Match Recap 05.14.2014 – Fresno Fuego FC

FRESNO, Calif. — Two late first half goals by Abraham Campos (41’) and Jose Cuevas (44’) powered the USL PDL Fresno Fuego to a 2-0 win over USL PRO Orange County Blues FC Wednesday night at Chukchansi Park in the second round of the single-elimination Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The win advances the Fuego to the third round of the US Open Cup, where they meet the winner of Ventura County Fusion (USL PDL) vs. Sacramento Republic (USL PRO) on May 28.

            A late first half surge took the OC Blues by surprise when Abraham Campos (41’) grounded a ball off the left post from 25 feet out to give the Fuego a 1-0 lead. Three minutes later, Jose Cuevas controlled a loose ball at the top of the Blues box and rifled it past goalkeeper Mohammad Mohammadi to push the lead to two as the teams broke for halftime.

            Halftime adjustments by the OC Blues didn’t equal offense on the scoreboard. Their best opportunity came in the 66^th minute when they pressured the Fuego for four consecutive minutes, but couldn’t manage to get any clean shots on net. Fuego defender Cody Ellison was one of the main reasons why as the captain routinely gave up his body, including a 69^th minute rifle from the foot of the Blues Enrique Cardenas that smacked the defender square in the back. The Fuego cleared the ball out of their box after the Ellison deflection to help gain back control of the game and play out the final 20 minutes.

            Sacramento Republic currently leads the Ventura County Fusion 2-1 as they head to stoppage time.

ABOUT LAMAR HUNT US OPEN CUP
The U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament including 80 participating teams ranging from amateur status to Major League Soccer. Teams will compete in the seven-round tournament through October 1st and the winning team will receive a $250,000 prize. The runner-up team will receive $60,000, and the team from each lower division (USL PDL, USL PRO, NASL) that advances the furthest will receive $15,000. The winning team also has their name engraved on the base of the original Dewar Cup, which has been permanently retired and remains at U.S. Soccer House in Chicago.

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