Blitzz blast past Knights, as expected

There's no question Blitzz coach Chris Agnello was impressed by Fadi Afash's acrobatic bicycle kick, and B.J. McNicol's 30-yard bending free kick, but that was about the only thing he was impressed with Tuesday.

"As far as our performance from start to finish, it was a lot of stuff that has to be better," said Agnello. "I'm gauging that against against A-League and MLS teams, a standard we're striving for."

Despite his displeasure, the Blitzz still beat the Sacramento Knights 3-0 in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup, a game they were expected to win by a large margin.

The Knights are an average team in the Men's Premiere Soccer League — a fairly new league where the rosters are full of amateur players — whereas the Blitzz are a professional squad just below the A-League.

"We want that to be six or seven to nothing, and it should be," said Agnello.

By virtue of Tuesday's win, Utah gets the opportunity to test itself against one of those A-League teams.

Utah hosts the Portland Timbers on June 30, with the winner advancing to the fourth round, where a Major League Soccer team awaits.

If the Blitzz don't improve their goal-scoring punch by then, the coveted opportunity of facing an MLS team with something at stake will continue eluding them.

"The quality of finishing, and the quality of play, and the desire of the players needs to be at a higher level," said Agnello.

Even though Matt Evans set up Utah's first goal on a gently lofted ball to the noggin of Rich Evans in the ninth minute, Agnello yanked his star midfielder in the 33rd minute because of his lackadaisical effort.

Bringing in an anxious McNicol was precisely what the Blitzz needed, from a passion standpoint — and four minutes later from a goal-scoring standpoint as well.

In the 37th minute, McNicol lined up a free kick about 10 yards outside the left side of the penalty box. While scoping out his options, injured teammate Kiko Medina yelled out to him "just like Germany." During a game between Germany and Netherlands in the European Championship on Tuesday, a German player whipped a free kick from exactly the same spot that went untouched by everyone, including the keeper as it found the goal.

Medina's comment must've inspired McNicol as he scored in precisely the same fashion.

"I was happy with the way B.J. came in and changed things up," said Agnello.

Just minutes before halftime, Afash elevated the dramatic to a world-class level by bicycle kicking a centering pass from Jacobi Goodfellow into the back of the net — even though the goalie was in a great position to make the save.

With a 3-0 halftime lead, and a spot in the next round already secure, Utah slipped into the same lethargic posture that has contributed its 6-5-3 record this season.

The Blitzz return to action Sunday afternoon against the Nevada Wonders, a game that will most likely be played in Park City.

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E-mail: jedward@desnews.com