Similair to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, more commonly dubbed “March Madness”, the beauty of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup lies in it’s underdog stories. In fixtures that would not commonly be played, we get to see the best of football in America. From top-flight MLS sides, to Amateur sides from small neighborhoods in New York City, the U.S. Open Cup never fails to deliver.
Coming into Thursday night’s match between FC Cincinnati 2 and New York Pancyprian Freedoms, it was expected by many fans that the 2 side Orange and Blue would come away victorious. After all, it was an MLS NEXT Pro side versus an Amateur side. Surely this should be an easy victory? Instead of what was expected, the fans that braved the chilly late March weather were treated to the magic of the Open Cup on full display.
FIRST HALF
The Orange and Blue lineup consisted of only one first team member, that being the keeper Paul Walters. The rest of the XI were comprised of a group that has undeniably struggled so far this season. Yet there was a sense of hope that tonight, on FCC2’s biggest stage to date, the squad would finally gel.
From the opening kickoff it was quite clear what NYPF’s plan was. They were content with allowing FCC2 to control posession, relying on opportune counterattacks to make up their offense. Thusly, the opening half hour of the match consisted of FCC2 controlling the ball and setting themselves up for a number of good chances. Unfortunately, nothing came of these chances, with a number of them being shots that were close or crosses that just couldn’t find a foot.
A lot of these offensive struggles can be speculated on NYPF’s defensive structure. In a format that at times saw as many as six players on the back line, it was understandable that there would be some adjusting to do. Ultimately the first half ended 0-0, with neither side able to crack the other.
SECOND HALF
Coming out of the intermission, it was clear that FCC2 needed to make some adjustment if they wished to advance. The opening five minutes proved promising in this direction, as the Orange and Blue had a shot blocked and another shot kept off the score sheet only by the acrobatics of the NYPF keeper Joshua Levine.
The next 10 minutes leading up to the hour mark however, proved to be much of the same from the first half. FCC2 controlled posession, with NYPF occasionally making darting attacks that ultimately ended in nothing. Just past the hour mark, Tyrone Marshall made a trio of changes, replacing Noah Adnan, Carson Locker, and Kenji Mboma Dem with Juan Machado, Ben Augee, and Ademar Chavez respectively.
The next 20 minutes were quiet, with neither side making much noise. No matter what, the backline for NYPF remained uncrackable. The few runs and balls that did manage to get past were summarily cleared long. In the final five minutes FCC2 saw two great chances go unfulfilled, as a open shot went wide and a would-be goal was called back for a very close offsides.
At the end of regulation the two sides were left in a scoreless draw.
EXTRA TIME
The first of the two extra time periods was mostly quiet, with both sides garnering one big chance apiece. FCC2’s chance came in the form of a posted shot from Yorkaeff Caicedo, while NYPF’s came from a run up the middle that ended with a shot being fired over the post.
The second of the two extra time periods followed the same manner, with both sides making brief ventures into attacking position. But as someone who was at this match, that second half of extra time had a feeling of resignation to it. Sure, both sides were still pushing, looking to get a winner, but there was this gut feeling that this match would be decided from the spot.
PENALTY SHOOTOUT
FCC2’s keeper on the evening, Paul Walters, entered this shootout with a 3-1 record in them in his career. He had conceded 13 goals, while saving seven. The shootout on this chilly night at Scudamore Stadium went as follows:
Round 1:
FCC2: Tega Ikoba (Make)
NYPF: Joseph Holland (Make)
Round 2:
FCC2: Ademar Chavez (Make)
NYPF: Luis Argudo (Miss – Post)
Round 3:
FCC2: Juan Machado (Make)
NYPF: Junior Rosero (Make)
Round 4:
FCC2: Brian Schaefer (Make)
NYPF: Jack Sluys (Make)
Round 5:
FCC2: Brandon Kristel (Miss)
NYPF: Jordan Bailon (Make)
Round 6:
FCC2: William Kuisel (Miss-Post)
NYPF: Jens Hoff (Make)
NYPF wins 5-4.
Ultimately, the Orange and Blue found themselves on the short end of a cupset.
All in all this match was one that was interesting to watch. Perhaps it’s just the “drama of sport” lover in me, but from the start of the second half on, I had a feeling this one was destined for something memorable. Indeed, it was memorable, and now NYPF will look to march on in pursuit of their fourth ever Open Cup trophy.
QUICK RECAP
LINEUPS
CIN: Paul Walters, Andrei Chirila, Brian Schaefer, Noah Adnan (Juan Machado 64’), Yorkaeff Caicedo (Will Kuisel 101’), Peter Mangione (C), Carson Locker (Ben Augee 63’), Dilan Hurtado (Xhosa Manyana 84’), Monsuru Opeyemi (Brandon Kristel 105’), Kenji Mboma Dem (Ademar Chavez 64’), Tega Ikoba
Substitutes not used: Nathan Crockford
NYPF: Joshua Levine, Rikard Cederberg, Matthew Forester (Alexsi Morel 96’), Devin Heanue (Jens Hoff 105’), Jack Sluys, Luis Argudo (C), Jordan Bailon, Augustus McGiff (Pablo Herrera 36’), Joseph Holland, James Thristino (Sameer Fathazada 46’), Nicholas Zielonka
Substitutes not used: George Angelidis, Junior Rosero, Konstantinos Xiouros
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/NYPF
Shots: 24 / 12
Shots on Goal: 7 / 2
Corner Kicks: 4 / 3
Fouls: 14 / 10
Offside: 6 / 1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Andrei Chirila (Yellow Card) 6’
NYPF – Augustus McGiff (Yellow Card) 26’
CIN – Xhosa Manyana (Yellow Card) 84’
Next Match: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season, vs. Chicago Fire FC II, 4 PM EST March 30th, MLS Season Pass
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