MUSKEGON – On June 11, 1997, the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan played the famous “flu game“ in the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, scoring 38 points despite being ill.

While he’s not quite as famous as Jordan, the Muskegon Risers’ Adetunji “TJ” Ifaturoti turned in a similarly gutsy performance in last Saturday’s 8-2 playoff victory over Chicago while battling a knee contusion.

“The atmosphere and adrenaline had me going,” said Ifaturoti, a longtime Risers veteran, about playing through the knee injury he suffered about a week before the game. “I wasn’t feeling too much pain during the game, but after the game I felt sore. But with it being the first playoff game, and being a part of history, I was going to give it my all.”

That’s exactly what Ifaturoti did, collecting a goal and two assists in the victory that gave the Risers a berth in Friday’s Major Arena Soccer League 2 semifinals against the Cleveland Crunch at Mercy Health Arena.

The winner of that 7 p.m. game will advance to Sunday’s league championship game, which will also be in Muskegon.

The Risers weren’t sure they would have Ifaturoti until last Friday night, just 24 hours before game time.

“The trainers were great in helping me get back to playing as soon as possible,” said Ifaturoti, a native of Lagos, Nigeria. “I wanted to play and give my best. I wanted us to win and advance to championship weekend. I was going to play till my body told me no, and thankfully my body told me yes.”

Risers Coach Ben Ritsema was relieved to have the talented midfielder, who has been a part of Muskegon’s indoor team since 2017.

“He did a lot of rehab and went through warmups to get ready and he said he felt good,” Ritsema said. “He did put a brace on at halftime and was a little sore, but you couldn’t tell with how well he played.

“He’s so dynamic. He’s such a great two-way player. Not only can he attack the opponent with speed and skill, but he can finish well. He’s also extremely hard for teams to get around defensively.”

Being out on the field Saturday was extra important to Ifaturoti, because the Risers had multiple injury issues, including the loss of leading scorer Miguel Flores to a knee sprain.

The Risers were playing the first playoff game in franchise history, and the veteran couldn’t leave the team any more shorthanded than it was.

He didn’t have a lot of playing time this year, due to other commitments, but he was good when he did play (five goals in only two regular season games), and he showed up big when it mattered the most.

“It was about the team,” he said. “To be on the game day roster, I was lucky. We have a bunch of guys who couldn’t play and were out due to injury. I think that everyone has a role to play and for me, it was helping the team the best I could.”

That team-first mentality is something that Ifaturoti has always had, but Ritsema has noticed a difference in his leadership style.

“I’d say he’s always been really good,” the coach said. “But his vocal leadership has really come out in the last two years. He’s become a full-time coach for several teams. He now talks during huddles, halftimes and pregame. It’s great to have a guy like that.”

Ifaturoti also notices the difference in his leadership style and credits coaches from his past.

“Sometimes I noticed myself coaching more on the team now,” he said. “I think that for me growing up, I always had great coaches. I’m just trying to do my part and help our team win, whether that’s from the bench or the field. I’m just appreciative of the guys listening to me and trusting me.”