Riqui’s Revenge in El Trafico (Lite)
We love a little chaos. The messier the better. But now and then we need to take our hat off to the unadulterated star power. The top-level, cash-money, juice-is-loose big stuff. Riqui Puig (somehow pronounced Pooch) arrived in LA from Spanish giants FC Barcelona to much fanfare. But the Galaxy, since then, have spiraled into dead-last in the MLS’ western conference. He’s been criticized, heavily on occasion, which perhaps led to his star-turn (and pointed celebrations) on Tuesday night. He sent a warning shot early over 39-year-old LAFC keeper Eldin Jakupović, then had a penalty saved. But he sprung back to score one of the top goals of the round with a mazy run and finish that revived echoes of his old teammate Lionel Messi. Now, it’s worth noting, Puig was playing against LAFC’s deep reserves, thus making his decision to remove his shirt and display the name on the back of it to the crowd (a la that very same Messi) something of an odd choice. But we’re here for it – and for a Galaxy revival too.
Cincinnati Redemption
FC Cincinnati fans from the beginning know the club started life outside the bright glow of MLS and their current whizbang home of TQL Stadium. It all began in the USL Championship and old Nippert Stadium. It was there, on August 15 of 2017, that they took on the New York Red Bulls of Jesse Marsch, Sacha Kljestan and a baby-faced Tyler Adams after upsetting Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire to reach a Cinderella Semifinal. The city went nuts. So did the team. Corben Bone and Austin Berry scored to give the home side a 2-0 lead in front of over 33,000 fans. And they held it all the way up to the 75th minute. The road to a Cup Final was open. But NYRB’s legendary Bradley Wright-Phillips had other ideas, scoring twice in an eventual 2-3 turnaround. Beating those Red Bulls – with only one player (goalkeeper Ryan Meara) holding over from the 2017 squad, was a first step for the Ohioans. But the wound won’t fully heal until the Cup goes up. The now-MLS version of FC Cincinnati host former USL rivals the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the upcoming Quarterfinal for a place in another Last Four.
Colossus Coronel in Fresh-Pressed Red
You know an indelible Open Cup moment when you see one. We had that at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. It wasn’t Dante Vanzier’s volleyed equalizer at the death, or that same man missing the first penalty of the shootout he helped force. Nope. It came when a huge dude, clearly a goalkeeper but wearing a field-player’s jersey, stretched on the touchline ready to enter the game in the fading seconds of extra-time. With veteran keeper and the day’s starter, Meara, on a yellow and in danger of possibly being sent off in the upcoming penalty shootout, Red Bulls coach Troy Lesesne opted for insurance. He sent kit man Sean Ruiz down to the club shop to fire up the pressing machine, and in came the 6foot4 giant Carlos Coronel as a field player (his number still warm from the press). In the end, he wasn’t needed – in the goal or at the spot – as Cincy hit all five of their kicks to win.
* You can enter to win Coronel’s signed jersey HERE – an instant piece of top-level Open Cup memorabilia.