Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2013 US Open Cup

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: LA Blues avenge last year’s upset, cruise past Ventura County Fusion, 5-1

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The LA Blues came out in spectacular fashion tonight in Fullerton, scoring five goals in the first half, and knocking Ventura County Fusion out of the Second Round of the US Open Cup and advancing to the Third Round of the US Open Cup, where they will face MLS side Chivas USA.

The Fusion started out with possession for the first minute, but created very little chances and the Blues were quick to win the ball from the get go. Four minutes in, a perfectly crossed ball from Shay Spitz found Gabriel Gonzalez, who headed the ball into goal, giving the Blues an early 1-0 lead and kickstarting an onslaught that saw them up by three by the 12-minute mark.

The Fusion gained possession and bounced back making a run to set up Ema Boateng, who clumsily skied a shot just over the Blues bar in the sixth minute.

But not even a minute later, the Blues were on the attack when Matt Hall crossed a ball to Spitz, who struck with his left foot from the top of the box into the upper left corner for a spectacular finish, giving LA a 2-0 lead in just under 10 minutes.

You’d think the Fusion would start to look alive after finding themselves down two goals in 10 minutes, but it was quite the opposite, actually, as they themselves down by three only two minutes later. Mehrshad Momeni found a ball played from his right and danced around until he found some space to strike from distance, putting a rocket into the back of the net from about 20 yards out.

The entire first half was the LA Blues show, and now down by three the Fusion attempted to pick up the aggression when Frankie Lopez gained possession and spun a shot high, but it went well wide of the Blues’ net.

In the 29th minute things got worse for Ventura County when a defender dragged Gonzalez down in the box and the referee whistled for a penalty to the Blues. Allen Russell converted the penalty for LA and the Blues, now up 4-0, rode the advantage out, scoring another goal six minutes later. It was Momeni again, firing another 20-yarder off a corner cross and putting the Blues up by five.

In the 40th minute, Fusion midfielder Steve Palacios was given a yellow card for a hard foul on Momemi on the edge of the area that resulted in him being carried off after several minutes laying on the ground in pain.

The Fusion saw three more chances before the halftime whistle, but shots were high and wide.

Sam Hayden came up with a couple of big saves for Ventura County early and midway through the second half, preventing what could have been a sixth goal for the Blues. The Fusion saw a chance in the 68th minute but the header went high. Finally, in the 87th minute, the Fusion put themselves on the scoreboard when Peter Schmetz flicked a cross with his head into the back of the net from the six.

The Blues held onto their four-goal lead up until the final whistle blew, handing the Fusion a record loss as it was the first time in four years in which the Fusion have lost a game by more than one goal, including previous fixtures against the Blues and Chivas USA.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Dayton Dutch Lions down Dearborn during meltdown in OT 4-1

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A year ago the Dayton Dutch Lions were still winless in league play as they narrowly advanced in the Second Round and stunned the Columbus Crew in the Third Round en route to a surprising run to the tournament Quarterfinals. This seems to have given the side new life, as they own a winning record for the latest time in the season since moving from the PDL to USL Pro. However, they faced a stiff challenge during regulation from an amateur Dearborn Stars side, though that story completely changed in extra time. The Dutch Lions kept their cool and scored, while the Stars lost theirs and ended the 4-1 home side victory down to eight men.

As the first half kicked off, the Dutch Lions came out aggressive, dominating possession for much of the half. Dearborn immediately played tight defense to keep the Dutch Lions on the perimeter, and countered the tight passing with physical challenges, attempting to unsettle the USL Pro side. Through 25 minutes it seemed inevitable that the Dutch Lions would score as they sent chance after chance toward Stars keeper Vito Lonigro.

After sitting tight for much of the game, it was the Stars that struck first, however, off a counter following a Dutch Lions corner kick. Stars defender Mike Haidar sent a cross to Mo Kaba to get the visitors on the board in the 27th minute.

After being forced to regroup, the Dutch Lions caught a break in the 43rd minute when a Stars player hit the ground due to an errant elbow, The referee nearby stood over the player to assess if there was an injury, but play was never stopped, and no foul assesed. The Stars players in their defensive half just stopped moving, waiting for a whistle or a card, allowing the Dutch Lions’ Joseph Madigan to casually jog on in and put the ball past Lonigro to even the game up. The Stars immediately objected to the goal and felt it was bad sportsmanship on the part of the Lions to continue play. Nevertheless, the goal stood and half ended even.

The second half saw Dayton dominating possession once again, but Dearborn came out with more confidence and were able to mount a more organized offense. The Stars continued their physical play, going overboard when Mo Kaba was handed a straight red card in the 57th minute. Kaba made a very rough tackle on Dayton defender Jeremy Cheeseman, and his exit left his squad down a man.

One might expect an amateur squad who’s down to 10 men to bunker in again, however, Dearborn managed the space incredibly well, almost negating Dayton’s advantage. Through the last ten minutes of regulation, it was Dearborn that had the Dutch Lions on their heels. Keeper Matt Williams was forced to make some big saves, including on a looping 40-yard strike in the 88th minute that Williams had to leap and bump with his fingertips to send over the crossbar, ultimately saving the tie and forcing it to extra time.

From the start of extra session, Dayton came out focused. Their attack paid off in the 96th minute when Gibson Bardsley blazed down the left flank and fired a rocket past the Stars keeper for his second goal of the night.

Dearborn were clearly frustrated after losing the lead in the extra time they felt the game should have never went to, and started to break down, with the Stars answering Dayton goals with red cards instead of more goals. First, Joe Beshara was sent off in stoppage time of the first extra time period, leaving Dearborn down to nine. Shortly after that, the Dutch Lions would get a little insurance early in the second half of overtime when Tjeerd Westdjik put a ball through to Joel Delass to give them a 3-1 lead.

Nik Djokic then retaliated, not in the scoring sense that he brought to last week’s 2-0 win against the Michigan Bucks, but rather with a flagrant arm to the face of a Dayton player. He was also shown a straight red with seven minutes left, leaving the Stars with only eight men on the field. Dayton would add insult to Dearborn’s injury, when DeLass would return the favor to Westdjik, setting him up in the 119th minute to leave no uncertainty to the Dutch Lions victory.

The Dutch Lions now move on to the third round and a rematch from last year’s tournament, returning to Columbus Crew Stadium next Wednesday. It was a Third Round match in May of last year when the upstart Dutch Lions stunned the home crowd with a 2-1 upset win. After the Crew dominated most of the game, leading 1-0, the Lions executed some late scoring chances to beat the MLS side on their way to last year’s tourney quarterfinals. One would expect Columbus will be on their guard to avoid another embarrassment this year as the Crew’s head coach Robert Warzycha and an assistant coach were in the stands Tuesday to scout the competition.

Dayton Dutch Lions 4:1 Dearborn Stars SC

May 21, 2013 – Miami Valley Hospital Stadium, Beavercreek, Ohio

Scoring:

DEA – Mo Kaba 27’

DAY – Joseph Madigan, 43’

DAY – Gibson Bardsley, 96’

DAY – Joel DeLass (Tjeerd Westdjik) 107’

DAY – Tjeerd Westdjik (Joel DeLass) 119’

Discipline:

DEA – Zach Wilkes (Yellow) 45

DEA – Mo Kaba (Red) 57

DAY – Tjeerd Westdijk (Yellow) 101

DEA – Nik Djokic (Yellow) 104

DEA – Joe Beshara (Red) 105

DEA – Nik Djokic (Red) 113

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Visiting Rowdies prevail 2-1 in ‘Tampa Bay Derby’

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Georgi Hristov’s brace sent the Rowdies to the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night as NASL side defeated cross-bay USL Pro rival VSI Tampa Bay FC 2-1 in front of a small but boisterous crowd at Plant City Stadium.

After heavy thunderstorms invaded the area for much of the afternoon, the clouds gave way for what many fans would say was a historic night in Tampa Bay soccer history. This was not only the first meeting between the two clubs, but also the first time that two professional teams representing the Tampa Bay area had ever faced off against one another. Dubbed the ‘Tampa Bay Derby,’ this match lived up to all the hype.

First-year VSI thought it had the upper hand 16 minutes in when Rowdies defender Andres Arango was called for a foul in the box, but midfielder Tony Donatelli took the penalty kick only to be denied by a great glove save by Diego Restrepo. The Rowdies goalkeeper guessed correctly and was just able to get his hand on the ball shot low to his right.

The match would not remain scoreless for long as Rowdies Hristov was fouled just inside the VSI penalty area in the 20th minute. The Bulgarian forward took the penalty and comfortably put the ball past VSI goalkeeper Alex Horwath, giving the Green & Gold a 1-0 lead.

JT Noone would equalize for VSI in the 27th minute, receiving a low cross from fellow midfielder Shawn Chin at the top of the Rowdies’ penalty area and putting it past Restrepo at the far post. For Noone, the goal was a historical one because by putting the ball in the back of the net, he became the first player in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present) to score in five consecutive tournaments. He began his journey with a pair of goals for the PDL’s Ocean City Barons (now Nor’easters) in 2009, and scored one goal in each season with the Harrisburg City Islanders from 2010-12, before signing with VSI Tampa during the offseason.

Just before the halftime whistle, the Rowdies came back with a neat through ball up front to Hristov that proved fatal. The ensuing one-on-one with Horwath ended with the Hristov scoring the game-winner for the Rowdies. Despite scoring a historic goal against a crosstown rival, the Rowdies forward was somewhat stoic about the winner.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re playing against (VSI Tampa Bay FC) or some other team in another state,” he said. “My job is to score goals and I’m really happy with that.”

Rowdies head coach Ricky Hill was clearly delighted with his side’s victory.

“This is very important for us,” he said of the tournament. “We want to go as far as we can in any cup competition that we enter.”

The Rowdies will now face Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC in the Third Round at Al Lang Stadium next Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“It’s fantastic to host any MLS side,” the Rowdies’ boss said with excitement in his voice. “They are the number one league in the country. It’s great to see their class of players up close and personal.”

Scoring Summary:
Tampa Bay: Georgi Hristov – 21st minute (Penalty Kick)
VSI: JT Noone – 27th minute (Assisted by Shawn Chin)
Tampa Bay: Georgi Hristov – 43rd minute

Caution Summary:
Tampa Bay: Andres Arango – 16th minute
VSI: Kyle Hoffer – 20th minute
VSI: Alex Freitas – 65th minute

Starting Rosters:
Tampa Bay Rowdies:
GK Diego Restrepo; D Jordan Gafa, D Frankie Sanfilippo (Captain), D Daniel Scott, D Andres Arango; M Evans Frimpong, M Luke Mulholland, M Stuart Campbell (Kyle Clinton 82′), M Raphael Cox (Keith Savage 62′); F Georgi Hristov, F Carl Cort (Amani Walker 45′)

VSI Tampa Bay FC:
GK Alex Horwath; D Alex Freitas, D Kyle Hoffer (Captain), D Josh Rife, D Sean Reynolds; M Tony Donatelli, M JT Noone, Darren Toby, M Shawn Chin; F Douglas Dos Santos, F Andriy Budnyy

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Des Moines Menace prevail 1-0 at Minnesota in battle of giant killers

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Boasting a lengthy history of upsets against MLS opposition, fans in Minnesota relish the opportunity to take on the top flight clubs. But on Tuesday, the newly-branded Minnesota United club fell victim to a repeat ‘giant killer’ themselves as the visiting PDL Des Moines Menace claimed their fifth upset of a professional club with a 1-0 decision.

With a name that, to phrase nicely, is probably uttered often unintentionally as a replacement for a certain expletive, Brandon Fricke will no doubt find it intentional from this point forward in the Twin Cities after his dagger of a blow with four minutes remaining knocked the second division side out of the tournament.

The decisive tally was the result of a glancing header from a Fricke off a corner kick sent toward the penalty spot by Jimmy Tulloch.

Both teams had several opportunities throughout the contest. Des Moines’ Shadow Sebele and Albert Edward had excellent chances back-to-back from long range that forced fingertip saves from Matt Van Oekel.

Dramatic stops were not the sole propriety of VanOekel, however, as his counterpart Angevine made a fantastic save on an 18-yard effort from Pablo Campos and a Menace defender cleared a ball off the line amidst a scramble in the box that Minnesota’s Travis Wall got his foot to.

Wall missed another hanse wide in the 57th and Campos saw a difficult shot from a narrow angle in the 73rd go wide and weaved through several defenders before sending a 78th minute effort high.

Despite several misses, the Minnesota faithful thought they might have the equalizer in the final few minutes, however, but Campos’ header on a Michael Reed free kick rang off the crossbar.

Highlights

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Charlotte Eagles silence Sounders U23 3-0

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After cruising to an easy win last week, the PDL Sounders U23 side could find little of that magic on the road on the other side of the country Tuesday night in Charlotte, falling 3-0 to the unbeaten USL Pro Eagles, who advance to play host to the Chicago Fire in the Third Round next Wednesday.

Charlotte had the better of chances in the first half with Jorge Herrera sending a shot off the post six minutes in and Sergio Villasenor forcing a nice save from Zac Lubin int eh 25th, but were left scoreless until the second stanza.

Second half sub Drew Yates broke the deadlock in the 57th minute when he took advantage of a free ball and drove inside the box and let loose from about 16 yards, finding the lower right corner.

The game was locked up for the Eagles by Herrera, who converted from the spot after Samuel Asante was fouled in the box by Nick Raskasky

Herrera’s second strike of the night, fourth career in the tournament, came in the 65th minute when he put it in the lower right corner after Fejiro Okiomah brought the ball forward from the back.

The goals were his first since the 2008 tournament.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Reading United earn first pro upset, 1-0 over Harrisburg City Islanders

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Mario Pinto of Reading United celebrates his goal with teammates in their second round against the Harrisburg City Islanders. Reading was one of four PDL teams to reach the Third Round. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

In a second round US Open Cup battle of two Philadelphia Union affiliates, Reading United pulled off a 1-0 upset victory over the Harrisburg City Islanders on Tuesday night. A Mario Pinto goal in the ninth minute and 90 minutes of sound defending sent United through to the third round for the first time in club history.

“ is a mentality,” Reading United coach Brendan Burke said. “When you’re defending from the front…it’s difficult for teams to get any sort of rhythm. is probably a more talented team than us right now, so we knew we would have to make the game a little ugly to get through it tonight, and we did it extremely effectively.”

Coming into the match, Reading had outscored its opponents 13-0. The team took that confidence into its contest against professional opposition, applying early pressure high up the field. In the ninth minute, a Reading goal kick bounced several times toward the Harrisburg net. Pinto judged the ball correctly and beat the City Islander defenders. He then hit a magical volley from the center of the box that Harrisburg keeper Nick Noble could do nothing about to put Reading up 1-0.

Harrisburg pressed forward after the goal, consistently going down the right side of the field with the speedy Morgan Langley. Several sequences involving Langley ended with Lucky Mkosana shots, but the forward could not find the back of the net. Reading goalie John McCarthy was a big reason for that, especially in the 39th minute when he saved a point-blank header off of Mkosana.

Mario Pinto of Reading United watches the ball carry into the back of the net in what would prove to be the game-winner against the Harrisburg City Islanders. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

In the second half, Reading continued to press high up the field. Darius Madison subbed in for Pinto, serving as a constant presence and nuisance to the Islander backline.

“You saw Darius chasing 60 yards laterally at the end of the game. That’s hard work that doesn’t show up in the score sheet but wins you games,” Burke said.

As the game wore on, however, Harrisburg exerted more and more pressure. The City Islanders controlled the ball for nearly the entire last 15 minutes of play, but solid defending kept them from scoring. Other than a shout for a penalty kick in the 86th minute, Harrisburg could not create too many solid chances. That lack of creativity would cost them, as they eventually fell 1-0.

Reading earned its first-ever Open Cup victory over a professional team with the win. Next up is the New York Red Bulls, which will be the first MLS squad Reading faces in Open Cup play. What can already be defined as a magical Open Cup run for the PDL side will continue in Red Bull Arena next week.

“It’s a big step forward for the organization,” Burke said. “What an experience. I just walked over and asked the team who’s going to mark Henry next week! I’m sure he won’t play, but maybe they’ll put him on for a token 10 minutes to let the boys enjoy playing against him.”

Reading United 1:0 Harrisburg City Islanders
Don Thomas Stadium – Reading, Pa.

Scoring Summary:

RU: Mario Pinto (unassisted) 9

Lineups:

Reading United: John McCarthy; Jonathan Dolezal, Damion Lowe, James Ockford, Benjamin Sweat; Keegan Rosenberry, Stephen Neumann, Emanuel Sanchez (Melvin Snoh, 65), Wesley Charpie; Larry Ndjock (Fatai Alashe, 74), Mario Pinto (Darius Madison, 56)

Harrisburg City Islanders: Nick Noble; Stephen Basso, Andrew Ribeiro, Coady Andrews, Colin Zizzi; Matthew Bahner, Cristhian Hernandez, Jamiel Hardware (Sainey Touray, 61), Morgan Langley; Jimmy McLaughlin (Yann Ekra, 61), Lucky Mkosana

Discipline:

RU: Keegen Rosenberry (caution – 42)
RU: Damion Lowe (caution – 67)
HCI: Sainey Touray (caution – 67)
RU: Stephen Neumann (caution – 90+)

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Richmond pull away from Icon FC to set up another rematch with DC United

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Michael Callahan of the Richmond Kickers dribbles through the Icon FC defense. Photo: Suz Kitsteiner | Richmond Kickers

Despite some early setbacks, the USL Pro’s Richmond Kickers sent Icon FC of the USASA home packing, 4-1 Tuesday night. Icon FC, anchored by former US international Danny Szetela, didn’t go without a fight, however, tallying an early goal and holding tough until late in a rough, chippy affair.

It took just nine minutes for the first goal to be scored in this contest, as Icon FC’s Argjent Duka got on the end of defender Kevin Garcia’s through ball in the Richmond box and slotted a goal past Kickers keeper Andrew Dykstra. The celebrations didn’t last long as Richmond’s Stanley Nyazamba scored just seconds later off of a Joseph Ngwenya assist. Both of those players would be involved further as the game progressed. Ngwenya converted a penalty 14 minutes later after a Richmond player was dragged down in the box. The MLS veteran calmly placed his shot in the lower-right corner of the goal after catching Icon’s keeper, Chris Duggan, out of position with a stutter-step. Icon then turned on the pressure, forcing Dykstra into making two saves in a four-minute span right before halftime. Despite their efforts, Icon went into the half down 2-1.

Coming out of halftime, the Kickers started peppering the Icon goal. Richmond forward Nate Robinson narrowly missed the open goal in the 52nd minute and Ngwenya put a scissor-kick just high in the 55th. There was some controversy in the 58th minute, as two Icon players seemed to handle the ball inside of the box. Center referee Mark Gorak saw it differently and allowed play to go on. Richmond responded with two shots in rapid succession, both well saved by Dugan.

Three minutes later, Dugan couldn’t keep his string of great saves going when Kickers midfielder Mike Callahan collected a ball from Ngwenya on the right wing and attempted to cross it in. The cross skipped off the shin of Icon defender Teddy Niziolek and nestled neatly under the crossbar to give Richmond a 3-1 lead. The official scorer credited the goal to Callahan, his first in the tournament this year.

In the 68th minute, Icon FC won a free kick on the corner of the Richmond area and was looking to punch a second goal in directly. The shot was easily collected by Dykstra for his fourth save, and the Kickers played on. Gorak, the referee, started to put his mark on the game from this point, clamping down on fouls and dealing two Icon yellows in a ten-minute span. The discipline wasn’t the only action left, however, as Richmond forward Stanley Nyazamba got on the end of a ball from Nate Robinson in the 85th and put it past Dugan to propel the Kickers to a 4-1 win.

The Richmond Kickers move on to host MLS side D.C. United on May 28th at City Stadium. This will mark the second year in a row, and the sixth time overall, that the two teams have faced each other in Open Cup play with United winning the last five of the six meetings.

#USOC100

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Atlanta Silverbacks top Georgia Revolution again in rematch

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On a gorgeous Tuesday night in Conyers, Georgia, the Georgia Revolution hosted the Atlanta Silverbacks in the Second Round U.S. Open Cup matchup.  Dubbed the “Battle for Atlanta,” the Atlanta Silverbacks advanced to the Third Round of the US Open Cup with a 3-2 win in a game of many chances and drama.

The contest was a rematch from the Second Round a year ago in which the Silverbacks also prevailed by a single goal, moving on with a 1-0 road victory courtesy of Raphael Cox strike in the 61st minute.

The visiting Silverbacks couldn’t have started Tuesday’s “Battle For Atlanta” any better, going up 1-0 in the fourth minute. After a poor headed clearance by Revolution defender Michael Nwiloh, Silverbacks forward Ruben Luna capitalized with a strong volley into the corner of the net from 20 yards out.

The Revolution came back and equalized in the 16th minute with a quick counter attack when forward Kwadwo Poku, who tallied a hat-trick last week, played Iain Smith through on goal.  The midfielder converted beautifully, sneaking a shot inside the near post to tie the game at 1-1.

The Silverbacks had a disallowed goal in the 29th minute when a tap-in from Silverbacks midfielder Horace James was called back for offside. Minutes later, the Silverbacks would have another chance to retake the lead when Mike Randolph was pulled down in the penalty area, earning a kick from the spot.

Ruben Luna was chosen to take the penalty and he blasted it into the right corner to make it 2-1 in the 31st minute.

The Revolution came out for the second half with a renewed focus on the attack in an attempt to find the tying goal, but the Silverbacks doubled their advantage.  Pablo Cruz connected on a pass from midfielder Milton Blanco from over 20 yards out to make it 3-1 in the 57th minute.

In the 61st drama unfolded when the Silverbacks bench was warned for dissent.  A few seconds later, a Silverbacks assistant coach was ejected from the game.

After play continued, the Revolution would immediately strike a surprising goal as midfielder Rene Enang converted on a low shot through traffic.  With about 30 minutes left, the Revolution were looking to equalize while the Silverbacks were doing everything to deny scoring chances.

The best chance to equalize came in stoppage time when Revolution substitute midfielder Ibrahima Sissoko saw a ball fall to his feet at the top of the box, but he blasted the wide open shot over the bar from 12 yards out.

The Silverbacks will face a tougher challenge next week as they will travel to play Real Salt Lake, who are sitting near the top of the Major League Soccer table.  Last year, the Silverbacks were embarrassed by the Seattle Sounders in the Third Round, 5-1, and will be looking to show some improvement on that result.

SILVERBACKS LINEUP: GK Nasco, D Bloom, D Navarro, D Reiss, D Randolph, M Menjivar, M Blanco, M Barrera, M James (Willis 67’), M Cruz (Uribe 80’), F Luna (Gulley 61’)

REVOLUTION LINEUP: GK Kramer, D Davis (Redding 85’), D Nicholson, D Nwiloh, D Papanikolopoulos, M DeBoer (Landberg 61’), M Enang, M Smith (Sissoko 74’), F Poku, F Sumpter, F Maduka

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: RailHawks down Dynamo 3-1 in Carolina Clash

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Though the visiting Carolina Dynamo of the PDL made things difficult and tense at times, the NASL Carolina RailHawks came away with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night, securing a Wednesday, May 29 home date with the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup.

Last year, the Carolina RailHawks entered play in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup riding a nine-game winless skid to open the NASL season. Moreover, the RailHawks knew that a loss to PSA Elite, their second round Open Cup opponent, meant squandering the lucrative opportunity to host the defending MLS champion L.A. Galaxy the next week. Carolina’s 6-0 onslaught over PSA Elite got the RailHawks off the schneid and set the stage for an improbable win over the Galaxy.

Tuesday night at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, a different RailHawks squad took the field, one atop the NASL standings and winners of all three of its home league matches. Yet, the Open Cup mission remained the same: defeat your lower division opponent and next week you get the chance to again host the reigning MLS Cup champion Galaxy. While the execution this year wasn’t nearly as overwhelming, the outcome was the same.

Three days after suffering their first league loss of the season in Atlanta, the somewhat leg-weary RailHawks sported a lineup of mostly regulars, particularly in the attacking third. However, a few new faces graced the starting 11, including goalkeeper Tim Murray and Scottish center back Kevin Rutkiewicz. Brian Ackley got the start over Zack Schilawski (more on that a bit later). Costa Rican signee César Elizondo made his RailHawks debut late in the match, and defender Eddie Ababio played 27 minutes off the bench.

From the outset it was obvious which was the stronger side as the RailHawks dominated possession for the vast majority of the opening stanza against a deep-lying Dynamo defense. But although the RailHawks outshot the Dynamo 9-3 in the first half, the home side proved frustratingly unable to finish their chances.

That compact defensive approach was part of the strategy for the Dynamo, a team largely comprised of offseason college players who only trained a handful of times prior to tonight’s match and just completed college exams. Nevertheless, it was also a team that defeated Chattanooga FC in an U.S. Open Cup shootout thriller a week ago.

“We wanted to come here and compete,” said Dynamo manager Marc Nicholls. “We wanted to make it a tough game. And we knew that we wouldn’t have the legs to necessarily press them as much as we like because we knew we couldn’t sustain that.”

The RailHawks got on the board in the 26th minute when Ty Shipalane jumped onto a loose ball roughly 25 yards out and uncorked a rocket that ricocheted off a Dynamo defender on its course and into the netting.

“Floyd was right in front of me, and I just jumped in front of Floyd just to be greedy a little bit,” an impish Shipalane said. “I saw the defender coming, then I saw that the goalkeeper was out of position. Lucky enough there was deflection, so credit to me for shooting it.”

Indeed, Shipalane’s self-congratulation was merited, as the RailHawks continued the oddest of team imperfections: a propensity to overpass and undershoot. One particular sequence is emblematic of the evening. In the 56th minute, Brian Shriver raced past the defense and directly toward the keeper. Yet, he forewent an open shot to lay the ball over to an open Austin da Luz. Da Luz then chose to forgo his own open shot and instead lay the ball off to Ackley atop the six-yard box. Ackley then deposited his sitter over the goal and into the pine tree forest behind the grandstands.

“I was disappointed in how we didn’t score more goals,” said RailHawks manager Colin Clarke. “We looked like we were trying to be Arsenal out there and walk it into the net. We’ve got to be a bit more ruthless and want to score goals and want to stick it in the back of the net.”

That lack of finishing bit the RailHawks in the 39th minute. N.C. State rising senior Alex Martinez – brother of RSL loanee Enzo Martinez – received the ball along the end line off a throw-in. Erroneously assuming the ball had crossed the line, defender Kupono Low backed off Martinez, permitting the midfielder to drive toward goal and unleash a short-range shot that ricocheted off a RailHawk and into the net for an own goal equalizer.

After more knocking at the door went unanswered , the RailHawks finally went ahead to stay in the 53rd minute. A long-range free kick from da Luz deflected off the head of Austen King and past goalkeeper Peyton Ford for a 2-1 lead.

The RailHawks failed to put the Dynamo totally away, thanks to missed chances by da Luz and particularly Ackley, who was gifted four shots in 74 minutes but only managed to put one on frame. A minute after Zack Schilawski came on for Ackley, the move paid off. Shipalane poked a through ball in the box ahead to Schilawski, who calmly one-touched it past Ford for the 3-1 advantage.

Nevertheless, the Dynamo didn’t go down without flashing the fight they exhibited in coming back from a 3-1 second half deficit against Chattanooga FC last week. In the 81st minute, Arthur Rex got behind the RailHawks defenders and poked a ball past Murray but right of goal. And in the 89th, Hakan Ilhan, the hat trick hero of last week’s win, found space for a short-range shot that bounded off the left woodwork.

“We knew it was going to be a difficult night,” Clarke said. “ came in, they worked hard, they defended very well. We didn’t get a goal as early as we liked, and then you start to wonder and worry.”

The match was the first-ever meeting between the RailHawks and Dynamo, a member of the USL PDL. And while the final score does not betray any RailHawks dominance, several game statistics do. For the match, the RailHawks outshot the Dynamo 19-6 (9-1 on-target) and earned six corner kicks to only one for the visitors that didn’t come until the 89th minute.

“The best team won,” Nicholls said. “I was very impressed with them. I thought they were terrific. I was pleased with our team, I thought we hung in there for the longest time.”

With no league game this weekend, the RailHawks’ full attention now turns to their rematch with the Galaxy next Wednesday. In preparation for the possibility, Clarke traveled to New York last weekend to scout the Galaxy during their MLS match against the Red Bulls.

Last week, Galaxy manager Bruce Arena groused about his team being “shuffled off” to North Carolina for their third round Open Cup match, despite the fact that the Galaxy were already traveling east for a weekend match against the New England Revolution. Though Arena’s complaint about cross-country travel for midweek cup matches sandwiched between weekend MLS matches may merit examination, it was the tenor of Arena’s remarks, in concert with his typical practice of fielding reservists for Open Cup play, that has rubbed some the wrong way.

It was also the tenor that Clarke indirectly referenced after Tuesday’s match.

“The pressure’s on ,” Clarke declared. “They got beat last year, and they were out of the Open Cup. I’m not sure what they’re going to do and how they’re going to view it – if they really value the tournament and want to win it. But it doesn’t matter who’s on the field. We know they’re going to be good, and we’ve got to be good.”

Last year, the Galaxy’s visit was a financial windfall for the club and a galvanizing event for the greater Triangle soccer community. It accelerated construction of WakeMed Stadium’s North Stands, and the three-game ticket bundle sold for the match paid dividends through even the final regular season home match of the season, which set a club attendance record for a home league game.

This year, there’s as little chance of Landon Donovan or Robbie Keane taking the field at WakeMed Park as there was David Beckham a year ago. However, it’s not every year that the defending MLS champion comes to town… well, maybe it is.

“I just think it’s a great occasion for us, for our supporters to come out and watch what has been the best team in the United States for the last four or five years.”

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Fort Lauderdale survives scare from 10-man Laredo, advance via penalties

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It wasn’t as easy as they had hoped, but the second-tier NASL Fort Lauderdale Strikers advanced 7-6 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw against amateur PDL Laredo Heat in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday.

“That’s what the US Open Cup is all about,” said Strikers’ coach Daryl Shore. “You put everything on the line when you play these games.”

With the decision, Fort Lauderdale will host MLS Western Conference leading FC Dallas at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, May 28, in the Third Round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

After a first half of soccer that was about as uneventful as watching grass grow, Mark Anderson finally broke the nil-nil scoreline in the 54th minute when Darnell King raced down the middle, passing through the Heat’s defense and delivering a great ball to Anderson who had no trouble putting it in the net.

In the 66th minute, Laredo’s Daniel Galvan Barbosa was given a red card after he shoved Darnell King to the ground after King broke free from the defense.

Despite playing a man down in the last 24 minutes of regulation, Laredo still managed a goal from defender Camilo Bolero in the 83rd minute, tying the score at 1-1.

“When we went up a man I think we took the foot off the gas a little,” said keeper Matt Glaeser. “Bolero’s ball took a deflection and I went the wrong way, I could have done better.”

“Matt’s our goalkeeper,” assured Shore. “He’s been here a long time, he was just on a bad run lately but he came up huge for us in the end.”

After a deadlock score through 120 minutes of play, it took penalties to declare the winner.

Shot after shot, neither team missed a penalty try until Genaro Hernandez had his shot stopped by Matt Glaeser in the seventh round. Stephane Guillaume stepped up for the Strikers with a chance to win, but his shot was saved by Emmanuel Frias.

Then Gregory Mulamba’s attempt for Laredo was saved by Glaeser, his second consecutive save. Finally, Toni Stahl took his chance, and with a short run up, struck the ball low and to the left to win the shootout for the Strikers in the eighth round of the tiebreaker, sending them on to face FC Dallas.

“I expect them to bring their full team,” said coach Shore. “It’s a chance for our guys to face an MLS team and see what we are really about.”

“We’re going to have to come out and play a lot better than we did tonight if we want to beat FC Dallas,” said Glaeser. “But I do think we are capable of beating anyone.”

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