Christos and the Bays will be kicking things off at 11 a.m. with the Charm City contest against Baltimore Juniors following immediately after at approximately 1 p.m. The state championship match will be held two weeks later, March 4, at the same location at 1 p.m.

Christos FC defeated Baltimore Kickers 3-1 in the opening round this past Sunday amid tough conditions and a frozen pitch with temperatures below freezing.  With winds gusting at 25 miles per hour, it was a rough going in the first half. Christos, however, carried the run of play throughout and were rewarded for their efforts via a goal from Benny Kujawa.

Ryan Sears knotted the game at 1-1 when he connected for Baltimore.

In the second half Christos made their superior quality felt and cashed in on chances from Glenn Leitch and Daniel Ankrah to take the 3-1 win.  Christos moves on to face 2011 Maryland US Open Cup champion Maryland Bays.

On the other side of the bracket, Charm City manhandled a thoroughly outclassed and inexperienced Juniors United FC side, making their USASA Open Cup debut. The match finished 9-1, even with Charm City making six substitutions at the half.

Open Cup competition proved to be too big a step up in quality from the Cosmopolitan League for Junior United, and credit to Charm City for handling themselves with class throughout.

Charm City opened the scoring on the eight-minute mark with Noah Merl slotting home a goal from Scott Zakroski.  The tone was set. After Pat Crawford connected in the 14th and Lou Burnetti in the 32nd, Tarik Walker slammed a penalty kick home from the spot to head to the break up 4-0.

Josh Robinson and Ben Delisle each tallied twice for Charm City in the second half and Wiji Jones got in on the action in the 81st minute as well.

Juniors United’s lone tally was a penalty.  Charm City will take on Baltimore Juniors FC in the second game of the semifinals this Sunday.

Maryland USASA Open Cup First Round

Western Regional Park, – Woodbine, MD

Christos FC 3:1 Baltimore Kickers

Christos: Benny Kujawa
Baltimore: Ryan Sears
Christos: Glenn Leitch
Christos: Daniel Ankrah

Charm City 9:1 Juniors United FC

Charm City: Noah Merl (Scott Zakroski) 8
Charm City: Pat Crawford (Mike Svhela) 14
Charm City: Lou Burnetti (Noah Merl) 32
Charm City: Tarik Walker penalty 45
Charm City: Ben Delisle (Wiji Jones) 66
Charm City: Josh Robinson (Wiji Jones) 67
Charm City: Ben Delisle (Josh Robinson) 73
Charm City: Wiji Jones (Todd Clingan) 81
Juniors United: Josh Robinson penalty 89

Maryland USASA Open Cup Semifinals
Sunday, February 19
Western Regional Park, – Woodbine, MD

Christos FC vs. Maryland Bays – 11 a.m.
Baltimore Juniors FC vs. Charm City FC – 1 p.m.

The winners of the Southeast Division, Jacksonville United, will be joined by the Northeast Division’s Atlantic Conference champion, Brooklyn Italians, the Midwest winner Milwaukee Bavarians and the Erie Admirals, who claimed the Northeast’s Keystone Conference title.

The NPSL Western Conference teams will conduct qualifying during the month of March, however, no details of the format have been announced.

Jacksonville United (6-4-0) tied Georgia (5-2-3) for the Southeast Division title last year but won the tiebreaker to advance to the NPSL Final Four, where they beat the Erie Admirals 4-2 in the semifinals and Hollywood United 3-2 in the final.

The Midwest champion Bavarians (8-2-2) are the Under-23 team from Bavarian SC, a club that has been one of the most successful amateur teams during the Modern Pro Era of the Open Cup and date back to 1929.

Brooklyn went 7-2-1 win the Northeast Division’s Atlantic Conference last summer then lost to Erie in the divisional final. The Admirals (10-1-1) have moved into the new Great Lakes Conference of the Midwest Division.

As for the West, San Diego is the top returning team this season, going 10-3-1 to finish on top of the Southwest Flight in the regular season before being upset by the Sacramento Gold 2-1 in the divisional semifinals. Meanwhile, Hollywood United (11-2-1) are not returning to the league in 2012.

Last year, the NPSL received four Open Cup berths: the Italians, Chattanooga FC, Madison 56ers and Hollywood United represented the league.

The 56ers beat Illinois amateur side AAC Eagles 4-0 before losing to the PDL’s Chicago Fire Premier 2-0 in the Second Round; Brooklyn dropped a 2-1 decision to amateur entry New York Pancyprian-Freedoms; Chattanooga took USL PRO club Pittsburgh Riverhounds to extra time before a 3-2 loss; and Hollywood United lost to USL PRO team Los Angeles Blues 3-1.

Before 2011, NPSL teams advanced to the Open Cup through US Adult Soccer Association regional qualifying. Five teams joined the 56ers in advancing to the Second Round: the Sacramento Knights (2004), Salinas Valley Samba (2005), Sonoma County Sol (2006 and ‘09) and the Arizona Sahuaros (2010).

The source tells TheCup.us that the changes are the result of a compromise. The lower division teams wanted a greater chance to face an MLS team in the tournament, while MLS teams were looking to begin and end the competition earlier in the year to avoid scheduling congestion in the second half of the season. In addition to the playoff chase at the close of the regular season, some MLS teams also participate in the CONCACAF Champions League Group Phase. International competitions featuring MLS players have also been part of the juggling act for clubs, particularly in June and July.

The goal is to have the Open Cup completed by August, the starting point of the CCL Group Phase which runs August to October. The last Open Cup tournament to hold a championship game before the month of September was in 1995 when the Richmond Kickers won the title in penalty kicks over the El Paso Patriots, the year before MLS joined the competition.

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) declined to comment until any proposals have been confirmed.

The 64 teams and rounds of play would be broken up as follows:

The First Round would begin with 32 amateur teams playing off to produce 16 winners. The 16 that advance from Round 1 will take on the 16 US-based lower division professional teams from the North American Soccer League (NASL), pending sanctioning, and USL Pro. The 16 winners from Round 2 would face the 16 MLS sides awaiting them in Round 3.

There is, however, no certainty that the NASL will be fully sanctioned as a Division 2 league, but the proposal was constructed with the possibility that they would be. Last year, the NASL was excluded from the Open Cup, according to USSF, due to the fact that the 2011 format was already finalized prior to the NASL being awarded a one-year provisional sanctioning.

How the 32 amateur teams will be divided up between the Premier Development League (PDL), National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and US Club Soccer will be determined at a later date.

Another ripple effect from moving the start of the tournament to the middle of May is the expected elimination of the longstanding in-season qualifying process for the PDL berths. Throughout the Modern Professional Era, the PDL has featured regular season games which double as qualifiers for the US Open Cup, adding additional value to the early part of the league schedule. Since the vast majority of players on PDL and NPSL rosters are college players, the earliest they are allowed to start training with their club is May 1, but with two weeks until the first Open Cup game, it is highly unlikely that the leagues will try to squeeze in any kind of qualifying process.

In fact, a sign that the new format is expected to be adopted has already surfaced. USASA regional and state associations have been informed that they need to make arrangements to have regional qualifying completed by May 1. Based on previous tournament formats, that is usually the same deadline PDL and NPSL teams are given to determine their entries.

For the first time since 2006, every MLS team will enter the US Open Cup, putting an end to five years of play-in tournaments for the top division. The numbers would suggest that MLS qualifying will not be missed as average attendance for the competition, held on midweek dates, had been on a steady decline since 2008. After averaging 6,479 fans per game in 2007 (four games) and 6,764 in 2008 (five games), 2009 (six games) dropped to 4,724 and 2010 hit rock bottom with 2,487 over seven games. Last year, the average climbed to 3,803, but much of that is attributed to the Portland Timbers who drew an MLS qualifying record 11,412 to watch their 1-0 extra time loss to the San Jose Earthquakes in the semifinals.

MORE ANALYSIS: Extreme Makeover – US Open Cup edition: What it all means (Extra Time @ TheCup.us)

Will we see another Dallas Roma FC run from 2006? No one knows, but once again, TheCup.us has taken the time to introduce soccer fans to these largely unknown clubs. Click below to read about each club:

NY Pancyprian Freedoms (Region I – East NY)

Phoenix SC (Region I – East PA – Feasterville, PA)

AAC Eagles (Region II – IL – Chicago)

Iowa Menace (Region II – IA – Des Moines)

Regals FC (Region III – TX-South – Houston)

ASC New Stars (Region III – TX-South – Houston)

DV8 Defenders (Region IV – CA-North – Redwood City)

Doxa Italia (Region IV – CA-South – Orange County)

Welcome to our continuing series of Meet the USASA features where we annually profile the clubs representing the United States Adult Soccer Association in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Advancing from the four regional tournaments, these often unknown clubs have great stories to tell and each year, our goal is to allow fans to get to know them as they attempt to become this year’s Cinderella story. Click here for more Meet the USASA stories.

Playing its inaugural season in 2010, the Philadelphia Union is one of Major League Soccer’s newest franchises. But just about 40 miles northeast of the Union’s PPL Park Chester-based home exists the overlooked Phoenix SC, one of the nation’s oldest soccer clubs. It is a sports club that has survived hardship over and over throughout much of the past century to find its way into the national spotlight.

The full name of the club as it was founded is First German Sport Club Phoenix, and while the team commonly referred to as simply Phoenix SC may be making its first appearance in the US Open Cup in the Pro Era, the club has a rich history that dates back 85 years. Playing as the oldest among the field in 2011, the USASA Region I finalists have become the third oldest club to participate in the U.S. Open Cup in the Pro Era. The only clubs that are older are fellow Philadelphia-area club United German Hungarians (founded in 1910) and the Croatian Eagles of Milwaukee (1922).

The club’s roots date back to the early 1920s, when a group of German immigrants formed the German American Soccer Club. After a disagreement within the club caused some officers and members to leave, the group decided to form their own club. On April 9, 1926, the First German Sport Club Phoenix was formed.

Despite being born out of strife, the team found success almost immediately, winning the German-Pennsylvania Cup League in 1931, 1933 and 1934. When housing expansion began in Philadelphia in 1938, the club lost all of its regular playing fields. But instead of throwing in the towel, the management of the club made another great decision. The club purchased 38 acres of land 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia in Feasterville, a location the club has remained at ever since.

Soon after wining the Philadelphia Soccer League title in 1941, the club fell on hard times. A combination of members serving in World War II in addition to an embargo on German immigration during the war left Phoenix struggling to field teams. Following the return of club members from the war German immigration bans were eventually lifted and the club began to rise from tumult yet again for a third time.

Their first known match in the US Open Cup was on October 18, 1936, defeating the German Hungarian SC 4-1. While Phoenix were not always the most successful team in Open Cup play, year after year you can find their name among the results of both the Open and Amateur Cups in the archives.

Fast forward about 60-70 years and you will find the modern version of Phoenix SC has compiled an impressive list of achievements in the Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Association. Since 2008 they have won Philadelphia’s United Soccer League three times (2008, 2010 & 2011) and finished just four points out of the top spot in 2009. Phoenix has also represented the EPSA in the USASA Region I Amateur Cup tournament the last three years as well as in 2007 and 2003.

The Sunday after their Open Cup game against the Rochester Rhinos, Phoenix SC will be playing in the Region I final of the USASA Open Cup against the New York Pancyprian Freedoms for the chance to be one of four regional champions that will play for the USASA Open Cup championship in July in Bowling Green, KY.

The Freedoms are one of the other few clubs among the Open Cup field in 2011 and recent years that are twice the age of MLS having been founded in 1974. In their first round match they play the second-oldest team in the tournament this year, the Brooklyn Italians of a 1949 birth. Unlike their older counterpart Phoenix SC, the two New York sides have both won the tournament in the past, a total of three each to be more precise.

Phoenix, though, has its own marquee first round contest at hand facing a Rhinos franchise that is the only lower division club to win the US Open Cup since the birth of MLS in 1996, downing four from the top flight in a row to win the 1999 championship. Although Rochester is the lower division’s best at giant-killing by eliminating MLS teams on nine occasions, the USASA side does have some hope as the Rhinos have a habit of letting their guard down against lower level teams in the early rounds of the tournament, including the fact they needed overtime to oust the then PDL Freedoms in the first round in 1999.

And if Phoenix performs a miracle in western New York, they’ll be guaranteed a return to the Keystone State for a second round match against fellow Pennsylvania sides Reading United AC (PDL) or Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Pro), both of whom are, ironically, affiliates of the Union.

Fre Kamara, Dan Murtagh and Virgis Anusaukas were the teams leading scorers during the league 12-1-1 campaign in league play while Bobby Francis and Ryan Soroka were among the leaders setting up the goals.

In the Region I Tournament, it was Murtagh and Francis that were regularly on the scoresheet, guiding Phoenix SC to the berth and a spot in regional final.

The club opened the Region I tournament with a dramatic affair with goals from Scott Rowling and Danny Murtagh to take a two-goal lead against the Maryland Bays only to see the lead disappear at home in the second half, forcing overtime. A Bobby Francis penalty seven minutes into extra time gave Phoenix the 3-2 Quarterfinal win. The Semifinal match proved much easier with Murtagh giving the side a 1-0 lead in the 41st and Francis a two-goal lead from the spot in the 51st. An own goal from Go Soccer FC sealed the opponent’s fate in the 70th, sending Phoenix to the US Open Cup with a 3-0 win.

Phoenix SC are the third team from Eastern Pennsylvania to advance to the tournament from Region I, following in the footsteps of Vereinigung Erzgebirge (1999) and United German Hungarians (2002) after a nine-year absence. Prior to the Pro Era, clubs from Eastern PA were quite successful, winning nine US Open Cup championships in 16 appearances. The Bethlehem Steel, in fact, have more championships than any other club having won five (1915, 16, 18, 19, 26) in addition to finishing runners-up in 1917. The Ukrainian Nationals won four championships in the 1960s (1960, 61, 62, 66, runners-up 64), part of a quartet tied for second-most that includes Greek American Atlas (NY), Fall River Marksmen (MA) and the Chicago Fire, who are among the field this year. Finishing as runners-up previously in the tournament were United German Hungarians (1977, 93), Philadelphia Nationals (1949, 52) and German American SC (1936).

Welcome to our continuing series of Meet the USASA features where we annually profile the clubs representing the United States Adult Soccer Association in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Advancing from the four regional tournaments, these often unknown clubs have great stories to tell and each year, our goal is to allow fans to get to know them as they attempt to become this year’s Cinderella story. Click here for more Meet the USASA stories.

Perhaps this would be better called “Meet the PDL.”

Technically, the Iowa Menace will play the Chicago Fire Premier (PDL) on Tuesday night in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

But make no mistake, this is the Des Moines Menace of the PDL.

“We’re in disguise for this game,” Menace coach Laurie Calloway joked.

The Menace have entered the Iowa Menace in the US Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament the past five years. Typically, the team consists of local junior college players, as most of the Menace’s PDL players usually are still in college when the Region II tournament starts in early May.

This year, though, the team had seven PDL-caliber players and routed KC Athletics 7-1 in its regional opener.

“It’s the strongest USASA side we’ve put out,” Calloway said.

In the unique format used for the Region II tournament, that one lopsided win was enough for the Menace to earn an Open Cup berth. The team with the best goal differential out of the three first-round matches earned one of the region’s two bids, while the other two winners played off for the other spot.

Calloway said the Menace weren’t aware of the format until reserve team coach Brandon Ermels read about it online during the trip to Kansas City.

“The bizarre thing was when we found out they showed up with 10 players, we were rubbing our hands and going ‘Wow, this is great,’ ” said Calloway, who added that he changed up his tactics when he learned about the goal-differential format.

“We had a plan, they played a very much bunker-down type of game and we couldn’t score. And then in the 35th minute, they got a goal to make it 1-0.”

Menace midfielder John Sosa helped set up all the goals as the Menace scored three times in the final three minutes of the first half, and Iowa went on to the convincing win. During their trip back to Des Moines, they learned their plus-6 goal differential was just enough to earn the Open Cup berth, thanks to an 83rd-minute goal scored by FC Indiana in its 7-2 loss to Chicago’s AAC Eagles.

With the USASA spot secured, Calloway and the Menace turned their attention to earning another Open Cup berth through PDL qualifying. The club would have had a second entry had Des Moines beaten the Kansas City Brass on May 23, but the Brass’ 2-1 win meant the Menace had to settle for one berth.

With a 7-1 win over Kansas City (+6 goal difference), the Iowa Menace qualified for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Photo: Sodagraphics.blogspot.com

“The owners have always wanted to try to do well in the Open Cup,” said Calloway, an Englishman who has coached at every level of US soccer in a career that started in the late 1970s. “Even though at the end of the day if we got to the Semifinals (Aug. 30), we probably wouldn’t even be able to field a team because all the kids will have gone back to school.”

This is the Menace’s sixth appearance in the Open Cup and second in a row — they dropped a 1-0 decision in the first round to AC St. Louis of the USSF Division-2 Pro League, a team and league that no longer exist.

Their best runs came in 2005 and ‘06, when they advanced to the Fourth Round before bowing out to Major League Soccer’s Kansas City Wizards.

“Obviously, if you can go and meet an MLS club in the last 16, it brings a tremendous amount of excitement, especially if you can draw them at home,” Calloway said.

The Menace will be at home for Tuesday’s match, and also would play host to a second-round game against the AAC Eagles or Madison 56ers in the second round should they advance.

After the challenging road trip they’ve just come back from, the Menace will be thrilled to be back at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Des Moines played four PDL matches in five days last week, the first two on consecutive nights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and then two more back-to-back games 438 miles away in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

That was followed by a 14-hour drive home.

“If you could think of a worse preparation (for the Open Cup match) … it’s probably hard to find something worse,” said Calloway, whose team will play at least seven consecutive home matches starting Tuesday.

The Menace won both games in Winnipeg and lost both in Thunder Bay to fall to 6-3-0 on the season. But five Des Moines players didn’t make the trip north of the border because of visa concerns, and four of them will be back in the mix Tuesday.

That includes three of the Menace’s top players: forward Deshorn Brown, midfielder Lebogang Moloto and right back Jubril Lawal.

Brown, a Jamaican who plays at NAIA powerhouse Mobile (Ala.), is Des Moines’ leading scorer with six goals in five games. Moloto, an 18-year-old South African who plays for Lindsey Wilson (Kent.), another NAIA powerhouse, has “lightning feet and lightning speed. He’s a winger, a tremendous creator of opportunities, a scorer and creator,” according to Calloway. Lawal is a 17-year-old from Nigeria who showcases his speed with overlapping runs into the attack.

“They’ve got tremendous futures if they stay on the right path,” said Calloway, whose team is second place in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference.

“We’ll be hopefully a totally different looking team on Tuesday night.”

Sosa has continued the good form he started in the Region II tournament, leading the team with seven assists in PDL play. The former Missouri-Kansas City player teams with his longtime teammate Bryan Perez in the midfield to make things go for the Menace.

“Probably our most influential player so far this season has been John Sosa. He’s our playmaker, No. 10, extremely creative,” Calloway said.

“(He and Perez) played together at UMKC. It’s almost like they’re Siamese twins, they’re joined at the hip, they know each other’s moves. They sort of orchestrate things together. It’s a nice combination.”

While there aren’t two Menace teams playing in the Open Cup on Tuesday night, there will be two sides playing on June 18.

The PDL team is playing host to the Kansas City Brass, while the USASA team plays AAC Eagles in the Region II final in Overland Park, Kan. The winner of the regional tournament advances to nationals July 15 to 17 in Bowling Green, Kent. — the Menace don’t have any PDL matches that weekend.

“We’re going to be like Barcelona: We’re going to try to win five trophies,” Calloway said with a laugh.

As the adage goes, the third time is the charm. After being eliminated in the USASA Region IV tournament the previous two years, Doxa Italia finally captured the elusive berth to the US Open Cup. But just four years ago the successful Southern California side was dissolving itself, starting a journey that would result in a rebirth of the team recently.

Doxa Italia is a club with a rich history dating back to their formation in 1997. The original group of players that banded together at that time came from an assortment of Southland and Orange County A-League (American second division) teams.

Current goalkeeper Brian Burdue joined Doxa Italia in 2001, and remains one of the oldest tenured players on the current squad.

“Our team pretty much dominated the Southern California amateur soccer scene for a few years,” said Burdue describing the team’s first decade of play. From 1997 to 2005 the team won five Pacific League titles, four Coast Soccer League championships, and claimed the California Soccer Association South’s State Cup crown four times in seven appearances in the tournament final. “If we didn’t win the tournament, you had to go through us to win it — but we usually won it.”

In 2007, Doxa Italia had their worst league performance since their formation and many players were reaching the end of their eligibility to play with the team. When the ownership and management of the club suggested that the team be broken up, Burdue leaned on his contacts with Hollywood United FC, Doxa’s potential upcoming Second Round opponent, and helped bring the remaining players over to join forces with that club late that summer.

The following year, Hollywood United’s Open team made an impressive run in the US Open Cup — including a stunning 3-2 road win over the Portland Timbers — with a team that included many of the holdovers from Doxa Italia as well as former Major League Soccer players Brian Dunseth and Matt Taylor. After falling behind, Taylor converted a penalty in first half stoppage time and then netted another equalizer from the spot in the 58th. Then with overtime looming Earl Alexander stunned the home side in stoppage time with the game-winner for Hollywood.

Less than a year later, as the union between Hollywood United management and the former Doxa Italia players slowly soured, the Open team was disbanded in the middle of their season, as United moved on to launch a PDL franchise. With the help of forward Derk Droze and some of the Doxa Italia holdovers from prior to their merger with Hollywood, the former side reunited in the spring of 2009.

Doxa Italia receives Region IV championship cup in Sacramento

And without missing a beat, the team went on to nearly qualify for the Open Cup. By that summer, Doxa Italia were back on track with a mix of new players and seasoned veterans, and back to their winning ways.

“Derk Droze took a leadership role and has been instrumental in re-building the team,” remembers Burdue about the tumultuous transition back to being an independent club. “There have been growing pains as we have made it to the finals of every tournament we’ve entered but we seem to just fall short of lifting the cup.”

That is why after watching his side narrowly missing out on qualifying for the Open Cup the past two years, the player/manager Droze left nothing to chance in preparing for the USASA Region IV tournament held last May in Sacramento, CA.

After earning a draw and a win in their first two group stage matches, the Southern California side faced a familiar scenario with one match left to play and the looming prospect of again being denied their desired prize.

2011 Region IV Champion Doxa Italia

“We had to go for it,” stated Droze. “As I explained to the other team, we did not want to go out of the tournament for the third straight year on goal differential.”

In 2009 and 2010 Doxa Italia were eliminated from contention by the Sonoma County Sol and the Arizona Sahuaros respectively, so this year when they went into their last group match knowing that the goal differential tiebreaker would likely be invoked again, they made sure to score early and score often. And at the expense of a greatly overmatched CV Eagles FC team, Doxa Italia posted an 18-0 win and finished at the top of their group, thus earning one of the two Region IV bids to the Open Cup tournament.

“We have felt that we were the best team during these qualifiers,” shared Doxa Italia goalkeeper Brian Burdue. “This year we were not going to let the goal differential tiebreaker lead us to be eliminated again, hence the 18-0 drubbing. We felt bad about it but it needed to happen.”

With both Arizona and Sonoma County now competing at the NPSL, the path to the Region IV championship appeared to be much easier, but Droze took no chances over the duration of the weekend tournament. Courtesy of their 18-0 win, the Southern Californian USASA powerhouse finished with seven points in the group and posted a whopping +24 goal differential to take Group B honors.

A few Doxa Italia players have a bit of fun at an LA-Anaheim Angels promotion, 'Costume Mask Night'

“It was good to get such a great result and advance to the tournament final,” shared Droze on the team’s dominating performance, “especially after the disappointment of the last two years.”

The club finished the Region IV tournament with a showdown with Cal-North side DV8 Defenders in the final with the two sides playing to a 1-1 stalemate before Doxa Italia prevailed, 4-1, in penalty kicks to claim the regional championship.

Doxa Italia recently completed their club season in the Coast Soccer League with a second place finish, but all the attention around the team is on the upcoming First Round match in the US Open Cup against the Ventura County Fusion of the PDL. For Droze, Alex Bengard, Nate Reeves and Nas Koubourous who played a part in that upset victory in Portland, they begin a quest to make more history – this time under their own name and banner.

“I can’t begin to tell you how excited we are to be in this tournament,” said Droze not long after his side had qualified. “Falling short in the last two years and now getting to represent our region is a great achievement.”

Robert Jonas is a writer for CenterLineSoccer.com. You can send him feedback on Twitter: @RobertJonas

Founded in 1974, Aria Soccer Club was already winning titles in 1975

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that Houston soccer began to rise to more prominence nationally shortly after the arrival in 2006 of the Houston Dynamo, who won MLS Cups their first two seasons. Two years later the Aria Soccer Club became the first to send a team from the amateur ranks to the US Open Cup during the Professional Era in 2008. This year, they join Regals FC in making it a Houston sweep of the two USASA Region III berths to the tournament.

Founded in 1974 by Reza and Taher ‘Tom’ Khalili, the club quickly enjoyed success in local cup and league competitions. With former professional players from Iran in the fold, ASC dominated the Houston Soccer League first division, winning the title seven years running. Although the club had an Iranian flavor in its early years, it has remained open to players around the globe throughout the years. However, it continued to be a home to Iranian players who had come to the US throughout the years such as former LA Galaxy defender/midfielder Arash Noamouz, a former Iran national team player that suffered injuries in 1998 that ended his professional career.

'Original' players still winning championships in Over-30 division

As all of those players aged, the club added new teams and currently manages six sides. The New Stars are one of three in HFA premier divisions with a fourth in the 1B division. The club also features the United Stars in the Over-30 first division (2010-11 state champions) as well as the HFA fourth division’s Original Stars (mainly over 50), which features some of the club’s original players.

Quite a few of those ‘originals’ are still involved with the club in a hands-on capacity. “They are helping the club in different capacities such as General Manager Tom Khalili, and myself coaching New Stars along with others who are the coaches for the five other teams in the club,” said New Stars head coach Majid Savadkoohi. ”The rest of them are the sponsors of this club and we survive and grow with their generous donations.”

Since the New Stars were forged in 2004, the team has a multitude of honors: 7 consecutive HFA Premier Division titles... 3 State Cup titles, 3-time runner-up... 4 HFA Cup titles, 2-time runner-up

It is essentially the third generation, fittingly dubbed New Stars, who are taking ASC to new heights.

“In 2003 after the previous coach retired I became the head coach of the only premier team ASC had in the Houston Football Association. I kept three players from his team and brought in young players ages 17-21 to build basically a new team, and changed the name to New Stars to fit the team’s character, which was made up of young and new players.”

Savadkoohi ‘s New Stars have won the title all seven years, as well as numerous cups, since the change. And since 2006, the New Stars have completely dominated the top flight in the HFA, which plays a September to May schedule. From the 2006-07 season to 2009-10, the club lost only three times while winning four championships with a total 54-3-15 record, going unbeaten (12-0-6) during the 2007-08 campaign. Each time, the side allowed an average of less than one goal per game.

After the unbeaten season, the team went on to earn its first trip to the US Open Cup, where they would unfortunately draw the then USL First Division (professional second division) Charleston Battery, who played host to and defeated the Houston Dynamo, 1-0 in overtime, in the previous year’s Open Cup. ASC would be completely overwhelmed on three first half Darren Spicer goals as Charleston advanced 3-0 and eventually also eliminated the Dynamo two rounds later a second straight year, this time in penalties after a 1-1 draw.

The ASC New Stars that finished runners-up at the 2008 USASA Region III tournament

“Before going to Charleston I knew it would be a big challenge for an amateur team with their limited resources – for example, we could only afford to rent a practice field once a week for only two hours, sharing that time between our three premier teams throughout the season – to face a pro team. But the players gained a good experience and realized the speed of play and level of fitness against a pro team are to be overwhelming.”

Perhaps motivated by the loss or improved from the learning experience acquired at Blackbaud Stadium, the New Stars found a new level of domination in HFA play, surpassing 50 goals scored for the first of what is now three consecutive seasons of a rise in scoring. They also allowed the fewest goals in the past five years with just 13 in 18 games as they went 16-1-1, also a best in victories for the past five years. The lone defeat came in the season opener.

The club did not play in the 2009 regional tournament. Then, perhaps a sign of what could have been a decline, ASC went winless in the USASA Region III tournament a year ago and although the team scored a five-year high of 58 goals this season, it suffered four losses on the HFA campaign. The New Stars, though, still won yet another championship at 13-4-1 and set their sights on the USASA’s Open Cup championship.

“After last year’s extreme disappointment we came into this year with redemption on our mind,” said Savadkoohi during the Region III tournament. “We just keep building positive momentum after each win along with improved chemistry and purpose.

“After last year’s dismal performance we set our goal for the 2011 regional championship early in September of 2010. So we focused to work on team fitness and bring a few younger players as some of my original players were past the age of 30 now. We’ve found an effective balance this year with scheduling friendly games and tournaments alongside our intense physical training sessions. The amount of rest we give our players is unique because of our amateur status,” said Savadkoohi in advance of the First Round Open Cup match.

“About 95 percent of our players are full time working professionals so each player must be individually motivated to maintain diet and fitness as well. As a coach I encourage our players to give feedback on their physical conditions throughout the year because the season is so long.”

With nine players still with the squad that lost in Charleston three years prior, the club swept their group in Tuscaloosa, Alabama the final weekend of May on an aggregate scoreline of 7-2. In addition to securing the US Open Cup spot, it created a Region III championship showdown with city rivals Regals FC, who needed a special penalty kick tiebreaker to settle a deadlock in its group table.

Having allowed just two goals in three group games, a defensive error left the club trailing for the second time in the Region III tournament as Regals took the advantage in the 44th minute. The 1-0 Regals lead was also partially to the credit of keeper Marcos Sanchez, who made three spectacular saves to keep the veteran club off the board despite its domination of play.

In a more evenly played second stanza ASC would finally break through in the 65th minute courtesy of Lukas ‘Miko’ Simon to level the match. At the close of regulation the New Stars had a perfect opportunity to seal the title when Alex Bolan was fouled in the penalty area, but the attempt would fail to be converted, sending the final to overtime.

The stalemate continued, and as penalties neared for a second straight day for Regals, their city rivals found the back of the net. Four minutes from time Marco Carrizales sent a nice cross into the box that Chuks Ndame headed home for the championship-winning goal.

“Now this is our second qualification for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup which is an honor. I thank all the players for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. Especially, I would like to thank the ASC Club President and co-founder Mr. Tom Khalili for all his efforts and hard work all year long.”

Now ASC faces a familiar challenge, travelling a lengthy distance to face a quality professional club in the US Open Cup First Round. Although the USL Pro side (American third division) Orlando City is new to central Florida, 11 players lived and played in Texas a year ago for the Austin Aztex side that relocated to the Sunshine State with former Everton star and English club manager Adrian Heath, who led Austin to the second-best record in the USSF Second Division last year. This year he has Orlando City on a similar track, sitting atop the league at 8-2-3.

Three years wiser, Ali and Reza Daneshmand, Salvador Lopez, Alex Bolan, Peter Kozlowski, Destiny Ohiri, Arzgang Salahshoor, Anthony Ashiufu and Aramik Allahverdian make their return to the US Open Cup Tuesday hoping for a different result. Bolan was one of the team’s leading scorers on the HFA season and was involved in five of the team’s nine goals at the Region III tournament with four goals and an assist.

“Seven players from 2008 team will feature this Tuesday night,” said Savadkoohi. “Unfortunately, three of my 11 starters are injured and we are trying to get, maybe, one of them ready for this game. In 2008 the Battery were leading their division and so it is only appropriate that this year’s opponent, Orlando City, also resides on top of their table.”

Joining the nine Open Cup veterans and assisting Bolan in the attack are Lukas Simon and George Sangira, a duo that also were among the team leaders in scoring during the HFA season. Simon, whom Savadkoohi said is having an outstanding season playing efficient German soccer, notched a pair of goals in Tuscaloosa, including the championship game equalizer, and Sangira scored once.

Lukas Miko Simon at the University of St. Thomas (Houston)

Simon, who will begin working this fall on a PhD in Molecular Biophysics at Baylor College, is a rare double threat for ASC, where he plays primarily at midfield. The German 24-year old has been part of the club’s attack of late, but he has a history of playing goalkeeper in college at the University of St. Thomas and last year with the Houston Leones in the PDL. He helped guide the Leones to a surprising second-place spot in the division a year ago, finishing as one of only four players in the 67-team league to play every minute of a 16-game regular season as he led the team to a 7-5-4 record.

In the playoffs Simon helped lead the club to one of the most stunning upsets of the PDL season, ousting the unbeaten 11-0-3 Mississippi Brilla on their home turf. Tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, Brilla took the lead for a second time courtesy of Phillip Buffington, but Houston found the equalizer from an unlikely source in the 112th minute. Simon put a free kick into the box that was mishandled, finding its way into the back of the net for the draw and sending the match to penalties where he made a save in the fourth round and converted his own attempt in the fifth before making the winning save in the seventh round. History accomplished, the Leones run ended, 2-1, in the conference final the next day at the hands of Baton Rouge.

But the brief success of Simon with the Leones was part of the bigger picture of Houston soccer’s rise, which is no small feat considering the USASA history of the state in US Open Cup tournament play and qualifying.

The Lone Star State has become one of the dominant factions in the USASA. Since 2002, the state has had at least one representative qualify for the US Open Cup eight of the 10 tournaments for a total of 13 occurances. One more than any other state, including California’s dozen, over the same time frame.

Texas is also the only state to claim both berths from its respective region on five occasions since the tournament expanded to eight entries from the USASA. California accomplished the feat three times. With Regals FC and the ASC New Stars snaring the two Region III berths, the state grabbed both berths for the first time since its run of regional dominance from 2004-07 in which it captured all eight spots.

A handful of clubs have played a repeated roll as representatives from Texas, several of which have made a name for themselves with upsets versus professional clubs. One of those being Dallas Roma, which upset USL First Division (professional second division) Miami FC, 1-0, and edged MLS side Chivas USA in penalties after a scoreless draw in 2006.

The original New Stars squad from 2004-05

While the New York Pancyprian Freedoms may not have won a match in their two previous Open Cup appearances (2008 & 2010), the proper way to judge the credentials of the club is to look at their accomplishments outside of those two matches. The team from Jamaica, Queens, New York has been one of the top amateur clubs in the nation over the past four years. Since 2008, the Freedoms have two Cosmopolitan Soccer League championships (2010 & 2011), four Dr. Manning Cup victories (Eastern NY state cup, 2006-2008, 2010), and two USASA National Cup trophies (2008 & 2010). It is no coincidence then that they have won, or could win, all of those championships again in 2011 as they prepare for another U.S. Open Cup First Round match.

A short but rich history

The Pancyprian Freedoms got their start in 1975 when the Pancyprian Association of America was founded in the aftermath of the Turkish invasion and annexation of northern Cyprus in 1974. The soccer team was started as a way to better enlighten the general public about what was happening in Cyprus. Freedoms General Manager George Halkidis says that all of the players on the current roster are aware of the meaning of the club’s name, and that their players of Greek ethnicity have traveled to Cyprus either as part of the club’s youth program or on vacation to visit their parents’ homeland.

The club spent their first two years in the Long Island Soccer League, and in 1977 paid $5,000 to join the Cosmopolitan Soccer League in 1979. By 1982 they had won the CSL title three times. While the current Freedoms have a more diverse roster, during their run of three Open Cup championships in four years from 1980-1983 the core of the team was made up of a mix of former Greek professional players and Cypriot players attending college in the U.S. through scholarships set up by the Pancyprian Association. Many of those college players returned to Cyprus and Greece after graduating, and maintained long careers with some of the top teams in those countries.

The former Greek pros that wore the Freedoms’ blue shirts were not your ordinary run of the mill imports. Two such players were considered to be two of the greatest players in Greek soccer history. Papaioannou spent 19 seasons with AEK Athens, scoring 234 goals, a mark that stood as a Greek record until 1989. Domazos played with Panathinaikos for 20 seasons and is widely considered the greatest player ever from Greece.

Rivalry with the Italians

Their first round opponents, the NPSL’s Brooklyn Italians, were recent CSL rivals of the Freedoms before the Italians decided to concentrate on NPSL play over fielding a team in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. However, in the late 1970s and early 80s, the two clubs were constantly battling for the top spot in the CSL standings. Between 1977 and 1982 the Freedoms and Italians (then known as the Brooklyn Dodgers) were the only clubs to win the Cosmopolitan Soccer League championship. Each club took home three titles in that period, often at the expense of the other.

From 1977 to 1981 the teams would take turns knocking each other out of the Open Cup. The first meeting of the clubs in Open Cup play came in the a Southern New York second round qualifying match on November 28, 1976, when the Italians won 2-1. The next year the Freedoms got revenge with a 4-1 win in the SNY First Round.

In 1979, the teams met in the Southern New York semifinals, and the Italians prevailed 5-3 on their way to winning the Open Cup championship. In 1980 and 1981, the Freedoms and Italians met in the Southern New York Final. The Freedoms won 4-1 in the first meeting, while the Italians came away with a 1-0 win in 1981. The 1981 victory by the Italians not only pushed them closer to an appearance in the Open Cup Final, but it also prevented the Freedoms from capturing what would have been a record four straight Open Cup titles. From 1979-1983 either the Italians or Freedoms represented the Eastern side of the bracket in the Open Cup Finals.

While the rivalry may have been heated in the early 80s, Halkidis insists the teams are friendly rivals today, and he speaks to Italians GM Joe Barone on a weekly basis while also being close friends with Italians manager Tony Noto.

When reminded that it was the Italians who interrupted his teams Open cup title run in the early 80s, Halkidis joked that “maybe it’s a good time for payback,” but acknowledged their real goal is to win the USASA Open Cup. The Freedoms have won the USASA title two out of the last three years, and will have a chance this year if they can defeat Phoenix SC in the USASA Region I Final on June 19. A win will pit the Freedoms against fellow Open Cup qualifiers ASC New Stars, Doxa Italia, and the winner of the Region II Final between AAC Eagles and Iowa Menace (Bowling Green, Kentucky on July 15-17) for the right to wear the USASA crown.

The June 19 game will mark the end of a 16-day period of important games for the club. On June 5 the Freedoms defeated the New York Athletic Club via penalties for the Cosmopolitan League championship. The Freedoms came back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to end regulation 2-2 on goals from Stefan Dimitrov (55’) and the ageless Julio Cesar Dos Santos (71’). Just two days before their Open Cup game against the Italians, the Freedoms will face Mineola Portuguese of the Long Island Soccer Football League in the Dr. Manning Cup Final, which is the top tournament for the Eastern New York State Soccer Association.

Brooklyn Italians vs. New York Pancyprian Freedoms
In the US Open Cup 1977-1981

1977 Southern New York Second Round
Nov. 27, 1976 – Brooklyn Italians 2:1 Pancyprian Freedoms
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1978 Southern New York First Round
Nov. 20, 1977 – Pancyprian Freedoms 4:1 Brooklyn Italians
Downing Stadium – Randalls Island, NY
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1979 Southern New York Semifinals
Apr. 1, 1979 – Brooklyn Dodgers 5:3 Pancyprian Freedoms
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1980 Southern New York Final
Mar. 29, 1980 – Brooklyn Dodgers 1:4 Pancyprian Freedoms
Metropolitan Oval – Queens, New York
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1981 Southern New York Final
Mar. 28, 1981 – Pancyprian Freedoms 0:1 Brooklyn Dodgers
Metropolitan Oval – Queens, New York

Dreams really do come true. Just ask Tono Aspinall, the manager of the DV8 Defenders from Redwood City, CA, as he works on the final details of his team’s first-ever appearance in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

“We did not really know what to expect when we entered the qualification tournament in Sacramento (last May),” said Aspinall speaking pitchside as he watched his team battle MLS’s San Jose Earthquakes reserve squad. “But when we won our group, I couldn’t believe it had become a reality. For us, being able to qualify and move on to the Open Cup for the first time ever is great.”

Manager Tono Aspinall and goalkeeper Matt Grosey with the Region IV finalists trophy

Earning the right to represent Region IV of the USASA has already opened doors for the club that didn’t exist as the year began. Being invited to play the Quakes reserves as a tune-up for the DV8 Defenders first round match against Real Colorado Foxes (June 14th, Shea Stadium, Highland Ranch, CO) was just one example of how much the profile of the club has grown in the last few weeks.

“I don’t know if it is nerves, but hopefully our guys will settle into the match,” said Aspinall as his dark-blue clad side played cautiously to start the match. “Just having this opportunity to recognize our squad and to continue our growth into an elite team in the Bay Area, more kids will see that we play a good brand of soccer.

While the Defenders were able to turn their nervousness into positive play, an Earthquakes side that featured a mix of starters, trialists and academy players eventually triumphed 2-0 over the amateur team. However, they rarely backed down against the professionals, and even saw their star in the making put in another great performance. Goalkeeper Matt Grosey, a student at West Valley Community College in nearby Cupertino, saved not one, but two penalty kicks against Quakes forwards Scott Sealy and Matt Luzunaris.

“Our goalkeeper is the youngest player on the field and he is also our team captain,” shared Aspinall. “He’s probably our best player and I hope one day that he goes pro. The kid just turned 19 years old, but he’s already a phenomenal player.”

The age and circumstances of Grosey highlight what the DV8 club philosophy is all about. The team on the field against the Earthquakes reserves, and the team that will travel to Colorado for their first round Open Cup match on June 14, has an average age of just over 22-years old. Most of the players have some college experience, but for some just the chance to play soccer regularly must be balanced with real life situations that can often put playing the sport on the back burner.

“Some of these kids do not come from privileged backgrounds and the ability to go to Division I schools,” explained Aspinall when asked where he finds his players. “They are really talented from a soccer perspective, so what we are trying to do, especially in Redwood City is to get them more exposure. If we can give them the environment to play and develop further, then maybe the right opportunity comes along and they get the chance to play professionally.”

Founded in 1999, DV8 Soccer fields teams in the local amateur Peninsula Soccer League made up of primarily college-aged players and a few in their early 20’s. The mission of the club from the beginning has been to give local players with aspirations to play soccer on the biggest stage the chance to build their reputations and skills. The program has found some recent success in that regard with two players moving on to opportunities to play abroad. Team manager Eduar Mafla has successfully transferred one player to a Bulgarian team and another to a Mexican team in the last 12 months. Both he and Aspinall expect that others on the squad are very close to having some of the same chances to step up to the next level in their careers.

“It’s great to win games and progress, but what we are really trying to do is give these kids a great environment to play soccer and develop their skills,” said Aspinall. “They might not have been noticed before, but we want to help get them into professional soccer.”

While still an amateur side playing locally in the Peninsula Soccer League, Aspinall has aspirations to expose his players to more talented opponents, starting in the NorCal Senior Premier League and eventually in the PDL. The move to play in the NorCal league comes as DV8 has joined in a partnership with Juventus Sport Club of Redwood City to help them make the transition away from just being a Bay Area club. Many of the current players on the DV8 roster played in the Juventus system and so a natural connection between the two organizations helped the partnership develop.

But first is the grand opportunity to compete in the nation’s oldest soccer tournament, the U.S. Open Cup, and Aspinall is busily finishing preparations for the DV8 Defenders most meaningful match in their history.

“Anything is possible in soccer and we have been training very hard to get ready for the match and the altitude,” said Aspinall. “We are taking our full 18 man club and we’ll arrive the same day as the game so that we hopefully will be fresh, but it will definitely be a challenge, and I expect we’ll have some tired legs before the match is over.”

Emerge from the match with Real Colorado Foxes as the victor and the Defenders will again head out on the road for a second round match in either Washington or Texas. Given that the club has only in May played outside of the Bay Area, DV8 will enjoy every moment of their U.S. Open Cup experience and continue living their dream.

Robert Jonas is a writer for CenterLineSoccer.com. You can send him feedback on Twitter: @RobertJonas

The DV8 Defenders squad at the Region IV Tournament