Much has been said, and done…then undone, then done again just to get the matchups set for America’s oldest soccer prize, aka the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Now, it was finally showtime for MNUFC2, as they would face Chicago House AC down in the Windy City for the chance to move on to the Second Round of the tourney. This one would be a tale of two halves for the Twosies, with the second half proving to be a little less chippy, and much more fruitful in the scoring department.
From the jump, it was clear that Chicago House wasn’t here just for the fun of it, as they would impose their physicality on the Twos…to which the boys did not take kindly. In only the 6th minute of play, after a series of big knocks inflicted by both squads, it would be a little extra shove of Twos midfielder Darius Randell that would bring him and the House defender nose-to-nose, and a shoving match ensued. Randell and the House defender would get a pair of yellow cards for their trouble, as well as a stern talking-to from the referee. While the first half had no shortage of tense exchanges, there were not a whole lot of clean exchanges from the Twos attack. Thankfully for them, Chicago House was equally as inept in the attacking third.
The second half would prove much more exciting, as the Loons attack would come to life and impose its will on House. The most lively of the attacking bunch would be striker Jordan Adebayo-Smith, who would break the stalemate in the 52nd minute with a beautiful finish to put the boys up 1-0. If one’s good, more is better, and Adebayo-Smith would add his next score just three minutes later to secure the brace. House would try desperately to get something going and challenge Twos keeper Alec Smir, but the Loons midfield and defensive third kept them at bay for the rest of the evening. Adebayo-Smith would nab the hat trick in the 4th minute of stoppage time, to put the match even more out of reach, as the Twosies would demo the House by a final of 3-0.
The win sends MNUFC2 onto the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with a possibility of getting a home match at Allianz Field. While the Twos next opponent may be TBD at this point, there does not appear to be anything left to determine about the scoring prowess of Jordan Adebayo-Smith. Let’s hope he’s ready to show out once again next round.
