THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Chill have six days left before the start of their 2024 USL 2 campaign kicks off.
After Saturday night’s 6-0 thrashing of the visiting Winnipeg Hellas SC, they look ready to roll.
“It was a good game today,” said Diego Reveco, who scored three times, including a first-half penalty kick.
“Everything is unfolding well for us. We’re looking forward to next week and hopefully we can keep going with this.
Reveco, who spent time with FC Maniotba before making his way to Thunder Bay this spring, said building a winning attitude in the pre-season bodes well for what’s to come when the games finally start to count in the standings, starting with Friday night’s home opener at Tbaytel Place at Chapples Field against Bavarian United, a team that will arrive in the city with a 2-0-0 record.
“It feels good to win these games and it’s good that we have these exhibition games and that we’re scoring a lot of goals. It just takes a lot of nerves out,” Reveco said.
From the start, the Chill were on the attack, pressing Winnipeg’s defenders with a relentless attack that only needed 10 minutes to break through for the game’s first goal.
Striker Tyler Attardo scored it, breaking free with the ball and booting it past Winnipeg keeper Vassilil Caravelis.
Caravelis was easily the star of the night for Winnipeg, making point blank stops on Reveco and Silva, two of several direct shots from inside the box he managed to get a hand or foot on.
But there was only so much he could do.
Moments after the back-to-back saves, Silva, the wily 35-year-old veteran and former Premier Development League most valuable player, found himself alone with just the goalie to beat and this time he made it count, doubling the Chill lead to 2-0 in the 17th minute.
“It was good, I needed it,” Silva said, the veteran striker still getting used to moving to the wing. “I’m trying to keep up with these young guys.”
In the 23rd Attardo was pushed inside the box and Reveco took the ensuing penalty kick, growing the Thunder Bay lead to three.
“Honestly, I just hit it,” Reveco said.
Four minutes later he added his second of the night, taking a pass from Silva and the rout was on.
Silva, who departed after the fourth goal, his minutes being carefully managed at this stage of his career, said the team has been working on pressing the attack during training camp, and Saturday night it paid off.
“As soon as we get the ball, we want to move to the attacking side,” Silva said. “We did very well today. The counter-press is working very well as well. It starts with us up front. The front three, as soon as we lose it, we’re going to try to win it back. It seems like we’re just connecting now.”
Chill coach Tony Colistro said the preseason games have been helping the team grow as a unit.
“I think (Winnipeg) is a good team. I think we were just better than we were last week,” said Colistro, his teaming earning a win and a draw against the Winnipeg Lions, an opponent of the Winnipeg Hellas in the Manitoba Major Soccer League.
“I think it’s a good sign. That’s why we’re going these friendlies.”
Reveco completed his hat trick in the 59th and Thunder Bay’s Nick Phyllis rounded out the scoring in the 67th, breaking free up the middle and beating Caravelis.
Winnipeg’s best chance to score came in the 85th when forward Joey Pagano drove a free kick high on Chill keeper Joshua Moya, who leapt and deflected the ball out of harm’s way.
The two teams play another friendly on Sunday at 1 p.m.
