Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Hollywood United

2011 US Open Cup Los Angeles Galaxy bracket preview: Los Angeles Blues at Ventura County Fusion

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SECOND ROUND

Los Angeles Blues at Ventura County Fusion
Ventura College – Ventura, Calif. – 10:05 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com

THIRD ROUND

Los Angeles Blues / Ventura County Fusion at Los Angeles Galaxy
June 28, 10:30 p.m. ET  Titan Stadium (CSUF); Fullerton, Calif.

Los Angeles Blues

Founded in 2010 by the ownership of the successful Pali Blues W-League team, the side is in its debut season in USL Pro.

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

First Round: LA Blues (USL Pro) 3:1 Hollywood United (NPSL)
Despite playing a man down since Leo Griffin was sent off in the 19th minute, LA’s Mehrshad Momeni scored once in each half to give the Blues a two-goal lead in the First Round. Hollywood would answer but after both sides saw a red card late each Gerardo Bravo sealed it for the Blues. Recap [+]

League form: LA had the week off from USL Pro league play since last Tuesday and are 5-2-2 in the USL Pro National Division.

Open Cup History: First appearance in the tournament.

Local History: Since teams from Los Angeles began participating in the Open Cup in 1954, LA-area clubs have reached 24 Open Cup Finals, winning 10 of those games.

Ventura County Fusion

Founded in 2007, the club has been a dominant force the past two seasons in the PDL, winning the league championship in 2009 and finishing first in the division last year. The club has been similarly successful off the field as one of the league leaders in attendance.

Path to Open Cup: The Fusion burst the bubble of Fresno, who also finished with a perfect record a week earlier than Ventura County, who surpassed them on goal differential for the Open Cup berth with the extremely rare absolutely perfect finish with maxed out goal differential and goals scored tallies. The dominance started with a 6-1 win against the LA Legends with Daniel Barrera setting up the first three before notching one of his own. The second match was a 4-0 shutout at home against the Blues 23s in which David Walker had a goal and two assists. In the second home match they topped Orange County 7-2 with Mark Magee scoring twice. They rounded it out with another 4-0 win, blanking host Southern California with another double from Magee that put the Fusion past Fresno in the tiebreaker.

First Round: Ventura County Fusion (PDL) 3:1 Doxa Italia (USASA)
On a foggy night the Fusion got off to a slow start, allowing a goal on a fluke play just five minutes in. They reversed the course however with goals from Andy Rose (penalty) and Mark Magee before halftime and ensured the win with a third from Reed Williams in the second half. Recap [+]

League form: The Fusion returned to PDL action quickly with a 1-0 win Thursday versus visiting Ogden on second half Daniel Barrera goal. The team is 6-0-4 in the PDL Southwest Division.

Open Cup History: The club is returning for its second appearance after a surprise First Round elimination a year ago via penalties after playing to a 1-1 draw against the USASA’s Arizona Sahuaros.
PRO ERA RECORD: 0-0-1 (0-1 in PKs) overall | 0-0-1 (0-1 in PKs) vs. 3rd Division

Los Angeles Galaxy

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS: The Galaxy played their third match of the month in Colorado Saturday, posting a 3-1 victory with Juninho doubling the advantage after an own goal and Chad Barrett securing the victory late. They now travel to San Jose June 25 before playing in the Third Round. They opened the month with the first of two draws, finishing in a scoreless stalemate against DC United June 3 with Josh Saunders in goal. On June 11 they hosted Toronto in a 2-2 draw with two go-ahead goals from Chris Birchall and Juan Pablo Angel.
Last Five: W-D-D-W-W | Season Record: 9-2-7 (4-0-4 Home), First in Western Conference, First Overall.

Open Cup History: The Galaxy have had a considerable amount of success in the Open Cup, winning two championships in 2001 and 2005, as well as finishing as runners-up in 2002 and 2006. Since falling short to the Chicago Fire in the 2006 Final, the Galaxy were upset by the Richmond Kickers (3rd Division) and then failed to qualify the next two years. In 2010, they returned to the tournament where they beat AC St. Louis of the NASL (2nd Division) before losing to eventual champion Seattle Sounders FC in the quarterfinals.
PRO ERA RECORD: 21-8-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 11-2-0 vs. Non-MLS teams

First Round

Hollywood United (NPSL) 1:3 Los Angeles Blues (USL PRO)
Riverside Community College – Riverside, Calif. – 8 p.m.
Recap [+]

Doxa Italia (USASA-So. CA) 1:3 Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
Ventura College – Ventura, Calif. – 10:05 p.m.
Recap [+]

ELIMINATED TEAMS

Hollywood United

The NPSL side is the feature team of the Hollywood United Football Club that is famous for numerous celebrities and former internationals playing on its teams over the years as well as participating in the club’s many charity events. They had merged with Doxa Italia in 2008 (retaining the name Hollywood United) and after falling just short of the Open Cup that year they entered again in 2009, but the owners of United left to focus on the launching of Hollywood United as a PDL franchise (The remaining players continued under the name Doxa Italia). Hollywood played two years in the PDL Southwest Division, where it reached the playoffs in both campaigns before leaving the league shortly before the start of the 2011 season to join the NPSL.

Path to Open Cup: With the division utilizing each team’s first seven games to determine the Open Cup berth, Hollywood finished with a perfect record, but it was not smooth going. After opening with a 1-0 win at Santa Ana, the club fell 3-1 to the San Diego Flash in its next outing. The team went on to win its next five games to finish with a 6-1 record on May 8 before it was revealed May 11 the league was penalizing the Flash for use of an illegal player in two matches, including the victory over Hollywood. The penalty would be forfeitures of both games, which would be appealed and finally upheld May 19, giving Hollywood a perfect record and the Open Cup berth.

June News Updates: Won 4-1 at home June 11 against Sonoma County after being idle since a 2-1 win against Real San Jose May 28.

Open Cup History: The club is making its return for the first time since making headlines in its 2008 debut via the USASA. They upset the second division Portland Timbers on the road 3-2 before being blanked 6-0 by the USL First Division’s Seattle Sounders the following round.
PRO ERA RECORD: 1-1-0 overall | 0-0-0 vs. 3rd Division

Local History: From the late 1950s and 1960s, teams from Hollywood were a fixture in the Southern California Open Cup qualifying rounds. Such clubs as the Hollywood Bears, Hollywood SC, and Lovers United (so named, as one newspaper reported,  because the all of the members of the team were “soccer lovers”) participated in the Open Cup at one time or another. In 1961, Hollywood SC reached the Los Angeles final, which at the time was two games away from the Open Cup Final, but lost 3-0 to the eventual Open Cup runner-up United Scots.

Doxa Italia

Founded in 1997, the club has been a powerhouse in the Pacific League (five championships) and Coast Soccer League (four championships) as well as performing well in the California South state cup tournament with four titles. When the club was struggling financially, they merged with Hollywood United in 2007 and competed under that name from 2007-2009. Prior to the beginning of the 2009 USASA Region IV tournament, Hollywood owners pulled the plug on the team to focus their efforts of starting a PDL expansion team. The players continued on in 2009 under the name Doxa Italia and have remained that way since then. Meet the USASA Feature [+]

Open Cup Path: The club opened the Region IV tournament with a 1-1 draw against Rosal FC on Day One. It became apparent that it was going to be a race for goal differential the next morning with Doxa Italia netting a 6-0 win against Metro SC while Rosal were 8-1 winners against CV Eagles. Doxa Italia showed no mercy against the Eagles in the finale, posting an amazing 18-0 scoreline in comparison to Rosal’s 7-1 victory, earning the Open Cup berth on the goal differential tiebreaker. The club had missed out on the Open Cup on the goal difference tiebreaker the last two years, so they didn’t want to take any chances. The side was finally stymied once more by the other group winner, DV8 Defenders, in the Region IV Final in a 1-1 draw, but claimed the title in penalties, 4-1.

June News Updates: Blanked Santa Ana Winds 4-0 June 11 with goal and assist each from Ryan Taylor and Bryan Byrne in season finale, finishing second in the league for the season… Shutout Morelos 8-0 June 5 in its next to last game with a Gabe Valencia hat-trick and Ilia Nazarov brace.

Open Cup History: First appearance in the tournament after narrowly falling short the last two years. They missed out in 2009 by 2 goals in a goal difference tiebreaker (Sonoma County Sol) and again in 2010, they lost out on another tiebreaker to advance to the Region IV semifinals.

2011 US Open Cup First Round: LA Blues cruise past Hollywood United despite early red card

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LA Blues logoThe city of Los Angeles has another soccer rivalry in town and it commenced Tuesday evening at the Norco College Soccer Complex. The Los Angeles Blues of the USL-Pro and the Hollywood United Hitmen of the NPSL battled to advance in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with the Blues coming away with a 3-1 victory on the strength of two goals by Mehrshad Momeni.

The game began with Hollywood United pressing on the experienced backline of the Blues. They were able to find space as Hitmen forward Jose Miranda was fed a beautiful ball that led to a one-on-one chance with Blues keeper Oscar Dautt. Mesa struck his shot and hit the bottom of the crossbar, but the ball didn’t completely cross the goal line and bounced away to keep the score locked at 0-0.

Miranda had another chance five minutes later when he headed a cross just outside the goal post. As United’s offensive pressure began to wane Blues’ defender Leonard Griffin went to the ground for a tackle and took out a United player. The foul was called and Griffin was issued a straight red card at the 19th minute of play which left the Blues down a man for the rest of the game.

Down a man the Blues actually stepped up their offensive pressure. Momeni forced United goalkeeper Raul Calderon to make a fingertip save. Soon after though Momeni was assisted by former Galaxy player Josh Tudela on a goal that ripped through to the back of the net to put the Blues up 1-0.  The Blues would take that lead into halftime into what was proving to be a physical game.

“We talked about giving this team the respect they deserve, but not to fear them,” said defender Michael Randolph. “We started off a little slow… But we stepped in there and fought for each other.”

The second half began with the Blues in a defensive formation by dropping down to one forward. Just as Hollywood United was beginning to put pressure on the Blues Momeni came through again around the 70th minute. Momeni was able to beat Calderon for his second goal of the day to put his team up 2-0.

However, United would not go away. Miranda, possibly looking to atone for the earlier missed opportunities, was able to put a header into the back of the net around the 80th minute to bring the Hitmen to within a goal. Jesus Flores made a great run just three minutes later and he had a tremendous opportunity to knot the game at 2-2, but he was stifled by Dautt who looked to preserve the victory for LA.

Unfortunately the physicality of the game got a little out of hand as a near melee ensued after United defender Carlos Morales slide tackled a Blues player and the players protested for a red card. Morales was given a red card and sent off while there was a heated argument between both teams. It eventually turned into a brief scuffle where punches were thrown, but only two yellow cards were given after the situation. Tudela, the Blues captain, and United player Rene Corona were both shown their second yellow cards of the day to drop each team to nine players on the field.

As both teams were down Hollywood United pressed for an equalizer. The goalie was up for a corner kick during stoppage time and as it was cleared out Blues midfielder Jhonny Bravo carried the ball up the field and scored a 40 yard shot with an open net to close the game’s scoring at 3-1.

After the game the Blues were still brimming with confidence. Mehrshad, through an interpreter, thanked his teammates and hoped that they could make a run. Randolph also felt confident as he looked forward to their second round matchup.

The Blues will travel to face the Ventura County Fusion in the second round of the US Open Cup.

Hollywood United (NPSL)
 1:3
Los Angeles Blues (USL PRO)
Riverside Community College – Norco, CA
RECAP: ESPN Los Angeles
Scoring Summary
LAB: Mehrshad Momeni 37′
LAB: Mehrshad Momeni 55′
HU: Carlos Morales 67′
LAB: Gerardo Bravo 90′

2011 Meet the USASA: Doxa Italia of Orange County, CA

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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. Click here for more Meet the USASA stories.

As the adage goes, the third time is the charm. After being eliminated in the USASA Region IV tournament the previous two years, Doxa Italia finally captured the elusive berth to the US Open Cup. But just four years ago the successful Southern California side was dissolving itself, starting a journey that would result in a rebirth of the team recently.

Doxa Italia is a club with a rich history dating back to their formation in 1997. The original group of players that banded together at that time came from an assortment of Southland and Orange County A-League (American second division) teams.

Current goalkeeper Brian Burdue joined Doxa Italia in 2001, and remains one of the oldest tenured players on the current squad.

“Our team pretty much dominated the Southern California amateur soccer scene for a few years,” said Burdue describing the team’s first decade of play. From 1997 to 2005 the team won five Pacific League titles, four Coast Soccer League championships, and claimed the California Soccer Association South’s State Cup crown four times in seven appearances in the tournament final. “If we didn’t win the tournament, you had to go through us to win it — but we usually won it.”

In 2007, Doxa Italia had their worst league performance since their formation and many players were reaching the end of their eligibility to play with the team. When the ownership and management of the club suggested that the team be broken up, Burdue leaned on his contacts with Hollywood United FC, Doxa’s potential upcoming Second Round opponent, and helped bring the remaining players over to join forces with that club late that summer.

The following year, Hollywood United’s Open team made an impressive run in the US Open Cup — including a stunning 3-2 road win over the Portland Timbers — with a team that included many of the holdovers from Doxa Italia as well as former Major League Soccer players Brian Dunseth and Matt Taylor. After falling behind, Taylor converted a penalty in first half stoppage time and then netted another equalizer from the spot in the 58th. Then with overtime looming Earl Alexander stunned the home side in stoppage time with the game-winner for Hollywood.

Less than a year later, as the union between Hollywood United management and the former Doxa Italia players slowly soured, the Open team was disbanded in the middle of their season, as United moved on to launch a PDL franchise. With the help of forward Derk Droze and some of the Doxa Italia holdovers from prior to their merger with Hollywood, the former side reunited in the spring of 2009.

Doxa Italia receives Region IV championship cup in Sacramento

And without missing a beat, the team went on to nearly qualify for the Open Cup. By that summer, Doxa Italia were back on track with a mix of new players and seasoned veterans, and back to their winning ways.

“Derk Droze took a leadership role and has been instrumental in re-building the team,” remembers Burdue about the tumultuous transition back to being an independent club. “There have been growing pains as we have made it to the finals of every tournament we’ve entered but we seem to just fall short of lifting the cup.”

That is why after watching his side narrowly missing out on qualifying for the Open Cup the past two years, the player/manager Droze left nothing to chance in preparing for the USASA Region IV tournament held last May in Sacramento, CA.

After earning a draw and a win in their first two group stage matches, the Southern California side faced a familiar scenario with one match left to play and the looming prospect of again being denied their desired prize.

2011 Region IV Champion Doxa Italia

“We had to go for it,” stated Droze. “As I explained to the other team, we did not want to go out of the tournament for the third straight year on goal differential.”

In 2009 and 2010 Doxa Italia were eliminated from contention by the Sonoma County Sol and the Arizona Sahuaros respectively, so this year when they went into their last group match knowing that the goal differential tiebreaker would likely be invoked again, they made sure to score early and score often. And at the expense of a greatly overmatched CV Eagles FC team, Doxa Italia posted an 18-0 win and finished at the top of their group, thus earning one of the two Region IV bids to the Open Cup tournament.

“We have felt that we were the best team during these qualifiers,” shared Doxa Italia goalkeeper Brian Burdue. “This year we were not going to let the goal differential tiebreaker lead us to be eliminated again, hence the 18-0 drubbing. We felt bad about it but it needed to happen.”

With both Arizona and Sonoma County now competing at the NPSL, the path to the Region IV championship appeared to be much easier, but Droze took no chances over the duration of the weekend tournament. Courtesy of their 18-0 win, the Southern Californian USASA powerhouse finished with seven points in the group and posted a whopping +24 goal differential to take Group B honors.

A few Doxa Italia players have a bit of fun at an LA-Anaheim Angels promotion, 'Costume Mask Night'

“It was good to get such a great result and advance to the tournament final,” shared Droze on the team’s dominating performance, “especially after the disappointment of the last two years.”

The club finished the Region IV tournament with a showdown with Cal-North side DV8 Defenders in the final with the two sides playing to a 1-1 stalemate before Doxa Italia prevailed, 4-1, in penalty kicks to claim the regional championship.

Doxa Italia recently completed their club season in the Coast Soccer League with a second place finish, but all the attention around the team is on the upcoming First Round match in the US Open Cup against the Ventura County Fusion of the PDL. For Droze, Alex Bengard, Nate Reeves and Nas Koubourous who played a part in that upset victory in Portland, they begin a quest to make more history – this time under their own name and banner.

“I can’t begin to tell you how excited we are to be in this tournament,” said Droze not long after his side had qualified. “Falling short in the last two years and now getting to represent our region is a great achievement.”

Robert Jonas is a writer for CenterLineSoccer.com. You can send him feedback on Twitter: @RobertJonas

2011 US Open Cup qualifying update: Hollywood claims NPSL West berth after league ruling

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Competition Update (as of 5/20/11) ** Final Update: On Thursday, May 19 the NPSL commissioner and other committee members upheld the league’s decision to penalize the San Diego Flash use of an illegal player in two matches by ruling the games as 3-0 forfeitures.

With the news Thursday that the appeal by the San Diego Flash to overturn the penalties levied against them for using an illegal player in its matches versus Hollywood and Bay Area had failed, the club was officially eliminated from US Open Cup contention.

The ruling gives the US Open Cup berth to Hollywood United, which is now perfect at 7-0-0 and uncatchable. Hollywood finished with a nearly flawless record with 34 goals scored and only three allowed.

Second to Hollywood in the table are the Santa Ana Winds, whose only loss of the six games played on their slate thus far was a 1-0 decision against the leaders in just the second game of the season.

The Flash would have had a perfect 7-0-0 record with the win against the Sacramento Gold. Instead, it is Hollywood United that sits atop the table with a perfect record, including their victory against the Flash, one of the two forfeitures. Along with news of the NPSL ruling, the Flash management commented on their Facebook page, “As an Organization, we will move forward from this decision and do our best to have a great 1st season in the NPSL.”

See the updated standings below (includes penalties):

NPSL WEST GP W L T PTS GF GA GD
Hollywood United 7 7 0 0 21 34 3 +31
Santa Ana Winds 6 5 1 0 15 15 6 +9
San Diego Flash 7 5 2 0 15 14 9 +5
Sonoma County Sol 6 3 2 1 10 16 10 +6
San Diego Boca 7 3 4 0 9 14 16 -2
Sacramento Gold 6 2 2 2 8 10 8 +2
FC Hasental 7 2 4 1 7 13 17 -4
Bay Area Ambassadors 7 1 5 1 4 9 22 -13
Rattlers FC 4 1 3 0 3 4 9 -5
Real San Jose 7 1 6 0 3 4 32 -28

Top team qualifies for the 2011 US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

NPSL West tiebreakers

(1) Goal difference (2) Goals scored



* Denotes forfeiture    –    All times Eastern

April 1 Sonoma County Sol 3:1 Bay Area Ambassadors Final
April 2 Hollywood United 1:0 Santa Ana Winds Final
April 2 Real San Jose 1:2 San Diego Boca Final
April 3 FC Hasental 1:3 San Diego Flash Final
April 9 San Diego Flash 0:3* Hollywood United Final
April 9 Sacramento Gold 4:1 Bay Area Ambassadors Final
April 9 FC Hasental 0:1 San Diego Boca Final
April 16 Hollywood United 4:0 Sonoma County Sol Final
April 16 Bay Area Ambassadors 0:2 Real San Jose Final
April 16 Santa Ana Winds 4:1 FC Hasental Final
April 17 Hollywood United 3:0 Sacramento Gold Final
April 17 Real San Jose 0:8 Sonoma County Sol Final
April 17 San Diego Boca 1:2 San Diego Flash Final
April 23 Sacramento Gold 0:0 Sonoma County Sol Final
April 23 Real San Jose 0:11 Hollywood United Final
April 23 San Diego Flash 0:3* Bay Area Ambassadors Final
April 23 Santa Ana Winds 3:2 San Diego Boca Final
April 23 FC Hasental 3:1 Rattlers FC Final
April 30 Santa Ana Winds 3:0 Rattlers FC Final
April 30 Sacramento Gold 4:0 Real San Jose Final
April 30 Bay Area Ambassadors 2:2 FC Hasental Final
May 1 San Diego Boca 3:5 Hollywood United Final
May 1 Sonoma County Sol 0:1 San Diego Flash Final
May 7 Bay Area Ambassadors 2:4 San Diego Boca Final
May 7 San Diego Flash 5:0 Real San Jose Final
May 8 Bay Area Ambassadors 0:7 Hollywood United Final
May 8 Rattlers FC 1:2 Santa Ana Winds Final
May 14 FC Hasental 4:5 Sonoma County Sol 9:30
May 14 Sacramento Gold 1:1 Hollywood United 10 p.m.
May 14 San Diego Boca 1:3 Santa Ana Winds 10 p.m.
May 14 Rattlers FC 2:1 Real San Jose 10:30
May 15 San Diego Boca 1:2 FC Hasental 5 p.m.
May 15 Sacramento Gold 1:3 San Diego Flash 6 p.m.
May 21 Real San Jose at Santa Ana Winds 10 p.m.
May 21 Rattlers FC at San Diego Boca 10 p.m.
May 22 Rattlers FC at San Diego Flash 6 p.m.
May 22 FC Hasental at Sacramento Gold 8 p.m.
May 28 Rattlers FC at FC Hasental 10 p.m.
May 29 Sonoma County Sol at Sacramento Gold 8 p.m.

PREVIEW

The most sought-after US Open Cup berth in the National Premier Soccer League numerically, the 10 clubs in the West Division, at the time of this article being written, are a third of the way through the qualification process. The berth at stake will go to the club with the best point total after its first seven matches of the league campaign.

Given the method of determining the qualifier, the quest began on April 1 when the Sonoma County Sol won on the road against the 2010 US Open Cup qualifier Bay Area Ambassadors. Both are returning teams to the division. The final qualification match, of 40 total, also features Sonoma County when they travel to play May 29 against the Sacramento Gold.

Qualifying for NPSL teams was previously done via the USASA Regional tournaments. The 2011 edition of the US Open Cup gave the league four automatic entrants into the event. Last year, the division was comprised of six teams. With one team folding, five new clubs join the fray this year, including former United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League teams Hollywood United Hitmen and Lancaster Rattlers. The other three newcomers are FC Hasental, Santa Ana Winds and San Diego Flash, a new version of a former USL club from years past.

Last year, four of the NPSL sides participated in the Region IV tournament and found success. Real San Jose, Bay Area Ambassadors and Sacramento Gold each won their groups with perfect records. Bay Area then edged Sacramento 1-0 in the semifinals while San Jose fell 2-1 to former NPSL and USL side Arizona Sahuaros, who earned the wild card berth in a tiebreaker with the NPSL San Diego Boca. With the two US Open Cup berths already determined, the Ambassadors won the regional championship, 2-0. Sonoma County Sol also qualified via a special play-in match.

Hollywood United coach Ian Carrington celebrates his club’s upset win over the Portland Timbers in the 2008 US Open Cup. Photo: Allison Andrews | SoccerCityUSA.com

The qualifying format for the West upon closer inspection is fairly balanced based in the breadth of opposition each club is facing as five teams only play one opponent twice and the Rattlers are the lone club that plays two teams twice. The Rattlers, the remaining club yet to begin their league campaign, are also the only side that has four matches against clubs that were not in the NPSL or PDL a year ago while Real San Jose and Santa Ana are the only two teams that only play one match against said opponents.

The other balanced schedule aspect comes via the home-away composition. Only two clubs have more than four home or road games on the schedule. Both Sacramento and the Rattlers will be forced to play away from home five times during the campaign. The Gold have four consecutive on the road at one point while the Rattlers play both home matches at the top of the schedule before finishing out on the road five straight. No other clubs have four consecutive matches home or away on the fixture list.

The selection of seven games as the determining point matches the fact that Sonoma County, Santa Ana and the Rattlers only have seven matches prior to the official Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifying deadline. With other clubs playing more than seven by the deadline, the scheduling creates a unique scenario in which a handful of games only count as qualifiers for one club. Sonoma has one such match against an opponent whose qualifying campaign is already concluded. Sacramento, Santa Ana and the Rattlers each have three such games at the ends of their campaigns. Sacramento’s match May 14 against Hollywood United is the first of the 10 specific matches. The final six games, overall, from May 21-29 only count as qualifiers for one team.

About the Teams

Bay Area Ambassadors: A 2009 addition to the NPSL, the Ambassadors entered the US Open Cup fray a year ago with outstanding success, winning all three group games in the USASA Region IV tournament and earning a berth with a semifinal win against fellow NPSL side Sacramento, 1-0, en route to winning the championship against Arizona Sahuaros, 2-0. Bay Area made a thrilling comeback in the First Round of the US Open Cup on the road against the PDL Kitsap Pumas. Trailing since the third minute, Phil Silva scored twice in the 71st and 77th minutes to send the match to overtime where Kitsap scored twice for the 4-2 victory. The club’s two-year league record is 9-10-3.

FC Hasental: While the club is new to the NPSL, it is not new to US Open Cup qualifying. Established in 2005, the team has entered the Region IV tournament the past two years, coming up short in the quest for a berth. Last year FC Hasental was 1-1-0 in the group with Real San Jose of the NPSL. Hasental translates from German to English as Hare-Valley, also known as Conejo Valley, the home of the club.

Hollywood United: The side is the feature team of the Hollywood United Football Club that is famous for numerous celebrities and former internationals playing on its teams over the years as well as participating in the club’s many charity events. As an independent team, the team qualified for the US Open Cup in 2008 through the USASA Region IV tournament, going 3-0-0 with victories against three NPSL teams. They then shocked many in the First Round of the US Open Cup by eliminating then USL First Division (pro second division) Portland Timbers in a 3-2 affair. They were then defeated by the USL-1 Seattle Sounders 6-0. In the past two years, Hollywood finished in the top two of the PDL Southwest Division, but missed out on qualifying for the US Open Cup, finishing 1-2-1 in the group a year ago after narrowly missing out in 2009 at 3-1-0.

Rattlers FC: The club is in its first season in the NPSL after spending four in the USL PDL. The club struggled in PDL play, finishing 10th in its first two seasons and seventh the past two for a combined record of 12-38-14. The Rattlers are a total 3-11-2 in Open Cup qualifiers, but had their best PDL qualifying campaign last year at 1-1-2.

Real San Jose: A member of the NPSL since 2007, the club reached the postseason for the first time last year with a record of 5-3-2. The team is a combined 8-8-6 the past two league campaigns. The club reached the Region IV Semifinals a year ago in its qualification quest, winning its two group matches before falling to the Arizona Sahuaros in the Final Four, 2-1.

San Diego Boca: New to the NPSL last year, the club finished the season fourth in the division at 4-3-3, but surprised second-seed Real San Jose 4-0 in the playoffs before falling to division and eventual league champion Sacramento. In qualifying, San Diego Boca finished 1-1-1 in its group, second to league-mate Bay Area and missed out on the wild card based on tiebreakers.

San Diego Flash: A familiar name, the club is new to the NPSL. The team is a rebirth of the former A-League (pro second division) team that played in United Soccer Leagues from 1998-2001. The new club is guided by former English international Warren Barton (Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Derby County, QPR), who is also an analyst for Fox Soccer Channel. The previous Flash side was 2-3 in the tournament after failing to qualify in its first season. In 1999 and 2000 the club posted victories against pro third division USL clubs before being ousted back-to-back times by the MLS Los Angeles Galaxy in the Third Round. In 2000, they were knocked out by the MLS Chicago Fire in the Second Round.

Santa Ana Winds: A new addition to the NPSL, the club was founded in 2009 and has played locally the past few years. This is the club’s first campaign to qualify for the US Open Cup.

Sonoma County Sol: The oldest club in the division, Sonoma County is looking to qualify for the US Open Cup for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall, having advanced via the USASA Region IV tournament previously. The club joined the league in 2004 and reached the US Open Cup for the first time in 2005. It has advanced to the Second Round of the tournament twice, downing the Ogden Outlaws (PDL) in penalties, 6-5, after a 1-1 draw in 2006 and topping Orange County Blue Star (PDL), 5-2, in 2009.  They were knocked out by the USL First Division’s (pro second division) Charleston Battery, 1-0, and Portland Timbers, 3-0, in the Second Round contests, respectively. In their 2005 debut they were ousted in penalties, 6-5, after a 2-2 draw with Salinas Valley Samba in the First Round. Last year, extra amateur spots led to a special amateur play-in game that gave the defending NPSL champions the opportunity to qualify in one match, defeating a fellow California side PSA Los Gatos 3-0 to reach the tournament where they were blanked, 3-0, by the USL-1 Timbers again.

2011 US Open Cup qualifying: NPSL West shaken by penalties to San Diego Flash

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** Final Update: Final Update: On Thursday, May 19 the NPSL commissioner and other committee members upheld the league’s decision to penalize the San Diego Flash use of an illegal player in two matches by ruling the games as 3-0 forfeitures.

San Diego FlashIt appears the deciding moment of who will represent the National Premier Soccer League’s West Division in the 2011 US Open Cup will not be decided on the field Sunday, but rather off the field. It was learned today that the leading contender San Diego Flash have been penalized by the league for use of an illegal player, forfeiting two matches played as reported by SoccerNation.com.

The Flash were 6-0 on the season and poised to claim the US Open Cup berth, needing only one point from their upcoming match versus Sacramento Gold.

If the penalties, which have not yet been applied publicly, are indeed forfeitures and not solely point deductions, it would overturn the club’s 3-1 victory against Hollywood United. That would clinch the US Open Cup berth for Hollywood. The Santa Ana Winds were previously the only team that could potentially force a tie with their two remaining matches. If the penalties are merely point deductions, Hollywood would still remain the likely winners of the berth as the side holds a goal differential that is 19 more than Santa Ana’s.

The team was also set to be featured on Fox Soccer Channel shows Fox Soccer Report and Fox Super Sunday Plus, which features analyst Warren Barton, who is also the head coach of the Flash. Though the team now appears to be out of Open Cup contention, the club stated on it’s Facebook page, “Fox Soccer Channel will still be in San Diego to cover your Flash because… We Play Soccer!” With the club in contention for the tournament, it would likely have marked the first time a qualification match would have been covered by a FSC-produced program.

Though the club is apparently appealing the NPSL decision, the quote seems to indicate the club’s match may not have tournament implications as initially reported with the news that FSC would be covering the match.

The infractions, allegedly the playing of English national Lee Underwood, occurred in games versus Hollywood Hitmen and Bay Area Ambassadors. Being a foreign player, it is likely he had not yet received international clearance from the English FA, which must be processed through the United States Soccer Federation.

According to a Bury Free Press news story in early April, Underwood left Bury Town, of the Ryman League, last summer for the United States even though he had signed a deal with the club that would still have him playing for the side.

Though Underwood is cited as saying there are no hard feelings between he and the club, the Free Press story at no time echoes that sentiment from the club, or that it has officially released Underwood from his contract, which could potentially be a reason for him not to have received the needed clearance from the English FA. It would seem reasonable for the club to not just give the player up freely considering he scored 19 goals in just five months while leading the team through a promotion campaign.

Bury Town announced the signing of the striker in November of 2009, to a deal through May of 2011, after targeting him for over a year. No details of the transfer were announced.

Hollywood and Bay Area, the harmed clubs in the infractions were both Flash road matches in April. The club also played twice at home in April.

Hollywood United switches leagues, LA Blues 23 fill PDL spot

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In mid-March, Hollywood United Hitmen announced a last-minute change in league affiliation for the 2011 season, joining the National Premier Soccer League after playing two seasons in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League. Three weeks later, the PDL announced the addition of LA Blues 23 as a replacement.

Hollywood United Hitmen have been a major force in the greater LA soccer scene much of the last decade while the Blues are new on the men’s side of the game after dominating in the women’s. Ironically, the two organizations were previously partnered together in 2010.

The HUH side is the feature team of the Hollywood United Football Club that is famous for numerous celebrities and former internationals playing on its teams over the years as well as participating in the club’s many charity events.

Famous Faces @ HUFC
Musicians: Ian Astbury (The Cult), Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard), Paul Cook (Sex Pistols), Billy Duffy (The Cult), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Ziggy Marley, Christian Olde-Wolbers (Fear Factory) and Robbie Williams (Take That)
Television/Movies: Danny Cannon, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Anthony LaPaglia,  Ralf Little, Donal Logue, Gilles Marini, Dermot Mulroney, Michael Raymond-James, Brandon Routh, Jason Statham
Ex-Internationals: Richard Gough, John Harkes, Vinnie Jones, Alexi Lalas, Frank Leboeuf, Eric Wynalda

As an independent team, the side qualified for the US Open Cup in 2008 through the USASA Region IV tournament, going 3-0-0 with victories against three NPSL teams. They then shocked many in the First Round of the US Open Cup by eliminating then USL First Division (pro second division) Portland Timbers in a 3-2 affair. They were then defeated by the USL-1 Seattle Sounders 6-0.

In the past two years, Hollywood finished in the top two of the PDL Southwest Division, but missed out on qualifying for the US Open Cup, finishing 1-2-1 in the group a year ago after narrowly missing out in 2009 at 3-1-0.

The LA Blues 23 are an extension of the new USL Pro side Los Angeles Blues, an automatic entrant into the US Open Cup. The Blues 23 will be a professional side playing in the PDL, allowing the players to serve as reserve players that can migrate between the rosters of the two teams similar to the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS and previously USL First Division.

While the Blues 23 schedule currently remains what was originally slated for Hollywood United, according to club Vice President Charlie Naimo the club is exploring potential changes to accommodate doubleheaders with the professional third division side.

Naimo, the head coach of the USL Pro team, is well known for his success in the women’s game, particularly in the W-League. He has a 87-10-7 regular season coaching record with multiple teams, including three regular season championships and three W-League titles. In 2008, he led the expansion Pali Blues to a perfect record in the W-League and the league championship which he followed up with another unbeaten season and title in 2009.

Things you should know about the First Round of the US Open Cup

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David Geno and the Seattle Sounders Under-23s celebrate one of the club's five goals in a 5-1 win over Doxa Italia in the First Round of the 2013 US Open Cup. Photo: Chris Coulter | SoundersPhotos.com
David Geno and the Seattle Sounders Under-23s celebrate one of the club’s five goals in a 5-1 win over Doxa Italia in the First Round of the 2013 US Open Cup. Photo: Chris Coulter | SoundersPhotos.com

A total of 40 clubs took part in the first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (then known as the National Challenge Cup) tournament in 1913/14, a majority of whom came from the Northeast region of the country.

In 2008, the Seattle Sounders USL franchise became the first club in the Modern Era to advance to the Semifinals in consecutive seasons after beginning play in the First Round.

Since 1996, only five teams have advanced to the Semifinals after beginning play in the First Round. The Charleston Battery (2008), Carolina RailHawks (2007), San Francisco Bay Seals (1997) and the Seattle Sounders who did it twice in 2007 and 2008. San Francisco remain as the only third division club to advance to the final four (after beginning in Round 1) during that span.

Since 1995, an Open Division Local team has failed to advance past the First Round only three times (1995, 1998, 2002). Uruguay SC from Florida made the Second Round in back-to-back years (2000, 2001), and Mexico SC (Fresno, CA) joined them in 2000. Dallas Roma FC advanced in consecutive seasons in 2005 and 2006 and Bavarian SC (Milwaukee, WI) moved on to the next round in 2003 and 2007. From 2008-2010, only one USASA club survived the opening round each year (Hollywood United – 2008, Sonoma County Sol – 2009, Arizona Sahuaros – 2010). After the tournament expanded in 2012, it has become more common.

In 1999, the Wilmington Hammerheads saw two players score hat tricks in their First Round match. Ryan Walker and Luke Griffith both scored three times in Wilmington’s 8-1 rout of Los Lobos, a USASA team from Oklahoma.

The Atlanta Silverbacks (USL First Division, Div. 2 pro) embarrassed Azzurri, an Open Division Local club from North Texas, 10-0 in the First Round of the 2007 tournament. It was the biggest route in the Modern Era, topping the Chicago Stingers’ (USL D3 Pro) 8-0 win over SAC Wisla (USASA) in 1997.

2007 marked the first year that all non-MLS teams began the tournament in the First Round. It was also the first year that any Division 2 pro teams started in Round 1.

In 2013, David Geno of the Seattle Sounders U-23s (USL League Two) became the first player from an Open Division team to score four goals in one game, and just the 10th player from any division to pull off the feat. He did this in Seattle’s 5-1 home win over Doxa Italia, and he scored all four of his goals in the first half.

The First Round in 2013 marked the first time that four different players scored a hat trick in the same round. Prior to that year, no more than two players had ever done it in the same round in the Modern Era (1995-present).  David Geno of the Sounders U23s scored four against Doxa Italia (USASA), while Hakan Ilhan (Carolina Dynamo), Kwadwo Poku (Georgia Revolution) and Argjent Duka (Icon FC) each scored a trio of goals in their respective games.

The attendance record for the First Round of the US Open Cup (Modern Era) is 5,816, when the Arizona Sahuaros (D3 Pro League) hosted the San Gabriel Valley Highlanders (PDL) at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona on June 12, 1998.

The record for highest average attendance in the First Round (Modern Era) is 1,247, but there were only four games scheduled that year (and one of them was forfeited).

The record for the biggest Second Round in the Modern Era is 2017 when there were 28 games played.

Updated after the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

Notable upsets in the First Round of the US Open Cup

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Hollywood United coach Ian Carrington celebrates his club’s upset win over the Portland Timbers. Photo: Allison Andrews
Hollywood United coach Ian Carrington celebrates his club’s upset win over the Portland Timbers. Photo: Allison Andrews

2008 – Hollywood United (USASA) 3, Portland Timbers (USL-1) 2
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.

1997 – Bridgeport Italians (USASA) 3, Rhode Island Stingrays (D3 Pro) 2
With the USASA clubs reeling from losing “their” cup to the USISL and MLS, the amateur clubs of the USASA looked forward to proving to the higher level clubs that they still belonged. On this summer day in East Providence, Rhode Island, the Bridgeport Italians proved they did belong. Their opponents, the Rhode Island Stingrays, would eventually make the playoffs of the Third Division USL Pro League, but wound up seeing an early exit for themselves from the Cup. Marek Jurkonski, Pierre Venditti and Allen Zuniga scored for Bridgeport to give them a 3-2 win over the Stingrays. The Italians went on to lose a close 1-0 game to the Long Island Rough Riders in the next round, but they fulfilled the dream of every USASA club, they beat one of the “big boys”.

Other notable First Round upsets
1996 – San Jose Oaks (USASA) 3:2 California Jaguars (USISL Select)
1997 – Bridgeport Italians (USASA) 3:2 Rhode Island Stingrays (D3 Pro)
1997 – Mid Michigan Bucks (PDL) 3:2 Wilmington Hammerheads (D3 Pro)
1997 – Central Coast Roadrunners (PDL) 4:2 Albuquerque Geckos (D3 Pro)
1999 – United German Hungarians (USASA) 2:1 New Jersey Stallions (D3 Pro)
1999 – New York Freedoms (PDL) 3:1 Cape Cod Crusaders (D3 Pro)
1999 – Mid Michigan Bucks (PDL) 3:2 Austin Lone Stars (D3 Pro)
1999 – Spokane Shadow (PDL) 3:2 (aet) Chico Rooks (D3 Pro)
2002 – Raleigh CASL Elite (PDL) 5:2 Carolina Dynamo (PSL)
2002 – Des Moines Menace (PDL) 3:1 New Jersey Stallions (PSL)
2006 – Michigan Bucks (PDL) 2:0 Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL-2)
2007 – Ocean City Barons (PDL) 1:0 Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2)
2007 – Bavarian SC (USASA) 1:0 Cincinnati Kings (USL-2)
2007 – El Paso Patriots (PDL) 2:2 Miami FC (USL-1) (El Paso advance 4-3 on PKs)
2009 – Ocean City Barons (PDL) 3:0 Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2)

2008 Second Round: Seattle Sounders dominate, end United’s Hollywood story

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Zach Scott scored off a corner kick in the 3rd minute to set the tone, and Sebastien Le Toux scored four straight goals as the Seattle Sounders routed amateur side Hollywood United 6-0 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

Hollywood United was the only one of the eight USASA teams to win in the First Round, seeing off the Portland Timbers 3-2, but they were never in this match.

After Scott’s early opener, Josh Gardner scored in the 15th minute and Le Toux scored his first two goals in a six-minute stretch as Seattle held a commanding 4-0 lead after just 28 minutes.

Le Toux scored his final two goals in consecutive minutes in the second half, and could’ve had another a few minutes later — with the goal open, he shot wide.

Still, the four-goal outburst moved Le Toux — the leading scorer in last year’s tournament as the Sounders advanced to the Semifinals — into a tie with Charleston’s Darrin Spicer atop this year’s US Open Cup goal-scoring chart.

Both goalkeepers made several fine saves, the Sounders’ Chris Eylander to preserve the clean sheet and Hollywood United’s Javier Barragan to keep Seattle from putting even more goals on the scoreboard.

The Sounders advance to play host to Chivas USA next Tuesday night at Starfire — Seattle beat the MLS team 3-1 in the Third Round last year. Hollywood United, meanwhile, receives $10,000 for advancing the farthest out of the amateur entries.

2008 First Round recap: Hollywood United historic upset headlines the opening round

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2008 US Open Cup First Round
(Home team listed on right)
June 10
Yakima Reds 1:5 Harrisburg City Islanders
Boston Olympiakos 0:2 Western Mass Pioneers
Fredericksburg Gunners 0:3 Richmond Kickers
Crystal Palace Baltimore 2:1 LA Legends
RWB Adria 1:2 (aet) Rochester Rhinos
Pittsburgh Riverhounds 4:0 AAC Eagles
St. Louis Lions 1:4 Minnesota Thunder
Cleveland City Stars 2:1 Michigan Bucks
Bradenton Academics 2:4 Miami FC
Atlanta Silverbacks 2:2 (5:4 PKs) Austin Aztex U23s
Clearwater Galactics 2:5 Charlotte Eagles
Seattle Sounders 1:0 (aet) Arizona Sahuaros
Hollywood United 3:2 Portland Timbers
Brooklyn Knights 0:1 Carolina RailHawks
ASC New Stars 0:3 Charleston Battery
June 13
NY Pancyprian Freedoms 2:3 (aet) Real Maryland
Player of the Round: Pat Healey (CP Baltimore)
Notable upsets in the First Round
Things you should know about the First Round

In the lone upset in this year’s opening round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, Hollywood United became only the second USASA club to defeat a USL First Division team in the tournament, knocking off the Portland Timbers with a dramatic, stoppage-time goal from Earl Alexander.

A pair of penalty kicks by Matt Taylor kept Hollywood level with their professional hosts. The Timbers tallied with goals fron Chris Brown (32nd minute), and Arsene Oka (51st minute). A crucial turning point in the match came in the 53rd minute, when Hollywood goalkeeper Javier Barragan saved a penalty kick from the Timbers’ Takayuki Suzuki, keeping the score 2-1 in favor of Portland.

Four other amateur teams nearly joined Hollywood in the Second Round.

In Phoenix, Arizona, the defending USL First Division Champion Seattle Sounders needed 118 minutes to find the winning goal against the USASA’s Arizona Sahuaros. Kenji Treschuk scored the winning goal with just a couple minutes remaining in extra time, before the match would go to penalty kicks.

In Austin, Texas, the Atlanta Silverbacks got a penalty kick goal from David Hayes late in overtime to tie the game back up at 2-2 and sent the game into a tiebreaking shootout against the PDL’s Austin Aztex U23s. However, Atlanta would prevail, with Hayes sending the USL-1 side to the next round with the winning kick.

In Rochester, the Rhinos also needed extra time to knock off Chicago USASA club RWB Adria 2-1. Awadallah Morad tied the game for Adria with just four minutes remaining in regulation, and Hamed Diallo scored the eventual winning goal for Rochester just seven minutes into the extra period.

One match on Tuesday’s schedule was washed out by inclement weather, but the day after New York Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA Region I) took the Real Maryland Monarchs (USL-2) to overtime. The Monarchs needed an 85th minute equalizer and a late extra time goal to end the Freedoms’ upset bid.

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