Anahuac FC

2017 US Open Cup Round 2: Sacramento Republic overcome poor league form with emphatic win vs. Anahuac FC

May 23, 2017 by Evan Ream

If any team appeared prime for upsetting heading into the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, it was Sacramento Republic FC.

In the midst of an 0-5-1 run in USL play in which the club had failed to score a goal in a club-record 563 minutes, the Republic were in arguably the worst form of their history, and facing an FC Anahuac side that had just come off an opportunistic penalty kick victory over the Sonoma County Sol.

But from minute one until the final whistle, this game was all Republic all the time as the Sacramento club ended their drought in an emphatic fashion: a 4-0 victory that advanced them to a third round game against USL expansion club Reno 1868 FC. The winner will host Real Salt Lake of MLS in Round 4.

“It’s been ages since we scored a goal, you never come out in front of guys and make excuses,” said Republic head coach Paul Buckle. “We’ve not found the back of the net in these games and it’s cost us, it’s cost us a lot of games. It’s been a very difficult time, and it still is.

“Any level of football, against any level of opposition, you’re going to come unstuck, as we did last year,” he added. “I thought the players, first of all, we approached the game in the right manner. I asked the boys to forget what had gone on before and focus on being on the front foot and being on a tempo, and we did. I think all night, we actually got better.”

English striker Harry Williams was the star on the night, becoming the third Republic player to tally multiple goals in the club’s nine-game Open Cup history.

Set up on crosses from wing back Elliot Hord, Williams struck in the 12th and 15th minutes to put the game out of reach early and become the Republic’s first goalscorer in over a month.
“It’s about time, isn’t it?” Williams said after the match.

He was joined on the scoresheet midway through the second half by substitute, and birthday boy, Wilson Kneeshaw, who was brought down in the penalty box and stepped up to send Anahuac goalkeeper Angel Alvarez the wrong way.

After not having scored for so long, the Republic sent waves of attackers forward until the last minute of the game, and were again rewarded when Trinidad and Tobago international Trevin Caeser broke through on goal in the left side of the box.

Though Caeser’s shot was saved by Alvarez, the rebound fell to fellow substitute Daniel Trickett-Smith, and the ex-Liverpool youth player struck a side volley into the back of the net that caused the crowd of 5,308 at Papa Murphy’s Park to erupt in exuberance.

With the win, the Republic improved to 6-2-1 in all-time Open Cup play, with the draw coming as a heartbreaking penalty kick loss in 2015 to the San Jose Earthquakes.

2017 Meet the Underdogs: In 45 minutes, Anahuac FC became Nevada’s first amateur US Open Cup entry in Modern Era

May 5, 2017 by Adam Uthe

With the number of teams qualifying for the US Open Cup steadily rising the past few years, it was inevitable that we’d meet some new teams from new places.

Enter FC Anahuac.

For the first time in the Modern Era (1995-present), an amateur team from the state of Nevada will enter the US Open Cup. (Reno 1868 FC are a first-time entry this year from the USL)

The club’s roots go back to a pair of brothers, Peter and Jose Perez, from Oxnard, Calif. who put a team together in 1966 to start playing against other Los Angeles-based teams. The current iteration of the team came to Las Vegas in 1991 and is run almost entirely by the tireless efforts of defender and coach Eduardo Arredondo.

As for the rest of the roster, one name stands out among the rest: Ramon Maldonado. The 29-year-old midfielder rejoins Anahuac after participating in the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Maldonado scored three of Mexico’s seven goals in the competition, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough as he and his countrymen were trounced 8-1 by Italy just before the quarterfinal round.

FC Anahuac currently play in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), a Southern California-based amateur league that has expanded in recent years to more than 70 members in California, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Colorado. The UPSL has made waves recently by adding a form of promotion and relegation to its competitive structure. No other organized league with so many teams across the country utilizes such a system.

If the word “Anahuac” sounds familiar, it’s because it has had many different uses throughout Mexican culture. During the height of ancient Aztec civilization, it was the word used to describe the Basin of Mexico. The Anahuac Valley is another name for the Valley of Mexico and there is an Anahuac municipality in Nuevo Leon. There’s also the Anahuac University Network, a system of private higher education institutions throughout the country of Mexico.

Anahuac’s first-ever attempt to qualify for the US Open Cup could not have been easier. They won their first round qualifier after their opponents, Las Vegas Highrollers, had to forfeit. In Round 2, they took on MF 10, who actually were only able to trot out eight players to start the game. Anahuac went up 2-0 and MF 10 lost two more players (one was injured and could not continue, while the other was sent off) which forced the referee to call the game off at halftime.

So after playing a shorthanded team for 45 minutes, Anahuac punched their ticket to the tournament. Despite the relatively easy path to qualification, Arredondo is still confident that his team can do some damage in the tournament.

“I think we’ll win this one and then the next one will be very difficult,” said the do-it-all spokesman for the team. “I think we have a great team. I think we have a great defense … but it’s not going to be easy.”

Anahuac travels to Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, Calif. on Wednesday to take on NPSL side Sonoma County Sol. Should they meet their coach’s expectations and win their first game, Anahuac will attempt to slay United Soccer League (USL) giants Sacramento Republic in Round 2.