Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2018 US Open Cup

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Sporting AZ lone UPSL team left after PK upset of Phoenix Rising

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Players from Sporting AZ celebrate during the club's 2018 US Open Cup match against Phoenix Rising. Photo: Sporting AZ
Players from Sporting AZ celebrate during the club’s 2018 US Open Cup match against Phoenix Rising. Photo: Sporting AZ FC

Sporting AZ FC was anything but favored against USL side Phoenix Rising in the second round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Wednesday night. However, Sporting AZ found itself on the right side of a 5-4 penalty shootout to continue its Cinderella run through the tournament.

Sporting AZ defender Eijin Kishimoto rifled a shot to the bottom left corner of the goal, causing an eruption of cheers from teammates and fans.

Even so, those same fans were biting their nails throughout the contest as Phoenix Rising hit its opponent with a relentless bombardment of offensive attacks. After the first 15 minutes of the match, Rising pushed Sporting AZ’s defense to a near collapse.

Phoenix Rising’s Kevaughn Frater, Chris Cortez and Alessandro Riggi slowly but surely maneuvered their way through their opponent’s tight defensive formation.

In the 64th minute, Sporting AZ’s defense reached its breaking point when Cortez got behind a couple defenders to find the back of the net.

“We were the underdogs and wanted to fight,” said Sporting AZ midfielder Danny Arrubla. “And have that Cinderella story keep going throughout the Open Cup.”

The only reason that story continues is because Arrubla wasted merely three minutes to even the score.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t a ridiculously heavy push from the midfielders and forwards to carry out the attack. Instead, Sporting AZ kept to its game plan that proved successful for the first 63 minutes – counter attack.

After finding themselves knotted up at one a piece with less than 25 minutes to play, exhaustion began to set in. Multiple substitutions were made, and neither teams’ coaches appeared too pleased with their squads’ offensive display.

It wasn’t until the allotted 90 minutes of regular time was up till the pace picked up again.

“We just worked 15 by 15,” said Sporting AZ forward Ryan Flood. “We set it out, and we said you know what ‘we’re going to grind for 15 minutes and put ourselves in a good position’.”

The team once known as the Arizona Sahuaros had a chance in the 110th minute when Tony Cascio split two defenders on a run up the middle. Except, his attempt didn’t bear any fruit.

Sporting AZ again had an opportunity to secure an edge in the 112th minute on a free kick from roughly 35 yards out. The ball ended up in the dirt past the far right post.

After Sporting AZ failed to capture a lead, Phoenix Rising got its chance in the 118th minute on a free kick awarded after a handball.

“(Our defenders are) tough guys,” said assistant coach Tom Hurdle. “They will put their heads in there at the last minute, and they’ll do whatever it takes to clear a ball. I wasn’t particularly worried, because I know they’d been doing it for the previous 118 minutes anyways.”

A cross was launched to the back post where it appeared to be headed in by a Rising player. Phoenix’s bench rose to its feet and cheered – a little too early.

The header didn’t connect with the back of the net. Rather, it just missed the bottom left corner.

With neither team able to prove victorious after 120 minutes and change, it was time for a penalty shootout.

Phoenix Rising missed the first and sixth attempt. On the other side, Sporting AZ nailed five of their six shots, all but one finishing in the bottom left corner of the goal.

Sporting AZ will play Fresno FC of the USL next week in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: NTX Rayados use late equalizer, three OT goals to upset OKC Energy

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NTX Rayados huddle up at their Second Round match in the 2018 US Open Cup against OKC Energy FC. Photo: NTX Rayados
NTX Rayados huddle up at their Second Round match in the 2018 US Open Cup against OKC Energy FC. Photo: NTX Rayados

Dallas-based amateur club NTX Rayados scored three times in extra-time and took down the visiting Oklahoma City Energy 5-2 in a wild Round 2 affair on Wednesday night at Richland College. Alberto Rodriguez and Christian Okeke each scored twice for Rayados while midfielder Lucio Martinez added the fifth. OKC got a penalty kick from Philip Rasmussen and another goal from Miguel Gonzalez.

After qualifying for the tournament for the seventh year in a row, Rayados have now won back-to-back US Open Cup games for the first time, and Wednesday’s win is also the first time the club has upset a professional team.

OKC looked the better side early on in the first half, earning a corner kick in the third minute that ultimately went wasted. Three minutes later, a free header was struck right back at NTX goalkeeper Eduardo Cortes Sanchez. The Energy earned another corner in the 12th minute, but failed to capitalize. A hard foul right outside the box by NTX gave the visitors an excellent free kick opportunity, but the shot went straight into the wall. As the first half wore on, NTX gained several spells of possession and the momentum swing back in their favor. In the 29th minute, OKC goalkeeper Matt VanOekel misplayed a backpass and nearly coughed up an own goal, but was able to clear. Then the breakthrough for NTX came in the 38th minute when Victor Pinal was played through and beat the offside trap, cutting back inside the box and playing a centered pass to Alberto Rodriguez, who produced a clinical finish. Rayados took the 1-0 lead into the half.

The Energy came out of the break looking like a team possessed. A free kick less than a minute into the second half went just wide of the goal and they kept up the pressure. In the 50th minute, Philip Rasmussen converted a penalty and a minute after that, Rayados midfielder and club co-founder Tito Salas was booked for a nasty challenge.

Lucio Martinez of NTX Rayados attempts to control the ball against the OKC Energy FC in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: NTX Rayados
Lucio Martinez of NTX Rayados attempts to control the ball against the OKC Energy FC in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: NTX Rayados

Nine minutes later, Jose Barril played a perfect centering pass to Miguel Gonzalez in the box and Gonzalez struck it first time to beat Sanchez in goal and give the visitors a 2-1 lead. The rest of the second half looked like a stalemate that would see OKC through, but Rayados second half sub Christian Okeke, who scored the winner in extra time in Round 1 against Fort Worth Vaqueros, earned himself a penalty in the 90th minute and converted from the spot to send the game to extra time.

The two side traded chances in the first period of extra time and penalties looked like a real possibility until the 105th minute when Okeke capitalized on an awkward moment of confusion and beat VanOekel to the spot on a 50-50 ball and got just enough of a touch to get it over the goal line.

Three minutes later, Rayados were awarded a second penalty and Lucio Martinez, who scored a fabulous free kick in Round 1, calmly sent the keeper in the wrong direction to put his side up 4-2.

Not to be outdone, Rodriguez created some space for himself in the 118th minute and smashed a rocket of a shot that came off the underside of the crossbar and landed in the goal.

Admittedly, it has not been a great season for OKC Energy. They currently find themselves in last place in the United Soccer League’s (USL) Western Conference standings and coming into the match, they had just one win from nine league games. Rayados, meanwhile, feature a mixed group of old friends and Dallas-raised players who have gone off to play college and who came back home specifically to try and make a run in the Open Cup.

Alberto Rodriguez of NTX Rayados celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the match against OKC Energy in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: NTX Rayados
Alberto Rodriguez of NTX Rayados celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the match against OKC Energy in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: NTX Rayados

Salas, a husband and father of two with a full time day job, co-founded the team in 2011 with Alberto Rodriguez after the two had just finished college and were looking to continue playing at a competitive level. He had plenty of perspective to offer afterwards.

“We have family here (in Dallas). We think about it. We visualize. For us, it’s a win-win situation. It’s a win-win. A 2-1 loss would have been a win for us.”

Asked what the difference in the game was, he only needed one word to respond: heart.

Rayados find themselves in Round 3 for the first time since 2014 when they coughed up a 2-0 lead to the then-San Antonio Scorpions of the North American Soccer League (NASL). They’ll look to keep the magic going in Round 3 when they return to Richland College for the third time in as many weeks to host FC Wichita.

MORE: 2018 Meet the Underdogs: NTX Rayados

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Nashville SC wins the inaugural “El Nashico” with Inter Nashville FC

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Tucker Hume of Nashville SC scores one of his two goals against Inter Nashville FC in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Nashville SC
Tucker Hume of Nashville SC scores one of his two goals against Inter Nashville FC in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Nashville SC

Some local wag named this derby match “El Nashico”. It’s unclear if this nickname will survive – it’s actually unclear if Nashville will still have two teams after MLS comes to town – but for tonight it’s a rivalry. NPSL side Inter Nashville, coming off a 6-1 thrashing of defending PDL champion Charlotte Eagles last week in the First Round, faced off against USL side Nashville SC in their Lamar Hunt US Open Cup debut at Vanderbilt University’s Lacrosse/Soccer complex in front of 2070 fans.

Nashville SC boasted an honest-to-goodness supporters group, complete with pregame tailgate and drum-accompanied march to the stadium. Inter took a more no-frills approach, but were brimming with confidence after their first round romp. Inter’s Chuka Aruh earned Player of the Round honors from TheCup.us in his team’s first ever appearance in the tournament.

Inter came out applying high pressure and showing a willingness to attack, while Nashville SC were content to knock the ball around early on and look for openings in Inter’s defense. Eventually Inter began to lay back and absorb pressure from Nashville SC. In the 19th minute, NSC midfielder Robin Shroot found Tucker Hume with a long through ball that got past the Inter back line. Hume dribbled into the penalty area, pushed the ball to the right as goalkeeper John Coffman charged off his line, then slotted the ball home to put the USL team up 1-0.

The remainder of the first half was played fairly even, with Nashville SC continuing the attacking momentum while Inter played a dangerous counterattacking game. The half (the whole match, really) was full of hard tackles and not a few yellow cards from both sides, but no more goals as the first half ended 1-0.

Nashville SC fans cheer on their team against Inter Nashville FC in a Second Round match in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Nashville SC
Nashville SC fans cheer on their team against Inter Nashville FC in a Second Round match in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Nashville SC

The second half started much the same way as the first had, with Inter playing the high line and NSC playing possession soccer. Just as Inter started to fall back defensively and look to counter as they had done at the start of the game, Referee Leland Grant whistled play dead and cleared the field because of lightning in the area. In all the weather delay lasted about 30 minutes.

When play resumed, Inter tried to take advantage of the rest period and once again tried to press NSC and maintain the high line, but the game quickly fell back into NSC attacking and Inter trying to counter. Both sides had their chances, and the game was never comfortably in hand for NSC unti Shroot and Hume connected in the 89th minute, this time with Hume making a beautiful spin move in the box and roofing a shot past Coffman to put the game away at 2-0.

Nashville SC will host PDL side Mississippi Brilla (who upset the USL’s Indy Eleven 1-0 at home) on Wednesday May 23rd, again at the Vanderbilt University Lacrosse/Soccer Complex in Nashville. The winner will take on a team from Major League Soccer in Round 4.

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Ocean City Nor’easters storm Charlotte early, earn another upset win

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USOC OC-CLT FINALThe Ocean City Nor’easters have no problem with being the underdog in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

A 3-1 Second Round victory over their USL hosts, the Charlotte Independence, on a rainy Wednesday night marked the latest chapter in that story.

Midfielder Kyle Gurrieri scored twice in the match’s first seven minutes to lead the Nor’easters to their 11th all-time victory in Cup play as a PDL side. Six of them have been against professional teams. One of the more surprising stats of the evening is that of those six pro team upsets, this was the first time that Ocean City had allowed a goal.

Only two amateur teams in the Modern Era have more pro team upsets then Ocean City (Michigan Bucks with 10, Des Moines Menace with 7).

“This team is excited and motivated,” said Ocean City head coach John Thompson, who has been a part of most of those “Cupsets” as a player and assistant coach on the team before becoming head coach last year. “It’s a chance for them to prove themselves against a higher level of competition.”

They’ll get a chance at another in the Third Round, when they return to North Carolina to face North Carolina FC of the USL next Wednesday.

“We’re all eager and we all have hopes and plans,” said Gurrieri, who will play college soccer at the University of South Carolina in the fall after starting his college career at Syracuse. “We came down here to showcase ourselves, and it was an all-around great performance by the boys. We’re ready to move on to the next round.”

Gurrieri scored the game’s first goal four minutes in, knocking in a rebound of Williams N’Dah’s shot from the top of the 18-yard box. Three minutes later he gave Ocean City a 2-0 lead, when teammate Deri Corfe served the ball in from the right side and Gurrieri eased it past Charlotte goalkeeper Brandon Miller at the back post.

“We pushed forward early and got some chances that we took advantage of,” he said.

The Nor’easters finished a dominating first half and took a 3-0 lead to the break when Fredlin Mompremier scored in the 44th minute. The Haitian striker who goes by the nickname “Fredinho” took a pass from Corfe at the top of the 18-yard box and finished at the back post.

“It was important that we come out with some energy,” Thompson said. “I didn’t expect that we’d get a couple of goals so early, but that helped us in the long run. We played a great offensive game in the first half and that allowed us to settle in and play defense in the second half.

The Independence, which didn’t score a goal in the month of April in USL play, appeared to have broken out of that slump with a 4-1 victory over FC Cincinnati last Saturday. But they struggled to put together meaningful chances against the visitors from New Jersey, despite dominating possession for long stretches after conceding the two early goals.

Charlotte’s only goal came in the 58th minute. Veteran forward Jorge Herrera scored it from the right side about eight yards out after taking Samuel Vines’ pass from just outside the 18-yard box. It was Herrera’s ninth career US Open Cup goal, which ties him with players like Dwayne De Rosario and Dom Dwyer in 11th place in the Modern Era (1995-present). It was also the sixth tournament that he has scored a goal in (2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018).

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Sacramento Republic overcome slow start, eliminate San Francisco City

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USOC SFC-SR FINALSacramento Republic fans and players were a bit worried for the first 45 minutes in the game against their lower league opposition, San Francisco City FC, as the match was balanced throughout the first half. However, in the end, the professionals from Sacramento showed their experience as they went on to win the match 3-1 off of a comfortable second half performance to advance to Round 3 of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

“I thought we were slow to get started. Turnovers from simple pressure were a problem for us. That’s something we need to tidy up,” said Sacramento Republic’s head coach Simon Elliot about the sluggish start to the game for his side.

For the opening 20 minutes of the match, both sides looked comfortable as they felt each other out. They both saw a few half chances during this period, but neither side was able to find the breakthrough chance.

The first major chance of the match fell the way of the PDL side from San Francisco when in the 22nd minute Aaron Lombardi saw his shot from the top of the box blocked. A rebound effort fell to Robert Hines, whose point blank effort was saved excellently by Sacramento’s keeper, Rafael Diaz.

Less than a minute later, Sacramento was able to hit the back of the net when Kevin Aleman found the ball off a rebound to put the home side in front 1-0.

“After about 20 minutes, I thought we got going,” said Elliot.

City did not get their heads down however, and eventually found an equalizer in the 31st minute when Robert Hines played a perfect left footed cross that Aaron Lombardi expertly finished to level the score at 1-1.

The rest of the half played out similar to the first 20 minutes, as neither side took control of the game. The half ended all square.

The second half was a different story as Simon Elliot made two changes and obviously said something to his players to get them to kick it up a notch. “I’m not sure I can tell you that,” said Elliot about what he said to his players at the intermission. “You probably get the idea. You can make something up. It’s just that high standards are always important. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing in the park or at Papa Murphy’s Park in front of 11,000. If you are wearing the badge and you got the shirt on, it’s high standards. It has to be all the time.”

The Republic found the go-ahead goal and what turned out to be the winning goal in the 60th minute when Mitchell Taintor found one of the substitutes, Villyan Bijev, who managed to get the ball across the line. “I think the second half was better. I think the subs helped. We still need to understand a little bit of game management. We eventually got the message and had enough quality to take care of the game.”

Sacramento then went on to put the game to bed in the 68th minute when Adam Moffat finished after a scramble in the box to all but seal the game for Republic as the two-goal cushion was too big a hill to climb for San Francisco.

“Every game is important. It’s professional soccer,” said Elliot on the importance of a good Cup run. “Every time you go out there, it’s a tough game. In the USL, it’s tough games with good players and good coaching and this is no different.”

Sacramento will travel to play their rivals ,Reno 1868, in Round 3 of the Cup next week.

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Dacres, Hertzog create the offense in Saint Louis FC’s win over Duluth FC

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Players from Saint Louis FC and Duluth FC battle for the ball in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Duluth FC
Players from Saint Louis FC and Duluth FC battle for the ball in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Duluth FC

The United Soccer League (USL) club from Fenton, Missouri, ventured north to Duluth and delivered a fatal blow to the Bluegreens’ Lamar Hunt US Open Cup aspirations in a midweek inter-league clash at Public School Stadium.

Saint Louis FC seems to have a knack for knocking off teams from Minnesota. The USL club has done it twice in the last three years, and its latest triumph came Wednesday in a 2-0 victory over Duluth FC of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in the Second Round of the US Open Cup.

Always the underdog in the match, the Bluegreens worked hard to mostly contain the smooth-sailing team from the Show Me State, but found few genuinely good opportunities to make their mark on the match, while the visitors had less trouble finding space and creating scoring chances.

After signaling its intent with four early corner kicks, Saint Louis FC finally broke through with a goal in the 25th minute, when Kadeem Dacres scored to make it 1-0 on an assist from Corey Hertzog

Dacres was at it again 10 minutes later, this time helping out from the wing. He took possession in space on the left flank, and served a cross into the box for Hertzog, who buried the header from close range to double the lead for the guests.

With a cushion to start the second half, Saint Louis settled into a bit more possession early on, working the ball around with crisp passing and good movement off the ball. Equal parts disciplined and direct, the visitors continued to create chances in and around the box. Several timely blocks from Duluth defenders, however, kept Saint Louis off the board for the remainder of the match.

The Bluegreens also had their chances, especially late in the match after head coach Joel Person opted for two sets of fresh legs, but they couldn’t quite deliver the final product.

“That was part of the game plan,” Person said. “We talked at halftime about if we were still in striking distance, a goal or two with about 20 minutes left, we were going to change the formation and start pushing things forward. The momentum really started to shift and we started causing them problems because we were able to press them more effectively. And it worked, we just weren’t fortunate enough to get that goal. But I couldn’t be more proud of the guys.”

More importantly, after leaking goals against division opponents in the first two outings of the season, Duluth looked stronger defensively, and held the USL side scoreless in the second half.

“I’m really proud of our performance, specifically our improvement over the last week,” Person said. “We played our first game a week ago, and we’ve had some errors and gave up some easy goals, and we sorted a lot of that out tonight. Yeah, they’re a pro team, so they caused us some issues, but we worked through those as well. We tied a professional team nil-nil in the second half, and toward the end started putting them under real pressure.”

Known in local circles as the Chupacabras, presumably because supporters never imagined they would see a professional club come to the Gateway City, Saint Louis looked like a team in midseason form, and showed the fans in attendance why it belongs in the second division of the American soccer system. Despite the plucky performance from the home side, the Battle of the Bluegreens ultimately tilted in favor of the visitors.

Of course, this is not the first time Saint Louis FC has bounced a team from the Land of 10,000 Lakes from this tournament, though it was a bit more tooth-and-nail back then.
In 2015, the club’s inaugural season, Saint Louis hosted and eliminated the NASL incarnation of the Loons in the third round of the Open Cup 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation. In a pitiful showing in the shootout for United, only Miguel Ibarra hit the back of the net.

Next, Saint Louis moves on to the third round to face Louisville City on the road next week.

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: FC Wichita makes NPSL history with upset of Tulsa Roughnecks

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FC Wichita celebrate the club's 4-3 upset of the Oklahoma City Energy in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Wichita
FC Wichita celebrate the club’s 4-3 upset of the Oklahoma City Energy in the Second Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Wichita

FC Wichita left it late, but walked out winners, 4-3, over Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Wednesday night in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Both teams finished with 10 men on the pitch.

With the victory, FC Wichita earned the right to play in the Third Round of the US Open Cup for the first time in club history. What’s more, Wichita made league history becoming just the second amateur NPSL team to upset a pro team in the tournament since the league was founded in 2003. (Jacksonville Armada FC defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies on the same night, but the Armada are a pro team). Chattanooga FC upset the Wilmington Hammerheads (then of the USL) in 2014 and 2015.

“We knew coming in, after last year’s near result , that we were a stronger team now than we were last year,” said Wichita CEO Blake Shumaker. “We believe our first fourteen, fifteen, deep is USL quality. We felt like if we stayed together and got guys behind the ball to defend then we’d have a chance to win.”

Franck Tayou bagged a brace to push Wichita past Tulsa, including the match-winner in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. He nicked the ball off the feet of TRFC goalkeeper Chase Gentry before curling in a ball to the far post from no angle.

“As soon as I saw Sosa on the side, I knew he was going to put the ball in. It was just a matter of finding the ball,” explained Tayou on the lead up to his match-winner. “The defender froze because he thought his keeper was going to come out, and he hesitated. I kept running, and once I took my first touch, I just turned around and found the back of the net.”

Despite two golden chances in the final moments of the match, Tulsa was unable to level the affair as Mark Weir came up with a pair of clutch saves.

Jhon Pirez had Tulsa in front inside the first 38 minutes after scoring goals on either side of a goal by Wichita’s Thomas Wells in the 35th minute. The Roughnecks went into the locker rooms for halftime leading 2-1.

The lead wouldn’t last long, however, as Tayou tallied his first of the match quickly after the restart off a corner. The ball fell to the forward’s feet after a goalmouth scramble and he managed to place it in the back of the net.

Just like the last time Wichita levelled the contest, however, Tulsa was able to restore their advantage soon after. In the 51st minute Nemanja Vukovic connected with Riggs Lennon to put TRFC back on top. It was Vukovic’s second assist of the night.

Wichita, playing with 10 men due to a second yellow card to Eddie Gomez in the 49th minute, managed to knot the match up at 3-3 from a free kick by Nelson Landaverde in the 61st minute. Vukovic would pick up his second yellow for dissent soon after, and both teams would finish out the match playing with 10 men.

“We had nothing to lose,” said Tayou about battling back while playing down a man. “When we went a man down, we never panicked. That mentality kept us fighting, and eventually all our hard work was rewarded.”

With the match looking destined for extra time, Tayou then took matters into his own hands. His late winner, coupled with Weir’s late saves, sealed FC Wichita’s first win over an USL team in Open Cup play in club history.

The match was a high-intensity affair, with 13 yellow cards issued, with 8 cards issued to Tulsa and five to Wichita. Players had to be separated following the official’s final whistle.

Wichita will now travel to the Lone Star State to face NTX Rayados after the Texas-based squad dispatched OKC Energy in Second Round action.

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

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USOC PFC-FCM FINALPenn 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.

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.

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Brilla score late to stun Indy Eleven, add to Mississippi soccer history

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USOC IXI-MB FINALMississippi Brilla FC pulled off an upset in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Second Round by defeating the Indy Eleven 1-0 on Wednesday.

A crowd of around 900 witnessed what could arguably be the biggest win in Brilla’s history. Defender Koray Easterling scored the lone goal in the 81st minute when he side-footed an Oliver Brock free-kick into the back of the net.

With the win, Brilla become the first Mississippi team to ever reach the Third Round of the tournament.

The match was cagey for long periods, but the Indy Eleven had the larger share of the possession. The team looked calm and composed in their buildup. Towards the latter part of the first half, the USL side began to establish more possession in Brilla’s defensive half. However, the home team’s defense remained stout.

The halftime break seemed to give Brilla more life, and the team’s confidence level began to increase. Winger Bastien Oberli looked to be the team’s most dangerous player, as he fearlessly took on the Eleven’s defense.

It ended up being a set piece that finally unlocked the Eleven’s defense. Brock played a curling free kick towards the back-post, and Easterling was there to put it past goalkeeper Owain Williams.

The Eleven had brought on Jack McInerney and Zach Steinberger a few minutes before the goal, so they were both fairly fresh. Thus, they were able to apply pressure on the Brilla defense. However, the Mississippians defended solidly for the final minutes to clinch the victory.

The goal capped off a Man of the Match performance for Easterling, as he helped anchor the defense in addition to his moment of offensive inspiration.

Brilla goalkeepers Brendan Ledgeway and Jordan Bell combined for five saves in the shutout performance. Bell had the save of the match, as he made a spectacular fingertip save of a Justin Braun shot in the second half.

Braun was the Eleven’s most dangerous player, and he led the team with three shots. However, one of his best chances went begging as he missed the target on a first half header.

Brilla is now in uncharted waters, as the club has never made it past the Second Round of the US Open Cup. They will travel to play Nashville SC in the Music City on May 23.

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Miami United eliminates shorthanded Miami FC 2

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Photo: Miami FC 2
Photo: Miami FC 2

Last year, Miami FC’s US Open Cup run was a magical trip to the quarterfinals. This year, it ended before the club even left the Magic City.

Miami United defeated Miami FC 2 by the score of 3-1 on Wednesday night in front of 1,607 fans at Florida International University Soccer Stadium. David Ochoa scored twice for the visitors, with Victor adding a third for Miami United in second-half stoppage time.

Miami FC 2 opened the scoring when Dylan Mares, volleyed home a lovely cross from Cuban international Ariel Martinez.

Mares is no stranger to US Open Cup star turns, having been one of the heroes of the Miami FC senior team’s historic run to the Quarterfinals of the competition a year ago. Much has changed for Miami FC since.

The NASL is in legal limbo, a soccer purgatory with no competitive season as they press forward with antitrust litigation against Major League Soccer and the US Soccer Federation. Without a league to play in, Miami FC chose to drop down to the NPSL, albeit without many of the faces that made the club NASL Spring and Fall season champions in 2017 and one of the most formidable second-division sides in the history of US Soccer. As the club presses forward (without a permanent league home but with the lucrative financial backing of Riccardo Silva), Mares is one eight Miami FC players who played a prominent role in last year’s Open Cup run and stayed to wear the colors when he tells the tale.

The strike from Mares awakened the Orange and Blue and stunned the visitors from Miami United, who had played most the opening fifteen minutes of the game on the front foot, dominating possession and playing a high line, with Miami FC content to sit deep and wait for chances to counter through the torrid pace of Martinez.

USOC MUFC-MFC2 FINALMiami United’s decision to play a high line and press early was surprising, given the side was playing with only five available substitutions and that the side played a game over the weekend and Miami FC did not. The strategy created chances early, but left United very vulnerable on the break, and Miami FC repeatedly looked the more dangerous side after the Mares opener.

Just before halftime, however, Miami United was thrown a lifeline. Miami FC playmaker Kris Tyrpak was issued a straight red for a late, rash challenge, leaving the hosts down a man with more than a half of soccer to play. It was a surprising and foolish play from Tyrpak, a veteran of San Antonio FC of the USL and Ottawa Fury FC before that, and while the predominantly pro-Miami FC booed, it was hard to fault the decision of referee Andres Videlas.

Miami United made the most of the break within five minutes.

A giveaway magnified by a communication breakdown in the middle of the field between Tyler Ruthven, Enzo Rennella and Rhett Bernstein allowed David Ochoa to break through, and the former U-23 Fort Lauderdale Strikers product buried the equalizer past Daniel Vega.

“It’s disappointing, to have individual mistakes and communication give a lead away. We knew at halftime if we stayed compact, played smart and held our clean sheet we would win. It’s frustrating to make simple mistakes. You can’t legislate for mental errors,” Miami FC manager Paul Dalglish said after the match.

The visitors needed only three more minutes to take the lead.

It was David Ochoa who again did the damage, making a menacing run into the channel and latching onto a lovely pass from Tomas Grannito. Ochoa took a touch, cut inside towards goal and calmly slotted past Daniel Vega.

A stunned Miami FC nearly conceded a third two minutes later, when Ochoa again found space in between a discombobulated Miami FC back four and fired a rocket of a shot at Daniel Vega, who bravely saved low.

In the 65th minute, a speedy Ariel Martinez counter gave Miami FC hope, but his cross was a bit too far for the trailing back post run of Mares, whose late lunge saw his left boot find only a chunk of turf, missing the ball by inches.

Still, Miami FC weren’t ready to relinquish their chance to chase last year’s US Open Cup glory quite yet. They pressed forward with wave after wave of attackers, often leaving only two center backs to protect the goal, and consistently probing for an equalizer through Martinez, Mares and influential substitution and Indy Eleven veteran Don Smart.

But for every Miami FC attack, Miami United had a defensive answer.

Darryl Gordon had several critical clearances in the area, and Elusma Pierre did the yeoman’s work containing FC Dallas youth product Coy Craft and Jamie Chavez’s forays through the middle.
In stoppage time, the dam broke, as former Fort Lauderdale Striker Victor won a fifty-fifty ball in the final third, turned past his defender and buried an exclamation point third goal past Daniel Vega.

Victor, who took a job as a coach at a local academy when the Strikers folded, relished the moment and the meaning of a rivalry Cup-set win.

“It’s an amazing thing, to advance in the Cup. I’ve seen the happiness in brings the fans in Fort Lauderdale. I’ve seen what it means to our fans,” Victor said. “We’re a small club, but a proud one, with a winning tradition. To beat Miami FC tonight here and to score a goal, it’s everything.”

One of the special things about the early rounds of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is that you get a rash of rivalry games. A handful of contests, like Wednesday night’s second round tilt between Miami United and Miami FC, even feature teams that share a city fighting to win the affection of their city’s soccer fans, as well as a healthy share of bragging rights.

The Magic City Clasico, as the tilt between Miami United and Miami FC is known locally, had already been contested two times in NPSL play this season, but this meeting, with a trip to the third round of the US Open Cup at stake, meant the most to the players and local fans, who waited out an hour and a half lighting delay and chanted and sang at each other for most of the game’s ninety humid minutes.

In the end, only Miami United’s fans were left singing, the famed “Vamos, Vamos United, Esta Noche” ringing out into the Miami night, with their rival left to dwell on glories past, and wonder what went wrong.

“It’s a crushing disappointment,” Dalglish said. “You prepare so hard and become undone by simple errors. And yet you can’t hang your head and promise to do better next time, because there’s no next time in the Open Cup.”

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