While many eyes will be focused on Miami United in Hialeah, a match important to South Florida soccer watchers will be taking place upstate, as The Miami FC 2 travels to Jacksonville to take on the Armada.
DELRAY BEACH — After a staggered start to the 2018 National Premier Soccer League season, The Miami FC 2 appears to have found its form. The team has won three in a row, capped off by a 5-0 win over Boca Raton FC.
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.
The NPSL has proven to be a tough league to understand in the early stages of the 2018 season. Sure, we may have fond memories of the NASL and the whole “division two” thing, but it’s time to accept that those days are long gone. Miami versus Jacksonville was the showing that, no matter what competition these two clubs find themselves in, there is still very little love lost between both sides.
It was an eventful week for Miami United FC. On Thursday, representatives from both the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County proclaimed April 27 as Miami United Day.
The team has been heavily focused on Miami-Dade County the last few weeks, after all, with the first two matches of the Magic City Clásico. Finally, on Sunday, the club will have the opportunity to look away from Dade and face some competition from outside the county. Naples United FC will be traveling across Alligator Alley and visiting Ted Hendricks Stadium.
If you expected the #MagicCityClasico to produce your rough and tumble derby, it was a disappointment. If you are into the “bad blood” storyline and enjoy when the beautiful game is played with an edge, this will be the fixture for you. Miami FC 2 host their comrades in exile, Jacksonville Armada in a match where both teams seek validity.
After receiving permission from the United States Soccer Federation to participate in the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, The Miami FC 2 and FC Miami City of the Premier Development League will square off in a “play-in” cup match.
The Miami FC made history Saturday night, as the team defeated FC Edmonton 2-1 to claim the NASL Fall Season title. The team becomes the first squad to win the Spring and Fall title of the North American Soccer League in the same year.
It wasn’t easy, as the club had to outlast a valiant effort by the Canadian club. Not only that, but outer bands of Tropical Storm Philippe made the conditions beyond wet. However, two goals by Kwadwo Poku broke the league’s team season scoring record (61) and sealed all three points. A loss by San Francisco Deltas to Jacksonville Armada made the points unnecessary for the title, but the team will certainly take the win as they head into the The Championship semifinal.
Not only that, the win gave The Miami FC the NASL record for points in a season (69).
The squad now waits for the conclusion of games on Sunday, as they will either host New York Cosmos or North Carolina FC on Nov. 5 at 5 pm.
Before we get started on the very rare double recap article below, we want to apologize for the lack of structure over the recent weeks. After Hurricane Irma, it is safe to say that we have been in quite a lull. Everyone in the Magic City Soccer family is safe and our families are doing well. Now, back to the NASL season already in progress.