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Dayton Dutch Lions

2019 US Open Cup Round 2: Neco Brett’s brace help Pittsburgh Riverhounds blank Dayton Dutch Lions

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Neco Brett of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds celebrates after scoring a penalty kick goal in the 57th minute against Dayton Dutch Lions in the Second Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Chris Cowger | Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Neco Brett of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds celebrates after scoring a penalty kick goal in the 57th minute against Dayton Dutch Lions in the Second Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Chris Cowger | Pittsburgh Riverhounds

After 50 minutes, it appeared the Dayton Dutch Lions were making a serious bid to keep its all-time unbeaten record at Highmark Stadium intact.

Things turned sour quickly for Dayton though, as Neco Brett scored twice in a 12-minute span in the second half and Anthony Velarde added an assist and a late goal to spoil the USL League Two club’s upset bid, as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC turned things up a notch to defeat Dayton, 3-0, in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match.

While the Hounds dominated possession (59% to 41%) and had more shots (15-8, 9-4 on target), Dayton asserted themselves well, and responded numerous times with chances that could have turned the tide of the match.

In the 52nd and 53rd minutes, with the game remaining scoreless, Dayton had back-to-back chances to take the lead.

Tate Robertson, who scored the game winner last week in Erie, put his play making abilities on display in his return to Pennsylvania. In his first chance of the second half, he broke through on left side to send a very dangerous ball right at the center of the six yard line for Gabriel Pewu but the big forward just missed on connecting with the ball.

A minute later, Robertson took one himself from the left edge of the box, forcing Riverhounds goalkeeper Austin Pack to his left to make a save that kept the match scoreless.

“Certainly a nervy moment. A couple of those could have gone in for them, and it would have been a completely different game,” Dan Visser, Riverhounds assistant coach said. “We had opportunities in the first half. Neco had a few clean chances in the first half, and didn’t score, and in the second half, we did covert those chances.

The Hounds, who lined up in a 5-4-1 formation, featured numerous players who haven’t played significant minutes in league play thus far this season. It was an opportunity for those players to get valuable game experience, but also contribute to the Hounds first Open Cup win at home since 2015.

Players from the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (left) and the Dayton Dutch Lions battle for the ball in Tuesday's Second Round match in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Chris Cowger | Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Players from the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (left) and the Dayton Dutch Lions battle for the ball in Tuesday’s Second Round match in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Chris Cowger | Pittsburgh Riverhounds

“The Open Cup is really good for that. Get some new guys time. They played very well.” Visser added. “For one, it’s a mid-week game so just in terms of saving some legs for the weekend some rotation is necessary. But then the nature of the open cup just allows us to get some new faces in, and I think they showed well.”

Dayton showed its ability to keep the ball against a quality and well organized pro side, and create dangerous chances in the final third.

“In the first half, we held our own, and we had some pretty good chances,” Dan Griest, Dayton’s Head Coach said. “In the fifth minute, we had a great opportunity there, and had a chance to go up 1-0 early in the match.

Still, for much of the first half, the Hounds dominated play — and the hometown kid, midfielder Robbie Mertz, making his first-ever start as a Hound, was at the center of numerous opportunities.

“His effort was really good,” Brett said of Mertz, and all of his teammates. “All of us, we’re professionals. Whenever the coach calls on you, you have to show up. That’s his job to get out there and do his very best. It doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie or if you’ve played a few years in the league.”

Mertz delivered a free kick chance in the first minute that almost found Brett on the back post, then sent a shot toward the bottom right corner of the cage in the 6th minute but was denied by Dayton’s goalkeeper Federico Barrios.

Just minutes later, Brett booted a right-footed attempt on target but another save by Barrios kept the Hounds off the board.

The duo of Mertz and Brett nearly struck gold again in the 40th minute.
Off of a cross from the rookie, Brett sent a shot on target from a difficult angle but the shot was punched away by the goalkeeper.

Riverhounds SC finished the opening period with seven total shots, four of those coming on target. On the defensive side of the pitch, the club managed to hold Dayton to just one total shot in the first 45 minutes.

Unable to capitalize on its aforementioned chances right after the 50th minute, Dayton still never backed down.

Instead, the Hounds stepped up the pressure, and Brett got behind a pair of defenders on a through ball played into the right side of the box in the 57th minute.

“I was making a run as a ball was played for me, got past them, and was clipped from behind,” Brett said.

Sure enough, the Riverhounds leading scorer in 2018, stepped up to bury his third penalty kick goal in all competitions this season to break the scoreless affair.

Twelve minutes later Brett and Velarde hooked up as Velarde drove quickly into the box, drawing a few defenders, then finding Brett to his right.

And this time, Brett didn’t hold anything back, blasting a shot into the back of the net.

“I was confident. I’ve been working hard all week and trying to score goals. It was just one of those chances and I made use of it,” Brett said.

The Dutch Lions showed a lot of fight — right until the end of the match, when Robertson created another chance as the game entered the 90th minute. This time, as he tried to get past two defenders on the edge of the left side of the box, he was knocked to the ground, earning a penalty kick.

With Robertson still hobbling from getting knocked down, Dayton’s Jackson Dietrich took the penalty attempt.

Dietrich though, missed his chance — sending his shot wide left.

The Hounds quickly responded, as late substitution Jordan Dover delivered a perfectly placed cross from the right side into the center of the box for Velarde, who put the final nail in the coffin with a clinical finish for the 3-0 lead.

“I was fortunate to get a good play, Jordan found me and I was just able to put it away. It feels good,” Velarde said. ”

For Velarde, who started three league matches and has now made appearances in all of the Hounds nine contests this season, it was his first opportunity to play a full match, picking up a goal and an assist.

“I think it’s always good to play the full 90. I’m used to playing until the 70th minute and then coming off. It was a good experience. It’s always good to play a full 90, then look back at the game and see how you played the full 90 instead of coming off the bench,” Velarde added.
While the Hounds provided its younger players with a boost of confidence and advanced into the next round, Dayton came away with a lot of positives.

“The scoreline was 3-0, but we gave a very good account for ourselves tonight. Obviously, they’re (Riverhounds) a professional team, and they do a lot of things really well. Our players showed they’re very technical, but fitness really showed in the second half though.”

With the win, the Riverhounds advance to the third round of the long-running competition, where they’ll host the winner of the Lansing United-Indy Eleven match which will be played on Wednesday.

Game Highlights:

Lineups:

Riverhounds SC – Austin Pack – Noah Franke, Uchenna Uzo, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Tobi Adewole, Dani Rovira (Kenardo Forbes 90′) – Sammy Kahsai, Ryan James – Robbie Mertz (Jordan Dover 81′), Anthony Velarde – Neco Brett (Steevan Dos Santos 81′)
Subs not used: Kyle Morton, Joe Greenspan, Kevin Kerr, Christian Volesky

Dayton Dutch Lions – Federico Barrios – Abdul Kooistra, Eric Hutton, Jake Stovall (Tristan Lyle 81′), Gerogios Charkoutsakis – Harvey Slade, Zachary Buescher – Jackson Dietrich, Tate Robertson Keir, Jonas Fjellberg (Tomás Bernedo 42′) – Gabriel Pewu (Donovan Segree 69′)
Subs not used: Jack Steele, Jasminko Dizdarevic, Austin Kinley, James Lamb

Scoring Summary:
PIT – Neco Brett 57′ (penalty)
PIT – Neco Brett 69′ (Anthony Velarde)
PIT – Anthony Velarde 90’+2 (Jordan Dover)

2019 US Open Cup Round 1: Dayton Dutch Lions blow past Erie Commodores, 2-1

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Maybe the most important turning point in the Dayton Dutch Lions’ 2-1 win over Erie Commodores in the First Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on a windy night at McConnell Family Stadium in Erie took place a few moments before the game actually began.

“We were fortunate to win the coin flip,” Dayton head coach Dan Griest. “I thought we came out in the first 45, with the wind at our backs, and played some goods soccer, creating a lot of chances. We were very pleased to come out like that, survive and advance.”

Within the first 10 minutes of the match, the Dutch Lions had already lined up three corner kick attempts.

“We really tried to keep it, and make them chase us a little bit,” Griest said. “We created a lot of chances and were a little disappointed we didn’t capitalize on more of them.”

The third corner would prove to be the charm.

On a lining ball in, it appeared that Georgios Charkoutsakis redirected the ball into goal, but ultimately the 12th-minute tally would be credited as an own goal.

“He (Georgios) said he got on the end of it,” Griest said. “He’s a big player, lot of physicality, and he’s going to get on the end of a lot of those. So, I’ll take his word for it, but we’ll have to watch the replay back,”

The goal would go in the books as going off Erie’s Craig Quinn.

Somehow, Erie withstood Dayton’s first half assault, which included 12 shots (7 on frame) and seven corner kicks.

While the Commodores were chasing the game for much of the first half, and still had created a few moments as they eventually settled down and started to knock the ball around a bit.

Most notably, a Keiran Paterson attempt on frame in the 34th minute forced Dayton’s keeper, Fedrico Barrios, to make a quick reaction save.

“To be fair, if you take away their first goal, we created two, possibly three chances in the first half,” Erie head coach Dale White said after the match. “They didn’t create too much at that point, so from that sense, it was a positive.”

Erie began the second half with the wind at its backs and living up to its club motto, they certainly didn’t give up the Ship — and set its sails forward in hopes of finding the equalizing moment.

Sure enough, in the 55th minute, they found it.

Curtis Strolley was fed a nice ball from Austin Solomon, then dribbled deep into the box, and was able to slip a shot past Dayton’s keeper Barrios to level the match.

Despite pulling even with the Dutch Lions, the Commodores couldn’t completely take the momentum of the match.

“We pull to 1-1, and we were in it,” White said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t create enough in the second half.”

Dayton’s captain, Tate Robertson took matters into his own in the 73rd minute. The former Bowling Green University standout alternated between playing in the top of the Dutch Lions formation in the first half, and dropping into a central midfield role which is his more natural position.

Robinson took a pass from Harvey Slade, found some room to maneuver, then unleashed a shot from 15 yards to beat Alex Brems, and give the Dutch Lions the lead.

“It was well taken,” Griest said. “We created quite a few chances in the game, and nice to get one at such a critical point in the game. He (Robertson) created some space, and hit that ball very well.”

White felt like it was a tough break at that moment.

“We had an injury, and playing with 10 men at that point, as one player (Joseph Bell) was getting treatment,” White explained. “They got a bit more comfortable on the ball. Started running at defenders a bit more. And that’s how the goal came. In that sense, that’s frustrating, but we didn’t create too much in the second half.”

Dayton dominated the stat sheet, out-possessing Erie (59/41%), sent a lot more shots (17-4, 9-1 on target) and 11-3 edge on corner kicks, but it was one of those games where it still came down to the final moments.

With four minutes of stoppage time added, Erie could only get one decent final chance in the final third, but its corner attempt was cleared away.

Both coaches knew it would be a tough challenge with Erie having only one training session together before this match, and Dayton less than a week, but both sides still put forth quality play.

White even quipped that some of his players still didn’t even know each other’s names yet.

As for the Dutch Lions, a club that has some positive history in the Open Cup, getting to the quarterfinals and beating the Columbus Crew along the way when they were a USL Pro (now USL Championship) side, they’ll now look forward to moving on to the second round, and a return trip to Pennsylvania next Tuesday to take on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.  It will be the first meeting between the two clubs since they were last league foes in 2014.

“It’s always tough to win on the road, but we’re very pleased and excited to be moving on,” Griest said.” Obviously, the Riverhounds we’ll enjoy this eve go there and try to get another result.”

2014 US Open Cup Round 3: Indy Eleven treat big home crowd to win over Dayton Dutch Lions in Open Cup debut (video)

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Indy_Eleven_Logo.svgExpansion NASL club Indy Eleven exorcised nearly two months worth of demons Wednesday night, brushing aside USL PRO side Dayton Dutch Lions 5-2 in front of 9,181 fans at Michael A. Carroll Stadium to earn a historic first US Open Cup win in club history.

Blake Smith, on loan from Montreal Impact, turned in a virtuoso performance for the home team, bagging a hat trick and recording assists on a pair of goals by former Indiana University standouts Mike Ambersley and Dylan Mares. To its credit, Dayton responded to a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 deficit with a valiant comeback attempt, finding the net twice within eleven second-half minutes through Aaron Schoenfeld and Matt Walker.

With the resounding victory, Indy Eleven advances to the Fourth Round, where they will meet the Columbus Crew in Akron, Ohio on June 17th.

“We get to face Columbus, a high quality opponent, in the next round,” said Eleven coach Juergen Sommer. “That will be a good test for our athletes to see where we are. We’re pleased.”

Having delighted the Indy Eleven faithful with its most significant result of the season last Saturday, a 1-1 draw on the road against the New York Cosmos, the Hoosier club sustained its newfound momentum in its US Open Cup debut against the Dutch Lions.

After an early scare, the Eleven bossed possession and camped out in the attacking third throughout most of the first half, jumping out to a comfortable 3-0 halftime advantage.

“Blake Smith was fantastic tonight,” Sommer. “I wish we could have saved a few for Saturday, but I’m really happy for the guys.

“I felt that going into last week, you could see it kind of building in preparation and training before New York.”

Playing a team from a lower division for the first time in its history, Indy made full use of its wide array of attacking weapons, but, as in weeks past, looked shaky at the back; the mixture unsurprisingly added up to a scoring feast.

The first of many goals on the night came in the 26th minute, as Smith froze the retreating Dayton defense just outside the top of the box before curling a spectacular left-footed shot beyond Dutch Lions goalkeeper Bradley Stuver and into the top-left corner.

Only four minutes later, the Impact loanee and the Eleven had their second. Ben Spencer, another on-loan attacker, sprung the offside trap and showed off vision beyond his years to find Smith, who deftly cut in from the left and slotted into the far corner with his right boot. The man of the hour, who tormented the Dutch Lions’ defense all night, set aside scoring duties to turn provider for Ambersley in the 43rd minute to give the hosts a glossy 3-0 lead.

By the time the halftime whistle sounded, Indy had scored more goals than it had managed in any other match in 2014. Picking up where they left off, the suddenly jelling squad proceeded to double that previous high (two) within seconds of the restart. Smith again unlocked the defense, this time setting Mares up for his first goal in an Eleven shirt.

Instead of capitulating, though, the Dutch Lions regrouped and fought their way back into the contest. After Schoenfeld converted a 66th minute penalty to deny keeper Kristian Nicht his first shutout at Indy Eleven, Matt Walker fired past the German from the middle of the box in the 76th minute, temporarily sparking doubt about the NASL club’s ability to hang on to a massive lead.

Ultimately, Smith capped his remarkable night with a cool left-footed finish on a one-on-one with Stuver. The midfielder’s third goal, made possible by a tremendous through ball by Don Smart, prompted a two-backflip celebration Smith called his “trademark” after the match.

“It’s up there,” Smith said when asked how his performance ranks with other moments in his professional career. “Obviously I came from the MLS and scored some goals there, but to be loaned out here to get some more games and confidence was a good opportunity for me, so I took it with excitement.

“To come out here and help a team that has yet to get a victory, I’d rank this pretty high. It was very important, very special.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Dayton Dutch Lions, Jesjua Angoy-Cruyff spoil Schwaben AC’s return to tournament, 2-0

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Mark Blades of Schwaben AC carries the ball against the Dayton Dutch Lions in their second round US Open Cup match. Photo: Jeff Crandall | Chicago-Fire.com
Mark Blades of Schwaben AC carries the ball against the Dayton Dutch Lions in their second round US Open Cup match. Photo: Jeff Crandall | Chicago-Fire.com

The Dayton Dutch Lions continued their early-round success in the US Open Cup, defeating Schwaben AC 2-0 Wednesday to advance to the third round of the tournament.

The USL Pro side was treated to a cold spring day in Illinois as the hosts were just ready to give their best shot after a 50-year absence from the tournament.

Schwaben AC of the US Adult Soccer Association (USASA) started the game strong, controlling the possession for much of the first half and creating chances early in the game. Jochen Graf, who was a big presence all day for Schwaben, started the scoring opportunities with a nice through ball to James Mack, who crossed itssse side the first corner kick of the game. Captain Mark Blades took it, but could not find anyone on the receiving end. At the 17-minute mark, Joshua Wittenberg put the first shot on goal, flicking a header on frame off a cross from Blades. Five minutes later Mack fired a shot on goal that floated over the top cross bar.

Dayton’s 4-3-3 formation finally led to a counter-opportunity around the 30-minute mark, when Eli Garner ran up the right side and fired a shot just wide. That chance would be a preview of what was to come. Shortly thereafter, Garner once again made a run down the middle of the field as Jesjua Angoy-Cruyff, the grandson of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, switched from the left flank to the right, gathered the ball and sent in a cross. Garner finished the chance with a sliding strike that beat goalkeeper Eruc Schuett.

Former MLS player Quavas Kirk (blue) suited up for Schwaben AC in their 2-0 second round loss to Dayton Dutch Lions. Photo: Chicago Fire
Former MLS player Quavas Kirk (blue) suited up for Schwaben AC in their 2-0 second round loss to Dayton Dutch Lions. Photo: Chicago Fire

Garner continued to give Schwaben trouble throughout the game with his pace.

Schwaben attempted to respond before the end of the half with a strong shot that just missed goal from the diminutive Lepe Seetane and another shot from Graf during a mad scramble in the box. The save of Graf’s shot proved to be Brad Stuver’s best of the day.

Coming out for the second half with a 1-0 lead, Dayton enjoyed more possession as it looked to control the ball rather than counter.

Schwaben almost broke through the Dayton defense when Blades burned by Sebastian Thuriere and drew a yellow after being pulled down from behind. Thuriere’s yellow was one of four for Dayton on the day, while Schwaben was only booked once.

Robert Novak came on for Schwaben in the 58th minute and provided more of a push, especially as Blades played a more withdrawn role compared to the first half. He nearly scored from just outside the left side of the box, but his strike went just wide.

The key substitution came when Dayton brought on the towering Joe Broekhuizen right before taking a corner kick in the 70th minute. The move paid immediate dividends as Broekhuizen headed the corner kick straight down in the box where Angoy-Cruyff was able to get just enough of a foot on it to flick it in.Dayton Dutch Lions FC

Schwaben pushed hard for the remaining 20 minutes of regulation and roughly five minutes of stoppage time as Dayton once again looked to slow the pace and control the ball after scoring. A few close chances made for some tense moments for the visitors, none more so than Quavas Kirk’s strike from the top of the box that barely the missed the top right corner in the 87th minute.

“I thought we showed a lot of character,” Schwaben coach Tom Cholewa said. “We created enough chances. We should’ve put them away, but we were a bit unlucky. I give our guys a lot of credit. They showed up and battled.”

Dayton midfielder Matt Walker, one of the five players on the Lions roster loaned from the Columbus Crew, said it was a tough game from whistle to whistle and the team was excited to advance to take on NASL side Indy Eleven in the next round.

“It was an extremely competitive game. We knew they were going to give everything they had and they did,” Walker said. “Now that we won we can focus on . I know they’ve been getting good crowds and it should be exciting. It’s what you play in the Cup for.”

Jeff Engelhardt writes for HotTimeInOldTown.com and you can follow him @JWEngelhardt.

Scoring Summary
DAY: 36′ – Eli Garner (Jesjua Angoy–Cruyff)
DAY: 70′ – Jesjua Angoy–Cryuff (Joe Broekhuizen)

Discipline
Yellows: Jesjua Angoy–Cryuff (DAY), Colin Kirk (SWB), Sebastian Thuriere (DAY), Taylor Bowlin (DAY), Matt Walker (DAY)

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Columbus Crew avenge last year’s upset, defeat Dayton Dutch Lions 2-1

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Exactly one year ago to the day, the Dayton Dutch Lions went into Columbus Crew Stadium and shocked Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew with two goals in the last 11 minutes on their way to a 2-1 win. This year, Columbus would start five regulars including Eddie Gaven and 2012’s MLS Newcomer of the Year, Federico Higuain to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. The Crew would dominate most of the rematch before Dayton attempted to recreate last year’s heroics. However, it was the Crew who would take the late lead and held on to a 2-1 victory over the USL Pro side.

For the Crew, they snapped a franchise worst three-game losing streak in the tournament that dated back to the 2010 US Open Cup Final. After losing to the Sounders that year, they were the victims of consecutive one-and-done upsets to the Richmond Kickers in 2011 and the Lions last year. All three losses were by the score of 2-1. This year, they flipped the score around.

The Crew came out with an aggressive attack and kept play in Dayton’s end for much of the first ten minutes. The MLS side kept the Dutch Lion defense on their heels with heavy passing as they dominated possession. Momentum stayed in the Crew’s favor as Dutch Lions defender Brock Granger earned a straight red card in the 14th minute for a two-footed tackle just outside the penalty area on Gaven. The infraction forced the now short-handed Lions to move Shintaro Harada from the midfield back to defense.

Despite the Crew’s offense running the first half, they struggled to get shots on net, only testing Dayton keeper Josh Williams on a few occasions.

Neither side made any roster changes as the second half started, and Columbus would finally break through in the 52’ as Gaven knocked down a pass from Higuain and put it past the Dayton keeper from a tight angle.

After taking the lead, Columbus seemed to fall back a bit, a similar situation from last year’s game and right on cue, Dayton picked up their offense.

Following a back and forth exchange of possession, Dayton would finally break through in the 78th minute as Shane Smith took an assist from Klaasse and put the equalizer past the Crew’s Matt Lampson. Dayton nearly took the lead in the 82nd minute as Brandon Swartzendruber got a shot past Lampson only to see Crew defender Eric Gehrig clear the loose ball off the goalline.

Despite the late surge by Dayton, the Crew would answer and regain the lead in the 84th minute on a goal by Justin Meram, sending a ball from outside the penalty area past the keeper Williams. Gaven got the assist on Meram’s goal and would end up going down minutes later with an injury in the 88th minute. If the injury turns out to be something serious, it could be a big blow to Columbus as Gaven, despite his scoring struggles this year, has remained a veteran leader for the club.

Through the rest of the match, including five minutes of stoppage time, the Crew were content to just hold possession and burn out the clock. The Columbus Crew would survive the late flurry to avenge last year’s defeat and advance in the Open Cup for the first time since 2010.

The Crew will now go on to face their rivals, the Chicago Fire, at Chicago’s Toyota Park for the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 12th. Chicago defeated the Crew at Toyota Park in MLS play last month 1-0 off a goal by Jeff Larentowicz.
U.S. Open Cup – Third Round – Columbus Crew vs. Dayton Dutch Lions
5/29/2013 – Columbus Crew Stadium
Scoring:
CLB: Gaven (Higuian) 52’
DAY: Smith (Klaasse) 78’
CLB: Meram (Gaven) 84’
Discipline:
DAY: Granger – Red 14’
DAY: Lord – Yellow 37’
CLB: Glauber – Yellow 55’
CLB: Schoenfeld – Yellow 76’
Attendance: 1,302

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Dayton Dutch Lions down Dearborn during meltdown in OT 4-1

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A year ago the Dayton Dutch Lions were still winless in league play as they narrowly advanced in the Second Round and stunned the Columbus Crew in the Third Round en route to a surprising run to the tournament Quarterfinals. This seems to have given the side new life, as they own a winning record for the latest time in the season since moving from the PDL to USL Pro. However, they faced a stiff challenge during regulation from an amateur Dearborn Stars side, though that story completely changed in extra time. The Dutch Lions kept their cool and scored, while the Stars lost theirs and ended the 4-1 home side victory down to eight men.

As the first half kicked off, the Dutch Lions came out aggressive, dominating possession for much of the half. Dearborn immediately played tight defense to keep the Dutch Lions on the perimeter, and countered the tight passing with physical challenges, attempting to unsettle the USL Pro side. Through 25 minutes it seemed inevitable that the Dutch Lions would score as they sent chance after chance toward Stars keeper Vito Lonigro.

After sitting tight for much of the game, it was the Stars that struck first, however, off a counter following a Dutch Lions corner kick. Stars defender Mike Haidar sent a cross to Mo Kaba to get the visitors on the board in the 27th minute.

After being forced to regroup, the Dutch Lions caught a break in the 43rd minute when a Stars player hit the ground due to an errant elbow, The referee nearby stood over the player to assess if there was an injury, but play was never stopped, and no foul assesed. The Stars players in their defensive half just stopped moving, waiting for a whistle or a card, allowing the Dutch Lions’ Joseph Madigan to casually jog on in and put the ball past Lonigro to even the game up. The Stars immediately objected to the goal and felt it was bad sportsmanship on the part of the Lions to continue play. Nevertheless, the goal stood and half ended even.

The second half saw Dayton dominating possession once again, but Dearborn came out with more confidence and were able to mount a more organized offense. The Stars continued their physical play, going overboard when Mo Kaba was handed a straight red card in the 57th minute. Kaba made a very rough tackle on Dayton defender Jeremy Cheeseman, and his exit left his squad down a man.

One might expect an amateur squad who’s down to 10 men to bunker in again, however, Dearborn managed the space incredibly well, almost negating Dayton’s advantage. Through the last ten minutes of regulation, it was Dearborn that had the Dutch Lions on their heels. Keeper Matt Williams was forced to make some big saves, including on a looping 40-yard strike in the 88th minute that Williams had to leap and bump with his fingertips to send over the crossbar, ultimately saving the tie and forcing it to extra time.

From the start of extra session, Dayton came out focused. Their attack paid off in the 96th minute when Gibson Bardsley blazed down the left flank and fired a rocket past the Stars keeper for his second goal of the night.

Dearborn were clearly frustrated after losing the lead in the extra time they felt the game should have never went to, and started to break down, with the Stars answering Dayton goals with red cards instead of more goals. First, Joe Beshara was sent off in stoppage time of the first extra time period, leaving Dearborn down to nine. Shortly after that, the Dutch Lions would get a little insurance early in the second half of overtime when Tjeerd Westdjik put a ball through to Joel Delass to give them a 3-1 lead.

Nik Djokic then retaliated, not in the scoring sense that he brought to last week’s 2-0 win against the Michigan Bucks, but rather with a flagrant arm to the face of a Dayton player. He was also shown a straight red with seven minutes left, leaving the Stars with only eight men on the field. Dayton would add insult to Dearborn’s injury, when DeLass would return the favor to Westdjik, setting him up in the 119th minute to leave no uncertainty to the Dutch Lions victory.

The Dutch Lions now move on to the third round and a rematch from last year’s tournament, returning to Columbus Crew Stadium next Wednesday. It was a Third Round match in May of last year when the upstart Dutch Lions stunned the home crowd with a 2-1 upset win. After the Crew dominated most of the game, leading 1-0, the Lions executed some late scoring chances to beat the MLS side on their way to last year’s tourney quarterfinals. One would expect Columbus will be on their guard to avoid another embarrassment this year as the Crew’s head coach Robert Warzycha and an assistant coach were in the stands Tuesday to scout the competition.

Dayton Dutch Lions 4:1 Dearborn Stars SC

May 21, 2013 – Miami Valley Hospital Stadium, Beavercreek, Ohio

Scoring:

DEA – Mo Kaba 27’

DAY – Joseph Madigan, 43’

DAY – Gibson Bardsley, 96’

DAY – Joel DeLass (Tjeerd Westdjik) 107’

DAY – Tjeerd Westdjik (Joel DeLass) 119’

Discipline:

DEA – Zach Wilkes (Yellow) 45

DEA – Mo Kaba (Red) 57

DAY – Tjeerd Westdijk (Yellow) 101

DEA – Nik Djokic (Yellow) 104

DEA – Joe Beshara (Red) 105

DEA – Nik Djokic (Red) 113

2013 US Open Cup First Round: Dayton Dutch Lions open tournament with 3-0 win over River City Rovers

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On a night when the most of the four USL Pro clubs struggled against amateur opposition (1-1-2 with two advancing in penalties), the Dayton Dutch Lions were the only club to earn an outright victory, downing River City Rovers of the PDL Great Lakes Division 3-0 on goals from three different players.

It did not take long for the USL Pro side to take the lead, finding the opener just eight minutes into the contest when the ball popped up at the top of the penalty area. Irakli Khutsidze leaped into the air to meet the ball with a shoulder high volley that he drove past the visiting keeper from 17 yards.

In the 27th minute, Eric Kissinger doubled the advantage when he picked up a loose ball and ripped a shot from the edge of the box just a couple yards away from where the first goals came from, firing it inside the post from 18 yards.

The game nearly turned into a rout in the first half, but River City goalkeeper Taylor Hafling made several quality saves to keep the gap at two goals going into the break.

Hoping to rally, the Rovers came out looking to attack at full steam. It backfired, however, as the offensive pressure allowed Dayton to fly down the field on a quick counter three minutes into the period, with Charles Hertsenberger working with scorer Tjeerd Westdijk in the final third to lock the game up as things went quietly the rest of the way.

The Dutch Lions, who are 3-2-0 in league play, will host the USASA’s Dearborn Stars in Round 2 on May 21. The winner will take on a club from Major League Soccer in the Third Round on May 28. Last year, Dayton was one of the surprise teams of the tournament, upsetting the Columbus Crew and reaching the Quarterfinals despite finishing in the bottom half of the league table.

Scoring Summary

DAY: Irakli Khutsidze – 8th min.
DAY: Eric Kissinger – 27th min.
DAY: Tjeerd Westdijk (Charles Hertsenberger) – 48th min.

Rovers starting line-up: Taylor Hafling; Peter May, Aljosa Stankovic, Luis Ramirez, Robertson Tarver; Lindokuhle Mfeka, Callum Tychowski, Dean Abdehov, Pierce Kiembi, Richard Ballard, Lwandiso Gonya

2012 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Sporting Kansas City ends Dayton Dutch Lions run with 3-0 victory

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Sporting Kansas City struck early and held on, tacking on a couple more as the Cinderella run for the until-recently-winless Dayton Dutch Lions ended in a 3-0 win for the hosts at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Kansas City wasted no time in taking control of the game, dominating possession early. It paid off in only the fifth minute as Seth Sinovic took a long shot from outside the box. It took a deflection off of CJ Sapong near the six and ended in the net past Dutch Lions goalkeeper Matt Williams.

Dayton wouldn’t really get a clear chance on net until the 16th minute when the Dutch Lions earned a corner kick. Gibson Bardsley’s corner would be cleared away by Graham Zusi. It wouldn’t get very far, though, and landed at the feet of Nelson Dias, who took a shot that sailed well wide of the net.

The Dutch Lions’ best chance of the match came in the 26th minute. Eli Garner sent a cross into the box, where Dias hit it one time. He forced Sporting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen into making a fantastic save, tipping the ball over the bar. It, however, would result in a goal kick after a Dayton player was called offside.

Kansas City wouldn’t let up the pressure in the match, even taking some chances. In the 40th minute, Zusi stole the ball in the Kansas City backfield, saw the keeper off his line, and fired from 60-70 yards away. It was sent wide right of the net.

Sporting would have one last good chance before halftime. Jacob Peterson turned with the ball in midfield and played a give-and-go with Sapong, carrying the ball inside the box and rifling a shot off the near post.

Dayton came out motivated in the second half, flying out of the gate at the kickoff. Bardsley sent a long lob pass to Garner, who sent a shot over the crossbar.

Sporting Kansas City would slowly take back control of the match, starting in the 50th minute with a failed counter attack. A minute later, Soony Saad turned and fired from around 25 yards out, but hit the shot wide of the net.

They kept pushing in the 54th when Sapong came in streaking on the left side past the Dayton defense and hit a shot, forcing Matt Williams to make a solid save.

Kansas City would finally break through for a second in the 56th, and it was all Zusi. After a pass from Peterson, he found himself at the top of the box with room to shoot, and shoot he did. His shot curled in to the corner to double Sporting’s lead to 2-0.

Just three minutes later, that two goal lead would change to three. A corner kick from Saad found Sapong in the center of the box, fighting off a Dayton defender. He rose over him just enough to head it home to give Kansas City a 3-0 lead from which they would never look back.

Dayton spent the rest of the match pushing for any opportunity they could find, which became more scarce as the game went on. This stretched out their defense, which Sporting almost took advantage of on multiple occasions. Shots from both Sinovic and substitute Teal Bunbury fell wide of the net during the late stretch.

Bunbury got one last chance to add a goal of his own in the 83rd minute. He took a shot from the six yard box, which Williams slid in to make a save, denying him a place on the scoresheet.

With the win by Sporting Kansas City, they now move on to play the Philadelphia Union in the Semifinals. That game will be on Wednesday, July 11 at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, at 7:30 PM.

Sporting Kansas City 3:0 Dayton Dutch Lions
LIVESTRONG Sporting Park – Kansas City, Kansas

Scoring Summary:
KC – C.J. Sapong (Seth Sinovic) 5
KC – Graham Zusi (Jacob Peterson) 56
KC – C.J. Sapong (Soony Saad) 59

Misconduct Summary:
NONE

Lineups
Sporting Kansas City: Jimmy Nielsen©; Michael Harrington, Lawrence Olum, Matt Besler (Konrad Warzycha 68), Seth Sinovic; Peterson Joseph, Michael Thomas, Graham Zusi (Roger Espinoza 59); Jacob Peterson, C.J. Sapong (Teal Bunbury 74), Soony Saad

Subs not used: Eric Kronberg, Chance Myers, Kei Kamara, Dom Dwyer

Dayton Dutch Lions: Matt Williams; Shane Smith, Mettin Copier (Daniel Holowaty 64), Nixon Dias, Gregory Preciado; Joel DeLass, Bret Jones, Mikael McNamara (Akeem Priestley 60); Eli Garner, Gerrit Bartels, Gibson Bardsley (Kyle Knotek 56)

Subs not used: Jeff DeGroot, Eric Kissinger, Toric Robinson, Corey Whisenhunt

STATS
KC: Shots 20, SOG 6, Saves 0, Fouls 7, Offside 1, Corners 3
DAY: Shots 4, SOG 0, Saves 3, Fouls 6, Offside 3, Corners 1

Attendance: 15,167
Weather: Sunny and 91 degrees

2012 US Open Cup Quarterfinals video: Watch all four games here!

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Lamar Hunt US Open Cup logoLook below for video of tonight’s US Open Cup Quarterfinal online broadcasts.
Note: Three of them can be watched from this page, while the Sporting KC/Dayton game will launch in a new window.

2012 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Live Blog
2012 US Open Cup bracket [+]
2012 US Open Cup Quarterfinal scoreboard [+]
2012 US Open Cup goalscoring leaders [+]
2012 US Open Cup participant map [+]
Meet the USASA: Class of 2012 [+] Things you should know about the Quarterfinals [+]
Semifinal pairings [+]

Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
PPL Park; Chester, Pa.; 7:30 p.m. ET
Semifinal scenarios (July 10 or 11):
If Philadelphia wins … home vs. Sporting KC/Dayton winner
If Harrisburg wins … home vs. Dayton or at Sporting KC

If video doesn’t work, CLICK HERE

Dayton Dutch Lions (USL Pro) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
LIVESTRONG Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kan.; 8:30 p.m. ET
Semifinal scenarios (July 10 or 11):
If KC wins … home vs. Harrisburg OR at Philadelphia
If Dayton wins … at Philadelphia OR at Harrisburg

Click here to watch the game

Seattle Sounders (MLS) at San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Kezar Stadium; San Francisco, Calif.; 10:30 p.m. ET
Audio Broadcast: Seattle
Semifinal scenarios (July 10): Winner hosts Chivas USA / Charlotte winner

Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro) at Chivas USA (MLS)
Titan Stadium (Cal State Fullerton); Fullerton, Calif.; 10:30 p.m. ET
Semifinal scenario (July 10):
Winner plays at Seattle Sounders / San Jose Earthquakes winner

2012 US Open Cup Fourth Round: Dayton Dutch Lions continue run with OT win over Michigan Bucks

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Photo: Michigan Bucks

Some nights, the ball just won’t go in, no matter how well it’s hit or how open the net is. For the Michigan Bucks, it summed up their night in general, losing 2-1at home in extra time to the Dayton Dutch Lions, still winless in USL Pro, in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup.

From the start, the Bucks were dominant in possession and strong on the counter attack. Despite that, Dayton took an early lead from a Gibson Bardsley cross that met Eli Garner who poked it in during the 12th minute.

Throughout the first half, the game alternated between one team having a dominant spell and another taking its turn, reaching the break with the visitors in front, 1-0.

The Bucks showed signs of life just after halftime, when substitute Anthony Grant came on and equalized with a shot from 15 yards out after a defender gave the ball away.

Both sides showed signs of scoring, including a chance for Dayton that Bucks goalie Adam Grinwis managed to keep out with just one hand. Near the end of the second half Dayton’s goal was bombarded with shots from the Bucks, but the ball wouldn’t hit the net.

During extra time, the Bucks threw everything at Dayton’s goal but couldn’t convert. However, a Michigan foul led to a Dayton penalty, which Joel DeLass scored and put Dayton in the lead at 2-1.

The Bucks began throwing everything they had towards the Dayton goal, including placing defender Sebby Harris up front, but failed to find any success. The one minute of stoppage time in the second half of over time wasn’t enough for the Bucks either.

The Michigan Bucks celebrate their tying goal with team president Dan Duggan. Photo: Michigan Bucks

Dayton coach Iver van Dintren was proud of his team’s performance.

“We fought like Lions and I think we deserved to win the game,” van Dintren said.

He also praised the Bucks for their style of play.

“I knew the Michigan Bucks, I played myself two years ago. They have some talented players and they try to play soccer instead of kicking the balls long. I think they did well,” van Dintren said.

Bucks coach Gary Parsons acknowledged that the Bucks’ struggles in front of goal hurt them.

“The whole thing with soccer is you got to put your chances away. I thought we had some quality opportunities to get the second goal. You don’t put those away, something can happen and it did,” Parsons said.

The Dayton Dutch Lions move on to a Quarterfinal match on the road versus Sporting Kansas City, who downed fellow MLS side Colorado 2-0. Until then, they will be looking to finally pick up their first league win, playing host to Pittsburgh and Wilmington on either side of a trip to Los Angeles.

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