2016 Second Round

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Charleston Battery advance after The Villages field ineligible player (updated)

May 21, 2016 by Seamus Grady

The Charleston Battery face The Villages SC from the PDL in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Charleston Battery

UPDATE: The US Soccer Federation announced that The Villages SC fielded an ineligible player during their match against the Charleston Battery and the federation has ruled that they have been disqualified and the Charleston Battery will advance to Round 3.

The Villages SC’s inaugural cup run is off to a spectacular start after pulling off a Second Round upset over The Charleston Battery of the USL in penalties.

The Villages’ attack got things started early, with forward Carlos Araujo burying a shot passed Keeper Alex Tambakis in the 24th minute.

Despite the early deficit Charleston seemingly dominated the remainder of the 1st half finding the lion’s share of chances, but The Villages’ keeper Paulo Pita came to play, putting on a monster performance keeping the Battery attack at bay.

The Battery would finally break even in the waning moments of the 2nd half, when MF Dante Marini put a spectacular bending left-footed shot passed Pita and into the bottom left corner of the net to level the score going into halftime.

Charleston continued to control the match through the bulk of the 2nd half, but The Villages managed to take the lead once again in the 66th minute.

Midfielder Danilo Dias would pick up the assist on the goal, putting in a great cross to Araujo who headed in his goal of the night.

With the clock winding down the Battery pushed the attack forward, finding chance after chance and finally breaking through the brick wall that was Paulo Pita in the 81st minute.

Forward Chris Tsonis would score the late equalizer, finding the receiving end of a corner by MF Maikel Chang.

Regulation ended with the score still knotted up at 2-2, taking the match into extra time.
Charleston looked the better side through both halves of extra time with The Villages rarely finding their way out of their defensive 3rd. Pita would prove to be the decisive difference for The Villages keeping out shot after shot by the Battery attack in extra time and coming up big for his club when the match went to penalties.

Pita would go on to save the Battery’s 1st two penalty attempts, with both Ricky Garbanzo and Romario Williams converting the 3rd and 4th, But The Villages would convert on all four attempts ending the Battery’s 2016 Cup campaign.

It’s the third consecutive year the Battery have seen their US Open Cup run end in penalties to a team from the state of Florida. A disappointing early exit for a club known for making deep runs into the later rounds of the tournament.

The Villages SC’s victory advances the club to the 3rd round where they will travel to Everbank Field to take on NASL side Jacksonville Armada.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Rochester Rhinos stampede Southie FC in record blowout

May 20, 2016 by Brendan Doherty

The Rochester Rhinos are well-known in American soccer as a defensive powerhouse but the reigning USL champions have notably struggled to dispatch lower division sides in the US Open Cup. Southie FC is a Boston-based team that participates in the Massachusetts State Soccer League and the Bay State Soccer League. Rochester’s head coach Bob Lilley rolled the dice with heavy squad rotation against the lively side from Massachusetts.

That heavily-rotated lineup was more than enough as the Rhinos dominated Southie FC, 7-0 to improve the club’s all-time record against amateur opponents to 15-0. The Rhinos also extend their Modern Era record of consecutive opening round victories to 15 games.

Southie FC started the match purposefully, moving the ball around the field with crisp short passes, but the Rhinos quickly made the breakthrough. In the sixth minute second-year forward Christian Volesky dispatched a penalty past Southie goalkeeper Colin O’Donnell. Left-winger Marcos Ugarte, who grew up near south Boston, went down in the box after contact from behind while running onto a pass from Sofiane Tergou.

Rochester midfielder Andre Fortune II, in his first start for the team, doubled the hosts’ advantage in the ninth minute with a wonderful solo effort. Fortune picked up the ball in the right channel and cut inside near the top of the 18-yard box with one thing on his mind. The first-year Rhino angled for an open shooting lane before curling a shot to the far post out of the reach of the Southie goalkeeper.

Despite going down two goals in the opening ten minutes, Southie FC players were resilient. The visitors did not resort to direct “route one” play and instead continued to play their deliberative passing style.

Just before the half-hour mark, Ugarte played an impressive one-two with Tergou in the attacking third. Tergou’s return pass split the Southie defenders and Ugarte was able to latch onto the ball in the air. With the goalkeeper rushing off his line, Ugarte chipped his shot to the far post for the team’s third goal in the 27th minute.

Asani Samuels, who scored twice in the 2015 USL Championship, grabbed two quick goals before halftime on Wednesday. Southie FC had tried to hold a high line ten yards from half, but Samuels broke through on a pass from Ugarte and rounded the goalkeeper before tapping home in the 42nd minute. Just two minutes later, Volesky cut back onto his right foot and curled a cross into the area from the left channel. The cross found the feet of Samuels, who made no mistake from six yards out.

Rochester went into the halftime break leading 5-0. While Southie FC scored an own goal early in the second half, a lot of the play after the break favored the visitors. Bob Lilley credited the Southie players for working hard and putting the home side under pressure.

Southie, who brought only two substitutes with them, showed tremendous fitness to harass and harry the Rhinos until the final whistle. Even though the scoreline seemed insurmountable, the amateur team from Boston continued to play positive soccer and attack their hosts.

In the 77th minute, Samuels completed his hat-trick after great work from Tergou and Ugarte in the build-up. Holding onto the ball inside the Southie penalty area, Tergou played a disguised pass to Ugarte towards the endline. The winger cut a low ball back to Samuels and the forward finished emphatically from close range for his fifth goal in two U.S. Open Cup appearances for the Rhinos.

Marcos Ugarte drew a penalty, scored a goal, and added two assists on the night against Southie FC. He talked to media after the game about the team’s preparation for the cup match.

“Coach said that this was going to be a good game,” said Ugarte. “I’m from the Boston-Providence area so I know a lot of these guys, I played with a lot of them at Providence College for two years. I knew what they were capable of and I know it was going to be a good game. We came out strong and we put them away early.”

Rhinos head coach Bob Lilley spoke to media after the game about his team’s resolve in the face of the unpredictable nature of the Open Cup.

“You never know with these games. It was good to get the early first few goals. I thought the guys were pretty focused on doing a job,” Lilley said. “We had a job to do, it not always easy, and I think the guys handled it well.”

Asani Samuels, who scored the first hat trick in Rhinos Open Cup history, credited the big win to the fact that the Rhinos did not approach the game against Southie FC any different than a league match.

“We treat every game as the same. We went through the same match preparation, we did everything the same,” Samuels said. “We just went out there to play our game.”

Sofiane Tergou, making his full debut with Rochester, agreed with those sentiments.

“We took this game very seriously, even if it was against an amateur team. When you’re in the cup you never know what can happen.”

“They were missing a couple of guys. Today could have been close,” Lilley said referring to Rochester’s recent record of tight games in the early cup rounds. “They had some pieces that were more than capable of hurting us today but once you put a team in the hole, it’s hard for them. They’re not training as regularly, the energy it takes to pull those goals back is pretty difficult.”

Lilley had praise for the fighting spirit of his team’s amateur opponent.

“I thought they deserved credit. In the second half – the game was 5-0 – but they played more in our half. They wanted to score. They were pretty committed to scoring.”

The 7-0 victory over Southie FC shatters Rochester’s club record for most goals in a US Open Cup match, and the largest margin of victory. The previous record was set in 2006 when the Rhinos defeated USL Second Division side New Hampshire Phantoms 5-1. In the Rhinos’ previous 56 Open Cup games, the game against the Phantoms was the only game that they won by more than three goals.

Rochester advances to the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup where they will host another amateur side, New York City’s Landsdowne Bhoys on Wednesday June 1 at 7 p.m.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Richmond Kickers strike early, cruise past Aromas Cafe FC, 4-0

May 20, 2016 by Craig Tower

The Richmond Kickers celebrate a goal against Aromas Cafe in the Second Round of the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: James Loving | Richmond Kickers — The Richmond Kickers celebrate a goal against Aromas Cafe in the Second Round of the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: James Loving

Aromas Café went to Richmond hoping to come out giant killers, but their hopes were squashed almost immediately and never revived.

After a goal in the first minute, the Richmond Kickers never looked back as they cruised to a 4-0 win in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The 1995 US Open Cup champions, playing in their 10th straight Open Cup game at home, emerge with a seven-game winning streak in opening round games.

The Kickers took an early lead when they were awarded a free kick at the top of the Aromas box in the first minute. Sunny Jane steered his powerfully dipping shot over the wall and into the near corner at hip level for the one goal lead.

Richmond continued to press, winning a series of corners and free kicks in the Aromas end. In the 25th minute, after winning one of those free kicks at a distance of forty yards, the Kickers directed the ball onto the head of Yomby William who found himself unmarked on the left side of the goal box. Directing his shot down and into the near corner, a good strategy in most instances, he managed to drive it into the keeper’s calf. The ball dribbled into the path of a charging Hugh Roberts who slotted it home for the 2-0 lead, which held until the half.

Richmond came out almost as strong in the second half as the first, but had to wait until the 48th minute of the new term to find the net on an Anthony Grant strike of a feed from Travis Pittman. Grant forced a diving save off Aromas keeper Hohoff in the 57th off a volley, and Jackson Eskay pinged a shot off the crossbar in the 4th.

“I’m elated with that goal and as coach said earlier we need some goals in this game,” said Grant about his first tally for the Kickers. “I’m really elated with my performance, with my goal, and most of all with the team performance.”

The Kickers put the game to bed in the 83rd minute when Romulo Peretta deflected a cross for Luiz Fernando to clean up for the four-goal victory while preserving the clean sheet.

The Kickers move on to meet the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL in the Third Round.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: OKC Energy survives dramatic PK shootout with Mississippi Brilla

May 20, 2016 by Jay F. Marks

Oklahoma City Energy FC goalkeeper CJ Cochran didn’t have much to do for 120 minutes of his team’s US Open Cup matchup Wednesday with amateur side Mississippi Brilla FC (PDL).

Cochran didn’t fare too well when the game went to a shootout, watching the first nine Brilla penalty kicks settle into his net.
The Georgia native came up big in the end though, saving the home side’s last two spot kicks before burying his own to lead Energy FC to a 10-9 shootout victory after a scoreless game at Traceway Park.

Oklahoma City’s USL side advances to face intra-city foe Rayo OKC in the third round of the US Open Cup. Rayo OKC, a first-year NASL side, will host the first-ever meeting of the two teams on June 1.

Energy FC controlled play in its first match of the 2016 US Open Cup, but scoring chances were hard to come by against Brilla FC’s dogged defense.

Brilla FC advanced to the second round by defeating CD Motagua of New Orleans in first round play on May 11.

On Wednesday, the Oklahoma team dominated possession – and easily snuffed out rare threats from Brilla FC — yet it was unable to put the ball past goalkeeper Brendan Ledgeway.

Ledgeway ably marshalled Brilla’s backline to prevent Energy FC’s possession from translating into goals.

Danni Konig, who broke the USL scoring record last year, was a persistent threat on the Premier Development League side’s goal, but poor touches and staunch defending kept him off the scoresheet.

Konig had two prime chances snuffed out by a Brilla defender in the closing minutes of regulation after Luis Martinez settled a cross into the box.

Both teams had chances to break the deadlock in extra time, but neither was sharp enough to convert.

That changed once the game moved to penalty kicks, as the first nine shooters for each team scored.

Brilla’s Ledgeway stepped to the spot and easily converted his team’s seventh penalty kick, after managing to get his fingertips to two Energy FC attempts that still found the back of the net.

In the 10th round of the shootout, Ledgway answered Cochran’s first save with one of his own to keep Brilla FC in the match before Energy FC converted its final kick to secure the win.

Energy FC captain Michael Thomas said the game was a “tough battle” in post-match comments on Twitter. He said the team “should have put plenty (of chances) away today,” but still managed to find a way to win.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: City Islanders oust West Chester United to continue 4th division dominance

May 19, 2016 by Michael Berton

Harrisburg City Islanders vs. West Chester United in the 2016 US OpenCup. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

City Islanders FC (formerly Harrisburg City Islanders) has made a name for itself in the US Open Cup as giant-killers. On Wednesday night, the giant-killers took the role of the giants and held off their amateur opponents in West Chester, Pa.

In front of the largest crowd in West Chester United SC history, the City Islanders scored a goal in each half en route to a 2-0 victory that propelled them to the US Open Cup Third Round. With the win, Harrisburg improved to 12-1-0 all-time against amateur opponents.

After four years of falling just short of the Open Cup, West Chester qualified this year by notching a pair of wins over Philadelphia-area teams Junior Lone Star and Salone FC in the open division qualifying tournament. United, which plays in the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania, advanced past Fredericksburg FC 8-7 in penalty kicks after finishing 1-1 at the end of regulation in the First Round.

With its First Round victory, West Chester got to host an Open Cup game for the first time.

Bobby Warsaw of the City Islanders scores the team's first goal against West Chester United in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger. — Bobby Warsaw of the City Islanders scores the team’s first goal against West Chester United in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger.

“This is the biggest game we have ever hosted, and it was our first game against a pro side” West Chester coach Blaise Santangelo said. “We filled the place. It was an exciting night.”

The home crowd had very little to cheer about in the beginning of the match. The City Islanders pressed forward early and dominated the first portion of play. The away side was awarded for its effort in the 13th minute. The ball was played into the West Chester penalty area, where City Islanders forward Craig Foster passed it on to Bobby Warshaw. The defensive midfielder made no mistake with his shot, burying it in the back of the net.

City Islanders FC coach Bill Becher said, “Bobby is more of a defensive player usually, but he helps the guys around him a lot. He and the rest of the team played a very good first half.”

After the goal, West Chester started to get some chances going forward. Those chances were not leading to goals, however, and the City Islanders kept threatening with their speed over the top.

Speaking about the City Islanders, Santangelo said, “They kept stretching us defensively. They also played a lot of one-touch soccer, moving our guys around. They were getting us out of our shape.”

The City Islanders, which are currently 12th out of 14 teams in the United Soccer League Eastern Conference, started the second half in much the same way they started the first. Early pressure led to a corner kick in the 49th minute. The initial kick from Jose Barril did not find a player in the box, but the ball was eventually played to Matthew Bolduc, who curled a shot around keeper Charlie Sales to give his team a 2-0 lead.

With a comfortable lead, the pro side took its foot off the gas a little, and West Chester pushed everything forward. In the 59th minute, the home team even scored a goal, only to have the play called back for a foul.

Through a light rain, City Islanders FC held West Chester at bay for the rest of the second half. The 2-0 scoreline held, sending the fans home disappointed.

Becher said, “It was a good result. These games are tricky. We knew it would be a battle. They gave us a tough time, and this tournament is crazy. But we played well enough to get the win.”

With the win, City Islanders FC moves on to the Open Cup Third Round. It will play on the road to another amateur team–Chattanooga FC. A victory there would mean the chance to become giant-killers yet again, as a Fourth Round berth comes with a guaranteed match-up with an Major League Soccer team. Harrisburg has eliminated a MLS team five times since its first Open Cup appearance in 2007.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Wilmington Hammerheads deliver rare blowout in 6-0 thrashing of Miami Fusion FC

May 19, 2016 by Harrison Huntley

After two straight USOC losses to Chattanooga FC, Wilmington Hammerheads FC obviously had no intention of losing to a third NPSL team. After two goals in the first 10 minutes, it became clear they were in control and Wilmington cruised to a 6-0 win over Miami Fusion FC.

The goals came early and often for Wilmington as they struck first with a breakaway goal in the sixth minute. The smoke hadn’t even floated away from the supporter’s section when Wilmington’s attack led to another goal. Before 10 minutes had elapsed, the Hammerheads already held a 2-0 lead. Wilmington coach Mark Briggs later said the quick scores were exactly what the team had been working on.

“The focus for us has been doing a lot of finishing lately, a lot of repetition in front of goal,” said Briggs. “If I could have gone to sleep last night and dreamt of the perfect game tonight, this was it. It gave us an opportunity to score goals. It gave us an opportunity to get people on the field who need minutes, especially leading up to Saturday against Charleston which is a massive game. It was good all around for everyone.”

The first goal came from Austin Martz, who got free on a breakaway, and appeared to have glanced a shot off the keeper, but it was later ruled that Justin Moose had the last touch. That would become important because Martz later scored two more goals, but could not complete the hat trick without that first goal.

After adding two more goals, Wilmington went into the half with a 4-0 lead. Coming out of the break, Miami Fusion FC used their last two subs, leaving them with none for the second half. This would prove costly for Miami, as they would later play the final 20 minutes of the game with nine players after two went down with injuries. Wilmington used this advantage to add two more goals, pushing the final to 6-0. Coach Briggs added that he was happy his team took care of business in what the Cup setting.

“These games can go one of two ways like any game,” said Briggs. “These games, when you take them easy, they can easily become a banana skin and you can fall flat on your face. That was the focus in the locker room and it was all about making sure that they were focused like they would be playing any other team in our league.”

With the biggest shutout win in the club’s Open Cup history, the Hammerheads will travel south to play the first-ever tournament game in the state of Florida when they face Miami FC (NASL) on June 1.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: San Antonio FC pulls away from Corinthians in first “Alamo Derby”

May 19, 2016 by Kyle Mahnke

San Antonio FC vs. Corinthians FC of San Antonio in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Antonio Morano | San Antonio FC

The first meaningful Alamo Derby was truly a battle from the start, as San Antonio FC defeated Corinthians FC, 3-1.

NPSL club Corinthians FC of San Antonio made their way across town to Toyota Field to take on USL club San Antonio FC. The two clubs have only ever met in a preseason friendly as this is SAFC’s first year in existence. Despite the overcast and “cold” (for Texas) weather, there was a good showing for both clubs. The fans in attendance were very vocal for their sides and kept the stadium loud all night.

The second round bout between the two clubs was the first in the 2016 U.S. Open Cup for both as Corinthians’ first round opponent, North Texas Rayados, was forced to forfeit due to not being active in a USSF league in the most recent season.

The scoring started quickly with San Antonio FC banking their first goal only 2 minutes into the match. Forward Jacuqes Francois, making his first start for SAFC, found the club’s leading scorer Jason Johnson inside the 18 yard box. San Antonio was full tempo for the first 30 minutes, constantly pressuring Corinthians inside the NPSL side’s 18. Corinthians weathered the storm though, holding SAFC to the one goal for the first half.

The second half opened with another quick goal, this time in favor of the away side. Callum Chapman-Page earned his own goal in the 47th. As play continued, the game remained physical and heated. SAFC took the lead again as Francois went box-to-box for his first goal with SAFC in the 70th minute. He bagged his 2nd in the 74th off a Milton Palacios assist. With the home team up by two goals, Corinthians wasn’t able to recover before the final whistle blew.

“All night, the team showed great effort again. And obviously we knew going into the game that this is a tournament that you have to win to survive, and that’s what we did,” SAFC head coach Darren Powell told the media after the victory.

When asked about his mentality going into the game, man of the match Francois replied, “To do what I do best, score goals for my team and for the fans.”

Having passed their cross-town opponent, San Antonio FC will now go on to face another amateur club in the Des Moines Menace in Iowa in the Third Round of the US Open Cup. SAFC would be wise to not overlook the Menace, as the PDL side has upset seven professional teams in their long history.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Lansdowne Bhoys earn Cosmo League’s first pro upset, 2-0 vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

May 19, 2016 by John Krysinsky

Lansdowne Bhoys pose for a team photo before their 2016 US Open Cup match vs. Long Island Rough Riders.

Lansdowne Bhoys FC continue to make the most of its first-ever Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, upsetting the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2-0 at Highmark Stadium in a Second Round match on Wednesday. Craig Purcell led the amateur club from Yonkers, NY past the United Soccer League side to become the first Cosmopolitan League team to upset a pro team in the Modern Era (1995-present).

“As I said in the lead-up to this game, if my players were able to train five, six days per week, they would do very well in the USL,” said Lansdowne Bhoys head coach Austin Friel. “We were patient, and took our chances when we had to — and made the most of them.”

In a game where the Riverhounds clearly dominated possession, they could not find the back of the net, despite having 14-8 advantage in shots — and twice as many corner kicks (8-4).

The game turned early in the match, as the Hounds’ Karsten Smith was called for a foul in the 10th minute.

Lansdowne’s James Nealis lined up a free kick from 32 yards near the center of the field. His bending ball toward the far post connected with Purcell, who cleanly headed it past Riverhounds goalkeeper Mauricio Vargas for the early lead.

“ complete breakdown,” said Riverhounds assistant coach Josh Rife. “You can’t let a guy have a free header in the box. I don’t care what level you play against. Those are bad mental mistakes. When you are not scoring goals like we are, you can’t be giving teams goals like that because right now, we’re not a team that has a lot of confidence to be able to score a lot of goals right now.”

From that point, the Bhoys were content to keep the back line and midfield tightly-organized and mostly in front of the Hounds attack. They also were willing to strategically take fouls to slow down Pittsburgh.

The Riverhounds had plenty of possession– and build up to its attack from the perimeter — and at times were getting crosses in mostly from Kevin Kerr’s right side — but few connected to create quality chances.

Zak Boggs had the only clear-cut shot on goal in the first half, and then early in the second half, in the 51st minute. Kerr sent a lining cross from the right side that connected with forward Corey Hertzog, which pinged off the bar, and bounced away from goal.

While the Hounds kept coming, Kerr and Lebo Moloto, the team’s two leading returning scorers from the team that reached the USL playoffs and the US Open Cup Fourth Round last year had an answer. The duo really started working off each other with short passes to try to get an open opportunity in the crowded box.

The highly-organized Lansdowne Bhoys held on — limiting the Hounds’ shots mostly from distance.

The Riverhounds first sub of the game turned out to be a bit of an omen.

Drew Russell entered the match for Zak Boggs in the 58th minute, and within seconds was called for a handball with intent by referee Chuck Murphy as he was trying to secure a through ball to get behind a Bhoys defender.

Eleven minutes later — Russell inexplicably redirected a ball played into the box with his hand again, and was sent off with his second yellow card.

Playing down a man, the Riverhounds became more vulnerable to the Lansdowne counter attacks. Sure enough, moments later, in the 75th minute, Ovan Oakley ripped a shot from the far left end line.

Vargas reached out to knock away the shot from a difficult angle — and it rolled right to Purcell’s foot. With an open goal in front of him, Purcell buried a one-time shot that gave the amateurs a two-goal lead with 15 minutes to play.

The 10-man Riverhounds could not surmount any additional dangerous opportunities in the final 15-plus minutes, and the Landowne Bhoys pulled off the big upset.

“I am so delighted for our club, for our community,” said Friel. “A lot of hard work has gone into this. I am very proud of my players tonight.”

For the Riverhounds, it was another lackluster effort at home, where in four games this season, they are 0-4, having been outscored 8-2.

“At the end of the day, it’s not good enough as a group,” said Rife. “Up to this point, there’s not a game where we’ve not been in. But we don’t seem to have what it takes right now. Whether or not that’s the coaching staff. The players. It just has to be better.”

“Are we disappointed, yes. Extremely disappointed. Sure,” added Rife. “The beauty of the US Open Cup is what happened out there today. That anybody on any given day can win. Obviously from our standpoint it hurts. It stings greatly for us.”

Line-ups:

Riverhounds – Mauricio Vargas – Ryan Dodson (Nick Kolarac 84′), Karsten Smith, Willie Hunt, Mike Green – Zak Boggs (Drew Russell 59′), Lebo Moloto, Stephen Okai, Kevin Kerr, Conor Branson – Corey Hertzog (Caleb Postlewait 77′)

Subs not used: Hunter Gilstrap, Alex Harlley, Sergio Campbell, Isaiah Schafer

Lansdowne Bhoys FC – Abdoukarim Danso – Shaun Foster, Sean Kelly, James Nealis, Tom Wharf (Ciaran McGuigan 30′) – Craig Purcell, Stephen Roche – Conor Hunter, Daryl Kavanagh (Karim Russel 82′), Ovan Oakley (Michael Bello 86′), Sikele Slyvester

Subs not used: Timothy O’Driscoll, Aidan Tucker

Scoring Summary:

LAN – Craig Purcell 10′ (James Nealis)

LAN – Daryl Kavanagh 76′

Misconduct Summary:

LAN – Conor Hunter 30′ (caution)

LAN – James Nealis 45′ (caution)

LAN – Ciaran McGuigan 49′ (caution)

PGH – Lebo Moloto 55′ (caution)

PGH – Drew Russell 60′ (caution)

PGH – Drew Russell 69′ (caution/ejection)

LAN – Shaun Foster 90′ (caution)

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Independence ground Eagles in true Charlotte derby

May 19, 2016 by Zach Hall

Charlotte Independence Charlotte Eagles — Photo: Charlotte Eagles

A cool night at Charlotte Christian School was the scene as the sun began to set on the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first-ever official match between the Charlotte Eagles and the Charlotte Independence. A real derby.

Adding to the drama is the fact that when the Eagles dropped to the PDL after more than 20 years as a pro team, the Independence were the club that replaced them in the USL.

The Eagles, playing in the tournament as a PDL team for the first time, entered the night with just two games under their belt, having won twice the week before in Open Cup and regular season play. The Independence, on the other hand, sit third in the USL Eastern Conference having already played nine regular season matches and a full preseason – giving the USL side an apparent fitness advantage and a comfort in tactics that proved to be a difference maker in the club’s 2-0 win.

Having played a congested schedule over the past two weeks, the night ended up being a much-needed opportunity for Independence to rest starters and see younger guys get some key minutes. Young players like Austin Yearwood, Emmanuel Appiah, Alec Bartlett, and Christopher Hellmann all made their first starts for the club in any competition. It would prove to be a fateful night for the young forward Hellmann, who got the game going just before halftime.

Both the scoreboard and the play on the field was deadlocked for over 40 minutes as neither Charlotte team could find the back of the net – though they had their chances. Eagles forward Tresor Mbuyu struck the woodwork around the 22nd minute and the Independence got a few shots off before Hellmann would get on the end of a poor save from William Pyle in the 44th, notching his first professional goal in his first-ever start for the club.

On the other side of halftime in the 50th minute, Caleb Calvert for the Independence would get a shot on goal off, forcing Pyle to make a save. Unfortunately for the PDL side, the ball fell straight to midfielder Jorge Herrera who put the ball away. It was bittersweet for the Columbian veteran, after spending over a decade with the Eagles throughout their professional days, but it was his goal that would put the nail in the Eagles’ Open Cup coffin.

Independence did a good job closing out the game, with young defenders Alec Bartlett and Austin Yearwood paired at center back for the first time performing well and goalkeeper John Berner returning from offseason surgery to keep a clean sheet in his first appearance back.

“First of all, a lot of respect to the Eagles group,” said Independence head coach Mike Jeffries after the game. “I think they’re very talented and play at a high level. For us, it was very important to get guys minutes in a meaningful game, in a game where there’s pressure to have to win, and I thought the guys held up very well. It’s always tricky in the Open Cup because you want to advance and yet, the way our schedule’s been with two away games…I didn’t make a lot of changes in those games so obviously giving games a break was important. More importantly, its good for these guys to in a game and contribute and they all did.”

With the win, the Independence, won’t have the leave the state of North Carolina. They will travel to Cary on June 1 to take on the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks in Round 3. This will be the second year in a row that the two clubs will meet at WakeMed Soccer Park. Last year, the Independence got the best of Carolina, winning 1-0 in the Third Round.

Zach Hall is your friendly neighborhood soccer fan with a blog, based in Charlotte, NC. He can be found spending too much time on Twitter @crowntownsoccer.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: FC Cincinnati becomes first pro team from city to earn Open Cup win

May 19, 2016 by Ben Ferree

Omar Cummings of FC Cincinnati celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against Indy Eleven NPSL in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Cincinnati

The upstart USL side FC Cincinnati continued their winning ways, topping Indy Eleven NPSL at Nippert Stadium by a score of 2-1 in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

This marked not only the first US Open Cup win for FC Cincinnati, but this was the first time a professional team from the city tasted victory in the tournament’s 103-year history.

Using a mixture of starters and subs, Cincinnati dominated much of the first half against the amateur side from the Indianapolis area, but the underdogs showed some fight. After a handling call in the box gave Cincinnati a penalty kick that Omar Cummings converted, it took less than three minutes for Indy to equalize. A beautiful give-and-go between Vincent Mitchell and Cristian Soto led to Mitchell getting the first goal from the run-of-play, with Soto picking up the assist.

Coming out of the locker rooms at halftime tied gave Indy obvious confidence, as they looked to be the better team for the first 15 minutes of the second half. However, that confidence unraveled when Jimmy McLaughlin scored in the 60th minute, just four minutes after being subbed into the game. McLaughlin collected a rebound from a Cummings header that was saved by Indy goalkeeper Cody Schweitzer, who finished the match with an impressive seven saves. It was McLaughlin’s third career US Open Cup goal.

“It was great,” McLaughlin said, “my second touch of the game, it was an easy finish in the corner…this was pretty special.”

Indy was never able to truly get another attack going after the second goal, and had three players pick up yellow cards in the second half as frustration and desperation mounted.

“I was happy to get a result and advance on…the unique part of the Open Cup is that it’s equal opportunity for everyone, amateur and pro status. When you get teams that you face at this level, you know that you can have a hard game,” FC Cincinnati head coach John Harkes said. He stressed to his team not to underestimate Indy Eleven just because they were a lower division team.

“You can’t leave the door open for hope,” Harkes said, “the message at halftime was that we need to do better. We need to concentrate on what we do best, and that’s moving the ball. We didn’t have enough of that in the first half.”

Cummings has the most Open Cup experience of any player on the team, having played for years in MLS, and he knows that anything can happen.

“The Open Cup is a run,” Cummings said, “it’s a competition where if you do well and have energy going forward, you can make a run and end up anywhere.”

With the victory, FC Cincinnati advances to the third round of the Cup and will face the NASL side Tampa Bay Rowdies on the road in the first week of June.