Yeah, I didn’t update y’all on this one. Saturday’s match for FC Tucson was a scrimmage against the RSL Academy up in Casa Grande. Yes, they were all 18 and unders, but they are 18 and unders who could get called up if Fabian Espindola turns an ankle. They are also regarded as one of the better sides among the MLS academies.
Rick Schantz described the game to me as “chippy.” His impression was that the RSL kids were surprised at how good FC Tucson was and that frustrated them a bit. This frustration likely led to an unfortunate incident where a RSL player directed a racial slur at Connor Chin. Chin got a red for his retaliation. Because it was a “friendly” (friends always throw around a few racial slurs, right?), the teams agreed to allow Tucson to replace Chin.
Schantz was quick to mention Philipe Garre as a standout. Because they had just played the night before, and had trained hard the whole week, there were some switches made because of fatigue. Charles Blaze, who has played in midfield, was put in as right back. Schantz was surprised at how good he was there and may keep him there from here on in.
No game in town this week. The team will be in Prescott for two games, one against Yavapai FC and the other against the Arizona Sahuaros.
