In the second match of their Dutch tour, the Generation adidas squad broke through for victory on Tuesday, holding on for a hard-earned 3-2 victory at second-division side FC Volendam despite finishing the game with 10 men.
Dilly Duka, Will Bruin and Omar Salgado scored for the MLS side, and they ended up needing all three goals in a game that turned frantic in the final 15 minutes.
Five days after falling to Ajax’s reserves, the Gen adidas squad again got on the board first. Kevin Alston was brought down on the right side of the area in the eighth minute after a quick combination of passes sprung him free. Duka’s ensuing free kick swerved around the wall and past Volendam goalkeeper Mitchel Michaelis for the young Columbus star’s second goal in as many games on the GA tour.
The MLS side came close to increasing their lead on several occasions in the early part of the first half. Led by the stellar midfield play of Duka and Amobi Okugo, the GAs managed to keep long spells of possession with sharp passing sequences whose conclusion was thwarted by the attentive play of Michaelis.
Against the run of play, FC Volendam managed to tie the score in the 25th minute. With a quick counterattacking run, Jeffrey Bok split the GA defense and filtered a pass to striker Joris Dekker, who slotted the ball under an onrushing David Bingham to even the score.
The Gen adidas squad came out for the second half with renewed energy. The GAs immediately began to pressure the Volendam back four into forcing turnovers, and it paid off quickly. Amobi Okugo picked off a pass in the 50th minute and slotted a precise through ball to the feet of Bruin, who blasted the ball from just inside the penalty area to put the MLSers back on top.
They added to their lead just five minutes later when Danny Mwanga – a halftime substitution for Duka, who left with a bruised foot – got free on the left side and served a ball into Salgado. The No. 1 pick in the 2011 SuperDraft received the ball with his back to goal, spun around and unleashed a shot to the top corner, leaving Michaelis frozen.
The GA squad continued to control the game, but couldn’t add another goal thanks to some excellent goalkeeping from Michaelis, who was the man of the match for the Dutch side.
In the 76th minute, Jack McInerney was sent off for dissent, leaving the Gen adidas side with 10 men. Volendam seized the advantage and began to push forward. Following a scramble inside the GA penalty area in the 82 minute, Volendam right back Bowedee Burleson pounced on a loose ball and blasted a shot from 15 yards that Bingham could not save.
The goal spurred the Dutch team on as they frantically pushed for the equalizer, but the GAs rode out the final minutes and held on for the victory.
The Generation adidas squad will have a quick turnaround as they prepare for their final match in the Netherlands on Wednesday afternoon at Volendam’s Eerste Divisie rivals Almere City FC.
Lineups:
FC Volendam -- 1-Mitchel Michaelis, 2-Bowedee Burleson, 3-Ger Schilder (14-Ludcinio Marengo 46’), 4-Sven Talsma, 5- Geraldo Hoogvliets, 6-Roy Bussman (17-Robert Timisela 46’), 7-Quincy de Leuv, 8-Jeffrey Bok (18-Marouane Bensabouh 55’), 9- Joris Dekker, 10- Soufian Moro (15-Yordi van Beek 55’), 11-Jasper de Bie
Generation adidas -- 1-David Bingham, 2-Kevin Alston (8-Kofi Sarkodie 81’), 4-Sacir Hot, 23-Conor Shanosky, 6-Zarek Valentin, 22-Amobi Okugo (5-Luis Gil 65’), 15-Matt Kassel, 10-Corey Hertzog (9-Jack McInerney 56’), 17-Omar Salgado (14-Michael Tetteh 86’), 11 Dilly Duka (20-Danny Mwanga 46’), 18-Will Bruin
Shots: FCV-5 GA-19
Fouls: FCV-10 GA-21
Corners: FCV-2 GA-7
Offside: FCV-0 GA-3
Cautions: FCV-0 GA- Okugo 33’
Ejections: FCV-0 GA- McInerney 76’ (dissent)
