2016 US Open Cup

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Roland Alberg’s late winner for Philadelphia Union steals win, TheCup.us Player of the Round

June 23, 2016 by Michael Berton

Roland Alberg of the Philadelphia Union scores the first of his two goals against the Harrisburg City Islanders. Photo: Charlie Flowe | OceanCityFC.com

Thanks to his two goals, including a game-winning, last-minute free kick, Roland Alberg of the Philadelphia Union was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round for the 2016 Fourth Round.

The two goals led the Union to a 3-2 victory over City Islanders SC (USL). Alberg is the first outfield player to win the award in 2016, and is the first player from the Netherlands to ever win the award.

The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters. Alberg beat out Diego Restrepo of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) by a single vote, denying him the first back-to-back player of the round victory by a goalkeeper in TheCup.us history. Other players receiving strong support included Danny Szetela of the New York Cosmos (NASL) and David Accam of the Chicago Fire (MLS).

Making his first US Open Cup appearance, Alberg gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead with a goal right before halftime against the City Islanders. After the Union squandered that lead in the 90th minute, Sebastian Le Toux won a free kick right outside the City Islanders box. Alberg stepped up to take it and curled a beautiful shot into the top corner to give his team the victory.

After the game, Alberg said, “Well, first of all, I was trying to kick it to the corner of the goalkeeper and then last minute my mindset was different, so I thought I would flip it over the wall and it goes in. The feeling was amazing. I’m happy with the win and going through.”

Alberg’s two goals in the US Open Cup were the first of his Union career. He followed that performance up with his first MLS goal in a 3-2 loss to New York City FC, followed by a midweek hat trick against the Chicago Fire. He has not gotten too many chances to play this year, but that might change with his recent success and the recent departure of Union midfielder Vincent Nogueira.

“I am happy today. It was my first game in a couple weeks – couple months…But, today I got my chance and I scored two goals. It’s what I said, amazing,” Alberg said.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Late Danny Szetela winner gives New York Cosmos second straight East River Derby win over NYCFC

June 18, 2016 by Luis Hernandez

Danny Szetela of the New York Cosmos celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against NYCFC in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Steve Hamlin | TICC

Last year, the New York Cosmos needed penalty kicks following to put away NYCFC after playing 120 minutes. This year, the Cosmos would get all they needed in 90. One goal off the head of Danny Szetela would advance the boys in green to the Round of 16 for the third time in as many years.

The Cosmos came out with no real surprises on the roster, save for one. Roversio was not only in the 18, he cracked the Starting XI. Surprises continued on the bench with the returns of Adam Moffat and Alexis Velela to the 18 after being sidelined by injury.
The Cosmos continued to employ the 4-1-4-1 formation that has given them the most success this season in the NASL.

After comments from NYCFC that they intended to take the game seriously, the jury is out on whether they did. The entirety of the City back line was subbed out, with Shannon Gomez making his first appearance of the season, as well as goalkeeper Eirik Johansen. Mix Diskerud was the only week-to-week starter in the midfield, as Khiry Shelton was up front.
Both sides challenged each other early, but the Cosmos got the better of the chances in the first half. They got the first real chance of the night when Yohandry Orozco delivered a ball into the box for Juan Arango who fired a shot on net that Johansen was able to get a glove on and deflect in the sixth minute. NYCFC got a chance of their own in the fifteenth as a Gomez cross into the box ended with a Kwadwo Poku header that took a bounce before ending up in the hands of Jimmy Maurer. Seconds later, the Cosmos returned from that play with an Orozco shot and another save from Johansen.
The Cosmos back line prevented an early City lead just moments after that as Maurer left his line to clear a ball from the edge of the box, nearly gifting a goal to Disekrud, but his low shot at the open net was correctly read and picked off by Ayoze.
The Cosmos came close to getting on the board in the 37th as Jairo Arrieta drew three defenders before slipping a ball over the top to Danny Szetela who made an unopposed run down the middle. The ball escaped him after his first touch and Johansen was able to step out and make the grab. Maurer would make a grab on an easy Diego Martinez ball on frame two minutes later.
The Cosmos were the first to make the books as Arango received a yellow for a tough foul on Poku in the 43rd. City would not stay out of the book much longer as Jefferson Mena committed one on Arrieta and saw a card just a minute later.
The yellows continued in the second half with one in the 52nd to White for dissent and one to Szetela a minute later for taking the feet of Mehdi Ballouchy out from under him.
City saw a great chance in the 54th as Martinez got a clear look at net and fired a curling ball from about 25 yards out that Maurer just parried away before it was cleared. Martinez was also involved shortly after delivering a cross to Diskerud that he headed wide.
With NYCFC getting the bulk of the chances through most of the second half, Maurer had to make another parry on a shot from Patrick Mullins in the 68th.
NYCFC made the first substitution of match bringing on forward Tony Taylor for Khiry Shelton in the 73rd. Seconds later, they came within inches of taking the lead.
Mullins received a long ball in the box, tipping it past Maurer, who had left his line, and evading a slide from behind by Roversio. Only the work of Hunter Freeman saved the visitors as he raced back to the line during the confusion and slid into the ball to clear it before Mullins could center to a wide-open Poku.
The Cosmos made the next sub of the evening, bringing in Adam Moffat for Ruben Bover in the 79th.
After suffering an injury minutes earlier, Mena left the game in the 87th, replaced by starting center back Jason Hernandez. Despite the addition of a starter to the back line, it would not stop the Cosmos from finally finishing a ball.
A minute after the sub, Ayoze delivered a ball to Moffat who made a run into the offensive end before sliding a pass wide left to Orozco. The Venezuelan put a cross into the six for Szetela, who made an unopposed run into the box and finished with a header past Johansen.
City immediately responded, bring off Ballouchy for Jack Harrison. The Cosmos brought on defender Jimmy Ockford, pulling Arrieta.
With City pushing ahead, the Cosmos nearly caught them again when Arango tried to chip the keeper from distance, but the shot went wide.
The Cosmos made one final substitution, with Orozco coming off for Lucky Mkosana, but time would run out with the Cosmos holding on to their lead.
The NASL side will now advance to the Round of 16 in the US Open Cup and host the New England Revolution at Belson Stadium in Queens on June 29th.

Notes:
 This was Roversio’s second start of the year since coming back from injury. He also started a friendly vs SD Eibar in Las Vegas last month.
 This is the third time the Cosmos have hurdled MLS competition in their first Open Cup match against them in as many years, doing it to NYCFC the last two years.
 This is the Cosmos’ first win on the road against an MLS side falling in 2015 to Red Bull and 2014 to the Philadelphia Union.
 The Cosmos, who have never lost in Open Cup competition as the home team (3-1-0), will have a unique opportunity as they host the Revolution and, if they advance, will host the winner of the Union-Red Bulls match

HIGHLIGHTS

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Sacha Kljestan PK holds up as New York Red Bulls edge Rhinos in Rochester

June 18, 2016 by Brendan Doherty

On Wednesday night, 3,561 people witnessed a hard-fought match between two hungry teams with very different track records in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The New York Red Bulls, who are seeking their first US Open Cup title, fielded a very strong lineup while the Rochester Rhinos, the 1999 champions, looked to maintain a 25-game unbeaten streak at home in all competitions. Despite the best efforts from Rhinos’ players, New York defeated its hosts 1-0 thanks to a 20th minute penalty kick from Sacha Kljestan in front of a large contingent of traveling support.

In the days leading up to the game, Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch told the media he was planning to send out a talented squad but his selection still turned a few heads. Kljestan, Bradley Wright-Phillips, and Gonzalo Veron led New York’s attack while Dax McCarty, Sal Zizzo, Aurelien Collin, and Luis Robles also started.

Playing a new 5-2-3 formation, Rochester seemed to surprise the visitors in the opening minutes. Steevan dos Santos, Michel Guilavogui, and Christian Volesky took the game to New York but failed to put any substantive on Robles.

Veron, who has struggled for fitness since a dominating preseason, was the clear danger man for New York. His teammates looked to feed him the ball and the Argentine caused trouble whenever he cut in from the left wing. This play led to the game’s only goal.

Veron received a pass from midfield and attempted to make a diagonal run into the Rochester penalty area. Sean Totsch, playing in the center of the defense, tried to shield Veron off the ball. The forward cast the second-year Rhino aside and carried on. Vasilis Apostolopoulos then stepped in front of Veron and fouled him in the box for a penalty.

Rochester players, and fans, were not arguing whether Apostolopoulos fouled Veron, but rather that the attacker has fouled Totsch earlier in the play. Regardless, Kljestan stepped up and coolly dispatched his penalty in the 20th minute to give the Red Bulls the first half lead. It was his second career US Open Cup goal, after picking up his first in last year’s tournament.

After the goal, Rochester appeared disheartened and receded in the game. New York put together sustained periods of pressure and earned half a dozen corner kicks before halftime. The Rhinos attack had created openings but failed to convert them into real chances on goal.

Youngster Alex Muyl, who scored one of his team’s seven goals in the team’s blowout win in league play against New York City FC, replaced Shaun Wright-Phillips in the 23rd minute after the veteran winger picked up a knock. In the second half, electric dribbler Mike Grella entered the game for Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 67th minute but certainly didn’t have the impact his recent performances may have suggested. Red Bulls’ final change brought central defender Ronald Zubar on for forward Veron with ten minutes left to shore up the defense and protect the team’s narrow narrow lead.

As Rochester pushed players forward, including rookie center back Joe Farrell, who scored a scorcher on the road in Toronto in USL on the weekend, they were exposed in the back. Grella broke through clean on goal but goalkeeper Tomas Gomez, who made six saves on the night, didn’t back down. With Grella bearing down on goal, Gomez came off his line and didn’t make it easy for Grella. The former San Jose reserve goalkeeper stayed on his feet and did well to block Grella’s breakaway shot.

The home team’s best chance to equalize the game started with a Kenardo Forbes free kick. Forbes floated service into the mixer from the right channel. Robles came off his line to punch but couldn’t wade through the mass of bodies to make clean contact. The ball fell to Totsch, who hit a neat instep volley on frame. While the ball may have been destined for the top corner at the near post, choosing accuracy over power allowed New York’s Zubar to head the ball clear off the line while Robles was still out of position in the 84th minute.

The visiting Red Bulls held on for the 1-0 victory over Rochester and will advance in the Open Cup. The win was the Red Bulls’ first over the Rhinos after losing their only other meeting back in 2005 in Rochester, 3-1. To give fans how long its been since their last meeting, Sergio Galvan Rey scored for New York that day

After the game New York head coach Jesse Marsch told media about the motivation to perform well in this competition.

“From the inside the players really want to take this tournament seriously and go after it and win a trophy. And certainly as an organization, we do,” said Marsch who won four US Open Cup titles as a player. We’re an organization that still doesn’t have enough trophies in the trophy case, so we look at every tournament as a real chance to put one in there. We wanted to put a good team on the field.”

“I’ll give credit to Rochester because they made us earn it,” said Marsch, who was on the DC United team that beat the Rhinos in the Final in 1996. “They didn’t give much away. We didn’t have too many chances. They competed hard. They battled. And we’re lucky to get out of here with the win.

“These games are never easy. Obviously if we can score a second goal, then we make our lives a bit easier, he added. “This game means a lot to them as well as it means a lot to us. Certainly, every inch that we gained we had to fight for. I give them credit but in the end, it was good for us to get the lead early on because it meant that the game settled in a little bit more. We didn’t have to be panicky or desperate. Overall it was a pretty professional performance from a lot of our guys.”

Rochester head coach Bob Lilley also talked about the strength of New York’s lineup after the game.

“I thought we’d get some regular starters, but I didn’t necessarily think we’d get as many as we did. But I told our guys to be ready. In the locker room, I said, ‘Hey, they’re paying you respect now but now you need to show them you can play. Go out ready to compete.’ I think our guys did. I loved the way we started the game. I just don’t think we took enough advantage of those early stages to really get after them. And once they kind of settled into the game, they dictated the pace of play. It was hard to get enough of the ball to really put them under pressure.”

In the end, Lilley was proud of his team’s performance and he feels they can carry the experience into league play.

“We limited their chances more than most MLS sides and certainly we pushed them a little bit more than they’ve been pushed recently,” Lilley said. “We certainly got benefits out of it and I think the guys need to see how they measure up and where they maybe fell short a little bit. But I think they’ll learn from this game. And I also think they’ll take positives for sure, because I think the guys recognize they didn’t mess around with their lineup, they put out a very strong lineup. I think that says something.”

“I’m pretty happy overall with how they performed on the night,” Lilley concluded with a smile.

The loss for the Rhinos ends a six-game Open Cup winning streak at home and a 25-game undefeated run in all competitions in Rochester dating back to August 2014. By winning and moving on in the tournament, the Red Bulls earned a trip to play rivals Philadelphia Union in the Fifth Round on June 29.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

Scoring Summary:

NY – Sacha Kljestan (PK) 20’
Discipline Summary:

ROC – Vasilios Apostolopoulos (caution, foul) 19’
NY – Gideon Baah (caution, foul) 82’
NY – Sean Davis (caution, foul) 90+1’
Lineups:

New York: Luis Robles; Justin Bilyeu, Gideon Baah, Aurelien Collin, Sal Zizzo, Dax McCarty ©, Sean Davis, Gonzalo Veron (Ronald Zubar, 80’), Sacha Kljestan, Shaun Wright-Phillips (Alex Muyl, 23’), Bradley Wright-Phillips (Mike Grella 67’)

Rochester: Tomas Gomez; Sean Totsch, Joseph Farrell, Vasilios Apostolopoulos, Marcos Ugarte, Brandon Beresford, Michel Guilavogui (Sofian Tergou 66’), Mike Garzi, Kenardo Forbes, Christian Volesky (Asani Samuels 66’), Steevan dos Santos

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: After 70 minute scare, Seattle Sounders pull away from PDL’s Kitsap Pumas, 2-0

June 17, 2016 by Nick Schiffler

The Seattle Sounders celebrate a goal against the Kitsap Pumas in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Seattle Sounders FC

The last amateur team left in the 2016 US Open Cup made the Seattle Sounders sweat for 70 minutes, but its efforts weren’t quite enough to cause what would have been a monumental upset.

Cristian Roldan and Joevin Jones scored second-half goals to send the Sounders past the Kitsap Pumas, 2-0, in a Fourth-Round matchup at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

The Sounders created more chances all night than their in-state opposition, and always looked more likely to score. Kitsap, a member of the fourth-division PDL, defended stoutly for the entire match and were able to fashion a few scoring chances of their own.

“ did a good job of being very organized,” said Sounders assistant coach Brian Schmetzer, filling in as head coach for the suspended Sigi Schmid. “They brought numbers back. It’s hard to play against teams sometimes when they pack it in. After the first goal they had to open up, and that made it easier to get some chances, get some counters.”

The Pumas opted to field a nearly first-choice lineup, while the Sounders, anticipating a cross-country road trip to take on the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, mixed in a large number of reserves. Regulars Roldan, Herculez Gomez and Zach Scott all started on the field for Seattle, but backup goalie Tyler Miller got the call in net, and midfielder Zach Mathers received a start in his first official match as a Sounder.

For the most part, Seattle was held in check in the first half, aside from Scott skimming the crossbar with a contested header. Late in the half Nathan Sturgis was forced off with an injury after colliding with Kitsap keeper Matt Grosey in the air. Erik Friberg replaced Sturgis to start the second half, and he immediately made an impact in midfield.

The game opened up in the second half. Kitsap’s Hamza Haddadi forced Miller into a rare save with a decent shot in the 56th minute. For the most part, Kitsap tried to create chances for a shock goal with their big defenders, sending them forward on set-piece opportunities whenever they could.

“That was a big team,” Schmetzer said. “We were a little concerned about that. We didn’t want to give away any unnecessary corner kicks and set pieces. I thought Tyler did a fantastic job commanding his six-yard box, I had no doubt in my mind that he was in control back there.”

Despite Kitsap’s best efforts Seattle began dominating possession, creating a string of crosses and set-piece opportunities that were repeatedly turned away. Finally Roldan was able to break the deadlock.

Roldan, already playing one of his best games for Seattle, got the Sounders on the board in the 71st minute with his first official goal for the team. Aaron Kovar’s cross into the box was deflected by a Kitsap defender and fell to Roldan in the box, who poked the ball up and over Grosey to loop into the back of the net.

“You know what you get out of every single time,” Schmetzer said. “He covers a lot of ground, he wins tackles, and he’s deceptively good in the air.”

Roldan was also influential in the second goal for the Sounders in the 90th minute. With Kitsap pressing forward in search of an equalizer, Roldan bodied a Pumas defender off the ball cleanly to win possession and tap a pass to Friberg. The Swede split the entire Kitsap defense with his pass to a sprinting Joevin Jones, who easily slotted his shot past Grosey to put the game away.

The two teams had faced off in the Cup once before on the very same field in the 2011 edition of the tournament. The Sounders won a close 2-1 contest thanks to a pair of Mike Fucito goals. They won the tournament that year for their third-straight championship.

A silver lining for the Pumas is that they win the tiebreaker with La Maquina for the $15,000 Division 4 (amateur) prize money for the team that advanced the furthest in the tournament. This is despite the fact that Kitsap is the only pro team in the PDL, a fully amateur league. (Kitsap’s professional status was grandfathered in when the league made the change to become all-amateur) They accomplish this because they don’t have any active NCAA players on their roster.

HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Diego Restrepo helps Fort Lauderdale Strikers make history in PK win over DC United

June 17, 2016 by Jack Cumming

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL narrowly escaped a reserve-filled DC United squad of Major League Soccer in a 4-3 penalty kick shootout. The game had to be decided from the penalty spot after 120 minutes of scoreless soccer at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Maryland in the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday.

It was a historic result for the Strikers as they eliminated a MLS team for the first time in club history (0-4-1, 1-0 PKs). It also marked the first time the Strikers advanced in an Open Cup game played on the road (0-5-2, 1-1 PKs).

With a second straight draw (and second straight penalty kick shootout win), they made an unfortunate bit of history as well. Fort Lauderdale broke the Modern Era record for longest winless streak. The seven-game winless streak began when they lost to the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) in the Third Round of the 2012 US Open Cup. They won a PK shootout with the Laredo Heat (PDL) in the opening game of the 2013 tournament, but then lost three straight games (2013 Round 3 vs. FC Dallas … 2014 Round 3 vs. Laredo Heat … 2015 Round 3 at Charleston Battery) before this year’s back-to-back PK wins.

Fort Lauderdale was able to overcome an incredibly slow first half start and upend the favored MLS squad to the Fifth Round.

Lead by goalkeeper Diego Restrepo who earned TheCup.us Player of the Round by saving three out of four penalties against the Richmond Kickers (USL) in the previous round, Fort Lauderdale was able to capitalize on DC United’s limited chances on goal and force extra time. United, who’s first shot came in the 53rd minute by 16-year-old home grown player, Chris Durkin, could not seem to find any rhythm offensively against the strikers.

DC head coach Ben Olsen played a young and primarily reserve squad throughout most of the match. Sean Franklin was the lone regular season starter and captain during the first half, before being substituted by Taylor Kemp. It wasn’t until the 85th minute when Luciano Acosta replaced Durkin that two regular season starters were on the pitch at the same time.

Fort Lauderdale fielded a primarily first-team squad, including Jean-Marc Alexandre, a Haitian international, who returned to the match after competing in the Copa America Centenario. Goalkeeper Diego Restrepo proved to be an asset for the second consecutive week in cup play making eight saves including a penalty to cap a “cupset” to the next round.

The Strikers are only one of two teams that do not compete in MLS to advance to the Fifth Round of the Cup.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Zachary Herivaux’s OT winner sends New England Revolution into Round of 16

June 17, 2016 by Ian Foster

Zachary Herivaux of the New England Revolution battles for the ball against the Carolina RailHawks in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Rob Kinnan | Carolina RailHawks

The New England Revolution truly outlasted the Carolina RailHawks, winning 1-0 after extra time in a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Fourth Round game interrupted after ten minutes by a two-hour lightning delay. 20-year-old Zachary Herivaux netted the winning goal in the 103rd minute on a firecracker from just outside the box. Herivaux, the Revs’ homegrown player who had played all of seven minutes since the beginning of the 2015 season, was the difference-maker on the night, also being responsible for holding back many a dangerous 2nd-half RailHawks attack.

The first nine minutes proved uneventful, but not as uneventful as the following two hours, during which play was suspended for lightning and overall nasty conditions. Fortunately, the RailHawks field held up and play resumed.

It was an unusually starter-laden lineup for an MLS team playing a lower-division team on the road. Diego Fagundez, Juan Agudelo, and Kelyn Rowe started alongside rookie revelation Femi Hollinger-Janzen, promising a youthful, dynamic attack. However, that attack never really materialized in the interrupted first half, with the RailHawks getting the slightly better of the first 45. Austin da Luz found the game’s first real chance in the 23rd minute, sending a close but wide-angle shot just past the crossbar.

Three minutes later, Mark Watson got on the end of a corner at the top of the box and sent a laser shot just wide of the goal. Brian Shriver generated the first half’s best chance, skimming the crossbar in the 33rd minute.

For all Carolina’s efforts, however, they went into the half goalless. But it continued to be all RailHawks into the second half, with Austin da Luz, Shriver, and second-half sub Jonathon Orlando bossing the final third, only to come up short on the final touch.

Controversy erupted in the 55th minute, when New England’s London Woodberry appeared to headbutt Drew Beckie, who had just picked up a yellow card a minute earlier, after a scramble in the RailHawks box. The official didn’t give Woodberry a yellow card until after the video replay.

Shriver and da Luz continued to threaten the New England goal, only for Herivaux to provide the saving tackle each time. In the 59th minute, da Luz appeared to miss a sitter. Harivaux was the real culprit, getting to the ball a split-second before da Luz.

The match continued with everyone on the pitch into the 79th minute, when Chris Tierney came on, completing a trio of MLS-regular subs for the Revs (Tierney, Lee Nguyen, and Kei Kamara). The superior talent finally started to shine as the Revs dominated possession, but without a regulation goal to show for it.

That talent would have to win out after the first full-time whistle. In the 103rd minute, Herivaux collected a loose ball at the top of the box and fired into the back of the net.

“Before the break, we thought he was a little tentative, a little nervous,” said New England coach Jay Heaps about Herivaux after the game. “During the break, we had a little heart-to-heart with him just to free himself up, play himself into the game and that’s what he did. When you have young players, you want them to play into the game and of course he scored the goal but he did a lot of things up to that point, winning challenges, defending when we had to.”

The RailHawks would not let up, as second-half substitute Alex Perez nearly equalized in the final moments. Brad Knighton, however, foiled two point-blank Perez efforts in the 117th minute and 121st minute, respectively, to seal New England’s spot in the Round of 16.

“If Knighton isn’t as good as he is tonight,” Heaps said, “we’re probably kicking penalty kicks right now. He was just in the right spots tonight, and that was the difference.”

“We thoroughly deserved to win the game and we didn’t,” said Carolina head coach Colin Clarke. “We didn’t take our chances. I thought we were by far the better team over the course of the 120 minutes, we should be through to the next round and I’m very disappointed.”

For the Revolution, it was just the second game decided in extra time in the club’s history. The first coming against the RailHawks in the 2007 Semifinals when they denied the first-year club a spot in the Final. It was a 93rd minute goal by Pat Noonan that denied Carolina a spot in the championship game.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Chicago Fire need PKs to eliminate NASL spring champ Indy Eleven

June 17, 2016 by Jeff Engelhardt

David Accam of the Chicago Fire celebrates his goal against Indy Eleven in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire rallied late in extra time and narrowly edged Indy Eleven 4-3 in penalty kicks Wednesday at Toyota Park to advance to the Round of 16 in the 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The NASL Spring Champions gave the Fire all they could handle, taking a 1-0 lead in the 105th minute and threatening to become only the third team in Open Cup history to eliminate the Fire in a game played in their home state.

Forward Justin Braun, who had accounted for Indy Eleven’s two best scoring chances on the night, put his team on the board when he received the ball at the top of the box and executed a textbook turn and shoot to beat a diving Matt Lampson to his left side.

Indy appeared on the verge of victory before Chicago Fire forward David Accam, who had been plagued by missed opportunities all evening, leveled the score in the 111th minute. The speedy Ghanaian took matters into his own hands with a run down the right side of the box. One shot fake sent two Indy defenders sliding out of position and a quick cut back inside was all the space he needed to finish his chance in the top corner.

The game entered penalty kicks where Indy Eleven once again took an early advantage courtesy of a Nicki Paterson goal and a miss by Fire forward Kennedy Igboananike. The teams both converted their second attempts but the Fire drew level after Nemanja Vukovic was denied by Lampson in the third round and Fire left back Brandon Vincent converted. The score was level at three when Accam struck once again to give Chicago the 4-3 victory in penalty kicks.

Leading up to extra time, it it was Chicago that missed opportunity after opportunity, keeping the window open for a dangerous Indy Eleven side to capitalize.

Paterson got the scoring chances started for Indy Eleven in the 14th minute with a lofted shot from about 20 yards out. Lampson, scrambling backwards, parried the ball up and away from the net.

Chicago started to turn up the heat in the 20th minute when midfielder Khaly Thiam just missed the far post. It was followed up two minutes later when Thiam found Accam on the break and Accam sent his point blank shot off the woodwork.

Thiam and Accam would continue to connect, with Thiam missing a header off an Accam free kick in the 29th minute and putting a shot on goal in the 38th and Accam forcing a save in the 39th.

But as the half closed down, Braun nearly opened the scoring with a shot from the left side of the box that barely missed the back post. He then found midfielder Dylan Mares on a break but it was broken up by Fire defender Jonathan Campbell.

Indy Eleven regained control in the second half as coach Tim Hankinson seemed to hit all the right buttons with his substitutions. After Braun forced another difficult save from Lampson, Hankinson brought in Souleymane Youla for Mares. The substitute forward had an immediate influence on the game, putting a shot off goal in the 71st minute but involved in threatening buildups throughout.

The Fire had some chances including from substitute Nick LaBrocca who missed an open net in the 84th minute, from midfielder Razvan Cocis who was robbed with a kick save by Indy Eleven goalkeeper Jon Busch and from Igboananike who missed a point-blank open net after Busch gave up a rebound in the six-yard box.

Unlike the Fire’s missed opportunities, Hankinson’s second substitute, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, made the most of his. The former Red Bull made a brilliant pass to Braun to assist on the goal in the 105th minute.

While it wasn’t the perfect performance, Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said it was a hard-fought win after a two-week layoff.

HIGHLIGHTS

2016 US Open Cup: La Maquina files protest, calls LA Galaxy goal “against the good of the game”

June 16, 2016 by Kristen Gehrke

Dave Romney of the LA Galaxy celebrates his goal against La Maquina in the 2016 US Open Cup. Teammate Jose Villarreal is shown injured in the background. Photo: LA Galaxy

UPDATE (June 28, 2016): TheCup.us has learned the protest by La Maquina has been denied. The club appealed the decision but it was unsuccessful.

The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), on behalf of one of its member clubs La Maquina, has filed an appeal with the US Soccer Federation, requesting a replay of its Fourth Round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

A copy of the appeal, acquired by TheCup.us, shows that the letter of protest is signed by league commissioner Yan Skwara, alleges the “referee’s conduct was so outstandingly inappropriate that it is obviously against the good of the game.” La Maquina lost 4-1 to a 10-man Galaxy side Tuesday night in Carson, Calif.

“The behavior and performance of the referee were egregious and alarming and there are 2 incidents of note that were critical to the outcome of the match and that unfairly determined the result,” the complaint continues. “His actions and conduct were contrary to the good of the game and we respectfully request a replay of this game.”

The main incident in question took place in the opening minutes of extra time. The Galaxy earned a free kick just outside the penalty area when Jose Villarreal was fouled. The collision carried him into the box and he appeared to need medical attention based on the apparent pain he was in, laying on his back with teammate Jack McBean helping him stretch out his leg.

While La Maquina and other Galaxy players stood around catching their breath and waiting for Villarreal to be tended to, Baggio Husidic stood over the free kick. Since the Galaxy did not ask center referee Ramon Hernandez to move their opponents the minimum 10 yards away from the ball, Husidic was, by rule, allowed to play a quick restart. He noticed Dave Romney standing unmarked on the left side of the penalty area and sent the ball to him and Romney struck it past a helpless Luis Sosa in goal to give the MLS side a 2-1 lead. The confused players for La Maquina were almost all standing around the injured Villarreal and scrambled to defend Romney’s shot but they were far too late.

la-galaxy-la-maquina-controversial-goal-by-romney-celebration-2016-big — Photo: LA Galaxy

“ goes … so I kicked out, passed to the left,” Husidic said. “I didn’t ask for a whistle, told the ref I wasn’t going to ask for a whistle, and he said ‘OK.’”

Even the goalscorer was confused by what happened.

“Am I allowed to shoot this? Is this really real?,” Romney said after the match. “I just got it on my right foot and tucked it away.”

Here is the description of the incident from La Maquina’s complaint:

“There was a huddle of players from both sets of teams, and both Galaxy and La Maquina players went to the fallen player’s aid as he was clearly injured. At this time, the referee told the players to resume play on his whistle. As the players milled about, and the Galaxy player received treatment on the ground from fellow players, a Galaxy player moved the ball behind the referee (who was still standing behind the spot of the foul that he ran to and designated himself) and passed to his teammate across the box who then proceeded to score a goal as the La Maquina keeper made a late and half-hearted attempt to save the shot as he was in shock that play was happening and fully expected that play would be called back; AS DID EVERYONE ELSE IN THE STADIUM.”

WATCH THE ENTIRE PLAY (Beginning at 2:32:40)

The story has received a lot of attention in the days following the incident. It was posted by Deadspin and then was even featured in a brief segment on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption.”

That was not the only incident that was included in the protest.

“Obviously, there was a lot of bad by the ref. We kind of knew it was going to go south by about the 80th minute,” Edson Martinez, La Maquina’s assistant coach told TheCup.us. “One of our players got elbowed from behind and the fourth official saw it and he called over the referee. told us it was a straight red.”

However, the red card was not given by Hernandez, who instead issued yellows to both La Maquina and Galaxy players involved.

“It killed the team’s spirit,” Martinez added. “Honestly? We would have won that game. We were tired, but we had the momentum.”

According to the written protest, they are further convinced that an error was made because, as they claim, the fourth official and the match commissioner were “verbally and visibly apologetic to La Maquina for the referee’s performance.”

According to Skwara, the controversy on the goal comes down to player safety (Villarreal was ignored and could have been seriously injured — the center official did not get a closer look to determine this) and if Hernandez told the players from La Maquina that play would start “on my whistle,” as is stated in the protest.

“La Maquina was toe to toe until this occurred and obviously it shook them to have a goal of this nature handed to the Galaxy .. in overtime,” Skwara said. “I think any opposing team in this scenario would be livid and that’s an understatement.

“We will see what US Soccer has to say,” he added. “It’s not a good example of sportsmanship and certainly beyond poor officiating.”

The team expects to have an answer from the federation in the next 24-48 hours. US Soccer spokesperson Neil Buethe says the incident “will be reviewed very soon.”

According to TheCup.us records, the US Open Cup has never had a replay ordered in the Modern Era (1995-present) as a result of a referee’s error or poor performance.

Josh Hakala also contributed to this report

HIGHLIGHTS: LA MAQUINA AT LA GALAXY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Philadelphia Union ruin City Islanders comeback in frantic final minutes

June 16, 2016 by Richard Ransom

Walter Restrepo of the Philadelphia Union scores a goal against the Harrisburg City Islanders in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Charlie Flowe

The Philadelphia Union defeated the Harrisburg City Islanders in a thrilling US Open Cup Fourth Round match on Wednesday.

A few minutes after the Union saw their 2-0 lead disappear thanks to a Bobby Warsaw equalizer in the 90th minute, Roland Alberg scored on a free kick in stoppage time to give Philly a 3-2 win.

The Union, who have been the US Open Cup finalist the last two years were hosting their former affiliated club to open the tournament for them.

Philadelphia got on the board early when Walter Restrepo collected a rebound in front of the net from a shot from Vincent Nogueira and gave the Union the early 1-0 lead in the 3rd minute. It was his Union debut and scored what was the fastest US Open Cup goal in Union franchise history.

Both sides had numerous attempts at scoring. The Union used build up combinations from Restrepo, Ilsinho, and Roland Alberg to create chances for the home team. Harrisburg used set pieces from corners to get their opportunities to get on their scoreboard.

The Union got on the scoreboard again right before halftime, when Fabien Herbers sent a clean pass to Alberg to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.

The second half saw the Islanders control most of the half. And after numerous chances, Harrisburg got their breakthrough in the 78th minute. Second half substitute Craig Foster came into the game and dribbled his way into the box, turned and shot the ball. Union goalkeeper John McCarthy was screened by some traffic in front of the net and didn’t see it coming as it slowly rolled into the back of the net.

The pace of the game picked up in the final 10 minutes as the City Islanders fought for the equalizer. The physicality also picked up as Harrisburg’s Cardel Bendow and Shane Johnson received yellow cards in the 80th and 83rd minute respectively. Then Harrisburg’s Jose Barril was given a red card after a hard tackle to Philadelphia’s Leo Fernandes.

Then, in the 90th minute, City Islander captain Bobby Warsaw collected a rebound in the box, dribbled into the box and toe-poked a shot past McCarthy to tie the game.

However, three minutes into stoppage time, after a foul just outside the box, Alberg got his second of the match when he sent the free kick into the top corner to extend the Union’s unbeaten streak to six games, dating back to last season.

“Nothing surprises me, ever,” said Union head coach Jim Curtin. “You’ve seen a lot, I’d like to think that we’re past the craziness, some of the games that have been here, so again, it started to creep in maybe and we punched it right in the face so it was over with.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Weather delay helps Columbus Crew adjust, beat Tampa Bay Rowdies, 4-0

June 16, 2016 by Ben Ferree

The Columbus Crew began their 2016 US Open Cup run with a meeting from the NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies. Playing in Columbus but away from home at nearby Jesse Owens Stadium, Crew SC thrived after a two-hour weather delay in the first half, topping the Rowdies 4-0, despite only having 16 healthy players to create a lineup from.

The Crew, who won the tournament in 2002, picked up the win despite playing with mostly substitutes in an unfamiliar venue and fighting the elements. They will look to continue their run in the Round of 16 as Columbus attempts to win multiple games in a tournament for the first time since their runner-up finish in 2010.

After 25 minutes of listless play from both sides, high winds, lightning, and eventual sheets of rain caused the referee to suspend play. It couldn’t have come at a better time for Columbus, as they hadn’t registered a shot on goal yet. Tampa Bay had three shots to their credit, although none were particularly dangerous.

After play resumed, it was all Crew SC. Justin Meram began the scoring with a goal in the 41st minute. Though it goes down as unassisted due to a defender getting a foot on the ball, the pass was from Emil Larsen. The Rowdies thought Larsen was offside and stopped running as the defenders raised their hands and looked towards the assistant referee. The flag stayed down, leaving Larsen able to pass the ball easily to a centered Meram who slotted it past the diving keeper, Matt Pickens.

“The rain lowered the temperature, it was one of those slow starts,” Meram said, “once we got back out there we took it to them and they couldn’t recover.”

The Crew took it to the Rowdies in the second half. Cristian Martinez, 19, scored his second goal in as many games in the 48th minute with a backheel assist for Ethan Finlay, and secondary assist by Waylon Francis. Finlay then picked up a goal of his own just four minutes later on a penalty kick after Rodrigo Saravia was fouled in the box. Columbus struck for their final goal of the night in the 65th minute as Marshall Hollingsworth scored his first-ever goal for the club.

Columbus advances to the Round of 16 for the fourth year in a row.

“We looked at video and saw some things we thought we could take advantage of,” Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter said, “It was clear… and luckily we took advantage of that.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY