Ted Prezelski

2022 US Open Cup Round 2: FC Tucson earns first win as pro team, 3-2 over Las Vegas Lights

April 7, 2022 by Ted Prezelski

Tyler Allen FC Tucson Las Vegas Lights 2022 US Open Cup — Tyler Allen scores what would prove to be the game-winning goal for FC Tucson in a 3-2 win over the Las Vegas Lights in the Second Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Tucson

USL League One side FC Tucson beat USL Championship team Las Vegas Lights 3-2. All but one goal was scored in the second half in the match at Tucson’s Kino North Stadium.

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For FC Tucson, they were making their first appearance in the tournament as a professional team after previously qualifying five times (and eliminating two pro teams) as a member of USL League Two. It was the club’s first Open Cup win since 2018.

Las Vegas’ offensive trio of Daniel Trejo, Danny Musovsky and Cal Jennings were left off the starting roster. FC Tucson’s Kaelon Fox and Deri Corfe were out with injuries.

Los Tucsonenses had the lion’s share of possession, but Las Vegas kept them hemmed in. FC Tucson keeper Carlos Merancio had a couple of big saves that helped keep the teams level at zero goals until the final moments of the first half.

In minute 45, FC Tucson’s Daniel Bedoya launched a corner kick into the box that eventually found the head of Luca Mastrantonio. He settled the ball at the foot of Austrian-born winger Jacob Crull. He poked it past Lights keeper Abraham Romero to open the scoring as the first half ended.

Mohammed Traore evened it up for Las Vegas in minute 66. The lead was short lived as FC Tucson kept threatening goal and earning corner kicks with, it seemed, every sally up field. Daniel Bedoya’s 71st minute corner was a near Olimpico, as his kick ended up in the back of the net after the otherwise strong Romero bobbled the ball.

Tyler Adams extended the lead in the 77th minute with an oblique rocket that ended up at the top of the goal. It should have locked the game down right there, but with Traore on the field and a late substitution by league leading scorer Daniel Trejo, two goals wasn’t necessarily a safe lead.

An 80th minute shot from Daniel Christomo caught Merancio off guard with a bit of marksmanship from the edge of the box. Tying it up was tantalizingly close, but the Lights weren’t able to do it.

Often a lower division will score a lucky goal against an upper division team and sit on the lead to earn a “cupset.” That wasn’t the way FC Tucson chose to play.

“We never really had the mindset to sit back and absorb pressure,” said Jacob Crull after the match. “Not having that mindset allowed us to score three goals.”

Another banger? Are you surprised? 😏

Tyler Allen buries one into the back of the net for @FCTucson!#WeAreOne // #USOC2022 pic.twitter.com/wcyKBscrld

— USL League One (@USLLeagueOne) April 7, 2022

FC Tucson moves on to the next round and will possibly face Phoenix Rising FC, who owned the team from 2017-2021. The draw will be announced on Friday at Noon ET.

2016 Meet the Underdogs: La Maquina fighting to earn respect in inaugural US Open Cup run

June 1, 2016 by Ted Prezelski

La Maquina lines up for player introductions before their 2016 US Open Cup qualifying match with Chula Vista FC. Photo: La Maquina

After traveling from Southern California to Portland, Ore. and dispatching the Portland Timbers U-23s (PDL) 2-0 in the opening round of the 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, La Maquina has gotten the attention of the American soccer public. They followed up that performance with another 2-0 shutout in Round 2 against the NPSL’s Sacramento Gold.

They were one of eight teams entering the First Round for the first time and are a bit of an unknown.

The Santa Ana, Calif.-based club finished second in the southeast division of United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) after last year’s spring/summer season. Then the club qualified for the US Open Cup with wins in the open division tournament over Strikers FC and a surprising 4-0 defeat of former Open Cup darlings Chula Vista FC in October and November respectively.

Then things got weird.

La Maquina faced San Nicolas in an UPSL quarterfinal playoff match in December. An altercation followed the match involving players, coaches and fans. UPSL reviewed the incident and handed down hefty penalties to both teams: San Nicholas was docked six games and La Maquina was banned for the winter season.

You read that right: La Maquina were ejected from the league for the next session of play.

“It was not an easy decision, especially when you have two good teams at the table,” said UPSL commissioner Yan Skwara. “As a league, we have a zero tolerance for violence and stay firm with that. At the end of the day, I think both teams have learned from this and they will be better citizens both on and off the field.”

Both teams have served their suspensions and La Maquina will return to the league for 2016’s spring/summer session.

The team’s suspension from the league hasn’t stopped them from playing. They have continued to schedule matches and have posted strong wins in a series of friendlies against local clubs, including a recent 6-0 victory against newly-rebranded PDL side LA Laguna.

Unlike most of their counterparts, the team drew another amateur side, fellow UPSL side Los Angeles Wolves, for the Third Round. They are eager to prove themselves in the Open Cup.

The team draws most of its players from the Orange County area, and counts former members of Pateadores among its ranks. One exception is Edwin Borboa, the 33-year old former chivas de Guadalajara forward who last played professionally for Liga de Ascenso club Lobos.

“The guys are really motivated. This is what they have been waiting for,” said coach Edson Martinez. “We have had a lot of games lately, and we should be playing harder teams.”

“If we win Wednesday, anything is possible,” he added.

Martinez y La Maquina will get that chance after this round where they will face the Los Angeles Galaxy. He isn’t worried. He says that his team has something special that the others don’t.

“We’ve played together for a long time. That’s the difference,” he said. “A lot of guys that could be playing on a PDL team want to play for La Maquina. They like playing here.”

Kristen Gehrke also contributed to this report

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Arizona United too much for in-state amateurs from FC Tucson

May 21, 2016 by Ted Prezelski

Long Tan's second goal for Arizona United against FC Tucson in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Sidney Cervantes — Long Tan’s second goal for Arizona United against FC Tucson in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Sidney Cervantes

The history of the US Open Cup is full of scrappy, amateur teams beating experienced, professional sides. We’ve seen it happen more than once this year already.

It did not, however, happen at Kino Stadium on Wednesday night, as FC Tucson fell to their northern neighbors Arizona United SC by a score of 5–0 at Tucson’s Kino Stadium.

It started off well for the hosts, said long time FC Tucson player Dom Papa.

“I thought when we came out we played well,” he said. “For the first twenty or twenty five minutes we controlled the game; we looked good in the midfield. But you know, they are big, they are fast, they play direct. I just think we weren’t ready to handle that kind of play.”

“We gave up one, and the wheels fell apart,” he added.

That “one” came in the 28th minute after a foul just outside the box set up English midfielder Luke Rooney for a free kick. He easily got it past Tucson keeper Borja Angiota.

Long Tan extended the lead for the visitors minutes later, finding the back of the net after slaloming through FC Tucson’s back line. Gibson Bardsley closed out the half with another goal for Arizona moments before the close of the half.

A fourth goal came from United’s Tyler Blackwood just minutes into the second half, but then came a spot of hope for the home team: a red card for Arizona’s Gibson Bardsley for poorly timed tackle on Tucson’s Sean Keith.

It was still hard for FC Tucson to take a shot when they got into the final third, thanks to the work of Arizona center full back Uchenna Uzo.

“There are not many players that are as big as I am on the field, and I think he’s twice my size,” said Tucson’s Papa, who the team has counted on for physical play in past years. “When you have a center back there that can destroy every attack we try to start, well, he’s a different level.”

Whatever spark that gave FC Tucson was extinguished in the 67th minute with Long Tan’s second goal. A flurry of shots from the home team in the closing moments of the match excited the crowd, but still left a zero on the board when the whistle blew.

Interestingly, FC Tucson’s defense only allowed a handful of shots. They went in and that’s what counts says United coach Frank Yallop.

“Our finishing was excellent. We were clinical when we had the chances. That’s the game,” he said after the match. “Long, Tyler Blackwood and Rooney showed their qualities today. I was proud of the whole team but I think they were pretty sharp in front of the goal.”

“We didn’t take the game for granted. We were 4-0 and got a red card and still scored another goal,” he added. “That’s a good sign for our league play.”

Arizona United is scheduled to play Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the next round, which is scheduled for June 1. The winner will play the Colorado Rapids in Round 4.

FC Tucson v Arizona United
Kino North Stadium

Scoring summary
AZU – Luke Rooney (27’)
AZU – Long Tan (33’)
AZU – Gibson Bardsley (45’+)
AZU – Tyler Blackwood (47’)
AZU – Tan (68’)

Misconduct summary
FCT – Dom Papa (27’, caution)
AZU – Gibson Bardsley (41’, caution)
FCT – Sean Keith (43’, caution)
AZU –Bardsley (54’, second caution, ejection)

FC Tucson: Borja Angoitia –Aaron Herrera (Edgar Reyna 77’), Gonnie Ben-Tal, Kyle Adams- Sean Keith, Evan Waldrep, Dom Papa, Musa Morris (Tate Schmitt 45’) – Jon Bakero, Minh Vu, Damian German (Alfonso Pinhiero 45’)

Arizona United SC: Carl Wosczcynski – Daniel Antúnez, Uchenna Uzo, Julian Ringhof, Brandon Poltronieri – Gibson Bardsley (ejected 54’), Miguel Timm (Blair Gavin 37’), Sam Garza – Luke Rooney (Duncan McCormick 58’), Long Tan, Tyler Blackwood (Tony Cascio 77’)

2016 US Open Cup Round 1: FC Tucson pull away from 10-man San Nicolas FC

May 12, 2016 by Ted Prezelski

FC Tucson's Dom Papa (right) opens the scoring by sending a cross past San Nicolas goalkeeper Jose Miranda. Photo: Dulce Santamaria Vega — FC Tucson’s Dom Papa (right) opens the scoring by sending a cross past San Nicolas goalkeeper Jose Miranda. Photo: Dulce Santamaria Vega

This story also appeared in the Tucson Sentinel.

FC Tucson defeated Pomona’s San Nicolas FC on Wednesday night at Kino Stadium by a score of 3-0. The match was part of opening day of the US Open Cup, with Tucson getting the right to advance in that tournament.

It would be easy to cast the match as a youthful FC Tucson, which like many teams in their league is built on college players, against a veteran San Nicolas squad, except all three of FC Tucson’s goals came from long time players on that team.

FC Tucson quickly established themselves in San Nicolas’s half of the field and earned a free kick in just outside of the box. Minh Vu, a former Rochester Rhinos player and local standout, sent the ball through the box where it seemed to travel by every player that tried to get a touch on it. It finally got to Dom Papa, who goes back to FC Tucson’s first match in 2011, just past the far post. Papa rocketed it into the net to give the local team their first goal.

San Nicolas made a good effort to exploit the inexperience of the FC Tucson back line, but was able to generate few shots. Their first quality chance came in minute 22 when Cesar Rivera, a former player for Orange County Blues, got taken down by Papa just outside the box. The ensuing free kick went straight to FC Tucson keeper Borja Angoitia.

A handball in the box in minute 31 granted FC Tucson their next goal as well as two yellow cards for San Nicolas, both for dissent. Vu took the shot which easily sailed past San Nicolas keeper Jose Miranda.

FC Tucson’s Gordon Hall saw the wrong side of a Cruz Hernandez tackle in minute 37. The former University of Connecticut player was shown an immediate red card and the match was delayed for several minutes as Hall was treated and San Nicolas staff protested.

Despite the card, San Nicolas did a better job of getting behind FC Tucson in the final part of the first half. Rivera earned his team a free kick just outside of the area in minute 42 (this time, a now healthy Hall was the instigator), and took a shot that got bobbled by Angoitia. It took quick thinking by FC Tucson’s defense to keep the ball away from a charging Rivera for what would have been a sure goal. A subsequent attempt by Rivera that beat the keeper was ruled off side.

A much more composed San Nicolas side greeted FC Tucson in the second half. Even down to ten men, they made numerous moves into FC Tucson’s final third. Still, it was FC Tucson to hit the net first in the second half. Vu scored in minute 57’ off of a service by Jon Bakero.

A strong chance for San Nicolas came in minute 70 off of a free kick earned just outside of the box. Another former Blues player, Luis Gonzalez, stepped up to take the shot. The wall did its job and San Nicolas stayed off the board.

FC Tucson had a flurry of offense in the next few minutes, with Miranda making several saves that kept the game at the respectable 3-0 level.

Erlys Garcia, one of several Cuban national team defectors playing for San Nicolas, earned a strong shot in minute 78 that went wide.

FC Tucson ended the match on top and earned their first Open Cup win since 2013. After the game, said that going in they knew that the early goal was key.

“We knew we had to come out early and put one in on them,” said Dom Papa. “Especially with veterans, they are going to know how to play. Put one in early, you can control the game.”

The team will host the second round match against Arizona United SC next Wednesday.

———————————

FC Tucson v San Nicolas FC
Kino North Stadium

Scoring summary
FCT – Dom Papa (6′)
FCT – Minh Vu (pk 31′)
FCT – Vu (57′)

Misconduct summary
SNFC – Jose Miranda (caution 22′)
SNFC – Eduardo Barba (caution, 24′)
FCT – Dom Papa (caution, 27′)
SNFC – Erlys Garcia (caution, 31′)
SNFC – Cruz Hernandez (ejection 37′)
FCT – Musa Morris (caution, 76′)

FC Tucson: Borja Angoitia – Sean Keith, Zachariah Joens, Gordon Hall (Gonnie Ben-Tal 76′), Edgar Reyna – Musa Morris (Tate Schmitt 82′), Minh Vu, Jon Bakero (Francesco Bartolillo 88′), Evan Waldrep, Dom Papa – Damian German

San Nicolas FC: Jose Miranda – Erlys Garcia, Diego Jimenez (Gerardo Martinez 63′), Cruz Hernandez (ejected 37′), Oscar Castillo – Noel Castillo (Edgar Espinoza 79′), Amilicar Lopez, Rene Corona – Eduardo Barba (Jose Gomez 66′), Cesar Rivera, Luis Gonzalez

2016 US Open Cup: Is third time the charm for PDL’s FC Tucson?

May 9, 2016 by Ted Prezelski

FC Tucson's Musa Morris battles with the University of Arizona's Zack Ben Said in a friendly on May 4. Photo: Dulce Santamaria Vega) — FC Tucson’s Musa Morris battles with the University of Arizona’s Zack Ben Said in a friendly on May 4. Photo: Dulce Santamaria Vega)

FC Tucson could say that they hope the third time in the US Open Cup is the charm, but they have already had eye-catching performances in past tournaments.

The team qualified for the 2013 US Open Cup after a strong debut season in the PDL. FC Tucson opened the tournament with a win against Phoenix FC, a USL side. In that match, they got an inspiring performance from Connor Bevans, who had just flown back to Tucson hours before to join his team after a family emergency and scored two goals in the waning moments of the match.

The team beat one more professional side, the now-defunct San Antonio Scorpions. That won FC Tucson the chance all PDL and amateur sides pray for in the Open Cup: the chance to play against an MLS team, facing off with the Houston Dynamo. But even though the match ended in a 2-0 loss, FC Tucson were one of only three PDL teams to make it that far that year.

They hoped to repeat that performance in 2015, but a surprisingly strong performance from amateur side Chula Vista FC knocked FC Tucson out of the tournament in the first round after an extra time loss.

Needless to say, FC Tucson coach Rick Schantz is hoping this year is more 2013 than 2015.

“Chula Vista created a template for us going into this year,” he said. “We can’t have the same mentality as we had with that game. This team is probably going to have four or five really good players and they will work extremely hard. They are probably going to be technically clean. It won’t be easy.

“We have to work on our discipline and not get too stretched out. We aren’t going to turn the game into a track meet.”

Edgar Reyna, FC Tucson’s longtime midfielder, played in both of the team’s previous Open Cup campaigns. He is hoping for a different attitude heading into this year’s first round matchup against San Nicolas.

“This year, we have to go game-by-game,” he said. “Last year, we were looking forward to the games in front. I thought we should have won that easily. Game-by-game, that’s how you have to approach the big tournaments.”

Reyna will be likely be joined in next Wednesday’s lineup by two Phoenix-area players who are standouts at Grand Canyon University: midfielder Musa Morris and forward Damian German. Both players scored in tune-up matches this past week against club teams from the University of Arizona and Arizona State. Tate Schmidt, a former RSL Academy player who started 13 matches for the University of Louisville, is also with the team. Interestingly, Schmidt’s brother Reid is a former FC Tucson player who played for Phoenix FC in that 2013 match.

University of Albany player Pedro Espindola, who scored five goals for FC Tucson in their PDL season last year, is expected to join the team in time for the Open Cup match as well.

Should FC Tucson win, they would face off with in-state rivals Arizona United SC of the USL.

PHOTO: FC Tucson’s Musa Morris battles with the University of Arizona’s Zack Ben Said in a friendly on May 4. (Credit: Dulce Santamaria Vega)

2015 US Open Cup Round 1: Chula Vista win tournament debut in OT, 2-1 over FC Tucson (video)

May 17, 2015 by Ted Prezelski

Chula Vista and FC Tucson players battle for the ball. Photo: BensonactionFoto | FC Tucson

In 2013, FC Tucson completed a remarkable run in the US Open Cup, defeating two pro teams before being stopped by the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. They hoped to repeat that performance this year.

It is not going to happen. FC Tucson saw defeat at home to USASA club Chula Vista FC 2-1.

FC Tucson’s David Clemens, Odaine Sinclair and Brandon Zambrano each had strong chances in the first half that tested Chula Vista’s Sebastian Ortiz. A clean first half ended with neither team scoring.

FC Tucson opened up the scoring in the 58th minute with a shot from Zambrano. The home side started to let Chula Vista have too much of the ball and paid for it in the 82nd minute when Gilberto Perez-Lopez equalized moments after coming on as a substitute. The game would be dragged into a half hour of overtime.

Chula Vista won their first lead of the match four minutes into overtime with a goal from Angel Pinal.

This photo shows FC Tucson's controversial missed penalty kick. The referee ruled that Eddie Sanchez missed the penalty kick. Photo: Joshua Pearson — This photo shows FC Tucson’s controversial missed penalty kick. The referee ruled that Eddie Sanchez missed the penalty kick. Photo: Joshua Pearson

Later in the extra period, a Chula Vista player ran down FC Tucson’s Dom Papa in the box. The ensuing penalty kick became one of many controversies in the overtime. Eddie Sanchez lined up to take the kick, and it seemed to hit the crossbar and bounced out of the goal. Observers in the press box thought it hit the top netting, but the referee ruled that it did not cross the line.

The last portion of overtime was a yellow card laden affair, but Chula Vista outlasted FC Tucson for their very first US Open Cup win.

“My concern was, could we last 90 minutes?” said Chula Vista FC coach J. Hector Diaz. “Then, we had to last a little bit longer. That was the difficult part. We were lucky to get the win.”

“It means a lot. It’s something special,” he said about winning the Open Cup. “These kids understand the importance of the Open Cup…they see the FA Cup and know that this is something special for us.”

Chula Vista FC moves on to face Arizona United SC in Scottsdale on May 20.

Full match replay: Chula Vista FC at FC Tucson

Meet the Underdogs: First-timers Chula Vista FC enter US Open Cup to build ‘a club for life’

May 12, 2015 by Ted Prezelski

Every year, the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup includes a new batch of amateur clubs hoping to be the tournament’s latest Cinderella story. And every year, TheCup.us introduces soccer fans across the country to these teams that have been the heart and soul of this competition for more than a century. This year, we are expanding our annual “Meet the USASA” series to include the USSSA and US Club Soccer. We bring you “Meet the Underdogs.”

It can be hard to ask a coach or team official to pick out one or two stars of the team. It takes all eleven guys out there, working as a unit, to give a win. Still, when Hector Diaz, Director of Soccer for Chula Vista FC had to answer that question, he had a name.

“One guy in particular I would point out, because he got me into this, is Alberto Diaz,” he said. “He’s my brother.”

Fraternal connections aside, Alberto Diaz’s situation is common among Chula Vista’s players. He had talent recognized from an early age (he played for the US Under-15 team), but like many of the players who have gone through Chula Vista FC’s youth academy, didn’t see college as an option.

“There is not really a chance for these players to go to college,” Hector Diaz said. “We decided to build the next step. Our first team is composed of U-23 players … we are building a club for life and not just a youth club.”

Organizing a youth academy is difficult given the schedules of working class families, but the area doesn’t lack for talent. Joe Corona and Paul Arriola, both players with Tijuana Xolos, come from the area. Alejandro Guido, also a player for Tijuana, played for Chula Vista FC. All three players are part of the US national team pool.

Chula Vista FC’s academy works in the shadows of both the Nomads academy in La Jolla and Tijuana’s academy on the other side of the border. Add that to the local popularity of the Xolos, it can be intimidating, but Diaz thinks there is a strong market for a local soccer team. “We could have a MLS, USL Pro or PDL team here,” he said.

The team staged an exhibition between Chula Vista’s U-20s and Xolos’s U-20 team two years ago. They sold out a small high school stadium.

“There weren’t a lot of Xolos supporters,” Diaz said. “Xolos scored and everyone was quiet. Chula Vista scored and everyone was making noise. People are hungry, they just don’t have an option.”

This is the first appearance in the US Open Cup for Chula Vista, who qualified out of Region IV of the United States Adult Soccer Association. They finished runner-up in the Region IV tournament in a competition that came down to the final day. On June 8, 2014 in Orem, Utah, Cal FC and Chula Vista found themselves in a three-way tie for first place in the group standings with Cal FC and Oregon’s IPS Marathon Taverna. With one game left on the final day, Cal FC shut out a shorthanded PSA Elite team 3-0, while CV drew 2-2 with Marathon Taverna.

Chula Vista FC drew FC Tucson for their opening US Open Cup match on May 13. Diaz is familiar with the management of the team (he’s tried to arrange scrimmages before) but admits that he’ll need some preparation before the team hops on I-8 for the ride to the Old Pueblo.

“This upcoming month, I know I’ll get very familiar with who they are,” he said. “We’ll be ready.”

2015 US Open Cup qualifying: FC Tacoma crushes well-traveled San Diego Flash to complete 2015 tournament field (with complete list)

March 23, 2015 by Ted Prezelski

FC Tacoma (purple) hosted San Diego Flash with the final spot in the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on the line. Photo: Marcus Annable (PHOTO GALLERY)

Did you want an underdog story?

The San Diego Flash had the worst possible run up to Sunday’s 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup play-in against FC Tacoma 253. Back in February, Clent Alexander, the well-liked CEO of the team, passed away after an illness. The team fought on, winning the NPSL’s Southwest Conference qualifying tournament after playing to a draw against Deportivo Coras last Saturday. After getting past their Inland Empire opponent on penalty kicks, they qualified to play in a final one-off match to qualify for the Cup.

The trouble is, that meant a drive to Tacoma, Wash. They didn’t have the money to do it, so Justin Picou, the team’s No. 10, started a GoFundMe page to raise some cash. They got enough money to make the trip, but they had to leave one player behind who couldn’t get out of work.

We all love underdogs. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always end well for the scrappy, underrated folks. The adversity may have been too much for them as they got stomped by Tacoma, a team only playing its second match in club history, 6-1.

FC Tacoma 253 (the number is Tacoma’s area code) got things off to a strong start with a ninth minute goal from former Venezuelan youth international Pedro Millan. Tacoma extended the lead with a 16th minute own goal.

If San Diego was hoping halftime would change their fortunes, Matt Shaxton’s strike two minutes after the whistle blew put that to rest. The Flash managed to see a bit of light when they were awarded a penalty kick.

Sergio Valle-Ortiz easily found the back of the net. The team had no chance to build on the momentum.

Memorial Stadium in Seattle was the site of the FC Tacoma vs. San Diego Flash match. Photo: @Brazbit (Twitter)

Millan came back to score his second in minute 72. Then, San Diego keeper James Stroud looked to have a save, but his body carried too far on the wet turf. He was ejected for handling the ball outside of the box. He handed the his goalkeeper jersey to Picou, who was unable to stop either the free kick (it became Millan’s third goal of the match) or the 88th minute strike from Eil Goodley.

Despite the lopsided result, Tacoma assistant coach and midfielder Phil Aur said that San Diego was a tough opponent, one that “had a right to be there.”

“We dealt with their final third attack well, but we gave them more of the ball than we would like to have,” he said. “They are a good team, very creative. Every final ball they played was over the top, and that’s where we excelled.”

“They challenged us throughout the whole game,” he added. “There was a lot of play that the defense had to gobble up.”

FC Tacoma is a new entrant in the NPSL, and the only two matches they have played so far have been open cup qualifiers. They formed after the dissolution of two other teams in the area, Inter United FC and Seattle Sporting. Aur played for Inter United FC, and his team has players from both sides as well as a strong local adult club league.

“Last year, a lot of us were rivals,” Aur said.

Millan, a local coach in Seattle with experience as a pro in his native Venezuela, was an addition from Sporting. Despite Millan’s hat trick, his role was more of a distributor high up the field.

“It’s hard to keep the ball off of him. He’s very skillful,” Aur said.

Aur acknowledges that the team had some trouble working in a new player who joined up with the squad this week, Oussama Esabr. Esabr is a Moroccan who played for Juventus’s youth side and a number of lower division Italian teams.

“We weren’t sure if he was going to start,” he said. “We were trying to find a way to get him on the field and give him a role where he could have a lot of responsibility. He didn’t have the ball much because we didn’t always know where he was going to be.”

Needless to say, Aur is proud that his team has made the US Open Cup.

“You can’t say that you’ve played in the US Open Cup until you get there,” he said. “The guys were pumped, you could see it from the way they played.”

Tacoma opens their NPSL season opener Saturday against Real San Jose. They will need to figure out how to play both their NPSL season plus Open Cup matches.

“We are a new club, we have a lot of unseen territory,” Aur said. “It’s not anything we can be prepared for. Do we know when our next game is? No … we just gotta suck it up and be the underdogs.”

Oh, there’s the underdog story you were looking for.

Map of all 91 entries for #USOC2015 posted by 'lookuppage7' on Reddit — Map of all 91 entries for #USOC2015 posted by ‘lookuppage7’ on Reddit

2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup entries

Participating Professional Teams (47 total):

Major League Soccer
(Division I – 17 teams, entering in the Fourth Round)

Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew SC, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City

North American Soccer League
(Division II – 9 teams, entering in the Third Round)

Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Indy Eleven, Jacksonville Armada, Minnesota United FC, New York Cosmos, San Antonio Scorpions, Tampa Bay Rowdies

United Soccer League
(Division III – 21 teams, entering in the Second Round)

Arizona United, Austin Aztex, Charleston Battery, Charlotte Independence, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Harrisburg City Islanders, LA Galaxy II, Louisville City FC, New York Red Bulls (USL PRO), Oklahoma City Energy, Orange County Blues, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Portland Timbers 2, Real Monarchs SLC, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Rhinos, Sacramento Republic, Saint Louis FC, Seattle Sounders 2, Tulsa Roughnecks, Wilmington Hammerheads

Amateur Leagues (44 total teams):

U.S. Adult Soccer Association Regional Qualifiers
(11 places [nine entering in the First Round, two entering in the Play-In Round)

Region I: Maryland Bays, New York Greek American Atlas
Region II: Kansas City Athletics, Madison Fire
Region III: North Texas Rayados, Triangle Brigade
Region IV: Cal FC, Chula Vista FC

Wild Card Berths (3):
GPS Massachusetts (MA), PSA Elite (CA), RWB Adria (IL).

Premier Development League
(19 places, entering in the First Round)

AC Connecticut, Burlingame Dragons, BYU Cougars, Des Moines Menace, FC Tucson, Golden State Misioneros, Jersey Express, Kitsap Pumas, Laredo Heat, Long Island Rough Riders, Michigan Bucks, Midland/Odessa Sockers, Ocala Stampede, Reading United, Seacoast United Phantoms, Southwest Florida Adrenaline, Ventura County Fusion, West Virginia Chaos, Western Mass Pioneers.

National Premier Soccer League
(12 places, entering in the First Round)

Brooklyn Italians, Chattanooga FC, Detroit City FC, FC Tacoma 253, Fort Pitt Regiment, Greater Binghamton Thunder, Lansing United, Miami United, Sonoma County Sol, Tulsa Athletics, Upward Stars, Virginia Beach City FC.

US Club Soccer
(One place, entering in the Preliminary Round)

San Francisco City FC (will play Cal FC in Preliminary Round)

US Specialty Sports Association
(1 place, entering in the Preliminary Round)

Harpo’s FC (will play KC Athletics in Preliminary Round)

2013 Meet the USASA: Doxa Italia’s undefeated season builds confidence ahead of 2013 US Open Cup

May 14, 2013 by Ted Prezelski

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.

Doxa Italia’s player-manager Bryan Byrne was very excited to hear that his team will be playing against the PDL’s Seattle Sounders U-23s in the opening round of the US Open Cup.

You’d expect him to be burning up the phone to make travel arrangements for his team.

There is just one problem: he didn’t have a phone for most of the week.

His phone, of course, decided to stop working just in time. He tried to buy a used one through eBay, but the person he bought it from took too long to send it. He finally got it on Saturday, leaving him with only a short time to make arrangements for the May 15 contest.

“It’s been pretty tough without a phone,” Byrne said. “It’s been difficult with a lot of communication back and forth trying to get it together.”

Doxa Italia’s qualification for the Cup this year is a bit of a vindication for the Manhattan Beach, Calif. based club.

The Greek and Italian themed name reflects the clubs formation in 1997 from the union of two local teams. Success in local amateur leagues followed. Eventually, the club joined forces with Hollywood United in 2005. It only took a year for the relationship to collapse and the team was dissolved.

The team picked up the pieces in 2009, but didn’t qualify for the US Open Cup until 2011. Among the teams they moved past to qualify was Cal FC, a team American soccer fans become familiar with last year with their historic run to the Fourth Round.

After another successful run in the Coast Soccer League in 2012, Doxa were confident of qualification.

“We talked before the game. We beat them twice in the league,” said Byrne, a former player for the New England Revolution and Ventura County Fusion. “There is no reason we can’t beat them a third time.”

The result: a 7-0 loss to a very different Cal FC team than they had faced during their season. This Cal FC included a raft of professional players.

doxa-italia-csl-champions — Doxa Italia completed an undefeated season last year in the Coast Soccer League. Photo: DoxaItalia.com

“Our squad is a very thin one. It can be frustrating to see teams sign people up for Open Cup qualifying,” Byrne said. “In the league they had average results. We really weren’t prepared.”

Byrne and Doxa Italia were able to deliver some payback when the Coast Soccer League season started last September. Doxa opened with an away match against the upstarts and won 3-1, a game which included two goals from Byrne.

The win began a streak which included a win over PSA Elite in October. This meant that Doxa beat both teams that qualified for the 2012 Open Cup in the region.

But it was a second win over Cal FC in November that gave Byrne a thought.

“That’s when we looked around and said we have the opportunity to go undefeated for the season,” Byrne said.

That they did. Sixteen games from the opener at Cal FC to a March 10th 7-0 drubbing of OC Crew, the team did not lose a single match. Byrne ended the season with 28 goals.

If Byrne has a complicated coaching philosophy, he isn’t sharing it.

“It was a matter of getting the team on the same page,” he said.

“It’s a big deal,” he said of getting his team qualified for the Open Cup. “This is what we play for each year. Our season is about preparing for the Open Cup run. It’s important to us.”

Still, preparing for a game against a PDL side that he hasn’t seen presents some challenges. Byrne can make assumptions about the style and system of the Sounders U23s based on their parent club, but not much more.

“We know what to expect to some extent,” he said. “But we go by our own plan and play to our potential.”

“We’ve been winning so far,” he added.