FC Maritsa

2022 US Open Cup Qualifying: Lynchburg FC edge FC Maritsa to earn first USOC berth

November 24, 2021 by George Diamond

Lynchburg FC prevailed over FC Maritsa in a back and forth affair that ultimately ended 1-0 thanks to a strong finish from Tudor Barna in the 47th minute.

With the win, the Virginia-based club punched their ticket to the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time in the club’s first attempt at the qualifying tournament.

The opening half saw chances for both sides however the team from St. Louis looked more likely to score. LFC’s goalkeeper Alonso Guitierrez was called into action in the 24th minute, making a fingertip save off a rocket from FCM’s Alejandro Mentasti, shooting from the edge of the 18-yard box. Vadim Cojocov put the ball in the back of Lynchburg’s net twice, but both were called back for offside.

Momentum switched after the break as LFC almost immediately took the lead. Matthew Zaczyk found the ball at his feet outside the box and slipped a pass forward to Tudor Barna who made no mistake and fired the ball past Ethan Cowell into the roof of his net.

Following a short LFC corner, Cowell’s number was called again in the 57th minute as Munoz lashed a shot at his near post from about 20 yards, but the Maritsa goalie extended to make the save. FCM had a chance to equalize in the 61st minute when Cojocov attempted to bend his shot towards Guiterrez’s far post from a tight angle. However, the shot went wide. Lynchburg were able to withstand the early pressure and ultimately controlled the game, earning their win.

For FC Maritsa, who made the more than 700-mile trip from St. Louis to Lynchburg, Va., it was heartbreak for the second straight time. The last time the club entered the Open Cup qualifying tournament was in 2019 where they also fell short in a “Win & You’re In” match, losing to NTX Rayados (Dallas, TX).

Lynchburg’s path to the 2022 US Open Cup included a free pass after Aegean Hawks FC forfeited in the opening round, followed by a 3-0 road win over Rockville SC (Md.) in Round 3. The club will begin their inaugural US Open Cup journey next spring but they will not find out their first round opponent until after the new year.

2022 US Open Cup Qualifying: FC Maritsa earn PK win after lengthy trip

October 20, 2021 by Brendan Doherty

FC Maritsa players celebrate in the club’s 2022 US Open Cup qualifying match against IASC Boom in Rochester, NY. Photo: Mathieu Starke | @Starke_photo (all social media)

2022 Open Division Local Qualifying Schedule / Results
Game photos by Mathieu Starke (@Starke_photo)

A 1,500-mile trip, some biting wind, and a valiant display from the home side was not enough to stop FC Maritsa from earning a win on penalties against IASC Boom on Sunday night in Rochester.

The side from St. Louis woke up in the early hours of the morning to start their travels to the Empire State and dug deep to find the energy to hold on through 120 minutes of action. Player/coach Lucas Almeida buried the winning penalty to seal Maritsa’s advance to the next round of 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifying.

Sunday’s hosts, IASC Boom, are an amalgamation of the Roc City Boom squad that competes in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) and a long-standing community team called Italian American Sports Club. The team earned its place in qualification through the local Rochester District Soccer League, and defeated Pittsburgh City United FC 4-0 in last month’s Second Qualifying Round.

Maritsa also fields a team in the UPSL but entered through its local league, Metro East Football Association. FC Maritsa’s opponents in the previous round, Lexington Landsharks from Kentucky, forfeited last month’s match.

Boom had a penalty shout 15 minutes into the match when Whitman Hernandez went to ground after a tangle with Maritsa’s William Stimac but the match official waved away Rochester’s protests.

Maritsa forward Edin Campara did well to apply pressure to IASC Boom’s backline and goalkeeper in the first half, which struggled to deal with balls in the air as the wind affected play.

The visitors had their own claim for a penalty in the 31st minute when Campara received the ball from a long throw and tried to chip it back to himself for a shooting chance. Boom’s energetic central defender Robert Williamson stepped in to win the ball with his chest but Maritsa players shouted that it hit Williamson’s arm in the process. The referee was unimpressed again.

Maritsa had a clear-cut chance in first half stoppage time when IASC Boom goalkeeper Connor Halsted came off his line but missed an attempted punch. A headed effort by the visitors was cleared off the line by Williamson and the half ended scoreless.

Boom had a chance from a set piece after Maritsa’s Mike Scharf was called for a foul on Nick Tata. Dom Francis lined up the free kick for the home team from about 35 yards and shot just wide of the near post in the 59th minute.

Just five minutes later, Maritsa capitalized on some sloppy touches from IASC Boom to take the lead. Center back Jacob Schindler partially cleared an attempted through ball by the visitors but his teammate Mwalizi Mutambo, who was otherwise solid in midfield for Boom, lost a duel to Connor Woulahan. Maritsa’s Woulahan fed the ball forward to Campara, who isolated Schindler on the dribble before pinging a cross to the far post to find his teammate Vadim Cojocov. Cojocov nodded the ball past a diving Halsted to put the team from St. Louis ahead in the 64th minute.

“In the midfield Connor put in a good tackle, anticipated the play and found Edin with a good ball,” Almeida said about the goal sequence. “Edin did well and then crossed to the back post where Vadim was making a run and got a great header in, made good contact, and put it in the net. It was a beautiful goal from a good pressure.”

After conceding, Boom head coach Marc Mandell quickly made two attacking substitution to change the complexion of the game. The match settled into a siege mentality in the final 15 minutes with Maritsa conceding space and committing fouls but Boom were unable to find an equalizer. Francis delivered service on several deep free kicks that found the first Rochester player in the penalty area but that Maritsa’s defenders were able to clear.

In second half stoppage time, Francis sent in another free kick from the inside left channel and Boom substitute Ali Shawish rose highest in the crowd to knot the match at 1-1 with seconds left.

Mandell recognized his team was off the pace at the start but credited the spirit of his players to force extra time.

FC Maritsa player attempts to tackle the ball away from an IASC Boom player in a 2022 US Open Cup qualifying match in Rochester, NY. Photo: Mathieu Starke | @Starke_photo (all social media)

“The first half we hung in there and stuck in there, they got the goal. But to fight back and we had the guys fight back and actually put a goal in 90 minutes plus, in stoppage time, it shows the determination and grit that we have with this team.”

Extra time continued with the home team on the front foot but Maritsa showed flashes on the counterattack. At the end of two 15-minute periods the score remained 1-1 and the teams lined up for kicks from the spot.

FC Maritsa won the right to shoot first and made that count. The first four kick-takers for each team converted before Lucas Almeida stepped up for his team’s fifth. The veteran for Maritsa blasted it over the keeper’s arms to score. Schindler lined up a one-step run up and goalkeeper Ethan Cowell saved the attempt for the win.

After the final whistle, IASC Boom’s Mandell was full of praise for his players despite the result. “Not training for a whole month and guys getting together to just play the game, the guys really played well. I can’t ask for more than that. Short time, trying to get everybody in. I’m proud of them.”

Almeida detailed that Maritsa’s travel schedule began before dawn in Saint Louis.

“Man, it was so long. We started at 4:45 a.m., we were at the airport. Flew to Atlanta, got a connection there flew to Buffalo, waited there, got a car there and drove straight to the arena. We haven’t been to the hotel, we haven’t done anything. It’s been a very, very long day, but a very fulfilling one.”

“It adds to the excitement. We know every game at this level is going to be a competitive game,” the player/coach said. “We expect it to be a hard one, and the possibility of going 120 minutes and penalties.”

Maritsa advance to the next round of US Open Cup qualifying where they will try to better their 2019 showing and move on to the tournament proper for the first time.

2019 US Open Cup Qualifying: NTX Rayados cruises past FC Maritsa to extend qualification record

April 7, 2019 by John Lenard

NTX Rayados players celebrate during their Fourth Round match against FC Maritsa in the 2019 US Open Cup Open Division Local qualifying tournament. Photo: NTX Rayados

The NTX (North Texas) Rayados came into Saturday night’s game looking to qualify for a record-extending eighth Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, while their opponents, FC Maritsa were aiming to make some history of their own. Rayados already have a reputation as one of the toughest Open Division Local teams in the country, and last year had their best run in team history by reaching the Fourth Round. They did that by defeating the Fort Worth Vaqueros (USL League Two), OKC Energy FC (USL), and FC Wichita (NPSL) before falling to the eventual champion Houston Dynamo (MLS) on the road.

Maritsa, who traveled to Dallas from St. Louis, were unable to prevent Rayados from extending their Modern Era (1995-present) qualifying record as the home team came away with a 5-0 win.

Rayados’ Sergio Lara put in a masterful performance, scoring two goals and contributing to the play which resulted in the opening own-goal. The game reached its peak intensity early in the first half and never let up, with a total of six yellow cards handed out between the two sides with several tense and heated moments on the field.

“We’re reliving where we left off last year,” player/coach Tito Salas said following the win. It’s clear the Open Cup means a lot to Salas and his teammates. “That’s why we’re in, that’s why we’re still playing, you know, believe it or not.”

The game was moved to the turf field at Mercy Street Sports Complex in Dallas due to thunderstorms that soaked the original venue’s grass field. With more rain in the forecast, the Rayados played it safe and moved the game. In the end, the weather conditions ended up being ideal.

The opening goal was an own-goal as defensive disorganization on the part of Maritsa saw the ball deflected into the wrong net. Seven minutes later, Maritsa’s Richard Schmermund was issued a yellow card for a clumsy tackle, which seemed to set both teams off.

From there through the rest of the first half, Maritsa channeled their early frustrations into pressure against Rayados, and Rayados responded by getting physical. Salas received a yellow in the 37th minute, followed almost immediately by another yellow to goalkeeper Emmanuel Frias Ramirez.

The first half ended with Rayados leading 1-0 but with two players already on a yellow card. After the break, whatever speech Maritsa coach Stefan St. Louis gave worked, as Maritsa began the half with a meaningful sense of urgency, pushing hard against the Rayados defense.

After a Maritsa player picked up a yellow card in the 54th minute, tempers cooled down for a moment, which saw Maritsa let up the pressure just enough for Sergio Lara to bury the ball into the back of the net from just inside the box in the 67th.

Tempers immediately flared again, with another yellow card issued to Rayados’ Lucio Martinez in the 69th, who responded with a goal of his own to put Rayados up 3-0 in the 70th.

Maritsa’s side became increasingly visibly and audibly frustrated. When midfielder Vadim Cojocov looked for assistance but found none, he chirped “Anybody over there? Fine, I’ll do it myself,” before attempting to shake three Rayados defenders.

With tempers still high, Rayados’ Reyes Vargas received the sixth yellow of the night for a clearly unnecessary challenge against a Maritsa counter, and the resulting free kick came dangerously close to putting the visitors on the board. The build up from the ensuing goal kick led to a pass to Lara, who scored his second goal of the night which might have once again taken a deflection off an opposing defender.

Four minutes later, Rayados sealed the deal and clinched their eighth appearance in the Open Cup with their fifth of the night, a very cheeky goal scored by Mariano Fazio which was set up by several tight passes from a very, very short corner. Rayados had taken two previous corners that were deflected wide to repeat the set piece, and with long corners not working, they went as short as possible.

The spirit of the Open Cup is a major factor behind Rayados continuing to play year after year.

“To be honest, the Open Cup is the reason why we’re still competing,” Salas said. “I know there’s gonna be a time where it’s gonna come to an end, but as long as we’re still in it, we’re gonna enjoy it and try and maximize the experience.”

With an eighth straight US Open Cup appearance continue to add to their tournament resume. No other Open Division Local (Open Division teams not in USL League Two or the NPSL) team in the Modern Era has more than four consecutive appearances. Now the Rayados have doubled that.

2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 3: FC Maritsa braves cold, beats Livonia City in PKs

November 20, 2018 by David Hebestreit

Players from FC Maritsa and Livonia City FC battle for the ball during their 2019 US Open Cup qualifier. Photo: Nyle Ellis @nyleellis_

FC Maritsa’s Rob Acosta converted the seventh, and final, kick from the spot at Schoolcraft College Saturday night, after 120 minutes of scoreless play in the regulation and overtime periods, to propel the St. Louis club past Livonia City FC in a Third Round Open Division Local Qualifying match for the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

With the 7-6 shootout decision, FC Maritsa advances to the next round of the US Open Cup, which brings them one step closer to qualifying for the tournament for the first time in club history. If they are able to accomplish that, they would become the first amateur team from Missouri to qualify since the KC Athletics in 2010.

The game started with both teams struggling to find their style. Then, in the 18th minute, City’s Pat Smith and Maritsa’s Josh Ward collided in a clean 50/50 tackle along the fans’ sideline. Ward immediately grabbed for his lower leg and was in distress. After a 28-minute delay for paramedics to arrive and care for Ward, play resumed and things started to open up. FC Maritsa later confirmed that Ward broke his tibia and after multiple surgeries, he is expected to be on the sidelines for a few months.

The two sides were a contrast in styles of play, Maritsa controlling most of the tempo with short passing and movement off the ball in small spaces. City played a bit more direct, often trying to beat the backline with one pass, or looking to build on counter attacks.

In the shootout, City got things started when Gavin Cameron calmly stroked the ball to the right of the keeper for the 1-0 lead. Maritsa answered when Lucas Almeida blistered one into the upper-90 to the right of the keeper. The teams went back-and-forth for another five penalty kicks each, just as they had for 120 minutes of the match, nothing separating them. In the seventh round, though, City’s Matt McCourt hit his penalty kick over the bar to give Maritsa hope. Center back Rob Acosta stepped up and drilled the ball into the corner to seal the deal and send Maritsa into celebration mode.

Maritsa wins it on PKs 6-5 pic.twitter.com/GYUmIHHfT3

— Livonia City F.C. (@LivoniaCityFC) November 18, 2018

Maritsa coach Stefan St. Louis asserted, “I can’t say enough about the guys. It feels good to have put in so much, and then to get rewarded like this right at the end, with the last kick. It feels great. I have to give credit to Livonia ; they are a Michigan team and they came and played hard. But, we think this is the one that gets us into the open cup proper, though.”

Maritsa will have to wait until the New Year to find out if they have qualified for the 2019 US Open Cup. It is unclear, as of now, whether a Fourth Round, which is tentatively scheduled for March of 2019, will take place. Every professional team in the United States is automatically entered into the US Open Cup, and with the addition of an entirely new professional league with USL League One (Div. 3), and a number of expansion teams in the USL Championship (Div. 2), the format of next year’s tournament has yet to be finalized. Without a finalized format, it’s unclear how many Open Division teams (National Premier Soccer League, USL League Two — formerly Premier Development League — , and all of the Open Division Local teams) will be granted entry into the competition. It’s possible that Maritsa will have to play a Fourth Round qualifying match, but they won’t find out until January.

Essentially, there was no separation between the two sides. In the 120 minutes of action, there weren’t many clear chances. Each team had a shot glance off the crossbar, and Livonia City had a couple sitters early in the match that they hit wide of the target. But, it was a controlled and evenly matched affair all night long.

Martisa’s best chance came relatively early. After a 12th minute corner kick found Selmer Ademovic in the box, the attempt beat City keeper Alex Dubetz, but defender Billy Werthmann headed the effort away from the goal line.

In the 42nd minute, Dubetz received a yellow card after intentionally handling the ball outside the box in the one serious breach of the City backline in the first half. The ensuing free kick by Maritsa’s Almeida struck the crossbar, preserving the tie game.

City’s Kosay Zaya had a clear chance in second half stoppage time, but his strike was turned aside by the goalkeeper Blake Westerman, who got two strong hands to parry it away from harm. Westerman is an experienced netminder who spent time playing indoor soccer for the St. Louis Ambush.

For FC Maritsa, Vadim Cojocov, Luis Costa, and Timothy Menzel controlled the midfield, playing in and out of the target players and effectively switching the ball to the flanks to probe the attack.

For City, Vince Bruno and Matt Versteeg evened out the Martisa possession from their central defender spots. Maritsa was able to hold possession in and around the City penalty area; but they were not able to break the backline down, as Bruno and Versteeg stayed organized and defended confidently.

While it was cold for Livonia City’s first-ever US Open Cup home game, the wind and snow that had threatened earlier in the week held off, which helped bolster the crowd of more than 100 supporters.

Bench is all set for our friends @stlmaritsafc personalized goodie bags for the away team! As well as a propane heater for a cold Michigan night! @opencup / @usopencup pic.twitter.com/2GVfr4y2Ob

— Livonia City F.C. (@LivoniaCityFC) November 17, 2018

City coach Gaven King said, “I am proud of the team. are the best competition we’ve played yet, along with Quinto Elemento. We had plenty of chances of our own. I am not upset about the loss, though disappointed for the team and fans that we won’t advance.”

FC Martisa co-owner and general manager Alexander Todorov said his club has come a long way.

“This is a great night for us,” said Todorov. “We started out as a pick-up team, then, paying our dues in the Sunday leagues six or seven years ago, worked our way up and into the UPSL and now the Open Cup, I am sure similar to what done here. We’re a small club, so this is a great event for us.”

FC Maritsa now looks to the Spring when they will gear up for not only UPSL league play, but also another US Open Cup match. Whether that will be a Fourth Round qualifier or the US Open Cup proper, that remains to be seen. Regardless, the little club from St. Louis continues to make its way around the region in support of its dream of US Open Cup glory.