RWB Adria is a soccer club with a rich history - the Chicago club is believed to have won the most trophies of any team in Illinois since its inception in 1959, and its alumni include a host of professional players, including Portuguese legend Eusebio.
"It was just after he stopped playing in the NASL," RWB Adria coach Minos Vlamakis said. "In our clubhouse, we’ve got a nice team picture with him. It’s our little bitty claim to fame."
So when RWB Adria takes on the Carolina RailHawks of the USL First Division in a first-round match of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night in Cary, N.C., the Croatian club will be looking to add to its history.
And Vlamakis, 25, thinks his team has the ability to do just that in the club’s first Open Cup appearance since 1996 - RWB Adria lost 3-0 to the El Paso Patriots, then of the USISL Select League, in the first round that year.
"We’re going into this game to win," said Vlamakis, who also is an assistant coach at Oakton Community College and the head coach of the Illinois Select Team - the four-time reigning USASA National Select champions.
Three veterans will be asked to play key roles for RWB Adria: defenders Sinisa Alebic and Joey Carver and midfielder Arsim Ibraimi.
Alebic played six seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League with the Dallas Sidekicks, Milwaukee Wave and Chicago Storm, and also was a member of the Croatian national futsal team.
"He’s sort of our defensive rock," Vlamakis said of his side’s captain. "He’s older, he’s 38 years old now. ... but he’s got uncanny technical ability. He’s a step not as quick as he used to be, but he plays that libero position perfectly."
Also on the backline will be Joe Carver, who was on the original roster for Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire in 1998, played with several teams in the A-League and spent time with Chester City in England’s League Two. He also was one of the leading scorers in the 1998 U.S. Open Cup, scoring three goals for the Chicago Stingers.
"He’s about 35 years old, but he’s been playing on my Select teams since 2004 and he amazes everyone. You’re not going to meet a guy who makes more runs than him - he plays right back and just makes runs up and down and the line. I’ve got guys on my Select team who are All-American collegiate players that he just blows by," Vlamakis said. "He’s got a nickname of ’Grandpa Joey,’ but if you look at him, he doesn’t look a day over 25. He’s a pleasure to coach."
The 28-year-old Ibraimi is the midfield engine for RWB Adria, which qualified for the Cup by beating the Des Moines Menace Reserves 1-0 and Detroit United 3-0 in USASA Region II qualifying.
"Fantastic technical skill. He missed the (Illinois) Cup final because he had back surgery in November. So he’s not nearly as fit as he used to be, but he’s fit enough to where he can make an impact, I think, at any level," Vlamakis said. "You don’t like to say this very much, but he’s kind of the heartbeat of our team. If he’s feeling well, then we fire on all cylinders. If he’s not, then it’s a little bit more trouble. A lot of responsibility will be on him to lead the guys."
Those three mainstays have helped RWB Adria compile an 11-1 mark in all competitions this year.
"They’re definitely going to need to be our leaders on the field," said Vlamakis, who joined RWB Adria about 18 months ago after his playing days with the Winged Bull club ended because of a back injury - sparking his coaching career.
"I think a lot of our game plan is going to be based on what kind of energy they bring to the pitch and how they adapt. ... We’ve got to keep our minds focused on the game, and these guys will be the ones doing that on the field."
But RWB Adria mixes in some young standouts, too.
Start up top with Boris Maric. The 22-year-old is two years removed from playing in a UEFA Champions League qualifier - he scored the only goal in Bosnian side NK Zrinjski Mostar’s 1-0 win over F91 Dudelange in 2005 - and has 10 goals this year.
"He doesn’t look the part at all," Vlamakis said. "He’s just a finisher. He’s got great speed. ... He could go unnoticed for 89 minutes, but if the guy is played through on goal, the guy just finishes."
Bosnian midfielder Adnan Ejupovic, 22, and 19-year-old defender Pat McMahon, who helped Illinois-Chicago post a 13-3-5 record last fall, could be in the starting 11 against the RailHawks. Vlamakis said RWB Adria has also added Tijani Ayegbusi, a Nigerian who has played in the MISL the past few years, to its roster and he likely will see action Tuesday.
But like many amateur teams, RWB Adria will be without key players Tuesday.
Forward Awadallah Morad, an MISL veteran who was the team’s leading scorer, recently moved back to Palestine. And midfielder Izet Arslanovic, a former Bosnian international who scored the lone goal in RWB Adria’s win over HNK Zrinski in last fall’s Illinois State Cup final at Toyota Park, has moved to Boston. Meanwhile, midfielder Matt Stewart, another MISL veteran, is at a U.S. national futsal team training camp in Spain.
As for preparing for Carolina, Vlamakis called some of his former teammates and players who have faced the RailHawks for scouting reports.
"Some of their better players are guys that came out of the MISL, just like some of ours," he said, referring to players such as Chris Carrieri, Anthony Maher and Chad Dombrowski. "I’ve seen them play in that league ... so we kind of have an idea of what’s on the table.
"In my opinion, the stark difference between where we’re at and who we’re playing against is fitness. These guys train as a career, where we don’t. But when I think when it comes to technical skill, I would trust my guys."
Now all that’s left is for RWB Adria to go out and try to add another page to the club’s history books.
"I told them, ’If you guys think you have what it takes to play pro in this country, here’s your chance to show it,’" Vlamakis said. "If we end up losing 4-0, no one’s going to even take a second notice, because that’s what’s expected. So really, I would say the pressure is more on them.
"If you’ve got a statement, now’s the time to make it. ... We’ve got everything in the palm of our hands. It’s up to us how we want to be remembered in this tournament, and I have a feeling all our guys will leave it all on the field. I think we can spring an upset. I’m Greek, and I was in Portugal when Greece won the European Cup (in 2004). And after seeing something like that, anything can happen."
