2025 National Amateur Cup: Sin City FC score late to win USASA Region IV tournament
Soto’s free kick in the 87th minute broke a deadlock to lift Sin City FC to a 4-3 win over Utah’s Red Devils FC in the USASA Region IV Amateur Cup championship match at the Salt Lake Regional Athletic
This recap first appeared at TheCup.us, Since 2003, the only outlet that gives full coverage of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup since 2003. Shout out to Derick Fox, Brock Mildon, Logan Chugg and Michael Battista for covering the U.S. Open Cup at ALL levels of competition and qualification.
SALT LAKE CITY — Beto Soto just had a good feeling as he stood over his free kick near the edge of the penalty area with a chance to send Sin City FC to the National Amateur Cup championships.
The spritely midfielder thought he could see an opening around the wall of 5-6 defenders Red Devils FC put up in front of goal to defend a 3-3 maelstrom.
But Soto took his shot — and sent the NISA Nation side from North Las Vegas to Milwaukee.
Soto’s free kick in the 87th minute broke a deadlock to lift Sin City FC to a 4-3 win over Utah’s Red Devils FC in the USASA Region IV Amateur Cup championship match at the Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex.
The win sent Sin City FC, a club of players who have been together for about a half-dozen years, into the national semifinals. This is a club that has reached at least three cup finals, and has plans to join the Nevada Premier League next year.
“I really just felt it,” Soto said. “I had 3-4 free kick goals like that, too; I feel like it comes naturally to me. So I took a couple of deep breaths, and thank God we pulled off the win.”
Corbin Lawrence scored twice for Red Devils FC, including finding the back of the net nearly 15 minutes into the match to put the Utah side up 1-0.
But David Villanueva equalized off a corner kick, then finished a free header from Esequiel Coronel in the 27th minute to give Sin City its first lead.
Mauricio Muniz scored off a corner kick in the 39th minute to lift the Las Vegans to a 3-1 halftime advantage.
Still, the Devils didn’t go away.
Lawrence scored less than three minutes into the second half. That set up Steve Jasso, who played for Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs from 2016-20, to equalize from the penalty spot after a foul in the box in the 60th minute.
Yet Sin City didn’t hang its collective heads. The group of players with the some half-dozen years playing together knew what was at stake: a regional title and a spot in the National Amateur Cup tournament next month in Milwaukee.
“We’ve been playing together for the past 5-6 years, and this is maybe our fifth final; we’re used to the pressures and the butterflies. We know how to maintain our composure when we go down, or when they catch up to us.
“It’s more on the mental or psychological aspect of the game.”
All they needed was a moment of magic. Soto was happy to provide.
“This is our first ‘ship together as a team, a family, and a brotherhood,” he said. “It feels really good. This is our first win in a final, and it feels really great.”
Sin City and Red Devils both reached the final after a three-day gauntlet of games between June 20 and the morning of June 22. The teams competed in an eight team tournament, with participants separated into two groups of four. Each team played one game a day, with the team from each group qualifying for the regional final on Sunday evening. That means those teams played two games on Sunday, June 22.
CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS FROM THE REST OF THE REGION IV AMATEUR CUP TOURNAMENT IN SALT LAKE CITY.
