Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Michael Berton

Communications and Development Associate at the Public Interest Law Center. Based in the Philadelphia area, has been helping out with TheCup.us since 2012. Graduated with a degree in journalism from Penn State University.

Colorado Rovers to represent United States Specialty Sports Association in 100th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

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When US Soccer announced the format for the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, a new name caught the eye of many a soccer fan—the United States Specialty Sports Association. The organization was awarded a spot in the tournament, beginning play in the Qualifying Round, and TheCup.us has confirmed that the Colorado Rovers will be their representative.

While Specialty Sports may not be a household name, it is actually quite a large organization. Specialty Sports is a national organization, featuring 13 different sports and about 3.5 million members. Baseball and softball account for most of that number, but soccer has made large strides since its inclusion into Specialty Sports in 2001.

By 2008, 11 states were holding championships, and the first Specialty Sports National Championship took place in Las Vegas. This year, 18 teams got together in Denver to determine who would become the first ever Specialty Sports club to participate in the US Open Cup.

A Specialty Sports club in the US Open Cup is new, but the Colorado Rovers are anything but. Founded in 1992, the Rovers have gradually become a force in Colorado soccer. According to Erick French, the Adult Director of Specialty Sports, the Rovers began in a league’s second division, eventually moved to the top division, and have been winning consistently ever since.

“It’s really good for the team to have this kind of an opportunity. It helps with our recruiting, it helps with everything we do,” said French. “Regardless of how we do in the cup, it’s a fantastic opportunity for us. We’re really excited.”

Before moving to Specialty Sports, Colorado was a member of the USASA. The Rovers never attempted to qualify for the Open Cup, but they were successful in the amateur tournaments, winning the Region IV Amateur Cup in 2009. Currently, they play in the Colorado Amateur Soccer League.

Last year saw a US Club Soccer enter their first team into the US Open Cup and the Fresno-based Stanislaus United Turlock Express were victorious in their tournament debut. The Rovers hope to do the same as they begin play in the Qualifying Round on May 7 against an National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) team that has yet to be determined.

Regardless of what happens, it will be a great experience for the Specialty Sports side, and a stepping stone for the organization.

“My motivation was for our adult member leagues. I wanted to be able to give them the opportunity to compete at a national level in the most prestigious soccer tournament in the country,” said Craig Scriven, the National Director for USSSA Soccer, about applying to add USSSA to the tournament field. “The Open Cup is a great tournament which allows all teams and players the chance to test themselves against other  federation members. In speaking with the representatives from Colorado Rovers I’m already excited about the game ahead.”

“For me we have reached our goal this year, which is acceptance into the event. It’s a great moment for USSSA and Colorado Rovers who will not only be representing themselves and their league, but also an entire organization for the very first time. Any further progression will be the icing on the cake.

“Going forward, I am excited to see our member leagues and tournaments grow stronger. By having an avenue into the Open Cup our top divisions throughout the country will have another step in their seasons which will make for some great games.”

The Rovers will be the first non-PDL amateur club to qualify for the US Open Cup in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present).

#USOC100

2013 US Open Cup Qualifying Round (May 7)
Colorado Rovers (USSSA) vs. NPSL team TBA
US Club Soccer team TBA vs. NPSL team TBA
*Winners advance to Round 1 on May 14

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Boston Avenue AC wins another Oklahoma title, qualifies for USASA Region III Finals

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The Boston Avenue Athletic Club Reserves are Oklahoma Open Cup champions for the fourth year in a row after defeating Los Lobos 1-0 on Sunday. BAAC dominated the six-team tournament, outscoring its opponents 12-2.

The tournament, which sends the winner to the USASA Region III Open Cup Finals, began on Sat., last Saturday, Feb. 23 with BAAC being placed in Group A with the Oklahoma University club team and Boulder FC.

BAAC and Boulder, which are both teams named after streets in Tulsa located two blocks apart, were first up, with BAAC coming out 2-0 winners. Carlos Zuta and Dave Leung scored for the derby winners.

The BAAC Reserves then took on Oklahoma University in a rematch of last year’s final, which BAAC had won 3-2. This year, BAAC clinched the group with a 5-2 win over the Sooners.

In the final game, Oklahoma narrowly edged out Boulder 3-2 for a place in the semifinals. After falling behind 3-0, Boulder scored twice to make things interesting. Several more chances came close for Boulder, but they couldn’t find that last goal to tie things up.

Group B featured Los Lobos, Guerrero, and Sporting OKC. In the first game, Los Lobos scored three times in the final 15 minutes to defeat Guerrero 3-0. In game two, Los Lobos won the group with a 3-2 victory over Sporting OKC. In that match, Los Lobos had a player sent off, and Sporting OKC lost two of its players for its later match.

Despite losing two players, Sporting OKC booked a spot in the semifinals with a 2-2 tie against Guerrero, who last won the Oklahoma Open Cup title in 2001. Sporting had to come back from 2-0 down to earn the stalemate.

The semifinals were lopsided affairs. Los Lobos, who qualified for the US Open Cup three years in a row from 1997-99, earned a spot in the finals for the first time in seven years with a 3-0 victory over Oklahoma University. BAAC took out Sporting 4-0.

The final was much closer, with only one goal scored between the sides. Leung scored in the 27th minute for BAAC. Los Lobos missed several chances in the second half, and BAAC claimed the state title.

With the victory, BAAC Reserves moves on to the Region III tournament where they will try to advance to their first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Last year, BAAC finished third in their group in a year when two teams from Texas advanced out of the tournament. The Region III Finals will be held April 12-14 in New Orleans.

2013 Oklahoma Open Cup tournament (Feb. 23-24)

Group A
Boston Avenue AC 2:0 Boulder FC
Boston Avenue 5:2 Oklahoma Univ. Club Team
Oklahoma Univ. Club Team 3:2 Boulder FC

Group B
Los Lobos 3:0 Guerrero
Los Lobos 3:2 Sporting OKC
Sporting OKC 2:2 Guerrero

Semifinals
Boston Avenue AC 4:0 Sporting OKC
Los Lobos 3:0 Oklahoma Univ. Club Team

Final
Boston Avenue AC 1:0 Los Lobos

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: West Chester United defeat United German Hungarians to repeat as Eastern PA champs

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West Chester United celebrates a goal during the Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup Final against the United German Hungarians. United won the game 3-1 to win their second straight title. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

West Chester United is the Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup champion for the second year in a row after beating United German Hungarians 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. UGH scored first, but West Chester equalized just before the half and used the extremely windy weather conditions to its advantage to pull away in the end.

“The guys played really, really well. The wind was a huge factor. In the second half…I think the elements actually helped us with the wind going our way a little bit,” West Chester manager Vincent D’Ambrosio said after the game.

The two-time Open Cup runners-up, UGH, had the wind advantage in the first half, and used it to control the early part of the game. The visitors capitalized in the 17th minute when Elsion Pajolarri was taken down just inside the box. Pajolarri sent the keeper the wrong way on the ensuing penalty to put the Hungarians up 1-0. Pajolarri then had to be subbed out after picking up an injury just three minutes later.

From that point on in the first half, neither side had a definitive advantage. However, just as the half was coming to a close, West Chester nabbed an equalizer. A long ball that was popped up high into the air came down perfectly for West Chester’s Dominic Popolizio, who then outran the defense and slotted the ball past the keeper.

West Chester United: 2013 Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup champions. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

“They’re back breakers when things like that happen,” UGH coach Mike Curley said. “At halftime I tried to give a pep talk because as we walked off the field, our heads were down. It’s tough to come back from a goal like that. That hurt.”

West Chester used that momentum, plus the wind advantage, to score early in the second half. In the 52nd minute, Popolizio ran into the penalty area and passed the ball across the 6-yard box to an onrushing Michael Lodge, who calmly hit it home. UGH had no answer for West Chester’s play in the second half, and ended up finding themselves down 3-1 in the 80th minute. At the top of the box, Lodge found David King, who ran deep inside the area. Bearing down on the keeper, he passed to substitute Scott Patrick for the game’s final goal.

With the victory, West Chester United advance to the USASA Region I Finals in the spring. Last year, United fell in the first round to Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks.

2013 Eastern Pennsylvania Final
West Chester United 3:1 United German Hungarians

Scoring Summary
UGH: Elsion Pajolarri (PK) – 17th minute
WCU: Dominic Popolizio (unassisted) – 45th minute
WCU: Michael Lodge (Dominic Popolizio) – 52nd minute
WCU: Scott Patrick (David King) – 80th minute

Discipline

None

Lineups

West Chester United: Travis Chulick; Christopher Amato, Ryan Smallwood, David King, Neema Mohajery; William Brown (William Pinto-81), Neil Gallagher (Omarie Salmon-81), Andrew Kummerer, Justin McCall (Scott Patrick-75); Dominic Popolizio, Michael Lodge

United German Hungarians: Jim Clark; Mike Pio, Zach Fayer (Ike Onyeador-81), Kevin Sherry, Brian Blesi; Jason Karasow, Ken Tomczuk, Ryan Tadley, Joe Brocker; Uche Onyeador, Elsion Pajolarri (John Gravelle-26)

2013 Eastern PA Open Cup Tournament
(home team listed second)

First Round (Nov. 11) [+] Recap
Cavalla FC 1:0 Ukrainian Nationals (Oct. 28)
Quakertown 3:2 Colonial Ultras
Junior Lone Star 6:0 Mayfair Celtic
Nether United 1:1 Phoenix SC (Nether United advances, 7-6 in PKs)
Predators 1:0 Vereinigung Erzgebirge

Quarterfinals (Dec. 2) [+] Recap
Quakertown 0:4 West Chester United
Cavalla FC 4:0 Salone
Junior Lone Star 0:3 United German Hungarians
Predators 0:0 Nether United (Predators advance 5-4 in PKs)

Semifinals
Cavalla FC 1:2 West Chester United (Dec. 9) [+] Recap
Predators 0:1 UGH (Dec. 16) [+] Recap

Final (Dec. 22)
United German Hungarians 1:3 West Chester United

Past Eastern PA Open Cup champions:
1997: United German Hungarians
1998: United German Hungarians
1999: United German Hungarians*
2000: United German Hungarians
2001: DiPasquale’s
2002: Vereinigung Erzgebirge*
2003: Ukrainian Nationals
2004: Lighthouse SC
2005: Ukrainian Nationals
2006: Ukrainian Nationals
2007: Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Runner-up Ukrainian Nationals also qualified for Region I Finals)
2008: United German Hungarians
2009: Vereinigung Erzgebirge
2010: Phoenix SC
2011: Phoenix SC*
2012: West Chester United Predators
2013: West Chester United Predators

* Qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: West Chester United reach Eastern PA final; Weather postpones Predators, UGH semifinals

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UPDATE: United German Hungarians will play the Predators on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. at YCS Sports in Wayne, PA. Check with TheCup.us’ Twitter account for in-game updates (@USOpenCup).

Reigning champions West Chester United scored twice and then held off a second-half surge by Cavalla FC to advance to the Eastern Pennsylvania US Open Cup qualifying tournament final. Goals by Michael Lodge and Dominic Popolizio were enough to give United the 2-1 victory.

They move on to the championship game for the second straight year, but the identity of their opponent has been delayed as the other semifinal match was postponed. The United German Hungarians were scheduled to host the Predators on the same day, but the officials determined that UGH’s home field was not playable due to the heavy rain that had fallen in the area. A makeup date has yet to be announced.

West Chester United Predators: 2012 Eastern PA Open Cup champions
West Chester United Predators: Last season's Eastern PA Open Cup champions

United was the brighter of the two sides in the first half. After playing for about 20 minutes in Cavalla’s side of the field, United finally got the payoff with Lodge’s goal. The ball was played across the box to Lodge, who half-volleyed it past the keeper for the game’s first goal.

After the goal, Cavalla seemed out of sorts, which led to a long series of rough play. Along with numerous fouls, four Cavalla players ended up being yellow carded in the first half.

The second half was a different story. Cavalla stopped fouling as much and got a foothold in the match. Early second-half pressure culminated in some shouts from Cavalla players for a penalty shot when one of their players were taken down in the box. No call was made, however, and West Chester United soon struck again.

United took a corner kick, which made its way to the Cavalla goalkeeper, but he could not hold on. Popolizio was in the right place and the right time and cleaned up the mess

As Cavalla sent more men forward, the keeper got a chance to redeem himself, stopping several point-blank shots resulting from United counter attacks. Then, Cavalla made things interesting in the 73rd minute, scoring to make it 2-1.

Both teams had several more chances, but neither could net another goal. With the win, West Chester United advances to the final to face either Predators or United German Hungarians.

“We have big goals for this program,” West Chester United manager Vince D’Ambrosio said. “We want to be the premier location for elite talent. It would be huge to make the Open Cup.”

2013 Eastern PA Open Cup Tournament
(home team listed second)

First Round (Nov. 11) [+] Recap
Cavalla FC 1:0 Ukrainian Nationals (Oct. 28)
Quakertown 3:2 Colonial Ultras
Junior Lone Star 6:0 Mayfair Celtic
Nether United 1:1 Phoenix SC (Nether United advances, 7-6 in PKs)
Predators 1:0 Vereinigung Erzgebirge

Quarterfinals (Dec. 2) [+] Recap
Quakertown 0:4 West Chester United
Cavalla FC 4:0 Salone
Junior Lone Star 0:3 United German Hungarians
Predators 0:0 Nether United (Predators advance 5-4 in PKs)

Semifinals (Dec. 9 – 2 p.m.)
Cavalla FC 1:2 West Chester United
Predators at United German Hungarians – PPD (Makeup date TBA)

Final (Dec. 16)
West Chester United vs. Predators/UGH

Past Eastern PA Open Cup champions:
1997: United German Hungarians
1998: United German Hungarians
1999: United German Hungarians*
2000: United German Hungarians
2001: DiPasquale’s
2002: Vereinigung Erzgebirge*
2003: Ukrainian Nationals
2004: Lighthouse SC
2005: Ukrainian Nationals
2006: Ukrainian Nationals
2007: Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Runner-up Ukrainian Nationals also qualified for Region I Finals)
2008: United German Hungarians
2009: Vereinigung Erzgebirge
2010: Phoenix SC
2011: Phoenix SC*
2012: West Chester United Predators

* Qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2012 US Open Cup Semifinals: Sporting Kansas City returns to the Final with 2-0 road win at Philadelphia Union (Video)

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Kei Kamara and Sporting Kansas City are headed back to the Final for the first time since 2004. Photo: Michael Feblowitz

It might not have been the prettiest game of soccer for a neutral fan to watch, but what mattered for Sporting Kansas City was its 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union in the US Open Cup Semifinals—a result that guarantees a home game in the final against the three-time defending champion Seattle Sounders on August 8.

In a game that saw 22 more fouls than shots and four more yellow cards than goals, it was Jacob Peterson making the difference with a 65th minute goal. His headed goal held up until second half stoppage time, when Graham Zusi scored from midfield on an empty net to put the game away.

“The guys were locked into the result…I thought they did a very good job,” Sporting head coach Peter Vermes said after the game. “We really didn’t give much away. I’m really proud of the guys for a clean sheet.”

From the onset, the visitors were determined to not let the Philadelphia crowd have anything to cheer about. Kansas City applied high pressure, giving the Union little space in which to work. Sporting was content to let Philadelphia have the ball in the defensive half, only to cut out nearly every pass that found its way into the offensive third.

Other than a few corners, the first half was largely bereft of action. There was just one shot on goal from Kansas City, while Philadelphia had none. There was plenty of physical play, however. Each team had eight fouls in the first half, with the Union’s Gabriel Farfan earning the game’s first yellow card in the 30th minute.

Union head coach John Hackworth was unhappy with the refereeing, but he gave credit to Sporting for winning the game. “Congratulations to Sporting KC. They did what they had to do to get the result…We didn’t take our chances, we missed the final pass a lot,” he said.

In the second half, both squads came out with a more attacking mindset. It did not lead to any clear chances though, until the 65th minute. On a free kick, Zusi curled the ball into the top of the box. Peterson put a headed effort toward goal, where Union goalie Zac MacMath got a hand on the ball but could not keep it out of the upper corner of the net.

Kansas City nearly doubled its lead three minutes later when CJ Sapong got behind the Union defense. He put his shot past the onrushing goalie, but it hit the post and rolled out of play. That close call was emulated on the other side of the pitch when Philadelphia’s Freddy Adu found Antoine Hoppenot wide open in the penalty area. Jimmy Nielsen made the initial save on Hoppenot’s shot, and the Sporting defense managed to clear the ball off the line and out for a corner kick.

On June 23, just three weeks prior, the Union won their league match-up with Kansas City 4-0. They could not conjure up any of that scoring touch in this match, however. Other than a headed effort saved by Nielsen in the 78th minute, Philadelphia could not get any more shots on net. Then, as the home side pushed higher and higher up the field, Zusi put the game away.

MacMath was playing at midfield with the rest of his team in the offensive third. He tried to head away a Sporting clearance, but Zusi rushed onto the ball. With the net wide open, Zusi lofted the ball about 55 yards and into the goal to end Philadelphia’s chances.

With the 2-0 victory, Sporting Kansas City will host the final for a chance to win its second US Open Cup title, with the first coming in 2004. The championship game will be the first in the 99-year history of the tournament to be held in the state of Kansas. The winner of final will also earn a berth in the 2013-2014 CONCACAF Champions League.

“This was a real target for us based on the fact that it has Champions League entry. It’s something we want to be able to do,” Vermes said. “We get a final at home! This was a big thing for us.”

Note: The announced attendance of 8,486 at PPL Park is the fourth highest attended Semifinal in the Modern Pro Era (1995-present)

Philadelphia Union 0:2 Sporting Kansas City
PPL Park – Chester, Pa.

SKC: Jacob Peterson (Graham Zusi) 65
SKC: Graham Zusi (unassisted) 90+

Discipline:

PHI: Gabriel Farfan (caution-30)
PHI: Michael Farfan (caution-52)
SKC: Paulo Nagamura (caution-52)
PHI: Michael Lahoud (caution-57)
PHI: Sheanon Williams (caution-62)
SKC: Aurelien Collin (caution-77)

Lineups:

Philadelphia Union: Zac MacMath; Gabriel Farfan, Carlos Valdes, Amobi Okugo, Sheanon Williams; Michael Farfan, Brian Carroll, Michael Lahoud (Gabriel Gomez-66); Lionard Pajoy (Antoine Hoppenot-63), Jack McInerney, Freddy Adu

Sporting Kansas City: Jimmy Nielson; Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin, Chance Myers, Seth Sinovic; Paulo Nagamura, Graham Zusi, Roger Espinoza; Jacob Peterson, Teal Bunbury (C.J. Sapong-63), Kei Kamara,

Stats: Shots—SKC, 11; PHI, 5; Corners—SKC, 4; PHI, 2; Saves—SKC, 1; PHI, 2; Fouls—SKC, 17; PHI, 21; Offside—SKC, 1; PHI, 5

Officials: Ref.—Hilario Grajeda; Asst. Ref.—Kermit Auisenberry; Asst. Ref.—Peter Manikowski

Att: 8,486

2012 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Philadelphia Union prevail in intrastate battle over Harrisburg City Islanders

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The US Open Cup magic finally ran out for the Harrisburg City Islanders against their MLS affiliates, the Philadelphia Union. The Union got three early goals and weathered a fierce Harrisburg comeback to eventually win 5-2.

“That was a tough game, a lot tougher than a 5-2 result,” Union interim coach John Hackworth said. “It’s a big deal for this club and this organization .” Just a few weeks ago, the two teams played a friendly in which Harrisburg prevailed 3-2 and was followed by the firing of manager Peter Nowak. Tonight, however, the Union attacked early and often to make sure that result would not be repeated.

Philadelphia looked to dominate the game from the opening whistle. Harrisburg had barely managed a touch when the Union’s Lionard Pajoy sent in a cross that was handled in the box when Harrisburg defender Stephen Basso slipped. Freddy Adu converted a 5th-minute penalty to give the Union the early lead.

Just five minutes later, the Union struck again. A long ball from the Union half of the field was misplayed by the Harrisburg defense. Jack McInerney pounced on the loose ball and slotted it past goalkeeper Nick Noble to double the Philadelphia lead in the ninth minute.

Philadelphia was not done, however. After the game had seemingly settled down to a more normal pace, Gabe Farfan made a run down the left wing and crossed the ball into the box. The pass found Pajoy, who calmly gathered the ball, manuevered through the defense and scored to give the Union a 3-0 lead in the 29th minute.

Harrisburg would not give up though, being no strangers to 3-goal deficits in Open Cup play. In the Third Round, the City Islanders were down 3-0 in the second half of overtime against the New England Revolution. They scored three times in eight minutes to tie the game, and they eventually advanced in a penalty kick shootout.

The City Islanders nearly replicated that feat on Tuesday night. Yann Ekra found Brian Ombiji in the box in the 51st minute. Ombiji powered his way past the Union defense and scored. Three minutes later, Ekra dished out another assist. This time, he found Morgan Langley open in the box. Langley converted the goal to make it 3-2.

“We came into the locker room up 3-0, and the first thing said was ‘They were down 3-0 to New England with way less time,’” McInerney said. “We stuck to it. We kept grinding it out…We started to put back on, and they couldn’t handle it.”

The Union managed to calm things down and reasserted its presence on the game. Philadelphia substitute Antoine Hoppenot provided an instant spark, running in behind the defense and earning a penalty kick in the 69th minute. Pajoy converted the spot kick to put the Union up 4-2.

Harrisburg pushed everyone forward to try and make yet another comeback, but Gabriel Gomez put the game away with an 81st-minute goal. On a counterattack, a pass was deflected right into the path of Gomez. He gathered the ball and chipped the onrushing goalie to make it 5-2.

Harrisburg’s magical run in the 2012 US Open Cup that included two upsets of MLS sides has ended, but Philadelphia’s is still going strong. The Union will host Sporting Kansas City in the Semifinals on July 11 at PPL Park.

The Union also become the first Pennsylvania club to reach the final four since the United German Hungarians, located just north of the city of Philadelphia, pulled it off in 1993.

Philadelphia Union 5:2 Harrisburg City Islanders
PPL Park – Chester, Pa.

PHI: Freddy Adu (PK) 5
PHI: Jack MacInerney (unassisted) 9
PHI: Lionard Pajoy (Gabe Farfan) 29
HCI: Brian Ombiji (Yann Ekra) 51
HCI: Morgan Langley (Yann Ekra) 54
PHI: Lionard Pajoy (PK) 69
PHI: Gabriel Gomez (unassisted) 81

Discipline:

HCI: Andrew Marshall (caution-60)
HCI: Morgan Langley (caution-74)
HCI: Jason Pelletier (caution-78)
PHI: Jack McInerney (caution-90+)

Lineups:
Philadelphia Union: Zac Macmath; Raymon Gaddis, Amobi Okugo, Porfirio Lopez, Gabriel Farfan; Brian Carroll, Michael Lahoud (Gabriel Gomez-69), Michael Farfan; Freddy Adu (Antoine Hoppenot-61), Jack McInerny, Lionard Pajoy (Jimmy McLaughlin-83)

Harrisburg City Islanders: Nick Noble; Stephen Basso (Tom Brandt-8), Dustin Bixler, Andrew Marshall, Bilal Duckett (Colin Zizzi-32); Jason Pelletier, J.T. Noone, Andrew Welker, Morgan Langley; Brian Ombiji, Yann Ekra (Garett Pettis-69)

Att: 4,313

2012 US Open Cup Fourth Round: City Islanders’ Cinderella story continues, ousts New York Red Bulls in OT

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Sainey Touray (with the ball) scored two goals for the City Islanders. Photo: Harrisburg City Islanders

Sainey Touray was a lonely figure up front for the Harrisburg City Islanders. With the New York Red Bulls possessing the ball for a majority of the 120-minute game in the Harrisburg half, Touray had to do the best he could with limited chances as the lone forward.

He did just that, scoring in the 13th minute and again in the 94th to propel the City Islanders into the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Lucky Mkosana added a third Harrisburg goal in the 118th minute. Connor Lade had New York’s lone goal in the 59th.

This was the fifth time in the last six tournaments that the City Islanders have eliminated an MLS team, as the 3rd Division pro team will reach the Quarterfinals for the fourth time. The Charleston Battery are the only lower division team in the country who has five MLS upsets in the last six years, but four of those upsets were as a 2nd Division club.

The Red Bulls started the game by possessing the ball in the Harrisburg half—something that would remain true throughout the game. New York found plenty of room down the flanks, leading to numerous crosses. However, it would be Harrisburg getting on the board first.

Brian Ombiji got the ball near the top of the 18-yard box. After some deft footwork, he crossed the ball to Touray, who headed the ball into the back of the net in the 13th minute.

The Red Bulls doubled down offensively after giving up the early goal. Harrisburg could barely get the ball across the midfield stripe. The City Islanders held firm defensively though. New York had several chances, but very few troubled the Harrisburg goalkeeper Nick Noble.

New York’s never-ending pressure finally led to a result in the 59th minute. A defensive miscue led to a wide-open shot for Lade. He easily slotted the ball past Noble, tying the game and seemingly giving the Red Bulls all the momentum.

After the goal, Dax McCarty began asserting his presence onto the game. His chip shot was saved by Noble in the 66th minute. He also hit the post in the 70th. Defensively, McCarty constantly applied pressure to Harrisburg players, barely giving them room to breathe. His strong effort did not lead to a New York game-winner, however.

With the score tied at 1-1, the game headed to extra time. The City Islanders are no strangers to extra time in the open cup, having beaten New England in last round on penalty kicks and coming into the match having never lost an Open Cup match that went into overtime. Using some more of that extra time magic, Jason Pelletier found himself with the ball in space in the middle of the field. He lobbed a pass over the top of the defense and right into the path of Touray, who slotted it past rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara and into the net.

Harrisburg City Islanders

After that unlikely goal, Harrisburg was determined to see the game out, and they would do that, but not without getting the benefit of a missed call. The Red Bulls were on the attack and sent a cross into the box and the ball was cleared away beyond the endline. New York players appealed for a penalty kick because they believed that Pelletier handled the ball while clearing the ball over the endline, but the referee waived play on. It appeared on video replay that Pelletier did touch the ball. The Red Bulls would continue to push for the equalizer as the home team would face a torrent of New York shots, including a dangerous free kick shot by McCarty and a header that hit of the crossbar. In the end, Harrisburg weathered the storm and even added another goal. On a corner in the 118th minute, Yann Ekra found Mkosana in the box. Mkosana scored his first career Open Cup goal to secure Harrisburg’s place in the quarterfinals.

Having won two-straight games against MLS competition at home, the City Islanders will face yet another MLS team, but this time on the road. On June 26, Harrisburg will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Union, who were 2-1 winners over DC United on Tuesday. Interestingly enough, the City Islanders will have a bit of a warm up before they take on the Union in the Quarterfinals. They have an exhibition match scheduled with their MLS affiliate in Harrisburg on June 12.

Harrisburg City Islanders 3:1 (AET) New York Red Bulls
Skyline Sports Complex – Harrisburg, Pa.

HCI: Sainey Touray (Ombiji) 13
NYRB: Connor Lade (unassisted) 59
HCI: Sainey Touray (Pelletier) 94
HCI: Lucky Mkosana (Ekra) 118

Discipline:
HCI: Bilal Duckett (caution-29)
HCI: Andrew Wekler (caution-38)
HCI: Jason Pelletier (caution-87)
NYRB: Jhonny Arteaga (caution-90+)
HCI: Stephan Basso (caution-90+)
HCI: Nick Noble (caution-115)
NYRB: Markus Holgersson (caution-120)

Lineups:
Harrisburg City Islanders: Nick Noble; Bilal Duckett, Andrew Marshall, Tom Brandt, Stephan Basso; Brian Ombiji (Tom Mellor-89), Andrew Welker (Yann Ekra-59), Morgan Langley (Lucky Mkosana-69), JT Noone, Jason Pelletier; Sainey Touray

New York Red Bulls: Ryan Meara; Wilman Conde, Markus Holgersson, Heath Pearce, Brandon Barklage (Jonathan Borrajo-115); Connor Lade, Mehdi Ballouchy, Dax McCarty (Stephen Keel-117), Jan Gunnar Solli; Jhonny Arteaga, Kenny Cooper

Att: 1,477

2012 US Open Cup Third Round: Freddy Adu leads Philadelphia Union to first Open Cup win, 3-0 over Rochester Rhinos

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Severe weather brought the US Open Cup third round match between the Philadelphia Union and the Rochester Rhinos to a halt in the first half, but that was about the only thing that was able to slow the Union offense down. Josue Martinez scored first, and Freddy Adu added two more to give the Union a 3-0 victory over their USL Pro opponents.

“The issue was obviously you can’t give MLS teams the chances we gave them, especially in the minute off a corner kick. They deserved the win, but we certainly did not help ourselves out,” Rochester coach Jesse Myers said.

Philadelphia was the brighter of the two sides to start the game. An incisive pass found Keon Daniel in the box, where he earned a corner.Adu curled the ensuing corner in, and shoddy defending led to a wide open shot and goal for Martinez in the 5th minute.

Philadelphia earned several more chances before the referee halted the game due to a severe weather warning. After a lengthy delay, the Union picked up where they had left off. Adu nearly put one in a few seconds after the restart. Then in the 29th minute, Martinez found an open Adu for an easy headed goal to put the Union up 2-0.

“I was joking with Freddy when we pulled him off,” Union coach John Hackworth said. “I said that was first time he ever scored with his head. He told me I was wrong…I don’t believe him.”

Part of the reason for the Union’s success was due to their flank play. Both Philadelphia fullbacks were heavily involved in the attack, often setting up dangerous plays. However, Rochester started to press the attack and nearly got back into the game in the 41st minute, when a goal was negated due to an offside call. The Rhinos had some more good efforts toward the end of the half, but they could not find a way to score.

In the second half, Rochester earned some more chances, but they could not convert any of them. Then, as the half wore on, the Rhinos seemed to wear down a bit. This game was their third in five days—a brutal stretch that included two league games on the road before facing the Union at PPL Park.

Substitute Michael Zaher had a great chance for Rochester in the 69th minute. The ball was played to his feet, and he had just the goalie to beat, but he hit it wide of the net. Four minutes later, the Union made him pay for his missed opportunity, as Michael Farfan was taken down in the box. Adu stepped up and buried the penalty kick in the 73rd minute to put the game away.

With the victory, the Union move on to face DC United in the 4th round of the cup. United were 2-1 winners over the Richmond Kickers.

“It was an important game for us,” Hackworth said. “We needed to come out and play a good game for ourselves more than anything…A good night for the Union.”

Philadelphia Union 3:0 Rochester Rhinos
PPL Park – Chester, Pa.

PHI: Josue Martinez (Adu) 8
PHI: Freddy Adu (Martinez) 29
PHI: Freddy Adu (penalty) 73

Discipline:

RR: Danny Earls caution 40
RR: Jack Traynor caution 52
PHI: Michael Lahoud caution 56
RR: Tyler Rosenlund 90+

Lineups:
Philadelphia Union: Chris Konopka; Michael Farfan, AmobiOkugo, Sheanon Williams, Gabriel Farfan (Kai Herdling-71); Brian Carroll, Michael Lahoud, Keon Daniel, Freddy Adu (Jimmy McLaughlin-80); Josue Martinez (Chandler Hoffman-90), LionardPajoy

Rochester Rhinos:KristianNicht; Jack Traynor, George Kyriazis, Troy Roberts, Quavas Kirk (Michael Tanke-76); Drew Cost (Michael Zaher-59), Tyler Rosenlund, Danny Earls, JC Banks; Thomas McManus, GracianoBrito (Andrew Hoxie-59)

Att: 4,175

2012 US Open Cup Second Round: Harrisburg City Islanders down Long Island Rough Riders again, 2-0 (video)

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Brian Ombiji scored the second | Photo: Harrisburg City Islanders

The amateur Premier Development League side Long Island Rough Riders put up a good fight, but in the end their professional counterparts in Harrisburg were just too much.

The City Islanders scored two second half goals to win 2-0 and advance to the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, where they will play host to the New England Revolution of MLS. Yann Ekra scored in the 48th minute, and Brian Ombiji scored in the 77th in front of 418 fans at the Skyline Sports Complex in Harrisburg, Pa.

Coming into the game, Long Island was looking for some revenge against the team that knocked it out of the tournament in 2010. Harrisburg on the other hand, was looking for redemption after an early Second Round exit in the cup to the Rochester Rhinos last year. Despite the 2-0 scoreline, Harrisburg was far from dominant. In fact, Long Island had the better of play for a good portion of the first half. After some early City Islanders pressure, the Rough Riders earned two corners. Both set pieces forced Harrisburg goalkeeper Nick Noble to come off his line to punch the ball away.

In the 27th minute, the Rough Riders faced some poor luck with starting midfielder Ben Arikian picking up an injury. Just six minutes later, Adriano Gabriele was also forced to come out of the game for Long Island with an injury. After the two substitutions Harrisburg started to assert its dominance. The City Islanders struck soon after the whistle to start the second half. In the 48th minute, Morgan Langley found Ekra in the box. Ekra, coming off a hat-trick performance over the weekend in league play, calmly tucked the ball past the Rough Rider goalie and into the net to put Harrisburg up 1-0.

Photo: Harrisburg City Islanders

The goal seemed to jumpstart the Long Island offense. During a period of extended pressure, Matthew Wendelken forced a nice save off a corner in the 59th minute. Later, in the 73rd minute, a Long Island player went down in the box. To the dismay of the Rough Rider bench, however, no penalty was called. On the ensuing play, Keith Detelj was able to round the keeper, but he could not get a shot on net. Detelj would end up regretting his missed chance, as four minutes later Harrisburg’s Andrew Welker found Ombiji with a pass behind the defense. Ombiji slotted it past the onrushing goalie to double Harrisburg’s lead.

As the game wound down, Detelj had yet another chance, but his header hit the post and was cleared. The City Islanders were able to see the game out and improve to 8-0-0 against amateur clubs in the US Open Cup.

Ekra’s goal

Ombiji’s goal

Shot on goal

Harrisburg supporters: Sons of the Susquehanna

Harrisburg City Islanders 2:0 Long Island Rough Riders
Skyline Sports Complex – Harrisburg, Pa.

HCI: Yann Ekra (Morgan Langley) 48
HCI: Brian Ombiji (Andrew Welker) 77

Discipline:
HCI: Brian Ombiji – caution 40
LI: James Mulligan – caution 41
LI: William Hole – caution 61

Lineups:
Harrisburg City Islanders: Nick Noble; Stephan Basso, Tommy Brandt, Andrew Marshall, Bilal Duckett; JT Noone, Andrew Welker (Adrian LeRoy-85), Morgan Langley (Tom Mellor-71), Drew Yates (Garret Pettis-63); Brian Ombiji, Yann Ekra

Long Island Rough Riders: Thomas Booth; Matthew Wendelken, Timothy Parker, Tom Wharf, William Hole; Gary Flood, Adriano Gabriele (Matthew Uy-33), James Mulligan (Sean Sepe-66), Stephan Barea, Ben Arikian (Dakota Barnathan-27); Keith Detelj

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Long Island Rough Riders blank FC Sonic Lehigh Valley 2-0

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Neither gloomy weather nor a change in venue could keep the visiting Long Island Rough Riders of the PDL from earning a comfortable 2-0 victory over FC Sonic Lehigh Valley of the NPSL in the opening round of the 2012 US Open Cup.

Goals from Thomas Wharf and Shaun Higgins in the first half were enough to propel the Rough Riders into a second round matchup against USL Pro side Harrisburg City Islanders. The Rough Riders will be looking for some revenge, as Harrisburg knocked them out of the tournament in 2010 by a score of 1-0.

Unlike Long Island, FC Sonic had no prior Open Cup experience. They finished second in the NPSL Keystone Division last year, but qualified for the tournament when division champion Erie Admirals decided not to participate.

Instead of being held at the normal home field of FC Sonic at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., strong rains forced the game to be moved to a turf field at Whitehall High School several miles away. However, the change did not affect the visitors, as it was Long Island with the first chance of the game in the 10th minute. After FC Sonic replied with a shot of its own, the Rough Riders took control of the game.

In the 19th minute, Wharf got his head on a free kick and put it in the back of the net. Just three minutes later, Long Island doubled its lead when Higgins got on the end of a cross from James Mulligan. The 30-year-old Higgins’ goal gave the Rough Riders a 2-0 lead that FC Sonic could not overcome.

With neither team being able to make a breakthrough in the second half, both coaches decided on a change of emphasis. FC Sonic coach Dave Weitzman opted for a more attacking approach, bringing in two forwards in for two defenders. Long Island coach Paul Roderick, on the other hand, brought on two defenders in exchange for a forward and a midfielder.

In the end, the changes made little difference, and FC Sonic could muster only one real chance toward the end of the game. Long Island earned its fourth Open Cup victory and improved to 3-2-0 against amateur clubs all-time.

Scoring Summary:

Long Island – Thomas Wharf (Assist?) – 19
Long Island – Shaun Higgins (James Mulligan) – 22

Lineups: N/A

Discipline: FCS – Brandon Turner (caution, 23)

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