Pinho scored a hat trick in a 3-0 road upset of Orlando City SC (MLS) to become just the third Brazilian to win the award. The Player of the Round honor is voted on by the staff of TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters.
Neil Blackmon
Neil W. Blackmon is the co-founder and editor of The Yanks Are Coming. He is a member of the North American Soccer Reporters and his work has appeared in Howler Magazine, Eight by Eight Magazine, MLSSoccer.Com, SB Nation and ESPN FC, among other publications.
2017 US Open Cup Round 4: Stefano Pinho’s hat trick leads Miami FC to road upset of Orlando City
Another year, another south Florida nightmare for Orlando City in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. This time, Miami FC did the job, emerging with a convincing 3-1 victory. Stefano Pinho’s hat trick, the first in the history of the new Orlando City Stadium, paced an outstanding performance by the NASL league leaders.
2017 US Open Cup Round 3: Miami FC excel during “hot moments”, eliminate Tampa Bay Rowdies
Miami FC’s Michael Lahoud: “This tournament is about survive and advance. We beat a very good team, and made a statement for our league , that we’re better than one of the best teams in USL. We earned the right to show we can compete against MLS teams, and hopefully we continue this great run.”
2017 US Open Cup Round 2: Alessandro Nesta leads Miami FC to club’s first tournament win
Miami FC earned the club’s historic first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup win with a 3-2 victory over the South Florida Surf at the University of Miami’s Cobb Stadium. The game, played in blustery conditions with intermittent rain, had a bit of everything: strong attacking play, hard-nosed defense, heroic goalkeeping and tactical nous.
2017 US Open Cup Round 1: Nacho’s heroics leads Miami United past Boca Raton in Florida battle
Longtime NPSL legend Nacho scored in the 88th minute, breaking a 1-1 deadlock and helping host Miami United defeat Boca Raton FC 2-1 in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup 2nd round action last night at Milander Stadium.
2017 Meet the Underdogs: Boca Raton FC has MLS ambitions, sees US Open Cup as building block
Boca Raton FC has not been shied away from big ambitions, announcing a wholesale rebrand in late March, and with it, the club’s intention to make a long-term push to bring MLS to Boca Raton.
2016 US Open Cup: Diego Restrepo carries Fort Lauderdale Strikers, wins TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament
The story and romance of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is not simply a story of upsets, of the little guy getting a shot at Goliath. That’s too reductive, especially because by the end of the competition, a giant’s name usually finds itself engraved on the trophy. The US Open Cup is, above all, […]
2016 US Open Cup Round 5: Fort Lauderdale Strikers’ dramatic $15,000 upset of Orlando City makes history
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League (NASL) upset Major League Soccer (MLS) host Orlando City SC 2-1 last night on a goal from Victor “PC” Giro in stoppage time of extra time.
2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Orlando City’s emotional win over Jacksonville provides distraction for fans
Southern Oak Stadium dripped with emotion in the build-up, the aftermath of the weekend’s tragic act of violence and hatred in Orlando heavy in the air.
2016 US Open Cup Round 3: Jacksonville Armada need OT to earn first tournament win, 2-1 over Charleston Battery
A capacity crowd of 1,200 saw the Armada win for the first time since an April 15 NASL league triumph over The Miami FC.