Sidekicks Win Thriller at Home against Ambush

Published by Mahonri Mendoza

Allen, Texas (December 30, 2021) –– The Dallas Sidekicks won Thursday night 4-3 in a thrilling match against St. Louis Ambush in front of more than 1800 fans present at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center.

Thursday night saw the return of former Sidekicks players like Jamie Lovegrove, Cameron Brown, Cody Ellis, and Mike Jones as newly appointed Interim Head Coach Ricardinho took charge of the North Texas side in his first game.

Lovegrove and Brown both showed their excitement to return to the Sidekicks, especially under coach Ricardinho.

“It’s so good to be back,” Lovegrove said. “One of the biggest reasons I came back was for coach Riqui (Ricardinho), which is a big win for him. To be back with this organization again is excellent and let us have more games like that.”

“For me, it’s a blessing to be back,” said Brown. “Riqui picked me to come out here and try to compete tonight. I’m incredibly grateful for Riqui and for everybody in the Sidekicks organization to have that trust to put me back in the team–I’m happy to be a part of the game.”

St. Louis kicked things off in their favor as they scored within five minutes into the match as Tony Walls got his shot past Sidekicks goalkeeper, Juan Gamboa.

With minutes left in the clock, St. Louis extended their lead after a goal scored by Vadim Cojocov. The Sidekicks were trailing by two goals in the first quarter.

The second quarter saw both sides go toe-to-toe as both sides were even in their attempts to score a goal. The Sidekicks push forward to shorten the distance in the score.

Luiz Morales pulled one goal back for the Sidekicks to make it 2-1 with three minutes left into the second quarter. Morales scored his fifth goal of the season after his strike saw the back of the net.

Minutes into the third quarter, the Ambush extended their lead by two goals during a power play to make it 3-1.

In his return, Lovegrove scored to bring the Sidekicks back to shorten the Ambush’s lead after his penalty shot with seven minutes left on the clock. Within a minute left into the third quarter, the Sidekicks leveled the game 3-3 after Felipe Silva’s shot went past the Ambush keeper.

Three minutes into the final quarter, Felipe Silva scored his second goal of the night to turn the game around for the Sidekicks 4-3.

The Sidekicks pulled off a fantastic effort to level and turn the game around for their first win of the season.

After Thursday night’s win, the Sidekicks will travel to St. Louis to face the Ambush, Friday, Dec. 31, at The Family Arena.

Sidekicks’ returnee Brown gave his thoughts on the quick game turnaround against the Ambush.

“It’s going to be another game like this tonight,” Brown said. “We’re proud of what we did tonight, and we’re going to work hard, believe in each other, and get it done again.”

The next game is Friday, December 31st at 3:00 PM CST against the St. Louis Ambush. 

ABOUT THE DALLAS SIDEKICKS 
The Dallas Sidekicks is an American professional indoor soccer team of the Major Arena Soccer League. The organization was established in 1984, is headquartered in Allen, Texas, and plays all home games at the Allen Event Center. Follow the Sidekicks at www.dallassidekicks.com and on their social media. 
Facebook: @gosidekicksofficial Twitter: @gosidekicks Instagram: @gosidekicksofficial

ABOUT THE MAJOR ARENA SOCCER LEAGUE 
The Major Arena Soccer League represents the highest level of professional arena soccer in the world. The MASL features teams across North America, with teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The MASL is currently incorporated as a 501(c)6 not for profit corporation formed to promote the business and sport of arena soccer.