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.
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.
It was a game of firsts for The Miami FC 2, yet it seemed very similar at the same time. A new name. A new coach. Many new names.
Yet it was a number of familiar faces who led the way, as Miami FC 2 claimed its first victory, defeating Weston FC 5-0 to open the 2018 preseason at Bobcat Field at St. Thomas University.
Drew and Matt take a look ahead at The Miami FC 2’s journey into the NPSL, talk about the U.S. Open Cup and how four local teams will be participating, and look ahead to March Madness. Also, Matt drops a Milton Berle reference. Join us, won’t you?
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