Lansing Common FC will begin the month of June with a home friendly against the Grand Haven Admirals in what will be their final tune-up before a string of Midwest Premier League contests later this month.
“We are going to approach this game to really go and win it,” said head coach Josh Oakley. “The last game we played it was clear that we were not after solely a victory, we were after playing everyone, getting a final look at some of our practice squad players and seeing where they fit.”
The Robins are coming off a successful weekend doubleheader where they took three points on the road against Inter Detroit on Friday and continued two days later with a hard-fought last-second loss in a friendly at Kalamazoo FC.
“This game will be different, we are going to go as hard as we can to try and win the game,” Oakley said.
In both matches, Lansing Common started the better of the two teams and scored the first two goals in both games. After first-half goals from Julian Birge and Shady Omar, the Robins held off a late Inter Detroit comeback attempt and left Evolution Sportsplex with a 2-1 victory.
Two days later, the Robins were once again quick to strike first. Seth Russ opened the scoring eight minutes in while Ty Usiak’s goal sent Lansing Common into the break with a 2-0 lead. The Robins would ultimately fall to Kalamazoo FC 3-2.
“I think there is a bit more of a focus on starting quickly, it could be a few different players that we have picked for those games,” said Oakley. “I do just think it is kind of a mentality of growing into the season, just like growing into a game. Our guys know that a fast start is good for us and we have done it twice now.”
The Grand Haven Admirals (3-2-1, 3rd place Midwest Conference – East) are coming off a 3-1 loss on the road against Cedars FC in the United Premier Soccer League’s Premier Division. The Admirals have also played Lansing Common’s most recent opponent, Kalamazoo FC, in a friendly on May 12, in which the Admirals lost 2-0.
Grand Haven is undefeated at home this season but have struggled on the road. The Admirals have scored a combined 18 goals in their three victories, but are winless when scoring two or fewer. This weekend’s fixture will be a good test for Lansing Common’s defense as they face off against a potent Grand Haven attack.
“We still don’t have a full team, we have got guys battling injuries, guys battling some other off the field things, but hopefully by next week we will have the full team,” said Oakley. “When we have a full team to pick from, we will be very very good.”
Sunday’s match will be pivotal for the Robins even though points won’t be on the line. Lansing Common will play four MWPL matches this month, including two important home games against BiH Grand Rapids and Inter Detroit, who they defeated last Friday to earn their first league win.
The match against Grand Haven gives Josh Oakley and his staff another look at how well his players can perform and what they will look like going forward.
This weekend’s friendly is part of the Lansing Soccer Showcase at Eastern Stadium. Lansing United’s women’s team will play the first game of the doubleheader against Chicago Kics at 2:00 p.m. and Lansing Common will take on Grand Haven in the second leg around 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and valid for both matches.
