Detroit City FC fell to RWB Adria in penalty kicks, 3-1, in the first match of the U.S. Open Cup. Brian Quintos/The Pit
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ultiple red cards, injury, and a last-second strike in stoppage time of the second half. Detroit City FC’s first U.S. Open Cup match had it all, save for victory.
City eventually fell in penalty kicks, 3-1, to RWB Adria in the opening round of the 2014 competition after a regulation score of 2-2 led to additional time.
After trailing for the opening 70 minutes, City found an equalizer from new midfield additionTyler Arnone, who produced a highlight-reel finish by slotting a pass from forward Zach Myers between the legs of Adria keeper Igor Demov.
The crowd of 753 in attendance at Livonia Stevenson High School– almost entirely comprised of Northern Guard supporters — proved even more raucous when a corner from wing-back Ryan Thelen found the unmarked head of Kevin Taylor, whose point-blank goal seemed to be the one that would send Le Rouge soaring into the second round.
Instead, imposing Adria forward Vlad Baciu emerged from a scrum in the dying seconds of extra time to erase what appeared to be certain triumph and force the two additional 15-minute periods.
Originally, it appeared luck had turned its back on City in the first added-time period when, without any substitutions remaining, it found itself without Thelen, who was forced to exit permanently due to injury. Yet the odds evened themselves shortly thereafter when a foolish challenge from Marin Vucemilovic-Grgic on Arnone produced a red card from the official in the 109th minute.
Conditions would spiral even further out of hand when a scrum escalated around Adria’s box at the 116′ mark, resulting in additional straight reds being shown to City defender Zeke Harrisand Adria forward Derek Huffman, leaving just nine men for each squad.
Adria displayed its veteran nature when penalty kicks ensued. It appeared DCFC’s first taker,Lachlan Savage, would set a positive tempo, but a partially-saved take dribbled and refused to cross into net after hitting the left crossbar. Of City’s attempts from the spot, the only to give Demov certain difficulty was its sole conversion from Arnone, one with enough pace to the bottom-right netting.
A save right from City keeper Bret Mollon would only prolong its demise, as Adria defenderJudson McKinney put in the winning kick to secure the Chicago-based squad its place in the next round, where it’ll face the Michigan Bucks next Wednesday.
Baciu laid the foundation for the eventual brace around the 21st minute, when he poached an easy goal withing the six-yard box that resulted from a long throw-in open the scoring.
DCFC begins its National Premier Soccer League campaign Saturday afternoon, hosting the Cincinnati Saints in its season opener.
This article was reported on in conjuncture with Press Row Sports.
