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Eric Anderson

2019 Meet the Underdogs: Milwaukee’s Bavarian Soccer Club, proudly amateur since 1929

May 7, 2019 by Eric Anderson

Players from Bavarian SC celebrate the club's 2018 USASA Amateur Cup championship with a 2-0 win over West Chester United. Photo: Matt Schroeder
Players from Bavarian SC celebrate the club's 2018 USASA Amateur Cup championship with a 2-0 win over West Chester United. Photo: Matt Schroeder
Players from Bavarian SC celebrate the club’s 2018 USASA Amateur Cup championship with a 2-0 win over West Chester United. Photo: Matt Schroeder

Call them professionally amateur.

Milwaukee’s Bavarian SC has long been among the country’s top amateur clubs – their crest is packed with eight stars, each representing a national championship won by the club founded by German immigrants in 1929 as Fussball Club Bayern and re-named in 1956.

The two most recent stars were earned last August when the Bavarians won their fifth National Amateur Cup title and then claimed their first United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) championship a week later.

That Amateur Cup championship gave the Bavarians an automatic berth in the first round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, and they will play host to USL League One’s Forward Madison FC on Tuesday night at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee in what is being billed as the “Dairyland Derby.”

The Bavarians, whose Heartland Fund Value Stadium about 15 minutes away in Glendale didn’t meet all the US Soccer Federation standards for hosting an Open Cup match, embrace their non-professional status.

“Some people shy away from it, but we’re proud to admit that we’re amateur,” coach Patrick Hodgins said. “We’re proud to call ourselves amateur soccer players, and a lot of our guys take that to heart.

“People look at it as a slight to call yourself amateur but it has nothing to do with our quality. I think if you look at the teams we play and the people who have played us, I think they will have the same opinions of us.”

To further that point, the team created a unique hype video ahead of the season. It showcases some players’ day-to-day lives in addition to their passion for soccer – including training outdoors in the snowy Wisconsin weather.

“There’s something to be said about guys who aren’t getting paid who want to show up twice a week and go on road trips and play all these games with each other,” Hodgins said. “There’s a lot to be said about that.”

?2019 HYPE VIDEO ALERT?

Being part of the Bavarian Soccer Club Men’s team means we are profesional…ly amateur. Just a bunch of guys with day jobs that like playing soccer. Come see us play in 2019, we’d like that ? pic.twitter.com/dLxUBRx1Dy

— Bavarians SC Men’s | UPSL (@BavarianMajors) April 4, 2019

Take, for example, two of the Bavarians’ most influential players, brothers Logan and Braden Andryk.

Hailing from nearby Hartland, both played high school soccer at powerhouse Milwaukee Marquette, club soccer with FC Wisconsin Nationals and starred at NCAA Division III Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Their college coach was former US national team defender Jimmy Banks, who was 54 when he died of cancer April 26. Banks’ son JC is a Forward Madison midfielder who is well known to many of the Bavarians’ players.

Bavarian SC vs Forward MadisonLogan Andryk set program records with 61 goals, 60 assists, 182 points and 15 game-winning goals. Braden Andryk finished his career two years later with 70 goals, 38 assists, 178 points and 17 game-winners. The brothers rank first and second in Raiders history in each of those attacking categories.

But before they head out to the Bavarians’ training sessions twice a week, the Andryk brothers have plenty of other work to do. Logan, 24, is in medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, while 22-year-old Braden has nearly completed his master’s degree in engineering at MSOE.

“I might be their coach, but I would put Logan and Braden Andryk up against a lot of players,” Hodgins said. “They’ve focused more on the academic side of things, and that’s good for them, but I think if professional teams were to give them the opportunity that they would succeed at a higher level.

“I think for them, an opportunity to challenge themselves and see, in a one-game situation, how they stack up.”

Braden Andryk was named the 2018 UPSL Spring Season Most Valuable Player after helping lead the Bavarians to a 15-0-0 overall record.

“He’s got great pace,” midfielder Scott Lorenz said of Braden Andryk. “He’s been absolutely crucial for us over the past three years – he leads the team in both goals and assists over the past three years, and it’s not even close … He’s definitely a focal point for our attack.”

Bavarian SC poses for a team photo after defeating West Chester United 2-0 to win the 2018 USASA Amateur Cup championship. Photo: Matt Schroeder
Bavarian SC poses for a team photo after defeating West Chester United 2-0 to win the 2018 USASA Amateur Cup championship. Photo: Matt Schroeder

Hodgins added: “He just has this knack for scoring big goals. He’s always come up big whenever we’ve needed him. He plays with a passion. He just gets after it, he tackles well, he does everything we need him to do, he doesn’t play with an ego – he’s never been a “me” guy, he likes to play for the team.”

According to Hodgins and Lorenz, the Bavarians won’t change their style of play against Forward Madison.

“That’s not being disrespectful to Forward Madison – they’re a good side and they’re coming in as the favorite, and that’s the way it should be,” Hodgins said. “We just feel comfortable playing the way that we play with the guys that play for us … That’s what we feel gives us the best chance to get a result. We don’t train enough, we don’t play enough to put in a new system.”

That means expect to see a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation from the hosts.

“We love to go forward. Our team is built with strength on the wing, with speed,” Lorenz said. “We don’t mind defending, but once we create that turnover, we like going as quickly as possible to potentially catch them out. Now, having said that, we’ll see how the game looks. If we had our way, it would be to get it to the wings, create those 1-on-1s and see what happens.”

The 31-year-old Lorenz is one of the former pro players who brings a calming presence to the Bavarians. He spent time with Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City, the second-tier NSC Minnesota Stars and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the North American Soccer League – his coach during the 2012 season in Florida was Daryl Shore, now at the helm of Forward Madison.

Bavarian SC celebrates the club's 2003 Amateur Cup title. Photo: Bavarian SC
Bavarian SC celebrates the club’s 2003 Amateur Cup title. Photo: Bavarian SC

“I’m hoping to be in the lineup ,” said Lorenz, who earned a business management degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison while playing Division I college soccer and now is the development director for a co-working space in downtown Milwaukee. “I’m going to go ahead and give it everything I’ve got. I’m excited to play. I think it’s a great opportunity. And I think it’s going to be a ton of fun for the state of Wisconsin.”

Another ex-pro who figures to be in the lineup is Tighe Dombrowski, whose family has a long history in the Open Cup.

He played with the San Jose Earthquakes in MLS and the Minnesota Thunder in USL First Division and with Swedish club IK Sirius FK before returning to the Milwaukee area. Now 37, Dombrowski usually sits deep in the Bavarians’ midfield.

“Tighe creating that tempo really allows the midfielders ahead of him to be a little more fluid and creative and maybe take some chances,” Lorenz said of his midfield mate, “because he brings such a good presence to the game with his positioning and his communication.”

Tuesday’s Open Cup match will be the first competitive game of the season for the Bavarians, who rescheduled their UPSL Midwest Conference Central Division season opener last Saturday to accommodate a regional Amateur Cup match, only to then end up receiving a forfeit in the game.

A photo from a Bavarian SC game from the 1978 US Open Cup.
A photo from a Bavarian SC game from the 1978 US Open Cup.

As Hodgins mentioned, the Bavarians know they’re not the favorites.

“Despite our recent success – and we had a lot of fun last year getting a couple of trophies – we are, at the end of the day, an amateur team full of guys who have professional careers outside of soccer,” Lorenz said. “We are underdogs. We’re not going to carry that too hard on ourselves, because we do believe that we have talent, but the Madison team, they train every day, they’re getting paid to play the game, their commitment level is so much different than ours. … These guys are professional, they’re out here to play the game as a career, and we’re very aware of that. We’re going to give them our respect, absolutely, and try to make it as fun of a game as we can.

“Let’s go out, let’s have some fun, let’s see what we can do and not hole up in a shell, not sit in the front of the box and let’s see where we stand.”

And, in a one-off cup match, anything can happen, right?

“People like a good underdog story, and this tournament really creates that atmosphere for most of the games – especially the early-round games – there’s going to be a clear favorite and there’s going to be a clear underdog. So you have the opportunity to root for the underdog,” Lorenz said. “And there’s usually one story and one underdog that pushes all the way through. It would be incredible if it’s us – if we can get a result (Tuesday) and continue to go on and play, it would be fantastic.

“If not, we’ll take a look at it, try to learn some things from it and try to better ourselves for the rest of our season in UPSL and Amateur Cup. But you’d better believe that we’ll be rooting for all the underdogs as well – whether we’re still in the tournament or not.”

Filed Under: 2019 US Open Cup, Feature - Main, Feature - Qualifying, Meet the Underdogs, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: 2019 US Open Cup, Bavarian SC, Meet the Underdogs

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: Real Salt Lake shut out Portland Timbers in rematch of 2013 Semifinals (video)

July 2, 2015 by Eric Anderson

Javier Morales scored his second goal of the tournament for Real Salt Lake from the penalty spot. Photo: Real Salt Lake
Javier Morales scored his second goal of the tournament for Real Salt Lake from the penalty spot. Photo: Real Salt Lake

Sebastian Jaime continued his fine run of form Wednesday night as Real Salt Lake continued its success against the Portland Timbers on their home turf.

Jaime scored for the third time in four games, opening the scoring in the 54th minute, and Javier Morales added a 71st-minute penalty as RSL blanked the Timbers 2-0 in a fifth-round match of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Sandy, Utah.

A crowd of 15,840 turned out at Rio Tinto Stadium on a sweltering night that saw the mercury at 97 degrees at kickoff, and the vast majority left happy with the claret and cobalt having booked a quarterfinal berth against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

“It’s about the Open Cup. It’s about winning a trophy. It’s about winning three games and we’re there,” said RSL coach Jeff Cassar, whose team advanced to the final eight in the tournament for the third time in the past five years. “I wrote it up on the board yesterday: Four games. We got one out of the way and we have three more. We’ve got to take them one at a time. It’s not really about who you’re playing, it’s just about getting the victory.”

Neither team was at full strength. The home side was without goalkeeper Nick Rimando and midfielder Kyle Beckerman (U.S.) and striker Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica), who were with their respective national teams preparing for the Gold Cup. Portland’s Will Johnson (Canada) also was away on international duty, while fellow midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Diego Chara didn’t make the trip to Utah and standouts Diego Valeri and Fanendi Adi started the match on the bench.The Timbers had the better chances in a rather ho-hum first half.

They actually had the ball in the net in the 7th minute after a great combination sequence between George Fochive and Argentinian forwards Maxi Urruti and Gaston Fernandez that ended with Fernandez putting the ball past RSL keeper Jeff Attinella, but the flag was up for offside. Six minutes later, Urruti ripped a shot from the top of the box that forced Attinella to make a diving save, then scramble to corral the rebound before a Timbers player could get to it.

Center back Aaron Maund provided RSL with its best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes, sending a header over the crossbar off a free kick by Morales in the 28th.

The hosts finally broke through early in the second half. Olmes Garcia slid a pass to Jaime on the right side of the box between Portland center backs Liam Ridgewell and Nat Borchers – the latter a former RSL fan favorite making his first return to Rio Tinto – and the Argentinian forward slotted a shot past Timbers keeper Adam Kwarasey to the far post.

“Jaime, he’s feeling it right now,” Cassar said of the designated player, who scored his first goal for RSL in a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City on June 21 and added another in last Saturday’s 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew. “He’s confident, he’s making good runs when the guys are delivering the ball.”

Referee Jose Carlos Rivero had decisions to make on potential penalties on both ends with 20 minutes remaing. Rivero waved play on when Urruti went down in the box, then pointed to the spot when Fochive clipped RSL striker Joao Plata just inside the box on the other end.

“I have to watch it again. For me it’s a bit harsh … It’s on the edge of the box, tangling, but I’ve got to watch it,” Portland coach Caleb Porter said. “You’ll look at the first goal we scored; you’ll probably notice he wasn’t offside, so there’s a good goal. If we get that the game’s different. Maxi goes down in the box and no call; their guy goes down in the box and it’s a call. It’s a game of moments, it’s a game of mistakes, it’s a game of capitalizing on opportunities. It fell in their favor today. Otherwise I thought it was a very tight, even game – what you would expect of a cup game.”

Morales took a long run-up on the penalty, stutter-stepped and beat Kwarasey on a shot to the keeper’s right – the Ghanaian dove the right way but couldn’t stop Morales from scoring his fifth goal of the season in all competitions.

Valeri, who came on just after the hour mark, nearly pulled one back for the Timbers off a free kick from 23 yards out on the left side in the 77th, but the wicked strike skimmed the top of the crossbar. Jaime, meanwhile, nearly added another insurance goal in the 83rd, only to see Kwarasey deny his blast from the top of the box on the right side.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: PORTLAND TIMBERS AT REAL SALT LAKE

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2015 Fifth Round, 2015 US Open Cup, MLS, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake

Meet the Underdogs: Madison Fire make US Open Cup debut representing Wisconsin

May 12, 2015 by Eric Anderson

madison_fireEvery year, the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup includes a new batch of amateur clubs hoping to be the tournament’s latest Cinderella story. And every year, TheCup.us introduces soccer fans across the country to these teams that have been the heart and soul of this competition for more than a century. This year, we are expanding our annual “Meet the USASA” series to include the USSSA and US Club Soccer. We bring you “Meet the Underdogs.”

Wednesday’s first-round matches of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup are a chance for the 42 remaining amateur teams in the record 91-team field to take center stage.

But on a night that will feature exclusively players who aren’t being paid to play, the Madison Fire might best exemplify the “Sunday League” amateur teams that decided to try their luck on a higher level in the national tournament.

The Fire have been around since 2003, when two teams in Madison, Wisconsin — Dionysus and Hooligans — merged, but the team didn’t have a logo until one of its players created one last month in preparation for its Open Cup debut against the Des Moines Menace.

Technically, David Kommavang is the Fire’s manager. But he said that’s more of an organizational role rather than an on-field role. Decisions about lineups and strategy are made by the team as a whole — and he’s usually busy playing in the midfield anyway, so he can’t make those calls.wisconsin-soccer-leagues

“We talk about what we want to do as a team before we go in,” said Kommavang, who added that the team is hoping to find someone to handle the managerial duties on the sideline Wednesday night for the match in West Des Moines, Iowa. “We’ll be like ‘OK, we’ll start David in the middle and if it goes bad, we’ll push him up to the left and we’ll sub this guy out or something.’ We have ‘what-if’ in place already and we have game plans.”

The Fire have enjoyed great success in the Madison Soccer Association over the past decade, winning four of the past seven Division 1 titles. But last fall, with the top division in the city league shrinking, the current team decided to take a step up and join the Wisconsin Soccer Leagues Major Division.

“A lot of the players wanted to play different teams, because MSA only has six teams (in Division 1). Everybody knows everybody, so that sort of competitiveness, I guess you could say, got lost a little bit,” said Kommavang, a Madison native. “A lot of them thought it would be a good idea to have a Major team … You know, different teams, different atmosphere and maybe the other teams aren’t going to like us.”

The Fire struggled somewhat in the fall, going 3-5-2 against the Milwaukee-area clubs in the WSL Major Division.

“I knew that was going to be a challenge,” said Kommavang, one of several players who played in the league with Madison United. “We’re like, ‘Let’s go ahead and do it. We’ll get through the fall and in the spring, we’re going to make a run for it.’ There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re one of the best teams in the Majors.”

Indeed, the Fire have gone 3-0-1 in their first four matches of the spring, outscoring opponents 13-3 and posting three clean sheets in the process.

In addition to moving into the WSL Majors, the Fire took a shot and signed up for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Only two other teams entered the US Adult Soccer Association (USASA) Region II tournament — Kansas City Athletics drew a bye and qualified for the Open Cup proper, while the Fire drew FC Indiana at home with the winner also earning a spot.

“We did take a risk and we got lucky that was a home game,” Kommavang, whose team still only had 12 players for the match — after much confusion over the date and location of the game, it was played at Reddan Soccer Park in nearby Verona.

Ali Barry scored the lone goal and Demba Camara recorded the shutout as the Fire won 1-0 on Oct. 4, 2014 to claim a berth in the 102nd tournament.

“Oh, it’s amazing,” Kommavang said of playing in the US Open Cup. “It’s another step and I think it’s a good way to test our skills to see where we’re at.

“I hope we can get through the first round and see as far as we can go and just give the team and our teammates a good experience, a different level of soccer. Just to be a part of that, to me, that’s just awesome.”

As part of their preparations to play Premier Development League powerhouse Des Moines Menace in Round 1 on Wednesday, the Fire borrowed a page from the successful Wisconsin men’s basketball team and started running up a large hill at Elver Park on Madison’s west side. Badgers coach Bo Ryan, whose team has advanced to the NCAA Final Four each of the past two seasons, has had his teams run the hill as part of their preseason conditioning program for years.

“We will play teams that will be more skilled than us or will have more great players than we have, but we have control over how fit we are,” Kommavang said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime-thing maybe, let’s just go in there 100 percent in shape.”

While the sentiment might ring true, Wednesday won’t be Kommavang’s US Open Cup debut — he played with the Madison 56ers in the 2011 tournament, coming on as a sub in a 4-0 victory over Illinois club AAC Eagles in a first-round match.

The Fire’s roster includes a mix of players from both local and international backgrounds. Trevor Banks (Old Dominion), Brian Bultman and Erol Goknur (Wisconsin), Ryan Germann (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Will McAteer (Wright State) and Sabastian Xiong (Wisconsin-Green Bay) are former NCAA Division I players, while many other players starred at Division III and junior college programs.

Also on the roster is Khalid “Johnny” Zafari, a 43-year-old native of Afghanistan who has been a constant with the Fire and in Madison soccer circles for years.

“He’s played a few games this season,” Kommavang said of Zafari. “He’s in amazing shape, man. We call him ‘The Godfather.’

“As for the Fire’s chances against the Menace and possibly USL professional club Saint Louis FC in the second round?

“We could be like the California team,” Kommavang said, referring to Cal FC, which beat the Wilmington Hammerheads of USL Pro and Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers as they advanced to the fourth round of the tournament in 2012.

Filed Under: Feature - Qualifying, Meet the Underdogs, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: Madison Fire, Meet the Underdogs, USASA

2013 US Open Cup Semifinals: Real Salt Lake tops Portland Timbers 2-1 for first trip to Final

August 8, 2013 by Eric Anderson

With a 2-1 win over the Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake will host the 100th US Open Cup Final on Oct. 1 against DC United. Photo: Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake has won an MLS Cup and played for the CONCACAF Champions League title. Now the nine-year-old Utah club will play in its first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Final.

Alvaro Saborio scored in the seventh minute and set up substitute Joao Plata for what proved to be a vital insurance goal in the 78th as Real Salt Lake held off the Portland Timbers 2-1 Wednesday night in front of 14,742 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium – a record attendance for a semifinal in the tournament’s Modern Pro Era.

RSL will play host to DC United in the 100th US Open Cup final October 1 at Rio Tinto. The winning team will claim a berth in next season’s CONCACAF Champions League and a $250,000 prize in addition to the trophy.

While things certainly could change over the next eight weeks, Real Salt Lake currently is tied for the most points in Major League Soccer, while DC United has the fewest. However, two-time Open Cup champion DC United won the only league meeting between the sides 1-0 back on March 9 in the nation’s capital.

Both Portland and RSL fielded strong sides in the first match of the season between the Western Conference rivals, who also will meet in league play August 21 and 30 and October 19.

RSL welcomed back starting outside backs Tony Beltran and Chris Wingert, but had Ned Grabavoy at the top of its diamond midfield with Javier Morales limited to the bench because of an adductor injury suffered in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids in MLS play. The Timbers’ starting XI was highlighted by midfielder Will Johnson’s return to Salt Lake, where he played for five seasons before being traded to Portland last offseason.

Saborio gave the home team the early lead, heading in a cross from Kyle Beckerman. After a corner kick, Beckerman got the ball on the right flank, created some space around Rodney Wallace and played a cross to the far post that Saborio headed over Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and into the right side of the net for the 1-0 lead.

Each side enjoyed stretches of extended possession, but Portland had two great chances to pull level before halftime.

First, Darlington Nagbe found center back Andrew Jean-Baptiste somewhat surprisingly cruising free down the right side in the 40th. Baptiste carried the ball into the box and squared it for Will Johnson, who hit the skipping ball first-time. RSL keeper Nick Rimando made a fine save, flipping the ball up and over the crossbar for a corner kick.

This US Open Cup Semifinal match featured two teams that have never reached the final four, aiming for their first Open Cup title. Photo: Real Salt Lake

Then in first-half stoppage time, Diego Valeri served in a corner kick from the right side that Ryan Johnson got to at the far post. He headed the ball from a tough angle and it hit Beltran – replays indicated the ball might have hit the left back’s arm or shoulder, but whatever the case, referee Mark Geiger didn’t blow his whistle.

The visitors had the better of play for the opening 10 minutes of the second half, too, but didn’t really threaten the goal in that time. Will Johnson received a nice ovation from the RSL fans when he was subbed out with an apparent right arm injury in the 63rd.

Portland had a golden chance to equalize in the 72nd. The RSL back line lost track of Valeri, who was left all alone and got his head on a pinpoint cross from left back Ryan Miller, but the ball flashed wide of the left post.

Six minutes later, the combination of Saborio and Plata teamed up to double Real Salt Lake’s lead.

Plata played the ball ahead to Saborio near the top of the box, and he laid it back for his strike partner. The 5-foot-3 Ecuadorian promptly ripped a shot from 25 yards out that zipped past Ricketts into the left side of the goal, giving RSL a 2-0 lead in the 78th.

The second goal proved to be integral as Valeri did get the Timbers on the board in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. He worked past both Beltran and Borchers and let loose with a shot that Rimando was able to save, but the Argentinian stayed with the ball and headed it in to cut the lead in half. It was the first goal surrendered by RSL in Open Cup play in 282 minutes dating to their 5-2 win over USL Pro’s Charleston Battery in the fourth round.

Semifinal: Portland Timbers 1-2 Real Salt Lake

August 7 | Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy UT | Attendance: 14,742

Scoring Summary

RSL: Alvaro Saborio (Kyle Beckerman) 7

RSL: Joao Plata (Alvaro Saborio) 78

POR: Diego Valeri 91+

Lineups

Real Salt Lake: Nick Rimando; Tony Beltran, Carlos Salcedo, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert; Luis Gil (Yordany Alvarez 88), Kyle Beckerman, Ned Grabavoy, Khari Stephenson (Javier Morales 80); Alvaro Saborio, Robbie Findley (Joao Plata 61). Substitutes not used: Jeff Attinella (GK), Lovel Palmer, Sebastian Velasquez, Olmes Garcia.

Portland Timbers: Donovan Ricketts; Ryan Miller (Alvas Powell 77), Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Pa-Modou Kah, Michael Harrington; Will Johnson (Jose Adolfo Valencia 63), Diego Chara, Diego Valeri; Rodney Wallace, Ryan Johnson (Kalif Alhassan 63), Darlington Nagbe. Substitutes not used: Jake Gleeson (GK), Jack Jewsbury, Rauwshan McKenzie, Ben Zemanski.

Disciplinary Summary

RSL: Carlos Salcedo (caution) 42

POR: Ryan Johnson (caution) 42, Pa-Modou Kah (caution) 94+

Statistics

Saves: RSL (Rimando) 5, POR (Ricketts) 2. Shots: RSL 9, POR 13. Corner kicks: RSL 4, POR 8. Fouls: RSL 11, P 12. Offsides: RSL 2, POR 3.

#USOC100

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2013 Semifinals, 2013 US Open Cup, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake

2013 US Open Cup Fourth Round: Real Salt Lake super subs spark rally, beat Charleston Battery 5-2 in OT

June 13, 2013 by Eric Anderson

For the second consecutive round, Real Salt Lake escaped embarrassment at the hands of a lower division opponent by finding some magic and prevailing in overtime, avoiding a repeat of their home loss a year ago to Minnesota of the NASL. In the Fourth Round Wednesday night the MLS club scored five unanswered goals, erasing a two-goal deficit to send the match to extra time where they found three more against an exhausted, visiting Charleston Battery of USL Pro.

Through an hour Wednesday night, it looked like the Battery were going to add another Major League Soccer team to their collection of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup upsets. But Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis, whose team was sluggish throughout a first half that saw them allow two goals in four minutes, turned to his bench, and the duo of Joao Plata and Khari Stephenson helped turn the match.

Real Salt LakeRookie Devon Sandoval scored twice, Plata and Javier Morales had a goal and an assist apiece and Stephenson scored on a long-range rocket as Real Salt Lake surged to the victory at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, sending them to the Quarterfinals for the third time in their nine-year history after previous appearances in 2006 and 2011. They’ll play host to the Carolina RailHawks of the NASL on June 26.

“I was really, really disappointed with what happened in the first half,” Kreis said in post-game media comments. “But I challenged the guys at halftime, and credit to them for the response they showed. To score five goals unanswered is pretty good.”

The Battery, third in the USL Pro standings and coming off a 1-0 victory over Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes in the Third Round of the Open Cup, opened the scoring just after the quarter-hour mark. Charleston’s Jarad van Schaik – drafted by Real Salt Lake in 2011 but never offered a contract – played a long ball from the left side for striker Dane Kelly, who got behind center back Nat Borchers and finished to the far post against goalkeeper Josh Saunders.

The goal came on Charleston’s first foray into the attacking end, but was quickly followed by another.

Mark Wiltse did well on the right flank and played the ball to Quinton Griffith in the box. He ripped a shot that clanged off the far post, but striker Nicki Paterson was there to finish off the rebound and give the visitors a stunning 2-0 lead just 18 minutes in. Paterson has six career Open Cup goals and has scored in the tournament for five straight years.

The scoreline remained that way through halftime, at which point some in the crowd of 13,763 booed the team off the field.

It was a vastly different story after the break; especially after Kreis brought on Plata and Stephenson for defender Aaron Maund and midfielder Sebastian Velasquez in the 63rd, switching to a three-man back line as the Battery sat back and tried to defend their advantage.

“We thought we could get at them in that first half and it worked. If we got that third goal, it might’ve put them under some more pressure,” Battery coach Michael Anhaeuser said. “I have to give credit to them, they really changed it up in the second half. The substitutes changed the game.”

Just three minutes later, Sandoval got Real Salt Lake on the board, heading a cross by defender Tony Beltran from the right side back across the goal to the far post past Battery keeper Odisnel Cooper.

“Excellent, really really good,” Kreis said of Sandoval, a physical, 6-foot-1 striker out of New Mexico. “(He) got better as it went on, because I actually think he wasn’t the sharpest until he scored the goal, and then I thought he was fantastic. And the work rate is always there, so I’m very appreciative of that, but he scored that goal that broke things open, then almost didn’t really put a foot wrong the rest of the way.”

Plata turned in a similar performance, setting up chance after chance for the claret and cobalt. The 5-foot-2 forward worked a give-and-go with Ned Grabavoy down the left side and appeared to have his legs taken out by a Charleston defender, then stepped to the spot and dispatched the ensuing penalty with authority to tie the score in the 79th.

“I don’t know if it was a penalty,” Anhaeuser said. “I think if you ask him, he might say it was. It looked like he slipped a little bit, but of course, you can’t bump a guy. If it looks like it and especially on the road, you don’t get those calls.”

Cooper and the Battery back line turned away some good opportunities in the final 10 minutes of regulation, but Real Salt Lake was back in the goals in extra time.

Sandoval got his second of the night and fourth of the season on another header in the 96th. Morales took a corner kick from the right side that sailed over his intended targets, but Plata got the ball on the left side of the box. He deftly chipped a it up for Sandoval, who nodded past Cooper again.

“The first half was definitely frustrating, because we’ve got to come out better than that. They had a game plan and executed it and got two goals from it,” Sandoval said. “The second half we came out a lot better and got our chances and put them away.”

Stephenson put Charleston away in the 105th, crushing a shot from 30 yards out past Cooper. Coincidentally, it also was Sandoval and Stephenson who scored extra-time goals in Real Salt Lake’s 3-2 win over the NASL’s Atlanta Silverbacks in the third round.

“You look at all the guys that came into the match were difference-makers for me, and that’s what you need to have,” Kreis said. “The energy level was a little low from quite a few of the players tonight. So the guys coming off the bench were critical. All of them did well, worked hard and were a big part of the difference.”

Morales finished things off two minutes later in stoppage time of the first 15-minute period of extra time, converting another penalty after Sandoval was judged to have been held down on a corner kick. His goal marked the first time Real Salt Lake has scored five goals since a 5-0 rout of New England in an MLS match back on July 2, 2010, and gave the team a whopping 19 goals in its past six games overall.

With another lower division opponent set to visit Rio Tinto for the Quarterfinals, Kreis is hoping his team has learned the level of commitment needed against such foes.

“I hope so. I really thought that we were a smart enough, experienced veteran team that we wouldn’t have to go through this twice,” he said of playing extra time. “I’m hopeful that the third time we won’t need to play 120 minutes.”

Charleston has a rich Open Cup history, having lost in the final in 2008 and advanced to the semifinals in 1999 and 2004 and quarterfinals in 2007, ’09 and ’10.

“The club takes it seriously. The players take it seriously,” Battery veteran defender John Wilson said. “When you have a lot of young players you want to show up well. You want to try and win the game.”

Fourth Round :: Charleston Battery 2 :: AET :: 5 Real Salt Lake

June 12 – Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy UT – Attendance: 13,763; Cloudy & 92 degrees

Scoring Summary:

CHB: Dane Kelly (Jarad van Schaik) 16

CHB: Nicki Paterson 18

RSL: Devon Sandoval (Tony Beltran) 66

RSL: Joao Plata (penalty kick) 79

RSL: Devon Sandoval (Joao Plata) 96

RSL: Khari Stephenson (Javier Morales) 105

RSL: Javier Morales (penalty kick) 105+

Cautions:

CHB: Nicki Paterson 56, Mike Azira 57, John Wilson 93, Cody Ellison 112

RSL: Devon Sandoval 94

Lineups:

RSL: Josh Saunders; Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers, Aaron Maund (Khari Stephenson 63), Chris Wingert; Kyle Beckerman, Ned Grabavoy, Sebastian Velasquez (Joao Plata 63), Javier Morales; Devon Sandoval, Olmes Garcia (Robbie Findley 74). Substitutes not used: Jeff Attinella (GK), Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Lovel Palmer, Yordany Alvarez.

CHB: Odisnel Cooper; John Wilson, Colin Falvey, Kenneth Ellison, Mark Wiltse; Jarad van Schaik, Michael Azira, Nicki Paterson; Jose Cuevas (Zach Prince 68), Quinton Griffith (Taylor Mueller 72), Dane Kelly (Haviel Cordoves 82). Substitutes not used: Kevin Klasila (GK), Shawn Ferguson, Maikel Chang.

#USOC100

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2013 Fourth Round, 2013 US Open Cup, Carolina RailHawks, Real Salt Lake

Five of eight NPSL spots confirmed for 100th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

March 11, 2013 by Eric Anderson

The United States Soccer Federation announced the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) would receive eight entries in the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. This week, TheCup.us has confirmed five of those teams, all of which will enter the tournament in the first round.

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, Chattanooga FC and the Madison 56ers, who finished first, second and third in the NPSL last season, are three of the teams that will be playing in the first round May 14.

Two others will be from the Western Conference, one from the Northern Division and one from the Southern Division. Those spots are being determined by tournaments — both finals are scheduled for March 30.

That leaves the NPSL with one first-round berth still to be determined, along with two spots in the qualifying round. The NPSL sides will play teams from U.S. Club Soccer and the United States Specialty Sports Association in qualifying matches May 7, with the winners moving on to the first round.

This will be the second straight Open Cup appearance for FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, which lost to the PDL’s Long Island Rough Riders 2-0 in the first round last year. The Pennsylvania team beat Chattanooga FC 1-0 in the NPSL final last July in San Diego.

The 56ers and Chattanooga FC both are back in the tournament after a one-year absence.

Chattanooga FC lost to the USL PRO’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-2 after extra time in their Open Cup debut in 2011. The 56ers, meanwhile, advanced to the second round that year, beating Illinois amateur club AAC Eagles 4-0 before losing to Chicago Fire PDL 2-0. That was Madison’s first berth in the Open Cup’s Professional Era (since 1995); the team also lost in the Region II semifinals in 1988, ’89 and ’90 and were ousted by Illinois’ RWB Adria 7-6 on penalty kicks following a 4-4 tie in the 1991 quarterfinals.

NPSL teams are 6-22-4 all-time in Open Cup play — with half of those wins coming last year, when the Brooklyn Italians, Georgia Revolution and Jacksonville United each won first-round matches. No league team has advanced to the third round, but eight sides have made it to the second round: Sonoma County Sol (2006 and ’09), Sacramento Knights (2004), Salinas Valley Samba (2005), Madison 56ers (2011), Georgia Revolution (2012), Jacksonville United (2012) and Brooklyn Italians (2012).

2013 NPSL entries in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (8 teams)

First Round entries
Chattanooga FC
FC Sonic
Madison 56ers
West – North Division winner
West – South Division winner
Team No. 6 TBA

Qualifying Round entries
NPSL Team No. 7 TBA vs. USASA entry TBA
NPSL Team No. 8 TBA vs. USSSA entry TBA

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2013 NPSL qualifying, 2013 US Open Cup qualifying, Chattanooga FC, FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, Madison 56ers, National Premier Soccer League, NPSL

NPSL Western Conference kicks off 2013 US Open Cup qualifying tournament this weekend

March 1, 2013 by Eric Anderson

UPDATED 3/17/13

The National Premier Soccer League will enter eight teams into the 100th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, but those teams have not yet been announced. Six of the eight teams are expected to be chosen from the Northeast, Midwest and Southern conferences but the league’s Western Conference kicks off their qualifying tournament this tournament.

The six-team tournament for the Northern Division kicked off with the Sacramento Gold defeating CD Aguiluchos in Oakland, Calif. 3-0. The Gold move on to play Real San Jose in the semifinals on March 16. In the other semifinal the next day, the San Francisco Stompers will square off with the Sonoma County Sol. The final is scheduled to be played on March 23.

The Sol are the only team among the Northern Division teams who has qualified for the US Open Cup. They have reached the tournament four times: 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010. They have a 1-3-2 (1-1 in PKs) record in their four appearances with their lone regulation win coming against the PDL’s Orange County Blue Star in 2009.

The following weekend, in the Southern Division, the Orange County Spartans — formerly known as the Fullerton Rangers — play host to San Diego Boca FC in a rematch of last year’s Open Cup qualifying final. The Rangers beat Boca 3-2 last spring to earn their first Open Cup berth, and lost to the PDL’s Ventura County Fusion 6-2 after extra time in their tournament debut.

Reigning regular-season conference champion San Diego Flash and FC Santa Clarita received first-round byes in this year’s tournament and will host semifinal matches on March 23. The Flash will face either Orange County or city rival Boca, while Santa Clarita will take on the winner of the Hasental-Las Vegas match. The final is set for March 30.

Last year, the NPSL received 6.5 spots and the West had 1.5 berths. The Rangers qualified while the Bay Area Ambassadors claimed the “half berth.” Bay Area faced fellow California club Stanislaus United Turlock Express in a play-in game — Stanislaus United won that match 3-0 to become the first US Club Soccer team to qualify for the Open Cup.

2013 NPSL Western Conference Southern Division qualifying
Updated 3/17/13

First Round (March 17)
Las Vegas Stallions at FC Hasental
Las Vegas forfeits (player paperwork issues)
San Diego Boca FC 0:2 Orange County Spartans

Semifinals (March 23)
Orange County Spartans at San Diego Flash
Del Norte High School – 5 p.m. PT
FC Hasental at Santa Clarita
Canyon High School – 5 p.m. PT

Final (March 30)
Time/Location TBD

2013 NPSL Western Conference Northern Division qualifying

First Round (March 9)
Sacramento Gold 3:0 CD Aguiluchos USA

Semifinals (March 16)
Sacramento Gold 2:0 Real San Jose
San Francisco Stompers 2:5 Sonoma County Sol

Final (March 23)
Sonoma County Sol at Sacramento Gold
River City High School – 7 p.m. PT

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2013 NPSL qualifying, FC Hasental, FC Santa Clarita, Las Vegas Stallions, NPSL, Orange County Spartans/Fullerton Rangers, San Diego Boca, San Diego Flash

Leaked 2013 US Open Cup schedule: 100th tournament to kick off May 14

February 17, 2013 by Eric Anderson

Lamar Hunt US Open Cup logoFans of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup can mark their calendars for this year’s 100th tournament – at least tentatively.

First-round matches are set for May 14 and the 2013 final will be Oct. 1 or 2, according to a
schedule posted on the US Adult Soccer Association Region II website. TheCup.us is currently seeking confirmation.

The posted schedule is listed as “still to be reviewed and ratified by the Open Cup Committee.” US Soccer hasn’t yet released the official schedule.

Matches during the first three rounds are scheduled for the last three Tuesdays in May, with competition shifting to Wednesdays for the fourth round, quarterfinals and semifinals.

The semifinals have two possible dates, Aug. 7 or 21 – the later date to be used only if one of the semifinalists is playing in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League the week of Aug. 7.

While the tournament will start early for the second straight year, the final is scheduled for eight weeks after the Aug. 7 semifinal date – for comparison, the 2012 final was played on Aug. 8.

One note in the information the Region II website indicates that if one of the finalists is not from MLS, US Soccer will “consider rescheduling to an earlier date if we can find a break in the participating teams’ schedules.”

Here’s the schedule as posted:

Sunday, April 28: Qualifying deadline
Tuesday, May 14: First round
Tuesday, May 21: Second round
Tuesday, May 28: Third round (MLS teams enter)
Wednesday, June 12: Fourth round
Wednesday, June 26: Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Aug. 7: Semifinals
Wednesday, Aug. 21: Semifinals (only if a team is in the CONCACAF Champions League the week of Aug. 7)
Tuesday, Oct. 1 or Wednesday, Oct. 2: 100th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final

The deadline to enter the Region II Open Cup is March 17, with the draw on March 18 and first-round matches scheduled for 2 p.m. March 30. Wisconsin champion Croatian Eagles, the reigning USASA National Open champion, and RWB Adria, the only team that entered the Illinois competition, have already qualified for the Region II tournament.

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, 2013 US Open Cup

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Croatian Eagles repeat as Wisconsin state champions

November 4, 2012 by Eric Anderson

Story originally published at WisconsinSoccerCentral.com, the state of Wisconsin’s premier soccer news website. Follow them on Twitter @WisconsinSoccer

It’s been a fall full of change for longtime rivals Croatian Eagles and Bavarian SC, two of the state’s most successful amateur clubs.

Both teams have new faces in their lineups and the Bavarians have a new manager in Patrick Hodgins, who previously coached the Croatians’ Under-23 team.

With that backdrop, though, perhaps it was fitting that the lone goal in the teams’ Wisconsin Open Cup final Saturday afternoon was scored by a familiar face.

Veteran Jason Willan came through for the Eagles once again, curling in a shot from 14 yards out in the 50th minute as the Eagles got past Bavarian SC 1-0 at Croatian Park in Franklin.

Bryce Boyd (Milwaukee Marquette/UW-Milwaukee) posted the clean sheet for the Croatians, who earned a berth in next spring’s US Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament. The top finishers in the regional event traditionally qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

“It was a pretty even game,” said Eagles manager Alex Toth, whose team won its second straight Wisconsin Open Cup and is the reigning USASA National Open Cup champion. “We played our normal game: Get it down on the ground, get some combinations, try to attack. They sat back, defended really well, were dangerous on set pieces and they were dangerous on the counter. It was an interesting game.”

Willan’s goal capped a sequence that featured six or seven passes, Toth said. Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) played the final pass to Willan on the left side of the box, and the 41-year-old midfielder sent a shot past Bavarians goalkeeper Matt Schmidt (Racine Horlick/UW-Milwaukee) into the right corner.

“He had a nice, open look and just buried it far post,” Toth said of Willan, in his 14th year with the club. “It was a great finish. He’s done it all year this year, all the things we needed, and he came up big again.”

The goal proved to be enough – but just barely.

The Bavarians, who lost to Croatians 2-0 in a Wisconsin Soccer Leagues Major Division match Sept. 20, came tantalizingly close to finding an equalizer in the final minutes.

A ball was played through traffic across the box and surprisingly found striker Kyle Zenoni (Hartland Arrowhead/UW-Milwaukee) alone inside the 6-yard box with Boyd still on the other side of the goal. However, Zenoni – a UWM assistant who coached the Panthers in their 2-1 win over Valparaiso on Saturday night – didn’t see the ball and couldn’t get a shot off toward the vacant net.
“It just hit him and kind of got caught up in his feet and they cleared it,” Hodgins said.

“We got a little lucky there,” admitted Toth, whose team needed penalty kicks to get past the Milwaukee Kickers in last fall’s state Open Cup final.

Neil Dombrowski (West Allis Hale/UW-Milwaukee) created some chances for the Bavarians in the first half with his service on some set pieces, including free headers off corner kicks that his brother Chad Dombrowski (West Allis Hale/UW-Milwaukee) and Billy Maier (Racine St. Catherine’s/UW-Milwaukee) sent over the crossbar.

“We had plenty of opportunities to score,” said Hodgins, who was coaching just his second match with the club. “Even though we lost, there were definitely positives you can take from it. I think it will give us confidence going forward. I think our guys know that we can play with a team like that.”

The Bavarians are 1-3-1 in the WSL Major Division with two rescheduled matches coming up in the next week. The Croatians lead the league at 4-0-2 with one game left, but Toth has seen a difference in his team this fall.

“It’s been a struggle,” he said. “Last fall, we could usually separate ourselves from the other team in most games, but this fall it’s been a struggle.

“I think one of the biggest factors is that we’ve been playing since March. … Some of the players, you can really tell that they are burnt out.”

Lineups

CROATIAN EAGLES: Bryce Boyd; Scott Widule (Shaun Gallagher), Billy Von Rueden, Aaron Schroeder, Stuart Grable; Cheik Drame (Gustavo Mena), Scott Raymonds; Mohammed Sethi (Mike Vukovic), Jason Willan (Spencer Bursten), Ilya Ksenidi; Aaron Lauber.

BAVARIAN SC: Matt Schmidt; Nate Sabich, Billy Meier, Will Chaney, Jake Taylor (Giovanni Luna 30, Hector Navarro 80); Chad Dombrowski, Craig Posselt; Josh Chamberlain (Dan Stebbins 75), Neil Dombrowski, Jake Provan (Martin Castro 60); Kyle Zenoni.

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2013 US Open Cup qualifying, Bavarian SC, Croatian Eagles, Wisconsin

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Bavarian SC, Croatian Eagles to battle for Wisconsin title

October 25, 2012 by Eric Anderson

Story originally posted at WisconsinSoccerCentral.com, the state of Wisconsin’s premier soccer news website. Follow them on Twitter @WisconsinSoccer

Only two clubs entered the 2013 Wisconsin Open Cup.

But they’re two clubs with rich histories, both recent and otherwise.

Bavarian SC, one of the most successful amateur clubs in the Modern Professional Era of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, will face the Croatian Eagles, the reigning US Adult Soccer Association National Open Cup champions, in the state final Nov. 3.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Croatian Park in Franklin. The Eagles were awarded home-field advantage for the match as the defending state champions; they outlasted the Milwaukee Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw in the 2012 final played last October.

The Wisconsin Open Cup champion earns a berth in the USASA Region II tournament.

The Croatians won two matches in the Region II tournament last April, then were awarded a forfeit victory in the regional final in June. They went on to become just the second Wisconsin club to win the USASA National Open Cup, following the Bavarians, who claimed titles in 2003 and ’09.

Bavarian SC, meanwhile, has qualified for the US Open Cup six times since 1995, the most appearances of any USASA team during what is considered the Modern Professional Era of the tournament – the 2013 event will be the 100th US Open Cup.

The Eagles (4-0-2) currently lead the Wisconsin Soccer Leagues Major Division, including a 2-0 victory over Bavarians on Sept. 20. Bavarian SC is off to a slow start in league play this fall at 1-3-1.

Making this match even more intriguing is the fact that Patrick Hodgins, who coached the Croatians’ Under-23 team to the USASA national final last summer, recently took over as manager of the Bavarian SC Majors team. Hodgins replaced Matt Schmidt, who was the team’s interim coach and continues to play for Bavarians.

Recent Wisconsin Open Cup champions
2012: Croatian Eagles
2011: No entries (Bavarian SC’s paperwork lost by state association)
2010: Milwaukee Kickers
2009: Bavarian SC
2008: Bavarian SC
2007: Bavarian SC
2006: Croatian Eagles
2005: Milwaukee Kickers
2004: Bavarian SC
2003: Bavarian SC

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2013 US Open Cup qualifying, Bavarian SC, Croatian Eagles, USASA Region II, Wisconsin

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U.S. Open Cup History

1995 us open cup rewind graphic

1995 US Open Cup Rewind series: The Modern Era begins

The 30th anniversary of the 1995 Open Cup is upon us this year, and as we did with the inaugural tournament in 1913-1914, we’re going to take you back in time and relive the 1995 US Open Cup in chronological order, as it happened.

  • I-95 Quarterfinals: Best of New York-New Jersey vs. Philadelphia in US Open Cup history
  • 1995 US Open Cup Round 1: Richmond Kickers dominate shorthanded Spartans SC … again
  • 1995 US Open Cup Round 1: USASA orders replay for Richmond Kickers vs. Spartans SC match
  • 1995 US Open Cup Round 1: El Paso Patriots overcome early upset scare, beat 1989 USOC champs
  • 1995 US Open Cup Round 1: Day after a league game, Chico Rooks blank San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles

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