Brooklyn’s Abdoulaye Kante drove the ball up the right wing and delivered a low cross that Markus Anderson finished for his second goal of the afternoon, putting Brooklyn ahead 5-1. (Photo: Brooklyn FC)
BY NICHOLAS GORDON | news@queensledger.com
The goals came early and they came often for Brooklyn FC in a resounding 5-1 victory over the Portland Hearts of Pine in a USL Cup game on Saturday, June 7, at Maimonides Park in Coney Island. Lightning reports delayed the start of the game for 30 minutes, but ultimately the game was played under balmy summer skies. Approximately 1900 fans were in attendance.
Forwards Markus Anderson and Stefan Stojanovic each scored a brace for Brooklyn, while center back Thomas Vancaeyezeele chipped in the fifth goal.
In the 8th minute, Anderson put the home side on the board in spectacular fashion with a diving header in the box. His finish capped a clinical build-up from the back. After a backpass to goalkeeper Lukas Burns, Brooklyn worked the ball through Portland’s defense, switching field up the right wing to Vancaeyezeele, who lofted a cross into the box for Anderson’s diving finish.
Portland leveled in the 19th minute when forward Aboubacar Camara dashed past the Brooklyn defense into the box and one-timed a deep pass from defender Brecc Evans.
Brooklyn responded in the 36th minute with Stojanovic driving home a cutback pass from defender Gabriel Alves near the penalty spot.
Stojanovic was just getting warmed up. His second goal came two minutes into first-half stoppage time on a blast from 25 yards out. Defender Malik Pinto picked up the assist.
In the 55th minute, Vancaeyezeele’s header off a corner kick from midfielder CJ Olney Jr. put the home side up 4-1.
Things didn’t improve for Portland when just minutes later Jay Tee Kamara received a red card, forcing the visitors to finish the match with 10 men.
In the 70th minute, Brooklyn made them pay when midfielder Abdoulaye Kante executed a blazing run up the right wing and delivered a low cross through the box that Anderson buried for his second goal of the afternoon.
For all the goal-scoring prowess on display, Brooklyn coach Marlon LeBlanc was equally pleased with his team’s defensive effort.
“I thought that we were really disciplined in the first half in terms of giving them the possession that we wanted to,” LeBlanc said. “They have some special individual players with some athleticism and speed, and we defended them well collectively, which is what we talked about needing to do.”
For Anderson, who has four goals and three assists in league play and earned USL Championship Player of the Week honors in April, Brooklyn’s emerging identity as an attacking club gels well with his ability to finish around the net.
“Our identity is, we’ve got to defend forward, and then when we get the ball, we’ve got to transition right away,” Anderson said. “We’re not really a team that likes to hold in possession. You want to score at the end of the day to win games. So our philosophy and identity is to get the ball and attack as fast as possible.”
Currently on loan from the Philadelphia Union, Anderson said he’s relishing the moment of playing for his hometown club. “Putting on this Brooklyn jersey means everything to me,” Anderson said. “I’ve dreamed about playing here since I was a kid.”
Brooklyn forward Markus Anderson’s diving header on a cross from Thomas Vancaeyezeele in the 8th minute put the home side up 1-0.
Enthusiastic fans in attendance for both sides added to the afternoon’s atmosphere of competitive Cup soccer.
Nanci Blaisdell, a Mainer who has lived in New York since 1989 and currently resides in Washington Heights, attended the match with family and friends, rooting for her native state of Maine while also grateful for the new Brooklyn side.
“Coney Island is a magical place, and it’s great having a soccer team here,” Blaisdell said. “I haven’t been out here in years but I’ll definitely be coming back to see more games.”
Brooklyn resident Zachary Sadiki said the high quality of play enhances the fan experience.
“Brooklyn played well today and had good ball distribution,” Sadiki said. “They’re a fun local team to watch.”
Sadiki noted that he’s looking forward to the league adding relegation and promotion, which will “add stakes to the season.”
The win brings Brooklyn up to second place in its USL Cup group, while Portland slides to fourth.
Launched in 2024, The Prinx Tires USL Cup features all 43 teams from the USL Championship and USL League One, the leagues that make up division II and division III of U.S. professional soccer, respectively.
Group play runs through July 11, followed by knockout rounds and then the final in early October. All tournament games and statistics are separate from league play.
The winning team from each group and one wild-card team will advance to the single-elimination knockout stage. Brooklyn’s final group match is at Rhode Island FC on Saturday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m.
