The second round of the 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifying tournament is nearly complete after a busy weekend. With the exception of two games that were postponed due to weather, 16 teams have already punched their ticket to Round 3.
While the draw for the third round has yet to take place, the date for Round 3 was announced by the US Soccer Federation. Once the last two make-up games are completed, the tournament won’t continue until the weekend of March 12-13, 2017. The matchups will be announced in January when the 2017 tournament format is unveiled.
The previous weekend, four teams punched their ticket to Round 3. Christos FC (MD), GPS Omens (MA), Tartan Devils Oak Avalon (West PA), FC Motown (NJ) will represent the eastern part of the tournament in the third round which is scheduled to take place in late November.
Below you will find a recap of every game from the round, and a brief preview from the last remaining postponed game (Nov. 13):
You can follow updates from all qualifying games on Twitter @USOpenCup or with the hashtag #USOC2017. If you are attending any qualifying match, use #USOC2017 to share your photos and videos on Twitter or Instagram. You can also find the updates scores below in this article and on our home page scoreboard.
Supporter-owned Minneapolis City Soccer Club are one step closer to becoming the first amateur team from Minnesota to qualify for the US Open Cup in the Modern Era (1995-present). They took that step with a hard-fought 2-1 extra time win over fellow Premier League of America side Oakland County FC. After OCFC made the more than 12-hour drive from Metro Detroit, they were sent home with a loss after a pair of goals from Whitney Browne.
Read the full match report courtesy of FiftyFive.One HERE.
After back-to-back trips to the US Open Cup, Colorado Amateur Soccer League (CASL) champions Harpo’s FC have been eliminated by rival Azteca FC. Omar Ledezma delivered for Azteca FC by drawing the equalizing penalty kick and scoring the winning goal to defeat Harpo’s FC 2-1.
Read the full match report HERE.
Junior Lone Star are the last remaining Philadelphia area club in the 2017 US Open Cup qualifying tournament after a 3-2 win over New Jersey’s Brick Lions FC. Junior Lone Star, a team founded by Southwest Philadelphia Liberian immigrants in 2001, have been very successful over the past few years in the Philadelphia Premier Soccer League. Now, with the win, they are one step closer to the club’s first-ever trip to the US Open Cup.
Read the full match report HERE
A pair of American Premier Soccer League (APSL) rivals from South Florida squared off with Boca Raton FC eliminating fellow South Florida club Hurricane FC, 4-1. It was a repeat of their recent league meeting where BRFC prevailed by the score of 8-3.
On this night, it was a pair of teams making their US Open Cup qualifying debuts. Boca Raton received a first round bye, while Hurricane FC advanced after Miami Dade FC forfeited.
Boca Raton received a pair of first half goals by Junior Prevalous and Mark Voisin before the Hurricanes pulled one back just after halftime. Later in the second half, Xavier Silva scored two goals to put the game away and bring the defending APSL champions one step closer to qualifying for the second year in a row.
After being disqualified last year and denied a record fifth straight US Open Cup appearance, the North Texas Rayados are determined to get back into the tournament. On Saturday, they picked up a second straight shutout with a 2-0 home win over CD Motagua of New Orleans. Both goals came in the last 15 minutes of the match as the North Texas Premier League side advances to the third round of the competition. The Rayados began the tournament with a dominating 7-0 win over Celtics Cowboys Premier 7-0 in the opening round of this year’s qualifying tournament.
Moreno Valley FC had no trouble with fellow United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) side Ozzy’s Laguna FC, winning 6-0. With the Mayor of Moreno Valley in attendance, Alex Anderson led the way with a pair of first half goals as MVFC held a 4-0 lead at halftime and never looked back. Moreno Valley goalkeeper Jose Miranda made six saves to preserve the clean sheet as they moved closer to clinching the club’s first-ever Open Cup berth.
After the players and coaches chipped in to fund a lengthy trip from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Northwest, the Colorado Rush showed no signs of weary legs. When they arrived in Portland, they cruised past the International Portland Select by the score of 4-0.
Griffin Dorsey dribbled the ball down the right side of the field beat his defender to open the scoring in the opening 20 minutes. Morgan Sacco earned and then converted a penalty kick right before the halftime break. Nick Blanco put the Rush up 3-0 in the second half but he was later shown a straight red card. According to the Rush coaching staff, Blanco retaliated after his teammate Ryan Crawley was punched in the face. Blanco and the IPS player who delivered the initial punch were both sent off.
Crawley and his black eye recovered from being punched and scored the fourth and final goal to send the Rush into the third round.
Chula Vista FC had a memorable run in the US Open Cup run in 2015 before finishing one-and-done in last year’s tournament. After a 5-1 win over Arizona’s Frontera United in Round 1, Chula Vista cruised to a 4-1 win over FC Hasental on Saturday night. It was not only a win between two teams attempting to qualify for the US Open Cup, but it was a game with bragging rights on the line. Chula Vista from the So Cal Premier League eliminated their United Premier Soccer League opponents to punch their ticket to Round 3.
Red Force FC overcame a 2-0 deficit with 15 minutes remaining in the match and ultimately defeated Uruguay Kendall 3-2 in extra time. The two American Premier Soccer League (APSL) rivals from Florida needed 120 minutes to determine the winner. Alvaro Franco scored both goals in the second half before Gilbert Ruiz scored the game-winner in stoppage time.
Outbreak FC defeated the San Fernando Valley Scorpions 2-1 in a battle between two rival Southern California-based leagues. Outbreak FC of the SoCal Premier League are looking to qualify for the tournament for the second year in a row after a win over the Scorpions from the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL).
In their tournament debut last season, Outbreak traveled up to the Pacific Northwest and lost their opening match to the Seattle Sounders U-23s (PDL), 3-1
It was a battle of northern and southern California as El Farolito defeated Strikers FC South Coast from the United Premier Soccer League, 2-1. With the win, they move on to the third round of the US Open Cup qualifying tournament. El Farolito, who won the 1993 US Open Cup title under the name CD Mexico, are the only remaining club in the competition that has lifted the trophy. After more than 20 years of being away from the Open Cup, they entered the qualifying tournament last year. They lost the opening game to San Francisco City, but this year, they rebounded by defeating one of San Francisco’s rivals: Davis Legacy. They won by the score of 2-1 to earn a date with Strikers FC.
The San Francisco Football League side will play their third round game in March of 2017 at an opponent that will be announced in January.
In a rare battle US Open Cup qualifying battle between teams from the state of Nevada, one team didn’t have much of a chance and it took about 45 minutes to determine that. MF 10 started the match with just eight players and after FC Anahuac jumped ahead 2-0 in the first half it got worse. MF 10 had a player leave the game due to an injury and another was sent off, leaving them with six players. The match was called at halftime as FC Anahuac attempts to become the first amateur club from Nevada to qualify for the Open Cup in the Modern Era (1995-present).
For the second straight game, La Maquina FC picked up a 3-0 win in the US Open Cup qualifying tournament. This time, it was against fellow United Premier Soccer League rival Santa Ana Winds FC. Last tournament’s co-golden boot winner Edwin Borboa opened the scoring and Jose “Chila” Montes de Oca added two more goals. Meanwhile, the defense held strong to earn a its fifth clean sheet in its last six Open Cup-related matches. FULL MATCH REPORT
The Los Angeles Wolves had no trouble in their second round qualifying match against fellow UPSL team Inland Empire FC. Paolo Cardozo scored a hat trick in the first half and added another goal in the second half to lead the Wolves to a 9-2 win. The victory pulls them one step closer to qualifying for the tournament for the second time in as many tries.
Charles Pitts added two goals and an assist, while Gonzalo Salguero, Miguel Sanchez and Kevin Garcia added a goal each to round out the scoresheet. Goalkeeper Lucas Nascimento made four saves for the Wolves
The match was originally scheduled for Oct. 23 but was postponed due to lightning. The Wolves reached the Third Round in 2016 before falling to fellow UPSL La Maquina. They advanced to this match by beating the SoCal Premier League’s Real Sociedad Royals 4-1 in September.