On a windy night in Clifton, New Jersey Alliance FC and Steel Pulse FC battled like two teams near the top of their respective tables. Stoppage time goals by both teams forced a penalty kick shootout after 120 minutes with the score tied 2-2. In the end, Alliance keeper Yamil Macias made two huge saves to give his team the win, 4-2 in PKs, and qualify for their first ever US Open Cup tournament in 2025.
NJAFC are the first Open Division Local team from the Garden State to qualify for the US Open Cup since FC Motown in 2017.
NJAFC head coach Robert Kruk said after the game that he knows his group is up for playing in America’s national soccer tournament..
“They’re looking for a new challenge,” Kruk said following the PK shootout. “It’s so hard in the UPSL because we’ve been on top of that league and, again, in the national tournament (and) in the playoffs, it’s one game. It’s a card here, a goal here changes everything and we haven’t again.
“New competition, new faces, new teams, it’s always a challenge to play and guys get up for it.”
On the other side, Steel Pulse manager Mike Pieterson was proud of his group reaching this far. They have a league playoff semifinal coming up and state cups, including the Maryland Stewart Cup which could lead to a possible National Amateur Cup in 2025.
“We’re always proud of our work, especially when we give it our all,” Pieterson said. “This is an improvement from the past. So what we’re gonna do is make some kind of introspective, look to be able to plan and come back a little bit harder.”
Saturday night’s match at Athenia Steel Park was the third straight home match for NJ Alliance, and a devoted crowd of 60 fans came out for the monumental game. The home side had reached the final round of qualifying last year but fell in penalty kicks to Vereinigung Erzgebirge on the road. Meanwhile Steel Pulse, playing in their first road game of qualifying, had never played in a “Win & You’re In” match prior to Saturday.
Neither team could find the back of the net in the first half. The Pulse had the edge in the first 20 minutes, forcing keeper Macias to make a few saves and jump on loose balls in the box. The visitors weren’t scared to be aggressive either, fouling NJ Alliance in their own end multiple times and giving the home side free kicks in dangerous spots. But these chances were culled for the most part.
NJAFC took the momentum in the last twenty minutes of the half, racking up corner kicks but not getting many dangerous looks on net.
The second half began much like the first half did. NJ was playing long balls, probably being the more tactical of the two united. Pulse was being more aggressive. The visitors had an issue when Brandon Williamson went down with a non-contact injury, holding the back of his left calf.
Manager Mike Pieterson noted after the match that Williamson wasn’t 100% coming into the game, and with his team missing some players, he might have aggravated something trying to push himself. Still, the game was open for anyone to win.
The game left the rails in the 82nd minute when Emiland Elezaj scored the opening goal for the home side. Brian Canales sent a low ball towards the goal, which got past a diving Patrick Tettah and hit off a sliding Elezaj. The ball didn’t have enough momentum and Elezaj scooted on the ground quickly to tap it in the net for the 1-0 lead. It was Elezaj’s third straight qualifying match with a goal and his fourth overall goal of qualifying.
FINAL
NJ Alliance 2 (4)
Steel Pulse 2 (2)Two saves in the shootout and NJAFC IS US OPEN CUP BOUND!#USOC2025 #RBNY #NYCFC pic.twitter.com/awOyLZ8hCS
— Michael Battista (@MichaelBattista) November 17, 2024
With time winding down, Alliance tried to see the game out as best they could. The home side made two subs, though one wasn’t initially planned. Elezaj went to ground following a play and had to be helped off the field in the 86th minute, with early “reports” saying the Albania native broke his toe. Still, overall Alliance was being defensive and earned two yellow cards after the goal.
In the second minute of stoppage time, the Pulse were still driving and a highball found its way to Stephen Jude on the left side. He shot on target towards the right post, but NJAFC’s Kelvin Preciado intercepted it and headed the ball into his own net. Officially speaking, since Jude’s first shot was on target the goal is credited to him.
Regardless, Steel had a Pulse. Right after the goal, Steel’s keeper Tettah ran to midfield and called to be subbed off and replaced with Justin Appler. The visitors nearly got the game winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time when a cross from the right side was just a few steps ahead of an attacker. Instead, the game went to extra time.
Normally, allowing a game-tying goal would crush a team. But NJAFC head coach Robert Kruk was, admittedly, up for the challenge.
“I think it was a blessing. We had a semi final in the UPSL (that) we lost last weekend. It was a tight one. We could have won and we would have had to play a midweek game like Thursday.” Kruk explained. “I think that was a blessing. It gave us extra motivation to not end this good season, where we were building and building and building to get something out of it… We had a good heart to heart at the 90, then a great even heart to heart at the 15, and sometimes you just need a little bit of luck.”
The first 15 minutes of extra time went by as normal. A high Alliance shot hit off the football woodwork while a Pulse shot went just wide left of the post. Meanwhile, the home DJ was put on thin ice for continuously playing things during the game. All very normal things for lower division soccer.
In the second extra time period, it took 24 seconds for Pulse to break through. Running up the right side after kickoff, the visitors crossed in and shot but were blocked by a defender. The ball went back into play where Stephen Jude recovered it and passed off to Emmanuel Olusesi. His shot from 30 yards out arched between the post and an unready but jumping Macias to make it 2-1.
With their backs to the wall, the Alliance pushed forward. Yet another Pulse foul gave NJAFC a free kick in a dangerous spot, which was shot on target but saved in the 111th. With about five minutes to go Alliance made two subs in a last ditch effort to change the strategy. The team earned two corners but neither were very threatening.
On a last ditch play, beginning with a quick restart at midfield off a Pulse foul, NJ sent the ball to the right side before passing to the middle and finding Preciado. The player who caused the game to go to Extra Time helped extend it further, when he passed off to Dorgeles Coulibably on the right side of the box. A right footed shot as he slid to ground went between the post and diving keeper to once again tie the game.
“I was waiting for this goal because I always score when I play, always, when I say always, I always score,” Coulibably said afterwards. “It was amazing to score in the last minute of the game. I’m very happy.”
With momentum on their side, Alliance went into the shootout and made their first attempt. Pulse’s Olusesi, the goal scorer from extra time, stepped up for his attempt, took a few steps back, and proceeded to do a stutter run for about five seconds before his shot was saved by Macias. The next two rounds were perfect before Konrad Rodzeń converted for NJAFC. On a match point attempt, Diarra Zoumana’s shot was saved by Macias and the Alliance officially qualified for the tournament, 2-2 (4:2 on pks).
With his team qualifying for the USOC, coach Kruk was pretty open to playing anyone come March.
“Give us anybody. If we could get an MLS NEXT Pro team it would be great because you’re playing a name,” he said, unsure of what the format will be next year. “But give us anybody, we’ll play you anytime.”
MATCH BROADCAST