Forward Madison FC

USL League One soccer vs. New England II.

press release: Forward Madison found itself on the end of a last-second defeat on Wednesday, Oct. 21, falling 1-0 to North Texas SC at Hart Park. North Texas were awarded a controversial penalty kick in the final seconds, and sunk the Flamingos in the ninth minute of stoppage time.

The first half began and ended with high pressure from North Texas, but a burst of rain in the middle made the Hart Park pitch slippery and resulted in more chances for the Flamingos, who logged shots through Wojcik Wojciech and Don Smart. On the other end, Arturo Rodriguez had a big chance from a free kick, but it was caught by Chris Brady in the 42nd minute.

Brady again came up big for FMFC in the second half, stopping a hard shot from North Texas in the 76th minute. 

In the end, though, it wasn’t to be for the Flamingos. Jiro Barriga Toyama fouled North Texas’ Rodriguez on the edge of the penalty area in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Although the referee initially awarded a free kick, the decision was changed to a penalty several minutes later.

Rodriguez took the chance, scoring the penalty and winning the game in the 99th minute.

The Flamingos are already eliminated from contention for the USL League One Final and remain 9th place in the league standings.

Following Wednesday’s loss, Forward Madison will host its season finale on Saturday, Oct. 24, taking on New England Revolution II at 7 p.m. at Hart Park.

Forward Madison announced in mid-July that it will play its home games this season at Hart Park with a crowd limited to under 30 percent capacity. Forward Madison remains committed to hosting events that are responsible and taking the utmost precautions to keep its fans, players and staff safe. 

Fan and stadium safety protocols are outlined in the club's COVID-19 Readiness Plan and include mandatory face masks in the facility, a socially distanced seat map and significantly reduced capacity. The club’s plan has been approved by the city of Wauwatosa’s Health Department.

Forward Madison FC has entered into a partnership with TVW to broadcast the club’s entire USL League One season on the TVW channel in 2020, the club announced Friday. Under the new deal, fans will be able to catch all 16 games on local television for the first time.

With Forward Madison temporarily hosting games in the city of Wauwatosa, the new broadcast agreement will let Madisonians keep up with the team on a local, over-the-air channel, according to Chief Operating Officer/Owner Conor Caloia.

“When we realized we would not be able to play matches in our home market, a local broadcast deal to provide Forward Madison soccer to our loyal fans free of charge was a top priority,” Caloia said. “We are excited to have a great partner in TVW that shares our focus and commitment to the greater Madison community.” 

Forward Madison becomes the second USL League One club to secure a local TV deal, joining only the Richmond Kickers. The Flamingos’ games will also continue to be shown on ESPN+, which requires a monthly subscription fee.