Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Madison 56ers

2013 US Open Cup First Round: Lone goal in lone game gives Des Moines Menace win over Madison 56ers

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Jimmy Tulloch of the Des Moines Menace scores the game-winning goal against the Madison 56ers in the First Round of the 2013 US Open Cup in West Des Moines, IA. Photo: Pat Ward | Des Moines Menace

As the lone holdover from the scheduled night of the First Round, the Des Moines Menace and Madison 56ers had all the attention Wednesday evening. Set-up for a battle, the game did not disappoint and became the only first-round match with a 1-0 finish.

Earning the program’s first home-win in the 100-year old tournament since 2006, the Des Moines Menace (1-0-1), will move on to face Minnesota United FC (2-2-1 NASL) of the North American Soccer League in the Second Round next week. Opening its 2013 home-stand with a win, the Menace found the net just once out of its 10 shots on goal. One is all that was needed for first year head coach, Mike Jeffries squad.

“I’m happy and relieved,” commented Jeffries. “No matter what game it is, the first is always tough to get.”

Despite dominating the first half, taking five shots and earning eight corners, the score rested at 0-0. Coming out of the gates hot for the second 45, the Menace put it on the 56ers and didn’t stop until the final whistle was blown.

Just six minutes into the second stanza, Jimmy Tulloch notched his first goal in a Menace uniform; a header from the corner of the six-yard box that was just out of the reach of Madison goalkeeper Ryan Onwukwe’s hands.

“It feels great to score for this club,” said Tulloch. “Great victory. There is a lot of pride here and I’m happy to score.”

While the Menace look forward to competing against professional foes, the 56ers return to the NPSL with a chance to reclaim its title as the Midwest Region Champions. Holding a record of 17-6 in the 2012 season, the club remains a force to reckon with.

Preparing for the Second Round of the tournament, coach Jeffries is excited to get his team out there and compete without the pressure as the favorite.

“We go in to the next game a little bit of an underdog,” said Jeffries. “Most of the guys want to play professionally, this is the chance for them to showcase their abilities.”

Minnesota United FC has the host for the matchup on Tuesday, May 21.

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

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Thanks, but no thanks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2011 US Open Cup Second Round: After 48 hours in Madison, Chicago Fire PDL return home, look ahead to Sporting KC

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The original match scheduled for Tuesday was postponed due to lightning. Photo: WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

After spending 48 hours in Madison, starting a game and taking the lead only to have it abandoned due to lightning Tuesday night and finally playing their second-round US Open Cup match Wednesday, the Chicago Fire PDL team headed back to the Windy City with a sense of satisfaction – and a marquee matchup in the next round.

Creighton’s Andrew Ribeiro, a Wisconsin native, and substitute Thierry Zahui scored in a three-minute span in the second half as the Fire knocked off the Madison 56ers 2-0 at Breese Stevens Field.

The Fire advance to play Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City in a third-round match Tuesday at the new, $200 million Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.

“It’s a great feeling. I honestly couldn’t be more proud of our players right now,” said Fire coach Mark Spooner, whose team was playing its fourth game in eight days – not including the 17-plus minutes Tuesday. “The adversity they’ve come through just so far in this young season is only going to stand them in good stead. They deserve this opportunity.”

Both teams had chances in the opening half, but Fire goalkeeper David Meves and 56ers counterpart Kyle Dillman kept it scoreless, making two saves apiece.

Madison was content to let Chicago control possession and looked to hit the Fire on counters. That led to three quality opportunities in the opening 45 minutes – Meves made a nice stop on Jed Hohlbein’s 15th-minute strike and gathered up a shot by Trevor Banks in the 33rd, and Keenan Newallo flashed a shot wide in the 38th.

“We knew we had to kind of sit back and counter, because if we chased them all day they would break on us,” 56ers midfielder Tenzin Rampa said. “And I thought we did a great job of that in the first half. We hoped to pop one in and kind of defend and let it play out.”

The Fire, who saw Dillman deny center back Johnny Raj with a great save in the sixth minute after a free kick bounced around on the right side of the box, kept their poise.

“There was one moment when we had the ball when we counted on the bench and they had nine guys behind it all around their penalty area,” Spooner said. “It was frustrating for us and it was working for them. We talked about being patient and the ability to draw players out of positions.”

Chicago created chance after chance in the first 10 minutes after halftime, including a shout for a penalty kick in the 56th minute. The Fire wanted a handball called on the 56ers’ Henry Aiyenero after Paulo Vaz headed a corner kick into the 6-yard box, but referee
Margaret Domka didn’t share their opinion of the play.

Ten minutes later, Ribeiro got the breakthrough.

Fire midfielder Harrison Petts laid a pass back to the Green Bay native, who drilled a shot from 20 yards out on the left side. Dillman dove and got a hand to the blast, but the ball spun off the keeper’s hand and into the net at the far post in the 66th minute to open the scoring.

“I’d say a ball like that, one out of 10 will go (in). And this one did,” Ribeiro said of his first goal of the year. “The keeper made a nice save, but it was a little too hard for him. I got a little lucky.”

“He’s been looking forward to this game for a while,” Spooner added. “His performance tonight was well worth it, he was fantastic. I think he covered every blade of grass twice. He was great tonight.”

Two minutes later, Zahui, a 24-year-old from the Ivory Coast, ripped a shot from the right side that deflected off 56ers midfielder Keith Dangarembwa and past Dillman to double the lead.

“I guess I’ve got some travel arrangements to make now,” Spooner said with a smile.

Meanwhile, the home side lamented a number of plays that were close but not close enough, from their chances to grab the opening goal to Dillman just missing keeping out Ribeiro’s shot.

“It’s hard to think about it right now,” Hohlbein said. “To have a chance like that and then miss out on an opportunity (to play an MLS team), it’s pretty tough.

“In higher-level games, you don’t see teams get tons of chances. You get four or five quality chances, and you’ve got to finish one or two of them. … I’ve obviously got that running through my mind right now, I had a few quality chances that I probably should have finished. It’s tough.”

2011 US Open Cup Second Round: Chicago Fire PDL win 2-0 in lightning-forced replay in Madison

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From WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

Creighton’s Andrew Ribeiro (Green Bay Notre Dame) and Thierry Zahui scored in a three-minute span in the second half as the Chicago Fire PDL team knocked off the Madison 56ers 2-0 in a second round match of the US Open Cup on Wednesday at Breese Stevens Field.

Chicago Fire's Section 8 members in Madison to support PDL side in Open Cup

With the victory in a match postponed by lightning Tuesday night, the Fire advance to play at Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City in the third round.

Madison goalkeeper Kyle Dillman (Madison La Follette) dove and got a hand to Ribeiro’s blast from 20 yards out on the left side, but the ball spun off the keeper’s hand and into the net at the far post in the 66th minute to open the scoring.

“I’d say a ball like that, one out of 10 will go in. And this one did,” Ribeiro said of his first goal of the year. “The keeper made a nice save, but it was a little too hard for him.”

Two minutes later, second-half substitute Thierry Zahui, a native of the Ivory Coast, ripped a shot from the right side that deflected off 56ers midfielder Keith Dangarembwa and past Dillman to double the lead.

The 56ers had several quality scoring opportunities, but Akron keeper David Meves stopped first-half shots by Jed Hohlbein (Middleton/UW) and Trevor Banks (Madison Memorial), and Madison misfired on several chances in the second half.

It was a strange night of soccer Tuesday at Breese Stevens Field. And in the end, not very much soccer.

The Madison 56ers and the Chicago Fire Premier played just more than 17 minutes of their Second Round US Open Cup match before the game was halted by lightning with the Fire ahead 1-0.

The Fire certainly wanted the game to resume, having taken the early lead on Chris Estridge’s goal in the ninth minute.

Indiana midfielder Harrison Petts, who pounded a shot from 23 yards out off the corner of the crossbar and left post in the fourth minute, chipped a ball for Estridge over the 56ers’ backline and the Wake Forest midfielder calmly finished against Madison goalkeeper Kyle Dillman (Madison La Follette).

TheCup.us Match MVP: Andrew Ribeiro

Scoring
Chicago Fire PDL – Andrew Ribeiro (Harrison Petts) 66
Chicago Fire PDL – Thierry Zahui (Chris Estridge) 68

Lineups
MADISON 56ERS: Kyle Dillman; Carl Schneider, Reed Cooper, Sean Ronnekleiv-Kelly, Aaron Nichols; Henry Aiyenero, Keenan Newallo (Keith Dangarembwa 64); Adam Lysak (Josh Thiermann 52), Trevor Banks (Andrew Wiedabach 55), Tenzin Rampa; Jed Hohlbein. Substitutes not used: Colin Mani, Sam Krenzien, David Kommavang, Cody Banks.
CHICAGO FIRE PDL: David Meves; Tyler Polak, Johnny Raj, Kevin Cope, Hunter Gorskie; Jacob Bushue, Andrew Ribeiro (Goffin Boyoko 86), Harrison Petts, Chris Estridge, Brandan King (Thierry Zahui 64); Chris Prince (Paulo Vaz 55). Substitutes not used: Jordan Godsey (GK), Bryan Ciesiulka, Caleb Suri, Drew Russell.

Discipline: M – Wiedabach (caution-dissent, 73), Aiyenero (caution-foul, 75); C – Cope (caution-dissent, 21), Vaz (caution-foul, 77), Raj (caution-unsporting conduct, 79).

Saves: M (Dillman) 4, C (Meves) 2. Shots: M 6, C 20. Fouls: M 15, C 6. Corner kicks: M 1, C 5. Offsides: M 0, C 0.

2011 US Open Cup Second Round: Chicago Fire Premier edge Madison 56ers 2-0 in afternoon replay, Sporting KC awaits in Round 3

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UPDATE: Chicago Fire Premier punched their ticket to the Third Round with a 2-0 victory over the Madison 56ers. The Fire received goals from Andrew Ribeiro in the 66th minute and Thierry Zahui just two minutes later to seal the victory. Chicago moves on to play Sporting Kansas City on Tuesday, June 28 at LiveStrong Park at 8:30 p.m. EST. We will have a full recap of the match later tonight courtesy of WisconsinSoccerCentral.com [+]

Photo: WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

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REPORT FROM TUESDAY NIGHT:

It was a strange night of soccer Tuesday at Breese Stevens Field. And in the end, not very much soccer.

The Madison 56ers and the Chicago Fire Premier played just more than 17 minutes of their Second Round US Open Cup match before the game was halted by lightning with the Fire ahead 1-0.

A little more than 2 hours later, officials postponed the match, which will be replayed in its entirety at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Breese Stevens. The 56ers announced that admission will be free.

“It’s a little weird. (Stuff) happens,” 56ers coach Jim Launder said.

“It’s good and bad. It’s a replay, so we just erase the goal and start over. It’s not good because we lost a huge fan night … It’s not good because we’ll play in a dead stadium tomorrow, because nobody will be here at 4 p.m. And it’s not good because I think we’re going to be missing two players, maybe three.”

The Fire certainly wanted the game to resume, having taken the early lead on Chris Estridge’s goal in the ninth minute.

Indiana midfielder Harrison Petts, who pounded a shot from 23 yards out off the corner of the crossbar and left post in the fourth minute, chipped a ball for Estridge over the 56ers’ backline and the Wake Forest midfielder calmly finished against Madison goalkeeper Kyle Dillman (Madison La Follette).

Estridge raced over to celebrate with about 25 members of the Fire’s Section 8 supporters group who made the trip north. They lived uo their reputation, pounding on drum, singing songs and waving massive flags.

Four minutes later, Fire forward Paulo Vaz also got in behind the 56ers’ backline, but Dillman made a sliding save on the Lynn University striker.

“Two times when we didn’t get pressure on the ball and we didn’t step back and we just let guys run in behind us,” said Launder, who added that he would re-evaluate his lineup overnight. “I wasn’t impressed with our defensive stance. All of our backs did the same thing, they all just stopped.”

Referee Margaret Domka suspended play 17 minutes, 19 seconds into the match as storms rolled into the area and lightning was spotted. Heavy rains followed, and intermittent showers and lightning persisted. All the while, the Section 8 group kept drumming and singing.

“It was a little surreal,” Fire PDL coach Mark Spooner said. “We were trying to get updates and (the officials) weren’t that forthcoming with them, so it was frustrating. But it is what is; nobody can do anything about the weather.

“The thing that I don’t like, obviously, is now you start 0-0 again for 90 minutes. I would think that there would be a better method than that in a competition like this.”

If the match had reached 45 minutes, it would have been declared a result.

However, for the game to be resumed, 20 minutes needed to pass without lightning in the area, and there still were regular flashes in the skies as the teams left the stadium. Also, the lights at Breese Stevens need to be turned off by 11 p.m. due to a local ordinance.

“They would want to get that half game in and win the game – I would, too,” Launder said. “It wasn’t going to happen.”

So for the Fire, it was yet another night spent in a hotel. They had three road matches last week and have logged more than 1,500 miles during trips to Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin.

“It’s just one thing after another,” said Spooner, whose team requested Wednesday’s replay be moved to 4 p.m. from the scheduled 7 p.m. start time to help them get back to Chicago earlier with a PDL match Friday.

“You know, though, it’s good for their development. This whole program is designed around them becoming pros, and this is part of it. We have to react now to it and see where we can go.”

Speaking late Tuesday night, Spooner said when they got to the hotel, there weren’t enough rooms.

“What a fun night,” he deadpanned.

2011 US Open Cup Sporting KC bracket preview: Chicago Fire Premier at Madison 56ers

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SECOND ROUND

Chicago Fire Premier at Madison 56ers
Breese Stevens Field – Madison, Wis. – 8 p.m.
Broadcast: None | Preview: Wisconsin State Journal

THIRD ROUND

Chicago Fire Premier / Madison 56ers at Sporting Kansas City
June 28, 8:30 p.m. ET  LIVESTRONG Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kan.

Madison 56ers

The Madison 56ers side that has been a member of the NPSL since 2005 is part of the larger club which was founded in 1956. The club has claimed four USASA Region II titles and the NPSL team has finished first in its division three times (2006, 07, 10) with its best postseason performance resulting in a trip to the final in 2006.

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant – was the only club to enter.

First Round: Madison 56ers (NPSL) 4:0 AAC Eagles (USASA)
The 56ers were in First Round stalemate with Chicago’s AAC Eagles before running off four goals in 14 minutes in the second half. Tenzin Rampa opened the scoring in the 67th before Jed Hohlbein scored two back-to-back. Adam Lysak finished it off in the 81st. Recap [+]

League form: Madison traveled in league play Saturday to face Milwaukee Bavarians, falling 2-1 on a late strike after defender Aaron Nichols had equalized. The team is 3-2-2 in the NPSL Midwest Division.

Open Cup History: The club is making its return to the tournament for the first time since debuting in the Open Cup with four straight appearances from 1988-91. The club was knocked out in the Region II semifinals by eventual champion St Louis Busch Seniors. The following year they knocked out by St Louis Michelob in the Regional Round.  The club was again ousted in the regional semifinals, this time by AAC Eagles. They made it past the regional semis in 1991 with a 1-0 win over St Louis Scott Gallagher and narrowly missed the Open Cup semifinals with a 7-6 penalty kick loss to RWB Adria after a 4-4 draw.
PRO ERA RECORD: 1-0-0 overall

Chicago Fire Premier

Founded in 2001, the team was the second PDL club (Boulder Rapids Reserve) directly affiliated with an MLS team. It has been one of the most successful clubs in the league, finishing first in the division seven times and finished below second last year (fourth) for the first time in 10 seasons, missing the playoffs for the first time. The Fire hold the best record in the PDL over their time in the league. The club has reached the league final on two occasions (2003, 2009).

Path to Open Cup: Of the nine PDL entrants, the club was one of two that finished the qualifying campaign with a loss. The team’s 3-0 start clinched the berth as the other clubs in the division knocked one another out. The club opened with a pair of 2-0 victories, winning the opener in Akron on goals from Chris Estridge and Josey Portillo and taking the second at home against Cincinnati with Estridge finding the net again. A 90th minute strike from Estridge in the third match against River City clinched the berth as David Meves posted his third shutout for the 1-0 win. The late winner denied the charging Michigan Bucks a chance to snare the spot, settling with a 2-0 win over the Fire in the finale.

First Round: Chicago Fire Premier (PDL) 1:0 Iowa Menace (USASA)
It looked as though the two PDL rivals, although the Menace qualified through the USASA, were going to see overtime in the First Round Tuesday as they went into the final stages of regulation in a scoreless deadlock until Chris Estridge struck in the 87th for the dramatic road win. Recap [+]

League form: The Fire Premier returned immediately to league action, falling 2-1 Thursday to River City Rovers on the road. Trailing on two first half goals, Hunter Gorskie tallied in the 63rd, but they could not find an equalizer. Chicago rebounded in their second league match Saturday in Cincinnati for a 3-0 victory on goals from Josey Portillo, Paulo Vaz and Harrison Petts. The club is 5-2-1 in the PDL Great Lakes Division.

Open Cup History: Perhaps taking after its four-time champion parent club in MLS, the team has had some success in its three previous appearances. In its 2004 debut, the PDL side opened with a 5-1 win over USASA side SAC Wisla before knocking off third division professional side New Hampshire Phantoms by the same, surprising, 5-1 scoreline. They would be eliminated in the Third Round, 1-0, by the second division Rochester Rhinos. A year later, the club downed city rival AAC Eagles of the USASA 4-1 before falling, 2-1, to the second division Minnesota Thunder. In 2009, they downed Bavarian SC (USASA) 3-1 before being eliminated once again by the Thunder, this time 4-0.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 5-3-0 overall | 4-0-0 vs. Amateur Teams

Sporting Kansas City vs New England Revolution - 2011 MLS qualifying
Sporting Kansas City did a lot of celebrating during their 5-0 win over the New England Revolution. Photo: Taylor Allan | Sporting KC

Sporting KC

How They Qualified: Back-up netminder Eric Kronberg and CJ Sapong were the stars in qualifying for Kansas City, which was seeded third and started in the second round of the eastern bracket in MLS qualifying. Sapong netted an overtime game-winner in the 92nd minute of a 1-0 decision against the Dynamo in Houston April 6 in their opening game. Kronberg earned the first of two shutouts, registering the second in the bracket finale May 25 against the New England Revolution, who brought a squad of nearly all reserves. Chance Myers scored the first two goals in the 5-0 win with Sapong adding two more to secure the berth.

This Month in MLS: In a busy month for the club, Kansas City travels to Philadelphia Wednesday to face the Union in its fifth match of the month June 22 and plays once more at home against the Vancouver Whitecaps June 25 before playing in the Third Round. The opened June with a scoreless draw in Toronto and repeated the result June 9 against the Chicago Fire in the debut of LiveStrong Sporting Park. Eric Kronberg recorded the shutout in the first and relieved starter Jimmy Nielsen in the 67th minute of the second following a red card.
Last Five: W-W-D-D-D | Season Record: 3-6-4 (1-0-1 Home), 9th (last) in Eastern Conference, 18th (last) overall

FIRST ROUND

AAC Eagles (USASA-IL) 0:4 Madison 56ers (NPSL)
Breese Stevens Field – Madison, Wis. – 8 p.m.
Full Recap [+]

Chicago Fire Premier (PDL) 1:0 Iowa Menace (USASA-IA)
Valley Stadium – West Des Moines, Iowa – 8:30 p.m.
Full Recap [+]

ELIMINATED TEAMS

AAC Eagles

Originally known as the PAAC Eagles (Polish American Athletic Club), the Chicago side was founded in 1940. The club currently plays in the Metropolitan Soccer League, where they have won 11 Major Division championships. | Meet the USASA Feature [+]

Path to Open Cup: In a unique six-team format for Region II in which the winner of the opening round by the greatest goal differential earned the first US Open Cup berth, AAC Eagles came up short with its 7-2 victory against FC Indiana as the Iowa Menace were 7-1 winners against a Kansas City Athletics squad that started and played with only 10 men. The Eagles opened with the first five goals, three from Jakub Piotrowski, who would later add a fourth. In the all-Chicago showdown between the other two First Round winners, the Eagles rallied against their city rivals for a 4-1 win against RWB Adria. RWB opened the scoring in the seventh minute with Piotr Kolasinski equalizing seven minutes later. Mark Golik made it 2-1 in the 38th and Kolasinski added two more in the second half to advance to the Open Cup.

June News Updates: Fell 5-0 in league play June 5 to Schwaben, who jumped ahead into second by one point and leaving AAC six points back with three to play.

AAC Eagles celebrate their 1990 US Open Cup championship. Photo: Renee Bechtoldt | AAC Eagles
AAC Eagles celebrate their 1990 US Open Cup championship. Photo: Renee Bechtoldt | AAC Eagles

Open Cup History: The USASA side is among the current clubs that has one of the oldest records in the Open Cup, making its debut in 1948 and reaching the tournament in six decades. The team reached the western quarterfinals in its debut with a trip to the western final the following year, falling 4-3 on aggregate to Morgan SC, who defeated the eastern winner Philadelphia Nationals 4-3 on aggregate in the championship. In 1950, the club was knocked out 5-0 on aggregate by St Louis side Simpkins-Ford in the opening quarterfinal round. The team returned to the tournament in 1989, advancing to the semifinals, and won the Open Cup championship in 1990, downing Brooklyn Italians 2-1. They opened the tournament that year with a 1-0 win over the Madison 56ers in the Region II semifinals. The team fell in the opening rounds of the 1994 and 1995 tournaments before a six-year absence. The team advanced to the tournament in 2002, 2005 and 2008, but failed to advance from the opening round.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 0-4-0 overall | 0-1-0 vs. Amateur Teams (0-0-0 vs. NPSL)

Iowa Menace

A second team of the Des Moines Menace soccer club that plays in the PDL, the side will be made up largely of the PDL team in the Open Cup. The PDL side has long been one of the best in the league on and off the field, leading in attendance and reaching the league semifinals on four occasions with a championship in 2005. Last year was, surprisingly, the third time in four years it failed to make the playoffs.

Path to Open Cup: In a unique six-team format for Region II in which the winner of the opening round by the greatest goal differential earned the first US Open Cup berth, the Menace were fortunate that host Kansas City Athletics only had 10 players for its match. The Menace dominated with a 7-1 victory that gave them the Open Cup berth by one goal as AAC Eagles won their match 7-2. Surprisingly, the hosts got the opening tally in the 31st minute, but it was all Menace after that with Bryan Perez scoring twice as the Menace took a 3-1 lead to the break. John Sosa and Jarrett Hamilton each scored twice in the second half.

June News Updates (PDL): The Menace completed their four-game Canadian trip with a second straight loss to Thunder Bay, falling 3-0 June 11… On the third game of its Canadian trek June 10, the Menace fell 2-0 in Thunder Bay… Nabbed a second win in as many nights June 8 in Winnipeg, downing WSA 4-3 in a back-and-forth match in which four difference players scored… Posted a 2-0 shutout at Winnipeg June 7 on goals from Matt Lagrassa and Bryan Perez as Phil Boerger recorded the clean sheet… Opened the month with a 5-2 win at Kansas City June 1 with Deshorn Brown tallying two goals and assist.

Open Cup History: This is the first time the USASA version of the Des Moines Menace has qualified for the US Open Cup

However, since the club is basically the PDL team, here is their history:

Despite being one of the top clubs in the PDL, the team did not make the first of its five previous appearances until 2002. It marked the run of four trips in five years for the Menace, who returned to the Open Cup last year, falling in the first round, 1-0, to second division AC St Louis. The club’s debut was a symbol of the future as they downed third division New Jersey Stallions 3-1 before falling 3-2 in overtime to the second division Rochester Rhinos in the second round. A surprise exit, 2-1 in overtime, came at the hands of Bavarian SC (USASA) in the opening round of 2003. Two years later, the Menace were back on the upset track, however. They opened with a penalty kick decision over third division Pittsburgh Riverhounds in a 1-1 draw before eliminating a pair of second division clubs. They topped the Charleston Battery, 3-2, in the second round and the Atlanta Silverbacks on the road in a stunning 5-1 scoreline in the Third Round before being knocked out by MLS side Kansas City, 6-1. After eliminating two USASA sides (Croatian Eagles, Dallas Mustang Legends), the team collected another second division upset in 2006, edging the Minnesota Thunder 1-0 before being knocked out again by Kansas City, this time 2-1 in the Third Round.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 6-5-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 2-1-0 vs. Amateur Teams (0-0-0 vs. PDL)

2011 US Open Cup First Round: Madison 56ers roll past AAC Eagles 4-0 in Pro Era debut

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The Madison 56ers stormed into the second round of the U.S. Open Cup, scoring four goals in a late 14-minute span in the second half to power past Chicago’s AAC Eagles in a first round match in front of 702 fans Tuesday night at Breese Stevens Field.

Tenzin Rampa (Madison West/UW-Milwaukee) opened the scoring in the 67th minute for the 56ers, Jed Hohlbein (Middleton/UW) found the back of the net twice in four minutes and Marquette’s Adam Lysak (Milton) finished things off as the 56ers won their first Open Cup match since 1991.

Madison (5-1-3 overall) advances to play the Chicago Fire Premier, the Premier Development League team for the Major League Soccer club, in a second round match next Tuesday at Breese Stevens. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Second round winners will face MLS teams in the third round June 28.

Based on the first round winners and the tournament rule that requires teams from the same club – such as the Fire – to be separated in the bracket, it appears the most likely potential MLS opponents for the winner of the 56ers-Fire Premier match are Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake. The U.S. Soccer Federation is expected to announce the third round prospective matches this week.

The trio of target striker Hohlbein and outside midfielders Lysak and Rampa wore down AAC Eagles backline in the second half Tuesday night, with Rampa finally getting the breakthrough. The Milwaukee Wave player, who had his amateur status reinstated to join the team, zipped a left-footed shot past Eagles goalkeeper Marek Los to help make his return to the 56ers a success.

Player-assistant coach Henry Aiyenero helped create Hohlbein’s first goal, hustling forward from his central midfield position to win the ball back after losing it. He found Hohlbein, who worked his way around three defenders to the left side of the box and slipped a shot past Los to make it 2-0.

Lysak and Hohlbein finished things off in the 76th and 81st minutes with each scoring on a give-and-go sequence involving the other. University of Wisconsin keeper Max Jentsch (Hartland Arrowhead) made two saves for the clean sheet, but was hardly tested by AAC Eagles.

RECAP: Madison.com

Madison 56ers 0 4 —
 4
AAC Eagles 0 0 —
 0

Madison 56ers – Tenzin Rampa (Keenan Newallo) 67
Madison 56ers – Jed Hohlbein (Henry Aiyenero) 72
Madison 56ers – Jed Hohlbein (Adam Lysak) 76
Madison 56ers – Adam Lysak (Jed Hohlbein) 81

MADISON 56ERS: Max Jentsch; Carl Schneider, Colin Mani, Sean Ronnekleiv-Kelly, Aaron Nichols; Henry Aiyenero, Keenan Newallo (David Kommavang 82); Adam Lysak, Andrew Wiedabach (Aymar Sinaise 78), Tenzin Rampa; Jed Hohlbein (Carlos McCrary 84). Substitutes not used: Kyle Dillman (GK), Keith Dangarembwa, Derek Pitts, Sam Krenzien.

AAC EAGLES: Marek Los; Miroslaw Modzelewski, Piotr Kolasinski, Derek Szewczyk, Marcin Simson; Mariusz Napiorkowski, Pawel Otachel (Eric Cervantes 71), Jacek Lechowski (Sebastian Skital 76), Marek Golik (Adrian Skital 65); Matt Kochanowski, Jakub Piotrawski. Substitutes not used: Piotr Sliwa (GK), Marcin Pieniazek, Peter Bielecki, Rafal Zalewski.

Saves: M (Jentsch) 2, AAC (Los) 7. Shots: M 15, AAC 6. Fouls: M 17, AAC 11. Corner kicks: M 5, AAC 3. Offsides: M 5, AAC 1. Discipline: M – Mani (caution-foul, 17), Wiedabach (caution-unsporting conduct, 59); AAC – Lechowski (caution-unsporting conduct, 59). Att.: 702.

Eric Anderson is the senior editor of WisconsinSoccerCentral.com. Follow him on Twitter @WisconsinSoccer.

Madison 56ers awarded NPSL Midwest US Open Cup spot

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Madison 56ersJim Launder has always wanted the Madison 56ers to play in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, giving his National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) team a shot at playing against a professional side.

So after the 56ers won the NPSL Midwest Region title last year, they started making plans to play in this spring’s USASA Region II Open Cup tournament.

That included putting together a roster of players who would be available for the early rounds of the tournament – many of the 56ers’ players are college athletes and aren’t allowed to start playing with the team until mid-May due to NCAA regulations.

But in February, the US Soccer Federation announced that the NPSL would receive four berths into the US Open Cup, and the league in turn revealed that each of its four regions would be allocated one spot.

While the league’s other three regions have recently unveiled a qualifying format, the Midwest Region opted to award its Open Cup berth to the 56ers as the 2010 champion.

“It’s pretty cool that we’re going right in,” Launder said, “but I wish I hadn’t done all the work to put this whole team together and now have to tell the guys, ‘Just kidding.’

“But this is better, and in the long run it’s a good thing to have (the automatic berths).”

56ers general manager Charles Billings, a member of the NPSL Board who handles much of the organization for the Midwest Region, said none of the other six Midwest teams expressed interest in a qualifying tournament.

Perhaps one reason the teams didn’t want to add qualifying was that by the time the U.S. Soccer announcement was made, the regional schedule already had been set and would have had to be redone.

The 56ers have made four previous appearances in the Open Cup, all before the Professional Era (1995-present). They fell in the Region II semifinals from 1988 to ’90, and were ousted by Illinois’ RWB Adria 7-6 on penalty kicks following a 4-4 tie in the 1991 quarterfinals.

Launder coached the team – then known as the Princeton-56ers – in the USASA Region II tournament in 2007 and ’08, falling to Michigan’s Detroit United 2-1 in the first round in 2007 and 2-0 to RWB Adria in the semifinals the next year. Region II has traditionally awarded the NPSL Midwest champion an automatic spot in its tournament the following year.

The roster Launder put together for the anticipated Region II tournament was a combination of 56ers players who are not in college, some of the team’s standouts from recent years and other current and former pro players.

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