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2011 US Open Cup qualifying (PDL East): Reading & Western Mass qualify; Carolina Dynamo clinch via tiebreakers

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PDL East logoUS Open Cup qualifying for the Premier Development League is already underway for 2011 as the season began on April 30. It is arguably the most exciting portion of the event for the league as the task of qualifying can be more daunting than the professional opponents awaiting them in the tournament proper.

In the 2011 edition of the tournament, the PDL will be represented by a record nine clubs after seven consecutive years with eight representatives. With nine berths available, the league will send one from each division based on four league contests that will double as qualification matches – a format long established by the parent United Soccer Leagues.

For the first time since 2008, the Eastern Conference has three divisions – the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, and the new South Atlantic (which last appeared in 2006). Four teams have a recent history with qualifying for the US Open Cup on multiple occasions. Two of them were last year’s representatives (Long Island Rough Riders, Reading United AC), and two more have qualified at least three times each from the PDL (Carolina Dynamo, Ocean City Nor’easters). A total of 18 teams are fighting for a record three spots from the East this year.

Here is the how the Eastern Conference is currently shaping up:

Northeast Division
Final Results

The Western Mass Pioneers qualified for the U.S. Open Cup with a 1-0 win over the MPS Portland Phoenix in a head-to-head match between the two Northeast Division group leaders to determine the berth. Halftime substitute Chris Roswess scored the game’s only goal in the 71st minute when he hammered the ball into the net on a half volley from 18 yards out.  “In the first half Portland controlled the majority of play and dictated the tempo of play,” Pioneers Head Coach Joe Calabrese said.  “But in the second half we made a couple of substitutions and we thought those two changes had a positive impact on the game.”

An automatic entrant numerous times as a USL-2 professional third division club (now USL PRO), it is the first time in two years in the PDL that it has qualified, finishing third in its group at 2-1-1 last year.  “For some of our collegiate players this is a dream come true,” Calabrese said.  “Many of our college players will never aspire to be professional players.  This is once in a lifetime for many of them.  You don’t know when your career is going to end so it’s spectacular to have them get this experience.”

NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Western Mass Pioneers 4 3 0 1 10 7 3 6 +4
MPS Portland Phoenix 4 3 1 0 9 5 2 5 +3
Vermont Voltage 4 0 2 2 2 1 4 1 -3
Seacoast United Phantoms 4 0 3 1 1 3 7 3 -4

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Seacoast United Phantoms 0:1 MPS Portland Phoenix 6:00
May 14 Western Mass Pioneers 2:1 Seacoast United Phantoms 4:00
May 14 Vermont Voltage 0:2 MPS Portland Phoenix 6:00
May 20 Seacoast United Phantoms 2:4 Western Mass Pioneers 7:00
May 21 MPS Portland Phoenix 2:1 Vermont Voltage 7:00
May 25 Western Mass Pioneers 0:0 Vermont Voltage 7:00
May 27 MPS Portland Phoenix 0:1 Western Mass Pioneers 7:00
May 28 Vermont Voltage 0:0 Seacoast United Phantoms 7:00


Mid-Atlantic Division
Final Results

Reading United continued to cruise through Open Cup qualifying with a 4-1 win over the Ocean City Nor’easters on May 20, to finish with a perfect 4-0-0 record. Even though it was Ocean City’s season opener, one loss eliminated them from contention, and it also knocked Long Island out of the running despite their 2-0-0 record. Based on the tiebreaking situation, even if Long Island were to win their final qualifier by three goals or more, they would still fall short in the goal difference tiebreaker. They clinched their place as the first team to qualify from the PDL as the Jersey Express fell to the Rough Riders 3-1. Reading has now qualified for the third straight year.

This marks the third year in a row that Reading has finished qualifying without a loss. When they were known as the Rage in 2009, they finished 3-0-1, and in 2010 they finished tied with the Newark Ironbound Express at 4-0-0. Unfortunately for the Express, Reading qualified based on a tiebreaker, having scored one more goal than Ironbound. This was an unfortunate bit of history for the Express as they became not only the third PDL team in the Pro Era (1995-present) to miss out after a 4-0-0 record, but they were the first team to register four straight shutout victories, and fail to qualify.

MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Reading United AC 4 4 0 0 12 15 3 12 +11
Long Island Rough Riders 4 3 0 1 10 9 4 9 +5
Jersey Express 4 3 1 0 9 7 3 7 +4
Westchester Flames 4 2 2 0 6 9 11 7 -2
New Jersey Rangers 4 2 2 0 6 3 8 3 -4
Ocean City Nor’easters 4 0 3 1 1 3 8 3 -5
Central Jersey Spartans 3 0 3 0 0 2 6 2 -4
Brooklyn Knights 3 0 3 0 0 5 10 4 -5

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Reading United AC 3:1 Brooklyn Knights 7:00
May 8 Westchester Flames 3:0 New Jersey Rangers 6:00
May 11 Long Island Rough Riders 2:0 Brooklyn Knights 7:00
May 14 Westchester Flames 0:3 Jersey Express 7:00
May 15 New Jersey Rangers 0:4 Reading United AC 6:00
May 18 Reading United AC 4:1 Westchester Flames 7:30
May 19 Central Jersey Spartans 1:2 Long Island Rough Riders 8:00
May 20 Ocean City Nor’easters 1:4 Reading United AC 7:30
May 21 Jersey Express 1:3 Long Island Rough Riders 7:30
May 22 Brooklyn Knights at Central Jersey Spartans PPD
May 22 New Jersey Rangers 1:0 Ocean City Nor’easters 6:00
May 25 Central Jersey Spartans 1:2 New Jersey Rangers 8:00
May 27 Ocean City Nor’easters 0:1 Jersey Express 8:00
May 28 Brooklyn Knights 4:5 Westchester Flames 7:30
May 29 Long Island Rough Riders 2:2 Ocean City Nor’easters 6:00
May 30 Jersey Express 2:0 Central Jersey Spartans 5:00

South Atlantic Division
Final Results

The West Virginia Chaos finished their qualifying slate with a 3-1 win over the Virginia Beach Piranhas May 21, leaving them in a wait-and-see situation as the Carolina Dynamo and Real Maryland Monarchs could pull level or move past them. They got some help the following night as the Dynamo slipped up in a 1-0 road loss to the Northern Virginia Royals, creating the possibility of a three-way tie at 3-1 after the final weekend. With Real Maryland set for its finale Monday, the Monarchs were awaiting good news that would not come as Carolina blanked the visiting Virginia Beach Piranhas 3-0 Saturday evening, clinching the top spot in the division and berth to the US Open Cup via tiebreaker scenarios.

SOUTH ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Carolina Dynamo 4 3 1 0 9 7 1 7 +6
Real Maryland Monarchs 4 3 1 0 9 8 2 8 +6
West Virginia Chaos 4 3 1 0 9 10 4 9 +5
Northern Virginia Royals 4 2 2 0 6 5 6 5 -1
Virginia Beach Piranhas 4 1 3 0 3 3 9 3 -6
Fredericksburg Hotspur 4 0 4 0 0 1 12 1 -10

Note: Carolina qualifies based on head-to-head tiebreaker vs. Real Maryland & West Virginia

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Fredericksburg Hotspur 0:2 Virginia Beach Piranhas 7:00
May 7 Northern Virginia Royals 1:3 West Virginia Chaos 7:00
May 14 Real Maryland Monarchs 3:0 Virginia Beach Piranhas 5:30
May 14 West Virginia Chaos 0:2 Carolina Dynamo 7:00
May 15 West Virginia Chaos 4:0 Fredericksburg Hotspur 2:00
May 15 Northern Virginia Royals 0:2 Real Maryland Monarchs 4:00
May 21 Carolina Dynamo 2:0 Real Maryland Monarchs 7:00
May 21 Virginia Beach Piranhas 1:3 West Virginia Chaos 7:30
May 22 Carolina Dynamo 0:1 Northern Virginia Royals 7:00
May 28 Virginia Beach Piranhas 0:3 Carolina Dynamo 7:00
May 29 Fredericksburg Hotspur 1:3 Northern Virginia Royals 7:00
May 30 Real Maryland Monarchs 3:0 Fredericksburg Hotspur 5:00

Breakdown for 2011 USL PDL US Open Cup Qualifying: Eastern Conference

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PDL logoThe 2011 US Open Cup qualifying process for the Premier Development League begins April 30 when the Central Florida Kraze play host to Fort Lauderdale Schulz. The match marks the beginning of what is arguably the most intense opening to any league season, making it the most pressure-packed portion of the PDL schedule league-wide. The task of qualifying can be more daunting than the professional opponents awaiting them in the tournament proper.

In the upcoming edition of the tournament, the PDL will be represented by a record nine clubs after seven consecutive years with eight representatives. With nine berths available, the league will send one from each division based on four league contests that will double as qualification matches – a format long established by the parent United Soccer Leagues.

Here is the Eastern Conference portion of the four-part series of breakdowns:

Eastern Conference Qualifying Breakdown

US Open Cup qualifying for the PDL Eastern Conference, the lone conference with three divisions and berths, opens with four games on May 7 and a fifth the following evening.

A year ago, this conference, which spans the Atlantic coast from Maine to North Carolina, was basically evenly split with nine and eight-team groups. By carving out a third division, the balance has been eliminated. The new ‘metro’ Mid Atlantic division with eight teams in the greater New York City / New Jersey area and an exception from Pennsylvania has twice as many teams as its Northeast Division counterpart, which has four, and is two more than the South Atlantic, which is at six.

The most stunning result of the shifting is arguably the competitive imbalance between the divisions as the Mid Atlantic has five teams with impressive winning records over a four-year Open Cup qualifying span while the other two divisions have a combined two teams with winning records.

Mid Atlantic Division
Brooklyn Knights, Central Jersey Spartans, Jersey Express, Long Island Rough Riders, New Jersey Rangers, Ocean City Nor’easters, Reading United AC, Westchester Flames

The Ocean City Nor'easters (shown here playing against DC United in the Third Round of the 2009 US Open Cup) have qualified four times in the last seven years. They have four professional team upsets to their credit, second-most of any PDL franchise (Michigan Bucks - 7) | Photo: Bill Pellegrino, Ocean City Nor'easters

With three teams from New York and four from New Jersey, the eight-team grouping’s lone outsider is Reading United AC. The club also happens to be the side which advanced from this particular group the past two years, although the Mid Atlantic division has previously been largely comprised of teams from what is now the South Atlantic. Most of the current composition was primarily in what was then the Northeast, which sent Ocean City as its representative two years ago.

Reading leads what could be considered part of the quintet of power teams among the division with the two recent trips to the tournament and a four-year record of 11-2-3 in qualifying that hit its peak with a 4-0-0 effort last year. Matching that record were the Long Island Rough Riders, who qualified last year out of the Northeast. The five-time tournament entrants from New York also qualified in 2007 with a perfect 4-0-0 record. Last year’s two qualifiers, however, are not slated to face one another in qualifying this year in what would have been a marquee match-up.

The other three power teams are the Ocean City Nor’easters (9-2-5), Jersey Express (8-2-2) and Brooklyn Knights (7-5-4). The trio of New Jersey, Central Jersey and Westchester has just a combined seven wins between them over the past eight qualifying campaigns (last four years) as the first two are recent expansion sides.

Of the power five, the fourth-year Express are the only club that has not yet qualified for the tournament. The other four have reached the US Open Cup on 13 combined occasions.

Reading and Brooklyn kick off the division’s qualifying slate with the lone match May 7. After that, both clubs will only face one more team from the power quintet as Brooklyn takes on Long Island and Reading closes against Ocean City. Jersey also were fortunate to only find two power teams on the fixture list with games against Long Island and Ocean City, who will both have to face three of their power peers.

MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Brooklyn Knights 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Central Jersey Spartans 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Jersey Express 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Long Island Rough Riders 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
New Jersey Rangers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Ocean City Nor’easters 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Reading United AC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Westchester Flames 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Reading United AC at Brooklyn Knights 7:00
May 8 Westchester Flames at New Jersey Rangers 6:00
May 11 Long Island Rough Riders at Brooklyn Knights 7:00
May 14 Westchester Flames at Jersey Express 7:00
May 15 New Jersey Rangers at Reading United AC 6:00
May 18 Reading United AC at Westchester Flames 7:30
May 19 Central Jersey Spartans at Long Island Rough Riders 8:00
May 20 Ocean City Nor’easters at Reading United AC 7:30
May 21 Jersey Express at Long Island Rough Riders 7:30
May 22 Brooklyn Knights at Central Jersey Spartans 4:00
May 22 New Jersey Rangers at Ocean City Nor’easters 6:00
May 25 Central Jersey Spartans at New Jersey Rangers 8:00
May 27 Ocean City Nor’easters at Jersey Express 8:00
May 28 Brooklyn Knights at Westchester Flames 7:30
May 29 Long Island Rough Riders at Ocean City Nor’easters 6:00
May 30 Jersey Express at Central Jersey Spartans 5:00
The Western Mass Pioneers have competed in the US Open Cup six times since they were founded in 1998.


Northeast Division
MPS Portland Phoenix, Seacoast United Phantoms, Vermont Voltage, Western Mass Pioneers

The combined win total of the last four years of PDL qualifying for the division – 10 – falls short of two individual teams in the Mid Atlantic. In this grouping everyone is basically on equal footing as no team has more than three PDL qualifying campaigns in the past four years.

MPS Portland Phoenix was an expansion team a year ago while the Western Mass Pioneers were playing their first season in the league having dropped down from the professional third division. The move down was one that the Seacoast United Phantoms (formerly New Hampshire Phantoms) had made two years prior. The Vermont Voltage, longtime PDL members, were making their return after a year’s absence from play.

The veteran trio is familiar with one another from their extensive USL history, but the Pioneers, Phantoms and Voltage have limited history meeting on competitive terms like this.

Kicking off the group’s schedule is a May 7 contest between host Portland and the Phantoms, who played to a 1-1 draw in last year’s qualifier in New Hampshire. Portland , however, would later win at home in dominating fashion, 5-0, in league play.

The smallest fixture list among the nine groups with only eight games comes to a close May 28 when the Phantoms play host to the Voltage, who swept the season series a year ago with two victories – neither of them qualifiers.

NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
MPS Portland Phoenix 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Seacoast United Phantoms 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Vermont Voltage 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Western Mass Pioneers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Seacoast United Phantoms at MPS Portland Phoenix 6:00
May 14 Western Mass Pioneers at Seacoast United Phantoms 4:00
May 14 Vermont Voltage at MPS Portland Phoenix 6:00
May 20 Seacoast United Phantoms at Western Mass Pioneers 7:00
May 21 MPS Portland Phoenix at Vermont Voltage 7:00
May 25 Western Mass Pioneers at Vermont Voltage 7:00
May 27 MPS Portland Phoenix at Western Mass Pioneers 7:00
May 28 Vermont Voltage at Seacoast United Phantoms 7:00


South Atlantic Division
Carolina Dynamo, Fredericksburg Hotspur, Northern Virginia Royals, Real Maryland Monarchs, Virginia Beach Piranhas, West Virginia Chaos

The Carolina Dynamo have been around since 1993 and have competed in the US Open Cup six times since they were founded in 1993.

This grouping may be a new creation, but for four of these clubs, they are no strangers to one another. What is new is the addition of expansion Fredericksburg Hotspur and former professional third division club Real Maryland Monarchs.

The Monarchs are the newest club in this group to make the transition to the PDL. The only other two teams of the six with US Open Cup tournament experience are also former professional clubs. Along with the Carolina Dynamo and Northern Virginia Royals, the three have 12 appearances in the tournament, but only a pair of trips by the Dynamo in 2004 and 2006 came via qualifying out of the PDL. Carolina played in the tournament five times before joining the league in 2004 and Northern Virginia twice before the switch in 2006. Real Maryland has been an automatic entrant as a pro team the past three years.

Despite last qualifying for the tournament in 2006, the Dynamo have been in the running the past four years with a combined record of 9-4-2, never suffering more than one loss in each of their efforts. Located centrally along the Atlantic coast, Carolina has found itself also shifting divisions and conferences, having previously been a member of the Southeast group prior to 2008.

Carolina’s success overshadows that of its three group-mates with PDL experience as the trio of Northern Virginia, Virginia Beach and West Virginia have fewer wins combined (7) over the last four years than the Dynamo. Carolina, though, will have to play the four experienced clubs in the group with the expansion side missing from its slate. The first contest comes May 14 at home against West Virginia.

The opening night of qualifying, though, is heavy on the Virginias with all four clubs hailing from the two states as Fredericksburg visits Virginia Beach and West Virginia plays host to Northern Virginia May 7. But while Fredericksburg may have avoided drawing Carolina in the fixture list, the new club will have a difficult task at the finish with back-to-back games on the road against Northern Virginia and at home versus Real Maryland.

SOUTH ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Carolina Dynamo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Fredericksburg Hotspur 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Northern Virginia Royals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Real Maryland Monarchs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Virginia Beach Piranhas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
West Virginia Chaos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Fredericksburg Hotspur at Virginia Beach Piranhas 7:00
May 7 Northern Virginia Royals at West Virginia Chaos 7:00
May 14 Real Maryland Monarchs at Virginia Beach Piranhas 5:30
May 14 West Virginia Chaos at Carolina Dynamo 7:00
May 15 West Virginia Chaos at Fredericksburg Hotspur 2:00
May 15 Northern Virginia Royals at Real Maryland Monarchs 4:00
May 21 Carolina Dynamo at Real Maryland Monarchs 7:00
May 21 Virginia Beach Piranhas at West Virginia Chaos 7:30
May 22 Carolina Dynamo at Northern Virginia Royals 7:00
May 28 Virginia Beach Piranhas at Carolina Dynamo 7:00
May 29 Fredericksburg Hotspur at Northern Virginia Royals 7:00
May 30 Real Maryland Monarchs at Fredericksburg Hotspur 5:00


Central Conference (Coming Soon)

Great Lakes Division: Akron Summit Assault, Chicago Fire, Cincinnati Kings, Indiana Invaders, Michigan Bucks, River City Rovers
Heartland Division: Des Moines Menace, Kansas City Brass, Real Colorado Foxes, Springfield Demize, St Louis Lions

Southern Conference (Inside Look +)

Mid South Division: Baton Rouge Capitals, Chivas El Paso Patriots, Laredo Heat, New Orleans Jesters, RGV Grandes FC, West Texas United Sockers
Southeast Division: Central Florida Kraze, FC Jaxy Destroyers, Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy, IMG Bradenton Academics, Mississippi Brilla, Nashville Metros

Western Conference (Coming Soon)

Northwest Division: Kitsap Pumas, North Sound SeaWolves, Portland Timbers U23, Tacoma Tide, Washington Crossfire
Southwest Division: BYU Cougars, Fresno Fuego, LA Blues 23, Los Angeles Legends, Ogden Outlaws, Orange County Blue Star, Southern California Seahorses, Ventura County Fusion

2010 PDL qualifying recap: 8 teams qualify after tiebreakers, failed perfection, final day drama

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PDL qualification for this season is complete, with eight teams punching their ticket to the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The qualifiers – and their competitors – had to deal with multiple tiebreakers and plenty of final day nail biting action. Even then, for two teams, a perfect 4-0-0 record wasn’t enough to send them through.

CENTRAL CONFERENCE

GREAT LAKES DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Dayton Dutch Lions 4 3 0 1 10 8 1 7 +7
Michigan Bucks 4 3 1 0 9 8 3 8 +5
Chicago Fire 4 2 1 1 7 5 3 5 +2
Indiana Invaders 4 2 1 1 7 4 3 4 +1
Cleveland Internationals 4 1 2 1 4 4 9 4 -5
Cincinnati Kings 4 1 3 0 3 6 8 6 -2
Kalamazoo Outrage 4 0 4 0 0 3 11 3 -8

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

HEARTLAND DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Des Moines Menace 4 3 1 0 9 7 4 7 +3
Rochester Thunder 4 2 1 1 7 5 2 5 +3
Real Colorado Foxes 4 2 1 1 7 7 4 6 +2
St. Louis Lions 4 2 2 0 6 7 5 6 +1
Kansas City Brass 4 1 2 1 4 2 6 2 -3
Springfield Demize 4 0 3 1 1 2 9 2 -6

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes
EASTERN CONFERENCE

MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Reading United AC 4 4 0 0 12 13 1 10 +9
Ironbound Express 4 4 0 0 12 9 0 9 +9
New Jersey Rangers 4 3 1 0 9 7 3 7 +4
Carolina Dynamo 4 2 1 1 7 11 7 7 +3
Central Jersey Spartans 4 1 2 1 4 3 6 3 -3
West Virginia Chaos 4 1 3 0 3 2 7 2 -5
Ocean City Nor’easters 4 0 2 2 2 4 8 4 -4
Northern Virginia Royals 4 0 3 1 1 5 13 5 -6
Hampton Roads Piranhas 4 0 3 1 1 3 12 3 -7

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Long Island Rough Riders 4 3 0 1 10 9 2 6 +5
Albany BWP Highlanders 4 3 0 1 10 10 6 9 +4
Western Mass Pioneers 4 2 1 1 7 7 3 6 +3
MPS Portland Phoenix 4 1 0 3 6 6 3 6 +3
New Hampshire Phantoms 4 1 1 2 5 3 2 3 +1
Vermont Voltage 4 1 3 0 3 4 14 4 -7
Westchester Flames 4 0 2 2 2 2 6 2 -4
Brooklyn Knights 4 0 4 0 0 5 10 5 -5

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

MID-SOUTH DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
DFW Tornados 4 3 1 0 9 6 2 6 +4
Rio Grande Valley Bravos 4 2 1 1 7 5 4 5 +1
Laredo Heat 4 2 2 0 6 11 5 8 +3
El Paso Patriots 4 2 2 0 6 4 8 4 -1
West Texas United Sockers 4 2 2 0 6 4 6 4 -2
Houston Leones 4 0 3 1 1 2 7 2 -5

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

SOUTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Central Florida Kraze 4 3 0 1 10 12 2 10 +8
Mississippi Brilla 4 3 0 1 10 11 2 9 +7
Baton Rouge Capitals 4 2 0 2 8 5 2 5 +3
New Orleans Jesters 4 2 2 0 6 11 7 7 +2
Atlanta Blackhawks 4 1 1 2 5 6 6 4 +0
Bradenton Academics 4 1 2 1 4 2 7 2 -3
Nashville Metros 4 1 2 1 4 1 5 1 -4
Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy 4 0 4 0 0 0 10 0 -8

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes
WESTERN CONFERENCE

NORTHWEST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Kitsap Pumas 4 4 0 0 12 12 0 11 +11
Portland Timbers U23s 4 4 0 0 12 9 1 9 +8
Tacoma Tide 4 2 2 0 6 8 6 6 +2
Yakima Reds 4 1 3 0 3 2 10 2 -7
Washington Crossfire 4 1 3 0 3 8 8 4 -2
Spokane Spiders 4 0 4 0 0 3 17 3 -12

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

SOUTHWEST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Ventura County Fusion 4 3 1 0 9 10 3 8 +5
Orange County Blue Star 4 2 0 2 8 14 6 9 +6
Los Angeles Legends 4 2 1 1 7 8 4 8 +4
Fresno Fuego 4 1 1 2 5 11 12 10 +0
Lancaster Rattlers 4 1 1 2 5 4 8 4 -2
BYU Cougars 4 1 2 1 4 4 5 4 -1
Hollywood United Hitmen 4 1 2 1 4 6 8 6 -2
Ogden Outlaws 4 1 2 1 4 4 10 4 -5
Southern California Seahorses 4 1 3 0 3 2 7 2 -5

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

CENTRAL CONFERENCE

Great Lakes Division

With a week to go, Dayton and Chicago both led the division at 2-0. The Fire would stumble for the next two games, losing to Cincinnati and tying in Cleveland, allowing the Michigan Bucks to pass them, which they did so by defeating  Kalamazoo on the road and Cincinnati in a late game-winner. Dayton tied Indiana, which meant that they had to win in Kalamazoo in order to pass the Bucks and qualify for their first Open Cup. They took care of business by winning 4-1 to finish with a 3-0-1 record, one point ahead of Michigan.

Heartland Division

After last week, this division came down to one game, as Des Moines sat at 3-1, with Rochester on their heels at 2-1. Rochester needed to defeat the Kansas City Brass in order to qualify. The score was no matter as they held the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Menace. However, they couldn’t complete their task, tying Kansas City 0-0. This allowed Des Moines to qualify for their fifth trip to the US Open Cup. They share a record (with the Carolina Dynamo) for the furthest advancement by a PDL team, making it to the Fourth Round in 2005. Can they go further? It all starts with game #1 on June 15.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Mid-Atlantic Division

Two teams went all out in making sure they had their chance to make the US Open Cup: the Ironbound Express of Newark and Reading United AC (formerly the Reading Rage). Ironbound made their case by shutting out all the teams on their schedule, defeating the West Virginia Chaos, Central Jersey Spartans, New Jersey Rangers, and Ocean City FC. They finished with 9 goals scored. At the time, Reading was 2-0, having beaten Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, and had a +5 goal differential with 6 goals scored. They would need to win both their games (both on the road) by a total of 4 goals, as well as having to  in order to make the tournament. Any slip up, and Ironbound were Open Cup-bound. They proceeded to beat West Virginia 1-0 and Carolina 4-0, finishing at 4-0 with a +9 goal differential (tying Ironbound) and 10 goals scored (edging the Express by 1 goal). With that, Reading United qualify for the US Open Cup for the second straight year, and their fourth trip overall. Ironbound received the unfortunate distinction of being the third team since the current PDL qualifying format began in 1997 to win all four of their games and still miss the tournament (the other two being the Colorado Comets in 1999 and the Southern California Seahorses in 2005). However, out of those three teams, they are the first to miss out after earning shutout victories in all four of their qualifying games.

Northeast Division

The Albany BWP Highlanders and Long Island Rough Riders were the two teams left in the running with a week to go. Albany had finished their campaign at 3-0-1, with Long Island sitting at 3-0 with a game in Westchester to play. A draw was all they needed to qualify, and a draw is what they got. They tied the Flames 0-0 to qualify for the US Open Cup for the fifth time, and their second as a PDL team.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

Mid-South Division

Three teams were in the running with a week remaining: DFW and El Paso, who sat in the drivers’ seats at 2-0, and Rio Grande Valley, who were at 0-1-1, but had games against both of those clubs remaining. The Bravos started their comeback with a 1-0 win over the Tornados, pulling themselves within two points. Meanwhile, the Patriots dropped a humiliating 6-0 result to the Laredo Heat. RGV then took care of business and finished off El Paso with a 2-0 win, to put themselves at 7 points. DFW then needed a win over Houston to qualify, as RGV held the head-to-head tiebreaker between the clubs. The Tornados did their job to fend off the comeback kids, beating the Leones 1-0 to qualify for their fourth US Open Cup, and their first since 2004.

Southeast Division

The loss of the Panama City Pirates made a serious mess in how division qualification worked here in the Southeast, and New Orleans and Central Florida had to adjust their schedules accordingly. The Jesters had a match against Bradenton count double for them, while the Kraze had an extra game against Fort Lauderdale only count for themselves and not for Schulz Academy. Both took advantage of their “extra” qualifying games, winning 5-0 and 3-1, respectively. Then the race to the finish got crazy, as three of the five teams still in the running did all they could to make it to the tournament. First, the Kraze defeated Atlanta to go to 2-o-1, tying Mississippi at the top, while knocking the longshot Blackhawks out. Then, in a matchup to decide who still got a chance, Baton Rouge defeated the Jesters 2-1 to move into the lead at 2-0-2, knocking New Orleans out. They would then have to wait for results from the Brilla and Kraze. Mississippi would bump the Capitals with a 3-0 win over Nashville to finish at 3-0-1, but their trip wasn’t quite booked yet. Central Florida had to win by 3 to make it, and win by 3 they did. A 3-0 victory over Schulz Academy gave the Kraze their first trip to the US Open Cup since 2007.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

The Kitsap Pumas and Portland Timbers U23s both lined up with the same schedule, and all at the same site (Tacoma/Washington at home, Spokane/Yakima on the road). They both proceeded to take care of business and win all four of their games. The final day consisted of the Timbers playing in Yakima and Kitsap hosting the Crossfire. Portland needed to better the result of the Pumas in order to qualify. They did their job, defeating the Reds 2-0, but then would have to wait and see how Kitsap would respond. The Pumas did so by defeating Washington 2-0 themselves, making the US Open Cup for the second straight year, in only their second year of existence. In the same token, Portland becomes the fourth team in PDL qualifying history – and the second of the DAY – to finish 4-0 and not qualify for the Open Cup.

Southwest Division

The Ventura County Fusion, the defending champions of the Premier Development League, are well on their way to a repeat, currently with a 4-1 record. Their first task, qualifying for the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (their first), had already been achieved with a game to spare. They stand at 3-0, defeating Lancaster, Ogden, and Southern California. No other team can finish with more than eight points.

2007 First Round: Rhinos make early goal stand up, beat Rough Riders 1-0

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The Rhinos needed only one goal to defeat the PDL Long Island Rough Riders, and advance to the Second Round of the US Open Cup. For Long Island, it was their first appearance in the tournament since they moved down to the PDL from the Second Division.

Matthew Delicâte’s goal came in the 20th minute, heading in a cross from Stephen Shirley-Black.

The Rough Riders had two good opportunities to tie the game in the first half. A corner kick sent into the penalty area was headed on goal where Rhinos goalkeeper Chase Harrison was nowhere to be found, but midfielder Danny Kramer was there to save the day, at least momentarily. Just seconds later, Harrison made a point blank save from the left side of the 18 yard box which was one of his many great saves in the game. In the 40th minute, Harrison shined yet again. Rough Rider forward Mike Palacio launched a strong left foot from about 25 yards out but Harrison dove to his left to punch it away. One minute later, Palacio had another opportunity from 20 yards out, but Harrison was there again to keep it a 1-0 game.

While Matthew ’s goal in the 20th minute was enough for Rochester, it was Long Island goalkeeper Tim Melia vs. Johnny Menyongar in the second half. In the 64th minute, Melia stopped a 20 yard attempt from Menyongar off a touch pass from Delicâte. Three minutes later, the Rough Riders ’keeper dove to his left to stop a one-timer shot from the Liberian striker, leaving Menyongar in disbelief. Menyongar struck again three times in three minutes. In the 83rd,  Melia got in the way of a 20-yeard shot, in the 84th, Menyongar’s shot went wide, and in the 85th, Menyongar thought he finally beat his nemesis. Before he could celebrate, however, the linesman raised his flag to signal offside.

The loss extends Long Island’s Open Cup losing streak to four games, including games from their first tournament appearance in 1997 as a member of the A-League (losing 1-0 in extra time to the Metrostars), and as a Second Division team in the 2003 and 2005 competitions when they lost to the Mid-Michigan Bucks (PDL) and the Ocean City Barons (PDL).

Rochester returns to PAETEC Park on June 26 to host the Western Mass Pioneers in the Second Round.

Scoring
(ROCH) Matthew Delicate (Shirley-Black) 20′

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