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2014 US Open Cup qualifying

2014 US Open Cup qualifying: US Club Soccer’s all-California play-in tournament begins in March

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US Club Soccer has announced the format of their qualification tournament for the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Two California leagues and an open collection of teams that registered will make up the single-elimination tournament.

The NorCal Premier League will be holding a play-in tournament that was open to any team interested in signing up, as long as they are a part of a US Soccer-affiliated league. The winner of that mini-tournament will join the NorCal Premier League single-elimination competition and face No. 6 seed Juventus SC Black 93 to begin play in Mid-March.

The participants and schedule for the play-in competition have yet to be announced.

The top five finishers from last year’s league play, with the exception of 2013 champion Sonoma County Sol who rejoined the NPSL, will make up the remainder of the competition. No. 3 seed Vacaville United Elite will play the winner of the mini-tournament and Juventus SC Black 93, while 4-seed Oakland Ambassadors FC will take on No. 5 San Ramon Soccer Azuri.

Waiting in the semifinals are the two teams that received byes to the final four, DV8 Defenders and Pacific Soccer Academy.

The other league taking part is the SoCal Premier League who are submitting their two teams to the competition. Chivas USA U23s and the Corinthians USA.

“A big reason for setting up the tournament is that we want to grow our adult league,” said NorCal Premier League adult coordinator Mike Kelley. “One of the incentives is if you participate in the fall league, that’s one way to get you into Open Cup qualification.”

The schedule and format for the semifinals have not been finalized, but the first round games are penciled in for Mar. 1 and the championship game that will decide US Club Soccer’s Open Cup entry will take place in a home and away series at the end of April.

2014 will mark the third year that US Club Soccer will take part in the tournament. In 2012, Stanislaus United Turlock Express represented the organization, but fell 2-0 to the Premier Development League’s Fresno Fuego in their opening match. Last year, the Fuego failed to qualify out of the PDL, so they entered and won the US Club Soccer tournament as the “Fresno Fuego Future” and qualified. They lost their opening round game to the NPSL’s FC Hasental 5-3.

2014 US Open Cup qualifying: Cal FC stuns Doxa Italia twice to unofficially qualify from USASA Region IV

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It took 120 minutes, but when the dust settled at the Manhattan Village Field in Manhattan Beach, Calif. on Saturday night, Cal FC defeated Doxa Italia 3-2. The win earned an expected return to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since their dream run to the fourth round in 2012.

The one-game playoff between USASA teams was decided in the second overtime when Jaime Chavez scored his second goal of the game in a scramble in the box after a long ball was played in.

The game was sent to extra time on a stoppage time equalizer and penalty kicks were narrowly avoided as the game-winner was scored in the final minute of overtime.

“We didn’t practice (before the game),” said Cal FC manager Michael Friedman. “Most of these guys on the field never even had touched a ball with each other. Part of the game was just getting acclimated to the style of play and getting accustomed to the speed of play.”

This is the third year in a row that the two clubs have met with an Open Cup berth on the line. Cal FC edged Doxa Italia 4-3 in group play in 2012, and last year, Doxa won 2-1 to earn their second trip to the tournament in three years. With the USASA’s Open Cup qualifying deadline moved up to Dec. 31, the two teams were chosen for the play-in game since they are the two most recnet clubs to qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Cal FC defeated Doxa Italia 3-2 in extra time to unofficially punch their ticket to the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Photo: John Santos

With the win, Cal FC is expected to join 2013 Region IV Open Cup champion PSA Elite as the region’s two entries in the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The reason their Open Cup spot is unofficial is because the US Soccer Federation has yet to announce the tournament’s 2014 format, so the region’s two spots are not set in stone. However, USASA officials have told TheCup.us they expect to retain their eight entries (two per region) for the 11th year in a row.

The Cal FC side, which made a name for themselves in 2012 by upsetting Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers in the third round, were managed by  Friedman and former US international Eric Wynalda. This year, Wynalda is still involved with the club, but it is unclear if he will be roaming the sidelines for the team during this year’s cup run.

Down 2-1, thanks to two goals from Doxa Italia midfielder and former New England Revolution player Bryan Byrne, Cal FC substitute German Alfaro headed in a cross in the 93rd minute to force overtime.

Doxa Italia had subbed out Byrne late in the game, so they were forced to play the remainder of the game without their star attacker.

“The ball was in our defensive third for most of the game,” said Friedman. “It wasn’t until the last 10 minutes of the half that we started connecting and were able to transition the ball from the midfield to our target forward, Jaime.”

“In the second half, we were just schooling these guys.”

The game was not without controversy. When Cal FC scored their second and third goals of the game, the Italia bench erupted with calls for offside, but the officials, and Cal FC, saw it differently.

“There was excellent refereeing. There were no problems with that,” said Friedman, who did earlier admit that he had trouble seeing across the field due to the foggy conditions and poor lighting.

Despite falling short of a second straight Open Cup berth, Doxa Italia manager Joe Cartlidge was proud of his team’s effort.

“Undoubtedly, we’re disappointed with the loss but we played extraordinarily well as a team,” said Cartlidge. “We defended as a single unit, our communication was the best it’s been all season and we had two stellar goals.”

The Cal FC continued the state of California’s recent dominance of Region IV with their victory. 2014 will mark the fourth year in a row that both of the region’s entries will be from the Golden State.


PAST US OPEN CUP ENTRIES FROM REGION IV

2014: Cal FC (SCA), PSA Elite (SCA)
2013: Doxa Italia (SCA), PSA Elite (SCA)
2012: Cal FC (SCA), PSA Elite (SCA)
2011: Doxa Italia (SCA), DV8 Defenders (NCA)
2010: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ), Bay Area Ambassadors (NPSL)
2009: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ), Sonoma County Sol (NCA)
2008: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ – NPSL), Hollywood United (SCA)
2007: Banat Arsenal (AZ), El Paso Indios (NPSL)
2006: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ), Sonoma County Sol (NCA – NPSL)
2005: Salinas Valley Samba (NPSL), Sonoma County Sol (NCA – NPSL)
2004: Chico Rooks (NCA – NPSL), Sacramento Knights (NCA – NPSL)
2003: Chico Rooks (NCA – NPSL)
2002: Mexico SC (NCA)
2001: Mexico SC (NCA)
2000: Mexico SC (NCA)
1999:  Mexico SC (NCA)
1998: San Nicolas (CSA)
1997: Inter SC (NCA)
1996: San Jose Oaks (NCA)
1995: Flamengo SC (UT)

2014 US Open Cup qualifying: Des Moines Menace clinch USASA berth in snow; Schwaben AC return after 50 years (video)

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Sean Hoek of the Des Moines Menace attemps a shot in the club's USASA Region II semifinal match against RWB Adria. Photo: Art Schramm | Wing Nutt Photography

On a snow-covered field Saturday night, the Des Moines Menace smashed three goals in a span of 15 minutes to ease past RWB Adria in the semifinals of the USASA Region II tournament. With the finalists in the touranment clinching a spot in the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the victory puts the USASA edition of the Menace club back in the tournament for the first time since 2011.

In the other semifinal, Schwaben AC punched their ticket to the tournament for the first time in half a century with a 3-1 win over AAC Eagles in an all-Illinois match-up. The last time Schwaben AC took part in the US Open Cup, it was 1964 and the Beatles had just released their debut album and US National Team manager Jurgen Klinsmann was born.

The format for the 2014 US Open Cup tournament has yet to be released, but the USASA is expected to received two spots from each of their four regions. Region I and III have decided to submit their teams based on last season’s results, while Region II elected to hold a brief tournament before the Dec. 31 qualifying deadline. Region IV has yet to finalize their plans.

Ben Taylor of the Des Moines Menace tries to control the ball in the snow against RWB Adria. Photo: Art Schramm | Wing Nutt Photography

With the PDL version of the Menace club expected to qualify based on their 2013 league results, this will mark the first time in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present) that two entries from the same club will participate in the US Open Cup.

Michael Thaden opened the scoring for the Menace in the 49th minute after putting home a Taylor Ostrander cross from the left flank. Ostrander pushed through the snowy terrain to track down a long ball in a bit of space before finding a streaking Thaden in the center of the field. Thaden collected the ball at the top of the penalty area and ripped off a shot with his second touch.

The shot blew past Igor Dimov for RWB Adria to propel the Menace to a one-goal lead.

Sean Hoek put his name on the scoring summary after he produced a solo effort to put away a low line drive into the net. After collecting a long ball from the defense nearly 30 yards out, Hoek blew past the Adria back line to find space on the right side of the penalty area. Having the angle on Dimov, Hoek produced a line drive, which snuck inside the right post, giving the Menace a 2-0 lead at the 54-minute mark.

“It felt good, especially after the way the game was going,” Hoek said about his goal. “The game was fun, though. I’ve played on a frozen field in a tournament, but never played in snow.”

Darren Marcello of the Des Moines Menace sends a goal kick up the field against RWB Adria. Photo: Art Schramm | Wing Nutt Photography

Mike Noonan would flick home an Espriu cross in the 64th minute to put Des Moines up by three, but Adria began finding a foothold in the snow with just under 25 minutes to play. Adnan Ejupovic and Martin Khoshaba began stringing some offensive threats together for the Chicago side, but just could not hit the frame.

The best chance for RWB Adria came late in the game, when Des Moines goalkeeper Darren Marcello mishandled a cross from the right side. Alex Ricketts put a head on the ball, popping it up but on frame in the dying minutes of the game. The ball would have found the net, but Jack Pearson would ease the ball away, giving away a corner but preserving the clean sheet.

Dimov did make key saves down the stretch, giving Adria a bit of confidence. The biggest call to action was a one-on-one situation with Des Moines’ Tucker Sindlinger near the top of the penalty area. Sindlinger tried to curl in a shot to the right post, but Dimov came up with an acrobatic diving save in the end.

The Menace side, featuring a mix of alumni of the PDL team and current college students, brought more heat in a game that was 12 degrees at kickoff.

“I thought the beginning of the game was more of a feeling out process, especially with the field conditions and a team we had never seen before,” said Menace head coach Mike Jeffries. “I thought the second half, we had little more of a sense on how we wanted to get at them, with more direct play. It was not necessarily long balls, but just getting forward a bit quicker.”

The Menace will be joined in the 2014 US Open Cup, and the USASA Region II championship game by Schwaben AC who neeeded two late goals to defeat fellow Chicago-area club AAC Eagles.

The goals came in the 76th and 78th minutes It took two late goals, in the 76th and 78th-minutes to come up with a winner. Schwaben AC, of Illinois, punched their ticket to the 2014 US Open Cup by virtue of a 3-1 win over the AAC Eagles.

The last time Schwaben competed in the US Open Cup was when they lost in the semifinals of the 1964 tournament. Prior to that, their Open Cup participation dates back to at least 1943. Their best finish came in 1956 when they were runners-up after losing an exciting championship series to the Harmarville Hurricanes (Pittsburgh).

Schwaben and the Eagles possessed two completely different playing styles, with Schwaben electing to play over the top to beat them with speed, while the Eagles were more tactical and connected the passes through the middle of the field. Schwaben won the contest in the second half with goals in the 76th and 78th minutes when tired legs took over in the Eagles backline.

The game-winner came on a failed clearance inside the penalty area with less than 15 minutes remaining. Schwaben tracked down a long ball from the defense in the offensive third and looked to get in a cross from the left flank. An end line cross was sent toward the penalty spot, with the Eagles making first contact on the ball. The attempted clearance was poor, and it would be their downfall. A mad scramble in the penalty area ensued, with Schwaben finally poking in a shot. The ball was lost amongst the amount of bodies, but by the time the Eagles saw it, it was already in the back of the net.

Adding a bit of insurance, Schwaben tucked away a final goal two minutes later on a breakaway created from a long ball from the backline.

Early on, SAC had more of the game, scoring right away. Schwaben controlled more of the possession in the first half and it was rewarded with a 15th minute goal. The ball built up from the back playing through the defenders and using the midfielders to push forward. Schwaben pushed down the right side, breaking past the Eagles defense and taking the ball into the penalty area. Faced with a one-on-one situation, Schwaben got the better of the Eagles goalkeeper this time around, and smashed home a rocket to take the 1-0 lead.

Eagles did bring a bit of momentum into the closing moments of the first half after their goal brought them back on level terms. A dangerous free kick was the ultimate demise of SAC, after the goalkeeper called off his defenders to collect the delivery. The AAC Eagles sprung past their marks and powered home a header from 15 yards out to draw the teams back to an even playing field.

Willy Schaeffer, part of the Schwaben AC squad, offered his thoughts following the game: “Both teams were fluent today. The field conditions were frozen, but overall both teams did well. I was proud of the effort put forth today.”

MATCH: RWB ADRIA V. DES MOINES MENACE
DATE: Saturday, November 23, 2013
COMPETITION: USASA National Cups, Region II Tournament, Semifinals

Scoring Summary
Des Moines: Michael Thaden (Thomas Ostrander) – 49th min.
Des Moines: Sean Hoek – 54th min.
Des Moines: Michael Noonan (Rodrigo Espriu) – 64th min.

Misconduct Summary
RWB Adria: Martin Khoshaba (Yellow Card) – 44th min.
RWB Adria: Igor Dimov (Yellow Card) – 84th min.
RWB Adria: Adnan Ejupovic (Red Card) – 90th+ min.

DES MOINES STARTERS:
GK- Darren Marcello
D- Sergio Leiva
D- Ben Taylor
D- Jack Pearson
D- Chris Scott
M- Bruno Moreas
M- Sean Hoek
M- Michael Thaden
F- Thomas Ostrander
F- Rodrigo Espriu
F- Michael Noonan

RWB ADRIA STARTERS:
GK- Igor Dimov
Taylor Bond
Adnan Ejupovic
Fadi Houma
Martin Khoshaba
William Kletzien
Rohan Mckenzie
Semir Mesanovic
Dorin Opera
Alex Ricketts
Igor Stijepic

2014 US Open Cup qualifying: Des Moines Menace USASA team beats KC Athletics to complete Region 2 final four

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2014 US Open Cup qualifying KC Athletics at Des Moines Menace USASA
Mike Noonan (12) and Rodrigo Espriu of the Des Moines Menace celebrate Espriu's second goal against the Kansas City Athletics in the USASA Region II Open Cup quarterfinals. Photo: Art Shramm | Wing Nutt Photography

The Des Moines Menace needed a scoring outburst in the second half to advance past the Kansas City Athletics 4-2 in the quarterfinals of the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) Region II Open Cup qualifying tournament.

The Menace, who compete in the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League, began fielding a separate team in the USASA’s Open Cup qualifying tournament back in 2007 in an attempt to give their club two chances at reaching the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. This year, they are back in the Region II tournament after a two-year layoff.

Menace forward Rodrigo Espriu netted the game winner and added an insurance goal in a span of three minutes early in the second half to push the USASA Menace past the Athletics in the teams’ third all-time meeting. In 2010, Kansas City edged Des Moines in a penalty kick shootout, but the Menace got their revenge the following year, clinching their first-ever US Open Cup berth by beating the shorthanded Athletics 7-1.

“I knew the chance would come,” said Espriu of his tie-breaking score. “I had the goal in front of me and knew I had to put it in.”

It was the Athletics who looked potent early, pushing Des Moines into a defensive stance with play along the sidelines. The pressure was rewarded when Michael Ferguson collected a pass in the middle of the field, split a pair of defenders and launched a laser past Menace goalkeeper Darren Marcello from 30 yards out.

Des Moines Menace fans and players celebrate after Sean Hoek scores against the KC Athletics in the USASA Region II quarterfinals. Photo: Art Schramm | Wing Nutt Photography

But Des Moines responded with pressure of its own. After securing a corner kick off a turnover deep in Kansas City territory, Sean Hoek volleyed Ben Taylor’s cross into the top of the net to bring the teams level at one goal apiece.

“We just had to take the opportunities when we got them,” Hoek said after the game.

But the momentum heading into the second stanza belonged to the visitors after a stoppage time cross by Kansas City’s Josh Westberg got caught in the wind and found the upper corner of the net.

Looking for revenge after their one-sided defeat in 2011, Kansas City was unable to hold its 2-1 lead for long. Just five minutes into the second half, the Menace’s Mike Noonan collected a long pass and deked past Athletics goalkeeper Boris Pardo, a former Major League Soccer pool player, to even the match.

It didn’t take much longer for Espriu to break the game open. Capitalizing on defensive mistakes by Kansas City, the forward slotted two goals past Pardo within five minutes of Noonan’s equalizer.

With a two-goal lead, Des Moines shut out Kansas City in the second half to put themselves one win away from a berth in the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Rodrigo Espriu of the Des Moines Menace scores the game-winning goal against the KC Athletics in the USASA Region II quarterfinals. Photo: Art Schramm | Wing Nutt Photography

“I thought the game was well-contested. Kansas City did a good job, testing us with their shape and their movements,” said Menace coach Mike Jeffries. “But we made the little adjustments we needed in the second half.”

After entering as the state of Iowa’s only entry from 2007-2011, the Menace didn’t submit a team the last two years. They qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2011, falling in the opening round to the Chicago Fire’s PDL team, 1-0. If the tournament’s format remains the same as last year and the Menace PDL team qualifies, as expected, and the USASA club beats Chicago’s RWB Adria in the semifinals, then both will join the tournament. The challenge of that scenario is the Menace will have to submit two separate rosters, one for each team.

Des Moines will face RWB Adria on Nov. 23 with the winner moving on to the Region II final. The winner of that game and the other semifinal between Illinois clubs Schwaben AC and AAC Eagles are expected to clinch a spot in the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, assuming the tournament format remains the same as last year.

“They’re a very tough team,” said Jeffries of the Menace’s next opponent. “They’re one of the top men’s league teams not only in the region, but in the nation.”

2013 USASA Region II Quarterfinals

Des Moines Menace (IA) 4:2 KC Athletics (KS)
RWB Adria (IL) 4:1 Bavarian SC (WI)
Schwaben AC (IL) 2:1 FC Indiana (IN)
AAC Eagles (IL) 3:1 Croatian Eagles (WI)

Semifinals (“Win & You’re In”)

RWB Adria (IL) at Des Moines Menace (IA) – 7 p.m. CT
AAC Eagles (IL) vs. Schwaben AC (IL)
Winners expected to qualify for 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

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Kansas City Athletics at Des Moines Menace
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Valley Stadium (turf field) in West Des Moines, Iowa
Kickoff: 2 p.m. CDT
Weather: 50s, overcast

Scoring Summary:
MENACE: Sean Hoek (Ben Taylor) 41:00; Mike Noonan (Jack Pearson) 50:00; Rodrigo Espriu 53:00; Espriu 55:00
KC – Michael Ferguson 18:00; Josh Westberg 45:00

Stats Summary: MENACE / KC

Shots on Goal: 5 / 6
Saves: 4 / 1
Corner Kicks: 5 / 7
Fouls: 8 / 3
Offside: 5 / 2

Misconduct Summary: MENACE cautions: Ben Taylor 49:00 KC cautions: Garrett Webb 58:00

New USASA qualifying deadline for US Open Cup: Greek American Atlas, Icon FC first to qualify for 2014

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USASA Region I logoThe 2013 US Open Cup is still going, but two teams have already qualified to the 2014 version of the tournament. Thanks to Anthony Falcone’s proposal, four-time Open Cup champion New York Greek American Atlas and Icon FC of New Jersey have qualified to next year’s tournament out of USASA Region I.

At the national USASA annual meeting held two weeks ago, Falcone, who is the Maryland Soccer Association’s president and Region I deputy director, proposed that the USASA’s representatives in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup be determined earlier because the state and regional tournaments are usually held starting in the fall and run through spring, running right up against the US Soccer Federation deadline for the LHUSOC.

“By doing it in advance…it creates better opportunities for our teams,” Falcone said. “Now, these teams can recruit players, look for sponsors, raise money, and look for an opportunity to host a first-round match.”

For those unfamiliar with the USASA, the national organization holds an Amateur Cup and an Open Cup tournament every year. There is very little difference between the two competitions, except that more teams enter the Amateur Cup every year and up until this year, the Open Cup was the only path for USASA regional teams to enter the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Both tournaments hold state tournaments, which lead to regionals, and the four regional winners move on to the USASA National Finals to determine a champion.

Under Falcone’s plan, the USASA’s Amateur and Open tournaments would continue, the only difference is that instead of the two finalists from each region’s Open Cup tournament entering the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, only the Amateur and Open Cup winners from each region would qualify for the following year’s competition instead of being rushed into the current calendar year’s event.

After the original NASL refused to compete in the US Open Cup, there were very few professional clubs that took part in the tournament between 1967 and 1994. The USASA and the amateur clubs under their umbrella kept the tournament going and when top flight professional soccer returned in 1995, naturally the pro teams dominated the competition. In the years that followed, the USASA created their own Open Cup for amateur clubs and the tournament bears the name of the late Werner Fricker, a former USSF president and one of American soccer’s important figures.

In the current format, which has been in place since 2004, the USASA Open Cup finalists from each of the four regions (8 teams) qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Falcone proposed that instead of the two berths that each region receives being determined through solely the Open Cup tournament, one of the two berths should come from the Amateur Cup.

Falcone said, “We’ll revisit whether it’ll be the amateur and open winners, or if we take the top two open champions. But, the thought is that we should give teams a chance. It gives meaning to both competitions.”

In one of the biggest changes in recent history in regards to the USASA’s participation in the LHUSOC, the USASA board of directors imposed a new national deadline for its member organizations and teams for the event, setting the date for December 31. The decision allowed the USASA to, in essence, mandate that all the regions determine their entrants the year in advance, stopping short of making each region to submit their Open Cup and Amateur Cup champions. The move allows each region to determine their entries and gives them the flexibility to perhaps change their regional event schedules if necessary.

Region I, the home association of Falcone, immediately responded to the new deadline, choosing to implement Falcone’s proposal for their own region in advance of the past weekend’s regional finals. And, according to the cup commissioners for Region II, III and IV, they are all planning to follow suit, though none of them have made an official announcement as of yet.

One of the motivations for the change is scheduling. Currently, the USASA is required to determine their two entries by the Open Cup’s qualifying deadline. In past years, this has been in early May, but as of 2012, the tournament has been kicking off in early May, so the deadline has been pushed back to late April, which has made things difficult for the amateur flights and led to the USL PDL electing to award berths based on the previous season’s results. By determining their entries the previous year, this removes the pressure for the various USASA tournament organizers and the teams to complete the regional semifinals by late April. Games can now be spread out more, if needed, and in the case that there is a delay, or a protest, then there is ample time to reschedule matches.

Also, any coach at the amateur level will tell you, player availability is a big issue. Deciding teams early and giving the qualifying teams the better part of a year to prepare, players can make sure they make arrangements to get time off with their full-time jobs.

Issues do arise if the new format is approved. For example, there is no rule in place barring a team from competing in both competitions. While Falcone said that it is rare for a team to win both tournaments, it still doubles a team’s chances to make it to the Open Cup. If a team does win both cups, likely one of the runner-up teams would be selected as the second entry, but as of now, no official rule has been established for this situation.

Also, while having extra time to prepare has its benefits, there is always the possibility that a team will be drastically different from the time it qualifies to the time it plays its first round US Open Cup match a little less than a year later. Falcone argues that while that may be the case, early qualification also gives teams a strong recruiting tool as they prepare for next year’s Open Cup.

On Sunday, the coaches of the finalists of the Region I Amateur Cup and Open Cup tournaments —NY Greek American Atlas, Italian American SC, Icon FC, and Mass Premier Soccer—wholeheartedly supported the change. Icon FC manager Greg Bajek said, “It gives us time to prepare, maybe host a game. So we’re excited. It’s a very good thing for our organization. It’s nice to be recognized longer prior to the cup.”

While the Premier Development League, the USASA and most of the NPSL have elected to determine their entries well in advance, it remains to be seen if the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup committee will adopt an earlier tournament-wide qualifying deadline.

The remaining three USASA regions have yet to make an official decision, but regardless of what they opt for, Greek American Atlas and Icon FC at least know that they have punched their tickets to the 2014 edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

2013 USASA Amateur Cup Final
New York Greek American Atlas 5:1 Italian American Sport Club
Ukrainian American Sports Center Field #1 – Horsham, Pa.

The Greek Americans played the Italian Americans at the Ukrainian American Sports Center on Sunday.

Got it?

In the USASA Region I Amateur Cup final, New York Greek American Atlas bagged a 5-1 victory over Italian American Sport Club from Rochester, NY, to qualify for both the USASA National Cup Finals and the 2014 US Open Cup.

Former New York Red Bulls player Chris Megaloudis scored four goals and Stephan Pierce added another in the rout. After the Greeks scored in the 26th minute, the Italian’s Ngwese Ebangwese leveled the match in the 29th. Atlas scored again in the 37th, 50th, 56th, and 88th minutes to put the game away.

“We played great. No offense to them, but I mean at 5-1, we obviously completely outplayed them. We had pretty much a full squad, which really helped,” Greek American player/coach Joe Ruesgen said. “The big thing this year was to make it to the final four. The Open Cup was really a cherry on top. It’s an incentive for the guys coming back next year to continue playing and to work hard.”

Italian American coach Srikar Bakshi said, “I thought we gave 100 percent. We played a very strong, well-organized team. The better team won. The result was fair. I’m proud of what our team accomplished this year.”

The Greeks, who have won the US Open Cup four times (1967-69, 1974), will make their fifth appearance in the tournament since 1995 next year (1998, 2004, 2005, 2012). Despite their strong resume, they have yet to win a game in the tournament in their last four appearances. In their last trip to the competition, they lost a road game to the PDL’s Reading United 2-1 back in 2012.

2013 Amateur Cup

Quarterfinals (April 28)
Stanford Olympia (CT) 0:1 Battery Park Gunners (MA)
NY Greek-American Atlas (ENY) 7:0 Vistula Garfield SC (NJ)
Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks FC (MDCVA) 0:1 Maryland Bays (MD)
Italian American Sport Club (WNY) 5:2 Vereinigung Erzgebirge (EPA)

Semifinals (May 12 & 19)
Battery Park Gunners (MA) 2:2 (4:5 PK’s) NY Greek-American Atlas (ENY)
Maryland Bays (MD) 2:3 Italian American Sport Club (WNY)

Final (June 16)
Italian American Sport Club (WNY) 1:5 NY Greek-American Atlas (ENY)
NY Greek American Atlas qualifies for the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

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2013 USASA Open Cup – Region I Final
Icon FC 2:1 Mass Premier Soccer
Ukrainian American Sports Center Field #2 – Horsham, Pa.

Despite being down a goal and a man after 71 minutes to Mass Premier Soccer, Icon FC of New Jersey were able to come back and earn a 2-1 victory that won the squad a spot in the USASA National Open Cup Finals and 2014 US Open Cup.

Mass Premier Soccer, which lost in the first round of this year’s Lamar Hunt US Open Cup to GPS Portland Phoenix of the PDL, took the lead in the first half on a goal from Roy Sandeman. Strong defensive play helped MPS keep the lead, but player/coach Dan MacGregar said that his team eventually ran out of gas.

“Unfortunately we were missing three or four guys,” said Macgregar. “We ran out of legs. We played well enough to win. It was an even game, but we just got tired at the end.”

A red card to an Icon player in the 71st minute actually seemed to inspire the New Jersey side. Three minutes later, Nelson Becerra received a through-ball at the top of the box. He rounded the keeper and easily slid it into the net. Then in the 82nd minute, Kevin Zalewski got on the end of a cross for an easy tap-in.

Bajek, who coached Icon to a US Open Cup First Round victory over Brooklyn Italians last month was proud of his team’s performance.

“We clamped down after the red card–it motivated us. The other team played very well defensively. It was a battle to the end.”

Icon FC will make their second straight appearance in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, and will be the third year in a row that a USASA team from New Jersey will represent in the tournament (Jersey Shore Boca – 2012)

2013 USASA Open Cup

Quarterfinals (April 7 & 21)
Newtown Men’s Soccer (CT) 0:0 (7:6 PKs) NY Pancyprian Freedoms (ENY) – April 21
New York won original match 1-0 on April 7, but replay ordered due to player registration error
Rhode Island Reds FC (RI) 0:1 Mass Premier Soccer (MA)
West Chester United (EPA) 2:4 Icon FC (NJ)
Screaming Eagles (MD) 0:1 Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks FC (MDCVA)
Note: Screaming Eagles (originally 1-0 winners) disqualified for using ineligible players

Semifinals (April 21 & 28)
Newtown Men’s Soccer (CT) 0:6 Mass Premier Soccer (MA)
Icon FC (NJ) 1:1 (7:6 PKs) Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks FC (MDCVA)
Icon FC, Mass Premier Soccer qualifies for 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

Final (June 16)
Mass Premier Soccer (MA) 1:2 Icon FC (NJ)
Icon FC qualifies for the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

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