Gressel Guides Cincy to Semi-Final Glory
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FC Cincinnati have progressed into the U.S. Open Cup Final after beating Houston Dynamo 3-1 in their Semi-Final matchup.
Paul King has led his FC Cincinnati side to their first ever cup final, having beaten Houston Dynamo in their Semi-Final match at Nippert stadium. Having broken a run of five games without a win in their previous game against Philadelphia Union, a 1-0 win in the U.S. Open Cup quarter final, Cincinnati came into the game after a 21 day break.
However, the break had seemingly caused issues for Cincy from the off, as Houston came out strong hitting the Orange and Blue with a number of attacks early on. The pressure finally paid off in the 11th minute as Romell Quioto opened the scoring for Houston. Tomás Martínez picked the ball up in the center of the pitch before going on a run beating numerous players. Pacey Hounduron winger, Quioto sprant into support going past his marker, Alvas Powell with ease and once Martínez found him in space, it was an easy opportunity for Quioto.
Houston continued to dominate the game, ending the match with 62% possession, however, a Cincinnati counter-attack saw the game leveled up. Last seasons MLS Cup final, goal scorer, Julian Gressel was found on the edge of the area by Rasmus Schüller and despite being surrounded by defenders, squeezed the ball into the far corner.
Going into the half-time break, Cincy were certainly lucky to be tied, however, they went ahead despite the pressure facing them, Gressel once again grabbing the goal. A Greg Garza cross was headed clear by the Houston defense, only for the ball to fall to new signing Joe Aribo. Aribo, who has impressed in his first three games as a Cincinnati player, played Gressel into space before the German once again buried his shot into the corner.
Gressel turned scorer to provider to put the final nail in Houston's coffin, as he set up a perfect cross for Brian Black to nod home. Black has impressed so far this year in his first campaign in the MLS since being drafted but saw new signing Aron Jóhannsson start the game against Houston. However, coming off the bench to seal the win certainly proved that Paul King will have a tough selection to make in the striker role from now on.
But the man of the day was without a doubt, Julian Gressel, as he picked up a brace as well as assisting the winner. The German has performed at an exceptional level at times this season, having joined from Atlanta United in December’s expansion draft. The winger has played in 27 matches, five of which came from the bench, in all competitions and has scored six goals, creating five.
“I am very happy with today's game, we played well as a team and despite not having much of the ball we defended well and stopped them from doing much with the ball. We then also counter attacked well and I am delighted to have scored twice in the win” commented Julian Gressel on the Semi-Final.
Cincinnati manager, Paul King also gave his thoughts on the game, “We were good. Nothing special but not terrible, we were good. I think that best sums up today's match as we just couldn't get a hold of the ball throughout the match. However, we defended well and our press kept them in their own half for the majority of the game and they only threatened our goal a couple of times, apart from the goal. When we had the ball we were clinical, creating chances and more importantly finishing them. I was pleased with the win, but the tournament isn’t over now and we are desperate to be the ones lifting that trophy come the end of September.”
This will be the furthest Cincinnati have got to in the U.S. Open Cup having previously lost in the Semi-Finals, in 2017. Having been knocked out by Tampa Bay Rowdies in the third round in 2016, Cincy went on an incredible run the following year. Remarkably, Baye Djiby Fall scored the winner in four of Cincy’s wins, all of which ended 1-0. Beating Cleveland, Louisville, Columbus Crew and Miami, whilst also winning on penalties against Chicago Fire, Cincinnati made it to the Semi-Finals. Cincy took New York Red Bulls to extra time in the Semi-Final but lost 3-2 through a Bradley Wright-Phillips 101st minute goal.
Cincinnati couldn’t match the run last year, losing 3-1 on penalties to Minnesota United after a 0-0 in regular time. However, this year they have managed to go on a spectacular run, seeing them beat Tormenta FC, Charleston, Phoenix, Chicago Fire, Philadelphia Union and most recently, Houston Dynamo. They will now face San Jose Earthquakes in the final on 25th September 2019.
San Jose have also had an impressive run this season, starting two rounds later than Cincinnati, they have beaten, Fresno, LAFC, Oklahoma City and in the Semi-Final, Real Salt Lake. Led by Chris Wondolowski, San Jose are also playing in their first U.S. Open Cup Final, having previously made the Semi-Finals in 2004 and 2017.
“It should be a good final, we have played well tonight to make it to the Final and hopefully we can come out on top against Cincinnati. We have played them once this season and they took the victory, so we are seeking revenge. It won’t be easy but we are confident in ourselves.” commented San Jose Earthquakes manager, Matías Almeyda, on the upcoming Final.
The Final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will take place on September 25th at the Avaya Stadium, home of the San Jose Earthquakes, gifting them home advantage.
Replies
Justice: He certainly won't be getting anything from me, quite like how I am going to ignore the rest of your terrible puns
Scott:Former Chelsea manager, don't know what I was thinking.
Jack:Well he certainly has a lot to prove considering his last few roles as a club manager. I look forward to playing against him next season, assuming he is still in a job