In an historic, stunning upset, the Bay Cities Football Club defeated the Monterey Bay Football Club 2-1 in the second round of the US Open Cup Tournament at PayPal Park, home of the San Jose Earthquakes.
As a brand-new Division 3 NISA league team, Bay Cities was widely considered an underdog in its matchup against Monterey, a Division 2 USL team. The unexpected, early-season win draws major focus to the team that calls Redwood City home. Co-Founder Ivan Martinez celebrated the victory as a “Hoover to heroes” moment, referencing how the concept of creating a professional community-centric club began at the Hoover Community School soccer field.
“Thank you to Redwood City for coming out,” said Team Co-Founder and Head Coach Anders Perez. “Thank you for believing in us. Nobody had us winning this game. We did it the hard way. We did it the Redwood City way.”
Redwood City Mayor Giselle Hale congratulated the team on their victory.
“Bay Cities made all of Redwood City proud last night. I think about the local kids who watched the match and saw themselves reflected in the players and all that’s possible for their future,” Mayor Hale said.
Throughout the first half, Bay Cities played an aggressive offensive game, scoring one goal against Monterey goalkeeper Dallas Jaye via a first-time volley from #77 Rei Dorwart.
HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE !
Rei Dorwart’s goal in the 55th minute has marked his name in the history books with our club’s first ever @opencup goal!@BayCitiesFC 1️⃣ – 0️⃣ @MontereyBayFC
15 minutes to go!#BCFC // #BridgeTheBay 🌁⚽️ pic.twitter.com/8QJY6GjK7o
— Bay Cities FC (@BayCitiesFC) April 7, 2022
The roles were reversed in the second half, when Monterey played most of the half on the Bay Cities side, earning one goal.
With minutes to spare, Bay Cities scored the winning goal almost exactly at the 90-minute mark through Forward #10 Edson Cardona, bringing thousands of fans in attendance to their feet, in what various media outlets are dubbing “the shot heard around the Bay.”
EDSON CARDONA.
LAST MINUTE.
NUF SAID. pic.twitter.com/hjoYreZesl— Bay Cities FC (@BayCitiesFC) April 7, 2022
Goalkeeper Ian McGrane made 3 saves throughout the match, including two big stops to keep the game tied during Monterey’s offensive onslaught in the second half.
The US Open Cup is a national competition open to professional soccer teams at all levels nationwide. Bay Cities’ match was sponsored by Jay Paul Company, the developers behind the Harbor View project in Redwood City. Bay Cities will now advance to the third round of the US Open Cup. The third round draw will take place on Friday, April 8, when the team will be paired with its next opponent.
Bay Cities Football Club is the only professional sports organization based in San Mateo County, launching its inaugural season this year. The club’s first ever home game of the season will take place at Sequoia High School Stadium in Redwood City this Saturday against Valley United Football Club.
Season tickets are available at the Bay Cities website.
Photo credit: Rocha Multimedia for Bay Cities Football Club
Disclaimer: Adam Alberti, the publisher of Climate Magazine, is Managing Director at Singer Associates, Inc. Jay Paul Company is represented by Singer Associates.
