After a two-year absence, the U.S Open Cup made a triumphant return to the tri-state area. NYCFC hosted Rochester New York FC at Belson Stadium in Queens. This was the first time both sides met, so there was not much background for a preview ahead of the match. Despite this, there’s always a little room for moments of magic. The format allows teams from lower divisions to face off against the “big clubs”, so upsets are just waiting to happen. I’m sure Rochester wanted to have an early impact, especially knowing the MLS Champions was the rival to beat.
Chanot returns
Rotations were in order ahead of the match. The team saved most of the starters for the upcoming match against Columbus Crew over the weekend. Kevin O’ Toole and Luis Barraza were among the names that saw minutes during the match. However, one of the most awaited returns was from Maxime Chanot, who has been sidelined with an injury in his eye. He was named captain for this match, so you couldn’t really ask for a better return for him. The Brazilians also had a strong presence in the line-up, as Heber, Gabriel Perreira, and Thiago Andrade were all ready to leave their mark in the match.
Rochester took the initiative at the start of the match, exploding NYCFC’s chemistry issues. It’s important to point this out because one team played their main lineup, while the other one didn’t. Nevertheless, Rochester failed to capitalize on the chances they created. If at least two of those chances had gone in, the story could have been different. The boys in blue took time to find their rhythm, but they took control once they got things running. Remember the Brazilian connection and their print on the match? Well, it only took 23 minutes to make the magic happen. Gabriel Pereira took the ball near the midfield and had enough time and space to spot Thiago Andrade making the run to the box. All it took was one touch to put the ball over the goalkeeper for the first goal of the game. NYCFC continued their pressing looking for that second goal. Surprisingly that caused Rochester’s goalkeeper to make a terrible mistake. A bad first touch after receiving the ball allowed Heber to tap the ball into the net in the 30th minute. From that point on it appeared as if NYCFC was going on a scoring streak, but the magic of the cup was quickly in effect. The perfect scenario had NYCFC with a two-goal advantage at halftime, but Rochester pulled one back in the added time. A lifeline worth gold after a bad clearance from Latinovic allowed Rochester’s Jesus Batiz to put the ball in the net. Going into halftime with a 2-1 scoreline was not in the game plan for sure, luckily the team managed it well.
Things remained the same in the second half, but NYCFC wanted to finish off the game as quickly as possible. Talles Magno, Santiago Rodriguez, and Justin Haak stepped into the field in the 65th minute with that objective in mind. It’s safe to say that the impact was instant, the connection and talent from both Talles and Santiago Rodriguez are impressive. So much that they were able to find space within minutes of coming in, unfortunately, Talles missed a tap-in that could have ended the game a bit sooner. The difference makes, however, also made sparks fly a bit. A couple of strong fouls got some players on the verge of a fistfight, even Chanot got a reaction as well. NYCFC reestablished their dominance by none other than Maxime Chanot 75 minutes into the second half. A good corner kick executed by Santiago Rodriguez allowed Chanot to put the ball in the back of the net. It was the perfect return for the captain. With a 3-1 advantage it was a matter of administering the remaining minutes, but we saw a share of action. A missed penalty kick by Zelalem followed by a red card in the 90th minute stained what could have been a dominant victory.
The Boys in blue now await the draw to see who their next cup rival will be. If you ask me we can see a Hudson River Derby, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Regardless, it was great to experience the atmosphere of the Cup. You don’t always get to watch the game with the opposition’s coach right next to you.