Far East United impress in TST debut

Far East United

Far East United impressed on the opening day of the $1M winner-take-all The Soccer Tournament on Thursday at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

The side assembled by Anton del Rosario defeated West Ham, 4-2, capped by a Target Score goal from Bienve Maranon.

With both teams being held scoreless after the break, Far East United opened the scoring with a Jason Cunliffe assist to Tyler John, who then blasted it to the net seven minutes after the reset.

The lead doubled three minutes later, with Cunliffe figuring into another scoring opportunity, playing a two-man game with Felipe Souza as the latter received the former Guam international's pass and hitting it into the back of the net.

The third goal came in the subsequent minute thanks to a Safee Sali masterclass, as the Malaysian legend decided to beat his man one-on-one, drew three more defenders towards him and then poked the ball past the keeper.

The Hammers did pull one back before the end of the second half, with Marlon Harewood converted a goal off a free kick set up by a Masaki Watanabe foul.

They would then secure another goal during Target Score, an untimed period where the leading team needs to score one goal to finish the match. Harewood raced down the the right flank, then sent a cross towards Kyle Reid to score.

Far East United did manage to finish things off eventually. With the matchup reduced to a 5v5 affair, Alex Caceres found Bienve Marañon, who twisted the Hammers defense to fire home the clincher.

In assessing the match, head coach Matthew Holland says, "Fantastic start to the tournament regardless of the opponent. To beat West Ham with so many top players is a life moment for the boys. The togetherness we built over the past week came through even with players drip-feeding in. We have no alpha player. We just connect. We worked together in this match and managed all the situations."

Team manager Ethan Lee adds, "It’s a big win and it gives us confidence. It puts us a step closer to advancing to the next round."

Up next for the AIA-backed side is Culture by Mo Ali FC early Saturday morning. The squad organized by conditioning coach and social media influencer Mo Ali is fresh from a 3-1 winner over Dallas United in their opener.