Chattanooga FC

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Chattanooga FC first from NPSL to upset pro team with win over Wilmington Hammerheads (video)

May 16, 2014 by David Walker

Chattanooga FC made history on Wednesday night, defeating the Wilmington Hammerheads of USL Pro 3-1 to become the first NPSL team to defeat a professional team in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Entering the competition, the league, as a whole, was 0-15-0 against pro competition all-time, but a pair of goals from Luke Winter helped lead the way to the team’s first tournament victory.

With the win, the NPSL Southeast Conference Champions advance to the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time in club history. Chattanooga will host NASL-side Atlanta Silverbacks at Finley Stadium on May 28th.

The match nearly didn’t take place at all. Heavy storms rolling in to Chattanooga from the southwest forced team officials to move the match up an hour. Despite the last minute time change, a crowd of 1,502 braved the rain.

For the first 15 minutes, the teams played each other evenly, with Wilmington holding slightly more possession. Chattanooga began to look like the stronger side, though, using fluid wing play to create several dangerous chances. In the 21st minute, forward Luke Winter beat the Wilmington offside trap for a breakaway, tucking the ball past keeper Matt Glaeser to open the scoring.

In the 39th minute, somewhat against the run of play, the Hammerheads equalized, when Brazilian-born Belgian Mickael Oliveira slipped his marker and flicked in a cross from Jordan Hamilton. This boost would be short lived, as just before halftime, Wilmington’s Jason Watson was cautioned for deliberately handling the ball while on the ground. It was his second yellow card of the match, resulting in a red card and his dismissal.

The second half started evenly but with the player advantage Chattanooga eventually asserted control. In the 63rd minute midfielder Luis Trude make a picture-perfect cross from the right wing, connecting directly with Winter. The Tennessee Wesleyan College alumnus had little choice but to head it sharply to the near post for his second goal of the night, giving the 4th Division side a 2-1 lead.

Asked about his two goals, Winter said: “The first one, I knew I was onside. It would have been hard for him to make that call. The second one, Luis hit it so well, it wasn’t even a cross – it was a pass. It was a pass directly to my head.”

In the 89th minute, with Wilmington desperately pressing late in the game, Chattanooga took advantage on the counterattack. Trude slipped through on a breakaway but was taken down by Oliveira, who was immediately sent off for stopping a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Deep into stoppage time, Chattanooga capitalized on the two-man advantage, with an insurance goal from Chrispin Ochieng, assisted by Trude, his second of the night.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2013 US Open Cup First Round: Carolina Dynamo survive back-and-forth thriller, advance in PKs over Chattanoonga FC

May 15, 2013 by Neil Morris

The spirit of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was splendiferous at Macpherson Stadium in Browns Summit, N.C. as the Carolina Dynamo defeated the NPSL’s Chattanooga FC 4-1 in a PK shootout after a 4-4 draw to advance to the second round of the 100th edition of the tournament.

In front of 1,221 partisans, the hometown Dynamo struck first in the 22nd minute when N.C. State rising senior Alex Martinez scored from atop the box as his older brother, Real Salt Lake midfielder and current Carolina Railhawks loanee Enzo Martinez, looked on from the grandstands. However, after halftime Chattanooga FC piled on three consecutive goals, including scores from striker Luke Winter in the 53rd and Thibault Charmey in the 66th. Another netter off a goal line scrum in the 77th minute gave Chattanooga FC a seemingly insurmountable lead late in the match.

That’s when the Hakan Ilhan show began. After Dynamo Brandt Bronico was fouled in the box, Ilhan converted a penalty kick in the 83rd minute. Five minutes later, the UNC-Greensboro grad added another goal in the run of play to tie the match 3-3 and send it to extra time.

In the 115th minute, Chattanooga FC seemingly found victory when midfielder Fynn Glover scored off a Chattanooga corner. However, that man Ilhan struck again three minutes later, this time off a Dynamo corner, to give the 6-1 forward a hat trick and knot the score 4-4.

In the ensuing shootout, after both teams converted their opening attempts, Dynamo goalkeeper Peyton Ford saved two consecutive Chattanooga attempts by Silas Reyneke and Chrispin Ochieng. Meanwhile, the Dynamo netted all four of their PKs for the club’s first US Open Cup victory since 2006, a match that saw three ties and three lead changes prior to shootout finale.

The USL PDL side will now make the 90-minute drive to face the NASL-leading Carolina RailHawks in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup next Tuesday, May 21 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Kickoff will be 7 p.m.

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

Five of eight NPSL spots confirmed for 100th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

March 11, 2013 by Eric Anderson

The United States Soccer Federation announced the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) would receive eight entries in the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. This week, TheCup.us has confirmed five of those teams, all of which will enter the tournament in the first round.

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, Chattanooga FC and the Madison 56ers, who finished first, second and third in the NPSL last season, are three of the teams that will be playing in the first round May 14.

Two others will be from the Western Conference, one from the Northern Division and one from the Southern Division. Those spots are being determined by tournaments — both finals are scheduled for March 30.

That leaves the NPSL with one first-round berth still to be determined, along with two spots in the qualifying round. The NPSL sides will play teams from U.S. Club Soccer and the United States Specialty Sports Association in qualifying matches May 7, with the winners moving on to the first round.

This will be the second straight Open Cup appearance for FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, which lost to the PDL’s Long Island Rough Riders 2-0 in the first round last year. The Pennsylvania team beat Chattanooga FC 1-0 in the NPSL final last July in San Diego.

The 56ers and Chattanooga FC both are back in the tournament after a one-year absence.

Chattanooga FC lost to the USL PRO’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-2 after extra time in their Open Cup debut in 2011. The 56ers, meanwhile, advanced to the second round that year, beating Illinois amateur club AAC Eagles 4-0 before losing to Chicago Fire PDL 2-0. That was Madison’s first berth in the Open Cup’s Professional Era (since 1995); the team also lost in the Region II semifinals in 1988, ’89 and ’90 and were ousted by Illinois’ RWB Adria 7-6 on penalty kicks following a 4-4 tie in the 1991 quarterfinals.

NPSL teams are 6-22-4 all-time in Open Cup play — with half of those wins coming last year, when the Brooklyn Italians, Georgia Revolution and Jacksonville United each won first-round matches. No league team has advanced to the third round, but eight sides have made it to the second round: Sonoma County Sol (2006 and ’09), Sacramento Knights (2004), Salinas Valley Samba (2005), Madison 56ers (2011), Georgia Revolution (2012), Jacksonville United (2012) and Brooklyn Italians (2012).

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

First Round entries
Chattanooga FC
FC Sonic
Madison 56ers
West – North Division winner
West – South Division winner
Team No. 6 TBA

Qualifying Round entries
NPSL Team No. 7 TBA vs. USASA entry TBA
NPSL Team No. 8 TBA vs. USSSA entry TBA

2011 US Open Cup Columbus Crew bracket preview: Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Richmond Kickers

June 20, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

SECOND ROUND

Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Richmond Kickers
Richmond City Stadium – Richmond, Va. – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None

THIRD ROUND

Pittsburgh Riverhounds / Richmond Kickers at Columbus Crew
June 28, 7:30 p.m. ET Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio

Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Founded in 1999, the Riverhounds have been a member of USL, playing in the professional second division through 2003 before joining the third division flight, which it took a hiatus from in 2007. Semifinalists for a third time a year ago, they have never reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

First Round: Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Pro) 3:2 (AET) Chattanooga FC (NPSL)
The Riverhounds were the closest USL Pro team to come to being upset in the First Round, falling behind on a pair of Chattanooga goals in the 14th and 55th minutes. Jason Yeisley struck in the 79th and Stefan Lundberg found a late equalizer in the 89th to level terms, forcing overtime. Jeremy Deighton found the game winner nine minutes into the extra frame. Recap [+]

League Form: Pittsburgh was unable to find the same magic Friday in league play, falling at home 3-0 to Rochester. They are second from the bottom in league play, fifth place in the National Division with a 2-8-3 record.

Open Cup History: The Riverhounds may be most thankful to not be in the same foursome as Rochester, having been eliminated four times by the Rhinos, including the last three years (as well as in 2000). The team fell 3-0 last year and in 2008 – both in the second round – but took the Rhinos to penalties in the first round of 2009, dropping the contest after a 1-1 draw. Pittsburgh’s best outing came in 2001 when they upset the Colorado Rapids of MLS, 2-0, in the Second Round. They went on to edge league foe El Paso 2-1 in the Third Round before a Quarterfinal exit in overtime, a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Fire.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 5-6-2 (0-2 in PKs) overall | 0-0-0 vs. 3rd Division

Local History: Pittsburgh-area clubs often found Open Cup success in the 1940s and 50s. Of the 20 finals played between 1940 and 1959, teams from Western Pennsylvania were featured in eight of them, winning four titles. The Harmarville Hurricanes won two titles in 1952 and 1956 and were runners-up in 1953. Morgan Strasser won the cup in 1949 and were runners up in 1943 & 1944. Gallatin (1942 winners), and Heidelberg (1951 runner-up) also represented the Three Rivers area in Open Cup Finals.

Richmond Kickers

: After playing the El Paso Patriots to a 1-1 draw, the Richmond Kickers captured the 1995 US Open Cup title by defeating the Patriots on penalty kicks 4-2. Photo: Richmond Kickers

Founded in 1993, the club is the only other USL team to win the US Open Cup in the professional era (1995). An amateur team through 1995, the club played in USL’s top flight from 1996-2005 before joining the professional third division. It has only missed the postseason one time since 1994, winning the league title three times (1995, 2006, 2009) in eight appearances.

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

First Round: Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 4:1 Dayton Dutch Lions (USL Pro)
The Kickers were well on their way to a First Round victory Tuesday against league foe Dayton with two goals from David Bulow in the first 17 minutes. The Dutch Lions answered back in the second half, but Bulow added a third from the penalty spot and Shaka Bangura finished the match in the 90th for the 4-1 win. Recap [+]

League Form: Still at home Friday, the Kickers fell 1-0 to Harrisburg on a strike just before the break to snap their three-game unbeaten streak. Richmond sits in second place in the American Division with a 7-3-2 record.

Open Cup History: The Kickers have the distinction of being the first club to win the tournament during the professional era, taking the title in 1995 when pro clubs began participating despite themselves being in the amateur PDL, where they also won the league title. Richmond won the Open Cup in penalties after a 1-1 draw against the Patriots in El Paso. Since then, the club has reached the Quarterfinals three times (2001, 2004, 2007) in 13 appearances, defeating MLS clubs twice. In 2004 the club edged DC United, 2-1, in the Fourth Round before falling 1-0 to Chicago Fire. In 2007, the Kickers nipped the LA Galaxy weeks before David Beckham’s arrival, but were eliminated by the Second Division Carolina RailHawks in the Quarterfinals, 1-0.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 19-11-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 4-0-0 vs. 3rd Division (as a 3rd Division club)

Columbus Crew

lamar-hunt-crew-2002-open-cup-final — The Columbus Crew celebrate their 2002 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship at Crew Stadium with the late Lamar Hunt, who the tournament is named after. | Photo: Columbus Crew

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS: The Crew played their fourth match of the month against the Dynamo in Houston Saturday, winning 2-0 on goals from Andres Mendoza and Bernardo Anor. They are playing once more at home against the Colorado Rapids before the Third Round. Columbus started the month with a 1-1 draw on the road against the New York Red Bulls June 4 with Rich Balchan scoring the equalizer two minutes into stoppage time. The Crew won 2-1 four days later at home against Real Salt Lake, rallying from behind on a penalty from Andres Mendoza, who also set up Josh Gardner’s winner. The club fell at home June 12 against the Chicago Fire, 1-0.

Last Five: W-L-W-D-D | Season Record: 5-4-6 (4-1-3 Home), Third in Eastern Conference, Eighth Overall.

FIRST ROUND

Chattanooga FC (NPSL) 2:3 (AET) Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO)
Chartiers Valley Stadium – Bridgeville, Pa. – 7 p.m.
Full Recap [+]

Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) 1:4 Richmond Kickers (USL PRO)
Richmond City Stadium – Richmond, Va. – 7 p.m.
Full Recap [+]

ELIMINATED TEAMS

Chattanooga FC

Founded in 2009, the new club has been a dominant force of late in the National Premier Soccer League, finishing the 2010 season unbeaten on the season.

Path to Open Cup: Hosts of the six-team tournament for the Southeast NPSL group, Chattanooga was seeded with a bye as the defending champion. They would open with a 2-0 victory over Rocket City United in the semifinal contest with two second half goals from James Moor and Chris Ochieng, who would prove to be the hero in the Final. Deadlocked in a scoreless stalemate with the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves, who also had a first round bye, Ochieng scored with four minutes remaining in overtime to send Chattanooga to the tournament with a 1-0 win.

June News Updates: Defeated Rocket City 2-0 June 11 on a pair of goals from Michael Brooks in the final seven minutes… Suffered the club’s first loss in two seasons, falling 1-0 at home June 4 to Jacksonville United.

Open Cup History: First appearance in the tournament

Dayton Dutch Lions

Founded in 2009, the club is in its first USL season as a member of the professional third division after playing its inaugural season in the PDL where it finished third in its division.

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

June News Updates: Lost 3-0 in New York June 10… Fell June 8 in Harrisburg 4-1 with George Davis scoring consolation strike already trailing by four… Rallied to defeat visiting Pittsburgh 2-1 June 4 with late second half goals (74, 79) from George Davis.

Open Cup History: In its only previous Open Cup contest, the Dutch Lions fell 2-0 to the Rochester Rhinos last year in a match that could have paired them up with the Riverhounds in the Round 2.
PRO ERA RECORD: 0-1-0 overall | 0-0-0 vs. Division 3

Local History: The first known club to participate in the US Open Cup from Dayton was the Edelwiess Soccer Club in the 1970 tournament. They lost to Detroit-area club Carpathia Kickers 6-2 in their first match.

2011 US Open Cup First Round: Riverhouds survive upset bid with 3-2 overtime win

June 15, 2011 by Chuck Nolan Jr.

riverhounds-winner — Jeremy Deighton scored the game-winner for the Riverhounds in the 99th minute. Photo: Pittsburgh Riverhounds

The NPSL’s Chattanooga FC were on their way to a first round upset, only to see the Pittsburgh Riverhounds rally in the second half for a 3-2 overtime win at Chartiers Valley Stadium in Bridgeville, Pa.

The visiting NPSL squad took an early 1-0 lead when Ivan Heredia caught the Riverhounds goalkeeper out of position. Ten minutes into the second half, Mark Beattie doubled Chattanooga’s lead, and it seemed an upset was in the making.

The Riverhounds interrupted the visitors upset dreams with goals from Jason Yeisley and Stefan Lundberg late in the game. It was Lundberg’s goal in the closing minutes of regulation that tied the game 2-2 and sent it to extra time.

Just nine minutes into overtime, Jeremy Deighton scored what turned out to be the winning goal, as the Riverhouds held on to avoid the upset.

Pittsburgh will face the Richmond Kickers at Richmond City Stadium on June 21 in the Second Round.

Chattanooga FC (NPSL)
2:3 (AET)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO)
Chartiers Valley Stadium – Bridgeville, Pa.

RECAP: Chattanooga | Pittsburgh
Chattanooga Times Free Press

Scoring Summary
CHT: Ivan Heredia 14’
CHT: Mark Beattie 55’
PGH: Jason Yeisley 79′
PGH: Stefan Lundberg 89′
PGH: Jeremy Deighton 99’

2011 US Open Cup Qualifying: Chattanooga FC wins NPSL Southeast berth on overtime strike

May 27, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

Josh Shields- ATL- 052911-Credit to Frank Mattia — Photo: Frank Mattia

Six clubs representing five states meet at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee this weekend for the National Premier Soccer League’s Southeast Division tournament for one of the league’s four Lamar Hunt US Open Cup berths. First Round games will be held Friday with the winners joining two others in the semifinals Saturday. The Open Cup berth will be determined Sunday.

Knoxville Force and Jacksonville United FC meet in the first match followed by Rocket City United versus FC Tulsa. The two winners advance to play the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves and host Chattanooga FC Saturday evening. New club Georgia Revolution are the only team in the division not slated to participate. In their place as the sixth team is FC Tulsa, a club that was a member of the league a year ago, but is only playing friendlies in 2011 in preparation of joining the USL Premier Development League in 2012.

Previous NPSL qualification opportunities were primarily held via the regional USASA tournaments. Three clubs participated in the Region III tournament a year ago, but were unable to earn one of the two berths on the line, finishing a combined 2-4-3 in group play.

Both First Round matches will be first-time meetings for 2011. Knoxville, currently 1-2-0, and Jacksonville, 0-4-0, are new to the division and will meet for the first time ever. A year ago Tulsa finished second in the division at 4-2-2 with a win and draw against Rocket City in consecutive matches. They posted a 2-1 win at home and played to a 1-1 draw on the road.

Undefeated a year ago at 6-0-2, Chattanooga enters the tournament still unbeaten with a 2-0-1 record thus far in 2011 league play, making them heavy favorites. They have yet to face either possible semifinal opponent. A year ago Chattanooga drew 1-1 at Rocket City before finishing the season off with a 4-0 victory over them. They swept Tulsa with a 2-1 road win and 5-0 blanking at home.

Winless a year ago as Atlanta FC (0-6-2), the new-look side under the Atlanta Silverbacks banner has made strides early in the season with only one loss in four games at 1-1-2. The club could prove dangerous for Chattanooga having registered the season opening 1-1 result and having handed them one of the two draws a year ago.

Links: NPSL SE 2011 Results – Tournament Format

Friday, May 27
Knoxville Force 0:1 Jacksonville United FC – 5:30 pm ET
– JUFC: Tyler Williams (Tommy KKrizanovic) 53rd
Rocket City United 7:1 FC Tulsa – 8:00 pm ET
– RCU: Hyde (Letsholo) 13
– RCU: Hyde 22
– TUL: Jake Cottage 31
– RCU: Hyde 33
– RCU: Nkurunungi 59
– RCU: Hyde 64
– RCU: Nunez pen. 80
– RCU: Omondi 88

Saturday, May 28
Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves 3:1 Jacksonville United FC – 5:30 pm ET
– JU: Tyler Williams 23
– ATL: Juan Carlos Nandi 28
– ATL: Kingsley Morgan 86
– ATL: Duque 90+
Chattanooga FC 2:0 Rocket City United – 8:00 pm ET
– CFC Penalty kick Heredia (saved)
– CFC: James Moore 65
– CFC: Chris Ochieng 74

Sunday, May 29 – FINAL – 7:00 pm ET
Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves 0:1 Chattanooga FC
– CFC: Chris Ochieng 116

About the Teams

Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves: Formerly known as Atlanta FC, the club has been in existence since 2008 as members of the NPSL and previously only qualified for the US Open Cup once. In their lone appearance in 2009, the club was eliminated in the First Round on the road, 2-0, by the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division (pro second division). The new name reflects new ownership and affiliation with the new NASL team of the same name (provisionally sanctioned pro second division). Atlanta won the division in its first season in 2008. Last year, Atlanta finished third in its Region III tournament group. (MORE: Atlanta FC – 2009 Meet the USASA)

Chattanooga FC: The club from Tennessee is entering its third year in the league and are the defending conference champion. This will be the team’s first attempt at qualifying for the US Open Cup. The team is coached by Brian Crossman, the 21-year coach of local Covenant College.

FC Tulsa: Members of the NPSL Southeast Division last year, the Oklahoma side finished second in the division a year ago after finishing second in the USASA Region III tournament while trying to qualify for the US Open Cup. The club’s director of coaching is Ali Adibi, who also manages the women’s side and formerly coached the Tulsa Roughnecks for eight years during the USL era in which they never qualified for the US Open Cup. The club is spending 2011 preparing to play in the USL PDL in 2012.

Jacksonville United FC: The Florida club is a new entry into the NPSL this season, but fans of the US Open Cup will recognize the team. Jacksonville United is a product of a merger of Open Cup regulars Lynch’s FC (Lynch’s Irish Pub / DS United) and the Jacksonville United youth academy. Lynch’s has qualified for the Open Cup three times (2003, 2007, 2009) in the last eight years. The team is coached by Pat Cannon, a recent inductee into the University of West Florida Hall of Fame. (MORE: Lynch’s FC – 2009 Meet the USASA)

Knoxville Force: Another new club in the NPSL, the Force are led by Derek Broadley, who previously served as head coach of Reading United AC of the Premier Development League from 2005-07. Reading did not qualify for the US Open Cup during his tenure.

Rocket City United: A member of the NPSL since 2008, the club finished first in the division in 2009, but has not qualified in its attempts to reach the US Open Cup the past two years. Located in Huntsville, Alabama, the club is under its third coach in four years with Gerry Cleary at the helm.

2011 US Open Cup qualifying: NPSL Southeast Conference tournament announced

April 18, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

The qualification process has been set for one of the four National Premier Soccer League’s automatic berths into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Southeast Division’s spot will feature a six-team tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn. May 27-29, according to the website of host Chattanooga FC.

Hosted at Finley Stadium, the event kicks off Friday, May 27 with a pair of First Round matches. Knoxville Force and Jacksonville United FC meet in the first match followed by Rocket City United versus FC Tulsa.

The two winners advance to play the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves and host Chattanooga FC Saturday evening. The tournament champion will be played Sunday night to determine the US Open Cup entrant. New club Georgia Revolution are the only team in the division not slated to participate.

Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves: Formerly known as Atlanta FC, the club has been in existence since 2008 as members of the NPSL and previously only qualified for the US Open Cup once. In their lone appearance in 2009, the club was eliminated in the First Round on the road, 2-0, by the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division (pro second division). The new name reflects new ownership and affiliation with the new NASL team of the same name (provisionally sanctioned pro second division). Atlanta won the division in its first season in 2008. Last year, Atlanta finished third in its Region III tournament group. (MORE: Atlanta FC – 2009 Meet the USASA)

Chattanooga FC: The club from Tennessee is entering its third year in the league and are the defending conference champion. This will be the team’s first attempt at qualifying for the US Open Cup. The team is coached by Brian Crossman, the 21-year coach of local Covenant College.

FC Tulsa: Entering their second season in the NPSL, the Oklahoma side finished second in the division a year ago after finishing second in the USASA Region III tournament while trying to qualify for the US Open Cup. The club’s director of coaching is Ali Adibi, who also manages the women’s side and formerly coached the Tulsa Roughnecks for eight years during the USL era in which they never qualified for the US Open Cup.

Jacksonville United FC: The Florida club is a new entry into the NPSL this season, but fans of the US Open Cup will recognize the team. Jacksonville United is a product of a merger of Open Cup regulars Lynch’s FC (Lynch’s Irish Pub / DS United) and the Jacksonville United youth academy. Lynch’s has qualified for the Open Cup three times (2003, 2007, 2009) in the last eight years. The team is coached by Pat Cannon, a recent inductee into the University of West Florida Hall of Fame. (MORE: Lynch’s FC – 2009 Meet the USASA)

Knoxville Force: Another new club in the NPSL, the Force are led by Derek Broadley, who previously served as head coach of Reading United AC of the Premier Development League from 2005-07. Reading did not qualify for the US Open Cup during his tenure.

Rocket City United: A member of the NPSL since 2008, the club finished first in the division in 2009, but has not qualified in its attempts to reach the US Open Cup the past two years. Located in Huntsville, Alabama, the club is under its third coach in four years with Gerry Cleary at the helm.