The USASA Region I tournament gets underway this weekend, the beginning of what will eventually send two clubs to the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The opening round kicks off with a game on Saturday, April 10, with the rest of the round to be played Sunday, April 11, followed by the quarterfinals on May 2, and the semifinals on May 23. The two teams that emerge victorious in the semifinals will both be awarded a spot in the US Open Cup, and if the format remains true to recent form, they will be matched up with either a second division or a third division side. Major League Soccer teams will not enter the competition until the third round.
The 2010 edition of the tournament was expanded to 16 teams, but it wasn’t meant to be as two teams were forced to drop out. Athletic Club, the lone entry from Western Pennsylvania, had their main sponsor abandon them, thus making it impossible for them to cover their travel expenses to Maryland to take on Charm City FC.
The other team that won’t be competing is the Erie Admirals of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). A combination of injuries and a lack of player availability left them without a full roster for their game against Fenerbahce USA, the Eastern New York runner-up.
The two teams who benefit from the forfeits, Fenerbahce USA and Charm City FC, will both move on to the quarterfinals where they will be forced to play on the road.
The rest of the games on the opening round schedule feature a number of intriguing matchups.
Boston Olympiakos has been a regular in Open Cup qualifying, but has only reached the Region I tournament twice. In 2004, they lost in the semifinals and in 2008, they defeated Danbury United from Connecticut in the group final to punch their ticket to the Open Cup. Those two teams will meet again on Sunday at the Portuguese Cultural Center. Danbury qualified for the Open Cup in 2007, but lost that deciding game against Boston in 2008 and last year to Emigrantes Das Ilhas, another Massachusetts team.
That win over Danbury last year was the first trip to the Open Cup for Emigrantes. Repeating will be a challenge as they will travel to New York to take on the Brooklyn Italians. The two-time Open Cup champions (1979, 1991) just joined the NPSL after decades as a member of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League.
On Saturday, Olympia Stamford from Connecticut will begin their quest to qualify for the Open Cup for the second time in a decade when they open up against Go-Soccer FC from New Jersey. Olympia last made a trip to the big dance in 2001 when they had a one-and-done Cup run, falling to the PDL’s Seattle Sounders Select.
The Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks, complete with their committed sponsor, are aiming to be a Region I finalist (and thus, an Open Cup participant) for the third time in four years, a rare feat among USASA clubs. They will begin at home against one of the Maryland co-champions Jilly’s Bar & Grill, who highlighted the opening round of the Maryland Open Cup tournament with a 10-0 thrashing of and knocked out the defending state champions, Christos, by a score of 3-0.
Phoenix SC of Eastern Pennsylvania will have the task of facing the New York Pancyprian Freedoms, a club that not only plays in the ultra-competitive Cosmopolitan Soccer League, but they also boast the greatest Open Cup pedigree of any club in the tournament. The Freedoms have qualified for the Open Cup three times in the Professional Era (1995-present) and prior to that, they won the competition three times (1980, 1982, 1983) and are the last team to ever repeat as champions. Phoenix SC is making their first appearance in the tournament after beating the United German Hungarians (UGH) 2-1 in overtime in the Eastern PA final.
With the expansion of the Region I finals, that made room for UGH as Eastern PA runners-up and they will take on Club Atletico Virginia. The champions of the DC/VA Open Cup championship, beat the Aegean Hawks for the first time in nine tries, denying the Hawks their fifth straight DC/VA title. The Washington Premier League club will take on UGH who have not qualified for the Open Cup since 1999 when they upset the Staten Island Vipers of the D3 Pro League. UGH have finished runners-up in the Open Cup twice (1977, 1993).
2010 USASA Region I tournament – first round schedule:
(All times Eastern)
Boston Olympiakos (MA) at Danbury United (CT) – 2 p.m. at Portuguese Cultural Center
Erie Admirals (NPSL) at Fenerbahce USA (East NY) – Erie forfeits (Injuries/Not enough players available)
Olympia Stamford (CT) at Go-Soccer FC (NJ) – Sat. April 10, 5:30 p.m. at Torpey Athletic Complex
Emigrantes Das Ilhas (MA) at Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) – 3 p.m. at John Dewey High School
Jilly’s Bar & Grill (MD) at Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks (DC/VA) – 2 p.m. at Denison Nursery
Phoenix SC (East PA) at NY Pancyprian Freedoms (East NY) – 2 p.m. at Belson Stadium (St. John’s Univ.)
Athletic Club (West PA) at Charm City FC (MD) – Athletic Club forfeits (Loss of sponsor)
Club Atletico Virginia (DC/VA) at United German Hungarians (East PA) – 2 p.m. at UGH Field
Quarterfinal schedule (May 2)
Fenerbahce USA at Danbury United/Boston Olympiakos
Go-Soccer FC / Olympia Stamford vs. Brooklyn Italians / Emigrantes Das Ilhas – Site TBA
Aegean Hawks FC / Jilly’s Bar & Grill vs. NY Pancyprian Freedoms / Phoenix SC – Site TBA
Charm City FC at United German Hungarians / Club Atletico Virginia
Bracket
| First Round (April 11) | Quarterfinals (May 2) | Semifinals (May 23) | Final (June 27) | |||
| Danbury United (CT) | ||||||
| Boston Olympiakos (MA) | ||||||
| Fenerbahce USA (E NY) | Fenerbahce USA (E NY) | |||||
| Erie Admirals (NPSL) (forfeit) | ||||||
| Go-Soccer FC (NJ) | ||||||
| Olympia Stamford (CT) | ||||||
| Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) | ||||||
| Emigrantes das Ilhas (MA) | ||||||
| DS Aegean Hawks (DC/VA) | ||||||
| Jilly’s Bar & Grill (MD) | ||||||
| NY Pancyprian Freedoms (E NY) | ||||||
| Phoenix SC (E PA) | ||||||
| Charm City FC (MD) | Charm City FC (MD) | |||||
| Athletic Club (W PA) (forfeit) | ||||||
| UGH Majors (E PA) | ||||||
| Club Atletico (DC/VA) |