USL North Carolina FC

North Carolina FC Readies for US Open Cup Tilt against Florida Soccer Soldiers this Wednesday Night

Published on May 28, 2019 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
North Carolina FC News Release


CARY, N.C. - North Carolina FC will face off against the Florida Soccer Soldiers of the UPSL in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, May 29 at 7 p.m. in Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. This will be the second match in this year's Open Cup for NCFC, while the Soccer Soldiers will be playing in their third. The Match will take place on Koka Booth Stadium (Field Two) at WakeMed Soccer Park as Sahlen's Stadium is being resodded.

North Carolina FC enters the match on the heels of a thrilling 2-1 victory over New York Red Bulls II last Friday, May 24 in USL Championship action. The Florida Soccer Soldiers will look to bounce back and advance in the Open Cup after losing their most recent game 1-0 against UD Miami FC on Sunday, May 26.

In NCFC's first game of the 2019 tournament against the Richmond Kickers, Dre Fortune was able to score the first game of the match. Kicker's defender, Wahab Ackwei, tied the score with what ended up being the team's only goal of the night. Robert Kristo and Yamikani Chester responded to Richmond with Kristo scoring a brace and Chester scoring one to finalize the team's victory. This was the third straight win for NCFC over long-time rival Richmond.

Even though NCFC has a history of victory and advancement in the Open Cup (22W-11L), the Florida Soccer Soldiers are not a team to be taken lightly. The Soccer Soldiers were founded just last year in 2018 yet were able to make their way to the top of the Southeast Conference of the United Premier Soccer League quickly.

The Soccer Soldiers qualified for the 2019 Open Cup and played Miami FC of the NPSL in the first round, winning 2-1. During the second round, the Soccer Soldiers pulled off a shocking victory against Charlotte Independence that finished with a penalty shootout between the two teams. This made them one of two amateur/semi-pro teams to advance into the third round of the tournament, the other being the NPSL's Orange County FC.

Should NCFC emerge victorious on Wednesday, they may face a Major League Soccer opponent in the next round of the Open Cup. The draw for the fourth round will take place on Thursday, May 30.

Players to Watch

North Carolina FC- No. 11 Yamikani Chester

Chester, who is playing with North Carolina FC for the season on loan from MFK Vyskov, scored the final goal in the previous Open Cup match against Richmond. He has spent his career developing his skills with the Malawi National Team. Chester's speed will prove key in the upcoming match.

Florida Soccer Soldiers- No. 10 Valentin Sabella

The 19-year-old has been one of the Soccer Soldier's top players in the 2019 season so far. He was named to the Best XI of the United Premier Soccer League in the 2018 season. Sabella scored the tying goal in the 119th minute in the Soccer Soldier's game against Charlotte Independence that forced the penalty shootout and helped the team move on to round three of the Open Cup.

Up Next

North Carolina FC will resume its USL Championship campaign on Saturday, June 1 at 7 p.m. against Hartford Athletic at Rentschler Field in Hartford, Connecticut.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 28, 2019


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