Open Cup Serves Up a Delicious Final Day | OneFootball

Four Open Cup debutantes took the field today. We also saw six amateur UPSL clubs, along with three MLSNext Pro, four USL-1 and a single USL-2 clubs go head-to-head.

Portland Hearts of Pine 4 – 0 CD Faialense

You could not have asked for a better start to a season (and a club) than what happened in Maine this afternoon. In their first ever competitive game, before a raucous crowd of 3,500 people, Hearts of Pine shellacked the visiting Bostonians CD Faialense. Walter Varela netted the first club goal, while Azaad Liadi got the club’s first ever brace (remember those facts for deep trivia night).

I hope the pitch was near a good brewery so the visitors could drown their sorrows and cheer the accomplishment of making it this far before the coach ride to Beantown. Pizza and beer is how many of us play the game, and sometimes there’s no better.

Forward Madison FC 5 – 1 Duluth FC

Aleksandar Mihov didn’t do his team any favors when he saw red in the 34th minute for violent conduct (he apparently struck a Madison player in the face off the ball). Playing with 10 men is always tough. It can be tougher doing so nearly an hour. But Duluth dug deep, adjusted to keep their spine compact, and put up as good a fight as they could. After conceding in the 39th off Ferrety Sousa’s slow-motion shot dribbled into the opposite corner, Duluth held firm to enter halftime.

In the second half Madison gifted Duluth a golden opportunity they did not miss. A poor clearance fell to the right foot of Dylan Sumner, whose shot was blocked but rebounded directly to Mario Fernandez who calmly slotted it through traffic and into the goal. To their credit, Madison stayed calm and moved the ball patiently, waiting for their chances. And those chances did come, as they would go on to score four more goals before the final whistle.

Long Island Rough Riders 2 – 3 Charlotte Independence

Oh we went into extra time tonight with the score 1 apiece. It had been a see-saw affair in the misty environs of the Mitchel Athletic Complex, where both teams had a single aluminum bench and no tents to protect them from the elements. This is true grassroots soccer, but the quality both sides showed in extra time was remarkable. There were three additional goals, all of outstanding quality. Do yourself a favor and watch the highlights, they’re worth it. Games like this are what make the Open Cup so special.

South Georgia Tormenta FC 3 – 0 Harbor City FC

Tormenta continued their streak of Round 1 wins to four straight in tonight’s defeat of the UPSL’s Harbor City FC. From the opening whistle Tormenta took the match by the reins, controlling the possession and pace. Harbor City were forced into defensive mode, and what few counter-attacks they could muster were mostly toothless. They recorded five total shots; zero on target. Hands down the lopsided snoozer game of the day.

FC Cincinnati 2 0 (4) – 0 (5) New York Pancyprian Freedoms

OK, OK, I know I said above that games like LIRR vs. Charlotte is what makes the Open Cup special but games like this need to be counted as well. Most American sports fans don’t really get 0 – 0 draws. They figure this means a game is dull. Boring. Well, this one wasn’t. Between them, the teams had 36 shots, 9 on target. The Pancyprian keeper Josh Levine is the hands-down Man-of-the-Match, with seven saves during the 120 minutes of on-field play. He also guessed correctly 4 of 6 penalty shots, and even got a glove on one.

But I’m ahead of myself. FC Cincinatti 2’s team might be young, but they have mad talent. Adeuar Chavez, a mid-game sub, is only 16. William Kuisel is 17. These kids are YOUNG. Meanwhile, Pancyprians have, well, I’m not even sure. I know one of their players was on Columbus Crew a few years back but really this is a team of total unknowns. Who nevertheless rallied back during the penalties to win 5 – 4. Odd fact: all the NYPF players who converted their penalty kicks had first names that start with ‘J’.

Carolina Core FC 4 – 2 Soda City FC

The game was, for all intents, done by the 58th when Core striker Joshua Rodriguez hit his second. But in reality, that’s when it started to get interesting! There were four more goals scored in the final thirty, the first pair of those going Carolina’s way in quick succession. Facundo Canete hit in 69th; Jacob Evans in the 72nd off a free kick. Soda City had nothing to play for, but hit the overdrive to grab two pride goals. Substitute Lamar Thompson got the first; Rauf Salifu the second four minutes later.

Tacoma Defiance 3 – 1 Washington Athletic Club

For a brief moment we had another #cupset scenario brewing in the rainy Northwest. Washington Athletic Club struck early in the game when Nicholas O’Brien converted from a free kick just outside the box. Tacoma showed their steel, however, re-establishing their possession and then slowly turning up the pressure. This paid off in the 37th minute when Edson Carli hit the net after some high-energy effort to keep the attack alive delivered the ball to his foot. When Tacoma struck in the 47th minute, it took the wind right out of WAC’s sails.