May 12, 2022 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro) – Rochester New York FC News Release
It just was not meant to be for RNY FC.
Rochester got the glory tie of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round, getting a chance to take on the defending MLS champions, NYCFC, to see if this dream cup run could continue on the heels of a rebirth.
Two first half goals from the hosts never dampened the RNYFC players’, nor its fans’, spirits, and a goal right before halftime from the underdogs gave everyone a jolt of confidence heading into Bruno Baltazar’s halftime talk that yes, a “cupset” could be in the works.
But, it just was not meant to be.
RNY FC ultimately fell 3-1 to its Empire State brethren, and exited the Open Cup just shy of the Round of 16.
What a run it was, though, for the Rochester side that was playing in the tournament for the first time in five seasons.
Playing in front of its fans at Belson Stadium on the Campus of St. John’s University in Queens, New York, NYCFC was on the back heel immediately, as RNY FC nearly scored a goal in the first minute that would have turned the tie on its head. Raymond Drai fizzed a ball across the six that was nearly put in at the back post by Jesus Batiz inside of 30 seconds, with the hosts let off the hook.
With RNY FC playing well, an eight-minute period from the hosts looked to have turned the contest. In the 23rd minute, Gabriel Pereria lofted in a perfectly-weighted left-footed cross that found Thiago Andrade, and Andrade cooly looped a volley over the head of Philip Ejimadu to make it 1-0.
It was 2-0 in the 31st minute, when a back-pass to Ejimadu was closed down by Héber and turned into the net.
But the visitors would not go quietly into that good night: Gibran Rayo’s mazy run inside the box led to a failed clearance falling right at the feet of Batiz on the doorstep of the goalline, with Batiz firing home to make it 2-1 in the third minute of first half stoppage time.
The goal energized the MLS NEXT Pro side, and RNY FC spent…
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