A capacity crowd welcomed Sarasota Paradise (USL League Two) and visitors FC Naples (USL League One) for the opening night of the 110th edition of the United States Open Cup. Sarasota found themselves without many of their key players, as they are in the middle of the collegiate season. A team was put together and only trained with each other for a week in the lead up to this match. New USL-1 expansion side FC Naples are currently second in the table, in the midst of a congested schedule.
“We’re in the middle of three games in eight games, so trying to manage players’ bodies right as we’re about to fly out to Washington is key,” said FC Naples head coach Matt “Gaffa” Poland. They rolled into Sarasota fresh off their inaugural win against Forward Madison and looked to convert that into positive momentum as they began their Open Cup journey.
FC Naples showed that they had played some competitive games already this season as Kevein O’Connor scored an 88th minute go-ahead goal to send the visitors into the Second Round with a 2-1 win.
The game right off the bat had an in-state rivalry feel with players bouncing each other within the first 15 minutes. Sarasota had a majority of the chances, the stand out being a great chance in the 20th minute created by Sarasota’s captain Juan Rojas to Chris Solari, but goalkeeper Edward Delgado of FC Naples held down the fort and saved the shot. In the 30th minute, there was a rough challenge by Naples’ Jayden Onen, which resulted in the referee having to call order on the pitch as the chippy antics from both teams were getting excessive.
After the hydration break, the referee was quick to get the cards out, assigning a yellow card to Sarasota’s Nikola Sljivic after a rough challenge. Julian Cisneros led two good opportunities for FC Naples in the last minutes of the first half, but unfortunately couldn’t convert those into goals. Another card was handed out before the end of the first half to Sarasota’s Jivian Rodriguez.
The second half started with a calmer tempo, as both teams faced the possibility of going into extra time if the game stayed level. FC Naples had a really good opportunity in the 53rd minute when a shot from Julian Cisneros curved just barely off target. A rough challenge on Sarasota’s captain Juan Rojas unfortunately ended his night early, which brought on the introduction of Nicholas Colacci. The local player was a much needed boost for the home side as they proceeded to have multiple great chances.
The best chance for Sarasota came in the 68th minute, as Nikola Sljivic was dragged onto the ground by Naples defender Julian Cisneros in the box. With how fine the margins were in this game, this was the golden opportunity for Sarasota to dictate the tempo for the rest of the match. Chris Solari stepped up to the spot and Naples goalkeeper Edward Delgado made a masterful save to keep his side level.
With twenty minutes to go, both sides knew very well the goal was going to happen and could be the difference between advancing or not. FC Naples found the breakthrough in the 79th minute, as weekend brace scorer and substitute Karsen Henderlong broke the deadlock and gave his side the lead with ten minutes left in regulation.
“Coming off the bench in this game gives me an opportunity to bring something to the team and getting my head on that ball just motivated the team,” said Karsen post-game.
The anxiety could be felt around the ground as the hosts found themselves behind with minutes left, facing elimination. Up to this point, they put up a great fight against a leading League One side. A moment of magic would be needed to draw this game level.
“As a forward, zero-zero, you wanna get that goal and we came out here feeling that we weren’t the underdog,” said Sarasota’s forward Nicholas Colacci.
The homegrown kid took command of his side and kept willing them through in the dying minutes of the game. This seemingly unprepared side showed grit and had a moment of brilliance, as Nicholas’ brother, Antonio, made a picture perfect pass to Nicholas on a quick counter attack and when it came down to Colacci & Naples keeper Delgado, the forward was able to bring his side level with three minutes to go in regulation.
For all the twists and turns this game had, it had one more up its sleeve. With extra time seemingly inevitable, Naples’ midfielder Kevin O’Connor sent a dagger through the hearts of the home crowd with a 91st minute game winner.
“As you know, in the cup, anything can happen, so we made sure that we went through,” said Kevin O’Connor after the game.
With Sarasota intending on moving up to League One next season, the league may have caught lightning in a bottle with a marquee derby. There is so much to look forward to with this newly born Florida derby.
As Sarasota prepares for their League Two season starting in May, a great crowd and vibe around the stadium will hopefully lead into another successful year as they intend on going back-to-back in the League Two Southern Florida conference.
Winners FC Naples move on to possibly face Miami FC in the next round. They travel to Spokane this weekend to continue their inaugural league campaign. Definitely a team to look out for as they have come out swinging so far in both competitions.