Adewale Obalola Shines in Debut as Hartford Ease Past New York Shockers in U.S. Open Cup
The Nigerian forward scored the opener and added an assist as the Latics booked their place in the second round
Hartford Athletic cruised to a 3-0 victory over the New York Shockers on Tuesday night in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with goals from Adewale Obalola, Mamadou Dieng and Michee Ngalina paving the way to the second round.
The Latics had control of the game from the opening whistle, ultimately holding about 80 percent of the possession for the night and limiting Shockers to a single shot as the home team took fifteen shots and placed seven on target, eleven of those shots coming from inside the box.
Hartford’s first goal came when debutante Adewale Obalola fired a shot home from a Jonathan Jimenez cross in the 12th minute. Obalola became the eighth player in club history to score on his debut, the first to do so since Romario Williams on the opening day of the 2024 season, and the first player in club history to both have his club debut be in the Open Cup and to mark the occasion with a goal. Obalola also became the youngest goalscorer in the Open Cup in club history; the previous record holder had been Mads Jorgensen who scored what proved to be the game winner in the club’s first-ever Cup fixture against New York Cosmos B back in 2019.
As the half wore on, the Latics continued to dominate the ball and their second goal came in the 38th minute when Michee Ngalina played in Mamadou Dieng, with the forward finishing confidently from a difficult angle to double the lead. The goal was Dieng’s 12th in all competitions for the club moving him clear of a tie with Alex Dixon for fourth-most all-time for Hartford. Dieng has hit his mark in only 33 games, at a much better strike rate than the three players ahead of him.
The second half was much more of the same: Hartford bossed the ball as the Shockers chased the game — and despite the best look of the game for the visitors — the Latics sealed the game in the 83rd minute when Obalola turned provider, crossing the ball for an easy finish for Michee Ngalina. The goal was Ngalina’s ninth in his Hartford career — moving him into a tie with Ariel Martinez for 8th-most all-time — and the assist meant that Obalola became the first player in club history to mark his debut with both a goal and an assist.
While the display might not have been scintillating, Hartford’s progression into the next round of the cup was comfortable, and it is hard to find fault with tonight’s performance. The Latics now wait for the second-round draw, in which they will face one of the other first-round winners in games to be played on April 1 or April 2. In the meantime, Hartford heads back to USL Championship action with a visit to Pittsburgh on Saturday, looking to get its league season on track.