By Noah Zimmerman
noah@queensledger.com
It was a perfect night for a match at the Stadium at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, just a handful of minutes beyond the NYC border. For the first time ever, USL Division 1 club Westchester SC took on Major League Soccer’s New York City FC.
A crowd of 5,145 packed into Memorial Field, a humble stadium that seats 3,500 in the grandstand. For a club averaging 2,500 fans, it was a shot in the arm that could set up the club for tremendous growth this season and beyond. The club said the turnout marked a record attendance for a sports event in Westchester county.
It was a great atmosphere in Westchester as “traveling” NYC fans sang for all 90 minutes. Photos by Noah Zimmerman
“We would not have had a night like this without the US Open Cup. We recognize that NYCFC coming here is what drew this crowd, but for a club that’s just starting out that’s exactly what we needed,” said Ari Kwitkin-Close, Westchester SC’s chief revenue officer. “This was an opportunity to showcase our community club and who we are to this community and to the world.”
The crowd was buzzing and the “traveling” NYC fans kept their energy up in the away end from well before kickoff until almost an hour after the final whistle. The grandstand was packed with passionate fans and across the field food trucks and stands saw some of their longest lines ever.
“The atmosphere was great,” commented NYC manager Pascal Jansen postgame. “It was great for the fans to see their local club play against us. I hope they enjoyed themselves.”
On the pitch NYC showed their class as a top-division team. They were in steady control for most of the match, opening the scoring through Augstin Ojeda in the 14th minute. Westchester were up to the task as they found an equalizer less than 10 minutes later. Daniel Burko lashed in a loose ball to even the score at 1-1, sending the local fans into a frenzy.
A few minutes later, a tough penalty decision from the referee gave the visitors a foothold. Talles Magno scored the first of his three goals from the penalty spot in the 25th minute and increased the lead to 3-1 in the 36th. Spanish youngster Arnau Farnós put a fourth goal into the net before halftime, and Magno finished his hat trick in the 71st minute, their lone second half goal.
Westchester pulled one more goal back through Brecc Evans, but didn’t have time for more as it finished 5-2. Still, it was a valiant effort, and a better one than some MLS clubs have gotten against New York this season (NYC defeated Orlando 5-0 in March).
Tayvon Gray got the captain’s armband for the Open Cup battle.
After falling in the Open Cup, focus turns back to the USL League 1 season and upcoming USL Cup for Westchester. They sit in the league’s top-7 after six matches played, rapidly climbing with wins over Corpus Christi and Sarasota.
“Now the biggest thing is continuing this momentum with the crowd to support our guys on the field,” said Kwitkin-Close. “League play we’re on a heater so we have to keep that going.”
Disappointment in Flushing
Following Tuesday’s victory in Westchester, the Boys in Blue returned to Queens for a weekend contest against Charlotte FC. In their return to league play, the NYC offense looked toothless and tame despite decent buildup play.
Even with 22 total shots (7 on goal) and 42 touches inside Charlotte’s penalty area, New York only registered three significant chances. Coming to the rescue multiple times was Kristijan Kahlina, making six saves in the winning effort.
NYC will look to bounce back from three defeats in their last four league matches (the fourth being a 1-1 draw) with a midweek match vs Cincinnati at Yankee Stadium and a Saturday clash in Montreal. They continue their Open Cup run against the rival Red Bulls next Wednesday.
