, with Daniel Orozco taking over the starting position from Huber Letona, with Angel Olivo remaining the reserve. Ahead of him, Diego Yang steps into the Defensive Mid position in the starting 5, with Ryan DeBois absent from the roster. On the bench, AM Xavier Brown is replaced by DM Gustavo Nascimento.
The Blizzard entered the weekend with an odd-looking stat line. The leading players are Defenders Devan DiGrado and Spencer Overturf, Midfielder Francesco Esteban (on loan from MASL's Kansas City Comets), Forward Logan Weller, and Target Forward Boubabar Diagana. DiGrado is the number four points scorer this season and the second highest assist man, but things are less rosy on the defensive side. Regular starting goalkeeper Letona (who isn't playing this weekend) has a 9.00 Goals Against Average, and the team had a -43 goal difference. In contrast, the Demon Hawks' keeper Rainer Hauss has a 2.83 GAA.
We spoke with Johnny Freedom, Wichita's play-by-play. He said Jared Robbins, Taylor Henry, Kieran Laking, and Joel Baroso are the key players on a younger-than-usual Wings roster. Baroso in goal is a significant obstacle, with what Freedom describes as "significant M1 experience" with St Louis Ambush and the Mesquite Outlaws. All four have "a lot of indoor experience" with the Wings.
The Wings travel without three of their statistical leaders. From a quartet of midfielders - Radley Arnold, Brian Aleman, David Lucio, and Lalo Derath - only Lucio travelled. Derath is leading the league in blue cards and in fouls committed.
Lucio, Laking, Henry, and Robbins are all former FC Wichita outdoor players. Even as a center back in the outdoor game, Robbins is one of the team's leading goal-scorers and plays as a Target Forward indoors.
The two teams met in Kansas in the second game of the season for the visitors, a 10-2 demolition, ending the first quarter tied 1-1, but lost the second by a four-goal margin and went scoreless in the third and fourth.
We will have a review of the double header on Sunday for subscribers.
