Featured photo: Benjamin Peña celebrates amid a two-goal performance for Vlora. Photo by Michael Machuca-Memeti.
May 24, 2025 | USASA National Amateur Cup | Burnsville, MN
Vlora Starting XI: Easton Hoch, Jonathan Alvero, Oscar Alvarez, Dane Hanks, Ibra Ndaw, Austin Gunkel, Luis Mencia, Avery Larsson, Ignacio Gonzalez, Jeronimo Diaz, Benjamin Peña
Vlora FC hosted United Serbians last Saturday in a victorious second round game in the USASA National Amateur Cup on May 24. The visitors are a historic club out of Milwaukee, WI, and have fielded teams in various leagues, including the UPSL. The match included an interesting crossing of paths for American clubs of Albanian and Serbian origin respectively.
Vlora broke the deadlock in the 19th minute as two of the team’s top performers combined for a goal. Easton Hoch took a shot from the left side of the box after Vlora won a turnover in an advanced position. Hoch’s shot was blocked by the keeper but rolled into the path of Benjamin Peña, who slotted his shot home with ease to make it 1-0. Hoch added to the fun early in the second half, receiving a clever pass from Ignacio Gonzalez before scoring his latest goal of the season.
United Serbians were determined to get back in the game and they did. A penalty after the hour mark made 2-1, before a bouncing header off a corner kick made it 2-2. Vlora’s lead had disappeared and suddenly it was an open game.
The game went into AET and substitute Sohail Ebrahimi made the difference in minute 99 of play, curving a wonderful outside-of-the-boot pass to Peña, who hit the ball first time and scored Vlora’s third goal of the game to make it 3-2. Peña was later given a second yellow card and taken out of the game, but two Vlora players teamed up soon after to make it 4-2 as Deq Jama chested down a ball for Jeronimo Diaz, who volleyed a shot to score his first goal of the season in the 105th minute. A goal for Redouane
Baarab, scored off a rebounded shot, made it 5-2 going into the AET halftime break.
Some hardy defending by Vlora was helped by a last minute own goal by United Serbians to end the game at 6-2. The victory means that Vlora will face the Milwaukee Torrent in the Region II third round of the National Amateur Cup on a date to be determined.
