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Sainey Touray

TheCup.us Player of the Round: Two goals by Sainey Touray help City Islanders slay another giant, earn him Fourth Round honor

June 19, 2012 by Gerald Barnhart

Sainey Touray has scored three goals in the 2012 US Open Cup. Photo: Derek Meluzio | PennLive.com

Former New York Red Bulls signee Sainey Touray became just the third player from a third division club to score twice against a Major League Soccer opponent in leading his Harrisburg City Islanders to a surprise 3-1 overtime victory in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup, earning him TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

The selection marks only the seventh time since TheCup.us began recognizing the tournament’s outstanding performances in 2006 that a player was selected from a third division club – the second beyond the third round.

Touray, who has yet to score in USL Pro league play, scored the go-ahead goal both times for the City Islanders Tuesday evening. Brian Ombiji got the ball near the top of the 18-yard box. After some deft footwork, he crossed the ball to Touray, who headed the ball into the back of the net in the 13th minute. Four minutes into overtime Jason Pelletier found himself with the ball in space in the middle of the field. He lobbed a pass over the top of the defense and right into the path of Touray, who slotted it past rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara and into the net.

This was the fifth time in the last six tournaments that the City Islanders have eliminated an MLS team. The Charleston Battery are the only other lower division team in the country who has five MLS upsets in the last six years, but four of those upsets were as a second division club.

Touray joins Glenn Murray and Marquis White as the only third division players to tally twice in a game against an MLS team. Murray scored two for the Wilmington Hammerheads in a 4-1 win over Dallas in the 2003 Fourth Round. White scored both goals in the 1997 Third Round against Kansas City as the San Francisco Bay Seals made their historic run to the Semifinals.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a select panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week award.

Sainey Touray of the Harrisburg City Islanders controls the ball against the New York Red Bulls. Photo: Derek Meluzio | PennLive.com

Touray is no stranger to late-game drama. He scored his first US Open Cup goal in his tournament debut a year ago for Harrisburg, netting a stoppage 2-1 winner against fellow Philadelphia Union affiliate Reading United AC of the PDL in the Second Round. In the following round he was sent off in stoppage time as the club was knocked out by league foe Rochester after entering game for the final nine minutes and seeing the Rhinos score on a penalty in the 89th.

After sitting out the required suspension for the Second Round match versus the PDL Long Island Rough Riders this year, Touray returned to the lineup and scored the second of three goals in the miracle three-goal overtime rally against New England Revolution before eliminating the MLS club in penalties after a 3-3 draw.

“You never know what could happen at times in this lovely game and to come up big when your team needs you is a great feeling,” Touray told Derek Meluzio of PennLive.com. “I’m so happy to be part of this club in these great moments.

The Gambian seems to have finally found his home in the United States. He was basically just a kid when he started to excel in his homeland, joining second division club Tallinding United at 13 and signing with the first division’s Wallidan at 15. In 2008 he was the club’s leading scorer while leading them to the league title.

The success sparked a move to the US, where he signed with the Red Bulls only to see his career grind basically to a halt. He only saw action in six Reserve team matches after signing via a trial. After another stint with Wallidan he returned in 2010, signing with the Carolina RailHawks, but again he saw no action with the club, and spent a part of the campaign on loan to Harrisburg.

That was the beginning. He scored in the one appearance he made for the team. He returned and was one of the club’s outstanding performers last year, finishing second in points and third in goals on the squad with seven goals and six assists.

Third Division players named TheCup.us Player of the Round

2012 Fourth Round: Sainey Touray (Harrisburg City Islanders)
2011 Quarterfinals: Ronnie Pascale (Richmond Kickers)
2011 Second Round: David Bulow (Richmond Kickers)
2010 Third Round: Tim Melia (Charleston Battery)
2009 Second Round: Kenny Bundy (Wilmington Hammerheads)
2008 Second Round: Floyd Franks (Cleveland City Stars)
2008 First Round: Pat Healey (Crystal Palace Baltimore)

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2012 Fourth Round, 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, 2012 Player of the Round, 2012 US Open Cup, Harrisburg City Islanders, Player of the Round, Sainey Touray

2012 US Open Cup Fourth Round: City Islanders’ Cinderella story continues, ousts New York Red Bulls in OT

June 6, 2012 by Michael Berton

Sainey Touray (with the ball) scored two goals for the City Islanders. Photo: Harrisburg City Islanders

Sainey Touray was a lonely figure up front for the Harrisburg City Islanders. With the New York Red Bulls possessing the ball for a majority of the 120-minute game in the Harrisburg half, Touray had to do the best he could with limited chances as the lone forward.

He did just that, scoring in the 13th minute and again in the 94th to propel the City Islanders into the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Lucky Mkosana added a third Harrisburg goal in the 118th minute. Connor Lade had New York’s lone goal in the 59th.

This was the fifth time in the last six tournaments that the City Islanders have eliminated an MLS team, as the 3rd Division pro team will reach the Quarterfinals for the fourth time. The Charleston Battery are the only lower division team in the country who has five MLS upsets in the last six years, but four of those upsets were as a 2nd Division club.

The Red Bulls started the game by possessing the ball in the Harrisburg half—something that would remain true throughout the game. New York found plenty of room down the flanks, leading to numerous crosses. However, it would be Harrisburg getting on the board first.

Brian Ombiji got the ball near the top of the 18-yard box. After some deft footwork, he crossed the ball to Touray, who headed the ball into the back of the net in the 13th minute.

The Red Bulls doubled down offensively after giving up the early goal. Harrisburg could barely get the ball across the midfield stripe. The City Islanders held firm defensively though. New York had several chances, but very few troubled the Harrisburg goalkeeper Nick Noble.

New York’s never-ending pressure finally led to a result in the 59th minute. A defensive miscue led to a wide-open shot for Lade. He easily slotted the ball past Noble, tying the game and seemingly giving the Red Bulls all the momentum.

After the goal, Dax McCarty began asserting his presence onto the game. His chip shot was saved by Noble in the 66th minute. He also hit the post in the 70th. Defensively, McCarty constantly applied pressure to Harrisburg players, barely giving them room to breathe. His strong effort did not lead to a New York game-winner, however.

With the score tied at 1-1, the game headed to extra time. The City Islanders are no strangers to extra time in the open cup, having beaten New England in last round on penalty kicks and coming into the match having never lost an Open Cup match that went into overtime. Using some more of that extra time magic, Jason Pelletier found himself with the ball in space in the middle of the field. He lobbed a pass over the top of the defense and right into the path of Touray, who slotted it past rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara and into the net.

Harrisburg City Islanders

After that unlikely goal, Harrisburg was determined to see the game out, and they would do that, but not without getting the benefit of a missed call. The Red Bulls were on the attack and sent a cross into the box and the ball was cleared away beyond the endline. New York players appealed for a penalty kick because they believed that Pelletier handled the ball while clearing the ball over the endline, but the referee waived play on. It appeared on video replay that Pelletier did touch the ball. The Red Bulls would continue to push for the equalizer as the home team would face a torrent of New York shots, including a dangerous free kick shot by McCarty and a header that hit of the crossbar. In the end, Harrisburg weathered the storm and even added another goal. On a corner in the 118th minute, Yann Ekra found Mkosana in the box. Mkosana scored his first career Open Cup goal to secure Harrisburg’s place in the quarterfinals.

Having won two-straight games against MLS competition at home, the City Islanders will face yet another MLS team, but this time on the road. On June 26, Harrisburg will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Union, who were 2-1 winners over DC United on Tuesday. Interestingly enough, the City Islanders will have a bit of a warm up before they take on the Union in the Quarterfinals. They have an exhibition match scheduled with their MLS affiliate in Harrisburg on June 12.

Harrisburg City Islanders 3:1 (AET) New York Red Bulls
Skyline Sports Complex – Harrisburg, Pa.

HCI: Sainey Touray (Ombiji) 13
NYRB: Connor Lade (unassisted) 59
HCI: Sainey Touray (Pelletier) 94
HCI: Lucky Mkosana (Ekra) 118

Discipline:
HCI: Bilal Duckett (caution-29)
HCI: Andrew Wekler (caution-38)
HCI: Jason Pelletier (caution-87)
NYRB: Jhonny Arteaga (caution-90+)
HCI: Stephan Basso (caution-90+)
HCI: Nick Noble (caution-115)
NYRB: Markus Holgersson (caution-120)

Lineups:
Harrisburg City Islanders: Nick Noble; Bilal Duckett, Andrew Marshall, Tom Brandt, Stephan Basso; Brian Ombiji (Tom Mellor-89), Andrew Welker (Yann Ekra-59), Morgan Langley (Lucky Mkosana-69), JT Noone, Jason Pelletier; Sainey Touray

New York Red Bulls: Ryan Meara; Wilman Conde, Markus Holgersson, Heath Pearce, Brandon Barklage (Jonathan Borrajo-115); Connor Lade, Mehdi Ballouchy, Dax McCarty (Stephen Keel-117), Jan Gunnar Solli; Jhonny Arteaga, Kenny Cooper

Att: 1,477

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2012 Fourth Round, 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, 2012 US Open Cup, Connor Lade, Harrisburg City Islanders, Lucky Mkosana, New York Red Bulls, Sainey Touray

2012 US Open Cup Round 3: City Islanders stun New England Revolution in PKs after wild 3-goal OT rally

May 30, 2012 by Gerald Barnhart

The Harrisburg City Islanders and the New England Revolution line up for the player introductions before their Third Round match in the 2012 US Open Cup. Photo: Harrisburg City Islanders

Could you script a more dramatic storyline than what unfolded at the Skyline Sports Complex Tuesday evening in Harrisburg, Penn.? Trailing by three with nine minutes remaining in overtime, the home club Harrisburg City Islanders rallied with three unanswered goals to force a penalty kick tiebreaker against Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution before prevailing from the spot, 4-3, with a saved attempt in the final round from US international Benny Feilhaber.

The win earns Harrisburg another home game in the tournament as they will host the New York Red Bulls next Tuesday at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pa. It will be a re-match of the 2010 Third Round game where the City Islanders needed extra time to pull off a 1-0 upset over the MLS side.

Heading to Harrisburg, the New England Revolution knew full well what the City Islanders were capable of. The third division side had already earned three wins in previous tournaments against MLS opposition, including a 2-1 overtime decision against them in 2009.

It was a wet and wild night for Coach Becher of Harrisburg

Even with the Revolution losing Diego Fagundez to a red card in the 36th minute, it looked like the game was going to be another toss-up as the final whistle sounded and things were still in a stalemate.  It was not for a lack of chances as New England’s Kelyn Rowe banged one off the crossbar off goalkeeper Nick Noble’s fingertip just two minutes into the match. Harrisburg was also denied by the woodwork when Sainey Touray put his effort off the crossbar three minutes into the second half.

Cut to overtime, where the story really gets wild. Despite playing down a man, the Revolution got their first goal five minutes into the extra session from Lee Nguyen worked through the midfield before sending Rowe behind the defense for a toe-poke tally past the charging Noble.

That seemed to the breaking point as the City Islanders gave up two more in the next eight minutes. Nguyen converted a penalty after Feilhaber was taken down in the box; and Feilhaber himself added the third by beating a defender and ripping a shot into the top of the goal.

Game over. Well, not quite.

Brian Ombiji put away a Tom Mellor cross from the left flank for what seemed to be a consolation strike. Then with three minutes left, Touray made matters anxious yet again with Harrisburg’s second goal.

On essentially the final play of the match, local favorite JT Noone, claimed hero status with a 20-yard effort inside the left post to send the game to penalty kicks. For Noone, he joined a select group of players who have scored goals in four consecutive Open Cup tournaments. His first came in 2009 with the Ocean City Barons (now Ocean City Nor’easters), and the last three seasons, he has scored at least one goal for his hometown City Islanders.

Unfortunately, that hero status did not last long as New England back-up goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth saved Noone’s opening attempt of the shootout. He was partially relieved of guilt the following round when Revolution goalscorer Rowe sent his effort off the crossbar.

And with the final kick of the shootout, Feilhaber’s effort was stopped by Noble, who came into the match with four consecutive shutouts, including last week’s Second Round 2-0 win against Long Island Rough Riders (PDL).

Harrisburg City Islanders 3:3 (4:3 APK) New England Revolution
Skyline Sports Complex (Harrisburg, Pa.)

Scoring Summary:
NE – Kelyn Rowe (Lee Nguyen) 95
NE – Lee Nguyen (penalty kick) 100
NE – Benny Feilhaber (Blake Brettschneider) 103
HAR – Brian Ombiji (Tom Mellor) 111
HAR – Sainey Touray (unassisted) 117
HAR – JT Noone (unassisted) 120

Penalty kicks:
HAR – Joseph Noone (save)
NE – Lee Nguyen (goal)
HAR – Stephen Basso (goal)
NE – Kelyn Rowe (miss – crossbar)
HAR – Bilal Duckett (goal)
NE – Mike Roach (goal)
HAR – Drew Yates (goal)
NE – Blake Brettschneider (goal)
HAR – Andrew Marshall (goal)
NE – Benny Feilhaber (save)

Lineups:

New England Revolution: Bobby Shuttleworth (GK), Tyler Polak, John Lozano, Darrius Barnes ©, Alec Purdie, Mike Roach, Fernando Cardenas (Benny Feilhaber 79), Kelyn Rowe, Jeremiah White (Lee Nguyen 63), Diego Fagundez, Jose Moreno (Blake Brettschneider 70) Substitutes Not Used: Tim Murray, Stephen McCarthy

Harrisburg City Islanders: Nicholas Noble (GK), Stephen Basso, Tom Brandt (Tom Mellor 100), Andrew Marshall, Bilal Duckett, Jason Pelletier, Andrew Welker (Drew Yates 64), Joseph Noone, Morgan Langley (Garret Pettis 76), Brian Ombiji, Sainey Touray Substitutes Not Used: Dustin Bixler, Bryan Holt, Adrian LeRoy, Colin Zizzi

NE STATS: Shots 10, Corner Kicks 5, Saves 6, Fouls 12 Offsides 5
HAR STATS: Shots 17, Corner Kicks 6, Saves 2, Fouls 20, Offsides 4

Misconduct Summary:
HAR – Sainey Touray (caution) 11
NE – Jeremiah White (caution) 17
NE – Diego Fagundez (ejection) 36
HAR – Jason Pelletier (caution) 45
HAR – Brian Ombiji (caution 89)

Referee: Ayodeji Obisesan
Assistant Referees: Albert Calise, Eric Weisbrod
Fourth Official: Jaroslaw Werel

Weather: Rainy and 80 degrees
Attendance: 441

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, 2012 Third Round, 2012 US Open Cup, Benny Feilhaber, Brian Ombiji, Harrisburg City Islanders, JT Noone, Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen, New England Revolution, Sainey Touray

2011 US Open Cup First Round: City Islanders need late rally to get past 10-man Reading United

June 15, 2011 by Chuck Nolan Jr.

Harrisburg City Islanders

Harrisburg City IslandersHarrisburg City Islanders came on late to earn a come from behind win against a shorthanded Reading United 2-1 at the Skyline Sports Complex.

Reading struck first on a David Rodriguez shot that put them up in the 35th minute, and held the upper hand throughout the half. However, their luck changed in the 53rd minute when Stephen Okai was given a straight red for a challenge on Harrisburg defender Stephen Basso. That left United with 10 men, however the team still held their resolve against a City Islanders side that showed little energy.

Harrisburg also struggled against amateur side Brooklyn Italians last year before forcing overtime and finally winning. They finally managed to get pressure on Reading in the last 10 minutes, with JT Noone slotting home his fifth career Open Cup goal on a ball from Jason Hotchkin with four minutes remaining to tie the game. During stoppage time, Jordan Seabrook served up a ball on the wing to Sainey Touray. Touray had United keeper Bryan Holt out of position, and sent home the game-winner to avert an upset.

Harrisburg kept a couple of streaks intact with the win. The club remains perfect in First Round matches (5-0-0) the last five years and the City Islanders have yet to lose to an an amateur side in tournament play (6-0-0 vs. Amateur Teams | 4-0-0 vs. PDL).

They will move on to host USL Pro rivals Rochester Rhinos at the Skyline Sports Complex on Tuesday, July 21st. The winner of the game will advance to the Third Round where they will face off with an MLS opponent to be determined. Game time is set at 7 p.m.

JT Noone’s equalizer

Highlights from CBS 21 Harrisburg

RECAP: Reading United AC | Reading Eagle | The Patriot-News (Harrisburg)

Scoring Summary
35th minute: Rodriguez (Barreiro)
86th minute: Noone (Hotchkin)
90th minute: Touray (Seabrook)

Shots Saves Fouls Corners
Reading: 11 Reading: 2 Reading: 14 Reading: 2
Harrisburg: 9 Harrisburg: 5 Harrisburg: 17 Harrisburg: 6

Cautions:
31′: Lasse Sohrweide (Reading)
76′: Jason Hotchkin (Harrisburg)
87′: Dustin Bixler (Harrisburg)
87′: Josh Rich (Reading)
90′: Matt Hedges (Reading)

Ejections:
53’: Okai (Reading)
90′: coach (Reading)

Referee: Eric Weisbrod

Assistant Referees: Ross Kleinstuber, Katja Koroleva
Fourth Official: Rich Giusti

Filed Under: US Open Cup History Tagged With: 2011 First Round, 2011 US Open Cup, David Rodriguez, Harrisburg City Islanders, JT Noone, Reading United AC, Sainey Touray

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