Ansu Toure Determined to put Miami FC in the Play-offs!

A Win for Miami FC and a Hat-Trick for Alex Afonso
Miami, August 24, 2008 - Miami FC welcomed the Charleston Battery into Tropical Park on Sunday afternoon and Alex Afonso greeted them with 3 goals of his own. Despite a loss in their last game Miami is still on a mission for a playoff spot. The Blues got on the right track with a victory over the Battery with Afonso leading the way with a hat-trick and Josh Saunders recording another shutout.
New acquisition Ansu Toure put the Blues in position to score within the first 2 minutes as he charged into the Charleston area only to be brought down just outside the box. Léo Inácio's free kick struck the wall which was well in front of the 10 yard limit.
In the 9th minute Alex Afonso made his mark on the game. A misplayed back pass by defender Nelson Akwari in the Charleston area was picked up by Afonso who rifled a low hard shot from the right side down to the left corner which slid under the goalie's hands to give Miami the lead.
The Blues looked active early with Sean Fraser and Ansu Toure seeing a lot of time on the ball.
The first 25 minutes did not contain many scoring opportunities as both teams appeared to be trying to gain a firm grasp on possession.
In the 35th minute Alex Afonso showed a great bit of skill as he popped the ball over a defender in the midfield then bolted down field. He faked a right footed shot then came onto his left foot to rip a shot from the inside of the box but his shot was blocked out for a corner.
A few minutes later Charleston had their best chance of the first half when a free kick in the Miami half was passed off to Osvaldo Alonso who unleashed a rocket toward Josh Saunders from 25 yards out. Saunders blocked it above his goal but it was a scare nonetheless.
In the added time of the first half Charleston had a cross that was lobbed into goal from the left side which forced Josh Saunders to punch the ball away. If he had not done so, the Charleston attacker would have put his head on to it from only a few yards out.
The half ended after 2 added minutes and Miami FC walked off the field with a 1-0 lead.
In the 55th minute Miami should have gone up 2-0 but Ansu Toure was only able to hit the cross bar on a shot that deserved to hit the back of the net. Toure received a great pass from Léo Inácio inside the area. Toure shot-faked with his left and cut inside on his defender then with his weaker right foot Toure blasted the ball onto the top right of the cross bar after the keeper guessed the wrong way.
During the course of the game there were some fouls that occurred which upset both sides and eventually tensions escalated to the point where a scuffle broke out at midfield. It began when Walter Ramirez was fouled, and then Dominic Cianciarulo kicked the ball at Ramirez while he was on the ground. The Miami players did not like that and they came together to confront the Charleston players who then got in each others' faces. Eventually a red card was shown to Dominic Cianciarulo and Cauê da Mata.
Alex Afonso added another goal to his collection in the 74th minute. He collected the ball from 30 yards out then turned toward goal. He reached the outside of the area and shot toward the Battery goal. Fortunately for Miami, Afonso's shot deflected off of a Battery defender which left Charleston keeper Keith Wiggans without any hope and the ball made its way to the back of the net.
Josh Saunders was called into duty again in the 85th minute when a dart of a header was flying toward the top of the goal. Saunders did well to punch it over the bar for a corner.
In the 88th minute Afonso collected his hat-trick and in great fashion. Afonso had the ball in the Charleston half and made his way to the center of the field. Léo Inácio was streaking down the left side and Afonso perfectly back heeled a pass to Inácio who ran toward the end line. Once there he chipped in a cross from the left looking for one of this teammates but a miscue in the back meant the defender headed the ball and Afonso was at the back post to collect his 3rd goal of the game.
The final whistle blew and Miami was the victor after a 3-0 victory over the Charleston Battery.