Community sports | FC Cincinnati wins IMG Suncoast Pro Classic
Three days after scoring a shocking upset against New York City FC, FC Cincinnati began its first season of existence with a trophy at the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic in Bradenton.
Cincinnati, which is one of six teams slated to play its first United Soccer League season this year, blew out HB Koge 4-0 in the final game of the tournament Saturday to win the first trophy in team history and a $10,000 purse.
Neither team scored during the first half, but once Cincinnati broke through in the 57th minutes, the rout began at IMG Academy.
Andrew Wiedeman finished a penalty and with Koge now a man down Cincinnati scored twice more in the next 20 minutes. Midfielder Jimmy McLaughlin scored in the 64th and Wiedeman scored his second in the 77th minute. The forward finished his hat trick with an unassisted goal in the 89th minute. Koge, which plays in the Danish 1st Division, finished third.
NYCFC settled for a second-place finish after its stunning loss to Cincinnati by bouncing back for a 2-1, come-from-behind win against Knattspyrnufelag Reykjavikur, a team from the Icelandic Urvalsdeild. KR Reykjavic opened the scoring in the seventh minute before NYCFC's stars salvaged a victory.
Forward David Villa hit Andrea Pirlo with a cross in the 20th minute and the Italian midfielder headed home the Spaniard's pass for an equalizer.
In the 83rd minute, Mix Diskerud, a midfielder for the United State national team, pushed NYCFC ahead and secured a second-place finish. KR finished fourth.
NMRA season begins with race in Bradenton
Bradenton Motorsports Park will host the 22nd annual Nitto Tire NMRA Spring Break Shootout this weekend, beginning with testing on Thursday and concluding with final elimination races Sunday afternoon.
Gates open for qualifying races at 9 a.m. on Friday, and at 8 a.m. for elimination races Saturday and Sunday. The final rounds of eliminations begin at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The Spring Break Shootout is the traditional start to the National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA) season and features six different classes of drag racing, plus grudge races and a burnout contest
Little League season returns to Palmetto
A year after winning the first district title in league history, Palmetto Little League returns for its spring season Saturday at Blackstone Park.
Opening ceremonies begin at 11 a.m. in Palmetto followed by a home run derby at 12:30 p.m. A tee ball round robin will also begin at 12:30 and a pitching machine round robin starts at 1 p.m.
David Wilson, Herald sports writer, can be contacted at 941-745-7057 or on Twitter@DBWilson2.
This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Community sports | FC Cincinnati wins IMG Suncoast Pro Classic ."