Meet the USASA

2012 Meet The USASA: Eric Wynalda’s Cal FC from Thousand Oaks, CA

May 15, 2012 by Gerald Barnhart

cal-fc-vs-psa-elite-2012-region4 — Cal FC, wearing the Chicago Fire jerseys, reached the USASA Region IV Final and qualified for the US Open Cup in their first attempt. Photo: PSA Elite

On Tuesday evening, the well-established reigning USL Premier Development League champion Kitsap Pumas will play host to an unknown club built by a famous face, a team about second chances. That team is Cal FC.

A lot of American soccer fans may picture Eric Wynalda as a brash, outspoken former US international star striker turned television personality. But in reality, he is a busy man these days.

Just take two weekends ago. On Friday and Saturday he was coaching the club team, Cal FC, that he has built over the past year as it was making its debut at the USASA Region IV tournament. On Sunday he had to turn the reigns over to his friend and assistant coach Nick Webster for the Final while he saw to his broadcast responsibilities.

When TheCup.us caught up with him Friday to discuss the development of Cal FC, he was in a cab, having just landed in Houston for the Dynamo stadium opening. On Tuesday, he will miss his club’s opening match of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup due to travel to Germany for the Champions League.

It’s not something you would expect from a head coach of elite caliber team or club, but Cal FC is not about the career of Eric Wynalda. The club is about finding and developing local talent, giving players that have been missed by the system a first chance or giving a select few a second or third opportunity to prove themselves. You could almost compare it to a handful of the reality talent competition shows on network television.

“If we get to August and all of these guys are still playing for me, I did something wrong,” he said.

Based out of Thousand Oaks, Calif. and playing in La Gran Liga (Oxnard), the club has been operational for about a year and things are going well, to say the least.

“We are doing pretty good. We went into the playoffs and fared well,” said the club’s President and manager Michael Friedman about the team’s league performance prior to the Region IV tournament. For the Open Cup process though, it is “a whole different squad, an ongoing process.

“We have a number of players that have been in the camps of MLS squads and Eric has been able to corral them into this squad and put together a pretty good team.”

And Friedman was not kidding. Among the notable names that traveled to Ontario for the USASA tournament included Pablo Cruz, Eder Arreola, Artur Aghasyan, Mike Randolph and the Barrera brothers Diego and Danny.

Cruz and the Barreras accounted for all four goals in the team’s most important win in the regional tournament, a 4-3 event-opening victory over the defending Region IV champion Doxa Italia, the only other competitive side in what turned out to be a three-team group with the fourth not arriving. Cal FC notched a 7-0 win and Doxa an 8-0 victory against The Internationalists.

A missed penalty kick and a Randolph red card started the club’s descent in the final, which was compounded by the injuries the side was taking on.

“I made a couple mistakes as a manager; I did not bring enough guys,” said Wynalda. “We took some injuries and ran out of gas. We played against Doxa tight, and it was a pretty good game.

“It was good for the guys; they felt what a loss feels likes it,” he added about the Final, a 2-0 defeat to PSA Elite, another area club with former professionals on the roster. “It was difficult. Not enough guys, key injuries; it is a testament that they qualified.”

“We still haven’t got everyone on the team that we want,” added Wynalda. “Even if we lose, we are gonna continue to move forward.”

And by that, Wynalda is referring to its role of creating opportunities for players.

“The club started because Eric and I thought a few years back there could be something better,” said Friedman. “This team is mainly formed from this local area – Thousand Oaks – that went to college and came back. Then we held a tryout recently and the players that came out surprised us. The talent is really high. Eric put all of his resources to work to put this together.”

One of those resources is his other day job. Wynalda became the President of International Operations for Mexican club Murcielago (Spanish for bats), making him the technical director and chief scout looking for Mexican-American talent between Santa Barbara and San Diego. The club, formally known as Deportivo Guamuchil FC, was founded in 2008 and plays in the third-tier Segunda Division.

“This team defines the term unique,” said Wynalda.

“I basically called numerous high schools in the area and asked, ‘who’s your local legend?” They all knew of someone, but the hard part was finding them and trying to get them on a soccer field. Everyone has difficult challenges in life, some more than others. My challenge has been to discover these kids and invite them in and see what they’ve got. The process started a few years ago, and I am still tracking kids.

“During that process I brought in other players I was very well aware of, but for whatever reason it didn’t work out for them. Guys who tried out for Chivas or Galaxy and did not fit the mold. And, I guess I am the second chance for these guys.”

eric-wynalda-fox-soccer — Eric Wynalda is an analyst for Fox when he's not coaching. Photo: Fox Soccer

And in a way, those players owe their second opportunities to Wynalda’s search for his own second chance after being rejected in bids to become the head coaches for the Chicago Fire and Chivas USA.

“I wanted the Fire and Chivas jobs, and didn’t get either. Partly, it was because I was not an assistant somewhere, but I felt I didn’t need to be an assistant anywhere.”

Wynalda had already experimented with the coaching life early after retiring, taking a position with the PDL Bakersfield Brigade, a club run by a longtime friend, in 2005. “I was aspiring to be a coach, and we talked about a lot of things. I just wanted to get my feet wet, but the television part of my life kind of took things over. I haven’t stopped coaching or being a part of the game.”

Although he will be halfway around the world when his team takes the field Tuesday evening in Bremerton, Wash. against the professional Kitsap Pumas, the reigning PDL champions, they still owe the opportunity to the National Soccer Hall of Famer.

“The ability and talent they have shown is pretty outstanding. I don’t know how far we’ll take it.” At this point for the team he says, “We are not trying to reinvent the wheel, just have fun.”

“We are really fired up about playing Kitsap. It will be a good test,” said Wynalda, who is a proponent of the tournament.

“As much as a coveted cup it has become, it could be better. As a tribute to Lamar Hunt and what that means – as a friend, – it means a lot,” commenting that it is a deserving recognition of the man’s contribution to the sport and that the tournament should keep his name forever synonymous with the event.

2012 Meet The USASA: KC Athletics from Kansas City, KS

May 15, 2012 by William Schulz

After a one season’s absence, the Kansas City Athletics will once again represent the United States Adult Soccer Association’s (USASA) Region II at the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

For the last three years, KC has benefitted as the only entry from the state of Kansas, therefore not having to play a state qualifying tournament and getting a bye into the regional tournament. They are the only USASA club from Kansas to qualify for the Open Cup in the Modern Pro Era (1995-present).

In the 2010 tournament, the Athletics were eliminated in the first round by the NSC Minnesota Stars by a result of 4-2. Player/coach Kyle Perkins believes the game was much closer than the score line indicates, as one goal was scored via penalty kick and another the result of “an unlikely goalkeeper error.”

Since their elimination from the 2010 U.S. Open Cup, the Athletics have been playing in the Kansas Soccer Association League, and against some local colleges in the spring.

In 2011, the club’s qualification hopes were dashed by the Iowa Menace. A combination of overconfidence and only having ten players available doomed Kansas City to a crushing 7-1 defeat. The Athletics struck first, but Iowa seized the lead before halftime and never relented.

In their final qualifying match for the 2012 edition of the Open Cup, Kansas City again were forced to play with only ten men. The club only had the budget to send eleven players to the Bensenville, IL tournament, and at the last moment a player was called to train with the MLS side Sporting Kansas City. It was the luck of the draw for the Athletics because thanks to a blind draw conducted by Region II officials, it was determined that their game against the Cincy Saints would be a “Win & You’re In” match, with the other four entries playing off for the second Open Cup berth. Fortunately for the Athletics, their opponents, the Saints, had only eight players make the journey. KC won the match 10-2, and became the first Region II club to qualify for the tournament.

Regarding the victory, Perkins said, “Even with ten we would have been able to compete against a full eleven and scrap out a win. If we didn’t believe that we wouldn’t have shown up. All we could do was play against the team we drew.”

Kansas City will face the Premier Development League’s Real Colorado Foxes at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Co on Tuesday, May 15. Despite having a history of playing shorthanded, Perkins expects the Athletics to have a full-strength starting eleven and substitutes ready to go on match day. “We are a solid team who loves to play attacking soccer,” said Perkins, “So I am sure there will be some goals this week.

“Our goal every year is to go as far as we can in the Open Cup and win our regional final in June,” Perkins added. “It’s one step at a time for us.”

MORE: Check out the rest of the 2012 Meet the USASA series

Meet the first-ever US Club Soccer team in the US Open Cup: Stanislaus United Turlock Express

May 14, 2012 by Robert Jonas

For the first time in the long history of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a team from U.S. Club Soccer has qualified for the tournament proper. Based in the vast central valley of California, Stanislaus United Turlock Express defeated the Bay Area Ambassadors in a play-in game by a score of 3-0 to secure their ticket to the big dance. Up next for the Express is a date with the Fresno Fuego of the PDL this Tuesday.

Founded in the early 2000s as an organization dedicated to making high-level organized soccer available to the less well heeled in its community, the Express offered mainly the children of agricultural workers and other related fields an opportunity to play futsal, or indoor soccer. One of the chief architects of the club was current technical director of soccer Antonio Reis, who recognized that vastness of the talent in his community and wanted to provide them an avenue to perhaps play professionally.

“We have a community based club that caters to the local kids. We don’t charge to play, so many of our players stay with us a long time, even after returning from going to college.”

Reis is proud of all the players that have come through his system, and he embraces the father figure role he takes on for many of his former and current players.

“They are all my sons and they are all very good. Some of the kids have been with me since they were 7 years old. Many kids grew up in our club playing futsal, and some have gone on to play in Fiji, and Mexico, and in Germany. Today, many of our kids travel throughout our area and to the Bay to play with other clubs and in tougher leagues.”

A deep appreciation for the success of the Express warms Reis, and he is quick to point out that despite the minimal coaching and training resources the club can provide, the players have grown into a tight knit group of young adults.

“They are all a big part of our local culture. We have the clown, the leader, the serious guy, the excitable guy, we have all of that. But what makes us good is the teamwork and the overall belief the kids have for one another.”

Reis may often refer to his players as kids, but the team that will play in this week’s Cup match against Fresno Fuego has a maturity built from age and experience. The bulk of the current team won a U-18 California state title four years ago, and the nucleus of the side knows what it means to be successful. The team captain is Gerardo Ramirez, who Reis credits as the cohesive force that keeps the young group of men together as a unified squad.

“Ramirez is the leader and keeps the spirit high and he helps out the guys when they make mistakes. He helps keep a nice atmosphere around the guys and they are all great friends.”

The team’s goalkeeper, Javier Rosales, was instrumental in the Express weathering an opening match salvo from the Ambassadors, and still being able to regroup for the historic win. A long time member of the club, Reis marvels at how far Rosales has come despite the long odds of success.

“He has been very good for us. Sometimes we wish he had better days, and sometimes he saves our butt. We try to have excellent coaching at all levels, but we don’t have enough to really train these guys completely. He is definitely a hard worker and is doing great with the limited amount of goalkeeping coaching we can provide.”

Reis leads the team into training four times a week, and is often flooded with requests from local players wanting to join the club. Part of that enthusiasm to represent the Express comes from the low fees to play, but much of it is a product of that familial environment that Reis has instilled in the club. From youth teams on up to the senior U.S. Club Soccer team, players don’t often stray from the opportunity to play the game they love. And even with the odds clearly stacked against his team this Tuesday, Reis knows his players will enjoy every moment of their US Open Cup experience.

“I think we will provide a nice game. Our players are very excited to play Fresno. Now, we aren’t going in there thinking we can kick their butts, but we also don’t think we are going to get out butts kicked!”

Robert Jonas writes for Centerline Soccer and you can follow him on Twitter @RobertJonas.

MORE: Check out the rest of the 2012 Meet the USASA series

2012 Meet The USASA: ASC New Stars from Houston, TX

May 14, 2012 by Gerald Barnhart

A year later, and a year wiser. Though the club, founded in1974, boasts a great amount of experience, it is not quite so cliché when it comes to the ASC New Stars of Houston, Texas. More importantly for the club, the format and draw of the tournament was a lot kinder a year later.

“We played against a great team in the final and won the championship, I think the difference was experience we all had as a team from previous years over our opponent,” said head coach Majid Savadkoohi.

The third generation took Aria Soccer Club to new heights, reaching the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament for the third time in five years and finally claiming the elusive USASA Region III championship. But it is upsets in the Open Cup that makes the amateur teams memorable, and that has been a difficult task courtesy of the draws the team has faced.

As Region III runners-up in 2008, the New Stars were sent to South Carolina., where they were blanked 3-0 by the second division’s Charleston Battery. Last year, it was a trip to Orlando, Fla. where they lost 4-0 to eventual season and playoff champion Orlando City of the third division USL Pro.

This year if the club is successful, the New Stars would likely play three rounds in-state before having to leave Texas, possibly four. ASC were drawn against a Premier Development League power in the Laredo Heat, a club with which ASC has great familiarity with, and have a second round contest awaiting them with North American Soccer League expansion club San Antonio Scorpions. An upset against the second-tier pro club would most likely net them a match against either the hometown Houston Dynamo or their MLS rival FC Dallas, though the pairings have not been announced for the Third Round yet.

That is a nice bit of karma for the previous travel. They were even the hosts of the Region III tournament a few weeks ago as well.

“Since we don’t have to travel out of state and some of players have friends or relatives – and also some former ASC players that are playing for Laredo now – makes us feel more close to home,” said Savadhoohi. “I think we are going to do better this year.”

A former ASC player they may face come Tuesday night is Emmanuel Frias. Frias, who has played for ASC off and on before joining the Heat, saw action between the posts on six occasions for Laredo during the regular season last year, boasting a nice 0.386 goals-against average for a 3-1-1 record and four shutouts. He went on to start all four playoff matches, leading the Heat to the PDL championship before falling, 1-0 in the Final to the Kitsap Pumas. They will not, however, see Edward Estrada, who played for the New Stars at the 2010 Region III tournament. Estrada played 12 games in defense for the Heat last year with four more appearances in the playoffs, including three starts, but has moved to the IMG Academy in Bradenton where he is playing for the Academics in the PDL.

“Laredo Heat is a great team, I have a lot of respect for the players, coaches and management; and I think this will be a great game. We have a very good relationship with all of them, and I think it will be a friendly atmosphere in the game on Tuesday,” he added, concluding that, “We have to remember we have to think one game at a time and you know in cup games each game is a Final.”

The humble Savadkoohi has plenty to be proud about with his club, though, too. The New Stars went into the Region III tournament as favorites. Veteran star Alex Bolan, who notched four goals and an assist in the 2011 Region III tournament, last year had 17 goals in the local HFA Premier League this season. In this year’s regional tournament, though, it was George Sangira, who scored once in the 2011 event, who had the winning touch, scoring five goals over the course of the championship run.

Savadkoohi said that all of his players had outstanding performances throughout the tournament, but “in the final match George Sangira was the player of the game.” He went on to say that his eight new players had performed well, including 19 year-old goalkeeper Jason Taffet, who allowed just two goals in the group phase, including a 2-0 shutout in the final over fellow Open Cup qualifier North Texas Rayados. The win in the championship game punches their ticket to the USASA Nationals which are being held in Bridgeview, Ill this summer.

Always extending his thanks to the players for their dedication and hard work, as well as the club’s co-founder and General Manager Tom Khalili, it is Savadkoohi that is the mastermind behind the success of the third generation, which appears to be transitioning to the fourth with the sizable injection of new talent.

“In 2003, after the previous coach retired, I became the head coach of the only premier team ASC had in the Houston Football Association,” said Savadkoohi a year ago. “I kept three players from his team and brought in young players ages 17-21 to build basically a new team, and changed the name to New Stars to fit the team’s character, which was made up of young and new players.”

That is when the domination of the HFA began. The New Stars have won the title now all eight years as well as claiming numerous cup titles.

To continue to challenge the team, the New Stars have had to step onto a more regional and national stage. The first time was in 2008 with limited success. After skipping the regional event in 2009, they returned in 2010 only to finish winless in group play. That made the 2011 Region III tournament about reclamation.

“After last year’s extreme disappointment we came into this year with redemption on our mind,” said Savadkoohi during the 2011 Region III tournament. “We just keep building positive momentum after each win along with improved chemistry and purpose.”

This year, it is all about looking forward.

MORE: History of ASC New Stars (2011 Meet the USASA)

MORE: Check out the rest of the 2012 Meet the USASA series

2012 Meet the USASA: Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks from Washington D.C.

May 13, 2012 by Josh Hakala

The Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks are back in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the third time in the last six years. If you think the team name is a mouthful, you’re right, but as the club’s manager Jon Knight is quick to point out, the Hawks wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for their main sponsor that supports his pay-to-play club from the Washington DC area.

After qualifying for the Open Cup for the first time in 2007, the Hawks nearly folded, but were brought back from the brink by the folks at Dulles Sportsplex (Sports Management Group). While the bulk of the team’s finances are provided through financial support of their sponsors, the players all pay season dues as a central philosophy of the team to shoulder the burden of the team’s obligations.

“Recently we have adopted the motto of Scotland’s Queen’s Park FC, ‘Ludere Causa Ludendi’ (to play for the sake of playing), because it perfectly encapsulates the essence of our team,” said Knight. “The fact that we are hosting a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match shows how far we have come from our first appearance in 2007.”

The Hawks are hosting the PDL’s Carolina Dynamo at the Maryland Soccerplex in Boyds, MD (7:30 p.m. kickoff), aiming for their first Open Cup win. Their previous two appearances they found themselves playing road games against third division professional teams. In 2007, they lost 4-0 to the Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2) and two years later, they lost a lightning-shortened 1-0 decision to the Real Maryland Monarchs.

The Hawks have been the dominate team out of the Metro DC/Virginia Soccer Association for the last seven years, including their three Open Cup appearances in 2007, 2009 and this year. They have represented DC/VA in the USASA Region I tournament every year they have entered the state tournament since 2006 (In 2011, they entered the Maryland qualifying tournament). In addition to their impressive Open Cup resume, they have a laundry list of trophies, highlighted by their 2009 USASA Amateur Cup national title.

The team was founded in 1996 by a group of Greek and Cypriot University students in the D.C. area, and is named after a Greek Army helicopter. As the years passed, most of the players who founded the team either stopped playing or went back to their homelands, and the name was kept out of respect for the founders.

“Often people have asked why I have never changed the name of the team since all the original Greek and Cypriot founders and players are no longer with the club,” explained Knight. “My response to them is that they still are, very much, with the club both in spirit and with support. This was their team I inherited in 2002 and it already had a good local tradition, which I knew as a player for the Hawks since 1998.”

The Hawks began their journey to the tournament by defeating their rivals Club Atletico Virginia 3-1 to capture their sixth DC/VA Open Cup title in the last eight years. Guilherme Fonseca assisted on all three goals, two of them by Ernesto Marquez and the other by Sam Scales.

The opening game of the Region I tournament against Eastern Pennsylvania champion West Chester United went the same way as the last one. The Hawks scored the first three goals, and held on to win the game 3-1. Fonseca assisted on two more goals and the third was an own goal.

They would punch their ticket with a 2-0 win over the Maryland Bays in the Region I semifinals with a first half goal by Watson Vaughan Prather and a late unassisted clincher by Fonseca.

Fonseca, as evidenced by his performances in qualifying is the team’s No. 10 in midfield. The Brazilian spent time in the Santos Academy where he played with AC Milan star Robinho

In midfield, Fonseca is flanked by two players with major conference experience in their college days. Former Ohio State Buckeye Sam Scales and local product, and former Maryland Terrapin, Erwin Diaz. His fellow central midfielder Watson Prather played for Wisconsin.

The backline is full of experience for the Hawks, featuring a couple of former USL players on the outside with Mateus Dos Anjos and Devlin Barnes. The middle of the defense is anchored in the middle by Pat Selwood, who played his college ball at Bucknell University.

Up top, one of their top forwards is Ernesto Marquez who led George Mason in scoring during his senior season in 2010. Marquez was coached at GMU by Greg Andrulis, who led the Columbus Crew to the 2002 US Open Cup title.

The team will be without a key player on Tuesday as captain, and George Washington alum, Michael Goldman will miss the game due to a red card he received back in 2009 when the Hawks lost to Real Maryland in the First Round.

“This year’s team is different,” said Knight, who returns just two starters from their first Open Cup run in 2007. “The defining characteristic of this team remains the willingness to compete for each other. We still pride ourselves on being a ‘Band of Brothers’ and it’s a close knit group. There are no superstars on this team, and there is a very good balance.
“We’re a little banged up right now, particularly in our front and back lines, but this equals opportunity for some of the other players in our pool to step up to the challenge,” said Knight. “With so many Cup games recently, we’ve made sure that our entire roster pool has gotten a crack at contributing and getting playing time in our Washington Premier League matches.”

On Tuesday they will open the tournament against the Carolina Dynamo of the Premier Development League who have been competing in the Open Cup since 1996, both as a pro and an amateur franchise. They are making their second straight appearance and have been very successful since joining the PDL in 2004. They have qualified four times as a PDL team and have a 5-2-0 record, including their historic run to the Fourth Round in 2006 where they upset the Richmond Kickers (3rd Division) and the Seattle Sounders (2nd Division) before falling to the Houston Dynamo of MLS, 4-2.

“We have the talent and the capacity to get the result on May 15, but know that it will be a tremendous challenge,” said Knight. “The Carolina Dynamo are a strong PDL side and we know we’ll be up against a talented team chock full of top ACC stars. But playing at home will be a huge boost to us and allow several players that would otherwise not be able to attend, to figure in the match.”

Knight clearly values the tournament, something that hasn’t been lost on his players.

I think the Open Cup is great for the American game as a whole and is certainly a testament to the vision of Mr. Lamar Hunt,” said Sam Scales, who helped Ohio State reach the College Cup Final in 2007. “It honors what the sport has grown to become in the US and I am honored to be partaking in the Cup with the Hawks.”

“This tournament represents the most exciting opportunity for a men’s amateur team,” added Knight. “We want to push ourselves to play at the highest level we can, because we love the game and it still gives back to us.Nobody on this team is playing pro anymore, for some it’s in their future, for others it’s in the past. Most of us never had a chance. But this tournament allows a team like ours to dream big, set a goal and go after it, together.”

MORE: Check out the rest of the 2012 Meet the USASA series

2012 Meet the USASA: Four-time US Open Cup champion New York Greek American Atlas SC

May 11, 2012 by J.T. Alwin

New York Greek American Atlas SC: 4-time Open Cup champions (1967, 1968, 1969, 1974)

Welcome to our continuing series of Meet the USASA features where we annually profile the clubs representing the United States Adult Soccer Association in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Advancing from the four regional tournaments, these often unknown clubs have great stories to tell and each year, our goal is to allow fans to get to know them as they attempt to become this year’s Cinderella story.

While the name Greek American Atlas has not been seen in the US Open Cup in seven years, the club is very intertwined with the competition’s history. Founded in 1941, the club from New York City has won the Cup four times, including a three-peat from 1967 to 1969, making them one of four clubs to do so (Fall River/New Bedford 1930-32, Stix, Baer, and Fuller 1933-35, Seattle Sounders FC 2009-11). The club is also successful on the homefront, winning their division of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League 10 times since joining in 1994, including this season. The team also captured the Dr. Manning Cup in 2009, the main cup tournament for the Eastern New York Federation.

Atlas’ path to the Open Cup began with a satisfying 4-0 win over archrival New York Pancyprian-Freedoms in the Eastern New York Federation’s Open Cup, ending Pancyprian’s two-year run of USOC qualification. They were also authoritative in the USASA’s Region I qualifying tournament, notching 2-0 wins against Massachusetts’ Battery Park Gunners and eventual qualifier Jersey Shore Boca. This will be the fourth appearance in the Pro Era for Greek American, their other appearances resulting in a 2-0 forfeit to Western Mass Pioneers in 1998, a 4-1 loss to Cape Cod Crusaders in 2004, and a 3-0 loss to Ocean City Barons in 2005.

1969 NY Greek American — Greek American SC team in 1969. Photo: Bill Graham Guide | National Soccer Hall of Fame

The club recognizes this history, as General Manager George Mellis explains. “Our clubhouse is like a museum, so that everyone who comes in knows about the honor and tradition when they put on a Greek American jersey.” “We are all honored to be playing for such a great club that is rich in history,” concurs player/manager Michael Todd.

However, the club also has to deal with the present. Some of the players split time between Greek American Atlas and the Long Island Rough Riders, and with both teams participating in the Open Cup, a compromise had to be made. “We let our members who also play for the Rough Riders play with them, and they will let them be available to us for the Amateur Cup…. Our goal has been for the to be the national champion, though realistically we have a better shot in the amateur cup than the professional cup.”

2011-12 NY Greek American Atlas season

Cosmopolitan Soccer League
Sep. 11 ’11 – Win, 4-1 vs. NY Croatia
Sep. 17 ’11 – Win, 3-0 vs. NYC Albania
Sep. 25 ’11 – Win, 3-0 vs. Central Park Rangers Whites
Oct. 2 ’11 – Win, 6-0 vs. Manhattan Kickers
Oct. 9 ’11 – Win, 2-0 vs. Polonia FC
Oct. 16 ’11 – Win, 5-1 vs. United FC
Nov. 6 ’11 – Win, 4-0 vs. Clarkstown FC
Nov. 21 ’11 – Win, 2-0 vs. NY Pancyprian-Freedoms
Nov. 27 ’11 – Tie, 1-1 vs. Lansdowne Bhoys
Dec. 11 ’11 – Win, 3-1 vs. NYAC
Mar. 22 – Tie, 2-2 vs. Polonia FC
Apr. 3 – Win, 2-0 vs. Barnstonworth Rovers
Apr. 17 – Win, 1-0 vs. NY Pancyprian-Freedoms
May 6 – Win, 4-0 vs. NY Croatia
May 8 – Win, 4-1 vs. Manhattan Kickers

USASA Region I Open Cup tournament
Apr. 1 – Win, 2-0 vs. Battery Park Gunners (MA)
Apr. 22 – Win, 2-0 vs. Jersey Shore Boca (NJ)

That does not mean they will be without capable weapons, by any stretch of the imagination. Chris Megaloudis has paced the team in goals through an undefeated regular season this year, and brings experience to the team having played with Red Bull New York. Captain Josh Trott has led the team in goals the past five years until Megaloudis took the crown this year. “Josh is one of the most dominant soccer players on the amateur scene,” states Todd. “His hard work and dedication is one of the platforms for the team’s success.”

Todd also has some history with Greek American Atlas, scoring a goal against his current team while while playing for the Ocean City Barons in 2005. “Our General Manager has not forgot nor forgiven me for it,” Michael recalls. However, Mellis shows that this history doesn’t matter in picking players or managers: “Once we saw Michael play with St. John’s , we knew we wanted him in a Greek jersey, and we finally got our wish. We are very happy to have him here.”

Greek-American Atlas takes on Philadelphia Union-backed Reading United AC at 7 PM on May 15th, but they will not lay down for their opponent, with history on their side, and their minds on the present as well as the future.

MORE: Check out the rest of the 2012 Meet the USASA series

2012 Meet the USASA: North Texas Rayados from Dallas, TX

May 9, 2012 by Jon Sicotte

North Texas Rayados hope to take a page from the playbook of fellow North Texas Premier Soccer Association (NTPSA) Division 1A member Dallas Roma FC from six years ago and make a run in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup this season.

Roma won a United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) record three matches in 2006 before losing in the fourth round to Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy. A run like that, which included the first-ever USASA wins over a First Division club (1-0 vs. Miami FC) and an MLS team (0-0, 4-2 in PKs vs. Chivas USA)-0), could be a dream that NTX Rayados hopes to see happen.

The Dallas-based NTX Rayados lost 2-0 in the USASA Region III Open Cup championship to ASC New Stars on April 28, but finished
with a 2-1-0 record in group play to qualify for the US Open Cup for the first time. Wins over Florida’s Royal Eagles (4-0) and Oklahoma’s Boston Avenue Athletic Club (2-1) propelled the team to the tournament for the first time.

The team was formed in the summer of 2011 when former college teammates Tito Salas and Raul Herrera got a group of friends that had moved back home after finishing up college soccer careers.

ntx-rayados-headshot_1_Herrera_Raul_0152 — Raul Herrera of the North Texas Rayados

“ wanted to play at the highest level possible,” said Herrera, who is the Rayados’ goalkeeper and is currently the goalkeeper coach at Richland College in the Dallas area. “The NTPSA is known to be the top league in the North Texas area”

The team takes its name from Mexican Primera Division side FC Monterrey. They were called just Rayados last summer, but added the “NTX” moniker to identify with the region they are from.

Herrera said it was difficult to convince a top-flight league like the NTPSA to allow a new team to start at the top division from the start.

“They thought we would get crushed by the teams in the league,” Hererra said. “We really wanted to play in the highest division because we knew if we did well there, we would be able to compete in the US Open Cup.”

Persistence paid off.

ntx-rayados-tito-sales — Tito Sales of North Texas Rayados

“After many references and recommendations, we finally got our chance,” Herrera said. “The league is very competitive. They have teams with players from different parts of the world and different styles of play which makes it very difficult to win each week.”

NTX Rayados won the NTPSA Division 1A in their first year, qualifying for the Region III tournament in the fall.

“We played with a chip on our shoulder, you can say, being the new guys on the block,” Herrera said.

As a unit, NTX Rayados has gone 20-1 in the league over two-plus seasons. The team consists of mainly former college players of various levels, with the core group being members of the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association Division III national champions of Richland College. Richland is a powerhouse in NJCAA men’s soccer, winning national titles in 2002, ’03, ’04, ’06 and ’07 while finishing as runner-up in ’05 and ’09.

Along with Salas and Herrera, Alberto Rodriguez and Efren Castillo were also on the 2006 championship squad, which defeated Herkimer County Community College (N.Y.) 3-1. Many of the players went on from Richland to play for NAIA and NCAA schools.

The Rayados finished 6-1-0 in NTPSA play during the spring, tying for the league title with Legends FC, a three-time qualifier in the US Open Cup (2004, ’06, ’10).

2012 NTX Rayados season

North Texas Premier Soccer Association
Feb. 26 – Win, 1-0 vs. Legends FC
Mar. 4 – Win, 4-1 vs. AfricaUnited.org
Mar. 18 – Win, 4-2 vs. Dallas Roma FC
Mar. 25 – Loss, 1-3 vs. Santos
Apr. 1 – Win, 3-2 vs. United
Apr. 22 – Win, 3-1 vs. Agnew FC
Apr. 29 – Win, 3-2 vs. Liverpool FC

USASA Region III Open Cup tournament
Apr. 27 – Win, 2-1 vs. Boston Avenue AC (OK)
Apr. 28 – Win, 4-0 vs. Royal Eagles (FL)
Apr. 28 – Loss, 0-2 vs. ASC New Stars (STX)

“We don’t really have a coach on a daily basis,” Hererra said. “Tito and I run the practices and do as much as we can on our own.

“Humberto Rodriguez is a mutual friend and coach from a previous local team we played for and he is the person who helps out financially and with his time.”

NTX Rayados will face the El Paso Patriots of the USL Premier Development League in the First Round on Tuesday, May 15. If they win, they will join Dallas Roma FC as the second USASA team from the state of Texas to advance to the Second Round.

MORE: Check out the rest of the 2012 Meet the USASA series

2011 Meet the USASA: Iowa Menace, the PDL team “in disguise”

June 14, 2011 by Eric Anderson

Perhaps this would be better called “Meet the PDL.”

Technically, the Iowa Menace will play the Chicago Fire Premier (PDL) on Tuesday night in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

But make no mistake, this is the Des Moines Menace of the PDL.

“We’re in disguise for this game,” Menace coach Laurie Calloway joked.

The Menace have entered the Iowa Menace in the US Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament the past five years. Typically, the team consists of local junior college players, as most of the Menace’s PDL players usually are still in college when the Region II tournament starts in early May.

This year, though, the team had seven PDL-caliber players and routed KC Athletics 7-1 in its regional opener.

“It’s the strongest USASA side we’ve put out,” Calloway said.

In the unique format used for the Region II tournament, that one lopsided win was enough for the Menace to earn an Open Cup berth. The team with the best goal differential out of the three first-round matches earned one of the region’s two bids, while the other two winners played off for the other spot.

Calloway said the Menace weren’t aware of the format until reserve team coach Brandon Ermels read about it online during the trip to Kansas City.

“The bizarre thing was when we found out they showed up with 10 players, we were rubbing our hands and going ‘Wow, this is great,’ ” said Calloway, who added that he changed up his tactics when he learned about the goal-differential format.

“We had a plan, they played a very much bunker-down type of game and we couldn’t score. And then in the 35th minute, they got a goal to make it 1-0.”

Menace midfielder John Sosa helped set up all the goals as the Menace scored three times in the final three minutes of the first half, and Iowa went on to the convincing win. During their trip back to Des Moines, they learned their plus-6 goal differential was just enough to earn the Open Cup berth, thanks to an 83rd-minute goal scored by FC Indiana in its 7-2 loss to Chicago’s AAC Eagles.

With the USASA spot secured, Calloway and the Menace turned their attention to earning another Open Cup berth through PDL qualifying. The club would have had a second entry had Des Moines beaten the Kansas City Brass on May 23, but the Brass’ 2-1 win meant the Menace had to settle for one berth.

Iowa Menace (vs. KC Athletics) - 2011 Region II quarterfinals — With a 7-1 win over Kansas City (+6 goal difference), the Iowa Menace qualified for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Photo: Sodagraphics.blogspot.com

“The owners have always wanted to try to do well in the Open Cup,” said Calloway, an Englishman who has coached at every level of US soccer in a career that started in the late 1970s. “Even though at the end of the day if we got to the Semifinals (Aug. 30), we probably wouldn’t even be able to field a team because all the kids will have gone back to school.”

This is the Menace’s sixth appearance in the Open Cup and second in a row — they dropped a 1-0 decision in the first round to AC St. Louis of the USSF Division-2 Pro League, a team and league that no longer exist.

Their best runs came in 2005 and ’06, when they advanced to the Fourth Round before bowing out to Major League Soccer’s Kansas City Wizards.

“Obviously, if you can go and meet an MLS club in the last 16, it brings a tremendous amount of excitement, especially if you can draw them at home,” Calloway said.

The Menace will be at home for Tuesday’s match, and also would play host to a second-round game against the AAC Eagles or Madison 56ers in the second round should they advance.

After the challenging road trip they’ve just come back from, the Menace will be thrilled to be back at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Des Moines played four PDL matches in five days last week, the first two on consecutive nights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and then two more back-to-back games 438 miles away in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

That was followed by a 14-hour drive home.

“If you could think of a worse preparation (for the Open Cup match) … it’s probably hard to find something worse,” said Calloway, whose team will play at least seven consecutive home matches starting Tuesday.

The Menace won both games in Winnipeg and lost both in Thunder Bay to fall to 6-3-0 on the season. But five Des Moines players didn’t make the trip north of the border because of visa concerns, and four of them will be back in the mix Tuesday.

That includes three of the Menace’s top players: forward Deshorn Brown, midfielder Lebogang Moloto and right back Jubril Lawal.

Brown, a Jamaican who plays at NAIA powerhouse Mobile (Ala.), is Des Moines’ leading scorer with six goals in five games. Moloto, an 18-year-old South African who plays for Lindsey Wilson (Kent.), another NAIA powerhouse, has “lightning feet and lightning speed. He’s a winger, a tremendous creator of opportunities, a scorer and creator,” according to Calloway. Lawal is a 17-year-old from Nigeria who showcases his speed with overlapping runs into the attack.

“They’ve got tremendous futures if they stay on the right path,” said Calloway, whose team is second place in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference.

“We’ll be hopefully a totally different looking team on Tuesday night.”

Sosa has continued the good form he started in the Region II tournament, leading the team with seven assists in PDL play. The former Missouri-Kansas City player teams with his longtime teammate Bryan Perez in the midfield to make things go for the Menace.

“Probably our most influential player so far this season has been John Sosa. He’s our playmaker, No. 10, extremely creative,” Calloway said.

“(He and Perez) played together at UMKC. It’s almost like they’re Siamese twins, they’re joined at the hip, they know each other’s moves. They sort of orchestrate things together. It’s a nice combination.”

While there aren’t two Menace teams playing in the Open Cup on Tuesday night, there will be two sides playing on June 18.

The PDL team is playing host to the Kansas City Brass, while the USASA team plays AAC Eagles in the Region II final in Overland Park, Kan. The winner of the regional tournament advances to nationals July 15 to 17 in Bowling Green, Kent. — the Menace don’t have any PDL matches that weekend.

“We’re going to be like Barcelona: We’re going to try to win five trophies,” Calloway said with a laugh.

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

June 14, 2011 by Robert Jonas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Web-DoxareceiveCup — Doxa Italia receives Region IV championship cup in Sacramento

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

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

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

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

Web-Doxa-teammedals — 2011 Region IV Champion Doxa Italia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2011 Meet the USASA: ASC New Stars of Houston

June 13, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

Web-ASC1975 — Founded in 1974, Aria Soccer Club was already winning titles in 1975

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that Houston soccer began to rise to more prominence nationally shortly after the arrival in 2006 of the Houston Dynamo, who won MLS Cups their first two seasons. Two years later the Aria Soccer Club became the first to send a team from the amateur ranks to the US Open Cup during the Professional Era in 2008. This year, they join Regals FC in making it a Houston sweep of the two USASA Region III berths to the tournament.

Founded in 1974 by Reza and Taher ‘Tom’ Khalili, the club quickly enjoyed success in local cup and league competitions. With former professional players from Iran in the fold, ASC dominated the Houston Soccer League first division, winning the title seven years running. Although the club had an Iranian flavor in its early years, it has remained open to players around the globe throughout the years. However, it continued to be a home to Iranian players who had come to the US throughout the years such as former LA Galaxy defender/midfielder Arash Noamouz, a former Iran national team player that suffered injuries in 1998 that ended his professional career.

Web-O30-champs — 'Original' players still winning championships in Over-30 division

As all of those players aged, the club added new teams and currently manages six sides. The New Stars are one of three in HFA premier divisions with a fourth in the 1B division. The club also features the United Stars in the Over-30 first division (2010-11 state champions) as well as the HFA fourth division’s Original Stars (mainly over 50), which features some of the club’s original players.

Quite a few of those ‘originals’ are still involved with the club in a hands-on capacity. “They are helping the club in different capacities such as General Manager Tom Khalili, and myself coaching New Stars along with others who are the coaches for the five other teams in the club,” said New Stars head coach Majid Savadkoohi. ”The rest of them are the sponsors of this club and we survive and grow with their generous donations.”

Web-NewStars-0607-trophies — Since the New Stars were forged in 2004, the team has a multitude of honors: 7 consecutive HFA Premier Division titles... 3 State Cup titles, 3-time runner-up... 4 HFA Cup titles, 2-time runner-up

It is essentially the third generation, fittingly dubbed New Stars, who are taking ASC to new heights.

“In 2003 after the previous coach retired I became the head coach of the only premier team ASC had in the Houston Football Association. I kept three players from his team and brought in young players ages 17-21 to build basically a new team, and changed the name to New Stars to fit the team’s character, which was made up of young and new players.”

Savadkoohi ‘s New Stars have won the title all seven years, as well as numerous cups, since the change. And since 2006, the New Stars have completely dominated the top flight in the HFA, which plays a September to May schedule. From the 2006-07 season to 2009-10, the club lost only three times while winning four championships with a total 54-3-15 record, going unbeaten (12-0-6) during the 2007-08 campaign. Each time, the side allowed an average of less than one goal per game.

After the unbeaten season, the team went on to earn its first trip to the US Open Cup, where they would unfortunately draw the then USL First Division (professional second division) Charleston Battery, who played host to and defeated the Houston Dynamo, 1-0 in overtime, in the previous year’s Open Cup. ASC would be completely overwhelmed on three first half Darren Spicer goals as Charleston advanced 3-0 and eventually also eliminated the Dynamo two rounds later a second straight year, this time in penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Web-NewStars-R3-08 — The ASC New Stars that finished runners-up at the 2008 USASA Region III tournament

“Before going to Charleston I knew it would be a big challenge for an amateur team with their limited resources – for example, we could only afford to rent a practice field once a week for only two hours, sharing that time between our three premier teams throughout the season – to face a pro team. But the players gained a good experience and realized the speed of play and level of fitness against a pro team are to be overwhelming.”

Perhaps motivated by the loss or improved from the learning experience acquired at Blackbaud Stadium, the New Stars found a new level of domination in HFA play, surpassing 50 goals scored for the first of what is now three consecutive seasons of a rise in scoring. They also allowed the fewest goals in the past five years with just 13 in 18 games as they went 16-1-1, also a best in victories for the past five years. The lone defeat came in the season opener.

The club did not play in the 2009 regional tournament. Then, perhaps a sign of what could have been a decline, ASC went winless in the USASA Region III tournament a year ago and although the team scored a five-year high of 58 goals this season, it suffered four losses on the HFA campaign. The New Stars, though, still won yet another championship at 13-4-1 and set their sights on the USASA’s Open Cup championship.

“After last year’s extreme disappointment we came into this year with redemption on our mind,” said Savadkoohi during the Region III tournament. “We just keep building positive momentum after each win along with improved chemistry and purpose.

“After last year’s dismal performance we set our goal for the 2011 regional championship early in September of 2010. So we focused to work on team fitness and bring a few younger players as some of my original players were past the age of 30 now. We’ve found an effective balance this year with scheduling friendly games and tournaments alongside our intense physical training sessions. The amount of rest we give our players is unique because of our amateur status,” said Savadkoohi in advance of the First Round Open Cup match.

“About 95 percent of our players are full time working professionals so each player must be individually motivated to maintain diet and fitness as well. As a coach I encourage our players to give feedback on their physical conditions throughout the year because the season is so long.”

With nine players still with the squad that lost in Charleston three years prior, the club swept their group in Tuscaloosa, Alabama the final weekend of May on an aggregate scoreline of 7-2. In addition to securing the US Open Cup spot, it created a Region III championship showdown with city rivals Regals FC, who needed a special penalty kick tiebreaker to settle a deadlock in its group table.

Having allowed just two goals in three group games, a defensive error left the club trailing for the second time in the Region III tournament as Regals took the advantage in the 44th minute. The 1-0 Regals lead was also partially to the credit of keeper Marcos Sanchez, who made three spectacular saves to keep the veteran club off the board despite its domination of play.

In a more evenly played second stanza ASC would finally break through in the 65th minute courtesy of Lukas ‘Miko’ Simon to level the match. At the close of regulation the New Stars had a perfect opportunity to seal the title when Alex Bolan was fouled in the penalty area, but the attempt would fail to be converted, sending the final to overtime.

The stalemate continued, and as penalties neared for a second straight day for Regals, their city rivals found the back of the net. Four minutes from time Marco Carrizales sent a nice cross into the box that Chuks Ndame headed home for the championship-winning goal.

“Now this is our second qualification for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup which is an honor. I thank all the players for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. Especially, I would like to thank the ASC Club President and co-founder Mr. Tom Khalili for all his efforts and hard work all year long.”

Now ASC faces a familiar challenge, travelling a lengthy distance to face a quality professional club in the US Open Cup First Round. Although the USL Pro side (American third division) Orlando City is new to central Florida, 11 players lived and played in Texas a year ago for the Austin Aztex side that relocated to the Sunshine State with former Everton star and English club manager Adrian Heath, who led Austin to the second-best record in the USSF Second Division last year. This year he has Orlando City on a similar track, sitting atop the league at 8-2-3.

Three years wiser, Ali and Reza Daneshmand, Salvador Lopez, Alex Bolan, Peter Kozlowski, Destiny Ohiri, Arzgang Salahshoor, Anthony Ashiufu and Aramik Allahverdian make their return to the US Open Cup Tuesday hoping for a different result. Bolan was one of the team’s leading scorers on the HFA season and was involved in five of the team’s nine goals at the Region III tournament with four goals and an assist.

“Seven players from 2008 team will feature this Tuesday night,” said Savadkoohi. “Unfortunately, three of my 11 starters are injured and we are trying to get, maybe, one of them ready for this game. In 2008 the Battery were leading their division and so it is only appropriate that this year’s opponent, Orlando City, also resides on top of their table.”

Joining the nine Open Cup veterans and assisting Bolan in the attack are Lukas Simon and George Sangira, a duo that also were among the team leaders in scoring during the HFA season. Simon, whom Savadkoohi said is having an outstanding season playing efficient German soccer, notched a pair of goals in Tuscaloosa, including the championship game equalizer, and Sangira scored once.

LukasSimon-UStThomas-bioinformatics — Lukas Miko Simon at the University of St. Thomas (Houston)

Simon, who will begin working this fall on a PhD in Molecular Biophysics at Baylor College, is a rare double threat for ASC, where he plays primarily at midfield. The German 24-year old has been part of the club’s attack of late, but he has a history of playing goalkeeper in college at the University of St. Thomas and last year with the Houston Leones in the PDL. He helped guide the Leones to a surprising second-place spot in the division a year ago, finishing as one of only four players in the 67-team league to play every minute of a 16-game regular season as he led the team to a 7-5-4 record.

In the playoffs Simon helped lead the club to one of the most stunning upsets of the PDL season, ousting the unbeaten 11-0-3 Mississippi Brilla on their home turf. Tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, Brilla took the lead for a second time courtesy of Phillip Buffington, but Houston found the equalizer from an unlikely source in the 112th minute. Simon put a free kick into the box that was mishandled, finding its way into the back of the net for the draw and sending the match to penalties where he made a save in the fourth round and converted his own attempt in the fifth before making the winning save in the seventh round. History accomplished, the Leones run ended, 2-1, in the conference final the next day at the hands of Baton Rouge.

But the brief success of Simon with the Leones was part of the bigger picture of Houston soccer’s rise, which is no small feat considering the USASA history of the state in US Open Cup tournament play and qualifying.

The Lone Star State has become one of the dominant factions in the USASA. Since 2002, the state has had at least one representative qualify for the US Open Cup eight of the 10 tournaments for a total of 13 occurances. One more than any other state, including California’s dozen, over the same time frame.

Texas is also the only state to claim both berths from its respective region on five occasions since the tournament expanded to eight entries from the USASA. California accomplished the feat three times. With Regals FC and the ASC New Stars snaring the two Region III berths, the state grabbed both berths for the first time since its run of regional dominance from 2004-07 in which it captured all eight spots.

A handful of clubs have played a repeated roll as representatives from Texas, several of which have made a name for themselves with upsets versus professional clubs. One of those being Dallas Roma, which upset USL First Division (professional second division) Miami FC, 1-0, and edged MLS side Chivas USA in penalties after a scoreless draw in 2006.