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2014 USASA qualifying

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

December 30, 2013 by Evan Ream

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)

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2014 US Open Cup qualifying, 2014 USASA qualifying, Cal FC, Doxa Italia, USASA Region IV

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

November 26, 2013 by Matthew De Witt

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

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2014 US Open Cup qualifying, 2014 USASA qualifying, AAC Eagles, Des Moines Menace, RWB Adria, Schwaben AC, USASA Region II

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

November 19, 2013 by Jordan Guy

2014 US Open Cup qualifying KC Athletics at Des Moines Menace USASA
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

—————————–
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

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2014 US Open Cup qualifying, 2014 USASA qualifying, Des Moines Menace, KC Athletics

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