In the first of our four previews of PDL qualifying, we take a look at the Southern Conference which will submit two teams to the US Open Cup.
El Paso Patriots
Notable upsets in the First Round of the US Open Cup
The Professional Era’s greatest First Round upset came in 2008 when Hollywood United, the USASA Region IV qualifier from California, traveled to PGE Park in Portland Ore. and knocked out the Portland Timbers 3-2. Hollywood United trailed twice during the match, but each time they trailed, Matt Taylor would convert a penalty kick to tie the game back up. With the score level at 2-2, Earl Alexander scored a 90th minute goal to send United to the Second Round and left Portland fans stunned. It was only the second time in the Professional Era that a USASA team has defeated a USL First Division team, and the first time that a USASA team had upset a USL-1 team on the road.
2009 Second Round recap: Thriller in Carolina, Barons are last amateur survivor
The Ocean City Barons and the Wilmington Hammerheads pulled off the lone upset of the US Open Cup Second Round. The Barons get a penalty kick in the 108th minute and JT Noone breaks a scoreless tie and Ocean City earns a date with DC United at the Maryland Soccerplex in Round 3. The Barons, based on the rest of the results, won the $10,000 prize money as the amateur team that has advanced the farthest in the tournament.
2009 Second Round: Red cards abound as Aztex knock off eight-man El Paso Patriots
Despite losing two key players to injury just before kickoff, the Austin Aztex overcame the PDL’s El Paso Patriots 2-0 in their Second Round US Open Cup contest.
2009 First Round recap: Favorites survive first day, Barons pull off upset, Hawks just upset on day 2
If seeing the underdogs prevail is your thing, then you went to sleep disappointed last night.
Of the fourteen matches first round U.S. Open Cup matches last night, only one was won by a team from the lower division, and even that wasn’t much of an upset.
2009 First Round: El Paso Patriots continue opening round success, beat Sahuaros 2-1
The El Paso Patriots secured a Second Round spot in the US Open Cup tournament after clinching a 2-1 victory over the Arizona Sahuaros Tuesday night at Patriot Stadium.
Midfielder Rodrigo Morin opened the scoring in the 27th minute to give the Patriots a lead they would not relinquish, while Gerardo Moreira added another in the 59th minute after sending an Antonio Berrera pass into the back of the net.
2007 Second Round: Battery avoid another USL-1 upset, edge PDL’s Patriots 1-0
It took 74 minutes, but the Charleston Battery finally found the goal that would deny the El Paso Patriots another USL-1 scalp, beating the PDL side 1-0.
The Battery pressured El Paso all night, but the Patriots managed to survive most of the match with a clean sheet. In the first half, a header from Tim Karalexis found the post instead of the net. Mike Richardson also also found the woodwork with a shot from a Stephen Armstrong cross.
2007 First Round: Another amateur upset as Miami FC falls to PDL’s Patriots in PKs
The El Paso Patriots advanced to the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup the hard way, defeating Miami FC on penalty kicks following a 2-2 draw. In only their second season as a franchise, the Blues were eliminated from the Open Cup by an amateur team for the second year in a row. Last year, they fell to Dallas Roma FC of the USASA, 1-0.