Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Gerald Barnhart

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Jersey Shore Boca takes New Jersey USASA title in penalties after 1-1 draw

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After a pair of first half goals in the New Jersey State Final Saturday, Go Soccer SC and Jersey Shore Boca went deadlocked for the remainder of the contest, sending the match to overtime and eventually penalties. Jersey Shore would prevail 5-4 with a save in the final round, advancing to the Region I USASA tournament.

It marked the end of a dominant streak for 2011 Region I semifinalist Go Soccer FC, snapping their three-year run as state champions.

The win puts Boca one win away from a berth in the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, as they will face the winner of Massachusetts champion Battery Park Gunners and Eastern New York representative Greek American Atlas on April 22. The state of New Jersey has never had a USASA representative in the Open Cup in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present).

The defending champions took the initial advantage approximately 15 minutes into the contest. They built it up along the right side through Chase Barbieri, who looked to cross, but played it back and eventually sent it to Chad Barbieri about 30 yards from goal in the middle of the pitch. Chad Barbieri then took a few touches towards goal and rifled a shot saved by the keeper to he left, allowing his brother to follow up and tuck in the rebound.

Tomas Banionis, also a star on the club’s over-30 side, leveled the score back up 20 minutes later.

The remaining hour of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time went fruitless for both sides. Go Soccer’s Dom Paolella would come out of the contest in the second half with a concussion and Robert Wynn would replace the injured Simon Muckle in overtime for Jersey Shore, which would also insert Christian Pontier at the close of the match for the upcoming tiebreaker.

Pontier and the rest of the Jersey Shore shooters converted all five attempts, but it was goalkeeper Robert Feeney coming up the hero. He stopped Go Soccer’s Matt Heitmann in the final round to give Dane Feeney the opportunity to clinch the win with his conversion.

New Jersey USASA State Championship
Go Soccer FC 1:1 Jersey Shore Boca
(Boca wins 5-4 in penalty kicks)

Scoring:
GS: Chase Barbieri 15
JSB: Tomas Banionis 35

Penalties:
GS: Chase Barbieri – goal, Dennis Maldonado – goal, Bryan Davis – goal, Chad Barbieri – goal, Matt Heitmann – saved
JSB: Rypan Sherman – goal, Vasili Foukarakis – goal, Christian Pontier – goal, John Carrozza – goal, Dane Hodge – goal

Lineups:

Go Soccer: Ryan Goehring; Collin Gumbiner, Matt Heitmann, Bryan Davis, Edgardo Alfaro; Jesus Gregorio (Oscar Araya 112), Dennis Maldonado, Chad Barbieri, Nathan D’Aversa (David Breines 50); Chase Barbieri, Dom Paolella (Ray Arce 60, Isaac Rodriguez 91)

Jersey Shore Boca: Robert Feeney, Rypan Sherman, Vasili Foukarakis, Dane Hodge, Simon Muckle (Robert Wynn 91), Chris Beekman, Andrew Hawtin, Nick Tarquinon (John Carrozza 46), Joe Sellitto (Dan Pires 46), Tomas Banionis, Andrew Cottrell – sub: (Christian Pontier 111 – unknown whom for)

Past New Jersey Open Cup champions
2011: Go Soccer FC
2010: Go Soccer FC
2009: Go Soccer FC
2008: SC Vistula Garfield*
2007: No entry
2006: Sport Club Portuguese
2005: Kappa Real Wyckoff
2004: Sport Club Portuguese
2003: SC Vistula Garfield
2002: ZPA Perth Amboy
2001: ZPA Perth Amboy
2000: SC Vistula Garfield
1999: SC Vistula Garfield
1998: SC Vistula Garfield

*Withdrew from Region I tournament before it began

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Boston Avenue rallies twice to repeat as Oklahoma USASA champions

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Despite coming in as the defending state champions, returning to the USASA Region III Tournament was not an easy task as Boston Avenue Athletic Club needed to come from behind twice against the Oklahoma University club side. And at the end of the contest, BAAC owed everything to former University of Tulsa striker Ashley McInnes, who tallied all three in a 3-2 victory.

OU wasted no time opening the scoring with a surprising free kick sublimely placed into the side netting from 30 yards out.

It appeared that the game was going to be a wide open affair when BAAC responded a mere six minutes later. McInnes capped the move and notched his first tally of the match.

The frantic pace did settle down and it wasn’t until the 41st minute that the deadlock was again broken. Goalkeeper Dan Mason kept out the initial attempt only to see the rebound neatly slotted home, giving the Sooners the 2-1 lead at the break.

“OU were doing a good job of pressuring in the opening half and with the conditions as poor as they were (40 mph winds), we knew that scoring an early goal in the second half would be crucial” said BAAC coach Justin Cook.

McInnes again answered the call in the 51st minute when Greg Connor’s inch perfect cross found the Scotsman lurking in the penalty area. His clinical finish put the teams back on level terms.

At this point, BAAC began to hit their stride. After several close misses and two top notch saves, McInnes gave his side their first lead of the match in the 72nd minute when he found a bit of space in the Sooners’ box. His strike completed the hat-trick and in doing so, gave the Athletics a lead that was not to be relinquished.

“The lads put in a real sturdy effort in the second half, we were creating chances and it was just a matter of time before we were rewarded,” said McInnes.

McInnes, a trialist with the Chicago Fire after going surprisingly undrafted a year ago, returned to Oklahoma, where he has had his greatest success. The Aberdeen youth product was a star at the University of Tulsa, finishing his career there in 2010 ranked sixth in assists (22), ninth in goals (30) and 10th in points (82) among TU’s all-time career leaders.

“Also, these new boots helped,” he joked.

The victory gives the BAAC their third state title in as many years and a berth in the Region III tournament in Houston.

2012 Oklahoma Open Cup championship
Boston Avenue AC 3:2 Oklahoma University men’s club
South Lakes Soccer Complex – Oklahoma City, OK
Sunday, March 4, 2012

Scoring Summary
OU:  #20 3rd minute
BAAC: Ashley McInnes (Matt Thomas) 9th minute
OU: #17 41st minute
BAAC: Ashley McInnes (Greg Connor) 51st minute
BAAC: Ashley McInnes (Corey Albertson) 72nd minute

Lineups

University of Oklahoma: not available

BAAC: GK- Dan Mason, LB- Randy Randolph, CB- Daniel Dittus, CB- Jordan Gaines, RB- Greg Connor, LM- Blaine Gonsalves, CM- Matt Thomas, CM- Jason Rogers, RM- Stephen Brocks, FW Corey Albertson, FW Ashley McInnes, Subs: Justin Meade, Sonny Dalesandro

CCL resumes: Numbers show MLS improving; new format protects US & Mexican clubs

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(Editorial note: In league comparisons, clubs from MLS and USSF D2 are kept with league instead of federations of Canada and Puerto Rico)

As the CONCACAF Champions League returns to action this week with the Quarterfinals, Major League Soccer heads toward its greatest opportunity to win the confederation’s championship without serving as the event host. Improved performance away from home this year is arguably the key component to the league’s success.

Not surprisingly, the Mexican contingent ranks atop nearly every statistical category when it comes to the current format of the CCL. The dominance of the league’s clubs has seen it rank first in overall performance (point percentage) each year, including the current 2011-12 tournament. MLS, though is gradually improving and attempting to establish a firm hold as the number two nation going from near the bottom (ninth) in the 2008-09 season to fourth the following year and third a year ago.

The league has already compiled the second best road record over the course of the four years of the expanded tournament format.

Currently ranking second in overall performance for the ongoing tournament, MLS is in position to become only the second league to supplant the Mexican contingent from the top spot in road performance (of leagues with 5+ road games played) since the Puerto Rico Islanders and Montreal Impact made their remarkable runs in the inaugural edition of the new format representing the USL First Division in 2008-09.

The five MLS clubs compiled a .542 point percentage over the course of last summer while the Mexicans were a combined .472. If the numbers hold over the course of the championship stages, it could be just the second time in the four years of the event that a league surpasses the .500 record on the road with the Mexican sides finishing with a mark of .608 in 2009-10.

The Mexican clubs still hold a commanding advantage, however, in overall performance at .679 courtesy of ranking, as well as a tournament-best home percentage of .857. MLS trails by quite a bit with a mark of .573 overall and a below average performance at home of .604 that saw the league dip from its best home performance a year ago (third at .733) back to fifth.

Point-Percentage Rankings*

Overall Total 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09
MLS 4 2 3 4 9
Mexico 1 1 1 1 1
Costa Rica 3 3 2 6 4
El Salvador 8 5 7 9 t-5
Guatemala 6 4 6 5 t-5
Honduras 5 7 5 2 3
Panama 7 6 8 3 8
USSF D2 2 t-9 4 t-7 2
Home
MLS 5 5 3 5 9
Mexico 1 2 1 1 1
Costa Rica 3 4 2 6 3
El Salvador 8 6 7 7 t-6
Guatemala 7 3 6 4 t-6
Honduras 4 8 4 2 t-3
Panama 6 7 8 3 5
USSF D2 2 1 5 t-7 2
Away
MLS 2 1 5 2 8
Mexico 1 2 1 1 t-3
Costa Rica 5 3 t-2 t-5 t-5
El Salvador 8 4 t-7 9 t-5
Guatemala 7 t-last t-2 t-5 t-5
Honduras 6 5 6 8 t-3
Panama 9 6 t-7 7 9
USSF D2 3 t-last t-2 t-3 2

* Leagues with minimal appearances excluded from table (data included)

New Expanded Group Format for 2012-13

The good news for Major League Soccer and the Mexican clubs – not that they need it – is that the announced new format for the CCL starting this summer will likely make the two leagues the confederation’s two dominant forces. With the Preliminary Round being eliminated and all 24 clubs entering into an opening round of eight three-team groups, the Mexican and American entries (most likely MLS) will be seeded into different groups. Without facing one another, the clubs from the two leagues will undoubtedly be the favorites in each group.

Mexico holds an impressive history against most of its opposition with a total point percentage to date over .700 versus Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama. Honduras, MLS and the USSF Second Division have proven to be the pests for the perennial powers, but the numbers are still well above .500 with the trends showing an increase in the gap with all but MLS as they have dominated Honduras the past two years.

While MLS has not dominated its non-Mexican opposition, the league is clearly expanding the gap between itself and the second tier of competition from Central America. MLS has improved the past two years against nearly every league with the exception of a rare drop-off against Panama (from .750 to .556), holding a .500 or better mark against Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras for the current tournament.

The separation of Mexico and the American clubs is a present for MLS clubs, so long as they do not take the opposition for granted in favor of focusing on league play. Over the past four years Mexican clubs have accounted for nearly a third of MLS draws in CCL play (7 of 23) and almost half of their losses (20 of 43).

It will not be a walk in the park though if the MLS clubs draw teams from Costa Rica and Honduras, the two leagues other than Mexico than have traditionally been trouble for MLS. The two have accounted for a quarter of the league’s losses (11 of 43) in the event.

Mexico & MLS vs Other Leagues

League Opposing League Overall 2011-12 2010-11
Mexico Costa Rica .722 .750 .667
Mexico El Salvador .708 .500 .667
Mexico Guatemala .727 .500 .667
Mexico Honduras .650 .722 .750
Mexico Panama .778 – 1.00
Mexico Trinidad .833 – 1.00
Mexico USSF D2 .556 – .500
Mexico MLS .686 .633 .567
MLS Costa Rica .389 .500 .250
MLS El Salvador .694 1.00 .667
MLS Guatemala .583 .667 .500
MLS Honduras .472 .583 .583
MLS Panama .583 .556 .750
MLS Trinidad .542 – 1.00
MLS USSF D2 .444 – .500

Coming Up

With the three remaining MLS clubs on the same side of the bracket, changes to the current numbers for the league could be minimal. Toronto FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy square off over the next two Wednesdays (March 7 & 14) while the Seattle Sounders face 2008-09 semifinalist Santos Laguna the same nights as their peers.

The now three-time US Open Cup champions, in the midst of their second CCL campaign as the American tournament winners, have seen a dramatic improvement that is nearly double what they accomplished in their second year of play as an MLS club. A 2-1-5 record in 2010-11 has been put behind them with a 4-1-3 mark in the current tournament, going 3-0-1 on the road.

The Sounders became just the second team to win in Mexico, downing defending champion Monterrey, 1-0, a week after FC Dallas ended the winless status against Pumas. Toronto FC and the Galaxy have also both found success versus Mexican opposition. TFC is 1-2-1 over the last two years with a 1-1 draw in the current edition’s group phase against Pumas. Last year in group play they defeated Cruz Azul at home, 2-1, and played to a scoreless stalemate in Mexico. Los Angeles registered a 2-1 victory over Morelia in the group phase last summer.

Drawn into the other half of the bracket, Pumas or Monterrey will likely be the opponent awaiting the winner on the MLS side. They are joined by fellow Mexican side Morelia as well as El Salvador’s Metapan, who surprised many in becoming the lone club outside of Mexico and MLS to advance to the final eight.

Point Percentage: The calculation is determined from points that would be earned in a contest (3 for win, 1 for draw) out of points possible.

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Boston Avenue, Sooners meet Sunday for Oklahoma USASA title

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Boston Avenue Athletic Club is looking to return to the Region III tournament. This Sunday, March 4 at the South Lakes Soccer Club in Oklahoma City, BAAC will have to get past Oklahoma University Men’s Soccer Club at 3 p.m. in the Oklahoma Soccer Association’s Open Cup Championship for a berth to the USASA Region III tournament held in Houston at the close of April.

BAAC is out to represent Oklahoma for a second consecutive year, but will have to defeat the club program from the university, which has taken the Oklahoma Collegiate Club Soccer League title five of the last 11 years. Last year, BAAC traveled to Tuscaloosa only to come up empty in a four-team group with three losses.

Teams from the state of Oklahoma trying to qualify for the US Open Cup, let alone earn a berth, is not a common occurrence. According to TheCup.us records, this year will mark only the seventh time in the last 18 years where a team from the Sooner state has entered the Region III tournament. Prior to 2010, the last team to enter from Oklahoma was a club called Guerrero finished last in Region III group play back in 2001.

Guerrero had lost its opening two contests against Vikingos of South Texas and Florida’s Uruguay SC, who qualified for the US Open Cup with a sweep of their opposition that year. They would earn the win in the finale, 4-0, against Internationals of Alabama.

Los Lobos of Tulsa represented the state three straight years beginning in 1997. The club fell short against D-3 Pro club Central Jersey Riptide (third division), 1-0, in their first trip to the tournament. The following year, they lost another one-goal game to a D-3 club, the Charlotte Eagles, 4-3. In 1999, Los Lobos advanced to the Region III Final when opponent Guadalajara of Tennessee forfeited the contest in the semifinal round. The club would take their third straight Region III title with a 4-2 victory against the McAllen Sun Devils, only to get blown out by the Wilmington Hammerheads (D-3 Pro) in the opening round of the Open Cup.

USASA clubs that have qualified
three years in a row (1995-present)
Los Lobos (Tulsa, OK | 1997-99)
Mexico SC (Fresno, CA | 1999-02)
Arizona Sahuaros (Phoenix, AZ | 2008-10)

The following year Los Lobos would lose to Uruguay SC (Florida) in the Region III final, and would not return to the competition. The club still competes out of the Tulsa area.

The eight-year absence came to a halt in 2010 when FC Tulsa, now members of the National Premier Soccer League, advanced to the Region III tournament. FC Tulsa finished second in the group with a 1-1-1 record, taking eventual group and tournament winner CASL Elite to a 2-2 draw in the opening game. They then posted a 2-0 victory over ASC New Stars, qualifiers in 2011, before falling in a 3-2 decision against Atlanta FC.

US Open Cup heroes Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle make way for Eddie Johnson in Seattle

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Lamar Neagle raises Seattle's third Open Cup trophy. Photo: Gerald Barnhart

The return of US international Eddie Johnson to Major League Soccer Friday created a bit of a stir across North America as the expansion Montreal Impact picked him up via allocation and proceeded to trade him to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle.

The Sounders duo were a key part of the club’s success last year in the quest to capture an historic third consecutive Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship, tallying a combined three of Seattle’s seven goals in the tournament and making seven total appearances.

The pair will now have an opportunity win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship featuring the Impact, Toronto FC, North American Soccer League side FC Edmonton and Sounders rival Vancouver Whitecaps. The Impact, new to MLS, won the tournament in its first official year as a CONCACAF Champions League qualifying event as a United Soccer Leagues First Division club in 2008 and went on to reach the Champions League Quarterfinals in a stunning campaign.

Fucito, who played in all four matches, was the Open Cup headline maker of the two, scoring both goals in the club’s tightly contested 2-1 Third Round victory over the local USL Premier Development League side Kitsap Pumas. The performance earned him TheCup.us Man of the Match and Player of the Round honors.

Mike Fucito, up front, celebrates during the 2011 post-game ceremony. photo: Gerald Barnhart

The following round, Neagle provided the insurance goal as he expanded Seattle’s 2-1 halftime lead against the Los Angeles Galaxy for the 3-1 quarterfinal victory.

The duo would both enter the semifinal contest as substitutes versus FC Dallas in a 1-0 decision and started the championship match, a 2-0 win, against the Chicago Fire.

Johnson, who has 42 caps with the US National Team and has been part of its youth program since playing for the U17s in 2000, returns to MLS after spending the past four years abroad. Signed by Fulham in 2008, the former FC Dallas (2001-06) and Sporting KC (2006-08) striker played 18 matches with Fulham and another 62 combined on loan to Cardiff City, Aris and Preston North End. He struck for only seven goals over that span (.09 goals per appearance) after registering 41 in MLS previously (.32 goals per appearance). Johnson has four career US Open Cup goals, all for Dallas.

Richmond Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale to play final campaign in 2012

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Pascale was TheCup.us Player of the Round for 2011 Quarterfinals. photo: Brian Zimmerman

Arguably one of the US Open Cup’s most successful goalkeepers, Ronnie Pascale, has announced that 2012 will be his final season with the Richmond Kickers, ending his career where he made a name for himself for the last 12 seasons and transitioning into a coaching role with the club, serving a dual role as player and assistant coach.

It has been quite the career for the 35-year-old Furman University product. He has led the Kickers to the postseason in all but one season since he began serving as the starting netminder in 2002, winning championships in 2006 and 2009 and reaching the final on four other occasions. He also led the team to a pair of regular season titles in 2006 and 2007 and three consecutive runners-up finishes immediately thereafter, earning three Goalkeeper of the Year honors during the process.

Though he registered only one shutout in five US Open Cup matches in 2011, his leadership proved a critical element as Richmond made one of the most historic runs in tournament history by a lower division team. The lone clean sheet was the second half of the first-ever back-to-back pair of road wins by a lower division club against Major League Soccer opposition. The 2-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on a stormy night July 13 sent the Kickers on to the Semifinals for the first time since the club won the 1995 tournament and earned Pascale not only TheCup.us Player of the Match honors, but Player of the Round.

The 2011 run began with 4-1 victories over fellow USL Pro sides Dayton Dutch Lions and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the opening two rounds, respectively. Then Richmond stepped into the spotlight with a surprising 2-1 victory at Columbus Crew Stadium in the Third Round to reach the quarterfinal contest against KC. The Kickers’ run would come to a close, 2-1, in Chicago.

The shutout against Kansas City was the fifth clean sheet of Pascale’s career in the tournament and his 16 career appearances in the event are the most among goalkeepers since 2007. The next closest are Dusty Hudock (11) and Chris Eylander (10). Pascale’s performance in that span has been quite outstanding as well with an 11-5-0 record and a goals-against average of 1.10 against all opposition. Three of the five losses were against MLS clubs with the then higher division Carolina RailHawks attributing to the other two.

News Release +

Richmond Times-Dispatch +

NPSL announces four of 6.5 US Open Cup berths for 2012 tournament

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The National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of American soccer, announced Tuesday that four of its 2011 conference champions have been selected as entrants for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Allotted by US Soccer with a total of 6.5 berths, the league’s remaining two guaranteed spots will come out of the western conference with the third team, the half-berth, facing the yet to be determined sole selection from US Club Soccer in a play-in contest.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PDL players with US Open Cup experience advance careers with 2012 MLS SuperDraft

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A handful of players with US Open Cup playing experience as members of Premier Development League teams were selected in the two-round, 38-player Major League Soccer Draft Thursday afternoon at the NSCAA Convention in Kansas City, MO.

Andrew Wenger (top) and Chris Estridge have scored in the US Open Cup

The Chicago Fire PDL team reached the Third Round in the 2011 US Open Cup and Second Round in 2009, making it no surprise that among the 11 players selected from their development program were four players that saw action during the club’s run this past summer.

Among them was Chris Estridge (21st, Vancouver Whitecaps), who tallied a goal and assist. The defender scored the 1-0 game-winner in the opening round with three minutes remaining, edging the Iowa Menace (USASA entrant of PDL Des Moines Menace). He went on to add an assist on the second goal in another shutout performance in the Second Round as they blanked the NPSL’s Madison 56ers, 2-0.

The team’s run came to an end in the Third Round, falling on the road to Sporting Kansas City, 3-0. Estridge played in all three matches along with Tyler Polak (22, New England Revolution) and Brendan King (27, Portland Timbers). Teammate Calum Mallace (20, Montreal Impact) appeared in the Third Round match.

Reading United AC, a PDL affiliate of the Philadelphia Union, also saw Open Cup players move on to the next flight with hopes of landing on an MLS roster. First overall pick Andrew Wenger (Montreal Impact), a member of the Carolina Dynamo in 2011, nearly led Reading to an upset win over then USL Second Division side Real Maryland with the opening goal of the 2010 First Round only to see the professional side rally for a 2-1 victory. Reading faced fellow Union affiliate USL Pro Harrisburg City Islanders in 2011, falling 2-1 with Matt Hedges (11, FC Dallas) in the lineup.

Jacob Hustedt (25, San Jose Earthquakes) helped lead the Ventura County Fusion in 2011, providing the assist on the game-winner in a 3-1 victory against USASA’s Doxa Italia in the First Round. He was also in the lineup for the club’s valiant effort in a narrow 1-0 loss to USL Pro side Los Angeles Blues in the Second Round.

Ironically, three of the seven players featured above were taken by Canadian clubs, meaning they would be mostly likely to participate in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship this year.

CONCACAF Champions League makes changes; All 24 clubs enter altered group format

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A day after the United States Soccer Federation announced significant changes to its annual championship tournament, the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the governing confederation CONCACAF announced its own major alterations to its Champions League competition. The new format for the 2012-2013 edition of the event will see the elimination of the 16-team Preliminary Round in favor of advancing all 24 qualified teams into an opening group stage of eight, three-team groups.

The new CONCACAF Champions League format will largely utilize the same date windows as was done previously with group matches running from late July to mid October. The changes appear to incorporate a flexible schedule format for the main stage with six dates available for four group contests, allowing the clubs to balance their play in multiple competitions. It will also, undoubtedly assist CONCACAF with severe weather situations which have arisen in the Caribbean and Central America in previous years.

The Championship stage – Quarterfinals to Final – remains unaltered with the eight group winners advancing from the opening stage. The three rounds of two-leg series will continue to run from early March to the first of May.

Previously, US Open Cup champions were unseeded clubs that were required to play in the Preliminary Round, though the 2011 champion Sounders were slated for a direct entry into the Group Phase due to the LA Galaxy winning both the MLS Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup. Under the new format, the clubs that were previously seeded will now be placed in a pot together for the draw that will determine the composition of the groups, ensuring the seeded teams will be distributed equally and avoid one another.

Clubs will also continue to be placed in groups without members from their own nation, though the Can-Am nature of Major League Soccer could still see a Canadian MLS club in the same group as a US MLS side.

The 2012-13 tournament will mark the fifth edition of the event. The Seattle Sounders will represent the US Open Cup for a third consecutive year while league foes Los Angeles Galaxy, Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo also participate. A fifth MLS club is likely again via the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. The Sounders struggled in their first campaign, winning just once in the 2010-11 group phase after winning the Preliminary Round series against El Salvador’s Isidro Metapan. The lone win came against Marathon (Honduras).

Seattle has advanced the success of Open Cup champions under the current CONCACAF format, becoming the first to reach the Quarterfinals. The 2007 champion New England Revolution were stunned in the Preliminary Round in 2008, falling 6-1 on aggregate to Joe Public (T&T). DC United, champions in 2008, also advanced versus an El Salvadoran club, Luis Angel Firpo, in 2009 to reach the group phase, winning a penalty kick tiebreaker after a pair of 1-1 draws. In the group phase DC was 3-2-1, missing the cut by two points despite having higher point totals than the second-place clubs in two of the other groups.

The Sounders continue their second CCL campaign with the Quarterfinals in March. They will face Mexico’s Santos Laguna, a regular contender in the CCL, March 7 and 14 while their league rivals Toronto FC and LA Galaxy square off those same nights in the series that would determine their Semifinal opponent should they advance. Seattle rallied from a 1-0 Preliminary Round deficit against Panama’s San Francisco to win 2-1 in overtime. Seattle finished second in the group at 3-2-1 behind Monterrey, whom they defeated 1-0 in Mexico.

Prior to the Champions League format the Columbus Crew were the last club to represent the US Open Cup in the confederation’s club championship event. The 2002 champion Crew won the 2003 First Round series, 4-2 on aggregate (1-2, 3-0) versus Panama’s Arabe Unido before exiting in the Quarterfinals against Monarcas Morelia, who cruised to the aggregate win with a 6-0 opening win, allowing Columbus to take the second meeting, 2-0.

TheCup.us Best of 2011 review

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As we head into the New Year with US Open Cup qualification for 2012 already under way in the USASA and all the entrants for the higher divisions (reportedly) set, we thought we would take a look back at the year 2011. We wanted to honor the great performances in the US Open Cup and by the teams and players in all competitions for the American domestic clubs. Here is the debut of TheCup.us annual honors.

US Open Cup Best 11 Performances of 2011

11 – Eric Kronberg & CJ Sapong (Sporting KC):

Qualifying for the tournament during and after a long road stretch to start the season due to stadium construction was no easy task, and the club could not be faulted if they chose to pass on playing in the event. Instead, the team dominated in qualifying with a pair of Kronberg shutouts and three goals from Sapong to top Houston, 1-0 in overtime, and New England, 5-0. Kronberg would go on to get a third shutout in the Third Round tournament opener for KC, blanking Chicago Fire’s PDL side, 3-0.

10 – Stefan Dimitrov (NY Pancyrprian Freedoms):

After being one of the club’s leading players in qualifying, he continued his stellar performance in the tournament. He struck the opening goal in the team’s 2-1 First Round win against Brooklyn Italians and nearly saw his team upset USL Pro’s FC New York in the Second Round, falling in penalties after a scoreless draw.

9 – Kitsap Pumas:

The best performance by a club from the fourth tier of US Soccer, Kitsap survived a difficult road trip to El Paso in the First Round, advancing on penalties after a scoreless draw. They then dominated fellow PDL side Real Colorado, 3-1, before giving the MLS Sounders a tough test on their home turf before exiting in a 2-1 decision.

8 – Jackson (FC Dallas):

The midfielder was the game MVP in the club’s first two contests, tallying a goal and assist in the thrilling 3-2 victory against Orlando City in the Third Round and finding the back of the net once again in their win at home against Real Salt Lake.

7 – Zach Lubin (Kitsap Pumas):

Filling in for the regular starter at the last minute, the netminder came out on top in a goalkeeping duel on the road against the El Paso Patriots. After a scoreless 90 minutes, he made a fantastic double-save in overtime and then stopped a penalty in the shootout to send the Pumas onto the Second Round.

6 – Dominic Oduro (Chicago Fire):

A maligned start to his MLS campaign resulted in a trade to Chicago, where he would revive his reputation with some success in the Open Cup. Part of the success included game-winners in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches against Richmond and New York. Oduro, Player of the Round for the Semifinals, also finished second behind Seattle’s Fredy Montero for TheCup.us Player of the ‘Tournament.

5 – Chicago Fire:

A club struggling in league play (and ultimately missing the postseason), the Fire advanced from pre-tournament MLS qualifying, kicking it all off with a win over defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids, 2-1, before topping San Jose in penalties after a 2-2 draw to earn the berth. In the tournament they edged perennial upset-power Rochester, 1-0, before clobbering a second-string Red Bulls, 4-0, and ending the amazing run of Richmond, 2-1, to reach the championship, where they fell, 2-0, to Seattle.

4 – Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders):

The Sounders played four games en route to the title. He netted the game-winner in the last three as they topped three consecutive MLS opponents, earning Player of the Tournament honors.

3 – David Bulow (Richmond Kickers):

He finished as the leading scorer of the tournament with six goals, doubling the tally of those behind him. The effort propelled Bulow into the all-time scoring leader for the Modern Pro Era with 14. With a hat-trick in the First Round, two goals in the Second he tied Johnny Menyongar and MLS great Jaime Moreno at 13. He notched the table-leading goal in a 2-0 Quarterfinal win against Sporting Kansas City. Unfortunately he had to watch his team play without him in the Kickers’ Semifinal loss to Chicago when he received a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation when he was cautioned late in the Kansas City match.

2 – Seattle Sounders:

Any other year and Seattle would have been in the top spot, which is undoubtedly where they would be for a team of the decade vote. You do not need to say anything more than Three-Peat.

1 – Richmond Kickers:

What can you say? In the 17 years of the Modern Pro Era of the tournament you can count on one hand the kind of lower division club performances equal to what the Kickers accomplished this year, becoming the first-ever team to win back-to-back road matches versus MLS opponents. They topped Columbus at Crew Stadium, 2-1, in the Third Round and stunned Kansas City, 2-0, in a thunderstorm-plagued match in the Quarterfinals. The run, which started with a pair of games against fellow USL Pro clubs and no amateur sides, did not see the team trail until it came to an end on the road in Chicago during the Semifinals.

All Competitions Best of 2011

Major League Soccer Club: Los Angeles Galaxy

It was not an easy choice between the star-laden Galaxy and the Open Cup darling Sounders as both were excellent across nearly all competitions. LA won MLS Cup as Seattle crashed out early in the playoffs again. On the other hand, Seattle knocked LA out of the early rounds of the Open Cup yet again on its way to winning their third consecutive title, making those two events basically even. In the end, that left the MLS Supporters’ Shield and CONCACAF Champions League, both of which the Galaxy were the better side. LA won their group in CCL action while the Sounders were second in theirs – both advancing to this spring’s Quarterfinals. And in the regular season, the Galaxy finished four points better as they finished one-two with LA having the better of Seattle on the narrowest of margins, 1-0 on aggregate, in their two league contests on the year – making the season opener back on March 15 the possible deciding factor in this honor as the point swing would have made Seattle Supporters’ Shield winners instead.

Major League Soccer Player: Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders)

With three goals in the Open Cup, he was tied with several other players for second in scoring. In MLS, he finished tied for fifth in both goals (12) and assists (9). He was also tied for sixth in CCL scoring with three goals.

Lower Division Professional Club: Orlando City

Based on Open Cup performance, selecting Richmond would have been the obvious choice. However, Orlando City dominated USL Pro this season, finishing with a 15-3-6 record and going on to capture the league double with a playoff championship in equally dominating fashion. In the Open Cup, the Floridians blew past amateurs ASC New Stars, 4-0, before becoming the first non-MLS team to oust Charleston, 1-0, in the Second Round. They gave CCL club and MLS Cup finalist FC Dallas a tough outing in the Third Round, finding themselves on the wrong end of a thrilling 3-2 contest that saw both clubs score in stoppage time.

Lower Division Professional Player: Miguel Gallardo (Orlando City)

If David Bulow was the star of the Open Cup, it was Gallardo during the USL Pro season. The netminder controlled the box with a league-leading 0.681 GAA, finishing first in shutouts (11) and tied for first in wins (12). He allowed only one goal in postseason contests against Charleston and Richmond and had a shutout in the works during the final before mistakenly taking down a Harrisburg player outside of the box, receiving a red card for the foul and allowing the City Islanders to force a 2-2 draw that saw the Lions take the title in penalties.

Amateur Club: NY Pancyprian Freedoms

The perennial USASA giants came into the tournament as defending USASA Open Cup champions and as reigning Cosmopolitan League title holders, suffering only one loss in a 11-1-4 campaign. The Freedoms topped the NPSL’s Brooklyn Italians, 2-1, in the First Round and nearly upset USL Pro FC New York in the Second Round. They took the pro club to penalty kicks in a scoreless contest before being eliminated in sudden death penalties. The club would go on to capture a second straight USASA championship, downing AAC Eagles, 6-0, in the semifinal and claiming the title in penalties after a 2-2 draw against ASC New Stars.

Amateur Club Player: Milton Blanco (Fresno Fuego)

He finished first in the league in assists (14) and tied for sixth in goals (12) to finish first overall in total points with 38. He helped lead Fresno to an unbeaten 13-0-3 season that came to an end in the second round of the playoffs, 1-0, by the professional Kitsap side that went on to win the league title. Four of Blanco’s goals came in the opening four Open Cup qualification games of the season, leading the team to a perfect 4-0-0 record that was not quite enough as they missed out on the division’s berth in the tournament to Ventura County on tiebreakers.

Professional Women’s Club: Western NY Flash

Dominant from start to finish, the newcomers to WPS finished 14-3-2 on the season and went on to win the league double with the playoff championship.

Professional Women’s Player: Abby Wambach (MagicJack)

It was a tough decision with WNY’s Christine Sinclair finishing tied for first in goals (10) and assists (8). Wambach, however, was tied for third in goals (9), having played in three fewer games. More importantly, the US international was the standout performer in the FIFA World Cup over the summer while Canada’s campaign fell flat.

Amateur Women’s Club: Atlanta Silverbacks

The W-League champions suffered only one loss on the year, an early season defeat to rival Charlotte, 3-1. Since that game, the Silverbacks gave up only two more goals during the regular season, finishing the campaign with seven shutouts. After a wild 3-2 opening round playoff win against the New Jersey Wildcats they went on to blank Charlotte, 1-0, and dominate the two Canadian giants. They topped Vancouver, 3-1, in the semifinal and shockingly crushed the perfect Ottawa Fury (12-0-0, 3-0-0) in the championship game with a stunning 6-1 result.

Amateur Women’s Club Player: Edite Fernandes (Santa Clarita Blue Heat)

With players on Canadian sides dominating the scoring charts it was Edite Fernandes that stood out in the W-League. She finished with nine goals and five assists on the season (fourth in goals, assists and points)  to help guide the second-year club to a regular season title in the Western Conference, a group home to powerhouses like Pali Blues, Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders.

Note: Pro clubs (and their players) in amateur leagues were ineligible for amateur awards. For men, they were categorized with Lower Division Professional Clubs and for women, they were categorized with Professional Women’s Club, etc.

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