The U.S. Open Cup is officially under the way with a pair of first-round matches taking place in Miami-Dade County. The Miami FC 2 and Miami United (both NPSL) will face off against a duo of local qualifiers in Red Force FC and FC Kendall. In matches that could easily become high scoring affairs, the firework alert is ringing loudly in Westchester and Hialeah. Before we breakdown the matches let’s take a look at how each club has gotten here.
It was a lovely spring evening at St. Thomas University and the stage was set for a good battle between The Miami FC 2 and FC Kendall, two sides tuning up for some important upcoming games. Indeed this could have been a dress rehearsal for a possible rematch in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. We now know if The Miami FC 2 can negotiate a tricky tie with FC Miami City then the squad will probably line up against FC Kendall or Red Force in the first round.
For The Miami FC 2 preseason friendlies had been a cakewalk. South Florida FC and Weston FC had been dispatched rather easily. But the first challenge from a Miami-Dade squad proved to be more challenging.
In a 2-1 result, Miami FC 2 faced and dealt with its first serious challenge of their preseason schedule. But it wasn’t always easy.
After a strong preseason debut against Weston FC a week before, The Miami FC 2 exploded for nine goals in a dominant 9-1 victory over South Florida FC of the American Premier Soccer League on March 25, 2018.
One of the underdiscussed aspects of soccer management in America recently (in fairness, there has been a lot to talk about) has to deal with the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. One of the major problems with the competition is the difficulty amateur clubs have navigating it. No, it’s not related to the challenge posed by professional competition. The issue is funding for long trips. And a local team — FC Kendall — is facing that issue head-on this week.
Just last week, it was learned that the United States Soccer Federation will offer financial assistance to clubs in the open division amateur qualifying tournament who have to make road trips longer than six hours. However, it likely won’t be enough for small amateur clubs facing a multi-state journey.
FC Kendall of the APSL is taking a direct approach to the problem. Earlier today, it posted a campaign to GoFundMe entitled “Help FC Kendall get To Nashville!“
The American Premier Soccer League kicked off its fall season last weekend, with two powerhouses of the league facing off at Tropical Park Stadium as FC Kendall and Red Force FC fought to a 1-1 draw on Sunday.