Baltimore MD - Crystal Palace FC USA’s clash with local rivals Real Maryland is more than just a league game that Palace need to win to sustain their hopes of a top spot in the standings. The match, which takes place at 7:30pm on Thursday night at UMBC Stadium, will also determine the winner of the inaugural DeOrsey Maryland Cup.  Palace has the advantage after winnint the first game of the series 2-1 at the Maryland Soccerplex back in June.

“It’s very important for us to win the DeOrsey Maryland Cup” emphasized Co-Manager Pete Medd. “And we need the three points desperately. We’re still looking to finish first or second in the league and so these points are critical.” After a 3-0 loss at league-leading Charlotte on Saturday, Palace lie in fourth place in the league table. Real Maryland sit at the bottom of the table after losing eleven of their last twelve games.

The DeOrsey Maryland Cup is awarded each season to the aggregate winner of all USL2 matches between the two Maryland clubs. It was founded in 2008 in honor of standout Maryland soccer player Matt DeOrsey who died suddenly this year at age 31.

“We need to be prepared for a really hard game” added Co-Manager Jim Cherneski. “Despite their position, Real Maryland can still upset some teams. They have a little bit of a different make-up since we last played them, so with that being said, we think they’re going to come out really hungry to win. If we do well with our main objectives, defensively and offensively, we’ll do well. We’ve had some struggles recently because of some selfish play, so as long as everyone on the team is in sync and puts the team first, we’ll be ok.”

Palace will be missing two key players through suspension; top scorer Gary Brooks and midfield leader Shintaro Harada. Meanwhile, after being out due to injury for the past two months, Alex Ughiovhe has just learned he probably won’t play again this season. “We hope he can get treated as well as possible and get ready for next season,” said Jim Cherneski.

Instead of UMBC Stadium, Palace play their next match on Sunday August 3rd at Poly/Western High School in Baltimore City as part of the Baltimore International Festival. The Palace game against the Bermuda Hogges kicks off at 5:30pm and anchors the 4th annual Mayor’s Cup Soccer Tournament.

Tickets for all upcoming home games can be purchased here.