Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Eric Anderson

Report: New York Red Bulls fined $500 for Tyler Ruthven miscue

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UPDATE: TheCup.us has been informed that the Inside Minnesota Soccer story written by Brian Quarstad was in error. The Harrisburg City Islanders DID NOT report the suspension violation in the following story to US Soccer. HCI General Manager John Gregg stated, “We read the story this morning and found out the information the same as everyone else. We made NO protest towards the player’s eligibility or status in the game, we were not even contacted about the story. We are very excited to be playing the Red Bull as it is a great opportunity for our team, fans, and business.” ||  TheCup.us Editorial Management

Tyler Ruthven didn’t play in the New York Red Bulls’ 3-0 victory over USL Pro side Charleston Battery in a third-round match of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night.

But the defender was on the bench for the match, even though he was listed as suspended for the game in the U.S. Open Cup Handbook.

The Red Bulls were fined $500 by U.S. Soccer for the violation, IMSoccer News reported Saturday. U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Neil Buethe told IMSoccer News that the fact Ruthven didn’t play in the match was a factor in the decision by the U.S. Open Cup Adjudication and Discipline Panel. (Read the full IMSoccer News report)

Ruthven instead will serve his one-game suspension next Tuesday, sitting out the Red Bulls’ fourth-round game against the Harrisburg City Islanders in Harrisburg, Pa.

Coincidentally, he was playing for Harrisburg when he received a red card in the 75th minute for a reckless foul during the City Islanders’ 2-0 loss to D.C. United in a quarterfinal match on July 21, 2010. That meant he would be suspended for his next U.S. Open Cup match.

Tyler Ruthven did not play, but was on the bench for the Red Bulls against the Charleston Battery.

Ruthven played for the Atlanta Silverbacks of the North American Soccer League in 2011 and NASL clubs weren’t allowed to participate in the tournament, meaning Tuesday’s match was his first possible Open Cup game since the ejection in 2010.

IMSoccer News reported that it was the City Islanders who filed a complaint with the USSF concerning Ruthven’s eligibility.

Buethe told IMSoccerNews that several other players who played in this season’s tournament were mistakenly listed as suspended in the 2012 U.S. Open Cup Handbook, including Ramiro Corrales (San Jose Earthquakes), Danny Earls (Rochester Rhinos), Felix Alfonso Motagalvan (Fort Lauderdale Strikers) and Wells Thompson (Colorado Rapids).

Governing bodies that sponsor qualifying tournaments for the Open Cup have differing rules than the USSF. For example, New York Greek American Atlas was disqualified from the 2010 Eastern New York tournament for having a professional player listed on its game-day roster, despite the fact that the player in question was playing in Romania at the time.

2012 US Open Cup Second Round: Dayton Dutch Lions spoil Fire PDL’s late equalizer with even later game-winner

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Emotions whipped back and forth wildly Tuesday night at the Toyota Park Practice Fields.

Brendan King’s 90th-minute equalizer off a corner kick pulled the Chicago Fire PDL team back from the brink of elimination, seemingly leading 30 minutes of extra time to determine a winner in its Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Second Round match against the Dayton Dutch Lions in Bridgeview, Ill.

But the USL Pro side made the most of the 3 minutes of stoppage time, with Daniel Holowaty scoring after a scramble in the box in the final seconds to give the Dutch Lions a thrilling 2-1 victory.

It was the first win of the year for Dayton, which is 0-4-3 in league play and advances to play at Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew in the third round next Tuesday.

The Dutch Lions, who had scored just two goals over their first seven matches, went ahead in the 38th minute as defender Shane Smith came up the left side and crossed to Eli Garner, who finished against Fire PDL goalkeeper Jordan Godsey.

The score remained 1-0 until the final minute of the 90. Chris Prince, a second-half substitute for Fire PDL, nearly scored on a diving header, but Dayton keeper Matt Williams sprawled out and knocked the ball over the endline for a corner kick.

Bryan Ciesiulka served in the ensuing corner and King, also a second-half sub, volleyed past Williams from the top of the box for a dramatic equalizer.

A corner kick on the other end, though, ended up keeping the Fire PDL from advancing to the third round of the Open Cup for the second straight year.

Holowaty latched onto a loose ball after a corner was sent into the box and fired past Godsey in the final seconds, making his first goal of the year a game-winner. Referee Miguel Panduro Jr. allowed the Fire PDL to kick off, then blew his whistle for full time.

Dayton Dutch Lions 2:1 Chicago Fire PDL
Toyota Park Practice Field – Bridgeview, IL

Scoring Summary
Dayton Dutch Lions – Eli Garner (Shane Smith) 38
Chicago Fire PDL – Brendan King (Bryan Ciesiulka) 90
Dayton Dutch Lions – Daniel Holowaty 90+2

Lineups
CHICAGO FIRE PDL: Jordan Godsey; Daniel Keller, David Tiemstra (Luis Medina 79), Niko Boxall, Patrick Doody; Jacob Bushue (Chris Prince 58), Chris Ritter, Bryan Ciesiulka, Harrison Shipp; Mark Blades, Isaac Kannah (Brendan King 65). Substitutes not used: Sam Euler (GK), Peter Beasley, Sean Totsch, Tyler Engel.

DAYTON DUTCH LIONS: Matt Williams; Shane Smith, Bret Jones, Nixon Dias, Greg Preciado; Kyle Knotek (Toric Robinson 75), Mikael McNamara, Joel DeLass; Akeem Priestly (Daniel Holowaty 58), Gibson Bardlsey (Eric Kissinger 81), Eli Garner. Substitutes not used: Corey Whisenhunt (GK), Jeff DeGroot, Taylor Lord, Michael Earman.

Discipline: D – Bardsley (caution-foul, 43); C – Tiemstra (caution-foul, 68).

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Chicago Fire PDL squeak by Croatian Eagles 1-0

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Photo: Chicago Fire

The first five minutes of the Chicago Fire’s PDL season couldn’t have gone much better Tuesday night.

Mark Blades came down the left flank and squared the ball to Isaac Kanneh for a tap-in and an early lead against the Croatian Eagles in a first-round match of the 99th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The rest of the night, though, was filled with things for coach Mark Spooner to work on with his team, which held on to that slim lead the rest of the way in a 1-0 victory at the Toyota Park Practice Field in Bridgeview, Ill.

“Obviously, I’m not going to complain about it – it was the goal that took us through – but I kind of felt that the goal kind of killed the game a little bit,” said Spooner, whose team had its first training session just five days earlier.

“We never really got into a flow, any rhythm of soccer. But we’ll take it. … We’re in the second round, and ultimately, that’s all that matters.”

The Fire will next face the Dayton Dutch Lions of USL Pro in the second round next Tuesday. The Eagles, meanwhile, were eliminated from their first Open Cup appearance since 2006.

Chicago had plenty of chances to put the game away but was stymied by Croatians goalkeeper Bryce Boyd.

“He played outstanding,” Eagles manager Alex Toth said of Boyd, who got the nod over former professional Ante Cop in a reversal from last month’s U.S. Adult Soccer Region II tournament.

“They had so much pace up top they were able to get behind us a couple times, and he was able to come up with some big saves that kept it at 1-0.”

Boyd stopped Chris Prince on a point-blank shot in the 13th minute and dove to deny Brady Wahl in the 34th, and stopped two 1-on-1 situations in the second half. Boyd finished with eight saves.

“I thought he was fantastic,” said Spooner, whose side advanced to the third round of the tournament in 2011 before losing to Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City. “We needed to take our chances, and the game really could have been dead and buried at halftime, and it wasn’t. Their keeper kept them in it and they pushed us towards the end.”

Croatians didn’t generate much going forward in the first half, with striker Aaron Lauber’s flick-header off a cross from Billy Von Rueden that went just over the crossbar in the 41st their only real scoring opportunity before the break.

But the Milwaukee club forced Fire PDL keeper Jordan Godsey into six of his seven saves in the second 45, including stops on Mohammed Sethi, Michael Narciso and Edison Crespo that held the Eagles off the scoresheet.

“The first half, I don’t think we played too well. The second half was better. And then the last 20, it was ours,” said Toth, who switched his team’s 4-5-1 into a 3-5-2 as it went in search of the equalizer. “We were able to put pressure on them, and they basically just held on to that game.”

Croatian Eagles 0:1 Chicago Fire PDL
Toyota Park Practice Field – Bridgeview, Ill.

CHI: Isaac Kannah (Mark Blades) 5

Discipline:
CRO: Andrew Wiedabach – caution 19
CRO: Mike Narciso – caution 29
CHI: Jacob Bushue – caution 32

Lineups:
CHICAGO FIRE PDL: Justin Godsey, Daniel Keller, David Tiemstra, Sean Totsch, Patrick Doody; Brady Wahl (Tyler Engel 87), Jacob Bushue (Chris Ritter 61), Harrison Shipp, Mark Blades; Isaac Kannah, Chris Prince (Javier Torres 78). Substitutes not used: Sam Euler (GK), Dan Figura, Luis Medina, Marco Gutierrez.

CROATIAN EAGLES: Bryce Boyd; Mike Narciso, Tony Patterson, Aaron Schroeder, Billy Von Rueden; Jason Willan (Mohammed Sethi 60), Andrew Wiedabach, Scott Suprise, Scotty Raymonds, Joe Anderson; Aaron Lauber (Edison Crespo 68). Substitutes not used: Ante Cop (GK), Aaron Cranfill, Ilya Ksenidi, Gustavo Mena, Lati Ziba.

Saves: CHI (Godsey) 7, CRO (Boyd) 8. Shots: Not available. Fouls: CHI 7, CRO 6. Corner kicks: CHI 9, CRO 2. Offsides: CHI 4, CRO 2.

2012 Meet the USASA: Croatian Eagles from Milwaukee, WI

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Croatian EaglesWhen one of the oldest cup competitions in the world kicks off Tuesday night, one of the nation’s oldest clubs will be part of the action.

And the Croatian Eagles, formed in 1922, just might have the oldest player in the 99th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Jason Willan is expected to be in the lineup when the Croatians, based in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin, face PDL side Chicago Fire Premier in a first-round match at the Toyota Park Practice Field in Bridgeview, Ill.

At 40 years old, Willan likely will be literally twice the age of some of the Fire Premier players.

“I do get a kick out of it – it has yet to rub me negatively, put it that way,” Willan said with a chuckle.

“But sometimes you get the comments on the field – you know, ‘Sit down, old man,’ stuff like that. You know what? I kind of swallow that, that’s fine, whatever. But don’t let me get the best of you. Watch your mouth if I go past you. It still makes it fun for me.”

This spring has been plenty of fun for the Croatians, who made the most of an unseasonably warm spring in Wisconsin and have been training and playing matches for two months. Conversely, the Fire Premier were scheduled to hold their first training session last Friday.

The Eagles blanked two of Illinois’ top amateur teams, fellow Croatian club RWB Adria and Polish side AAC Eagles, by identical 2-0 scores in the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament April 14 and 15 in Bensenville, Ill., to earn their first Open Cup berth since 2006.

That year, the Croatians traveled to Iowa to face the PDL’s Des Moines Menace, falling 4-1 in the qualifying round. Willan scored the Eagles’ lone goal on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute after the home team had scored the first three goals of the night.

His only other Open Cup appearance came during his time with the Milwaukee Rampage of the A-League, a 2-1 home loss to the Orlando Nighthawks in a second-round match in 1998. Willan played six years with his hometown team before ending his outdoor career with the Minnesota Thunder in 2003 – he also played six seasons indoors, three each with the Detroit Rockers and Milwaukee Wave.

2011-12 Croatian Eagles results

Wisconsin Major League

Oct. 2 Milwaukee Kickers 1-0 W
Oct. 9 Milwaukee Sport Club 4-0 W
Oct. 16 at Madison United 2-1 W
Nov. 6 at Bavarian SC 1-1 T
Nov. 12 Club Latino 7-0 W
Nov. 13 Milwaukee Brewers FC 9-0 W
Nov. 20 United Serbians 2-2 T
April 29 at Milwaukee Brewers FC 6-0 W

Wisconsin Open Cup

Oct. 23 Semifinal – Bavarian SC 2-1 W
Oct. 30 Final – Milwaukee Kickers 2-2 T
(Croatian Eagles advance 5-4 on PKs)

USASA Region II Open Cup

April 14 Quarterfinal – RWB Adria (Ill.) 2-0 W
April 15 Semifinal – AAC Eagles (Ill.) 2-0 W

While Willan grew up playing for Milwaukee Sport Club, one of the Croatians’ rivals in the ethnic-dominated Milwaukee soccer scene, he said he started training with and playing for the Eagles between pro seasons about 13 years ago. He hasn’t left yet.

“There’s a lot of quality history to the club,” Willan said of the Croatians, who also played in the National Challenge Cup – which was later re-named the U.S. Open Cup – in 1943 and ’45.

“The club is quality, the organization from top to bottom, they just take a little more pride than some other clubs. And the players get treated well for the amateur level – that’s a big part of it. For me, seeing the professional side of it, you know this club is not far off from treating their players the same way. … You feel comfortable at the club.”

And despite his age, Willan still feels comfortable in his attacking midfield role in the Croatians’ 4-5-1 formation.

“He still has the drive, and he brings a really nice settling presence to the team when he’s on the field,” Eagles manager Alex Toth said of Willan. “He was considering retiring (during the winter), but he still has that drive and he’s a huge asset for us. That experience and the way he strikes the ball, his vision, it works well.”

Willan acknowledges that he’s had to adjust his style as he’s gotten older.

“Let’s face it, most sports nowadays are a bigger, better, faster type of thing. For me, it’s a way of thinking, it’s a different style. I think I’ve changed,” he said. “Speed of play is such a huge part of soccer. … I think it’s a matter of being smarter and reading things and angles.”

He’s also become a leader for a team with a diverse roster of young and old. Willan wears the captain’s armband and refers to himself as a “mini-adviser” for Toth, while “still trying to lead by example – but sometimes the body doesn’t agree with that.”

What hasn’t changed is his commitment, to train and stay fit and to compete at the highest level possible. “I’ve got to say, at the age of 40, I’ve got no problem getting fired up,” he said with an edge of excitement in his voice. “There’s still a lot of passion.”

He’s especially fired up about playing Fire Premier. Not because he wants one more shot at playing a pro team – the winner will face the Dayton Dutch Lions of USL Pro in the second round on May 22 – but because he loves to match wits against new opponents and thinks that this Croatian Eagles team could surprise some people.

“At this age, I have nothing really personal to shoot for,” Willan said, “but I’m involved with a team and we can do things, stuff that’s not expected of us. As long as I’ve been around, I’m not going to say this is the best team I’ve played with, but there’s a lot of depth to this team and a lot of balance, and balance meaning the experience, the youth, and college players coming and filling voids that we had.”

MORE: Check out the rest of the 2012 Meet the USASA series

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Croatian Eagles from Milwaukee return to the Open Cup

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Recap courtesy of Wisconsin’s premier soccer news website, WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

Aaron Lauber split his lip open in the first half of Sunday’s match at the USASA Region II Open Cup.

The Croatian Eagles were able to patch up the gash and kept the striker on the pitch at the top of their 4-5-1 formation.

“We wanted to keep him in … because we knew he might get a chance to get his head on something,” Croatians coach Alex Toth said.

The move paid dividends, as Lauber got the slightest of flicks on a free kick by Scott Raymonds to give the Croatians the lead in the 61st minute, and the Milwaukee club went on to a 2-0 victory over Chicago’s AAC Eagles at Redmond Recreational Complex in Bensenville, Ill., to earn a berth in the 99th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the USASA regional final.

Ramon “Choko” Alvarado added an insurance goal in the 85th minute for the Croatians, who last qualified for the U.S. Open Cup in 2006. They’ll play another amateur team in one of 16 first-round matches on May 15.

“It was a lot of preparation, a lot of planning, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the players performing,” said Toth, who had the team train and play on FieldTurf as much as possible leading into the weekend to prepare for the tournament at Redmond. “I can pull some strings here and there, but the players have to score, they have to defend, so I give them all the credit.”

Raymonds also set up Alvarado’s goal with a long throw that got through a few AAC Eagles defenders and played a role in three of the team’s four goals on the weekend, having scored the final goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Chicago Croatian rival RWB Adria.

Alvarado scored in both matches, with Lauber assisting on his strike Saturday. Veteran goalkeeper Ante Cop posted clean sheets both days, with help from a stout backline anchored by center backs Mike Narciso and Aaron Schroeder.

Toth made just one change in his starting 11 from Saturday, moving Tony Patterson in at right back in place of Cheikh Drame, who was dealing with a shoulder injury. AAC Eagles, a Polish ethnic club which has made four U.S. Open Cup appearances in the past 10 years, won the coin toss and chose to attack with the significant wind at its back.

“So although we had a couple opportunities – we got forward some – the biggest part is you’re just trying to make sure you’re not giving up long-distance shots. Anything was dangerous when they were going with the wind, so we just wanted to get through the first 45 (minutes) 0-0,” said Toth, whose team accomplished just that. “We felt good going into the second half.”

Raymonds stood over a free kick about 45 yards out, and with that brisk breeze behind him, launched the ball into the box. Lauber’s slight touch redirected the ball, sending it in the opposite direction of the AAC Eagles keeper.

The Illinois side tried to push forward for an equalizer, but playing into the wind proved difficult.

“If they tried to go over the top or play through balls or diagonal balls against the wind, it was pretty tough, so that helped us. And anytime Cop got the ball in the goal, he was able to either hit a 60- or 70-yard punt or a 60-yard goal kick and run off Lauber or whoever else was on top,” Toth said. “Once we got that one goal, I don’t want to say you ever feel comfortable, but it’s like, ‘All right, they’re playing against the wind, I think we’re in pretty good shape.’ ”

Toth took Lauber off shortly after his goal – he ended up needing eight stitches in his lip – and moved Alvarado from the left flank up to striker with Ilya Ksenidi taking over on the left side, and also brought on Drame for starting left back Scott Widule. The duo of Ksenidi and Drame were tasked with slowing down AAC Eagles standout David Otachel, who scored five goals in Saturday’s 7-1 rout of Michigan’s Ann Arbor Elite.

The Croatians have more matches scheduled against college teams – they’re playing at the UW-Oshkosh tournament next Saturday along with UW-Green Bay and Concordia and will face Carthage on April 26 – before opening the Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association Major League spring season April 29 on the road against Milwaukee Brewers FC.

“We’re lucky we’re able to get quality players and we’re lucky because we have a great club that has been able to provide for us to play at places when we need to … not everyone has that,” Toth said of the Croatian Eagles, who were formed in 1922.

“I look at it as we’re lucky because in this day and age, everyone wants to play soccer and it has to make money. We’re still one of those clubs that have it from top to bottom, and our Majors (team), they’re there to kind of set the stage for the rest of the club.”

2012 USASA Region II Open Cup qualifying tournament
Redmond Center in Bensenville, Ill. – April 14/15, 2012

First Round – April 14
AAC Eagles (IL) 7:1 Ann Arbor FC Elite (MI)
Croatian Eagles (WI) 2:0 RWB Adria (IL)
The two winners will play on Sunday, April 15 at noon for a berth in the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
KC Athletics (KS) 10:2 Cincy Saints (OH South)
Kansas City qualifies for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

Win & You’re In – April 15
Croatian Eagles (WI) 2:0 AAC Eagles (IL)
Croatian Eagles qualify for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Croatian Eagles win Wisconsin in PKs, earn USASA Region II berth

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From Wisconsin Soccer Central

Ilya Ksenidi (West Allis Hale/UW-Green Bay) scored late in extra time and was one of five Croatian Eagles players to convert during penalty kicks as they got past the Milwaukee Kickers 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the Wisconsin Open Cup final Sunday at Croatian Park in Franklin.

It’s the first state title for Croatians since 2006, the last time they entered the tournament – that year, they also beat the Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie in the championship game. As state champions, the Eagles earn a spot in next spring’s US Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament, which traditionally is a qualifier for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The match was scoreless through 90 minutes and the first 15-minute session of extra time before Danny Bauer (Marquette) gave the Kickers the lead in the 106th minute, poking a shot past Croatians goalkeeper Bryce Boyd (Milwaukee Marquette/UW-Milwaukee).

But the Eagles found an equalizer with approximately three minutes remaining. After the Kickers cleared the ball out, Croatians midfielder Scott Raymonds (Brookfield East/UW-Green Bay) got it back on the right side and fired from about 25 yards out. Ksenidi was cutting across the box and got a touch on the shot, redirecting it past Kickers keeper Kevin Strong (West Allis Hale).

The Croatians made all of their penalty kicks, with Aaron Schroeder, Mike Narciso, Ksenidi, Jason Willan and Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) – who scored a last-minute winner to beat Bavarian SC 2-1 in the semifinals – each successful from the spot.

Craig Charlton, Niels Berg (Plymouth), Ryan Richgels (Madison Memorial/UW-Whitewater) and Thomas Sweeney (Milwaukee Marquette/Marquette) converted their attempts for the Kickers before Brian McGuire’s shot went over the crossbar.

The Kickers nearly went ahead in the first period of extra time, but Mike Vukovic went down his knees to clear a ball off the line for the Croatians.

For the most comprehensive coverage of soccer in Wisconsin, visit www.WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Sethi’s late goal sends Croatian Eagles to Wisconsin final

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From WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) scored in the 90th minute, lifting Croatian Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Bavarian SC in the semifinal match of the Wisconsin Open Cup on Sunday afternoon at Croatian Park in Franklin.

The Croatians advance to play the Milwaukee Kickers in the state final next Sunday at Uihlein Soccer Park.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., with the winner qualifying for the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament – the top two teams in that tournament typically earn berths in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Sunday’s game was a rematch of last summer’s Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association Major League playoff final, which the 10-man Bavarians won 2-1 in extra time.

Aaron Lauber (Franklin/UW) gave the Eagles the lead, finishing off a breakaway in the 35th, but Billy Meier (Racine St. Catherine’s/UW-Milwaukee) tied it up for the Bavarians by scoring on a scramble in the box in the 55th.

It appeared the teams were headed to extra time again until Sethi, who spent time with Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA earlier in his career, scored on a shot from the top of the box in the final minute of regulation.

The Croatians last won the state Open Cup in fall 2005, getting past the Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw, and went on to earn their fourth US Open Cup berth in spring 2006. The Kickers lost to the Bavarians in the state final in fall 2006, ’07 and ’08 before turning the tables in 2009.

For the most comprehensive coverage of soccer in Wisconsin, visit www.WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

2011 US Open Cup Third Round: Real Salt Lake knocks out Wilmington Hammerheads in Open Cup return

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Real Salt Lake made a winning return to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup proper.

Jean Alexandre set up Tony Beltran’s 40th-minute opener – the left back’s first professional goal – and doubled the lead with a goal of his own 4 minutes later in a 2-0 victory over the Wilmington Hammerheads in front of 7,620 fans Tuesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

Goal, assist for Jean Alexandre Photo: Melissa Majchrzak / RSL

By winning their first Open Cup match since 2006, RSL earned a quarterfinal matchup against FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas, where the Utah side has never won. Salt Lake is 0-9-1 all-time in road games against Dallas, with the lone result a 0-0 draw on May 23. Coincidentally, the teams meet in an MLS match three days earlier at Rio Tinto.

Real Salt Lake’s lineup featured primarily regular starters, as the team is focused on the Open Cup and its connection to the CONCACAF Champions League. RSL lost in the finals of the 2010-11 tournament, but failed to qualify for the 2011-12 event. The Open Cup champion earns a berth in the 2012-13 tourney.

Alexandre and 17-year-old strike partner Luis Gil each had early chances for RSL, but the match remained scoreless until Beltran opened his account. The third-year pro took a pass from Alexandre on the right side, beating Hammerheads goalkeeper Kyle Polak with a close angle shot to the near post, just outside the 6-yard box.

Then in the 44th, Canadian international Will Johnson played in Alexandre, who worked past a defender and pulling Polak off his line, to increase the lead to 2-0. It was the second goal of the season for the 24-year-old Haitian.

USL Pro side Wilmington, which brought only 15 players to the match, got an impressive performance from Polak and some luck as RSL fired away – the home team had an 18-6 advantage in shots, including 9-1 in the second half, and saw blasts by Johnson and Andy Williams crash off the woodwork in the final 20 minutes.

On one sequence in the 78th minute, Polak stopped back-to-back shots by Williams and Johnson and then watched Alexandre’s header flash just wide of the goal.

RSL backup keeper Kyle Reynish earned his second shutout in as many appearances this season. The crowd for the first Open Cup match at Rio Tinto was easily the largest among the seven MLS teams that played host to third-round games.


TheCup.us Match MVP:  Jean Alexandre

Scoring Summary

Real Salt Lake – Tony Beltran (Jean Alexandre) 40
Real Salt Lake – Jean Alexandre (Will Johnson) 44

Lineups

Real Salt Lake: Kyle Reynish; Tony Beltran, Rauwshan McKenzie, Nat Borchers, Chris Schuler (Robbie Russell 63); Andy Williams, Kyle Beckerman (Ned Grabavoy 63), Collen Warner (Nelson Gonzalez 74), Will Johnson; Jean Alexandre, Luis Gil. Substitutes not used: Tim Melia (GK), Artur Aghasyan, Jamison Olave, Donny Toia.

Wilmington Hammerheads: Kyle Polak; Tom Parratt, Ivan Becerra, Gareth Evans, Dylan Riley; Emanual Guzman (Jyler Noviello 60), Tom Taylor (Richard Jata 52), Paul Nicholson, Hakop Avesyan (Julio Cuero 74); Luke Mulholland, Andriy Budnyy. Substitute not used: Chris Banks.

Discipline: W – Taylor (caution-reckless foul, 17); W – Guzman (caution-reckless foul, 35); RSL – Grabavoy (caution-tactical foul, 68); W – Nicholson (caution-persistent infringement, 83).

Attendance: 7,620.

2011 US Open Cup Second Round: After 48 hours in Madison, Chicago Fire PDL return home, look ahead to Sporting KC

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The original match scheduled for Tuesday was postponed due to lightning. Photo: WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

After spending 48 hours in Madison, starting a game and taking the lead only to have it abandoned due to lightning Tuesday night and finally playing their second-round US Open Cup match Wednesday, the Chicago Fire PDL team headed back to the Windy City with a sense of satisfaction – and a marquee matchup in the next round.

Creighton’s Andrew Ribeiro, a Wisconsin native, and substitute Thierry Zahui scored in a three-minute span in the second half as the Fire knocked off the Madison 56ers 2-0 at Breese Stevens Field.

The Fire advance to play Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City in a third-round match Tuesday at the new, $200 million Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.

“It’s a great feeling. I honestly couldn’t be more proud of our players right now,” said Fire coach Mark Spooner, whose team was playing its fourth game in eight days – not including the 17-plus minutes Tuesday. “The adversity they’ve come through just so far in this young season is only going to stand them in good stead. They deserve this opportunity.”

Both teams had chances in the opening half, but Fire goalkeeper David Meves and 56ers counterpart Kyle Dillman kept it scoreless, making two saves apiece.

Madison was content to let Chicago control possession and looked to hit the Fire on counters. That led to three quality opportunities in the opening 45 minutes – Meves made a nice stop on Jed Hohlbein’s 15th-minute strike and gathered up a shot by Trevor Banks in the 33rd, and Keenan Newallo flashed a shot wide in the 38th.

“We knew we had to kind of sit back and counter, because if we chased them all day they would break on us,” 56ers midfielder Tenzin Rampa said. “And I thought we did a great job of that in the first half. We hoped to pop one in and kind of defend and let it play out.”

The Fire, who saw Dillman deny center back Johnny Raj with a great save in the sixth minute after a free kick bounced around on the right side of the box, kept their poise.

“There was one moment when we had the ball when we counted on the bench and they had nine guys behind it all around their penalty area,” Spooner said. “It was frustrating for us and it was working for them. We talked about being patient and the ability to draw players out of positions.”

Chicago created chance after chance in the first 10 minutes after halftime, including a shout for a penalty kick in the 56th minute. The Fire wanted a handball called on the 56ers’ Henry Aiyenero after Paulo Vaz headed a corner kick into the 6-yard box, but referee
Margaret Domka didn’t share their opinion of the play.

Ten minutes later, Ribeiro got the breakthrough.

Fire midfielder Harrison Petts laid a pass back to the Green Bay native, who drilled a shot from 20 yards out on the left side. Dillman dove and got a hand to the blast, but the ball spun off the keeper’s hand and into the net at the far post in the 66th minute to open the scoring.

“I’d say a ball like that, one out of 10 will go (in). And this one did,” Ribeiro said of his first goal of the year. “The keeper made a nice save, but it was a little too hard for him. I got a little lucky.”

“He’s been looking forward to this game for a while,” Spooner added. “His performance tonight was well worth it, he was fantastic. I think he covered every blade of grass twice. He was great tonight.”

Two minutes later, Zahui, a 24-year-old from the Ivory Coast, ripped a shot from the right side that deflected off 56ers midfielder Keith Dangarembwa and past Dillman to double the lead.

“I guess I’ve got some travel arrangements to make now,” Spooner said with a smile.

Meanwhile, the home side lamented a number of plays that were close but not close enough, from their chances to grab the opening goal to Dillman just missing keeping out Ribeiro’s shot.

“It’s hard to think about it right now,” Hohlbein said. “To have a chance like that and then miss out on an opportunity (to play an MLS team), it’s pretty tough.

“In higher-level games, you don’t see teams get tons of chances. You get four or five quality chances, and you’ve got to finish one or two of them. … I’ve obviously got that running through my mind right now, I had a few quality chances that I probably should have finished. It’s tough.”

2011 US Open Cup Second Round: Chicago Fire PDL win 2-0 in lightning-forced replay in Madison

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From WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

Creighton’s Andrew Ribeiro (Green Bay Notre Dame) and Thierry Zahui scored in a three-minute span in the second half as the Chicago Fire PDL team knocked off the Madison 56ers 2-0 in a second round match of the US Open Cup on Wednesday at Breese Stevens Field.

Chicago Fire's Section 8 members in Madison to support PDL side in Open Cup

With the victory in a match postponed by lightning Tuesday night, the Fire advance to play at Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City in the third round.

Madison goalkeeper Kyle Dillman (Madison La Follette) dove and got a hand to Ribeiro’s blast from 20 yards out on the left side, but the ball spun off the keeper’s hand and into the net at the far post in the 66th minute to open the scoring.

“I’d say a ball like that, one out of 10 will go in. And this one did,” Ribeiro said of his first goal of the year. “The keeper made a nice save, but it was a little too hard for him.”

Two minutes later, second-half substitute Thierry Zahui, a native of the Ivory Coast, ripped a shot from the right side that deflected off 56ers midfielder Keith Dangarembwa and past Dillman to double the lead.

The 56ers had several quality scoring opportunities, but Akron keeper David Meves stopped first-half shots by Jed Hohlbein (Middleton/UW) and Trevor Banks (Madison Memorial), and Madison misfired on several chances in the second half.

It was a strange night of soccer Tuesday at Breese Stevens Field. And in the end, not very much soccer.

The Madison 56ers and the Chicago Fire Premier played just more than 17 minutes of their Second Round US Open Cup match before the game was halted by lightning with the Fire ahead 1-0.

The Fire certainly wanted the game to resume, having taken the early lead on Chris Estridge’s goal in the ninth minute.

Indiana midfielder Harrison Petts, who pounded a shot from 23 yards out off the corner of the crossbar and left post in the fourth minute, chipped a ball for Estridge over the 56ers’ backline and the Wake Forest midfielder calmly finished against Madison goalkeeper Kyle Dillman (Madison La Follette).

TheCup.us Match MVP: Andrew Ribeiro

Scoring
Chicago Fire PDL – Andrew Ribeiro (Harrison Petts) 66
Chicago Fire PDL – Thierry Zahui (Chris Estridge) 68

Lineups
MADISON 56ERS: Kyle Dillman; Carl Schneider, Reed Cooper, Sean Ronnekleiv-Kelly, Aaron Nichols; Henry Aiyenero, Keenan Newallo (Keith Dangarembwa 64); Adam Lysak (Josh Thiermann 52), Trevor Banks (Andrew Wiedabach 55), Tenzin Rampa; Jed Hohlbein. Substitutes not used: Colin Mani, Sam Krenzien, David Kommavang, Cody Banks.
CHICAGO FIRE PDL: David Meves; Tyler Polak, Johnny Raj, Kevin Cope, Hunter Gorskie; Jacob Bushue, Andrew Ribeiro (Goffin Boyoko 86), Harrison Petts, Chris Estridge, Brandan King (Thierry Zahui 64); Chris Prince (Paulo Vaz 55). Substitutes not used: Jordan Godsey (GK), Bryan Ciesiulka, Caleb Suri, Drew Russell.

Discipline: M – Wiedabach (caution-dissent, 73), Aiyenero (caution-foul, 75); C – Cope (caution-dissent, 21), Vaz (caution-foul, 77), Raj (caution-unsporting conduct, 79).

Saves: M (Dillman) 4, C (Meves) 2. Shots: M 6, C 20. Fouls: M 15, C 6. Corner kicks: M 1, C 5. Offsides: M 0, C 0.

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