Mike Peters, The Examiner
2007-08-11 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

Crystal Palace USA co-coach Pete Medd has a guarantee regarding tonight’s game in Harrisburg, Pa., against the City Islanders.

“We are going to win the game,” Medd said. “Period.”

Crystal Palace (8-6-5, 29 points) will close out its inaugural season in the United Soccer League Second Division when it meets the City Islanders at 7 p.m.

After tying Crystal Palace earlier last month, the City Islanders (11-3-5, 38 points) escaped Annapolis with a 2-0 victory on July 25. Three days later, Harrisburg earned a 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Kings, eliminating Crystal Palace from the postseason.

“We want to win because Harrisburg qualified for the playoffs, and we didn’t,” Crystal Palace co-coach Jim Cherneski said. “We want to prove that we’re just as good as them.”

Since the loss to the City Islanders, Crystal Palace has won two straight games, outscoring its opposition, 11-1. The team followed an 8-1 victory over Bermuda with a 3-0 win over the Wilmington Hammerheads on Sunday.

Crystal Palace has spent the last two weeks focused on Harrisburg.

“We’re going there for the battle,” Crystal Palace midfielder Matthew Mbuta said. “What we did [Sunday] makes our morale go up. I think we’re going to win it.”

By topping Wilmington, Crystal Palace clinched fifth place. But Cherneski is more concerned with finishing the season 9-6-5 — not bad for a team which opened the season with four consecutive losses.

“The difference I think is pretty great,” Cherneski said. “Being 8-7-5 to me is almost like having a .500 record. We’re a much better team than that.”

Mbuta and forward Gary Brooks have each scored three goals in the last two games, powering a rejuvenated offense.

Brooks leads the team with six goals. Since his arrival in early July, Crystal Palace has scored 15 goals in eight games.

“Scoring in soccer has a lot to do with belief,” Medd said. “We are creating the same amount of chances as the beginning of the season, and now we’re finishing them off. It’s like a snowball rolling down a hill.”

Despite the recent scoring explosion, Crystal Palace has yet to break through against Harrisburg and goalie Matthew Nelson.

“They’re hard to break down,” Cherneski said. “They play basically with six defenders. It’s extremely hard to get by them.

“We’ve got players that can create individual goals. That’s what it’s going to take to break them down. If we don’t take risks in the final third of the field, we won’t win this game.”

mpeters@baltimoreexaminer.com