FC Naples coach Matt Poland took a long look around an empty stadium at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex after the club’s biggest match to date, against Orlando City in the Round of 32 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Poland knew his team should’ve been playing in extra time. A vast majority of the sell-out 4,782 in attendance, clad in FC Naples gear, knew it too.
Wednesday, April 15, marked the first time an MLS team had come to Naples to play at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex, but that moment was largely overshadowed by a missed call in the 70th minute that ultimately prevented FC Naples, which plays in USL League One, the U.S.’s third division of professional soccer, from securing a landmark win in just their second year in existence.