April 18, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Miami FC News Release
Miami, Fla. – The Miami Football Club host Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF in the U.S. Open Cup third round at FIU Stadium on Tuesday, April 19, at 7 p.m. ET. The winner of the first-ever Miami Clásico advances to the fourth round of the competition.
Despite Inter Miami joining MLS in 2020, the club has not made its U.S. Open Cup debut. The cup competition was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, erasing the chances of the two South Florida pro teams meeting in a competitive fixture. But now, the time every fútbol fan in SoFlo wished for is finally here.
“It’s obviously going to be a great occasion,” said Miami FC head coach Anthony Pulis ahead of the U.S. Open Cup match against Inter Miami. “It will be a really difficult game against a quality side with quality players. We can look forward to what can be a really good game.”
Miami FC comes off a home win against Hartford Athletic
Miami FC defended FIU Stadium on Saturday night, taking down Hartford Athletic 2-0.
Striker Kyle Murphy celebrated his 150th USL Championship regular-season appearance in style, scoring his first goal in league play. Murphy controlled a long pass sent by center-back Paco Craig, dribbled past the goalkeeper and passed the ball into the back of the net to give the Orange and Blue the lead in the 16th minute.
Goalkeeper Connor Sparrow made a flying save in the 31st minute to keep Miami FC in the lead. Sparrow launched himself toward the right top corner of his goal to deflect a long-range effort kicked by defender Ashkanov Apollon. The ball ricocheted against the post and went out of play instantly after the save.
Reggae Boyz Lamar Walker and Romeo Parkes combined for Miami’s goal in the 86th minute. Walker dribbled the ball up the field before passing it to Parkes, who took one touch toward the opponent’s goal and a shot that beat the keeper.
The victory marked consecutive league victories for Miami FC and three in a row in all competitions.
Murphy, Parkes and Walker heating-up ahead of Miami Clásico
Murphy and the Jamaican attacking duo are fresh off goal contribution performances against Hartford. Also, the trio of forwards was involved in the scoring against Miami United in the U.S. Open Cup second round. Murphy opened the scoring from the penalty spot early in the game. Walker drew the penalty and then assisted Parkes in MFC’s late goal to make it 3-0.
Parkes leads the scoring for the Orange and Blue this season. He is most efficient coming off the bench, scoring a goal in each of his three substitute appearances this season.
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