Thanks to Alas, no lack of goals for Real Maryland

Midfielder sparks Monarchs’ comeback win over Cleveland City

‘‘We needed goals, and I thank God the shots went in,” Alas said through a translator. ‘‘It was a very important game tonight, and to come from two goals down feels very good.”

The comeback was an important psychological boost for the Monarchs (2-3-0), who avenged their ugly 4-0 loss at Cleveland City (2-1-2) on May 10. They did so without 33-year old former Major League Soccer midfielder Ronald Cerritos, sidelined with a toe injury.

Victory Saturday also guaranteed the Monarchs’ qualification for the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which includes teams from MLS, USL Divisions 1, 2 and the Premier Development League, and the United States Adult Soccer Association.

‘‘I’ve been saying all along, Real Maryland is a new club and it will take some time,” head coach Silvino Gonzalo said. ‘‘Now we’ve qualified for the Open Cup, which is a good step. ... The players are still adapting to one another. To score three goals tonight is a very, very good sign.”

Gonzalo blamed mental mistakes for Real’s two-goal deficit. Cleveland City scored in the seventh and 17th minutes, both when crossed balls found unmarked men in the penalty area. But the back four responded, with Prince George’s County native Daryl Ferguson man-marking Stars target man Sallieu Bundu out of the game.

After that, it was up to a Real attack that had scored in only one of its previous four games. It didn’t look promising; a 40-yard cross by The Heights graduate Devlin Barnes was Reed’s only touch in the first half-hour.

‘‘We were getting pretty nervous down 2-0, thinking, ‘This is happening again?’” Monarchs forward Bill Brindley said. ‘‘At that point, we got the team together, knuckled down, and really went after it.”

Reed’s second touch was the turning point. He leapt to his left to stop Alas’ long-range effort, but the ball squirted through his gloves. Reed caught it, but fumbled over the goal line when he hit the ground.

A long delay six minutes later checked the Monarchs’ momentum, when Cleveland City defender Jeremy Tolleson lost two teeth in an aerial clash with Real forward Nilson Perez. A shouting match, two yellow cards, a red card to a Stars assistant coach and a long search for Tolleson’s teeth killed the half.

Real equalized in the 52nd minute, when Alas intercepted a loose clearance by Stars captain Mark Schulte. He fed Brindley, who drew three defenders before laying the ball off to Perez, who volleyed past Reed from 10 yards out.

The winner came in the 87th minute, when Brindley nodded a hopeful long ball to the only other Monarch within 30 yards, a streaking Alas. Alas took one touch and sent a low scorcher across the face of goal and into the bottom left corner.