Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2013 US Open Cup

2013 US Open Cup First Round: VSI Tampa Bay hangs on to win in PKs over Orlando City U-23

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VSI Tampa Bay (White) and Orlando City SC Under 23s played to a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes. Tampa Bay won the PK shootout, 5-3. Photo: Dave Williams | Orlando City SC

VSI Tampa Bay (USL PRO) won over the Orlando City U-23 (USL PDL) in penalty kicks Tuesday night 1-1 (5-3) at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Sanford, Fla. The first round match of the 100th U.S. Open Cup paired Tampa Bay in its first appearance in the US Open Cup against Orlando City U-23 in its sixth appearance. VSI Tampa Bay advances into the second round and will play the 2012 NASL Champions Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The match was hard fought and looked to be a win for Tampa, but Orlando was able to equalize in the 90th minute to send the match to two overtime periods. Orlando has never advanced beyond the first round, and was again unable to do so tonight. Orlando was one of four amateur teams to face a professional team opponent in the first round.

VSI Tampa Bay’s game experience as a team was apparent in the opening minutes. Tampa has already played seven matches to a record of 4-3 and sit in sixth place on the table. The ball control was crisp and they put immediate pressure on the Orlando City U-23 Lions. With the final seven players announced only four days ago, the Lions had less time to prepare for the match and it showed as they misconnected on key passes and in general looked like they were playing their first competitive match as a team.

Tampa took advantage when Andriy Budnyy scored seven minutes into the contest to give Tampa the 1-0 lead. Budnyy headed the ball in from the top of the goal box out of the reach of the Lion’s goalkeeper, Tomas Gomez. Alex Freitas was left alone on the left to serve the excellent cross and got the assist.

After that goal, the Lions settled down and played a much better match. Although Tampa was in the Lion’s half for most of the first 20 minutes, Orlando City players seemed to gel and find their stride.

“We haven’t been together long so I can’t fault their effort and work rate but I think overall we did well in our first competitive match,” said U23 coach Paul Shaw.

In the 25th minute, Orlando’s perseverance was almost rewarded as Tyler Blackwood got behind VSI’s defense and put a beautiful cross into the goal box but Tampa was able to clear. The remainder of the first half continued with exciting play from both teams as each pressed forward and created changes. Tampa’s Tony Dontelli had an opportunity near the 40th minute but his shot went right to the hands of Gomez.

The play in the second half was similar to the end of the 1st half with the Lions and VSI controlling the ball equally well with neither team clearly superior in time of possession or completing their chances. Both made substitutions to keep fresh legs in the game as Tampa brought in Chad Burt (61′) and Sebastien Thureire (77′) while Orlando brought in Tom Skelly (57′) and Daniel Barboto (67′).

Orlando’s last substitution, Ian Svantesson (77′) would turn out to be key, as he broke free of several defenders in the box and shot what looked to be the game winner in the 90th minute. However, Tampa’s goalkeeper Dave Martin came up with a fantastic save. The rebound came near Orlando Captain Nic Russo who was crashing the goal area and he headed the ball home to equalize the match and forcing overtime.

The extra time brought plenty of exciting plays as both teams moved the ball quickly through the midfield and pressed the fowards into the final third. Both goalkeepers were kept busy but additional goals eluded both teams. In the second overtime period, tired legs began to take their toll from the fast paced match and the teams remained tied.

The first three rounds of shots from the mark were even as each team’s representative seemed to score easily. In the 4th round, J.T Noone of Tampa shot the ball past Gomez, but the shot by Orlando’s Nick Sowers was saved by Martin, giving Tampa the 4-3 penalty kick advantage. The final round came to a close as Tampa’s Mauricio Salles sent his shot past Gomez to give VSI the victory.

Scoring Summary
VSI: Budnyy (Freitas) 7th minute
ORL: Russo (Svantesson) 90th minute

Penalty Kick Summary
X – VSI – Donotelli (1-0)
X – ORL – Clowes (1-1)
X – VSI – Hoffer (2-1)
X – ORL – Blackwood (2-2)
X – VSI – Burt (3-2)
X – ORL – Russo (3-3)
X – VSI – Noone (4-3)
_ – ORL – Sowers (4-3)
X – VSI – Rife (5-3)

Lineups
VSI Tampa Bay FC Dave Martin, Richard Dixon, Kyle Hoffer, Josh Rife, Alex Freitas, Joseph Noone, Darren Toby, Shawn Chin (Mauricio Solles 90th), Tony Donotelli, Douglas Dos Santos (Sebastien Thureire 77th), Andriy Budnyy (Chad Burt 61st)

Orlando City U23s Tomas Gomez, Evan Greenbaum (Ian Svantesson 77th), Kyle Fisher, Cole Seiler, Stewart Abrahart (Tom Skelly 57th), Itode Fubara, Troy Peterson (Daniel Barboto 67th), Paul Clowes, Tyler Blackwood, Nick Sowers, Nicolas Russo

Discipline
ORL – Nick Sowers (95′) Yellow
TPA – Sebastian Thuriere (97′) Yellow
ORL – Itode Fubara (107′) Yellow

Attendance: 535

2013 US Open Cup First Round: GPS Portland Phoenix earn first Open Cup win, 2-0 over Mass Premier Soccer

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Pierre Omanga scored two goals – once in the opening 45 seconds and again on a penalty kick in the closing minutes — to lead GPS Portland Phoenix to a 2-0 victory over Mass Premier Soccer (MPS) in a U.S. Open Cup First Round match Tuesday night.

The Phoenix, which plays in the fourth-tier Premier Development League, advances to a Second Round match on May 21st at the Rochester Rhinos, which plays in the third-tier U.S.L. Pro Division.

This was Portland’s second straight year of qualifying for the U.S. Open Cup. In 2012, Phoenix fell 3-2 to the Brooklyn Italians of the National Professional Soccer League in an opening round game played in a driving rain at Memorial.

Adam Perron made eight saves for the Phoenix. Jeff Newman made five saves for MPS, an amateur team that plays in Region I of the USASA.

Portland took a 1-0 lead just 45 seconds in. Right midfielder Emmanuel Appiah’s free kick from 25 yards found Pierre Omanga at the back post for a header into the bottom corner.

“We set out to be a lot more direct, get out ahead nice and early,” said GPS Phoenix manager Ally Bain. “We did that the first five minutes and then we stopped doing it. We stopped the passing that gave us success in the early part of the game, broke down and we really struggled. I was impressed with MPS. They passed the ball well. But it was good to drag it out there in the end.”

MPS was undeterred by the early deficit.

“We hadn’t even started to play yet,” MPS midfielder/manager Nick Christman said. “I thought our response the next 15 minutes of the game was good. We settled down and made it clear it was going to be more of a battle.”

MPS held a 6-3 edge in corners, and outshot the Phoenix, 16-10.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way we played,” Christman said. “I thought we created as many chances as they did. They had a couple nice finishes and we couldn’t quite get one across the line. For a men’s league team, the guys got off work, came up and gave it a valiant effort.”

When MPS threatened in the half, it came from the right side, as midfielder Matt Lemire and forward Tyler Macnee proved a handful. Play went back and forth early, but by the 18th minute, MPS was controlling the midfield and sending in long-range bids.

Phoenix began pressing about nine minutes later, as evident by Clement Bompart’s hard tackle on Tyler Macnee in the 27th minute, which drew the first yellow card of the game.

Defender Roy Sandeman’s tackle on Appiah drew a yellow card for MPS with about two minutes left in the half. Appiah nearly made it 2-0 on the ensuing free kick, but a diving save by Newman kept the score at 1-0 heading into intermission.

With a precarious 1-0 lead and a motivated opponent, things looked bleak for Portland when Richardo Israel was sent off in the 71st minute for a hard tackle on Christman.

MPS pressed the 10-man Phoenix hard, forcing defender Jonathan Lupinelli to prevent an equalizer during a scramble off an MPS corner in the 76th, heading away a sure goal.

MPS keeper Newman stoned Omanga and Nick Weightman on a a shot and a rebound on a break in with four minutes to play. Thirty seconds later, Lemire nearly tied it again with a low shot that ran wide of the right post.

Portland finally iced it when Omanga was taken down near the end line in the 89th minute. His low shot on the penalty kick beat Newman and pushed Portland on to a 2-0 victory.

“Omanga gives us everything going forward,” Bain said. “He’s got energy and pace. He’s the real deal.”

The Phoenix opened their PDL season on Saturday night with a dramatic 5-4 win over the Vermont Voltage. Phoenix trailed 3-1 at halftime and 4-3 in the final minutes before scoring twice to pull out a victory. Tuesday night showed a significant step forward.

“Overall (Tuesday) was a far better defensive display,” Bain said. “We really wanted to lock it down and play better in the back, and we did that.”

Mass Premier Soccer, which competes in Bay State Soccer League in USASA Region I, was making its first appearance in the Open Cup. MPS defeated Newtown Pride FC of Connecticut 6-0 in the USASA regional semifinals to become just the third Massachusetts-based USASA club to qualify for the tournament in the modern era.

“We’re proud to get this far,” Christman said. “We wanted to give it a roll and see how we could do against a team that trains every day.”

Now, for Portland, it’s on to Rochester, one of the most historic clubs in the country.

“A lot of the boys have aspirations to play professional soccer,” Bain said. “So for them to get a taste of playing against that next level is going to be a great experience for them. It’s also fantastic for the club to get that national exposure as one of the PDL sides progressing to the next round.”

2013 U.S. Open Cup First Round: Reading United overcome Lehigh Valley United Sonic in all-Pennsylvania battle (video)

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Steve Neumann scored a goal in Reading United's 2-0 win over FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic. Photo: Glenn Riegel | GlennRiegelPhoto.com, Reading United

A first half full of missed opportunities had Reading United worried, but two goals early in the second half of its US Open Cup tilt against Lehigh Valley United Sonic were enough to calm those nerves.

“When you hit the crossbar, the post, and have two cleared off the line, it’s frustrating,” Reading United coach Brendan Burke said. “What we said to the players at halftime was that it was coming. We made a few adjustments tactically, and it paid off right away.”

Those adjustments included moving midfielder Darius Madison into a more forward position. Madison made that formation change count in the 50th minute. Reading forward Larry Ndjock played Madison in on a one-on-one with the keeper. Madison slotted it past the goalie to give the PDL side a 1-0 lead.

Steve Neumann doubled Reading’s lead in the 55th minute with a crazy shot taken from a near-impossible angle. Deep in Lehigh Valley’s half, Wes Charpie threw the ball in to Neumann. While dribbling into the penalty area along the end line, Neumann decided to take a shot. The result was a blistering attempt that got past the Sonic goalie.

Burke said, “That’s Steve Neumann. He’s got abilities other players in the country don’t have. He has technical ability and awareness. He sees thing that other guys don’t see. That’s why he’s our captain. He’s that good.”

Lehigh Valley United Sonic out of the NPSL did not go down without a fight. After Reading’s second goal, Sonic began to see more of the ball and threatened United’s net several times. In the 59th minute, Lehigh Valley’s Kyle MacDonald forced a save from Reading’s goalie, John McCarthy. LVU’s Ryan Jones tested McCarthy again in the 68th minute with a blistering shot from 30 yards out.

“Our guys battled like crazy. Our guys worked really hard. I thought we fought for the entire 90 minutes. We’ll learn from and move forward,” Lehigh Valley coach Dave Weitzman said.

The second half, which was full of action, was a complete contrast from the first. While Reading United had much of the possession, they struggled to turn it into quality attempts. It wasn’t until the 18th minute that Reading finally got a quality chance when Manolo Sanchez hit a volley that beat the keeper and hit the crossbar.

Lehigh Valley got several shots on goal, but it would be Reading that had the next near-chance. Off of a corner kick, a United shot hit the post, was cleared off the goal line, then skied over the net from less than six yards out. It turned out that those missed opportunities did not hurt Reading, but the team will have to be more clinical when it takes on its second-round opponent—the USL Pro squad and Reading’s affiliate Harrisburg City Islanders.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to play our own affiliate. I obviously know a lot about them,” Burke said. “They’re difficult to stop. They’re extremely fast. That’s a huge mountain for us to climb to get through that next round.”

Reading United 2:0 Lehigh Valley United Sonic
Oley Valley High School – Oley, Pa.

Scoring Summary:

RU: Darius Madison (Ndjock) 50
RU: Steve Neumann (Charpie) 55

Lineups:
Reading United: John McCarthy; Wes Charpie, Jonny Dolezal, Jimmy Ockford, Ben Sweat; Keegan Rosenberry, Darius Madison (Dante Marini-71), Steve Neumann, Manolo Sanchez; Mario Pinto Neto (Melvin Snoh-77), Larry Ndjock (Bryce Follensbee-71)

Lehigh Valley United Sonic: Charlie Sales; Ali Famili (Christian Kaschak-46), Reed Norton, Ryan Jones, Tyler Witmer; Tom Mustac, Hunter Norton, Andy Adlard (Michael Gonzalez-62), Emmanuel Joseph, Ciuffetelli (Kyle Macdonald-77); Joe Sales

Discipline:

RU: Ben Sweat (caution – 45)
RU: Larry Ndjock (caution – 63)
LVU: Joe Sales (caution – 82)

2013 US Open Cup First Round: 17 games kick off tonight, live updates with #USOC100 on Twitter

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Join us for the live blog on Philly.com – thanks to our friend Jonathan Tannenwald (@TheGoalkeeper). Click here to follow all the action.

The First Round of the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup kicks off tonight with 17 games (1 game on Wednesday) across the country. It’s an all-amateur field with the exception of four USL Pro teams with teams battling to reach Round 2 where the rest of the USL Pro teams and all of the NASL teams will enter.

Tonight expects to produce some very entertaining games as many of the clubs come into the competition performing well in league play, while others will be hard to predict as they will be playing their first game of the season. The 16 Premier Development League (PDL) teams come into the First Round undefeated, with a combined 6-0-3 record, while the eight National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) teams are a combined 9-2-2. Two of the four USL Pro teams have winning records (VSI Tampa Bay FC, Dayton Dutch Lions).

The second tier North American Soccer League contingent of six teams and eight remaining third tier USL Pro clubs will take on winners from the First Round of competition with at least three of the professional clubs set to open play on the road against amateur opposition and six others with a possibility of doing so. The USL Pro trio of Harrisburg City Islanders, Orlando City and Wilmington Hammerheads will all take to the road for the Second Round. Meanwhile, the NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies, Atlanta Silverbacks and Fort Lauderdale Strikers along with USL Pro’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Charleston Battery and Charlotte Eagles are in wait-and-see scenarios.

All 16 US-based MLS clubs (Division I) will enter the competition in Round 3 (May 28).

MORE FROM THECUP.US

2013 US Open Cup Results

2013 US Open Cup Goalscoring Leaders

Things you should know about Round 1

Things you should know about Round 2

Meet the USASA: Class of 2013

‘The First Cup’ series (1913-14)

#USOC100

TheCup.us is working on launching a new website in honor of the 100th edition of the Open Cup, and as always, will have live updates from every single game of the competition. You can follow TheCup.us on Twitter (@USOpenCup) and on Facebook. The Twitter hashtag for the tournament this year is #USOC100.

Here is the schedule for the First Round and the potential pairings for the Second Round:

2013 US Open Cup First Round (May 14/15)
All Times Eastern

Mass Premier Soccer (USASA) at GPS Portland Phoenix (PDL)
Memorial Field, Deering High School – Portland, ME – 8 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Road game at Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro)

Mass Premier Soccer Open Cup records
First entry

GPS Portland Phoenix Open Cup records
Overall: 0-1-0 | Home: 0-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-2 vs. Brooklyn Italians of NPSL – Round 1)

Mass Premier Soccer are making their first appearance in the Open Cup as they emerged out of the very challenging USASA Region I. They defeated Newtown Pride FC (Connecticut) 6-0 in the regional semifinals to become just the third Massachusetts-based USASA club to qualify for the tournament in the Modern Pro Era. GPS Portland Phoenix of the PDL are making their second straight Open Cup appearance and will also host for the second year in a row. Last year, they lost their opening game to the Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) 3-2. The Phoenix remain the only club (of any kind) from the state of Maine to qualify for the tournament in more than two decades.

GPS Portland (2012: 10-4-2, second in Northeast Division) kicked off league play in the PDL Saturday with a doozy as they dueled in a back-and-forth affair against the Vermont Voltage before prevailing 5-4. After falling behind 14 minutes in, Caue Da Silva tied the match up four minutes later before seeing the Voltage push out to a two-goal lead at the break. The second half belonged to the hosts though as Pierre Omanga scored four minutes in and an own goal two minutes later put the game level. Vermont scored one last time to retake the lead, but Richardo Israel equalized with four minutes left and fellow Gilbert Manier struck for the winner in stoppage time.

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Icon FC (USASA) at Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)
Aviator Sports Complex – Brooklyn, NY – 8 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Road game at Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)

Icon FC Open Cup records
First entry

Brooklyn Italians Open Cup records (Modern Pro Era)
Overall: 1-3-0 | Home: 0-0-0 | vs. Amateur: 1-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-0 at Rochester Rhinos of USL Pro – Round 2)
Best finish: 2012 Second Round (Lost 3-0 at Rochester Rhinos of USL Pro)

Icon FC of New Jersey bring some experienced players for their first Open Cup run. The club, led by former DC United and US youth international Danny Szetela, are just the second USASA club from New Jersey to qualify (2012 – Jersey Shore Boca) since 1995 and they will face a club with a strong Open Cup resume. The Brooklyn Italians who compete in the NPSL, have won the Open Cup twice (1979 as “Brooklyn Dodgers” and 1991), and finished runner-up in 1990. Those accomplishments happened a long time ago, but they have had some recent accomplishments too. This is the fourth year in a row that the Italians have qualified for the tournament, and with last year’s 3-2 win against GPS Portland Phoenix, they earned their first Open Cup victory since winning it all in 1991.

The Brooklyn Italians were off over the weekend after winning a 4-3 thriller in their league opener May 5 against the Rhode Island Red. Hakop Avesyan, Yannick Diese, Oliver Kelly and Patrick Ouckama each had a goal.

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New York Red Bulls U23s (NPSL) at Ocean City Nor’easters (PDL)
Carey Stadium – Ocean City, NJ – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None
If Ocean City wins: Host winner of Pittsburgh/RWB Adria
If New York wins: At Pittsburgh Riverhounds OR vs. RWB Adria (Site TBA)

Ocean City Nor’easters Open Cup records
Overall: 7-5-0 (6-4-0 as PDL) | Home: 5-3-0 (5-2-0 as PDL) | vs. Amateur: 3-0-0
Last entry: 2009 (Lost 2-0 at DC United of MLS in Round 3)
Best finish: 2009 Third Round (Lost 2-0 at DC United of MLS)

New York Red Bulls U23s Open Cup records
First entry

The last time the Ocean City Nor’easters qualified for the Open Cup was in 2009 when they were known as the Ocean City Barons. Since then, the club has undergone a makeover both on the field and off it. New manager Tim Oswald led the club to their best league finish since their undefeated season in 2004 and qualified for this year’s Open Cup. The Nor’easters are one of the best amateur clubs to compete in the Open Cup during the Modern Professional Era. They have six wins in the Open Cup since joining the PDL in 2003, with four of those coming against professional teams. Only the Michigan Bucks (12) and the Des Moines Menace (7) have more Open Cup wins as a PDL team than the Nor’easters (6) and only the Bucks have more professional team upsets (9) than Ocean City. The Red Bulls Under 23s also qualified for the tournament after a successful league performance in 2012. The Red Bulls are in the tournament for the first time won the Atlantic Division title, finishing 11-3-0, the second best record in the NPSL.

The Open Cup contest will be the season opener for the Red Bulls, who don’t kick off league play until May 26. Similarly, Ocean City (2012: 13-3-0, first in Mid Atlantic Division) does not begin league play until May 18.

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FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic (NPSL) at Reading United AC (PDL)
Oley Valley High School – Oley, PA – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Home game vs. Harrisburg City Islanders

FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic Open Cup records
Overall: 0-1-0 | Away: 0-0-0 | vs. Amateur: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-0 vs. Long Island Rough Riders of PDL in Round 1)
Best finish: 2012 First Round (Lost 2-0 vs. Long Island Rough Riders of PDL)

Reading United Open Cup records
Overall: 1-6-0 (1-4-0 as PDL) | Home: 1-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 1-1-0 (1-0-0 as PDL)
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-1 at Charleston Battery of USL Pro in Round 2)
Best finish: 2012 Second Round (Lost 2-1 at Charleston Battery of USL Pro)

Reading United will host FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic in a battle of Eastern Pennsylvania clubs. Reading is competing in the tournament for a record fifth straight time, something no amateur club has done in the Modern Professional Era. Reading has their friendly rivals, Ocean City, to thank for keeping their streak alive. The Nor’easters, by virtue of finishing with the Eastern Conference’s best record, earned a berth, leaving the second place team, Reading, as the Mid-Atlantic’s representative. Reading, despite qualifying for the tournament seven times since 1996, they are 1-6-0 in the tournament and picked up their first-ever Open Cup win by defeating the New York Greek American Atlas last year. Sonic has tweaked their team name (formerly FC Sonic Lehigh Valley) for their second straight Open Cup appearance. In 2012, they were one-and-done, losing to the PDL’s Long Island Rough Riders 2-0 in the First Round.

Lehigh Valley does not kick off their NPSL campaign until May 18. Meanwhile, Reading (2012: 11-2-3, second in Mid Atlantic Division) has a huge victory already under their belts having pasted the Westchester Flames 8-0 in their PDL opener Saturday. Pinto Neto scored three times while Emanuel Sanchez had a goal and an assist in the four-goal first half.

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Ocala Stampede (PDL) at Red Force (USASA)
Florida International Soccer Stadium – Miami, FL – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Home game vs. Orlando City SC (USL Pro)

Red Force Open Cup records
First entry

Ocala Stampede Open Cup records
First entry

A pair of first-time entries from Florida will square off in Round 1 with the USASA’s Red Force hosting the Ocala Stampede. The Red Force were the only USASA team from the state of Florida to enter the state qualifying tournament and therefore were given a bye into the regional tournament. The Red Force then won three games at the USASA Region III tournament in New Orleans to clinch a spot in the Open Cup. The Stampede qualified after a very successful inaugural season in the PDL. Ocala, which is located in Central Florida, just northwest of Orlando, won the Southeast Division title with an 11-3-2 record, which was the best record in the conference.

The Stampede (2012: 11-3-2, first in Southeast Division) are opening their campaign in the US Open Cup with their first PDL contest coming up May 17. The contest may prove to be emotional beyond most Open Cup contests as it will be the first without midfielder Richmond McCarthy, who passed away suddenly in February. He was a key figure in last year’s division title run, registering five assists as he logged the second most minutes played on the squad over the course of 15 regular season appearances.

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VSI Tampa Bay FC (USL PRO) at Orlando City U-23s (PDL)
Seminole Soccer Complex; Sanford, FL – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Home game vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)

VSI Tampa Bay FC Open Cup records
First entry

Orlando City U-23s Open Cup records
Overall: 0-5-0 | Home: 0-2-0 | vs. Division III: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-1 vs. Jacksonville United of NPSL in Round 1)
Best finish: First Round

The Orlando City U23s are back in the tournament for the fourth year in a row and the sixth time in franchise history. However, they are still seeking their first Open Cup win. Last year was their best chance, losing 2-1 at home to Jacksonville United (NPSL) on an 89th minute goal by Ramak Safi. VSI Tampa Bay FC are making their debut in USL Pro and the Open Cup this year.

This matchup is part of a unique pairing as both clubs are in USL Pro and the PDL. The Orlando City U23 side (2012: 8-3-5, second in Southeast Division) open league play May 19 and play the VSI Tampa Bay PDL team three days later. Meanwhile, the USL Pro VSI TB squad is seven games into its season and is 4-3-0. The team has had trouble finding consistency with consecutive wins only once, but have been home for over a month now and have won three of the last four. Andriy Budnyy (2 goals) and longtime USL star Mauricio Salles (3 goals) are the leading scorers on the squad. The two USL Pro sides for the clubs have yet to play and will not meet until the final month of the season in August.

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Chattanooga FC (NPSL) at Carolina Dynamo (PDL)
Macpherson Stadium – Greensboro, NC – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Road game at Carolina RailHawks (NASL)

Chattanooga FC Open Cup records
Overall: 0-1-0 | Away: 0-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 0-0-0
Last entry: 2011 (Lost 3-2 AET at Pittsburgh Riverhounds of USL Pro in Round 1)
Best finish: 2011 First Round (Lost 3-2 AET at Pittsburgh Riverhounds)

Carolina Dynamo Open Cup records
Overall: 10-9-0 (5-4-0 as PDL) | Home: 8-2-0 (5-2-0 as PDL) | vs. Amateur: 6-2-0 (2-1-0 as PDL)
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-1 at Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks of USASA in Round 1)
Best finish (as Division III): 1996 Quarterfinals (Lost 2-0 at DC United of MLS)

Chattanooga FC are back in the Open Cup for the first since 2011 after winning their division last season. Tennessee-based clubs are few and far between in the Open Cup. Prior to Chattanooga qualifying in 2011, the Memphis Express (PDL) were the last entry in 2002, and before that, the Nashville Metros are the only Volunteer State-based club to qualify. The Carolina Dynamo have qualified for the Open Cup for the 10th time (5th time as a PDL club) both as a professional and an amateur team. They are 10-9-0 all-time in the tournament, but have been one-and-done the last two trips to the tournament after their historic run to the Fourth Round in 2006. During that run, they eliminated two professional teams (Richmond Kickers, Seattle Sounders) before falling to the Houston Dynamo. 2013 marks the Dynamo’s third straight appearance in the competition.

Chattanooga opened their NPSL campaign Saturday at Rocket City, posting a big 5-0 victory in which Jose Ferraz led the way with a pair of goals. Thibault Charmey, Chrispin Ochleng and Luke Winter rounded out the scoring. The Carolina Dynamo (2012: 11-1-4, first in South Atlantic Division) also posted a shutout to open their season Saturday, blanking Virginia Beach 3-0 on goals from Brandt Bronico, Hakan Ilhan and James Smith.

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Dearborn Stars (USASA) at Michigan Bucks (PDL)
Ultimate Soccer Arenas – Pontiac, MI – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Road game at Dayton Dutch Lions OR vs. River City Rovers (Site TBA)

Dearborn Stars Open Cup records
First entry

Michigan Bucks Open Cup records
Overall: 12-8-1 | Home: 8-5-1 (0-1 in PKs) | Indoors: 2-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 3-0-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-1 AET vs. Dayton Dutch Lions of USL Pro in Round 4)
Best finish: 2012 Fourth Round (Lost 2-1 AET vs. Dayton Dutch Lions of USL Pro)

For just the second time in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present), two teams from the state of Michigan will square off in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The last time it happened was in 2001 when the Michigan Bucks defeated the Detroit-based Chaldean Arsenal 3-0 at White Pine Stadium in Saginaw, Mich. With a record 12 Open Cup wins, 9 of them against professional opponents, the Bucks have the strongest resume of any amateur team in the country. Last year, they bolstered their reputation as giant killers with their second win in franchise history over a Major League Soccer team, defeating the Chicago Fire 3-2 in extra time. Combined with their 1-0 road win over the New England Revolution in 2000, they are the only amateur team to defeat multiple MLS teams. They will host the Dearborn Stars who have been around since 1982, but are entering the tournament for the first time. When the two teams square off at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Mich., it will be just the fifth Open Cup game in the 100-year history of the tournament to be played indoors.

The Michigan Bucks (2012: 13-1-2, first in Great Lakes Division) will be off to a cold start in the Open Cup with their league opener coming up May 17.

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RWB Adria (USASA) at Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO)
Highmark Stadium – Pittsburgh, PA – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Road game at Ocean City Nor’easters OR vs. New York Red Bulls U23s (Site TBA)

RWB Adria Open Cup records (Modern Pro Era)
Overall: 0-3-0 | Away: 0-3-0 | vs. Division III: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2008 (Lost 2-1 AET at Rochester Rhinos of USL-1 in Round 1)
Best Finish: Round 1

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Open Cup records
Overall: 5-8-2 (0-2 PKs) | Home: 3-2-0 | vs. Amateur: 3-2-1 (0-1 PKs)
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 1-0 vs. Michigan Bucks of PDL in Round 2)
Best Finish: 2001 Quarterfinals (Lost 3-2 ASDET at Chicago Fire of MLS)

Since they launched in 1999, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds have qualified for the US Open Cup in 10 of their 14 seasons (the franchise was on hiatus in 2007). However, they have experienced very little success in the tournament. The club has only won multiple games in a tournament once and that was when they reached the Quarterfinals as an A-League team in 2001. Having said all that, it’s a new era in Pittsburgh as the Riverhounds opened their new soccer-specific Highmark Stadium near downtown Pittsburgh. Their opening round opponent, RWB Adria from Chicago, has been around since 1959 and have reached the semifinals twice (1978, 1991) but haven’t won a tournament game since 1991. They have qualified three times in the Modern Pro Era (1996, 2007, 2008) but lost to a professional team in their opening game each year.

The Riverhounds came into the USL Pro season with a lot of excitement and anticipation with the debut of their new facility, Highmark Stadium, but that has been tempered a bit by a 1-4-3 record. Since losing their opener in dramatic fashion, the club has since rebounded at home, picking up an 2-1 win last Thursday at Highmark in their second home fixture of the year and the first of a string of league games in which they are at home for 11 of 12. Though they have just one win, the Riverhounds have been a difficult opponent for most, allowing no more than two goals in any game. Scoring, meanwhile, has been paltry with only five thus far – three scored by Jose Angulo, who also has an assist to his tally. Midfielder Matthew Dallman has three assists.

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River City Rovers (PDL) at Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO)
Beavercreek High School – Beavercreek, OH – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com
If Dayton wins: Home game vs. Michigan Bucks/Dearborn Stars winner
If River City wins: vs. winner of Michigan Bucks/Dearborn Stars (Site TBA)

River City Rovers Open Cup records
First entry

Dayton Dutch Lions Open Cup records
Overall: 3-3-0 (3-2-0 as PDL) | Home: 0-0-0 | vs. Amateur: 2-0-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-0 at Sporting KC of MLS in Quarterfinals)
Best finish: 2012 Quarterfinals (Lost 3-0 at Sporting KC of MLS)

The Dayton Dutch Lions were one of the tournament’s best Cinderella stories last year and they are back in 2013 looking to build on their success from a year ago. Despite struggling in their first two years as a professional franchise (they moved up from the PDL to USL Pro in 2011), and losing their opening game in both 2010 and 2011, the Dutch Lions surprised many by upsetting the Columbus Crew 2-1 in the Third Round. They continued their run by defeating the Michigan Bucks 2-1 in extra time to reach the Quarterfinals where they lost to eventual Open Cup champions Sporting Kansas City. Dayton’s run to the round of eight was made even more impressive by the fact that they did it without playing a single home game. This year, they kick off the 2013 tournament with their first-ever home game as they host the PDL’s River City Rovers. The Louisville, Kentucky-based Rovers have qualified for the tournament for the first time, benefiting from the fact that Forest City London, the team who finished in second place in the Great Lakes Division, are Canadian and are not eligible for the Open Cup. The Rovers qualified and are the first Kentucky-based club to take part in the tournament since the Louisville Alliance reached the Regional Semifinals in 1993.

The River City Rovers (2012: 7-7-2, third in Great Lakes Division) do not begin PDL play until they face last-year’s division runners-up from Canada, Forest City London, on May 18. Dayton, meanwhile is 3-2-0 in USL Pro and are coming off a 4-3 victory against Phoenix Saturday, more than doubling their goal tally for the season. Gibson Bardsley scored twice in the game, bringing his total for the season to three. Joel DeLass has two of the other four goals.

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NTX Rayados (USASA) at Austin Aztex (PDL)
House Park – Austin, TX – 8:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Home game vs. Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro)

North Texas Rayados Open Cup records
Overall: 0-1-0 | Away: 0-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-1 at El Paso Patriots of PDL in Round 1)
Best Finish: 2012 First Round (Lost 3-1 at El Paso Patriots of PDL)

Austin Aztex Open Cup records
First entry

The Austin Aztex name is back in the US Open Cup after the previous version of the club left Austin to form Orlando City SC. New owners have brought the name back and launched a PDL franchise in 2012. A second place finish in the Mid-South Division last year was enough to get them back in the tournament. The North Texas Rayados from the USASA are back in the tournament for the second year in a row after cruising through the Region III tournament. They outscored their opponents 17-2 and won the Region III tournament. They not only earned a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, but by defeating Florida’s Red Force 3-0 in the Region III title game, they will advance to the USASA Nationals in San Antonio.

The Aztex (2012: 9-5-2, second in Mid South Division) opened their league campaign on the road Saturday, taking a narrow 2-1 decision against Oklahoma City on a pair of second half goals in a comeback win. Tony Rocha and substitute Tucker Hume scored in the final 13 minutes for the victory.

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Phoenix FC (USL Pro) at FC Tucson (PDL)
Kino Sports Complex Grandstand, Field 5 – Tucson, AZ – 10:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Road game at San Antonio Scorpions

Phoenix FC Open Cup records
First entry

FC Tucson Open Cup records
First entry

For the first time in the Modern Professional Era (and quite possibly ever), the US Open Cup will feature a game between two Arizona-based clubs. Both teams are first-time entries with USL Pro side Phoenix SC kicking off their inaugural campaign this year. FC Tucson qualified after a successful first season in the PDL last year, edging out the Fresno Fuego for second place in the Southwest Division with a 9-3-4 record.

Tucson (2012: 9-3-4, second in Southwest Division) opened their league season in California Sunday, coming from behind to grab a 1-1 draw with a second half strike from substitute Aaron Long 20 minutes from time. Phoenix FC (2-5-2), meanwhile, is coming off a USL Pro road trip to Pittsburgh and Dayton where late rallies came up short in both contests as they fell 2-1 to the Riverhounds Thursday and 4-3 to the Dutch Lions Saturday. Winless in the last three (0-2-1), the club is led by a trio with a pair of goals each – Diego Faria, Joao Inacio de Jesus and Aaron King.

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Sacramento Gold (NPSL) at Portland Timbers U23s (PDL)
JELD-WEN Field – Portland, OR – 10:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None
If Sacramento wins: Road game at Charleston Battery
If Portland wins: Home game vs. Charleston Battery

Sacramento Gold Open Cup records
First entry

Portland Timbers U23s Open Cup records
Overall: 0-1-0 | Home: 0-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-1 vs. PSA Elite of USASA in Round 1)
Best finish: 2012 First Rond (Lost 2-1 vs. PSA Elite of USASA)

The Timbers U23s are back in the tournament for the second year in a row, looking for their first win. Last year, they lost 3-1 in front of their home fans to USASA club PSA Elite. The Timbers are hoping their league success from the past three seasons, including the 2010 PDL championship, will translate into Open Cup success. On the other side, the Sacramento Gold from the NPSL are making their first appearance in the tournament, becoming just the second Sacramento-based club to qualify in the Modern Pro Era. The Sacramento Knights of the MPSL qualified through the USASA in 2004 and reached the Second Round before falling to the Utah Blitzz (Division III). The Gold qualified for the Open Cup through the NPSL’s preseason tournament where they cruised through the Northern Division, outscoring their three opponents 10-1, including a 5-1 championship game win over the Sonoma County Sol.

Well into their campaign, the Sacramento Gold are 4-1-1 and have not lost since their opener on the road. They have scored at least twice in each game since, but also only have one shutout to their record defensively. John Jones II leads the team with three goals with Max Alvarez, Manolo Pina and Oscar Sandoval each having two. The Timbers U23s (2012: 10-4-2, second in Northwest Division) will play their first league game two days of the Open Cup contest, squaring off against rival and fellow Open Cup participant Seattle.

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Doxa Italia (USASA) at Sounders FC U23s (PDL)
Sunset Chevrolet Stadium – Sumner, WA – 10 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Road game at Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro)

Doxa Italia Open Cup records
Overall: 0-1-0 | Away: 0-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2011 (Lost 3-1 at Ventura County Fusion of PDL in Round 1)
Best finish: 2011 First Round (Lost 3-1 at Ventura County Fusion of PDL)

Sounders FC U23s Open Cup records
First entry

Doxa Italia of the USASA are back in the tournament and will face first-time entry Seattle Sounders FC U23s in the opening round. Doxa last qualified for the Open Cup in 2011 (losing 3-1 to Ventura County Fusion in Round 1), and would have returned in 2012 but a little-known club called Cal FC handed them their only qualifying loss and they missed the cut. This year, Doxa returned the favor, handing Cal FC their only qualifying loss and leaving last year’s USASA Cinderella story on the outside looking in. No matter what they are called, the Seattle Sounders U-23s are making their first Open Cup appearance in franchise history. The club was originally known as Tacoma FC, but never qualified from 2006-2011. Last year, the team re-branded and enjoyed immediate success, winning the Northwest Division championship and reaching the final four in the PDL playoffs.

The Sounders U23s (2012: 11-2-3, first in Northwest Division) will play their first league game two days of the Open Cup contest, squaring off against rival and fellow Open Cup participant Portland.

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PSA Elite (USASA) at Laredo Heat SC (PDL)
Texas A&M International Soccer Complex – Laredo, TX – 9:15 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Road game at Fort Lauderdale Strikers

PSA Elite Open Cup records
Overall: 1-1-0 | Away: 1-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 1-0-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 6-0 at Carolina RailHawks of NASL in Round 2)
Best finish: 2012 Second Round (Lost 6-0 at Carolina RailHawks of NASL)

Laredo Heat Open Cup records
Overall: 1-1-1 (0-1 PKs) | Home: 1-0-1 (0-1 PKs) | vs. Amateur: 1-0-1 (0-1 PKs)
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-0 at San Antonio Scorpions of NASL in Round 2)
Best finish: 2012 Second Round (Lost 2-0 at San Antonio Scorpions of NASL)

PSA Elite are back in the Open Cup for the second year in a row after dominating the USASA Region IV tournament this year. They outscored their opponents 26-4, including a pair of wins against fellow Open Cup qualifier Doxa Italia to punch their ticket to the Open Cup and the USASA National Finals. They won their first Open Cup game last year, defeating the Portland Timbers U23s (PDL) 3-1, but a cross-country trip to North Carolina was too much to ask as they were trounced 6-0 by the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks in Round 2. They will have another long trip on their hands this year as they will travel to Laredo, Texas to take on the Heat who are back in the Open Cup for a second straight year, and just the third time in franchise history. Three trips to the tournament in a decade is a surprising number for one of the best teams in the PDL. The 2007 league champion, and a three-time runner-up, the Heat qualified for the Open Cup for the first time back in 2006 when they nearly eliminated Dallas Roma FC in Round 1 before Roma began their historic run to the Fourth Round. Last year, the Heat returned, winning their first-ever Open Cup game, 4-2 over fellow Texas amateur club ASC New Stars (USASA) in extra time. They hit the road in Round 2 and lost 2-0 to the NASL’s San Antonio Scorpions. This is a PDL team that has qualified for the league playoffs nine years in a row, and have only failed to qualify once, during their inaugural season in 2004, so single-elimination tournaments are nothing new to them.

Laredo (2012: 10-3-3, first in Mid South Division) kicked off their PDL season Saturday on the road, coming from behind with a dramatic stoppage time equalizer from Alejandro De La Garza in the 92nd minute for a 1-1 draw in Houston.

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Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) at Georgia Revolution (NPSL)
RYSA Soccerplex – Conyers, GA – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None
If Georgia wins: Home game vs. Atlanta Silverbacks
If Real Colorado wins: vs. Atlanta Silverbacks (Site TBA)

Real Colorado Foxes Open Cup records
Overall: 1-2-0 | Away: 0-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 1-2-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-1 vs. KC Athletics of USASA in Round 1)
Best finish: 2011 Second Round (Lost 3-1 at Kitsap Pumas of PDL)

Georgia Revolution Open Cup records
Overall: 2-1-0 | Home: 1-1-0 | vs. Amateur: 2-0-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 1-0 vs. Atlanta Silverbacks of NASL in Round 2)
Best finish: 2012 Second Round (Lost 1-0 vs. Atlanta Silverbacks of NASL)

The Georgia Revolution (NPSL), making their second straight appearance in the tournament, will face the Real Colorado Foxes in Round 1. The Real Colorado Foxes (no relationship with the Colorado Foxes who took part in the 1995 US Open Cup), have qualified for the third year in a row as the second place team in the Heartland Division (Division champion Thunder Bay Chill are from Canada). The Foxes won their first-ever tournament game in 2011 when they defeated USASA’s DV8 Defenders from San Jose, Calif. 5-0. Then after being eliminated by fellow PDL side Kitsap Pumas the next round, they suffered another defeat at the hands of an amateur team, losing 3-1 to the KC Athletics (USASA) at home. If the Rovers are able to knock off the Revolution, it would make the first time in the Modern Professional Era (and possibly ever) that two Colorado-based clubs will meet in tournament play.

The Revolution will have at least two US Open Cup games under their belts before they even kick off NPSL play with their opener set for May 24. Real Colorado (2012: 8-4-4, second in Heartland Division) also have not begun league play with their opener scheduled for May 18.

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FC Hasental (NPSL) at Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
Ventura College; Ventura, Calif. – 10 p.m .
Broadcast: KADYtv.com
Winner gets: Road game at Los Angeles Blues (USL Pro)

FC Hasental Open Cup records
First entry

Ventura County Fusion Open Cup records
Overall: 3-2-1 | Home: 1-2-1 (0-1 PKs) | vs. Amateur: 2-0-1 (0-1 PKs)
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 1-0 vs. Chivas USA of MLS in Round 3)
Best finish: 2012 Third Round (Lost 1-0 vs. Chivas USA of MLS)

First-time entry FC Hasental will travel to Ventura to take on the Ventura County Fusion of the PDL. The Fusion qualified for the Open Cup for the first time back in 2010 and were one-and-done to the USASA’s Arizona Sahuaros. Each year after that, they have improved on the previous year’s performance. In 2011, they won a single game before being eliminated by the Los Angeles Blues (USL Pro). Last year, they won two games, including a revenge win over the Blues in Round 2. They nearly knocked off an MLS team, but were unable to overcome an early goal by Chivas USA, and lost 1-0.

Well into league play, Hasental is 3-1-1 on the season, rebounding for a 3-0 victory Saturday after suffering their first loss two weeks prior. Fueled by a 13-0 opening win, the team has had plenty of goals this season. Liviu Leu and Ericson Penate lead the team with five each which Armando Gaitan and Gustavo Villalobos each having three. One of the few PDL teams with multiple league games under their belts thus far, Ventura County (2012: 12-2-2, first in Southwest Division) are nearly perfect through two games with a 1-0 win over Orange County two weeks ago and a 3-1 win against BYU on Saturday in which Francisco Lopez set up all three goals, including two in the second half by Chase Minter.

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Madison 56ers (NPSL) at Des Moines Menace (PDL)
Valley Stadium – West Des Moines, IA – May 15 at 8:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Winner gets: Road game at Minnesota United FC

Madison 56ers Open Cup records (Modern Pro Era)
Overall: 1-1-0 | Away: 0-0-0 | vs. Amateur: 1-1-0
Last entry: 2011 (Lost 2-0 vs. Chicago Fire PDL in Round 2)
Best finish: 2011 Second Round (Lost 2-0 vs. Chicago Fire PDL)

Des Moines Menace Open Cup records
Overall: 7-6-1 (1-0 PKs) | Home: 4-3-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. Amateur: 3-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-0 vs. Minnesota Stars FC of NASL in Round 2)
Best finish: 2005 Fourth Round (Lost 6-1 at Kansas City Wizards of MLS)

One of amateur soccer’s giants, the Des Moines Menace are back in the competition for the second year in a row, making their seventh all-time appearance. Only the Michigan Bucks (10) have qualified for the Open Cup more times among PDL teams. They enter the tournament as a 3rd place team because the Heartland Division champion, Thunder Bay Chill, are based in Canada. The Menace are tied with the Ocean City Nor’easters for second place among PDL teams with four professional team upsets (Michigan Bucks have 9). The Madison 56ers, who date back to 1956, are back in the tournament after a one year layoff. In 2011, they defeated Chicago’s AAC Eagles 4-0 before falling to the Chicago Fire’s PDL team 2-0 in Round 2. According to TheCup.us records, 2011 was the first tournament appearance for the 56ers since reaching the Regional Finals in 1991 (they lost to 2013 qualifier RWB Adria in penalty kicks that year).

The Open Cup will serve as the season opener for Madison as the 56ers do not kick off their league campaign in the NPSL May 16. Des Moines (2012: 8-5-3, third in the Heartland Division), meanwhile, is coming off a 1-1 draw on the road in Springfield where David Santamaria’s opener proved to be enough as they held on for the point.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round (May 21)
All Times Eastern

GPS Portland Phoenix (PDL)/Mass Premier Soccer (USASA) at Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO)
Sahlen’s Stadium – Rochester, NY – 7:35 p.m

Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)/Icon FC (USASA) at Richmond Kickers (USL PRO)
Richmond City Stadium – Richmond, VA – 7 p.m.

Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at Reading United AC (PDL)
Don Thomas Stadium – Reading, PA – 7:30 p.m.
OR
Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic (NPSL)
Whitehall High School Soccer Complex – Whitehall, PA – 7:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO)/RWB Adria (USASA) at Ocean City Nor’easters (PDL)
Carey Stadium – Ocean City, NJ – 7:30 p.m.
OR
New York Red Bulls U-23s (NPSL) at Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO)
Highmark Stadium; Pittsburgh, PA – 7 p.m.
OR
New York Red Bulls U-23s (NPSL) vs. RWB Adria (USASA)
TBD

Michigan Bucks (PDL)/Dearborn Stars (USASA) at Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO)
Beavercreek High School – Beavercreek, OH – 7 p.m.
OR
Michigan Bucks (PDL)/Dearborn Stars (USASA) vs. River City Rovers (PDL)
TBD

Carolina Dynamo (PDL)/Chattanooga FC (NPSL) at Carolina RailHawks (NASL)
WakeMed Soccer Park – Cary, NC – 7 p.m.

Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) at VSI Tampa Bay (USL PRO)
Plant City Stadium – Plant City, FL – 7:30 p.m.
OR
Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) at Orlando City U23s (PDL)
Seminole Soccer Complex – Sanford, FL – 7 p.m.

Orlando City (USL PRO) at Ocala Stampede (PDL)
Trinity Catholic High School – Ocala, FL – 7 p.m.
OR
Orlando City (USL PRO) at Red Force (USASA)
Florida International Soccer Stadium – Miami, FL – 7:30 p.m.

Des Moines Menace (PDL)/Madison 56ers (NPSL) at Minnesota United FC (NASL)
Site TBA – 8:30 p.m.

FC Tucson (PDL)/Phoenix FC (USL PRO) at San Antonio Scorpions (NASL)
Toyota Field – San Antonio, TX – 8:30 p.m.

Wilmington Hammerheads (USL PRO) at Austin Aztex (PDL)
House Park – Austin, TX – 8:30 p.m.
OR
Wilmington Hammerheads (USL PRO) at North Texas Rayados (USASA)
Richland Community College – Dallas, TX – 9 p.m.

Ventura County (PDL)/FC Hasental (NPSL) at L.A. Blues (USL PRO)
Titan Stadium – Fullerton, CA – 9:30 p.m.

Charleston Battery (USL PRO) at Portland Timbers U23s (PDL)
JELD-WEN Field – Portland, OR – 10:30 p.m.
OR
Sacramento Gold (NPSL) at Charleston Battery (USL PRO)
Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, SC – 7:30 p.m.

Sounders FC U-23s (PDL)/Doxa Italia (USASA) at Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO)
Queens University of Charlotte Sports Complex – Charlotte, NC – 7 p.m.

Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) at Georgia Revolution (NPSL)
RYSA Soccerplex – Conyers, GA – 7 p.m.
OR
Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) vs. Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
TBD

Laredo Heat (PDL)/PSA Elite (USASA) at Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL)
Lockhart Stadium – Fort Lauderdale, FL – 7:30 p.m.

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2013 US Open Cup Participating Teams

Major League Soccer (Division I – 16 teams): Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City.

North American Soccer League (Division II – 6 teams): Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Minnesota United FC, San Antonio Scorpions, Tampa Bay Rowdies

USL Pro (Division III – 12 teams): Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles, Dayton Dutch Lions, Harrisburg City Islanders, Los Angeles Blues, Orlando City, Phoenix FC Wolves, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Rhinos, VSI Tampa Bay FC, Wilmington Hammerheads.

USL Premier Development League – 16 places: The top two American-based teams from each division’s 2012 league standings. The teams will be: Austin Aztex, Carolina Dynamo, Des Moines Menace, FC Tucson, GPS Portland Phoenix, Laredo Heat, Michigan Bucks, Ocala Stampede, Ocean City Nor’easters, Orlando City U23s, Portland Timbers U23s, Reading United, Real Colorado Foxes, River City Rovers, Seattle Sounders U23s, Ventura County Fusion | PDL entry details [+]

National Premier Soccer League – 8 places: Brooklyn Italians, Chattanooga FC, FC Hasental, FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic, Georgia Revolution, Madison 56ers, New York Red Bulls U23s, Sacramento Gold

U.S. Adult Soccer Association – 8 places: Icon FC (New Jersey, Region I), Mass Premier Soccer (Massachusetts, Region I), Dearborn Stars SC (Michigan, Region II), RWB Adria (Illinois, Region II), North Texas Rayados (North Texas, Region III), Red Force (Florida, Region III), Doxa Italia (California South, Region IV), PSA Elite (California South, Region IV)

US Club Soccer – 1 place: Fresno Fuego Future

U.S. Specialty Sports Association – 1 place: Colorado Rovers

2013 US Open Cup Match Schedule

Preliminary Round – Date: May 7 – Number of Games: 2 – Teams: Georgia Revolution (NPSL) at Colorado Rovers (USSSA); FC Hasental (NPSL) at Fresno Fuego Future (US Club Soccer)

First Round – Date: May 14 – Number of Games: 18 – Teams: Preliminary Round winners plus USASA, NPSL, PDL entries and 4 USL Pro teams (Dayton Dutch Lions, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Phoenix FC Wolves and VSI Tampa Bay FC).

Second Round – Date: May 21 – Number of Games: 16 – Teams: First Round winners join remaining 8 USL Pro and 6 NASL teams.

Third Round – Date: May 28 – Number of Games: 16 – Teams: 16 Second Round winners are paired against 16 MLS sides.

Fourth Round – Date: June 12

Quarterfinals – Date: June 26

Semifinals – Date: Aug. 7 or 21

Final – Date: Oct. 1 or 2

INTRO NEEDS UPDATING >>> Hours before the kick off of the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup the US Soccer Federation unveiled the pairings and host scenarios for the Second Round – on May 21 – of the tournament, which will feature the introduction of the majority of the second and third division professional leagues with four having already played in the First Round.

The second tier North American Soccer League contingent of six teams and eight remaining third tier USL Pro clubs will take on winners from the First Round of competition with at least three of the professional clubs set to open play on the road against amateur opposition and six others with a possibility of doing so. The USL Pro trio of Harrisburg City Islanders, Orlando City and Wilmington Hammerheads will all take to the road for the Second Round. Meanwhile, the NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies, Atlanta Silverbacks and Fort Lauderdale Strikers along with USL Pro’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Charleston Battery and Charlotte Eagles are in wait-and-see scenarios.

All 16 US-based MLS clubs (Division I) will enter the competition in Round 3 (May 28).

MORE FROM THECUP.USThings you should know about Round 1

Things you should know about Round 2

Meet the USASA: Class of 2013

2013 US Open Cup Goalscoring Leaders

2013 US Open Cup Results

TheCup.us is planning to launch a brand new website in honor of the 100th edition of the Open Cup, and as always, will have live updates from every single game of the competition. You can follow TheCup.us on Twitter (@USOpenCup) and on Facebook. The Twitter hashtag for the tournament this year is #USOC100.

Here is the schedule for the Preliminary Round, and the potential match-ups for the First and Second Round:

2013 US Open Cup First Round (May 14/15)
All Times Eastern

Mass Premier Soccer (USASA) at GPS Portland Phoenix (PDL)
Memorial Field, Deering High School – Portland, ME – 8 p.m.
Broadcast: None

Mass Premier Soccer are making their first appearance in the Open Cup as they emerged out of the very challenging USASA Region I. They defeated Newtown Pride FC (Connecticut) 6-0 in the regional semifinals to become just the third Massachusetts-based USASA club to qualify for the tournament in the Modern Pro Era. GPS Portland Phoenix of the PDL are making their second straight Open Cup appearance and will also host for the second year in a row. Last year, they lost their opening game to the Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) 3-2. The Phoenix remain the only club (of any kind) from the state of Maine to qualify for the tournament in more than two decades.

Mass Premier Soccer Open Cup records
First entry

GPS Portland (2012: 10-4-2, second in Northeast Division) kicked off league play in the PDL Saturday with a doozy as they dueled in a back-and-forth affair against the Vermont Voltage before prevailing 5-4. After falling behind 14 minutes in, Caue Da Silva tied the match up four minutes later before seeing the Voltage push out to a two-goal lead at the break. The second half belonged to the hosts though as Pierre Omanga scored four minutes in and an own goal two minutes later put the game level. Vermont scored one last time to retake the lead, but Richardo Israel equalized with four minutes left and fellow Gilbert Manier struck for the winner in stoppage time.

GPS Portland Phoenix Open Cup records
Overall: 0-1-0 | Home: 0-1-0 | vs. Amateur clubs: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-2 vs. Brooklyn Italians of NPSL – Round 1)

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Icon FC (USASA) at Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)
Aviator Sports Complex – Brooklyn, NY – 8 p.m.
Broadcast: None

Icon FC Open Cup records
First entry

Icon FC of New Jersey bring some experienced players for their first Open Cup run. The club, led by former DC United and US youth international Danny Szetela, are just the second USASA club from New Jersey to qualify (2012 – Jersey Shore Boca) since 1995 and they will face a club with a strong Open Cup resume. The Brooklyn Italians who compete in the NPSL, have won the Open Cup twice (1979 as “Brooklyn Dodgers” and 1991), and finished runner-up in 1990. Those accomplishments happened a long time ago, but they have had some recent accomplishments too. This is the fourth year in a row that the Italians have qualified for the tournament, and with last year’s 3-2 win against GPS Portland Phoenix, they earned their first Open Cup victory since winning it all in 1991.

The Brooklyn Italians were off over the weekend after winning a 4-3 thriller in their league opener May 5 against the Rhode Island Red. Hakop Avesyan, Yannick Diese, Oliver Kelly and Patrick Ouckama each had a goal.

Brooklyn Italians Open Cup records (Modern Pro Era)
Overall: 1-3-0 | Home: 0-0-0 | vs. Amateur clubs: 1-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-0 at Rochester Rhinos of USL Pro – Round 2)

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New York Red Bulls U23s (NPSL) at Ocean City Nor’easters (PDL)
Carey Stadium – Ocean City, NJ – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None

Ocean City Nor’easters Open Cup records
Overall: 7-5-0 (6-4-0 as PDL) | Home: 5-3-0 (5-2-0 as PDL) | vs. Amateur clubs: 3-0-0
Last entry: 2009 (Lost 2-0 at DC United of MLS in Round 3)
Best finish: 2009 Third Round (Lost 2-0 at DC United of MLS)

The last time the Ocean City Nor’easters qualified for the Open Cup was in 2009 when they were known as the Ocean City Barons. Since then, the club has undergone a makeover both on the field and off it. New manager Tim Oswald led the club to their best league finish since their undefeated season in 2004 and qualified for this year’s Open Cup. The Nor’easters are one of the best amateur clubs to compete in the Open Cup during the Modern Professional Era. They have six wins in the Open Cup since joining the PDL in 2003, with four of those coming against professional teams. Only the Michigan Bucks (12) and the Des Moines Menace (7) have more Open Cup wins as a PDL team than the Nor’easters (6) and only the Bucks have more professional team upsets (9) than Ocean City. The Red Bulls Under 23s also qualified for the tournament after a successful league performance in 2012. The Red Bulls are in the tournament for the first time won the Atlantic Division title, finishing 11-3-0, the second best record in the NPSL.

New York Red Bulls U23s Open Cup records
First entry

The Open Cup contest will be the season opener for the Red Bulls, who don’t kick off league play until May 26. Similarly, Ocean City (2012: 13-3-0, first in Mid Atlantic Division) does not begin league play until May 18.

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FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic (NPSL) at Reading United AC (PDL)
Oley Valley High School – Oley, PA – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None

Reading United Open Cup records
Overall: 1-6-0 (1-4-0 as PDL) | Home: 1-1-0 | vs. Amateur clubs: 1-1-0 (1-0-0 as PDL)
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-1 at Charleston Battery of USL Pro in Round 2)
Best finish: 2012 Second Round (Lost 2-1 at Charleston Battery of USL Pro)

Reading United will host FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic in a battle of Eastern Pennsylvania clubs. Reading is competing in the tournament for a record fifth straight time, something no amateur club has done in the Modern Professional Era. Reading has their friendly rivals, Ocean City, to thank for keeping their streak alive. The Nor’easters, by virtue of finishing with the Eastern Conference’s best record, earned a berth, leaving the second place team, Reading, as the Mid-Atlantic’s representative. Reading, despite qualifying for the tournament seven times since 1996, they are 1-6-0 in the tournament and picked up their first-ever Open Cup win by defeating the New York Greek American Atlas last year. Sonic has tweaked their team name (formerly FC Sonic Lehigh Valley) for their second straight Open Cup appearance. In 2012, they were one-and-done, losing to the PDL’s Long Island Rough Riders 2-0 in the First Round.

FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic Open Cup records
Overall: 0-1-0 | Away: 0-0-0 | vs. Amateur clubs: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-0 vs. Long Island Rough Riders of PDL in Round 1)
Best finish: 2012 First Round (Lost 2-0 vs. Long Island Rough Riders of PDL)

Lehigh Valley does not kick off their NPSL campaign until May 18. Meanwhile, Reading (2012: 11-2-3, second in Mid Atlantic Division) has a huge victory already under their belts having pasted the Westchester Flames 8-0 in their PDL opener Saturday. Pinto Neto scored three times while Emanuel Sanchez had a goal and an assist in the four-goal first half.

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Ocala Stampede (PDL) at Red Force (USASA)
Florida International Soccer Stadium – Miami, FL – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None

Red Force Open Cup records
First entry

A pair of first-time entries from Florida will square off in Round 1 with the USASA’s Red Force hosting the Ocala Stampede. The Red Force were the only USASA team from the state of Florida to enter the state qualifying tournament and therefore were given a bye into the regional tournament. The Red Force then won three games at the USASA Region III tournament in New Orleans to clinch a spot in the Open Cup. The Stampede qualified after a very successful inaugural season in the PDL. Ocala, which is located in Central Florida, just northwest of Orlando, won the Southeast Division title with an 11-3-2 record, which was the best record in the conference.

Ocala Stampede Open Cup records
First entry

The Stampede (2012: 11-3-2, first in Southeast Division) are opening their campaign in the US Open Cup with their first PDL contest coming up May 17. The contest may prove to be emotional beyond most Open Cup contests as it will be the first without midfielder Richmond McCarthy, who passed away suddenly in February. He was a key figure in last year’s division title run, registering five assists as he logged the second most minutes played on the squad over the course of 15 regular season appearances.

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VSI Tampa Bay FC (USL PRO) at Orlando City U-23s (PDL)
Seminole Soccer Complex; Sanford, FL – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None

VSI Tampa Bay FC Open Cup records
First entry

The Orlando City U23s are back in the tournament for the fourth year in a row and the sixth time in franchise history. However, they are still seeking their first Open Cup win. Last year was their best chance, losing 2-1 at home to Jacksonville United (NPSL) on an 89th minute goal by Ramak Safi. VSI Tampa Bay FC are making their debut in USL Pro and the Open Cup this year.

This matchup is part of a unique pairing as both clubs are in USL Pro and the PDL. The Orlando City U23 side (2012: 8-3-5, second in Southeast Division) open league play May 19 and play the VSI Tampa Bay PDL team three days later. Meanwhile, the USL Pro VSI TB squad is seven games into its season and is 4-3-0. The team has had trouble finding consistency with consecutive wins only once, but have been home for over a month now and have won three of the last four. Andriy Budnyy (2 goals) and longtime USL star Mauricio Salles (3 goals) are the leading scorers on the squad. The two USL Pro sides for the clubs have yet to play and will not meet until the final month of the season in August.

Orlando City U-23s Open Cup records
Overall: 0-5-0 | Home: 0-2-0 | vs. Division III: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-1 vs. Jacksonville United of NPSL in Round 1)
Best finish: First Round

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Chattanooga FC (NPSL) at Carolina Dynamo (PDL)
Macpherson Stadium – Greensboro, NC – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None

Chattanooga FC Open Cup records
Overall: 0-1-0 | Away: 0-1-0 | vs. Amateur clubs: 0-0-0
Last entry: 2011 (Lost 3-2 in extra time at Pittsburgh Riverhounds of USL Pro in Round 1)
Best entry: 2011 First Round (Lost 3-2 in extra time at Pittsburgh Riverhounds)

Chattanooga FC are back in the Open Cup for the first since 2011 after winning their division last season. Tennessee-based clubs are few and far between in the Open Cup. Prior to Chattanooga qualifying in 2011, the Memphis Express (PDL) were the last entry in 2002, and before that, the Nashville Metros are the only Volunteer State-based club to qualify. The Carolina Dynamo have qualified for the Open Cup for the 10th time (5th time as a PDL club) both as a professional and an amateur team. They are 10-9-0 all-time in the tournament, but have been one-and-done the last two trips to the tournament after their historic run to the Fourth Round in 2006. During that run, they eliminated two professional teams (Richmond Kickers, Seattle Sounders) before falling to the Houston Dynamo. 2013 marks the Dynamo’s third straight appearance in the competition.

Carolina Dynamo Open Cup records
Overall: 10-9-0 (5-4-0 as PDL) | Home: 8-2-0 (5-2-0 as PDL) | vs. Amateur clubs: 6-2-0 (2-1-0 as PDL)
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 3-1 at Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks of USASA in Round 1)
Best finish (as Division III): 1996 Quarterfinals (Lost 2-0 at DC United of MLS)

Chattanooga opened their NPSL campaign Saturday at Rocket City, posting a big 5-0 victory in which Jose Ferraz led the way with a pair of goals. Thibault Charmey, Chrispin Ochleng and Luke Winter rounded out the scoring. The Carolina Dynamo (2012: 11-1-4, first in South Atlantic Division) also posted a shutout to open their season Saturday, blanking Virginia Beach 3-0 on goals from Brandt Bronico, Hakan Ilhan and James Smith.

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Dearborn Stars (USASA) at Michigan Bucks (PDL)
Ultimate Soccer Arenas – Pontiac, MI – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None

Dearborn Stars Open Cup records
First entry

For just the second time in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present), two teams from the state of Michigan will square off in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The last time it happened was in 2001 when the Michigan Bucks defeated the Detroit-based Chaldean Arsenal 3-0 at White Pine Stadium in Saginaw, Mich. With a record 12 Open Cup wins, 9 of them against professional opponents, the Bucks have the strongest resume of any amateur team in the country. Last year, they bolstered their reputation as giant killers with their second win in franchise history over a Major League Soccer team, defeating the Chicago Fire 3-2 in extra time. Combined with their 1-0 road win over the New England Revolution in 2000, they are the only amateur team to defeat multiple MLS teams. They will host the Dearborn Stars who have been around since 1982, but are entering the tournament for the first time. When the two teams square off at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Mich., it will be just the fifth Open Cup game in the 100-year history of the tournament to be played indoors.

Michigan Bucks Open Cup records
Overall: 12-8-1 | Home: 8-5-1 (0-1 in PKs) | Indoors: 2-1-0 | vs. Amateur clubs: 3-0-0
Last entry: 2012 (Lost 2-1 AET vs. Dayton Dutch Lions of USL Pro in Round 4)
Best finish: 2012 Fourth Round (Lost 2-1 AET vs. Dayton Dutch Lions of USL Pro)

The Michigan Bucks (2012: 13-1-2, first in Great Lakes Division) will be off to a cold start in the Open Cup with their league opener coming up May 17.

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RWB Adria (USASA) at Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO)
Highmark Stadium – Pittsburgh, PA – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None

RWB Adria Open Cup records (Modern Pro Era)
Overall: 0-3-0 | Away: 0-3-0 | vs. Division III: 0-1-0
Last entry: 2008 (Lost 2-1 AET at Rochester Rhinos of USL-1 in Round 1)
Best Finish: Round 1

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Open Cup records
Overall: 5-8-2

Since they launched in 1999, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds have qualified for the US Open Cup in 10 of their 14 seasons (the franchise was on hiatus in 2007). However, they have experienced very little success in the tournament. The club has only won multiple games in a tournament once and that was when they reached the Quarterfinals as an A-League team in 2001. Having said all that, it’s a new era in Pittsburgh as the Riverhounds opened their new soccer-specific Highmark Stadium near downtown Pittsburgh. Their opening round opponent, RWB Adria from Chicago, has been around since 1959 and have reached the semifinals twice (1978, 1991) but haven’t won a tournament game since 1991. They have qualified three times in the Modern Pro Era (1996, 2007, 2008) but lost to a professional team in their opening game each year.

The Riverhounds came into the USL Pro season with a lot of excitement and anticipation with the debut of their new facility, Highmark Stadium, but that has been tempered a bit by a 1-4-3 record. Since losing their opener in dramatic fashion, the club has since rebounded at home, picking up an 2-1 win last Thursday at Highmark in their second home fixture of the year and the first of a string of league games in which they are at home for 11 of 12. Though they have just one win, the Riverhounds have been a difficult opponent for most, allowing no more than two goals in any game. Scoring, meanwhile, has been paltry with only five thus far – three scored by Jose Angulo, who also has an assist to his tally. Midfielder Matthew Dallman has three assists.

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River City Rovers (PDL) at Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO)
Beavercreek High School – Beavercreek, OH – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com

The Dayton Dutch Lions were one of the tournament’s best Cinderella stories last year and they are back in 2013 looking to build on their success from a year ago. Despite struggling in their first two years as a professional franchise (they moved up from the PDL to USL Pro in 2011), and losing their opening game in both 2010 and 2011, the Dutch Lions surprised many by upsetting the Columbus Crew 2-1 in the Third Round. They continued their run by defeating the Michigan Bucks 2-1 in extra time to reach the Quarterfinals where they lost to eventual Open Cup champions Sporting Kansas City. Dayton’s run to the round of eight was made even more impressive by the fact that they did it without playing a single home game. This year, they kick off the 2013 tournament with their first-ever home game as they host the PDL’s River City Rovers. The Louisville, Kentucky-based Rovers have qualified for the tournament for the first time, benefiting from the fact that Forest City London, the team who finished in second place in the Great Lakes Division, are Canadian and are not eligible for the Open Cup. The Rovers qualified and are the first Kentucky-based club to take part in the tournament since the Louisville Alliance reached the Regional Semifinals in 1993.

The River City Rovers (2012: 7-7-2, third in Great Lakes Division) do not begin PDL play until they face last-year’s division runners-up from Canada, Forest City London, on May 18. Dayton, meanwhile is 3-2-0 in USL Pro and are coming off a 4-3 victory against Phoenix Saturday, more than doubling their goal tally for the season. Gibson Bardsley scored twice in the game, bringing his total for the season to three. Joel DeLass has two of the other four goals.

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NTX Rayados (USASA) at Austin Aztex (PDL)
House Park – Austin, TX – 8:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None

The Austin Aztex name is back in the US Open Cup after the previous version of the club left Austin to form Orlando City SC. New owners have brought the name back and launched a PDL franchise in 2012. A second place finish in the Mid-South Division last year was enough to get them back in the tournament. The North Texas Rayados from the USASA are back in the tournament for the second year in a row after cruising through the Region III tournament. They outscored their opponents 17-2 and won the Region III tournament. They not only earned a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, but by defeating Florida’s Red Force 3-0 in the Region III title game, they will advance to the USASA Nationals in San Antonio.

The Aztex (2012: 9-5-2, second in Mid South Division) opened their league campaign on the road Saturday, taking a narrow 2-1 decision against Oklahoma City on a pair of second half goals in a comeback win. Tony Rocha and substitute Tucker Hume scored in the final 13 minutes for the victory.

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Phoenix FC (USL Pro) at FC Tucson (PDL)
Kino Sports Complex Grandstand, Field 5 – Tucson, AZ – 10:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None

For the first time in the Modern Professional Era (and quite possibly ever), the US Open Cup will feature a game between two Arizona-based clubs. Both teams are first-time entries with USL Pro side Phoenix SC kicking off their inaugural campaign this year. FC Tucson qualified after a successful first season in the PDL last year, edging out the Fresno Fuego for second place in the Southwest Division with a 9-3-4 record.

Tucson (2012: 9-3-4, second in Southwest Division) opened their league season in California Sunday, coming from behind to grab a 1-1 draw with a second half strike from substitute Aaron Long 20 minutes from time. Phoenix FC (2-5-2), meanwhile, is coming off a USL Pro road trip to Pittsburgh and Dayton where late rallies came up short in both contests as they fell 2-1 to the Riverhounds Thursday and 4-3 to the Dutch Lions Saturday. Winless in the last three (0-2-1), the club is led by a trio with a pair of goals each – Diego Faria, Joao Inacio de Jesus and Aaron King.

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Sacramento Gold (NPSL) at Portland Timbers U23s (PDL)
JELD-WEN Field – Portland, OR – 10:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None

The Timbers U23s are back in the tournament for the second year in a row, looking for their first win. Last year, they lost 3-1 in front of their home fans to USASA club PSA Elite. The Timbers are hoping their league success from the past three seasons, including the 2010 PDL championship, will translate into Open Cup success. On the other side, the Sacramento Gold from the NPSL are making their first appearance in the tournament, becoming just the second Sacramento-based club to qualify in the Modern Pro Era. The Sacramento Knights of the MPSL qualified through the USASA in 2004 and reached the Second Round before falling to the Utah Blitzz (Division III). The Gold qualified for the Open Cup through the NPSL’s preseason tournament where they cruised through the Northern Division, outscoring their three opponents 10-1, including a 5-1 championship game win over the Sonoma County Sol.

Well into their campaign, the Sacramento Gold are 4-1-1 and have not lost since their opener on the road. They have scored at least twice in each game since, but also only have one shutout to their record defensively. John Jones II leads the team with three goals with Max Alvarez, Manolo Pina and Oscar Sandoval each having two. The Timbers U23s (2012: 10-4-2, second in Northwest Division) will play their first league game two days of the Open Cup contest, squaring off against rival and fellow Open Cup participant Seattle.

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Doxa Italia (USASA) at Sounders FC U23s (PDL)
Sunset Chevrolet Stadium – Sumner, WA – 10 p.m.
Broadcast: None

Doxa Italia of the USASA are back in the tournament and will face first-time entry Seattle Sounders FC U23s in the opening round. Doxa last qualified for the Open Cup in 2011 (losing 3-1 to Ventura County Fusion in Round 1), and would have returned in 2012 but a little-known club called Cal FC handed them their only qualifying loss and they missed the cut. This year, Doxa returned the favor, handing Cal FC their only qualifying loss and leaving last year’s USASA Cinderella story on the outside looking in. No matter what they are called, the Seattle Sounders U-23s are making their first Open Cup appearance in franchise history. The club was originally known as Tacoma FC, but never qualified from 2006-2011. Last year, the team re-branded and enjoyed immediate success, winning the Northwest Division championship and reaching the final four in the PDL playoffs.

The Sounders U23s (2012: 11-2-3, first in Northwest Division) will play their first league game two days of the Open Cup contest, squaring off against rival and fellow Open Cup participant Portland.

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PSA Elite (USASA) at Laredo Heat SC (PDL)
Texas A&M International Soccer Complex – Laredo, TX – 9:15 p.m.
Broadcast: None

PSA Elite are back in the Open Cup for the second year in a row after dominating the USASA Region IV tournament this year. They outscored their opponents 26-4, including a pair of wins against fellow Open Cup qualifier Doxa Italia to punch their ticket to the Open Cup and the USASA National Finals. They won their first Open Cup game last year, defeating the Portland Timbers U23s (PDL) 3-1, but a cross-country trip to North Carolina was too much to ask as they were trounced 6-0 by the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks in Round 2. They will have another long trip on their hands this year as they will travel to Laredo, Texas to take on the Heat who are back in the Open Cup for a second straight year, and just the third time in franchise history. Three trips to the tournament in a decade is a surprising number for one of the best teams in the PDL. The 2007 league champion, and a three-time runner-up, the Heat qualified for the Open Cup for the first time back in 2006 when they nearly eliminated Dallas Roma FC in Round 1 before Roma began their historic run to the Fourth Round. Last year, the Heat returned, winning their first-ever Open Cup game, 4-2 over fellow Texas amateur club ASC New Stars (USASA) in extra time. They hit the road in Round 2 and lost 2-0 to the NASL’s San Antonio Scorpions. This is a PDL team that has qualified for the league playoffs nine years in a row, and have only failed to qualify once, during their inaugural season in 2004, so single-elimination tournaments are nothing new to them.

Laredo (2012: 10-3-3, first in Mid South Division) kicked off their PDL season Saturday on the road, coming from behind with a dramatic stoppage time equalizer from Alejandro De La Garza in the 92nd minute for a 1-1 draw in Houston.

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Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) at Georgia Revolution (NPSL)
RYSA Soccerplex – Conyers, GA – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None

The Georgia Revolution (NPSL), making their second straight appearance in the tournament, will face the Real Colorado Foxes in Round 1. The Real Colorado Foxes (no relationship with the Colorado Foxes who took part in the 1995 US Open Cup), have qualified for the third year in a row as the second place team in the Heartland Division (Division champion Thunder Bay Chill are from Canada). The Foxes won their first-ever tournament game in 2011 when they defeated USASA’s DV8 Defenders from San Jose, Calif. 5-0. Then after being eliminated by fellow PDL side Kitsap Pumas the next round, they suffered another defeat at the hands of an amateur team, losing 3-1 to the KC Athletics (USASA) at home. If the Rovers are able to knock off the Revolution, it would make the first time in the Modern Professional Era (and possibly ever) that two Colorado-based clubs will meet in tournament play.

The Revolution will have at least two US Open Cup games under their belts before they even kick off NPSL play with their opener set for May 24. Real Colorado (2012: 8-4-4, second in Heartland Division) also have not begun league play with their opener scheduled for May 18.

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FC Hasental (NPSL) at Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
Ventura College; Ventura, Calif. – 10 p.m .
Broadcast: KADYtv.com

First-time entry FC Hasental will travel to Ventura to take on the Ventura County Fusion of the PDL. The Fusion qualified for the Open Cup for the first time back in 2010 and were one-and-done to the USASA’s Arizona Sahuaros. Each year after that, they have improved on the previous year’s performance. In 2011, they won a single game before being eliminated by the Los Angeles Blues (USL Pro). Last year, they won two games, including a revenge win over the Blues in Round 2. They nearly knocked off an MLS team, but were unable to overcome an early goal by Chivas USA, and lost 1-0.

Well into league play, Hasental is 3-1-1 on the season, rebounding for a 3-0 victory Saturday after suffering their first loss two weeks prior. Fueled by a 13-0 opening win, the team has had plenty of goals this season. Liviu Leu and Ericson Penate lead the team with five each which Armando Gaitan and Gustavo Villalobos each having three. One of the few PDL teams with multiple league games under their belts thus far, Ventura County (2012: 12-2-2, first in Southwest Division) are nearly perfect through two games with a 1-0 win over Orange County two weeks ago and a 3-1 win against BYU on Saturday in which Francisco Lopez set up all three goals, including two in the second half by Chase Minter.

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Madison 56ers (NPSL) at Des Moines Menace (PDL)
Valley Stadium – West Des Moines, IA – May 15 at 8:30 p.m.

One of amateur soccer’s giants, the Des Moines Menace are back in the competition for the second year in a row, making their seventh all-time appearance. Only the Michigan Bucks (10) have qualified for the Open Cup more times among PDL teams. They enter the tournament as a 3rd place team because the Heartland Division champion, Thunder Bay Chill, are based in Canada. The Menace are tied with the Ocean City Nor’easters for second place among PDL teams with four professional team upsets (Michigan Bucks have 9). The Madison 56ers, who date back to 1956, are back in the tournament after a one year layoff. In 2011, they defeated Chicago’s AAC Eagles 4-0 before falling to the Chicago Fire’s PDL team 2-0 in Round 2. According to TheCup.us records, 2011 was the first tournament appearance for the 56ers since reaching the Regional Finals in 1991 (they lost to 2013 qualifier RWB Adria in penalty kicks that year).

The Open Cup will serve as the season opener for Madison as the 56ers do not kick off their league campaign in the NPSL May 16. Des Moines (2012: 8-5-3, third in the Heartland Division), meanwhile, is coming off a 1-1 draw on the road in Springfield where David Santamaria’s opener proved to be enough as they held on for the point.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round (May 21)
All Times Eastern

GPS Portland Phoenix (PDL)/Mass Premier Soccer (USASA) at Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO)
Sahlen’s Stadium – Rochester, NY – 7:35 p.m

Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)/Icon FC (USASA) at Richmond Kickers (USL PRO)
Richmond City Stadium – Richmond, VA – 7 p.m.

Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at Reading United AC (PDL)
Don Thomas Stadium – Reading, PA – 7:30 p.m.
OR
Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic (NPSL)
Whitehall High School Soccer Complex – Whitehall, PA – 7:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO)/RWB Adria (USASA) at Ocean City Nor’easters (PDL)
Carey Stadium – Ocean City, NJ – 7:30 p.m.
OR
New York Red Bulls U-23s (NPSL) at Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO)
Highmark Stadium; Pittsburgh, PA – 7 p.m.
OR
New York Red Bulls U-23s (NPSL) vs. RWB Adria (USASA)
TBD

Michigan Bucks (PDL)/Dearborn Stars (USASA) at Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO)
Beavercreek High School – Beavercreek, OH – 7 p.m.
OR
Michigan Bucks (PDL)/Dearborn Stars (USASA) vs. River City Rovers (PDL)
TBD

Carolina Dynamo (PDL)/Chattanooga FC (NPSL) at Carolina RailHawks (NASL)
WakeMed Soccer Park – Cary, NC – 7 p.m.

Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) at VSI Tampa Bay (USL PRO)
Plant City Stadium – Plant City, FL – 7:30 p.m.
OR
Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) at Orlando City U23s (PDL)
Seminole Soccer Complex – Sanford, FL – 7 p.m.

Orlando City (USL PRO) at Ocala Stampede (PDL)
Trinity Catholic High School – Ocala, FL – 7 p.m.
OR
Orlando City (USL PRO) at Red Force (USASA)
Florida International Soccer Stadium – Miami, FL – 7:30 p.m.

Des Moines Menace (PDL)/Madison 56ers (NPSL) at Minnesota United FC (NASL)
Site TBA – 8:30 p.m.

FC Tucson (PDL)/Phoenix FC (USL PRO) at San Antonio Scorpions (NASL)
Toyota Field – San Antonio, TX – 8:30 p.m.

Wilmington Hammerheads (USL PRO) at Austin Aztex (PDL)
House Park – Austin, TX – 8:30 p.m.
OR
Wilmington Hammerheads (USL PRO) at North Texas Rayados (USASA)
Richland Community College – Dallas, TX – 9 p.m.

Ventura County (PDL)/FC Hasental (NPSL) at L.A. Blues (USL PRO)
Titan Stadium – Fullerton, CA – 9:30 p.m.

Charleston Battery (USL PRO) at Portland Timbers U23s (PDL)
JELD-WEN Field – Portland, OR – 10:30 p.m.
OR
Sacramento Gold (NPSL) at Charleston Battery (USL PRO)
Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, SC – 7:30 p.m.

Sounders FC U-23s (PDL)/Doxa Italia (USASA) at Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO)
Queens University of Charlotte Sports Complex – Charlotte, NC – 7 p.m.

Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) at Georgia Revolution (NPSL)
RYSA Soccerplex – Conyers, GA – 7 p.m.
OR
Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) vs. Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
TBD

Laredo Heat (PDL)/PSA Elite (USASA) at Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL)
Lockhart Stadium – Fort Lauderdale, FL – 7:30 p.m.

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2013 US Open Cup Participating Teams

Major League Soccer (Division I – 16 teams): Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City.

North American Soccer League (Division II – 6 teams): Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Minnesota United FC, San Antonio Scorpions, Tampa Bay Rowdies

USL Pro (Division III – 12 teams): Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles, Dayton Dutch Lions, Harrisburg City Islanders, Los Angeles Blues, Orlando City, Phoenix FC Wolves, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Rhinos, VSI Tampa Bay FC, Wilmington Hammerheads.

USL Premier Development League – 16 places: The top two American-based teams from each division’s 2012 league standings. The teams will be: Austin Aztex, Carolina Dynamo, Des Moines Menace, FC Tucson, GPS Portland Phoenix, Laredo Heat, Michigan Bucks, Ocala Stampede, Ocean City Nor’easters, Orlando City U23s, Portland Timbers U23s, Reading United, Real Colorado Foxes, River City Rovers, Seattle Sounders U23s, Ventura County Fusion | PDL entry details [+]

National Premier Soccer League – 8 places: Brooklyn Italians, Chattanooga FC, FC Hasental, FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic, Georgia Revolution, Madison 56ers, New York Red Bulls U23s, Sacramento Gold

U.S. Adult Soccer Association – 8 places: Icon FC (New Jersey, Region I), Mass Premier Soccer (Massachusetts, Region I), Dearborn Stars SC (Michigan, Region II), RWB Adria (Illinois, Region II), North Texas Rayados (North Texas, Region III), Red Force (Florida, Region III), Doxa Italia (California South, Region IV), PSA Elite (California South, Region IV)

US Club Soccer – 1 place: Fresno Fuego Future

U.S. Specialty Sports Association – 1 place: Colorado Rovers

2013 US Open Cup Match Schedule

Preliminary Round – Date: May 7 – Number of Games: 2 – Teams: Georgia Revolution (NPSL) at Colorado Rovers (USSSA); FC Hasental (NPSL) at Fresno Fuego Future (US Club Soccer)

First Round – Date: May 14 – Number of Games: 18 – Teams: Preliminary Round winners plus USASA, NPSL, PDL entries and 4 USL Pro teams (Dayton Dutch Lions, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Phoenix FC Wolves and VSI Tampa Bay FC).

Second Round – Date: May 21 – Number of Games: 16 – Teams: First Round winners join remaining 8 USL Pro and 6 NASL teams.

Third Round – Date: May 28 – Number of Games: 16 – Teams: 16 Second Round winners are paired against 16 MLS sides.

Fourth Round – Date: June 12

Quarterfinals – Date: June 26

Semifinals – Date: Aug. 7 or 21

Final – Date: Oct. 1 or 2

2013 Meet the USASA: North Texas Rayados hoping youth, talent will help second straight US Open Cup run

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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.

 

North Texas Rayados may be a young club having been formed in 2011. What the club lacks in age and tradition, though, it more than makes up for with results.

In just a few seasons, the Rayados have become a fixture at the top of the North Texas Premier Soccer Association, including finishing the Spring 2013 regular season with an 8-1-1 record. They have also become a force in USASA Region III, qualifying to the US Open Cup in both of their first two attempts. This year the Rayados cruised through qualifying with a 4-0 record, outscoring their opponents 17-2.

Much of the club’s success can be attributed to familiarity between teammates. In the summer of 2011, Richland College players Raul Herrera and Tito Salas got a group of friends together to form the club. Nearly all were recent college graduates, and several played with Herrera and Salas at Richland. This season North Texas has added some new faces, but Herrera, the goalie for the club, says that familiarity still exists.

“The core is still there,” Herrera said. “We’ve added two or three guys that are still in college…some youth…some young blood. But we’ve gelled. We’re a very complete team this year. We’re a deeper team, and we’re more dedicated.”

NTX Rayados, which takes its name from the Mexican Primera Division side FC Monterrey, was an instant success in the NTPSA, although it took some persuasion to get into the league’s top division. The club had to get many references and recommendations in order to convince NTSPA officials that Rayados belonged in the first division. Once in, however, NTX shot straight to the top, going 20-1 over two-plus seasons. In the most recent campaign, the Rayados claimed the regular season title with an 8-1-1 record.

The club has carried that success into US Open Cup qualifying play. Based in Dallas, NTX competes in USASA Region III. In its first attempt to qualify last year, the Rayados went 2-1 in group play to clinch its spot. They did even better in 2013, going 4-0 to qualify both for the Open Cup as well as the USASA National Finals.

After defeating the South Texas side Islanders FC 6-1, NTX took out the Oklahoma club Los Lobos by a 4-1 scoreline. Having won its group, North Texas advanced to the semifinals, where it defeated CD Motagua 4-0. With a spot in the US Open Cup secured, the Rayados went on to win the Region III final over Red Force from Florida 3-0.

Herrera said, “The scores are very misleading. Red Force is the best amateur team I’ve ever played against. We won because we’ve got a well-rounded team. We’ve put in a lot of dedication and sacrifice.

Now NTX will attempt to do the only thing it has failed at in its young life as a club—beat a PDL side. In its first Open Cup match last year, the Rayados fell to the PDL squad El Paso Patriots 3-1.

“It was a long trip last year. A lot of the guys didn’t know what they were getting into. We have to be a little more serious and a little more prepared. Hopefully this year we’ll get the right result,” Herrera said.

That right result would have to come at the expense of the Austin Aztex, who qualified for the Open Cup by coming in second place in the PDL Mid-South Division last summer. The winner will host the Wilmington Hammerheads, a third-tier professional club playing in USL Pro.

Despite that tantalizing potential Second Round match-up, the NTX Rayados are focused solely on their initial opponents.

“Austin is the only thing on our minds right now,” Herrera said. “We can’t think of the Second Round until we take care of business right now. I know Austin is a strong team. They finished at the top of their division for a reason. It’s going to be a challenge.”

2013 Meet the USASA: Former pro players lead Mass Premier Soccer in US Open Cup debut

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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.

Mass Premier Soccer (MPS) of the Bay State Soccer League (BSSL) will be the first USASA club in five years to represent Massachusetts in the US Open Cup.

That’s quite a lead-in, but then again so are MPS’ achievements on both the state and national level. The club is widely considered one of the most successful and consistent sides from Massachusetts in recent history.

The club, originally established by Williams College graduate Greg Locraft in the late 1990s, was interestingly – perhaps regrettably – called Monsters of the Apocalypse (MOA) in their early years. The club won three straight BSSL league titles from 2005 to 2007. In 2009, after thankfully completing a name change to MPS the previous year, they again won the BSSL title and in 2010 brought home the BSSL Cup.

Team manager and starting left winger Nicholas Christman contributes some of the team’s recent success to the week-in, week-out competition provided through their Greater Boston home league.

“We think the level of play in the BSSL has really improved in the past two to three years,” Team Manager Nicholas Christman said. “Sometimes it’s tough when we play state qualifiers the same weekend as league matches but we wouldn’t stay sharp without the BSSL.”

The team did not start entering national competitions until 2008. That year was something of a landmark for the club. Not only did they begin their time as a regular entrant in the Massachusetts National Cup qualifiers but they established their relationship with MPS (part of the Global Premier Soccer network), a top youth club and development academy in the area that acts as both a sponsor and talent provider.

Mass Premier Soccer: 2011 Massachusetts Open Cup champions
Mass Premier Soccer won the 2011 Massachusetts Open Cup championship

“MPS views us as an extension of their club beyond the college level,” Christman explained. “They sometimes connect us with players who have played with their youth teams and we will often play games at the same venues as their youth teams to connect with them.”

Both Christman, and head coach Dan MacGregor are proud of the talent pipeline that they have established in recent years. Even beyond the MPS connection the club has used their location in the Greater Boston area to great advantage, boasting players who are alumni from some of the top college soccer programs in New England.

“Since there is an abundance of college teams in the area we like to bring in young guys and have them spread word of mouth about our team,” MacGregor said. “Right now we have players from Harvard, Dartmouth, BC, Northeastern, PC, Williams, and Middlebury.”

In more recent years, as the level of talent has grown, the team’s overall roster has gained a bit more consistency and depth. This has allowed MPS to also gain success in national competitions. The pending 2013 US Open Cup run aside, the club also progressed to the USASA Amateur Cup semifinals in 2011, losing to Chicago based club RWB Adria in the same competition that BSSL-rival Battery Park Gunners won in 2012.

“We are lucky to have a core of ten players who have played on our team for four or five years,” Christman said. “Dan and I run the team pretty informally as any of those guys can step up at any time to assume leadership.”

One of the players Christman was probably referring to is Sam Brill. The 6-foot-2-inch tall center back has an impressive pedigree having played professional in Germany, Sweden and for the New England Revolution. A four-year starter at Boston College, Brill has been integral in MPS’ recent success and will  be relied upon heavily in their 2013 US Open Cup campaign.

A slightly less touted, but just as important member of the team is Williams College graduate Charlie Romero. Romero scored two goals in MPS’ 6-0 victory over Newtown Pride SC in the Massachusetts US Open Cup qualifier and is the club’s most dangerous goal threat. He is another player with professional experience having played one season with the Charleston Battery. Having a player like Romero gives MPS confidence going into the Cup.

“We think we can play with any PDL or NPSL team,” MacGregor said. “We think we’re just like one of those teams only a little bit older and a little more experienced.”

MPS start their campaign this Tuesday, May 14th at 8 PM when they take on another Global Premier Soccer affiliated side GPS Portland Phoenix, the lone Maine entrant in the competition.

“Our goal is to be the last amateur team standing,” said Christman.

2013 Meet the USASA: Doxa Italia’s undefeated season builds confidence ahead of 2013 US Open Cup

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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.

Doxa Italia’s player-manager Bryan Byrne was very excited to hear that his team will be playing against the PDL’s Seattle Sounders U-23s in the opening round of the US Open Cup.

You’d expect him to be burning up the phone to make travel arrangements for his team.

There is just one problem: he didn’t have a phone for most of the week.

His phone, of course, decided to stop working just in time. He tried to buy a used one through eBay, but the person he bought it from took too long to send it. He finally got it on Saturday, leaving him with only a short time to make arrangements for the May 15 contest.

“It’s been pretty tough without a phone,” Byrne said. “It’s been difficult with a lot of communication back and forth trying to get it together.”

Doxa Italia’s qualification for the Cup this year is a bit of a vindication for the Manhattan Beach, Calif. based club.

The Greek and Italian themed name reflects the clubs formation in 1997 from the union of two local teams. Success in local amateur leagues followed. Eventually, the club joined forces with Hollywood United in 2005. It only took a year for the relationship to collapse and the team was dissolved.

The team picked up the pieces in 2009, but didn’t qualify for the US Open Cup until 2011. Among the teams they moved past to qualify was Cal FC, a team American soccer fans become familiar with last year with their historic run to the Fourth Round.

After another successful run in the Coast Soccer League in 2012, Doxa were confident of qualification.

“We talked before the game. We beat them twice in the league,” said Byrne, a former player for the New England Revolution and Ventura County Fusion. “There is no reason we can’t beat them a third time.”

The result: a 7-0 loss to a very different Cal FC team than they had faced during their season. This Cal FC included a raft of professional players.

Doxa Italia completed an undefeated season last year in the Coast Soccer League. Photo: DoxaItalia.com

“Our squad is a very thin one. It can be frustrating to see teams sign people up for Open Cup qualifying,” Byrne said. “In the league they had average results. We really weren’t prepared.”

Byrne and Doxa Italia were able to deliver some payback when the Coast Soccer League season started last September. Doxa opened with an away match against the upstarts and won 3-1, a game which included two goals from Byrne.

The win began a streak which included a win over PSA Elite in October. This meant that Doxa beat both teams that qualified for the 2012 Open Cup in the region.

But it was a second win over Cal FC in November that gave Byrne a thought.

“That’s when we looked around and said we have the opportunity to go undefeated for the season,” Byrne said.

That they did. Sixteen games from the opener at Cal FC to a March 10th 7-0 drubbing of OC Crew, the team did not lose a single match. Byrne ended the season with 28 goals.

If Byrne has a complicated coaching philosophy, he isn’t sharing it.

“It was a matter of getting the team on the same page,” he said.

“It’s a big deal,” he said of getting his team qualified for the Open Cup. “This is what we play for each year. Our season is about preparing for the Open Cup run. It’s important to us.”

Still, preparing for a game against a PDL side that he hasn’t seen presents some challenges. Byrne can make assumptions about the style and system of the Sounders U23s based on their parent club, but not much more.

“We know what to expect to some extent,” he said. “But we go by our own plan and play to our potential.”

“We’ve been winning so far,” he added.

2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup goalscoring leaders

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5 – Dwayne De Rosario (DC United)
5 – Frederic Piquionne (Portland Timbers)

4 – Kwadwo Poku (Georgia Revolution)
4 – Argjent Duka (Icon FC)
4 – Kelyn Rowe (New England Revolution)
4 – David Geno (Seattle Sounders U23s)

3 – Hakan Ilhan (Carolina Dynamo)
3 – Mike Magee (Chicago Fire)
3 – Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire)
3 – Gustavo Villalobos (FC Hasental)
3 – Dom Dwyer (Orlando City SC)
3 – Devon Sandoval (Real Salt Lake)
3 – Georgi Hristov (Tampa Bay Rowdies)

2 – Pablo Cruz (Atlanta Silverbacks)
2 – Ruben Luna (Atlanta Silverbacks)
2 – Alex Martinez (Carolina Dynamo)
2 – Ty Shipalane (Carolina RailHawks)
2 – Jorge Herrera (Charlotte Eagles)
2 – Patrick Nyarko (Chicago Fire)
2 – Carlos Alvarez (Chivas USA)
2 – Niki Djokic (Dearborn Stars SC)
2 – Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas)
2 – Blas Perez (FC Dallas)
2 – Alberto Anguiano (FC Hasental)
2 – Connor Bevans (FC Tucson)
2 – Pierre Omanga (GPS Portland Phoenix)
2 – Mehrshad Momeni (Los Angeles Blues)
2 – Fabian Espindola (New York Red Bulls)
2 – Jack Bailey (Ocala Stampede)
2 – Kenny Hogg (Ocala Stampede)
2 – Jack McInerney (Philadelphia Union)
2 – Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers)
2 – Khari Stephenson (Real Salt Lake)
2 – Heber Hernandez (Red Force)
2 – Stanley Nyazamba (Richmond Kickers)
2 – Max Alvarez (Sacramento Gold)

One goal each
Kellen Gulley (Atlanta Silverbacks)
Andres Cuero (Austin Aztex)
Tony Rocha (Austin Aztex)
Tim Parker (Brooklyn Italians)
Brian Ackley (Carolina RailHawks)
Austin Da Luz (Carolina RailHawks)
Cesar Elizondo (Carolina RailHawks)
Austen King (Carolina RailHawks)
Zack Schilawski (Carolina RailHawks)
Brian Shriver (Carolina RailHawks)
Colin Falvey (Charleston Battery)
Dane Kelly (Charleston Battery)
Nicki Paterson (Charleston Battery)
Austin Savage (Charleston Battery)
Drew Yates (Charlotte Eagles)
Thibault Charmey (Chattanooga FC)
Fynn Glover (Chattanooga FC)
Chris Ochieng (Chattanooga FC)
Luke Winter (Chattanooga FC)
Joel Lindpere (Chicago Fire)
Dan Kennedy (Chivas USA)
Kamani Hill (Colorado Rapids)
Marc Herschberger (Colorado Rovers)
Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew)
Justin Meram (Columbus Crew)
Konrad Warzycha (Columbus Crew)
Gibson Bardsley (Dayton Dutch Lions)
Joel DeLass (Dayton Dutch Lions)
Irakli Khutsidze (Dayton Dutch Lions)
Eric Kissinger (Dayton Dutch Lions)
Adam Madigan (Dayton Dutch Lions)
Shane Smith (Dayton Dutch Lions)
Tjeerd Westdijk (Dayton Dutch Lions)
Nick DeLeon (DC United)
Lewis Neal (DC United)
Lionard Pajoy (DC United)
Chris Pontius (DC United)
Mo Kaba (Dearborn Stars SC)
Brandon Fricke (Des Moines Menace)
Jimmy Tulloch (Des Moines Menace)
Bryan Byrne (Doxa Italia)
Matt Hedges (FC Dallas)
Zach Loyd (FC Dallas)
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas)
Agustin Cazarez (FC Hasental)
Armando Gaitan (FC Hasental)
Saeed Robinson (FC Tucson)
Robert Velazco (FC Tucson)
Mark Anderson (Fort Lauderdale Strikers)
Abraham Campos (Fresno Fuego Future)
Ferid Celosmanovic (Fresno Fuego Future)
Paul Islas (Fresno Fuego Future)
Njiking Enang (Georgia Revolution)
Emeka Maduka (Georgia Revolution)
Iain Smith (Georgia Revolution)
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo)
Alex Dixon (Houston Dynamo)
Kevin Garcia (Icon FC)
George Davis (Los Angeles Blues)
Gabriel Gonzalez (Los Angeles Blues)
Allan Russell (Los Angeles Blues)
Shay Spitz (Los Angeles Blues)
Danny Garza (Laredo Heat SC)
Leo Medeiros (Laredo Heat SC)
Chad Barrett (New England Revolution)
Jerry Bengtson (New England Revolution)
Andy Dorman (New England Revolution)
Dimitry Imbongo (New England Revolution)
Chris Tierney (New England Revolution)
Juan Toja (New England Revolution)
Lloyd Sam (New York Red Bulls)
Jonny Steele (New York Red Bulls)
Christian Blanden (Ocala Stampede)
Emanuel Kollie (Ocean City Nor’easters)
Duke Lacroix (Ocean City Nor’easters)
Nick Perea (Ocean City Nor’easters)
Ken Tribbet (Ocean City Nor’easters)
Bryan Burke (Orlando City SC)
Adama Mbengue (Orlando City SC)
Long Tan (Orlando City SC)
Rob Valentino (Orlando City SC)
Nicolas Russo (Orlando City U23s)
Brian Carroll (Philadelphia Union)
Diego Faria (Phoenix FC)
Seth C’deBaca (Pittsburgh Riverhounds)
Mamadou Danso (Portland Timbers)
Jack Jewsbury (Portland Timbers)
Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)
Michael Nanchoff (Portland Timbers)
Gabriel Conelian (Portland Timbers U23s)
Zack Foxhoven (Portland Timbers U23s)
Mark Sherrod (Portland Timbers U23s)
Darius Madison (Reading United AC)
Steve Neumann (Reading United AC)
Mario Pinto (Reading United AC)
Chris Salvaggione (Real Colorado Foxes)
Aaron Skipworth (Real Colorado Foxes)
Alex Tarnoczi (Real Colorado Foxes)
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake)
Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake)
Joao Plata (Real Salt Lake)
Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake)
Chris Wingert (Real Salt Lake)
Bilal Duckett (Rochester Rhinos)
Kendell McFayden (Rochester Rhinos)
Carlos Munoz (RWB Adria)
Kevin Harmse (San Antonio Scorpions)
Darwin Jones (Seattle Sounders U23s)
Claudio Bieler (Sporting Kansas City)
Kei Kamara (Sporting Kansas City)
Francisco Lopez (Ventura County Fusion)
Chase Minter (Ventura County Fusion)
Patrick Otte (Ventura County Fusion)
Paul Nicholson (Wilmington Hammerheads)
Andriy Budnyy (VSI Tampa Bay FC)
JT Noone (VSI Tampa Bay FC)

Own Goals

Clifford Spencer (North Texas Rayados)
Unknown ( )
Unknown (vs. Austin)

2013 Meet the USASA: Newcomers from Florida, Red Force, bring experienced players to US Open Cup debut

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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.

The most compelling thing about the Red Force is not their impressive championships from the last two years but how Coach Gabriel Vega has managed to grow a successful and competitive team that started with his sons and their friends as a youth team. This year’s squad has a mix of veterans and promising youth. The Red Force are competing in their first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and will open the 100th edition of the tournament against the PDL’s Ocala Stampede at Florida International University.

The Red Force were the only team that entered Open Cup qualifying from the state of Florida and therefore earned a bye into the USASA Region III tournament where they were able to secure a spot in the US Open Cup. When discussing the team’s participation in the Cup, Vega said “ fantastic feeling… The satisfaction of seeing them win was amazing. We are a like a family. We play a very nice soccer.”

Red Force cruised through the Region III tournament, winning three straight games including an Open Cup-clinching 2-0 win over the ASC New Stars, who were attempting to qualify for the third year in a row.

The Red Force began its adult incarnation in the 2008 season when they began competing as an independent team in the SSM Premier League which they have won three of the last four years.

Young stars

Life for Vega and the Red Force started much earlier than that when Vega was coaching his son as a youth. The commitment to the team is infectious as Coach Vega excitedly talks about the players that played for the Red Force in their younger days. Coach Vega quickly rattles off the names and colleges and accomplishments of many former members of the Red Force squad.

“Some of those players come to our matches and help us in training,” Vega mentions. This legacy of playing with the club as a youth continues with the team today as six players from the Under-18 team that played together are currently on the squad. At least eight former Red Force players are now or have played in the past for college soccer programs on scholarship. Vega counts this as one of his most important accomplishments as coach for the Red Force.

Growing a competitive team

From that core youth team staying together after their teammates went to college, Coach Vega has added many impressive players. These players that have joined the Red Force and made them a formidable team in Southeast Florida. With professional experience both in the United States and abroad these players understand how to play in a “big game.”

    Daniel Gomez: 2007-2009 C.A. River Plate (Puerto Rico), 2009 Fluminense of Puerto Rico.
    Richard Perdomo: 2008 Carolina Railhawks, 2009 Miami FC, 2010 Platense (Honduras).
    Kevin Nylen: 2003-2006 Wilmington Hammerheads, 2006-2008 Charleston Battery.
    Ryan Solle: 2005 Raleigh CASL Elite, 2006 Carolina Dynamo, 2007 New England Revolution, 2008 Carolina Railhawks, 2009 Wilmington Hammerheads.
    David Holguin: 2009-2011 America de Cali (1st Division Colombia)
    Hernan Acosta: pro player in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Puerto Rico until 2010.
    Joan Carvajal: 2003-2005 Creighton University, 2006 North Carolina Tarheeels.
    Alan Sanchez: 2007 Carolina Dynamo, 2008-2009 Cary Clarets, 2010 Real Maryland Monarchs, 2011 Charlotte Eagles.

Coach Vega also played in Argentina before coming to the United States and has been coaching since 1997. The team is also excited to be hosting the match.

“We have a great relationship with , so they are letting us use their fields.”

Despite being in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time, the Red Force are not unfamiliar with big matches and taking on opponents who are expected to beat them.  Before attending the Region III qualifying tournament, the Red Force faced the Venezuela Under-19 World Cup team in Miami and played them to a 1-1 draw at halftime. The game was close throughout the match, and as Vega says, the Venezuelan team outlasted them because they were “basically so incredibly fit.  In the last minute they scored two goals and we lost 3-1.”

Other notable Red Force accomplishments include being a semifinalist in Copa Latina 2011, a finalist in the Region III finals, champion of the Hiatian Cup in Miami and a two-time champion of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers open tournament (2011-2012).

Vega and his players are ready and excited for the challenge of competing in The Cup and plan on this being only the first appearance of many.

“We are training hard to compete. I always believe in my team always. The Red Force never give up.”

2013 US Open Cup Preliminary Round: FC Hasental win tournament debut, 5-3 over Fresno Fuego Future (VIDEO)

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UPDATE: Video of FC Hasental goals added below.

First-time US Open Cup entry FC Hasental of the National Premier Soccer League posted an impressive result in their debut, registering a 5-2 victory at Chukchansi Park in Fresno Tuesday night against the Fuego, who were 13-3-2 at home in league play the last two years.

And the visitors had to come from behind as well to do it. The Fuego took the initial advantage three minutes into the contest when they capitalized on a defensive error that resulted in Alexander Caceres finding Paul Islas for the opening goal.

Unfortunately for the Fuego, FC Hasental would score four straight goals and five total to set up a first round match-up with Ventura County Fusion next Tuesday at Ventura College.

The 1-0 margin stood until Gustavo Villalobos nailed a volley past Gilbert Vega in the 29th minute off a ball from Joel Contreras.

The visitors nearly took the lead in the first minute of the second half when Alberto Anguiano sent a chip off the crossbar, but the Agoura Hills side would find the go-ahead strike four minutes later when Armando Gaitan struck on a 20 yard free kick.

It was the first of three consecutive for Hasental. Manny Cazares found Villalobos for his second on the hour mark and seven minutes later set up Anguiano to make it 4-1 in favor of the NPSL entry.

Fresno answered through Abraham Campos in the 75th, but saw the visitors answer right back three minutes later through Anguiano to restore the three-goal margin. Ferid Celosmanovic capped the match for Fresno with a tally in the 90th minute.

FC Hasental advances to the First Round of the tournament where they will play the Ventura County Fusion of the PDL on May 14 at Ventura College.

Scoring Summary
FRE: Paul Islas (Alexander Caceres) – 3rd min
HAS: Gustavo Villalobos (Joel Contreras) – 29th min
HAS: Armando Gaitan – 50th min
HAS: Gustavo Villalobos (Manny Cazares) – 60th min
HAS: Alberto Anguiano (Manny Cazares) – 67th min
FRE: Abraham Campos – 75th min
HAS: Alberto Anguiano – 78th min
FRE: Ferid Celosmanovic – 90th min

Discipline
HAS: Gustavo Villalobos 45, Kleber Ortiz 62
FRE: N/A #20 55, Gaston Cignetti 66

Starting Lineups
FC Hasental : Mitchell, Rodriguez, Ortiz, Ramos, Contreras, Rosas, Cazarez, Gaitan, Villalobos, Anguiano, Cazares

Fresno Fuego: Gilbert Vega; Jesus Garcia, M. Gutierrez, Justin Finch, Trevor Spurgeon; Abraham Campos, Gaston Cignetti, Alexander Caceres; Tyler Reinhart, Paul Islas, Eligio Morales

FC HASENTAL GOALS IN ORDER:





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