2010 USASA Qualifying

2010 US Open Cup Qualifying: One-sided results kick off Maryland tourney

March 1, 2010 by

Mother Nature has not been kind to the Maryland US Open Cup qualifying. The tournament was originally scheduled to begin on February 7, but was moved twice before finally settling on Sunday, February 28. The last day of the month wasn’t free of weather problems as only two of the three games were able to be played.

The two games that were played were both one-sided affairs with Jilly’s Bar & Grill thrashing a shorthanded AEK Baltimore squad 10-0, while FC Allyance trounced the Maryland Kicks by a score of 7-0. Jilly’s and FC Allyance will move on to the final four where they will meet Christos FC, who were awarded a bye into the Semifinals.

The lone opening round game yet to be played is a matchup between Charm City FC and Baltimore Bays Chelsea. That game was postponed due to poor field conditions and is expected to be rescheduled for the first week of March. However, at the time that this article is being written, the forecast is not promising for next weekend.

The opening game of the day was already a difficult matchup for AEK Baltimore as they took on Jilly’s Bar & Grill. Jilly’s are a solid team in the top division in the Maryland Major Soccer League (MMSL), while AEK competes in the Second Division. However, to make matters worse, Baltimore was only able to field 10 players to start the match.

Playing a man short turned AEK goal, protected by goalkeeper Jamie List, into a shooting gallery. After 45 minutes of play, Jilly’s held a 3-0 lead with a pair of goals by Chris Hastings, both of which were assisted by Brian Walter. Walter also added a goal of his own a few minutes before the break.

At halftime, the situation for Baltimore got worse as midfielder Tommy Koukolulis re-aggravated a sprained PCL injury he had suffered recently and had to leave the game at halftime. At that point, the floodgates opened. The nine-man AEK squad was helpless to prevent the blowout, as Jilly’s scored seven second half goals. To show just how one-sided it was, it could have been worse. In addition to the 10 goals that got past him, List still made 22 saves for the shorthanded club.

“It was mostly our reliable over-30 guys that showed up, so we never really stood a chance,” said AEK player/manager Mike Murphy. “Near the end, we were just throwing ourselves in front of shots. We’ll be back next year after some rebuilding.”

Brian Walter led the way for Jilly’s, scoring three goals and assisting on three more. They will move on to face last year’s Maryland champions, Christos FC, in the Semifinals.

Scoring Summary
12′ Chris Hastings (Walter) 17′ Chris Hastings (Walter) 42′ Brian Walter (Unassisted) 62′ Mike Walter (Walter) 65′ Underwood (Gold) 70′ Brian Walter (Unassisted) 71′ Brian Walter (Unassisted) 76′ Brandon Hawkes (Unassisted) 80′ McKinley (Unassisted) 85′ McKinley (Unassisted)

Lineup – Jilly’s Bar and Grill
Nick Parapinski – Goalkeeper (4 Saves), Chris Hastings, Brian Walter, Mike Walter, George Phillips, Jake Underwood, Brandon Hawkes, Jeremy Gold, Chris Collins, Kelii Maddox, Aaron McKinley

Lineup – AEK Baltimore FC
Jaime List – Goalkeeper(22 Saves), Bevin Ettiene, Mike Murphy, Robbie O’Brien, Ryan Reif, Tommy Koukoulis, Mario Inacio, Joel Goldberg, Justin Young, Brian Ritter

After reaching the Maryland Open Cup championship game the last two years, FC Allyance is back and got off to a strong start by hammering the Maryland Kicks 7-0. Allyance, a First Division team in the MMSL, was too much for the Kicks, a Second Division team from the Cosmopolitan League.

The experienced FC Allyance club was led by Eddie Emokpae and Bill Reinhardt who each scored a pair of goals. They will move on to face the winner of Charm City FC and Baltimore Bays Chelsea in the Semifinals. That match is scheduled to be played on Sunday, March 7 at 9:30 a.m. at Cedar Lane Regional Park.

Scoring Summary
21′ Eddie Emokpae (Unassisted), 26′ Bill Reinhardt (Oliveira), 44′ Eddie Emokpae (Unassisted), 51′ Bill Reinhardt (Emokpae), 64′ Bill Wardle (Donnelly) 75′ Chris Bailey (Unassisted), ??’ Waheed Razaq (Lawal)

Lineup – FC Allyance
GK: Jason Vaughn (5 saves), Bill Wardle, Chris Bailey, Arshan Dabirsiaghi, Eddie Emokpae, Jim Wakefield, Bill Reinhardt, Sandro Oliveira, Shawn Brooks, Michael Farris, William Rodenz
SUBS: Mark Donnelly(35′), Seth Schreiber (40′), Julian Greco (52′), Saheed Lawal (56′), Waheed Razaq (56′), Chris Onaja (65′)

Lineup – Maryland Kicks
GK: Julian Castiblanco (13 saves), Hemant Chakravarthi, Sumant Chakravarthi, Praveen Gnanasundram, Willy Hanelt, Edson Hernandez, Hussein Hussein, Emerson Lemus, Bryan Mack, Jaime Maldonado, Luis Rivera
SUBS: Emad Rasool (70′)

———————————

QUARTERFINALS (Feb. 28)
AEK Baltimore FC 0:10 Jilly’s Bar & Grill
FC Allyance 7:0 Maryland Kicks
Charm City FC vs. Baltimore Bays Chelsea – POSTPONED (March 7 – 9:30 a.m. – Cedar Lane Regional Park)

SEMIFINALS (March 14)*
Christos FC vs. Jilly’s Bar & Grill – 6:00pm
FC Allyance vs. Charm City FC/Baltimore Bays Chelsea – 8:00pm
* Date/Times subject to change

Atletico Virginia denies Aegean Hawks a 5th straight DC/VA Open Cup title

January 20, 2010 by

For the first time in nine tries, Club Atletico Virginia (CAV) finally broke through against their Washington Premier League (WPL) rivals, the Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks. And they couldn’t have picked a better time to do it. At George Mason High School in Falls Church, Va., CAV defeated the Aegean Hawks 2-0 in a rain-soaked DC/Virginia Open Cup Final to punch their ticket to the USASA Region I tournament.

The two teams last met in league play almost two months ago, in a game that finished in a 1-1 draw. Coming into the match, the Hawks had won the last four DC/VA Open Cup championships and held a 6-0-2 advantage in the all-time series, outscoring Virginia 28-7 in those matches. However, it was clear that CAV brought a stronger team to the rematch of last year’s one-sided Open Cup Final (Aegean Hawks won 9-0).

The opening 30 minutes was a battle with each team creating solid chances.

In the 11th minute, the Hawks looked to test the Atletico defense by establishing the long range shot. Center back Alan Golden’s 30 yard strike ricocheted off an Atletico defender and into the path of Hawks holding mid Michael Goldman, whose booming shot sailed ten feet over the crossbar from 20 yards out.

2010 DC/VA Open Cup Final Video Highlights
Club Atletico Virginia vs. Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks
(Video courtesy of Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks)

Atletico pressured in the 15th minute when outside midfielder Matt Miller’s cross was headed down into the penalty area to midfielder John Carson, whose running half-volley header lacked the snap to pose much of a challenge to Hawks goalkeeper, Alex Fatovic.

The deadlock would be broken in the 30th minute when Atletico defender Ben Mortimer struck a dangerous 20-yard volley destined for the upper corner that was somehow kept out with an outstanding save by Fatovic. On the corner kick that followed, midfielder John Carson lofted an accurate ball to the far post that was met by a clinical header by Victor Krasij that beat the diving keeper from close range.

Now with a 1-0 deficit to overcome, the Hawks stepped up the possession and the pressure, and came close to equalizing when midfielder Watson Prather’s shot hit the crossbar from 30 yards out. The rebound fell to Hawks striker Ricky Schramm, who chested the ball forward and off the arm of Atletico center back Tremaine Chinapoo before being cleared to safety. The center referee John Schmitz did not see the infraction and the game continued.

With two minutes left before the halftime break, CAV doubled their lead. Following an interception in midfield, Carson received the ball with some space and played a perfectly weighted pass to striker Billy Whittington. Hawks defender Alan Golden then brought Whittington down in the penalty area and the referee pointed to the spot.

Carson coolly deposited the spot-kick in the lower right corner to give CAV a 2-0 advantage going into halftime.

Any attempt for the Hawks to get back into the game was dealt a major blow in the 53rd minute when midfielder Michael Goldman was shown a straight red card. Goldman was sent off for a late knee-high tackle on Dave Leon, leaving the defending champs down to 10 men for the remainder of the match.

The CAV defense, led by goalkeeper Matt Scheer, were able to keep the shorthanded Hawks off the scoresheet and snap their eight-game winless streak against them.

With the win, Club Atletico Virginia qualifies for the USASA Region I Finals, which, if they emerge victorious, will advance to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks Lineup:
GK: Alex Fatovic, Alan Golden, John Stephens, Devlin Barnes, Corey Curnutte, Watson Prather, Mike Goldman, Nidhal Charfi (Nate Bukey – 60′), William Fierro (Anders Kelto – 55′), Erwin Diaz, Ricky Schramm
Subs Not Used: Jon Knight

Club Atletico Virginia Lineup:
GK: Matthew Scheer RB: Benjamin Mortimer CB: Tremaine Chinapoo CB: Cooper Bryant LB: Phillip Purdy (Jordan Cullinane ‘65) RM: Andrew Richardson DCM: Matthew Davis (Matthew Carlson ’45) DCM: Victor Krasij LM: Matthew Miller (David Leon ’45) AM: John Carson STR: Billy Wittington (Nico Ojeda ’85)

2010 US Open Cup qualifying: NY Pancyprian Freedoms avenge the Greeks, beat Fenerbahce to win Eastern NY

December 17, 2009 by adamspangler

New York Pancyprian Freedoms: Three-time US Open Cup champions

There was plenty of drama entering the Eastern New York Open Cup Final. The game featured Fenerbahce USA, a second-year club that reached the championship game due to a controversial protest filed after they lost 4-1 to the New York Greek American Atlas in the Semifinals. When the decision was made to disqualify the Greek Americans, New York Pancyprian Freedoms general manager George Halkidis, stepped to the defense of his rivals in an interview with FirstTouchOnline.com.

“It’s a shame what happened to . Games are decided on the field and not on paper,” said Halkidis. “It’s OK though because I promise that this team, , will not advance. Not on the field nor on paper. Pancyprians will take care of business.”

Halkidis made good on that promise as the Freedoms dispatched Fenerbahce 4-1 to continue their dominance over Eastern NY. For New York, it was their third straight Open Cup title and their fourth in the last five years.

Jeff Matteo, Chris Megaloudis, Julio Cesar DoSantos and Tasos Polydefkis all scored for the Freedoms as they qualify for the 2010 USASA Region I Finals that will be held next Spring. Last year, they lost in the opening round to Emigrantes Das Ilhas of Massachusetts, but they earned a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2008 after advancing to the Region I title game.

More details to follow …

Entries for the 2010 USASA Region I Finals

New York Pancyprian Freedoms (Eastern NY)
Phoenix SC (Eastern PA)
Emigrantes Das Ilhas (Massachusetts)

Entries for the 2010 USASA Region II Finals

Milwaukee Kickers (Wisconsin)
AAC Eagles (Illinois)

Fenerbahce USA in Eastern NY Final after Greek American Atlas forfeit

December 15, 2009 by

Eastern New York SA logo Following their 4-1 win over Fenerbahce USA in the Semifinals of the Eastern New York Open Cup tournament, New York Greek American Atlas has been disqualified. Following the match, Fenerbahce filed a protest with the Eastern New York Amateur Soccer Association (ENYASA) accusing the Greek Americans of fielding an ineligible player. After the review was complete, the ENYASA ruled that the Greeks had broken the rules.

According to Gus Xikis of the ENYASA, there were two rules violations.

First, former New York Red Bulls forward Abbe Ibrahim was listed on the Greek Americans’ lineup sheet submitted to the referee. This was an odd mistake considering that Ibrahim is currently playing for Romanian club FC Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt. Even though Ibrahim did not participate in the match, listing a professional player on the lineup card of an amateur team, according to Xikis, is against the rules and is worthy of a match being forfeited.

Ibrahim made his MLS debut for the Metrostars (now the New York Red Bulls) of Major League Soccer back in 2005, scoring two goals in 15 matches and most recently played for Toronto FC in 2007. He played two games for the Greek Americans in late September, but George Mellis, the long-time general manager for the Greek Americans, claims that he was unaware that Ibrahim was a professional player, and wasn’t even aware that Ibrahim was playing in Romania.

Abbe Ibrahim scored the opening goal of the game in a losing effort for his
Romanian club a few days after the Eastern NY Semifinal took place.

“The reason our coach Lucio Russo put on the lineup form was because on the date of the game, our players were running late, and the game had already started,” said Mellis. “We put him in there, in case we had to start the game with less than 10 players.”

The players running late arrived at the match in time, but Ibrahim’s name remained on the lineup sheet.

The second violation that was discovered by the ENYASA was that Michael Todd, who spent time with the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division in 2007 and also played for the Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League, was listed as a professional player and did not submit the proper paperwork to be re-instated as an amateur athlete.

Todd, who has played for the Greek Americans for the last three seasons, spent this past summer playing for the Long Island Rough Riders of the Premier Development League (PDL). The Rough Riders are an amateur club, but it is possible to be signed to a PDL club on a $0 professional contract. According to the ENYASA, Todd had signed a pay-free professional contract with the Rough Riders, however, a source with the United Soccer Leagues says that according to their records, he was registered as an amateur player.

Regardless of Todd’s status, the violation involving Ibrahim was enough to disqualify the three-time US Open Cup champions.

Mellis, who has worked for the Greek Americans for the last 40 years, takes full responsibility for the errors. He says that not only did he not know that Ibrahim was a professional, but he wasn’t aware that he had left the country to play in Romania. As for Todd, he says that he did not re-instate him as an amateur because he didn’t think it was necessary since he had just finished playing for an amateur PDL club.

This isn’t the first time that the club has been involved in a situation like this. In 1998, after upsetting the Western Mass Pioneers of the USL D3 Pro League (now USL Second Division) in the opening round of the US Open Cup, it was determined that they used as many as six ineligible players and were disqualified and denied a Second Round match with the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the A-League.

Fenerbahce USA will now replace the Greek Americans in the Eastern New York Open Cup Final and will face the New York Pancyprian Freedoms on Wednesday, December 16 at 7:30 at Central Island Beach Field in Bayville, NY.

2010 US Open Cup qualifying: Phoenix SC win USASA Eastern PA Open Cup title, advance to Region I Finals

December 14, 2009 by adamspangler

Phoenix SC wins their first Eastern PA Open Cup title with a 2-1 overtime victory over the United German Hungarians

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA – Despite playing in a torrential downpour throughout the match, Phoenix SC captured their first Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup championship, defeating the United German Hungarians (UGH) 2-1 in overtime. The Final went ahead despite nature’s best attempts to dampen the participants’ spirits. Played in a high school football stadium, the field was narrow, but the artificial turf ensured the game would go on despite the heavy rain.

UGH came out of the blocks quickly, as they tried to win their second Open Cup inside of three years. Using the narrow field, they deployed a high-pressure strategy and controlled the opening 25 minutes, with Tommy DeGeorge fashioning the best opportunities for UGH. Phoenix was not without creativity of its own, as both Ben Castor and Steve Mellor missed out on opportunities to get on the scoresheet in the opening moments of the game.

Phoenix eventually found their footing and started to hold possession, matching UGH for the remainder of the half as both teams created several more chances in the final 20 minutes, but were unable to break the scoreless tie before halftime.

With the wind at their backs, Phoenix came out and gained the upper hand in the second half, although, it would be UGH that would make the first breakthrough. In the 67th minute, a clearance by a UGH defender slipped away from the control of a Phoenix player, allowing Tim O’Neill to be released down the left side. He surprised everyone in attendance when he toe poked the ball from 22 yards into the far upper corner to give UGH a 1-0 lead.

Phoenix responded by changing tactics and pushing players forward, which nearly brought immediate dividends as they created several chances by Ben Castor, Pat Dillon and Roman Escobar. UGH continued to be dangerous on the counter and from set plays, with Blair Carson nearly putting the game out of reach on a free kick that missed the target.

However, in the 81st minute, Phoenix would find the equalizer. A flowing pass culminated in substitute Brian McKinney, playing in his first Open Cup Final after 10 years with the club, releasing Kamara Freebolle to round the keeper and slot home the tying goal. Phoenix, however, were not content to go to extra time as Freebolle and Danny Murtagh both came close to winning the game in the final, frantic moments.

The first overtime session was evenly played, with Phoenix controlling possession and UGH looking to hit them on the counter. In the second session, Phoenix finally made a breakthrough. With nine minutes remaining, a Matt Lapish freekick found the head of McKinney, whose flick traveled 25 feet into the air. Jack Pocorobba was the first to react, getting under the ball and heading across goal and into the far corner, sparking jubilant scenes in the stadium. UGH pressed forward to find a goal to send the match into penalty kicks, but they fell short, losing to Phoenix 2-1.

For Phoenix SC, it was their first state Open Cup title, giving coach Blair Thomson the only trophy which has eluded him in his 28-year association with the club. Thomson’s team, with the victory, have qualified for the 2010 USASA Region I Finals, which will take place in the Spring.

Phoenix SC Lineup

GK – Tony Pratico
LB – Greg Mangels (captain)
CB – Matt Lapish
CB – Mark Scaccia (Brian McKinney, 72nd)
RB – Jack Pocorobba
LM – Danny Murtagh
CM – Ben Castor
CM – Steve Mellor (Pat Dillon, 70th)
CM – Roman Escobar
RM – Ryan Soroka
ST – Kamara Freebolle
Unused Sub – Matt Rominger

2010 Qualifying: Greek American Atlas top Fenerbahce, reach Eastern NY Final

December 7, 2009 by

New York Greek American Atlas: 3-time Open Cup champions (1967, 1968, 1969)

It was a situation of in with the old and out with the new in the Eastern New York Semifinals as the New York Greek American Atlas defeated Fenerbahce USA 4-1 For the fourth time in the last five years, the New York Greek American Atlas will face the New York Pancyprian Freedoms in the state’s Open Cup championship.

The Semifinal game, which took place at Center Island Beach Field in Bayville, NY, was a matchup of one of the newest teams in the Eastern NY region in Fenerbahce and Greek American Atlas who has been playing since 1946.

A week earlier, Fenerbahce USA eliminated New York in the US Amateur Cup tournament. The match finished tied 2-2, but Fenerbahce advanced on penalty kicks.

The Greek Americans jumped out to an early lead on this cold and rainy night, thanks to left back Diego Velasquez who scored on a free kick about 10 minutes into the game. 10 minutes later, another set piece put them up 2-0 when Patrick Figueiredo’s corner kick found the head of Javier Gonzales.

They continued to pressure the Fenerbahce goal, but former Greek American goalkeeper EJ Xikis made two exceptional saves. One of them on a shot from distance by Michael Todd and the other by forward Josh Trott.

New York, who was already in control of the match, received an additional advantage early in the second half when Fenerbahce’s sweeper was shown a red card when he tackled Trott from behind.

With the extra man, the Greek Americans struck again in the 75th minute when Trott sent a through ball to former DC United and Houston Dynamo forward Guy Kpene, who dribbled through the defense and slipped the ball past Xikis.

Fenerbahce USA, associated with the Turkish club, began playing in New York in 2008

Fenerbahce would pull one back about five minutes later when a poor tackle in the penalty area awarded them with a PK. After the spot kick was converted, five minutes later, the Greek Americans put any hope of a comeback to bed with their fourth goal.

The final goal came as a result of another through ball from midfield, which found the feet of Trott, who split the two central defenders and collided with Xikis who tried to make the save. The ball took a deflection and Trott was able to recover and beat the keeper to the ball and tapped it into the empty net.

The Greek Americans, who have won the Open Cup three times (1967, 1968, 1969), are attempting to qualify for the tournament for the fourth time in the Professional Era (1995-present). In each of their three Pro Era appearances (1998, 2004, 2005), they lost in the opening round.

UPDATE: After the match, Fenerbahce USA protested the match, claiming that the Greek Americans used an ineligible player.

New York Greek American Atlas lineup

GK: Steven Diaz RB: Chris Cox, LB: Diego Velasquez, CB: Javier Gonzales, Arman Osooli CM: Kevin Meyer (75′ Alexandru Grigorita), Michael Todd, RM: Patrick Figueiredo (85′ Felix Flugo), LM: Adrien Papaluca, ST: Josh Trott, Guy Kpene (75′ Ricardo Ordain)

New York Greek American Atlas recent Eastern NY tournament history

2010 – Will face NY Pancyprian Freedoms in the Final
2009 – Lost in the Semifinals vs. SV Olympic 76 (1-1, 5-4 PKs)
2008 – Lost 1-0 (aet) vs. NY Pancyprian Freedoms in the Final (Freedoms scored game-winner in 115th minute)
2007 – Won 2-0 vs. NY Pancyprian Freedoms in the Final
(Lost in PKs vs. Aegean Hawks in the Semifinals of the Region I tournament)
2006 – Lost 2-0 vs. NY Pancyprian Freedoms in the Final
2005 – Won the Eastern NY tournament (Advanced to the Final of the USASA Region I tournament)
2004 – Won the Eastern NY tournament (Lost in the Final of the USASA Region I tournament)
2003 – Won the Eastern NY tournament (Lost in the Semifinals of the USASA Region I tournament)

2010 Qualifying: Emigrantes Das Ilhas to represent Massachusetts in Region I Finals

December 2, 2009 by

Emigrantes Das Ilhas will make their second straight appearance in the USASA Region I Finals

2009 Massachusetts State Cup Champions Emigrantes Das Ilbarhas booked their place in the USASA Region I Open Cup tournament next Spring by defeating Boston Olympiakos (2007 National Amateur Cup champions) 4-2 on penalty kicks on a rainy evening in East Boston. The build up to the game needed no extra incentives as the two teams had just met 48 hours earlier in a fiercely contested US Amateur Cup game in Brockton. The game ended in a 2-2 tie with Emigrantes advancing to the group finals ahead of Olympiakos on goal difference.

The game would prove no different. Emigrantes were first out of the blocks and on the scoresheet within the first eight minutes of play after some delightful skill by Edens Chery down the left flank. His cross into the box was met by Almir Barbosa whose shot was superbly saved by the Olympiakos keeper, but the rebound kindly fell to Cherry who needed no second invitation to shoot and score. It was a fantastic start for Emigrantes considering they began the game without a goalkeeper or any substitutes as many of their players and fans were stuck in the city of Boston’s notorious rush hour traffic.

By the 25th minute Emigrantes were down to 10 men when Jose Veiga picked up a foot injury in a challenge with the Olympiakos keeper. Fortunately their missing players began to arrive and Emigrantes were back to full strength with goalkeeper Jordan Mota coming on for injured Veiga and replacing Aderito Pina in goal who then took up his normal position in defense.

Instead of pushing for a second goal, Emigrantes eased off and Olympiakos began to make a push for an equalizer through playmakers DaSilva and Walker. But the execution of their final pass was poor. Frustration began to mount for twin strikers Jessey and Justin Fernandes as they couldn’t muster any chances against a solid Emigrantes defense. They settled for long range shots which were handled comfortably by Mota. With the evening temperature dropping and rain falling, both teams seemed to be looking forward to the halftime whistle which came after four minutes of injury time.

The second half started with Emigrantes forming an assault on the Olympiakos goal. Wave after wave they attacked. First with Barbosa coming close after some nice work by Daniel Xavier down the right. Then it was Zico Veiga to carve out a decent shot that sent the Boston keeper sprawling to his left. And before he could get on his feet, Iuca was there to rattle his crossbar. It seemed like only a matter of time before Emigrantes would score. But credit to Boston Olympiakos who somehow found a way to weather the storm. Those opening 20 minutes of the the second half must have felt like two hours to them.

Their fortunes would get better as Carlos Amado of Emigrantes pulled a hamstring and had to be replaced by Ernesto Lopes. With only one substitution available, Emigrantes were forced to shuffle their midfield by moving Carlos Semedo to left back. This would become his third position of the night after filling in at center back and midfield. This opened up the center of the park and Olympiakos began to find some space. As time ticked closer to the 90-minute mark, Olympiakos began throwing numbers forward forcing the Emigrantes defense to drop deeper onto their own 18-yard box. Two minutes into stoppage time, a failed clearance fell to the feet of Justin Fernandes who scored the equalizer to send the game into extra time.

It was tough blow to Emigrantes as Olympiakos created a limited number of scoring chances. With overtime looming and Emigrantes dejected, Olympiakos now felt they could win it. Within the 2nd minute of overtime, they used their momentum to go up 2-1 thanks to a cracker of a free kick from 25 yards out by Joshua Grenier. Mota had no chance.

Now Emigrantes were left to chase the game. With time winding down in the second half of extra time, they would find an opening through Chery, who put together a ‘man of the match’ level performance. He made a run down the left wing and sent a cross into the box that was met and turned in by Barbosa to bring the game level. Following the tying goal, each team took a defensive approach into the final minutes, sending the match into a penalty kick shootout to decide the Massaschusetts state championship.

Emigrantes won the toss and opted to shoot first. The defending champs scored on their first three attempts with Lopes, Chery and Daniel Xavier beating the goalkeeper. Olympiakos scored on their first two, but Mota guessed correctly and saved the third try by Geoffrey Walker. Following the save, Zico Veiga stepped to the spot and sent the ball into the back of the net putting the pressure on Jessey Fernandes to score or go home. Once again, Mota dove the right way and made the save to give Emigrantes their second straight Massachusetts Open Cup championship.

Emigrantes Das Ilhas will represent the state at the USASA Region I Finals, which will take place next Spring.

Emigrantes Das Ilhas lineup:

GK: Aderito De Pina(normally central defender and later went back to his regular position replaced by #1 Keeper Jordan Mota)
RB: Carlos Amado(came off injured replaced by Ernesto Lopes)
CB: Carlos Semedo, Carlos Semedo
LB: Sandro Pina
LW: Edens Cherry
CM: Claudino Barros, Zico Veiga
RW: Ze Veiga
ST: Almir Barsosa, Daniel Xavier

2010 Qualifying: Phoenix SC, United German Hungarians advance to Eastern PA Final

November 25, 2009 by

Eastern Pennsylvania Logo

Eastern PA Open Cup Final

United German Hungarians at
Phoenix SC
December 6 – 2 p.m.
Feasterville, Pa. | Map

Eastern Pennsylvania will soon have a representative in the USASA Region I Finals as the championship game was set in stone this past weekend. The United German Hungarians (UGH) and Phoenix SC will meet in the deciding game after posting Semifinal victories in matches held around the Philadelphia area.

Phoenix earned their spot in the the Eastern PA Open Cup Final with a 3-1 win over Danubia SC with UGH defeating long-time rivals Vereinigung Erzgebirge (VE) 1-0 in the second game. Phoenix SC will host the title game on December 6 with a kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m.

At Beneficial Bank Field at the United German Hungarian club in Oakford, Pa., the game was a rematch of last year’s Open Cup Final, which VE won 3-0. UGH had eliminated VE in the Semifinals the year before on their way to capturing their last Eastern PA title.

Vereinigung Erzgebirge logo The German Hungarians came out strong early in the match. The hosts put pressure on VE’s backline and scored the game’s only goal 20 minutes into the game.

Central midfielder Blair Carson sent a long ball over the top to forward Ryan Mosley, who controlled and dribbled in from nearly 40 yards out with a VE defender on his shoulder and beat the goalkeeper from just inside the penalty area.

UGH continued to put pressure on the VE goal, but before the halftime break, the visitors shifted the momentum. Their attack on the UGH goal continued into the second half and the pressure increased at the midway point of the half when they went up a man.

United German Hungarians have finished as the runner-up in the US Open Cup twice (1977, 1993)

The German Hungarians had their outside midfielder ejected, which shifted their focus to defending. With the back four and the midfield dropping back to help out, UGH limited VE’s chances. The best scoring chance for VE came late in the game when a cleared ball struck a VE player in the chest and rebounded toward the UGH net and nearly caught goalkeeper Eric Talbot off his line. Talbot was able to recover in time and keep the ball out of the back of the net to preserve the clean sheet.

In the other Semifinal, Phoenix SC took another step toward capturing their first Eastern PA Open Cup title as they knocked off Danubia SC.

On a bumpy field, each team kept their shape and played conservatively in the early going while probing for weaknesses in their opponent. In the 22nd minute, Phoenix forced the Danubia backline into an error, with Steve Mellor’s pressure allowing Roman Escobar to steal the ball and poke it home from 10 yards out. The goal spurred Phoenix on as they created several other chances, before capitalizing again in the 36th minute. Danny Murtagh and Steve Mellor’s one-two in the midfield released Murtagh down the left side, whose cross found the foot of Mellor for the second goal of the game. Danubia found a lifeline just before halftime as they were able to capitalize on an error by the Phoenix defense, with Pete Pitoulis slotting the ball into an empty net to make it 2-1.

With mascot Carlson Thomson performing a rousing rendition of Phoenix’ “Lisztomania” at halftime, Phoenix came out ready to rise to the challenge of defending their one-goal lead. The visitors used the crowd to soak up Danubia’s momentum as the half began. The Danubia goalkeeper kept his team in the game with fine saves on shots by Ryan Soroka and Kamara Freebolle. Phoenix were in full flight in the 71st minute when Ben Castor released Murtagh down the left with a 30-yard first time ball, Murtagh cut inside and forced the goalkeeper into a flying save, only for substitute Billy James to put the ball into the back of the net with his first touch of the game.

The state final will be a rematch of a United Soccer League match from last week when UGH came out on top by a score of 1-0. The German Hungarians will be playing in their fourth Eastern PA title game in five years, having only lifted the trophy in 2007 (for 2008 Open Cup qualifying). UGH has a strong history of not only in regional qualifying, but in the national tournament as well. They have never won the US Open Cup, but they were the runner-up in 1977 and 1993.

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2010 Qualifying: Pancyprian Freedoms reach 5th straight Eastern NY Final

November 25, 2009 by

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms continued their Eastern New York dominance with a 2-0 Semifinal win over the New York Athletic Club. The Freedoms got their goals from Chris Megaloudis and Jeff Matteo to reach their fifth straight Eastern NY Open Cup Final. They move on to play the winner of the other final four match between Fenerbahce USA and New York Greek American Atlas for the right to advance to the USASA Region I tournament next Spring.

After a scoreless first half, the Freedoms broke through in the 60th minute. Pete Halkidis played a ball over to Megaloudis who split three defenders and placed a low shot to the left of a diving goalkeeper.

The game was a defensive battle with both teams able to withstand the attack of the other, however the Freedoms would put the game away off a set piece. After a foul was called just outside of the penalty area, second half substitute and former USL player Jeff Matteo stepped up and scored off the free kick to make it 2-0.

The Freedoms will host the winner of next week’s match between Fenerbahce USA and New York Greek American Atlas. The game is scheduled for Wednesday, December 2 at St. John’s University. The championship game is also scheduled to be played at St. John’s on a date to be determined.

NY Pancyprian Freedoms Lineup:

(Luka Lukovic) Chad Calderone, Srdjan Stojiljkovic, Chris Zisimatos, Matia Damiani, Stelios Andreou, Tasso Polydefkis (Jeff Matteo 50th min), Pete Halkidis (Peter Pavlakos 85th min), Andreas Pafitis, Peter Antoniades (Marc Reeves 20th min), Chris Megaloudis, Julio Cesar DoSantos

2010 Qualifying: Emigrantes Das Ilhas kick off Massachusetts tourney with win

November 15, 2009 by

Emigrantes Das Ilhas - "Immigrants of the Islands"

Emigrantes Das Ilhas took a step toward returning to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-1 win over Alianca CV in the Semifinals of the Massachusetts Open Cup tournament. Emigrantes, who made their debut in the Open Cup last year, rebounded from an early deficit and will advance to the state championship game.

In a match played at Pepe Amaral Field in Taunton, Mass., the two teams battled to a scoreless draw after the first half, but Alianca CV took the lead 10 minutes into the second half thanks to an own goal. However, Emigrantes would level the game five minutes later with a goal by Dany Xavier.

Emigrantes, who compete in the New England Luso American Soccer League, would put the game away with about 20 minutes left to go when Alianca was called for a foul in the penalty area. Ernesto Lopes converted the PK and the defense held on for the remainder of the match to put Emigrantes into the Massachusetts final for the second year in a row.

Last year, the club defeated three teams to win the Massachusetts tournament, earning them a place in the USASA Region I Finals. This year, they will play the winner of MPS and Boston Olympiakos, who are scheduled to play on November 18.

Emigrantes Das Ilhas lineup

GK: Jordan Mota
DEF: Carlos Amado, Carlos Gomes, Aderito Pina, Jailson Pina
MID: Edens Cherry, Ernesto Lopes, Julio Gonsalves, Ze Veiga
FWD: Zico Veiga, Daniel Xavier