2013 Player of the Round

2013 US Open Cup: DC United’s Dwayne De Rosario easy choice for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament

November 7, 2013 by Michael Berton

Dwayne De Rosario, until recently of DC United, was named the 2013 TheCup.us Player of the Tournament. He played in all but 23 minutes of the tournament for United, leading the club to their third Lamar Hunt US Open Cup title, and his first as a player.

The Player of the Tournament award is voted on by staff at TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters. De Rosario won the vote by an overwhelming majority.

Others receiving votes were DC teammate Joe Willis, Portland Timbers forward Frederic Piquionne, who made history in the Third Round with four goals in one half and finished tied with De Rosario for leading goalscorer with five, and Javier Morales, who led Real Salt Lake to the title game.

De Rosario made his mark immediately on the tournament, playing all 120 minutes in DC’s opening game against the Richmond Kickers. After a scoreless draw, he scored in the penalty kick shootout to help United advance. In Round 4, De Rosario scored all three goals in a 3-1 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Union. He became the first Canadian to score a hat trick in the Open Cup in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present) and earned Player of the Round honors for his effort.

He followed that performance with two game-winning goals in the next two rounds. He scored the game winner in the quarterfinals against the New England Revolution in the 69th minute. DC went on to win 3-1. He also scored the deciding goal against the Chicago Fire in the Semifinals. United’s 2-0 win in Chicago marked the first time the Fire had ever lost at home in Open Cup play.

DC United won the cup against Real Salt Lake, with De Rosario playing 75 minutes in the 1-0 victory. The MLS side’s run through the US Open Cup was extraordinary considering the team’s league form. DC had more victories in the Open Cup (4) than it did in MLS play (3). United also had plenty of success winning Player of the Round, taking the award in three of the five rounds in which they played: De Rosario in the Fourth Round, Joe Willis in the Semifinals, and Bill Hamid in the Final.

De Rosario’s successful cup form was not enough to impress DC United management, however. This week, the club decided not to exercise the option in his contract, meaning De Rosario will be wearing the uniform of another team next season.

2013 TheCup.us Player of the Round Honors

Player of the Tournament (Overall): Dwayne De Rosario (DC United)
Player of the Tournament (Lower Division): Ty Shipalane (Carolina RailHawks)
Final: Bill Hamid (DC United)
Semifinals: Joe Willis (DC United)
Quarterfinals: Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)
Fourth Round: Dwayne De Rosario (DC United)
Third Round: Frederic Piquionne (Portland Timbers)
Second Round: Brandon Fricke (Des Moines Menace)
First Round: David Geno (Seattle Sounders U23)
Preliminary Round: Gustavo Villalobos (FC Hasental)

2013 US Open Cup Final: Bill Hamid delivers title to underdog DC United, earns Player of the Round award

October 25, 2013 by Richard Kirtland

It has been said that ‘A keeper cannot win you a game, he can only keep you in it.’ That held true on October 1, when DC United goalkeeper Bill Hamid kept his team in contention and led them to their third Open Cup title with a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake in one of the great underdog stories in the 100-year history of the tournament. For his efforts, Hamid has been named TheCup.us Player of the Round for the 2013 Final.

Hamid becomes the third DC player to win Player of Round in this year’s tournament. Dwayne De Rosario won the award in Round 4, while backup goalkeeper Joe Willis was voted the top performer of the Semifinals. This marks the first time since the award was established in 2006 that two goalkeepers from the same team won Player of the Round in the same tournament.

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

The Final was Hamid’s first start for United in the 2013 Open Cup, as Joe Willis started the four previous games. Hamid did not appear to show any rust or trepidation, however, turning in six saves and making his presence known early. Despite being outshot by one of the highest scoring teams in MLS, the United academy product pitched a shutout, allowing for Lewis Neal’s decisive goal to be the difference and handing the Black-and-Red the 100th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup title.

Despite a historically bad regular season in which United finished dead last in the league, the club was able to put all of that behind them thanks to Hamid’s performance in goal. DC United lifted the trophy and also earned $250,000 in prize money and a berth in the 2014/15 CONCACAF Champions’ League.

2013 TheCup.us Player of the Round Honors

Final: Bill Hamid (DC United)
Semifinals: Joe Willis (DC United)
Quarterfinals: Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)
Fourth Round: Dwayne De Rosario (DC United)
Third Round: Frederic Piquionne (Portland Timbers)
Second Round: Brandon Fricke (Des Moines Menace)
First Round: David Geno (Seattle Sounders U23)
Preliminary Round: Gustavo Villalobos (FC Hasental)

2013 US Open Cup Semifinals: Joe Willis’ big saves for DC United earn him Player of the Round honors

September 12, 2013 by Michael Berton

In a misery-filled season for last-place DC United featuring just three league wins out of 27, plaudits have understandably come few and far between. Goalkeeper Joe Willis earned one of those bright spots by winning TheCup.us Player of the Round honors for his role in a 2-0 Semifinal victory over the Chicago Fire.

Willis becomes the second DC player to win Player of Round in this year’s tournament. Dwayne De Rosario won the award, which is voted on by staff at TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters, in the Fourth Round.

Taking home nearly two-thirds of the 1st-place votes, Willis became the first goalkeeper to win the award since Richmond Kickers net-minder Ronnie Pascale did it in the Quarterfinals of the 2011 edition of the tournament against Sporting Kansas City.

Willis made six saves against the Fire in a 2-0 victory. De Rosario and Nick DeLeon scored on either side of halftime to give DC the lead, and Willis and his backline absorbed a slew of Chicago pressure to hand the Fire its first-ever home loss in the competition.

United will attempt to salvage their season on oct. 1 in the championship game against Real Salt Lake, in the first-ever Open Cup Final held in Utah. Willis, or DC United’s other keeper Bill Hamid, will most likely have to turn in another Player of the Round-quality performance to bring DC their third Open Cup title. Along with winning a trophy, the victor will also earn a place in the 2014/15 CONCACAF Champions League and a $250,000 prize.

2013 TheCup.us Player of the Round Honors

2013 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Darlington Nagbe named Player of the Round, helping Portland Timbers reach their first final four

July 30, 2013 by Michael Berton

A goal and an assist were enough to earn Darlington Nagbe of the Portland Timbers TheCup.us Player of the Round honors for the quarterfinals. He led his side to a 3-2 victory over fellow MLS squad FC Dallas to send the Timbers to the semifinals for the first time in club history.

Nagbe is the second Timbers player to win Player of the Round this year. Teammate Frederic Piquionne took home the prize for his four-goal performance in the Third Round.

The award is voted on by staff at TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters. Nagbe beat out the Chicago Fire’s Sean Johnson and Chris Rolfe as well as DC United’s Chris Pontius in a wide open vote.

Down 1-0 to Dallas at halftime, Portland turned to Nagbe for a spark of inspiration. In the 61st minute, Nagbe swerved his way through three defenders and beat Dallas keeper Chris Seitz to level the score at 1-1. After scoring one of the better goals of the tournament, just two minutes later, Nagbe was instrumental in giving the Timbers the lead. He hit a long through ball to Diego Valeri, who scored on a breakaway to put Portland up 2-1.

The Timbers eventually won the game 3-2 thanks to a Piquionne goal, but it was Nagbe who stole the show. His performance was the major reason Portland are now two wins away from becoming the first Oregon club to win the Open Cup title. The Timbers travel to Salt Lake City on August 7 to take on another first-time semifinalist, Real Salt Lake. The winner will host the Final against either DC United or the Chicago Fire. If Portland wins, the championship game will take place on Sept. 24, but if Salt Lake prevails, they will host the game on Oct. 1.

2013 TheCup.us Player of the Round Honors
Quarterfinals: Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)
Fourth Round: Dwayne De Rosario (DC United)
Third Round: Frederic Piquionne (Portland Timbers)
Second Round: Brandon Fricke (Des Moines Menace)
First Round: David Geno (Seattle Sounders U23)
Preliminary Round: Gustavo Villalobos (FC Hasental)

2013 US Open Cup Fourth Round: Dwayne De Rosario’s hat trick for DC United earns him TheCup.us Player of the Round honors

June 19, 2013 by Gerald Barnhart

For leading struggling MLS side DC United to a 3-1 victory over nearby rival Philadelphia Union in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup with a hat-trick, Dwayne De Rosario was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round.

The victory was the club’s first since their second league match of the season on March 2. The winless run was at 0-10-3 in league play with the addition of their Third Round scoreless draw against their USL Pro affiliate Richmond Kickers making the skid 14 games in total. The match was also the first in which DC scored three goals.

Though he is a former league MVP, the three-goal performance was a stunner as De Rosario came into the match with only one goal and one assist on the season through 12 appearances. The hat-trick may have marked the rekindling of the Canadian’s scoring prowess as he also netted over the weekend in a 2-1 loss in league play against Toronto.

Though De Rosario became the third DC United player to score a hat-trick in Open Cup play (Raul Diaz Arce 2000, Abdul Thompson Conteh 2001), he became the first Canadian to record three or more goals in a match during the Modern Professional Era (1995-present).

TheCup.us honors are voted on by the site’s editorial staff and select members of the North American Soccer Reporters. Other leading contenders in the voting were Ty Shipalane of the Carolina RailHawks and goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo of Orlando City.

2013 TheCup.us Player of the Round Honors

Fourth Round: Dwayne De Rosario (DC United)
Third Round: Frederic Piquionne (Portland Timbers)
Second Round: Brandon Fricke (Des Moines Menace)
First Round: David Geno (Seattle Sounders U23)
Preliminary Round: Gustavo Villalobos (FC Hasental)

#USOC100

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Frédéric Piquionne’s four goals earn Portland Timbers striker Player of the Round

June 11, 2013 by Michael Orr

Frédéric Piquionne needed just two minutes to make his mark on the Third Round of the US Open Cup. It turned out he left a rather large mark not only on the round but the tournament and Portland Timbers history, scoring three more times in the first half of a 5-1 demolition of Wilmington Hammerheads at Jeld-Wen Field on May 29. That performance was enough to garner him TheCup.us Player of the Round for the 34-year-old forward and send Portland to the Fourth Round for the first time since 2005.

The award is voted on by the staff at TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters. Piquionne beat out Tampa Bay Rowdies goalkeeper Diego Restrepo and Orlando City forward Dom Dwyer for the honor.

Piquionne’s opener came from a Will Johnson corner, giving the Timbers an early lead and a chance to employ Caleb Porter’s high-pressure system on the overmatched Hammerheads. That pressure led to Piquionne’s second just fifteen minutes later, as he headed in defender Michael Harrington’s cross in the 17th minute.

The former Premier League forward netted his hat-trick using his feet for the first time, artfully executing a one-two with Kalif Alhassan. Retrieving the ball from a soft lob into the box and placing it into the far corner for a 3-0 lead, the 34th minute goal provided the first Timbers hat-trick in a competitive match since Bright Dike’s Second Round feat against Kitsap Pumas in 2010.

Johnson was again the provider for Piquionne in first half injury time, this time from a free kick. Piquionne was first to the ball into the middle of the box, nodding it past Wilmington goalkeeper Tony Fernandez. Though the four goals were the second such output in this US Open Cup, with Seattle Sounders U23s forward David Geno accomplishing the same feat in the First Round, it was the first four-goal game by a Timbers player since McKinley Tennyson on August 13, 2002. Geno and Piquionne remain the only two players in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present) to score four goals in the first half. They join Paulo Jr. as the only players to score four goals in a single period of play. Paulo Jr. scored four in the second extra time period in a 5-1 First Round win for Miami FC (now Fort Lauderdale Strikers) over the Central Florida Kraze (now Orlando City U-23s) in 2010.

The Timbers will host Tampa Bay Rowdies on Wednesday June 12 at Jeld-Wen Field with a spot in the Quarterfinals on the line. Piquionne, who recorded two assists over the weekend in Chicago, could be rested against the Rowdies given Portland’s busy schedule and the absence of Ryan Johnson who is with Jamaica for World Cup qualifiers.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Brandon Fricke leads Menace to upset, named Player of the Round

May 28, 2013 by Josh Hakala

PlayeroftheRound-2013-fricke — Des Moines Menace defender Brandon Fricke scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 upset of Minnesota United FC | Photo: RySiPhoto.com | Des Moines Menace

The Des Moines Menace, one of the best PDL teams over the years, traveled to Minnesota United FC of the NASL in the Second Round of the US Open Cup, playing the role of underdog. By the time the final whistle had sounded, the Menace had defeated their fifth professional team in club history 1-0, thanks to the heroics of defender Brandon Fricke.

Fricke’s defensive performance and his game-winning goal in the 86th minute were enough to be named TheCup.us Player of the Round.

The award is voted on by the staff at TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters. Fricke edged out Reading United goalkeeper John McCarthy, while his Menace teammate, goalkeeper Scott Angevine, finished third in the voting.

Fricke’s game-winning goal came off a Jimmy Tulloch left-footed, in-swinging corner kick. Fricke made a run to the near post, and headed the ball in from close range, much to the surprise to the more than 1,000 fans in attendance. It was Des Moines’ first win over a professional team since the last time they traveled to St. Paul, Minn. In 2006 when they upset the Minnesota Thunder (USL First Division), also a Division I professional team, by a score of 1-0.

Fricke, who plays his college ball at Butler University in Indianapolis, is playing his fourth season with the Menace, his second as team captain. The Grimes, Iowa native will move on to face defending US Open Cup champion Sporting Kansas City in Round 3, a club he has played for as a youth, competing for the MLS club’s Under-16 and Under-18 teams.

Fricke is the first Des Moines Menace player to be named Player of the Round.

A little known fact is that Fricke’s head coach at Butler University, Paul Snape, has four US Open Cup goals on his resume when he played for the Michigan Bucks. Snape helped the Bucks upset three professional teams during his time with the club, highlighted by a road upsets of the Minnesota Thunder (A-League, Division II) in 1999 and the New England Revolution (MLS, Division I) in 2000.

2013 Player of the Round winners

Round 1: David Geno (Seattle Sounders U23s) [+]
Round 2: Brandon Fricke (Des Moines Menace)

Video highlights: Des Moines Menace 1:0 Minnesota United FC

2013 US Open Cup First Round: Seattle Sounders U23 striker David Geno named TheCup.us Player of the Round

May 20, 2013 by Gerald Barnhart

In just one half of play, Seattle Sounders U23 forward David Geno of East Tennessee State University made history. His four-goal performance was the first by a player from an amateur level team in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present) and put him among a list of 10 players in that same period that have accomplished the feat. In doing so, he earned the First Round TheCup.us Player of the Round honor voted on by the site’s staff and members of North American Soccer Reporters.

Gustavo Villalobos of FC Hasental was also honored as the Player of the Round for the Preliminary Round.

The Sounders’ PDL side dominated from the beginning with Darwin Jones scoring 13 minutes. From that point, it was all Geno as he scored six minutes later, added a pair back-to-back in the 36^th and 38^th and capped it all off with a strike in the final minute, exiting during the intermission with the victory firmly in their grasp with a five-goal lead en route to the 5-1 win.

Geno, heading into his senior year at ETSU next fall, also moved into the top 10 in all-time scoring for PDL players in the tournament, joining a group of four other players with four goals in a tie for fifth with two sitting tied for third at career goals and another pair at the top of the list with nine each (see table).

PDL Modern Pro Era Scoring Leaders (1995-present)
Tomas Boltnar (Des Moines Menace)	9
Byron Carmichael (Ocean City Nor’easters)	9
David Bulow (Cape Cod Crusaders)	5
Francisco Lopez (Ventura County Fusion)	5
DAVID GENO (SEATTLE SOUNDERS U23s)	4
Clay Harty (Central Coast Roadrunners)	4
Randi Patterson (Carolina Dynamo)	4
Julian Nash (Chicago Fire PDL)	4
Paul Snape (Michigan Bucks)	4

Geno, not surprisingly, dominated among the 15 ballots cast, but finishing neck-and-neck as runners-up in the voting were Hakan Ilhan of the Carolina Dynamo was second and FC Tucson’s Conner Bevans. Ilhan tallied a hat-trick in a come-from-behind draw and penalty kick victory by the Dynamo and Bevans scored twice in a 2-1 comeback win against a USL Pro side after entering with eight minutes remaining.

FC Hasental’s Villalobos selected Player of the Round for Preliminary Round

Gustavo Villalobos of the NPSL’s FC Hasental was selected as the Player of the Round for last week’s two-game Preliminary Round by TheCup.us Editorial staff. With the side trailing on the road in Fresno after a third minute goal by the hosts, Villalobos evened things up just before the half-hour mark and then added a second an hour into the contest to make it 3-1 as Hasental scored four consecutive goals en route to a 5-3 victory.

2013 TheCup.us Player of the Round Awards
Preliminary Round: Gustavo Villalobos (FC Hasental)
First Round: David Geno (Seattle Sounders U23s)

#USOC100