Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2012 Player of the Round

Osvaldo Alonso of Seattle Sounders, Danny Barrera of Cal FC take TheCup.us Player of the Tournament honors

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Osvaldo Alonso of the Seattle Sounders finished with four goals and two assists as he reached a record fifth straight US Open Cup Final. Photo: Seattle Sounders FC

In an open vote that saw six different players names selected on ballots for the TheCup.us Player of the Tournament, it was five-time finalist Osvaldo Alonso of the Seattle Sounders that received the honor while Cal FC’s Danny Barrera was an overwhelming choice as TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament as well as runner-up behind Alonso.

TheCup.us Player of the Tournament: Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders)

Alonso, who was named the Player of the Round for last year’s Open Cup Final, was the main offensive reason that the Sounders returned to their fourth straight Final, a Modern Professional Era record fifth straight personally dating back to being a member of the 2008 Charleston Battery.

Alonso scored four goals, which tied for second in the 2012 tournament, and dished out two assists in four games before falling in the Final via a penalty kick tiebreaker where his miss in the shootout was perhaps his only blemish in another fantastic campaign. Alonso had a goal and an assist in their 5-1 Third Round win over the Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL), and also had a pair of goals in their 5-0 rout of Cal FC in the Fourth Round, including one from the penalty spot.

The Cuban defensive midfielder did not play in the team’s 1-0 Quarterfinal win at San Jose, but returned to the lineup in the Semifinals to assist on Eddie Johnson’s opening goal before adding another penalty kick to defeat Chivas USA, 4-1. His performance earned him his second career TheCup.us Player of the Round honor.

TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament: Danny Barrera (Cal FC)

In the debut of the honor, there was little debate as Barrera’s performance for the USASA entrant Cal FC was impressive. He also finished second to Alonso in the POTT voting, coming close to becoming the first lower division player to earn the honor since Chris Eylander won the award for leading the USL-1 Sounders to the Semifinals in 2008.

Danny Barrera's journey to the US Open Cup Fourth Round began in the USASA Region IV tournament (with Chicago Fire jerseys), shown here playing PSA Elite in the Final. Photo: PSA Elite

Cal FC became the story of the 2012 tournament thanks to the play of Barrera. The Southern California club managed by former US international Eric Wynalda played every one of their games on the road and made a run all the way to the Fourth Round, becoming just the sixth amateur club and second from USASA to reach Round 4 in the Modern Pro Era.

The journey began when Barrera scored two goals in a 3-1 win against last year’s PDL champion the Kitsap Pumas. That performance earned Barrera TheCup.us Player of the Round recognition for the opening round. He would earn the honor again after traveling across the country and handing USL Pro’s Wilmington Hammerheads a stunning 4-0 drubbing. Barrera scored two goals in the game en route to repeating as TheCup.us Player of the Round, something no one else from a lower division team has done dating back to the debut of the honor in 2006.

The only previous repeat honorees were Pat Noonan, who was recognized following the Semifinals and Final of the New England Revolution’s run to the 2007 title, and Nate Jaqua, who was honored for the Seattle Sounders in the 2010 Quarterfinal and Semifinal wins en route to the team’s second championship.  Both MLS players also went on to be named TheCup.us Player of the Tournament.

The personal recognition ended there for Barrera, but Cal FC’s headlines did not as they pulled off a shocking upset, knocking out Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers, 1-0, with Barrera leading the way once again. He delivered the game-winning assist to Artur Aghasyan in the 95th minute of extra time in the Rose City before the Cinderella run came to an end in Tukwila, WA as the Seattle Sounders dispatched Cal FC 5-0 in a game that Barrera played the full 90.

TheCup.us Player of the Tournament Osvaldo Alonso of the Seattle Sounders knocks Danny Barrera of Cal FC, the Lower Division Player of the Tournament, off the ball during their Round 4 meeting.Photo: Wilson Tsoi | GoalWa.net

Barrera went on to sign with the Atlanta Silverbacks of the second division NASL in July during Wynalda’s interim management of the club, but has played only 181 minutes since, spending some time on trials overseas.

Voting

The award is voted on by the staff of TheCup.us and a select panel of members from the North American Soccer Reporters.

Other receiving votes for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament behind Alonso and Barrera were the duo of Jimmy Nielsen and Graham Zusi of tournament champion Sporting Kansas City. The list was rounded out by Seattle’s Zach Scott and Brian Ombiji of the Harrisburg City Islanders.

Though Barrera was the runaway winner of TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament honors, also receiving votes were Ombiji and Clint Irwin, goalkeeper of the Charlotte Eagles. Lower Division players are eligible to win both awards. The striker is the first to receive the newly-created award.

Related: Player of the Tournament Finalists

“We began discussing the idea of adding a Lower Division honor a year ago because we felt there were a number of players from clubs below MLS that had quality tournament performances that were being overlooked because their team did not win the championship,” said TheCup.us senior editor Josh Hakala. “It is natural to look at the tournament finalists when it comes time to vote for the event’s best player, but with those being almost entirely MLS clubs, that leaves outstanding play in the first three or four rounds when teams are playing opposition from higher flights out of the equation.”

Since the second-division Rochester Rhinos won the tournament championship in 1999, only the 2008 Charleston Battery have reached the US Open Cup Final from the lower ranks.

2012 TheCup.us Tournament Honors

Player of the Tournament: Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders)
Lower Division Player of the Tournament: Danny Barrera (Cal FC)
Championship Player of the Round: Matt Besler (Sporting KC)
Semifinals Player of the Round: Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders)
Quarterfinals Player of the Round: Jose Correa (Chivas USA)
Fourth Round Player of the Round: Sainey Touray (Harrisburg City Islanders)
Third Round Player of the Round: Artur Aghasyan (Cal FC)
Second Round Player of the Round: Danny Barrera (Cal FC)
First Round Player of the Round: Danny Barrera (Cal FC)

Past winners of TheCup.us Player of the Tournament

2012: Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders)
2011: Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders)
2010: Nate Jaqua (Seattle Sounders)
2009: Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders)
2008: Chris Eylander (Seattle Sounders)
2007: Pat Noonan (New England Revolution)
2006: Andy Herron (Chicago Fire)

Finalists for the 2012 TheCup.us Player of the Tournament awards unveiled

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Lamar Hunt US Open Cup logoAfter three amazing years of the Seattle Sounders as US Open Cup champions, there are new kings of the tournament. In that theme, TheCup.us embarks on a new era for the post-tournament awards, unveiling for the first time finalists for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament as well as the newly-created Lower Division Player of the Tournament honor.

“We began discussing the idea of adding a Lower Division honor a year ago because we felt there were a number of players from clubs below MLS that had quality tournament performances that were being overlooked because their team did not win the championship,” said TheCup.us senior editor Josh Hakala. “It is natural to look at the tournament finalists when it comes time to vote for the event’s best player, but with those being almost entirely MLS clubs, that leaves outstanding play in the first three or four rounds when teams are playing opposition from higher flights out of the equation.”

Since the second-division Rochester Rhinos won the tournament championship in 1999, only the 2008 Charleston Battery have reached the US Open Cup Final from the lower ranks.

The following players, in alphabetical order, are the top vote-getters for both honors among the ballots received from select members of North American Soccer Reporters as well as TheCup.us staff. Lower Division players are eligible to win both awards. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Aug. 28.

Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders – MLS)
The main offensive reason that the Sounders returned to their fourth straight Open Cup Final, a Modern Professional Era record fifth straight dating back to being a member of the 2008 Charleston Battery. Alonso scored four goals (tied for 2nd in the 2012 tournament) and dished out two assists in four games before losing the Final in PKs. Alonso had a goal and an assist in their 5-1 Round 3 win over the Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL), and also had a pair of goals in their 5-0 rout of Cal FC in Round 4 (one from the penalty spot). He did not play in the team’s 1-0 Quarterfinal win at San Jose, but returned in the Semifinals to assist on Eddie Johnson’s opening goal and added another penalty kick to defeat Chivas USA, 4-1. In the Final, he played a solid game for 120 minutes, but launched his penalty kick attempt in the shootout high over the bar.


Danny Barrera (Cal FC – USASA)
Apologies to the Michigan Bucks who also upset an MLS team, but amateur side Cal FC became the story of the 2012 tournament thanks to the play of Danny Barrera. The Southern California club managed by Eric Wynalda played every one of their games on the road and made a run all the way to the Fourth Round (just the 6th amateur club and 2nd USASA club to reach Round 4 in the Modern Pro Era). The journey began when Barrera scored two goals in a 3-1 win against last year’s PDL champions the Kitsap Pumas. That performance earned Barrera TheCup.us Player of the Round award and he would earn the award again by traveling all the way to the East Coast to defeat the USL Pro’s Wilmington Hammerheads 4-0. Barrera scored two goals in that game as he was named the Player of the Round for the second round in a row, something no one else has done. In Round 3, Cal FC pulled off a shocking upset, knocking off Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers 1-0 and Barrera was involved once again. He delivered the game-winning assist to Artur Aghasyan in the 95th minute of extra time. The Cinderella run came to an end in Tukwila, WA as the Seattle Sounders dispatched Cal FC 5-0 in a game that Barrera played the full 90.

Clint Irwin (Charlotte Eagles – USL Pro)
The goalkeeper for USL Pro’s Charlotte Eagles carried his team to the Quarterfinals despite the Eagles’ offense struggling to score goals. The run began in Round 2 with a 1-0 shutout on the road against the El Paso Patriots in a game decided by an own goal in the 72nd minute. In the following game, Irwin made 10 saves and shutout FC Dallas of MLS 2-0 to help the Eagles advance beyond the Third Round for the first time in franchise history (Est. 1993). In Round 4, Irwin made eight saves in a 2-1 extra time win at San Antonio Scorpions of the NASL, but the Eagles’ first-ever run to the Quarterfinals would come to an end with a 2-1 loss at Chivas USA of MLS with Irwin making four saves.

Jimmy Nielsen (Sporting Kansas City – MLS) The captain of Sporting Kansas City led his team to the 2012 US Open Cup title while also posting a personal 356-minute shutout streak from the Fourth Round to the Final (4th best personal streak in the Modern Pro Era). As he will be the first to tell you, he didn’t achieve all of this on his own as he was only forced to make four saves in the four matches his played in. His three straight shutouts included a 2-0 home win over the Colorado Rapids (MLS) where he made two saves, followed by a 3-0 home win over USL Pro’s Dayton Dutch Lions where he didn’t have to make a single save and a 2-0 road win over the Philadelphia Union (MLS) in the Semifinals (1 save). In the championship game, he only faced two shots. One was a save on an Eddie Johnson header in the first half and the other was a goal off a header by Zach Scott off a free kick in the 86th minute to level the match at 1-1. In the penalty kick shootout for the Final, he made one save (two attempts missed high) as Kansas City won 3-2.

Brian Ombiji (Harrisburg City Islanders – USL Pro)
Ombiji is the main reason why the City Islanders made yet another run in the US Open Cup. The USL Pro side (Div. 3) advanced to the Quarterfinals for the fourth time in the last six years and it started in Round 2 with a 2-0 home win over the Long Island Rough Riders of the PDL. Ombiji scored the goal that put the game away in the 77th minute. In Round 3, the City Islanders eliminated another MLS club with an overtime comeback for the ages. After going into extra time scoreless, the New England Revolution scored three goals in the opening 15 minutes to start sending fans to their cars, but those that stuck around saw Harrisburg score three goals in the final nine minutes (Ombiji scored the second in the 117th minute) and advanced to the Fourth Round on penalty kicks. The City Islanders eliminated their second straight MLS opponent, defeating the New York Red Bulls 3-1 in extra time with Ombiji assisting on Harrisburg’s opening goal. Ombiji’s goal at Philadelphia in the Quarterfinal started a rally that saw Harrisburg cut the Union lead to 3-2, but a pair of late goals by the home team put their Open Cup run to rest.

Who do YOU think deserves to be the Player of the Tournament? Which non-MLS player should win the lower division honor?

Matt Besler leads Sporting KC defense to Open Cup title, named TheCup.us Player of the Round

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Matt Besler celebrates after winning the US Open Cup title for his hometown club, Sporting Kansas City. Photo: Mike Gunnoe | Sporting Kansas City

It has been quite a week for Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler. It began last Wednesday when he lifted the trophy at the end of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Final following Kansas City’s championship victory in penalty kicks, 3-2, over the Seattle Sounders after extra time finished 1-1. His effort at the heart of the KC backline earned him TheCup.us Player of the Round honor.

Four days after winning the championship, the former Notre Dame star received his first call-up to the US national team for the team’s friendly against Mexico at Azteca Stadium – a match that, although he did not play in, proved to be a historic night as the United States picked up its first-ever victory south of the border, 1-0.

Besler becomes the first Kansas City player to earn the award since TheCup.us started honoring each round’s best player in 2006. The vote was extremely close and spread out as eight different players received votes, with Roger Espinoza, Kei Kamara and Seattle’s Zach Scott. Besler edged Espinoza for the award by a single vote.

The award is voted on by the staff of TheCup.us and a select panel of members from the North American Soccer Reporters.

Another first for Besler is that of the two Open Cup winning Kansas City teams (2004, 2012), he joins teammate Seth Sinovic as the only two Kansas City area natives to win the tournament with their hometown team.

Photo: Mike Gunnoe | Sporting Kansas City

The challenge in front of the KC defense was clear as their All-Star defender Aurelien Collin was unavailable for the Final due to yellow card accumulation, leaving the team with a gap to fill in central defense. The Sounders came into the game with plenty of offensive weapons with Eddie Johnson, Fredy Montero, Seattle’s leading scorer for the tournament, Osvaldo Alonso, and players like Sammy Ochoa coming off the bench who has scored three goals in the competition this year.

With all of those challenges, the defense, led by Besler, held strong, only allowing two shots on goal in 120 minutes of play as the championship was decided by penalty kicks. Jimmy Nielsen only had to make one save, and the Sounders’ lone goal came in the form of a header off a free kick by Zach Scott in the 86th minute that tied the game at 1-1.

To cap off his impressive performance on the field, Besler also converted one of the three penalty kicks in the shootout that allowed Kansas City to lift the trophy for the first time since 2004.

Besler has been a part of Sporting’s Open Cup history in the last few years, playing in all but one tournament game in the last four years.

2012 US Open Cup Semifinals: Player of the Round Osvaldo Alonso sends Seattle Sounders back to the Final

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Osvaldo Alonso of the Seattle Sounders is the Player of the Round for the Semifinals. Photo: Seattle Sounders FC

Osvaldo Alonso’s tenacious play proved to be a thorn in Chivas USA’s side, and helped Seattle Sounders FC to become only the third team in the tournament’s 99-year history to reach the US Open Cup Final four years in a row. For that performance he was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round for the Semifinals.

The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters. Teammate Zach Scott and Sporting Kansas City’s Jacob Peterson and Graham Zusi were other leading candidates in the voting.

Alonso earned what could be called soccer’s version of hockey’s “Gordie Howe hat trick” (goal, assist, fighting penalty) in the Semifinal match: a thread-the-needle assist to Eddie Johnson, a penalty kick goal, and a yellow card on the night. His stifling, physical play spurred a solid effort by Seattle’s defense, as Chivas managed only four shots the entire game.

The 26-year-old Cuban defector earned his second POTR honor, also having captured the award for his performance in the 2011 Open Cup Final.

This game was telling of what has been a solid campaign for Alonso, nicknamed “Honey Badger,” who has four goals along with two assists in the 2012 tournament. This puts him in a tie for second place in goalscoring for this Open Cup, one goal behind Carolina RailHawks’ Brian Shriver. Danny Barrera of Cal FC and Ventura County Fusion’s Frankie Lopez are tied with Osvaldo, and teammate Sammy Ochoa is the only other active player in the scoring top 10 (3 goals).

Alonso, who defected stateside from Cuba in 2007, will be playing in his fifth straight Cup Final. He was on Charleston Battery’s losing side in 2008, before establishing himself as a mainstay with Sounders FC in their debut season in MLS the next season, tallying six goals in that span. No one in the Modern Professional Era has appeared in five straight title games, and only two other players (Andy Williams and Peter Vagenas) have played in five championship games since 1995.

He is also the third Sounders player to earn multiple POTR awards, joining Sebastien Le Toux (2007 Round 3, 2009 Semifinals) and Nate Jaqua (2010 Quarterfinals, 2010 Semifinals). Seattle players have also captured the last four Players of the Tournament: Chris Eylander in 2008, Kasey Keller in 2009, Jaqua in 2010, and Fredy Montero last year. Osvaldo has a good case to become the fifth SSFC player on that list with his strong showing throughout the tournament, in both barnburners and defensive grudge matches. However that thought will be far from his mind, as his side will be going for their fourth straight Open Cup title on the road at Sporting Kansas City. The Final will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 8, at 8:30 PM ET at LiveStrong Sporting Park.

2012 Player of the Round award winners

Round 1: Danny Barrera (Cal FC) [+]
Round 2: Danny Barrera (Cal FC) [+]
Round 3: Artur Aghasyan (Cal FC) [+]
Round 4: Sainey Touray (Harrisburg City Islanders) [+]
Quarterfinals: Jose Correa (Chivas USA) [+]
Semifinals: Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders FC)

2012 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Jose Correa rescue of Chivas USA earns him TheCup.us Player of the Round award

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Correa's two goals have put Chivas USA in the Semifinals for just the second time. Photo: Chivas USA

Jose Correa’s heroic efforts for Chivas USA in their dramatic 2-1 win over the Charlotte Eagles were enough to earn him TheCup.us Player of the Round award for the Quarterfinals. Correa scored both goals in the match, including the game-winner in second half stoppage time to send his club to the Semifinals for just the second time in the club’s relatively short history.

The 19-year-old Colombian forward becomes the first Chivas USA player to ever win the award which is voted on by the staff of TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters.

Correa was voted the winner, with Zach Scott of the Seattle Sounders, CJ Sapong of Sporting Kansas City and Lionard Pajoy of the Philadelphia Union also receiving strong consideration.

The game was a breakout game for Correa, who has struggled to find a regular place in the Chivas starting eleven. After signing with the club in April, he scored in his first MLS start in 1-1 draw on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes. He started again the next game in the SuperClasico, scoring the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win over the Galaxy.

Two starts and two draws later, Correa had a four-game unbeaten streak with him in the starting lineup until he suffered a hamstring injury and missed three games before returning to the lineup against Charlotte. On July 7, he started again in league play against Vancouver in a scoreless draw extending his personal unbeaten streak to six games.

Another notable accomplishment for Correa is the fact that at age 19, he is the youngest player to ever be named Player of the Round since the award began in 2006.

2012 Player of the Round award winners

Round 1: Danny Barrera (Cal FC) [+]
Round 2: Danny Barrera (Cal FC) [+]
Round 3: Artur Aghasyan (Cal FC) [+]
Round 4: Sainey Touray (Harrisburg City Islanders) [+]
Quarterfinals: Jose Correa (Chivas USA)

TheCup.us Player of the Round: Two goals by Sainey Touray help City Islanders slay another giant, earn him Fourth Round honor

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Sainey Touray has scored three goals in the 2012 US Open Cup. Photo: Derek Meluzio | PennLive.com

Former New York Red Bulls signee Sainey Touray became just the third player from a third division club to score twice against a Major League Soccer opponent in leading his Harrisburg City Islanders to a surprise 3-1 overtime victory in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup, earning him TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

The selection marks only the seventh time since TheCup.us began recognizing the tournament’s outstanding performances in 2006 that a player was selected from a third division club – the second beyond the third round.

Touray, who has yet to score in USL Pro league play, scored the go-ahead goal both times for the City Islanders Tuesday evening. Brian Ombiji got the ball near the top of the 18-yard box. After some deft footwork, he crossed the ball to Touray, who headed the ball into the back of the net in the 13th minute. Four minutes into overtime Jason Pelletier found himself with the ball in space in the middle of the field. He lobbed a pass over the top of the defense and right into the path of Touray, who slotted it past rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara and into the net.

This was the fifth time in the last six tournaments that the City Islanders have eliminated an MLS team. The Charleston Battery are the only other lower division team in the country who has five MLS upsets in the last six years, but four of those upsets were as a second division club.

Touray joins Glenn Murray and Marquis White as the only third division players to tally twice in a game against an MLS team. Murray scored two for the Wilmington Hammerheads in a 4-1 win over Dallas in the 2003 Fourth Round. White scored both goals in the 1997 Third Round against Kansas City as the San Francisco Bay Seals made their historic run to the Semifinals.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a select panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week award.

Sainey Touray of the Harrisburg City Islanders controls the ball against the New York Red Bulls. Photo: Derek Meluzio | PennLive.com

Touray is no stranger to late-game drama. He scored his first US Open Cup goal in his tournament debut a year ago for Harrisburg, netting a stoppage 2-1 winner against fellow Philadelphia Union affiliate Reading United AC of the PDL in the Second Round. In the following round he was sent off in stoppage time as the club was knocked out by league foe Rochester after entering game for the final nine minutes and seeing the Rhinos score on a penalty in the 89th.

After sitting out the required suspension for the Second Round match versus the PDL Long Island Rough Riders this year, Touray returned to the lineup and scored the second of three goals in the miracle three-goal overtime rally against New England Revolution before eliminating the MLS club in penalties after a 3-3 draw.

“You never know what could happen at times in this lovely game and to come up big when your team needs you is a great feeling,” Touray told Derek Meluzio of PennLive.com. “I’m so happy to be part of this club in these great moments.

The Gambian seems to have finally found his home in the United States. He was basically just a kid when he started to excel in his homeland, joining second division club Tallinding United at 13 and signing with the first division’s Wallidan at 15. In 2008 he was the club’s leading scorer while leading them to the league title.

The success sparked a move to the US, where he signed with the Red Bulls only to see his career grind basically to a halt. He only saw action in six Reserve team matches after signing via a trial. After another stint with Wallidan he returned in 2010, signing with the Carolina RailHawks, but again he saw no action with the club, and spent a part of the campaign on loan to Harrisburg.

That was the beginning. He scored in the one appearance he made for the team. He returned and was one of the club’s outstanding performers last year, finishing second in points and third in goals on the squad with seven goals and six assists.

Third Division players named TheCup.us Player of the Round

2012 Fourth Round: Sainey Touray (Harrisburg City Islanders)
2011 Quarterfinals: Ronnie Pascale (Richmond Kickers)
2011 Second Round: David Bulow (Richmond Kickers)
2010 Third Round: Tim Melia (Charleston Battery)
2009 Second Round: Kenny Bundy (Wilmington Hammerheads)
2008 Second Round: Floyd Franks (Cleveland City Stars)
2008 First Round: Pat Healey (Crystal Palace Baltimore)

2012 TheCup.us Player of the Round: Artur Aghasyan selection gives Cal FC third honor in a row (video)

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Somewhere in that celebration is the goalscorer, and TheCup.us Player of the Round, Artur Aghasyan. Photo: Ethan Erickson | Portland Timbers

Move over Kardashians, there is a new star Armenian in Los Angeles. Cal FC striker Artur Aghasyan was selected as the Third Round’s TheCup.us US Open Cup Player of the Round for providing the game-winning overtime strike in the historic upset against the Portland Timbers. It was his third consecutive game with a goal.

The selection marks only the second time since TheCup.us began recognizing the tournament’s outstanding performances in 2006 that a team has had a player chosen three times in a tournament or in consecutive rounds. The previous time came in 2010 when the Seattle Sounders saw Nate Jaqua earn the honor in the semifinals and quarterfinals followed by Sanna Nyassi for the final.

Aghasyan’s selection followed two for teammate Danny Barrera, who was recognized for his pair of goals in a 3-1 road win over the PDL champion Kitsap Pumas and for tallying two goals and an assist in a record 4-0 victory on the road versus the USL Pro Wilmington Hammerheads.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters (@SoccerReporters), which also selects the MLS Player of the Week.

After enduring shot after shot and attack after attack from Portland, Cal FC finally got its chance five minutes in overtime with a breakaway created by Barrera, who managed to deliver a ball while falling to the pitch. Aghasyan streaked down the middle of the field, easily beating a lopsided offside trap, collected a well-placed through ball and calmly chipped Perkins. As his teammates mobbed him in the northeast corner of the stadium, the crowd fell silent.

Scoring the lone goal put Aghasyan back in the headlines. He had tallied the insurance goal late versus Kitsap and provided the second goal in Wilmington. Aghasyan is no stranger to success having previously led the PDL’s Ventura County Fusion to a league championship in 2009 after an outstanding start to his professional career in Armenia, where he led Pyunik of the nation’s first division with a league-leading 16 goals in 25 games as a rookie.

However, his jump to the professional ranks in the United States was much more difficult. After his PDL success, he went on to sign in 2011 with Real Salt Lake after a stint with Chivas USA in the MLS Reserve League. He would make only four appearances for RSL before being released and signed by the LA Blues of USL Pro.

With the goal, Cal FC became not only the first US Adult Soccer Association team to score against an MLS opponent, but became the first to advance via a victory. In four previous tries, the USASA clubs went scoreless, though there were several surprising results. In 2006, Dallas Roma advanced via penalties, 4-2, after a scoreless draw against Chivas USA, and in 2000, Uruguay SC lost, 1-0, in golden goal overtime to the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

In the Modern Pro Era, it is only the fifth time a team from an amateur league has eliminated an MLS club and is only the 12th time a USASA club has eliminated a team from a professional league.

MORE: Check out Cal FC’s Meet the USASA feature

USASA Advancements vs Pro League Clubs
Bavarian SC 2000: 1-0 vs Reading Rage (third division – USL)
Bavarian SC 2007: 1-0 vs Cincinnati Kings (third division – USL)
Bridgeport Italians 1997: 3-2 vs Rhode Island Stingrays (third division – USL)
Cal FC 2012: 4-0 vs Wilmington Hammerheads (third division – USL)
Cal FC 2012: 1-0 AET vs Portland Timbers (first division – MLS)
CASL Elite 2002: 5-2 vs Carolina Dynamo (third division – USL)
Dallas Roma 2006: 1-0 vs Miami FC (second division – USL)
Dallas Roma 2006: 0-0 (4-2 pk) vs Chivas USA (first division – MLS)
Hollywood United 2008: 3-2 vs Portland Timbers (second division – USL)
Reggae Boyz 2005: 4-2 vs Cincinnati Kings (third division – USL)
San Jose Oaks 1996: 3-2 vs California Jaguars (third division – USL)
United German Hungarians 1999: 2-1 vs New Jersey Stallions (third division – USL)

MLS Eliminations by Amateur League Teams
Cal FC 2012: 1-0 AET vs Portland Timbers
Michigan Bucks 2012: 3-2 AET vs Chicago Fire
Michigan Bucks 2000: 1-0 vs New England Revolution
Chicago Sockers 2000: 0-0 (7-6 PK) vs Kansas City Wizards
Dallas Roma 2006: 0-0 (4-2 PK) vs Chivas USA

MLS versus USASA Clubs
2012: Portland Timbers 0-1 AET Cal FC
2006: Chivas USASA 0-0 (2-4 PK) Dallas Roma
2006: LA Galaxy 2-0 Dallas Roma
2001: Miami Fusion 4-0 Uruguay SC
2000: Tampa Bay Mutiny 1-0 ASDET Uruguay SC

2012 TheCup.us Player of the Round: Cal FC’s Danny Barrera repeats with Round 2 honor

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Danny Barrera scored two in the First Round, added two more in the Second Round | Photo: PSA Elite

It is not often that clubs or players representing the USASA are involved with making history in the US Open Cup. On Tuesday night Cal FC will be 90 minutes away from immortalizing their 2012 tournament appearance, and it comes courtesy of Danny Barrera, who became only the third player in TheCup.us history to repeat as Player of the Round, and the first to do so in the first few rounds of the event.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week.

After knocking off the Premier Development League’s only professional side, Kitsap Pumas, with a pair of goals in a 3-1 win, Barrera led Cal FC in a stunning effort in the Second Round. He scored two goals, on assists from his brother Diego, in a shocking 4-0 victory on the opposite of the side of the country against USL Pro club Wilmington Hammerheads.

The four-goal win was the largest margin of victory in the Modern Pro Era (1995-present) by a USASA club against a team from a professional league, and it marked only the 10th time a team from the organization advanced against such opposition. Only two other matches previously were decided by two goals. In 2002, CASL Elite set the mark at three with a 5-2 win against the then third division Carolina Dynamo. In 2005, the Reggae Boyz of Indianapolis downed the third division Cincinnati Kings, 4-2.

The Cal FC victory set up a Third Round match with the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, marking only the fifth time in the Modern Pro Era in which a USASA club will play against an MLS side. Only once in the previous four matches has the amateur club advanced. Dallas Roma stunned Chivas USA in 2006 by taking Chivas USA all the way to penalties in a scoreless Third Round stalemate before prevailing in the tiebreaker. They were eliminated, 2-0, by the LA Galaxy in the Fourth Round. Uruguay SC of Florida is the only other club to have played MLS sides, falling to Tampa Bay Mutiny, 1-0 in golden goal overtime, in the 2000 Second Round and getting blanked by the Miami Fusion, 4-0, in the Second Round a year later.

Being on the doorstep of history is quite an achievement for Barrera and Cal FC, a club formed over the course of the past year, in part, by former US international striker and Fox Sports television star Eric Wynalda, the club’s coach.

The ‘second chance’ club is certainly doing just that for Barrera. The Second Round honor makes him just the third player since TheCup.us began recognizing players to earn Player of the Round honors in back-to-back rounds. Even rarer, he is the first to do so for the first two rounds of the tournament, a feat that is extremely improbable due to the number of games and teams involved.

He is in fine company with the other two repeat honorees being Pat Noonan of the New England Revolution and Nate Jaqua of the Seattle Sounders. Noonan was recognized in the 2007 Semifinals and Final while Jaqua was selected for the award in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals of the 2010 tournament. Both won tournament championships those years.

USASA Advancements vs Pro League Clubs

Bavarian SC 2000: 1-0 vs Reading Rage (third division – USL)
Bavarian SC 2007: 1-0 vs Cincinnati Kings (third division – USL)
Bridgeport Italians 1997: 3-2 vs Rhode Island Stingrays (third division – USL)
Cal FC 2012: 4-0 vs Wilmington Hammerheads (third division – USL)
CASL Elite 2002: 5-2 vs Carolina Dynamo (third division – USL)
Dallas Roma 2006: 1-0 vs Miami FC (second division – USL)
Dallas Roma 2006: 0-0 (4-2 pk) vs Chivas USA (first division – MLS)
Reggae Boyz 2005: 4-2 vs Cincinnati Kings (third division – USL)
San Jose Oaks 1996: 3-2 vs California Jaguars (third division – USL)
United German Hungarians 1999: 2-1 vs New Jersey Stallions (third division – USL)

TheCup.us Player of the Round: Cal FC’s Danny Barrera downs PDL champs to earn Round 1 honor

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Danny Barrera scored two in the First Round | Photo: PSA Elite

The 22-year-old Danny Barrera may be looking for a second chance. There is probably no better place to look for an example than the very team his two goals helped beat in the First Round, earning him TheCup.us Player of the Round honors for Cal FC’s 3-1 road win against the reigning PDL champion Kitsap Pumas.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a select panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week.

Barrera scored the club’s first two goals in the contest, firing a low shot that the goalkeeper was unable to handle and ended up putting it into his own net trying to collect it. This gave the visitors the advantage a minute before the break.. The second goal came in the 66th minute when he twisted past a defender to double the advantage with what proved to be the game-winner.

Over the last five years Barrera has flirted with breaking through to the next level, playing for the United States at the 2007 Pan-American Games as well as briefly being a member of the U17 and U18 National Teams in the residency program. After finishing school at UC Santa Barbara, where he helped the Gauchos win the 2006 NCAA title, he went to Europe, signing with Serbian first division club FK Spartak Zlatibor Voda.

After playing in just one game, however, Barrera is looking for a second chance via a club built in the past year by former US National Team star Eric Wynalda, a team made for unknown players needing to be seen or players who deserve a second chance.

One great story of getting a second chance this past year, which actually made headlines these past few weeks, came through Kitsap, a team Barrera knows well. As a member of the PDL Ventura County Fusion, he helped lead the California club to the league championship in 2009 with a 2-1 win over the Pumas in the conference final, tallying an assist on the opening goal in the match held in Laredo, Texas.

That story is of goalkeeper Bryan Meredith, who stayed in the Seattle area after being drafted by the Sounders but going unsigned. He guided Kitsap to the PDL championship with an 11-1-3 record, nine shutouts and .535 goals-against average in goal. When the Sounders lost a back-up to injury last year, they added Meredith to the squad. He proved himself in training and at the beginning of the month when starter Michael Gspurning came out at halftime with a hip injury, Meredith made his MLS debut to finish the match for a shutout win against the Los Angeles Galaxy. He then went on to shutout Philadelphia and Dallas in the next two games.

With three professional clubs in the greater Los Angeles area and the contacts of Eric Wynalda, it not unreasonable to think a similar opportunity is within reach for Barrera.

HIGHLIGHTS: Cal FC vs. Kitsap Pumas

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