– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
Follow @Koiki_Sport
WASHINGTON — Though New York City Football Club have accomplished a lot in the five years the team has been in existence in major professional soccer, including carving out a sizable fan base in an already saturated sports market, sustained success in the U.S. Open Cup has eluded the franchise. But that may change in just a few months, especially after an impressive victory last night against a league rival.
Alexandru Mitriță and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi scored just three minutes apart late in the first half to give New York a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over D.C. United on Wednesday night, marking the first time the franchise has advanced to the quarterfinals of the over 100-year-old domestic club competition tournament.
Wayne Rooney put D.C. on the board in the 32th minute off a long pass from Ulises Segura, going somewhat against the run of play at the time.
New York City did not let the goal deter their strong play in the first half, and six minutes after going down, Mitriță scythed through the D.C. back line after receiving a pass from defender Keaton Parks before beating Chris Seitz to even things up.
Tajouri-Shradi gave NYCFC the lead less than three minutes later with a left-footed effort to complete the comeback. NYCFC will now have Orlando City FC in the quarterfinals in Orlando on July 10th.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Wednesday evening’s game, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Yusuf Abdullah. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 19 pictures in total.
