Lansdowne Yonkers FC outscored its foes, 18-0. (Photo courtesy of ENYSSA)
By Michael Lewis
Story originally from FrontRowSoccer.com Editor
RANDALL’S ISLAND, N.Y. – It was difficult to figure out what was more remarkable in Lansdowne Yonkers FC’s march to the Sal Rapaglia Cup crown.
Was it the 18 goals the team scorched the nets in three games on Sunday, Sept. 21?
Or was it the fact that the team did not concede a goal en route to its fifth title in the Eastern New York State Soccer Association competition?
Regardless of which number you might chose, it still was an impressive achievement as Lansdowne defeated the New York Irish Rovers in the final, 8-0.
“They’re a good side, a league above us,” Irish Rovers head coach Jason Hadley said. “We tied them up last year. “You’ve got to give credit to Lansdowne. They’re a very good team.”
Lansdowne, which competes in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League and the Eastern Premier Soccer League, has been synonymous with success the past quarter century.
For the record, the club has won at least 16 major titles in the past decade. Lansdowne’s collection includes the Manning Cup (2022), National Amateur Cup (2017, 2021), Fricker Cup (2017, 2019, 2021, 2024), Eastern Premier Soccer League (2021), EPSL Metropolitan Conference (2022) NISA Cup (2021), Rapaglia Cup (2021, 2024), and Cosmopolitan Soccer League (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018).
Lansdowne has secured more than two dozen pieces of hardware in 26 years.
“It’s silverware at the end of the day,” captain and defender Eddie Speed said. “We always want to compete at any level, at the highest level, and we want to bring the silverware back to Lansdowne Yonkers. So, I think that it definitely sets a baseline for the season. It definitely helps going into the fall.”
You don’t have to look on the field to realize the team takes every game and every competition seriously, regardless of the opponent. Realizing the players could perform in as many as three 60-minute games in a relatively short period of time, Lansdowne brought a massage table for the players.
“I think the one thing that we’ve said to the players, and we try and do, as a coach itself, and the players who are not in there do anything half,” head coach and technical director Matt Kane said. “If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it all the way and make everybody feel important and special. You see it when they play on the pitch. They give everything.
“It could have been easy to switch off after five- or six-nil. But the boys kept going. That comes from the pitch. You see the result, but it happens when we have the physio. It happens when we set a certain culture. When we started this a year ago, when I came in, we talked about doing it the right way. And I think that’s the highlights you’re showing as an example of that.”
The set-up of the one-day competition might have reminded participants and observers of youth tournaments, in which teams had to play multiple matches. Games were played in 30-minute halves on Fields 74 and 75.
For teams to be successful, they must be talented and have depth. Lansdowne had both.
“We just had to get through it, game by game, and just be patient with how it turns out,” team captain and defender Eddie Speed said. “Just stick with our rotations, stick with the good habits. I think if we just played our cards right, we were in for a chance of, you know, getting a result. Fortunately, we took a lot of hard training sessions and walk throughs and stuff. It worked out on the pitch today.
Lansdowne’s style was relentless. It seems that every player is a ball hawker. And more often than not, they would win a ball at midfield and quickly transitioned. It happened enough times that it wore the opposition down, especially in the second half.
“I think our best feature in transition,” Speed said. “When we lose the ball anywhere on the pitch, everyone is fit enough and aggressive enough to get their eye on the ball and win it back. I think the transition helps us as a squad. We couldn’t do that without the gaffer, you know, working on it in training, working on your training every single day, on the ball and off the ball. It helped against our opponents today.”
Lansdowne won the Zone B group. In its 10 a.m. opening match, the Westchester County-based team blanked Leros (Long Island Soccer Football League), 4-0. Since it was the top-seeded side in the group, it did not have to play until 1 p.m. In the interim, C.A. Tumi (Eastern District Soccer League), edged Leros, 3-2, in the 11:30 a.m. match. In its 1 p.m. contest, Lansdowne tallied five times in the second half en route to a 6-0 win over C.A. Tumi.
Zone A opened with a 3-3 drew between the New York Pancyprian Freedoms (Manning Cup champions) and Richmond County (CSL). Irish Rovers (LISFL) won their first game, 3-1, over Richmond before playing the Pancyprian Freedoms to a 1-1 tie in the final group match, to book a spot in the final.
Lansdowne continued its domination into the championship contest. Aly Camara gave the team all the scoring it needed in the 16th minute, rounding goalkeeper Daniel de la Heras to score and then celebrating with an impressive backflip. Carlyle Smart doubled the lead, striking from the right side of the penalty area with a minute remaining in the 30-minute first half.
“Well done!!” Kane shouted to the team.
Lansdowne followed a similar route as it had in its second game. The team wore down its foes and added six goals in the second half.
“They moved the ball well. It’s tough,” said Hadley, who added that Irish Rovers essentially “had a new, whole new squad roster. We lost a lot of guys to the EPSL. So, we built a new team. There are probably seven or eight guys from our squad today that never played for us. We won our first league game last week. The tournament probably hurts a little bit because in the middle of the season.”
When he was told Lansdowne hadn’t surrendered a goal in the competition, Speed admitted that he was surprised.
“I actually didn’t know that until you mentioned it,” he said. “It’s communicating in the back as well, and it’s again its transition, being nice and tight. It just works.
“The chemistry is so good now with the lads. We started preseason in August, and from there, we talk to each other to make sure that we keep a solid line. Our goalkeepers have been absolutely fantastic as well, both on the ball and shot stopping. It just helps, because we do it every, every week, Tuesday, Thursday training, and it reflects on the pitch.”
Keepers Daniel Dimarco and Oskar Zywiec combined for the three clean sheets.
“Daniel DeMarco, brought him in last January, and he’s been incredible for us,” Kane said. “And we’ve also been lucky enough to add Oskar Zywiec. He’s a young keeper who’s been playing for us, to add competition to the position. You saw it today. They split time. They were both excellent in many aspects, not just shot stopping. We always play with the ball. We’re very lucky and confident in that position.”
Lansdowne’s (2-0-1) next challenge will be in the NESL, when it plays Manhattan Celtic at Tibbetts Brook Park, Field 3, in Yonkers, N.Y. on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m.
You can guess Lansdowne’s goals for this season. More titles and more silverware.
“We won the conference last year,” Kane said. “Maybe we came up short in the playoffs. The players were excellent. We improved on the squad. We want to ensure that we go all the way and want to win the playoffs. We want to have a run in the Open Cup and give it the best effort as possible.”
Kane was referring to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The team’s quest this fall is to qualify for the tournament proper this fall.
Irish Rovers (1-0-0) are scheduled host Osner’s FC in a LISFL Premier Division clash at SUSA Orlin & Cohen’s Sports Complex, Field 1 in Central Islip, N.Y. on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. The team will visit NY Polet at the Field of Dreams in Massapequa, N.Y., Field 1, on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.
Sunil Gulati hands out a medal to one of the game officials. (Photo courtesy of ENYSSA).
Former U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati attended the games, as did Rapaglia. They participated in the medal ceremonies.
Rapaglia, who has served as ENYSSA president for 43 years was given a special award by the association’s recording secretary Orlando Byfield.
“Sal, I wish you all the best,” Byfield said. “Live long and prosper.”
Orlando Byfield (right) gives Sal Rapaglia his award. (Photo courtesy of ENYSSA)
