The Calgary Storm welcomed their most celebrated player back to the fold on Saturday afternoon, but the Milwaukee Rampage put a damper on goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld's homecoming by defeating the Storm 1-0 at Foothills Park.
Hirschfeld just arrived in town after a two month trial at Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League and a start in Canada's 3-1 victory over Switzerland in a friendly on Wednesday.
A season-high but still disappointing crowd of 2011 saw a match that didn't heat up until the 33rd minute when Storm midfielder Kurt Bosch was brought down just outside the penalty area. In the following minutes Calgary had a two excellent scoring opportunities that failed to connect. Steffen Holdt put a blast wide left of the net while Damir Jesic's shot from the top of the box forced Rampage keeper Dan Popik to make the save.
In the 42nd minute, the Rampage had their best chance to this point, but forward John Wolyniec's close range shot was stopped by Hirschfeld.
In the final few minutes of the half, the Storm controlled the play. Jesic lofted a ball that landed on top of the net in the 42nd minute. Two minutes later, Peter Heidler's free kick sailed right into the box but captain Mark McKenna could not put his head to the ball.
Just after the second half began the Rampage took the lead. Midfielder Digital Takawira sent a great ball through to John Wolyniec, who slipped past the Storm defenders and put the ball behind Hirschfeld.
The goal changed the complexion of the match. The Storm appeared to be a bit unsettled by the marker and didn't continue to carry the play. Meanwhile, Milwaukee tightened up its defense.
The best chance the Storm had in the second frame was in the 61st minute when Nick Ledgerwood made a long pass to Nicholas Zuniga, who was all alone against the keeper. However, his shot went well over the bar.
Wolyniec had a couple of chances to get a second goal. In the 83rd minute, he took a solid shot from point blank range, but Hirschfeld showed why he's Canada's current keeper of choice by making the save and the stopping the resulting rebound. A minute later, Wolyniec just missed the net after receiving a cross into the box.
The Storm did try to apply pressure as the game neared full time. Holdt still couldn't find the net in the 81st minute when his one-timer off a corner went wide left. Substitutes Chris Lemire and Hugo Martins tried to get something going in the last few minutes, but it was to no avail.
After the game, Storm owner Michael Vandale voiced his displeasure at the quality of officiating he was seeing at Foothills Park. He cited a couple of specific situations where Milwaukee players failed to be penalized.
The Storm's next game is on Saturday at 2pm when the Seattle Sounders visit Foothills Park.
Lineups:
Calgary: Hirschfeld, Ledgerwood, Pavicic, DeSilva, Munoz (Zuniga 53), Heidler, Jesic (Martins 69), Holdt, Bosch, Napuri (Lemire 53), McKenna
Milwaukee: Popik, Fadeski (Henning 65), Aldrich, Makumbu, Bernal, Radoncic (Brennan 46), Bilyk, Russell, Reti, Wolyniec, Takawira
Goals:
Milwaukee: Wolyniec (48)
Cautions:
Calgary: McKenna (18)
Milwaukee: Bilyk (39)
Attendance: 2011
Weather: overcast, about 10C (50F)
STORM WARNINGS:
With the return of Hirschfeld, Jamie Glasnovic sat on the bench for the Storm. John Hawreliak, who started the Calgary's first game of the season, was sent down to the PDL team. The Calgary Storm Prospects begin their season this weekend in Yakima where they face the Reds. The Prospects' head coach is Tommy Wheeldon, who has an extensive resume as a player and coach in Britain.
Forward Hugo Martins made his first appearance for the Storm when he came in for Damir Jesic in the 69th minute. Unlike most of the players on the Storm, he is not a product of area soccer programs. Martins was born in Brazil, but grew up in Orlando.
Storm captain Mark McKenna received his second yellow card of the season and will be suspended for the next game.
On the injury front, Storm forward Felix Napuri sufficiently recovered from his concussion last week to get the start. Midfielder Jamie Auvigne is still out of the lineup. It is not known when he'll return to action.
