Brian Venard

2015 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: 10-man Philadelphia Union beat New York Red Bulls in PKs to reach third Semifinal in four years (video)

July 21, 2015 by Brian Venard

The Philadelphia Union celebrate their penalty kick shootout win over the New York Red Bulls in the 2015 Quarterfinals. Photo: Bob Larson

UPDATE: John McCarthy of Philadelphia Union has been voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

The Philadelphia Union, playing with 10 men for 80 minutes, won a PK shootout with the New York Red Bulls to punch their ticket to the Semifinals for the second year in a row. Despite Conor Casey’s straight red card in the 40th minute, the Union scored the first goal in the 55th minute through Eric Ayuk. They were less than a minute away from winning the match in regulation until Lloyd Sam equalized deep into second half stoppage time to send the game into extra time. Philadelphia goalkeeper John McCarthy, who came up big on a number of occasions for the Union, made two saves and Bradley Wright-Phillips missed his attempt to give the visitors a 4-3 shootout win.

“I would say, first and foremost, it’s the Union’s biggest win in their history,” said head coach Jim Curtin. “I thought the fan support was incredible. I thought that our players showed a ton of heart – the heart of a lion. I couldn’t be more proud. They represented the badge very well. They represented our fans, our city, and they left everything on the field.”

The Union move on to host the winner of Orlando City SC and the Chicago Fire in the final four which is scheduled to take place Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET at PPL Park. The Fire host Orlando on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.

At the opening kickoff the temperatures were in the 90s and the play on the field got off to a blazing start. The Union pushed forward and earned themselves a corner kick within the first 45 seconds of the match. After a short burst of energy by the Union, the Red Bulls held possession for the large portion of the half.

Fernando Aristeguieta scores the winning penalty kick for the Philadelphia Union against the New York Red Bulls in the 2015 Quarterfinals. Photo: Bob Larson

In the 40th minute, the game took a major turn when Union forward Conor Casey shown a straight red card for an aggressive challenge on Conor Lade. There was little argument from the veteran as he quietly marched off the field leaving his team short a man.

The Red Bulls had several oppertuinites in the following five minutes after the red card, but nothing came of it. Multiple times, New York would gain the penalty area, they would misfire or McCarthy would come off his line to put an end to the play.

The second half got off to a fast start as well, with the Red Bulls getting a handful of solid attempts on net. The pattern continued from the first half where the ball remained in the Union’s defensive third, and every few minutes there would be a counter attack.

“There’s not a moment when you can relax,” said McCarthy who has started every game for the Union in the tournament. “You’re always on your toes because you know the pressure’s coming nonstop.”

As the second half progressed, the Union started to get their footing, and started denying the Red Bulls from shooting on nearly every possession.

The Union got the ultimate gratification for their resurgence with a well deserved goal in the 55th minute by Eric Ayuk.

After the goal, the Red Bulls were clearly deflated, letting off a lot of the pressure they applied in the opening 10 minutes of the half. The Union continued to control the game as it progressed, and with only one minute left of stoppage time, it seemed certain that the Union were moving on to the Semifinals. But the Red Bulls kept fighting as Lloyd Sam tied the game in the fourth minute of stoppage time, connecting on a ball after a series of headers in the penalty area. The shorthanded Union and the hometown Red Bulls, both who had used all of their substitutions, were headed to extra time.

Stoppage time was dominated by the Red Bulls as they pushed the ball forward throughout the first 15 minutes, but nothing came out of it. Union were on their heels throughout but McCarthy kept the Union in the game as he finished the game with nine saves. The second half of extra time provided more drama as the Union had more possession, but the Red Bulls still had the majority of the ball at their feet with the extra man.

The Red Bulls nearly stole the game at the end as Bradley Wright-Phillips headed in what most of the fans in attendance thought was the game-winner in the 120th minute, but the referee’s assistant ruled him offside. That was the last real chance of extra time for either side, so the ultimate decider, penalty kicks, came into play.

Wright-Phillips missed the opening attempt of the shootout off the crossbar and after everyone converted their attempts the Union were up 3-2 going into Round 4. The Red Bulls’ regulation hero Lloyd Sam had his shot saved in spectacular fashion by McCarthy, diving to his left and pulling the ball off the line. New York’s Luis Robles saved an attempt by Fred which meant it was coming down to the final round. Sasha Kljestan scored for the home team, but it was Fernando Aristeguieta who sent the Union into the final four, much to the delight of their traveling fans in the upper deck.

After the game, there was a very dampened mood in the New York locker room and Robles summed it up.

“What feels different, is that walking into this locker room today, we all expected to win,” said the goalkeeper who made two saves. “The hardest part is dealing with the result when you believed you would win.”

The confident Red Bulls will have to wait until next year to get another shot at their first Open Cup title. While the victorious Philadelphia will advance to play in their third Semifinal in the last four years as they continue their quest to bring the Open Cup trophy back to Pennsylvania for the first time since 1966.

POST-GAME: JIM CURTIN

POST-GAME: FERNANDO ARISTEGUIETA

POST-GAME: JOHN MCCARTHY

POST-GAME: RAY GADDIS

FULL MATCH REPLAY: PHILADELPHIA UNION AT NY RED BULLS

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: Kaka scores in debut as Orlando City hands Columbus Crew first-ever shutout loss (video)

July 1, 2015 by Brian Venard

Kaka became just the third World Cup champion in the Modern Era to score a US Open Cup goal. Photo: Orlando City SC

It was clear right from the get go that Orlando City SC wasn’t going to repeat the near-disasterous performance they had in the US Open Cup Fourth Round, and in the end, the MLS expansion side prevailed winning 2-0 over the Columbus Crew. Last round against the Charleston Battery, Orlando blew a two-goal lead in extra time, but prevailed in penalty kicks. This time, they held on to their two-goal lead.

Kaka, the club’s major signing since moving up from the United Soccer League, scored his first Open Cup goal, while Carlos Rivas added another to give Orlando the lead they needed to pick up their first regulation victory of their new era. Kaka becomes just the third World Cup champion in the Modern Era (1995-present) to score a goal in the US Open Cup. He joins fellow Brazilians Zinho (Miami FC, 2007) and Branco (Metrostars, 1997).

Less than a minute after having a goal disallowed for offside, Kaka opening the scoring in the 21st minute. Darwin Ceres stepped up and stole the ball from the Crew backline and started a break into the Columbus penalty area. Ceres played a pass over to the former World Player of the Year, who beat the keeper from the top of the box.

Just 14 minutes later, Carlos Rivas, who became the first Modern Era player to score three penalty kick goals against Charleston in Round 4, scored his first goal of the tournament in the run of play. Pedro Ribeiro brought the ball to the edge of the penalty area, but had the ball knocked away by a swarming Crew defense but the loose ball fell into the path of Rivas who hit a one-time rocket shot into the upper part of the goal.

Orlando head coach Adrian Heath was impressed with Rivas and his goal, but he wasn’t surprised for one of the team’s up-and-coming young players.

“I’ve never been involved with a kid who can kick the ball as hard as he can,” said Heath. “He’s going to be a big player for us moving forward. It’s early days for him, but he’s starting to make an impression.”

The Crew were uninspiring throughout the game, with only a few chances that were very spread out. Orlando goalkeeper Tally Hall only had to make two saves for the home team to pick up his fourth career Open Cup shutout and send the Lions into the Quarterfinals for the second time in the last three years. While the general performance of the visitors was underwhelming, they received a spark midway through the second half but were unable to capitalize on it as Columbus was shut out for the first time in club history, which covers a span of 36 Open Cup games.

Orlando City’s dominant performance further shows not only that they take the Open Cup seriously, but also that the first team can bounce back from a stretch of disappointing performances in both the cup and league play. Heath reiterated after the match how the Open Cup is one of the club’s top priorties and the lineup he put out on the field reflected that. Orlando City, being a former USL team themselves, understands the benefits of a deep Cup run, and if anything, being in MLS makes it easier to do that with a deeper bench.

The standout player from tonight was Rivas, who played an all-around game and even scoring the safety goal for Orlando City. He was rightfully awarded ‘man of the match’ at the stadium even after being subbed off in the 67th minute.

An announced crowd of 13,684 at the Citrus Bowl was small by Orlando City standards, but understandable considering the United States was competing in the Women’s World Cup Semifinal against Germany and the final four of the Copa American tournament was also on the schedule for Tuesday evening. Even with a smaller crowd, Orlando fans still managed to create a strong home field advantage.

Orlando advances to the Quarterfinals where they will play on the road against the Chicago Fire. City’s first trip to the round of eight in 2013 as a USL club ended at the hands of the Fire as Chicago eliminated them 5-1 at Toyota Park. The date of the Quarterfinal match won’t be announced until later this week.

POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE: ADRIAN HEATH

FULL MATCH REPLAY: COLUMBUS CREW AT ORLANDO CITY SC

2015 US Open Cup Round 4: New York Cosmos beat NYCFC in dramatic PK shootout to win East River Derby (video)

June 18, 2015 by Brian Venard

Photo: Gabrielle Dewey | New York Cosmos

UPDATE: The Round of 16 draw was conducted by the US Soccer Federation and it was determined that the New York Red Bulls will host the New York Cosmos in the next round.

The match was built up to be a huge one, and it surely didn’t disappoint. While there were highs and lows for both sides, the New York Cosmos prevailed on penalties, securing themselves a spot in the Fifth Round, as well as $15,000 for being the North American Soccer League (NASL) team to advance the furthest in the competition.

Even though the match ended on penalties, the way it got there was dramatic and entertaining for the announced attendance of 11,446 at Hofstra University. The scoring started off in the 24th minute when Kwadwo Poku of NYCFC scored on a spectacular run of play. The ball was crossed into the box from the left wing. Poku ran on to the ball, chipped the ball straight up in the air and with a defender on him, turned, and hit an over-the-head kick into the back of the net.

Poku wasn’t done, though, as he scored his second of the game in the 59th minute as Pablo Alvarez sent a ball over the top and Poku beat the goalkeeper to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Poku is a great example of a player who has used the Open Cup as a vehicle for advancing his career. He was discovered after scoring four goals for the Georgia Revolution of the NPSL in 2013. After playing against the Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) that year, Atlanta signed him, which then caught the eye of New York City FC who signed him before this season.

After Poku gave NYCFC a 2-0 lead, the Cosmos brought on Leo Fernandes, one of their top performers from the club’s 3-0 Third Round win over the PDL’s Jersey Express. Only minutes after he came onto the pitch, Fernandes scored and brought the game back in to arms reach for the Cosmos with 25 minutes to go. After that goal, the momentum completely swung around. Just as it started to seem that NYCFC would escape with a win, Lucky Mkosana received a low cross from Hunter Freeman on the right wing, Mkosana took a soft touch and fired it past the goalkeeper to level the match and send the inaugural East River Derby into extra time.

In extra time, both teams had multiple chances to seal a goal, but none was bigger than the 98th minute when Hunter Freeman pulled down NYCFC captain Andrew Jacobson in the penalty area. Alvarez stepped up to take the penalty and the Cosmos’ Jimmy Maurer guessed wrong and dove to his right as Alvarez went down the middle and rattled the ball off the middle of the crossbar.

Nothing separated the two squads as the game had to be decided by penalty kicks. Entering penalties, there was an electric atmosphere, both supporters and staff and players alike all knew it was coming down to this. NYCFC found themselves leading 3-2 heading into the fifth round of penalty kicks and Patrick Mullins had a chance to send City to Round 5 but Maurer made a diving save. After Adam Moffat converted for the Cosmos, Maurer came up big again, saving Shay Facey’s attempt with a diving save to his right. The game-winning kick fell to Cosmos defender Hunter Gorskie who shot low and to the right. NYCFC’s Eirik Johansen guessed correctly and got a hand to hit, but it snuck just inside the post to send the Cosmos into celebration mode and their fans into a frenzy.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: NYCFC AT NEW YORK COSMOS

2013 US Open Cup Round 3: New York Cosmos dismiss PDL’s Jersey Express to set up NYCFC Round 4 match (video)

May 28, 2015 by Brian Venard

It’s always great to see a Cinderella story in the US Open Cup, but today at Belson Stadium, the sheer quality of the New York Cosmos ended one such storyline with a rout of the Jersey Express of the PDL.

From the start, the Cosmos dominated possession and continuously pressured the Express’ backline. The Cosmos high tempo offense led to many opportunities, three of which ended in the back of the net. Interestingly enough, the Cosmos accumulated 15 corners throughout the game, compared to Jersey’s zero. This stat barely shows the one-sided nature of the match.

The scoring started off in the 14th minute when Leo Fernandes blasted the ball into the back of the net off of a free kick and continued in the 40th minute when Guenzatti beat two defenders off of a brilliant pass by none other than Fernandes.

Throughout the match, it was quite obvious the Cosmos were playing an aggressive style of soccer, picking up four yellow cards and a red card. The red card in particular was very odd to see. In the 90th minute when the game was already sealed up, Samuel Caceres obtained a completely unnecessary second yellow card, leaving his team going into their Fourth Round match with NYCFC without him.

Even though the Express did not succeed on offense tonight, there were some fantastic saves by their keeper throughout the night. If not for Matthew Mahoney’s valiant effort in the net, the score could easily have been 6-0 or 7-0.

The hands down player of the match is the Cosmos’ Leo Fernandes, with a goal and an assist and a solid all around performance. Fernandes and the rest of his teammates will be looking forward to their June 12th match against NYCFC(MLS), the first meeting between the two New York sides will be very exciting to watch. After speaking with Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese, it is clear that while there is a different atmosphere around a derby match, the Cosmos will not get distracted and will continue to play their game regardless of the stature or location of their opponent. You can correlate this attitude towards the match to the “winning environment” Savarese is trying to create, where regardless of the importance of the match, you play to win.

This mentality will surely be important to the Cosmos in the short term, and will surely reap its benefits in the long run.

HIGHLIGHTS: Jersey Express at New York Cosmos

2015 US Open Cup Round 2: Real Monarchs capitalize on Rough Riders mistake, win first cup match, 1-0

May 21, 2015 by Brian Venard

The matchup between the Long Island Rough Riders and Real Monarchs SLC was without a doubt skewed in favor of the latter, but you would have never guessed that after seeing tonight’s match. And while the Monarchs still pulled out a victory, it did not come easy for them. The only goal in the match was scored in the 76th minute by Ricardo Velazco, who put the ball in the back of the net after a series of miscommunications by the goalkeeper and the defender.

Even though the final result of the match was based partially on a communication error, the error is not telling of how close the match was. Going into halftime, the match was a complete stalemate, with neither team breaking through the others defense consistently. While the first half was quite a bore, the second half was very different. Both squads were much more willing to shoot the ball from the get go, and that’s what inevitably led to the goal that broke the stalemate.

Even though the Rough Riders as a whole were fairly strong tonight, there were a few players who were extremely underwhelming during the match. The one that sticks out in particular is Benjamin Wignall, who was subbed off in the 46th minute. After a great performance in Round 1, Wignall lacked inspiration in the forward role, rarely touching the ball and not having any significant impact on the game. In addition to the lack of quality shown by Wignall, in the 68th minute, Joe Holland was subbed off after sustaining an injury when he fell awkwardly to the ground after tripping. Holland is one of the star players for the Rough Riders and will surely be missed if the injury is serious.

On the other side of the pitch, one particular player had the night of his life. Tyler Arnone, a Long Island native and former Rough Rider, made his first appearance in the starting 11 this season, and he had a major impact on his team. When asked about how it felt to come back to Long Island to play the Rough Riders, Arnone humbly said, “…It meant the world to me to play at Saint Anthony’s again cause I dedicated so many hours of my time to playing here…” Arnone proved himself to be a great candidate for first team soccer tonight, and I would not be surprised if he gets another chance very soon.

The match was very hard fought, and it was obvious by the crowd’s reaction at Saint Anthony’s High School that they felt the Rough Riders could have gone farther in this prestigious competition. But now the Monarchs are bound to the 3rd round, where they will host fellow USL team, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.