Mingo Minute: Forward Madison smashes South Georgia Tormenta 4-0 to pick up first win of season

Forward Madison grabbed its first win of 2020, thrashing South Georgia Tormenta 4-0 at Hart Park in Wauwatosa, WI Friday night.

Debutant Michael Vang scored the opener in the eighth minute for the Mingos—becoming the first Hmong-American to play professional soccer in the U.S.

“It’s a dream come true,” Vang said after the match. “I’ve been waiting for this day for so long. Words can’t really describe the feeling, especially hearing the crowd going crazy.”

Don Smart, Wojcik Wojciech, and Paulo Junior also scored for Forward. With the victory, the team now has one win, two losses and one draw through a quarter of the season.

“Everybody realized that this was a must-win game,” Forward coach Daryl Shore said. “We had to win this game. It’s a tough week, and you couldn’t start a week where you play three games in eight days not getting three points, so there’s no sugarcoating it.”

Chicago Fire Homegrown Alex Monis came on for Madison in the 81st minute. Fellow Homegrown Allan Rodriguez—who started last week in midfield—did not play. Goalkeeper Chris Brady has yet to see action this season for the Mingos.

“Chris is getting close,” Shore told Fire play-by-play man Tyler Terens in a recent piece published on the Fire’s website. “We are more and more impressed with his abilities each day. He is pretty good with his feet, and we are still working through the communication part. We have a tough stretch coming up and we all know with a ‘keeper, if they get one game and it goes well, they’ll keep playing.”

Next up, the Mingos travel to Nebraska to play Union Omaha Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT, before returning home to face Orlando City B on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Hart Park. All games are televised on ESPN+.