— There were several season premieres for North Carolina FC Wednesday evening against the visiting Lansdowne Bhoys FC in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. North Carolina FC’s brand spanking new electronic substitution board illuminated the touchline. Bernhard Luxbacher and goalkeeper Austin Guerrero earned their first starts as a member of NCFC. Nelson Blanco and Cameron Steele made their first professional appearances in the second half. Moreover, mainstay defender Connor Tobin returned from injury to make his 2018 debut.

But the match itself proved a stroll in WakeMed Soccer Park for the home side, which made efficient work of Lansdowne, 3-0, to advance to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.

“I’m delighted with the result,” said NCFC manager Colin Clarke. “Clean sheet, and got some minutes for some younger kids. Overall, a pretty professional performance.”

“I watched [Lansdowne] against Brooklyn [Italians], and I was really impressed,” Tobin said. “They have some guys who have played league one in Ireland and some guys who have been around. They’ve shown what they can do by winning an amateur title [in 2017], and that’s no small feat.”

North Carolina FC jumped out to a quick lead in just the second minute. A Kyle Bekker corner kick flicked the follicles of Austin da Luz on its way to an unmarked Connor Tobin far post. Tobin, returning from injury to make his 2018 debut, nodded his first touch this season across the goal line to give NCFC a 1-0 advantage, with the scorekeeper granting Bekker the assist.

“I live with [Bekker], and we’ve been talking a while about getting on the field,” Tobin said. “He obviously puts in great balls off corners. Futty [Danso] is such a presence that when he goes near post, a lot of times I don’t even need to take an extra body in there. I can anticipate Futty occupying some people, and maybe a ball bounces through. It just so happened it worked out that way.”

It’s been a long time coming for Tobin, who’s fifth season with Carolina was delayed while he nursed a lower calf injury. Following Wednesday’s goal, Tobin celebrating boisterously with the supporters section behind goal.

“I’m lucky enough to have been here long enough that a lot of those guys are now friends, not just fans,” Tobin said. “So it means a lot, after spending a lot of time with them this spring, to get back in front of them and play. It’s always nice to be able to reward them with a goal.”

At the stroke of halftime, da Luz took a quick throw-in that found Dre Fortune in stride racing towards the right endline. Fortune crossed to a streaking Marios Lomis, who redirected the orb past Bhoys goalkeeper Abdou Danso (the younger brother of NCFC’s Futty Danso) to give the home side a 2-0 lead at intermission.

North Carolina made it 3-0 for good measure in the 74th minute, when Luxbacher chested a Bekker feed past Danso, then walked the ball into goal for the final scoreline.

North Carolina FC resumes Open Cup play next Tuesday, May 22 when it hosts the Ocean City Nor’easters, a PDL side that scored an upset victory over the Charlotte Independence Wednesday evening. North Carolina returns to USL competition this Saturday, May 19 with a visit to FC Cincinnati.

In the meantime, Tobin’s return adds some much-needed depth and veteran presence to the North Carolina FC back line.

“It’s like being a rookie all over again, I’ve been out so long,” Tobin said with a tinge of relief and emotion. “I was nervous all week. Here in the game, I wasn’t quite there as far as decision making. But it’s just fun to be back in front of our fans—it’s been a long time coming.”

“Connor wears his heart on his sleeve,” Clarke added. “It’s been tough time for him not being able to contribute, but he’s been doing that in other ways off the field. It’s very fitting that he got the first one tonight.”

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

NC: Guerrero, Taylor, Danso, Tobin, Guillen, G. Smith (Flores, 79’), Fortune, Luxbacher, da Luz (Doue, 79’), Bekker (C. Steele, 79’), Lomis

LAN: Danso, Campbell (Dadaj, 67’), Guirassy (Sousa, 67), Holzer, Kavanagh, Kelly, Lobe (Lopez, 61’), McCann, Oakley, Purcell, Voltaire

GOALS

NC: Tobin, 2’ (Bekker); Lomis, 44’ (Fortune); Luxbacher, 74’ (Bekker)

LAN: ---

CAUTIONS

NC: G. Smith, 38’; da Luz, 77’

LAN: ---