Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2012 First Round

TheCup.us Player of the Round: Cal FC’s Danny Barrera downs PDL champs to earn Round 1 honor

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Danny Barrera scored two in the First Round | Photo: PSA Elite

The 22-year-old Danny Barrera may be looking for a second chance. There is probably no better place to look for an example than the very team his two goals helped beat in the First Round, earning him TheCup.us Player of the Round honors for Cal FC’s 3-1 road win against the reigning PDL champion Kitsap Pumas.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a select panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week.

Barrera scored the club’s first two goals in the contest, firing a low shot that the goalkeeper was unable to handle and ended up putting it into his own net trying to collect it. This gave the visitors the advantage a minute before the break.. The second goal came in the 66th minute when he twisted past a defender to double the advantage with what proved to be the game-winner.

Over the last five years Barrera has flirted with breaking through to the next level, playing for the United States at the 2007 Pan-American Games as well as briefly being a member of the U17 and U18 National Teams in the residency program. After finishing school at UC Santa Barbara, where he helped the Gauchos win the 2006 NCAA title, he went to Europe, signing with Serbian first division club FK Spartak Zlatibor Voda.

After playing in just one game, however, Barrera is looking for a second chance via a club built in the past year by former US National Team star Eric Wynalda, a team made for unknown players needing to be seen or players who deserve a second chance.

One great story of getting a second chance this past year, which actually made headlines these past few weeks, came through Kitsap, a team Barrera knows well. As a member of the PDL Ventura County Fusion, he helped lead the California club to the league championship in 2009 with a 2-1 win over the Pumas in the conference final, tallying an assist on the opening goal in the match held in Laredo, Texas.

That story is of goalkeeper Bryan Meredith, who stayed in the Seattle area after being drafted by the Sounders but going unsigned. He guided Kitsap to the PDL championship with an 11-1-3 record, nine shutouts and .535 goals-against average in goal. When the Sounders lost a back-up to injury last year, they added Meredith to the squad. He proved himself in training and at the beginning of the month when starter Michael Gspurning came out at halftime with a hip injury, Meredith made his MLS debut to finish the match for a shutout win against the Los Angeles Galaxy. He then went on to shutout Philadelphia and Dallas in the next two games.

With three professional clubs in the greater Los Angeles area and the contacts of Eric Wynalda, it not unreasonable to think a similar opportunity is within reach for Barrera.

HIGHLIGHTS: Cal FC vs. Kitsap Pumas

2012 US Open Cup First Round: KC Athletics travel far and high to beat Real Colorado, 3-1

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Photo: Kellie Sullivan | KellieSullivanPhotography.com

The Kansas City Athletics scored three unanswered goals to overcome an early deficit to defeat the PDL’s Real Colorado Foxes, 3-1, at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. In doing so, the Athletics became the first USASA club in the Modern Pro Era (1995-present) from the state of Kansas to win a US Open Cup game.

You couldn’t have picked a better day in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains for a US Open Cup match with a game-time temperature of 85 degrees under cloudless skies; and you couldn’t have finished with  a more classic storyline as the undermanned amateurs from Missouri rallied for the win. Kansas City had only 12 eligible players and was six hundred miles from – not to mention 4,000 feet above – home.

At the 15-minute mark, it didn’t look good for the visitors.  Outplayed in every way in the early going, Colorado was one goal up on a pretty finish from defender Michael Lind of a perfect cross from the left corner.

The Foxes had virtually all of the possession, and had peppered KC keeper Steven Grow with seven shots as the first half closed with the Foxes in control of the ball and seemingly the game. It appeared that the home team had a clear edge in skill, speed and sheer numbers.  It seemed a matter of time until they overwhelmed their opponents.  But unfulfilled chances left them with only a one-goal advantage, which they would rue.

If Kansas City was employing the rope-a-dope, they ran it to perfection.   Less than a half-hour into the second half, the game was over.

It started innocuously enough.  In their first sustained foray into the Foxes’ penalty area, goalkeeper Roberto Perez was unable to handle a shot and had to lunge at a KC player-coach Kyle Perkins for the rebound, and got it wrong. Kansas City’s Kevin Shrout converted the penalty without incident in the 52nd.

Ten minutes later, an excellent shot from 12 yards cannoned off the crossbar and into the net.  Marty Johnson took the ball from the right flank and beat the Foxes back line before dropping the ball off to Perkins for the go-ahead goal.

Their sustained attack produced another in a line of dangerous crosses in the 67th minute that deflected in for their final score.  A give-and-go between Peter Karioris and Miguel Rodrigues created an opportunity for Rodrigues to fire a well-paced ball into the area that would be inadvertently redirected into the goal in the 68th minute.

At that point, it became all about running out the clock as the visitors bunkered down and prevented Real Colorado from finding any good opportunities, sending the Athletics on an even longer trip to Orland, Fla. for the Second Round.

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Ventura County Fusion generate OT electricity, history in 6-2 win over Fullerton Rangers

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The Ventura County Fusion started off hot, and exploded for a record-tying four extra time goals to take out the hosting Fullerton Rangers on Tuesday night. The Fusion notched a brace in the first 22 minutes, but couldn’t make the lead hold in the second half.

After the game started as an end-to-end affair, the Fusion proved to win that game even-handed. Michael Roman took the feed from Kennedy Chongo in the back of the penalty box at 17′, and lofted it over Fullerton keeper Geovanni Hernandez to put Ventura on the board. Fullerton insisted in continuing the fast pace, and were torched again at 22′. The Rangers were caught napping, as three Ventura County players found themselves onside at close range. Francisco Lopez received from Chris Tsonis at close range, and slotted his second. Realizing their situation, Fullerton slowed the game down, their defense holding serve to prevent more damage going into the half.

The urgency started to build for the Rangers early in the 2nd half, and they started clawing their way back 55 minutes in. David Arvizu slid the ball in past Sam Hayden, cutting the deficit down to 1. Despite Sean Toth recieving a red for his second booking, Fullerton rallied around their lost man and leveled at the 67′ mark, with Eder Roldan doing the honors. Roldan put an excellent shot past Hayden, shocking Ventura. With both defenses proving sturdy, neither team could capitalize on rare chances by the end of regulation.

However, Ventura attacked early in extra time, and it paid off. Chongo was fouled in the box by the Rangers’ Leobardo Alvarez, and Francisco Lopez calmly slotted home the penalty bottom left to restore Ventura’s lead three minutes in. They seemingly plunged the dagger in at 98′, Chongo sliding in to restore the two-goal lead. Daniel Steres and Rodrigo Lopez would propel the Fusion into history with goals in the last ten minutes. Ventura County ended with four tallies in extra time, tying a Pro Era record. Miami FC notched the same amount in ET against the Central Florida Kraze (now Orlando City U23s) in the first round of 2010. Ventura’s chemistry proved to be electric to equal that goal, and look to continue that momentum next Tuesday, as they travel to Fullerton Stadium to play the Los Angeles Blues at 7:30 PM Pacific.

2012 US Open Cup First Round: PSA Elite nab 3-1 win in Portland against Timbers U23s

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Photo: Leah Parr / Portland Timbers

PSA Elite made the trip north to Portland and emerged with a 3-1 win over the Portland Timbers Under 23s in the First Round of the US Open Cup on Tuesday night. Two goals from Davis Paul sandwiched Christian Ramirez’s tally to separate the two sides on the final score line in an evenly played match.

The visitors escaped two terrific first half chances from the home standing U23s as goalkeeper Trevor Whiddon brilliantly saved a Steven Evans shot in the second minute and the crossbar kept out a Mark Sherrod header in the 27th.

While the Timbers were active and enthusiastic offensively, their chances were just slightly off. Evans’ shot wide of the right post in the 44th minute was emblematic of the night for the home side. Roberto Farfan flicked a ball in the box back to Evans, whose shot had Whiddon well beaten, but so too the post.

The visitors nearly opened scoring in the 13th minute when Brent Whitfield poked in a rebound after Spencer Richey could not hold Paul’s shot. But Whitfield was ruled offside and PSA had to wait until the 24th minute for the game’s first goal. A long throw-in from Joseph Sophia reached the six-yard box where Paul headed past Richey for a 1-0 lead. In the 39th minute, Ramirez lifted the ball off the turf, from Jonathan Prieto’s pass, and fired in PSA Elite’s second goal, easily beating Richey to the top left corner.

Portland pulled a goal back in the 56th minute when Eric Miller claimed a deflection and scooted into the box, firing at the near post past Whiddon. That goal delighted the home crowd and changed the pace of the game. PSA sat in defensively, only emerging on counter attacks through Whitfield and later substitute Andrew Riemer. Said PSA manager Gary Berry, “When you’re forced to play a young team, you certainly want to take the opportunities when they come and not force the ball.” Indeed, the visitors were patient as they weathered a late onslaught from the Timbers.

The Timbers’ best chance at an equalizer came in the 75th minute when Whiddon was called upon again, this time denying Mark Sherrod at the near post. A minute later, shots from Cameron Vickers and Evans were denied by deflections as Portland filled the box with just a quarter hour to play.

Yet Paul’s influence on the game for PSA was complete when he fired in the game’s final goal. The bending, one-time shot to the top left corner came from just inside the box and put the game finally out of reach for the visitors.

Said manager Gary Berry afterward, “The Timbers were super excited to be in the Open Cup and the Portland fans were right behind them. It was tough to come here and play on their turf, and they really had us on our toes.”

Michael Orr is a freelance soccer writer in Portland. Follow him on Twitter @maofootball.

Scoring Summary:
PE: Paul (Sophia), 24
PE: Ramirez (Prieto), 39
POR: Miller, 56
PE: Paul (Ramirez), 89

Misconduct Summary:
POR: Miller (Caution), 60

Lineups:
POR: GK Spencer Richey, D Reed Matte (John McFarlin, 78), D Marc Tonkel, D Chris Harms, D Anthony Hobbs, M Eric Miller, M Andrew Ribeiro, M Steven Evans, F Mark Sherrod, F Roberto Farfan (Clark Phillips, 53), F Emery Welshman (Cam Vickers, 34)

Subs not used: GK Justin Baarts, M Ricardo Carrillo, M Joey De Mare

PE: GK Trevor Whiddon, D Joseph Sophia, D John Lee (Luc Harrington, 85), D Joel Smith (Adrian Avila, 83), D Edwin Miranda, M Miguel Lopez, M Jonathan Prieto, M William Lopez, F Brent Whitfield (Andrew Reimer, 64), F Christian Ramirez

Subs not used: GK Michael Oseguera, M Martin Ontiveros, D Cameron Dunn

2012 US Open Cup First Round: El Paso Patriots down North Texas Rayados, 3-1, to advance

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El Paso Patriots News Release

Naoyas Aizawa sandwiched an assist between two goals, and while it wasn’t quite a feast for the El Paso Patriots, a 3-1 win over the North Texas Rayados was satisfying enough to whet their appetite for more in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

They’ll get all they can handle next Tuesday, May 22nd, when the Charlotte Eagles of the USL Pro division come calling.

Until then, Patriots’ fans can feel satisfied after watching Aizawa and fellow forwards David Salas and Michael Griego take bite after bite of the North Texas defense.

If there was disappointment, it was in squandered opportunities for more offense. Consistent in possession and dominant in midfield, El Paso found itself on the Rayados’ doorstep time-after-time Tuesday night, only to be turned away by the solid goalkeeping of Raul Herrera or by its own errant shots.

Griego has only been able to practice with the team twice, once again donning his hometown side’s jersey after completing the season as coach of his own young club team. The rust showed at times Tuesday night, but so did the solid positioning and passing.

Perhaps it was head coach Hugo Samano’s decision to go at North Texas with a 3-4-3 lineup, but it always seems El Paso’s offensive anemia is cured by the transfusion Griego brings. A team that scored only twice in its first two Premier Development League games suddenly scores three times.

It has been the same the last few years, as well.

Aizawa had a lot to do with the end result Tuesday, but Griego’s presence as a holding forward provides a fulcrum on which the rest of El Paso’s offense swings.

It was that solid build-up and some hard work on the wings by Aizawa’s fellow former CF Indios teammate, Sergio Villasenor, that put El Paso on the board in the 26th minute.

From Griego to Villasenor to the nimble feet of Salas to Aizawa, the Patriots danced into the Rayados area; Aizawa taking the final few steps that got him past his marker and got Herrera diving for the shot the forward didn’t take until the goalie was in the dirt.

As pretty as the first goal was, the second may have been the ugliest Griego has scored in his Patriots career. Stretching North Texas on the counter, Aizawa lasered a beautiful cross from the right wing. Griego only clipped the ball. Perhaps Herrera was surprised the ball actually kept moving…but it did, all the way into the net in the 61st minute.

Halftime substitute Raul Rodriguez got Rayados on the board in the 78th minute, blasting a 22-yard direct kick bomb past the Patriots’ wall and goalie Victor Rodriguez.

But as North Texas pushed for the equalizer, El Paso’s counterattack finished the game. No dancing from Aizawa this time, only a 20-yard blast from the top of the box that beat Herrera in the 84th.

The Patriots will hit the road this weekend for a pair of PDL away games against arch-rival Laredo Friday and Austin Saturday before returning home next Tuesday for the Open Cup’s second round against Charlotte.

After that much road food, the Patriots can only hope the home cooking is just as good next week.

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Brooklyn Italians win historic match in Maine, top GPS Portland Phoenix 3-2

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The first US Open Cup Final was played in Brooklyn. But on Tuesday evening, the Brooklyn Italians of the NPSL were the first club to travel to Maine with GPS Portland Phoenix of the PDL being the first side to represent the state according to TheCup.us records. The trip was worth it as they returned to the Big Apple with a 3-2 victory.

The Brooklyn Italians’ extra practice from starting their season earlier seemed to pay off as they were sharp and clinical from the outset despite having to travel to Maine for the game. The Italians pounced on an ill-prepared Portland defense when Nathaniel Simons nodded a header home in the fifth minute off a ball played by forward Oscar Castillo.

Just two minutes later the Italians doubled their advantage on a free kick by midfielder Christian Turizo from about 30 yards out, giving them a 2-0 advantage over the Portland Phoenix at the break.

Portland stormed out of the break re-charged and made a real game of the second half. Even though Portland pressed, they were unable to find a goal in the early going of the second half.

In the 78th minute, Brooklyn Italians looked to be in the clear when striker Jumol Harewood scored his team’s third goal from a set piece.

However, mere seconds after the restart Portland Phoenix rallied to get one back as Nathaniel Short played in Blaike Woodruff in the 80th minute.

Unfortunately for the Phoenix faithful who showed up to the match in cold, wet conditions, the team left their comeback too late as Woodruff was unable to pull them within one until the 91st minute.

Brooklyn Italians walked out of Memorial Field at Deering High School with a 3-2 victory, giving the club a Second Round date with the famous 1999 tournament champion Rochester Rhinos of USL Pro, the last lower division team to win the event. Sahlen’s Stadium will be waiting with open arms to receive the NPSL team to compete for a chance to play against an MLS team.

The Brooklyn Italians are long-time Open Cup veterans.  The New York City-based club, with a team now playing in the NPSL, lifted the trophy twice in 1979 and 1991.  The team, founded in 1949 by Italian immigrants, has also appeared in two other Open Cup finals in 1981 and 1990.  All of their cup success has occurred in the amateur era, before the creation of MLS, however.

In the first round last year, Brooklyn Italians were eliminated by another New York City amateur team, and in 2010 they were defeated by the Harrisburg City Islanders.

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Georgia Revolution edge Mississippi Brilla, 1-0 in OT

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Two southern soccer clubs took their time deciding a winner Tuesday evening as the host Georgia Revolution of the NPSL claimed a 1-0 decision over Mississippi Brilla of the PDL at the RYSL Soccerplex in Conyers, Georgia. After testing one another throughout, the goal would come in the 105th minute of the overtime affair.

The two clubs primarily played it safe in the early stages of the match, not committing too many men forward. However, the two keepers, Mississippi’s Phil Boerger and Georgia’s Zach Schultze, were forced to make saves during a fast-paced passage of play in the seventh minute. Boerger was called into service again two minutes later, and soon after would pluck a dangerous Revolution cross from midair.

Brilla, in their second tournament appearance, would only manage to create a handful of chances to score as the first half wore on, including a missed bicycle attempt. A more promising opportunity came in the 37th minute, as Chris Oeching and Filipe Silva combined for a clever play resulting in a Silva shot saved by Schultze.

The Revolution, making their Open Cup debut, had a similar number of chances in the opening 45, though one could argue Georgia’s chances were of better quality. Sean Grisham sent a header high after finding himself unmarked on the end of a well-placed cross. Grisham would get another opportunity to score as a series of headed balls at the top of the Brilla box culminated in a shot that was saved by Brilla’s Boerger.

The second half opened with three shining chances for Brilla FC to grab the first goal of the match, but all were dealt with by Schultze.

From that point on, play became a little more open than it had been in the first half. Georgia would have a dangerous loose ball situation in front of their goal, and Georgia’s Peter Vania received the match’s first yellow card as punishment for a late tackle.

The late stages of the second half proved just as open with each side having several opportunities to score. Brilla’s best opportunity came from a corner kick that was headed just wide, and Georgia’s Kwadwo Poku had a shot blocked inside the Brilla penalty area.

The first period of extra time was largely uneventful as both goalkeepers proved too much for either side’s attackers.

However, that all changed when Hailab Habtom, who had come on a substitute in the 62nd minute, broke the deadlock in the 105th minute with a well-placed header.

The second fifteen minutes of extra time were much livelier than the first, as Brilla FC pushed forward with all they had left in a desperate attempt to equalize. The Mississippi club would have numerous crosses and free kicks, but never really came close to the goal needed to survive.

The Georgia Revolution advance to the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where they will host the NASL’s Atlanta Silverbacks. The match will take place on Tuesday, May 22, 2012.

Georgia Revolution 1:0 ( AET) Mississippi Brilla
RYSL Soccerplex – Conyers, Georgia

Scoring Summary:
GA: Hailab Habtom 105

Discipline:
GA: Peter Vania  – Late Tackle, Kwadwo Poku  – Dissent, Michael Nwiloh – Time Wasting

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Aegean Hawks top Carolina Dynamo to earn first Open Cup win

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The Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association defeated the Premier Development League’s Carolina Dynamo 3-1 Tuesday night in the U.S. Open Cup First Round at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown, Md. Two goals by former Georgetown Hoya forward Scott Larrabee led the Hawks to the club’s first ever appearance in the Open Cup’s Second Round and a home match against the Richmond Kickers of the third division USL Pro.

“I’m elated,” said Hawks coach Jonathan Knight. “Our goal this year was to get to the second round and we achieved it.”

With the professional clubs entering in the future stages, the First Round is contested by clubs from the amateur leagues like the Aegean Hawks as well as PDL teams such as Carolina, whose rosters consist of current college players seeking added playing and development time during their schools’ offseason.

The Hawks jumped into the lead in the 21st minute when Carolina goalkeeper Joseph Goodwin (UNC) couldn’t control a routine back pass at the top of the penalty area, allowing Larrabee to tackle the ball past Goodwin and into the net.

“I knew it was slick ground and touches were going away from defenders,” Larrabee said. “I saw the goalie get the ball and I knew there was a chance of a bad touch so I went for it.”

Larrabee got his and the Hawks’ second goal less than a minute into the second half, heading the ball off a cross from halftime substitute Ernesto Marquez. Goodwin had no chance at the well-struck low effort.

“ served me a great ball that caught the defender off guard,” Larrabee said.

In the 85th minute, Carolina briefly reduced the deficit to one when English midfielder Thomas McReady (Limestone College) fired a low free kick from the top of the penalty that went through the scattered Aegean Hawks’ wall and beat goalkeeper Chris Fenner to his left.

But the plucky Hawks responded only a minute later when midfielder Matt Ney took advantage of

Carolina’s high defensive line to score with a shot off the far post on a breakaway and put away the match.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Ney said. “We’re an amateur club that trains only a couple times a week. is younger and fitter, but everyone did a great job.”

The Dynamo, preferring to focus on their PDL efforts, started a young squad that had eight changes to the team that won, 5-1, over Real Maryland on Saturday and featured six players making their first start for the club.

“It was quite a naïve performance in many ways,” said Carolina coach Marc Nicholls. “I was a little bit disappointed but it was a good learning experience.

Despite possessing the ball more for long stretches of both halves, the Dynamo struggled to create chances in open play. Carolina’s best opportunity came on a free kick by left back Daniel Lovitz (Elon) in the 67th minute that took a slight deflection of the wall and whistled past the post, left of Fenner.

While they may be an amateur team, the Hawks feature multiple players with minor pro or NCAA Division I experience Larrabee, Marquez (George Mason), Ney (Holy Cross), Erwin Diaz (Maryland) and Danny Irizarry (Ohio State). The club has been a power in local amateur play for the last seven years and has now participated in three Open Cups along with winning the 2009 USASA Amateur Cup national title.

The Hawks will host the Kickers on May 22 at the Maryland Soccerplex in the Second Round of the tournament. Carolina will travel to face the Nashville Metros in league play on Saturday.

Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks 3:1 Carolina Dynamo
Maryland Soccerplex – Germantown, Md

AH: Scott Larrabee 21
AH: Scott Larrabee (Ernesto Marquez) 46
CD: Thomas McCready 85
AH: Matt Ney 86

Yellow Cards: AH:  Barnes, Prather, CD: K. Okiomah
Red Cards: none

Shots: AH: 5, CD: 8
Corner Kicks: AH: 4, CD: 2

Lineups:
AH: Fenner; Barnes, Selwood, Kpainay, Carter; Irizarry (Golden 78), Prather, Diaz (Marquez 46); Fonseca (May 67), Scales, Larrabee
CD:  Goodwin; Howard, Linville, Lovits, Mamadee (McCready 46), Okwonu, F. Okiomah (K. Okiomah 16), Reifscneider, Simonin, Sloan

Referees: Sean Fitch (CR), Matthew Nelson (AR), Dean Fairweather (AR), Alex Luttman (4th)

Highlights

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Laredo Heat get by valiant ASC New Stars, 4-2 in OT

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In a showdown of two Texas clubs, powerhouses in their leagues, familiar with one another through player movement, it was no surprise that it came down to overtime to decide the outcome. The Laredo Heat prevailed, 4-2 in extra time, over a valiant ASC New Stars side that fought well after being reduced to 10 men.

Early in the match, the Heat appeared to be in great position to earn the result that the club was looking for after dropping their season opener over the weekend. In only the eleventh minute, midfielder Ernesto Serrato converted a penalty kick to give the hosts the 1-0 lead.

ASC New Stars made the first substitution of the night 23 minutes in, and drew level with the Heat only minutes later on an equalizing goal by Lukas Simon.

For the remainder of the first half, both sides held their ground and went into the break still level at 1-1 and had to feel that it was anyone’s game in the second half.

That all changed in the 47th minute as the Heat’s Irving Villanueva scored shortly to put Laredo back in front, 2-1.

The game could have gotten out of hand after a straight red card was issued to New Stars player Marcos Carrizales after a hard tackle in the middle third of the field gave the Heat a man advantage for the remaining 30-plus minutes of the match.

However, the New Stars gave a valiant defensive effort to keep the game close until the late stages. The Heat coaching staff brought in substitutions late to hold the lead, with the first goal scorer Serrato being replaced by Eduardo Gonzalez in a straight swap at forward in the 76th minute. This was followed by another substitution as Martin Moreno was moved to the bench in favor of midfielder Placide Buduri as the Heat looked to finish off the game.

The clock hit 90:00 and with three minutes of added time indicated, the Heat only had to hold on for a while longer to advance for the first time since making the Open Cup field in 2006. But a goal late in stoppage time by the New Stars’ Peter Kozlowski gave the Houston side new life, even as they were still down a man.

The match would be decided in extra time, and with the man advantage, the Heat were just too much for the New Stars. Buduri, the late substitute, rewarded his coaching staff with a goal in the first 15 minutes of extra time and then scored his second in the 119th minute, just before the final whistle would sound, giving Laredo the 4-2 victory over the visiting New Stars.

The Heat now moves on to face the San Antonio Scorpions on the road in the second round of the Open Cup. The game will be played on May 22.

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Jacksonville United last minute heroics snag a victory from Orlando City U-23

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After a significant rain delay, the game between the newly-rebranded Orlando City U-23s (formerly Central Florida Kraze) and Jacksonville United got started at 8:30 pm. Orlando came out strong with some crosses and throw-ins into the box, but the Jacksonville defense held strong.

City had a great chance in the 17th minute, but Nick Sowers’ goal was called back with the assistant referee indicating offsides. A fantastic steal in the 29th minute led to a Nick Sowers cross that Jonathan Mendoza shot just wide of the far corner. Jacksonville immediately responded with a dangerous cross, but Charles Sanders grabbed it out of the air. In the final 5 minutes of the 1st half, Jacksonville had several chances but failed to convert.

The second half started quickly with a shot by Nicolas Russo deflected by Stuart McCrory in the 46th minute. In the 50th minute, a cross by Sowers was headed by Russo and then Drew Helm gathered the deflected header, turned and found the back of the net.

Jacksonville made two substitutions in the 56th and 59th minutes, bringing in Ramak Safi and Wale Leyimu for Nedim Hrustic and Jonathan Glenn. Some long balls and excellent counter attacks brought both Orlando and Jacksonville some good chances, but both teams’ defenses held firm. A Jacksonville corner in the 71st minute was placed perfectly but the header fell just left of the net.

A hand ball called on Orlando on the top of the box resulted in a penalty kick for Jacksonville which was converted by Tomislav Krizanovic in the 82nd minute. Jacksonville kept the pressure on Orlando after the goal with crosses and direct kicks into the box but failed to convert.  A free kick by Jacksonville resulted in a scramble in the box and Safi found the back of the net to put Jacksonville in the lead with 1 minute left before stoppage time.

Coach Pat Cannon of Jacksonville said, “We started out a little shaky… but when we made our subs it really changed the game. They just opened the game up for us.”

When asked about the controversy at the end of the game, Nick Sowers (on loan from the USL Pro team) said, “We had many opportunites but failed to convert them into points when we should have.”

“Jacksonville’s players knew how to win tonight,” said Orlando City U-23s Head Coach Joe Avallone. “We have to learn from this. That’s what the US Open Cup is all about.”

Jacksonville United FC will face the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup next Tuesday, May 22nd, in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville United FC 2:1 Orlando City U-23
Seminole Soccer Complex – Sanford, Fla.

ORL: Drew Helm 50
JAX: Tomislav Kruzanovic (PK) 82
JAX: Ramak Safi 89

Discipline:
JAX: Sean Steed – caution 64
ORL: David Graydon – caution 76
ORL: Oumar Diahkite – caution 87
ORL: Joseph Toby – caution 90′

Lineups:
Orlando City U-23: Charles Sanders, Joseph Toby, Ryan Griffen, Sean Reynolds, Oumar Diakhite, Nick Sowers, Nicco Russo (David Graydon 70), Luis Ocejo, Ricardo, Campbell, Jonathan Mendoza, Drew Helm (Moses Aduny 78)
Subs not used: Johan Bergfeld, Brendon Moore, Ezequiel Pedraza, Stephen Williams, Edwin Worley

Jacksonville United FC: Stuart McCrory, Jacobi Goodfellow, Mats, Elmsater, Enrique Haussler, Hollis Donaldson, Nedim Hrustic (Ramak Safi 56), Sean Steed (Stephen Durr 68), Jonathan Glenn (Akinwale Leyimu 60), Tomislav Krizanovic, Adam Allee, Tyler Williams
Subs not used: Josiah Holtz, Riley Butler, Ryan Billins, Nick Salafrio


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