LA Wolves

2017 US Open Cup Round 3: Orange County SC get revenge with narrow win over Eric Wynalda’s LA Wolves

June 2, 2017 by Omar Avalos

Soccer is referred to as “the beautiful game.” It also can be as cruel as it is beautiful.

For much of the Third Round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match between the amateur side Los Angeles Wolves and the USL’s Orange County SC, the former were the better team. They held more possession, took more shots on goal, but ultimately, the finishing quality wasn’t there, and Eric Wynalda’s underdogs fell to Orange County SC, 1-0 by the slimmest of margins.

Orange County earn some revenge over the Wolves who in their first Open Cup appearance eliminated them 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in last year’s Second Round. It was the third straight year that Orange County had been eliminated by an amateur team in the club’s opening round.

Wynalda’s men were deemed the “underdogs” but played nothing like it. It was the Wolves that put the “beautiful” in the game, particularly through their midfield in generating the attack, but their finishing was the opposite. They pressed the game, they were the protagonists, while Orange County waited and waited for a counterattack, or any kind of opportunity.

Orange County did create some dangerous, vertical through ball passes during the match, but their best chance came on a dead ball play. After being fouled just outside the box on the right side, Roy Meeus stood over the ball on a free kick in the 41st minute. Meeus stepped up and fired a low, left-footed shot that slipped through traffic in front of the goal and beat Wolves goalkeeper Lucas Nascimento to the opposite post. The goal gave the USL side the 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

Orange County didn’t produce many opportunities in the second half, in contrast to multiple opportunities created by the Wolves, especially a big push for an equalizer late in the game.

After the game Coach Wynalda had some comments on the goal scoring play and the game overall, attributing the goal to bad positioning by his goalkeeper.

“It wasn’t a fitness issue, it wasn’t a talent issue. It was one play, one mistake and bad positioning. That’s what decided the game tonight,” said Wynalda.

For Eric Wynalda, these LA Wolves form a good foundation upon which to enter a next “phase,” one anticipated to be the launching of the recently announced NASL Orange County expansion project.

“This is the beginning of something. Not everybody’s gonna stay with… the next phase, but we have a really good foundation of guys that can play the game at a high level,” said Eric Wynalda after the match.

2017 US Open Cup Round 2: One mistake in extra time sends LA Wolves past Chula Vista FC

May 23, 2017 by Omar Avalos

Soccer observers truly keen on LA Wolves and Chula Vista FC expected an even match by two clubs with similar possession-based style. This one had the makings of a chess match, a coach’s game, one in which the first team to make a mistake would pay dearly. It took 115 minutes for that mistake to occur in the form of a penalty kick awarded to the Wolves that striker Paolo Cardozo slammed into the upper right corner with a left-footed shot, enough to lift LA Wolves over Chula Vista 1-0. The win sets up a third round match with USL side Orange County SC, once again at Azusa Pacific University.

The match was a deadlock all throughout, with the Wolves creating some chances, but with greater difficulty and certainly less comfort than their first round match versus San Diego Zest. The few clear chances that they did create ended poorly, complicating the game for them.

And complicated it most certainly was for LA Wolves who had 5 yellow cards on the night, 2 of them in the first half, and 2 more by the 65th minute. This was a testament to CVFC’s individual skill on possession, with their players able to create their own space and get forward, needing to be cut down by fouls. CVFC had two yellow cards on the night and a pardoned card very late in the match on a tackle from behind on striker Chuck Pitts that very easily could’ve been a yellow, if not a red card.

After the match, Wolves head coach Eric Wynalda said, “We’re lucky to get through. We are. We need to say that. We had some injuries prior to the game so we had to shuffle things around in our midfield, and clearly it affected us. You have to really say that there was a lot of great technical ability on the other side of the ball tonight. The only good news is that we didn’t get scored on. Our keeper kept us in the game and we could’ve done better with our chances, but the truth is, all in all it was a very good game.”

When asked if this was the type of match he expected, Wynalda said, “We knew that this was a very good team and they made some additions from the last time we played them. This is what this tournament is about. There’s a lot of passion and a lot of heart.”

Goalscorer Paolo Cardozo said, “It was a very good, very intense match and we came out to fight to the end. Thank God we got the win.” On Chula Vista FC he added, “They’re a very good, very ambitious and difficult rival.”

2017 US Open Cup Round 1: Eric Wynalda leads LA Wolves to opening win over San Diego Zest

May 15, 2017 by Omar Avalos

Head coach Eric Wynalda and his LA Wolves FC got off on the right foot in the club’s opening game of the 2017 US Open Cup with a 4-2 win over the San Diego Zest of the PDL.

With the win, the Wolves advance to the Second Round of the second year in a row and will host San Diego area side Chula Vista FC on May 17.

The Wolves hosted the game at Azusa Pacific University and they were tested early on, with San Diego opting for a rapid, vertical game often times getting their long lobs past defenders. San Diego looked sharper, and the more disciplined unit, in the first 15 minutes, keeping LA Wolves on their heels.

But the Wolves gradually took control and possession and began to generate offense more fluidly, stringing successful passes together, while the Zest could not.

LA’s first goal came in the 37th minute from an attack on the left flank that started with the keeper passing to his left back, who found Miguel Sánchez along the line and connected with him on a long pass. Sánchez then turned, beat his defender and then sent in a long cross to assist Charlie Pitts who scored to make it 1-0 going into halftime.

Wynalda subbed on Pablo Cruz to start the second half due to an injury and his club continued to settle in. The Wolves were taking possession and winning tackles in the midfield, easily dispossessing the Zest.

“We committed one man forward. We had to make an adjustment but Pablo Cruz is the kind of guy you can see,” said Wylanda about his second half sub. “He just possesses beautiful talent, and so when he plays with Paolo Cardozo it’s hard for anybody to figure out how you’re going to defend against those guys.”

LA’s second goal came on a corner kick to the right far post that Miguel Sánchez knocked in during the 61st minute.

The Wolves’ third goal came four minutes later on a flashy combination play and assist between Paolo Cardozo to Pablo Cruz. At this point, LA were commanding the midfield and final third, combining to knock the ball around fluidly.

San Diego got a goal back in the 70th minute from Joseph Fortini, but the Wolves answered back three minutes later to score their fourth on a combination play between Charlie Pitts and Paolo Cardozo. The goal looked to have been scored by Cardozo, but could have been an own goal.

Coach Wynalda attributed a second goal to Pitts, but after match Chris said, “He (Cardozo) put in a cross and I was right there at the ball but the defender got a touch before I did.”

Regardless of how it happened, the goal was generated by that fluid, clever, one-two passing in the box shown by LA.

San Diego got a second goal on a PK caused by a foul by the Wolves keeper near the end of the match. Patrick McGrath stepped to the spot and trimmed the Wolves lead to 4-2, but they would get no closer.

After the game coach Wynalda described the slow start to the game.

“The opening minutes were a little tricky, we saw some nerves on our side,” said Wynalda. “It was important to get this game under our belt so we could really focus on playing what I think these guys are capable of. Those opening minutes were not what we expected.”

2017 Meet the Underdogs: LA Wolves hoping investment pays off with addition of head coach Eric Wynalda

May 10, 2017 by Zach Smith

The LA Wolves wanted to get on the map when they participated in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time last season. Fast forward to now, the young club is hoping to turn some heads in this year’s tournament and has a new leader with some experience of doing just that.

The Wolves, under the new direction of head coach Eric Wynalda, are in the Open Cup for the second straight year and take on the San Diego Zest in the first round Wednesday night at Azusa Pacific University.

“I can comfortably tell you that we are better than we were last year because we’ve invested more into the program,” said Wolves president and GM Yan Skwara. “Eric was handed a pretty good team already, but as a coach who’s gunning for more, he saw holes that needed to be patched up. Now the guys just have to do it. I know they’re up to the challenge.”

To say Wynalda is experienced is a gross understatement. The US Soccer Hall of Famer played in the Bundesliga and scored 106 goals at the international level. His name has been floated around for an MLS coaching job for years, but his most recent coaching stop was in 2014 with the Atlanta Silverbacks when they were a part of the NASL.

His most famous run as a head coach came in the Open Cup with Cal FC, who beat the Portland Timbers in the third round, becoming the first amateur team to score against and advance via a victory in 2012.

“That’s what he’s here to do again and the players understand that,” Skwara said. “He’s brought a lot to the table with his experience. He’s very professional and he has come in here and he’s put some good focus into what we’re about to face.”

The Wolves have been dominant in the regular season the last two years, finishing atop the table in each of the seasons, but falling short in the playoffs. This season, they sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with 21 points, six points behind first place with two games in hand and have allowed a conference-best eight goals this season.

Much of the roster from last year has returned, including former LA Galaxy and Chivas USA winger Paolo Cardozo, who wasn’t eligible to play last year’s Open Cup because he was cup-tied.

Miguel Sanchez and Chuck Pitts have another year of playing together up to and Skwara said the team shored up the midfield compared to last season. They also added a veteran MLS defender as Chris Klute joined this season.

“We’re playing a lot more rounded than last year,” Skwara said. “We’ve got a good core group of existing players along with the new players that have really bonded over the last few months. The screws have been tightened. We have some high expectations, but we don’t them to be too high.”

LA qualified for this year’s Open Cup thanks to a 4-1 win against the Real Sociedad Royals in September and then dominated Inland Empire FC 9-2 in October to earn a spot in the tournament for the second year in a row.

They had a successful run the Open Cup last year. After moving through the first round against the Ventura County Fusion via forfeit, they beat USL Pro side OC Blues on PKs in Round 2 before falling to fellow UPSL squad La Maquina in Round 3.

“We’re playing a lot more rounded than last year,” Skwara said. “We’re here for the long haul and we’re here for the future. The screws have been tightened. We have some high expectations, but we don’t them to be too high.”

2016 US Open Cup Round 3: Former Chivas forward, record-setting defense earn La Maquina date with LA Galaxy

June 5, 2016 by Dennis Pope

La Maquina (left) vs. LA Wolves in the Third Round of 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Joe Walsh

With its play on the field, La Maquina has proved its maturity.

Former Chivas de Guadalajara forward Edwin Borboa scored twice as La Maquina continued its run in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-0 victory over fellow United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) team Los Angeles Wolves FC. The match was played on June 1 in a Third Round game at Boswell Field on the campus of Westminster High School.

With the win, La Maquina becomes just the 12th amateur team since 1996 to reach the Fourth Round.

“As I’m getting older and towards the end of his career, primarily the focus is the team and helping the team through my experience and realizing that means putting some goals in the back of the net,” said Borboa through an interpreter.

The 33-year-old Mexican headed in the game’s first goal in the 17th minute, then scored on a free kick in the 68h minute to propel La Maquina into a Fourth Round matchup against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the StubHub Center on Wednesday, June 15.

“Very happy because we’re going against the next level, the LA Galaxy,” Borboa said. “They’re a very professional team but we know what we have, and we’re going to work hard to get to there, and try to move on the next round.”

Santa Ana, Calif.-based La Maquina, banned from the UPSL’s winter season due to its participation in a post-game brawl late last year, are one of only two amateur clubs (Kitsap Pumas) remaining in the tournament.

“We can’t believe where we are right now, but we’ve still been working every week, hard, hard,” La Maquina head coach Alex Uribe said. “We know it’s a very exciting game in two weeks.”

The club has not played a league fixture since December when UPSL President Yan Skwara announced the league’s ruling. Skwara, coincidently, is president and head coach of the LA Wolves.

“Give credit to La Maquina,” Skwara said. “They play a certain game, and I can’t tell exactly if it’s the way they played defensively against us, or if we didn’t play our game, or a combination of the two.”

Borboa’s first goal punctuated non-stop early pressure from La Maquina, which produced five shots on goal in the first 15 minutes.

His second goal came on a direct free kick at the top of the penalty area, 20 yards from goal. With three players standing over the ball, Borboa saw Wolves goalkeeper Kifi Kalani leaning and took his shot.

“The keeper was giving me the right side, trying to cheat, so I just took the easy way and placed it where he was cheating,” Borboa said.

“That’s Borboa. That’s the way he plays,” Uribe said. “You can see the goalie was expecting a lefty, and he just saw the goalie move the left and so he strikes it to the right.”

La Maquina, relying on competitive friendlies in between its US Open Cup calendar, have won all three rounds by 2-0 score lines. They are just the second team — and the first amateur team — in the Modern Era to earn three or more shutouts in each of their first three Open Cup games. (DC United had 5 straight from 1996-97)

“Since Day 1 in this Open Cup and I told them, ‘If we’re going to be in this Open Cup our goal can’t just be playing, that’s it,” Uribe said. “We want to go all the way, all the way to the end.”

La Maquina’s 2-0 win in the Second Round over Portland Timbers U-23s at Providence Park was an important moment, Uribe said.

“The experience they got in Portland, it was a huge stadium, it was an important team, it’s not a first-team but we demonstrated we can control the ball in any stadium,” Uribe said.

Series of forfeits, teams with ineligible players overshadow 2016 US Open Cup

May 31, 2016 by Evan Ream

With dozens of amateur and professional teams battling for the United States’ true national championship, every Lamar Hunt US Open Cup creates numerous storylines.

Whether it’s the 1999 Rochester Rhinos doing the impossible of becoming the only lower division side to win the final since the introduction of MLS teams, or amateur teams Cal FC and the Michigan Bucks both upsetting MLS teams in 2012, every Cup is usually remembered for at least one or two moments.

The early part of the 2016 edition of the tournament has featured three disqualifications, the most of any competition in the Modern Era (1995-present). And those three disqualifications were just the ones that were caught in what appears to be a combination of spotty rule enforcement from the United States Soccer Federation and a lack of rule awareness by teams and players.

Section 203. Part (c) of the 2016 US Open Cup handbook is pretty clear:

“Any player who plays in any part of an Open Cup match for a team, including any match in any Open Division qualifying round, may not be included in the Open Cup roster or play for any other team in the Open Cup competition for that competition year.”

This rule is new for 2016 as the federation kicked off its inaugural open division qualifying tournament, a single-elimination competition made up of any amateur team that does not belong to the Premier Development League (PDL) or the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Prior to this year, players were only cup-tied if they played for a team in the Open Cup proper.

The reason for the ruling was to keep players from jumping from team to team. Occasionally players would play for one team during qualifying and if they got eliminated, sign with a team that qualified.

At publishing time, TheCup.us is aware of at least five teams who broke this rule by fielding or including on their roster cup-tied players in the first or second rounds of the tournament. However, only two of the teams were discovered in time to file a protest and have the result of the match overturned.

1. In their Second Round penalty kick upset victory over the Charleston Battery (USL), the Villages SC of the Premier Development League (PDL) started Paulo Vaz, who had previously played for Boca Raton FC in the open division qualifying tournament that took place last fall. The Battery discovered this after the game and immediately filed a successful protest which eliminated the PDL side and pushed Charleston into the next round.

“We were unaware of Paulo Vaz playing for another team in the qualifying rounds of the Cup,” said Alex Perez, a spokesperson for The Villages SC. “In all of his registration paperwork with us that we filed with the PDL, Paulo listed his last club as Floridians FC. It’s an unfortunate situation.”

Villages SC defeated Kraze United in Round 1 with that same ineligible player, which led Kraze United to file a protest after the Battery match in Round 2 was complete. The protest by Kraze United was denied due to the rule that states that “official match protests are required to be submitted by 5:00 p.m. CT the day following the match. (Section 306. Part (a) of the 2016 US Open Cup handbook.)

2. In a 3-1 First Round loss to the Sacramento Gold, the Burlingame Dragons started Gabe Silveira, who had taken part in the open division qualification tournament for San Francisco City FC.

According to the Dragons, they were told by US Soccer that Silveira was cleared to play. This was not discovered in time and no protest was filed.

3. In that same game, the Sacramento Gold included Andre Brown on their bench, who played for Davis Legacy in the qualifying tournament. While he didn’t appear in the match, just having him on the gameday roster is a potential violation. The USASA has disqualified teams for such a violation during qualifying, however, there is no precedent in the US Open Cup proper in the Modern Era.

4. CD Aguiluchos USA fielded ineligible players in both their first and second round matches. In their 3-0 Round 1 win over San Francisco City, substitute Ahmad Hatifie was cup-tied to Ballistic IFX. CDA also subbed on a cup-tied player in Arthur Bahr in their 5-0 loss to Sacramento Republic FC. Bahr played for San Francisco City in qualifying.

San Francisco, like Kraze United, submitted a protest, but it was also denied since it was filed long after the deadline.

5. Perhaps the most notable protest involved the Ventura County Fusion’s use of Gabe Gonzalez, who had played for Cal FC in qualification, in a 2-1 First Round victory over the LA Wolves FC.

According to the Fusion, the club was aware of Gonzalez’s participation in the qualifying rounds, but were told specifically by USSF that Gonzalez was cleared to play for the Fusion. How did the Wolves know he was ineligible? Because he played against them in qualifying for Cal FC. The Wolves edged Cal FC 2-1 to clinch their first-ever Open Cup berth.

The Wolves protested the decision and the Fusion were disqualified from the tournament.

“Rules are in place for a reason and they must be followed by all teams,” said Skwara. “The new rules for 2016 may not be perfect, but all teams still have to follow the rules or risk the repercussions.”

Ventura County then filed an appeal on the decision, which was denied by the USSF and the Wolves advanced to Round 2 to face the Orange County Blues of the USL.

According to Fusion media coordinator Polo Ascencio, the Fusion were never given a reason for the denial.

“The reply was a very simple, ‘your appeal was not successful,’ Ascencio told TheCup.us. “They just said, ‘no.’”

The federation has yet to confirm why the appeal was denied or if informing teams of the specifics of the decision are a common practice.

Ascencio said decisions like these only hurt the credibility of the tournament and the amateur teams participating in it.

“It needs to change,” Ascencio said of the roster rules. “The teams, the amateur teams, and you guys know this, in the lower levels, they take this very, very seriously for many reasons … it gives you exposure. it’s given us exposure that we didn’t want, not this way. It gives you exposure. It gives your players a chance to play against higher competition as you move on and on and on.”

With the forfeit, the Fusion’s Modern Era record streak of six consecutive First Round victories came to an end.

“We have really good, young talent looking forward for a chance and to have the chance taken away by a system that is broken,” Ascencio said. “But at the end, we did nothing wrong. We asked our players, the players that came forward didn’t play, we thought we were good. But obviously we were not good.

“We asked US Soccer for a list before the tournament started … of players who have played . Give us rosters of the teams that have played so we know,” he added. “To this day, it’s been already a couple of weeks since the started the first round, we don’t have any of those lists.

Ascencio believes the federation must have too much on its plate.

“Either they’re too busy doing something, MLS or Copa America-related, or the US Open Cup doesn’t really matter until you get the big teams in the Cup,” Ascencio said. “It’s a chance for our players to succeed, to put a spotlight on them. It’s a chance for our teams to bring our fans an experience that they might not get with our local, amateur team.

For the Fusion, Ascencio says its a missed opportunity for the team and the players.

“And obviously there’s money involved there,” he concluded. “The more you advance, the more money you can make. For some of these amateur teams … $15,000 could be a lot of money. It could be a couple year’s worth of attendance. It hurts for all the reasons, but at the end of the day it hurts because we won, but at the end, somebody said, ‘no you guys didn’t because you used a player that we said was okay to play. But, guess what, he’s not okay to play.”

Ascencio said that the Fusion plan to participate in future tournaments due to the opportunity it provides but maintains that the kinks need to be worked out.

“There has to be , there has to be,” Ascencio said. “Because if they’re not gonna change it, then things like this are going to keep happening and the teams that are going to be affected are going to be the amateur teams, not the professional teams. This is a cup that is made so that the amateur teams can flex their muscles or go on to face top competition. To have something like this happen, not only to us, but a few other teams around the nation…I feel bad for all those teams,”

None of the other teams involved in the situation that TheCup.us reached out to chose to comment on the record. The US Soccer Federation did not respond to a request for comment.

TheCup.us senior editor Josh Hakala also contributed to this report

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: LA Wolves hand Orange County Blues 3rd straight loss to amateur team

May 22, 2016 by Dennis Pope

Luis Mora scored the game-winner on home turf as the Los Angeles Wolves (UPSL) held on to defeat Orange County Blues (USL), 4-2 in a penalty kick shootout after a 1-1 draw, Wednesday night at Wilmington (Calif.) Banning High School.

“He lives around the block, the whole community is watching him; He takes the final kick and he buries it,” LA Wolves owner/head coach Yan Skwara said.

Skwara said Mora, a Banning High School graduate, wanted to be the fifth kick taker.

“He wanted it. He played on that field for four years for his high school, and he buries it,” Skwara said. “It couldn’t be more dramatic.”

Mora’s home-town finish punched the Wolves’ ticket to a third-round matchup against fellow UPSL side La Maquina. The winner plays at LA Galaxy (MLS) in the fourth round.

“(La Maquina) beating their opponents handily, I’ll say that,” Skwara said. “We’re not going in, by any means, with any sort of comfort level.”

Miguel Sanchez had a goal in the 72nd minute, and 20-year-old goalkeeper Kifi Kalani made two saves in the shootout win for Wolves, who continue to enjoy their first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup run.

“We have a blend of players and we’re in the (UPSL) playoffs,” Skwara said. “You want to come into any cup scenario in good form, and we are in good form right now. We’re on the rise.”

Sanchez started the shootout with a miss for Wolves, who were down 2-0 before Joey Chica and Gonzo Salguero scored to level.

Jeremiah Eglijie made it 3-2 but it was Kalani’s back-to-back blocks that gave Wolves a real advantage.

“(Kalani) had a (heck) of a game,” Skwara said. “He made two PK saves. That’s what happened.”

Grady Howe equalized in the 77th minute for OC Blues, which still suffered its fourth loss to an amateur side in its last six Cup entries, including its third straight. Blues previously lost to Ventura County Fusion in 2012, Fresno Fuego in 2014 and PSA Elite in 2015.

Replay coming? There is precedent for Ventura County Fusion’s appeal of disqualification

May 14, 2016 by Josh Hakala

UPDATE: The US Open Cup committee denied Ventura County Fusion’s appeal

Shortly after the Ventura County Fusion defeated the Los Angeles Wolves, TheCup.us learned that the Wolves would be filing a protest. The following morning, they did just that, on the grounds that one of the Fusion players who played in Wednesday’s US Open Cup First Round match had played for Cal FC during the open division qualifying tournament.

The new roster rules that were adopted prior to the 2016 US Open Cup stated that any player that plays for a team during the qualifying tournament is cup-tied to that team for the remainder of the entire tournament.

Gabriel Gonzalez played for Cal FC in both qualifying games against Valley United FC (Oct. 25, 2015) and the LA Wolves (Nov. 21, 2015). Since the Wolves had already played against him, it was easy for them to notice the familiar face playing for the Fusion on Wednesday night, and as a result they filed the protest.

The US Soccer Federation announced on Friday that the protest would be upheld and the Fusion were disqualified. The Wolves would move on to Round 2 to take on the Orange County Blues of the USL on May 18.

Shortly after the announcement, Fusion spokesperson Polo Ascencio told TheCup.us they were planning to appeal the decision.

The reason for the appeal is very familiar to those who have followed the US Open Cup in recent years, but we will get to that shortly.

According to Ascencio, the Fusion were completely unaware of the fact that Gonzalez was cup tied. His registration was approved by the federation, so as far as they knew, he was eligible.

“We are embarrassed by the situation,” said Ascencio. “We registered our players and they all came back cleared. That is why we played .”

Ascencio says they asked the players if they had played previously in the tournament. Two players came forward, but Gonzalez was not one of them.

There has been a situation very similar to this in recent years. On April 7, 2013, the New York Pancyprian Freedoms defeated Connecticut’s Newtown Pride SC 1-0 in a US Open Cup qualifying match, but were later disqualified for using an ineligible player. Back then, .

Here is what happened (TheCup.us – April 20, 2013):

According to the Cosmopolitan Soccer League’s official website, New York player Andreas Chronis was sent off in a league game on Dec. 9 against Hoboken FC 1912 for “rough play … insulting a referee with racist remark, also trying to assault a referee with headbutt.” Chronis was suspended until August 31, 2013 as a result of his actions.

According to George Halkidis, general manager of the Freedoms, the CSL website’s description is wrong and Chronis attempted to headbutt an opposing player, and not the referee. Regardless, the overall offenses, most of all the verbal abuse he inflicted upon the match official during and after the game, were seen as a serious offense, and thus making him ineligible for league and cup play.

Serious offenses, such as assaulting match officials, is a ban that stretches federation-wide, therefore, since the incident occurred during league play, it would carry over into cup competitions, such as the Open Cup. The bottom line is that Chronis was not eligible to participate in the April 7 game against Newtown SC.

Had the newly-renamed Newtown Pride SC not discovered the suspension listed on the CSL website, no one would have noticed the error. The Freedoms GM, like all teams do, submitted his roster to his league prior to the match and it was cleared, which is the main reason why Halkidis’ team has been given a lifeline.

The Freedoms appealed the disqualification and since their league mistakenly approved the player for the tournament, and the team acted on that advice, the federation ordered a replay. Newtown won the replay in penalty kicks.

Back then, the federation authorized local officials to approve team rosters. For the Open Cup proper, the federation themselves are responsible. If the federation is at fault, and if the Freedoms/Newtown situation is any indication, we could see the Fusion and the Wolves on the field again soon.

UPDATE: Ventura County Fusion disqualified for using ineligible player; LA Wolves advance to Round 2

May 12, 2016 by Josh Hakala

UPDATE: The Wolves’ protest has been upheld by US Soccer and Ventura County Fusion have been disqualified. Read the details here.

UPDATE: The US Open Cup committee denied Ventura County Fusion’s appeal

There was plenty of drama in the opening round of the 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday night. However, one of the results may be overturned due to the use of an ineligible player.

The Ventura County Fusion of the PDL defeated the Los Angeles Wolves of the UPSL 2-1 with all the scoring taking place in the first half. However, one of the players the Fusion put out on the field may ultimately bring the team’s Modern Era record of six consecutive opening round wins to an end.

According to LA Wolves head coach Yan Skwara, the Fusion fielded a player that was already cup-tied to another club.

“We have determined that the Ventura County Fusion clearly used an ineligible player who played for Cal FC in the qualifying rounds against our team and per the US Open Cup rules, that would be deemed a forfeit.”

The Wolves defeated Cal FC 2-1 on Nov. 21, 2015 in a game that would ultimately clinch a spot in the US Open Cup.

Skwara says he plans to file the protest on Thursday morning and is very confident that the result will be overturned.

According to the new roster rules stated in US Soccer’s 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Open Division Handbook, players who are registered with a team during the open division qualifying tournament are cup-tied to that team for the remainder of the competition.

If the Fusion are disqualified, the Wolves would host the USL’s Orange County Blues in Round 2 on May 18.

2016 US Open Cup: Motor City rematch headlines most intriguing First Round games

April 12, 2016 by Adam Uthe

The Michigan Bucks cruised to a 3-0 win over Detroit City FC in their first meeting in 2015. Photo: Michigan Bucks

It’s (almost) back!

The United States Soccer Federation announced the first and second round matchups for the 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Round 1 will kick off on Wednesday, May 11 and features 18 Premier Development League (PDL) teams, 14 National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) sides, and 14 Open Division qualifiers representing the best teams competing in regional leagues throughout the country.

There will be a total of 23 first round games, but here are the five most intriguing matchups (in no particular order):

Detroit City FC (NPSL) at Michigan Bucks (PDL)
Oakland University Soccer Field; Rochester, MI
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET

While this list is not in any particular order, most neutral fans would agree that the rematch between two Metro Detroit rivals is the headliner of Round 1.

Detroit City FC has been one of the NPSL’s biggest success stories off the field as their fan base’s growth and revered supporters culture continues to grab national headlines across the soccer world. Founded back in 2012, the club and its rabid fan base have developed a following that many lower division pro teams would love to have. They averaged 3,528 fans per game last year, which is more than FC Edmonton of the NASL drew in 2015. If Detroit City competed in the 24-team USL, their attendance would rank 10th (granted, with fewer home games).

Just a small sample of Detroit City FC's fans. — Just a small sample of Detroit City FC’s fans.

The fans recently put their money where their collective mouth is as the team announced plans to move to and renovate 80-year-old Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck. Keyworth is so old that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attended the stadium’s opening. The team is working with the local community to fix up the historic stadium and recently wrapped up a record-breaking fundraising campaign that saw the club pull in a jaw-dropping $741,250. With support like that, many have speculated that’s it’s only a matter of time before the club outgrows its current amateur status.

Saying their opponent has a strong resume in this competition is a bit of an understatement. The Michigan Bucks hold a number of Modern Era (1995-present) records but two of them have helped the club make a name for themselves nationally. No amateur team has more pro team upsets than the Bucks’ nine and only two clubs have more than three (Des Moines Menace with six, Ocean City Nor’easters with five). In fact, if you exclude the Carolina RailHawks, the Bucks have more wins over pro teams than all of the active NASL teams combined (8).

But their biggest accomplishment is that they are the only amateur team to eliminate two Major League Soccer teams. They stunned the New England Revolution at Foxboro Stadium in 2000, 1-0 on a 90th minute winner by Chad Schomaker. They followed that up in 2012 when they hosted the Chicago Fire at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas (their indoor home) and beat the four-time Open Cup champions 3-2 in extra time.

Despite their on-field success, the Bucks’ fan support is only a fraction of what City draws. The Bucks play their home games in Pontiac, Mich. which is almost the exact same distance from downtown Detroit as FC Dallas’ Toyota Stadium is from downtown Dallas. There is a rivalry between the two teams that have developed off the field as Detroit City’s fans mock the Bucks’ lack of fan support. On the other side, Bucks fans point to their on-field resume with two PDL titles (2006, 2014), the most wins in league history and their Open Cup success. While they have been very good in their first four seasons (32-7-11 in regular season play), DCFC has yet to advance beyond the conference final in the NPSL playoffs.

The two teams finally met on the field for the first time last year in the First Round of the US Open Cup. At the Bucks’ indoor home in Pontiac, the City fans vastly outnumbered the Bucks fans in the stands, but it was the Bucks who outnumbered City on the scoreboard. Michigan got three first half goals by David Goldsmith, Peri Marosevic, and Brad Ruhaak and they won 3-0. Thanks to the way the draw worked out, there will be a rematch this year. Only this time, the game will be played outdoors at the Oakland University Soccer Field in Rochester, Mich.

Boca Raton FC (USASA) at Miami Fusion FC (NPSL)
North Miami Athletic Stadium; North Miami Beach, FL
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET

South Florida is the place to be if you’re a fan of the beautiful game at any level. David Beckham is leading the charge for the future, yet-to-be named MLS team while Miami FC, led by head coach and AC Milan legend Alessandro Nesta, kicked off its inaugural North American Soccer League (NASL) season last week against fellow South Beach rivals Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Now it’s Miami Fusion FC’s turn to get in on the action. The Fusion will be looking to make a deep run in their first US Open Cup appearance after a successful inaugural NPSL season in 2015 when they took the Sunshine Conference title with seven wins, one loss, and one draw. The club, who are led by former New York Cosmos player Ferdinando De Matthaeis, are not related to the now-defunct MLS team by the same name that finished runner-up in the 2000 US Open Cup.

Their opponent, Boca Raton FC, are coming off a pretty impressive debut season themselves. They cruised to first place in the 2015 American Premier Soccer League (APSL) Fall Tournament with five wins in their seven matches and tournament-best plus-11 goal differential. The APSL is a newly-formed South Florida-based amateur league that are part of a new trend of regional amateur soccer leagues across the country. This will be the third straight Miami-based club that they will have to face, as they narrowly defeated fellow APSL clubs Real Miami CF and Uruguay Kendall (in penalty kicks) to qualify for the Open Cup.

The winner will head north to take on the USL’s Wilmington Hammerheads, who have been knocked out of the tournament by an amateur team in three of the last four seasons.

New York Red Bulls U-23 (PDL) at New York Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA)
Belson Stadium (St. John’s Univ.); Jamaica, NY
Kickoff: 7:30p.m. ET

New York Pancyprian Freedoms 2015 Team Photo

You wouldn’t be out of line calling this an “old school vs. new school” matchup. New York Pancyprian Freedoms dominated the US Open Cup in the early 1980’s winning the title in 1980, 1982, and 1983. They even followed up their 1983 title with a semi-final run in what was known back then as the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Today it’s known as the CONCACAF Champions League. You won’t find too many clubs that can match their history and pedigree as they continue to be among the elite in the fabled Cosmopolitan League. It was not an easy path through the open division tournament as the Freedoms had to defeat their biggest rival, and four-time US Open Cup champion, New York Greek Americans in Round 1 by a score of 4-2. They punched their ticket with a 2-1 win over 2012 Open Cup qualifier Jersey Shore Boca.

Representing the “new school” side of this tie is the U-23 side for one of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) premier clubs: the New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls’ youth side is one of two teams representing the Mid Atlantic division of the PDL’s Eastern Conference (Jersey Express). The Red Bulls have enjoyed a lot of success in their first six years as a club. They played their first five seasons in the NPSL, winning three division titles in addition to a league title in 2014. They celebrated their first NPSL championship by leaving the league to join the PDL. They qualified for the tournament in 2013 and 2014, and would have made the cut in 2015 but it was unlikely that the NPSL was going to give up one of their Open Cup spots to a team that just left to join a rival league.

The way the draw works out, the winner of this game will get a rather favorable matchup. Rather than playing a USL team, as most Round 1 winners will, the Red Bulls or the Freedoms will take on the winner of Jersey Express (PDL) and the Clarkston Eagles (NPSL).

LA Wolves FC (USASA) at Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
Ventura College Sportsplex; Ventura, CA
Kickoff: 10 p.m. ET

LA Wolves (orange) and Del Rey City squared off in the opening round of the 2016 US Open Cup open division qualifying tournament. Photo: Del Rey City SC

“Play Like A Wolf” is the slogan for the United Premier Soccer League’s (UPSL) LA Wolves FC. The senior team sure looked like alpha dogs in 2015, winning 20 of their 21 competitive matches (20-0-1) and ultimately falling short in the league title game, losing to fellow Open Cup qualifier San Nicolas FC. Now they’ll set their sights on a new competition as they enter the Open Cup for the first time in team history. To get there, they had two win two games in the open division tournament, one against fellow UPSL side Del Rey City SC and the other against Cal FC, the team that made a name for themselves in 2012 when they upset the Portland Timbers of MLS. The Wolves are one of three qualifiers from the Los Angeles-based UPSL, a fast-growing amateur league that has expanded to Nevada and Arizona in recent years.

Their opponent, the Ventura County Fusion, have qualified for the seventh straight year, one shy of the amateur record for the Modern Era (Reading United AC – 8). In addition being one of the most consistent PDL teams in the league, the Fusion have also hosted teams from the EPL, Liga MX, and other top divisions from around the globe for friendlies.

They’ve seen it all in their 10-year history with eight playoff appearances, three division titles and a 2009 PDL championship. In Open Cup play, they have won a Modern Era amateur record five straight opening round games, which is a Modern Era record, and have upset a pair of professional teams on the road. They beat the Los Angeles Blues (now Orange County Blues) of the USL in the 2012 Second Round, and knocked off the LA Galaxy II (USL).

A fair warning to those who will be in attendance: be prepared for LOTS of orange. Both sides feature a healthy dose of it in their uniforms.

CD Aguiluchos USA (NPSL) at San Francisco City FC (US Club Soccer)
Beach Chalet #4; San Francisco, CA
Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. ET

San Francisco City FC defeated Cal FC 2-1 in their US Open Cup debut in the 2015 Preliminary Round. Photo: San Francisco City FC

Finally, we turn our attention to the northern half of California. Oakland-based CD Aguiluchos were founded in 2012 in honor of El Salvadoran side CD Augila and, as you might expect, feature a roster full of players drawn from the Bay Area’s Salvadoran population. The club is also managed by former CD Augila coach Hugo Coria. And if you’re still not convinced of their love of all things El Salvador, their away kit is blue and white to honor the national team. This is their second trip to the tournament after qualifying in 2014. They were one-and-done after traveling to Southern California and losing to the Ventura County Fusion, 2-1. The club missed out in 2015 but are back after finishing third in their division with a 7-4-1 record. That third place finish was enough to get into the NPSL playoffs and they made a run all the way to the national semifinals. They lost to the New York Cosmos B, one of the few pro teams in the league that moved on to win the NPSL title and later withdrew from this year’s US Open Cup.

On the other side of the draw is another team with close ties to its community, though in a different way. San Francisco City FC is 51% owned by its club members while the other 49% belongs to their investors/partners. Their Board of Directors, which must vote unanimously to make major changes to the club, is made up of three members: one from the membership group, one from the investor group, and one from the club’s staff. The approach seems to be working as the club is growing. They made the movie from a local amateur league to the PDL, where they will begin play in 2016. There have been reports that the club is being courted to join one of the professional leagues down the road. The roster that will take part in the Open Cup this year will not be the PDL roster that will be on the field this summer, it will be the one that qualified for the competition through the open division qualifying tournament. making its PDL debut this season. This is also their second consecutive Open Cup appearance. Last year, they lost a 2-1 decision to Cal FC at Kezar Stadium.