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2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Three teams, ‘lucky loser’ complete USASA Region II final four

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The semifinals are complete in the USASA’s Region II Open Cup qualifying tournament.

In a rather unusual format, three first round winners will join one of the losing teams in the final four to be played on Saturday, April 20. The two semifinals winners will qualify for the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Illinois representative RWB Adria defeated the only team that had to qualify for Region II this year, the Croatian Eagles from Milwaukee, by a score of 2-0. Elsewhere, the Dearborn Stars won their first-ever Open Cup qualifying match, 5-0 over the Cincy Saints. Down in Kansas, the KC Athletics, who are looking to qualify for the Open Cup for the third time in four years, knocked off FC Indiana by a score of 3-1.

In an effort to achieve a four-team semifinal, the Region II organizers decided to give one of the three losing teams a second chance. They decided that the losing team with the best goal difference would survive and advance to the “Win & You’re In” round. The beneficiary of that lifeline was FC Indiana, who tied with the Eagles with a -2 goal difference, but the first tiebreaker was goals scored, thus sending the Hoosier state’s lone entry to the final four.

After the games were complete, a random draw was conducted and it was determined that the KC Athletics will host the Dearborn Stars and FC Indiana will travel a few hours north to Chicago to face RWB Adria in the “Win & You’re In” round. The games are scheduled to be played on April 20 with kick off times and venues still to be determined.

Dearborn Stars (MI) 5:0 Cincy Saints (OH-South)
International Academy (Dearborn Heights, MI) – Saturday, April 6 – 7 p.m. ET

By Alejandro L. Zúñiga (MLive.com/soccer | @the_zuniga)

With winds blustering and the sun setting, the Dearborn Stars rudely welcomed the Cincy Saints to Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights, Mich. on Saturday, beating them 5-0 and moving themselves one win away from earning a berth in the 100th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Both teams had some difficulty adjusting to the artificial turf field in the early moments of the match, and players misjudged passes and bounces as they struggled to keep the ball long enough to create dangerous attacks. But making the most of their home-field advantage, the Stars managed to break though in the 29th minute thanks to midfielder Nik Djokic.

After receiving and settling a perfect through ball, Djokic found himself all alone in the box against the Saints’ goalkeeper. His team had found itself in that position twice before, but couldn’t capitalize on one-on-one opportunities. Djokic, though, took a touch before blasting a powerful, rising shot past the netminder.

Cincinnati almost put Dearborn into an early hole in the opening minutes of the match. In the sixth minute, Cincinnati forward Marc Hansson made a long run along the left wing, but pulled a left-footed shot just wide. He had another chance just five minutes later, but Stars goalkeeper Vito Lonigro charged out and made a sliding save. Lonigro was protected well by his back line throughout the match, but he was solid when called upon.

“The first half was a little shaky in the beginning,” Lonigro said. “But in the end, I didn’t have to do much.”

The Saints’ chances of qualifying took another blow in the minutes before halftime when Hamoody Saad, the brother of Sporting Kansas City forward Soony Saad, deftly lifted a shot into the net to double Dearborn’s lead.

Damion Blackburn – Cincinnati’s leading scorer – was a non-factor on Saturday night. The former Columbus Crew forward looked out of place patrolling the middle of the field, unable to control possession or push play forward. At the start of the second half, he watched helplessly as the Stars mounted an attack that ended with midfielder Nathan Hicklin’s driving laser past the goalkeeper that gave Dearborn a three-goal advantage.

Blackburn had an opportunity to pull his side back into the game when the Saints were awarded a free kick in the 50th minute, but his looping effort didn’t threaten Lonigro and sailed over the bar.

The Stars’ Miki Djerisilo also had a quiet night, but he tallied a penalty kick goal in the 66th minute to dispel any hopes of a Cincinnati comeback. The Serbia native stutter stepped as he ran up to the ball before cooly burying a 12-yard shot into the bottom corner. The Stars added a final tally by Thiago Harris on a rebound with four minutes remaining in the match.

“I love playing with this team, and I look forward to the games we have to come,” Lonigro said. “We’re looking to make a name for ourselves.”

The semifinal round is scheduled for April 20 and if the Stars are able to defeat the KC Athletics, they will become just the third Michigan team (Detroit United in 2010; Chaldean Arsenal in 2001) from the Michigan Soccer Association to qualify for the tournament in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present).

“We’re going to come out swinging again this year,” he said. “If we didn’t think we could win a couple games we wouldn’t play.

KC Athletics (KS) 3:1 FC Indiana (IN)
Olathe Northwest High School (Olathe, KS) – Saturday, April 6 – 3 p.m. ET

By Anders Aarhus (@sportsviking)

The Kansas City Athletics defeated FC Indiana 3-1 Saturday afternoon to move within one game of qualifying for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Strong winds had an effect throughout the game, but the Athletics got first half goals from Brian Williams and Matt Kuhn, while Garrett Webb added a third from the penalty spot midway through the second to secure the victory.

Indiana’s consolation goal proved to be crucial as they advance to the semifinals as the losing team with the most goals scored.

The visitors came into the game content with sitting deep and attempting to hit KC on the counter.

“They did ,” said Athletics player-coach Kyle Perkins. “We had originally thought they just did that at the beginning because they were going against the wind in the first half. But they ended up coming and starting it off defending in their own half.”

“It actually allowed us to do what we wanted to do which is keep the ball, play it from side-to-side and find the best point of attack,” said Perkins.

A 4-3-3 helped the Athletics exploit the wings in the first half and led to both goals. After the break, KC went to a 4-4-2 to hold the ball better against the wind.

“We’re still trying to figure it out exactly, personnel and formation,” said Perkins. “We have so many attacking players. We try to get on the field at the same time.”

In addition to the strong attack, Perkins singled out defender John Markey as a top performer.

“He played really well. I can’t really think of a time where he lost the ball,” Perkins said.

Both teams advance to the April 20 “Win & You’re In” semifinal with the Athletics hosting the Dearborn Stars, and FC Indiana traveling to Chicago to face RWB Adria.

RWB Adria (IL) 2:0 Croatian Eagles (WI)
Kroc Center (Chicago, IL) – Saturday, April 6 – 3 p.m. ET

By Scott Fenwick (OnTheFire.com)

The Windy City certainly lived up to its name on Saturday afternoon. From the start, it was evident that a sustained, strong, and direct wind would significantly impact the run of play in a win or go home grudge match that saw hosts RWB Adria down Milwaukee rivals Croatian Eagles 2-0 on Chicago’s south side in a USASA Region II US Open Cup qualifier.

It was a physical battle between the two rival Croatian clubs, RWB Adria (right) and the Croatian Eagles. Photo: Scott Fenwick | OnTheFire.com

Croatian Eagles had the advantage in first half, powered by a south wind at their backs that significantly hampered Adria’s ability to play balls in the air. But the Chicago side was able to handle the weather and fight against a torrid head wind.

Early on in the 8th minute, after doing well to keep possession in the midfield with high pressure tactics, Adria played the ball on the ground and let loose a surprise counterattacking series that culminated in a scintillating Piotr Kolasinski strike that put Adria up 1-0.

“You’ve got to give credit,” lamented Eagles head coach Alex Toth. “There was a mis-hit, and then the guy hits a perfect shot. You take your hat off to him for hitting a perfect shot.”

Little did the crowd know that Adria’s early goal against the wind would prove the decider.

After bossing the match through 15 minutes, Adria ceded possession – and their defensive third – to the Eagles. The wind at their backs, the Milwaukee side was able to keep sustained pressure on the Adria goal, with wicked action on their corners and crosses that facilitated an astounding series of consecutive corner kicks.

“I don’t even know how many corner kicks we had,” said Toth. “We were really unfortunate not to get on the end of something. We were probably camped in that box for a good six, seven, eight minutes in the first half. It was corner after corner after corner.”

Adria striker Vlad Baicu talked about how his team was unable to do much offensively with his team hunkered down in the box for so long.

“Obviously, it was very hard to play against the wind in the first half,” said BaicuBaicu. “Their height is there. They’re a little bit taller than us, so we tried hard to control the ball in the box.”

And Adria did.

Photo: Scott Fenwick | OnTheFire.com

Under siege, and led by goalkeeper Igor Dimov, Adria absorbed the Eagles’ pressure and escaped into the attacking third around the 37th minute. But the Romanian Baicu, and Croatian midfielder Mladen Bajamic were foiled by the soccer gods.

In succession, both men hit strong headers directly onto the crossbar, and Eagles’ ‘keeper Bryce Boyd breathed a sigh of relief. Twice within seconds, Adria came within a few inches of a two-goal advantage before halftime.

The Eagles failed to capitalize with a fierce wind at their backs in the first half and Adria, after a fine all-around performance, looked to take advantage in the second half.

Now with the wind at their backs, Adria controlled the attack and gave the Eagles a taste of their own medicine, whipping in corners and crosses. The Eagles couldn’t manage to mount a serious counterattack.

In the 61st, Adria’s Bajamic again threatened the Eagles’ goal with a rocket shot. ‘Keeper Bryce Boyd came up big however. Boyd deflected what was sure to be the Chicago side’s second of the afternoon and kept his squad in the hunt.

But the dagger would come.

In the 73rd minute, Adria used the gale at their backs to play a long ball deep down the left flank to streaking forward Vlad Baicu. Baicu, made a direct, diagonal run to the near post. With fine footwork, he took on and beat his defender. Tenacious, Baicu took a rebound off his first shot and sealed Adria’s victory with his second.

“It was a long clearance. I had a lot of space, they were opened up,” said Baicu. “I found the ball, took a shot, the goalie mishandled it, and there you go, 2-0.”

Down, but not out, the Eagles continued to press on against the wind.

In a controversial call, Referee Miguel Panduro pointed to the spot and awarded the Eagles a penalty kick in the 84th minute. Attempting to give his squad a fighting chance, the Eagles’ Andrew Wiedabach stepped up, took his shot, but was foiled by Adria’s Igor Dimov. Once again, the veteran ‘keeper from Macedonia came up big.

At the whistle, an ebullient Adria and dejected Eagles shook hands over the 2-0 result. Unable to catch a break against a well-organized veteran club, the Eagles simply couldn’t finish their chances with the wind at their backs.

“I think our experience prevailed today,” said Adria manager Ante Loncar.“We played a great game. Scoring the goal against the wind, I think, was big.”

On the Eagles, Loncar offered this: “They didn’t have a lot of chances. Their ‘keeper kept them in the game. I think our guys were hungry because they beat us last year.”

Adria Striker Baicu: “ are always a good team, always a good opponent. It was about the same game as last year, but we got the chance to score first. We didn’t give them the chance to score after that.”

Eagles’ head coach Alex Toth: “In the second half, I thought we created some opportunities. They didn’t go forward much in the first half . I thought we went forward pretty well in the second half. It’s just, again, the conditions didn’t favor either team, and they got the one goal and then the second one. The wind aided the second one.”

Toth was still proud of his team despite the losing effort.

“I’m not disappointed in anybody’s performance. But we needed that one play, and no one was able to create it,” said Toth. “My hats off to . They played well. They did what they had to do to win the game. I’m not ashamed of the way we played. We just didn’t finish.”

In retrospect, the missed penalty kick proved costly as the Eagles would have likely finished the game with a minus-1 goal difference, which would have bested FC Indiana losing by two goals to KC Athletics.

Adria will now host FC Indiana on April 20 in a “Win & You’re In” semifinal match.

USASA REGION II OPEN CUP TOURNAMENT

First round (Saturday, April 6)
FC Indiana (IN) 1:3 KC Athletics (KS)
Croatian Eagles (WI) 0:2 RWB Adria (IL)
Cincy Saints (OH-South) 0:5 Dearborn Stars (MI) – RECAP

Semifinals (Saturday, April 20)
FC Indiana (IN) at RWB Adria (IL)
Kroc Center (Chicago, IL) – 3 p.m. ET
Semifinals (Sunday, April 21)
Dearborn Stars SC (MI) at KC Athletics (KS)
Olathe North (Olathe, KS) – 1 p.m. ET

Semifinal winners earn berths in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Final (Saturday, June 29)
Overland Park, Kan.
Semifinal winners
Winner advances to USASA Open Cup, July 19-21 at Star Complex, San Antonio, Texas

Past USASA Region II entries in US Open Cup

2012:  Croatian Eagles (WI), KC Athletics (KS)
2011: AAC Eagles (IL), Iowa Menace (IA)
2010: Detroit United (MI), KC Athletics (KS)
2009: Bavarian SC (WI), 402 (NE)
2008: AAC Eagles (IL), RWB Adria (IL)
2007: Bavarian SC (WI), RWB Adria (IL)
2006: Chicago Lightning SC (IL), Croatian Eagles (WI)
2005: AAC Eagles (IL), Reggae Boyz (IN)
2004: Bavarian SC (WI), SAC Wisla (IL)
2003: Bavarian SC (WI)
2002: AAC Eagles (IL)
2001: Chaldean Arsenal (MI)
2000: Bavarian SC (WI)
1999: Bavarian SC (WI)
1998: SAC Wisla (IL)
1997: Mequon United (WI)
1996: RWB Adria (IL)
1995: AAC Eagles (IL)

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Croatian Eagles repeat as Wisconsin state champions

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Story originally published at WisconsinSoccerCentral.com, the state of Wisconsin’s premier soccer news website. Follow them on Twitter @WisconsinSoccer

It’s been a fall full of change for longtime rivals Croatian Eagles and Bavarian SC, two of the state’s most successful amateur clubs.

Both teams have new faces in their lineups and the Bavarians have a new manager in Patrick Hodgins, who previously coached the Croatians’ Under-23 team.

With that backdrop, though, perhaps it was fitting that the lone goal in the teams’ Wisconsin Open Cup final Saturday afternoon was scored by a familiar face.

Veteran Jason Willan came through for the Eagles once again, curling in a shot from 14 yards out in the 50th minute as the Eagles got past Bavarian SC 1-0 at Croatian Park in Franklin.

Bryce Boyd (Milwaukee Marquette/UW-Milwaukee) posted the clean sheet for the Croatians, who earned a berth in next spring’s US Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament. The top finishers in the regional event traditionally qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

“It was a pretty even game,” said Eagles manager Alex Toth, whose team won its second straight Wisconsin Open Cup and is the reigning USASA National Open Cup champion. “We played our normal game: Get it down on the ground, get some combinations, try to attack. They sat back, defended really well, were dangerous on set pieces and they were dangerous on the counter. It was an interesting game.”

Willan’s goal capped a sequence that featured six or seven passes, Toth said. Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) played the final pass to Willan on the left side of the box, and the 41-year-old midfielder sent a shot past Bavarians goalkeeper Matt Schmidt (Racine Horlick/UW-Milwaukee) into the right corner.

“He had a nice, open look and just buried it far post,” Toth said of Willan, in his 14th year with the club. “It was a great finish. He’s done it all year this year, all the things we needed, and he came up big again.”

The goal proved to be enough – but just barely.

The Bavarians, who lost to Croatians 2-0 in a Wisconsin Soccer Leagues Major Division match Sept. 20, came tantalizingly close to finding an equalizer in the final minutes.

A ball was played through traffic across the box and surprisingly found striker Kyle Zenoni (Hartland Arrowhead/UW-Milwaukee) alone inside the 6-yard box with Boyd still on the other side of the goal. However, Zenoni – a UWM assistant who coached the Panthers in their 2-1 win over Valparaiso on Saturday night – didn’t see the ball and couldn’t get a shot off toward the vacant net.
“It just hit him and kind of got caught up in his feet and they cleared it,” Hodgins said.

“We got a little lucky there,” admitted Toth, whose team needed penalty kicks to get past the Milwaukee Kickers in last fall’s state Open Cup final.

Neil Dombrowski (West Allis Hale/UW-Milwaukee) created some chances for the Bavarians in the first half with his service on some set pieces, including free headers off corner kicks that his brother Chad Dombrowski (West Allis Hale/UW-Milwaukee) and Billy Maier (Racine St. Catherine’s/UW-Milwaukee) sent over the crossbar.

“We had plenty of opportunities to score,” said Hodgins, who was coaching just his second match with the club. “Even though we lost, there were definitely positives you can take from it. I think it will give us confidence going forward. I think our guys know that we can play with a team like that.”

The Bavarians are 1-3-1 in the WSL Major Division with two rescheduled matches coming up in the next week. The Croatians lead the league at 4-0-2 with one game left, but Toth has seen a difference in his team this fall.

“It’s been a struggle,” he said. “Last fall, we could usually separate ourselves from the other team in most games, but this fall it’s been a struggle.

“I think one of the biggest factors is that we’ve been playing since March. … Some of the players, you can really tell that they are burnt out.”

Lineups

CROATIAN EAGLES: Bryce Boyd; Scott Widule (Shaun Gallagher), Billy Von Rueden, Aaron Schroeder, Stuart Grable; Cheik Drame (Gustavo Mena), Scott Raymonds; Mohammed Sethi (Mike Vukovic), Jason Willan (Spencer Bursten), Ilya Ksenidi; Aaron Lauber.

BAVARIAN SC: Matt Schmidt; Nate Sabich, Billy Meier, Will Chaney, Jake Taylor (Giovanni Luna 30, Hector Navarro 80); Chad Dombrowski, Craig Posselt; Josh Chamberlain (Dan Stebbins 75), Neil Dombrowski, Jake Provan (Martin Castro 60); Kyle Zenoni.

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Bavarian SC, Croatian Eagles to battle for Wisconsin title

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Story originally posted at WisconsinSoccerCentral.com, the state of Wisconsin’s premier soccer news website. Follow them on Twitter @WisconsinSoccer

Only two clubs entered the 2013 Wisconsin Open Cup.

But they’re two clubs with rich histories, both recent and otherwise.

Bavarian SC, one of the most successful amateur clubs in the Modern Professional Era of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, will face the Croatian Eagles, the reigning US Adult Soccer Association National Open Cup champions, in the state final Nov. 3.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Croatian Park in Franklin. The Eagles were awarded home-field advantage for the match as the defending state champions; they outlasted the Milwaukee Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw in the 2012 final played last October.

The Wisconsin Open Cup champion earns a berth in the USASA Region II tournament.

The Croatians won two matches in the Region II tournament last April, then were awarded a forfeit victory in the regional final in June. They went on to become just the second Wisconsin club to win the USASA National Open Cup, following the Bavarians, who claimed titles in 2003 and ’09.

Bavarian SC, meanwhile, has qualified for the US Open Cup six times since 1995, the most appearances of any USASA team during what is considered the Modern Professional Era of the tournament – the 2013 event will be the 100th US Open Cup.

The Eagles (4-0-2) currently lead the Wisconsin Soccer Leagues Major Division, including a 2-0 victory over Bavarians on Sept. 20. Bavarian SC is off to a slow start in league play this fall at 1-3-1.

Making this match even more intriguing is the fact that Patrick Hodgins, who coached the Croatians’ Under-23 team to the USASA national final last summer, recently took over as manager of the Bavarian SC Majors team. Hodgins replaced Matt Schmidt, who was the team’s interim coach and continues to play for Bavarians.

Recent Wisconsin Open Cup champions
2012: Croatian Eagles
2011: No entries (Bavarian SC’s paperwork lost by state association)
2010: Milwaukee Kickers
2009: Bavarian SC
2008: Bavarian SC
2007: Bavarian SC
2006: Croatian Eagles
2005: Milwaukee Kickers
2004: Bavarian SC
2003: Bavarian SC

USASA clubs meet in Chicago for National Championships

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Can’t wait for the US Open Cup Final and want some more related tournament action? Well, if you are a fan of the US Open Cup and live in the greater Chicago area, be sure to check out the conclusion of the USASA’s Open Cup National Championship featuring the four regional champions that were among the USASA entries into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The Semifinals are Friday, July 20 at 1:00 pm Central. One semifinal features PSA Elite of Region IV’s California South facing off against New York Greek American Atlas of Region I’s Eastern New York. The other semifinal pits the Croatian Eagles of Region II’s Wisconsin against the ASC New Stars of Region III’s Texas South.

The six-championship event, which has an off day Saturday and Finals Sunday, also features the Final Four for the Men’s Over-30, Women’s Open, Men’s U-23, Women’s U-23 and Men’s Amateur brackets. During the off day, participants and fans will have an opportunity to watch the Chicago Fire of MLS take on Aston Villa in a friendly.

PSA Elite were the only team of the Final Four that also registered a victory in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, topping the PDL’s Portland Timbers U23s, 3-1, on the road in the First Round before being knocked out by the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks, 6-0. Davis Paul scored twice with Christian Ramirez netted the other along with tallying an assist in the upset victory, but two goals surrendered in the first nine minutes of play in North Carolina doomed them versus the second division pro club.

The Orange County club got a first taste of national competition last year at the 2011 USASA National Championships in Bowling Green, Kentucky, participating in the Men’s Amateur bracket. There, after defeating the Region III champion Legends FC from Texas, they lost to Chicago side RWB Adria from Region II by a score of 3-2 in the final.

Though PSA Elite won the regional title and right to represent Region IV in Chicago and then went on to win in the US Open Cup, the team was overshadowed along the way by the club they defeated in the final. Cal FC, a small squad depleted by injury during the Region IV tournament, lost 2-0 to PSA Elite in the final, but went on to steal the headlines in the US Open Cup by upsetting professional clubs under the management of Eric Wynalda.

While the name Greek American Atlas had not been in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in seven years, the club is very intertwined with the competition’s history. Founded in 1941, the club from New York City has won the Cup four times, including a three-peat from 1967 to 1969, making them one of four clubs to do so (Fall River/New Bedford 1930-32, Stix, Baer, and Fuller 1933-35, Seattle Sounders FC 2009-11). The club is also successful on the homefront, winning their division of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League 10 times since joining in 1994, including this season. The team also captured the Dr. Manning Cup in 2009, the main cup tournament for the Eastern New York Federation.

The NY Greek American Atlas path to the Chicago began with a satisfying 4-0 win over archrival New York Pancyprian-Freedoms in the Eastern New York Federation’s Open Cup, ending Pancyprian’s two-year run of USOC qualification. They were also authoritative in the USASA’s Region I qualifying tournament, notching 2-0 wins against Massachusetts’ Battery Park Gunners and eventual qualifier Jersey Shore Boca. The Greek Americans fell in the opening round of the US Open Cup, 2-1, to the PDL’s Reading United AC, an affiliate of the MLS Philadelphia Union. Trailing 2-0, Paul Shaw connected with Stephen Roche, but it was not enough.

The Croatian Eagles of Milwaukee earned the right to make the short trip to Chicago for the Final Four by blanking two of Illinois’ top amateur teams, fellow Croatian club RWB Adria and Polish side AAC Eagles, by identical 2-0 scores in the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament April 14 and 15 in Bensenville, Ill., to earn their first Open Cup berth since 2006. Getting to know the Windy City well, the Eagles were narrow US Open Cup First Round losers to the PDL affiliate version of the Chicago Fire, falling 1-0, on the very in which they will play their USASA Semifinal on.

Houston’s ASC News Stars, with a new crop of players, have risen to the top of Region III over the past few years, finishing as runners-up last year and 2008 before finally earning a spot in the Final Four this year. The club finished its group 2-0-1 at the Region III tournament, defeating the NTX Rayados of North Texas in the tournament final, 2-0. The First Round of the US Open Cup was a thriller with ASC equalizing once in each half to force overtime against the PDL powerhouse Laredo Heat. Lukas Simon provided the first and, playing a man down already for a half-hour, got the second late in stoppage time through Peter Kozlowski. From there, the Heat went on to score twice for a 4-2 victory.

The New Stars are making a return trip to the Final four after falling in the Semifinal a year ago in Bowling Green, 3-2 in overtime, to Doxa Italia of California South (Region IV). Doxa Italia went on to tie NY Pancyprian Freedom (Region I, Eastern NY), 2-2, before falling in penalties, 5-4.

Match Schedule for National Cups
Team (Region, State Association) – Time Location*

Men’s Open
ASC New Stars vs Croatian Eagles – 1 pm TP-PT
NY Greek American Atlas vs PSA Elite – 1 pm AHS
Championship – 10 am TP-S

Women’s Open
Turbo D’Feeters vs Chicago Red Stars – 10:30 am TP-PT
New York Athletic Club vs Salt Lake United – 10:30 am AHS
Championship – Noon TP-S

Women’s U-23
Louisiana United vs KC Dynamos – 3:30 pm TP-PT
Annandale Conquistadors vs FC Milwaukee – 6 pm AHS
Championship – 2 pm TP-PT

Men’s Amateur
Legends FC vs RWB Adria – 5:30 pm TP-PG
Battery Park Gunners vs Olympic Club – 6 pm TP-PT
Championship – 2 pm TP-S

Men’s Over-30
Kickers FC vs Belmont United – 8 am TP-PT
Christos vs San Diego Surf – 8 am AHS
Championship – 10 am TP-PT

Men’s U-23
Carolina RailHawks vs Croatian Eagles – 3 pm TP-PG
Real Caribe vs South Sound FC – 3:30 pm AHS
Championship – Noon TP-PT

*Fields
TP-PT: Toyota Park practice field (turf)
TP-PG: Toyota Park practice field (grass)
AHS: Argo High School (turf)
TP-S: Toyota Park Stadium field (grass)

Club Representation

Region I
Men’s Open Cup: NY Greek American Atlas (Eastern NY)
Men’s Amateur Cup: Battery Park Gunners (Massachusetts)
Men’s Over-30 Cup: Christos (Maryland)
Men’s Under-23 Cup: Real Caribe (Eastern NY)
Women’s Open Cup: New York Athletic Club (Eastern NY)
Women’s Under-23 Cup: Annandale Conquistadors (Metro DC/VA)

Region II
Men’s Open Cup: Croatian Eagles (Wisconsin)
Men’s Amateur Cup: RWB Adria (Illinois)
Men’s Over-30 Cup: Belmont United (Illinois)
Men’s Under-23 Cup: Croatian Eagles (Wisconsin)
Women’s Open Cup: Chicago Red Stars (Illinois)
Women’s Under-23 Cup: KC Dynamos (Kansas)
Women’s Under-23 Cup*: FC Milwaukee (Wisconsin)
*Second entry in place of Region IV

Region III
Men’s Open Cup: ASC New Stars (Texas South)
Men’s Amateur Cup: Legends FC (North Texas)
Men’s Over-30 Cup: Kickers FC (Florida)
Men’s Under-23 Cup: Carolina RailHawks (North Carolina)
Women’s Open Cup: Turbo D’Feeters (North Texas)
Women’s Under-23 Cup: Louisiana United (Louisiana)

Region IV
Men’s Open Cup: PSA Elite (Cal-South)
Men’s Amateur Cup: Olympic Club (Cal-North)
Men’s Over-30 Cup: San Diego Surf (Cal-South)
Men’s Under-23 Cup: South Sound FC (Washington)
Women’s Open Cup: Salt Lake United (Utah)
Women’s Under-23 Cup: No entry – replaced by RII

Meet the USASA: Class of 2012

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Nine teams from the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and one from United States Club Soccer have qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup this year.

Will a club imitate Dallas Roma FC’s famous run in 2006? Will our bonus feature, Stanislaus United Turlock Express, make a name for US Club Soccer? These questions are yet to be answered, but we can introduce you to the amateur sides that will be taking the field on Tuesday. Click on the links below to read about the clubs:

Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks (Region I – DC/VA – Sterling, VA)

Greek American Atlas (Region I – East New York – New York, NY)

Jersey Shore Boca (Region I – New Jersey – Toms River, NJ)

Croatian Eagles (Region II – Wisconsin – Milwaukee, WI)

KC Athletics (Region II – Kansas – Kansas City, MO)

ASC New Stars (Region III – Texas-South – Houston, TX)

North Texas Rayados (Region III – Texas-North – Dallas, TX)

Cal FC (Region IV – Southern California – Thousand Oaks, CA)

PSA Elite (Region IV – Southern California – Irvine, CA)

BONUS: US Club Soccer

Stanislaus United Turlock Express (US Club Soccer – Turlock, CA)

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Chicago Fire PDL squeak by Croatian Eagles 1-0

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Photo: Chicago Fire

The first five minutes of the Chicago Fire’s PDL season couldn’t have gone much better Tuesday night.

Mark Blades came down the left flank and squared the ball to Isaac Kanneh for a tap-in and an early lead against the Croatian Eagles in a first-round match of the 99th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The rest of the night, though, was filled with things for coach Mark Spooner to work on with his team, which held on to that slim lead the rest of the way in a 1-0 victory at the Toyota Park Practice Field in Bridgeview, Ill.

“Obviously, I’m not going to complain about it – it was the goal that took us through – but I kind of felt that the goal kind of killed the game a little bit,” said Spooner, whose team had its first training session just five days earlier.

“We never really got into a flow, any rhythm of soccer. But we’ll take it. … We’re in the second round, and ultimately, that’s all that matters.”

The Fire will next face the Dayton Dutch Lions of USL Pro in the second round next Tuesday. The Eagles, meanwhile, were eliminated from their first Open Cup appearance since 2006.

Chicago had plenty of chances to put the game away but was stymied by Croatians goalkeeper Bryce Boyd.

“He played outstanding,” Eagles manager Alex Toth said of Boyd, who got the nod over former professional Ante Cop in a reversal from last month’s U.S. Adult Soccer Region II tournament.

“They had so much pace up top they were able to get behind us a couple times, and he was able to come up with some big saves that kept it at 1-0.”

Boyd stopped Chris Prince on a point-blank shot in the 13th minute and dove to deny Brady Wahl in the 34th, and stopped two 1-on-1 situations in the second half. Boyd finished with eight saves.

“I thought he was fantastic,” said Spooner, whose side advanced to the third round of the tournament in 2011 before losing to Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City. “We needed to take our chances, and the game really could have been dead and buried at halftime, and it wasn’t. Their keeper kept them in it and they pushed us towards the end.”

Croatians didn’t generate much going forward in the first half, with striker Aaron Lauber’s flick-header off a cross from Billy Von Rueden that went just over the crossbar in the 41st their only real scoring opportunity before the break.

But the Milwaukee club forced Fire PDL keeper Jordan Godsey into six of his seven saves in the second 45, including stops on Mohammed Sethi, Michael Narciso and Edison Crespo that held the Eagles off the scoresheet.

“The first half, I don’t think we played too well. The second half was better. And then the last 20, it was ours,” said Toth, who switched his team’s 4-5-1 into a 3-5-2 as it went in search of the equalizer. “We were able to put pressure on them, and they basically just held on to that game.”

Croatian Eagles 0:1 Chicago Fire PDL
Toyota Park Practice Field – Bridgeview, Ill.

CHI: Isaac Kannah (Mark Blades) 5

Discipline:
CRO: Andrew Wiedabach – caution 19
CRO: Mike Narciso – caution 29
CHI: Jacob Bushue – caution 32

Lineups:
CHICAGO FIRE PDL: Justin Godsey, Daniel Keller, David Tiemstra, Sean Totsch, Patrick Doody; Brady Wahl (Tyler Engel 87), Jacob Bushue (Chris Ritter 61), Harrison Shipp, Mark Blades; Isaac Kannah, Chris Prince (Javier Torres 78). Substitutes not used: Sam Euler (GK), Dan Figura, Luis Medina, Marco Gutierrez.

CROATIAN EAGLES: Bryce Boyd; Mike Narciso, Tony Patterson, Aaron Schroeder, Billy Von Rueden; Jason Willan (Mohammed Sethi 60), Andrew Wiedabach, Scott Suprise, Scotty Raymonds, Joe Anderson; Aaron Lauber (Edison Crespo 68). Substitutes not used: Ante Cop (GK), Aaron Cranfill, Ilya Ksenidi, Gustavo Mena, Lati Ziba.

Saves: CHI (Godsey) 7, CRO (Boyd) 8. Shots: Not available. Fouls: CHI 7, CRO 6. Corner kicks: CHI 9, CRO 2. Offsides: CHI 4, CRO 2.

2012 Meet the USASA: Croatian Eagles from Milwaukee, WI

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Croatian EaglesWhen one of the oldest cup competitions in the world kicks off Tuesday night, one of the nation’s oldest clubs will be part of the action.

And the Croatian Eagles, formed in 1922, just might have the oldest player in the 99th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Jason Willan is expected to be in the lineup when the Croatians, based in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin, face PDL side Chicago Fire Premier in a first-round match at the Toyota Park Practice Field in Bridgeview, Ill.

At 40 years old, Willan likely will be literally twice the age of some of the Fire Premier players.

“I do get a kick out of it – it has yet to rub me negatively, put it that way,” Willan said with a chuckle.

“But sometimes you get the comments on the field – you know, ‘Sit down, old man,’ stuff like that. You know what? I kind of swallow that, that’s fine, whatever. But don’t let me get the best of you. Watch your mouth if I go past you. It still makes it fun for me.”

This spring has been plenty of fun for the Croatians, who made the most of an unseasonably warm spring in Wisconsin and have been training and playing matches for two months. Conversely, the Fire Premier were scheduled to hold their first training session last Friday.

The Eagles blanked two of Illinois’ top amateur teams, fellow Croatian club RWB Adria and Polish side AAC Eagles, by identical 2-0 scores in the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament April 14 and 15 in Bensenville, Ill., to earn their first Open Cup berth since 2006.

That year, the Croatians traveled to Iowa to face the PDL’s Des Moines Menace, falling 4-1 in the qualifying round. Willan scored the Eagles’ lone goal on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute after the home team had scored the first three goals of the night.

His only other Open Cup appearance came during his time with the Milwaukee Rampage of the A-League, a 2-1 home loss to the Orlando Nighthawks in a second-round match in 1998. Willan played six years with his hometown team before ending his outdoor career with the Minnesota Thunder in 2003 – he also played six seasons indoors, three each with the Detroit Rockers and Milwaukee Wave.

2011-12 Croatian Eagles results

Wisconsin Major League

Oct. 2 Milwaukee Kickers 1-0 W
Oct. 9 Milwaukee Sport Club 4-0 W
Oct. 16 at Madison United 2-1 W
Nov. 6 at Bavarian SC 1-1 T
Nov. 12 Club Latino 7-0 W
Nov. 13 Milwaukee Brewers FC 9-0 W
Nov. 20 United Serbians 2-2 T
April 29 at Milwaukee Brewers FC 6-0 W

Wisconsin Open Cup

Oct. 23 Semifinal – Bavarian SC 2-1 W
Oct. 30 Final – Milwaukee Kickers 2-2 T
(Croatian Eagles advance 5-4 on PKs)

USASA Region II Open Cup

April 14 Quarterfinal – RWB Adria (Ill.) 2-0 W
April 15 Semifinal – AAC Eagles (Ill.) 2-0 W

While Willan grew up playing for Milwaukee Sport Club, one of the Croatians’ rivals in the ethnic-dominated Milwaukee soccer scene, he said he started training with and playing for the Eagles between pro seasons about 13 years ago. He hasn’t left yet.

“There’s a lot of quality history to the club,” Willan said of the Croatians, who also played in the National Challenge Cup – which was later re-named the U.S. Open Cup – in 1943 and ’45.

“The club is quality, the organization from top to bottom, they just take a little more pride than some other clubs. And the players get treated well for the amateur level – that’s a big part of it. For me, seeing the professional side of it, you know this club is not far off from treating their players the same way. … You feel comfortable at the club.”

And despite his age, Willan still feels comfortable in his attacking midfield role in the Croatians’ 4-5-1 formation.

“He still has the drive, and he brings a really nice settling presence to the team when he’s on the field,” Eagles manager Alex Toth said of Willan. “He was considering retiring (during the winter), but he still has that drive and he’s a huge asset for us. That experience and the way he strikes the ball, his vision, it works well.”

Willan acknowledges that he’s had to adjust his style as he’s gotten older.

“Let’s face it, most sports nowadays are a bigger, better, faster type of thing. For me, it’s a way of thinking, it’s a different style. I think I’ve changed,” he said. “Speed of play is such a huge part of soccer. … I think it’s a matter of being smarter and reading things and angles.”

He’s also become a leader for a team with a diverse roster of young and old. Willan wears the captain’s armband and refers to himself as a “mini-adviser” for Toth, while “still trying to lead by example – but sometimes the body doesn’t agree with that.”

What hasn’t changed is his commitment, to train and stay fit and to compete at the highest level possible. “I’ve got to say, at the age of 40, I’ve got no problem getting fired up,” he said with an edge of excitement in his voice. “There’s still a lot of passion.”

He’s especially fired up about playing Fire Premier. Not because he wants one more shot at playing a pro team – the winner will face the Dayton Dutch Lions of USL Pro in the second round on May 22 – but because he loves to match wits against new opponents and thinks that this Croatian Eagles team could surprise some people.

“At this age, I have nothing really personal to shoot for,” Willan said, “but I’m involved with a team and we can do things, stuff that’s not expected of us. As long as I’ve been around, I’m not going to say this is the best team I’ve played with, but there’s a lot of depth to this team and a lot of balance, and balance meaning the experience, the youth, and college players coming and filling voids that we had.”

MORE: Check out the rest of the 2012 Meet the USASA series

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Croatian Eagles from Milwaukee return to the Open Cup

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Recap courtesy of Wisconsin’s premier soccer news website, WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

Aaron Lauber split his lip open in the first half of Sunday’s match at the USASA Region II Open Cup.

The Croatian Eagles were able to patch up the gash and kept the striker on the pitch at the top of their 4-5-1 formation.

“We wanted to keep him in … because we knew he might get a chance to get his head on something,” Croatians coach Alex Toth said.

The move paid dividends, as Lauber got the slightest of flicks on a free kick by Scott Raymonds to give the Croatians the lead in the 61st minute, and the Milwaukee club went on to a 2-0 victory over Chicago’s AAC Eagles at Redmond Recreational Complex in Bensenville, Ill., to earn a berth in the 99th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the USASA regional final.

Ramon “Choko” Alvarado added an insurance goal in the 85th minute for the Croatians, who last qualified for the U.S. Open Cup in 2006. They’ll play another amateur team in one of 16 first-round matches on May 15.

“It was a lot of preparation, a lot of planning, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the players performing,” said Toth, who had the team train and play on FieldTurf as much as possible leading into the weekend to prepare for the tournament at Redmond. “I can pull some strings here and there, but the players have to score, they have to defend, so I give them all the credit.”

Raymonds also set up Alvarado’s goal with a long throw that got through a few AAC Eagles defenders and played a role in three of the team’s four goals on the weekend, having scored the final goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Chicago Croatian rival RWB Adria.

Alvarado scored in both matches, with Lauber assisting on his strike Saturday. Veteran goalkeeper Ante Cop posted clean sheets both days, with help from a stout backline anchored by center backs Mike Narciso and Aaron Schroeder.

Toth made just one change in his starting 11 from Saturday, moving Tony Patterson in at right back in place of Cheikh Drame, who was dealing with a shoulder injury. AAC Eagles, a Polish ethnic club which has made four U.S. Open Cup appearances in the past 10 years, won the coin toss and chose to attack with the significant wind at its back.

“So although we had a couple opportunities – we got forward some – the biggest part is you’re just trying to make sure you’re not giving up long-distance shots. Anything was dangerous when they were going with the wind, so we just wanted to get through the first 45 (minutes) 0-0,” said Toth, whose team accomplished just that. “We felt good going into the second half.”

Raymonds stood over a free kick about 45 yards out, and with that brisk breeze behind him, launched the ball into the box. Lauber’s slight touch redirected the ball, sending it in the opposite direction of the AAC Eagles keeper.

The Illinois side tried to push forward for an equalizer, but playing into the wind proved difficult.

“If they tried to go over the top or play through balls or diagonal balls against the wind, it was pretty tough, so that helped us. And anytime Cop got the ball in the goal, he was able to either hit a 60- or 70-yard punt or a 60-yard goal kick and run off Lauber or whoever else was on top,” Toth said. “Once we got that one goal, I don’t want to say you ever feel comfortable, but it’s like, ‘All right, they’re playing against the wind, I think we’re in pretty good shape.’ ”

Toth took Lauber off shortly after his goal – he ended up needing eight stitches in his lip – and moved Alvarado from the left flank up to striker with Ilya Ksenidi taking over on the left side, and also brought on Drame for starting left back Scott Widule. The duo of Ksenidi and Drame were tasked with slowing down AAC Eagles standout David Otachel, who scored five goals in Saturday’s 7-1 rout of Michigan’s Ann Arbor Elite.

The Croatians have more matches scheduled against college teams – they’re playing at the UW-Oshkosh tournament next Saturday along with UW-Green Bay and Concordia and will face Carthage on April 26 – before opening the Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association Major League spring season April 29 on the road against Milwaukee Brewers FC.

“We’re lucky we’re able to get quality players and we’re lucky because we have a great club that has been able to provide for us to play at places when we need to … not everyone has that,” Toth said of the Croatian Eagles, who were formed in 1922.

“I look at it as we’re lucky because in this day and age, everyone wants to play soccer and it has to make money. We’re still one of those clubs that have it from top to bottom, and our Majors (team), they’re there to kind of set the stage for the rest of the club.”

2012 USASA Region II Open Cup qualifying tournament
Redmond Center in Bensenville, Ill. – April 14/15, 2012

First Round – April 14
AAC Eagles (IL) 7:1 Ann Arbor FC Elite (MI)
Croatian Eagles (WI) 2:0 RWB Adria (IL)
The two winners will play on Sunday, April 15 at noon for a berth in the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
KC Athletics (KS) 10:2 Cincy Saints (OH South)
Kansas City qualifies for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

Win & You’re In – April 15
Croatian Eagles (WI) 2:0 AAC Eagles (IL)
Croatian Eagles qualify for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: KC Athletics qualify; AAC Eagles, Croatian Eagles play Sunday in a “Win & You’re In” match

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The Kansas City Athletics, playing with only 10 men the entire match, are the first United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) team to punch their ticket to the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup after thrashing the Cincy Saints 10-2 at the Region II tournament in Bensenville, Ill. Luckily for the Athletics, the Saints only showed up with eight players, as KC qualifies for their second Open Cup in the last three years. Their journey in the 99th edition of the tournament will begin in the First Round, which is scheduled to begin May 15. The draw will take place at the end of April.

The second Open Cup berth will be decided on Sunday when the other two Saturday winners, AAC Eagles and the Croatian Eagles, will square off at the same venue at 12 p.m. Central Time. The AAC Eagles cruised to a 7-1 win over Michigan’s lone entry, Ann Arbor FC Elite, while the Croatians from Milwaukee edged the Illinois champion RWB Adria, 2-0.

The Athletics representing Kansas, a state that prior to their first entry into the tournament in 2010, had not had a team in the competition in at least 20 years.

Kansas City arrived at the venue on the west side of Chicago with just 10 players, knowing they had a big challenge in store for them against a team they knew very little about. The Cincy Saints, the first Southern Ohio team to enter Open Cup in the Modern Pro Era (1995-present), are a relatively new club (founded in 2009) that competes both indoor (PASL Premier League) and outdoor in the Midwest Soccer League. The nerves of playing with 10 men were calmed when the Athletics realized the Saints had only traveled with eight players for this “Win & You’re In” match. The match was pre-determined to be the one that would determine the first Open Cup berth from Region II due to a blind draw that took place weeks beforehand.

Nestor Hernandez of the AAC Eagles dribbles through the Ann Arbor FC defense in the first game of the 2012 USASA Region II tournament. Photo: AAC Eagles

It didn’t take long for KC to capitalize on their two-man advantage. Chris Markey scored twice, while Peter Kariotis, Jesse Baker, Martin Johnston and Matt Germain added their own all before halftime. The Saints’ Adam
The day started with Ann Arbor FC drawing first blood with a goal by Brian Conway in the 19th minute to take the lead on the hometown team AAC Eagles. Two minutes later, David Otachel scored the first of his five goals on the day on their way to a 7-1 rout of the Michigan representative. Stan Micic and Armando Tello also tallied for the Eagles, who are attempting to qualify for the Open Cup for the sixth time in the Modern Pro Era. The club is led by first-year coach Marek Radziszewski, who was a former goalkeeper for the Eagles in the early 90s Tenhundfeld tried to make a game of it with two goals within the first five minutes of the second half, but less than a minute after he made the score 6-2, player/manager Kyle Perkins scored a seventh for the Athletics. Johnston added his second in the 67th minute, followed by Steven Grow’s first two minutes later, and the 10th and final goal by Johnston in the 74th minute.

The Croatian Eagles put themselves one win away from returning to the Open Cup for the first time since 2006 with a 2-0 win over RWB Adria with a 19th-minute goal by Ramon Alvarado and a tally by Scott Raymonds in the final minute.

Keeper Ante Cop started the sequence that led to the opener, sending a long ball that Croatians striker Aaron Lauber flicked on to Alvarado on the left side. RWB Adria controlled play throughout the second half as they looked for an equalizer, dominating possession and pushing increasing numbers forward, but couldn’t solve Cop and the Croatians’ backline.

Adria hit the post with about 15 minutes remaining and Cop came up with two nice saves, and the Croatians finally converted on a counter attack in the last minute of the 90, as Raymonds latched onto a ball from 40-year-old Jason Willan and finished from 7 yards out to seal the victory. (Full match report at WisconsinSoccerCentral.com)

AAC Eagles (IL) 7:1 Ann Arbor FC Elite (MI)

Scoring Summary
AAFC: Brian Conway (Jacob Puente) – 19th minute
AAC: David Otachel – 21st minute
AAC: Stan Micic – 32nd minute
AAC: David Otachel – 42nd minute
AAC: David Otachel – 61st minute
AAC: David Otachel – 63rd minute
AAC: David Otachel – 76th minute
AAC: Armando Tello – 84th minute

Croatian Eagles (WI) 2:0 RWB Adria (IL)

Scoring Summary
CRO: Ramon Alvarado – 19th minute
CRO: Scott Raymonds – 90th minute

KC Athletics (KS) 10:2 Cincy Saints (OH)

Scoring Summary
KCA: Peter Kariotis – 13th minute
KCA: Chris Markey – 20th minute
KCA: Jesse Baker – 25th minute
KCA: Martin Johnston – 30th minute
KCA: Chris Markey – 36th minute
KCA: Matt Germain – 40th minute
CIN: Adam Tenhundfeld – 46th minute
CIN: Adam Tenhundfeld – 49th minute
KCA: Kyle Perkins – 50th minute
KCA: Martin Johnston – 67th minute
KCA: Steven Grow – 69th minute
KCA: Martin Johnston – 74th minute

USASA Region II US Open Cup “Win & You’re In”
AAC Eagles vs. Croatian Eagles
Sunday, April 15 – 12:00 p.m. CT

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Croatian Eagles win Wisconsin in PKs, earn USASA Region II berth

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From Wisconsin Soccer Central

Ilya Ksenidi (West Allis Hale/UW-Green Bay) scored late in extra time and was one of five Croatian Eagles players to convert during penalty kicks as they got past the Milwaukee Kickers 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the Wisconsin Open Cup final Sunday at Croatian Park in Franklin.

It’s the first state title for Croatians since 2006, the last time they entered the tournament – that year, they also beat the Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie in the championship game. As state champions, the Eagles earn a spot in next spring’s US Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament, which traditionally is a qualifier for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The match was scoreless through 90 minutes and the first 15-minute session of extra time before Danny Bauer (Marquette) gave the Kickers the lead in the 106th minute, poking a shot past Croatians goalkeeper Bryce Boyd (Milwaukee Marquette/UW-Milwaukee).

But the Eagles found an equalizer with approximately three minutes remaining. After the Kickers cleared the ball out, Croatians midfielder Scott Raymonds (Brookfield East/UW-Green Bay) got it back on the right side and fired from about 25 yards out. Ksenidi was cutting across the box and got a touch on the shot, redirecting it past Kickers keeper Kevin Strong (West Allis Hale).

The Croatians made all of their penalty kicks, with Aaron Schroeder, Mike Narciso, Ksenidi, Jason Willan and Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) – who scored a last-minute winner to beat Bavarian SC 2-1 in the semifinals – each successful from the spot.

Craig Charlton, Niels Berg (Plymouth), Ryan Richgels (Madison Memorial/UW-Whitewater) and Thomas Sweeney (Milwaukee Marquette/Marquette) converted their attempts for the Kickers before Brian McGuire’s shot went over the crossbar.

The Kickers nearly went ahead in the first period of extra time, but Mike Vukovic went down his knees to clear a ball off the line for the Croatians.

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