Bristol Rhythm a hit despite losing the opening game

BRISTOL, Va. – A different kind of football took over Gene Malcolm Stadium on Saturday night.

It looked to be a success, even if the end result was not what Bristol Rhythm AFC were looking for in a 3-0 defeat to Appalachian FC in front of an estimated crowd of 1,200 on a cold and wet evening at the ground. .

“The crowd was good. I’ll fill in the crowd, there were a lot of people,” said Louis Sharp, head coach of Bristol Rhythm AFC, the local semi-professional soccer team playing its first game in National Premier Soccer. League. “I heard over 1,200 people were here.

“We all thank the crowd for coming out, unfortunately we couldn’t get the result we wanted, but you saw at the end, the crowd cheered for us. We have to keep building. We have the whole week to train fix things and go again next Saturday.”

Appalachian FC, based in Boone, NC, was coming off a season in which they finished 5-3-2, good for second place in the NPSL’s Southeast Conference. They managed three goals, but goalkeeper Logan Cassell – who plays the same role at Mars Hill – and Rhythm made them work for them all.

“They were a good team, I respect them,” Bristol Rhythm captain Adam Cooil said. “We’ve been together for about three years. Most of the guys are back with their team, so they’re a good outfit and the coach is making them play well. I’ll give them credit, but I don’t want to take any credit away from us I think the way we played was good, it wasn’t a 3-0 loss”.

Niall Reid-Stephen scored the first goal in the 35th minute of the first half and Appalachian FC added two more after the break from Elie Bokata and Rashawn Kellman. They were serenaded by their own fan club that traveled to Bristol, with drums, cymbals and even burst into songs including “She’ll be coming round the mountain”, apparently signifying their drive from Boone.

“The game itself, obviously there are some elements of the game that we need to work on, but you have to remember that we’ve been playing together as a team for four or five days,” Isle of Man native Cooil said. in UK, who spent two seasons playing at the University of Mobile in Alabama, with plans to transfer to Belmont Abbey in Belmont, N.C. “Some of the guys I haven’t met before. I think they got most of their guys back.

“I’m not sad. Maybe at the end of the day they could have been a bad team, but I don’t think we were outplayed. A few mistakes were the reasons for the goals and overall we keep going.”

Bristol had chances of their own, particularly from fellow University of Mobile player Joseph McMahon, but the Tornado couldn’t get many clear shots against Appalachian FC goalkeeper Charlie Walker, a native of Canterbury in the United Kingdom, in addition to served the same. role at Coker University. Bristol’s roster includes players from several local schools, including King and Milligan.

“We lost, but we’re going again next week,” said Riley Moore of Bristol, who played at Pulaski County in Dublin and recently graduated from King after playing four seasons for the Tornado. “There is a lot of improvement, but I think we have the right people. The first game, we’ve been together for a week and a half, so I think it wasn’t too bad chemistry-wise for the first game, but we have to get results.”

He hopes Bristol can make it next Saturday when the Rhythm host Port City FC of Wilmington, NC

“Once we see a ball go into the net, I think we’ll all freeze a lot better and go from there. Once you get one, the next one is easier,” said Moore, who is one of two King alumni from Rhythm, joining Frisco Texas’ Roman De Leon. “Louis asked me to join the team after this year and I was up for it.

“I didn’t expect so many people to come out, it was an amazing atmosphere, I’m sorry we couldn’t get the result we wanted.”

Sharp, who currently serves as an assistant men’s coach at King, and former King player Andrew Rhoda came up with the idea of ​​creating a semi-pro soccer team as part of the 92-team NPSL, an organization that includes 14 conferences and four regions spread across the nation. Once they received the financial support of Bristol residents Matt and Diana Smith, that dream became a reality.

However, even Sharp was surprised when the home stands at Gene Malcolm Stadium continued to fill ahead of a game that started just minutes after heavy rain drenched the pitch. Dressed in purple shirts and black shorts, Rhythm continued to play while surrounded by music, food options, full houses for kids and plenty of merchandise for sale including shirts, hats, scarves and more.

“When Andrew and I pitched the idea and then got Matt and Diane with financial backing, we didn’t expect this kind of crowd, that’s for sure,” Sharp said. “We were going to be happy to get a few hundred to our first game, but then they said over 1,200. Looks like all of Bristol came out, it was nice to see. We are here to stay and we will get back on our feet. a show, when it comes out, we’ll put on a show, that’s for sure.”

That crowd was all the buzz after the game as Rhythm greeted the fans for their presence while signing autographs and taking pictures with the kids.

“The turnout is the first thing I noticed,” Cooil said. “It’s been absolutely amazing to bring football to an area like this that doesn’t have a big football community, I think it’s absolutely incredible the turnout we’ve had. I’ve just told the guys, obviously I’m disappointed with the result. .

“While we were walking there, we were looking at the fans and they were all so happy. We lost 3-nil and they were so happy and I think that’s what makes it. It kind of made me smile. to be honest, I can’t complain about the turnout”.

Both teams were made up of college football players with a mix of nationalities from America and countries around the world. For 90 minutes the clubs ran the pitch, showing speed, care, strength and balls going the length of the pitch on occasions. Some balls even flew into the stands to grateful fans.

“I liked how we pressed, we pressed really well. We forced fouls in the first half and the second half on both halves of the court,” Sharp said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t capitalize, we had a few chances in the first half and a few shots in the second half, but we’ll work on a few things this week and put things right.

“We will do it together. This is the first game all these guys have played together so it will probably take a few games to gel and get used to everything, but I think we’ll be good and be a force to be reckoned with . “

Bristol was scheduled to travel to face Alliance 865 in Knoxville on Wednesday, but that game was postponed so Rhythm will return next Saturday to face Port City FC, who have not played in the NPSL’s Southeast Conference this season last. They will also be at home on May 25 against Apotheos FC of Kennesaw, Ga., who lost last year in the NPSL national championship game to Tulsa Athletic.

“We didn’t get the results we wanted, but lots and lots of positives to take home with us,” Sharp said. “I can’t fault the guys for their effort and I can’t fault them for their commitment to the team and the crowd. In the game, every player put over 100% and you can’t ask for more than that from the first game.

“A bunch of new guys trying to gel. We haven’t had the longest pre-season. It’s tough but we’ll be back here next Saturday and we’ll be eager and ready to go.”

Although the final score was a cold night in Bristol, a new team was born. As the team’s motto goes, “One City, Two States, One Team.”

“I could feel the emotion, 100 percent. I was playing in college before this and probably had 100 people at a big game, so it’s crazy to have 1,200 people come,” Cooil said. “It’s just unreal, it puts a smile on your face, people come up to you after the game asking for autographs. We’re at this level and to have people come up to you and ask for your autograph is amazing. It really is, it’s a great feeling.”