Charleston Battery

2016 US Open Cup Round 3: Jacksonville Armada need OT to earn first tournament win, 2-1 over Charleston Battery

June 3, 2016 by Neil Blackmon

Patrick Otte of the Jacksonville Armada celebrates with Armada fans after scoring a goal against the Charleston Battery in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Gary Lloyd McCullough | Jacksonville Armada

The Jacksonville Armada defeated the Charleston Battery 2-1 after extra time in the third round of the 2016 US Open Cup Wednesday night at picaresque Southern Oak Stadium on the campus of Jacksonville University. A capacity crowd of 1,200 saw the Armada win for the first time since an April 15 NASL league triumph over The Miami FC. The win was also the first US Open Cup win for the Jacksonville Armada in their young franchise history.

The chances came early and often for Jacksonville, who dominated possession in the game’s first twenty minutes. Matt Fondy, starting in place of the struggling Alhassane Keita, rewarded manager Tony Meola’s confidence, holding the ball up well and creating multiple chances with his vision and passing. Only the first of a handful of marvelous saves from Charleston goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper, who earned seven caps for Cuba before defecting in 2012, kept the game on level terms after fifteen minutes. The Armada broke through, however, in the 17th minute on a late run by Patrick Otte, who buried a Matt Fondy lay-off.

Charleston, however, looking to become one of, if not the first US Open Cup side to advance a round after losing the prior round (a penalties defeat to Villages SC was overturned due to The Villages fielding an ineligible player) leveled quickly.

Montreal Impact loanee Romario Williams delivered a splendid ball with a defender on his shoulder to an onrunning Chris Tsonis, who easily slotted past Miguel Gallardo to bring the Battery level. Williams was a handful for Jacksonville all evening, his physical and speedy runs stretching the Armada on the counterattack consistently. been so physical and strong he often lacks supporting runs.

In the second half, the Armada again controlled the ball and collected the most chances. Junior Sandoval’s blast in the 48th minute was saved well by Odisnel Cooper in the 48th minute and Beto Navarro fired over the goal from seven yards in the 54th minute, but the go-ahead goal would not come.

Indeed, it was Charleston who nearly took the lead in the 64th minute on a fantastic run by Romario Williams, who manhandled Beto Navarro and fired across the net only to have Miguel Gallardo deflect the ball away. That chance was the closest either side came to scoring until extra time.

Patrick Otte of the Jacksonville Armada celebrates his goal against the Charleston Battery in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Gary Lloyd McCullough | Jacksonville Armada

Alhassane Keita, who entered in the second half for Matt Fondy, nearly put Jacksonville ahead in the first fifteen minutes of extra time, only to be denied by the wingspan of Cooper. Cooper’s save came moments after it appeared Alex Dixon was taken down in the area by Brian Woodbine, only to see referee Kevin Terry Jr. signal “play on.”

The teams remained even until the 108th minute, when Junior Sandoval played a ball to Alex Dixon on the edge of the area and Dixon played a one-time lovely flick to Keita, who beat Cooper far post to give the Armada the winner. The goal was the first for Keita in any competition all year for Jacksonville, and a sigh of relief for the Guinean, who led the Armada in goals in their inaugural season.

The win was particularly meaningful for Tony Meola, who captained Sporting Kansas City (then the Wizards) to a US Open Cup championship in 2004. “It means a lot to me personally, with Lamar Hunt’s name on the trophy, a man who was special to me and a competition that was special to me for the nine years I was in Kansas City. We said we’d do our best to put the best team out and we did that tonight.”

Meola was pleased to see Alhassane Keita, his troubled goalscorer, end his slump, but even more pleased to see a young player like Alex Dixon make a difference with the game-winning assist. “I’m happy for Keita, obviously, but one guy I’m particularly happy for is Dixon, because it has been tough for him, to be completely fair, and he came in tonight and did everything he was asked to do. Of course I’m happy for the group, but sometimes certain guys when you see them every day, you want to see them do well.”

Dixon deflected the praise. “It’s not about anyone or me. I was happy to contribute and make a little difference. I saw Sandoval cut in and then Keita peeled off and I flicked it his direction. He did the rest but we’re thrilled to get the result.”

Jacksonville will host Orlando City in fourth round action on June 15.

Series of forfeits, teams with ineligible players overshadow 2016 US Open Cup

May 31, 2016 by Evan Ream

With dozens of amateur and professional teams battling for the United States’ true national championship, every Lamar Hunt US Open Cup creates numerous storylines.

Whether it’s the 1999 Rochester Rhinos doing the impossible of becoming the only lower division side to win the final since the introduction of MLS teams, or amateur teams Cal FC and the Michigan Bucks both upsetting MLS teams in 2012, every Cup is usually remembered for at least one or two moments.

The early part of the 2016 edition of the tournament has featured three disqualifications, the most of any competition in the Modern Era (1995-present). And those three disqualifications were just the ones that were caught in what appears to be a combination of spotty rule enforcement from the United States Soccer Federation and a lack of rule awareness by teams and players.

Section 203. Part (c) of the 2016 US Open Cup handbook is pretty clear:

“Any player who plays in any part of an Open Cup match for a team, including any match in any Open Division qualifying round, may not be included in the Open Cup roster or play for any other team in the Open Cup competition for that competition year.”

This rule is new for 2016 as the federation kicked off its inaugural open division qualifying tournament, a single-elimination competition made up of any amateur team that does not belong to the Premier Development League (PDL) or the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Prior to this year, players were only cup-tied if they played for a team in the Open Cup proper.

The reason for the ruling was to keep players from jumping from team to team. Occasionally players would play for one team during qualifying and if they got eliminated, sign with a team that qualified.

At publishing time, TheCup.us is aware of at least five teams who broke this rule by fielding or including on their roster cup-tied players in the first or second rounds of the tournament. However, only two of the teams were discovered in time to file a protest and have the result of the match overturned.

1. In their Second Round penalty kick upset victory over the Charleston Battery (USL), the Villages SC of the Premier Development League (PDL) started Paulo Vaz, who had previously played for Boca Raton FC in the open division qualifying tournament that took place last fall. The Battery discovered this after the game and immediately filed a successful protest which eliminated the PDL side and pushed Charleston into the next round.

“We were unaware of Paulo Vaz playing for another team in the qualifying rounds of the Cup,” said Alex Perez, a spokesperson for The Villages SC. “In all of his registration paperwork with us that we filed with the PDL, Paulo listed his last club as Floridians FC. It’s an unfortunate situation.”

Villages SC defeated Kraze United in Round 1 with that same ineligible player, which led Kraze United to file a protest after the Battery match in Round 2 was complete. The protest by Kraze United was denied due to the rule that states that “official match protests are required to be submitted by 5:00 p.m. CT the day following the match. (Section 306. Part (a) of the 2016 US Open Cup handbook.)

2. In a 3-1 First Round loss to the Sacramento Gold, the Burlingame Dragons started Gabe Silveira, who had taken part in the open division qualification tournament for San Francisco City FC.

According to the Dragons, they were told by US Soccer that Silveira was cleared to play. This was not discovered in time and no protest was filed.

3. In that same game, the Sacramento Gold included Andre Brown on their bench, who played for Davis Legacy in the qualifying tournament. While he didn’t appear in the match, just having him on the gameday roster is a potential violation. The USASA has disqualified teams for such a violation during qualifying, however, there is no precedent in the US Open Cup proper in the Modern Era.

4. CD Aguiluchos USA fielded ineligible players in both their first and second round matches. In their 3-0 Round 1 win over San Francisco City, substitute Ahmad Hatifie was cup-tied to Ballistic IFX. CDA also subbed on a cup-tied player in Arthur Bahr in their 5-0 loss to Sacramento Republic FC. Bahr played for San Francisco City in qualifying.

San Francisco, like Kraze United, submitted a protest, but it was also denied since it was filed long after the deadline.

5. Perhaps the most notable protest involved the Ventura County Fusion’s use of Gabe Gonzalez, who had played for Cal FC in qualification, in a 2-1 First Round victory over the LA Wolves FC.

According to the Fusion, the club was aware of Gonzalez’s participation in the qualifying rounds, but were told specifically by USSF that Gonzalez was cleared to play for the Fusion. How did the Wolves know he was ineligible? Because he played against them in qualifying for Cal FC. The Wolves edged Cal FC 2-1 to clinch their first-ever Open Cup berth.

The Wolves protested the decision and the Fusion were disqualified from the tournament.

“Rules are in place for a reason and they must be followed by all teams,” said Skwara. “The new rules for 2016 may not be perfect, but all teams still have to follow the rules or risk the repercussions.”

Ventura County then filed an appeal on the decision, which was denied by the USSF and the Wolves advanced to Round 2 to face the Orange County Blues of the USL.

According to Fusion media coordinator Polo Ascencio, the Fusion were never given a reason for the denial.

“The reply was a very simple, ‘your appeal was not successful,’ Ascencio told TheCup.us. “They just said, ‘no.’”

The federation has yet to confirm why the appeal was denied or if informing teams of the specifics of the decision are a common practice.

Ascencio said decisions like these only hurt the credibility of the tournament and the amateur teams participating in it.

“It needs to change,” Ascencio said of the roster rules. “The teams, the amateur teams, and you guys know this, in the lower levels, they take this very, very seriously for many reasons … it gives you exposure. it’s given us exposure that we didn’t want, not this way. It gives you exposure. It gives your players a chance to play against higher competition as you move on and on and on.”

With the forfeit, the Fusion’s Modern Era record streak of six consecutive First Round victories came to an end.

“We have really good, young talent looking forward for a chance and to have the chance taken away by a system that is broken,” Ascencio said. “But at the end, we did nothing wrong. We asked our players, the players that came forward didn’t play, we thought we were good. But obviously we were not good.

“We asked US Soccer for a list before the tournament started … of players who have played . Give us rosters of the teams that have played so we know,” he added. “To this day, it’s been already a couple of weeks since the started the first round, we don’t have any of those lists.

Ascencio believes the federation must have too much on its plate.

“Either they’re too busy doing something, MLS or Copa America-related, or the US Open Cup doesn’t really matter until you get the big teams in the Cup,” Ascencio said. “It’s a chance for our players to succeed, to put a spotlight on them. It’s a chance for our teams to bring our fans an experience that they might not get with our local, amateur team.

For the Fusion, Ascencio says its a missed opportunity for the team and the players.

“And obviously there’s money involved there,” he concluded. “The more you advance, the more money you can make. For some of these amateur teams … $15,000 could be a lot of money. It could be a couple year’s worth of attendance. It hurts for all the reasons, but at the end of the day it hurts because we won, but at the end, somebody said, ‘no you guys didn’t because you used a player that we said was okay to play. But, guess what, he’s not okay to play.”

Ascencio said that the Fusion plan to participate in future tournaments due to the opportunity it provides but maintains that the kinks need to be worked out.

“There has to be , there has to be,” Ascencio said. “Because if they’re not gonna change it, then things like this are going to keep happening and the teams that are going to be affected are going to be the amateur teams, not the professional teams. This is a cup that is made so that the amateur teams can flex their muscles or go on to face top competition. To have something like this happen, not only to us, but a few other teams around the nation…I feel bad for all those teams,”

None of the other teams involved in the situation that TheCup.us reached out to chose to comment on the record. The US Soccer Federation did not respond to a request for comment.

TheCup.us senior editor Josh Hakala also contributed to this report

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Charleston Battery advance after The Villages field ineligible player (updated)

May 21, 2016 by Seamus Grady

The Charleston Battery face The Villages SC from the PDL in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Charleston Battery

UPDATE: The US Soccer Federation announced that The Villages SC fielded an ineligible player during their match against the Charleston Battery and the federation has ruled that they have been disqualified and the Charleston Battery will advance to Round 3.

The Villages SC’s inaugural cup run is off to a spectacular start after pulling off a Second Round upset over The Charleston Battery of the USL in penalties.

The Villages’ attack got things started early, with forward Carlos Araujo burying a shot passed Keeper Alex Tambakis in the 24th minute.

Despite the early deficit Charleston seemingly dominated the remainder of the 1st half finding the lion’s share of chances, but The Villages’ keeper Paulo Pita came to play, putting on a monster performance keeping the Battery attack at bay.

The Battery would finally break even in the waning moments of the 2nd half, when MF Dante Marini put a spectacular bending left-footed shot passed Pita and into the bottom left corner of the net to level the score going into halftime.

Charleston continued to control the match through the bulk of the 2nd half, but The Villages managed to take the lead once again in the 66th minute.

Midfielder Danilo Dias would pick up the assist on the goal, putting in a great cross to Araujo who headed in his goal of the night.

With the clock winding down the Battery pushed the attack forward, finding chance after chance and finally breaking through the brick wall that was Paulo Pita in the 81st minute.

Forward Chris Tsonis would score the late equalizer, finding the receiving end of a corner by MF Maikel Chang.

Regulation ended with the score still knotted up at 2-2, taking the match into extra time.
Charleston looked the better side through both halves of extra time with The Villages rarely finding their way out of their defensive 3rd. Pita would prove to be the decisive difference for The Villages keeping out shot after shot by the Battery attack in extra time and coming up big for his club when the match went to penalties.

Pita would go on to save the Battery’s 1st two penalty attempts, with both Ricky Garbanzo and Romario Williams converting the 3rd and 4th, But The Villages would convert on all four attempts ending the Battery’s 2016 Cup campaign.

It’s the third consecutive year the Battery have seen their US Open Cup run end in penalties to a team from the state of Florida. A disappointing early exit for a club known for making deep runs into the later rounds of the tournament.

The Villages SC’s victory advances the club to the 3rd round where they will travel to Everbank Field to take on NASL side Jacksonville Armada.

2015 US Open Cup Round 4: Orlando City lose 2-goal lead in OT, survive thrilling PK shootout with Charleston Battery (video)

June 20, 2015 by Corbin Ensminger

It took 10 rounds of penalty kicks, but Orlando City beat the Charleston Battery in the fourth round of the US Open Cup on Wednesday night.

The thrilling game ended at 4-4 after added extra time, and then neither team was able to get the edge in the shootout until Danny Mwanga beat Charleston goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper down the middle on Orlando’s 10th shot. Lions net-minder Earl Edwards Jr made three saves in the shootout, including the deciding moment where he denied Taylor Mueller.

The momentum, and lead, in the game between the two former USL rivals swung back-and-forth several times, including a ridiculous half hour in extra time that saw four goals scored.

Charleston took the lead in the 57th minute when Jared van Schaik headed a ball in from a Justin Portillo corner kick. However, the lead did not last long. Lewis Neal knocked in a headed ball seven minutes later to level the game.

Forward Dane Kelly regained the lead for the Battery in the 67th minute when he ran to a ball that was perfectly-placed by Maikel Chang on the left side of the box. Edwards came off his line but Kelly was able to blast it by the keeper for the goal.

But once again, the Battery could not enjoy their lead. Rafael Ramos made a run into the box in the 75th minute and defender Shawn Ferguson was called for a foul after going in hard for a tackle. Carlos Rivas, who would finish with the Modern Era’s (1995-present) first hat trick from penalties, slotted it home to tie the game at two apiece.

The drama just picked up once extra time began. Orlando was awarded another penalty just minutes into the first half of extra time, and it was controversial. It looked like Cooper got the ball first with time to spare, but the referee pointed to the spot again. Charleston players angrily protested but the referee wasn’t changing his mind and Rivas scored another.

He added another goal in the 105th minute when Pedro Ribeiro was tripped up in almost the same spot. This one was an obvious foul, as Cooper missed the ball and only made contact with Ribeiro’s ankles.

Despite the two-goal deficit, Charleston never stopped believing that they could win the game. Justin Portillo made sure of it. He made it 4-3 right before the end of the first half of extra time with his stunning strike from very far out. Then in the 115th minute, the referee called a penalty kick on Orlando. It was the fourth penalty of the game.

Portillo took the kick and beat Edwards to even it up once more and send the game to penalties. However, Edwards came up big in the end and helped his team advance to round five of the Cup where they will play the Columbus Crew.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: ORLANDO CITY AT CHARLESTON BATTERY

2015 US Open Cup Round 3: Dane Kelly leads Charleston Battery rally, wins TheCup.us Player of the Round

June 9, 2015 by Adam Uthe

Dane Kelly helped the Charleston Battery rally to beat the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3-2. Photo: Charleston Battery

Charleston Battery winger Dane Kelly earned TheCup.us Player of the Round honors for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Third Round thanks, in part, to his 80th minute goal to complete a 3-2 comeback win against North American Soccer League (NASL) side Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Kelly also supplied a clinical cross to teammate Zach Prince for the equalizer just three minutes earlier.

The goal helped him earn another honor as he scored in his fifth consecutive Open Cup, which ties the Modern Era (1995-present) record currently held by JT Noone and Kelly’s former Battery teammate Nicki Paterson.

The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters.

“For me, I think it’s the best game I’ve had for this year so far.”, Kelly said afterwards.

Although he does have four goals in his first 11 USL league games, it might be hard to argue with his assessment. Kelly’s speed gave Fort Lauderdale fits all night, especially on counterattacks later in the second half as fatigue began to set in on both sides.

“I have to say the game really picked up in the last 25 minutes when Prince and (Dante) Marini were introduced in the game,” said Kelly. “They bring a lot of energy to the game.”

It wasn’t easy for Kelly to take home the award though. His Jamaican countryman, Asani Samuels, came within just a few votes of overtaking him. Samuels came off the bench just before the end of regulation and scored twice and assisted on a third goal in extra time in the Rochester Rhinos’ 3-1 victory over Harrisburg City Islanders. Third place in the voting went to Sacramento Republic’s Abnan Jebelnic, who scored a hat trick in his team’s 7-3 demolition of amateur side Chula Vista FC.

The goal was Kelly’s sixth career Open Cup goal, which leaves him just one shy of the Charleston team record held by Paul Conway. His next chance to catch Conway will come on June 17 when Charleston hosts Major League Soccer (MLS) newcomers Orlando City at Blackbaud Stadium.

Kelly becomes the third Battery player to win the award. The last was goalkeeper Tim Melia in 2010 when he shut out the Chicago Fire and won a penalty kick shootout. The first was in 2009 when Randi Patterson scored a pair of goals in a 3-1 upset of Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA. He is just the second Jamaican player to win the award, joining last year’s Round 4 winner DeShorn Brown of the Colorado Rapids.

Highlights: Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Charleston Battery

Full match replay: Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Charleston Battery

2015 US Open Cup Round 3: Charleston Battery rally to hand Fort Lauderdale Strikers third straight loss (video)

May 28, 2015 by Sydney Hunte

The USL’s Charleston Battery struck for two goals in a span of three minutes, including the game-winner in the 80th minute by Dane Kelly, to rally for a 3-2 win Wednesday over the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Blackbaud Stadium.

Fort Lauderdale, poised for pull out the victory on the road, looked like the more dominant team to start, coming up with the bulk of possession and sought to create chances.

The Strikers opened the scoring in the sixth minute as Charleston defender Forrest Lasso slipped on the pitch, allowing Daniel Sanchez room to work. He found Bruno Nunes, who scored to lift the Strikers to a 1-0 lead.

But Charleston got it back in the 30th minute. Navion Boyd crossed the ball to Ricky Garbanzo, who settled it and struck it past David Meves to pull his team level.

But 11 minutes later, Fort Lauderdale regained the lead as a ball played outside the box by James Marcelin found Sanchez, who hit it cleanly past Odisnel Cooper to break the deadlock.

“I thought we respected (Fort Lauderdale) too much at the beginning of the game,” said Charleston coach Mike Anhaeuser. “Today, we kind of sat back. They were passing it, they moved the ball, they made the space and made us defend for 35, 40 minutes in that first half.”

Charleston, though, had numerous chances to tie it up in the second half, none better than a 52nd minute corner headed right on toward the net that was somehow dug out by Meves.

The Battery broke through on a textbook cross by Dane Kelly to Zach Prince in the 77th minute to tie it, then they took the lead in the 80th minute on a picture-perfect pass by Ricky Garbanzo to Kelly.

The Strikers had a dangerous opportunity in the 84th minute to knot it up once more but the Battery defense did away with the danger and preserved the victory and hand the Strikers their third straight tournament loss.

“You’ve got to commend the guys,” Anhaueser said. “We just didn’t want to go down 3-1 and our defense did a nice job in that game.”

For Kelly, it was his sixth career Open Cup goal. He has scored in five straight Cup tournaments, which ties a the Modern Era record.

Charleston welcomes old USL foe and MLS expansion side Orlando City SC to Blackbaud Stadium for a fourth round Open Cup match on June 17.

HIGHLIGHTS: Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Charleston Battery

FULL MATCH REPLAY: Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Charleston Battery

2015 US Open Cup Round 2: Heviel Cordoves scores, sent off in Charleston Battery’s narrow 1-0 win over Miami United

May 21, 2015 by Corbin Ensminger

Heviel Cordoves scored in the first half and the Charleston Battery was able to hold on for the 1-0 win over Miami United in the Second Round of the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday night at Blackbaud Stadium.

Cordoves scored in the 40th minute against the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) side after Memo Rodriguez played a ball from the right side that curved right into Cordoves’ path. He beat the defenders and easily slotted the ball past goalkeeper Eric Perilla for the goal.

The Battery move on to Round 3 where they will host the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Blackbaud Stadium on May 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Charleston, which is in second place in the USL Eastern Conference, dominated the game in the first half, but Miami was able to survive the onslaught with limited damage and did a good job of making it an even contest in the second half.

The Battery could have had multiple goals in the first 45 minutes, as Cordoves nearly scored in the opening minute on a backpass to Perilla that went awry and Dante Marini hit the post in the fifth minute.

It felt like Charleston was destined to score several goals, but ultimately only one was needed. Miami came out much stronger in the second half, so the Battery spent more time on defense and looked to counterattack with long balls over the midfield.

Charleston coach Mike Anhaeuser said the longer the game went on, the more confident Miami felt that they had a chance to tie or win the game.

“They made a few mistakes and we didn’t make them pay early, and that’s what you need to do against a team like that. They were able to bleed through their mistakes and got their confidence,” he said.

The Battery had several opportunities to put the game away, but Perilla made five saves on the night, including an amazing stop in the 79th minute. Cordoves, on a breakaway from one of those quick counterattacks down the flanks, found Navion Boyd alone in front of goal and delivered the ball to him. Boyd directed it to goal but somehow Perilla slid over, extended his leg and was able to kick the ball off the line.

Miami finished the game with seven shots, six of which had to be saved by Battery goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper. Ignacio Calcagno had one of the best shots for Miami when he whipped a ball in from outside the box, and he earned his side a corner kick in the first half. But the NPSL team struggled to create chances against the Battery defense.

The second half turned feisty, as Cordoves was sent off for shoving a Miami player in the back. Because it was ruled as violent conduct, Cordoves will be ineligible for the next two Cup games, should the Battery advance that far. In total, there were eight yellow cards handed out.

Charleston central midfielder Sebastian Thuriere said he has never known a US Open Cup game to be easy. He is a player that can attack or defend well, but had to spend a lot of time in his own half as the Battery played down a man for the final seven minutes of regulation.

“Toward the end of the game we realized the pressure was on them to push,” said Thuriere. “They added some extra defenders and the card made it harder on us,”

2014 US Open Cup Round 3: Orlando City U-23s upset Charleston Battery in record-breaking PK shootout (video)

May 29, 2014 by Dan Conover

Orlando City U23s goalkeeper Tomas Gomez repeatedly held the Battery at bay, snuffing out chances in his box and recording fives saves en route to the shootout. Not only did Gomez convert his own shot from the mark, he also saved Charleston's one chance at sudden-death victory. Photo: Janet Edens Conover | CHSsoccer.net — Orlando City U23s goalkeeper Tomas Gomez repeatedly held the Battery at bay, snuffing out chances in his box and recording fives saves en route to the shootout. Not only did Gomez convert his own shot from the mark, he also saved Charleston’s one chance at sudden-death victory. Photo: Janet Edens Conover | CHSsoccer.net

Orlando City U-23s became the first amateur team in Open Cup history to defeat the Charleston Battery at home, advancing Wednesday night via a Modern Professional Era record 14-round shootout after 120 minutes of play ended in a 2-2 draw.

Orlando City opened the scoring in the 26th minute when a short clearance off a free kick fell to Jamaican forward Romario Williams near the penalty spot.

They made it 2-0 in the final seconds of the half off midfielder Andrew Brody’s wonder-goal. Brody capped a sudden Orlando counter by chipping over Charleston’s back line and goalkeeper Eric Shannon from long range.

Charleston pulled level in the second half and spent much of the night on the brink of cracking Orlando City’s defense, outshooting the visiting PDL squad 24-10. Forward Dane Kelly ended the frustration in the 63rd minute, finally putting away the rebound of his previous shot that had caromed off the crossbar. Five minutes later he buried a penalty kick to equalize.

Despite their advantages, Charleston was unable to find a game-winner in the final 27 minutes and went to extra time. When the 30 minutes ended with the 2-2 score unchanged, the match proceeded to a shootout.

The Battery instantly earned the upper hand when Shannon, the Battery’s backup goalkeeper, saved the first Orlando shot from the mark. But the pro side’s third shooter in the first group of five — Vancouver Whitecaps loanee Aminu Abdallah — sent his try off the crossbar to give Orlando City new life.

In the third round of sudden death, Shannon came through again, stopping Orlando substitute defender Javier Clavijo. Charleston forward Heviel Cordoves stepped up to take the game-winner, but Orlando goalkeeper Tomas Gomez, a rising senior at Georgetown University, guessed right and earned the junior lions another opportunity.

It would take six more agonizing rounds and a miss by Charleston’s Kelly to separate the two sides. Dejected Battery players looked on in stunned silence as the PDL squad mobbed Gomez — who had not only revived them in the shootout, but whose five saves and fearless defending had helped them weather the Battery assault.

“Besides the national championship (Georgetown’s 0-1 loss to Indiana), I haven’t had that much pressure on me,” Gomez said. “(But) I knew when we went to penalties we were in a good spot. Our team converts. But that was the longest round of penalties I’ve ever been a part of.”

Orlando City will now travel to Portland to take on the Timbers of MLS on May 28.

“You give the guys credit,” said Battery Coach Mike Anhaeuser. “We made a lot of PKs, they made a lot of PKs. We had a chance twice to win it, but we weren’t able to get it done. You gotta commend their keeper for making the big save there.

“It’s a difficult situation. You hate to lose that way. We didn’t want to go to penalties, but they got it done.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY

Fourth Round fun facts: Notable upsets, things you should know about Round 4

May 23, 2014 by Josh Hakala

Players from the Houston Dynamo (orange) and NTX Rayados battle for the ball in their Fourth Round match in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Jose Castellanos | Prost Amerika

The US Open Cup has only had a Fourth Round (prior to the Quarterfinals) 12 times in the Modern Era (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012-22).

The first indoor game in US Open Cup history took place in the Fourth Round. On July 20, 2004, the Minnesota Thunder hosted the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn. The Thunder upset the Galaxy that day 1-0, in front of 5,505 fans. Defender Chris Brunt scored the game-winning goal in the 21st minute.

No Open Division team in the Modern Era has ever advanced beyond the Fourth Round

Only 7 USL League Two (PDL) teams have advanced to the Fourth Round, all but one have faced MLS teams
2018: FC Golden State Force (lost 3-1 at Los Angeles Galaxy)
2016: Kitsap Pumas (lost 2-0 at Seattle Sounders FC)
2014: Laredo Heat (lost 1-0 at Houston Dynamo)
2014: Orlando City U23s (lost 3-0 at Portland Timbers)
2012: Michigan Bucks (lost 2-1 AET vs. Dayton Dutch Lions)
2006: Carolina Dynamo (lost 4-2 vs. Houston Dynamo)
2005: Des Moines Menace (lost 6-1 vs. Kansas City Wizards)
2003: Fresno Fuego (lost 3-1 vs. Los Angeles Galaxy)

Only 6 Open Division Local (USASA) teams have advanced to the Fourth Round
2018: NTX Rayados (lost 5-0 at Houston Dynamo)
2017: Christos FC (lost 4-1 at D.C. United of MLS)
2016: La Maquina (lost 4-1 AET at Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS)
2015: PSA Elite (lost 6-1 at Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS)
2014: PSA Elite (lost 5-0 at Seattle Sounders of MLS)
2012: Cal FC (lost 5-0 at Seattle Sounders of MLS)
2006: Dallas Roma FC (lost 2-0 at Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS)

Only 2 NPSL teams have advanced to the Fourth Round
2019: Orange County FC (lost 3-0 at Los Angeles Galaxy)
2018: Miami United FC (lost 3-0 vs. Orlando City SC)

In 2006, only teams from Major League Soccer emerged from the Fourth Round.

touray-harrisburg-vs-red-bulls-big — The Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Pro) won a Fourth Round game in 2012 by upsetting the New York Red Bulls 3-1 after extra time. Photo: Harrisburg City Islanders

The Chicago Fire did not lose a Fourth Round game until 2019 when they lost to Saint Louis FC. Prior to that, they had a 7-0-2 (2-0 PKs) record.

Major League Soccer began playing in the tournament in the Fourth Round for the first time in 2014 as part of an expanded format.

The attendance record in the Modern Era was set in 2013 when Sporting Kansas City (MLS) hosted Orlando City SC (USL PRO) at Sporting Park in front of an announced attendance of 15,981. Thanks to that figure, the record for Fourth Round average attendance was broken with 6,887 across the eight games. Sporting Kansas City later broke their own record in 2015 when they hosted and defeated Saint Louis FC (USL) 1-0 on June 16, 2015 in front of an announced crowd of 19,298. FC Cincinnati shattered that record in 2017 when they drew 30,160 to Nippert Stadium to watch them upset the Columbus Crew (MLS), 1-0.

In 2014, with Major League Soccer not entering the tournament until Round 4, a record three amateur teams (Laredo Heat, Orlando City U23s, PSA Elite) advanced beyond the Third Round, followed by five amateur teams reaching the Fourth Round in 2015.

Notable upsets in the Fourth Round

2003: Wilmington Hammerheads (PSL) 4:1 Dallas Burn (MLS)
2003: Seattle Sounders (A-League) 1:0 San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
2004: Charleston Battery (A-League) 1:0 Metrostars (MLS)
2004: Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League) 1:1 New England Revolution (MLS) (ROC advances on PKs 3-1)
2004: Richmond Kickers (PSL) 2:1 DC United (MLS)
2004: Minnesota Thunder (A-League) 1:0 Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
2005: Rochester Raging Rhinos (USL-1) 3:1 Metrostars (MLS)
2005: Minnesota Thunder (USL-1) 4:1 Colorado Rapids (MLS)
2006: None
2012: Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PROro) 3:1 (AET) New York Red Bulls (MLS)
2012: Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) 2:1 (AET) San Antonio Scorpions (NASL)
2013: Carolina RailHawks (NASL) 3:1 (AET) Chivas USA (MLS)
2013: Orlando City SC (USL PRO) 1:0 Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
2014: Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) 2:1 Real Salt Lake (MLS)
2014: Carolina RailHawks (NASL) 1:1 (3:2 PKs) Chivas USA (MLS)
2014: New York Cosmos (NASL) 3:0 New York Red Bulls (MLS)
2014: Rochester Rhinos (USL) 1:0 DC United (MLS)
2015: Charlotte Independence (USL) 1:0 New England Revolution (MLS)
2015: New York Cosmos 2:2 (4:3 PKs) New York City FC (MLS)
2016: New York City FC (MLS) 0:1 New York Cosmos (NASL)
2016: D.C. United (MLS) 0:0 (3:4 PKs) Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL)
2017: Columbus Crew (MLS) 0:1 FC Cincinnati (USL)
2017: Miami FC (NASL) 3:1 Orlando City SC (MLS)
2017: Sacramento Republic FC (USL) 4:1 Real Salt Lake (MLS)
2018: Louisville City FC (USL) 3:2 New England Revolution (MLS)
2018: Nashville SC (USL) 2:0 Colorado Rapids (MLS)
2018: Sacramento Republic FC (USL) 2:1 (AET) Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
2019: Saint Louis FC (USL-C) 2:1 Chicago Fire (MLS)
2019: Colorado Rapids (MLS) 2:2 (2:4 PKs) New Mexico United (USL-C)
2022: None

Notable upsets in the Third Round of the US Open Cup

May 22, 2014 by Josh Hakala

The Michigan Bucks upset the Chicago Fire of MLS in 2012 Third Round. Photo: Kelly Haapala

MORE: Things you should know about the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2006 – Dallas Roma FC (USASA) 0:0 Chivas USA (MLS)
(Dallas advances 4-2 in PKs)

For all of you who ever wanted the #16 seed to win in the NCAA basketball tournament, we hope you are soccer fans.

Dallas Roma FC, from the North Texas Premier Soccer Association, made history defeating Chivas USA of Major League Soccer on penalties, after playing to a 0-0 draw after extra time. Not only did they defeat their second straight professional opponent in the US Open Cup, they became the first USASA club to eliminate a team from Major League Soccer in the US Open Cup. Chivas was dealt a major blow when their leading scorer, Ante Razov, was sent off in the 57th minute for a reckless foul on Roma defender Todd Paulette. Soon after, Chivas head coach Bob Bradley sent in more of his regular starters, Jason Hernandez, Tim Regan and Juan Francisco Palencia.

The Roma defense, named TheCup.us Players of the Round for their win vs. Miami FC, held firm yet again against the Chivas attack, holding the scoreless draw through 120 minutes, at times keeping all 11 players in their own end in extra time.

Roma had a few chances in the second half as well, most notably Dominic Schell hitting the crossbar after Mark Rowland’s shot was knocked away by Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Chivas took the first spot kick in the penalty session, and Juan Francisco Palencia saw his attempt saved by Jessie Llamas. Roma’s Matt Clark and Mark Rowland converted the next kicks, as Sacha Kljestan for Chivas. Fortunes turned Roma’s way when Llamas came through again and saved Jesse Marsch’s kick, and Brad Flanagan scored for Roma to make it 3-1. After Claudio Suarez made it 3-2, Dominic Schell stepped up and put Roma in the history books. Previously, the closest a USASA side has come to defeating an MLS club was in 2000, when Florida’s Uruguay SC fell to the Tampa Bay Mutiny 1-0 in extra time.

1997 – Chicago Stingers (D3 Pro) 2:1 Colorado Rapids (MLS)
1997 – San Francisco Bay Seals (D3 Pro) 2:1 Kansas City Wizards (MLS)

The Modern Era of the Open Cup was still young, and Rochester caused a stir in ’96 with their amazing run to the final.

The San Francisco Bay Seals and Chicago Stingers were determined to top that, and top it they did.

Each team made their way to the third round, no small feat in itself. Both clubs defeated A-League sides in the second round, and now stepped up to face the daunting challenge of Major League Soccer. The Seals were first, taking on the Kansas City Wizards on July 24.

As if being the underdog wasn’t motivation enough, Seals forward Marquis White had something to prove of his own. White was dropped in 1996 by the New England Revolution, and he was eager to prove that he could play at the highest level. White didn’t waste any time, scoring in the very first minute of the game, taking a pass from Chris Davini and racing past the Wizards defenders and goalkeeper Chris Snitko for the goal. On the other end, the Seals defense kept the Kansas City forwards stifled and frustrated, but the Wizards eventually equalized in the 39th minute with a Frank Klopas goal.

Marquis White then stepped up a second time, taking another Davini pass home for the game-winning goal in the 55th minute, setting off celebrations at Negoesco Fiield once the final whistle blew. “I knew I could play, and this proves it” said an ecstatic White after the game. The Seals, as a team, also proved they could play, defeating the San Jose Clash in the quarterfinals to move on to the semifinals, eventually losing a close game to DC United 2-1.

Six days later, the Chicago Stingers took their turn at giant killing, knocking off the Colorado Rapids 2-1 in front of 4,730 fans at Chicago’s Forest View Park. Misfortune started early for Colorado, as the Rapids goalkeeper Paul Grafer was sent off after 17 minutes. The Stingers then took control, as Matt Hamnett and Chris Jahr scores goals before and after halftime to take a lead they would never surrender. Chris Henderson pulled one back for Colorado, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the upstart Stingers. Chicago were eventually overwhelmed by the Dallas Burn in the next round, 4-1, but the Seals and Stingers proved that the Open Cup would never be an easy walk for any MLS team.

2012 – Cal FC (USASA – 4th Div.) 1:0 (AET) Portland Timbers (MLS)

2012 – Michigan Bucks (PDL – 4th Div.) 3:2 (AET) Chicago Fire (MLS)

The Third Round of the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup was one of the craziest rounds in tournament history. 16 Major League Soccer teams joined the competition and only eight of them survived to play in Round 4. The two biggest stunners came from the Michigan Bucks (PDL) and newcomers Cal FC (USASA).

14 of the 16 games were played on Tuesday, May 29 and among those were the Michigan Bucks hosting four-time champion Chicago Fire indoors at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Mich. It was just the 4th US Open Cup game ever played indoors and the Bucks upset the Fire 3-2 in extra time.

The Bucks struck first just nine minutes into the match when Tommy Catalano received a pass from star veteran Kenny Uzoigwe to put the home team up 1-0. The Fire would equalize on a goal from Corben Bone in the 28th minute and take the lead in the 58th minute thanks to Frederico Puppo and it looked like the MLS team was going to take control, as they so often do in these underdog scenarios, but today wasn’t their day as a cross from Crnkic found the head of Nate Boyden in the box to tie the match at 2-2. The match would go into extra time and after play resumed, the Bucks wasted no time in putting the pressure on the Fire. What proved to be the eventual game-winning goal came just three minutes in when Crnkic ripped a shot toward the net. The goalkeeper got a hand on it but it wasn’t enough to keep it out as the Bucks would go on to win 3-2 to become the first amateur club in the Modern Era to defeat two MLS teams (They upset the New England Revolution back in 2000).[+]FULL MATCH RECAP

After seven MLS teams were eliminated on Tuesday, what could possibly be in store for the following day? It would turn out to be arguably the biggest upset of the Modern Era (1995-present).

Cal FC, led by their manager former US international Eric Wynalda, traveled from Southern California up to Portland, Ore. and upset the Portland Timbers 1-0 in extra time. After 90 minutes of scoreless soccer, Artur Aghasyan streaked down the middle of the field, easily beating a lopsided offside trap, collected a well placed through ball and calmly chipped goalkeeper Troy Perkins. It was the only goal they would need to become the first USASA team to defeat a Major League Soccer team (Dallas Roma FC in 2006 eliminated Chivas USA in a penalty kick shootout). A USASA team defeating a MLS team was rare enough, but there had only been four previous USASA teams that had advanced far enough to even play against the top division. In those four games, none of the USASA teams even scored a goal. They were also just the fifth amateur team to eliminate a MLS sidse, and the 12th USASA team to eliminate a pro team of any kind. [+]FULL MATCH RECAP