Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Jon Sicotte

2016 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Chicago Fire end Fort Lauderdale Strikers’ Cinderella run, make history in process

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Chicago Fire celebrate a goal against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the 2016 US Open Cup Quarterfinals. Photo: Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire celebrate a goal against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the 2016 US Open Cup Quarterfinals. Photo: Chicago Fire

The Fire continue to find a flicker of hope when it comes to US Open Cup runs.

Although not able to find a spot in its league playoffs since 2012 and sits last in the table in its division, the MLS’ Fire defeated the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3-0 in the Cup
Quarterfinals to advance to its fourth consecutive Semifinals berth and 12th overall, setting the all-time US Open Cup record.

The four-time Cup champions will meet its MLS Eastern Conference counterparts the New England Revolution in the Semifinals on Aug. 9.

The Strikers were looking to make history as the first NASL team ever to make the Semifinals.

“In the first 15 minutes we tried to close the space, but we conceded two early goals and that put us in a terrible situation,” said coach and GM Caio Zanardi in a report by the team. “But it was a great moment for us to be in the quarterfinal beating D.C. United and Orlando City. Playing Chicago was special for us. This was a great moment for us to play here in Chicago.”

Reigning TheCup.us Player of the Round David Accam again led the way, earning and converting a penalty in the 4th minute for his fourth goal of the tournament and dishing out what would prove to be the game-winner.

Accam helped double the lead when he set up Michael de Leeuw in the 35th minute and Khaly Thiam all but sealed the game for the Fire when his goal in the 51st minute made it 3-0.

Gale Agbossoumonde did not make life easier for the Strikers, the last non-MLS team left in the Open Cup field, when he got himself sent off in the 70th minute. Agbossoumonde had previously played every minute of the Strikers NASL and Open Cup campaigns.

Accam was brought down on inside the 18-yard box by Fort Lauderdale goalkeeper Diego Restrepo and the Ghanaian forward converted his attempt from the penalty spot. A bad start got worse for the Strikers minutes later as Nana Attakora was forced off after a collision.

It was Accam again in the 35th minute. After winning a ball at midfield, Accam made his way through the Striker’s midfield and around Restrepo in the penalty area and his attempt was cleaned up by de Leeuw. It was de Leeuw’s first goal in the tournament and his second in four matches since joining the Fire.

Fort Lauderdale came out more aggressively in the second half but conceded a third goal shortly after the restart. Accam played a short corner to Brandon Vincent as he found Nick LaBrocca. LaBrocca’s headed attempt was stopped by Restrepo, but the rebound fell to the feet of
Thiam who was able make it a 3-0 tilt in the 51st.

With the win, the Fire advance to the Semifinals for the fourth year in a row. They become the first club in the 103-year history of the tournament to reach four straight Open Cup Semis twice (2003-06, 2013-16). Only six other clubs have ever reached the Semis four straight years: Ukrainian Nationals (1959-66), Seattle Sounders (2007-12), Stix, Baer & Fuller (1932-37), Bethlehem Steel (1915-1919, LA Galaxy (2000-03), Philadelphia Nationals (1949-52).

FULL MATCH REPLAY: Chicago Fire vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers

2015 US Open Cup Round 1: Chattanooga FC goalkeeper uses hands, right foot to overcome Ocala Stampede in PKs (video)

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chattanooga-fc-logoChattanooga FC used a late goal to propel them to extra time against the Ocala Stampede and goalkeeper Gregory Hartley scored from the mark to secure a victory in the First Round of the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Luke Winter scored in the 87th minute and Hartley scored the final penalty kick goal for Chattanooga as they won the shootout, 4-2.

A spectacular late goal put the game into extra time as Chrispin Ochieng received a cross into the box and headed it to Winter who put his back heel on the ball, beating Ocala’s Lex Craggs for the tying mark.

A record opening-night crowd of 2,483 at Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium watched the Stampede of the PDL score in the 61st minute to take the initial lead.

Freddy Ruiz ran and give-and-go to the right side of Hartley, then fed a pass out to the top of the box, finding Lewis Hilton for the strike. His shot traveled low and to the right of Hartley to beat him and give the Stampede the lead.

A spirited first half saw neither team score, but both had their chances, especially in the final 15 minutes of the stanza.

Ocala cracked the crossbar in the 39th minute while two minutes later, Chattanooga went on the attack, but Craggs turned away the shot.

Both teams had chance to take the lead late in extra time, but could not capitalize.

In the 112th, Ocala got a feed into the box, but the shot went off the top of the striker’s foot and went high. Three minutes later, Chattanooga had its best chance as a feed in from the right side found its way onto a left-footed shot. The kick trickled by Craggs but a Ocala defender was able to knock the ball out. On the ensuing corner, Chattanooga also threatened, but a kick sailed wide.

In the 119th, Chattanooga got into Craggs’ box, but miscommunication between the two offensive players for CFC ended with no strike.

CFC advances to the US Open Cup Second Round and will head to North Carolina for a matchup with the USL’s Wilmington Hammerheads on May 20.

Chattanooga FC will look to build on a historic performance from last year. Then, they beat the Hammerheads to become the first NPSL side to upset a professional team in the tournament after 21 losses.

For Ocala, it was its third straight US Open Cup appearance. The match was its first match of the season. CFC opened play with a 6-0 win against the Georgia Revolution on May 9.

Highlights: Ocala Stampede at Chattanooga FC

Full match replay: Ocala Stampede at Chattanooga FC

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Mike Magee scores in Fire debut as Chicago clips Charlotte Eagles, 2-0

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Early goals in each half propelled the Chicago Fire into the fourth round of the 100th US Open Cup on Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory over the host Charlotte Eagles in Rock Hill, SC on the campus of Winthrop University.

Newly acquired midfielder Mike Magee’s 11th minute goal got the MLS-side warmed up and Chris Rolfe helped ice the match with an assist from Magee against the third-division USL Pro squad in the 57th minute.Fire Logo

The Fire traded for Magee over the weekend, sending midfielder Robbie Rogers’ rights in exchange.

Chicago trotted out a mostly first-team side for the crowd of 1,562. They were without the services of goalkeeper Sean Johnson who was with the US Men’s National Team for a friendly against Belgium. Starting in his place was backup Paolo Tornaghi.

“I think games like this are never easy,” Fire coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. “You see around the world just the upsets that take place and there are great opportunities for teams like Charlotte to compete again MLS teams and also for players to showcase their abilities.

“More than anything we had to take the game very serious, which we did but it was a great night”

The loss grounded the Eagles – one the lower-division darlings of last year’s cup by advancing into the quarterfinals – who were outshot 18-12.

Chicago advances to host MLS-side Columbus Crew on June 12. The four time U.S. Open Cup champs are now 30-11-4 in Open Cup play.

Chicago Fire: Paolo Tornaghi; Jalil Anibaba, Austin Berry, Baky Soumare, Gonzalo Segares; Logan Pause (Jeff Larentowicz, 46’); Dilly Duka, Alex, Patrick Nyarko (Joel Lindpere, 52’); Chris Rolfe (Sherjill MacDonald, 72’), Mike Magee
Substitutes not used: Alec Kaan, Michael Videira, Hunter Jumper

Charlotte Eagles: Eric Reed; Ben Newnam, Matt Gold, Fejiro Okiomah, Shaun Francis; Stephen Okai, Juan Guzman (Drew Yates, 75’); Jorge Herrera, Sam Asante, Nate Thornton (Sergio Villasenor, 45’); Stefan Smith (Christian Meza, 59’)
Substitutes not used: Brock Duckworth, Christian Ramirez, Evan Harding, Nick Courtney

Scoring
CHI – Mike Magee (Gonzalo Segares) 11’
CHI – Chris Rolfe (Mike Magee) 57’

Misconducts
CHI – Baky Soumare (caution) 39’
CHA – Sergio Villasenor (caution) 85’

2012 US Open Cup Round 3: USL Pro’s winless Dayton Dutch Lions rally past Crew in Columbus, 2-1

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The Dayton Dutch Lions celebrate after their 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew (MLS) in the Third Round of the 2012 US Open Cup. Photo: Dayton Dutch Lions

Go ahead, try to wipe the smile off of Dayton Dutch Lions coach Ivar van Dinteren’s face. It wouldn’t go away Tuesday night. The third division Dutch Lions of USL Pro are on to the Fourth Round of play in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup after a stunning come-from-behind 2-1 win over the MLS side Columbus Crew in the final 11 minutes at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio in front of a sparse crowd of 1,646 at the massive arena.

“We had nothing to lose, Columbus had everything to lose. I just told them to go out and attack and just play,” van Dinteren said with a glint in his eye. “If it goes wrong, what do we have to lose? They are MLS, they have to win. We don’t have to win. That’s the mindset.”

Gibson Bardsley scored the match-winning tally in the 81st minute off a feed from Daniel Holowaty to send the Dutch Lions to the “Sweet 16” of Open Cup play. Two minutes prior, Gerrit-Jan Bartels found the net after a feed from Holowaty to tie it after Columbus’ Olman Vargas converted a penalty kick in the 64th minute.

“After the goal, I expected them to press us, but they gave us some space. If you let us play out of the back, then we are dangerous,” van Dinteren said. “We can play the game.

“They could have finished us going up 1-0, but I think we took the chances.”

It had been a rough go in the USL Pro season so far for the Dutch Lions, gaining just four ties in eight league games. Their only win had been a US Open Cup Second Round victory over the Chicago Fire Premier Development League squad, the primary rival of their next opponent, the Michigan Bucks, who recorded an upset of their own Tuesday night.

Fielding a starting side stocked with reserves, Columbus coach Robert Warzycha was surly after the game and was short with answers explaining the loss.

“Disappointed,” he said curtly when asked of the team’s performance during post-match remarks.

The Crew had been in a renaissance lately after a tough start, going 3-0-2 in their last five league matches. The team’s tough-luck on finishing returned at the wrong point in the season, eliminating the team from Cup play for a second season in a row in the first match they played.

Columbus outplayed Dayton for a majority of the contest, but could not find a way to finish in the first half, outshooting the Dutch Lions 9-0 with four shots fired onto Dutch Lions’ goalkeeper Matthew Williams.

The game continued to be slanted Columbus’ way in the second half and a fortunate handball call inside the box on Dayton’s Shane Smith as he fell and touched the ball on a shot taken by Columbus’ Justin Meram.

Vargas took the penalty kick and beat Williams low and to his right for the opening score.

Dayton continued to struggle offensively and played defense for most of the contest, but they broke through 15 minutes after Vargas put Columbus ahead.

Vargas’ pass behind him to a defender was knocked away, leading to Holowaty sending a cross from the right side to Bartels to tie it.

Columbus misplayed the ball less than two minutes later and Holowaty sent another cross from the right side onto the foot of Bardsley. He spun and leveled a strong kick into the back corner.

“I think we made two incredible goals,” van Dinteren said. “They were both just one-touch, one-touch, one-touch and goal. I think my team deserves this win.

“We’ve had some bad luck so far this season and this is finally what we get.”

The Crew finished with a 18-3 shots advantage with a 7-3 shots of goal tally, but it was Williams finishing with six saves and the Crew’s back-up Matt Lampson with one.

The Dutch Lions will face a fellow lower-tier side on June 5 as they travel to the Michigan Bucks – a fourth division squad from the PDL — in Pontiac, Mich. with the winner moving on to quarterfinal action. The Bucks defeated the MLS Chicago Fire 3-2 in a night of upsets for lower division squads.

Dayton Dutch Lions 2:1 Columbus Crew
Crew Stadium – Columbus, Ohio

Scoring Summary
CLB: Olman Vargas (penalty kick) – 64′
DAY: Gerrit-Jan Bartels (Daniel Holowaty) 79′
DAY: Gibson Bardsley (Daniel Holowaty) 81′

Discipline:
DAY: 33′ – Gibson Bardsley, yellow
CLB: 48+’-  Ethan Finlay, yellow
DAY: 87′ – Kyle Knotek

Shots: Columbus 18, Dayton 3
Saves: Columbus – 1 (Matt Lampson); Dayton – 6 (Matthew Williams)
Corners: Columbus 4; Dayton 2
Fouls: Dayton 19; Columbus 6
Offsides: Dayton 2; Columbus 2

Lineups:
Columbus: Lamspon, Perry, Gehrig, James, Francis, George, Grossman,
Meram, Birchall, Finlay, Vargas. Bench: Gruenebaum, Williams, Veeder,
Anor, Duka, Renteria, Horton
Dayton: Williams, Preciado, Copier, Dias, Smith, Jones, DeLass,
McNamara, Garner, Bardsley, Priestly. Bench: Whisenhunt, DeGroot,
Robinson, Knoteli, Holowaty, Bartels, Kissinger

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Michigan Bucks steamroll Jersey Shore Boca 6-0

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A view from the press area at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas' main field. | File Photo: Josh Hakala

Being on the good side of the only rout of the First Round of the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the Michigan Bucks had no trouble piling onto their record for most US Open Cup wins by any amateur team in the Modern Era (1995-present). In the end, the USL Premier Development League squad took it to Jersey Shore Boca of the USASA, winning 6-0 at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Michigan (outside Detroit).

Trinidad national Stefan St. Louis scored twice in the first half, and Nermin Crnkic added two second half assists to his first half goal as the Bucks advanced to the Second Round of play in the 99th edition of the US Open Cup.

It was only the second match the Bucks had played this season, and the first official match other than an exhibition practice last Saturday. The team did look a bit rusty, according to head coach Gary Parsons, as Michigan had difficulty finishing.

They outshot Boca 28-6 in the first half, but only had 11 shots on net. “The finishing was frustrating,” Parsons said. “It would have been tougher if they had gotten us to halftime . When you don’t score like that, it does get frustrating. But we finally got one and another one. When that starts happening, it’s pretty much done.”

One contributing factor to the lopsided score was a red card in the 17th minute which sent off Jersey Shore defender Nick Tarquinio as the Bucks’ St. Louis drove in for what would have been a 1-on-1 goal scoring opportunity just outside the box. Player/coach Michael McCullion did not believe that Tarquinio deserved the booking, but admitted it did change the dynamic of the contest. “Getting a man down changed the whole game, especially the first ten to 15 minutes ,” he said. “We tried our best, but they are a great, fit club that is very athletic. We did our best; that’s what we came here to do.”

The Bucks ended the first half with a flurry of goals, scoring three within the span of seven minutes, with St. Louis bookending a goal by Crnkic. St. Louis’ second goal was a thing of beauty as he calmly back heeled the ball into the net .

St. Louis was happy with the result, but admitted they could have done more. “We just couldn’t get the ball into the net, which made the game a little more even,” St. Louis said. “We missed a couple early chances, but we finally scored and opened up the play. All the practice we have had paid off and it was good to play someone else.” Michigan lessened the pressure and added subs in the second half of the game, but scored three more goals in the final 16 minutes of the match.

Also scoring for the Bucks were Tom Catalano, Ethan Miller, and Bim Ogunyemi. Adam Grinwis finished with four saves for Michigan while Boca goalkeeper Bobby Feeney was busy, making 15 saves. “That was one of the best games I have seen Bobby Feeney play,” McCullion said. “He kept us in the game for the first 30 minutes, and even longer than that.”

The win gives the Bucks – who have been in the US Open Cup nine times in 16 years – their 10th overall win (10-7-1) in the Cup. They also improved to 7-4-1 at home. The Bucks head to Pittsburgh to take on the Riverhounds of the third division USL Pro league for the Second Round.

“We set a high standard with this team,” St. Louis said. “Whichever team it is, we go out and expect high performance and getting the win.”

Parsons expects upwards of six players to be able to join the squad for the Second Round of the US Open Cup. “That will make us stronger for next Tuesday,” he said.

McCullion said he expects Jersey Shore Boca to enter the tournament next year with even more confidence. “I think back home, this brings a little more credit to our club for getting players that want to compete at high levels,” he said.

NOTES: The Bucks have scored in 17 of 18 US Open Cup matches. … Catalano finished with a goal and an assist. … This was the third US Open Cup game played indoors. Michigan has hosted two of them and is 1-1 (lost 2-1 in the First Round in 2008 to the Cleveland City Stars). … The Bucks have tied the team record for most goals scored in a US Open Cup match with 6 (2000 First Round: 6-0 win over Jerry D’s).

Jersey Shore Boca 0:6 Michigan Bucks
Ultimate Soccer Arenas – Pontiac, Mich.

MIC: Stefan St. Louis (Matthew Banher) 31
MIC: Nermin Crnkic (Tom Catalano) 36
MIC: Stefan St. Louis (Steven Miller) 38
MIC: Tom Catalano (Thomas Schmitt) 74
MIC: Ethan Miller (Nermin Crnkic) 83
MIC: Bim Ogunyemi (Nermin Crnkic) 89

Discipline:
JSB: Nick Tarquinio – ejection 17

Saves: Michigan – 4 (Adam Grinwis); Jersey Shore – 15 (Bobby Feeney)
Corners: Michigan 9; Jersey Shore 5

2012 Meet the USASA: North Texas Rayados from Dallas, TX

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Welcome to our continuing series of Meet the USASA features where we annually profile the clubs representing the United States Adult Soccer Association in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Advancing from the four regional tournaments, these often unknown clubs have great stories to tell and each year, our goal is to allow fans to get to know them as they attempt to become this year’s Cinderella story.

North Texas Rayados hope to take a page from the playbook of fellow North Texas Premier Soccer Association (NTPSA) Division 1A member Dallas Roma FC from six years ago and make a run in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup this season.

Roma won a United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) record three matches in 2006 before losing in the fourth round to Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy. A run like that, which included the first-ever USASA wins over a First Division club (1-0 vs. Miami FC) and an MLS team (0-0, 4-2 in PKs vs. Chivas USA)-0), could be a dream that NTX Rayados hopes to see happen.

The Dallas-based NTX Rayados lost 2-0 in the USASA Region III Open Cup championship to ASC New Stars on April 28, but finished
with a 2-1-0 record in group play to qualify for the US Open Cup for the first time. Wins over Florida’s Royal Eagles (4-0) and Oklahoma’s Boston Avenue Athletic Club (2-1) propelled the team to the tournament for the first time.

The team was formed in the summer of 2011 when former college teammates Tito Salas and Raul Herrera got a group of friends that had moved back home after finishing up college soccer careers.

Raul Herrera of the North Texas Rayados

“ wanted to play at the highest level possible,” said Herrera, who is the Rayados’ goalkeeper and is currently the goalkeeper coach at Richland College in the Dallas area.  “The NTPSA is known to be the top league in the North Texas area”

The team takes its name from Mexican Primera Division side FC Monterrey. They were called just Rayados last summer, but added the “NTX” moniker to identify with the region they are from.

Herrera said it was difficult to convince a top-flight league like the NTPSA to allow a new team to start at the top division from the start.

“They thought we would get crushed by the teams in the league,” Hererra said. “We really wanted to play in the highest division because we knew if we did well there, we would be able to compete in the US Open Cup.”

Persistence paid off.

Tito Sales of North Texas Rayados

“After many references and recommendations, we finally got our chance,” Herrera said. “The league is very competitive. They have teams with players from different parts of the world and different styles of play which makes it very difficult to win each week.”

NTX Rayados won the NTPSA Division 1A in their first year, qualifying for the Region III tournament in the fall.

“We played with a chip on our shoulder, you can say, being the new guys on the block,” Herrera said.

As a unit, NTX Rayados has gone 20-1 in the league over two-plus seasons. The team consists of mainly former college players of various levels, with the core group being members of the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association Division III national champions of Richland College. Richland is a powerhouse in NJCAA men’s soccer, winning national titles in 2002, ’03, ’04, ’06 and ’07 while finishing as runner-up in ’05 and ’09.

Along with Salas and Herrera, Alberto Rodriguez and Efren Castillo were also on the 2006 championship squad, which defeated Herkimer County Community College (N.Y.) 3-1. Many of the players went on from Richland to play for NAIA and NCAA schools.

The Rayados finished 6-1-0 in NTPSA play during the spring, tying for the league title with Legends FC, a three-time qualifier in the US Open Cup (2004, ’06, ’10).

2012 NTX Rayados season
North Texas Premier Soccer Association
Feb. 26 – Win, 1-0 vs. Legends FC
Mar. 4 – Win, 4-1 vs. AfricaUnited.org
Mar. 18 – Win, 4-2 vs. Dallas Roma FC
Mar. 25 – Loss, 1-3 vs. Santos
Apr. 1 – Win, 3-2 vs. United
Apr. 22 – Win, 3-1 vs. Agnew FC
Apr. 29 – Win, 3-2 vs. Liverpool FC

USASA Region III Open Cup tournament
Apr. 27 – Win, 2-1 vs. Boston Avenue AC (OK)
Apr. 28 – Win, 4-0 vs. Royal Eagles (FL)
Apr. 28 – Loss, 0-2 vs. ASC New Stars (STX)

“We don’t really have a coach on a daily basis,” Hererra said. “Tito and I run the practices and do as much as we can on our own.

“Humberto Rodriguez is a mutual friend and coach from a previous local team we played for and he is the person who helps out financially and with his time.”

NTX Rayados will face the El Paso Patriots of the USL Premier Development League in the First Round on Tuesday, May 15. If they win, they will join Dallas Roma FC as the second USASA team from the state of Texas to advance to the Second Round.

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

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