North Carolina FC 1 – 0 Florida Soccer Soldiers
Cary, NC– The Florida Soccer Soldiers rolled into Cary looking to build on their U.S. Open Cup resume. After an upset win over the Charlotte Independence earlier this month, the amateur squad looked to complete a sweep of the North Carolina clubs, but NCFC wore down the visitors to advance to the fourth round.
From the opening whistle, it was clear that the Soccer Soldiers’ game plan was high press and disrupt NCFC’s flow. The visitors pestered the home team all over the pitch, clogging up the passing lanes and winning several one-on-one battles.
“We saw a group of players from Florida that did a good job of disrupting us, asking questions of us in the first half,” North Carolina head coach Dave Sarachan reflected after the match. “I thought the soccer was a little better in the second half. We grinded it out and we are moving on.”
Sarachan took his players to task as they went into the locker room deadlocked 0-0. His message to the team was one of “more urgency and more movement,” he said, looking to “get the game more on our terms.”
NCFC fullback D.J. Taylor echoed his coach’s remarks. “The team came out very lethargic—I don’t know if it was the heat or whatever. We weren’t moving the ball fast enough, and taking our time; technically they were good and making it difficult for us.”
Message received. The Dead Whales hit the field for the second half on the front foot and in the 47th minute, Taylor got North Carolina on the scoreboard. “It was a good goal. I’m glad to score my first goal for NCFC” Taylor smiled as he described the game-winning goal in his post-game remarks.
Florida goalkeeper Bryant Gammiero made several remarkable saves and gave the Soccer Soldiers a chance to steal another game. “We came with huge expectations about this game because we thought that we could win,” Soccer Soldiers manager Daniel Godoy said. “Of course, we knew that if we made one mistake, they will score.”
It was a very warm evening in Cary, with temperatures still in the 90’s as the game got underway. As the game wore on, and the Soccer Soldiers got more tired, the play started to get chippy. There were a couple of altercations late in the match, and Florida’s Carlos Daniel Meneses Freire was ejected from the game in stoppage time.
North Carolina now moves on to face MLS opponent New York City FC.
All photos by Victoria Klum
