Hellenic United (Blue) kicked off its inaugural National Soccer League Major Division season in impressive fashion, beating CKS Warta 1-5 at Redmond Park in Bensenville on ......
The NSL Major Division newcomers did not get off to a good start however, as Warta opened the scoring just three minutes into the match. A Hellenic United defensive miscue led to a breakaway for home side Warta, which was converted for an early 1-0 lead.
Not to be deterred, Hellenic United roared back and took a 1-2 lead going into halftime. Alen Smjecanin opened the scoring for HU off of a feed from Nermin Dautovic, and then Dautovic put HU ahead for good after an Alen Malkoc pass.
HU coach Andy Sotiropoulos switched formations at halftime from a 3-5-2 to a more traditional 4-4-2, and the results were immediate. HU took control of the game, created numerous opportunities, and ultimately put the match away with three more goals in the second half. The last half hour of the contest was the Alen Smjecanin show, as HU's striker scored three times in that time span. Nermin Dautovic, Elias Litos, and Matt Bond assisted on Smjecanin's second half tallies.
Goalkeeper David Barszczowski also made his presence felt with a spectacular save in the dying minutes of the match.
Despite the win, Sotiropoulos was not entirely satisfied. "It was a sloppy win, but I'll take it. Winning in this league is hard enough, let alone by a 5-1 tally. Nonetheless, we have a lot of room for improvement. I was disappointed in our tactical discipline playing the 3-5-2. It seemed like the guys were much more comfortable in the 4-4-2. We also have a lot of work to do in terms of conditioning and ball movement, particularly upping the tempo and changing the point of attack. On the flip side, we scored five goals against a team that's been in the Major Division for quite a few years. I can't be disappointed in that."Game Lineup:
Barszczowski, Nanic, Moraitis, Hadziahmetovic, Abraham, Malkoc, Marks, Dautovic, Guzina, Litos, Smjecanin (Bond, Acamovic, Mahmutovic, Prses, Villanueva)
Game Summary:
1:1 Alen Smjecanin (Nermin Dautovic) 1:2 Dautovic (Alen Malkoc)
Jovica Nanic 1:3 Smjecanin (Dautovic) 1:4 Smjecanin (Elias Lithos) 1:5 Smjecanin (Matthew Bond)