The Silverbacks tied the Charleston Battery 0-0 on Saturday in the final Southern Derby Cup match of the 2008 season. The Derby Cup includes a three-game round robin between Atlanta, Charleston and the Carolina RailHawks.
The match was played in front of a nice crowd of 2,319 at Silverbacks Park. Fans were witness to some excitement in the eighth minute when Charleston midfielder Mike Richardson drilled a shot off the crossbar from about 25 yards.
Unfortunately, fans also witnessed Silverbacks star Mac Kandji go down in the 20th minute to an undisclosed injury near the ankle. At press time, it was not know how long the dynamic forward will be out. Kandji was replaced by new acquisition Aaron Paye, who joined the team last week after being traded by Minnesota for forward Nathan Knox.
It only took a few minutes for Paye to take his first shot as a Silverback. Paye was very active on the offensive end after replacing Kandji and was able to get a shot on goal in the 36th minute. The shot was saved by Battery goal keeper Dusty Hudock, but it was encouraging nonetheless for Silverback faithful to see the new player threaten to score.
In the second half, the Silverbacks came dangerously close to taking the lead as midfielder Scott Buete was taken down from behind in the penalty area. Referee Landis Wiley awarded the team with a penalty kick, and veteran David Hayes strode to the ball for the kick. Unfortunately, Hudock guessed right and saved the shot, thwarting the best chance of the game for either team.
Atlanta now hits the road, as they will end the regular season with six of their last seven fixtures on the road. The next game is Wednesday at Montreal, and their final home game at Silverbacks Park will be played on Aug. 30 at 7:55 p.m.
TOURE TRADED
The Silverbacks traded midfielder Ansu Toure for Miami FC Blues player Sean Cameron on August 13. Toure leaves Atlanta after having a career year in which he scored six goals with three assists. His 15 points was good enough to place him seventh in the USL. Cameron will help add some size to the Silverbacks’ midfield as well as a scoring touch, as he had the second-most points (six) on Miami prior to the trade. The 23-year-old competed for Rutgers and UConn during college and also is a member of the Guyana national side.
Toure, Scott Buete and Mac Kandji earned Team of the Week honors for Week 17. Each week, the USL selects the best 11 players for this distinction. The selections came prior to Toure’s transfer. Kandji added to his impressive collection of awards with his Goal of the Week honor for his brilliant strike in the game against Vancouver. Kandji also won that award with another spectacular goal in a game versus Puerto Rico in 2007.
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.
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