Lynchburg FC

2022 US Open Cup Round 1: Northern Virginia FC pulls away in replay with Lynchburg FC

March 31, 2022 by Chuck Nolan Jr.

Northern Virginia FC Nova FC 2022 US Open Cup First Round — Northern Virginia FC celebrates after the club’s 3-1 win over Lynchburg FC in the First Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: NoVa FC

In a replay of their game from last week that was stopped due to severe weather in the 79th minute, Northern Virginia FC (NoVa FC) used a pair of second half goals to push past Lynchburg FC, 3-1 in the First Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Like last week, this match was played at Lynchburg City Stadium in Lynchburg, Va.

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With the win, Northern Virginia, a club that was launched in 1998, tasted victory in the tournament for the first time. It was just the third US Open Cup in NoVa FC’s history, and the club’s first appearance since 2000.
With the nearest bolt of lightning somewhere near the Mississippi River, the teams started off the first half of the replay trading goals, similar to their original game. After 13 minutes, NoVA FC opened the scoring when Taofik Lucas-Walker sent a pass into the penalty area from the right wing. The ball bounded off the foot of Jean-Philipe Ayolmbong, and Luke Campbell sent it past Lynchburg goalkeeper Alonso Gutierrez for the 1-0 lead.

“It was great to get the win and it wasn’t easy by any means,” said Northern Virginia FC head coach Kareem Sheta. “Lynchburg knows their strengths and plays to them well. I think when we brought changes on, the level never really dropped and I think fitness started to kick in a bit.”
Just as they did in the first game, Lynchburg wasted no time equalizing. Just 12 minutes later, Tudor Barna sent a cross into the penalty area, where Mitchell Reed headed the ball home just in front of goal. Reed was Lynchburg’s goal scorer in the previous match a week ago.

“I thought we did well trying to control the variables that we could and let everything else path it’s on way,” said Sheta. “I think our biggest adjustments were just in the wide areas, just getting the ball in and out of our feet a bit faster was key since the field was much narrower then our home field.”
NoVa wasted no time taking the lead for good after the break. Jean-Philip Ayolmbong, who was credited with an assist on the opening goal, stole an errant Lynchburg pass near midfield. He then dribble around two Lynchburg defenders before beating Gutierrez with a shot in the penalty area.
The visitors put the game away in the 83rd minute when substitute Jhonny De Souza was brought down just inside the penalty area. De Souza, who has played multiple seasons for the club’s USL League Two team, converted the spot kick himself and NoVa was home free at 3-1.
Tempers seemed to boil over a bit in stoppage time when Lynchburg’s Bhayle Kearns was issued a straight red card for upending and slamming De Souza to the turf. De Souza was also ordered to leave the game for his part in the scuffle.
NoVa FC moves on to meet another Virginia rival in the second round, as they host the Richmond Kickers of USL League One on April 6. The game will be played at the Virginia Revolution Sportsplex in Leesburg, Va.

“We’re more than happy to host Richmond and we have a good relationship with Rob Ukrop and I’ve been chatting off and on with Darren about players over the past few years,” said Sheta. “I think this is what the Open Cup is about. Small amateur teams with guys that work 9-to-5 and train twice week being able to share the field and spot for game with a pro team like Richmond that has a great history, especially in the Open Cup. We wish them safe travels, and we’re looking forward to giving the local community a good experience at our home at the Revolution Sportsplex.

Match Broadcast via US Soccer’s YouTube channel

2022 Meet the Underdogs: Lynchburg FC wants to put Virginia town on the map with USOC run

March 22, 2022 by George Diamond

Lynchburg FC will make their Lamar Hunt US Open Cup debut on Wednesday. The team is a relative newcomer to the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), one of the elite amateur leagues in the United States. Current members of the Premier Division of the UPSL, Lynchburg officially joined the league in the fall of 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new club found immediate success in its inaugural season of spring 2021, finishing first in what was then called the Beltway Division with a 10-1-1 record and a plus-34 goal differential, by far the best in the division. They compounded their success by winning the playoffs for their conference and advancing to the UPSL national tournament. While Lynchburg FC exited in the first round to New York Contour FC, they will take comfort in the fact that the same team that ousted them went on to win the championship.

The 2021 fall season saw Lynchburg repeat their past achievements. They finished first in their division, which was re-named and re-aligned as DMV South, with a record of 6-3-1 overall. This included a perfect road record going 5-0 away from home. Once again, Lynchburg FC had the largest positive margin of goal difference with plus-19 and they won the conference tournament, but once again suffered a first round exit in the national tournament.

However, this defeat was to be expected as it came just 24 hours after a US Open Cup qualifying match. Lynchburg FC’s 1-0 victory against FC Maritsa in the fourth and final qualifying round of the Open Division Local qualifyfing tournament for the 2022 US Open Cup. Matthew Zaczyk slipped a pass forward to Tudor Barna in the box who beat the goalkeeper for the game’s only goal, punching the club’s ticket to the US Open Cup.

As for the previous three rounds of qualifying, Lynchburg received a bye in the first round, their second round opponent (Aegean Hawks FC) forfeited and Lynchburg easily dispatched Rockville SC of the Maryland Major Soccer League, 3-0. Zaczyk, Tudor Barna, and Tyler Bullock all scored for LFC.

Coached by Englishman Simon French, Lynchburg usually implements a variation of the classic 4-3-3. The midfield consists of a defensive midfielder operating from the ‘6’ and two central midfielders running the ‘8’. The defensive mid role is often filled by Chris Phillips. Phillips is a vocal leader and sets the pace of Lynchburg’s play. His defensive abilities are admirable, and he effectively shields the backline while putting out fires all over the field.

While one of the ‘8’s is an all-around midfielder, the other will be tasked with more offensive responsibilities. Greg White, who is also the club’s general manager, is usually the go-to-guy for this role. He possesses great technical skill and is capable of both creating and scoring goals. Lynchburg likes to build attacks through each third by retaining possession and trying to find complex passing patterns to unlock opposing defenses. They can rely on their wingers to stretch the field wide with pace and to create numerical overloads.

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Tudor Barna is the prime example of this principle in action. A strong, pacey winger, Barna is able to get in behind and score lots of goals. This can be especially advantageous when Lynchburg counterpresses in the opponent’s defensive third. In close games, Lynchburg will press into the other team’s half and look to force a turnover before playing a long ball in behind up to the front three. However, in games against tougher opposition, Lynchburg will be content to stay compact and retain the ball. In such games, their defensive unit has performed admirably. Credit must be given to center back Josh Hinkle, Lynchburg’s rock at the back. Hinkle is a composed, hard-nosed defensive half who leads the back line.

Lynchburg would not have achieved the same success without stalwart goalkeeper Alonso Gutierrez. Gutierrez began the spring 2021 season as the backup but through hard work and determination he earned the starting spot and has performed exceptionally since then. He is incredibly quick, has good reflexes and is a reliable shot stopper. Gutierrez represents the identity of what Lynchburg FC is all about: relying on hard work, determination, and self-belief in order to achieve success.

When Lynchburg FC joined the UPSL in 2020, they joined with the commitment of tapping into the existing soccer culture present in the Lynchburg area. Although this is the first adult soccer team to represent the city, at any level, there is an underlying soccer culture present in the area.

Lynchburg’s ownership are locals to the area and strived to make the team community driven. Admission to regular season games at Lynchburg City Stadium are free of charge. The team’s players volunteer with after school programs as part of outreach with the city government. They partnered with the local youth soccer club, Central Virginia United, to enhance CVU’s summer camp experience.

“First and foremost we are extremely grateful for the partnerships with Lynchburg businesses and support from the community that inspire our passion to grow the game,” said Lynchburg president and co-founder Carlos Munoz. “Due to our success in our first season we’ve been able to create a competitive culture, and I think that’s why we saw a large turnout at tryouts with some high-level players. We’re thankful people want to be a part of it.”

Lynchburg FC’s bottom line is to provide quality soccer entertainment for local residents while enhancing the existing soccer culture. Although they have goals to evolve as a club long term, the team is focusing on perfecting their grassroots model in the present. They will have a chance to make some noise and garner attention in the first round of the 2022 US Open Cup.

Lynchburg FC will make its US Open Cup debut on Wednesday, March 23 against Northern Virginia FC, a club known for its USL League Two team, but qualified out of the Eastern Premier Soccer League, through the Open Division Local qualifying tournament. The game will be played at Lynchburg City Stadium in Lynchburg, Va. with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to compete in our first ever Open Cup,” said Munoz. “We’re looking forward to the competition ahead of us.”

The winner of Wednesday’s game will play against USL League One’s Richmond Kickers in the Second Round. If Northern Virginia wins, they will host the Kickers, but if Lynchburg wins, they will travel to Richmond, Va.

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.