United primed for Open Cup play
Veteran core key to opening round success
READING, PA (May 9, 2017) – The magic of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup returns to the Reading area on Wednesday, May 10th. Reading United A.C. will make their ninth consecutive appearance, a record for amateur clubs, when they host the Clarkstown SC Eagles at Exeter High School’s Don Thomas Stadium. The match, part of first round action in the nation’s oldest soccer competition, will kickoff at 7:30pm.
Reading United enters the match against Clarkstown on a five match unbeaten run in the Cup’s opening round. United began the run in 2012 with a hard fought 2-1 victory over four-time champion, New York Greek-American Atlas. Last season, Khori Bennett scrambled the ball across the goal line in the 31st minute, while Frantzdy Pierrot added an insurance goal in the 86th minute to seal United’s fifth straight opening round win with a 2-0 victory over the visiting Atlanta Silverbacks.
One of the challenges facing Reading United this season is playing a meaningful match in a knockout competition having completed just two training sessions with the full squad. Reading draws its player pool from colleges and universities across the country, many of which have just completed their spring semester.
“It’s tough,” United Head Coach Stephen Hogan said before training on Tuesday night. “You just get everyone in to camp, no one’s really thinking about the game because they all want to impress in these first training sessions. We’ll throw a gameday roster out there and hope for the best and we’ll see what happens,” Hogan explained.
Hogan has a big advantage this season as United returns many players from last season’s Premier Development League Mid-Atlantic Division championship side. The Reading United boss can lean on offensive stars Frantzdy Pierrot, Paul Marie, Aaron Molloy and Hugo Delhommelle, who are back with Reading after firing home a combined 16 goals for United in 2016. Also in camp are returning defensive players Mo Conde, Will Campbell and goalkeeper Ben Beaury.
“They understand the club’s system and structure. It’s easy for me to rely on those guys. It’s a lot easier now knowing that these guys know exactly what were about,” Hogan said of his veteran core.
Clarkstown SC Eagles play in the National Premier Soccer League, part of U.S. Soccer’s fourth division. Like the Premier Development League, NPSL sides are primarily made up of amateur players. Clarkstown SC had an excellent 2016 season that earned the Eagles their place in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup. Clarkstown won the Keystone Division of the NPSL and reached the National Semifinal where they fell to the eventual NPSL champions, AFC Cleveland.
Reading United will kickoff their 22nd season on Saturday, May 13th when they host local rivals Lehigh Valley United at Don Thomas Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm with tickets available online. All United home matches throughout the 2017 PDL season will be played at Exeter Township Senior High School. Tickets for the all regular season matches are available at 9h9.f8e.myftpupload.com/. Contact our ticket sales team at sales@readingunitedac.com for all your group needs.
