Boys soccer: Scouting the MSL Cup
Boys soccer: Scouting the MSL CupBuffalo Grove (12-5-2) vs. Schaumburg (16-2-0)When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Schaumburg High School
Outlook: The 39th version of the Mid-Suburban League Cup in boys soccer features teams with contrasting styles.
Buffalo Grove overcame some less than dazzling results in nonconference matches and tournament play under coach Brad Abel by opening league play with five straight victories. The team kept on winning, staying a step ahead of a splendid Wheeling team which had been hoping for a third straight trip to the MSL Cup. The Bison will be playing for the MSL Cup for the fifth time in program history. They've won it once, when led by Brian McBride in 1988.
Schaumburg turned the preseason predictions made by opponents and its MSL rivals upside down by getting into the express lane and never letting off of the pedal. The Saxons finished 8 points clear of their closest division rival, Palatine. Schaumburg coach Hamid Mehreioskouei was a key figure on the MSL championship clubs of 1995 and 1996 led by coach Joe Gari before leading the Saxons to the 2011 final as coach.
Players to watch: Buffalo Grove: Drew Brauner (Sr, F-MF, 14g), Alexis Alfaro (Jr, MF, 5a), Colin Doyle (Sr, F, 12g), Ryan Drum (Sr, D), Hans Haller (Sr, D), Alexis Alvarez (Sr, MF), Daniel Sempoch (Sr, GK). Schaumburg: Jessie Lopez (Sr, MF, 13g, 7a), Jason Schoo (Sr, MF, 7g), Alexis Flores (Sr, F, 13g, 9a), Edgar Avila (Sr, GK, 11 shutouts), Andrew Ralston (Sr, D), Edward Gomez (Sr, F, 6g), Andrew Bird (Sr, D), Niko Davis (sr, D).
Tactics and team breakdowns:
Buffalo Grove - The Bison will most likely open with a modified 4-5-1 formation, with leading scorer Brauner the lone forward and Doyle withdrawn and in position to use his pace out on the wing. Alfaro, a junior, is clearly one of the most creative midfielders in the league, and his distribution skills plus high rate of possession enhances BG's attack. The backline duo of Drum and Haller are difficult to play over, as both are warriors in the air. And both defenders take roles in set-piece opportunities - Haller with his long throws, and Drum with a first-rate free kick. Sophomore GK Daniel Sempoch has been steady and has come along nicely this fall with the help of his senior teammates.
Schaumburg - The Saxons are capable of playing with plenty of flair, and it begins with the Saxons' two leaders in the middle of the park, Lopez and Schoo. "Coming off his All-American season last year, I was interested to see what approach (Lopez) would take, as well as how he would react to all of the attention from the year before," said Mehreioskouei. "He's elevated his game this year, and his drive to improve and back those around him is second to none." Schoo is a tireless box-to-box worker who helps make an already strong defensive team that much better. The addition of Davis to the team this year makes the duo of Ralston and Bird an exceptionally strong defensive unit in front of athletic shot-stopper Edgar Avila. Noah Kostkiewicz (10 goals) is yet another scoring option for a club which has has outscored its rivals 58-12 this fall.
They said it:
Brad Abel: "This team realized after the New Trier tournament that it didn't matter how much talent they had. In order to be successful, they needed to start playing together as a team, and put the work in day in and day out during training. When we became more disciplined defensively as a collective group, that allowed the creativity within the team to show in the way we attacked. This team loves to compete, and their desire to win has always been evident. But Schaumburg is the complete package. They are very well coached, they have defenders, and everyone knows they have the type of attacking players to put goals on the board quick, and in bunches. Jessie (Lopez) can turn a game on its head in an instant, and Jason Schoo is a tremendous defensive midfielder. It will take a total team effort to win, but I believe my boys aren't just happy to be here. They are hungry for more, and they will go out and leave it all out there, then see what happens."
Hamid Mehreioskouei: "Coming into the season, we were returning eight starters. So we felt from the start we should be able to compete for a league title. We've approached each opponent with the utmost respect and focus, and the boys understand how hard it is to earn 3 points, as Brad (Stevens, assistant coach) has really stressed that throughout. The hardest aspect of the season was the pressure of staying on top of the table, and being ranked with the upper echelon of teams throughout the state. We've had successful teams make special runs late in the season recently, but being out in front throughout the season was uncharted territory for all of us. We had a stretch when we played Wheeling, Barrington then Buffalo Grove, and came out of it with 3 wins and 7goals while conceding none.
"We felt we did a good job of reacting to the way (BG) played the first time around, but we'll look to continue doing the things that have gotten to this point. Brad has done a great job over there, so we expect him to have his boys ready for us."
- Mike Garofola