Former Barons pull off huge upsets in Open Cup
Barons in the pros report (7/16)
Of the four USL clubs to upset teams from Major League Soccer in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, three of them featured former members of the Ocean City Barons.
The Charleston Battery’s Stephen Armstrong converted a penalty kick in the 108th minute of overtime to knock off the defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo 1-0 last Tuesday. Michael Todd started and played the first half before coming out for tactical reasons. The Battery will host FC Dallas of MLS in the quarterfinals at Blackbaud Stadium.
On Wednesday, the team that eliminated the Barons from the Open Cup, the Harrisburg City Islanders, moved on to defeat DC United 1-0. Steve Fisher scored the game-winner in the 44th minute. Matt Nelson (Lynn Univ. / Tampa, FL) and the City Islanders defense held United without a goal and Brian Devlin (Penn State Univ. / Philadelphia, PA) played all 90 minutes. Harrisburg, playing in the Open Cup for the first time, have earned a date in quarterfinals at Gillette Stadium against MLS’ New England Revolution.
On Sunday night, the Carolina RailHawks eliminated the defending Open Cup champion Chicago Fire 1-0. It was McColm Cephas, who scored a hat trick against the Barons in the 2005 Open Cup when he played for the Richmond Kickers, who scored the game-winner for the ’Hawks. Matt Maher (Temple Univ. / Cape May, NJ) did not play in the game, but his brother Anthony helped contribute to Cephas’ 56th minute goal. In the quarterfinals, Cephas and the RailHawks will host his old club, the Richmond Kickers, who knocked off the Los Angeles Galaxy to advance.
In league play....
Miami FC bounced back from their 6-game winless streak (0-4-2) with their second straight road win. They defeated the California Victory 3-1 last week and this week, they knocked off the Vancouver Whitecaps (2-1). Chris Williams (Phila Univ. / Philadelphia, PA) played all 90 minutes for the fifth match in a row, while Pat Hannigan (Temple U / Philadelphia, PA) made three saves to earn his fifth win of the year. With the six points, the Blues improve to 6-10-2, and are currently five points back from the sixth and final playoff spot.
Tony Donatelli (Temple Univ. / Glenside, PA) played all 90 minutes in Vancouver’s loss to Miami, as well as the 1-0 loss at Seattle a few days prior. The Whitecaps, who have spent the majority of the season at the top of the table, have slipped to third (three points behind the first place Portland Timbers) after their six-game winless streak (0-3-3). Donatelli is currently tied for third on the team in scoring with six points (two goals and two assists).
Michael Todd (Hofstra / Cleveland, England) and the Charleston Battery returned from Puerto Rico with a pair of losses, bringing them down into a tie with Miami FC with 20 points, five points behind the playoff zone. Michael Todd started in the first game, a 2-1 loss, and came on as a second half sub in game number two, a 4-3 barnburner.
Matt Maher (Temple Univ. / Cape May, NJ) has yet to make his debut for the RailHawks, who lost on a late goal at home against the Montreal Impact. Carolina is six points behind the last playoff spot with a 4-5-7 record.
The City Islanders battled to a scoreless draw with Crystal Palace Baltimore. Matt Nelson (Lynn Univ. / Tampa, FL) earned his league-leading eighth shutout, as Harrisburg held onto fourth place in the USL Second Division table. Brian Devlin (Penn State Univ. / Philadelphia, PA) came off the bench and played the majority of the second half.
