US Open Cup Second Round & CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals round-up, April 2

1995 US Open Cup winners Richmond Kickers became the first side into the hat for round three when they beat NISA's Maryland Bobcats 5-2 at City Stadium in Richmond last night. The USL League One club went ahead after just six minutes when Nil Vinyals converted a penalty given for a dubious handball by Luis Almeida and doubled that advantage in the 20th minute through Chandler O'Dwyer when the Bobcats’ ‘keeper fumbled. Abdul Kooistra reduced the arrears for the Bobcats four minutes later, but Kickers finished the half strongly, adding a third goal - a header from Dakota Barnathan - to take a two-goal lead into the break. Thriteen minutes into the second-half, Maryland had a chance to come within a goal again when they were awarded a penalty for a foul by Justin Sukow on Darwin Espinal, but Espinal's spot kick hit the bar. Things got worse for the visitors two minutes later when Josselin Possian was dismissed for a second yellow, but they did manage to claw a goal back through Espinal, a distance strike on 71 minutes. From there, Richmond reasserted control, scoring two late goals from Ryan Sierakowski and Barnathan again to ease into round three.

The all-MLS Next Pro New York derby also produced a hatful of goals as New York City II beat New York Red Bulls II 4-2 in Jamaica (the New York neighbourhood rather than the Caribbean nation). Mohammed Sofo opened the scoring for the baby Bulls after just six minutes but the baby Pigeons hit back with two goals from Jonathan Jimenez and one from Malachi Jones to take a 3-1 lead into the break. Serge Ngoma put Red Bulls within touching distance two minutes after the restart after Roald Mitchell had an effort saved by Tomas Romero in the City goal. Romero then saved a penalty from Red Bulls’ Julian Hall before an 87th penalty given to City for handball completed Jimenez's hatrick and sent the home side through. Down in North Carolina, USL-1 side Charlotte Independence and the UPSL's South Carolina United Heat from across the border, drew 0-0 after extra-time at the American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte. Penalties were called upon and an opening miss by Juan Carlos Obregon for the hosts was negated by two saves by Independence 'keeper Austin Pack to keep Charlotte in the hunt for cup glory.

MLS Next Pro met NISA in St Paul when Minnesota United 2 faced Michigan Stars, and it was the 2022 NISA champions who walked away with a 2-0 win, despite the hosts having the . Scores were level after ninety minutes but nine minutes into the first period of extra-time, Sacko Konate headed the visitors into the lead, compounded by Hunter Olson's strike a minute after the half-time in extra-time break. There was guaranteed to be a lower-tier winner at the end of the match at Lubbock Christian University in west Texas, where the NPSL's Lubbock Matadors met Dallas side Foro SC from the UPSL. A crowd of over 2,000 saw a cagey affair, with the teams level and Luke Jones missing a penalty for the home side. Salvador Martinez struck in the 71st minute to give the Matadors the lead and Foro's problems deepened when Nigel Katawa was red-carded five minutes later, the end result of a pell-mell sparked by Daniel Celi's bad foul on Kodai Kobayashi. The ten men battled back and went very close to an equaliser in stoppage time through Juan Ramirez, but Shuma Sasaki's 93rd minute goal sent the home side through 2-0.

The night's final game in the Open Cup came from Merced, California, where USL-1 side Central Valley Fuegos were taking on 1993 Open Cup winners El Farolito SC from the UPSL. The game took place not at Fuegos' usual ground in Fresno but at Bobcat Field on the University of California campus an hour north, but Fuego looked right at home when they took the lead through a Jose Carrera-Garcia penalty on 19 minutes, given for a foul by Jonathan Mosquera. The home side looked happy to sit back and were caught out in first-half stoppage time by Dembor Benson's equaliser. The visitors again had much of the play in the second-half and got their reward two minutes from time, with Benson adding a second to secure the night's first "cupset." There are ten more games tonight, with another four lower-tier sides looking to join Lubbock and El Farolito in the next round.

Just 8,000 fans were at Lower.com Field in Columbus last night to watch the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinal between Columbus Crew and Liga MX side UANL Tigres, which was delayed by 90 minutes by a thunderstorm. Those that did bother to turn up were treated to an incident-packed match that came alive late in the second-half after an even first 45 minutes which saw Andre-Pierre Gignac net for Tigres and Diego Rossi equalise for Crew. The second-half grew increasingly ill-tempered but it took the referee until the 75th minute to show a yellow card, to Aidan Morris. That was followed two minutes later by a second - also to Morris, who was dismissed for a bad foul - but there were no further goals and the teams will go again in Nuevo Leon next week.

New England Revolution have had a bad start to their MLS season but have been capable in the CONCACAF Champions Cup thus far, something ruined by a 4-0 home defeat to Club America last night. The Liga MX top the standings in Mexico and showed their quality at Gillette Stadium with most of the 12,000 crowd right behnd them in a sea of yellow. Revs were second-best all night and went behind in the 16th minute to Henry Martin's left-footed effort, with Alejandro Zendejas doubling the lead eight minutes later after an assist from Martin. That's how it stayed until just past the hour, but chances for the home side were thin on the ground and there was little surprise when Cristian Calderon added America's third from close range. The sorry story was completed a minute into stoppage time when substitute Brian Rodriguez fired home and next week's second leg looks to be a dead rubber.

The other two quarterfinals take place tonight, with Costa Rica's Herediano host LIGA MX side Pachuca, and Inter Miami are at home to Monterey of Mexico.