Lansing Common FC will be on the road for the first and only time this month when they face Michigan Stars’ U23 squad and Livonia City FC. The Robins will play two matches in three days this weekend, the second of four times they will do so this season.
“We’re looking forward to the weekend slate of games,” said head coach Josh Oakley. “It is going to be a tough two games in three days and we know our opponent on friday will be a very good opponent, but we are starting to play a little bit better every single day.”
Michigan Stars FC U23 (4-1-1, 13 points in 6 GP) sit atop the East Division standings, but could be dethroned by Detroit City FC’s U23s this weekend. The Stars, who were idle last week, have only dropped points twice this season including a 1-1 draw against Inter Detroit two weeks ago.
After consecutive league victories against Inter Detroit with a combined 6-1 scoreline, the Robins are looking to continue improving upon their recent run of form, and implement similar tactics that have recently proven to be successful.
“I do think there are some things we need to clean up. We can’t keep turning the ball over, making careless mistakes and careless errors,” said Oakley. “However, I do think we are in decent form right now and a couple things cleaned up just a little bit should help us.”
After traveling to Michigan Stars Sport Center in Washington Township on Friday, the Robins will close out the weekend at Livonia City FC (1-3-5, 6 points in 9 GP). Livonia, having played the most matches in the division heading into the weekend, sits below Lansing Common in the East Division standings. They will be coming off a Thursday night loss to DCFC’s U23s that officially eliminated them from division title contention.
“It’s a really quick turnaround time and this is where our depth is going to be tested a little bit,” said Oakely. “We’ve got a couple of guys who are on one game a week for us with college commitments, …, but it also gives our other guys a chance to step up.”
The Robins, after dropping their first league game to the West Michigan Bearings, have started to find their footing as they begin their quest to climb the table. The combination of Ty Usiak and Shady Omar as a dynamic striker duo has given the Robins plenty of offensive options, while Trevor Towghi’s recent emergence has given Oakley another crafty midfielder to throw at opposing teams.
“What I see in training is our abilities in the attack and every single day it gets a little sharper and a little cleaner,” said Oakley. “You’ve got to score goals to win games so obviously that is really coming along, and sometimes your best defense is a good offense.”
This weekend’s matches make up the middle part of four league games the Robins will play this month. With a valuable six points on the line against two teams at opposite ends of the East Division standings, the Robins will look to have a pair of strong showings that result in a perfect weekend.
“Hopefully we can replicate some of the things that we did against Inter, stay in their half, make the game on their backs, and get our goals,” said Oakley. “Then, when we have to stand up and stand tall, we will.”
