AFC Cleveland

2017 US Open Cup Round 2: FC Cincinnati needs late OT goal to oust in-state NPSL champions

May 29, 2017 by Brandon Gee

Djiby Fall of FC Cincinnati scored the game-winner in the 117th minute against AFC Cleveland in the Second Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Cincinnati

It took FC Cincinnati until the 117th minute of extra time to break through, but the USL club found a goal off the head of returning forward Djiby Fall to put away AFC Cleveland, 1-0.

The game was played on May 10 at Nippert Stadium at the University of Cincinnati in front of the biggest crowd to witness a Second Round US Open Cup game in the Modern Era (1995-present). Even if there weren’t exactly 12,790 bodies inside the stadium, it was still by far the largest crowd to witness a Round 2 game. (announced attendance figures are usually based on “paid attendance” which includes fans who have Open Cup games included in their season ticket packages)

This game marked the first matchup between teams from the cities of Cleveland and Cincinnati in the Modern Era (1995-present).

Cincinnati has been struggling in league play due to injuries and scoring threat Djiby Fall in the middle of six-game USL suspension for biting an opponent, so playing a US Open Cup match at home against the defending NPSL champions offered a chance to regroup.

“Obviously, us playing at home, being a team from a higher league, we’re supposed to go out there and we’re supposed to win, but that doesn’t always happen in cup soccer,” FC Cincinnati manager Alan Koch said.

Cincinnati outshot Cleveland 44-6, but the game remained scoreless until deep into overtime, as Cleveland goalkeeper Alex Ivanov kept his team in the match despite the lopsided attacking statistics.

Djibi, who was able to play against Cleveland because his suspension does not apply to Open Cup play, clearly was energized by his first match in three weeks. He logged 16 shots, but couldn’t get the ball past Ivanov until late in the 120-minute game.

Cincinnati launched 15 shots in the first half, but Cleveland was able to keep the match scoreless.

The visitors had two fine chances in the second half, but were unable to score.

Early in the second half, Cleveland’s Ryan Ware sent a rocket that bounced off the left post and in front of the net, but teammates were unable to put the loose ball into the net.

In the 58th minute, Cleveland nearly scored as a header that was deflected on net, forcing Cincinnati keeper Dallas Jaye to make a save off the line.

With the match still scoreless, Cleveland fell back as the match wore on, content to let Cincinnati control possession as AFC’s players put everyone behind the ball as they played out the rest of regulation.

In overtime, Cincinnati took control of the match, dominating possession and stifling any opportunity for Cleveland.

Finally, in the waning minutes of the second overtime period, Djibi sent a header out of the keeper’s reach off a cross from Andrew Weideman and into the net for the game-winner.

With the win, FC Cincinnati earns another home game in Round 3, this time against fellow USL side Louisville City FC.

2017 US Open Cup Round 1: Late flurry of goals lead AFC Cleveland to road win over Des Moines Menace

May 14, 2017 by Matthew De Witt

Story used with permission from FiftyFive.One

The Open Cup is over for the Des Moines Menace before they could even get running. AFC Cleveland left Valley Stadium in Des Moines with a 3-1 win over the Menace in the 104th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Wednesday night.

The game played out as a stalemate until Cleveland broke through in the 76th minute. The Royals won a penalty that Benjamin Tux dispatched to put them up over Des Moines. But the Menace quickly responded when Hayden Partain drew them back on level terms in the 82nd with a hard strike just under the crossbar from 12 yards out. After Partain’s goal, Cleveland looked to be the better side as they pressed for chances.

The visiting legs held up long enough to produce goals in the 90th and 90th+ minutes, with Chris Cvecko putting the Royals ahead. His shot from the right side of the penalty area, about three yards off the endline, left Menace goalkeeper Kyle Ihn watching as it caromed of the far post and back across the goal line.

Reymar Klochko-Khoo added the late goal in stoppage to seal the win for AFC Cleveland.

It seemed, coming in, the Menace had a bit of an advantage. Cleveland, making its second Open Cup appearance, drew the short end of the straw again on travel. Last year, the Royals had to go to Portland, Maine, and Saint Louis for its two Cup matches — a total of 2,594 miles. This year, the trip to Des Moines nearly eclipsed the half-way mark of that, having to go 660 miles one way.

And yet, the reigning NPSL champions proved jet lag might not be as big of an issue as first thought.

For much of the game, the Menace controlled the offensive outpouring, especially in the first half. Des Moines had three shots on frame by the time Cleveland mustered its first at Ihn. Partain was part of the offensive show, nearly giving the hosts the lead in the 45th minute. His hot from the left side of the penalty area hit the outside of the post in what would to proved to be the Menace’s best chance of the first half.

Other chances from the hosts included Devyn Jambga getting in behind the defense twice — once on either side of the half — only for AFC Cleveland goalkeeper Alex Ivanov to get a hand to the ball or disrupt Jambga’s dribble enough to win the one-on-one battle each time.

This is the first time since 2011 that the Menace fail to appear in the tournament’s second round. Des Moines had a knack getting into some of the later stages for amateur teams, earning berths in the third round in three of the previous four years (2013, 2014, 2016). This is also the first loss for the Menace against an NPSL team in the tournament, coming in with a 3-0 record against the fellow fourth-tier side.

For their efforts, Cleveland will once again be on the road for the next round. This time, it will have a bit more of a rivalry match. The Royals will head four hours south next week to take on one of the top attendance-drawing teams in the USL in FC Cincinnati.

The Menace, meanwhile, will take the next week and a half to get the legs back and prepare for the PDL season opener against WSA Winnipeg on May 20 at Valley Stadium. Des Moines has dropped just two points to Winnipeg since WSA joined the PDL in 2011, and head coach John Pascarella, who made his debut Wednesday night, and the Menace will look to keep that streak alive.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Saint Louis FC hold off well-traveled AFC Cleveland, 2-0

May 24, 2016 by Phill Grooms

The Second Round of the 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup brought well-traveled first round winner, AFC Cleveland, to Saint Louis, Missouri. There they met their end of their first trip to the Open Cup, falling 2-0 to the USL’s Saint Louis FC.

Cleveland had to defeat fellow National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) side, GPS Maine, in Maine, to get there, and they outscored them 1-0. The long trip paid off. However, they had their home opener three days later and then had to travel down to St. Louis four days after that. It was quite the trek.

AFC Cleveland President, Terry Lawriw, said ahead of the match, “The US Open Cup is very special to us as this is our first year qualifying.”

AFC Cleveland is in their fifth year of existence, but despite making the playoffs three of those years, this was their first trip to the competition (they qualified in 2013 but declined the invite due to player availability). Being a USL side, Saint Louis FC automatically qualified for the second year in a row after ousting the Des Moines Menace (PDL) and Minnesota United FC (NASL) last year before falling to eventual champion Sporting Kansas City, 1-0.

The second round action this year opened up with many long balls being sent down to the final third by St. Louis, especially down the right side. Many crosses were made from there, but were either cleared out or shot off target. Goalkeeper Anthony Flowers distinguished himself in many of these thwarted attacks. AFC Cleveland was able to counter these long balls several times. A few dangerous runs were made with Antonio Manfut and Vinny Bell looking the most dangerous.

The first truly distinguishing play came in the 8th minute. Jamiel Hardware took a shot on goal that was deflected by a handball in the box by AFC Cleveland. James Musa lined up the penalty shot for St. Louis and it was saved by Flowers. Saint Louis was able to redeem themselves in the 21st minute when Kentaro Takada sent a thru ball into the box to assist Jamiel Hardware’s chip over the goalkeeper.

It was around this time that Cleveland decided to start bunkering up a little bit more and St. Louis was able to retain much of the possession for the rest of the game. St. Louis took many chances, but none of their shots reached pay dirt until the 76th minute. Jordan Roberts received a pass on a fast run from Seth Rudolph, both impact subs, where he was able to juke the defender on the left side with some fancy moves and send a perfectly angled shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. That concluded the scoring for the night.

St. Louis head coach Dale Schilly said the he was able to give some reserve players some valuable playing time against an amateur opponent.

“Some of them are wanting to prove that they deserve more time and more opportunity,” said Schilly. “It’s important that they take advantage of the opportunities when given them … and tonight was one of those opportunities.”

Saint Louis will have to use their depth more in the coming weeks as they look to continue their run in USL play and US Open Cup play. They look to repeat last year’s Third Round penalty kick win against Minnesota United FC June 14 while AFC Cleveland looks for a second invite to the Open Cup with a good start in NPSL competition. They are already 2-0 this season.

2016 US Open Cup Round 1: AFC Cleveland travels far to earn first Open Cup win

May 12, 2016 by Brian O'Connell

Story used with permission from New England Soccer Today

Matt Danilack nearly scored a last-gasp equalizer for GPS Portland Phoenix, but the flag went up as AFC Cleveland survived to secure a 1-0 win in Wednesday’s US Open Cup first round tie at Deering High School in Portland, Me.

The Royals scored their lone goal in the 26th minute when Antonio Manfut converted on a cross from outside the box. The Phoenix nearly leveled it before the hour when substitute Guilherme Da Silva Leme hit the post moments after he entered the match in the 56th minute.

Danilak appeared to level the match in stoppage time on a deflected shot, sending the home crowd into jubilation. But the cheers immediately died down when the attention turned to the raised flag of the assistant referee, which nullified the would-be goal.

The Phoenix was the aggressor for much of the match, outshooting the Royals 10-2 on the evening. However, the one shot on goal that went in was all Cleveland needed to earn its first Open Cup win in franchise history.

Portland earned their first round spot by winning the PDL’s Northeast Division championship in 2015 with a 9-2-3 mark while Cleveland booked its ticket via an at-large NPSL berth after finishing 8-2-2 in NPSL play last season. Cleveland, who qualified but declined to enter due to lack of player availability in 2013, became the first amateur team from the city to qualify since the Cleveland Kickers in 1994.

Cleveland made the roughly 750-mile trip to Maine to pick up their first Open Cup win. How will they be rewarded? With a nearly 600-mile trip to Fenton, Mo. to play Saint Louis FC on May 18. Meanwhile, Portland will begin its divisional title defense on Saturday when they face AC Connecticut at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Ct.