In a struggle between aggression and keeping calm on the pitch in the First Round of the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, LA Force was able to keep it’s formation and come out victorious, 2-1, over Redlands FC.
“It was a tough one, you know, like they came to play, we knew that. They had a point prove, playing with the semi pro NPSL team … but we got together, we did our thing and we made sure we got the results,” LA Force’s Joel Quist said.
At the sound of the whistle, it became apparent the first half would be a battle of possession. While LA Force demonstrated they could hold a 60/40 possession; Redlands FC showed a different type of play. When holding the ball, Redlands FC capitalize those moments quickly to get around LA Force’s defensive line and create opportunities with close finishes.
However, both team’s defense held strong and deflected any shots out of range of the goal or out of bounds. With numerous attempts to gain the lead, both teams would remain scoreless.
It wasn’t until the 40th minute, that LA Force would find its self taking the lead. An assist from Dante Brigida to Quist just inches in front of the goalkeeper would put them in the lead, but not for very long.
A few moments later in the 42nd minute, Redlands FC Ethan Kovach would even the score with a shot in the far right corner or the goal.
The half would end shortly after with the score remaining 1-1.
As second half went underway, the game’s intensity amplified. Several minor fouls began to add up, tempers slowly were raising against each other and the calls being made by the referee were being questioned. Eventually two yellow cards would be tacked on to the two that were already awarded in the first half.
“If you follow the game, especially in the beginning of the season, you know, it’s a little bit rusty. But you have to be aggressive sometimes to win games,” head coach Dekel Keinan said.
Much like the first half, both teams kept a consistent attempt at shots but none would bring them into the lead. Nearing the end of regulation period, in the 84th minute LA Force would see it’s second goal of the night. Another great pass from Brigdia to Quist, who would then find Jose Salvador Montes De Oca Gonzalez’s feet for a straight powerful shot to the back of the net.
Raising the score 2-1, light more fuel into Redlands FC to create another equalizer. However, another four yellow cards would be awarded (Redlands – two; LA Force – two) in the duration of extra time to the second half and end with LA Force moving on to the next round and earning the club’s first-ever Open Cup win (in three tries).
“It was a great experience for for our players for the good the Open Cup game. Credits for Redlands, you know they gave us all my players are really proud of them. They did great. And this is just our first step. Hopefully we’ll have more of those nights,” Keinan said.
