Wednesday, May 15, 2013
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – With a chip over the goalkeeper’s head, Jimmy Tulloch lifted the Des Moines Menace to their first home win in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup since 2006. The Menace got past the Madison 56ers, 1-0, on Wednesday night at Valley Stadium, setting up a second-round matchup at pro side Minnesota United F.C. next Tuesday night.
“It feels great to score for the Menace, especially in this tournament that the club takes so much pride in,” Tulloch said.
The Jamaican forward scored in the 50th minute, following an offensive flurry by the home team. The win snaps a streak of futility in home matches in the national tournament; Des Moines lost Open Cup matches on this field in 2010, 2011 and 2012, by a combined 4-0 margin.
On the attack for most of the night, the Menace controlled and moved the ball with ease throughout the middle third of the pitch. Des Moines was unable to find the back of the net in the first half, despite launching five shots on goal and receiving eight corner kicks in the first 45 minutes.
The home team came out with vengeance after halftime, and it paid off just five minutes into the second stanza.
“I’m happy and relieved,” Mike Jeffries said of his first win as the Menace’s head coach. “Credit to the guys. I thought they did a good job maintaining their composure, pushing in the second half and getting the win.”
The victory improves the Menace’s all-time Open Cup mark to 9-7, and it sets up a rematch with Minnesota, which knocked Des Moines out of last year’s cup, 2-0.
“I think our mentality and concentration will be top notch (at Minnesota),” said Jeffries. “Most of the guys here want to play professionally. This is a big opportunity to show themselves in a big game.”
In the final match of the 2013 Open Cup’s first round – and the only one decided by a 1-0 count – the Menace become the 12th Premier Development League team (out of 16 in the 68-team tournament) to advance to the second round.
With tonight’s dose of confidence, following a season-opening 1-1 draw at Springfield (Mo.) on May 11, the Menace prepares for its PDL home opener this Saturday against WSA Winnipeg.
MAN of the MATCH, presented by Seneca Companies: Jimmy Tulloch, whose goal caught 56ers goalie Ryan Onwukewe out of position. Tulloch is a native of Kingston, Jamaica who prepares for his senior year at Central Florida.
“Fans can expect a lot of goals from our team this year,” Tulloch said. “We’ve got the speed, the skill, the creativity, a lot of talent. Very exciting to watch.”
UP NEXT: The Menace plays its second home match in four days. Saturday’s match is preceded by the Menace women’s team’s home opener, at 4:30 p.m., also against WSA Winnipeg. The first 300 fans will receive magnet schedules. All PDL home matches start at 7:30 p.m.