Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

CJ Sapong

2012 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Sporting Kansas City ends Dayton Dutch Lions run with 3-0 victory

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Sporting Kansas City struck early and held on, tacking on a couple more as the Cinderella run for the until-recently-winless Dayton Dutch Lions ended in a 3-0 win for the hosts at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Kansas City wasted no time in taking control of the game, dominating possession early. It paid off in only the fifth minute as Seth Sinovic took a long shot from outside the box. It took a deflection off of CJ Sapong near the six and ended in the net past Dutch Lions goalkeeper Matt Williams.

Dayton wouldn’t really get a clear chance on net until the 16th minute when the Dutch Lions earned a corner kick. Gibson Bardsley’s corner would be cleared away by Graham Zusi. It wouldn’t get very far, though, and landed at the feet of Nelson Dias, who took a shot that sailed well wide of the net.

The Dutch Lions’ best chance of the match came in the 26th minute. Eli Garner sent a cross into the box, where Dias hit it one time. He forced Sporting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen into making a fantastic save, tipping the ball over the bar. It, however, would result in a goal kick after a Dayton player was called offside.

Kansas City wouldn’t let up the pressure in the match, even taking some chances. In the 40th minute, Zusi stole the ball in the Kansas City backfield, saw the keeper off his line, and fired from 60-70 yards away. It was sent wide right of the net.

Sporting would have one last good chance before halftime. Jacob Peterson turned with the ball in midfield and played a give-and-go with Sapong, carrying the ball inside the box and rifling a shot off the near post.

Dayton came out motivated in the second half, flying out of the gate at the kickoff. Bardsley sent a long lob pass to Garner, who sent a shot over the crossbar.

Sporting Kansas City would slowly take back control of the match, starting in the 50th minute with a failed counter attack. A minute later, Soony Saad turned and fired from around 25 yards out, but hit the shot wide of the net.

They kept pushing in the 54th when Sapong came in streaking on the left side past the Dayton defense and hit a shot, forcing Matt Williams to make a solid save.

Kansas City would finally break through for a second in the 56th, and it was all Zusi. After a pass from Peterson, he found himself at the top of the box with room to shoot, and shoot he did. His shot curled in to the corner to double Sporting’s lead to 2-0.

Just three minutes later, that two goal lead would change to three. A corner kick from Saad found Sapong in the center of the box, fighting off a Dayton defender. He rose over him just enough to head it home to give Kansas City a 3-0 lead from which they would never look back.

Dayton spent the rest of the match pushing for any opportunity they could find, which became more scarce as the game went on. This stretched out their defense, which Sporting almost took advantage of on multiple occasions. Shots from both Sinovic and substitute Teal Bunbury fell wide of the net during the late stretch.

Bunbury got one last chance to add a goal of his own in the 83rd minute. He took a shot from the six yard box, which Williams slid in to make a save, denying him a place on the scoresheet.

With the win by Sporting Kansas City, they now move on to play the Philadelphia Union in the Semifinals. That game will be on Wednesday, July 11 at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, at 7:30 PM.

Sporting Kansas City 3:0 Dayton Dutch Lions
LIVESTRONG Sporting Park – Kansas City, Kansas

Scoring Summary:
KC – C.J. Sapong (Seth Sinovic) 5
KC – Graham Zusi (Jacob Peterson) 56
KC – C.J. Sapong (Soony Saad) 59

Misconduct Summary:
NONE

Lineups
Sporting Kansas City: Jimmy Nielsen©; Michael Harrington, Lawrence Olum, Matt Besler (Konrad Warzycha 68), Seth Sinovic; Peterson Joseph, Michael Thomas, Graham Zusi (Roger Espinoza 59); Jacob Peterson, C.J. Sapong (Teal Bunbury 74), Soony Saad

Subs not used: Eric Kronberg, Chance Myers, Kei Kamara, Dom Dwyer

Dayton Dutch Lions: Matt Williams; Shane Smith, Mettin Copier (Daniel Holowaty 64), Nixon Dias, Gregory Preciado; Joel DeLass, Bret Jones, Mikael McNamara (Akeem Priestley 60); Eli Garner, Gerrit Bartels, Gibson Bardsley (Kyle Knotek 56)

Subs not used: Jeff DeGroot, Eric Kissinger, Toric Robinson, Corey Whisenhunt

STATS
KC: Shots 20, SOG 6, Saves 0, Fouls 7, Offside 1, Corners 3
DAY: Shots 4, SOG 0, Saves 3, Fouls 6, Offside 3, Corners 1

Attendance: 15,167
Weather: Sunny and 91 degrees

TheCup.us Best of 2011 review

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As we head into the New Year with US Open Cup qualification for 2012 already under way in the USASA and all the entrants for the higher divisions (reportedly) set, we thought we would take a look back at the year 2011. We wanted to honor the great performances in the US Open Cup and by the teams and players in all competitions for the American domestic clubs. Here is the debut of TheCup.us annual honors.

US Open Cup Best 11 Performances of 2011

11 – Eric Kronberg & CJ Sapong (Sporting KC):

Qualifying for the tournament during and after a long road stretch to start the season due to stadium construction was no easy task, and the club could not be faulted if they chose to pass on playing in the event. Instead, the team dominated in qualifying with a pair of Kronberg shutouts and three goals from Sapong to top Houston, 1-0 in overtime, and New England, 5-0. Kronberg would go on to get a third shutout in the Third Round tournament opener for KC, blanking Chicago Fire’s PDL side, 3-0.

10 – Stefan Dimitrov (NY Pancyrprian Freedoms):

After being one of the club’s leading players in qualifying, he continued his stellar performance in the tournament. He struck the opening goal in the team’s 2-1 First Round win against Brooklyn Italians and nearly saw his team upset USL Pro’s FC New York in the Second Round, falling in penalties after a scoreless draw.

9 – Kitsap Pumas:

The best performance by a club from the fourth tier of US Soccer, Kitsap survived a difficult road trip to El Paso in the First Round, advancing on penalties after a scoreless draw. They then dominated fellow PDL side Real Colorado, 3-1, before giving the MLS Sounders a tough test on their home turf before exiting in a 2-1 decision.

8 – Jackson (FC Dallas):

The midfielder was the game MVP in the club’s first two contests, tallying a goal and assist in the thrilling 3-2 victory against Orlando City in the Third Round and finding the back of the net once again in their win at home against Real Salt Lake.

7 – Zach Lubin (Kitsap Pumas):

Filling in for the regular starter at the last minute, the netminder came out on top in a goalkeeping duel on the road against the El Paso Patriots. After a scoreless 90 minutes, he made a fantastic double-save in overtime and then stopped a penalty in the shootout to send the Pumas onto the Second Round.

6 – Dominic Oduro (Chicago Fire):

A maligned start to his MLS campaign resulted in a trade to Chicago, where he would revive his reputation with some success in the Open Cup. Part of the success included game-winners in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches against Richmond and New York. Oduro, Player of the Round for the Semifinals, also finished second behind Seattle’s Fredy Montero for TheCup.us Player of the ‘Tournament.

5 – Chicago Fire:

A club struggling in league play (and ultimately missing the postseason), the Fire advanced from pre-tournament MLS qualifying, kicking it all off with a win over defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids, 2-1, before topping San Jose in penalties after a 2-2 draw to earn the berth. In the tournament they edged perennial upset-power Rochester, 1-0, before clobbering a second-string Red Bulls, 4-0, and ending the amazing run of Richmond, 2-1, to reach the championship, where they fell, 2-0, to Seattle.

4 – Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders):

The Sounders played four games en route to the title. He netted the game-winner in the last three as they topped three consecutive MLS opponents, earning Player of the Tournament honors.

3 – David Bulow (Richmond Kickers):

He finished as the leading scorer of the tournament with six goals, doubling the tally of those behind him. The effort propelled Bulow into the all-time scoring leader for the Modern Pro Era with 14. With a hat-trick in the First Round, two goals in the Second he tied Johnny Menyongar and MLS great Jaime Moreno at 13. He notched the table-leading goal in a 2-0 Quarterfinal win against Sporting Kansas City. Unfortunately he had to watch his team play without him in the Kickers’ Semifinal loss to Chicago when he received a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation when he was cautioned late in the Kansas City match.

2 – Seattle Sounders:

Any other year and Seattle would have been in the top spot, which is undoubtedly where they would be for a team of the decade vote. You do not need to say anything more than Three-Peat.

1 – Richmond Kickers:

What can you say? In the 17 years of the Modern Pro Era of the tournament you can count on one hand the kind of lower division club performances equal to what the Kickers accomplished this year, becoming the first-ever team to win back-to-back road matches versus MLS opponents. They topped Columbus at Crew Stadium, 2-1, in the Third Round and stunned Kansas City, 2-0, in a thunderstorm-plagued match in the Quarterfinals. The run, which started with a pair of games against fellow USL Pro clubs and no amateur sides, did not see the team trail until it came to an end on the road in Chicago during the Semifinals.

All Competitions Best of 2011

Major League Soccer Club: Los Angeles Galaxy

It was not an easy choice between the star-laden Galaxy and the Open Cup darling Sounders as both were excellent across nearly all competitions. LA won MLS Cup as Seattle crashed out early in the playoffs again. On the other hand, Seattle knocked LA out of the early rounds of the Open Cup yet again on its way to winning their third consecutive title, making those two events basically even. In the end, that left the MLS Supporters’ Shield and CONCACAF Champions League, both of which the Galaxy were the better side. LA won their group in CCL action while the Sounders were second in theirs – both advancing to this spring’s Quarterfinals. And in the regular season, the Galaxy finished four points better as they finished one-two with LA having the better of Seattle on the narrowest of margins, 1-0 on aggregate, in their two league contests on the year – making the season opener back on March 15 the possible deciding factor in this honor as the point swing would have made Seattle Supporters’ Shield winners instead.

Major League Soccer Player: Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders)

With three goals in the Open Cup, he was tied with several other players for second in scoring. In MLS, he finished tied for fifth in both goals (12) and assists (9). He was also tied for sixth in CCL scoring with three goals.

Lower Division Professional Club: Orlando City

Based on Open Cup performance, selecting Richmond would have been the obvious choice. However, Orlando City dominated USL Pro this season, finishing with a 15-3-6 record and going on to capture the league double with a playoff championship in equally dominating fashion. In the Open Cup, the Floridians blew past amateurs ASC New Stars, 4-0, before becoming the first non-MLS team to oust Charleston, 1-0, in the Second Round. They gave CCL club and MLS Cup finalist FC Dallas a tough outing in the Third Round, finding themselves on the wrong end of a thrilling 3-2 contest that saw both clubs score in stoppage time.

Lower Division Professional Player: Miguel Gallardo (Orlando City)

If David Bulow was the star of the Open Cup, it was Gallardo during the USL Pro season. The netminder controlled the box with a league-leading 0.681 GAA, finishing first in shutouts (11) and tied for first in wins (12). He allowed only one goal in postseason contests against Charleston and Richmond and had a shutout in the works during the final before mistakenly taking down a Harrisburg player outside of the box, receiving a red card for the foul and allowing the City Islanders to force a 2-2 draw that saw the Lions take the title in penalties.

Amateur Club: NY Pancyprian Freedoms

The perennial USASA giants came into the tournament as defending USASA Open Cup champions and as reigning Cosmopolitan League title holders, suffering only one loss in a 11-1-4 campaign. The Freedoms topped the NPSL’s Brooklyn Italians, 2-1, in the First Round and nearly upset USL Pro FC New York in the Second Round. They took the pro club to penalty kicks in a scoreless contest before being eliminated in sudden death penalties. The club would go on to capture a second straight USASA championship, downing AAC Eagles, 6-0, in the semifinal and claiming the title in penalties after a 2-2 draw against ASC New Stars.

Amateur Club Player: Milton Blanco (Fresno Fuego)

He finished first in the league in assists (14) and tied for sixth in goals (12) to finish first overall in total points with 38. He helped lead Fresno to an unbeaten 13-0-3 season that came to an end in the second round of the playoffs, 1-0, by the professional Kitsap side that went on to win the league title. Four of Blanco’s goals came in the opening four Open Cup qualification games of the season, leading the team to a perfect 4-0-0 record that was not quite enough as they missed out on the division’s berth in the tournament to Ventura County on tiebreakers.

Professional Women’s Club: Western NY Flash

Dominant from start to finish, the newcomers to WPS finished 14-3-2 on the season and went on to win the league double with the playoff championship.

Professional Women’s Player: Abby Wambach (MagicJack)

It was a tough decision with WNY’s Christine Sinclair finishing tied for first in goals (10) and assists (8). Wambach, however, was tied for third in goals (9), having played in three fewer games. More importantly, the US international was the standout performer in the FIFA World Cup over the summer while Canada’s campaign fell flat.

Amateur Women’s Club: Atlanta Silverbacks

The W-League champions suffered only one loss on the year, an early season defeat to rival Charlotte, 3-1. Since that game, the Silverbacks gave up only two more goals during the regular season, finishing the campaign with seven shutouts. After a wild 3-2 opening round playoff win against the New Jersey Wildcats they went on to blank Charlotte, 1-0, and dominate the two Canadian giants. They topped Vancouver, 3-1, in the semifinal and shockingly crushed the perfect Ottawa Fury (12-0-0, 3-0-0) in the championship game with a stunning 6-1 result.

Amateur Women’s Club Player: Edite Fernandes (Santa Clarita Blue Heat)

With players on Canadian sides dominating the scoring charts it was Edite Fernandes that stood out in the W-League. She finished with nine goals and five assists on the season (fourth in goals, assists and points)  to help guide the second-year club to a regular season title in the Western Conference, a group home to powerhouses like Pali Blues, Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders.

Note: Pro clubs (and their players) in amateur leagues were ineligible for amateur awards. For men, they were categorized with Lower Division Professional Clubs and for women, they were categorized with Professional Women’s Club, etc.

2011 US Open Cup qualifying (Win & You’re In): Sporting KC qualify with drubbing of 2nd string New England

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Sporting Kansas City did a lot of celebrating during their 5-0 win over the New England Revolution. Photo: Taylor Allan | Sporting KC

It has been a difficult start to the year for Sporting Kansas City playing away from home as LIVESTRONG Sporting Park was being finished. In the final 2011 MLS qualifier for the US Open Cup though, the club was finally at home, albeit at the alternate site Blue Valley District Activities Complex, and took that frustration out amidst the rain on a second string New England Revolution side in a stunning 5-0 victory that gave them the eighth and final MLS berth in the third round of the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Two Chance Myers strikes in the first 19 minutes put Sporting on the path toward a record performance as they posted the largest margin of victory all-time in the league’s 30 qualification matches over the past five years. The only four-goal margin was Real Salt Lake’s 4-0 home win against San Jose in 2008. It was also only the second time a club has scored five in a game as DC defeated visiting New York 5-3 two years ago. CJ Sapong added two of the other goals and Aurelien Collin had the fifth.

Playing away from home in MLS, Sporting is 1-6-1 with two more games away from home before the debut at the new park. They have yet to post a shutout on the season in MLS play, but have now blanked two league rivals in qualifiers having edged the Houston Dynamo on the road, 1-0, in the previous round on a Sapong goal in overtime. Eric Kronberg, who has played only one league match, was in goal for both qualifier clean sheets.

Just minutes into the contest Omar Bravo worked the ball quickly down the left flank and sent a low cross through the area that found a slashing Myers at the far post for an easy finish past Bobby Shuttleworth.

Bravo again was a factor in the 19th minute when his initial shot on goal was knocked away by Shuttleworth, allowing Myers to put away the rebound to double the advantage.

Five minutes later, Sporting grabbed suffocating command of the match when Sapong redirected a cross from former Revolution defender Seth Sinovic for his second goal of the qualifying campaign. The goal marked the first time Kansas City had scored three in a qualification match, having scored twice in only one of its four previous play-in matches.

As halftime approached Pat Phelan had the first good opportunity for New England, sending a long, hopeful effort from 35 yards that nearly found the upper right corner only to sail just wide.

Just after the hour mark Ryan Smith moved up the middle quickly for Kansas City, firing on goal and forcing Shuttleworth to make a nice save to send the ball out of play. Two minutes later Graham Zusi took a shot that was flying toward the crossbar, prompting the keeper to tip it over just to make sure.

In one of the Revolution’s other rare chances, Alan Koger gathered the ball on the right side, turned and fired from 28 years, making Kronberg stretch out for a nice save in the 68th minute.

In the 81st minute Collin made it 4-0 when he headed in a Smith cross from close range.

Seven minutes later Sapong sealed the record performance on a play symbolic of the night, stealing the ball from defender Franco Coria at the top of the box and putting it into the upper corner from 16 yards for his third of the campaign, making him the leading scorer in 2011 MLS US Open Cup qualifying.

Scoring Summary
KC: Chance Myers (Omar Bravo) – 9th min.
KC: Chance Myers – 19th min.
KC: CJ Sapong (Seth Sinovic) – 24th min.
KC: Aurelien Collin (Ryan Smith) – 81st min.
KC: CJ Sapong – 88th min.

Misconduct Summary:
NE – Didier Domi (caution; Tactical Foul) 20
NE – Pat Phelan (caution; Reckless Foul) 45
NE – Alan Koger (caution; Reckless Foul) 74

Lineups:
New England Revolution – Bobby Shuttleworth (Tim Murray 72), Ryan Kinne, Franco Coria, Otto Loewy, Didier Domi, Michael Augustine (Diego Fagundez 70), Pat Phelan, Andrew Sousa, Sainey Nyassi (Zak Boggs 60), Zack Shilawski, Alan Koger
Substitutes Not Used: Darrius Barnes

Kansas City Wizards – Eric Kronberg, Michael Harrington, Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin, Seth Sinovic, Omar Bravo (Ryan Smith 57), Craig Rocastle (Birahim Diop 72), Chance Myers (Kei Kamara 79), Luke Sassano, Graham Zusi, C.J. Sapong
Substitutes Not Used: Jimmy Nielsen, Roger Espinoza

Referee: Sorin Stoica
Referee’s Assistants: Lance Mesman, Matthew Foerster
4th Official: Landis Wiley
Weather: Cloudy and 53 degrees
Attendance: 1,228

2011 US Open Cup qualifying: CJ Sapong’s goal gives Sporting KC first qualifying win, 1-0 over Dynamo

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2011 US Open Cup qualifying bracket (MLS)

Tyler Deric, Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric made four saves in Wednesday’s US Open Cup qualifier against Sporting Kansas City. Photo: Wilf Thorne | Houston Dynamo

A goal three minutes into overtime from second half substitute CJ Sapong proved to be the difference as Sporting Kansas City registered their first Major League Soccer qualification victory for the US Open Cup in team history, downing Houston Dynamo, 1-0. The club entered the match with a 0-2-1 record, advancing just once on penalties.

The rookie striker, selected as the 10th overall pick, is no stranger to dramatic early goals through just four games. His first career goal in MLS came in the very first minute of the club’s 3-2 victory on the road against Chivas USA in the season opener.

After receiving a pass from Teal Bunbury, who has a co-league leading three goals, Sapong drove through the Dynamo defense and let loose a curling shot into the upper right corner beyond the reach of goalkeeper Tyler Deric.

Sapong is looking to return to the tournament after being eliminated, 2-1 in overtime, in the First Round a year ago while playing for the USL Premier Development League’s Reading United AC by the then USL Second Division Real Maryland Monarchs. The former DC United Academy player tallied two goals and two assists as Reading swept all of its qualifiers in the PDL a year ago, starting all four contests. He also went on to help lead the team to the PDL Final Four with four goals and three assists in 11 games.

Kansas City advances to the final round of the eastern MLS qualification bracket and will travel to play the winner of the second round match between the New England Revolution and host DC United. Details of the match will be announced at a later date.

The two clubs came in with contrasting results in league play as Houston featured low-scoring affairs and Kansas City thrilling goalfests, but the scoreline followed the Dynamo trend. Houston opened with a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia and came into the match on back-to-back 1-1 draws in Seattle and New York. Sporting, meanwhile, saw at least four fewer goals. Following the win in California, Kansas City dropped a 3-2 contest in Chicago and saw a three-goal lead disappear in Vancouver for a 3-3 draw last weekend.

Back-up goalkeeper Eric Kronberg was critical for the visitors in the shutout, making six saves and patrolling his area well on the night. Houston’s youngster was also stellar in goal in relief of usual starter Tally Hall, making an acrobatic save seven minutes in to deny Kei Kamara’s header from six yards and stuffing Omar Bravo point-blank in the 25th minute.

Houston returns to league play, hosting the Vancouver Whitecaps Sunday evening. Kansas City, meanwhile, are idle this weekend and will next play in Columbus April 16 as Sporting continues its 10-game stretch away from home to start the league campaign while its new home stadium, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, is completed for the June 9 opener versus Chicago.

2011 US Open Cup qualifying (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City 1:0 Houston Dynamo (After Extra Time)
April 06, 2011 — Aggie Soccer Stadium, College Station, Tx.

Scoring Summary
SKC: CJ Sapong (Teal Bunbury) – 92nd minute

Sporting Kansas City lineup: Eric Kronberg (GK), Michael Harrington, Matt Besler, Shavar Thomas, Roger Espinoza, Luke Sassano (Davy Arnaud – 91st), Craig Rocastle (Birahim Diop – 76th), Milos Stojcev, Kei Kamara, Omar Bravo (CJ Sapong – 46th), Teal Bunbury. | Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Ellis, Mike Jones, Scott Lorenz, Jon Kempin.

Houston Dynamo lineup: Tyler Deric (GK), Kofi Sarkodie, Bobby Boswell, Eddie Robinson (Jordan Graye – 86th), Mike Chabala, Danny Cruz, Alex Dixon, Lovel Palmer, Colin Clark (Corey Ashe – 76th), Cam Weaver (Will Bruin – 83rd), Jason Garey. | Substitutes Not Used: Hunter Freeman, Francisco Navas Cobo, Josue Soto, Tally Hall.

Misconduct Summary
HOU: Kofi Sarkodie (caution; Tactical Foul) – 5th
HOU: Lovel Palmer (caution; Tactical Foul) – 43rd
SKC: Omar Bravo (caution; Reckless Foul) – 46th+
HOU: Mike Chabala (caution; Tactical Foul) – 65th
HOU: Bobby Boswell (caution; Tactical Foul) – 73rd

Referee: Ismail Elfath
Referee’s Assistants: Greg Boles; Marcel Theriot
4th Official: Luis Guardia
Attendance: 2,383
Weather: Sunny-and-75-degrees

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