Confessions of a Soccer Nobody: City Islanders Reaping Rewards
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The City Islanders' victory over the New York Red Bulls is still reaping rewards, $10,000 to be exact. The U.S. Open Cup bestows $10,000 to the team that advances furthest from their respective division—such as the USL-1, USL-2, or PDL—and Harrisburg claimed those honors from the USL-2 ranks. The City Islanders and Charleston Battery both advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament, but after the Battery lost to the Columbus Crew last night, Harrisburg won the cash reward regardless of how they fare in their July 21 tilt with DC United. How can this be if Harrisburg loses and advance no further than Charleston? In the third round, the City Islanders defeated the Red Bulls 2-1 in overtime while the Battery dispatched the Chicago Fire on penalty kicks. In tournament play, a penalty kick tie-breaker is considered a draw, thus Harrisburg's win is deemed a better result than Charleston's tie. So when Dominic Oppong struck in the 117th minute against New York, he not only propelled his team to the quarterfinals, he earned them $10,000. For a small, USL-2 club, that is a huge amount of money and well-deserved reward for some gutsy performances in the Open Cup.
In addition to netting the City Islanders organization ten grand, the team’s performance in the U.S. Open Cup helped the squad jell and develop some confidence going forward in their league campaign. Following their phenomenal performance against the Red Bulls, Harrisburg knocked off the Charlotte Eagles last weekend on goals by Sheanon Williams and Jason Hotchkin. Williams’ spectacular bicycle kick goal in the first half gave the City Isles a 1-0 lead, and they increased that advantage early in the second half when Hotchkin headed home a cross from Anthony Calvano. The Eagles struck back with twenty minutes to play, but Harrisburg held firm and, despite some nervy moments, earned three points with the 2-1 win. Over 1,900 fans were in attendance, the largest home crowd of the year and a sign that good vibes are gathering around the club. Including Open Cup play, Harrisburg has won three straight matches and is 5-2-3 since May 22, indicating that the club has rebounded from their woeful start to the season.
With the win, the City Islanders (2-6-4, 10 points) kept their slim playoff hopes alive, rendering this week’s home-and-home series with Real Maryland (3-4-5, 14 points) crucial. If Harrisburg can win both matches, they would move within two points of the third and final playoff slot. Real Maryland plays a very defensive brand of soccer and hasn’t impressed in 2010. While they don’t concede many goals, the Monarchs don’t attack much either, meaning the City Islanders will face an opponent who will relinquish possession but prove difficult to break down. Harrisburg has lost twice to Maryland this season, 2-0 at Skyline Sports Complex and 3-2 on the road. In both games, the City Islanders generated more scoring chances only to be thwarted by poor finishing and their opponent’s stout defending. But with Harrisburg starting to find the net more regularly, can they finally move up the USL-2 standings?
The 2010 U.S. Open Cup has been very successful for the USL-2, with the Battery and City Islanders upsetting MLS clubs, and Richmond Kickers knocking off Crystal Palace Baltimore of the USSF-2. But despite these feel-good moments, the current format of the tournament is deeply flawed and favors Major League Soccer at the expense of the underdogs. Now before you point out that some MLS clubs played on the road at venues like the Skyline Sports Complex, keep in mind that many MLS teams entered the tournament in the third round. Some MLS franchises needed to negotiate qualification to reach that point, but the brackets were constructed to ensure that no MLS team would face another until the quarterfinals. Why not have an open draw like the F.A. Cup? Things would become far more interesting if the brackets were less “balanced.” But the major drawback of the U.S. Open Cup is that most of the bigger clubs take it for granted. As great as the City Islanders win over New York was, the Red Bulls fielded a very weak side. There was no Juan Pablo Angel, no Dane Richards, no Joel Lindpere. That’s what leads to so many upsets in this competition. The USL squads are hyped to play the MLS “big boys,” but few star players take the pitch for them. For Major League Soccer, America’s oldest club competition becomes just another fixture for their overburdened and understaffed teams, but for minnows like the City Islanders, the U.S. Open Cup becomes a vessel for dreams, salvation, and $10,000.
Throw-Ins
The City Islanders' victory over the New York Red Bulls is still reaping rewards, $10,000 to be exact. The U.S. Open Cup bestows $10,000 to the team that advances furthest from their respective division—such as the USL-1, USL-2, or PDL—and Harrisburg claimed those honors from the USL-2 ranks. The City Islanders and Charleston Battery both advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament, but after the Battery lost to the Columbus Crew last night, Harrisburg won the cash reward regardless of how they fare in their July 21 tilt with DC United. How can this be if Harrisburg loses and advance no further than Charleston? In the third round, the City Islanders defeated the Red Bulls 2-1 in overtime while the Battery dispatched the Chicago Fire on penalty kicks. In tournament play, a penalty kick tie-breaker is considered a draw, thus Harrisburg's win is deemed a better result than Charleston's tie. So when Dominic Oppong struck in the 117th minute against New York, he not only propelled his team to the quarterfinals, he earned them $10,000. For a small, USL-2 club, that is a huge amount of money and well-deserved reward for some gutsy performances in the Open Cup.
In addition to netting the City Islanders organization ten grand, the team’s performance in the U.S. Open Cup helped the squad jell and develop some confidence going forward in their league campaign. Following their phenomenal performance against the Red Bulls, Harrisburg knocked off the Charlotte Eagles last weekend on goals by Sheanon Williams and Jason Hotchkin. Williams’ spectacular bicycle kick goal in the first half gave the City Isles a 1-0 lead, and they increased that advantage early in the second half when Hotchkin headed home a cross from Anthony Calvano. The Eagles struck back with twenty minutes to play, but Harrisburg held firm and, despite some nervy moments, earned three points with the 2-1 win. Over 1,900 fans were in attendance, the largest home crowd of the year and a sign that good vibes are gathering around the club. Including Open Cup play, Harrisburg has won three straight matches and is 5-2-3 since May 22, indicating that the club has rebounded from their woeful start to the season.With the win, the City Islanders (2-6-4, 10 points) kept their slim playoff hopes alive, rendering this week’s home-and-home series with Real Maryland (3-4-5, 14 points) crucial. If Harrisburg can win both matches, they would move within two points of the third and final playoff slot. Real Maryland plays a very defensive brand of soccer and hasn’t impressed in 2010. While they don’t concede many goals, the Monarchs don’t attack much either, meaning the City Islanders will face an opponent who will relinquish possession but prove difficult to break down. Harrisburg has lost twice to Maryland this season, 2-0 at Skyline Sports Complex and 3-2 on the road. In both games, the City Islanders generated more scoring chances only to be thwarted by poor finishing and their opponent’s stout defending. But with Harrisburg starting to find the net more regularly, can they finally move up the USL-2 standings?
The 2010 U.S. Open Cup has been very successful for the USL-2, with the Battery and City Islanders upsetting MLS clubs, and Richmond Kickers knocking off Crystal Palace Baltimore of the USSF-2. But despite these feel-good moments, the current format of the tournament is deeply flawed and favors Major League Soccer at the expense of the underdogs. Now before you point out that some MLS clubs played on the road at venues like the Skyline Sports Complex, keep in mind that many MLS teams entered the tournament in the third round. Some MLS franchises needed to negotiate qualification to reach that point, but the brackets were constructed to ensure that no MLS team would face another until the quarterfinals. Why not have an open draw like the F.A. Cup? Things would become far more interesting if the brackets were less “balanced.” But the major drawback of the U.S. Open Cup is that most of the bigger clubs take it for granted. As great as the City Islanders win over New York was, the Red Bulls fielded a very weak side. There was no Juan Pablo Angel, no Dane Richards, no Joel Lindpere. That’s what leads to so many upsets in this competition. The USL squads are hyped to play the MLS “big boys,” but few star players take the pitch for them. For Major League Soccer, America’s oldest club competition becomes just another fixture for their overburdened and understaffed teams, but for minnows like the City Islanders, the U.S. Open Cup becomes a vessel for dreams, salvation, and $10,000.
Throw-Ins
- The City Islanders kick off their series with Real Maryland on Thursday when they travel to Richard Montgomery High School. The return leg will be played on Saturday at the Skyline Sports Complex.
- Dustin Bixler (right), Jason Pelletier, and Sheanon Williams were all named to the USL-2 Team of the Week. Bixler has received this recognition five times in 2010, while Pelletier earned his first nod and Williams his second.
- Corey Hertzog scored twice to lead Reading United over the Bermuda Hogges 2-0 on Sunday. Reading (8-1-2, 26 points) remains in second place in the PDL Mid-Atlantic Division but has a chance to leapfrog the first-place club, the Ironbound Express, when they play Wednesday night in New Jersey.
- New Penn State soccer coach Bob Warming finalized his coaching staff, hiring Jason Mims, his former assistant at Creighton, and retaining Isang Jacob, who served as an assistant to Barry Gorman at Penn State last season.
Posted by Soccer Nobody at 7/7/2010 1:00 PM 
Categories: Confessions of a Soccer Nobody
Tags: Dustin Bixler Jason Mims Jason Pelletier Corey Hertzog Sheanon Williams Harrisburg City Islanders Reading United USL-2 New York Red Bulls Real Maryland Bob Warming
Categories: Confessions of a Soccer Nobody
Tags: Dustin Bixler Jason Mims Jason Pelletier Corey Hertzog Sheanon Williams Harrisburg City Islanders Reading United USL-2 New York Red Bulls Real Maryland Bob Warming
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