Open Cup (qualifying) magic: Chicago House A.C. 2, Wisłoka Chicago 1
Chicago House Athletic Club booked their place in the 3rd round of U.S. Open Cup qualifying on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Wisłoka Chicago 2-1 at Elmhurst University.
After surviving a tough start, the House took a 2-0 lead following goals from Alejandro Mentasti and A.R. Smith. They then went down a man before the half, and Lukasz Sulka pulled one back for Wisłoka shortly after the break.
At that point it became a tense and tight cup affair, but in the end the House were able to hold on to secure the win and their spot in the next round.
What happened
Things got going early and often. Lukasz Sulka burst through on the counter, and he was tee’d up for a simple shot from close range, but he was denied in heroic fashion by Tony Halterman.
Alejandro Mentasti then had a chance of his own, although his shot from a tight angle was also saved. Wisłoka responded when Sulka was through on goal, but he could only rattle the crossbar.
The first goal finally came in the 15th minute. Mentasti got the ball in the box again, and this time he made the most of the opening, picking out the bottom corner with a clinical finish.
The House really took control of proceedings, and they made it 2-0 midway through the break. A shot from distance wasn’t dealt with properly by the goalkeeper, and captain A.R. Smith was on hand to slot home the rebound.
Wisłoka just couldn’t put the ball in the net, and that continued to be the case near the end of the first half. The ball bounced around the penalty area, and they failed to get a clean shot off, with it eventually rolling into the arms of the goalkeeper.
The home side were dealt a major blow when defender Aaron Nguyen was sent off after being shown a second yellow. It seemed like he pulled down the opponent, who also went to ground easily, and that was enough for the referee to get the yellow card out. A bit harsh, a bit fair, I’m not too sure.
Wisłoka took advantage of that break early on in the 2nd half. Sulka finally grabbed his goal, flying past the backline before burying a shot into the back of the net. Game on.
Things slowed up for a bit, with the House staying compact at the back and holding onto possession when possible. They did have a chance when Ricardo Avalos cut inside, but he unleashed a shot that was well off target.
Wisłoka sent the kitchen sink at the opposing backline towards the end, but a big save from Halterman at the death was enough for the hosts to pick up the massive win.
What it means
The House moves on to the 3rd qualifying round of the U.S. Open Cup with the victory here. That game will take place on either October 21st or 22nd, and there will be a draw to decide their opponents, although it’ll likely be the winner of Edgewater Castle versus Berber City.
Notes and takeaways
It was great to see former House forward Wojciech Wojcik playing for Wisłoka. He was a key part of that old NISA side, and Chicago fans will always have fond memories of him.
This game could have been a very different one if Wisłoka took either, or both, of their early chances. They really caught the House off guard, but after that hot start the away side began to fade. If only they were able to jump out in front.
I’d never seen Bukola Abdulwahab before, but he really made a mark on this contest. A threat on the wing, he loved to get on the ball and dribble at his defender, often getting by him. It was a shame that a cramp took him out of the contest, but hopefully it’s not the last House fans see of him.
I know it’s just the qualifying round of the Open Cup, but the refereeing was not great. The fact that both sets of teams were annoyed with him says a lot about his performance. He was too harsh at some points, and too lenient on others.
You know the AI defenders in pro clubs that don’t do anything fancy but get the job done defensively whenever you need them to? That’s Jack Kramer for the House. He was the epitome of solid here.
I like the House’s 4-3-3 setup, which gets the most out of their players on both sides of the ball.
It was nice to see a good crowd at the stadium, with groups of supporters for both teams.
Every press box needs accessible WiFi. Please be better at Elmhurst University.
Man of the match - Alejandro Mentasti
Alejandro Mentasti quite literally ran himself into the ground.
Before we get to that part, the forward was the one to put the House in front with an excellent finish. The angle was a bit tight, but he still managed to pick out the bottom corner.
Then, in the second half, with the House down a man, Mentasti just kept going. He would drop deep to pick up the ball before finding a teammate with a pass. He pressed everyone he could, running up the middle, on the left, and on the right. The Argentine ran as much as he could, before a cramp saw him subbed off in injury time.
It didn’t matter. His job was done.
Mentasti was a true leader on the day, and his efforts were rewarded with a win. Hopefully he won’t have to run as much in the next game.
Key quotes
Chicago House A.C. head coach Matt Poland:
“It felt good to win there. It was a hard fought game. Maybe some things went against us, but that's the adversity we talk about. And for the guys to handle it, to weather it and to continue to stay together and work together, I thought that was an incredible thing to witness from the sideline.”
“It’s just solve the next problem, solve the next problem. You're down a man. There's never a tactically perfect way to play it. Guys are cramping, guys are tired, plays get broken, whatever, solve the next problem. Focus your energy on what you can do to help the team in the minutes that you’re on until you literally need to be carried off the field.”
“You can point to moments where all the guys did something massive in their effort to save the team and help the team get the win. I think when the guy next to you is willing to run like that, it pulls you in to continue to work hard as well, and it motivates the guys coming off the bench to continue to take that baton and run with it for however many minutes they're on the field.”
“I think Woj is such a great player and you saw some great touches that reminded me of 2021, so it was great to see him. I would rather have not had to play against him, but again, he’s incredible. It's always fun to see a former House player continuing to play.”
“Right now the guys need to recover, give themselves some rest, get some time off, and then we have three weeks to build and be ready for the next one.”
Chicago House A.C. striker Alejandro Mentasti:
“Well, we've been working a lot this week, especially on the finishing side. We created a lot in the summer. Coach is telling us it's not about power all the time, we can find a place in the corners. The goalkeeper couldn't reach my shot, and it went in.”
“I was really angry I couldn't finish the 90, it was close. With 10 men it became really hard, so it was better to get one of the boys to step in at the back and everybody did a great job, especially from the bench. We knew everybody was going to be important to win this, not just the starting 11.”
“We want to keep going, keep going. We had a very good run last time. We want to keep going. We want to go back to that.”
Wisłoka Chicago midfielder Wojciech Wojcik:
“If you were sitting on the stands, it was exciting to watch. We had our chances, they had our chances, and unfortunately for us we couldn't convert in the beginning. At the end of the day, the better team won and we wish you guys all the best moving forward. It was a great game and great turnout from the fans, so we thank them all for that.”
“I think we're constantly always looking to build and these types of games and these types of moments are what we want to test ourselves against, especially a team like House that made a deep run last year. I think we held our own and we definitely have a lot to learn as well in terms of fitness levels and the consistency in our decision making and finishing and quality up top. We shouldn't be happy because we lost, but I think looking at it constructively, there was a lot of good and a lot to improve on.”
“It's always great to match up against people that you played with before, teammates and coaches. It was great to see those guys, great to see Matt, and great to see everybody doing well. I wish you guys all the best in the future.”
