Edsel Ford Soccer Looks to Get the Ball Rolling

head varsity soccer coach Lee Hunt expects nothing less than to make it to the district finals in mid October.

Rightfully so.

The Thunderbirds, headed into their fourth year under Hunt’s direction, reached the finals twice in the last three years. Edsel Ford fell to Dearborn and Canton, respectively, the first two years and lost to Ann Arbor Pioneer in the district semifinals last year.

Regardless of expectations, Edsel Ford will have some work to do, starting out with a 1-4-1 record this season. Hunt’s squad suffered 2-1 and 3-2 losses to cross-town non-league rivals and respectively; Livonia Franklin, 2-1; and Farmington Harrison, 1-0.

On the bright side, the Thunderbirds tied a tough Traverse City Central team, 1-1, back in August and notched their first victory–a 5-1 thrashing–against Belleville on Sept. 12.

“I tell the team every year that my expectations are first to win the league,” Hunt said. “The second goal is to make it to district finals. I want the team to get hot by the end of the year so we’re playing well, we’re fine tuned and all I have to do is tweak the lineup a little bit to get to where we’re going as a team.”

Most teams would sink with eight players graduating from the 2010 roster. But Edsel Ford is far from it. Hunt may have lost eight but he returns nine players–five of them starters.

Most notable is the return of four-year starter, senior defender and one of the team’s captains, Tommy Prato.

“He’s a defensive stalwart,” Hunt said. “You can put him anywhere on the field and he’ll play the position, but he’s the boss when it comes to defense on the team. He reads the game very well. He’s played for me all four years on varsity and he knows my expectations and how I want the team to play.”

Up front, Hunt’s counting on the electric play of senior returner Abduwahab Algabri.

“He’s probably one of the most exciting players I have ever watched,” Hunt said. “He’s a very talented, very quick, creative and exciting player. He’s just one of those players where if you just want to enjoy a game of soccer you will be watching that kid play.”

Along with seven seniors and six juniors, the Thunderbirds have two freshman starters on the squad. Freshman Nick Knepper is logging big minutes and making an impact, according to Hunt.

“He’s probably the smallest one on the field but he has the heart of a lion,” Hunt said.

As with any team sport, chemistry reigns supreme if it wants to collect W's. It’s no different with the T-Birds.

“I expect a lot of success from our team this year,” Prato said. “We just have to start playing together more. We’re playing as individuals right now and we have to start playing as a team. I think we’re going to get a lot better.”

“I don’t think this start (1-4-1) is how we are,” he added.  “I think as we get into the season more that will show us who we really are.”

There’s a lot of season remaining for the team to bond. But with rematches with Dearborn and Fordson on the near horizon it’ll have to be soon. Edsel Ford faces off against Dearborn High on Oct. 3.

Hunt said he would continue tinkering with his lineup and evaluating younger players as the season winds up.

“The main thing moving forward is evaluating some of the newer players that I have, seeing if I can play them at other positions other than where I think they should play them,” he said, “ and getting confidence in some of the younger guys on the team.”

Even with the slow start, Hunt remains positive as his team heads into the bulk of their Western Wayne Athletic Conference and league play in the coming weeks.

“I’m excited about the way we’re playing,” he said. “As long as we continue to play my way and not the way some of the teams play in our league, I’ll be a very happy person. I try to get them to play the most attractive soccer, but also the best soccer as a team.”

Catch the T-Birds at home when they host Romulus at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 26. Edsel Ford also heads to Garden City–which recently beat Dearborn, 1-0–for a 7 p.m. match against the Cougars on Wednesday, Sept. 28.