2011 Meet the USASA

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. Click here for more Meet the USASA stories.

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that Houston soccer began to rise to more prominence nationally shortly after the arrival in 2006 of the Houston Dynamo, who won MLS Cups their first two seasons. Two years later the Aria Soccer Club became the first to send a team from the amateur ranks to the US Open Cup during the Professional Era in 2008. This year, they join Regals FC in making it a Houston sweep of the two USASA Region III berths to the tournament.

Founded in 1974 by Reza and Taher ‘Tom’ Khalili, the club quickly enjoyed success in local cup and league competitions. With former professional players from Iran in the fold, ASC dominated the Houston Soccer League first division, winning the title seven years running. Although the club had an Iranian flavor in its early years, it has remained open to players around the globe throughout the years. However, it continued to be a home to Iranian players who had come to the US throughout the years such as former LA Galaxy defender/midfielder Arash Noamouz, a former Iran national team player that suffered injuries in 1998 that ended his professional career.

As all of those players aged, the club added new teams and currently manages six sides. The New Stars are one of three in HFA premier divisions with a fourth in the 1B division. The club also features the United Stars in the Over-30 first division (2010-11 state champions) as well as the HFA fourth division’s Original Stars (mainly over 50), which features some of the club’s original players.

Quite a few of those ‘originals’ are still involved with the club in a hands-on capacity. “They are helping the club in different capacities such as General Manager Tom Khalili, and myself coaching New Stars along with others who are the coaches for the five other teams in the club,” said New Stars head coach Majid Savadkoohi. ”The rest of them are the sponsors of this club and we survive and grow with their generous donations.”

It is essentially the third generation, fittingly dubbed New Stars, who are taking ASC to new heights.

“In 2003 after the previous coach retired I became the head coach of the only premier team ASC had in the Houston Football Association. I kept three players from his team and brought in young players ages 17-21 to build basically a new team, and changed the name to New Stars to fit the team’s character, which was made up of young and new players.”

Savadkoohi ‘s New Stars have won the title all seven years, as well as numerous cups, since the change. And since 2006, the New Stars have completely dominated the top flight in the HFA, which plays a September to May schedule. From the 2006-07 season to 2009-10, the club lost only three times while winning four championships with a total 54-3-15 record, going unbeaten (12-0-6) during the 2007-08 campaign. Each time, the side allowed an average of less than one goal per game.

After the unbeaten season, the team went on to earn its first trip to the US Open Cup, where they would unfortunately draw the then USL First Division (professional second division) Charleston Battery, who played host to and defeated the Houston Dynamo, 1-0 in overtime, in the previous year’s Open Cup. ASC would be completely overwhelmed on three first half Darren Spicer goals as Charleston advanced 3-0 and eventually also eliminated the Dynamo two rounds later a second straight year, this time in penalties after a 1-1 draw.

“Before going to Charleston I knew it would be a big challenge for an amateur team with their limited resources – for example, we could only afford to rent a practice field once a week for only two hours, sharing that time between our three premier teams throughout the season – to face a pro team. But the players gained a good experience and realized the speed of play and level of fitness against a pro team are to be overwhelming.”

Perhaps motivated by the loss or improved from the learning experience acquired at Blackbaud Stadium, the New Stars found a new level of domination in HFA play, surpassing 50 goals scored for the first of what is now three consecutive seasons of a rise in scoring. They also allowed the fewest goals in the past five years with just 13 in 18 games as they went 16-1-1, also a best in victories for the past five years. The lone defeat came in the season opener.

The club did not play in the 2009 regional tournament. Then, perhaps a sign of what could have been a decline, ASC went winless in the USASA Region III tournament a year ago and although the team scored a five-year high of 58 goals this season, it suffered four losses on the HFA campaign. The New Stars, though, still won yet another championship at 13-4-1 and set their sights on the USASA’s Open Cup championship.

“After last year’s extreme disappointment we came into this year with redemption on our mind,” said Savadkoohi during the Region III tournament. “We just keep building positive momentum after each win along with improved chemistry and purpose.

“After last year’s dismal performance we set our goal for the 2011 regional championship early in September of 2010. So we focused to work on team fitness and bring a few younger players as some of my original players were past the age of 30 now. We’ve found an effective balance this year with scheduling friendly games and tournaments alongside our intense physical training sessions. The amount of rest we give our players is unique because of our amateur status,” said Savadkoohi in advance of the First Round Open Cup match.

“About 95 percent of our players are full time working professionals so each player must be individually motivated to maintain diet and fitness as well. As a coach I encourage our players to give feedback on their physical conditions throughout the year because the season is so long.”

With nine players still with the squad that lost in Charleston three years prior, the club swept their group in Tuscaloosa, Alabama the final weekend of May on an aggregate scoreline of 7-2. In addition to securing the US Open Cup spot, it created a Region III championship showdown with city rivals Regals FC, who needed a special penalty kick tiebreaker to settle a deadlock in its group table.

Having allowed just two goals in three group games, a defensive error left the club trailing for the second time in the Region III tournament as Regals took the advantage in the 44th minute. The 1-0 Regals lead was also partially to the credit of keeper Marcos Sanchez, who made three spectacular saves to keep the veteran club off the board despite its domination of play.

In a more evenly played second stanza ASC would finally break through in the 65th minute courtesy of Lukas ‘Miko’ Simon to level the match. At the close of regulation the New Stars had a perfect opportunity to seal the title when Alex Bolan was fouled in the penalty area, but the attempt would fail to be converted, sending the final to overtime.

The stalemate continued, and as penalties neared for a second straight day for Regals, their city rivals found the back of the net. Four minutes from time Marco Carrizales sent a nice cross into the box that Chuks Ndame headed home for the championship-winning goal.

“Now this is our second qualification for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup which is an honor. I thank all the players for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. Especially, I would like to thank the ASC Club President and co-founder Mr. Tom Khalili for all his efforts and hard work all year long.”

Now ASC faces a familiar challenge, travelling a lengthy distance to face a quality professional club in the US Open Cup First Round. Although the USL Pro side (American third division) Orlando City is new to central Florida, 11 players lived and played in Texas a year ago for the Austin Aztex side that relocated to the Sunshine State with former Everton star and English club manager Adrian Heath, who led Austin to the second-best record in the USSF Second Division last year. This year he has Orlando City on a similar track, sitting atop the league at 8-2-3.

Three years wiser, Ali and Reza Daneshmand, Salvador Lopez, Alex Bolan, Peter Kozlowski, Destiny Ohiri, Arzgang Salahshoor, Anthony Ashiufu and Aramik Allahverdian make their return to the US Open Cup Tuesday hoping for a different result. Bolan was one of the team’s leading scorers on the HFA season and was involved in five of the team’s nine goals at the Region III tournament with four goals and an assist.

“Seven players from 2008 team will feature this Tuesday night,” said Savadkoohi. “Unfortunately, three of my 11 starters are injured and we are trying to get, maybe, one of them ready for this game. In 2008 the Battery were leading their division and so it is only appropriate that this year’s opponent, Orlando City, also resides on top of their table.”

Joining the nine Open Cup veterans and assisting Bolan in the attack are Lukas Simon and George Sangira, a duo that also were among the team leaders in scoring during the HFA season. Simon, whom Savadkoohi said is having an outstanding season playing efficient German soccer, notched a pair of goals in Tuscaloosa, including the championship game equalizer, and Sangira scored once.

Simon, who will begin working this fall on a PhD in Molecular Biophysics at Baylor College, is a rare double threat for ASC, where he plays primarily at midfield. The German 24-year old has been part of the club’s attack of late, but he has a history of playing goalkeeper in college at the University of St. Thomas and last year with the Houston Leones in the PDL. He helped guide the Leones to a surprising second-place spot in the division a year ago, finishing as one of only four players in the 67-team league to play every minute of a 16-game regular season as he led the team to a 7-5-4 record.

In the playoffs Simon helped lead the club to one of the most stunning upsets of the PDL season, ousting the unbeaten 11-0-3 Mississippi Brilla on their home turf. Tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, Brilla took the lead for a second time courtesy of Phillip Buffington, but Houston found the equalizer from an unlikely source in the 112th minute. Simon put a free kick into the box that was mishandled, finding its way into the back of the net for the draw and sending the match to penalties where he made a save in the fourth round and converted his own attempt in the fifth before making the winning save in the seventh round. History accomplished, the Leones run ended, 2-1, in the conference final the next day at the hands of Baton Rouge.

But the brief success of Simon with the Leones was part of the bigger picture of Houston soccer’s rise, which is no small feat considering the USASA history of the state in US Open Cup tournament play and qualifying.

The Lone Star State has become one of the dominant factions in the USASA. Since 2002, the state has had at least one representative qualify for the US Open Cup eight of the 10 tournaments for a total of 13 occurances. One more than any other state, including California’s dozen, over the same time frame.

Texas is also the only state to claim both berths from its respective region on five occasions since the tournament expanded to eight entries from the USASA. California accomplished the feat three times. With Regals FC and the ASC New Stars snaring the two Region III berths, the state grabbed both berths for the first time since its run of regional dominance from 2004-07 in which it captured all eight spots.

A handful of clubs have played a repeated roll as representatives from Texas, several of which have made a name for themselves with upsets versus professional clubs. One of those being Dallas Roma, which upset USL First Division (professional second division) Miami FC, 1-0, and edged MLS side Chivas USA in penalties after a scoreless draw in 2006.