Brooklyn Italians

2018 US Open Cup Round 1: Lansdowne Bhoys blank Brooklyn Italians to advance to Round 2

May 13, 2018 by Anthony Merced

The dream came to an end on Wednesday night for the Brooklyn Italians as Lansdowne Bhoys took a 2-0 win at LIU Athletic Center to move on to the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. A goal from Daryl Kavanagh in the first half was all they needed to lock the game down with the Italians offering little in response on offense.

Lansdowne Bhoys started the game by spreading the ball out wide and challenging the Italians in the midfield. Despite their best efforts, the Italians seemed on the back-foot from the first whistle. That was confirmed in the eighth minute when Michi Holzer shredded the defense and fed the ball to Daryl Kavanagh for the game’s opening goal. The Bhoys continued to pour on the offense but weren’t able to find the brace before the halftime whistle.

Injuries did plague Brooklyn, forcing them to go to the bench before the 45th minute. Another injury, this time to Collyns Laokandi who assisted on two of the Italians’ three goals in the upset of the New York Cosmos B a few days before, forced another substitution in the second half, altering the game plan.

Brooklyn didn’t surrender in the second half, forcing the action and taking advantage of a visibly tired Lansdowne Bhoys team. That didn’t stop Mamadou Guirassy from taking the ball down the line and forcing a clearance that was botched by the Italians. The ball ricocheted off of the defender and into their own net, doubling the lead.

From there, Brooklyn pressed and created opportunities but none were good enough to force a save out of the Bhoys keeper. On the flip side, the winners did have opportunities only to find it difficult to beat the Italians’ keeper.

The win pushes Lansdowne Bhoys into the Second Round of the US Open Cup and sends them to North Carolina to play North Carolina FC of the USL. For the Italians, they can take solace in knowing they eliminated the New York Cosmos B in the Preliminary Round but Lansdowne Bhoys proved to be too much.

Rasmus Hansen delivers 2018 US Open Cup’s first upset for Brooklyn Italians, earns TheCup.us Player of the Round

May 8, 2018 by Jake Nutting

After notching two pivotal second-half goals to lift the Brooklyn Italians over New York Cosmos B over the weekend, Danish attacker Rasmus Hansen has earned TheCup.us Player of the Round honors for the 2018 Preliminary Round of the U.S. Open Cup.

Hansen is the first Brooklyn Italians player, and the first Danish player to be named Player of the Round. The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters.

Hansen’s first goal in the 58th minute gave the Italians a 2-1 lead only for the Cosmos to equalize just a minute later. The Italians, though, persisted and eventually found the winner through a fantastic left-footed strike from Hansen in the 88th minute to seal the win at the home field of Long Island University, where Hansen is also a student.

Both of Hansen’s goals were counter attacks executed to perfection. Brooklyn’s strategy of utilizing the speed of players like Hansen and Giuseppe Barone against the Cosmos’ experienced, but slower, back line paid off well.

“In games like this, you get one, maybe two chances. Today I was lucky to get two and I was fortunate to score on both of them,” Hansen said. “We’d been looking at video all week and we wanted to target the space behind their backs because, they’re very offensive but we saw there was opportunities to get in behind them. I just tried my best to get in these pockets and it worked for us today.”

Hansen noted after the match that he wanted the ball in those crucial late stages, which led to midfielder Collyns Laokandi picking him out with a long ball after he slipped away from the Cosmos’ back line on the right wing.

Rasmus Hansen of the Brooklyn Italians chases a loose ball against the New York Cosmos B in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Bob Larson | TheCup.us

“I felt great today. I felt fit. I felt I could run with them, so I wanted the ball over the top,” he said. “I tried to stay as composed as possible and get the shot off as quickly as possible so the goalie wouldn’t expect it. It went through a couple legs and in the goal. It was beautiful. It was a good moment.”

The Dane is also a standout with Long Island University’s men’s soccer team. He led the program in scoring during his freshman season in 2015 has so far bagged 28 goals and 15 goals in three seasons with the Blackbirds. His ambitions extend off the field also, as he’s pursuing a triple major in Finance, Management, and Marketing.

“I love staying over here in the summer and playing for the Italians and getting better. The guys are great. There’s a great group of guys. Most of them are coming back every year, so we have a lot of fun. I feel like I’m a better player because of it.”

Now entering his third year with the Italians, Hansen is well aware of the National Premier Soccer League’s proud history as winner of the 1979 and 1991 US Open Cups. Having missed out on the last two Open Cups, Hansen is eager to help the Italians make a strong run in the competition this year.

“Obviously I’m foreign, but I feel like I’m a part of the club,” Hansen said. “I give all I have for the club and they give everything back to us players. I know it’s a proud club. If you go to the clubhouse there’s no space for a new trophy, so that shows how rich a club it is and the culture. We’re such a diverse team, but we come together and we really play for the Italians spirit I think.”

The Italians host Lansdowne Bhoys FC in Round 1 of the Open Cup at LIU Brooklyn on Wednesday, May 9 at 8 p.m.

2018 US Open Cup: Hansen’s brace helps Brooklyn Italians stun NY Cosmos

May 7, 2018 by Jake Nutting

National Premier Soccer League foes met for a rare Preliminary Round match in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Sunday night, as the Brooklyn Italians played host to New York Cosmos B at LIU Brooklyn for the right to face Lansdowne Bhoys in Round 1 on Wednesday night.

Despite only training together for a couple days before the match, the Italians were the ones with the winning strategy in the match and rode two second-half goals from Rasmus Hansen to end the Cosmos’ cup aspirations with a 3-2 win.

“In games like this, you get one, maybe two chances. Today I was lucky to get two and I was fortunate to score on both of them,” said Hansen. “We’d been looking at video all week and we wanted to target the space behind their backs because, they’re very offensive but we saw there was an opportunity to get in behind them. I just tried my best to get in these pockets and it worked for us today.”

For Hansen, he was right at home. The Danish-born striker is a star on the Long Island University Brooklyn men’s soccer team, so scoring goals on that field was nothing new for the reigning Northeast Conference Player of the Year.

Head Coach Carlos Mendes’ Cosmos squad enjoyed the bulk of possession throughout the first half hour, though it failed to produce any meaningful chances on net with the advantage.

Brooklyn’s Giuseppe Barone, son of Cosmos vice president Joe Barone, made the visitors pay for their failure to
capitalize with a brilliant individual effort in the 31st minute. Defender Dominik Falanga’s hopeful long ball took a couple fortunate bounces inside the final third, where Barone swopped past the defender and poked the bouncing ball past keeper Macklin Robinson and into the net from a tight angle.

“The Cosmos were working at it a month before us and we were actually just getting it together this week, all the college guys,” Barone said. “Some guys were just getting released from school. We tried our best to get together and make it look as good as possible. Sometimes it wasn’t the prettiest, but we got the job done.”

Falling behind seemed to put some urgency into the Cosmos as their cup dreams were put on the line. Bledi Bardic helped the Cosmos respond just five minutes after Barone’s strike with a decent connection on a long ball, as well. MLS veteran Chris Wingert offered the assist, sending in a pass that Bardic pushed past keeper Michael Bernardi at the top of the box before calmly depositing it into the empty net.

For Wingert, it was his first Open Cup assist since he was helped out on a Frankie Hejduk goal as a member of the Columbus Crew during the 2004 tournament. In an obscure piece of Open Cup statistical trivia, that 14-year gap is the longest gap in between assists of any player in the Modern Era (1995-present).

The pace of the match picked up after the two sides traded goals, but the roughly 300 fans in attendance at LIU Brooklyn had to wait until the 58th minute to see another tally.

“I think the first half we tried to press up high and then we quickly realized we’d only trained together two days. So the tactics we’d worked on, it wasn’t working for us on the field,” Italians Coach Dominic Casciato said. “We decided to sit off a bit deeper in the wide areas, because we knew the full backs were gonna go forward. We know their center backs are good players, but obviously these guys are getting older. We knew our young, quick guys could play into the space behind them on the counter attack and thankfully it worked.”

A well-won tackle near the halfway line by James Thirstino quickly launched a lethal counter for the Italians. Thirstino swiftly distributed the ball to Collyns Laokandi, who played a perfectly-weighted ball into space for Hansen to race onto and bury into the goal.

Before the celebration had even waned on Brooklyn’s second goal of the night, though, the Cosmos clawed their way right back into the match with a nifty goal. Less than a minute after the restart following Hansen’s goal, Darwin Espinal penetrated Brooklyn’s box with a dangerous run toward the endline and then smoothly played the ball to the center of the box for a one-touch finish from Wojciech Wojcik.

The two sides continued to trade counter attacking jabs until the Italians dealt the fatal blow in the 85th minute. Again, it was Hansen latching onto a long ball. It was Laokandi again spotting Hansen all alone on the right wing and springing him with a tremendous pass. Hansen cut inside as the defender attempted to recover and close him down, but the Danish attacker and LIU student got a shot off that whizzed over Robinson’s head.

“This means a great deal to us,” Hansen said of the win. “We’ve been playing the Cosmos for years now, and today we beat the first team. I think we go out there we have a game plan that we follow and. We were believing that we were probably underdogs going into the game, but we play with our hearts, we play for the club.”

Brooklyn now hosts the Cosmopolitan Soccer League’s Lansdowne Bhoys on Wednesday night.

“Hopefully tonight people will take notice of us,” Casciato said. “Because we have some very, very good players, who should be going into MLS. We have really good young players. I hope someone out there is watching and seeing these kids know what they’re doing and they deserve the opportunity.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2015 US Open Cup Round 1: Joe Holland carries Long Island Rough Riders to 3-1 win over Brooklyn Italians

May 13, 2015 by Michael Anderer

In what used to be a regular occurance in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, a battle between two teams from New York City has become more rare in the Modern Era (1995-present). For just the fifth time since 1995, two teams from the Big Apple squared off as the Long Island Rough Riders defeated the Brooklyn Italians 3-1. Long Island’s Joe Holland was involved in all three goals as he led the team with a pair of goals and an assist as the Rough Riders won their first US Open Cup game since 2012.

Rough Riders head coach Paul Roderick highlighted Holland as a player to watch in tonight’s US Open Cup match.

“Joe can sometimes be a hot and cold player, but when he’s on, it’s special”, Roderick shared as the teams warmed up. Another notable player for Long Island was Jimmy Nealis. Nealis was drafted in 2013 by the Houston Dynamo but injured in the preseason of that year. After rehabbing, he was signed by the New York Cosmos and played for two seasons.

Tonight was definitely one of the better performances for the emerging star. Holland and the Rough Riders wasted no time taking the game to visiting Brooklyn side scoring in the first minute. This was Joe Holland’s first US Open Cup goal. Long Island controlled the game for most of the first half with quick, smart play, but also helped by a Brooklyn attack that was constantly caught offsides and a slew of unforced turnovers by the back line.

In the 38th minute, Brooklyn’s Yannick Laroche drove into the box with a quick change of pace catching defender Danny Kreamer off balance forcing a Brooklyn penalty kick. Yvener Guerrier stepped up and cooly placed the shot past Joe Martin leveling the game at 1-1, a score that would stand for the rest of the first half.

Both squads remained unchanged to start the second half, but almost immediately Long Island would need to make a change. In the 46th minute, midfielder Dan Reid rolled his ankle. The injury would prove to be too much for him to return and Dom Iovino would enter in his place.

The second half was much improved on the first with both teams settling in. The play was organized and each chance was harder to earn, but equally more dangerous as they tried to break the deadlock. The Rough Riders, sensing they were close switched up the midfield again, subbing out Adriana Gabrielle for the fresh legs of Ben Withcomb in the 60th minute.

Four minute later, the constant pressure by Long Island forced another Brooklyn error as Alejandro Penzini was called for a handball in the box. Holland took the kick, but a fantastic diving effort by 19-year-old Michael Bernardi kept the score tied. While some might think the save by the Brooklyn keeper would have put momentum on their side, that was not the case tonight. In the 66th minute, Ben Wignall found himself with a clear look on the left side about twenty yards out. His laser beat a fully extended Bernandi and Long Island would take the lead 2-1.

The more fit and organized Long Island team continued to control the pace of the game and in the 74th minute, the star of the night, Holland scored his second putting the Rough Riders ahead 3-1.

The Italians would not let the game go without a fight. The late substitutions of Armen Katchaturian (Diego Zuniga), Kevin Lue (Yannick Laroche) and Vincent Benzecourt (Martin Williams) gave the attack a little more pace, but many of their chances were the result of individual effort and not team play. Long Island used their last sub in the bringing in Junior Rosero for goal scorer Wignall to keep the pressure and possession in the Brooklyn third.

At the final whistle it would remain a 3-1 win for the home side. Nealis after game while happy with the result knows the team can play better.

“It’s still the start of our season,” said Nealis. “It’s tough, we are still getting comfortable together, but the more we practice and the fitter we get, the better we will be.”

Entering the game, the Rough Riders had just one league game under their belt, a 3-1 home win in league play the previous Saturday. For Coach Roderick, with so little time together as a team, he’ll take the victory.

“In a cup, it’s nice to get any type of win,” said Roderick. “We made it harder than it needed to be. After the early goal we eased up a bit and credit to Brooklyn they fought back.”

Holland was proud of the way the team performed as well.

“Fantastic win,” said Holland. “In the first half we were a little haphazard and all over the place. Despite giving up the goal, we came out for the second half much more organized and compact and in the end it was comfortable.”

After the game the team immediately moved their attention to next week’s match as they will host the Real Monarchs, the United Soccer Leagues reserve team of Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake.

Holland knows that the match up against the USL side will be a tough challenge.

“I can’t wait,” said Holland. “It’s a good team, and obviously they have some professional links there so you’re going to see some good players. They move the ball around well as we do when we play right, so it should make for a very good game.”

Roderick gave a brief scouting report looking ahead to next year.

“Well, they will come in more fit and more organized,” said Roderick. “They are a team that trains everyday. But these are the games that our players want to be in, to play against the better clubs so it should be a great match.”

Former Long Island Rough Rider, Tyler Arnone currently plays with the Real Monarchs and will be making his return to Cy Donnelly stadium next week when the teams meet up Wednesday, May 20 at 8 p.m.

2014 US Open Cup Round 3: New York Cosmos win Open Cup debut, will host Red Bulls in Round 4

May 29, 2014 by Michael Anderer

The New York Cosmos defeated the Brooklyn Italians 2-0 in their US Open Cup debut. Photo: New York Cosmos014

Reigning NASL Champions, the New York Cosmos entered the Third Round of the US Open Cup with a win against NPSL’s Brooklyn Italians. Brooklyn struggled early on with their composure. Head coach Lucio Russo told reporters after the game that he hoped his team could keep the score level for the first 30 minutes. He knew that the longer it took the NASL squad to score, the more nervous they would become.

Unfortunately,by the time the clock hit thirty, Russo’s squad was already down 2-0. The Cosmos scored their first goal off a short corner play in the 16th minute. Spanish defender Ayoze would end up with the ball just outside the Italian box, sending in a cross that was put away by centerback Jimmy Ockford. While continuing to dominate possession, the Cosmos would add another goal at the 30 minute mark. Hagop Chirishian took a rebound off Brooklyn goalkeeper Parkinson, pushing the ball to the back of the net.

The Cosmos tallied 16 shots in the first half compared to Brooklyn’s three, but the Cosmos also bettered the Brooklyn squad in another statistic that they would not want the lead in: fouls. The Cosmos were called for nine fouls while Brooklyn only five. Both teams would go into halftime which one player each being shown a yellow card: Yvener Diese (Brooklyn) and Hagop Chirishian (NY Cosmos).

Brooklyn would make one change to start the second half with forward Juan Aguiar replacing midfielder Diego Zuniga in an obvious attempt to change the game quickly. The game would change very quickly, but the way the Italians hoped. Italians midfielder Salvatore Barone picked up a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on the Cosmos’ Dane Murphy in the 22nd minute. Head referee Andres Pfefferkorn had just put his cards away and blew the whistle to restart play when Barone took down another Cosmos player drawing his second yellow in less than a minute’s time. Brooklyn would play down a man for the next half an hour.

The Cosmos bombarded the Italians with quick lateral passes and crosses but they could not break through the tough defense solidified by Kirk Scarlett and Tim Parker. Parker, a former St John’s defender, looked right at home on the Belson turf, but it would be Scarlett with the defensive play of the match clearing a ball off the goal line that had made its way past Parkinson.

Not even the addition of substitute Hans Denissen could help the Cosmos put a little more breathing room between them and the nine-man Brooklyn squad. The final whistle would propel the Cosmos onto the Fourth Round which will include another NY Derby match-up. The Cosmos will host MLS’s New York Red Bulls at Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, NY, on June 14. When asked about the upcoming game against the Red Bulls, Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese said that he thinks it will great for the sport of soccer. He added that the Cosmos are excited about and that it will be a good thing for New York.

Tonight’s game marked the first ever appearance for the famed New York Cosmos franchise in US Open Cup history . The Brooklyn Italians are no strangers to the tournament winning the Lamar Hunt trophy in 1979 and 1991.

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Brooklyn Italians rally to beat Jersey Express, earn date with New York Cosmos (video)

May 20, 2014 by Jason Sieira

The Brooklyn Italians opened the 2014 US Open Cup with a 4-2 road win over the PDL's Jersey Express. Photo: Bob Larson — The Brooklyn Italians opened the 2014 US Open Cup with a 4-2 road win over the PDL’s Jersey Express. Photo: Bob Larson

The NPSL’s Brooklyn Italians survived a slow start and advanced with a four-goal second half performance against the PDL’s Jersey Express at the J. Malcolm Simon Stadium on the campus of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ.

The 4-2 road victory earned the Italians the right to face the NASL Soccer Bowl champions New York Cosmos in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Brooklyn’s turnaround started early in the second half with a goal by Jiro Barriga, followed by a goal from a penalty kick by Salvatore Barrone, and two goals after the 80th minute by Yvener Guerrier.

Italians coach Lucio Russo, a former Jersey Express assistance coach, credited an increase in his squad’s intensity level for the reversal. “We had to match through intensity,” said Russo. “ came out really strong, knocking the ball around and we were basically just watching them.”

The first half belonged to the Jersey Express who looked the better side as they worked the ball up the right flanks and sent the occasional long ball to their target striker Joseph Ovenseri, who sat in the center channel looking to play off the center back’s shoulder.

The Brooklyn Italians are making their 5th straight US Open Cup appearance. Photo: Bob Larson

The Express had a few early chances and capitalized off of a set piece in the 12th minute. William Torreson Paulino’s free kick from the right about a yard outside the box found an unmarked Markus Hackett at the far post to open the scoring.

Brooklyn’s frustration seems to come out toward the end of the first half. Martin Williams was given a yellow card for a tactical foul in the 42nd minute, followed two minutes later by Ricardo Milano getting himself a yellow for a foul a few yards outside the top of the box. Jersey kept the pressure on through most of the first half, but several key saves by the Italians’ goalkeeper Sheldon Parkinson minimized the damage. The majority of Parkinson’s nine saves were in the first half and his performance allowed the Italians to get into the locker room only down 1-0 at the half.

In the second half, Brooklyn immediately looked like a different team. “We were better as far as collectively, defensively we really stepped it up a notch,” said Russo. “We were stealing some balls and we were kind of dangerous up top.”

In the 48th minute, Barriga found himself open in the box with a loose ball at his foot. Barriga, about two yards left of the spot, pushed a low shot to the opposite goal post passed a frozen keeper. Jersey answered with a goal by Chris Karcz off a shot near the top of the box. Karcz got to a free ball in space and hit it past the keeper. The Express appeared to be back in control with a 2-1 lead in the 62nd minute. However, 10 minutes later, a handball in the box gave the Italians a penalty kick. Express keeper David Greczek got a hand on Barrone’s hard and low shot to the right post, but the power of the strike was too much and the game was tied.

After that goal the Brooklyn supporters came alive, chanting and stomping on the metal bleachers. Brooklyn’s forward Guerrier scored the match-winning goal on a breakaway set-up by midfielder Karrem Joachim in the 81st minute. Guerrier outran the Jersey center backs and slipped the ball past an oncoming Greczek. Guerrier added a second goal from the spot in second half stoppage time after the Express defender Christopher Lebo denied a clear goal scoring opportunity in the 89th minute. Lebo was giving a red card by referee Neil Barbulescu for the take down just outside of Jersey’s box. The penalty kick goal by Guerrier was a low hard shot of the right post passed Express keeper Greczek. Again Greczek picked correctly, but could not make the save.

For Guerrier it gives him a brace in each of the club’s first three matches of the season. Italians coach Russo had high praise for his forward. “I believe he belongs at the next level, definitely with a USL team or NASL team,” said Russo. “He’s a force on top. He’s difficult to mark”

Russo realizes the challenge his amateur club faces in the next round. “We’re playing pro now, not to take nothing away from the Jersey Express because they are fantastic,” explained Russo. “But are pro, they do it all day long, and we are amateurs and we practice twice a week. A complete hours a day, to match up against a team like that is a great experience for these players.”

The Brooklyn Italians, making their fifth straight appearance in the tournament, improve to 2-4-0 in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present). This match was the first for the Jersey Express in the US Open Cup.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

2013 US Open Cup First Round: Argjent Duka’s hat trick lifts newcomers Icon FC over Brooklyn Italians

May 15, 2013 by Romulo Vieira

US Open Cup first timers Icon FC is kept its dream alive after defeating the Brooklyn Italians 4-1 on the strength of a hat trick by Argjent Duka in Brooklyn on Tuesday.

Icon FC — a USASA member — will head to Virginia to face USL Pro side Richmond Kickers in the second round of the Open Cup.

The first half of the first round game between the two sides was very even.

The NPSL-side Italians’ main tool was speed on the flanks and quick counter attacks. Icon did a good job of passing the ball up the field to reach the opposing box.

Icon was the first to come close to scoring in the eighth minute when Kevin Garcia hit the crossbar as he tried to cross the ball to a teammate.

Just four minutes later Icon went ahead as Jonathan Yazo was able to get pass a couple defenders, allowing him to pass the ball to Duka who beat a defender before putting the ball in the back of the net.

Despite their speed, Brooklyn was having a difficult time getting pass Icon’s defense. Brooklyn’s best chance came in the 33rd minute as Henry Lino’s header off a cross by James Mulligen went wide.

The second half of the game was all Icon FC as it dominated the field.

Duka scored his second of the match when he received a pass from Nelson Becerra in the box and beat Brooklyn goalkeeper Rafael Diaz in the 51st minute with a low shot to the left of the goal.

Icon continued to show their attacking force when Becerra made a long-range effort to chip the ball over Diaz when he saw him off his line, but his effort went wide.

In the 67th minute Icon padded their lead off a corner kick header by Kevin Garcia off the kick by Jonathan Lopuski.

Icon sealed their place in the second round nine minutes later when Duka completed his hat trick with a confusing goal.

After a few passes in the box, Icon took a shot on goal that was cleared by Brooklyn but Duka was there to head the ball into goal.

The Italians added a late goal as Tim Parker headed in a free kick taken by Christian Turizo in the 78^th minute.

Brooklyn tried desperately to score in the last four minutes, but Icon had done enough to seal their victory and ruin the Italians attempt at reaching the second round for a second consecutive year.

Shots: Icon FC 19, Brooklyn 7

Saves: Icon FC 1, Brooklyn 5

Corners: Icon FC 6, Brooklyn 3

Fouls: Icon FC 7, Brooklyn 13

Offsides: Icon FC 0, Brooklyn 1

Discipline: Icon FC, Jonathan Yazo; Brooklyn, Nathaniel Bekoe, Yvener Guerrier

Great Lakes Division teams decline 2013 US Open Cup berths as NPSL entries finalized

April 9, 2013 by Josh Hakala

Thanks, but no thanks.

That was the sentiment expressed by a pair of Great Lakes Division teams from the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) as they were offered a chance to represent the league in the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Erie Admirals, last year’s Great Lakes Division regular season champions, were expected to join the other five division winners from a year ago and the two spring tournament qualifiers from the Western Conference, but according to NPSL secretary and chairman of the NPSL Open Cup committee Joe Barone, they declined.

Erie owner John Moody said the decision was made due to a variety of reasons. First, the Admirals depend on college players to fill out their roster and many of them wouldn’t be able to join the team until the middle of May. And even if they could, there would be no time to practice or prepare for their opponent.

“It’s important to respect the game … the tournament and our opponents and we felt putting out a ‘B-team’ wouldn’t be fair,” said Moody.

He also cited the financial burden of taking part in the Open Cup, especially in terms of making travel arrangements on relatively short notice. As it stands, when the draw is announced at the end of April, his team could be chosen to play the Colorado Rovers of the USSSA, or the Northern California-based US Club Soccer team in the Play-In Round on May 7. If the draw doesn’t go their way, they could travel to that game. As of last year, the US Soccer Federation reimburses up to $8,000 in travel costs, but depending on where they have to travel, that money can be eaten up rather quickly. On the other side, according to Moody, if they had to host, that would also be a challenge for his club because they would have difficulty securing a local venue. Not to mention, there is a cost to hosting as well. Most teams have to pay to rent a field, pay the referees, and coordinate gameday efforts, just to name a few of the primary expenses.

“We would love to take part in this great tournament … but there’s just too many unknowns for a club like ours,” he added.

With the division’s regular season champions out of the running, AFC Cleveland was next in line as the division’s playoff champions. Detroit City FC had finished ahead of Cleveland in the regular season standings by a point, but when the two teams squared off in the playoffs, Cleveland won 2-1, and the defeated Erie in penalty kicks in the division final.

But just like the Admirals before them, Cleveland also turned down the opportunity to play in the 2013 US Open Cup. The second-year club also cited player availability as their main reason for turning down the invitation.

“AFC Cleveland really wanted to participate in such a historic tournament, but scheduling issues during that time made this an impossible task,” said Cleveland chairman Terry Lawriw.

After the top two teams from the Midwest Conference declined, NPSL management decided that rather than giving an Open Cup berth to the division’s third choice (Detroit City FC), they would award the berth to the club that had the best overall record among the remaining teams league wide (excluding Western Conference), which – coincidentally – ended up being the Brooklyn Italians, a team that Barone has worked for over the last two decades.

The Italians will join the Georgia Revolution (Southeast Division playoff finalist) and Atlantic Division winners New York Red Bulls NPSL to complete the eight team NPSL field for the 2013 tournament.

The five remaining NPSL clubs include: Western Conference qualifying winners FC Hasental and Sacramento Gold, as well as the Madison 56ers (Central Division champions), Chattanooga FC (Southeast Division playoff champion) and FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic (Keystone Division champions).

TheCup.us has also confirmed that the NPSL is no long guaranteeing spots in the First Round of the 2013 US Open Cup to particular clubs or regions.

It was originally reported that the Madison 56ers, Chattanooga FC, FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic, and the two Western Conference winners (FC Hasental and Sacramento Gold) would begin play in Round 1 of the US Open Cup. Of the remaining three teams, which had yet to be determined, two of them would begin in the Play-In Round against either the US Club Soccer or the USSSA champion.

Now, the two Play-In Round teams won’t be known until the US Soccer Federation unveils the 2013 US Open Cup draw at the end of April. It is expected that the teams will be ones that are located closest to the Northern California-based US Club Soccer representative and the Colorado Rovers of the USSSA in an effort to minimize travel costs.

2013 NPSL entries in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (8 teams)

Brooklyn Italians
Chattanooga FC
FC Hasental
FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic
Georgia Revolution
Madison 56ers
New York Red Bulls U23s
Sacramento Gold

* 2 teams (still TBD) will begin play in Play-In Round

2012 US Open Cup Second Round: Rochester Rhinos stay perfect against amateurs, blank Brooklyn Italians 3-0

May 23, 2012 by Gerald Barnhart

The Rochester Rhinos remain perfect against lower level clubs with their 10th victory over an amateur club in the completion, downing the Brooklyn Italians of the National Premier Soccer League at Sahlen’s Stadium, 3-0. They advance to a Third Round meeting with the Philadelphia Union.

Corner kicks were key in the contest. A corner from Danny Earls in the 25th minute opened the scoring with Troy Roberts flicking the ball onto Tom McManus for the first strike of the game. Two minutes before the break Roberts directed another Earls corner with a header to Conor Chinn for a seven-yard left-footer.

It marked only the second time in eight games this season Rochester had scored two goals in a game. The news got worse on the hour mark for Brooklyn, who lost Scarlet Kirk to a red card for a tackle that resulted in McManus leaving the contest.

Graciano Brito headed the ball forward to JC Banks, who beat goalkeeper Nathan Stockie in the 76th minute to give the Rhinos the biggest offensive night of the campaign thus far as goalkeeper Kristian Nicht registered his seventh shutout of the year.

Next week the Rhinos travel to PPL Park to face the Union, who will be making their tournament debut.

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Brooklyn Italians win historic match in Maine, top GPS Portland Phoenix 3-2

May 16, 2012 by Brendan Doherty

The first US Open Cup Final was played in Brooklyn. But on Tuesday evening, the Brooklyn Italians of the NPSL were the first club to travel to Maine with GPS Portland Phoenix of the PDL being the first side to represent the state according to TheCup.us records. The trip was worth it as they returned to the Big Apple with a 3-2 victory.

The Brooklyn Italians’ extra practice from starting their season earlier seemed to pay off as they were sharp and clinical from the outset despite having to travel to Maine for the game. The Italians pounced on an ill-prepared Portland defense when Nathaniel Simons nodded a header home in the fifth minute off a ball played by forward Oscar Castillo.

Just two minutes later the Italians doubled their advantage on a free kick by midfielder Christian Turizo from about 30 yards out, giving them a 2-0 advantage over the Portland Phoenix at the break.

Portland stormed out of the break re-charged and made a real game of the second half. Even though Portland pressed, they were unable to find a goal in the early going of the second half.

In the 78th minute, Brooklyn Italians looked to be in the clear when striker Jumol Harewood scored his team’s third goal from a set piece.

However, mere seconds after the restart Portland Phoenix rallied to get one back as Nathaniel Short played in Blaike Woodruff in the 80th minute.

Unfortunately for the Phoenix faithful who showed up to the match in cold, wet conditions, the team left their comeback too late as Woodruff was unable to pull them within one until the 91st minute.

Brooklyn Italians walked out of Memorial Field at Deering High School with a 3-2 victory, giving the club a Second Round date with the famous 1999 tournament champion Rochester Rhinos of USL Pro, the last lower division team to win the event. Sahlen’s Stadium will be waiting with open arms to receive the NPSL team to compete for a chance to play against an MLS team.

The Brooklyn Italians are long-time Open Cup veterans. The New York City-based club, with a team now playing in the NPSL, lifted the trophy twice in 1979 and 1991. The team, founded in 1949 by Italian immigrants, has also appeared in two other Open Cup finals in 1981 and 1990. All of their cup success has occurred in the amateur era, before the creation of MLS, however.

In the first round last year, Brooklyn Italians were eliminated by another New York City amateur team, and in 2010 they were defeated by the Harrisburg City Islanders.