It’s a busy weekend for US Open Cup qualifying as the USASA Region I tournament opens up and the state of Michigan will crown it’s champion.
Check back here for updates of all the action as well as TheCup.us twitter account @usopencup.
There was one match on Saturday as Go Soccer FC from New Jersey kicked off the Region I tournament with a 1-0 win over Olympia Stamford of Connecticut. Stamford was aiming to qualify for the Open Cup for the first time since 2001, but it was Garden State club that moved on to face the winner of the Brooklyn Italians and Emigrantes Das Ilhas.
The match took place in front of just over 100 fans at the newly constructed Torpey Athletic Complex in Bridgewater, NJ. Go Soccer controlled the match in the early going, holding the majority of possession and creating the first scoring chance. Dennis Maldonado overlapped midfielder Dominic Paolella on the right flank and playing a low cross back to Paolella, who forced a point blank kick save from the Olympia Stamford keeper. The ensuing corner from Alex Russo was headed over the bar by Paolella.
Shortly after, on a similar run of play, Steve DeMatteo tried to find Paolella but his sliding attempt was cut off by the keeper. A third attempt from Steven Mellen from a hard angle went over the bar around the 15th minute. Olympia’s first opportunity came about 20 minutes in when a through ball played in and a shot from just inside the box drew a fine save from Dan Roth, who rescued his Go Soccer club on a number of occasions.
The first goal came at the 35th minute after a great build up from from the back. A cross from Gary Gibbings on the left found Alex Russo at the far post, and the midfielder headed back across goal and into the back of the net. The back four of Heitmann, Breen, Ryan, and Tatro were impenetrable in the first half only allowing two corners and just a few shots.
The second half started out with more of the same with Go Soccer dominating the play. Alex Russo was taken down from behind early on and Gary Gibbings hit a laser of free kick from 30 yards out the was deflected off the bar and out by the keeper. After some substitutions midway through the second half, Go Soccer got a scare when play stopped briefly with an injury to Dan Roth in goal but the keeper remained on the field.
In the final 20 minutes, Olympia switched gears and began to get some chances as they searched for an equalizer. Roth, with an injured hand, came up big at the end, pulling off consecutive saves at one point to the keep the lead intact. Notably a shot from inside the six-yard box that drew a fingertip save to direct the ball wide, and a late shot from just inside the box that deflected over. Finally, a long header from Olympia across the goal and off the far post gave the Reds a scare, but Roth kept the clean sheet, along with a strong performance by his backline.
Check below for score updates from other games as they come in and on our twitter account:
2010 USASA Region I tournament – first round schedule:
(All times Eastern)
Boston Olympiakos (MA) 1:2 Danbury United (CT)
Olympia Stamford (CT) 0:1 Go-Soccer FC (NJ) – (Sat. April 10)
Emigrantes Das Ilhas (MA) 3:2 Brooklyn Italians (East NY)
Jilly’s Bar & Grill (MD) 0:3 Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks (DC/VA)
Phoenix SC (East PA) 2:3 NY Pancyprian Freedoms (East NY)
Club Atletico Virginia (DC/VA) 2:2 (UGH advances on PKs) United German Hungarians (East PA)
Athletic Club (West PA) at Charm City FC (MD) – Athletic Club forfeits (Loss of sponsor)
Erie Admirals (NPSL) at Fenerbahce USA (East NY) – Erie forfeits (Injuries/Not enough players available)
2010 Michigan Open Cup final:
Detroit United 1:0 Ann Arbor United
Detroit advances to the USASA Region II Finals