MLS

2016 US Open Cup Round 5: Philadelphia Union survive first half, overcome New York Red Bulls 2-1 on Chris Pontius brace

June 29, 2016 by Michael Berton

Chris Pontius scored two goals for the Philadelphia Union, his second and third of his US Open Cup career. Photo: Bob Larson

The two halves of the Fifth Round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup game between the Philadelphia Union and the New York Red Bulls could not have been any different. But after getting dominated in the first half, the Union came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory.

The visiting Red Bulls outshot their MLS counterparts 13-1 in a first half display that was demoralizing for the home supporters. Capitalizing on numerous Union mistakes, New York’s high-pressure also stifled most Philadelphia attacks. The home side came out with a new energy in the second half, however, two goals in the span of five minutes sent the Union into the Quarterfinals.

“We whipped their butts in the first half,” New York coach Jesse Marsch said. “They came out and whipped our butts in the second half.”

New York, which was looking for revenge for a Quarterfinal loss to the Union last year, started the game on fire. Only some heroic goalkeeping from Andre Blake kept the Red Bulls off the scoresheet early on.

In the 17th minute, it was one mistake too many however. Union defender Richie Marquez couldn’t clear a ball into the box, and Mike Grella capitalized with an easy shot to the bottom left corner of the net.

It did not get any better for the two-time Open Cup runners-up for the remainder of the half. The Red Bulls ended with a 13-1 shots advantage and a 6-1 shots on goal advantage. The Union could consider themselves lucky to only be down by one goal.

Union coach Jim Curtain said, “It was a tale of two halves. That wasn’t us in the first half. Maybe and Yaro were good, but the rest of the guys — it wasn’t them.”

The Union were a completely different team to start the second half. And it was the connection between two players who had forgettable first halves that led to both Philadelphia goals.

In the 55th minute, Ilsinho was played into space down the right side of the field. He picked out Chris Pontius making a diagonal run into the box, and Pontius made no mistake, scoring a goal to Ryan Meara’s left.

Just five minutes later, the two combined again. Ilsinho chipped a cross to Pontius, who hit it first-time into the back of the net.

With a 2-1 lead, Philadelphia made defensive substitutions and aimed to see out the game. As time went on, instead of the players getting testy in the heat of the moment, it was the coaches.

In second half added time, a ball was played out of bounds. The ball made its way back onto the field. Regardless of whether Union assistant coach Mike Sorber meant to kick it back, or if it bounced off him, he was ejected from the game.

A few minutes later, angry with the officiating, Marsch was ejected. Before leaving the field, he spiked two balls at the Union sideline.

“I had to try to induce change in the ref somehow. They were basically calling every foul for the Union,” Marsch said.

The Red Bulls had a few more flurries in them, but when the whistle sounded, the Union came out 2-1 victors. Philadelphia extends its Open Cup unbeaten streak to seven games, a mark that only nine teams in the Modern Era have ever reached.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 5: Seattle Sounders advance after shootout at Real Salt Lake

June 28, 2016 by Ian Foster

Sometimes all it takes is one defensive lapse to send a seemingly superior side home in the US Open Cup. To be fair, Seattle’s 4-1 penalty shootout win at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, was also buoyed by numerous acrobatic saves from young Sounders goalkeeper Tyler Miller, including two in the shootout, and one or two or twenty missed offensive chances by a Real Salt Lake side that held all of its regulars out of the league match against Dallas at the weekend.

But it was Nelson Valdez’s 51st minute goal off a defensive breakdown that gave Seattle life in a match that the home side controlled through and through. And it was substitute midfielder Erik Friberg’s penalty that proved decisive in the shootout.

Seattle, themselves playing a half-and-half lineup of regular starters and prospects, threatened early, with Oalex Anderson firing a 2nd-minute cross off Justen Glad and the post for a corner kick. Nothing much, however, came of the corner.

It typically takes about fifteen minutes for a superior team to impose themselves on a soccer game. Here it only took RSL about ten before the ball started to just stay in the Seattle half.

It was in the 18th minute when RSL should have turned that superiority into a lead. Burrito Martinez played an excellent through ball between Seattle defenders, leaving Yura Movsisyan one-on-one with Miller. However, Miller came out, made himself big, and forced Movsisyan to shoot right into him. Two minutes later, Joao Plata ran in behind down the left flank and sent a cross that missed Movsisyan’s head by millimeters.

In the 24th minute, Luke Mulholland set up just outside the box. Bypassing several passing options, he decided to test the goalkeeper. It wasn’t a terrible decision, as Miller had to leap to snag the effort that was heading into the top corner, but Movsisyan felt he had an open path to the goal had he been played and he was probably right.

Still, RSL’s combination play was consistently too much for Seattle in the first half. It all finally paid off as Movsisyan again broke free in the box off a sublime flicked ball from Burrito Martinez, who had been splaying balls all half. This time, Movsisyan was clipped down by Tony Alfaro, and the referee pointed to the spot with no hesitation. Despite Gomez’s vociferous protests, which earned him a yellow card, Plata calmly slotted home the penalty to give RSL the 43rd minute lead, which they took into the half.

RSL came out just as fast in the second half as they finished the first half, as Movsisyan again got behind the Seattle backline. This time it took a fully-stretched leaping save from Miller to keep the game within one goal in the 46th minute.

Seattle got back into the game after a shocking defensive display from Jeff Attinella, who had seen precious little action thus far, and Glad. A long bouncing ball dropped between Valdez and Attinella. Attinella took an awkward path toward the ball, letting it go behind him. Glad in trying to clean it up stumbled over the ball himself, leaving the ball and the net open for Valdez to stab home the 51st minute equalizer.

RSL responded well to the setback, finding an open Movsisyan twice in two minutes. In the 54th, Beltran rushed down to the end line and played it into Movsisyan at the top of the six, but the chance went begging. A minute later, Demar Phillips played an extremely dangerous cross across the face of goal that missed Movsisyan by an inch.

Starting to create a little on their own, Seattle forged forward a little more. Indeed, Oalex Anderson nearly gave Seattle a shock lead in the 57th minute when his shot deflected off Glad, seeming to leave Attinella wrong-footed. Attinella put a hand out at the last instant for what has to be considered the save of the game.

A 70th minute Seattle forward foray, led by Anderson, would cost the Sounders an odd-man rush on the other end of the field as Plata, Morales, and Movsisyan charged at the Seattle centerbacks. But Plata held the ball a little too long in the box and the resulting Martinez shot was comfortable for Miller.

Anderson again created something from nothing in the 76th minute, when his one-on-four effort was stoppered by Kyle Beckerman and Morales. The referee found something wrong with that challenge, granting the Sounders a free kick at the edge of the box. Alas, Gomez’s effort sailed harmlessly over the bar.

RSL continued to press on the other end, as Zach Scott made an important block on a Morales shot. Morales’s ensuing corner was impressive, nearly equaled by Maund’s header, which drifted a few inches wide.

Three minutes later, Maund found another free header in the 84th minute off the foot of Morales, this time on a free kick. The result was the same, though, as another Maund effort went wide.
Maund’s efforts were appreciated in the 87th minute, though, when a bouncing ball off a long throw proved menacing inside the RSL box. It fell to Jordan Morris, who had replaced Anderson in the 79th, right in front of goal, but Maund threw himself at the ball, deflecting it out for a corner. Morris continued the danger, heading a ball that looped over Attinella but not over Phillips, who headed it off the line.

Martinez fired the final chance of regulation and it was a dandy, a screamer that Miller reacted splendidly to, tipping it over the bar to send the game to extra time.

Extra time commenced with more physicality than possession. A 93rd minute fracas among Erik Friberg, Demar Phillips, and Herculez Gomez resulted in a yellow card for Javi Morales, which happens sometimes in the Open Cup.

RSL substitute Jordan Allen should have taken the lead in the 99th minute when a corner fell to him while the Seattle defenders ahead of him fell down. But Allen could only muster a meager effort that bounced right to Miller.

Maund got unlucky with a 3rd header, this time in the 112th minute, that beat everyone but Alfaro, who headed it off the goal line. A minute later, Martinez got on the end of an Allen cross but his one-timed volley nearly left the stadium.

It became clear at the outset of the final 15 minutes of extra time that the Sounders were playing for penalties. Aside from a few one-man Joevin Jones counters, the Sounders weren’t much interested in attacking. It was RSL continuing to press forward, and Movsisyan and Plata again nearly found a winner for RSL in the 114th minute, when Movsisyan held up the ball at the six-yard box to lay off for Plata, but the shot was fired into the defenders.

The urgency continued but the excellent scoring opportunities did not, and despite a bevy of chances for the home team, the teams remained level after 120 minutes.

It was supposed to be Attinella’s tournament, with penalty guru Nick Rimando left on the bench, but it was Miller who stole the spotlight. Gomez and Martinez left the spot kick competition level after one round, but after Morris’s perfect 2nd-round penalty, Plata had his saved.

It was the same story in the 3rd round, where US Open Cup veteran Zach Scott buried his attempt before Kyle Beckerman’s shot down the middle was kicked away by Miller. That left it up to Friberg to bury the home team, and he made no mistake.

It was only Miller’s second start for the Sounders, but what a start it was, with at least three spectacular saves in regulation leading to two match-winning penalty saves. On his back, the Sounders will head to the quarterfinals to play the winner of Wednesday’s match between the Portland Timbers and the LA Galaxy.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 5: David Accam’s first half brace propels Chicago Fire past Columbus Crew

June 28, 2016 by Patrick Murphy

David Accam of the Chicgao Fire scored a pair of first half goals to help the home team beat the Columbus Crew, 2-1. Photo: Chicago Fire

It’s a story that seems to be told nearly every year in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

When the Chicago Fire meets the Columbus Crew, put your money on The Men in Red. The Fire entered unbeaten in four matches against the Crew in Open Cup play (five if you count a 2008 qualifying match) and Tuesday night’s match at Toyota Park was no different.

Behind two first half goals from forward David Accam, Chicago dispatched of Columbus 2-1.

It didn’t take long for Accam to get on the board. The attacker, who had two goals and one assist in his previous three matches, was the benefactor of a quick counter by the Fire seven minutes in. Accam collected the ball outside the 18-yard box and cut back to his right foot before rifling a shot by Columbus goalkeeper Brad Stuver for the early 1-0 advantage. Accam nearly doubled his tally just three minutes later. Once again it was a counterattack by the Fire who found the speedy forward, but Accam’s strike this time went wide.

Crew SC had the team’s lone shot on goal in the first half after 15 minutes of play.

Midfielder Hector Jimenez used the space given to him to fire a shot that took a couple of deflections, ultimately hitting Columbus forward Ola Kamara last. The redirect ultimately rolled slowly to Chicago goalkeeper Matt Lampson.

Despite dominating in possession, the Crew struggled to create any real chances. The Fire punished Columbus just before the half hour mark, once again through Accam.

Columbus defender Waylon Francis gave right back Rodrigo Ramos far too much space out wide in the 29th minute. The Fire defender picked up his head and served a ball to the back post that found an open Accam for the redirect and a 2-0 lead.

Following halftime, Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter attempted to change the match by bringing in midfielder Wil Trapp for Tony Tchani and winger Ethan Finlay for Kamara.

As Columbus continued to control the ball, Chicago looked to counter again and nearly found the net twice early in the second half. The first saw defender Chad Barson block a Kenny Igbonananike shot that may have crept into the far post. The second was on an Igbonananike cross that appeared destined to find Accam if not for the effort of defender Tyson Wahl inside the 18-yard box.

In the 56th, Columbus thought it scored through 19-year-old Cristian Martinez. After a Justin Meram shot deflected off a Fire defender, Martinez beat Lampson but was judged to be offside.
The Crew were handed a lifeline by referee Nima Saghafi in the 78th minute. Chicago defender Johan Kappelhof was judged to have his hand in an unnatural position when the ball struck it on a Finlay shot from the top of the penalty box.

Finlay, who scored from the penalty spot in the last round of the Open Cup, stepped up and converted to cut the deficit in half.

Despite pressure by Columbus, including bringing Stuver forward on a corner kick, the Fire held on for the remaining 11 minutes for the win. With the victory, Chicago will now face the winner of Orlando City SC and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, who play Wednesday night.

With the win, the Fire improve to 38-13-4 (3-1 PKs) all-time in Open Cup play, the most wins of any club in the Modern Era (1995-present). They move on to the Quarterfinals for the 13th time, which is the third most in the 103-year history of the tournament (Kutis SC – 17, FC Dallas – 14).

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Roland Alberg’s late winner for Philadelphia Union steals win, TheCup.us Player of the Round

June 23, 2016 by Michael Berton

Roland Alberg of the Philadelphia Union scores the first of his two goals against the Harrisburg City Islanders. Photo: Charlie Flowe | OceanCityFC.com

Thanks to his two goals, including a game-winning, last-minute free kick, Roland Alberg of the Philadelphia Union was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round for the 2016 Fourth Round.

The two goals led the Union to a 3-2 victory over City Islanders SC (USL). Alberg is the first outfield player to win the award in 2016, and is the first player from the Netherlands to ever win the award.

The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters. Alberg beat out Diego Restrepo of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) by a single vote, denying him the first back-to-back player of the round victory by a goalkeeper in TheCup.us history. Other players receiving strong support included Danny Szetela of the New York Cosmos (NASL) and David Accam of the Chicago Fire (MLS).

Making his first US Open Cup appearance, Alberg gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead with a goal right before halftime against the City Islanders. After the Union squandered that lead in the 90th minute, Sebastian Le Toux won a free kick right outside the City Islanders box. Alberg stepped up to take it and curled a beautiful shot into the top corner to give his team the victory.

After the game, Alberg said, “Well, first of all, I was trying to kick it to the corner of the goalkeeper and then last minute my mindset was different, so I thought I would flip it over the wall and it goes in. The feeling was amazing. I’m happy with the win and going through.”

Alberg’s two goals in the US Open Cup were the first of his Union career. He followed that performance up with his first MLS goal in a 3-2 loss to New York City FC, followed by a midweek hat trick against the Chicago Fire. He has not gotten too many chances to play this year, but that might change with his recent success and the recent departure of Union midfielder Vincent Nogueira.

“I am happy today. It was my first game in a couple weeks – couple months…But, today I got my chance and I scored two goals. It’s what I said, amazing,” Alberg said.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Late Danny Szetela winner gives New York Cosmos second straight East River Derby win over NYCFC

June 18, 2016 by Luis Hernandez

Danny Szetela of the New York Cosmos celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against NYCFC in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Steve Hamlin | TICC

Last year, the New York Cosmos needed penalty kicks following to put away NYCFC after playing 120 minutes. This year, the Cosmos would get all they needed in 90. One goal off the head of Danny Szetela would advance the boys in green to the Round of 16 for the third time in as many years.

The Cosmos came out with no real surprises on the roster, save for one. Roversio was not only in the 18, he cracked the Starting XI. Surprises continued on the bench with the returns of Adam Moffat and Alexis Velela to the 18 after being sidelined by injury.
The Cosmos continued to employ the 4-1-4-1 formation that has given them the most success this season in the NASL.

After comments from NYCFC that they intended to take the game seriously, the jury is out on whether they did. The entirety of the City back line was subbed out, with Shannon Gomez making his first appearance of the season, as well as goalkeeper Eirik Johansen. Mix Diskerud was the only week-to-week starter in the midfield, as Khiry Shelton was up front.
Both sides challenged each other early, but the Cosmos got the better of the chances in the first half. They got the first real chance of the night when Yohandry Orozco delivered a ball into the box for Juan Arango who fired a shot on net that Johansen was able to get a glove on and deflect in the sixth minute. NYCFC got a chance of their own in the fifteenth as a Gomez cross into the box ended with a Kwadwo Poku header that took a bounce before ending up in the hands of Jimmy Maurer. Seconds later, the Cosmos returned from that play with an Orozco shot and another save from Johansen.
The Cosmos back line prevented an early City lead just moments after that as Maurer left his line to clear a ball from the edge of the box, nearly gifting a goal to Disekrud, but his low shot at the open net was correctly read and picked off by Ayoze.
The Cosmos came close to getting on the board in the 37th as Jairo Arrieta drew three defenders before slipping a ball over the top to Danny Szetela who made an unopposed run down the middle. The ball escaped him after his first touch and Johansen was able to step out and make the grab. Maurer would make a grab on an easy Diego Martinez ball on frame two minutes later.
The Cosmos were the first to make the books as Arango received a yellow for a tough foul on Poku in the 43rd. City would not stay out of the book much longer as Jefferson Mena committed one on Arrieta and saw a card just a minute later.
The yellows continued in the second half with one in the 52nd to White for dissent and one to Szetela a minute later for taking the feet of Mehdi Ballouchy out from under him.
City saw a great chance in the 54th as Martinez got a clear look at net and fired a curling ball from about 25 yards out that Maurer just parried away before it was cleared. Martinez was also involved shortly after delivering a cross to Diskerud that he headed wide.
With NYCFC getting the bulk of the chances through most of the second half, Maurer had to make another parry on a shot from Patrick Mullins in the 68th.
NYCFC made the first substitution of match bringing on forward Tony Taylor for Khiry Shelton in the 73rd. Seconds later, they came within inches of taking the lead.
Mullins received a long ball in the box, tipping it past Maurer, who had left his line, and evading a slide from behind by Roversio. Only the work of Hunter Freeman saved the visitors as he raced back to the line during the confusion and slid into the ball to clear it before Mullins could center to a wide-open Poku.
The Cosmos made the next sub of the evening, bringing in Adam Moffat for Ruben Bover in the 79th.
After suffering an injury minutes earlier, Mena left the game in the 87th, replaced by starting center back Jason Hernandez. Despite the addition of a starter to the back line, it would not stop the Cosmos from finally finishing a ball.
A minute after the sub, Ayoze delivered a ball to Moffat who made a run into the offensive end before sliding a pass wide left to Orozco. The Venezuelan put a cross into the six for Szetela, who made an unopposed run into the box and finished with a header past Johansen.
City immediately responded, bring off Ballouchy for Jack Harrison. The Cosmos brought on defender Jimmy Ockford, pulling Arrieta.
With City pushing ahead, the Cosmos nearly caught them again when Arango tried to chip the keeper from distance, but the shot went wide.
The Cosmos made one final substitution, with Orozco coming off for Lucky Mkosana, but time would run out with the Cosmos holding on to their lead.
The NASL side will now advance to the Round of 16 in the US Open Cup and host the New England Revolution at Belson Stadium in Queens on June 29th.

Notes:
 This was Roversio’s second start of the year since coming back from injury. He also started a friendly vs SD Eibar in Las Vegas last month.
 This is the third time the Cosmos have hurdled MLS competition in their first Open Cup match against them in as many years, doing it to NYCFC the last two years.
 This is the Cosmos’ first win on the road against an MLS side falling in 2015 to Red Bull and 2014 to the Philadelphia Union.
 The Cosmos, who have never lost in Open Cup competition as the home team (3-1-0), will have a unique opportunity as they host the Revolution and, if they advance, will host the winner of the Union-Red Bulls match

HIGHLIGHTS

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Sacha Kljestan PK holds up as New York Red Bulls edge Rhinos in Rochester

June 18, 2016 by Brendan Doherty

On Wednesday night, 3,561 people witnessed a hard-fought match between two hungry teams with very different track records in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The New York Red Bulls, who are seeking their first US Open Cup title, fielded a very strong lineup while the Rochester Rhinos, the 1999 champions, looked to maintain a 25-game unbeaten streak at home in all competitions. Despite the best efforts from Rhinos’ players, New York defeated its hosts 1-0 thanks to a 20th minute penalty kick from Sacha Kljestan in front of a large contingent of traveling support.

In the days leading up to the game, Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch told the media he was planning to send out a talented squad but his selection still turned a few heads. Kljestan, Bradley Wright-Phillips, and Gonzalo Veron led New York’s attack while Dax McCarty, Sal Zizzo, Aurelien Collin, and Luis Robles also started.

Playing a new 5-2-3 formation, Rochester seemed to surprise the visitors in the opening minutes. Steevan dos Santos, Michel Guilavogui, and Christian Volesky took the game to New York but failed to put any substantive on Robles.

Veron, who has struggled for fitness since a dominating preseason, was the clear danger man for New York. His teammates looked to feed him the ball and the Argentine caused trouble whenever he cut in from the left wing. This play led to the game’s only goal.

Veron received a pass from midfield and attempted to make a diagonal run into the Rochester penalty area. Sean Totsch, playing in the center of the defense, tried to shield Veron off the ball. The forward cast the second-year Rhino aside and carried on. Vasilis Apostolopoulos then stepped in front of Veron and fouled him in the box for a penalty.

Rochester players, and fans, were not arguing whether Apostolopoulos fouled Veron, but rather that the attacker has fouled Totsch earlier in the play. Regardless, Kljestan stepped up and coolly dispatched his penalty in the 20th minute to give the Red Bulls the first half lead. It was his second career US Open Cup goal, after picking up his first in last year’s tournament.

After the goal, Rochester appeared disheartened and receded in the game. New York put together sustained periods of pressure and earned half a dozen corner kicks before halftime. The Rhinos attack had created openings but failed to convert them into real chances on goal.

Youngster Alex Muyl, who scored one of his team’s seven goals in the team’s blowout win in league play against New York City FC, replaced Shaun Wright-Phillips in the 23rd minute after the veteran winger picked up a knock. In the second half, electric dribbler Mike Grella entered the game for Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 67th minute but certainly didn’t have the impact his recent performances may have suggested. Red Bulls’ final change brought central defender Ronald Zubar on for forward Veron with ten minutes left to shore up the defense and protect the team’s narrow narrow lead.

As Rochester pushed players forward, including rookie center back Joe Farrell, who scored a scorcher on the road in Toronto in USL on the weekend, they were exposed in the back. Grella broke through clean on goal but goalkeeper Tomas Gomez, who made six saves on the night, didn’t back down. With Grella bearing down on goal, Gomez came off his line and didn’t make it easy for Grella. The former San Jose reserve goalkeeper stayed on his feet and did well to block Grella’s breakaway shot.

The home team’s best chance to equalize the game started with a Kenardo Forbes free kick. Forbes floated service into the mixer from the right channel. Robles came off his line to punch but couldn’t wade through the mass of bodies to make clean contact. The ball fell to Totsch, who hit a neat instep volley on frame. While the ball may have been destined for the top corner at the near post, choosing accuracy over power allowed New York’s Zubar to head the ball clear off the line while Robles was still out of position in the 84th minute.

The visiting Red Bulls held on for the 1-0 victory over Rochester and will advance in the Open Cup. The win was the Red Bulls’ first over the Rhinos after losing their only other meeting back in 2005 in Rochester, 3-1. To give fans how long its been since their last meeting, Sergio Galvan Rey scored for New York that day

After the game New York head coach Jesse Marsch told media about the motivation to perform well in this competition.

“From the inside the players really want to take this tournament seriously and go after it and win a trophy. And certainly as an organization, we do,” said Marsch who won four US Open Cup titles as a player. We’re an organization that still doesn’t have enough trophies in the trophy case, so we look at every tournament as a real chance to put one in there. We wanted to put a good team on the field.”

“I’ll give credit to Rochester because they made us earn it,” said Marsch, who was on the DC United team that beat the Rhinos in the Final in 1996. “They didn’t give much away. We didn’t have too many chances. They competed hard. They battled. And we’re lucky to get out of here with the win.

“These games are never easy. Obviously if we can score a second goal, then we make our lives a bit easier, he added. “This game means a lot to them as well as it means a lot to us. Certainly, every inch that we gained we had to fight for. I give them credit but in the end, it was good for us to get the lead early on because it meant that the game settled in a little bit more. We didn’t have to be panicky or desperate. Overall it was a pretty professional performance from a lot of our guys.”

Rochester head coach Bob Lilley also talked about the strength of New York’s lineup after the game.

“I thought we’d get some regular starters, but I didn’t necessarily think we’d get as many as we did. But I told our guys to be ready. In the locker room, I said, ‘Hey, they’re paying you respect now but now you need to show them you can play. Go out ready to compete.’ I think our guys did. I loved the way we started the game. I just don’t think we took enough advantage of those early stages to really get after them. And once they kind of settled into the game, they dictated the pace of play. It was hard to get enough of the ball to really put them under pressure.”

In the end, Lilley was proud of his team’s performance and he feels they can carry the experience into league play.

“We limited their chances more than most MLS sides and certainly we pushed them a little bit more than they’ve been pushed recently,” Lilley said. “We certainly got benefits out of it and I think the guys need to see how they measure up and where they maybe fell short a little bit. But I think they’ll learn from this game. And I also think they’ll take positives for sure, because I think the guys recognize they didn’t mess around with their lineup, they put out a very strong lineup. I think that says something.”

“I’m pretty happy overall with how they performed on the night,” Lilley concluded with a smile.

The loss for the Rhinos ends a six-game Open Cup winning streak at home and a 25-game undefeated run in all competitions in Rochester dating back to August 2014. By winning and moving on in the tournament, the Red Bulls earned a trip to play rivals Philadelphia Union in the Fifth Round on June 29.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

Scoring Summary:

NY – Sacha Kljestan (PK) 20’
Discipline Summary:

ROC – Vasilios Apostolopoulos (caution, foul) 19’
NY – Gideon Baah (caution, foul) 82’
NY – Sean Davis (caution, foul) 90+1’
Lineups:

New York: Luis Robles; Justin Bilyeu, Gideon Baah, Aurelien Collin, Sal Zizzo, Dax McCarty ©, Sean Davis, Gonzalo Veron (Ronald Zubar, 80’), Sacha Kljestan, Shaun Wright-Phillips (Alex Muyl, 23’), Bradley Wright-Phillips (Mike Grella 67’)

Rochester: Tomas Gomez; Sean Totsch, Joseph Farrell, Vasilios Apostolopoulos, Marcos Ugarte, Brandon Beresford, Michel Guilavogui (Sofian Tergou 66’), Mike Garzi, Kenardo Forbes, Christian Volesky (Asani Samuels 66’), Steevan dos Santos

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: After 70 minute scare, Seattle Sounders pull away from PDL’s Kitsap Pumas, 2-0

June 17, 2016 by Nick Schiffler

The Seattle Sounders celebrate a goal against the Kitsap Pumas in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Seattle Sounders FC

The last amateur team left in the 2016 US Open Cup made the Seattle Sounders sweat for 70 minutes, but its efforts weren’t quite enough to cause what would have been a monumental upset.

Cristian Roldan and Joevin Jones scored second-half goals to send the Sounders past the Kitsap Pumas, 2-0, in a Fourth-Round matchup at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

The Sounders created more chances all night than their in-state opposition, and always looked more likely to score. Kitsap, a member of the fourth-division PDL, defended stoutly for the entire match and were able to fashion a few scoring chances of their own.

“ did a good job of being very organized,” said Sounders assistant coach Brian Schmetzer, filling in as head coach for the suspended Sigi Schmid. “They brought numbers back. It’s hard to play against teams sometimes when they pack it in. After the first goal they had to open up, and that made it easier to get some chances, get some counters.”

The Pumas opted to field a nearly first-choice lineup, while the Sounders, anticipating a cross-country road trip to take on the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, mixed in a large number of reserves. Regulars Roldan, Herculez Gomez and Zach Scott all started on the field for Seattle, but backup goalie Tyler Miller got the call in net, and midfielder Zach Mathers received a start in his first official match as a Sounder.

For the most part, Seattle was held in check in the first half, aside from Scott skimming the crossbar with a contested header. Late in the half Nathan Sturgis was forced off with an injury after colliding with Kitsap keeper Matt Grosey in the air. Erik Friberg replaced Sturgis to start the second half, and he immediately made an impact in midfield.

The game opened up in the second half. Kitsap’s Hamza Haddadi forced Miller into a rare save with a decent shot in the 56th minute. For the most part, Kitsap tried to create chances for a shock goal with their big defenders, sending them forward on set-piece opportunities whenever they could.

“That was a big team,” Schmetzer said. “We were a little concerned about that. We didn’t want to give away any unnecessary corner kicks and set pieces. I thought Tyler did a fantastic job commanding his six-yard box, I had no doubt in my mind that he was in control back there.”

Despite Kitsap’s best efforts Seattle began dominating possession, creating a string of crosses and set-piece opportunities that were repeatedly turned away. Finally Roldan was able to break the deadlock.

Roldan, already playing one of his best games for Seattle, got the Sounders on the board in the 71st minute with his first official goal for the team. Aaron Kovar’s cross into the box was deflected by a Kitsap defender and fell to Roldan in the box, who poked the ball up and over Grosey to loop into the back of the net.

“You know what you get out of every single time,” Schmetzer said. “He covers a lot of ground, he wins tackles, and he’s deceptively good in the air.”

Roldan was also influential in the second goal for the Sounders in the 90th minute. With Kitsap pressing forward in search of an equalizer, Roldan bodied a Pumas defender off the ball cleanly to win possession and tap a pass to Friberg. The Swede split the entire Kitsap defense with his pass to a sprinting Joevin Jones, who easily slotted his shot past Grosey to put the game away.

The two teams had faced off in the Cup once before on the very same field in the 2011 edition of the tournament. The Sounders won a close 2-1 contest thanks to a pair of Mike Fucito goals. They won the tournament that year for their third-straight championship.

A silver lining for the Pumas is that they win the tiebreaker with La Maquina for the $15,000 Division 4 (amateur) prize money for the team that advanced the furthest in the tournament. This is despite the fact that Kitsap is the only pro team in the PDL, a fully amateur league. (Kitsap’s professional status was grandfathered in when the league made the change to become all-amateur) They accomplish this because they don’t have any active NCAA players on their roster.

HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Diego Restrepo helps Fort Lauderdale Strikers make history in PK win over DC United

June 17, 2016 by Jack Cumming

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL narrowly escaped a reserve-filled DC United squad of Major League Soccer in a 4-3 penalty kick shootout. The game had to be decided from the penalty spot after 120 minutes of scoreless soccer at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Maryland in the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday.

It was a historic result for the Strikers as they eliminated a MLS team for the first time in club history (0-4-1, 1-0 PKs). It also marked the first time the Strikers advanced in an Open Cup game played on the road (0-5-2, 1-1 PKs).

With a second straight draw (and second straight penalty kick shootout win), they made an unfortunate bit of history as well. Fort Lauderdale broke the Modern Era record for longest winless streak. The seven-game winless streak began when they lost to the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) in the Third Round of the 2012 US Open Cup. They won a PK shootout with the Laredo Heat (PDL) in the opening game of the 2013 tournament, but then lost three straight games (2013 Round 3 vs. FC Dallas … 2014 Round 3 vs. Laredo Heat … 2015 Round 3 at Charleston Battery) before this year’s back-to-back PK wins.

Fort Lauderdale was able to overcome an incredibly slow first half start and upend the favored MLS squad to the Fifth Round.

Lead by goalkeeper Diego Restrepo who earned TheCup.us Player of the Round by saving three out of four penalties against the Richmond Kickers (USL) in the previous round, Fort Lauderdale was able to capitalize on DC United’s limited chances on goal and force extra time. United, who’s first shot came in the 53rd minute by 16-year-old home grown player, Chris Durkin, could not seem to find any rhythm offensively against the strikers.

DC head coach Ben Olsen played a young and primarily reserve squad throughout most of the match. Sean Franklin was the lone regular season starter and captain during the first half, before being substituted by Taylor Kemp. It wasn’t until the 85th minute when Luciano Acosta replaced Durkin that two regular season starters were on the pitch at the same time.

Fort Lauderdale fielded a primarily first-team squad, including Jean-Marc Alexandre, a Haitian international, who returned to the match after competing in the Copa America Centenario. Goalkeeper Diego Restrepo proved to be an asset for the second consecutive week in cup play making eight saves including a penalty to cap a “cupset” to the next round.

The Strikers are only one of two teams that do not compete in MLS to advance to the Fifth Round of the Cup.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Zachary Herivaux’s OT winner sends New England Revolution into Round of 16

June 17, 2016 by Ian Foster

Zachary Herivaux of the New England Revolution battles for the ball against the Carolina RailHawks in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Rob Kinnan | Carolina RailHawks

The New England Revolution truly outlasted the Carolina RailHawks, winning 1-0 after extra time in a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Fourth Round game interrupted after ten minutes by a two-hour lightning delay. 20-year-old Zachary Herivaux netted the winning goal in the 103rd minute on a firecracker from just outside the box. Herivaux, the Revs’ homegrown player who had played all of seven minutes since the beginning of the 2015 season, was the difference-maker on the night, also being responsible for holding back many a dangerous 2nd-half RailHawks attack.

The first nine minutes proved uneventful, but not as uneventful as the following two hours, during which play was suspended for lightning and overall nasty conditions. Fortunately, the RailHawks field held up and play resumed.

It was an unusually starter-laden lineup for an MLS team playing a lower-division team on the road. Diego Fagundez, Juan Agudelo, and Kelyn Rowe started alongside rookie revelation Femi Hollinger-Janzen, promising a youthful, dynamic attack. However, that attack never really materialized in the interrupted first half, with the RailHawks getting the slightly better of the first 45. Austin da Luz found the game’s first real chance in the 23rd minute, sending a close but wide-angle shot just past the crossbar.

Three minutes later, Mark Watson got on the end of a corner at the top of the box and sent a laser shot just wide of the goal. Brian Shriver generated the first half’s best chance, skimming the crossbar in the 33rd minute.

For all Carolina’s efforts, however, they went into the half goalless. But it continued to be all RailHawks into the second half, with Austin da Luz, Shriver, and second-half sub Jonathon Orlando bossing the final third, only to come up short on the final touch.

Controversy erupted in the 55th minute, when New England’s London Woodberry appeared to headbutt Drew Beckie, who had just picked up a yellow card a minute earlier, after a scramble in the RailHawks box. The official didn’t give Woodberry a yellow card until after the video replay.

Shriver and da Luz continued to threaten the New England goal, only for Herivaux to provide the saving tackle each time. In the 59th minute, da Luz appeared to miss a sitter. Harivaux was the real culprit, getting to the ball a split-second before da Luz.

The match continued with everyone on the pitch into the 79th minute, when Chris Tierney came on, completing a trio of MLS-regular subs for the Revs (Tierney, Lee Nguyen, and Kei Kamara). The superior talent finally started to shine as the Revs dominated possession, but without a regulation goal to show for it.

That talent would have to win out after the first full-time whistle. In the 103rd minute, Herivaux collected a loose ball at the top of the box and fired into the back of the net.

“Before the break, we thought he was a little tentative, a little nervous,” said New England coach Jay Heaps about Herivaux after the game. “During the break, we had a little heart-to-heart with him just to free himself up, play himself into the game and that’s what he did. When you have young players, you want them to play into the game and of course he scored the goal but he did a lot of things up to that point, winning challenges, defending when we had to.”

The RailHawks would not let up, as second-half substitute Alex Perez nearly equalized in the final moments. Brad Knighton, however, foiled two point-blank Perez efforts in the 117th minute and 121st minute, respectively, to seal New England’s spot in the Round of 16.

“If Knighton isn’t as good as he is tonight,” Heaps said, “we’re probably kicking penalty kicks right now. He was just in the right spots tonight, and that was the difference.”

“We thoroughly deserved to win the game and we didn’t,” said Carolina head coach Colin Clarke. “We didn’t take our chances. I thought we were by far the better team over the course of the 120 minutes, we should be through to the next round and I’m very disappointed.”

For the Revolution, it was just the second game decided in extra time in the club’s history. The first coming against the RailHawks in the 2007 Semifinals when they denied the first-year club a spot in the Final. It was a 93rd minute goal by Pat Noonan that denied Carolina a spot in the championship game.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Chicago Fire need PKs to eliminate NASL spring champ Indy Eleven

June 17, 2016 by Jeff Engelhardt

David Accam of the Chicago Fire celebrates his goal against Indy Eleven in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire rallied late in extra time and narrowly edged Indy Eleven 4-3 in penalty kicks Wednesday at Toyota Park to advance to the Round of 16 in the 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The NASL Spring Champions gave the Fire all they could handle, taking a 1-0 lead in the 105th minute and threatening to become only the third team in Open Cup history to eliminate the Fire in a game played in their home state.

Forward Justin Braun, who had accounted for Indy Eleven’s two best scoring chances on the night, put his team on the board when he received the ball at the top of the box and executed a textbook turn and shoot to beat a diving Matt Lampson to his left side.

Indy appeared on the verge of victory before Chicago Fire forward David Accam, who had been plagued by missed opportunities all evening, leveled the score in the 111th minute. The speedy Ghanaian took matters into his own hands with a run down the right side of the box. One shot fake sent two Indy defenders sliding out of position and a quick cut back inside was all the space he needed to finish his chance in the top corner.

The game entered penalty kicks where Indy Eleven once again took an early advantage courtesy of a Nicki Paterson goal and a miss by Fire forward Kennedy Igboananike. The teams both converted their second attempts but the Fire drew level after Nemanja Vukovic was denied by Lampson in the third round and Fire left back Brandon Vincent converted. The score was level at three when Accam struck once again to give Chicago the 4-3 victory in penalty kicks.

Leading up to extra time, it it was Chicago that missed opportunity after opportunity, keeping the window open for a dangerous Indy Eleven side to capitalize.

Paterson got the scoring chances started for Indy Eleven in the 14th minute with a lofted shot from about 20 yards out. Lampson, scrambling backwards, parried the ball up and away from the net.

Chicago started to turn up the heat in the 20th minute when midfielder Khaly Thiam just missed the far post. It was followed up two minutes later when Thiam found Accam on the break and Accam sent his point blank shot off the woodwork.

Thiam and Accam would continue to connect, with Thiam missing a header off an Accam free kick in the 29th minute and putting a shot on goal in the 38th and Accam forcing a save in the 39th.

But as the half closed down, Braun nearly opened the scoring with a shot from the left side of the box that barely missed the back post. He then found midfielder Dylan Mares on a break but it was broken up by Fire defender Jonathan Campbell.

Indy Eleven regained control in the second half as coach Tim Hankinson seemed to hit all the right buttons with his substitutions. After Braun forced another difficult save from Lampson, Hankinson brought in Souleymane Youla for Mares. The substitute forward had an immediate influence on the game, putting a shot off goal in the 71st minute but involved in threatening buildups throughout.

The Fire had some chances including from substitute Nick LaBrocca who missed an open net in the 84th minute, from midfielder Razvan Cocis who was robbed with a kick save by Indy Eleven goalkeeper Jon Busch and from Igboananike who missed a point-blank open net after Busch gave up a rebound in the six-yard box.

Unlike the Fire’s missed opportunities, Hankinson’s second substitute, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, made the most of his. The former Red Bull made a brilliant pass to Braun to assist on the goal in the 105th minute.

While it wasn’t the perfect performance, Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said it was a hard-fought win after a two-week layoff.

HIGHLIGHTS