After a successful 3-2 victory over BiH Grand Rapids last weekend, Lansing Common FC will play their final friendly of the season against USL League 2 side Fort Wayne FC on Thursday, July 1. Lansing will then host Midwest Premier League East Division leaders Detroit City FC U23 in a highly-anticipated matchup.
“I’m really excited,” head coach Josh Oakley said. “Thursday we will have one of the best practice/training games you could possibly ask for playing against a top-class Fort Wayne team.”
In preparation for the trip to Fort Wayne, Oakley had a Monday evening training session in which the team focused on defending and transitioning quickly into their offense.
Fort Wayne FC (1-5-5) currently sits in 8th place in the Great Lakes Division of USL League 2 and has only won one of their 11 total games. Their lone victory came against Toledo Villa FC on June 11 when they won 3-1.
Fort Wayne forward Noe Garcia is the club’s top scorer this season with four goals. Garcia is currently a sophomore at Indiana Tech, and last season, he scored 18 goals and recorded eight assists for the Warriors.
“They [Fort Wayne] are going to be a top team for years to come,” Oakley said. “We are going to have an extremely hard focus and edge about us because it’s two league games a week from now on.”
Lansing’s record is 1-1-1 in friendlies this season, and the team hopes to earn their second victory in friendlies against a talented Fort Wayne side.
Lansing will then look to celebrate the Fourth of July at home when they host Detroit City FC U23 in an important MWPL matchup. Detroit sits at the top of the East Division standings with 24 points, but has already played three more games than Lansing.
“It’s going to be fast-paced,” Oakley said. “We’re going to have to be patient without the ball and find ourselves in good positions defensively.”
Detroit is coming off a 2-1 victory over Michigan Stars FC U23 where they extended their winning streak to nine games on June 30. Goalkeeper Hunter Morse was sent off against the Stars in the 82nd minute due to a scuffle after the Stars scored.
Some players to keep an eye out for on Detroit are defender Will Perkins (Michigan State), midfielder Caio Mazzo (Madonna University), and forward Zion Beaton (Wright State).
Lansing (4-1-1 in the MWPL) has scored nine goals in their last four games and has only conceded three. They went undefeated in all competitions in the month of June.
“It was a great June for us, and we’re excited to get into July,” Oakley said. “Hopefully we can carry that momentum.”
Kickoff for Thursday’s night’s friendly in Fort Wayne is scheduled for 7 p.m. and Sunday’s league match against Detroit will begin at 2 p.m at Eastern Stadium. Tickets are available for $5 at https://app.gopassage.com/events/lansing-common-jul4
