At least it wasn’t snowing.
The best thing that could be said about the weather when the U.S. Open Cup returned to Belson Stadium in Queens was that it could have been worse. There could have been hail or sleet, for instance; there were no wind advisories in effect for the region. (Those would come the following day.)
On this night, there was only rain. Incessant rain, falling like sheets at the start of the match and tapering off slightly once both halves were over. “It's windy, wet, and everyone's first touch is bouncing up or something,” said NYCFC goalkeeper Tomás Romero, who had a huge influence on a goal-littered game full of challenges.
The steady rain wasn’t the only variable making this match – a derby between local rivals New York City FC II and New York Red Bulls II, also known (respectively, and casually) as the Baby Blues and the Baby Bulls – more complex than your standard game. There was also the matter of the Generation Adidas Cup, which removed some academy players from the equation for both teams. It’s fair to say that both New York clubs emphasize player development, and Baby Blues manager Matt Pilkington alluded to one Cup affecting the lineup decisions made for another.
For one particular player, though, the weather wasn't what made it a memorable Open Cup debut.
While both clubs were in attack mode early in the match, it was the Red Bulls who scored first, with Serge Ngoma leading a charge that culminated with Mohammed Sofo putting a shot through the legs of Blues keeper Romero. If that first goal suggested good things in store for the Baby Bulls and troubling things in store for Romero – an alumnus of the Philadelphia Union development program who represents El Salvador in international play – the half that followed defied easy expectations.
Rain or shine, you are always there ☔️ pic.twitter.com/QimBM9Y9Fi
— New York City FC II (@newyorkcityfcii) April 3, 2024
For starters, the Baby Blues’ Generation Adidas Cup absences weren’t the only ones that had an effect on the night’s proceedings. As Red Bulls II manager Ibrahim Sekagya told members of the press after the game, a knock in training kept one of his first choices for the back line – left back Omar Valencia – out of the starting XI. And while the Baby Bulls’ forwards kept pressure on their rivals, the Baby Blues’ attack – led by Jonathan Jimenéz Vargas – began picking apart the Red Bulls’ back line, leading to a 3-1 scoreline in favor of the home team at the end of the first half.
When it came to the second half, though – that’s when things got interesting. It was also when Romero – who’d never played in an Open Cup match before this rainy night in Queens – got his moment to shine.
Red Bulls II got their second goal of the night via Serge Ngoma early in the second half, and suddenly the match’s 3-2 scoreline looked a lot more even. In the 63rd minute, Ngoma drew a penalty and his teammate Julian Hall stepped to the spot to take it. Hall aimed the ball to Romero’s right – and Romero guessed correctly, preserving his team’s advantage.
“Nowadays a lot of guys are doing that pause thing where they run out and pause, so I kind of expected this guy to do it,” Romero explained after the match. “So on those you really have to just stay in your position as long as possible and wait for him to make the decision.
“Then I could kind of tell by his body shape where he was going,” the young keeper added. “I just waited until the last second and went for it.”
It wouldn’t be the only time Romero’s reflexes kept his team in the match. In both the 72nd and 78th minutes, he repeatedly held the line – first against a powerful shot from Steven Sserwadda, and then against a Roald Mitchell header. As the match reached its closing minutes, it was NYCFC II’s turn to draw a penalty, which Jimenéz Vargas converted. When the final whistle blew, NYCFC II were advancing in the tournament (4-2).
After the match, Romero addressed his efforts to keep Mitchell’s shot from going in. “It just happened, you know,” he told members of the press. “It's hard to remember the specifics of each moment in the game.”
More broadly, he acknowledged the challenges of playing against a pressing team in the midst of constant rain. “They made it hard for us. It's hard playing out in the back against the Red Bulls. They press you,” he said. “Especially with these conditions. It's hard to deal with those things and play against the Red Bulls because that's what they love”
“This was my first Open Cup game,” Romero said after the game (It was his debut playing in the tournament; he’d previously been on the bench for LAFC’s 5-1 win over Orange County SC in 2022). He’s 23 years-old, but his career has already seen him suit up for several MLS and MLS NEXT Pro clubs, as well as a stint on loan with Las Vegas Lights of the Div. II USL Championship and some time playing NCAA ball at Georgetown too.
See you in the third round @hfdathletic 🫡 #USOC24 pic.twitter.com/vZplYu8vBU
— New York City FC II (@newyorkcityfcii) April 4, 2024
For now, Romero has embraced making the most of his tournament experience. “It’s a Cup game – so if you make a mistake, you never know if it's going to be the mistake that costs your team the game, and now you're out of the tournament,” he said. “I said it before the game – I was telling everybody that you have to earn the right to play in the next game. We did that.”
Later this month, we’ll see if Romero and his teammates can repeat that (hopefully in fairer weather) when they look to cause an upset against the USL Championship pros of Hartford Athletic on the road in Connecticut.
Tobias Carroll is a Brooklyn-based writer and the author of four books, most recently the novel Ex-Members. He's on X/Twitter at @tobiascarroll, and is also on Instagram at @tobiascarroll.