Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Michael Orr

2013 US Open Cup Fourth Round: Portland Timbers blank Tampa Bay 2-0 for first Quarterfinal appearance

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Portland Timbers logoThe Portland Timbers advanced to the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup for the first time with an easy 2-0 victory over Tampa Bay Rowdies at Jeld-Wen Field. The Timbers will travel to Texas June 26 to face FC Dallas.

The Fourth Round game was not as close as the score would indicate with the Rowdies managing just three shots and the Timbers dominating long stretches of possession throughout.

Just two regular starters were in the line-up for Portland as Diego Valeri wore the captain’s armband for the first time and Andrew Jean-Baptiste played in central defense for the Timbers. Yet it was little used Michael Nanchoff who contributed to both goals in Portland’s workmanlike win.

The opener came in the ninth minute as a deflected Jose Valencia pass sailed forward to Nanchoff. The first-year Timbers midfielder hit a shot on the volley across goal, just beyond the reach of Rowdies goalkeeper Diego Restrepo. The diminutive Nanchoff has been a key member of Portland’s reserve team but the goal was his first in a competitive match with the Timbers.

While Tampa Bay was able to string together several passes, their attacking sequences never quite led to much of a threat in the first half. Raphael Cox took the Rowdies’ only shot of the half, though former Timber Keith Savage and Luke Mulholland contributed to play that kept Tampa Bay in the game throughout the half.

The second half was more lively for both teams though it was again the Timbers who struck early in the half. Nanchoff’s 55th minute free kick was flicked across the box by Third Round hero Frederic Piquionne and poked into goal by substitute Jack Jewsbury. The goal was the first of the season for Jewsbury and gave Portland a comfortable advantage for most of the rest of the half.

Tampa Bay countered by inserting hulking forward Amani Walker in the hopes of finding a goal to get the visitors back into the game. Instead it was Valencia who forced multiple diving saves by Restrepo midway through the second half and had a headed goal called back for offside in the 71st minute. The 21-year-old Timbers forward gave Rowdies captain Frankie Fanfilippo all he could handle in defense, consistently making runs and playing physically up top after Piquionne exited in the 57th minute.

The Rowdies’ cross-country trip nearly got an exciting finish to a fairly mundane game when Mulholland slammed a 79th minute free kick off the crossbar. His shot had Milos Kocic well beaten but angled just high enough to ricochet away from any danger to the Timbers’ defense and effectively end Tampa Bay’s threat of a late comeback.

On a night when two MLS clubs could not top second and third tier opponents, Portland glided through its Fourth Round encounter and set up a high profile match-up with FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas on Wednesday June 26. The game will be the second between the two clubs in eleven days as Portland hosts Dallas this weekend in league play.

Fourth Round :: Tampa Bay Rowdies 0 :: 2 Portland Timbers

June 12 – JELD-WEN Field, Portland OR

Scoring Summary:

POR: Michael Nanchoff (Jose Valencia) 9

POR: Jack Jewsbury (Frederic Piquionne, Michael Nanchoff) 55

Cautions:

TB: Georgi Hristov 43, Jay Needham 45+, Georgi Hristov 89

POR: None

Ejections:

POR: Georgi Hristov (second yellow) 89

Lineups:

Tampa Bay: GK Diego Restrepo, D Stuart Campbell, D Jay Needham, D Frankie Sanfilippo ©, D Arango, M Raphael Cox (Amani Walker, 67), M Shane Hill, M Keith Savage, M Luke Mulholland, F Mike Ambersley (Devin Del Do, 88), F Georgi Hristov… Substitutes Not Used: GK Andrew Fontein, D Thurstan Johnston, M Kyle Clinton, M Evans Frimpong

Portland: GK Milos Kocic, D Sal Zizzo, D Rauwshan McKenzie, D Andrew Jean-Baptiste, D Ryan Miller, M Diego Valeri © (Jack Jewsbury, 45), M Ben Zemanski, M Michael Nanchoff, F Kalif Alhassan (Steven Evans, 76), F Frederic Piquionne (Darlington Nagbe, 57), F Jose Valencia… Substitutes Not Used: GK Jake Gleeson, M Diego Chara, M Mobi Fehr, F Sebastián Rincón

#USOC100

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Frédéric Piquionne’s four goals earn Portland Timbers striker Player of the Round

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Frédéric Piquionne needed just two minutes to make his mark on the Third Round of the US Open Cup. It turned out he left a rather large mark not only on the round but the tournament and Portland Timbers history, scoring three more times in the first half of a 5-1 demolition of Wilmington Hammerheads at Jeld-Wen Field on May 29. That performance was enough to garner him TheCup.us Player of the Round for the 34-year-old forward and send Portland to the Fourth Round for the first time since 2005.

The award is voted on by the staff at TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters. Piquionne beat out Tampa Bay Rowdies goalkeeper Diego Restrepo and Orlando City forward Dom Dwyer for the honor.

Piquionne’s opener came from a Will Johnson corner, giving the Timbers an early lead and a chance to employ Caleb Porter’s high-pressure system on the overmatched Hammerheads. That pressure led to Piquionne’s second just fifteen minutes later, as he headed in defender Michael Harrington’s cross in the 17th minute.

The former Premier League forward netted his hat-trick using his feet for the first time, artfully executing a one-two with Kalif Alhassan. Retrieving the ball from a soft lob into the box and placing it into the far corner for a 3-0 lead, the 34th minute goal provided the first Timbers hat-trick in a competitive match since Bright Dike’s Second Round feat against Kitsap Pumas in 2010.

Johnson was again the provider for Piquionne in first half injury time, this time from a free kick. Piquionne was first to the ball into the middle of the box, nodding it past Wilmington goalkeeper Tony Fernandez. Though the four goals were the second such output in this US Open Cup, with Seattle Sounders U23s forward David Geno accomplishing the same feat in the First Round, it was the first four-goal game by a Timbers player since McKinley Tennyson on August 13, 2002. Geno and Piquionne remain the only two players in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present) to score four goals in the first half. They join Paulo Jr. as the only players to score four goals in a single period of play. Paulo Jr. scored four in the second extra time period in a 5-1 First Round win for Miami FC (now Fort Lauderdale Strikers) over the Central Florida Kraze (now Orlando City U-23s) in 2010.

The Timbers will host Tampa Bay Rowdies on Wednesday June 12 at Jeld-Wen Field with a spot in the Quarterfinals on the line. Piquionne, who recorded two assists over the weekend in Chicago, could be rested against the Rowdies given Portland’s busy schedule and the absence of Ryan Johnson who is with Jamaica for World Cup qualifiers.

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Portland’s Piquionne makes history with four goals in Timbers’ 5-1 win over Wilmington

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Portland Timbers forward Frederic Piquionne (10) celebrates his third goal of the match at JELD-WEN Field on May 29, 2013. Photos: Craig Mitchelldyer | Portland Timbers

Four first half goals from Frédéric Piquionne were more than enough to send the Portland Timbers past the Wilmington Hammerheads at Jeld-Wen Field. The 5-1 scoreline was utterly representative of just how much better the Timbers were than their USL Pro opponents on Wednesday night.

Portland’s line-up featured ten players with starting experience or significant first team minutes including captain Will Johnson, Darlington Nagbe and Michael Harrington. Yet it was Piquionne who played the starring role for the Timbers in an explosive first half.

The 34-year old striker scored his first goal of the season in the second minute, heading in a Will Johnson corner to set the pace for a record-setting night. With a rare early lead, Caleb Porter’s high-pressure system was unleashed, wreaking havoc on Wilmington’s attempts to build possession. Piquionne nodded in his second goal in the 17th minute, this time from a Harrington cross, to break the game open for the home side.

Wilmington, travel-fatigued from playing in Texas in the Second Round and twice in Florida over the weekend in league play, was not without quality chances, however, as defender Daniel Steres hit a nice volley just wide of the far post in the 27th minute and Kyle Greig twice came close to scoring from close range late in the half. Yet the up-field pressure from Nagbe and José Valencia was simply too much for most of the Hammerheads’ half.

Kalif Alhassan chipped a pass into the box on 34 minutes, providing Piquionne with a chance to score with his feet and complete his hat-trick in just three shots. The shot skipped past Tony Hernandez, providing the first Timbers hat-trick of the MLS era in a competitive match. Following Greig’s two chances, Piquionne finished the half in style, heading in a Johnson free kick to put Portland ahead 4-0 in injury time.

The Timbers Army cheer after Futty Danso's goal in the second half at JELD-WEN Field on May 29, 2013. Over 10,000 fans attending the midweek Open Cup match. Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer | Portland Timbers

The second half was much more competitive as Wilmington worked back into the game, particularly through Shawn Nicklaw and first half substitute Cody Arnoux. Later in the half, Steven Perry provided additional offensive options and nearly scored on a 79th minute header.

Yet the Hammerheads’ goal came from midfielder Paul Nicholson in the 62nd minute, a brilliant overhead kick that was one of the finer goals of the Open Cup so far this season. Nicholson flipped the ball to himself after it deflected to him in the box, before scissor-kicking the ball into the top left corner from the right side of goal. Though it did not do much for Wilmington’s odds of advancing, the goal was well deserved both for the individual and the club.

Miloš Kocić recorded several key saves over the game’s final 20 minutes to maintain the wide margin, particularly on Perry’s angled header. Futty Danso finished the night’s scoring with a header of his own in the 73rd minute, giving Johnson his third assist and providing the final scoreline.

Five goals represent the most a Timbers team has ever scored in an Open Cup match, topping a 4-1 victory in 2010 against Kitsap Pumas. Piquionne’s four goals mark only the second time a Portland player has achieved that feat, and the first since McKinley Tennyson’s four-goal league game in 2002. He joined a list of 11 players to accomplish the feat in the Modern Pro Era (1995-present) and joins Seattle Sounders U23 striker David Geno (first half v Doxa Italia – 2013, First Round) and Fort Lauderdale Strikers (nee Miami FC) forward Paulo Jr (overtime v Central Florida – 2010, First Round) as only players in MPE to score all four in one period of play.

Portland advances to host upset winners Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Fourth Round on Wednesday June 12 at Jeld-Wen Field.

Scoring Summary

POR: Frederic Piquionne (Will Johnson) 2
POR: Frederic Piquionne (Michael Harrington) 17
POR: Frederic Piquionne (Kalif Alhassan) 34
POR: Frederic Piquionne (Will Johnson) 45+2
WIL: Paul Nicholson 61
POR: Futty Danso (Will Johnson) 73

Misconduct Summary

WIL: Parratt (caution) 6
WIL: Wallace (caution) 58
WIL: Nicklaw (caution) 67

Lineups & Stats

POR: GK Kocic, D Miller, D Jean-Baptiste, D Danso, D Harrington (McKenzie, 74), M Zemanski, M Nagbe (Zizzo, 45), M Johnson, W. ©, F Valencia, F Piquionne (Rincón, 45), F Alhassan

Substitutes Not Used: GK Gleeson, D Fehr, M Evans, M Valeri

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Piquionne, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Piquionne, 4); FOULS: 9 (Valencia, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 10; SAVES: 7

WIL: GK Hernandez, D Daly (Taylor, 64), D Steres, D Utterson, D Wallace, M Evans, M Parratt (Arnoux, 25), M Nicholson, M Nicklaw, F Greig (Perry, 74), F Elenio

Substitutes Not Used: M Briggs

TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Nicholson, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Nicholson, 3); FOULS: 13 (Four players, 2); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 1

Referee: Alejandro Mariscal
 Assistant Referees: Jeremy Hanson, Andrew Marihart
 4th Official: Ronald Lagraff

Attendance: 10,924

Weather: Partly Cloudy, 62 degrees

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Savage puts Charleston Battery past Timbers U23s 1-0

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The Charleston Battery needed an hour to find a goal against the Portland Timbers U23s, but Austin Savage’s header on Tuesday night at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland was enough to send the USL Pro side on to the Third Round. On a night when four other PDL teams upset higher-seeded opponents, the Timbers U23s simply could not find the form that saw them into the Second Round last week against Sacramento Gold.

To say Savage’s goal was against the run of play would not be fair to Charleston, but the Timbers certainly had the better of the play and chances to start the second half. Mark Sherrod, Reinaldo Brenes and Gabriel Conelian applied the pressure on the Battery goal for several opportunities in the first part of the second half.

Yet a quick counter and a looping cross from Jose Cuevas in the 60th minute found Savage’s head in the six. The former Battery academy player positioned himself perfectly as Cuevas’ ball drifted just over Bryan Gallego’s head and allowed Savage to surprise Timbers goalkeeper David Meves with a strong header to the far post.

Meves looked like the hero for Portland when his 38th minute save kept the Timbers U23s in the game after Charleston’s Dane Kelly got on the end of a long ball in the box. Meves came off his line and denied Kelly just outside the six-yard box when it looked certain that the Battery would take a deserved lead. The save buoyed the Timbers through halftime and up to the hour mark when Savage finally scored.

Cuevas was the most dangerous player on the field throughout the game as Portland’s attackers could not do much with their limited chances. Cuevas, the 2012 USL Pro Rookie of the Year and Championship MVP, nearly opened scoring in the 17th minute but smashed his shot off the crossbar. Meves got a slight touch, denying the 23-year old and forcing the visiting Battery to wait until the hour for the lead.

The Battery move on to the Third Round where they are scheduled to host the San Jose Earthquakes at Blackbaud Stadium on Tuesday, May 28. They’ll host Rochester Rhinos on Saturday May 25 in league play as a prelude to the next round.

Scoring:

CHB: Austin Savage (Jose Cuevas), 60

Misconduct:

CHB: Zach Prince (caution), 11

CHB: Jarad van Schaik (caution), 20

POR: Mitch Lurie (caution), 55

CHB: Nicki Paterson (caution), 90

Line-ups:

POR: POR: GK David Meves, D Saad Abdul-Salam, D Mitch Lurie (Nick Palodichuk, 75), D Bryan Gallego, D Will Semore, M Eric Miller, M Zach Barnes, M Gabriel Conelian, F Zack Foxhoven (Jose Ribas, 62), F Reinaldo Brenes (Jaime Velasco, 73), F Mark Sherrod

Subs not used: GK Blake Hylen, D Travis Brent, D J.J. Greer, D Anthony Hobbs

CHB: GK Kevin Klasila, D Shawn Ferguson, D Colin Falvey, D Cody Ellison, D John Wilson, M Jarad van Schaik, M Zach Prince (Emmanuel Adjetey, 70), M Nicki Paterson, F Austin Savage (Taylor Mueller, 66), F Jose Cuevas, F Dane Kelly

Subs not used: GK Odisnel Cooper, D Mark Wiltse, F Heviel Cordoves

2013 US Open Cup First Round: Timbers U23s survive scare at home, rally to beat Sacramento Gold 3-2

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Photo: David Blair | Portland Timbers

“Mark scored a lot of goals for us last year and we expect a lot of goals from him this year. But I don’t think he scored any as pretty as that,” said a satisfied Timbers U23 manager Jim Rilatt minutes after his team’s 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Sacramento Gold at Jeld-Wen Field. Sherrod, chipped Sacramento goalkeeper Dominic Jakubek in the 78th minute to complete the home side’s comeback after the Timbers trailed 2-0 in the first half.

Max Alvarez was the catalyst for the Gold, pressuring the Timbers from the start and lashing a 20-yard shot past David Meves in the game’s fifth minute. Though Portland controlled most of the possession and had several chances to level the score, it was Alvarez who was the most dangerous player on the field over the first half-hour.

On 25 minutes, the diminutive forward scored his second following a determined effort on the wing by Eliot Chambers. The Gold’s midfielder did all the hard work before placing a square pass into the six-yard box for Alvarez to smash home for a stunning 2-0 lead.

Portland finally regrouped and sought better finishing late in the half, having dictated the pace of the game but failed on the final pass too often in the early going. In the 37th minute, Zach Foxhoven nicked a shot off the inside of the near post and into the net to pull the Timbers back into the game. “It just took one of them to put one in and then we would get stronger,” Rilatt said.

Just four minutes later, Gabriel Conelian forced an errant Sacramento clearance with upfield pressure. While the chance might have been wasted earlier in the game, Conelian patiently controlled the loose ball and fired to the far post. The shot deflected off a Gold defender, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and drawing the score even in the 41st minute.

Jakubek made two big saves at the end of the first half to keep Sacramento even going into half, though Alvarez nearly gave the visitors another lead when his shot in injury time caromed off the crossbar.

Photo: David Blair | Portland Timbers

The second half was less spectacular than the first as both teams settled in and tried to avoid losing the Cup tie. The balance was with the Timbers though, as they continued to pour forward whenever they turned Sacramento over. Mid-way through the half, Portland ratcheted up the pressure, mimicking Caleb Porter’s first team style and forcing repeated turnovers. Sacramento struggled to get the ball out of its own half at times, yet Chambers and Alvarez popped up on counter attacks when the Gold did clear midfield.

Sherrod, who had been a force in the air all night, finally got a long ball he could play from his feet in the 78th minute. Left back Mitch Laurie’s ball dropped to Sherrod, who had beaten Sacramento’s offside trap. Jakubek came out to challenge but the second-year Timbers forward chipped the goalkeeper, celebrating in front of the gathered Timbers Army.

Portland wasted several chances in the final quarter hour to truly put the game away but misses by Michael Escobar and Anthony Hobbs kept Sacramento in the game until the final whistle. Alvarez almost got his hat-trick in the 84th minute but his free kick skipped just wide to the right.

The Timbers advance to Tuesday’s second round and will host the USL Pro Charleston Battery at Jeld-Wen Field. They host Seattle Sounders U23s on Thursday morning in Portland before traveling to Edmonds, Washington to face North Sound SeaWolves on Saturday, making for quite the first week together.

Scoring Summary
SAC: Max Alvarez, 5
SAC: Max Alvarez (Eliot Chambers), 25
POR: Zack Foxhoven (Eric Miller), 38
POR: Gabriel Conelian, 41
POR: Mark Sherrod (Mitch Lurie), 78
Misconduct Summary
POR: Will Seymore (Caution), 33
SAC: Eliot Chambers (Caution), 47
SAC: Clemente Fonseca (Caution), 61
SAC: Rene Piña (Caution), 71
POR: Eric Miller (Caution), 84
POR: Mitch Lurie (Caution), 87
POR: Zach Barnes (Caution), 90
Lineups
POR: GK David Meves, D Anthony Hobbs, D Mitchell Lurie, D Travis Brent, D Will Seymore, M Eric Miller, M Zach Barnes, M Gabriel Conelian (Clark Phillips, 83), F Mark Sherrod, F Zack Foxhoven (Will Vitalis, 86), F Jose Ribas (Michael Escobar, 72)
Subs not used: D Bryan Gallego, F Jaime Velasco
SAC: GK Dominic Jakubeck, D Fernando De Alba (Rene Piña, 70), D Diego Marroquin, D Utodi Madu, D Robert Zevallos, M Eliot Chambers, M Adam Smarte, M Jimmy Frazelle (Oscar Sandoval, 46), M Clemente Fonseca, F John Jones (Manolo Piña, 64), F Max Alvarez
Subs not used: GK Christopher Shultz, M Abraham Prado

2012 US Open Cup Round 3: Cal FC gets world’s attention with historic upset of Portland Timbers

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Cal FC celebrate their goal in the first period of extra time. Photo: L.M. Parr | Portland Timbers

By the end of the 120 minutes (1:15 am ET), a team that nobody knew about two weeks ago was trending worldwide on Twitter. Cal FC became not only the first US Adult Soccer Association team to score against a Major League Soccer opponent, but became the first to advance via a victory, downing the Portland Timbers, 1-0 in overtime, on the road at Jeld-Wen Field Wednesday evening in the Third Round of the US Open Cup.

“I don’t remember anything, I just know that I chipped it,” said ArturAghasyan, beaming as he tried to recount his famous goal for Cal FC. The California-based amateur side, coached by Eric Wynalda, are unlikely to ever forget what transpired on Wednesday night, May 30, 2012. Though it took 120 minutes and withstanding forty-three Portland Timbers shots, Cal FC emerged victorious.

Perhaps the signs were available early as Jesus Gonzalez forced a fingertip save from Troy Perkins in the 6th minute. Yet it was the Timbers who were the aggressors in the early going, clearly trying to create a comfortable space on the shore sheet. Pressing in defense and sending in myriad crosses, Portland certainly hassled Cal FC, but not enough to actually find that ever-elusive goal.

Meanwhile, Cal tried to play its game. “We love to categorize ourselves as a possession team. Which probably wasn’t the case tonight,” explained Wynalda afterward. As the young visitors tried to find time and space, the Timbers continued their assault on goalkeeper Darby Carrillo. KalifAlhassan, Brent Richards (twice) and Jorge Perlaza each missed shots or had them saved in a seven minute stretch after the hour. When Cal did finally break toward goal, in a fantastic interplay between Danny Barrera and Richard Manjivar, the former made one too many passes, seemingly taking Wynalda’s possession style a bit too far.

Portland’s misses got worse as the second half dragged on, each bringing more exasperated groans from the crowd of just over five thousand. Finally, the Timbers got a stroke of luck when Manjivar handled a Richards cross in the box, setting up a Kris Boyd penalty in the 80th minute. Which is precisely when the game turned on its head.

The Scottish Premier League’s all-time leading scorer, skied his spot kick, dropped his head and walked away from the North End amid a cascade of boos.Said Wynalda, “I was already thinking it wasn’t their night. But you don’t see that every day, a player like Kris Boyd missing a penalty kick.”Several late chances went begging for Portland and the two weary sides entered overtime.

Boyd subbed off after an injury and the Timbers shifted players to accommodate the final available change. With cramps setting in, and the team constantly rotating players to keep all eleven players as spry as possible, Cal FC seemed on the verge of simply wearing out before all 120 minutes were done. Then the impossible happened.

In the 95th minute, Aghasyan streaked down the middle of the field, easily beating a lopsided offside trap, collected a well placed through ball and calmly chipped Perkins. As his teammates mobbed him in the northeast corner of the stadium, the crowd fell silent – a rarity in a ground known for its boisterous atmosphere. While the pause was only momentary, the gravity of the goal was clear.

Somewhere in that celebration is the goalscorer, and TheCup.us Player of the Round, Artur Aghasyan. Photo: Ethan Erickson | Portland Timbers

As the first period of overtime ended and the second began, Portland furiously poured players forward in search of an equalizer. Freddie Braun, Jack Jewsbury, Perlaza, Alhassan and Richards all had clear chances to beat Carrillo, yet none could do better than send the ball directly into the goalkeeper’s waiting gloves. Carrillo’s save on Perlaza’s 109th minute header was his best of a night filled with close calls.

With Portland nearing a calamitous result, Cal FC poked the ball clear for several counter attacks late in the second overtime. Paulo Ferreira-Mendez’s header beat Perkins but also – barely – the left post in the 110th. Aghasyan then nearly added a second goal when his shot skimmed the crossbar from an acute angle in the 114th.

After Perlaza put one into the side netting, Darlington Nagbe curled a shot just wide of the right post and Alhassan sent one more soft cross into the box, Cal FC needed just one more stop to escape with the upset. Referee William Niccolls inexplicably allowed a bloody Jewsbury to received treatment and a change of shirt before Portland’s final attempt, a corner in the 120th minute. The amateurs cleared the ball, Niccolls blew his whistle and Cal FC left the field with one of the biggest upsets in US Open Cup history.

“One thing we should be very proud of is that Portland brought their team. That was their guys…Once we saw the line-up, everything settled in for our guys. This is what we wanted,” Wynalda added. Indeed, the starting XI for the Timbers was the best possible line-up, given several injuries and absences due to international duty.

That will make the loss linger even longer in Portland as the Timbers miss out on a chance to host rivals Seattle Sounders in the fourth round and will have eighteen days without a game to figure out how exactly they lost at home to Cal FC.

HIGHLIGHTS: CAL FC at PORTLAND TIMBERS

FULL MATCH REPLAY: CAL FC at PORTLAND TIMBERS

POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE: JOHN SPENCER

POST-GAME INTERVIEW: ERIC WYNALDA

USASA Advancements vs Pro League Clubs
Bavarian SC 2000: 1-0 vs Reading Rage (third division – USL)
Bavarian SC 2007: 1-0 vs Cincinnati Kings (third division – USL)
Bridgeport Italians 1997: 3-2 vs Rhode Island Stingrays (third division – USL)
Cal FC 2012: 4-0 vs Wilmington Hammerheads (third division – USL)
Cal FC 2012: 1-0 AET vs Portland Timbers (first division – MLS)
CASL Elite 2002: 5-2 vs Carolina Dynamo (third division – USL)
Dallas Roma 2006: 1-0 vs Miami FC (second division – USL)
Dallas Roma 2006: 0-0 (4-2 pk) vs Chivas USA (first division – MLS)
Hollywood United 2008: 3-2 vs Portland Timbers (second division – USL)
Reggae Boyz 2005: 4-2 vs Cincinnati Kings (third division – USL)
San Jose Oaks 1996: 3-2 vs California Jaguars (third division – USL)
United German Hungarians 1999: 2-1 vs New Jersey Stallions (third division – USL)

MLS Eliminations by Amateur League Teams
Cal FC 2012: 1-0 AET vs Portland Timbers
Michigan Bucks 2012: 3-2 AET vs Chicago Fire
Michigan Bucks 2000: 1-0 vs New England Revolution
Chicago Sockers 2000: 0-0 (7-6 PK) vs Kansas City Wizards
Dallas Roma 2006: 0-0 (4-2 PK) vs Chivas USA

MLS versus USASA Clubs
2012: Portland Timbers 0-1 AET Cal FC
2006: Chivas USASA 0-0 (2-4 PK) Dallas Roma
2006: LA Galaxy 2-0 Dallas Roma
2000: Tampa Bay Mutiny 1-0 ASDET Uruguay SC
2001: Miami Fusion 4-0 Uruguay SC

2012 US Open Cup Round 2: Ventura County uses extra time to get revenge on LA Blues

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Players from Ventura County Fusion and the Los Angeles Blues battle for the ball in their Second Round match in the 2012 US Open Cup. Photo: LA Blues

Ventura County Fusion emerged from a wild game with local rivals LA Blues in the Second Round of the US Open Cup. The game at Sherbeck Field on the campus of Fullerton College required 120 minutes and featured two sendings off before the Fusion won 3-1. The victory avenges the Blues’ 1-0 triumph in the 2011 Open Cup and provides Ventura County with a match against Major League Soccer side Chivas USA on May 29 at Ventura College.

LA Blues entered the game without the services of newly arrived striker Bright Dike, who is on loan from the Portland Timbers. Dike traveled back to Portland to take part in a friendly against Valencia CF on Wednesday and was thus unavailable for his new team, for whom he has already scored and assisted in two games this season.

The scoring opened in the 14th minute when Ventura County’s Tim Pontius put a ball into his own net, ceding the lead to LA. The Premier Development League side responded through Frankie López, whose penalty in the 35th minute leveled the score at 1-1.

Ventura County nearly took the lead in the 50th minute when Kennedy Chongo’s header narrowly missed the target. The Fusion had repeated attempts on goal midway through the second half as López and Daniel Steres provided the shots.

Maykel Galindo came on for LA Blues in the 66th minute. The former Chivas USA and FC Dallas striker almost scored within moments of his entry, and gave the Blues a renewed attacking presence as they tried to win the game in regular time.

Perhaps the most important sequence in the second half came when Steres fouled LA midfielder Irving Garcia in the 83rd minute. Fusion goalkeeper Earl Edwards saved Allan Russell’s resulting penalty, keeping the score even at 1-1. Just two minutes later, the Blues had Cory Miller sent off for his second yellow card. Instead of taking the lead and keeping eleven men on the pitch, LA went a man down and remained on level terms.

Full-time saw the two sides retreat to their respective benches to regroup for two fifteen-minute overtime periods. In the 97th minute, Fusion manager Ole Mikkelsen was sent off for roaming beyond his appointed technical area. Without its manager and a man up, Ventura County attacked.

López had the best chance of the first overtime, firing just wide late in the period. Just two minutes into the second overtime, the 23-year old midfielder finally put the Fusion ahead with a 107th minute goal. That strike proved to be the match winner, but not the final action of the highly competitive affair.

Edwards survived late LA attempts an equalizer with a double save of Russell and George Davis. The Fusion finally got space enough to enjoy when Travis Bowen scored on a rebounded from a Chongo shot in the 116th minute. The 3-1 score line held in favor of eleven-man Ventura County and the Fusion celebrated advancing to the Third Round.

Bowen will get chance to oppose his brother Tristan when Chivas USA travel to the northwest next Tuesday. For their part, Chivas crashed out of the Open Cup in the first MLS qualifying round in 2011.

2012 US Open Cup First Round: PSA Elite nab 3-1 win in Portland against Timbers U23s

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Photo: Leah Parr / Portland Timbers

PSA Elite made the trip north to Portland and emerged with a 3-1 win over the Portland Timbers Under 23s in the First Round of the US Open Cup on Tuesday night. Two goals from Davis Paul sandwiched Christian Ramirez’s tally to separate the two sides on the final score line in an evenly played match.

The visitors escaped two terrific first half chances from the home standing U23s as goalkeeper Trevor Whiddon brilliantly saved a Steven Evans shot in the second minute and the crossbar kept out a Mark Sherrod header in the 27th.

While the Timbers were active and enthusiastic offensively, their chances were just slightly off. Evans’ shot wide of the right post in the 44th minute was emblematic of the night for the home side. Roberto Farfan flicked a ball in the box back to Evans, whose shot had Whiddon well beaten, but so too the post.

The visitors nearly opened scoring in the 13th minute when Brent Whitfield poked in a rebound after Spencer Richey could not hold Paul’s shot. But Whitfield was ruled offside and PSA had to wait until the 24th minute for the game’s first goal. A long throw-in from Joseph Sophia reached the six-yard box where Paul headed past Richey for a 1-0 lead. In the 39th minute, Ramirez lifted the ball off the turf, from Jonathan Prieto’s pass, and fired in PSA Elite’s second goal, easily beating Richey to the top left corner.

Portland pulled a goal back in the 56th minute when Eric Miller claimed a deflection and scooted into the box, firing at the near post past Whiddon. That goal delighted the home crowd and changed the pace of the game. PSA sat in defensively, only emerging on counter attacks through Whitfield and later substitute Andrew Riemer. Said PSA manager Gary Berry, “When you’re forced to play a young team, you certainly want to take the opportunities when they come and not force the ball.” Indeed, the visitors were patient as they weathered a late onslaught from the Timbers.

The Timbers’ best chance at an equalizer came in the 75th minute when Whiddon was called upon again, this time denying Mark Sherrod at the near post. A minute later, shots from Cameron Vickers and Evans were denied by deflections as Portland filled the box with just a quarter hour to play.

Yet Paul’s influence on the game for PSA was complete when he fired in the game’s final goal. The bending, one-time shot to the top left corner came from just inside the box and put the game finally out of reach for the visitors.

Said manager Gary Berry afterward, “The Timbers were super excited to be in the Open Cup and the Portland fans were right behind them. It was tough to come here and play on their turf, and they really had us on our toes.”

Michael Orr is a freelance soccer writer in Portland. Follow him on Twitter @maofootball.

Scoring Summary:
PE: Paul (Sophia), 24
PE: Ramirez (Prieto), 39
POR: Miller, 56
PE: Paul (Ramirez), 89

Misconduct Summary:
POR: Miller (Caution), 60

Lineups:
POR: GK Spencer Richey, D Reed Matte (John McFarlin, 78), D Marc Tonkel, D Chris Harms, D Anthony Hobbs, M Eric Miller, M Andrew Ribeiro, M Steven Evans, F Mark Sherrod, F Roberto Farfan (Clark Phillips, 53), F Emery Welshman (Cam Vickers, 34)

Subs not used: GK Justin Baarts, M Ricardo Carrillo, M Joey De Mare

PE: GK Trevor Whiddon, D Joseph Sophia, D John Lee (Luc Harrington, 85), D Joel Smith (Adrian Avila, 83), D Edwin Miranda, M Miguel Lopez, M Jonathan Prieto, M William Lopez, F Brent Whitfield (Andrew Reimer, 64), F Christian Ramirez

Subs not used: GK Michael Oseguera, M Martin Ontiveros, D Cameron Dunn

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