Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Bay Area Ambassadors

Stanislaus United Turlock Express become first US Club Soccer team to qualify for US Open Cup (video)

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For the first time, a team from US Club Soccer have earned a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Stanislaus United Turlock Express got a pair of goals from Salvador Vergara to defeat the National Premier Soccer League’s Bay Area Ambassadors 3-0 to book their first trip to the tournament.

US Club Soccer held a qualifying tournament for the first time this year after the United States Soccer Federation awarded a half-spot to the organization. The representative from USCS would have to play an NPSL team, and Bay Area emerged from their league’s qualifying tournament after winning their group and defeating the Sacramento Gold in a match that ended in penalty kicks.

The Ambassadors had plenty of opportunities in the opening five minutes, but could not capitalize. An early long shot from Jordan Keyes hit the crossbar, and Cristian Cortes’s rebound was headed over the net. A few minutes later Bay Area had another opportunity as Francisco Camacho sent a long crossfield pass to Cortes, but the shot went wide right. Twenty minutes in, the Stanislaus United’s Arturo Pulido dribbled through traffic and sent through to Salvador Veraga in the penalty area. Veraga one-timed the ball into the right top corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The home side were able to get a couple more chances, but could not convert as the score remained 1-0 at the half.

Turlock Express kept the pressure on after halftime, as Jesse Horta forced a diving save from Bay Area keeper Julian Pereira at long range. Shortly after, Eduardo Meza sent the ball across the penalty area to Martin Arista, who recovered from a near-giveaway to double the Express lead at 57′. The Ambassadors almost cut into the lead, but Turlock keeper Javier Rosales managed to block Francis Lopez from getting the shot off. Ajaya Rana later found Lopez out of position and tried to tap it in the net, but United’s Juan Flores deflected the ball at the line. Stanislaus continued to pressure though, and Bay Area avoided calamity as Ahmad Hatifie avoided a tripping call in the penalty area, play being waved on by the referee.

However, Veraga would not be denied again. Arista ran through defenders in the 80th minute, then turned provider as he set up Veraga with an easy shot to put away the game for the Express. The United players and coaches were elated after the match, but once the dust settled, director of coaching Antonio Reis put it all in perspective. “We will have to work much harder to get ready for the quality teams we will face in the ,” said Reis. “We are really happy to get in and we think the kids we have can get the job done.”

2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Play-In (NPSL vs. US Club Soccer)
Richmond High School – Richmond, Calif.

Stanislaus United Turlock Express (USCS) 3:0 Bay Area Ambassadors (NPSL)

Scoring Summary
STA: Salvador Vergara (Arturo Pulido) – 20th minute
STA: Martin Arista (Eduardo Meza) – 57th minute
STA: Salvador Vergara – 80th minute

2012 US Club Soccer Open Cup qualifying tournament

Northern California
March 31: Pacific Los Gatos Storm 4:1 Sacramento United Legend
April 1: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 3:1 Pacific Los Gatos Storm
April 7: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 1:0 Sacramento United Legend

Southern California
April 15: Zicuiran vs. Napoli
*Zicuiran withdraws from the competition, Napoli advances to the Final

US Club Soccer Final
April 22: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 5:2 Napoli [+] Recap
Stanislaus United advances to an US Open Cup play-in match vs. Bay Area Ambassadors on April 28

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Fullerton Rangers clinch NPSL berth, Bay Area Ambassadors reach play-in game

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Bay Area Ambassadors (left) defeated the Sacramento Gold in penalty kicks to advance to an April 28 US Open Cup play-in match against a representative from US Club Soccer. Photo: Eric Harding

The National Premier Soccer League qualifiers for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup are nearly complete with one Western Conference team clinching a spot, while another put themselves one win away from the 99th edition of the tournament.

The Fullerton Rangers defeated San Diego Boca, 3-2, in their final qualifying match to punch their ticket to the US Open Cup. The club formerly known as the Santa Ana Winds before an off-season rebranding, will enter the tournament in the first round, which is scheduled to begin May 15. It was a single-elimination tournament for the Western Conference’s Northwest flight and Fullerton advanced to the final without allowing a goal. They defeated Santa Clarita Storm 5-0 on March 24 and three days later, edged FC Hasental 1-0 to reach the final against Boca.

On the north side of the conference, the Bay Area Ambassadors punched their ticket to the tournament with a win over the Sacramento Gold in a penalty kick shootout (VIDEO BELOW). It looked as though Bay Area was going to walk away winners in regulation with Brayan Walle scoring off a rebound in the 64th minute, but Sacramento’s Manolo Pina tied the game in the 82nd minute. There was no extra time played as the match was decided by penalty kicks. The shootout was knotted up at 4-4 when Bay Area goalkeeper Derek Leslie dove to his left, but was still able to get a foot on Mykell Bates’ shot down the middle to make the save. Mohamed Abalil would follow up with a goal on the next attempt to send the Ambassadors to an April 28 Open Cup play-in match that they will host against the winner of US Club Soccer’s qualifying tournament. The Ambassadors will be attempting to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2010, when they lost an opening round match against the PDL’s Kitsap Pumas, 4-2.

Bay Area’s path to the play-in game started in the Southwest Flight’s round-robin competition. They blew a 3-1 lead in the final minutes to Sonoma County Sol to finish regulation 3-3. The referee mistakenly failed to call for penalty kicks to decide the outcome, but the Ambassadors made sure that error didn’t matter as they stomped the San Francisco Stompers by a score of 8-0 to put them into the final against Sacramento. Walle and Dylan Leslie each scored a pair of goals in the victory. The Gold cruised through their group, beating Real San Jose 2-0 and North Coast Tsunami 5-0.

There was some confusion following both teams earning their respective victories as to which team would enter the Open Cup directly, and which would participate in the play-in game against a US Club Soccer representative. The league website erroneously announced that Bay Area would get the Open Cup spot, but TheCup.us later confirmed that Fullerton have indeed qualified.

Five other NPSL clubs have already booked their place in the 2012 competition, as all of the other conferences decided to submit their teams based on 2011 results. Already qualified are last year’s NPSL champion Jacksonville United, Southeast Conference co-champion Georgia Revolution, Northeast-Atlantic Conference title holder Brooklyn Italians, and Midwest Conference winner Milwaukee Bavarians (the NPSL version of the Bavarian Soccer Club). Originally the league announced the Erie Admirals would represent the Northeast-Keystone Conference, but the club elected to withdraw from the Open Cup, allowing runner-up FC Sonic to replace them (as TheCup.us had originally reported).

This is just the second year NPSL teams have been given direct access to the Open Cup. Prior to last season, clubs had to get in through the USASA’s regional qualifying tournaments.

NPSL qualifying results

West – Northern Conference
Group A
March 10: Sacramento Gold 2:0 Real San Jose
March 17: Real San Jose 2:0 North Coast Tsunami
March 24: North Coast Tsunami 1:5 Sacramento Gold
Group B
March 10: Sonoma Sol 3:3 Bay Area Ambassadors*
March 17: Sonoma Sol 3:3 San Francisco Stompers (Sol win PKs 6-5)
March 24: San Francisco Stompers 0:8 Bay Area Ambassadors
* The referee mistakenly failed to call for penalty kicks

FINAL
March 31: Bay Area Ambassadors 1:1 Sacramento Gold (Bay Area win PKs, 5-4)
Bay Area qualify for the US Open Cup play-in game vs. US Club Soccer rep

West – Southern Conference
FIRST ROUND
March 24: Phoenix Monsoon 5:4 San Diego Boca (Phoenix win PKs 5-4)
March 24: Fullerton Rangers 5:0 Santa Clarita Storm

SEMIFINALS
March 25: San Diego Boca 1:0 San Diego Flash
March 27: FC Hasental 0:1 Fullerton RangersFINAL
March 31: Fullerton Rangers 3:2 San Diego Boca
Fullerton qualify for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2011 US Open Cup qualifying update: Hollywood claims NPSL West berth after league ruling

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Competition Update (as of 5/20/11) ** Final Update: On Thursday, May 19 the NPSL commissioner and other committee members upheld the league’s decision to penalize the San Diego Flash use of an illegal player in two matches by ruling the games as 3-0 forfeitures.

With the news Thursday that the appeal by the San Diego Flash to overturn the penalties levied against them for using an illegal player in its matches versus Hollywood and Bay Area had failed, the club was officially eliminated from US Open Cup contention.

The ruling gives the US Open Cup berth to Hollywood United, which is now perfect at 7-0-0 and uncatchable. Hollywood finished with a nearly flawless record with 34 goals scored and only three allowed.

Second to Hollywood in the table are the Santa Ana Winds, whose only loss of the six games played on their slate thus far was a 1-0 decision against the leaders in just the second game of the season.

The Flash would have had a perfect 7-0-0 record with the win against the Sacramento Gold. Instead, it is Hollywood United that sits atop the table with a perfect record, including their victory against the Flash, one of the two forfeitures. Along with news of the NPSL ruling, the Flash management commented on their Facebook page, “As an Organization, we will move forward from this decision and do our best to have a great 1st season in the NPSL.”

See the updated standings below (includes penalties):

NPSL WEST GP W L T PTS GF GA GD
Hollywood United 7 7 0 0 21 34 3 +31
Santa Ana Winds 6 5 1 0 15 15 6 +9
San Diego Flash 7 5 2 0 15 14 9 +5
Sonoma County Sol 6 3 2 1 10 16 10 +6
San Diego Boca 7 3 4 0 9 14 16 -2
Sacramento Gold 6 2 2 2 8 10 8 +2
FC Hasental 7 2 4 1 7 13 17 -4
Bay Area Ambassadors 7 1 5 1 4 9 22 -13
Rattlers FC 4 1 3 0 3 4 9 -5
Real San Jose 7 1 6 0 3 4 32 -28

Top team qualifies for the 2011 US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

NPSL West tiebreakers

(1) Goal difference (2) Goals scored



* Denotes forfeiture    –    All times Eastern

April 1 Sonoma County Sol 3:1 Bay Area Ambassadors Final
April 2 Hollywood United 1:0 Santa Ana Winds Final
April 2 Real San Jose 1:2 San Diego Boca Final
April 3 FC Hasental 1:3 San Diego Flash Final
April 9 San Diego Flash 0:3* Hollywood United Final
April 9 Sacramento Gold 4:1 Bay Area Ambassadors Final
April 9 FC Hasental 0:1 San Diego Boca Final
April 16 Hollywood United 4:0 Sonoma County Sol Final
April 16 Bay Area Ambassadors 0:2 Real San Jose Final
April 16 Santa Ana Winds 4:1 FC Hasental Final
April 17 Hollywood United 3:0 Sacramento Gold Final
April 17 Real San Jose 0:8 Sonoma County Sol Final
April 17 San Diego Boca 1:2 San Diego Flash Final
April 23 Sacramento Gold 0:0 Sonoma County Sol Final
April 23 Real San Jose 0:11 Hollywood United Final
April 23 San Diego Flash 0:3* Bay Area Ambassadors Final
April 23 Santa Ana Winds 3:2 San Diego Boca Final
April 23 FC Hasental 3:1 Rattlers FC Final
April 30 Santa Ana Winds 3:0 Rattlers FC Final
April 30 Sacramento Gold 4:0 Real San Jose Final
April 30 Bay Area Ambassadors 2:2 FC Hasental Final
May 1 San Diego Boca 3:5 Hollywood United Final
May 1 Sonoma County Sol 0:1 San Diego Flash Final
May 7 Bay Area Ambassadors 2:4 San Diego Boca Final
May 7 San Diego Flash 5:0 Real San Jose Final
May 8 Bay Area Ambassadors 0:7 Hollywood United Final
May 8 Rattlers FC 1:2 Santa Ana Winds Final
May 14 FC Hasental 4:5 Sonoma County Sol 9:30
May 14 Sacramento Gold 1:1 Hollywood United 10 p.m.
May 14 San Diego Boca 1:3 Santa Ana Winds 10 p.m.
May 14 Rattlers FC 2:1 Real San Jose 10:30
May 15 San Diego Boca 1:2 FC Hasental 5 p.m.
May 15 Sacramento Gold 1:3 San Diego Flash 6 p.m.
May 21 Real San Jose at Santa Ana Winds 10 p.m.
May 21 Rattlers FC at San Diego Boca 10 p.m.
May 22 Rattlers FC at San Diego Flash 6 p.m.
May 22 FC Hasental at Sacramento Gold 8 p.m.
May 28 Rattlers FC at FC Hasental 10 p.m.
May 29 Sonoma County Sol at Sacramento Gold 8 p.m.

PREVIEW

The most sought-after US Open Cup berth in the National Premier Soccer League numerically, the 10 clubs in the West Division, at the time of this article being written, are a third of the way through the qualification process. The berth at stake will go to the club with the best point total after its first seven matches of the league campaign.

Given the method of determining the qualifier, the quest began on April 1 when the Sonoma County Sol won on the road against the 2010 US Open Cup qualifier Bay Area Ambassadors. Both are returning teams to the division. The final qualification match, of 40 total, also features Sonoma County when they travel to play May 29 against the Sacramento Gold.

Qualifying for NPSL teams was previously done via the USASA Regional tournaments. The 2011 edition of the US Open Cup gave the league four automatic entrants into the event. Last year, the division was comprised of six teams. With one team folding, five new clubs join the fray this year, including former United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League teams Hollywood United Hitmen and Lancaster Rattlers. The other three newcomers are FC Hasental, Santa Ana Winds and San Diego Flash, a new version of a former USL club from years past.

Last year, four of the NPSL sides participated in the Region IV tournament and found success. Real San Jose, Bay Area Ambassadors and Sacramento Gold each won their groups with perfect records. Bay Area then edged Sacramento 1-0 in the semifinals while San Jose fell 2-1 to former NPSL and USL side Arizona Sahuaros, who earned the wild card berth in a tiebreaker with the NPSL San Diego Boca. With the two US Open Cup berths already determined, the Ambassadors won the regional championship, 2-0. Sonoma County Sol also qualified via a special play-in match.

Hollywood United coach Ian Carrington celebrates his club’s upset win over the Portland Timbers in the 2008 US Open Cup. Photo: Allison Andrews | SoccerCityUSA.com

The qualifying format for the West upon closer inspection is fairly balanced based in the breadth of opposition each club is facing as five teams only play one opponent twice and the Rattlers are the lone club that plays two teams twice. The Rattlers, the remaining club yet to begin their league campaign, are also the only side that has four matches against clubs that were not in the NPSL or PDL a year ago while Real San Jose and Santa Ana are the only two teams that only play one match against said opponents.

The other balanced schedule aspect comes via the home-away composition. Only two clubs have more than four home or road games on the schedule. Both Sacramento and the Rattlers will be forced to play away from home five times during the campaign. The Gold have four consecutive on the road at one point while the Rattlers play both home matches at the top of the schedule before finishing out on the road five straight. No other clubs have four consecutive matches home or away on the fixture list.

The selection of seven games as the determining point matches the fact that Sonoma County, Santa Ana and the Rattlers only have seven matches prior to the official Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifying deadline. With other clubs playing more than seven by the deadline, the scheduling creates a unique scenario in which a handful of games only count as qualifiers for one club. Sonoma has one such match against an opponent whose qualifying campaign is already concluded. Sacramento, Santa Ana and the Rattlers each have three such games at the ends of their campaigns. Sacramento’s match May 14 against Hollywood United is the first of the 10 specific matches. The final six games, overall, from May 21-29 only count as qualifiers for one team.

About the Teams

Bay Area Ambassadors: A 2009 addition to the NPSL, the Ambassadors entered the US Open Cup fray a year ago with outstanding success, winning all three group games in the USASA Region IV tournament and earning a berth with a semifinal win against fellow NPSL side Sacramento, 1-0, en route to winning the championship against Arizona Sahuaros, 2-0. Bay Area made a thrilling comeback in the First Round of the US Open Cup on the road against the PDL Kitsap Pumas. Trailing since the third minute, Phil Silva scored twice in the 71st and 77th minutes to send the match to overtime where Kitsap scored twice for the 4-2 victory. The club’s two-year league record is 9-10-3.

FC Hasental: While the club is new to the NPSL, it is not new to US Open Cup qualifying. Established in 2005, the team has entered the Region IV tournament the past two years, coming up short in the quest for a berth. Last year FC Hasental was 1-1-0 in the group with Real San Jose of the NPSL. Hasental translates from German to English as Hare-Valley, also known as Conejo Valley, the home of the club.

Hollywood United: The side is the feature team of the Hollywood United Football Club that is famous for numerous celebrities and former internationals playing on its teams over the years as well as participating in the club’s many charity events. As an independent team, the team qualified for the US Open Cup in 2008 through the USASA Region IV tournament, going 3-0-0 with victories against three NPSL teams. They then shocked many in the First Round of the US Open Cup by eliminating then USL First Division (pro second division) Portland Timbers in a 3-2 affair. They were then defeated by the USL-1 Seattle Sounders 6-0. In the past two years, Hollywood finished in the top two of the PDL Southwest Division, but missed out on qualifying for the US Open Cup, finishing 1-2-1 in the group a year ago after narrowly missing out in 2009 at 3-1-0.

Rattlers FC: The club is in its first season in the NPSL after spending four in the USL PDL. The club struggled in PDL play, finishing 10th in its first two seasons and seventh the past two for a combined record of 12-38-14. The Rattlers are a total 3-11-2 in Open Cup qualifiers, but had their best PDL qualifying campaign last year at 1-1-2.

Real San Jose: A member of the NPSL since 2007, the club reached the postseason for the first time last year with a record of 5-3-2. The team is a combined 8-8-6 the past two league campaigns. The club reached the Region IV Semifinals a year ago in its qualification quest, winning its two group matches before falling to the Arizona Sahuaros in the Final Four, 2-1.

San Diego Boca: New to the NPSL last year, the club finished the season fourth in the division at 4-3-3, but surprised second-seed Real San Jose 4-0 in the playoffs before falling to division and eventual league champion Sacramento. In qualifying, San Diego Boca finished 1-1-1 in its group, second to league-mate Bay Area and missed out on the wild card based on tiebreakers.

San Diego Flash: A familiar name, the club is new to the NPSL. The team is a rebirth of the former A-League (pro second division) team that played in United Soccer Leagues from 1998-2001. The new club is guided by former English international Warren Barton (Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Derby County, QPR), who is also an analyst for Fox Soccer Channel. The previous Flash side was 2-3 in the tournament after failing to qualify in its first season. In 1999 and 2000 the club posted victories against pro third division USL clubs before being ousted back-to-back times by the MLS Los Angeles Galaxy in the Third Round. In 2000, they were knocked out by the MLS Chicago Fire in the Second Round.

Santa Ana Winds: A new addition to the NPSL, the club was founded in 2009 and has played locally the past few years. This is the club’s first campaign to qualify for the US Open Cup.

Sonoma County Sol: The oldest club in the division, Sonoma County is looking to qualify for the US Open Cup for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall, having advanced via the USASA Region IV tournament previously. The club joined the league in 2004 and reached the US Open Cup for the first time in 2005. It has advanced to the Second Round of the tournament twice, downing the Ogden Outlaws (PDL) in penalties, 6-5, after a 1-1 draw in 2006 and topping Orange County Blue Star (PDL), 5-2, in 2009.  They were knocked out by the USL First Division’s (pro second division) Charleston Battery, 1-0, and Portland Timbers, 3-0, in the Second Round contests, respectively. In their 2005 debut they were ousted in penalties, 6-5, after a 2-2 draw with Salinas Valley Samba in the First Round. Last year, extra amateur spots led to a special amateur play-in game that gave the defending NPSL champions the opportunity to qualify in one match, defeating a fellow California side PSA Los Gatos 3-0 to reach the tournament where they were blanked, 3-0, by the USL-1 Timbers again.

2010 Meet the USASA: Bay Area Ambassadors

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Bay Area Ambassadors FC, 2010 USASA Region IV champions, make their U.S. Open Cup debut June 15 against Kitsap Pumas SC of the PDL.

It’s  a momentous occasion for the club from Hayward, Calif., a member of the NPSL Northwest Division. The Bay Area Ambassadors  were in fifth place in the six-team NPSL Northwest heading into their opening round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup game, but overcame adversity and emerged  as the winner of the Region IV tourney in Sacramento last month and thus earned a spot in the 97th edition of the tournament.

Not bad for a franchise in only its third year of existence. BAFC was started in 2008 by former Nigerian Olympic team member Tony Igwe and local businessman and real-estate broker Arif Khan to bring the highest level of amateur/semi-pro soccer to the Bay Area, Khan said.

Igwe, the team’s technical advisor, and Khan, the general manager, chose the NPSL for their club because there were several other teams in Northern California. The Ambassadors practice and play at Chabot College in Hayward.

While goalkeeper Sergio Valle is the main player to watch, the Ambassadors feature a mix of local college and non-college players. Coach Mohammed Mohammed has several players he’s developed from his youth club, including Yusuf Samy, Stefan Clemens and Pedro Osorio.

BAFC didn’t have it easy at the Region IV tournament. Three of its players were injured in the tournament opener. But the club made the regional final and won it with no substitutes, playing two games with only 10 men due to the injuries and two players unable to get international clearance.

Even with the obstacles, the Ambassadors cruised through group play, only allowing one goal in three matches. They defeated San Diego Boca FC, 2-0, Arizona Pros, 1-0, and the French Soccer Academy, 5-1. In the semifinals, it was a battle of unbeatens as Bay Area knocked off the Sacramento Gold 1-0 to qualify for the Open Cup. With the tournament berth already in place, Bay Area carried the momentum into the Region IV Open Cup final and booked a spot in the USASA National Cup Finals with a 2-0 win over fellow qualifier Arizona Sahuaros.

The Ambassadors fly into Seattle-Tacoma Airport on June 15 and play that evening at 7 p.m. in nearby Bremerton, home of the Kitsap Pumas, the Premier Development League qualifier from the Northwest Division.

Arizona Sahuaros qualify for 3rd straight US Open Cup, Ambassadors from Bay Area to make their debut

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After an exhausting five games in three days, Region IV of the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) has submitted their two teams to the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The Bay Area Ambassadors accept the USASA Region IV Open Cup championship trophy. Bay Area qualified for the US Open Cup by reaching the semifinals, and then defeated the Arizona Sahuaros in the final, 2-0. Photo: Bay Area Ambassadors

The Arizona Sahuaros and the Bay Area Ambassadors of the NPSL both reached the final of the Region IV tournament and therefore qualified for the tournament. For the Sahuaros, this is their third straight Open Cup appearance and fifth overall in the Professional Era (1995-present). The Ambassadors have not only punched their ticket to the Open Cup but won the entire tournament, defeating the Sahuaros in the final to advance to the USASA National Cup Finals.

The Ambassadors opened the weekend on a high note beating San Diego Boca 2-0. Both goals came in the 2nd half from Tony Salcicca and Jacob assisted by Pedro Osorio and Jordan Keyes. The victory was sweet for the 2nd year NPSL club as they struggled with injuries of three keys players in the first game.

On Saturday morning, BayArea FC beat the Arizona Pros 1-0. Jasko Begovic netted the game’s only goal in the 70th minute.  Fresh from the win the Ambassadors handed the French Soccer Academy a lesson with a final score of 5-1. Dannylo Ayllon scored two Goals each and Jasko Begovic assisted by Aneesh Rana.

*Bear with us on the formatting in this table, we’re trying to fix it*

WIN & YOU’RE IN (Special Play-in game)
PSA LOS GATOS STORM (US CLUB SOCCER)
0:3
SONOMA COUNTY SOL (NPSL)
PAL Stadium – San Jose, Calif.

USASA REGION IV TOURNAMENT
Qualified Clubs:
Arizona Pros (Arizona)
Arizona Sahuaros (NPSL – on hiatus)
Bay Area Ambassadors (NPSL)
Doxa-Italia (California South)
FC Hasental (California South)
French Soccer Academy (Washington)
Real San Jose (NPSL)
Sacramento Gold (NPSL)
San Diego Boca FC (NPSL)
San Diego United (NPSL – on hiatus)
San Francisco Italian Athletics (California North)
Yakima United (Washington)

Group A P W L T Pts GF GA GD
Real San Jose 2 2 0 0 6 5
 2 +3
FC Hasental 2 1 1 0 3 6 3 +3
SF Italian Athletics 2 0 2 0 1 1 7 -5

*San Diego United withdrew, therefore the second place
team in the group is not eligible to reach the semifinals

All times Eastern

5/21 FC Hasental 5:0 SF Italia Athletics 5:00 PM
5/22 FC Hasental 1:3 Real San Jose 1:00 PM
5/22 SF Italia Athletics 1:2 Real San Jose 6:00 PM
Group B P W L T Pts GF GA GD
Bay Area Ambassadors 3 3 0 0 9 8 1 +7
San Diego Boca FC 3 1 1 1 4 3 3 +0
French Soccer Academy 3 1 1 1 4 3 5 -2
Arizona Pros 3 0 3 0 0 1 6 -5

All times Eastern

5/21 San Diego Boca FC 0:2 Bay Area Ambassadors 5:00 PM
5/21 French Soccer Academy 2:0 Arizona Pros 5:00 PM
5/22 Bay Area Ambassadors 1:0 Arizona Pros 12:00 PM
5/22 French Soccer Academy 0:0 San Diego Boca FC 2:00 PM
5/22 Arizona Pros 1:3 San Diego Boca FC 5:00 PM
5/22 Bay Area Ambassadors 5:1 French Soccer Academy 7:00 PM
Group C P W L T Pts GF GA GD
Sacramento Gold 3 3 0 0 9 10 2 +8
Arizona Sahuaros 3 1 1 1 4 12 4 +8
Doxa-Italia 3 1 1 1 4 10 4 +6
Yakima United 3 0 3 0 0 2 24 -22

All times Eastern

5/21 Sacramento Gold 1:0 Arizona Sahuaros 7:00 PM
5/21 Doxa-Italia 7:0 Yakima United 7:00 PM
5/22 Arizona Sahuaros 10:1 Yakima United 12:00 PM
5/22 Doxa-Italia 1:2 Sacramento Gold 2:00 PM
5/22 Yakima United 1:7 Sacramento Gold 7:00 PM
5/22 Arizona Sahuaros 2:2 Doxa-Italia 7:00 PM
SEMIFINALS
5/23 Bay Area Ambassadors 1:0 Sacramento Gold 11:00 AM
5/23 Real San Jose 1:2 Arizona Sahuaros 11:00 AM
FINAL
5/23 Bay Area Ambassadors 2:0 Arizona Sahuaros 4:00 PM

Bay Area emerged as Group B winners with a record of 3-0-0 and would take on Sacramento Gold.

Come Sunday morning, the soccer Gods were with the Ambassadors. Team captain Sergio Valle who had an outstanding tournament saved a Sacramento penalty kick in the first half. BayArea FC midfield maestro Jasko Begovic scored in the 69th minute to give the Ambassadors the 1-0 victory.

In the finals, the Ambassadors came up against a strong Arizona Sahuaros who beat Real San Jose 2-1 to advance to the finals. The teams were evenly matched in the first half, not to mention exhausted playing four 90-minute competitive matches in a span of three days.

The Bay Area Ambassadors were not deterred with only a two hour rest and playing with only 10 men for most of 2nd half due to injury and no subs. In the 53rd minute Jasko Begovic rose to the occasion and slotted one home and the second goal came in the 80th minute from St. Mary’s College star player, Mohammed Yusuf Samy.

“The Bay Area Ambassadors won today because the players played with heart. Most of the players carried an injury and some of them missed their graduation to sacrifice for this victory. It is a gallant effort noting that we played with very limited men and so many games in a short span.,” said Mohammed Mohammed, Head Coach the Bay Area Ambassadors.

The Arizona Sahuaros run to the Open Cup proper was not as clear cut as Bay Area, as they finished 1-1-1 in group play.

A first match loss 1-0 to the Sacramento Gold forced Arizona to get points in their last two matches.  The next match was a 10-1 drubbing of Yakima United, while the last was a 2-2 draw against Doxa Italia.

The 9-goal blowout proved to be the most important result as Arizona tied with three other clubs with four points, as the best second place team would book a place in the semifinals. With a plus-8 goal differencial, the Sahuaros would edge out Doxa-Italia (+6), San Diego Boca FC (+0), and the French Soccer Academy (-2) for a spot in the final four.

Teams in Group A, which consisted of only three teams due to San Diego United dropping out of the competition, were informed prior to the tournament starting that the second place team in the group would not be eligible for the semifinals, since each team was only playing in two matches.

In the semi-finals the Sahuaros defeated Real San Jose 2-1.  Pat Perkins netted both goals for Arizona. The second goal appeared to be a handball, but after consulting with the AR, the center ref let the goal stand.  Real San Jose pulled one back in the second half but it was too little, too late.

“What can we do? I thought the boys battled very hard and were very unlucky on that call and unlucky not to get the game into overtime at least. In all it was great experience. We took perhaps powerhouse amateur team to the wire in our first Open Cup experience. I learned a lot about coaching from my coaching opponent today. He’s one of the best in my opinion,” said RSJ manager Nick Arellano.

“I think our GK Brad Swenby was the key to our success this weekend.” said Sahuaros head coach Petar Draskin.  “A few other players to recognize were Skelly Keller, Mitch Garcia, Defenders Chris Green and Brian Green. Midfielder Paul La larva and forward Pat Perkins. This was the youngest team Sahuaros have ever brought to this event. Also, Seth George former pro had his first appearance in the Sahuaros Jersey.”

This is the third straight US Open Cup for Arizona Sahuaros (2008, 2009, 2010).  They are the third USASA club to qualify for the US Open Cup for three straight seasons.  Los Lobos (Oaklahoma) qualified from 1997-1999 and Mexico SC qualified four years in a row from 1999-2002.

I think our GK Brad Swenby  was the key to our success this weekend. Few other players to recognize Skelly Keller, Mitch Garcia, Defenders Chris Green and Brian Green. Mid fielder Paul La larva and forward Pat Perkins. This was the youngest team Sahuaros brought to this event. Also, Seth George former pro had his first appearance in the Sahuaros Jersey.

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