Penn FC/Harrisburg City Islanders

2018 US Open Cup Round 3: Who should be the TheCup.us Player of the Round?

May 25, 2018 by J.T. Alwin

Now that the Third Round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is finished, it’s time to look back at some of the standout performances of the 12 matches.

From dominant displays to rocket shots to vital moments, there are plenty of great performances to choose from for TheCup.us Player of the Round.
The staff of TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters vote for the award, but if you had a vote, who would you choose?

Reyno Bustamante (Fresno FC, USL)
With Fresno FC locked in a tough extra-time period on the road against Sporting AZ FC (USASA), Bustamante worked some magic to score the game-winner in the 99th minute.

Austin da Luz (North Carolina FC, USL)
The veteran NCFC midfielder da Luz put on quite a performance, scoring the game-winning goal at home in a 4-1 victory against the Ocean City Nor’easters (PDL). He also assisted twice, on the game’s opening goal, as well as NCFC’s first insurance goal.

Allisson Faramillio (FC Golden State Force, PDL)
Going up against USL side Las Vegas Lights at home, Faramillio provided all of the offense Golden State needed. He scored the opener in the 75th minute, breaking a scoreless tie. After Vegas had tied the game a short time later, the Force earned a penalty kick in stoppage time, and Allisson was able to find the net to send his side home 2-1 winners.

Luiz Fernando (Richmond Kickers, USL)
With Richmond hosting fellow USL side Penn FC, Fernando started the game off on fire. He notched his first goal just 11 minutes in, and repeated the feat again in the 22nd minute. The Kickers would end up moving on to the Fourth Round, winning 3-2.

Christian Okeke (NTX Rayados, USASA)
After coughing up a 2-0 home lead within a span of five minutes against FC Wichita of the NPSL, the Rayados were on the ropes when they subbed in Okeke in the 82nd minute. Their faith in the forward was repaid just four minutes later, as he notched the game-winner in a 3-2 victory.

Jorge Rivera (Penn FC, USL)
Playing on the road against fellow USL team Richmond Kickers, Penn FC was on their heels after Luiz Fernando had a hot start (see above). However, Rivera helped dig the visitors out of the hole, getting them on the board at 36th minute, then tying the game with a half hour left. While his team would ultimately lose, Rivera’s effort was nothing short of heroic to prevent a possible blowout and rally his team.

Sean Totsch (Louisville City FC, USL)
King’s Cup rival Saint Louis FC (USL) came to town, in a match that largely came down to defense, and Totsch helped City’s backline limit chances and helped keeper Tim Dobrowolski keep a clean sheet. However, it was on the other end where Totsch was vital, running on the ball and launching an absolute screamer from five yards outside the box into the top left corner of the net, giving the home team a 1-0 win.

2018 US Open Cup Round 3: Late goal gives Richmond Kickers 3-2 win over Penn FC

May 24, 2018 by Greg Wolfe

The Richmond Kickers rode an offensive surge from Luiz Fernando and the late heroics of Heviel Cordovés on Wednesday night in a 3-2 victory against Penn FC in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Fernando and Jorge Rivera traded two goals apiece for Richmond and Penn respectively before Cordovés ultimately sealed the match for the Kickers with a late winner.

Though there were only two yellow cards administered, it proved to be a physical affair on both sides. Weathering the early pressure by Penn FC, Fernando latched onto the end of a long ball sent in by Conor Shanoksy and finished with a volley in the 13th minute to put the USL side up, 1-0.

Fernando would go on to double his joy and Richmond’s advantage in the 22nd minute. The forward collected a centering pass from Yudai Imura in the middle of the box before slotting it home for his second of the match.

Despite a raucous crowd enjoying an early two-goal lead, Rivera provided a lifeline for Penn FC heading into halftime after scoring his first of the match in the 36th minute. Following a corner given up by Richmond goalkeeper Trevor Spagenberg, Rivera linked up with Saalih Muhammad to pull one back for the visitors.

With a one-goal deficit coming out of the break, Penn FC picked up where they left off with an aggressive push forward. Penn finally managed to level the affair in the 60th minute after Fabio De Sousa unlocked the Richmond defense and sent Rivera on with only Spagenberg to beat. Rivera did well to dodge the on-rushing Richmond keeper before tapping in the equalizer.

“We were playing to avoid extra time there at the end,” commented Kickers coach Leigh Cowlishaw after the game. “We were excited to try and get that chance at a home game that’s so exciting for the city later in the tournament.”

With just seven minutes remaining in the match, Heviel Cordovés found the winner for the home side. Cordovés did well to float in to space behind the defense, and Austin Yearwood sent in a low cross that the forward finished, unmarked, with a left-footed volley.

.@Cordoves16 with the third goal of the night to get the Kickers back in the lead#USOC2018 pic.twitter.com/XNLCVuaURP

— Richmond Kickers (@RichmondKickers) May 24, 2018

Despite a few solid chances for Penn FC in the dying embers of the match, Richmond’s defense proved sturdy enough to weather the storm and earn advancement to the Fourth Round.
For the first time since 2015, the Kickers have won two matches in their Open Cup campaign. It was also the club’s 30th all-time US Open Cup which moves them into a tie for seventh on the all-time list. Richmond now awaits the announcement of their next opponent, which will be determined through a draw on Thursday morning at 11 a.m. EST.

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Penn FC explodes with three late goals to oust FC Motown

May 20, 2018 by Matt Reed

Penn FC used a late flurry of brilliance on the road to top FC Motown, 3-1, and reach the Third Round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday night at Ranger Stadium in Madison, New Jersey.

The visitors managed to break down Motown on three occasions in the final 12 minutes to move into the next round of the US Open Cup, with Miguel Jaime, Prince Baffoe and Pedro Galvao all finding their way onto the scoresheet.

Jaime leveled the match at 1-1 in the 78th minute with a brilliant strike from distance after Penn created a turnover deep in the Motown half of the field. Meanwhile, Baffoe notched the game-winner two minutes later when he scored an equally-brilliant finish from outside the box.

Penn wasn’t done though, as Galvao scored the side’s third goal in the 90th minute to put the game out of reach for Motown with a tremendous individual run and finish.

Another one!@PennFCOfficial takes down @fc_motown 3-1 and is heading to the 3️⃣rd Round of the #USOC2018. @pedrofgalvao with the insurance goal in the 90th minute. pic.twitter.com/MnaFhIZjFn

— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) May 17, 2018

Motown, based in Morristown, New Jersey (not Detroit), went ahead 1-0 in the 53rd minute after creating a quality chance off of a turnover. Dilly Duka’s left foot gave Motown the advantage early in the second half, with the former MLS attacker scoring his third goal in two Open Cup matches.

The poor conditions on the night forced both sides to adapt their playing styles, with the first half, in particular, presenting very few chances for either club.

Max Garcia’s long-range shot in the 28th minute afforded Penn goalkeeper Sean Lewis with his biggest challenge of the opening stanza, but the shot-stopper managed to make an impressive diving save to his left to keep the match scoreless.

Penn FC, the club formerly known as the Harrisburg City Islanders, will move on to the Third Round for the fifth year in a row. They are one of the top giant killers in the country, having upset five Major League Soccer teams in club history. In Round 3, they will move on to face another USL team, the Richmond Kickers, on the road on May 23.