MUSKEGON – Muskegon Risers men’s coach Stu Collins wasn’t kidding when he said he expected to have a great team this summer.
So far his confident predictions are playing out well.
The Risers are off to a great 3-0 start after winning their home opener last month, then capturing two more victories on the road last week.
The most amazing part is that the team has not allowed a goal so far this season. The Risers have outscored their three opponents by a combined 11-0, with a 1-0 win over Milwaukee in their opener, a 7-0 road win over Panathinaikos Chicago last week, and a 3-0 road win over Carpathia FC in Detroit last week.
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The Risers will try to keep their hot streak going on Sunday when they return home to host Panathinaikos Chicago at 7:30 p.m. at Oakridge High School. The Risers women’s squad will play at 5 p.m.
The Risers’ record, and their goals for/against differential, has them ranked No. 1 overall nationwide in the National Premier Soccer League, which includes 96 teams coast-to-coast.
That’s quite an accomplishment for a team that did not play the last two summers due to COVID.
“These are still the early days of the season, but it’s a privilege to be in that position,” Collins said.
Collins was not shy in the preseason about the talent the Risers have on their roster, and the expectations he had for the team. At this point he says the squad is simply living up to those expectations.
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“They are exactly what I expected,” the coach said. “People probably thought I was hyping it up, but I’m not surprised.
“We just have better players, and I think we have a system that is tough for other teams to figure out. We’ve also been defending really well as a team.
“I was just telling the guys yesterday, we just have to keep impressing ourselves. It’s us against us. We’re not looking at the jerseys on the other team. We just have to stick to the process and be the best version of ourselves.”
It was difficult for fans to tell what kind of team the Risers would be during their home opener against the Milwaukee Torrent on May 15.
The weather was problematic, with lighting causing three different lengthy delays in the game. The Risers got the only goal, from Roni Sylemanji, about midway through the first half, and the contest was finally ended with about 20 minutes left on the clock.
Most fans were not able to see the next two games, when the Risers really showed what they could do.
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On May 31 in Chicago, Alex Belcastro scored two goals for the Risers while Vitalis Takawira, Adam Knight, Thomas DeVries and Dominic Baumann each scored once.
On June 2 in Detroit, Belcastro, Takawira and Samuel Esquivel-Gonzalez did the offensive damage for Muskegon.
Risers goalie Mason Maziasz picked up shutouts in all three wins, and while he has played well, he hasn’t had to work too hard, Collins said.
“Carpathia had a couple of chances against us early, and Mason made two good saves, but I don’t think we really gave up many chances against Milwaukee or Chicago, so he really hasn’t had a lot to do,” the coach said.
The three wins have left the Risers in first place in the Great Lakes Conference with nine points. FC Carpathia (2-2-1) is second with seven points while FC Columbus is third with six. Teams get three points in the standings for a win and one for a tie.
Sunday’s rematch with Panathinaikos Chicago has the look of a mismatch, at least on paper. Chicago is 0-3 on the season and has been outscored 19-0.
But the Risers are not taking anything for granted, particularly since the roster freeze deadline is still a few weeks away, and Chicago could have added some better players since the two teams played in the Windy City last week.
“They could have an entirely different team,” Collins said. “You just never know.”