It was a memorable night under the lights as FC Naples took on the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a third-round clash of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Even though it was a mid-week matchup, 3,418 fans packed the stands at Paradise Coast Sports Complex and the atmosphere was nothing short of electric.
Coming into the match, all eyes were on FC Naples — the unbeaten, brand new squad eager to prove themselves against the seasoned USL Championship team from Tampa Bay. And for 120 minutes, plus an unforgettable penalty shootout, that’s exactly what they did.
The action kicked off quickly. Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a strike from Pacifique Niyongabire. But FC Naples responded almost instantly — just over a minute later, midfielder Luka Prpa blasted in the equalizer.
The score remained the same going into the break and the second half's fight for the win amplified. Hard tackles, yellow cards, and endless emotion spilled out on the field. After 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time, the score remained deadlocked at 1-1.
That meant it would come down penalty kicks. Round after round, the shootout dragged on — ten rounds in total including sudden death kicks -- where Tampa Bay edged FC Naples 9–8. With everything on the line, Julian Cisneros stepped up to keep Naples' hopes alive — but his shot rattled off the crossbar, sealing the dramatic win for the Rowdies.
Despite the heartbreaking finish, FC Naples head coach Matt Poland couldn’t have been prouder of his team.
“I'm proud of the guys. They fought. They battled,” Poland said postgame. “We had some chances that I’m sure we wish we had scored. Anytime you get into penalty kicks, it’s a flip of the coin... But it takes confidence to step up and take one.”
The shootout may have stung, but it was a testament to the team’s grit and character - the identity that Poland has preached about all season.
“It's not a good feeling, but ultimately a lot of pride in the team for taking it to PKs,” he added.
Throughout the match, FC Naples looked fearless against their higher-tier opponents. They created dangerous chances and matched the Rowdies in intensity from start to finish.
“Resiliency,” Poland said when asked for his biggest takeaway. “We went down a goal and fought back. And for a lot of the game, we were creating the more dangerous chances. We were confident. So I was just proud of the guys for the fight.”
While the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup journey ends here for FC Naples, their performance proved they belong among strong competition.
“Now we should have all the confidence in the world that we can compete,” said Poland. “We did it for 120 minutes against one of the top USL Championship teams historically.”
FC Naples returns home this Saturday, April 19th, as they host One Knoxville SC.
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