FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Fort Lauderdale United FC’s USL League Two Men’s side earned a convincing 3-0 victory over Miami AC on Wednesday evening, in just its second-ever match at AutoNation Field at the FTL UTD Training Facilities. Carlos Zambrano, Michael Appiah, and Johan Arevalo each found the scoresheet in a dominant performance against a familiar regional rival. With the win, Fort Lauderdale improves to six wins in its first seven matches in club history, and the team now sets its sights on a road rematch with Kings Hammer Sun City, a team that FTL UTD defeated 3-0 at Beyond Bancard Field back on May 23.
The match opened at a lively pace, with both sides creating early chances. Each goalkeeper came up big in the opening minutes, making key saves to keep the game level. Fort Lauderdale pressed forward with purpose and generated several promising opportunities but couldn’t find the breakthrough. After 45 minutes, the teams entered the halftime break deadlocked at 0-0.
Just moments into the second half, Fort Lauderdale broke the deadlock with a moment of brilliance from Lucas Costa. The local standout delivered a perfectly weighted, no-look through ball to Zambrano, who calmly slotted it into the left side of the net for his sixth goal of the season. The reigning Player of the Month gave FTL UTD a 1-0 lead and once again lit up the crowd with his signature flair, this time punctuating the moment by kicking the door down in the 48th minute.
After entering the match as a substitute, Enrique Mejias made an instant impact with his creativity and skill. In the 74th minute, he nearly doubled the lead with a curling right-footed effort that struck the woodwork, and the rebound fell to Appiah. The forward took two composed touches, cut inside and rifled a shot to the far post to double Fort Lauderdale United’s lead. The goal was Appiah’s first of the season, and he celebrated by sprinting to the bench to share the moment with his teammates.
With a 2-0 advantage, Fort Lauderdale United continued to control the match into stoppage time. In the final moments, substitute Fernando Sanchez quickly picked out Arevalo on the right wing with a throw-in. Arevalo took two touches, cut inside and curled a left-footed shot to the far post, securing his third goal of the season while giving Fort Lauderdale a 3-0 advantage just seconds before the final whistle was blown, putting finishing touches on a dominant victory over Miami AC at AutoNation Field at the FTL UTD Training Facilities.
Back In Action
Our Fort Lauderdale United FC USL League Two team will return to the pitch on Saturday, June 14 for its second road match of the season, travelling to take on Kings Hammer Sun City. With kick-off set for 6:00 p.m., Saturday’s match is a rematch between a team that Fort Lauderdale already defeated 3-0 on May 23.
