Stephen Valenti

Freelance sports writer living in the Philadelphia area. Worked for the Reading Eagle and covered the PDL's Reading United in 2015 and 2016. Proud alum of Seton Hall University.

2017 US Open Cup Round 3: City Islanders prove themselves in 3-0 win over Reading United

June 1, 2017 by Stephen Valenti

Starting strong was the number one priority for the Harrisburg City Islanders coming into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Third Round.

Facing an amateur team for the second consecutive round, it was imperative to demonstrate they were the better side as professionals.

That is exactly what the City Islanders did with two goals in the first 15 minutes to eliminate Reading United AC with a 3-0 win Wednesday at Don Thomas Stadium.

“We came out to prove we were the professional side,” Harrisburg midfielder Jake Bond said. “We said we were going to be the dominant ones. Come out the first 15 and set the dominance.

“For the first 25 minutes we were all over them and they didn’t have anything.”

The win sends Harrisburg to face the Philadelphia Union for the fourth time in six years June 14. Reading was eliminated and matched Michigan Bucks and Chicago FC United as the PDL teams to advance the furthest in the tournament.

The scoring came easy early for the City Islanders. Pedro Ribeiro sent Daniel DiPrima a pass into the middle of the box that DiPrima finished in space in the 8th minute.

Seven minutes later, Bond controlled a long pass and sent a volley past Reading goalkeeper Ben Beaury following a perfect long pass from Abass Mohammed.

“When you play PDL teams you know the longer the game goes the more confidence those teams get,” Harrisburg head coach Bill Becher said. “The key is to jump on them early which is what we were able to do.”

Coming back from behind to pull a Second Round upset against the New York Cosmos, Reading United made a similar push late in the first half. This time, Reading struggled to get the final touch with Sean Lewis coming up with big saves when necessary.

Frantzdy Pierrot and Hugo Delhommelle had multiple chances on one rush in the 21st minute but their three chances were stopped. Lewis made his biggest save of the night on Delhommelle.

Turning with the ball from the penalty marker, Lewis reacted to Delhommelle’s unobstructed shot to send it over the bar.

“I’m feeling confident now,” Lewis said. “I’ve had a few games in a row now and really getting my feet under me.”

Lewis finished the night with nine saves, seven coming in the first half.

“By the end of the first half we were lucky to escape 2-0,” Becher said. “They probably deserved a goal, maybe two.”

Harrisburg ended any hopes of a Reading comeback in the 50th minute. Bond, making the change from right back to midfield, scored his second receiving a deflection in the box to find the back of the net.

Pierrot with Delhommelle finished with eight and five shots respectively but were unable to find the back of the net.

“Finishing and sloppy mistakes,” Reading head coach Stephen Hoagn said were his sides’ downfall. “If we defend like we teach to defend we’re still in the game at halftime even if we don’t convert our chances.”

2017 US Open Cup Round 2: With 3 goals in 6 minutes, Reading United stuns NASL champion New York Cosmos

May 19, 2017 by Stephen Valenti

Reading United took advantage of its opportunities and pulled the upset over the 3-2 upset of the New York Cosmos in the Second Round of the US Open Cup Wednesday at Shirk Stadium.

All three of Reading’s goals came in a six-minute stretch late in the first half. Paul Marie shook off a defender and made a run down the left side to even the score at 1-1 in the 38th minute.

Marco Micaletto put Reading ahead by beating the keeper off a pass from Hugo Delhommelle. Frantzdy Pierrot made it 3-1 in the 44th minute taking the ball off a New York defender’s foot and beat the keeper 1-on-1.

New York led a charge in the second half. Holding possession, Danny Szetela headed in a cross from Kalif Alhassan in the 63rd minute to pull the visitors within a goal. Alhassan scored New York’s first goal in the 11th minute.

Reading United will host the Harrisburg City Islanders in the next round on May 31. The winner of that match will head to Chester, Pa. to take on the Philadelphia Union of MLS on June 14.

2017 US Open Cup Round 1: Reading United edge Clarkstown Eagles to break another Modern Era record

May 12, 2017 by Stephen Valenti

Nothing went the way Reading United head coach Stephen Hogan expected to in its US Open Cup First Round match.

Five minutes into the game, the gameplan got ripped up as Hogan was forced to use his first substitution. For the final 15 minutes, Reading had to deal with playing a man down.

Showing toughness that Reading looks for, it held on for a 1-0 win over Clarkstown SC Eagles Wednesday at Don Thomas Stadium. The win is the sixth straight in the opening round, giving Reading another Modern Era (1995-present) Open Cup record for an amateur team.

“We had to adapt,” Hogan said. “It was a well deserved 1-0 lead going into halftime. Just try to survive at the end.”

Frantzdy Pierrot scored the lone goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time in the first half. Pierrot headed in the rebound off his penalty kick that was saved by Clarkstown’s Robert Pellegrini. Pierrot drew the foul by receiving a long pass from Hugo Delhommelle, making a move around the Pellegrini who took him down.

“I hesitated a little bit, saw him going left but I still went that way,” Pierrot said. “It’s something I have to work on but I was able to react quick enough to score.”

The score would be all Reading needed as it held on down the stretch with a non-ideal lineup.
Jorge Guinovart played only five minutes of his Reading debut before leaving the field on a cart. Guinovart jumped for a ball in midfield and was fouled by Christopher Riordan making head-to-head contact.

“You never plan that,” Hogan said of the early substitution. “That changed the whole gameplan. I had one or two on the bench I wanted to get in at a certain time and I couldn’t do that.”

Coming in, Reading had only one training session as players are still arriving from colleges for the PDL season. Making matters more difficult, Aaron Molloy picked up his second yellow in the 76th minute just as Clarkstown started to increase its pressure.

Clarkstown’s best chance came in the 64th minute. Esad Mackic had the ball find his feet in a dangerous position on the right side of the box but the shot was deflected before it got to Reading’s Ben Beaury in goal to make the easy save.

Down a man, all Reading could do was hold on over the final 15 minutes. Clarkstown kept pushing but struggled to put any quality shots on net.

“Being a man down is difficult in any situation let alone the first game of the season,” Marco Micaletto said. “You get to a mental stage with this club where things like that don’t effect you.”

By advancing, Reading will host the New York Cosmos in the second round at a site yet to be determined.

Reading United qualifies for record 9th straight US Open Cup, seeking more than an opening round win

May 4, 2017 by Stephen Valenti

Mario Pinto-Neto of Reading United AC celebrates what would prove to be the game-winning goal against the Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Pro) in the Second Round of the 2013 US Open Cup. Photo: Reading United AC

For Reading United AC playing in the US Open Cup has become an annual tradition.

Taking the field in the first round Wednesday against Clarkstown SC will be the Premier Development League (PDL) side’s ninth consecutive appearance in America’s oldest tournament, a Modern Era (1995-present) record for an amateur team.

While professional teams are guaranteed a spot every season, for Reading United, and every other amateur side, must qualify.

“It shows the type of player we are able to get,” Reading United president Art Auchenbach said. “The fact we have been able to make the playoffs almost every year but continue to be one of the top teams in the eastern conference is almost as good as the amateur record in the Open Cup.”

Making the run more difficult is Reading, a Philadelphia Union affiliate just over an hour northwest of Philadelphia, plays in the PDL’s Mid-Atlantic division which is consistently one of the most competitive in the 72-team league.

However, it took until current USL Bethlehem Steel head coach Brendan Burke was hired at 25 for the team to find success. Burke won the division in his first year, which earned a sport in the 2009 Open Cup and started the current streak.

After five attempts, Reading United won their first US Open Cup game in franchise history with a 2-1 win over New York Greek American Atlas SC. Photo: Glenn Riegel | Reading United AC

“It’s good for the players, exposure and experience playing in the oldest tournament,” current head coach Stephen Hogan said. “For me to play in it was exciting and getting to the second round because you play a very high level team.”

Hogan played on the 2009 team that lost in the first round to the Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2). Prior to that, the only time the club had reached the tournament was as a Division 3 USL pro team when they were one-and-done in 2001 and 2003.

A large part of Reading’s sustained success is its desire to be as professional of an organization as possible. That along with an affiliation with the Philadelphia Union and consistent success has attracted some of the best college players.

Some of those that have contributed to Reading’s success have been current Major League Soccer players Matt Hedges, Luke Mulholland, Keagan Rosenberry, C.J. Sapong and Andrew Wenger.

After back-to-back losses to Division 3 pro teams in 2010 and 2011, United finally picked up the franchise’s first tournament win. It was a 2-1 result against four-time Open Cup champion New York Greek American Atlas SC. The win rescued them from making an unfortunate place in the record book as it snapped a five-game tournament losing streak, one loss shy of the Modern Era record.

In 2013, Reading enjoyed their best run in the US Open Cup. After defeating FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic (NPSL), they faced the Harrisburg City Islanders for the third time in five years and this time they came out on top. A first half goal by Mario Pinto-Neto was all they would need to earn a third round date with the New York Red Bulls (MLS).

“Everybody, myself included, walking into Red Bulls Stadium felt like a tourist,” Auchenbach said. “You’re taking pictures, you’re almost just happy to be there. For the first half of the game we were in it, even if we didn’t create many chances.”

Although Reading lost 2-0 that night, it set the standard for the teams after. None have reached that point since but Reading United has still found success in the tournament’s opening round as they currently have a five-game winning streak in Open Cup openers, which is tied for the Modern Era record for an amateur team.

United are 6-9-1 (0-1 PKs) all-time (6-7-1 as a PDL team). They will host Clarkston on May 10 where they are 6-2 in their team history. They are still without a road win in their tournament history (0-7-1, 0-1 PKs).

A unique challenge for PDL teams and the Open Cup is a majority of the team arriving from their colleges less than a week before the first round. Some instances have had the player arrive the night before or day of the game.

“We have done well because our top guys are mostly in because they know what the US Open Cup means,” Hogan said. “The further they go the better teams they are going to be exposed to.”