Cosmopolitan League round-up (english)

Ten-man Polonia ended Pancyprian Freedoms’ three-year Manning Cup reign with a stunning 3-0 victory in a delayed Round of 16 match at St. John’s University last Sunday.

Any fears of a Pancyprian decline were quickly allayed two days later when the United States Adult Soccer Association [USASA] Men’s Open champs crushed Olympic 78 from Upstate 4-0 in the US Open Cup state final at St. John’s.

The shocking result, the outcome of some clinical finishing upfront, and a monster game by goalie Kamil Wilk, saw the Poles pull off the double over Julio Cesar Santos & Co. this fall.

Polonia upset Pancyprian 3-1 in the league game in  September and this latest win puts them in the quarterfinals next spring against Barnstonworth Rovers who blanked Istria 4-0.

“Keeping Julio scoreless right there is a great achievement, but eliminating the defending Cup winners on their home field 3-0 proves that this season we can and [have beaten] top teams game after game,” said Polonia’s ecstatic manager Roman Gierczak.

Indeed, the Poles played like the contenders they are. They’d warmed up for the game with an international friendly against Korona Kielce, a professional side from the Polish second division, last week.

Although beaten 2-0, Wilk’s impressive form in that game would be a good omen for Polonia ahead of their clash with the free-scoring Julio.

He didn’t disappoint.

“We knew that Pancyprian would start with a lot of energy to cancel their last defeat to Polonia and keep their winning streak,” said Gierczak.

However, Wilk would pull off a succession of superb saves to deny the Greek-Cypriots before Polonia struck. The goal came in the 29th minute, a long range effort by Lukasz Jagodzinski that sailed into the top corner.

Nine minutes later, Jagodzinski buried a powerful header from a Waldemar Wolski cross to give the visitors a 2-0 half time lead.

Polonia then seemed to suffer a blow when Szymon Hryszczyk was sent off for a second booking five minutes into the second half. They went into a defensive shell to weather the expected onslaught while hoping to catch their hosts on the break.

Bartek Pietrzko nearly did [65th], breaking through only to lose a battle with the Pancyprian goalie in the box that had the Poles in an uproar.

At any rate,=2 0Pietrzko got a second chance ten minutes later after being sprung by Mariusz Kulesza. He scored.

“Great team effort, especially playing short-handed in the second half,” said Gierczak, touting his defense that has conceded a league-low seven goals. “The goal scorers and Kamil Wilk were our superstars in this game.”
Pancyprian were classy in defeat.

“We could not recover from a 2-0 first half deficit even with Polonia down one man from the 50th minute,” said George Halkidis.

“It was a bad afternoon all around. The only player that really fought on our side was Stelios Andreou. Congratulations to Polonia; they played a smart tough game,” he added.

The Greek-Cypriots beat New York Athletic Club 1-0 to become three-peat winners of the Manning Cup last June.
Pancyprian hammered Irish Rovers 4-1 in the 2006 final and retained the Cup with a 3-2 in extra time victory over Polonia last year.
ROVERS CRUISE
Andy Abramovits [two], Steve Pugliese and Einar Benedktsson scored for Barnstonworth against Istria to secure the20Manning Cup quarterfinal date with Polonia.

STATE CHAMPIONS

Julio rediscovered his scoring form in this one with a hat trick, while Mohamadou Simpora got the other goal.

RUSSO PREDICTION
Pancyprian’s romp over Olympic fell a goal short of New York Greek-American/Atlas coach Lucio Russo’s prediction after Olympic had ousted his depleted side 5-4 on penalties at Randalls Island last week.

Said Russo then: “Pancyprians will give them at least five.”

Missing top scorer Josh Trott, ex-Venezuelan international Giovanni and a clutch of other key men proved too much for Atlas against Olympic 78 in the US Open Cup regional semis.

Danny Barci scored [80th] to tie the game 1-1=2 0and force penalties. He was on target again in the shoot-out, along with Jerry Saravia, Mike Todd and James Stephenson.

“We played with only four starters,” said Atlas coach Lucio Russo.

His starting line-up was: Touros, Saravia, Barci, Stephenson, Anotoniou, Niebles, Smith, Carrizo, Figueurdi, Todd and Ordain.

CYRUS THE GREAT
Damion Cyrus was the hat-trick hero in=2 0Brooklyn Italians’ 6-2 drubbing of Glen Cove at John Dewey High School that put the CSL side in the Manning Cup semis.

Enzo Conigliaro and Giuseppe Buscemi were the other scorers.
Brooklyn meet the Integral vs. Mineola Lucitano winner in the last four.

D’ARPINO CUP
Lansdowne Bhoys’ reserves held off Missile FC 7-5 in a nail-biter at Tibbets Brook Park to stay on course for the D’Arpino Cup semi-finals.

The Bronx Irish escaped with the win in regulation time after nearly coughing up a 5-1 half-time lead.

“Very eventful,” Aidan Corr, who scored and was later ejected, summed up the nerve-wracking encounter with the Metro Div. II side.

Ruben Abatte [5th], Kevin McGinney [10th], Paul Tierney [20th], Richard Hartnett [40th] and Corr [45th] tallied in the first half with Kabba Mamady [13th] pulling one back for Missile.

On resumption, the livewire Mamady inspired a 20-minute Missile barrage that yielded three goals – two of them by him. Marc Lexama got the other.

Substitute Pete “Foxy” Murphy made it 6-4 in the 64th minute and after Corr had conceded a penalty, from which Missile cut the deficit to 6-5, Carlos Abatte, Ruben’s twin brother, killed off the game with a late strike.

NYAC NEXT
New York Athletic Club, Lansdowne’s quarterfinal opponents, stormed back from 2-0 down to knock out Frosinone 4-2 at the Metropolitan Oval.

Khouri Mullings [two], Elton Hassall and Dave Blum scripted the NYAC fight back.

WILL POWER
Will Mullings’ 12th minute effort was the difference in the Kandia reserves’ 1-0 decision over battling Polonia at McCarren Park.

“To battle freezing toes, a relentless Polonia assault and refereeing of the lowest standard was a testament of how bad the players wanted this victory,” said Colin Hemmings whose young side awaits the Manhattan Kickers-New York Croatia winner.

CLOSE SHAVE
Ejon Qoku equalized three minutes from time to set-up a 5-4 penalty victory for the Pancyprian reserves over Central Park Rangers at the Met Oval.

It finished 3-3 in regulation after CPR had led 3-2 at half time through Christopher Clarke, Andy Ma and Amos Zereoue. Chris Brunet and Vasilios Bourekas connected for Pancyprian. .

“We had several chances to put the game away in the last few minutes but couldn’t find the finishing touch. A disappointing loss,” said CPR’s Joe Sullivan.

ROVERS BOW
Pancyprian tackle Irish Rovers in the quarterfinals following the Long Islanders’ disputed 4-2 defeat of Barnstonworth Rovers’ second unit.

Yannick James had both Rovers goals against an Irish side his coach, Stavros Zomopoulos, claimed was loaded with first team players.

AMSTERDAM NIXED
Elsewhere, there was heart-break for short-handed VV Nieuw Amsterdam after a 5-4 sudden death penalty defeat by CD Iberia’s seconds on Randalls Island.

Playing ten-men all the way, VVNA blew a 2-0 lead before succumbing to Iberia in the shoot-out.

“A great team effort by VVNA who threw the playbook to the wind and took their chances,” said Amsterdam’s C.P. de Vera. “Unfortunately, it turned out to not be enough to see them through to the semis.”

FLAMHAFT CUP
Opting to preserve key players for this weekend’s final league fixture of the fall, Sporting Astoria fielded a mostly reserve side against Westchester Kicks and lost 6-1.

Alex Jonassen scored for the CSL Metro Div. One campaigners.

GREEKS THROUGH
And in the Marth Cup, Manolis Koundourakis’ solitary goal saw New York Greek-American Atlas advance to the quarterfinals at the expense of FC Inter.

CROATIAN EXPRESS
Marko Loncar [Two], Vjekoslav Luburic [pen.] and Tommy Mustac kept the New York Croatia express chugging with a 4-1 romp over title rivals Manhattan Celtic at Pier 40.

Pat Kelly bagged Celtic’s face-saver in the top-of-the-table clash that saw Croatia [8-0-1, 25] move nine points clear atop Division Two.
“We had our chances but did not take them. Croatia where the better team on the night,” Celtic coach Ian Woodcock conceded.
In Second Division reserve action, CPR beat New York Ukrainians 2-0 while Clarkstown thrashed Ridgewood Romac 6-1.

EINTRACHT PIPPED
Fritz B. Bosquet had a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over S.C. Eintracht in Metro Div. Two.

Bosquet was set up by Venel Edouard and Peterson Robert before Baba Fatoba [85th] broke Eintracht hearts with a late winner in the cold. Adam Windwer connected for the visitors.

“Kudos to both teams for sticking it out in that weather; that truly demonstrates the love we have for the game,” said Bosquet, who also lauded defender Dany Ridore for a solid game at the back.

PARTIZANI ROMP
Leaders FC Partizani trounced New York’s Finest 3- 0 in a Metro Div. Two fixture at Flushing Meadows.

Arlind Telegrafi finished off an Elsen Kodra rebound [29th] for the opener before Ermal Jauri [73rd] and Klajdi Shabani, off Ermal Jauri’s cross [80th] put the game away. It was Shabani’s first goal of the season.
Partizani improved to 5-2-3 [18]

LIONS PREVAIL
Atlas Lions stayed a point behind Partizani with a game in hand after topping Gotham Argo 4-2 on Randalls Island. Both teams played most of the game with nine men because of no-shows and=2 0injury.
Lions roared back in the second half after trailing to a Ben Appenzeller strike. Carlos Wesley had Gotham’s other goal.

OVER-30s
Sean Maher’s last gasp header earned Westchester FC a 4-4 tie with Barnstonworth Old Boys at Saxon Wood Soccer Field.
Tyler Fransen, Hugo Guaglianone and Ghanaian playmaker Victor were the other marksmen for the home side.

Barry O’Driscoll, with an audacious lob from just inside the halfway line, Jeff Alexander [two] and Brian McLaughlin, tallied for Barnstonworth.

RTG SPANKED
Fakradhin Kasanov had RTG consolation in a 7-1 shellacking by Argo Silver at Pier 40.
Thierry DeBaille [two], Mohamed Tabrani [two], Terry Harcott, Rob McCarthy and Simon Wheeldon were the Silver scorers.

PREMIER EDGE
At Grand Street, Nedgy Nazon [12th] and Peter Best [21st, 79th] were on target in Barnstonworth Premier’s 3-2 win over Manhattan Kickers.

STERLING SILVER
Earlier at Grand Street, Silver Lake had braved the elements and a determined Barnstonworth Rovers side to overcome a two-goal deficit and triumph 4-3.
Phil Esposito, assisted by Chris Mena, sparked the come-back in the 55th minute. Rovers went up 3-1 two minutes later but two goals inside five minutes by Elias D’Acuna, off a Tico Amador ball [65th] and Jake Soussan, who was fed by Bill Primavera [70th] tied the game.
The Selmanis, Tim and Sinan, conjured up the winner in the 72nd minute, with the latter connecting.

CPR WIN
CPR’s Over-30s, meanwhile, defeated Maltese Dolphins 2-1 at the Con Edison Field on goals by Ernesto Teran and Hakan Nizam.

CPR had no less than four goals disallowed for off-side.

Zrodlo: FirstTouchOnline