When RNY FC takes the pitch at Monroe Community College Wednesday night in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Third Round, it will be against the only team left in the tournament that has lost a match in one of the first two rounds.
Wait, what?
Yes, that is correct: FC Motown, Rochester’s opponent, lost 3-2 in added extra time to West Chester United FC in the first round.
But Motown protested the loss, citing an incorrect substitution (you can
read the story here), won the appeal, then beat West Chester 1-0 thanks to a 90th minute winner from Ryan Peterson. Another 1-0 win in the second round has FC Motown dreaming of a RNY FC-esque run in the cup.
There is one problem, though, for the New Jersey (yes, not the other Motown of Detroit) team: Rochester wants to party like it’s 1999 as well, and has a record-breaking run of its own on the line.
RNY FC won its first match in the cup for the 17th-straight time, setting a new mark for the Open Cup. Now, Rochester wants to keep this run going in the
Northeast bracket, and has some momentum behind it.
Bruno Baltazar’s side has played well after two losses in MLS NEXT Pro League action to start the 2022 campaign, with a 1-0 win in the Open Cup on April 7 followed up by a 0-0 draw at Chicago Fire II on Sunday, April 10. RNY FC won the penalty shootout after the match to pick up its first two league points, after its second-straight clean sheet.
That will be one thing Rochester will look to continue Wednesday night, with its home opener at MCC in the league on Saturday: keeping the opponent off the scoresheet, to get a good base for victory.
If you need tickets to this contest, head over
to this link, and pick them up for as little as $12.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Third Round
How they got here
RNY FC:
defeated Lansdowne Yonkers FC 1-0 in second round
FC Motown:
defeated West Chester United FC 1-0 first round after a 3-2 loss in AET was protested and voided; defeated AC Syracuse Pulse 1-0 AET second round
Opposing Player To Watch
If you are a fan of the beautiful game, you will of course know what the UEFA Europa League is. If you are new to the sport, the Europa League is the secondary competition for the clubs around Europe, after the Champions League. Since the start of 2009-10, the winners’ list is a who’s who of European powers: Sevilla (four times), Atletico Madrid (three times), Chelsea (two times), Manchester United (once), and Porto (once).
FC Motown’s Gideon Baah knows that competition well: he played in the group stage for HJK Helsinki (Finland) in 2014, and even scored a goal against Torino. Baah has also represented Ghana at the international level.
When Motown played West Chester United in the first round of the Open Cup, he was the lone player to have ever played at those levels. If you want to learn more about Baah’s path to NPSL and the U.S. Open Cup, take a look
RNY FC Player to Watch
So far, Pedro Dolabella has been able to run the midfield for Rochester, and he was instrumental in the second round win over Lansdowne. Dolabella had the assist on Gibran Rayo’s 45+5 minute winner, and also bossed the play all evening, as soccer returned to Rochester.
Any time he is out on the pitch, watch for Dolabella to run the show for Baltazar’s side.
Prediction
RNY FC has done a good job defensively, and the midfield played very well in the second round win over Lansdowne Yonkers. In fact, the visitors had very little of the ball, and Rochester had many chances to put the match away in the second half.
Wednesday, if RNY FC uses the same game plan, it should be enough to get past the second chance side.
R\NY 2-0\
