We’ve said a time or two that the NPSL Sunshine Conference schedule is funky. It’s rare for a team in any sport to go six weeks without playing a game at home. Miami FC 2 will finally get to play their third home match of the season as we enter the final stages of the 2018 NPSL campaign. Palm Beach United come to town hoping to close the door on any possible comeback for MFC2.
The second round of the US Open Cup was a match that many different layers to it. Sure at the top there is the Miami United victory, however, looking back of the match there was a lot that culminated in the result for the NPSL juggernaut. An early goal, high presses that would make your nose bleed, cards galore, and fateful tactical decisions all culminated together to bring Miami FC’s 2018 cup run to an end.
It is here, it is finally here. Welcome to the official start of the 2018 soccer season in the Magic City. As fate would have it, the first match pits two of our local clubs against each other. Local NPSL powerhouse Miami United get to take on the NPSL newcomers Miami FC 2. The #MagicCityClasico will surely be one of the determining factors of who moves on to the NPSL playoffs and tops the table at the end of the year. Let’s take a look at both teams that have a chance to lift the newest trophy in the battle for Miami.
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.
The biggest question The Miami FC had to answer coming into the 2017 campaign was “Can this defense hold up?” Boy, have they ever held up their end of the bargain. After allowing 42 goals in 2016, the backline has found the chemistry necessary to shut opponents down. Through 16 league games, the boys at the back have only allowed 11 goals and have helped Mario Daniel Vega hold seven clean sheets. In an extra four games of U.S. Open Cup play, Miami has allowed five goals while keeping a clean sheet against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Let’s take a look at this part of the team’s season so far and their best moments.
A short roundup of coverage about Miami soccer:
–The11.ca: Trafford has become a key piece for the Miami FC juggernaut
And, in the midst of it all is Canadian Mason Trafford, who has been a regular starter with Miami FC since the team acquired him from the Ottawa Fury after the 2015 season. Trafford is a linchpin for the second-year franchise.
Steven Sandor, who is a color commentator for FC Edmonton and a writer at The11.ca, gives us a look at Mason Trafford, with a particular focus on his desire to play for the Canada men’s national soccer team.
Riccardo Silva couldn’t have dreamed it when he first formed The Miami FC.
9,000-plus fans. A hot but beautiful night. Major League Soccer competition on the field against his squad. A back-and-forth affair keeping everyone in their seats until the final seconds, when a Miami FC player streamed toward goal and finished a one-on-one opportunity to send the club into the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.
His, and many other, dreams were realized Wednesday night when Miami FC dispatched yet another Major League Soccer side from the U.S. Open Cup, this time toppling Atlanta United 3-2 with one of the best finishes a soccer fan could ever hope to see.