Last RIASA showcase game brings impressive victory

17/04/2011

RIASA beat Blackburn Rovers Academy Team in Showcase Event.

The RIASA team came out three to one winners over the Blackburn Rovers Academy on Tuesday afternoon at the Blackburn training centre. Karl Marten started in goal for the RIASA squad and was called on early in the game in order to keep the score deadlocked as Blackburn dominated the opening first quarter of the game.

Mark Ellis stated, “The Blackburn team showed excellent passing and movement and played at a quick pace – some of the RIASA players had to work hard to keep pace in the first part of the game”. As the game settled so did the RIASA players and they started to come more into the game. A trademark Joey Spivack free kick was sent over the Blackburn Rovers wall to put the RIASA team in front. Mark Ellis commented, “We have seen Joey hit a good free kick before – it was a real fantastic strike and even the Blackburn coach commented it would have beaten any keeper such was the quality of the strike”.

RIASA two other goals came from the boot of Delano Brown who worked tirelessly upfront with Christian Eissle. CJ Lyle was lively at times and the back four produced solid work to make sure that the RIASA squad ran out winners.

Mark Ellis stated, "The facility was fantastic, the surface for passing was the best we have seen at the professional grounds we have played at all year. I know Dai Jones was really pleased the way the RIASA team came together against a Blackburn squad that have players looking to be signed professional. The Blackburn coach was impressed with the quality of some of the players we had on show and is looking forward to playing us next season. In fact all the professional teams we have played this year want return games next year. The coaches of the pro teams have been somewhat surprised at the level of the players we have and obviously want to keep abreast of the players we are developing in the program”.

RIASA has three league games left, one of which will be at Valley Parade on April 30th – home to Bradford City FC. It is a 25,000-seat stadium that has in the past held premiership games. It will provide an unforgettable experience for the RIASA players to end their season, which started back in August; they are one game away from promotion.

Mark Ellis, added, ‘To the American boys it seems like a long season – they have played more games and had more training sessions in the nine months they have been here so far than they would have in three years of US college soccer. I have seen tremendous improvement from some of the players – I’m excited to see their development and I know next year some of them could really take off given they now know the expectations of what its all about”.

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/n/1135.aspx