Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Doxa Italia

2014 US Open Cup qualifying: Cal FC stuns Doxa Italia twice to unofficially qualify from USASA Region IV

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It took 120 minutes, but when the dust settled at the Manhattan Village Field in Manhattan Beach, Calif. on Saturday night, Cal FC defeated Doxa Italia 3-2. The win earned an expected return to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since their dream run to the fourth round in 2012.

The one-game playoff between USASA teams was decided in the second overtime when Jaime Chavez scored his second goal of the game in a scramble in the box after a long ball was played in.

The game was sent to extra time on a stoppage time equalizer and penalty kicks were narrowly avoided as the game-winner was scored in the final minute of overtime.

“We didn’t practice (before the game),” said Cal FC manager Michael Friedman. “Most of these guys on the field never even had touched a ball with each other. Part of the game was just getting acclimated to the style of play and getting accustomed to the speed of play.”

This is the third year in a row that the two clubs have met with an Open Cup berth on the line. Cal FC edged Doxa Italia 4-3 in group play in 2012, and last year, Doxa won 2-1 to earn their second trip to the tournament in three years. With the USASA’s Open Cup qualifying deadline moved up to Dec. 31, the two teams were chosen for the play-in game since they are the two most recnet clubs to qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Cal FC defeated Doxa Italia 3-2 in extra time to unofficially punch their ticket to the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Photo: John Santos

With the win, Cal FC is expected to join 2013 Region IV Open Cup champion PSA Elite as the region’s two entries in the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The reason their Open Cup spot is unofficial is because the US Soccer Federation has yet to announce the tournament’s 2014 format, so the region’s two spots are not set in stone. However, USASA officials have told TheCup.us they expect to retain their eight entries (two per region) for the 11th year in a row.

The Cal FC side, which made a name for themselves in 2012 by upsetting Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers in the third round, were managed by  Friedman and former US international Eric Wynalda. This year, Wynalda is still involved with the club, but it is unclear if he will be roaming the sidelines for the team during this year’s cup run.

Down 2-1, thanks to two goals from Doxa Italia midfielder and former New England Revolution player Bryan Byrne, Cal FC substitute German Alfaro headed in a cross in the 93rd minute to force overtime.

Doxa Italia had subbed out Byrne late in the game, so they were forced to play the remainder of the game without their star attacker.

“The ball was in our defensive third for most of the game,” said Friedman. “It wasn’t until the last 10 minutes of the half that we started connecting and were able to transition the ball from the midfield to our target forward, Jaime.”

“In the second half, we were just schooling these guys.”

The game was not without controversy. When Cal FC scored their second and third goals of the game, the Italia bench erupted with calls for offside, but the officials, and Cal FC, saw it differently.

“There was excellent refereeing. There were no problems with that,” said Friedman, who did earlier admit that he had trouble seeing across the field due to the foggy conditions and poor lighting.

Despite falling short of a second straight Open Cup berth, Doxa Italia manager Joe Cartlidge was proud of his team’s effort.

“Undoubtedly, we’re disappointed with the loss but we played extraordinarily well as a team,” said Cartlidge. “We defended as a single unit, our communication was the best it’s been all season and we had two stellar goals.”

The Cal FC continued the state of California’s recent dominance of Region IV with their victory. 2014 will mark the fourth year in a row that both of the region’s entries will be from the Golden State.


PAST US OPEN CUP ENTRIES FROM REGION IV

2014: Cal FC (SCA), PSA Elite (SCA)
2013: Doxa Italia (SCA), PSA Elite (SCA)
2012: Cal FC (SCA), PSA Elite (SCA)
2011: Doxa Italia (SCA), DV8 Defenders (NCA)
2010: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ), Bay Area Ambassadors (NPSL)
2009: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ), Sonoma County Sol (NCA)
2008: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ – NPSL), Hollywood United (SCA)
2007: Banat Arsenal (AZ), El Paso Indios (NPSL)
2006: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ), Sonoma County Sol (NCA – NPSL)
2005: Salinas Valley Samba (NPSL), Sonoma County Sol (NCA – NPSL)
2004: Chico Rooks (NCA – NPSL), Sacramento Knights (NCA – NPSL)
2003: Chico Rooks (NCA – NPSL)
2002: Mexico SC (NCA)
2001: Mexico SC (NCA)
2000: Mexico SC (NCA)
1999:  Mexico SC (NCA)
1998: San Nicolas (CSA)
1997: Inter SC (NCA)
1996: San Jose Oaks (NCA)
1995: Flamengo SC (UT)

2013 US Open Cup First Round: David Geno of Sounders U23s makes history in route of Doxa Italia

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The Seattle Sounders Under-23 team did not waste time booking their place in the Second Round of the US Open Cup, scoring five goals in the first half to defeat Doxa Italia 5-1 in Sumner, Wash. The Sounders will travel to North Carolina to face the Charlotte Eagles of USL Pro in the next round on May 21.

Seattle’s Darwin Jones opened the scoring in the 13th minute before David Geno tallied four goals in a span of 26 minutes. Doxa’s Bryan Byrne added the consolation strike for the California amateur side in the second half.

The Sounders controlled the game early on, with Jones getting isolated repeatedly on the left wing. On one of those occasions, he beat his man, and finished to the far post past the keeper to give the Sounders a 1-0 lead.

Doxa’s Kyle Holland responded immediately after with a shot barely kept out by Sounders keeper Zac Lubin, and for a few minutes it looked like Doxa might be able to make a game of it.

But Geno stopped any momentum from building with his first goal in the 19th minute. The buildup began with an Aodhan Quinn cross to Mauricio DeLeon, whose initial shot shot was blocked by Doxa keeper Justin Commins. But Geno was on hand to smash home the rebound and double the score.

Seattle kept pressing, with several chances, including a DeLeon shot that fizzed across the face of the goal. Any doubts about the match were put to bed in the 36th minute when Geno scored again. Jones sent in a cross to the wide-open Geno at the far post, who had a simple tap-in finish.

Geno completed his hat trick three minutes later, when he audaciously flicked a DeLeon pass up and over the goalkeeper with the side of his foot and into the net. He added his fourth goal just before the end of the first half on a breakaway, which he slotted past the onrushing Commins.

With the game’s outcome no longer in doubt, the Sounders stepped off the gas pedal a bit in the second half, substituting Geno out and ceding more of the possession to Doxa Italia. The amateur side started to take advantage, creating more opportunities than they had in the first half.

With his four-goal performance, Geno became the first player on an amateur team to score four goals in a game in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present). Only 9 other players have scored four goals in a game since 1995, and none of them played for a team lower than Division II.

One of those ended in Byrne grabbing a goal to salvage some pride when he reacted quickly, ran onto a deflected free-kick and knocked it into the net in the 68th minute. He nearly pulled back a second goal 12 minutes later, when his header was barely kept out by a diving Lubin.

But in the end, it was a comfortable 5-1 victory for the Sounders U-23 side, moving them on to the next round of competition. They will have just seven days to regroup before flying across the country to face Charlotte, a team that made a surprise run to the Quarterfinals last year.

Scoring Summary:
SEA – Darwin Jones 13′
SEA – David Geno 19′
SEA – David Geno (Darwin Jones) 36′
SEA – David Geno (Mauricio DeLeon) 38′
SEA – David Geno 45′
DOX – Bryan Byrne 68′

Sounders FC U-23 – Zac Lubin, Michael Uyehara, Mark Lee, Chris Brundage, Lucas Baldwin, David Geno (Ian Lange 45), Aodhan Quinn (Michael Gallagher 59), Darwin Jones (Michael Harris 73), Mauricio DeLeon, Steve Mohn, Adam West.

Substitutes Not Used: Ben Dragavon, Abdul Aman, Michael David, Miles Byass.

TOTAL SHOTS: 16; FOULS: 12; OFFSIDE: 3; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 4.

Doxa Italia – Justin Commins, Justin Valashinas, Ryan Purtell, Joe Cartlidge, Nissa Hatifie (Eddie Pinto 45), Devin Toohey, Steve Chirgwin (Sean Lockhart 64), Greg Piechota, Kyle Holland, Bryan Byrne, Ryan Taylor (Ilia Nazarov 64).

Substitutes Not Used: Devin Shrade, Ricky Figuerod, Richie Million, Matt Urton.

TOTAL SHOTS: 5; FOULS: 5; OFFSIDE: 0; CORNER KICKS: 0; SAVES: 4.

Misconduct Summary:
Sounders FC U-23: Michael Uyehara (caution) 71′
Doxa Italia: Sean Lockhart (caution) 72′
Doxa Italia: Joe Carlidge (caution) 89′

Referee: Katja Koroleva
Referee’s Assistants: Baboucarr Jallow, Ray Moffit Jr.
4th Official: Timon Berry

Attendance: 473
Time of Game: 7:00 p.m. PST
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial

Meet the USASA: Class of 2013

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Eight teams from the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) qualified for the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup this year.

Will a club imitate Dallas Roma FC’s famous run in 2006? Or Cal FC in 2012? These questions are yet to be answered, but we can introduce you to the amateur sides that will be taking the field in Round 1.

Click on the links below to read about the clubs:

USASA Region I

Icon FC (New Jersey) – PENDING

Mass Premier Soccer (Massachusetts)

USASA Region II

Dearborn Stars SC (Michigan)

RWB Adria (Illinois)

USASA Region III

North Texas Rayados (North Texas)

Red Force (Florida)

USASA Region IV

Doxa Italia (California South)

PSA Elite (California South)

2013 Meet the USASA: Doxa Italia’s undefeated season builds confidence ahead of 2013 US Open Cup

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Welcome to our continuing series of Meet the USASA features where we annually profile the clubs representing the United States Adult Soccer Association in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Advancing from the four regional tournaments, these often unknown clubs have great stories to tell and each year, our goal is to allow fans to get to know them as they attempt to become this year’s Cinderella story.

Doxa Italia’s player-manager Bryan Byrne was very excited to hear that his team will be playing against the PDL’s Seattle Sounders U-23s in the opening round of the US Open Cup.

You’d expect him to be burning up the phone to make travel arrangements for his team.

There is just one problem: he didn’t have a phone for most of the week.

His phone, of course, decided to stop working just in time. He tried to buy a used one through eBay, but the person he bought it from took too long to send it. He finally got it on Saturday, leaving him with only a short time to make arrangements for the May 15 contest.

“It’s been pretty tough without a phone,” Byrne said. “It’s been difficult with a lot of communication back and forth trying to get it together.”

Doxa Italia’s qualification for the Cup this year is a bit of a vindication for the Manhattan Beach, Calif. based club.

The Greek and Italian themed name reflects the clubs formation in 1997 from the union of two local teams. Success in local amateur leagues followed. Eventually, the club joined forces with Hollywood United in 2005. It only took a year for the relationship to collapse and the team was dissolved.

The team picked up the pieces in 2009, but didn’t qualify for the US Open Cup until 2011. Among the teams they moved past to qualify was Cal FC, a team American soccer fans become familiar with last year with their historic run to the Fourth Round.

After another successful run in the Coast Soccer League in 2012, Doxa were confident of qualification.

“We talked before the game. We beat them twice in the league,” said Byrne, a former player for the New England Revolution and Ventura County Fusion. “There is no reason we can’t beat them a third time.”

The result: a 7-0 loss to a very different Cal FC team than they had faced during their season. This Cal FC included a raft of professional players.

Doxa Italia completed an undefeated season last year in the Coast Soccer League. Photo: DoxaItalia.com

“Our squad is a very thin one. It can be frustrating to see teams sign people up for Open Cup qualifying,” Byrne said. “In the league they had average results. We really weren’t prepared.”

Byrne and Doxa Italia were able to deliver some payback when the Coast Soccer League season started last September. Doxa opened with an away match against the upstarts and won 3-1, a game which included two goals from Byrne.

The win began a streak which included a win over PSA Elite in October. This meant that Doxa beat both teams that qualified for the 2012 Open Cup in the region.

But it was a second win over Cal FC in November that gave Byrne a thought.

“That’s when we looked around and said we have the opportunity to go undefeated for the season,” Byrne said.

That they did. Sixteen games from the opener at Cal FC to a March 10th 7-0 drubbing of OC Crew, the team did not lose a single match. Byrne ended the season with 28 goals.

If Byrne has a complicated coaching philosophy, he isn’t sharing it.

“It was a matter of getting the team on the same page,” he said.

“It’s a big deal,” he said of getting his team qualified for the Open Cup. “This is what we play for each year. Our season is about preparing for the Open Cup run. It’s important to us.”

Still, preparing for a game against a PDL side that he hasn’t seen presents some challenges. Byrne can make assumptions about the style and system of the Sounders U23s based on their parent club, but not much more.

“We know what to expect to some extent,” he said. “But we go by our own plan and play to our potential.”

“We’ve been winning so far,” he added.

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Doxa Italia eliminates Cal FC, joins PSA Elite as USASA Region IV entries

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PSA Elite and Doxa Italia booked their spots in the US Open Cup this past weekend, qualifying out of a historically strong USASA Region IV. PSA Elite won the tournament with a perfect 4-0-0 record while Doxa Italia qualified for its second Open Cup with a second-place finish.

After qualifying for the Open Cup in its first attempt last year, PSA Elite made it two-for-two this year with four comfortable wins. They started with a 3-0 victory in a cross-group game against Doxa Italia. Then, eight different players scored in a 10-0 win over The Internationalists. With qualification all but secured, PSA used five goals in 25 minutes to take out DV8 Defenders 9-2.

Already qualified for the Open Cup, PSA Elite took the Region IV title with a 4-1 win over Doxa. The teams had to overcome extreme heat that even resulted in one of the linesmen suffering a heat stroke.

Doxa Italia’s road to its second US Open Cup appearance was much tougher. The format for this year’s tournament involved a cross-group game, with those match-ups being determined by random draw. As luck would have it, Italia drew the strongest team from Group B and fell in that 3-0 loss to PSA Elite.

“The format certainly impacted how we approached the tournament. Because of the tiebreak rules it took a little pressure off the cross-group results and stressed the two pool games we had on Saturday. We have been in tournaments formatted like this in the past and it took a significant amount of time planning the rosters for each match,” said Alex Lujan, PSA Elite owner.

After losing its initial match, Doxa trounced San Francisco City FC 7-0, setting up a “Win & You’re In” game against Cal FC. After a magical Open Cup run last year that involved a victory over MLS side Portland Timbers, Cal FC came into this tournament as favorites. However, Doxa Italia pulled off the 2-1 upset victory, ensuring an Open Cup berth for the club for the first time since 2011.

Bryan Byrne, Doxa Italia player/coach and scorer of both goals against Cal FC, said, “It is a proud feeling to be able to say you are part of such a storied competition. For us, it is what we have been building up to all year and having the opportunity to see Doxa’s name on the list of first round teams is a real honor. But we won’t be happy this year unless we see our name in Round Two also.”

Doxa lost to the Ventura County Fusion in 2011 by a 3-1 scoreline in its only US Open Cup appearance. PSA Elite was more successful in its lone attempt, beating the PDL’s Portland Timbers U23s 3-1 in Round One, then bowing out to the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks 7-0 in Round Two.

“The US Open Cup represents an opportunity to compete against professional and top US amateur teams. We are honored to have another chance to play in this prestigious event,” Lujan said. “This also provides another platform for our players to showcase their talent. Seven players from our 2012 Open Cup roster are now living that dream in the MLS, NASL and USL Pro leagues. We feel confident that we will be able to build on last year’s experiences, make a run and represent USASA Region IV, Cal South & the Coast Soccer League well.”

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: USASA Region IV Finals (April 19-21)
Ontario, California – All Times Eastern

Group A PTS W L D GD
Doxa Italia (CA – South) 6 2 1 0 +5
Cal FC (CA – South) 6 2 0 0 +12
San Fran. City (CA – North) 3 1 1 0 -13

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Group B PTS W L D GD
PSA Elite (CA – South) 9 3 0 0 +19
DV8 Defenders (CA – North) 3 1 2 0 -4
Internationalists (CA – South) 0 0 3 0 -18

April 19
Doxa Italia 0:3 PSA Elite
The Internationalists 2:8 DV8 Defenders
Cal FC 12:3 San Francisco City FC

April 20
Doxa Italia 7:0 San Francisco City FC
Cal FC 4:1 DV8 Defenders
PSA Elite 10:1 The Internationalists

Doxa Italia 2:1 Cal FC
PSA Elite 9:2 DV8 Defenders
San Francisco City FC 4:1 The Internationalists

April 21 (Championship)
PSA Elite (Group B winner) 4:1 Doxa Italia (Group A winner)
Both group winners qualify for the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup
Region IV champion advances to USASA National Cup Finals

PAST US OPEN CUP ENTRIES FROM REGION IV

2013: Doxa Italia (SCA), PSA Elite (SCA)
2012: Cal FC (SCA), PSA Elite (SCA)
2011: Doxa Italia (SCA), DV8 Defenders (NCA)
2010: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ), Bay Area Ambassadors (NPSL)
2009: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ), Sonoma County Sol (NCA)
2008: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ – NPSL), Hollywood United (SCA)
2007: Banat Arsenal (AZ), El Paso Indios (NPSL)
2006: Arizona Sahuaros (AZ), Sonoma County Sol (NCA – NPSL)
2005: Salinas Valley Samba (NPSL), Sonoma County Sol (NCA – NPSL)
2004: Chico Rooks (NCA – NPSL), Sacramento Knights (NCA – NPSL)
2003: Chico Rooks (NCA – NPSL)
2002: Mexico SC (NCA)
2001: Mexico SC (NCA)
2000: Mexico SC (NCA)
1999:  Mexico SC (NCA)
1998: San Nicolas (CSA)
1997: Inter SC (NCA)
1996: San Jose Oaks (NCA)
1995: Flamengo SC (UT)

#USOC100

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: USASA Region I, II, IV and US Club Soccer in action this weekend (with updates)

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It’s a busy weekend of qualifying for the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, as we head down the home stretch. By Monday morning, the USASA will know five of the six teams that will join Red Force (Florida) and North Texas Rayados in the 2013 US Open Cup. Also, US Club Soccer’s “lights out” semifinal match will be replayed on Sunday to determine who will play the Fresno Fuego Future in a “Win & You’re In” match the following weekend.

Here is a breakdown of this weekend’s games, and as always you can check Twitter (@USOpenCup) for updates, and remember if you’re at any of these games or have any Open Cup-related news/info/comments to make, be sure to use this year’s hashtag #USOC100.

(All Times Eastern)

FRIDAY

USASA Region IV Tournament
DAY 1: Friday, April 19
Ontario Soccer Park – Ontario, CA

PSA Elite 3:0 Doxa Italia
DV8 Defenders 8:2 The Internationalists
Cal FC 12:3 San Francisco City FC

It was a high-scoring opening day of the USASA Region IV tournament, as the trend of barn-burners and blowouts continue. With many teams having been burned by goal difference tiebreakers in the past, a recent tradition of running up the score has been established and ehas continued into 2013. Cal FC dropped a dozen goals on newcomers San Francisco City in their quest to qualify for the second straight year, and attempt to provide an encore to one of last year’s biggest Cinderella stories. 2011 qualifiers DV8 Defenders missed the cut last year and started their campaign to represent the Bay Area once again with a convincing 8-2 win over The Internationalists. While the most competitive match of the day was still a 3-0 shutout with PSA Elite taking out Doxa Italia. Although, with head-to-head likely the first tiebreaker in the group, and PSA Elite competing in the other group, Doxa Italia still has hope of qualifying just like they did in 2011 as long as they win both of their games on Saturday. Clearly, that will be no easy task as they must play Cal FC and DV8 Defenders.

SATURDAY

USASA Region II Semifinals (Win & You’re In)
Saturday, April 20 – 3 p.m.
Kroc Center – Chicago, IL

FC Indiana 1:2 (AET) RWB Adria

RWB Adria, a semifinalist in 1978 and 1991, qualifies for the US Open Cup for the first time since 2008.  

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USASA Region IV Tournament
DAY 2: Saturday, April 20
Ontario Soccer Park – Ontario, CA

Doxa Italia 7:0 San Francisco City FC
Cal FC 4:1 DV8 Defenders
PSA Elite 10:1 The Internationalists

Doxa Italia 2:1 Cal FC
PSA Elite 9:2 DV8 Defenders
San Francisco City FC 4:1 The Internationalists

When the dust settled out west on Saturday evening, two teams punched their ticket to the 2013 US Open Cup. PSA Elite cruised to three straight wins, outscoring its opponents 22-3, en route to a Group B win and their second straight trip to the Open Cup. Fellow Southern California club, Doxa Italia, overcame a 3-0 loss to PSA Elite in the opening game and clinched their second Open Cup berth in three years. Doxa emerged from Group A despite their loss to Group B champion PSA by defeating the two clubs in their group, newcomers San Francisco City (7-0), followed by a winner-take-all game against last year’s Cinderella story Cal FC. Doxa defeated Cal FC 2-1 in the final game as the two clubs finished tied atop the group standings, with Doxa Italia moving on to the championship game by way of the head-to-head tiebreaker. PSA Elite and Doxa Italia have both clinched their spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, they will meet again in the Region IV title game on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. local time) to determine who will represent the region at the USASA National Finals.

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: USASA Region IV Finals (April 19-21)
Ontario Soccer Park – Ontario, CA –
All Times Eastern

Group A PTS W L D GD
Doxa Italia (CA – South) 6 2 1 0 +5
Cal FC (CA – South) 6 2 0 0 +12
San Fran. City (CA – North) 3 1 1 0 -13

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Group B PTS W L D GD
PSA Elite (CA – South) 9 3 0 0 +19
DV8 Defenders (CA – North) 3 1 2 0 -4
Internationalists (CA – South) 0 0 3 0 -18


SUNDAY

USASA Region II Semifinals (Win & You’re In)
 Sunday, April 21 – 1 p.m.
Olathe North – Olathe, KS

Dearborn Stars SC (MI) 0:1 KC Athletics (KS)

KC Athletics player/manager Kyle Perkins scored the lone goal in the 90th minute to send the Kansas-based club to their second straight Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. This will be their third Open Cup berth in the last four years.

USASA Region I Quarterfinals
Sunday, April 21 – 3 p.m.
Newtown High School – Newtown, CT

NY Pancyprian Freedoms (ENY) 0:0 Newtown Pride SC (CT)
Newtown Pride advance 7-6 in PK shootout – will play at Mass Premier Soccer on April 28 (Win & You’re In)

The two teams battled to a scoreless draw after 120 minutes, but it was Newtown Pride SC who advanced after winning the penalty kick shootout 7-6. The Connecticut representative are now one win away from a US Open Cup berth and they will travel to the Boston area to play Mass Premier Soccer (MA) on April 28. More details to come. USASA Region I logo

USASA Region I Semifinals (Win & You’re In)
Sunday, April 21 – 6 p.m.
Montville Community Park (130 Changebridge Rd.) – Montville, NJ

Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks (MDCVA) 1:1 Icon FC (NJ)
Icon FC wins PK shootout, 7-6, to qualify for the 2013 US Open Cup

Icon FC became just the second New Jersey-based USASA team to qualify for the US Open Cup in the Modern Pro Era (1995-present) when they won a penalty kick shootout with the Aegean Hawks. 7-6. The match finished 1-1 after 120 minutes and for the second time that Sunday afternoon, a Region I match had to be decided at the penalty kick spot. More details to come.

US Club Soccer Semifinals
Sunday, April 21 – 8 p.m.
Valley Christian High School – San Jose, CA

San Ramon FC 0:2 (AET) Los Gatos Storm
Los Gatos Storm will play Fresno Fuego Future in the USCS Final

There are now two teams remaining in the US Club Soccer qualifying tournament after Los Gatos Storm needed extra time to defeat San Ramon FC 2-0 on Sunday night. The original game was cut short in the middle of the second overtime period due to a power outage, but the replay lasted the full 120 minutes as the Storm put themselves one win away from a berth in the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. They will play the Fresno Fuego Future, a club that features the PDL franchise of the same name, at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, CA to decide US Club Soccer’s representative in the 2013 US Open Cup. The winner of that game will begin play in the Play-In Round on May 7 against an NPSL opponent still to be determined. More details to come.

#USOC100

Eric Wynalda’s Cal FC joins PSA Elite from Region IV to complete 2012 US Open Cup field

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MORE: 2012 US Open Cup bracket | Round 1, 2 matchups

For the first time in the Modern Pro Era (1995-present), two Southern California teams have qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup from USASA’s Region IV. Cal FC, led by their manager, former US international Eric Wynalda, and PSA Elite from Irvine, Calif., emerged as group winners in the Region IV qualifying tournament to punch their tickets to the 99th edition of the Open Cup.

Region IV received permission from the United States Soccer Federation to hold their tournament a week after the qualifying deadline. After Cal FC and PSA Elite qualified, the USSF held a coin flip to determine who each team would play in Round 1 on May 15. The coin flip determined that Cal FC will travel to Bremerton, Wash to take on the PDL’s Kitsap Pumas while the Portland Timbers U23s will host the PSA Elite at Jeld-Wen Field.

Cal FC only needed to win two games to win their group to get in after EP Elite from El Paso, Texas (representing New Mexico) failing to show and forfeiting their three games. What turned out to be one of the best games of the weekend, they started off with a 4-3 win over Doxa Italia on Friday. It looked like it was going to be a one-sided affair as Cal jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead, and then added a penalty kick after the break to make it 4-0. Doxa refused to roll over as they got goals from Kyle Holland and then a 45-yard blast from Alex Bengard and then a third to cut the lead to 4-3 but Cal was able to hold on despite multiple injuries in the second half.

Wynalda would tweet after the game: “Well done to Doxa for fighting back. We got out of there with our lives.”

It would be much easier in the second game as Cal cruised to a 7-0 win over The Internationalists from the Los Angeles area to punch their ticket. For Wynalda, it will mark the first time he has been involved in the Open Cup since he was a player and scored the only two Open Cup goals of his career during the 2001 tournament while helping the Chicago Fire reach the Semifinals.

In the other group, it was a strong defensive performance by PSA Elite that put them into the tournament for the first time. They did not allow a single goal in their three group matches. They defeated 2011 Open Cup qualifier DV8 Defenders, 3-0 to kick off group play, followed by a 6-0 win over the Pittsburg Galaxy setting up a final game with OC Crew. PSA only needed a draw to advance, and that’s exactly what they got, finishing 0-0 to edge DV8 Defenders, who rebounded with back-to-back wins to finish one point back in second place.

Cal FC and PSA Elite squared off in the championship game, and PSA came away with a 2-0 win. Eight minutes after Cal missed a penalty kick, former MLS player Mike Randolph was shown a red card in the first half and the Elite took advantage with goals by Andrew Riemer in the 63rd minute and Christian Ramirez in the 83rd. (Full recap by fellow NASR member Scott French at ESPN LA). In addition to their first trip to the US Open Cup, PSA will represent Region IV at the USASA Nationals at Toyota Park, July 20-22.

Upcoming Open Cup schedules:

PSA Elite (USASA) at Portland Timbers U-23s (PDL)
Jeld-Wen Field; Portland, Ore. – 7:30 p.m. PT
The Timbers PDL square are making their first appearance in the US Open Cup after missing out last year despite finishing qualifying with an undefeated record (3-0-1). Rather than going through a tiebreaker, they decided to have the Kitsap Pumas and the Timbers U23s use their regular season game on double as a play-in game. Kitsap Pumas won the game 3-2. PSA Elite are making their first appearance in the tournament after emerging from the USASA Region IV tournament.

Cal FC (USASA) at Kitsap Pumas (PDL)
Bremerton Memorial Stadium; Bremerton, Wash. – 7:15 p.m. PT
This is the fourth consecutive year that Kitsap will kick off the tournament at home. USASA Region IV qualifier Cal FC are led by a mix of young players and former professional players and their manager, former US international Eric Wynalda.

Check out the standings and the schedule below for more information …

2012 USASA Region IV US Open Cup qualifying tournament

GROUP A W L T PTS GF GA GD
x-Cal FC (CA-S) 3 0 0 9 14 3 +11
Doxa Italia (CA-S) 2 1 0 6 14 4 +10
The Internationalists (CA-S) 1 2 0 3 3 15 -12
EP Elite (NM)* 0 3 0 0 0 9 -9
GROUP B W L T PTS GF GA GD
x-PSA Elite (CA-S) 2 0 1 7 9 0 +9
DV8 Defenders (CA-N) 2 1 0 6 6 5 +1
OC Crew (CA-S) 1 1 1 4 3 3 +0
Pittsburg Galaxy FC (CA-N) 0 3 0 0 3 13 -10


* – EP Elite forfeits competition; each opponent will receive three points

2012 USASA Region IV Open Cup tournament

May 4-6 – 2400 E. Philadelphia Street – Ontario, CA

Group A (Eastern Time listed)
May 4: EP Elite (L:W) The Internationalists (EP Elite forfeit)
May 4: Doxa Italia 3:4 Cal FC
May 5: The Internationalists 0:8 Doxa Italia
May 5: Cal FC vs. EP Elite (EP Elite forfeit)
May 5: EP Elite vs. Doxa Italia (EP Elite forfeit)
May 5: The Internationalists 0:7 Cal FC
Cal FC qualifies for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

Group B (Eastern Time listed)
May 4: OC Crew 3:1 Pittsburg Galaxy FC
May 4: PSA Elite 3:0 DV8 Defenders
May 5: Pittsburg Galaxy FC 0:6 PSA Elite
May 5: DV8 Defenders 2:0 OC Crew
May 5: OC Crew 0:0 PSA Elite
May 5: Pittsburg Galaxy FC 2:4 DV8 Defenders
PSA Elite qualifies for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

Championship Game (Eastern Time listed)
May 6: PSA Elite 2:0 Cal FC
PSA Elite will represent Region IV at the USASA National Finals

2011 US Open Cup First Round: Ventura County Fusion rallies past Doxa Italia 3-1

by

With a fog slowly creeping into the Ventura College stadium, the Ventura County Fusion may have been feeling uneasy in their second-ever US Open Cup match as they found themselves behind to a USASA entrant in the early going for the second consecutive time. And it was a former player dealing the blow to boot. But things would turn rosey nearly a half-hour later as the club rallied past Doxa Italia for a 3-1 victory and a trip to the second round.

Bryan Byrne, a former MLS New England Revolution midfielder that reportedly was the odd man out with the Los Angeles Galaxy when they signed David Beckham, stunned his former championship side just five minutes into the contest.

The Irishman, in his third season with Doxa Italia after spending two seasons with the Fusion, has to give all of the credit to the Fusion goalkeeper though. A long ball far past Byrne was intercepted by the keeper, but the attempted clearance ended up crashing directly into the striker and in the goal. The tally matched his entire output in 22 matches with Ventura County from 2008-09, though he was an important part of the team’s 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire Premier in the 2009 PDL Championship.

Andy Rose would level the match from the penalty spot after Jacob Hustedt was taken down in the box. It was his fifth goal of the year, sending the keeper in the wrong direction.

Doxa Italia (USASA-So. CA)
1:3
Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
Ventura College – Ventura, Calif.
RECAP: Ventura County Star | ESPN LA
Scoring Summary
DI: Bryan Byrne – 5′
VC: Andy Rose pen. – 33′
VC: Mark Magee – 43′
VC: Reed Williams – 78′

A year ago, against the Arizona Sahuaros, the Fusion also found themselves trailing with the visitors opening the scoring in the 26th minute. A goal from Ousman Jagne would tie the match. The contest would remain deadlocked en route to penalties, where Arizona prevailed 4-2.

However, leading scorer Mark Magee (6 goals) would make sure there would be no deadlock. He took a cross from Hustedt and scored from close range, giving Ventura a 2-1 advantage two minutes before half.

Doxa Italia nearly found an equalizer in the 70th minute, only to see the shot clang off the post. Eight minutes later, Reed Williams gave the hosts a two-goal advantage on a breakaway created by Sam Hayden, hitting his fourth goal of the campaign for Fusion.

The victory sends the Fusion on to a second round meeting with the Los Angeles Blues, an expansion side in USL Pro.

Scoring Summary
5th minute: Bryan Byrne (Doxa)
32nd minute: Andy Rose (VCF)
43rd minute: Mark Magee (Jacob Hustedt) (VCF)
78th minute: Reed Williams (VCF)

Starting Lineups
Doxa: N/A

VCF: N/A

Shots Saves Fouls Corners
Doxa: 14 Doxa: 7 Doxa: 7 Doxa: 7
VCF: 11 VCF: 4 VCF: 11 VCF: 6

Cautions:
32’: Alex Bengard (Doxa)
79’: Daniel Barrera (VCF)

Ejections:
None.

Referee: Reed Christy

Assistant Referees: Luis Gutierrez, Manuel Torres
Fourth Official: Magic Berenji
Attendance: 340
Weather: foggy

Archived video of match

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