The 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 16 pitted NASL side Miami FC and MLS side Atlanta United against each other, with both teams aiming to continue an exciting run in the tournament.
A game full of action throughout, with Atlanta taking the lead through Brandon Vazquez before Stephano Pinho equalized soon after. Rhett Bernstein's header gave Miami the lead until the 72nd minute, when Julian Gressel made it 2-2 from the penalty spot. A late mistake gave Kwadwo Poku the chance to make it 3-2 in the dying seconds and the forward made no mistake.
Fast and Furious
It didn't take long for the two sides to test the opposing goalkeepers, with chances falling both ways. Atlanta's 17-year old wonderkid Andrew Carleton had a blast from outside the box that Daniel Vega parried away. Moments later, Michael Lahoud found himself with some space in the Atlanta box but his volley flew over the bar.
Around the half hour mark, forward Julian Gressel pounced on a poor back pass from a Miami defender, but his touch around the goalkeeper was too heavy and the chance went to waste. Atlanta's goalkeeper Alec Kann was forced into a handful of good saves in the opening half an hour, including an acrobatic save of Dylan Mares' long-range effort.
Atlanta made their breakthrough in the 35th minute thanks to Brandon Vazquez. A free kick from Kevin Kratz was met by the head of the young striker, who powered his header into the bottom corner to make it 1-0. The lead wouldn't last long as Miami FC responded immediately with a fast counter-attack, culminating in Stefano Pinho finishing the move by curling his shot past Alec Kann.
Miami came close to a second just minutes later but Kann was on hand again to tip over a powerful shot, this time from Enzo Rennella. Kwadwo Poku threatened the Atlanta goal just before the half time break but couldn't find the back of the net.
The first half was far from boring, with chances falling to both sides and a high pace dictating the game.
An Equally Exciting Second Half
Miami took a deserved lead just six minutes into the second half as Rhett Bernstein thumped home a header from a set piece. Atlanta's known set piece problems continued on this occasion and Miami took advantage.
Atlanta went in search of an equalizer and substitue Lagos Kunga, who recently signed for the team, found himself with a good chance inside the box, but he fired over. The visitors would get their equalizer moments later after Poku brought down the lively Carleton inside the box. Julian Gressel stepped up and hammered it past Vega to make it 2-2 on the night.
Hunter Freeman was inches away from snatching a victory for the hosts but his deflected free kick in the 90th minute, was just over the bar. Chris McCann was lucky to stay on the field in stoppage time after receiving only a yellow for a dangerous, two-footed tackle. Miami FC got their winner in the final seconds as Kwadwo Poku pounced on a mistake from Harrison Heath and cooly finished past Kann to complete the upset.
A disappointing finish for Atlanta, who see their first ever U.S. Open Cup run come to an end in the Round of 16. Miami FC continue their dream run with a second consecutive upset.