Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Dayton Dutch Lions

2012 US Open Cup Round 3: USL Pro’s winless Dayton Dutch Lions rally past Crew in Columbus, 2-1

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The Dayton Dutch Lions celebrate after their 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew (MLS) in the Third Round of the 2012 US Open Cup. Photo: Dayton Dutch Lions

Go ahead, try to wipe the smile off of Dayton Dutch Lions coach Ivar van Dinteren’s face. It wouldn’t go away Tuesday night. The third division Dutch Lions of USL Pro are on to the Fourth Round of play in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup after a stunning come-from-behind 2-1 win over the MLS side Columbus Crew in the final 11 minutes at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio in front of a sparse crowd of 1,646 at the massive arena.

“We had nothing to lose, Columbus had everything to lose. I just told them to go out and attack and just play,” van Dinteren said with a glint in his eye. “If it goes wrong, what do we have to lose? They are MLS, they have to win. We don’t have to win. That’s the mindset.”

Gibson Bardsley scored the match-winning tally in the 81st minute off a feed from Daniel Holowaty to send the Dutch Lions to the “Sweet 16” of Open Cup play. Two minutes prior, Gerrit-Jan Bartels found the net after a feed from Holowaty to tie it after Columbus’ Olman Vargas converted a penalty kick in the 64th minute.

“After the goal, I expected them to press us, but they gave us some space. If you let us play out of the back, then we are dangerous,” van Dinteren said. “We can play the game.

“They could have finished us going up 1-0, but I think we took the chances.”

It had been a rough go in the USL Pro season so far for the Dutch Lions, gaining just four ties in eight league games. Their only win had been a US Open Cup Second Round victory over the Chicago Fire Premier Development League squad, the primary rival of their next opponent, the Michigan Bucks, who recorded an upset of their own Tuesday night.

Fielding a starting side stocked with reserves, Columbus coach Robert Warzycha was surly after the game and was short with answers explaining the loss.

“Disappointed,” he said curtly when asked of the team’s performance during post-match remarks.

The Crew had been in a renaissance lately after a tough start, going 3-0-2 in their last five league matches. The team’s tough-luck on finishing returned at the wrong point in the season, eliminating the team from Cup play for a second season in a row in the first match they played.

Columbus outplayed Dayton for a majority of the contest, but could not find a way to finish in the first half, outshooting the Dutch Lions 9-0 with four shots fired onto Dutch Lions’ goalkeeper Matthew Williams.

The game continued to be slanted Columbus’ way in the second half and a fortunate handball call inside the box on Dayton’s Shane Smith as he fell and touched the ball on a shot taken by Columbus’ Justin Meram.

Vargas took the penalty kick and beat Williams low and to his right for the opening score.

Dayton continued to struggle offensively and played defense for most of the contest, but they broke through 15 minutes after Vargas put Columbus ahead.

Vargas’ pass behind him to a defender was knocked away, leading to Holowaty sending a cross from the right side to Bartels to tie it.

Columbus misplayed the ball less than two minutes later and Holowaty sent another cross from the right side onto the foot of Bardsley. He spun and leveled a strong kick into the back corner.

“I think we made two incredible goals,” van Dinteren said. “They were both just one-touch, one-touch, one-touch and goal. I think my team deserves this win.

“We’ve had some bad luck so far this season and this is finally what we get.”

The Crew finished with a 18-3 shots advantage with a 7-3 shots of goal tally, but it was Williams finishing with six saves and the Crew’s back-up Matt Lampson with one.

The Dutch Lions will face a fellow lower-tier side on June 5 as they travel to the Michigan Bucks – a fourth division squad from the PDL — in Pontiac, Mich. with the winner moving on to quarterfinal action. The Bucks defeated the MLS Chicago Fire 3-2 in a night of upsets for lower division squads.

Dayton Dutch Lions 2:1 Columbus Crew
Crew Stadium – Columbus, Ohio

Scoring Summary
CLB: Olman Vargas (penalty kick) – 64′
DAY: Gerrit-Jan Bartels (Daniel Holowaty) 79′
DAY: Gibson Bardsley (Daniel Holowaty) 81′

Discipline:
DAY: 33′ – Gibson Bardsley, yellow
CLB: 48+’-  Ethan Finlay, yellow
DAY: 87′ – Kyle Knotek

Shots: Columbus 18, Dayton 3
Saves: Columbus – 1 (Matt Lampson); Dayton – 6 (Matthew Williams)
Corners: Columbus 4; Dayton 2
Fouls: Dayton 19; Columbus 6
Offsides: Dayton 2; Columbus 2

Lineups:
Columbus: Lamspon, Perry, Gehrig, James, Francis, George, Grossman,
Meram, Birchall, Finlay, Vargas. Bench: Gruenebaum, Williams, Veeder,
Anor, Duka, Renteria, Horton
Dayton: Williams, Preciado, Copier, Dias, Smith, Jones, DeLass,
McNamara, Garner, Bardsley, Priestly. Bench: Whisenhunt, DeGroot,
Robinson, Knoteli, Holowaty, Bartels, Kissinger

2012 US Open Cup Second Round: Dayton Dutch Lions spoil Fire PDL’s late equalizer with even later game-winner

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Emotions whipped back and forth wildly Tuesday night at the Toyota Park Practice Fields.

Brendan King’s 90th-minute equalizer off a corner kick pulled the Chicago Fire PDL team back from the brink of elimination, seemingly leading 30 minutes of extra time to determine a winner in its Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Second Round match against the Dayton Dutch Lions in Bridgeview, Ill.

But the USL Pro side made the most of the 3 minutes of stoppage time, with Daniel Holowaty scoring after a scramble in the box in the final seconds to give the Dutch Lions a thrilling 2-1 victory.

It was the first win of the year for Dayton, which is 0-4-3 in league play and advances to play at Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew in the third round next Tuesday.

The Dutch Lions, who had scored just two goals over their first seven matches, went ahead in the 38th minute as defender Shane Smith came up the left side and crossed to Eli Garner, who finished against Fire PDL goalkeeper Jordan Godsey.

The score remained 1-0 until the final minute of the 90. Chris Prince, a second-half substitute for Fire PDL, nearly scored on a diving header, but Dayton keeper Matt Williams sprawled out and knocked the ball over the endline for a corner kick.

Bryan Ciesiulka served in the ensuing corner and King, also a second-half sub, volleyed past Williams from the top of the box for a dramatic equalizer.

A corner kick on the other end, though, ended up keeping the Fire PDL from advancing to the third round of the Open Cup for the second straight year.

Holowaty latched onto a loose ball after a corner was sent into the box and fired past Godsey in the final seconds, making his first goal of the year a game-winner. Referee Miguel Panduro Jr. allowed the Fire PDL to kick off, then blew his whistle for full time.

Dayton Dutch Lions 2:1 Chicago Fire PDL
Toyota Park Practice Field – Bridgeview, IL

Scoring Summary
Dayton Dutch Lions – Eli Garner (Shane Smith) 38
Chicago Fire PDL – Brendan King (Bryan Ciesiulka) 90
Dayton Dutch Lions – Daniel Holowaty 90+2

Lineups
CHICAGO FIRE PDL: Jordan Godsey; Daniel Keller, David Tiemstra (Luis Medina 79), Niko Boxall, Patrick Doody; Jacob Bushue (Chris Prince 58), Chris Ritter, Bryan Ciesiulka, Harrison Shipp; Mark Blades, Isaac Kannah (Brendan King 65). Substitutes not used: Sam Euler (GK), Peter Beasley, Sean Totsch, Tyler Engel.

DAYTON DUTCH LIONS: Matt Williams; Shane Smith, Bret Jones, Nixon Dias, Greg Preciado; Kyle Knotek (Toric Robinson 75), Mikael McNamara, Joel DeLass; Akeem Priestly (Daniel Holowaty 58), Gibson Bardlsey (Eric Kissinger 81), Eli Garner. Substitutes not used: Corey Whisenhunt (GK), Jeff DeGroot, Taylor Lord, Michael Earman.

Discipline: D – Bardsley (caution-foul, 43); C – Tiemstra (caution-foul, 68).

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

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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

1995 US Open Cup champions: 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

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: Bulow hat trick leads Kickers 4-1 rout of Dayton

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Bulow tallied three for Richmond (Suz Kitsteiner / RichmondKickers.com)

David Bulow propelled himself up the Modern Era US Open Cup tournament goal scoring list with a hat trick to lead Richmond to a 4-1 first round victory over USL PRO rival Dayton Dutch Lions at University of Richmond Stadium.

Bulow was inserted in the lineup along with Shaka Bangura to replace regular starters Matthew Delicate and Edson Elcock, whom head coach Leigh Cowlishaw was resting for the Kickers USL PRO game against Harrisburg on Friday. Bulow and Bangura provided all the offense Richmond would need on the night. Bulow started the scoring eight minutes after the kickoff, when he scored on a 15 yard shot following a header assist from Stanley Nyazamba.

Bulow would strike again when he met a pass from Bangura in full stride at the top of the 18-yard box and blasted a shot past Dutch Lions goalkeeper Brian Visser. Bulow completed his hat trick by converting from the penalty spot in the 65th minute, and Bangura put a bow on the rout with a goal of his own with two minutes remaining. The completion of the hat trick came five minutes after Dayton found the net for the only time on a 60th minute penalty kick from Marvin van der Pluijm.

Bulow’s goals were his eighth, ninth, and 10th in Open Cup play, and is now tied for 3rd in Modern Era goal scoring with Sebastien Le Toux of the Philadelphia Union. Ahead of Bulow and Le Toux are Melvin  Tarley with 12 goals, and Johnny Menyongar and Jaime Moreno with 13.

Bulow scored his first five tournament goals playing for the Cape Cod Crusaders in the PDL, tallying three in 2004 and two more in 2006. He has scored three others for the Kickers, one each in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

The Kickers will face another USL PRO league rival, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, on June 21 at University of Richmond Stadium.

Highlights (RichmondKickers.com)

Highlights from CBS 6 Richmond (begins at 0:50)

RECAP: Dayton Dutch Lions | Richmond Times-Dispatch

Scoring Summary
7th minute: David Bulow (Stanley Nyazamba)
17th minute: David Bulow (Shaka Bangura)
60th minute: Marvin Van der Pluijm (PK)
65th minute: David Bulow (PK)
89th minute: Shaka Bangura (Ross Mackenzie)

Starting Lineups
Kickers: GK Ronnie Pascale, Yomby William, Henry Kalungi, Sascha Goerres (David Hertel 45’), Luke Vercollone, Mike Callahan (Edson Elcock 67’), Bobby Foglesong (Ross Mackenzie 42’), Nozomi Hiroyama, Stanley Nyazamba, Shaka Bangura, David Bulow

Dutch Lions: GK Brian Visser, Evan Schwartz, Kyle Segebart, Mettin Copier, Happy Hall (Marvin van der Pluijm 45’), Bret Jones (Shane Smith 57’), Joel DeLass, Mikael McNamara, Lucien Seymour, Kolby LaCrone (Julius Willie 45’), George Davis IV

Shots                      Saves                       Fouls                      Corners
Dayton:     8            Dayton:      0            Dayton:     9            Dayton:       6
Kickers:     7            Kickers:      3            Kickers:      7            Kickers:       2

Cautions:
60’: Bulow (Richmond)
78’: Schwartz (Dayton)
90′: Schwartz (Dayton)

Ejections:
90’: Schwartz (Dayton)

Referee: Andrew Chapin

Assistant Referees: Robert Velbis, Jim Sadowski
Fourth Official: Charles Carson
Attendance: 722
Weather: 78°, clear

2010 PDL qualifying recap: 8 teams qualify after tiebreakers, failed perfection, final day drama

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PDL qualification for this season is complete, with eight teams punching their ticket to the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The qualifiers – and their competitors – had to deal with multiple tiebreakers and plenty of final day nail biting action. Even then, for two teams, a perfect 4-0-0 record wasn’t enough to send them through.

CENTRAL CONFERENCE

GREAT LAKES DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Dayton Dutch Lions 4 3 0 1 10 8 1 7 +7
Michigan Bucks 4 3 1 0 9 8 3 8 +5
Chicago Fire 4 2 1 1 7 5 3 5 +2
Indiana Invaders 4 2 1 1 7 4 3 4 +1
Cleveland Internationals 4 1 2 1 4 4 9 4 -5
Cincinnati Kings 4 1 3 0 3 6 8 6 -2
Kalamazoo Outrage 4 0 4 0 0 3 11 3 -8

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

HEARTLAND DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Des Moines Menace 4 3 1 0 9 7 4 7 +3
Rochester Thunder 4 2 1 1 7 5 2 5 +3
Real Colorado Foxes 4 2 1 1 7 7 4 6 +2
St. Louis Lions 4 2 2 0 6 7 5 6 +1
Kansas City Brass 4 1 2 1 4 2 6 2 -3
Springfield Demize 4 0 3 1 1 2 9 2 -6

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes
EASTERN CONFERENCE

MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Reading United AC 4 4 0 0 12 13 1 10 +9
Ironbound Express 4 4 0 0 12 9 0 9 +9
New Jersey Rangers 4 3 1 0 9 7 3 7 +4
Carolina Dynamo 4 2 1 1 7 11 7 7 +3
Central Jersey Spartans 4 1 2 1 4 3 6 3 -3
West Virginia Chaos 4 1 3 0 3 2 7 2 -5
Ocean City Nor’easters 4 0 2 2 2 4 8 4 -4
Northern Virginia Royals 4 0 3 1 1 5 13 5 -6
Hampton Roads Piranhas 4 0 3 1 1 3 12 3 -7

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Long Island Rough Riders 4 3 0 1 10 9 2 6 +5
Albany BWP Highlanders 4 3 0 1 10 10 6 9 +4
Western Mass Pioneers 4 2 1 1 7 7 3 6 +3
MPS Portland Phoenix 4 1 0 3 6 6 3 6 +3
New Hampshire Phantoms 4 1 1 2 5 3 2 3 +1
Vermont Voltage 4 1 3 0 3 4 14 4 -7
Westchester Flames 4 0 2 2 2 2 6 2 -4
Brooklyn Knights 4 0 4 0 0 5 10 5 -5

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

MID-SOUTH DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
DFW Tornados 4 3 1 0 9 6 2 6 +4
Rio Grande Valley Bravos 4 2 1 1 7 5 4 5 +1
Laredo Heat 4 2 2 0 6 11 5 8 +3
El Paso Patriots 4 2 2 0 6 4 8 4 -1
West Texas United Sockers 4 2 2 0 6 4 6 4 -2
Houston Leones 4 0 3 1 1 2 7 2 -5

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

SOUTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Central Florida Kraze 4 3 0 1 10 12 2 10 +8
Mississippi Brilla 4 3 0 1 10 11 2 9 +7
Baton Rouge Capitals 4 2 0 2 8 5 2 5 +3
New Orleans Jesters 4 2 2 0 6 11 7 7 +2
Atlanta Blackhawks 4 1 1 2 5 6 6 4 +0
Bradenton Academics 4 1 2 1 4 2 7 2 -3
Nashville Metros 4 1 2 1 4 1 5 1 -4
Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy 4 0 4 0 0 0 10 0 -8

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes
WESTERN CONFERENCE

NORTHWEST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Kitsap Pumas 4 4 0 0 12 12 0 11 +11
Portland Timbers U23s 4 4 0 0 12 9 1 9 +8
Tacoma Tide 4 2 2 0 6 8 6 6 +2
Yakima Reds 4 1 3 0 3 2 10 2 -7
Washington Crossfire 4 1 3 0 3 8 8 4 -2
Spokane Spiders 4 0 4 0 0 3 17 3 -12

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

SOUTHWEST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Ventura County Fusion 4 3 1 0 9 10 3 8 +5
Orange County Blue Star 4 2 0 2 8 14 6 9 +6
Los Angeles Legends 4 2 1 1 7 8 4 8 +4
Fresno Fuego 4 1 1 2 5 11 12 10 +0
Lancaster Rattlers 4 1 1 2 5 4 8 4 -2
BYU Cougars 4 1 2 1 4 4 5 4 -1
Hollywood United Hitmen 4 1 2 1 4 6 8 6 -2
Ogden Outlaws 4 1 2 1 4 4 10 4 -5
Southern California Seahorses 4 1 3 0 3 2 7 2 -5

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

CENTRAL CONFERENCE

Great Lakes Division

With a week to go, Dayton and Chicago both led the division at 2-0. The Fire would stumble for the next two games, losing to Cincinnati and tying in Cleveland, allowing the Michigan Bucks to pass them, which they did so by defeating  Kalamazoo on the road and Cincinnati in a late game-winner. Dayton tied Indiana, which meant that they had to win in Kalamazoo in order to pass the Bucks and qualify for their first Open Cup. They took care of business by winning 4-1 to finish with a 3-0-1 record, one point ahead of Michigan.

Heartland Division

After last week, this division came down to one game, as Des Moines sat at 3-1, with Rochester on their heels at 2-1. Rochester needed to defeat the Kansas City Brass in order to qualify. The score was no matter as they held the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Menace. However, they couldn’t complete their task, tying Kansas City 0-0. This allowed Des Moines to qualify for their fifth trip to the US Open Cup. They share a record (with the Carolina Dynamo) for the furthest advancement by a PDL team, making it to the Fourth Round in 2005. Can they go further? It all starts with game #1 on June 15.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Mid-Atlantic Division

Two teams went all out in making sure they had their chance to make the US Open Cup: the Ironbound Express of Newark and Reading United AC (formerly the Reading Rage). Ironbound made their case by shutting out all the teams on their schedule, defeating the West Virginia Chaos, Central Jersey Spartans, New Jersey Rangers, and Ocean City FC. They finished with 9 goals scored. At the time, Reading was 2-0, having beaten Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, and had a +5 goal differential with 6 goals scored. They would need to win both their games (both on the road) by a total of 4 goals, as well as having to  in order to make the tournament. Any slip up, and Ironbound were Open Cup-bound. They proceeded to beat West Virginia 1-0 and Carolina 4-0, finishing at 4-0 with a +9 goal differential (tying Ironbound) and 10 goals scored (edging the Express by 1 goal). With that, Reading United qualify for the US Open Cup for the second straight year, and their fourth trip overall. Ironbound received the unfortunate distinction of being the third team since the current PDL qualifying format began in 1997 to win all four of their games and still miss the tournament (the other two being the Colorado Comets in 1999 and the Southern California Seahorses in 2005). However, out of those three teams, they are the first to miss out after earning shutout victories in all four of their qualifying games.

Northeast Division

The Albany BWP Highlanders and Long Island Rough Riders were the two teams left in the running with a week to go. Albany had finished their campaign at 3-0-1, with Long Island sitting at 3-0 with a game in Westchester to play. A draw was all they needed to qualify, and a draw is what they got. They tied the Flames 0-0 to qualify for the US Open Cup for the fifth time, and their second as a PDL team.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

Mid-South Division

Three teams were in the running with a week remaining: DFW and El Paso, who sat in the drivers’ seats at 2-0, and Rio Grande Valley, who were at 0-1-1, but had games against both of those clubs remaining. The Bravos started their comeback with a 1-0 win over the Tornados, pulling themselves within two points. Meanwhile, the Patriots dropped a humiliating 6-0 result to the Laredo Heat. RGV then took care of business and finished off El Paso with a 2-0 win, to put themselves at 7 points. DFW then needed a win over Houston to qualify, as RGV held the head-to-head tiebreaker between the clubs. The Tornados did their job to fend off the comeback kids, beating the Leones 1-0 to qualify for their fourth US Open Cup, and their first since 2004.

Southeast Division

The loss of the Panama City Pirates made a serious mess in how division qualification worked here in the Southeast, and New Orleans and Central Florida had to adjust their schedules accordingly. The Jesters had a match against Bradenton count double for them, while the Kraze had an extra game against Fort Lauderdale only count for themselves and not for Schulz Academy. Both took advantage of their “extra” qualifying games, winning 5-0 and 3-1, respectively. Then the race to the finish got crazy, as three of the five teams still in the running did all they could to make it to the tournament. First, the Kraze defeated Atlanta to go to 2-o-1, tying Mississippi at the top, while knocking the longshot Blackhawks out. Then, in a matchup to decide who still got a chance, Baton Rouge defeated the Jesters 2-1 to move into the lead at 2-0-2, knocking New Orleans out. They would then have to wait for results from the Brilla and Kraze. Mississippi would bump the Capitals with a 3-0 win over Nashville to finish at 3-0-1, but their trip wasn’t quite booked yet. Central Florida had to win by 3 to make it, and win by 3 they did. A 3-0 victory over Schulz Academy gave the Kraze their first trip to the US Open Cup since 2007.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

The Kitsap Pumas and Portland Timbers U23s both lined up with the same schedule, and all at the same site (Tacoma/Washington at home, Spokane/Yakima on the road). They both proceeded to take care of business and win all four of their games. The final day consisted of the Timbers playing in Yakima and Kitsap hosting the Crossfire. Portland needed to better the result of the Pumas in order to qualify. They did their job, defeating the Reds 2-0, but then would have to wait and see how Kitsap would respond. The Pumas did so by defeating Washington 2-0 themselves, making the US Open Cup for the second straight year, in only their second year of existence. In the same token, Portland becomes the fourth team in PDL qualifying history – and the second of the DAY – to finish 4-0 and not qualify for the Open Cup.

Southwest Division

The Ventura County Fusion, the defending champions of the Premier Development League, are well on their way to a repeat, currently with a 4-1 record. Their first task, qualifying for the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (their first), had already been achieved with a game to spare. They stand at 3-0, defeating Lancaster, Ogden, and Southern California. No other team can finish with more than eight points.

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