FC Sonic Lehigh Valley

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Harrisburg City Islanders’ score four in second half, shut out Lehigh Valley United

May 20, 2014 by Michael Berton

The Harrisburg City Islanders celebrate one of their four goals in their 4-0 win over Lehigh Valley United Sonic. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

It took more than 45 minutes of shooting for the Harrisburg City Islanders to find the back of the net, but when they did, they couldn’t stop. They eventually got four in a 4-0 shut out victory over Lehigh Valley United Sonic in Round 2 of the 2014 US Open Cup.

It was Jose Barril who eventually opened the floodgates for the City Islanders in the 48th minute, and he did it in spectacular fashion. Fellow Islander Luan Silva’s cross deflected to Barril, who hit a scorching shot from 20 yards out past the outstretched arms of Sonic goalie Charlie Sales, and into the net.

But until that goal, the City Islanders, who play in USL Pro, looked far from dominant. Lehigh Valley, which plays in the NPSL, took the game to its professional opponents in the first half. Both teams had chances, including Sonic, who tested Harrisburg keeper Brian Sylvestre several times.

“It’s great to play a pro team,” Sonic coach Dave Weitzman said. “We really came out and achieved our game plan in the first half—we made it tough on them and frustrated them.”

The USL Pro side came out with a new intensity in the second half however, as evidenced by the Barril goal. More than just the score, the away side’s passing was crisper and faster. Clesio Bauque was extremely dangerous in the half, with only the exploits of Sales keeping him from potentially scoring a hat trick.

The Harrisburg City Islanders and Lehigh Valley United Sonic battle for the ball in their Second Round US Open Cup match. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

Harrisburg finally broke the game open in the 82nd minute. Second-half substitute Garret Pettis collected a bad back-pass on the left side of the field. He ran past two defenders and the goalie before hitting a hard-angle shot into the right-side netting.

Then, Bauque finally got the goal he had come so close to netting several times. Another second-half substitute, Jimmy McLaughlin found Bauque right at the top of the penalty area. Bauque collected and powered the ball past the keeper to make it 3-0 in extra time. Just a minute later, Bauque was involved again, this time with an assist to Danny DiPrima, who made it 4-0.

Weitzman said, “The score was not real indicative of how we played. We came out in the second half on our heels.”

Harrisburg advances to the Third Round of the US Open Cup, where it will travel to face the Baltimore Bohemians of the PDL. The City Islanders recovered well from last year when they lost their opening match for the first time in club history (Reading United AC). They are hoping to rekindle the magic run they had in 2012, when they knocked off two MLS sides (New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution) en route to a Quarterfinal appearance.

FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic vs. Harrisburg City Islanders
Whitehall High School – Whitehall, PA

Scoring Summary:

HCI: Jose Barril (unassisted) 48’
HCI: Garret Pettis (unassisted) 82’
HCI: Clesio Bauque (Jimmy McLaughlin) 90+
HCI: Danny DiPrima (Bauque) 90+

Lineups:

LVU: Charlie Sales; Brendon Boucaud, Conor Osborne, Julian Plummer, Ali Famili; Toric Robinson (Joe-Joe Jappah, 58’), Michael Gonzalez, Thomas Mustac, Danny Gonzalez (George Tsirukis, 75’); Shastri Spencer (Patrick Letourneau, 79’), Tucker Sandercock

HCI: Brian Sylvestre; Raphael Cox, Matthew Bahner, Richie Marquez, Colin Zizzi; Jason Pelletier, Neil Shaffer, Luan Silva (Danny DiPrima, 86’), Robbie Derschang (Jimmy McLaughlin, 76’); Clesio Bauque, Jose Barril (Garret Pettis, 68’)

Bookings:

LVU: Shastri Spencer (Caution-68’)
HCI: Raphael Cox (Caution-68’)
HCI: Jason Pelletier (Caution-87’)

2014 US Open Cup Round 1: Lehigh Valley United’s OT winner edges GPS Portland Phoenix (video)

May 8, 2014 by Andrew Scott

coach taking team pic — Lehigh Valley United pose for a team photo before their 2014 US Open Cup match against GPS Portland Phoenix. Photo: Meg Scott | PhillySoccerPage.net

Recap courtesy of PhillySoccerPage.net

National Premier Soccer League club Lehigh Valley United Sonic made the long 7-hour bus ride to Portland, ME to take on PDL club GPS Portland Phoenix on Tuesday. The first round match in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup took place under clear skies at Deering High School’s Memorial Field. It took extra time after a scoreless 90 minutes of regulation time but LVU were victorious by the score of 1-0.

Sonic started the match well with two great scoring chances in the first 15 minutes of the match through forward Roshane Ellison. Ellison’s second chance required an excellent save from GPS goalkeeper Lee Johnston. In the 26th minute, with Sonic midfielder Shastri Spencer running towards a loose ball, Johnston had to race out of his net for the clearancet. Right before the half, GPS had a free kick from 25 yards out but Jonathan Remond put it over the bar.

After the half, both teams returned to the field with the same lineups. In the 54th minute, a hard sliding tackle on Roshane Ellison caused him to stay down for a couple minutes. No foul was called on the play. Ellison tried to shake off the tackle but in the 62nd minute Sonic head coach Dave Weitzman had to substitute in George Tsirukis.

Immediately after the substitution Sonic had its best chance of the game with two point blank shots stopped by a GPS defender and the keeper, Johnston. GPS had a free kick in the 86th minute but Remond shot right at Sonic keeper Charlie Sales. With the game heading for extra time both teams pushed for a winner but couldn’t find the back of the net.

In the first period of 15 minutes of extra time, Sonic had another chance to go ahead in the 103rd minute when the ball was crossed in from the left to a wide-open player on the back post. He had the whole net open but his shot was blocked by his own teammate and bounced out for a goal kick. GPS followed up in the 108th minute with their best chance of the game off a corner kick that was headed off the underside of the crossbar. The Sonic defense recovered and was able to clear the ball.

In the 115th minute, Sonic was able to break the deadlock after Tsirukis collected the ball near midfield and ran 20 yards before passing the ball to a streaking Shastri Spencer on the left, who lofted the ball over the GPS keeper to hand LVU Sonic the 1-0 lead.

At the death of the game in the 120th minute, Sonic keeper Charlie Sales had to make a desperate save from a GPS shot that deflected off a defender to preserve the shutout and the win for the visitors.

LVU Sonic will now host USL Pro side Harrisburg City Islanders in the second round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup next Wednesday, May 14 at Whitehall High School Soccer Stadium in Whitehall, Pa. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

After Wednesday night’s victory, LVU Sonic head coach Dave Weitzman took a few minutes to answer some questions:

On having the midfielders rotate positions and switch wings:

“They were playing a 4-4-2 against our 4-3-3 and I said to the guys that I really thought we had to try and manage the central midfield… I was really trying to make sure we were solidified and then on the flanks I really wanted to try to get a little bit more speed in there. The game plan was to get George Tsirukis, the left footed player, into the match around the 60th minute because we really though he would tire them out a little bit.”

On the goal:

“The turn George had at midfield and then he took the ball about 30 yards and found Shastri. That is his great individualism and great creative play. Great goal.”

On looking forward to next round:

“Absolutely! Soccer has a real deep strong tradition in the Lehigh Valley… There has been a really strong soccer community in the Lehigh Valley that are really supportive of this team and the teams in the past and to be able to bring a pro game back to the valley for the first time since the early 80’s is great!”

Scoring Summary
LVU: Shastri Spencer 115 ‘ (George Tsirukis)

Disciplinary Summary
LVU: Tom Mustac 107’ (Yellow)
GPS: Jonathan Lupinelli 109’ (Yellow)

Lehigh Valley United Sonic (4-3-3)
Charlie Sales; Paddy Farrell, Ali Famili, Toric Robinson, Brendon Boucard (Richard Guedes 99’); Schuylar Rimmelee, Thomas Ryan, Shastri Spencer; Josh Cirocco (Joe Joe Jappah 73’), Roshane Ellison (George Tsirukis 62’), Tom Mustac

GPS Portland Phoenix (4-4-2)
Lee Johnston; Raiff Gwinnett, Neil Harries, Cameron Omsberg, Jonathan Lupinelli; David Magee (Zach Zurita 59’), Jonathan Remond, Mitch McPike, Eric Anderson; Kyle Shangraw, McKauley Tulloch (Wyatt Omsberg 69’)

Attendance: 80

2013 U.S. Open Cup First Round: Reading United overcome Lehigh Valley United Sonic in all-Pennsylvania battle (video)

May 15, 2013 by Michael Berton

SNeumannUSOC.R1 — Steve Neumann scored a goal in Reading United's 2-0 win over FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic. Photo: Glenn Riegel | GlennRiegelPhoto.com, Reading United

A first half full of missed opportunities had Reading United worried, but two goals early in the second half of its US Open Cup tilt against Lehigh Valley United Sonic were enough to calm those nerves.

“When you hit the crossbar, the post, and have two cleared off the line, it’s frustrating,” Reading United coach Brendan Burke said. “What we said to the players at halftime was that it was coming. We made a few adjustments tactically, and it paid off right away.”

Those adjustments included moving midfielder Darius Madison into a more forward position. Madison made that formation change count in the 50th minute. Reading forward Larry Ndjock played Madison in on a one-on-one with the keeper. Madison slotted it past the goalie to give the PDL side a 1-0 lead.

Steve Neumann doubled Reading’s lead in the 55th minute with a crazy shot taken from a near-impossible angle. Deep in Lehigh Valley’s half, Wes Charpie threw the ball in to Neumann. While dribbling into the penalty area along the end line, Neumann decided to take a shot. The result was a blistering attempt that got past the Sonic goalie.

Burke said, “That’s Steve Neumann. He’s got abilities other players in the country don’t have. He has technical ability and awareness. He sees thing that other guys don’t see. That’s why he’s our captain. He’s that good.”

Lehigh Valley United Sonic out of the NPSL did not go down without a fight. After Reading’s second goal, Sonic began to see more of the ball and threatened United’s net several times. In the 59th minute, Lehigh Valley’s Kyle MacDonald forced a save from Reading’s goalie, John McCarthy. LVU’s Ryan Jones tested McCarthy again in the 68th minute with a blistering shot from 30 yards out.

“Our guys battled like crazy. Our guys worked really hard. I thought we fought for the entire 90 minutes. We’ll learn from and move forward,” Lehigh Valley coach Dave Weitzman said.

The second half, which was full of action, was a complete contrast from the first. While Reading United had much of the possession, they struggled to turn it into quality attempts. It wasn’t until the 18th minute that Reading finally got a quality chance when Manolo Sanchez hit a volley that beat the keeper and hit the crossbar.

Lehigh Valley got several shots on goal, but it would be Reading that had the next near-chance. Off of a corner kick, a United shot hit the post, was cleared off the goal line, then skied over the net from less than six yards out. It turned out that those missed opportunities did not hurt Reading, but the team will have to be more clinical when it takes on its second-round opponent—the USL Pro squad and Reading’s affiliate Harrisburg City Islanders.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to play our own affiliate. I obviously know a lot about them,” Burke said. “They’re difficult to stop. They’re extremely fast. That’s a huge mountain for us to climb to get through that next round.”

Reading United 2:0 Lehigh Valley United Sonic
Oley Valley High School – Oley, Pa.

Scoring Summary:

RU: Darius Madison (Ndjock) 50
RU: Steve Neumann (Charpie) 55

Lineups:
Reading United: John McCarthy; Wes Charpie, Jonny Dolezal, Jimmy Ockford, Ben Sweat; Keegan Rosenberry, Darius Madison (Dante Marini-71), Steve Neumann, Manolo Sanchez; Mario Pinto Neto (Melvin Snoh-77), Larry Ndjock (Bryce Follensbee-71)

Lehigh Valley United Sonic: Charlie Sales; Ali Famili (Christian Kaschak-46), Reed Norton, Ryan Jones, Tyler Witmer; Tom Mustac, Hunter Norton, Andy Adlard (Michael Gonzalez-62), Emmanuel Joseph, Ciuffetelli (Kyle Macdonald-77); Joe Sales

Discipline:

RU: Ben Sweat (caution – 45)
RU: Larry Ndjock (caution – 63)
LVU: Joe Sales (caution – 82)

Great Lakes Division teams decline 2013 US Open Cup berths as NPSL entries finalized

April 9, 2013 by Josh Hakala

Thanks, but no thanks.

That was the sentiment expressed by a pair of Great Lakes Division teams from the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) as they were offered a chance to represent the league in the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Erie Admirals, last year’s Great Lakes Division regular season champions, were expected to join the other five division winners from a year ago and the two spring tournament qualifiers from the Western Conference, but according to NPSL secretary and chairman of the NPSL Open Cup committee Joe Barone, they declined.

Erie owner John Moody said the decision was made due to a variety of reasons. First, the Admirals depend on college players to fill out their roster and many of them wouldn’t be able to join the team until the middle of May. And even if they could, there would be no time to practice or prepare for their opponent.

“It’s important to respect the game … the tournament and our opponents and we felt putting out a ‘B-team’ wouldn’t be fair,” said Moody.

He also cited the financial burden of taking part in the Open Cup, especially in terms of making travel arrangements on relatively short notice. As it stands, when the draw is announced at the end of April, his team could be chosen to play the Colorado Rovers of the USSSA, or the Northern California-based US Club Soccer team in the Play-In Round on May 7. If the draw doesn’t go their way, they could travel to that game. As of last year, the US Soccer Federation reimburses up to $8,000 in travel costs, but depending on where they have to travel, that money can be eaten up rather quickly. On the other side, according to Moody, if they had to host, that would also be a challenge for his club because they would have difficulty securing a local venue. Not to mention, there is a cost to hosting as well. Most teams have to pay to rent a field, pay the referees, and coordinate gameday efforts, just to name a few of the primary expenses.

“We would love to take part in this great tournament … but there’s just too many unknowns for a club like ours,” he added.

With the division’s regular season champions out of the running, AFC Cleveland was next in line as the division’s playoff champions. Detroit City FC had finished ahead of Cleveland in the regular season standings by a point, but when the two teams squared off in the playoffs, Cleveland won 2-1, and the defeated Erie in penalty kicks in the division final.

But just like the Admirals before them, Cleveland also turned down the opportunity to play in the 2013 US Open Cup. The second-year club also cited player availability as their main reason for turning down the invitation.

“AFC Cleveland really wanted to participate in such a historic tournament, but scheduling issues during that time made this an impossible task,” said Cleveland chairman Terry Lawriw.

After the top two teams from the Midwest Conference declined, NPSL management decided that rather than giving an Open Cup berth to the division’s third choice (Detroit City FC), they would award the berth to the club that had the best overall record among the remaining teams league wide (excluding Western Conference), which – coincidentally – ended up being the Brooklyn Italians, a team that Barone has worked for over the last two decades.

The Italians will join the Georgia Revolution (Southeast Division playoff finalist) and Atlantic Division winners New York Red Bulls NPSL to complete the eight team NPSL field for the 2013 tournament.

The five remaining NPSL clubs include: Western Conference qualifying winners FC Hasental and Sacramento Gold, as well as the Madison 56ers (Central Division champions), Chattanooga FC (Southeast Division playoff champion) and FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic (Keystone Division champions).

TheCup.us has also confirmed that the NPSL is no long guaranteeing spots in the First Round of the 2013 US Open Cup to particular clubs or regions.

It was originally reported that the Madison 56ers, Chattanooga FC, FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic, and the two Western Conference winners (FC Hasental and Sacramento Gold) would begin play in Round 1 of the US Open Cup. Of the remaining three teams, which had yet to be determined, two of them would begin in the Play-In Round against either the US Club Soccer or the USSSA champion.

Now, the two Play-In Round teams won’t be known until the US Soccer Federation unveils the 2013 US Open Cup draw at the end of April. It is expected that the teams will be ones that are located closest to the Northern California-based US Club Soccer representative and the Colorado Rovers of the USSSA in an effort to minimize travel costs.

2013 NPSL entries in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (8 teams)

Brooklyn Italians
Chattanooga FC
FC Hasental
FC Lehigh Valley United Sonic
Georgia Revolution
Madison 56ers
New York Red Bulls U23s
Sacramento Gold

* 2 teams (still TBD) will begin play in Play-In Round

Five of eight NPSL spots confirmed for 100th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

March 11, 2013 by Eric Anderson

The United States Soccer Federation announced the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) would receive eight entries in the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. This week, TheCup.us has confirmed five of those teams, all of which will enter the tournament in the first round.

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, Chattanooga FC and the Madison 56ers, who finished first, second and third in the NPSL last season, are three of the teams that will be playing in the first round May 14.

Two others will be from the Western Conference, one from the Northern Division and one from the Southern Division. Those spots are being determined by tournaments — both finals are scheduled for March 30.

That leaves the NPSL with one first-round berth still to be determined, along with two spots in the qualifying round. The NPSL sides will play teams from U.S. Club Soccer and the United States Specialty Sports Association in qualifying matches May 7, with the winners moving on to the first round.

This will be the second straight Open Cup appearance for FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, which lost to the PDL’s Long Island Rough Riders 2-0 in the first round last year. The Pennsylvania team beat Chattanooga FC 1-0 in the NPSL final last July in San Diego.

The 56ers and Chattanooga FC both are back in the tournament after a one-year absence.

Chattanooga FC lost to the USL PRO’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-2 after extra time in their Open Cup debut in 2011. The 56ers, meanwhile, advanced to the second round that year, beating Illinois amateur club AAC Eagles 4-0 before losing to Chicago Fire PDL 2-0. That was Madison’s first berth in the Open Cup’s Professional Era (since 1995); the team also lost in the Region II semifinals in 1988, ’89 and ’90 and were ousted by Illinois’ RWB Adria 7-6 on penalty kicks following a 4-4 tie in the 1991 quarterfinals.

NPSL teams are 6-22-4 all-time in Open Cup play — with half of those wins coming last year, when the Brooklyn Italians, Georgia Revolution and Jacksonville United each won first-round matches. No league team has advanced to the third round, but eight sides have made it to the second round: Sonoma County Sol (2006 and ’09), Sacramento Knights (2004), Salinas Valley Samba (2005), Madison 56ers (2011), Georgia Revolution (2012), Jacksonville United (2012) and Brooklyn Italians (2012).

2013 NPSL entries in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (8 teams)

First Round entries
Chattanooga FC
FC Sonic
Madison 56ers
West – North Division winner
West – South Division winner
Team No. 6 TBA

Qualifying Round entries
NPSL Team No. 7 TBA vs. USASA entry TBA
NPSL Team No. 8 TBA vs. USSSA entry TBA

2012 US Open Cup First Round: Long Island Rough Riders blank FC Sonic Lehigh Valley 2-0

May 16, 2012 by Michael Berton

Neither gloomy weather nor a change in venue could keep the visiting Long Island Rough Riders of the PDL from earning a comfortable 2-0 victory over FC Sonic Lehigh Valley of the NPSL in the opening round of the 2012 US Open Cup.

Goals from Thomas Wharf and Shaun Higgins in the first half were enough to propel the Rough Riders into a second round matchup against USL Pro side Harrisburg City Islanders. The Rough Riders will be looking for some revenge, as Harrisburg knocked them out of the tournament in 2010 by a score of 1-0.

Unlike Long Island, FC Sonic had no prior Open Cup experience. They finished second in the NPSL Keystone Division last year, but qualified for the tournament when division champion Erie Admirals decided not to participate.

Instead of being held at the normal home field of FC Sonic at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., strong rains forced the game to be moved to a turf field at Whitehall High School several miles away. However, the change did not affect the visitors, as it was Long Island with the first chance of the game in the 10th minute. After FC Sonic replied with a shot of its own, the Rough Riders took control of the game.

In the 19th minute, Wharf got his head on a free kick and put it in the back of the net. Just three minutes later, Long Island doubled its lead when Higgins got on the end of a cross from James Mulligan. The 30-year-old Higgins’ goal gave the Rough Riders a 2-0 lead that FC Sonic could not overcome.

With neither team being able to make a breakthrough in the second half, both coaches decided on a change of emphasis. FC Sonic coach Dave Weitzman opted for a more attacking approach, bringing in two forwards in for two defenders. Long Island coach Paul Roderick, on the other hand, brought on two defenders in exchange for a forward and a midfielder.

In the end, the changes made little difference, and FC Sonic could muster only one real chance toward the end of the game. Long Island earned its fourth Open Cup victory and improved to 3-2-0 against amateur clubs all-time.

Scoring Summary:

Long Island – Thomas Wharf (Assist?) – 19
Long Island – Shaun Higgins (James Mulligan) – 22

Lineups: N/A

Discipline: FCS – Brandon Turner (caution, 23)

NPSL announces four of 6.5 US Open Cup berths for 2012 tournament

February 8, 2012 by Gerald Barnhart

The National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of American soccer, announced Tuesday that four of its 2011 conference champions have been selected as entrants for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Allotted by US Soccer with a total of 6.5 berths, the league’s remaining two guaranteed spots will come out of the western conference with the third team, the half-berth, facing the yet to be determined sole selection from US Club Soccer in a play-in contest.

The winners of the Southeast Division, Jacksonville United, will be joined by the Northeast Division’s Atlantic Conference champion, Brooklyn Italians, the Midwest winner Milwaukee Bavarians and the Erie Admirals, who claimed the Northeast’s Keystone Conference title.

The NPSL Western Conference teams will conduct qualifying during the month of March, however, no details of the format have been announced.

Jacksonville United (6-4-0) tied Georgia (5-2-3) for the Southeast Division title last year but won the tiebreaker to advance to the NPSL Final Four, where they beat the Erie Admirals 4-2 in the semifinals and Hollywood United 3-2 in the final.

The Midwest champion Bavarians (8-2-2) are the Under-23 team from Bavarian SC, a club that has been one of the most successful amateur teams during the Modern Pro Era of the Open Cup and date back to 1929.

Brooklyn went 7-2-1 win the Northeast Division’s Atlantic Conference last summer then lost to Erie in the divisional final. The Admirals (10-1-1) have moved into the new Great Lakes Conference of the Midwest Division.

As for the West, San Diego is the top returning team this season, going 10-3-1 to finish on top of the Southwest Flight in the regular season before being upset by the Sacramento Gold 2-1 in the divisional semifinals. Meanwhile, Hollywood United (11-2-1) are not returning to the league in 2012.

Last year, the NPSL received four Open Cup berths: the Italians, Chattanooga FC, Madison 56ers and Hollywood United represented the league.

The 56ers beat Illinois amateur side AAC Eagles 4-0 before losing to the PDL’s Chicago Fire Premier 2-0 in the Second Round; Brooklyn dropped a 2-1 decision to amateur entry New York Pancyprian-Freedoms; Chattanooga took USL PRO club Pittsburgh Riverhounds to extra time before a 3-2 loss; and Hollywood United lost to USL PRO team Los Angeles Blues 3-1.

Before 2011, NPSL teams advanced to the Open Cup through US Adult Soccer Association regional qualifying. Five teams joined the 56ers in advancing to the Second Round: the Sacramento Knights (2004), Salinas Valley Samba (2005), Sonoma County Sol (2006 and ‘09) and the Arizona Sahuaros (2010).

2011 US Open Cup Qualifying: Brooklyn Italians defeat FC Sonic Lehigh Valley 2-1 for NPSL Northeast berth

May 27, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

UPDATE: The Brooklyn Italians qualified for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-1 victory on the road versus FC Sonic Lehigh Valley. More details to come…

Match Preview:

The third of four 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup berths allotted to the National Premier Soccer League will be determined Friday night at Lehigh University’s Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania when the Brooklyn Italians visit FC Sonic Lehigh Valley at 7:30 pm ET.

The match is the final of the three-team Northeast Division tournament that began with the two-time US Open Cup champion Brooklyn Italians (1979, 91) narrowly defeating visiting FC Buffalo 1-0 Saturday, May 7.

The two clubs will be meeting for the first time as both teams play in the NPSL, but in a different conference. FC Sonic is the NPSL defending champions, hailing out of the Keystone Conference. Brooklyn plays in the Atlantic Conference.

“We need to play a very good game to win,” Italians coach Tony Noto said “They are a very good team.”

Since the first qualification match victory against Buffalo, another Keystone Conference club, Brooklyn opened its season with a 2-1 loss on the road to Mass United FC. FC Sonic, meanwhile, is unbeaten through four games and are on a three-game win streak since a draw in the season opener, outscoring their opponents 8-2 on aggregate.

“I traveled to watch play this past weekend,” Noto said. “They are very organized and attack well. They have a great atmosphere in the stadium.”

Sonic-LV-trophypic2 — FC Sonic won the 2010 NPSL Championship

FC Sonic tied the NY Red Bulls 1-1 in the opener and followed it up with two consecutive road wins against the NJ Blaze, 2-1, and the Pocono Snow, 2-0, before returning home to blank the Buxmont Torch, 3-0.

FC Sonic received the bye as the defending NPSL Regional Champion. Buffalo and Brooklyn were the only other clubs in the 14-team division who chose to enter.

Previously, NPSL clubs needed to qualify through the USASA Regional tournaments. Only two clubs from the league entered for Region I a year ago. The Erie Admirals (PA) withdrew prior to the first match while the Brooklyn Italians went on to qualify from the region courtesy of a reprieve. After falling in the opening round to Imigrantes Das Ilhas, administrators overturned the result due to an ineligible player. With their second life, Brooklyn went on to defeat Go Soccer FC and Fenerbahce USA to earn one of the region’s two berths in the US Open Cup.

About the Teams

Brooklyn Italians: New members of the NPSL in 2010, the club’s history is lengthy and dynamic. The club played in the second edition of the American Soccer League from 1956-64 before playing as an amateur club since. All along, the club has played under numerous names. While its recent history is as an amateur club, it was one of the premier teams to play in the US Open Cup over the course of 12 years during the tournament’s amateur era. The side won the tournament in 1979 and was runner-up two years later. They returned to prominence in 1990 as runners-up, following it up with a second US Open Cup title the next year that led to appearances in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup in 1991. Head coach Joey Barone is no stranger to qualifying, but was unable to lead the West Michigan Edge into the US Open Cup in two attempts (2005-06) in the PDL. Last year, Brooklyn finished second in the Northeast Division’s Atlantic Conference, losing out on the playoff berth via a tiebreaker. The club was level with New York Red Bull NPSL (10-1-1, 31 points) in the conference table as well as having the same totals as the division champion FC Sonic Lehigh Valley.

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley: New to the NPSL a year ago, the club performed well in its debut, finishing first in the division’s Keystone Conference and winning the divisional playoff game to advance to the league semifinals. After falling to eventual champion Sacramento Gold, they rebounded to finish third. This is the team’s first attempt to qualify for the US Open Cup. They are led by head coach Dave Weitzman, a local high school and former collegiate men’s assistant coach.

2011 US Open Cup qualifying: Brooklyn Italians top FC Buffalo in first NPSL Northeast qualifier (Video)

May 9, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

In the first of two qualification matches for the National Premier Soccer League’s berth into the US Open Cup from the league’s Northeast Conference, the two-time US Open Cup champion Brooklyn Italians (1979, 91) narrowly defeated visiting FC Buffalo 1-0 Saturday. Brooklyn advances to face FC Sonic Lehigh Valley in the final May 27 in Bethlehem, PA for a spot in the tournament.

Strengthened by some recent collegiate additions, but with little preparation, FC Buffalo took it to the hosts in the early going with Stephen Baker and Mike Reidy challenging up the flanks. The second portion of the first half saw the two clubs go back and forth with Brooklyn attempting to find striker Jorge Joseph over the top.

The plan of attack would pay off for the Italians when they countered with a quick ball up the right side that found Joseph all alone behind the defense in the 25th minute. He drove in toward goal and slipped the ball from 14 yards past goalkeeper Pat Regna as he came sliding out to challenge the breakaway, finding the far back corner (2:19 on video).

As Buffalo searched for the equalizer, the visitors hopes were dashed by a controversial call and saw their keeper leave the game after a bloody clash.

On one of Buffalo’s best chances of the game a ball from Reidy found Stedman, who beat his defender into the box and was all alone with the keeper. The keeper dove at Stedman to break up the opportunity, taking out his feet in the process, eliciting calls from the sidelines for a penalty which was not given.

Regna turned away numerous Brooklyn opportunities to double the advantage in the second half before being knocked out of the game with injury. On a counter from Mustafa Haridi, the pair collided awkwardly with force. Haridi left the match and needed dental surgery after suffering a bloody mouth injury while Regna was forced out with a significant cut beneath the knee.

Craig Yanni did well in Regna’s place, making several saves to keep the visitors in the match for the final 10 minutes, but the club was unable to find the equalizer.

NPSL US Open Cup qualifying slate set for Northeast Division

April 19, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

The qualification process has been set for the second of the four National Premier Soccer League’s automatic berths into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Northeast Division’s spot will feature a three-team tournament May 7 and 27.

The opening game will feature 2010 US Open Cup qualifier Brooklyn Italians playing host to FC Buffalo May 7 at James Dewey High School. The winner of the contest advances to play 2010 NPSL Finalist FC Sonic Lehigh Valley May 27 at Lehigh University’s Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, PA. Sonic received the bye as the defending NPSL Regional Champion. Buffalo and Brooklyn were the only other clubs in the 14-team division who chose to enter.

The Italians acquitted themselves well in the First Round of the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, taking the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division (pro third division) to overtime before falling 4-2. They took the lead once in each half only to see their hosts equalize both times.

About the Teams

Brooklyn Italians: New members of the NPSL in 2010, the club’s history is lengthy and dynamic. The club played in the second edition of the American Soccer League from 1956-64 before playing as an amateur club since. All along, the club has played under numerous names. While its recent history is as an amateur club, it was one of the premier teams to play in the US Open Cup over the course of 12 years during the tournament’s amateur era. The side won the tournament in 1979 and was runner-up two years later. They returned to prominence in 1990 as runners-up, following it up with a second US Open Cup title the next year that led to appearances in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup in 1991. Head coach Joey Barone is no stranger to qualifying, but was unable to lead the West Michigan Edge into the US Open Cup in two attempts (2005-06) in the PDL. Last year, Brooklyn finished second in the Northeast Division’s Atlantic Conference, losing out on the playoff berth via a tiebreaker. The club was level with New York Red Bull NPSL (10-1-1, 31 points) in the conference table as well as having the same totals as the division champion FC Sonic Lehigh Valley.

FC Buffalo: Entering their second season in the league, FC Buffalo is in its first campaign to qualify for the US Open Cup after finishing third in the Keystone Conference of the Northeast Division a year ago. The club is led by new coach Daniel Krzyzanowicz, who has served as the head coach of local Medaille College the past nine years.

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley: New to the NPSL a year ago, the club performed well in its debut, finishing first in the division’s Keystone Conference and winning the divisional playoff game to advance to the league semifinals. After falling to eventual champion Sacramento Gold, they rebounded to finish third. This is the team’s first attempt to qualify for the US Open Cup. They are led by head coach Dave Weitzman, a local high school and former collegiate men’s assistant coach.