Steel City FC turn up the heat in 2nd Half to blow past FCY New York, 5-1, in Open Cup Qualifier

Special thanks to Tunde Akinlosotu for contributing to this report 

Steel City FC proved once again that their blend of seasoned veterans and sharp local academy talent is a potent combination in cup football.

After controlling tempo in a tightly contested opening 45 minutes, Steel City unleashed a four-goal second-half barrage to pull away with a decisive 5-1 victory over FCY New York in the Second Round of U.S. Open Cup Qualifying at UPMC Graham Field on Saturday night.

Hailan Mohsin provided the lone goal for FC New York, but Steel City’s relentless attack—sparked by dynamic wing play, tactical adjustments at the break, and key bench contributions—proved overwhelming.

Nicky Graeca, DD Flowers, Nate Prex, and Academy standout Jacob Alberts all found the scoresheet for Steel City, alongside an second-half FC New York own goal.

Steel City set out to solve the final-third efficiency issues that lingered from Round 1. Head coach Jonathan Velotta’s tactical plan—utilizing center forward Nate Prex to hold up play while dynamic wingers slashed in behind—paid off early.

The opening breakthrough showcased the exact pipeline Steel City has built between its first team and youth system. Prex drew coverage underneath before playing DD Flowers wide, who whipped a ball across the box for Academy player Jacob Alberts to finish, marking his first goal for the senior club.

“From the attacking side, really good,” Velotta noted after the match.

“The plan was Prex, our center forward, likes to get a hold of the ball, play underneath, and then the wingers getting past him. I thought Dee [Flowers] was the man of the match… and then obviously Jacob, the academy kid, scoring the first goal. That’s kind of how we envision things. It was winger to winger.”

FC New York found a lifeline through Hailan Mohsin to keep things tight mid-way through the first half as Velotta stated that Steel City lost a bit of shape, but the home side held a 2-1 edge heading into the locker room.

Holding a tight one-goal lead coming out of the break, Steel City blew the match wide open in the second half.

According to veteran midfielder Nicky Graeca— the shift began before the coaching staff even spoke in the locker room.

“Great halftime adjustments,” Graeca told Pittsburgh Soccer Now contributor Tunde Akinlosotu post-match.

“We had the players coming in the locker room, and really the coaches said a lot, but it was the players taking initiative. Then the coaches came in with the cherry on top. We came out with a little chip on our shoulder, and we wanted to impress the crowd tonight.”

Graeca certainly did, capping off his second-half impact with his signature post-goal celebration — a back flip as he was being greeted by a mob of his teammates.

“Yeah, the flip! I’ve been doing the flip for a little while,” Graeca laughed.

“I think I’m getting a little old—I barely landed it this time! But that’s been my goal celebration for some time, and it gets the crowd going. It’s really all about them.”

With a 2-1 lead early in the second half, Steel City’s depth completely took over. Velotta relied on a balance of senior leadership and fresh young legs from the bench to pull away, forced via clinical finishes from Flowers, Prex, Graeca, and an forced own goal off an FCNY defender under heavy pressure.

“It’s a good mix. We had basically three or four senior players and then three academy kids on the bench,” Velotta said. “A good balance of experience with the youth that had the legs. The subs that came in made an impact, and getting a couple-goal cushion helped the rhythm of the game.”

With Saturday’s victory, Steel City reaches the halfway mark of the U.S. Open Cup qualifying rounds, moving within two wins of reaching the Tournament Proper in 2025.

With three weeks until the Third Round, Velotta believes the squad is only beginning to hit its stride.

“I’m excited just because I think the more this group’s together, the better we’re going to be,” Velotta said. “Another three weeks to train and improve will suit us well… The experience that these guys had last year in the run and having to win three games to get to the first round proper serves us well. This was always the goal—to play into November and on.”

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The 2027 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third and fourth (final) qualifying rounds are scheduled for October 31-November 1, then the Fourth Round for November 21-22.   

Pittsburgh Soccer Now