2014 Second Round

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Fresno Fuego burns Orange County Blues for first upset in over a decade

May 17, 2014 by Nick Schiffler

The Fresno Fuego pulled off one of the upsets of the Second Round in the US Open Cup, knocking off professional side Orange County Blues 2-0 behind some solid defending and two opportunistic goals.

Abraham Campos and Jose Cuevas scored within three minutes of each other late in the first half, which was enough for the PDL side to knock off the USL-PRO Blues and move on to the Third Round. The amateur squad last defeated a professional team in the tournament in 2003.

“We defended extremely well,” said Fuego head coach Scott Alcorn, who was ejected in the final 10 minutes of the match. “It was the best defensive effort this season. But the difference tonight was that we won the 50-50 balls.”

Fresno ran into trouble before the match even kicked off, as three of their players were ruled ineligible. Alfred Edmonds and Elliot Hord were both forced into the starting 11 for the Fuego at the last minute, and the match kicked off nearly 45 minutes late as a result of the roster confusion.

Despite the early drama, and despite temperatures at kickoff nearly reaching 100 degrees, Fresno started the first half brightly, creating as many chances as their USL-PRO opponents. Fresno winger Paul Islas forced Blues keeper Mohammad Mohammadi into a good save, tipping a shot over the bar. Soon after, Orange County’s Enrique Cardenas zipped a shot just past the post and wide.

It was the Fuego who would get on the board first at the end of the first half. In the 41st minute, Campos lined up over a free kick about 25 yards out, and banged a low shot that beat Mohammadi, deflected off the post and into the net.

Three minutes later Fresno doubled their advantage. Tyler Reinhart forced Mohammadi into a save, but the rebound deflected right back to the forward. Reinhart nudged it to Cuevas, who slotted in the goal from about eight yards out for the 2-0 lead.

Desperate to find some kind of offensive spark, the Blues made substitutions early – they had used all three by the 60th minute. Orange County was able to turn up the pressure on Fresno, controlling the majority of possession as the second half wore on, but it couldn’t put any good chances on goal.

“To get the second goal right before half totally changed what we wanted to do. We wanted to still put pressure on them,” Alcorn said. “As the second half of the half moved on, obviously we dropped into a little more low-pressure, and the last 20 minutes we basically bunkered in.”

The Blues were given additional life when Fresno defender Trevor Spurgeon was shown a red card in the 85th minute, reducing the hosts to ten men. Five minutes of stoppage time were added, but Fresno defended well and held on for the shutout victory.

Fresno was making its third trip to the US Open Cup. Most recently, in 2012, they defeated Stanislaus United Turlock Express in the First Round, before getting hammered 7-2 by the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL.

Orange County, then known as the Los Angeles Blues, entered the US Open Cup in the Second Round in 2013. They defeated the Ventura County Fusion 5-1 before being knocked out of the tournament by Chivas USA of MLS for the second straight year.

Fresno will travel a few hours north for their next Cup match on May 28 to take on the Sacramento Republic, who defeated the Ventura County Fusion 2-1 in the Second Round. The winner of that game will get the chance to take on an MLS club in the tournament’s Fourth Round.

“We’ve played exhibition games against MLS teams, and we feel we can play with any of them,” Alcorn said. “We’re just not as deep as they are. win just earns respect for the PDL, and the PDL is such a high level that doesn’t get the respect it deserves. it just shows you that USL soccer is at an extremely high level.”

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: LA Galaxy II crush tournament darlings Cal FC, 6-1

May 17, 2014 by Joe Curley

“Los Dos” had the antidote for Cal FC’s big heart and bigger dreams.

A early goal and domination on set pieces lifted Los Angeles Galaxy II to a relatively simple 6-1 win over the USASA team from Thousand Oaks, Calif. Wednesday night in the Second Round of the US Open Cup at the Stubhub Center’s track stadium.

Alejandro Covarrubias drove in the opening goal from a sixth-minute free kick and Travis Bowen scored twice as the Galaxy’s first-year USL Pro team built a 5-0 lead by the break.

“That’s what it’s about, being a professional,” Bowen said. “You have to come out and put in a performance, no matter who you are playing, no matter how many people are in the stands.”

Covarrubias drove a low, powerful free kick inside the base of the left post for an early Galaxy lead and “Los Dos” piled on from there to progress to a Third-Round matchup with another southern California USASA side, PSA Elite.

The last time Cal FC was in the US Open Cup, they a pretty big splash on the field, and on social media. — The last time Cal FC was in the US Open Cup in 2012, they a pretty big splash on the field, and on social media.

Defender Bradley Diallo headed in a corner kick to double the lead in the 24th minute. Bowen scored twice in three minutes to make it 4-0.

First beating two defenders to tap in Bradley Jamieson’s shot, then roofing a chance from 10 yards after Jamieson was close in the 33rd minute.

“They’re super well-organized and they came out really quickly,” said Cal FC coach Nick Webster. “It was disappointing that four of the goals were set pieces. That was something that we wanted to be on top of.”

Cal FC, who pulled off upsets of USL Pro and Major League Soccer opposition in its run to the Fourth Round in 2012, found reality in its return to the 101-year-old national competition.

Several players the Tri-County Soccer League team hoped to add for the competition didn’t receive international clearance in time to bolster the squad. It also arrived to find an opponent of a different caliber.

“That was the most structured team that we’ve played all three years,” said Cal FC defender Kai Werring. “That was a big difference. Previous have been scraps. You could tell a couple of those guys are going to go places.”

Cal FC scored its goal five minutes after the break. Midfielder Kramer Runager put Reymundo Reza through on goal with a defense-splitting pass and the halftime substitute slotted home the finish.

“I was really proud of the second half,” Webster said. “The team showed a lot of character and heart. They refused to lay down. That could have gotten really out of hand.”

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Sacramento Republic, without Preki, win debut vs. Ventura County Fusion (video)

May 16, 2014 by Evan Ream

Two second-half goals propelled Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup debutante Sacramento Republic FC past the Ventura County Fusion 2-1 Wednesday night at Cosumnes River College.

Republic forward Dakota Collins scored the winning goal with 12 minutes left after a pair of former Fusion players, Rodrigo Lopez and Harrison Delbridge, combined to level the game in the 59th minute.

“In this knock-out, elimination tournament, it’s always hard because you only have 90 minutes and you have another 30 if it’s still tied,” said assistant coach Rod Underwood who was standing in for suspended head coach Predrag “Preki” Radosavlijević. “It’s a lot of pressure, but we made it more difficult than it should have been.”

Sacramento dominated the whole game, but found itself behind at halftime when Ventura County forward Jordan Rideout was sent through on a counterattack by Agustin Cazarez in the 36th minute.

With the ball on his right foot, Rideout blasted the ball past onrushing Republic goalkeeper Dominic Jakubek and into the back of the net.

Underwood responded by bringing on Lopez, who usually starts, after the break.

The former Chivas USA man whose father played one game in the Open Cup for San Nicolas in 1998, made his first contribution 13 minutes after coming on when he lofted a free kick to the back post that towering Aussie defender Harrison Delbridge was able to get a head on.

Delbridge’s header was perfectly placed into the upper corner of the net, tying the game in front of a crowd of 1,347.
“It’s always important, the first game in Open Cup history for this franchise,” said Lopez. “It’s important to get the win. We had a slow start, but we pulled away with the win. Good teams find a way to win against a good opponent. Ventura Fusion is always one of the top PDL teams.”

“It’s just a tournament that personally I want to advance in, being here with such an amazing crowd and atmosphere at our games,” Lopez said. “I think deserves an MLS team. Outside of the field they’re doing things right, so I think inside of the field, we gotta do our job and keep advancing and make a statement, not just for our league, but for MLS and all the other leagues in our country.”

“Ro-Ro is a key player for us,” Underwood said of Lopez. “We needed someone to come in and help us do the things we like to do. And he did that.”

Nineteen minutes later the comeback was complete when Collins latched onto a saved shot to tap the ball into an empty net from inside the six-yard box.

Right back Emrah Klimenta’s run forward found Chad Bartlomé at the top of the box. Bartlomé played a 1-2 with Klimenta, then turned and shot the ball low and hard to Fusion keeper Trey Mitchell’s right.

Mitchell got a hand on the ball, but he was powerless to stop Collins from cashing in the rebound.

The game was sealed 10 minutes later when Ventura County defender Javan Torre was sent off after making physical contact with the referee after he received a yellow card for a bad challenge.

Republic FC will host the Fresno Fuego from the PDL on May 28 in the Third Round.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Chattanooga FC first from NPSL to upset pro team with win over Wilmington Hammerheads (video)

May 16, 2014 by David Walker

Chattanooga FC made history on Wednesday night, defeating the Wilmington Hammerheads of USL Pro 3-1 to become the first NPSL team to defeat a professional team in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Entering the competition, the league, as a whole, was 0-15-0 against pro competition all-time, but a pair of goals from Luke Winter helped lead the way to the team’s first tournament victory.

With the win, the NPSL Southeast Conference Champions advance to the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time in club history. Chattanooga will host NASL-side Atlanta Silverbacks at Finley Stadium on May 28th.

The match nearly didn’t take place at all. Heavy storms rolling in to Chattanooga from the southwest forced team officials to move the match up an hour. Despite the last minute time change, a crowd of 1,502 braved the rain.

For the first 15 minutes, the teams played each other evenly, with Wilmington holding slightly more possession. Chattanooga began to look like the stronger side, though, using fluid wing play to create several dangerous chances. In the 21st minute, forward Luke Winter beat the Wilmington offside trap for a breakaway, tucking the ball past keeper Matt Glaeser to open the scoring.

In the 39th minute, somewhat against the run of play, the Hammerheads equalized, when Brazilian-born Belgian Mickael Oliveira slipped his marker and flicked in a cross from Jordan Hamilton. This boost would be short lived, as just before halftime, Wilmington’s Jason Watson was cautioned for deliberately handling the ball while on the ground. It was his second yellow card of the match, resulting in a red card and his dismissal.

The second half started evenly but with the player advantage Chattanooga eventually asserted control. In the 63rd minute midfielder Luis Trude make a picture-perfect cross from the right wing, connecting directly with Winter. The Tennessee Wesleyan College alumnus had little choice but to head it sharply to the near post for his second goal of the night, giving the 4th Division side a 2-1 lead.

Asked about his two goals, Winter said: “The first one, I knew I was onside. It would have been hard for him to make that call. The second one, Luis hit it so well, it wasn’t even a cross – it was a pass. It was a pass directly to my head.”

In the 89th minute, with Wilmington desperately pressing late in the game, Chattanooga took advantage on the counterattack. Trude slipped through on a breakaway but was taken down by Oliveira, who was immediately sent off for stopping a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Deep into stoppage time, Chattanooga capitalized on the two-man advantage, with an insurance goal from Chrispin Ochieng, assisted by Trude, his second of the night.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Des Moines Menace USASA side shuts out PDL’s Real Colorado Foxes, 3-0

May 16, 2014 by Anders Aarhus

Sean Dong scores the third and final goal for the Des Moines Menace in their 3-0 home win over the Real Colorado Foxes. Photo credit: Joe Nalefski | Des Moines Menace. — Sean Dong scores the third and final goal for the Des Moines Menace in their 3-0 home win over the Real Colorado Foxes. Photo: Joe Nalefski | Des Moines Menace.

Key players for the Des Moines Menace stepped up in a big way Wednesday night to help defeat the Real Colorado Foxes 3-0 in the second round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Nico Wright, one of the few players to play for the Menace last season, scored in the fifth minute to give the Iowa club a lead it would never relinquish.

“Fortunately we were able to score early,” said Des Moines head coach Mike Jeffries. “For us that was important in that it was a new group, and first competitive game together so I think that gave us a lot of confidence going forward.”

While the early goal certainly helped, Jeffries said it was the Menace’s stifling defense, led by another key returning player in Brandon Fricke, which set the tone.

“The guys put a lot of energy into defending,” Jeffries said. “Their organization was good. I think we got some good leadership from Brandon Fricke at the back in terms of our organization and our shape.”

des-moines-menace-iowa-soccer-split-big The Menace doubled its lead just before halftime through Alec Bartlett and added an insurance goal from Sean Dong in the 53rd minute.

Jeffries said the team plans on adding a few more college players before the next round. With the roster still settling, it will be helpful to have Wright and Fricke to lead the team.

“We’ll lean heavily on those guys. They’ve been through it with us last year so I think that’s important. It’s always nice as a coach when you have that can help translate what you want .”

Going forward, Jeffries made it no secret his team is looking forward to making a deep run in this year’s Open Cup after being knocked out in a close match against Sporting Kansas City last year in the Third Round.

“Everyone has strong motivation in the US Open Cup especially when you’re an amateur team. You really want to get to those games where you can play pro clubs and measure yourself.”

The Menace will face NASL-side Minnesota United FC at home on May 28.

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: North Texas Rayados equalizes three times, stuns Austin Aztex in PK thriller (video)

May 16, 2014 by Lanny Short

In a rematch of the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the North Texas Rayados of the USASA traveled south to take on the PDL’s Austin Aztex, hoping to avenge last year’s 2-0 opening round loss.

Unlike most Hollywood films, the sequel was far better than the original by a wide margin as the Rayados fell behind three times, and equalized each time, including the third time in second half stoppage time. In the extra session, North Texas finally took the lead in the 118th minute, but before the celebration could begin, Austin gave them a taste of their own medicine, equalizing in the final minute of extra time to force penalty kicks.

North Texas won the PK shootout to advance to Round 2 for the first time in club history. They have earned themselves another road game as they will travel to San Antonio to take on the NASL’s Scorpions in Round 3 on May 28.

This was the second match for the host Aztex in 2013 after opening their season last Saturday with a convincing win over the Houston Dutch Lions. They came into their Open Cup debut without Devin Cook Perales, who had been sent off in last year’s Open Cup game against the Wilmington Hammerheads and was forced to serve his suspension. The game would be a homecoming of sorts, as former Aztex Super-20 midfielder Shane Dockery who would be playing for the visitors, along with Richland College teammates Flavio Guzman and Jamie Lovegrove.

As the match got underway, the Rayandos suffered a setback when Javan Toledo had to be replaced by Fernando Garza after the starting midfielder sprained his ankle in the 6th minute. The Aztex tried to take advantage of the replacement and nearly scored in the 8th minute when Adam Black narrowly missed his shot off to the right of the goal.

In the 22nd minute, Aztex striker Sito Seoane’s shot was saved by Rayados keeper Raul Herrera. Three minutes later, Seoane found a way to produce a goal, as he delivered a corner kick to the head of Adam Black who put the Aztex up 1-0.

To their credit, the Rayados were able to pick themselves up and press hard for the equalizer which nearly came in the 34th minute when Raul Rodriguez’s free-kick was saved by Aztex keeper John Kaschak. The match started to get a bit chippy as the visitors continued attacking. In the 41st minute, Austin’s Chuy Cortez and North Texas’ Kevin Ellis were booked for some off-the-ball pushing and shoving.

The visitors would get their equalizer in the 43rd minute when Fernando Garza would burst through on the Aztex goal and slot his shot into the net between the goal post and Kaschak’s outstretched foot. The Rayados nearly took the lead deep into first half stoppage time, but Kaschak came up with another big stop on Garza’s attempt on goal.

As the second half got underway, there was more hard play in the midfield. Reece Wilson of North Texas and Austin’s Kalen Ryden were each booked for committing hard challenges. Aztex head coach Manuel Buentello decided a larger attacker was needed so he took off smaller striker Cortez for the larger Tucker Hume in the 53rd minute. The substitution changed the momentum for the home side and they took the lead in the 57th minute when Tony Rocha hit a through pass for Seoane and the forward was able to score. Less than 10 minutes later, Austin nearly added to their lead when Hume had his header on goal saved by Herrera.

They would regret not scoring when the Rayandos equalized again in the 67th minute. Wilson would take advantage of a defensive mistake by Aztex winger Josh Alcala and break through on goal to easily slot home past Kaschak.

In the 71st minute, the Aztex’s Jeff Harwell was brought on for Alcala and the Rayados’ Eduardo Cortez came on for Luis Salas. The substitutions caused a bit of confusion in the Rayado’s defense in the 79th minute. Harwell was able to get through them and hit a pass for Tucker Hume to power home to put the Aztex back into the lead 3-2.

Just when it looked like the Eberly’s Army home fans would be celebrating the victory, an incredible stroke of bad luck twisted the match in a new direction. In the 88th minute, Aztex midfielder Jacob Powell made a hard challenge and although he came up with the ball, the referee ruled he had made the tackle with his studs up and over the ball. Powell was shown a straight red card for the foul and the Aztex were reduced to 10 men. Although they tried to bunker in and hold on for the end of the match, just as the final whistle was about to blow, the North Texas equalized. Shane Dockery got behind the Aztex defense and found himself one-on-one with keeper Kaschak whom he easily beat and rolled the ball into the empty net.

As the match went into extra time, both sides would have their opportunities to score in the first half, though neither side came close to hitting the goal. It was the Rayados who broke the tie in the second half of extra time when midfielder Fernando Garza gave North Texas their first lead of the game at 4-3. To the hosts’ credit, they did not quit and in the final minute of the stoppage time, Harwell sent the game into penalty kicks when he poked home a loose ball that the Rayados defense failed to clear.

Compared to the 120 minutes that proceeded it, the penalty kick shootout was a bit anti-climactic as the Aztex had one of their spot kicks saved and one bounce off the post. The Rayados made all of their attempts to send themselves through to the next round and off to San Antonio to face the Scorpions.

Aztex coach Manuel Buentello, who took over for Paul Dalglish this season, could only shake his head and curse the bad luck that had befallen his team. Rayados player-coach Tito Salas has his team in position to make a run in the tournament, but no matter what happens in San Antonio on May 28, the club can be proud of being a part of one of the most exciting games in recent Open Cup history.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Laredo Heat edge Red Force in match marred by fight, five red cards (video)

May 16, 2014 by Robert Wilson

The Laredo Heat celebrate a goal during their 2-1 home win over Florida's Red Force in Round 2. Photo: Laredo Heat — The Laredo Heat celebrate a goal during their 2-1 home win over Florida’s Red Force in Round 2. Photo: Laredo Heat

For the second Wednesday in a row, the group of amateur and former professional players that make up Red Force FC packed their bags and flew across the country, this time to Laredo, Texas, where, unfortunately for the Miami-based team, their US Open Cup dream ended in a wild 2-1 defeat to the Laredo Heat.

Heat defender Danny Garza rescued the home team by scoring in the final minutes. The victory puts the Laredo Heat into the third round with a matchup against NASL side Fort Lauderdale Strikers, another South Florida team and a rematch from last year’s third round.

Laredo was quick to attack and started the game with much of the possession. After consistent waves of attacks led by midfielder Greg Mulamba wingback Salvador Luna drew a penalty kick on an overlapping attack in the box. The penalty was converted by Miguel Fernandez giving Laredo the early lead 1-0.

Madness broke out in the 39th minute when Red Force’s Kevin Nylen and Miguel Fernandez collided in air and fell to the ground. Players from both teams jumped to defend their fallen teammates. The heated scrum took a couple minutes to resolve and ended with four red cards and one yellow card issued. Kevin Nylen and Heber Hernandez from Red Force FC as well as Laredo Heat’s Joao Monteiro and Yair Hernandez were all ejected while Salvador Luna was issued the yellow card leaving the two sides with nine players each.

Shortly after half, the resilient Red Force tied the game. With plenty of field to work with Red Force’s Alejandro Hernandez found Stiven Salinas for the goal. Unlike their previous round in Colorado where Red Force dealt heartbreak it was two Laredo second half substitutes Danny Garza and Felix Garcia that ended the game with a timely goal. Former US youth international Felix Garcia sent a long pass from center midfield into the box where Garza dodged two Red Force defenders and fired the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

Moments later the referee blew the final whistle and Laredo Heat had secured the second round victory 2-1.

For the Red Force the US Open Cup was a memorable two games run across two states in a week’s time. One exciting come from behind victory in Colorado and one crushing last-minute drama packed defeat in south Texas. The team was clearly disappointed as after a week of lengthy travel if the Red Force had pulled off the upset they would have been able to play their next game in nearby Fort Lauderdale against a team that multiple team members have a history playing for and against.

Laredo Heat on the other hand is riding good form and the momentum provided by the last minute victory into the beginning of their PDL season and the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.

Goal scorer Danny Garza was quoted after the game saying “The team feels very confident … We are very organized. We’ve been training hard since the first day, and hopefully we win the next game.” That next game is the Third Round of the US Open Cup at Fort Lauderdale Strikers’ Lockhart Stadium on May 28.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Heviel Cordoves hat trick helps Charleston Battery cruise past Panama City Beach (video)

May 16, 2014 by Dan Conover

Andre Lewis (right) of Jamaica congratulates Cuban teammate Heviel Cordoves after assisting him for Cordoves first goal of the night. Cordoves scored three times to lead Charleston Battery of USL PRO to a 4-0 win Wednesday over the Panama City Beach Pirates of PDL. Janet Edens Conover/CHSSoccer.net.

Heviel Cordoves logged his first professional hat trick and his fellow Cuban teammate Maikel Chang scored his first goal as a pro Saturday to lead the Charleston Battery to a 4-0 win over visiting Panama City Beach Pirates in the second round of the 2014 US Open Cup. Second-year forward Cordoves scored twice in the first half, missed a penalty kick in first-half stoppage time, and then took a pass from rookie midfielder Dante Marini, shrugged off a defender and finished strong in the box in the 50th minute.

It was also a big night for Chang, who came to Charleston after defecting from the Cuban National Team in Canada in 2012. He missed almost all of 2013 with injuries, but has been asserting himself in early 2014. Not only did he volley home a nice cross from rookie midfielder Justin Portillo in the 5th minute, he went the distance for the first time since turning pro.

The game was delayed by 15 minutes as the Panama City Beach staff and officials from U.S. Soccer tussled over the eligibility of three players on the Pirates roster. Eventually the Pirates removed the three — Andrew Beasley, Vitor Silva and Jack Wilson — from their starting XI and the game began. With only four reserves traveling with the Pirates to Charleston, Panama City Beach had no choice but to suit up reserve goalkeeper Andrea Giombetti as an outfield player in the 19th minute when defender Anderson Savage went down with an injury.

“That’s the only time I’ve ever had to (substitute a goalkeeper for an outfield player) at this level,” said Pirates Coach Greg DeVito. “But I’m very proud of the way our guys played tonight.”

The score could have been far worse. With a last-minute lineup change, no substitutes and a brand new squad playing its first game on the road at traditional Cup power Charleston, the Pirates looked in disarray during the first half hour. By the time they settled into the game the Battery were up 3-0.

“I always try hard,” Cordoves said. “For my team, for my city, for my flag. Charleston is my flag.”

While Cordoves and Chang got the goals, three rookies got credit for the assists: Midfielders Justin Portillo (2), Dante Marini (1) and Andre Lewis (1). The Battery went on to out-shoot the Pirates 21-5, but took the foot off the gas in the final 15 minutes.

Charleston will host the Orlando City’s U-23 PDL team at Blackbaud on May 28th in the Third Round of the Open Cup.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Orlando City SC cruise past Ocala Stampede, 4-1 (video)

May 16, 2014 by Mike Gramajo

Strike duo Dennis Chin and Corey Hertzog each bagged a brace as Orlando City claimed a 4-1 victory over the Ocala Stampede during second round play of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday night at the Seminole Soccer Complex.

“It was a pleasing night,” Orlando head coach Adrian Heath said. “I take my hat off to Ocala. I got lots of respect to their coach. It’s 4-1, we missed lots of chances, and yet they’re still in the game.”

Hertzog gave the Lions the early lead in the 14th minute after midfielder Aodhan Quinn found the striker open in the box, which the former New York Red Bull buried from close range.

With a 1-0 lead in place, Chin doubled Orlando’s lead in the 28th minute after Hertzog found the Oviedo, Florida native with a through pass, which Chin tucked into the net. Hertzog would go on to give OCSC the 3-0 lead before halftime, scoring on a penalty kick after an Ocala handball was whistled.

The Stampede were able to get on the scoreboard in the 61st minute after Ben Knight converted on an Orlando City back line error, beating goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski. However, Orlando’s Dennis Chin capped the match in the 83rd after he executed on a deflection from an Ocala defender to make it 4-1.

With the victory, Orlando City will host the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 28 in the third round of the US Open Cup, which will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

FAN VIDEOS

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Rochester Rhinos avoid first-ever upset, edge Western Mass Pioneers 2-1 in OT

May 15, 2014 by Brian O'Connell

The Western Mass Pioneers pushed the Rochester Rhinos to extra time, but a pair of late goals doomed the PDL side in a 2-1 loss at Sahlen’s Stadium in the Second Round of the US Open Cup.

A scoreless match gave way to a three-goal bonanza in the second period of extra time when Levi Houapeu (110’) and Thomas Obasi (114’) both scored for the Rhinos, while Will Daniels (117’) brought one back for the Pioneers.

With the win, the Rhinos advance to the Third Round, where they’ll host Reading United AC at Sahlen’s Stadium on May 21.

The Pioneers faced the Rhinos without goalscoring maestro Alencar Junior, who was unable to travel to Rochester on Wednesday. Nevertheless, the guests found a way to absorb the pressure, and collect a couple of chances.

After Jossimar Sanchez of the Rhinos pressed Warren Gross into action with a low shot in the 5th minute, the Pioneers began settle in and put the Rhinos on their heels.

While the Rhinos struggled to connect passes, and the Pioneers were unable to find strong chances in the final third, play turned chippy. Both sides traded hard challenges, with Onua Thomas Obasi of the Rhinos seeing yellow in the 31st minute.

At halftime, the Rhinos held the edge on shots (2-1), but were unable to put the Pioneers away. The scoreboard was unblemished going into the second half, but Rochester would improve its form and test the Western Mass back line.

In the 69th minute, Obasi found Samuel Petrone for a Rhinos chance, but Petrone’s shot veered wide. Ten minutes later, Petrone was cut down near the outer edge of the final third, setting up a dangerous free kick. Levi Houapeu sent it on frame, but Gross denied the shot to keep the game scoreless.

With 90 minutes not enough to separate the sides, overtime was called. And in the second period of overtime, the Rhinos finally grabbed the goal that eluded them all evening when Houapeu easily tapped through the remnants of a JC Banks header in the 110th minute.

Rochester widened the gap four minutes later when Obasi scored to put the Rhinos in command. But the Pioneers wouldn’t go quietly, as Daniels grabbed a pass from Kyle Tomos and tallied in the 117th minute.

With the victory, the Rhinos will host Reading United of the PDL in a 3rd round matchup on May 28th.