While many of the great soccer players who have written the history of the game hail from the Americas, most of the sport’s history is preserved from a European perspective. Whether it’s club greatness or international competition, the Continent dominates the long-term view. A Miami Beach auction house, FUTBOLASTA Auctions, is seeking to change that and make available to fans important pieces of history related to the global game and its significance in North and South America.
According to Roger Gonzalez of CBS Sports, the U.S. Men’s National Team is looking to fill its calendar during the October FIFA international window. Two possible opponents include Argentina and Colombia. In addition, a possible venue for one of those matches is Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Few things in life are guaranteed, death, taxes, and the certainty that Memorial Day weekend will be a washout in South Florida. Oh did we leave out, an NPSL ref will send a Miami FC 2 player off in every game? Few people were predicting a classic. A tricky away trip for MFC2 up the I95 to tackle the rebranded Palm Beach United (formerly Beaches FC), who were coming off a surprising 1-2 away win against Miami United. That result gave extra motivation to the Orange and Blue, three points from this jaunt would really shake the Sunshine Conference up.
Usually when a team comes off a losing effort the players, coaches, and staff will tell you “we’re just looking forward to our next match”. For Miami FC it must have felt like an eternity for the next fixture date to arrive. Coming off a 3-1 loss in the 2nd round of the U.S. Open Cup, the Blues return to the field after a 10 day layoff hoping to begin climbing the NPSL Sunshine Conference Table.
FC Miami City came into Wednesday’s match with a point to prove in the PDL season. Dropping points due to costly errors against the Lakeland Tropics in their previous outing, City needed a strong showing to bounce back in their 2nd game of the season. Boasting a roster of local collegiate talent and international players, City playoffs chances look slim in a conference they should be contending in.
The Magic City will get to see MLS competition for the second straight year courtesy of Miami United FC and their deep run into this year’s U.S. Open Cup tournament. In a first for the club, Miami United FC will host Major League Soccer side Orlando City SC in Round 4 of the U.S. Open Cup on June 5 or 6.
The fourth-round draw took place this morning and in a shocking turn of events, Orlando City opted out of a chance to host for the round. Orlando City has had poor attendance and even worse luck in this round of the tournament in previous years, especially when taking on an opponent from South Florida.
Miami United advanced to Round 4 by defeating FC Kendall, The Miami FC 2 and Jacksonville United.
Mixed history
Miami United will look to be the newest addition to the club of lower division sides to knock off Orlando. In 2016, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers were able to get past Orlando in extra time with a game winning goal from Victor “PC” Giro (now on the OCSC roster). In 2017, now NPSL foe, Miami FC knocked out Orlando with a hat trick from Stefano Pinho (now also on the OCSC roster). Miami United has the right amount of firepower up front and tactical ability on defense to provide South Florida with another #cupset for the third consecutive year.
The match date has a placeholder for June 6th (subject to change) and it will take place at Milander Park in Hialeah. This will be City’s first visit to South Florida in the history of its existence in MLS. For years, the South Florida market has been ignored by City amidst the talks of a possible MLS Miami team coming in. Perhaps leaving the South Florida market untapped may come back to haunt Orlando as United look to pack the stadium in a true showing of Miami soccer pride.
Matthew Bunch contributed to this report.
Miami United FC reached a height the club has never known before Wednesday night. And perhaps the most shocking thing about it was how easy it came.
Miami United scored two world-class goals, and Jacksonville Armada never mounted a serious challenge, as United qualified for Round 4 of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Miami United will next face a team from Major League Soccer.
When we began the 2018 campaign here at Magic City Soccer we had a feeling a Miami club would make the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. When you have five teams in the tournament from the area, surely one would come out of the local fixtures and get the opportunity to play for a match against a Major League Soccer opponent. What we didn’t know was that Miami United would be that very club.
When Jorge Mas said that we would hear news about the Miami MLS project soon, we were all hoping for it to be in the coming weeks after the announcement. We’re close to being four months away from the date that MLS declared Miami was officially getting a franchise and we’re starting to get some early clues as to how the franchise will honor the Magic City. While it’s nothing from the horse’s mouth, the connections are too big to ignore. Miami Freedom appears to be in the lead position.
We finally have a result, as Miami United FC claims the Magic City Clásico crown and advances in the U.S. Open Cup at the expense of The Miami FC 2. Plus, we get to speak in-depth with Chris Wittyngham, who is launching the Pitch Invasion podcast. Join us, won’t you? Thanks to our sponsor, Groundhopper, for helping to make this Magic City Soccer episode happen!
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