Abe Thompson

2010 US Open Cup Second Round: Miami FC wins Floridian battle over Rowdies 2-1 in extra time

June 23, 2010 by Tavio Palazzolo

Miami FC was forced into extra time for the second time in the US Open Cup this year, and for the second time, they won the match to move on to the next round. This time it came at the expense of their in-state rivals, FC Tampa Bay Rowdies, winning 2-1 at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Miami got off to a very quick start in the match, scoring in the second minute. A free kick was awarded just outside the Rowdies penalty box, and Christian Gomez stepped up to take it. His kick bounced off goalkeeper Josh Lambo’s chest and into traffic in front of the net. The ball landed at the feet of Miami FC striker Paulo Jr, who shot the ball into the net to give his team the 1-0 lead. The hero from the first round scored his fifth goal of the 2010 US Open Cup, matching the totals of Sebastien Le Toux in 2007 and 2008 with the USL’s Seattle Sounders and scoring the most by a player in the tournament since 2005.

Miami almost doubled their lead in the 10th minute as threatening free kick by Euzebio Neto went past traffic and out of bounds. Despite the miss, the Blues managed to keep possession for most of the first half. The Rowdies would get their own chance at goal in the 35th minute, as a Yendry Diaz header was tipped over the crossbar by Miami goalkeeper Caleb Patterson to keep the shutout intact through the end of the half.

Both teams came out at full force to start the second half, with each getting a good scoring chance within minutes of kickoff. Tampa Bay would then pressure later in the match to force the equalizer as more chances came their way. They would finally break through in the 82nd minute as Mozzi Gyorio sent in a free kick into the box, which Diaz converted to tie the match. Diaz would get his shot at a game winner in the 87th minute with a hard shot, but Patterson made a diving save to keep his team alive through regulation.

In the 97th minute, Miami FC would get their advantage by virtue of a handball. Robert Valentino was called for a handling the ball in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Abe Thompson stepped up to the spot and converted in the 98th minute, giving the Blues the lead they would hold onto for the rest of extra time.

Miami FC has moved on to the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since 2008, when they lost 2-1 at FC Dallas. This time they travel to face Dallas’ Texas rival, the Houston Dynamo. The game is scheduled to take place at Robertson Stadium on Tuesday, June 29 at 8:30 p.m.

FC Tampa Bay Rowdies Lineup: Josh Lambo, Kwame “JJ” Adjeman-Pamboe, Yendry Diaz, Aaron King (80′ – Chad Burt), Gordon Kljestan (102′ – Joe Donoho), Pascal Millien, Stanley Nyazamba, Long Tan, Erik Ustruck, Rob Valentino, Takuya Yamada (65′ – Mozzi Gyorio).

Miami FC Lineup: Caleb Patterson, Paulo Araujo Jr. (97′ – Bryan Dominguez), Bryan Arquez, Cristiano Dias (104′ – Sean Cameron), Christian Gomez, Zach Kirby, Neto, JP Rodrigues, Edward Santeliz (116′ – Jair Cabas), Abe Thompson, Kyle Veris.

Scoring Summary
MIA – Paulo Araujo Jr. – 2′
TB – Yendry Diaz – 82′ (Mozzi Gyorio)
MIA – Abe Thompson – 98′ (PK)

Misconduct Summary
MIA – Zach Kirby – yellow (22′)
TB – Yendry Diaz – yellow (32′)
TB – Stanley Nyazamba – yellow (58′)
MIA – Abe Thompson – yellow (61′)
TB – Rob Valentino – yellow (79′)
MIA – Bryan Arquez – yellow (85′)
TB – Chad Burt – yellow (110′)

2009 Third Round: Wizards need penalty kicks to survive extra time thriller with Minnesota Thunder

June 30, 2009 by

National Sports Center – Blaine, Minn. | 8:35 p.m.

Match Reports: Minnesota | Minneapolis Star Tribune | Kansas City Star

	3	AET	3
Kansas City advances on PKs 4-2
Ricardo Sanchez 41’ (PK), 83’ (PK) Melvin Tarley 115’				17’ Michael Kraus 19’ Abe Thompson (PK) 105’+ Rauwshan McKenzie
Penalty Kick Summary
Jonathan Greenfield – GOAL				GOAL – Claudio Lopez
Ricardo Sanchez – GOAL				GOAL – Josh Wolff
Jeremiah Bass – SAVED				GOAL – Abe Thompson
Dale Weiler – SAVED				GOAL – Herculez Gomez

The nightcap of the first day of the Third Round turned out to be arguably the most exciting of them all. Six goals, including two in extra time, weren’t enough to settle this battle between the Kansas City Wizards and the Minnesota Thunder, so in penalties, the Wizards emerged triumphant as Boris Pardo made two saves to lead Kansas City to the Quarterfinals.

Kansas City started off the game in fantastic fashion, as Michael Kraus opened the scoring in the 17th minute off a cross from Roger Espinoza. Just two minutes later, Kraus was taken down in the penalty area to give the Wizards a spot kick, which Abe Thompson converts to give KC a two-goal lead.

Minnesota fought their way back into the game with a pair of penalty kicks of their own. First, in the 41st minute, a player was taken down in the box, giving Ricardo Sanchez the opportunity to pull the Thunder within one, which he did. Then, in the 83rd, Kurt Morsink pulled down Melvin Tarley in the box to give the Thunder another kick from the spot. Once again, Sanchez put the ball past Pardo to tie the game at 2-2.

In extra time, just before the end of the first 15-minute session, Rauwshan McKenzie took advantage of a failed keeper clearance off a Claudio Lopez corner kick, using his momentum to put the ball in at the back post and give the Wizards the 3-2 lead. But the Thunder wouldn’t go down easy. Tarley received a long ball past the back line and chipped it over a charging Pardo to tie the game in the 115th minute. As if three penalty kicks weren’t enough, it would take quite a few more to settle the score as 120 minutes decided nothing.

Kansas City and Minnesota each converted their first two penalty kicks, but that’s when the similarities finally ended. Abe Thompson converted the third kick for the Wizards, but Jeremiah Bass places a ball to his left, which is easily saved by Pardo. Herculez Gomez converted the fourth kick for the Wizards, which left it all up to Dale Weiler for the Thunder to stay alive. Weiler kicked the ball on the opposite side, to the right, but once again, Pardo was there to make the stop, which gave the Wizards the win.

Kansas City moves on to the Quarterfinals next week to take on the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer.

2008 Third Round: Abe Thompson named Player of the Round in close vote

July 2, 2008 by

Abe Thompson’s pair of stoppage-time goals, including the game-winner against Miami FC, gave him the TheCup.us Player of the Round award for Round 3.

In one of the most competitive award votes in recent history, the University of Maryland product edged out Chris Eylander (Seattle Sounders), Marc Burch (DC United), and Ivan Trujillo (Kansas City Wizards) for the honor, which was voted on by the TheCup.us staff and a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters.

Seven minutes into their Third Round matchup with Miami FC Dallas found themselves down 1-0 after the USL First Division’s leading scorer, Alex Afonso, eluded two defenders and blasted a shot past goalkeeper Ray Burse.

Thompson put the home fans at ease with the first of his two goals in first-half stoppage time.

“I checked back, received the ball and was able to turn. They were giving us a lot of space in the midfield to do that,” Thompson said. “I saw Dominic (Oduro) making a run, played it into him and he held it up, which gave me time to get back up there with him. He played a ball right in my path. I took a touch, had a smack and it went in the upper corner.”

Most Open Cup goals since 2005

Sebastien Le Toux (Seattle) – 10
Melvin Tarley (Minnesota) – 8
Herculez Gomez (LA Galaxy/Colorado) – 7
ABE THOMPSON (FC Dallas) – 6
Andy Herron (Chicago) – 6
Anthony Maher (Wilmington/Carolina) – 6
Johnny Menyongar (Minnesota/Rochester) – 6
Taylor Twellman (New England) – 6Four players tied with 5 goals

After a hard-fought second half, neither team was able to find the go-ahead goal, and it looked like they were headed to extra time. But Dallas avoided their fifth extra time match in the last eight Open Cup games when Thompson struck again.

“I believe (Eric) Avi(la), Mike (Dello-Russo) and Drew (Moor) were on the right side kind of moving the ball around. I was waiting for them to have enough space to cross the ball. It was a matter of timing my run. When I saw Drew open and dropping his head down, I knew he was going to hit it. So, I made a run. He played a perfect ball in and I just had to redirect it.”

Thompson has earned himself a reputation for scoring dramatic goals, many of them coming off the bench as a “super sub.” A few days after the win over Miami FC in the Open Cup, he came off the bench and scored an equalizer in second half stoppage time against the Kansas City Wizards in league play.

“You’ve just got to play for 90-plus minutes and many goals are scored in the late stages of the game, stoppage time being one of those stages, because teams get complacent because they think they have the game won or that the whistle is going to blow any second,” he said. “That’s not always the case and you’ve just got to keep playing until the end.”

As a rookie in 2005, Thompson used the Open Cup to prove himself at the MLS level. He scored two goals in that tournament en route to leading FC Dallas to the Open Cup Final, where they lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0. In 2006, Dallas fell to the Houston Dynamo in the Quarterfinals, but last year he helped the team return to the championship game, with two more goals – including a second-half goal in a 3-2 loss to New England in the Final.

Thompson feels that his contributions in the Open Cup have helped him gain more playing time in league games.

“The Open Cup games are elimination games, so if you’re scoring goals in those games, you’re helping your team prevent being eliminated,” he said. “Goals in any game will translate into more confidence and more playing time on the field. In Open Cup games, you get one shot and you’re done, so goals in those games tend to be fairly important.”

For some MLS teams, the Open Cup is an opportunity to give secondary players an opportunity to play in an elimination game. However, FC Dallas is one of the teams that tends to field stronger teams, and the results reflect that, as the team has advanced to the Quarterfinals or beyond in 10 of its 12 Open Cup appearances.

“Every team has their own priorities and for us here in Dallas, the Open Cup is one of ours because the Hunt family owns our team and it’s named after Lamar. That’s one of the reasons we place such importance on it,” Thompson said. “But we’re also playing for a trophy and for bonus money, so that’s something we want to win. We want to win every championship that we have an opportunity to play in.”

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2008 Third Round: Abe Thompson’s timely goals bounce the Blues, put FC Dallas in Quarterfinals

July 1, 2008 by

Abe Thompson sure has a thing for timing.

The FC Dallas forward scored goals in stoppage time at the end of both halves, with the latter coming just moments before the final whistle, to push Dallas over Miami FC 2-1 at Pizza Hut Park.

It was Miami’s goal machine, Alex Afonso, who started the evening’s scoring in the seventh minute. Afonso, the leading goalscorer in the USL First Division, nutmegged two FC Dallas defenders before beating goalkeeper Ray Burse with a powerful shot, giving the USL-1 side a 1-0 lead. Sean Cameron nearly doubled the lead in the 38th minute, but his shot hit the right post. Miami looked to be headed into halftime with that lead, but Abe Thompson scored in the third minute of stoppage time, off a pass from Dominic Oduro.

Playing deep into second half stoppage time, Drew Moor sent a pass from 40 yards out into the box, which Thompson reached and headed toward the right post. Miami goalkeeper Josh Saunders got a hand on the shot, but could not stop it from going in for the winning goal. For Thompson, it was his sixth career Open Cup goal.

Dallas will host the Charleston Battery in the Quarterfinals next Tuesday. The two clubs met in the Quarterfinals of the 2007 tournament with Dallas emerging witha 2-1 extra time victory.

Lineups

Miami FC Blues — Josh Saunders, Eric Brunner, Caue de Mata, Avery John, Chris Williams, Sean Cameron (Eric Vasquez 80), Jarryd Goldberg (Bruno Menezes 58), Leo Nunes, John Pulido, Alex Afonso, Sean Fraser (Juan Galavis 58),

Substitutes Not Used: Luis Calix, Ricardo Cavalcante, Nicolas Mosquera, Samuel Reynolds

FC Dallas — Ray Burse, Drew Moor, Aaron Pitchkolan, Blake Wagner, Marcelo Saragosa, Juan Toja, Anthony Wallace (Eric Avila 39), Andre Rocha (Michael Dello-Russo 64), Chase Wileman, Dominic Oduro (Kenny Cooper 46), Abe Thompson,

Substitutes Not Used: Ricardinho, Andrew Daniels, Josh Lambo, Brek Shea

FC Dallas Miami FC Blues
total shots: 21 (Dominic Oduro 4) 9 (Alex Afonso 4)
shots on goal: 6 (Dominic Oduro 2) 3 (Alex Afonso 2)
fouls: 8 (Marcelo Saragosa 2) 17 (Leo Nunes 4)
offsides: 1 (Kenny Cooper 1) 4 (4 tied with 1)
corner kicks: 9 (Andre Rocha 7) 1 (Sean Cameron 1)
saves: 2 (Ray Burse 2) 5 (Josh Saunders 5)

Misconduct Summary:
MIA — Leo Nunes (caution; Delaying a Restart) 36
DAL — Drew Moor (caution; Game Disrepute) 84
MIA — Caue de Mata (caution; Delaying a Restart) 88

referee: Jasen Anno
Referee’s Assistants: Adam Gardner; Kyle Borne
4th official: Fernando Galvan
time of game: 1:51
attendance:
weather: Clear -and- 92 degrees

2007 US Open Cup Final: First time for everything; New England Revolution win first trophy, 3-2 over FC Dallas

October 3, 2007 by Josh Hakala

The New England Revolution captured the club’s first-ever US Open Cup championship (and the first championship of any kind) with a 3-2 win over FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park, a stadium where they had lost the last two MLS Cup championship games. Photo: Rick Yeatts

Pat Noonan scored a goal and assisted on two others to help the New England Revolution win their first U.S. Open Cup title, and their first championship of any kind in the club’s 12-year history. The Revolution defeated FC Dallas 3-2 to win the Open Cup at Pizza Hut Park, a stadium where they’ve lost the last two MLS Cup championships.

In the tournament’s first MLS vs. MLS game of the year, the Revs won their first title in their fifth championship game appearance. They lost the 2001 Open Cup final, and fell short three times in the MLS Cup final, and can finally get that monkey off their back.

Noonan opened up the scoring in the 21st minute when Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala failed to control a deflection inside the six-yard box. The ball found its way to Noonan at the post and he tapped it out of the air from point blank range to make it 1-0. The Hoops would equalize nine minutes later on an impressive individual effort by Arturo Alvarez. He dribbled to the top of the box and bent a shot past a diving Matt Reis, which deflected off the post and into the back of the net.

Twellman would send the Revs into the halftime break with a lead when Steve Ralston’s corner kick found Noonan’s head which eventually found its way to Twellman in front who volleyed home his fourth goal of the tournament.

Twellman helped create what turned out to be the game-winner from the left wing where he sent a low cross into the box where it found Noonan, who flicked a pass to Wells Thompson. The rookie from Wake Forest beat Adrian Serioux and blasted a shot past Sala to give the Revs a 3-1 lead.

Dallas would not give up. Less than a minute after entering the match as a substitute, Abe Thompson tapped in a ball that was headed into the area by Clarence Goodson to bring the home side within a goal in the 64th minute.

New England’s defense held on for the 3-2 win in the highest scoring Open Cup final since 1993 when CD Mexico (San Francisco) defeated the United German Hungarians (Philadelphia), 5-0.

The Revolution earned $100,000 for winning the Open Cup, while FC Dallas walks away with $50,000 for second place. The team that advances the furthest from each lower division earns prize money as well, with results against higher level competition as one of the tiebreakers.

The Carolina RailHawks and the Seattle Sounders both advanced to the semifinals, but the Sounders were awarded the $10,000 prize money because they defeated two MLS teams, one more than the RailHawks did. For the USL Second Division, the Richmond Kickers went home with the cash thanks to the tiebreaker over the Harrisburg City Islanders. In the amateur division, which includes the USASA and the Premier Development League teams, the El Paso Patriots earned the prize money by defeating a USL First Division team (Miami FC) in the first round. The Ocean City Barons (PDL) and Bavarian SC (USASA) both earned wins against USL Second Division teams, and fell just short.

Scoring Summary:
NE — Pat Noonan 1 (unassisted) 21
DAL — Arturo Alvarez 1 (David Wagenfuhr ) 30
NE — Taylor Twellman 1 (Pat Noonan ) 41
NE — Wells Thompson 1 (Pat Noonan ) 57
DAL — Abe Thompson 1 (Clarence Goodson ) 64

New England Revolution — Matt Reis, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, James Riley, Andy Dorman, Jeff Larentowicz, Steve Ralston, Khano Smith, Wells Thompson (Adam Cristman 78), Pat Noonan, Taylor Twellman,

Substitutes Not Used: Gary Flood, Kyle Helton, Marshall Leonard, Abdoulie Mansally, Sainey Nyassi, Doug Warren

FC Dallas — Dario Sala, David Wagenfuhr (Kenny Cooper 76), Clarence Goodson, Adrian Serioux, Drew Moor, Dax McCarty, Pablo Ricchetti (Alex Yi 46) (Abe Thompson 63), Juan Toja, Dominic Oduro, Carlos Ruiz, Arturo Alvarez.

Substitutes Not Used: Ray Burse, Chris Gbandi, Aaron Pitchkolan, Bobby Rhine

FC Dallas / New England Revolution
total shots: 12 (Carlos Ruiz 4) 13 (Taylor Twellman 6)
shots on goal: 4 (Arturo Alvarez 2) 6 (Taylor Twellman 4)
fouls: 16 (Clarence Goodson 4,
Pablo Ricchetti 4) 13 (Jeff Larentowicz 4)
offsides: 7 (Dominic Oduro 4) 3 (Taylor Twellman 2)
corner kicks: 4 (Dax McCarty 4) 5 (Steve Ralston 4)
saves: 3 (Dario Sala 3) 2 (Matt Reis 2)

Misconduct Summary:
NE — Jeff Larentowicz (caution; Tackle from Behind) 74
NE — James Riley (caution; Delaying a Restart) 86

referee: Alex Prus
Referee’s Assistants: George Gansner; Kermit Quisenberry
4th official: Terry Vaughn
time of game: 1:51
attendance: 10,618
weather: Clear -and- 84 degrees

2007 Semifinals: FC Dallas headed to Final after OT battle with Seattle

September 4, 2007 by

For the second time in three years, FC Dallas will return to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Final after a 2-1 overtime win against the USL First Division’s Seattle Sounders. In front of over 10,000 fans at Qwest Field in Seattle, the second-biggest crowd in modern Sounders history, the two teams battled to a scoreless draw at the end of regulation. The best scoring chance of the evening came in the second half when Seattle defender Taylor Graham nodded a corner kick delivery toward goal, and had it rattle off the crossbar.

In extra time, Carlos Ruiz broke the deadlock with a goal less than two minutes int on an assist by Arturo Alvarez. Both teams continued to push for another goal, but failed to produce until the 119th minute when Dallas forward Abe Thompson was brought down in the penalty area by Zach Scott. After Seattle’s Noah Merl was shown a red card for something that happened away from the play, Thompson converted the penalty kick to give the visitors a two-goal cushion heading into the final minutes.

The Sounders were able to pull one back during stoppage time, on a goal by Leighton O’Brien, but the clock would eventually run out on them.

FC Dallas will host the New England Revolution in the Open Cup Final at Pizza Hut Park on October 3 at 8 p.m. EST.

Scoring Summary:
DAL – Carlos Ruiz (Arturo Alvarez) 91
DAL – Abe Thompson (penalty kick) 119
SEA – Leighton O’Brien (Andre Schmid) 120+

FC Dallas: Dario Sala, David Wagenfuhr, Alex Yi (Aaron Pitchkolan 56), Clarence Goodson (Adrian Serioux 46), Drew Moor, Denilson (Dax McCarty 94), Juan Toja, Pablo Ricchetti, Arturo Alvarez, Carlos Ruiz (Bobby Rhine 109), Abe Thompson.

Subs not used: Ray Burse (GK), Chris Gbandi, Anthony Wallace.

Seattle Sounders: Chris Eylander, Kevin Sakuda, Danny Jackson (Craig Tomlinson 106), Taylor Graham, Zach Scott, Kenji Treschuk (Greg Howed 100), Leighton O’Brien, Josh Gardner (Noah Merl 78), Hugo Alcaraz, Sebastian LeToux, Roger Levesque (Andre Schmid 100).

Subs not used: Ben Dragavon (GK), Jake Besagno, Santa Maria Rivera.

Disciplinary Summary:
DAL – Pablo Ricchetti (Caution) 88
DAL – Carlos Ruiz (Caution) 113
SEA – Noah Merl (Ejection)

Referee: Abiodun Okulaja
Assistant Referees: Will Niccolls, Mike Rottersman
Fourth Official: Cory Dean
Attendance: 10,385