Drew and Matt get you ready for the start of the National Premier Soccer League Season as The Miami FC 2, Miami United and other teams conclude their preseasons. We also discuss the U.S. Open Cup, international friendlies and Copacabana Beach. Join us, won’t you?
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It wasn’t conventional, but The Miami FC 2 preseason ended with two opponents beaten in one game. In two 45-minute “mini-matches,” Miami FC 2 beat the St. Thomas University Bobcats 3-0 and the Lynn University Knights 1-0.
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.
The Miami FC 2 is looking to add some pop to its midfield, and turning to a familiar (and infamous) name. Attacking midfielder Jeff Michaud has been signed for the 2018 season.
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.
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.
In a development that would’ve been totally unexpected even two weeks ago, The Miami FC Open Cup possibilities are still alive. The Miami FC 2 has been granted admission into the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. New York Cosmos B and Jacksonville Armada has also been granted admission.
In a statement, the Open Cup Committee said:
“The Committee carefully considered the teams’ exceptional situation which involved all three moving from Professional Division II status in 2017 to solely Open Division league participation earlier this year. Since the move occurred after the Open Division league’s 2018 Open Cup entry deadline in mid-2017, the Committee decided to allow the three teams the opportunity to compete in the 2018 edition of the U.S. Open Cup.”
The teams will have until 4 p.m. on April 2 to confirm that they are participating. Once they have been confirmed, the three teams will enter the competition via a “Play-In Round” scheduled for the weekend of May 5-6. The winners of the play-in round will advance to the First Round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on May 9.
It was pretty well understood that The Miami FC would not be partcipating in the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament. After all, when the Open Cup handbook was released two weeks ago, Miami FC was not among the names listed. There was a good reason for this: There was no Miami FC competing in American soccer in 2018, becaues the league if formerly competed in was not sanctioned. There was a The Miami FC 2, but it was in the NPSL, and hasn’t officially kicked off this year.
However, that didn’t deter the club. On March 16, CEO Sean Flynn requested a sitdown with U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro to discuss Miami FC’s participation. On this very website, it was described as a “last-ditch effort.”
While Flynn apparently didn’t get the sitdown, it does appear there is some momentum building towards the idea of including Miami FC and New York Cosmos in the 2018 tournament after all.
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.
It’s always hard to read too much into preseason friendlies, but The Miami FC 2 fans were finally treated to a glimpse of Paul Dalglish’s footballing philosophy last weekend with an emphatic 5-0 win over Weston FC from the PDL. The affable Scot had been saying all the right things since being unveiled earlier in the year. Open, expansive soccer. An attacking mentality. Exciting play. He duly delivered on a lovely Sunday lunchtime in Miami.
