2008 Second Round

2008 Second Round: Cleveland’s Floyd Franks named Player of the Round

June 25, 2008 by

: Floyd Franks scored two goals for the Cleveland City Stars in their 2-0 win against the USL First Division’s Minnesota Thunder. Photo: Cleveland City Stars

Floyd Franks is a bit different than most professional players in the United States. A former Major League Soccer forward, he currently plays for the Cleveland City Stars of USL Second Division. His two extra time tallies against the Minnesota Thunder of USL First Division led Cleveland to a 2-0 victory and a date with the Chicago Fire of MLS in the Third Round on July 1 at Toyota Park.

As a result of that performance, the editorial staff of TheCup.us named Franks the Player of the Second Round for this year’s competition. Floyd sat down with TheCup.us to talk about his career, the Open Cup to date, and his thoughts of facing his former side (Franks was with the Fire in 2006 and 2007).

TheCup.us: You’re originally from Alabama, went to college in Charlotte, and played for the Chicago Fire. How did you end up in Cleveland?

Franks: Cleveland Coach Martin Rennie had seen me play and he called me last off season to see if I was available. I was still under contract with Chicago at the time but after my time was up in Chicago I remembered our conversation and I called Martin back and they welcomed me with open arms.

TheCup.us: Compare playing in MLS with playing in USL-2 and the cities as well. Is there any resentment toward the Fire and/or any extra excitement about facing them on Tuesday?Franks: The level is definitely higher in MLS but there is a lot of individual talent that has been passed over by MLS teams in the USL. The cities are different in the USL and with budgets we don’t get as much chance to stay. We usually drive right back after the game is over.

As far as the Fire, there is no resentment at all. I’m happy to be where I’m at. This is the right place for me right now. I’m looking forward to going back to Chicago because I have a lot of friends on the team and I think it will be fun to play against them and a good challenge for our club.

TheCup.us: The team has been on the road in each of the first two rounds playing teams with solid pedigrees in the US Open Cup. How has the team embraced their underdog status in the competition?Franks: We just tried to feed off that with our work ethic in the games. On the road it’s always tough so you know you have to go outwork the home team. Going into these games we are not overwhelmed by our competition at all and that’s one of the reasons we’ve been successful, we have a lot of self belief.

TheCup.us: With your past experience not to mention three of Cleveland’s four goals in the competition, you are definitely seen by outsiders as the go-to player for the City Stars. Is that a role you relish?Franks: It’s always nice to have people feel that they can trust you and I’m happy to have earned my teammates’ trust. For me, my main thing is to go out there and work hard as a part of the team and not really as somebody who takes the onus on himself.

TheCup.us: What’s in the future for Floyd Franks? Are you looking for another opportunity at MLS, hoping to catch on with a USL-1 side….looking at Europe?Franks: I definitely want to keep playing. My goal is to go to Europe, but if an MLS team were to call I would consider playing for New York because of how much I respect Coach Juan Carlos Osorio. I played for him in the past and I believe he’s one of, if not the, best coaches in the league and I would love to play for him again. All in all, I would like to go play in Europe just because it’s always been a dream of mine. If you were going to play soccer anywhere, it would be great to play where the game started.

2008 Second Round: Rhinos pull away from Riverhounds, remain perfect vs. USL-2

June 24, 2008 by

Goals by Mauricio Salles and Luke Kreamalmeyer in the second half broke open a close game as the host Rochester Rhinos cruised to a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Second Division at PAETEC Park. With the win, Rochester’s Open Cup record against USL Second Division opponents remains unblemished at 5-0 all-time.

Johnny Menyongar opened the scoring in the 26th minute for the USL First Division Rhinos, who won the US Open Cup in 1999 — they’re the most recent non-MLS team to win the tournament.

Salles added his team-high fifth goal of the season in the 61st off an assist from 39-year-old Steve Guppy. However, the Rochester player-coach, a former Premier League player who made one appearance for the English national team, was sent off less than 10 minutes later.

Kreamalmeyer added an insurance goal on a strange sequence in the 75th minute for the 10-man Rhinos. They were awarded a direct free kick from six yards out after the Pittsburgh goalkeeper picked up a backpass. Matthew Delicate played the free kick to Kreamalmeyer, and the former Major League Soccer player drove a shot over the wall and into the net to assure Rochester a spot in the Third Round against DC United of MLS.

The Riverhounds have lost eight of their 13 games overall this year, with their lone win coming against amateur side AAC Eagles in the First Round of the Open Cup.

2008 Second Round: Cleveland’s Floyd Franks scores 2 in OT, leaves Minnesota seeing stars

June 24, 2008 by

The Cleveland City Stars booked a date next Tuesday with the Chicago Fire, thanks to a 2-0 extra-time victory over the Minnesota Thunder.

After the teams played the first 90 minutes to a scoreless draw, Cleveland finally opened the scoring near the end of the first 15-minute extra time period.

Anthony Stovall found Floyd Franks with a pass, and Franks chipped a shot past Minnesota goalkeeper Nic Platter for the 1-0 advantage. Just a few moments later, Stovall was sent off for striking the Thunder’s Ricardo Sanchez in the face. Sanchez spent several minutes on the ground before being helped off the field. After seeking medical attention, Sanchez was back on the pitch for the second half of extra time.

With the clock winding down in extra time, Cleveland got the goal to seal the victory. Ian Liebbrandt was taken down by Platter in the box, and Franks stepped to the spot and put away the penalty kick for the 2-0 win.

Cleveland will travel to Toyota Park to face the four-time Open Cup winners Chicago Fire, Franks’ former team.

2008 Second Round: Battery escapes with late PK vs. Charlotte Eagles

June 24, 2008 by

On the cusp of extra time, the Charleston Battery escaped with a 2-1 win over the Charlotte Eagles, thanks to a 90th minute penalty kick by Osvaldo Alonso. In front of 1,411 at Blackbaud Stadium, Darren Spicer opened the scoring for the hosts in the 12th minute, who recovered a rebound from Charlotte goalkeeper Terry Boss after a shot by Aaron King.

Charlotte answered back in the second half, as Jorge Herrera headed home a long throw-in from Ben Johnson in the 66th minute. As extra time seemed a given, Charleston’s Randi Patterson was brought down in the box, and referee Skye Arthur Banning awarded the spot kick. Alonso stepped up and beat Boss for the winning goal.

Charleston will host the defending MLS Champion Houston Dynamo in the Third Round next Tuesday at Blackbaud Stadium.

Charlotte Lineup
Keith Wiggans, Kevin Nylen (Tim Velten 67), Marco Reda (Brandon Curran 59), Nelson Akwari, Chris Corcoran, Osvaldo Alonso, Mike Richardson (Dominic Cianciarulo 89), Stephen Armstrong, Darren Spicer, Randi Patterson, Aaron King (Lazo Alavanja 59)

Players Not Used – Dusty Hudock, Lester More, Louie Rolko

SHOTS: 4; SAVES: 6 (Wiggans 6); FOULS: 15 (Patterson 3); CORNER KICKS: 2; OFFSIDES: 3; PENALTY KICKS: Alonso 90 (Goal); CAUTIONS: Nylen 54; EJECTIONS: (NONE)

Charleston Lineup
Terry Boss, Josh Rife, Steve Shak, Ben Johnson, Brady Bryant, Joe Kabwe, Darren Toby (Worteh Sampson 89), Jorge Herrera, Jonah Long (Ben Page 89), Dustin Swinehart, Rob Ssejjemba

Players Not Used – Kevin Trapp, Chris Klotz, Dan Harvey, Chad Smith, Taurai Daka

SHOTS: 7 (Swinehart 3); SAVES: 2 (Boss 2); FOULS: 9 (Bryant 2); CORNER KICKS: 8; OFFSIDES: 4; PENALTY KICKS: (NONE); CAUTIONS: Bryant 35, Swinehart 84; EJECTIONS: (NONE)

Referee – Skye Arthur Banning
Att – 1,411

2008 Second Round: Another late goal by Kupono Low gets RailHawks past Monarchs

June 24, 2008 by

Once again, a late goal by Kupono Low sent the Carolina RailHawks onto the next round.

Low, who scored the RailHawks’ lone goal in the 85th minute of their First Round win over the PDL’s Brooklyn Knights, converted a 90th-minute penalty kick to beat USL Second Division side Real Maryland 1-0 in Cary, NC.

Former MLS forward Jamil Walker drew the decisive penalty, as he was taken down by Monarchs goalkeeper Emilio Zelaya in the box. Carolina, which advanced to the Semifinals last year in their inaugural season, moves on to play the Kansas City Wizards.

Lineups

Real Maryland: Emilio Zelaya, Marcos Chantel, Stephen Basso, Devlin Barnes, Angel Higueras, Andrew Kish (Steven Tupy 68th), Mateus Dos Anjos (Teodoro Ramirez 66th), Dennis Alas (Philippe Bissohong 61st), Muner Hassen, Ronald Cerritos, Nilson Perez (Victor Ramirez 90th)

Carolina RailHawks: Chris McClellan, Steven Curfman, David Stokes, Mauricio Segovia, Kupono Low, Ryan Solle, Martin Nuñez (Ross Mackenzie 80th), Matt Watson (Chad Dombrowski 90th), Santiago Fusilier (Phillip Long 67th), Caleb Norkus, Dan Antoniuk (Jamil Walker 66th)

Scoring Summary: Low (Car 90th,PK)

Cautions: Basso (RMD, 14th), Segovia (CAR 45th), Low (CAR 72nd), Ramirez (RMD 74th)

2008 Second Round: Matt Nelson knocks out old team as Crystal Palace tops Harrisburg in shootout

June 24, 2008 by

Former City Islander goalkeeper Matt Nelson came back to haunt his old club, saving three of Harrisburg’s four penalty kicks in the shootout tiebreaker to advance Crystal Palace Baltimore to the Third Round of the US Open Cup.

Crystal Palace jumped to an early 1-0 lead on Kevin King’s 10th minute goal, but the lead did not last long. Anthony Calvano leveled the contest a 1-1 in the 24th minute thanks to a David Schofield assist. Just a few moments later, the City Islanders gained a man advantage when King was sent off for striking Calvano. The match remained at 1-1 through halftime, and in the second half, two more red cards were issued. The first was to Baltimore co-Manager Pete Medd, who was dismissed in the 56th minute. Shortly after, the numbers on the playing field were evened when Harrisburg’s Brian Ombiji was sent off for stepping on a Palace defender in the 63rd minute.

In extra time, Baltimore took the lead once again as the first extra session was coming to an end with Matthew Mbuta scoring on a Val Teixeira assist. Just as the game looked to finish a 2-1, Harrisburg was awarded a penalty in the final minute of extra time. Yu Hoshide stepped up and converted the spot kick to send the match to penalties.

Once in the penalty shootout, it was Nelson’s turn to shine. After Harrisburg counterpart Brian Pope saved Michael Lookingland’s penalty attempt, Nelson gained revenge on Hoshide by saving his shot. After Ibrahim Kante (CPB) and Brian Devlin (HCI) converted the next round of shots, fortunes seemed to turn Harrisburg’s way when Cecil Lewis missed his chance. Nelson came to the rescue again as he saved Brett Wiesner’s shot to keep the PK score 1-1. After Patrick Healey scored for Palace. Nelson stepped up again with a save on Adam Clay’s shot. Val Teixeira put the nail in the coffin with the final penalty, putting the result out of reach for Harrisburg.

Crystal Palace will host the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer next Tuesday in the Third Round.

2008 Second Round: Miami FC edge Silverbacks, earn first win over pro team

June 24, 2008 by

With Alex Afonso’s lone strike of the game in the 40th minute, Miami FC advanced past the Second Round of the US Open Cup for the first time with a 1-0 win over the visiting Atlanta Silverbacks.

In a rare switch, Miami FC head coach Zinho decided to rest players in advance of Tuesday’s Open Cup contest, instead of the other way around. The move paid off as Miami recorded another shutout, adding to the eight they had in league play to that point. Atlanta nearly took an early lead when a shot from Rodrigo Rios in the 6th minute struck the top of the crossbar. Just before halftime, Afonso unleashed a long range shot to the top left corner of the goal, giving goalkeeper Ryan McIntosh no chance at a save.

Both teams worked furiously to score an additional goal, each defense held just as firm. In the final minute, Miami goalkeeper Josh Saunders saved a close range shot from Jason McLaughlin, and Eric Vasquez nearly scored on a counter attack for Miami, but his shot was off the mark.

Miami moves on to face FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park next Tuesday in Frisco, Texas.

2008 Second Round: Nyazamba’s late goal lifts Kickers over Pioneers in physical battle

June 24, 2008 by

The Richmond Kickers traveled to Ludlow, Mass. and came away with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Western Mass Pioneers. Stanley Nyazamba’s 83rd minute goal proved to be the game-winner as the Kickers move on to the Third Round.

After a scoreless first half, Richmond opened the scoring in the 59th minute. Kelvin Jones challenged Pioneers goalkeeper Matt Glaeser for a loose ball, and as the ball bounced towards Jones he poked it over the goal line for a 1-0 lead. Western Mass answered shortly after, as Jeff Deren emerged from a scramble in the box to fire a low shot to the far corner of the goal.

The deciding goal began from a long pass from defender Evan Harding. David Bulow flicked the pass to Freddie Smith, who in turn sent a pass to an unmarked Nyazamba on the left side. Nyazamba then maneuvered around Glaeser and struck a left-footed shot past two Pioneers defenders.

The referee had his hands full as the game was winding down. In the final minute, the Kickers Pat Viray and the Pioneers Anthony Augustine were sent off after an altercation with each other. Moments later, Federico Molinari was sent off for his second bookable offense, and Glaeser was tossed for confronting the referee too strongly.

The Kickers will face the New England Revolution in the Third Round next Tuesday at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Conn.

Lineups
Pioneers: GK Matt Glaeser, Jay Willis, James Greenslit, Callum Bissett, Federico Molinari, Anthony Augustine, Anthon Petrarca, Mike Lima (Bryan Zobre – 88’), Noel Bunsie, Neil Krause, Jeff Deren

Kickers: GK Ronnie Pascale, Kelvin Jones, Sascha Görres, Trevor McEachron, Evan Harding, Anthony Catalano, Luke Vercollone, Eliot Paschalis (Freddie Smith – 67’), Stanley Nyazamba, Ian Bennett (Pat Viray – 88’), David Bulow

Shots               Saves              Fouls                   Corners
Kickers:   10    Kickers:    5    Kickers:    15       Kickers:      3
Pioneers: 9     Pioneers: 4    Pioneers: 15       Pioneers:   7

Cautions:
40th minute: Anthony Petrarca (Western Mass)
48th minute: Stanley Nyazamba (Richmond)
60th minute: Matt Glaeser (Western Mass)
62nd minute: Ian Bennett (Richmond)
81st minute: Mike Lima (Western Mass)
89th minute: Federico Molinari (Western Mass)
90th minute: Evan Harding (Richmond)
90th minute: Matt Glaeser (Western Mass)

Ejections:
90th minute: Pat Viray (Richmond)
90th minute: Anthony Augustine (Western Mass)
90th minute: Federico Molinari (Western Mass)
90th minute: Matt Glaeser (Western Mass)

Referee:    Niko Bratsis
Assistant Referees:   Claudio Badea, Victor Matheson
Fourth Official:    Jan Halaska
Attendance:    1,000
Weather:    Clear

2008 Second Round: Seattle Sounders dominate, end United’s Hollywood story

June 24, 2008 by

Zach Scott scored off a corner kick in the 3rd minute to set the tone, and Sebastien Le Toux scored four straight goals as the Seattle Sounders routed amateur side Hollywood United 6-0 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

Hollywood United was the only one of the eight USASA teams to win in the First Round, seeing off the Portland Timbers 3-2, but they were never in this match.

After Scott’s early opener, Josh Gardner scored in the 15th minute and Le Toux scored his first two goals in a six-minute stretch as Seattle held a commanding 4-0 lead after just 28 minutes.

Le Toux scored his final two goals in consecutive minutes in the second half, and could’ve had another a few minutes later — with the goal open, he shot wide.

Still, the four-goal outburst moved Le Toux — the leading scorer in last year’s tournament as the Sounders advanced to the Semifinals — into a tie with Charleston’s Darrin Spicer atop this year’s US Open Cup goal-scoring chart.

Both goalkeepers made several fine saves, the Sounders’ Chris Eylander to preserve the clean sheet and Hollywood United’s Javier Barragan to keep Seattle from putting even more goals on the scoreboard.

The Sounders advance to play host to Chivas USA next Tuesday night at Starfire — Seattle beat the MLS team 3-1 in the Third Round last year. Hollywood United, meanwhile, receives $10,000 for advancing the farthest out of the amateur entries.