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Three NASL Sides Move On To Fourth Round Of Open Cup

North Carolina hosts a fourth-round clash, while Miami and San Francisco go on the road in their next Cup matchup
NASL Staff (@naslofficial} | Jun 1, 2017

Three NASL sides moved on to the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night, setting up matchups with Major League Soccer (MLS) opponents. Miami FC and North Carolina FC earned victories at home, while the San Francisco Deltas secured a victory in dramatic fashion on the road.

The Deltas, who are participating in the Cup for the first time, moved past United Soccer League (USL) side Phoenix Rising FC, 2-1. All three goals in the contest came after the 80th minute. Kyle Bekker opened the scoring in the 81st minute when his free kick from the left side was deflected into the back of the net. Three minutes later, former Mexican international Omar Bravo, who played in the NASL last season, converted from the penalty spot for Phoenix.

As he did in the Deltas opening Cup game, Tommy Heinemann scored the winner. A cross from Danny Cruz found Heinemann unmarked at the back post for a tap-in deep into second-half stoppage time. The Deltas will now visit the San Jose Earthquakes in the next round.

Miami, which played host to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, reached the fourth round on the strength of a 2-0 win at Riccardo Silva Stadium. While Tampa Bay goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald made a number of key saves in the early going, Miami was able to break through from the penalty spot in the second half. Vincenzo Rennella, who has scored in five of his last six games overall, converted the spot kick to give Miami the lead.

Later in the half, Jaime Chávez scored his seventh career goal in the competition, finishing off some nice interplay from Miami’s attack in the 84th minute. The club will now visit Orlando City SC in the next round.

As the club did last year, North Carolina FC easily dispatched the Charlotte Independence. After a 5-0 result at the same stage in 2016, North Carolina rolled to a 4-1 win at Sahlen’s Stadium.

James Marcelin took advantage of a well-placed corner kick from Lance Laing, rising above the defense to score a powerful header in the 17th minute. The home side didn’t look back from there. Nazmi Albadawi placed a low shot into the far corner in the 51st minute and then chipped goalkeeper Cody Mizell in the 82nd minute after being played through by Austin da Luz.

Defender Connor Tobin then punctuated the victory with a wonderfully-curled effort into the top corner just a minute later. Alex Martinez scored from a penalty just before the final whistle to pull one back for Charlotte. North Carolina now hosts Houston Dynamo in the next round.

Jacksonville Armada FC was the lone NASL side to bow out of the Cup last night as Mark Lowry’s men were unable to defeat Charleston Battery. A physical affair ended in favor of the Battery, 1-0, after a first-half own goal from Drew Beckie gave the visitors a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Armada FC put the pressure on late, but in the end it wasn’t enough to advance to the fourth round.

Open Cup action returns for NASL sides on June 14 with a chance to reach the Round of 16.

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