Chicago House Athletic Club picked up one of their biggest wins of the season so far on Saturday night as they defeated New Amsterdam FC 2-1 at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium

They took the lead almost instantly via Wojciech Wójcik, who headed home from just a few yards out. The hosts responded well to start the second half, equalizing after Mayele Malango converted a penalty kick won by Jesus Batiz. Chicago would not be denied, though, as a goal from Derek Huffman was enough for them to seal the impressive victory.

Story of the match

Chicago opened the scoring after just six minutes. John Requejo was given way too much time out wide to cross the ball, which allowed him to drop an absolute dime to Wojciech Wójcik at the far post, and he finished off the move with a simple header from close range.

The hosts nearly equalized thanks to some magic from Jesus Batiz midway through the first half. Driving forward on the counter, he did a few step-overs in quick succession before cutting inside and unleashing a shot towards goal. It wasn’t to be, though, as the ball went just wide of the target.

All in all, it was a relatively uneventful first 45.

The second half started in a similar fashion to the first. Batiz flew forward down the wing for New Amsterdam and was brought down by Anthony Bowie in the box, which left the referee with no other choice than to point to the spot. Mayele Malango stepped up to the resulting spot-kick, and his attempt was practically perfect as he placed the ball into the top corner.

After a little bit of nothing in terms of action on the field, the House jumped back in front. Coming via another cross, a low ball from Matteo Kidd picked out Derek Huffman in the area, and he converted from close range to grab his first ever goal for the club.

New Amsterdam were down a goal, and then they went down a man with a few minutes to go. Arthur Bosua, who was already on a yellow, swung out an elbow while jumping for the ball. The referee decided to book him for a second time as a result, and even though it may have been a bit of a harsh decision, it was probably the right one.

That proved to be the final marquee moment of the match, as Chicago held on with relative ease.

Takeaways

This might not make sense, but sometimes when the House plays the games just kind of happen, especially when they’re on the road. There are only a few highlights, and the time flies by. It’s similar to going out for a drive. If you know, you know.

There might not be a faster playing surface than wet turf. The field already made it tough for the players, and then the fact that it rained on occasion meant that the conditions were even worse. It looked like it had an effect on both teams, as neither created many chances.

Chicago just could not play the final pass down the middle. There were so many moments where they drove forward on the ball, but whenever they needed to pick out someone in the final third, they almost always failed. It was incredibly frustrating to watch, and they’ll need to work on being more clinical in the future. What’s especially weird is that when they had to deliver the ball in from the wings, things went much better.

Despite that, they were still able to secure a promising win. The House haven’t been the greatest when playing away from home, but this was a better showing from them. They were solid for most of the contest, and they took their chances in front of goal when it mattered most. Long may it continue. 

Man of the match - Derek Huffman

He didn’t actually do much on the night, but Derek Huffman was still able to be the hero.

Starting in a front two, the number 99 ran the channels time and time again. It was a typical energetic and unselfish performance from him early on, which helped out his teammates going forward.

Huffman’s big moment came midway through the second half. At the right place at the right time, he got on the end of a low cross to rifle home from close range. It wasn’t the most spectacular finish, but it was enough to get the job done.

As a result, Chicago were able to end the game with the win and all three points thanks to the striker's work.