Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Metro FC

2022 US Open Cup Qualifying: Contra Costa FC wins 10-round PK shootout to qualify

by

Contra Costa FC poses for a team photo after the club’s 8-7 penalty kick win over Metro FC, following a 1-1 draw in the 2022 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Contra Costa FC

Contra Costa FC outlasted San Francisco Metro FC 8-7 in a penalty shootout to qualify for the US Open Cup for the first time in club history, after the match ended in a 1-1 draw. It was played on a cold, overcast Sunday afternoon at Salesian College Preparatory in Richmond, Calif.

As in previous Open Cup qualifying rounds, CCFC’s roster was largely made up of players from the club’s National Soccer Leaguue (NSL) affiliate, Atlético East Bay. Their starting lineup on Sunday averaged 20 years of age, while Metro fielded a more experienced squad, with an average age of 26.5.

18-year-old Braulio Maravilla of Contra Costa FC battles for the ball against San Francisco Metro FC in a 2022 US Open Cup Qualifying match. Photo: CANOSPICTURES

Contra Costa appeared to be the stronger team early in the first half, but Metro’s Matt Fondy opened the scoring in the 24th minute, muscling his way through a crowd of players in the box. The 32-year-old striker had a 10-year pro career and helped Olympic Club of San Francisco qualify for the 2020 Open Cup, but their first round match vs. FC Davis was canceled due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Metro had several other chances in the remainder of the first half and the first few minutes of the second, including a shot in the 46th minute that hit the post and another effort from Fondy nine minutes later that went wide.

CCFC got on the board in the 61st minute, when Roberto Gonzalez scored on a penalty kick. Contra Costa also had a shot carom off the post in the 74th minute. Fondy had one last chance to win the match for Metro in regulation time in the 88th minute, but his shot was off target.

Contra Costa’s younger squad had the clear advantage in the extra session, but Metro’s goalkeeper Brian Ginell made a diving save on a shot by Octavio Munoz in the 103rd minute and stopped a shot from Cristian Garcia from point blank range in the 107th minute. Gonzales had one final opportunity in the 118th minute, on a curving free kick from close range that cleared Metro’s wall, but hit the side netting.

The penalty shootout was also evenly matched, with Ginell and Contra Costa goalkeeper Carlos Herrera making key saves and Herrera being yellow carded after his second infraction for coming off of the line too early.

Finally, in the 10th round, it was Ginell’s turn to take a kick and his shot went wide. Fernando Lara converted his kick for the win.

The victory capped off an eventful year for Contra Costa FC, which was founded in 2015 and recently completed its first season in the NPSL’s Golden Gate Conference. They were allowed to participate in local qualifying because the conference’s teams had no pathway to the Open Cup since they only played seven regular season matches last season due to the pandemic.

In addition to their ascension to the NPSL, CCFC’s ownership enhanced their player development program this year by acquiring majority ownership of a Liga 3 team from Portugal, Sporting Clube São João de Ver (SCSJV), as well as an interest in Thisted FC of Denmark’s Second Division. CCFC players will have an opportunity to be scouted by and potentially play for both of these European clubs.

Metro FC began playing in the San Francisco Football Soccer League in 2017 and recently completed its first season in the SFSFL’s Premier Division. Head coach Rose Shoen was hoping to achieve a major milestone, becoming the first woman to manage a team in the recorded history of the 107-year-old US Open Cup. While the historical records are not complete, TheCup.us has no record of a woman managing a team in the US Open Cup proper.

2011 US Open Cup qualifying (USASA Region IV): Doxa Italia win 18-0 to secure Open Cup spot, DV8 Defenders get late PK to qualify

by

On the final day of group play at the USASA Region IV tournament in Sacramento, the two US Open Cup spots available to the participating teams were secured in dramatic fashion. Doxa Italia FC of Southern California, in hammering a shorthanded CV Eagles FC squad and handing them one of the worst losses in the history of Open Cup qualifying, advanced courtesy of a goal-differential tiebreaker over Rosal FS of San Francisco. Meanwhile, the DV8 Defenders of Redwood City earned a 2-2 draw with group rival Metro FC of Albuquerque, New Mexico courtesy of a controversial stoppage time penalty kick conversion to earn the second berth in the US Open Cup.

Doxa Italia and DV8 Defenders will face off on Sunday morning for the Region IV championship. While both teams have already qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the winner of Sunday’s match gets more than just bragging rights from the weekend. They will also represent the region at the USASA National Cup Finals this July in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Doxa Italia wins Group B: With the final three games of the tournament’s group stage being played at the same time and fellow Group B squad Rosal FAS expected to beat SF Italian AC handily, Doxa Italia FC also needed a win to keep pace. Given that the two teams had drawn 1-1 the day before, which ruled out the first tiebreaker of head-to-head results being invoked to determine the group winner, goal differential was likely going to determine which team would earn qualification into the Open Cup. Doxa Italia felt it was prudent to run up the score on their overmatched opponent, CV Eagles FC, to give them the best chance to edge out Rosal FAS on the second tiebreaker.

“We had to go for it,” stated Doxa Italia player/manager Derk Droze. “As I explained to the other team, we drew with Rosal and did not want to go out of the tournament for the third straight year on goal differential. I set the expectation for my team at a 10-0 score, but my guys really responded and did even better.”

Indeed, when the San Francisco side took care of business against SF Italian, handedly winning 7-1 and giving them seven points in Group B with a +13 goal differential, the onus was on Doxa Italia to overpower the Eagles. Courtesy of their 18-0 win over the undermanned Tracy, CA side, the Southern Californian USASA powerhouse also finished with seven points in the group, but posted a whopping +24 goal differential to take Group B honors.

“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 losing out on qualifying for the Open Cup the last two years on goal differential to the teams that eventually advanced.”

DV8 Defenders top Group A: Entering the remaining game on the afternoon schedule, the DV8 Defenders sat three points above their opponent Metro FC in the Group A standings. Needing at least a draw to advance to the tournament final and to qualify for the Open Cup, the Redwood City outfit liked their chances, having scored 12 goals and conceding zero in two wins to open the weekend. Their opponent Metro FC was coming off a difficult morning loss to Doxa Italia and had only one substitute available for the Group A deciding game.

Both teams started off strong, but DV8 soon found their rhythm and were unlucky to not take an early lead. Metro FC held their own against the much younger Defenders and eventually showed the value of their experience in scoring the first goal of the game late in the first half. After pressuring the DV8 ‘keeper into making a poor decision on a ball near the edge of his penalty area, the Metro forwards pounced on the loose ball and smoothly converted it for an easy score. After playing so well over most of the first half, the Defenders found themselves trailing 1-0.

“We played our worst half of the tournament in that one,” said team manager Tono Aspinall. “We should really have been up three or four goals by halftime, but it was one of those games where things just didn’t go our way.”

The Defenders finally did have something go their way when early in the second half, a Metro player was sent off for a red card offense and were forced to play a man down. DV8 equalized just minutes after the ejection and had the goal they needed to clinch Group A. However, the resolve of the Albuquerque side was strong, and they overcame their disadvantage in numbers to retake the lead on a fine goal from close range that resulted from a defensive breakdown on a crossing pass into the penalty area.

As the second half drew closer to an end, Metro FC’s one goal lead still held up, and the Defenders poured forward in numbers in an effort to draw even. Entering the fourth minute of stoppage time, a controversial penalty kick was awarded to the Redwood City side after their forward was adjudged to be taken down in the box.

“With just seconds left, the referee made just a terrible, terrible call,” said Metro FC coach Johonniuss Chemwero of the penalty award. “I guess he saw a trip, but the referee never explained what he saw. To me, the referee has to be 110% certain that he is making the right call, especially at such a crucial time.”

From the perspective of the Metro FC defenders, the call was very soft and the play was best classified as a dive. As the DV8 forward dribbled the ball into the area, he was forced to make his move back toward the top of the eighteen.

“I was a few feet behind him when the referee made the call,” described Metro FC midfielder Neil Garver. “He made a big touch that took the ball away from him, and I guess he knew he was going to lose it, so he cut off our defender and fell down. He stayed on the ground while the referee looked over him. There was a least a five second delay before the referee pointed to the spot and called the penalty. It was unbelievable.”

While the Metro FC players continued to protest, The DV8 Defender striker set the ball on the penalty spot. When order had been restored, he drove home the tying goal to bring the score to 2-2. Without even allowing for a restart, the referee blew the final whistle and the DV8 Defenders had the result they needed to win Group A and collect the Open Cup bid.

“We are very happy to advance to the U.S Open Cup,” shared Aspinall. “This is our first time in the tournament, so we weren’t sure what to expect, but our guys were up for the challenge. We didn’t expect to advance, but luck was on our side with the draw that we got and we made the most of our opportunity.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Read about Day 1 of the USASA Region IV tournament here

USASA Region IV Championship Recap

In the Sunday morning tournament final, Doxa Italia FC defeated the DV8 Defenders 4-1 in a penalty kick shootout to take the USASA Region IV championship and earn a sponsored trip to the National Cup later this summer. With both teams coming off celebrations the day before at qualifying for the U.S. Open Cup, the match took some time to really get moving, but by the extra time period it was moving at a brisk pace. The penalty kick shootout fell in favor of Doxa, as two DV8 players missed the target to hand the championship to the Southern California side.

I can’t tell you how excited we are to have won this tournament,” said an ecstatic Derk Droze after the game, “and now we get to represent our region in the National Finals in Kentucky this July.”

After falling down a goal in the first half following a DV8 free kick that was directed off the head of a forward and off the inside of the goal post, Doxa Italia turned the tables in the second half with a equalizer 15 minutes from time. The Southern California club continued to press for a winner in regulation, but could not break through the Defenders’ defense.

In the extra time period, the DV8 Defenders had a golden chance to put the game away when their striker broke free of the Doxa defense and raced in on the goalkeeper one v. one. Perhaps in a rush of blood to the head, the striker mis-stepped over his dribble and the ball squirted out of reach before he was able to attempt a shot on goal. In the penalty kick shootout following extra time, two DV8 players sent their shot attempts over the cross bar while Doxa made all four of their attempts.

“Even though we lost the final, it was a good weekend for us,” summarized DV8 Defenders manager Tono Aspinall. “We enjoyed it all and had a really good time. Hopefully we can go out there and represent the Bay Area well in the Open Cup tournament in June and advance accordingly.”

Both teams can now return to their respective home areas and begin their preparations for the first round of the 2011 U.S. Open Cup on June 14. The match-ups for the 98th edition of the longest running soccer tournament in the United States will be announced shortly after the end of May, when the last of the regional qualifiers will have been completed and the field of 40 participating teams will be known.

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

GROUP A GP W L T PTS GF GA
DV8 Defenders 3 2 0 1 7 14 2
Metro SC 3 1 1 1 4 7 8
SF Italian AC 3 0 3 0 0 1 15
GROUP B GP W L T PTS GF GA
Doxa Italia 3 2 0 1 7 25 1
Rosal FC 3 2 0 1 7 16 3
CV Eagles FC 3 0 3 0 0 1 35


Region IV Tournament Schedule
May 20
Group A SF Italian AC 0:5 Metro SC 6:00 pm ET
Group B Rosal FC 1:1 Doxa Italia FC 6:00 pm ET
Cross-over CV Eagles FC (B) 0:9 DV8 Defenders (A) 6:00 pm ET
May 21
Group A DV8 Defenders 2:0 SF Italian AC Noon ET
Group B Rosal FC 8:1 CV Eagles FC Noon ET
Cross-over Metro SC (A) 0:6 Doxa Italia FC (B) Noon ET
Group A DV8 Defenders 2:2 Metro SC 6:00 pm ET
Group B Doxa Italia FC 18:0 CV Eagles FC 6:00 pm ET
Cross-over SF Italian AC (A) 1:7 Rosal FC (B) 6:00 pm ET
FINAL
May 22 Doxa Italia FC 1:1 (4:1 PKs) DV8 Defenders Noon ET

2011 US Open Cup qualifying: Pair of one-sided games kick off USASA Region IV tournament

by

UPDATED Sunday, May 22 – 1:15 a.m. EST

SEE STANDINGS BELOW – Recap of Day 2 to come later tonight. Doxia Italia’s 18-0 win (no, that’s not a typo) clinched a spot in the US Open Cup while a late penalty gave the DV8 Defenders the draw they needed to qualify.

For the latest scores, check the Twitter account for TheCup.us @USOpenCup

With two spots in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup at stake this weekend, the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) Region IV Open Cup qualifying tournament in Sacramento, CA got underway on Friday afternoon under the bright sunshine of the Central Valley. The six participating teams were drawn into two groups of three, and will play an abbreviated round-robin schedule over the first two days of the tournament. The top team in each group will advance to the final on Sunday, with both the winner and runner-up gaining admission to the US Open Cup.

All six teams were in action Friday afternoon, with the Group B clash between Rosal FAS of San Francsico and Doxa Italia FC of Southern California ending in a 1-1 draw. Metro FC of Albuquergue, NM — the only one of the six teams from outside the Golden State — dispatched of an undermanned San Francisco Italian Athletic Club side 5-0 in a Group A contest. Finally in a mixed Group A/Group B cross-over game, the DV8 Defenders SC of Redwood City, CA soundly defeated the Centro Valley Eagles FC of nearby Tracy, CA by a score of 9-0.

The six teams reconvene on Saturday to play two more rounds of games that will determine the winners of the two groups. The second round begins at 9 a.m. local time, while the third and final round begins at 3 p.m. that same afternoon.

DV8 Defenders top CV Eagles FC 9-0: Within five minutes of kick-off the Defenders were on the board with their first goal against the overmatched Eagles. Settling in against an opponent without a single player on the substitutes’ bench, the Defenders took control of the match throughout the remainder of the first half and entered the halftime break holding a 3-0 lead. Three different goal scorers featured for the Redwood City side, as their balanced 3-5-2 formation saw them exploit open space on both sides of the field.

After an early second half goal from the Defenders saw the margin grow to 4-0, the Eagles began to play with more frustration, and they earned a red card for dangerous play. Playing with a man advantage and increasing the momentum already tilted in their favor, the Defenders tallied another four goals in the run of play and one on a penalty kick to push the final score to 9-0. Having a deep bench also helped the Redwood City team, as they were able to utilize all six of their substitutions and take out some starters early so they would be better rested for Saturday’s pair of games.

“We were very happy with the result,” shared DV8 Defenders SC manager Tono Aspinall. “We play in a competitive league against some quality opponents and 9-0 was the best result we have had all season. Scoring nines goals is surely a lot, but we’ll take it any day of the week.”

Albuquerque’s Metro FC outlasts SF Italian AC 5-0: Facing an opponent that was already a man short at the opening whistle, Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Metro FC rolled to a 5-0 victory over San Francisco Italian Athletic Club. The Friday afternoon match was called off just 20 minutes into the second half when the Northern California side fell below the minimum number of players on the field required by rule, due to a series of red card expulsions and player injuries.

The match did not start out quite the way the team from New Mexico had envisioned, as a Metro FC defender was forced to concede a penalty kick foul in the opening minute. Forged from a nice run on an over-the-top breakaway pass following the opening kick-off, the SF Italian forward quickly retrieved the ball after dusting himself off from the foul and placed the ball on the spot. Instead of giving the undermanned squad the lead, the striker could only watch as the Metro FC goalkeeper made a fantastic save to parry the ball from danger and keep the match scoreless.

“We looked around and then said to ourselves ‘Wow!’,” shared Metro FC coach Johonniuss Chemwero. “That could definitely have been a game-changer right there, especially because they were playing a man down. The guy who was fouled was really excited about it, but our ‘keeper saved it. That play really set the tone for our team.”

The goalkeeper’s feat spurred his teammates on and they steadily turned the momentum of the match in their favor. A well placed goal from Metro FC opened the scoring midway though the first half, and a late penalty kick goal — with a concurrent red card for SF Italian — doubled their tally going into the break. The Albuquerque outfit tallied three more goals in an abbreviated second half that saw the final score go to 5-0. Unfortunately for the Metro FC, their opponent was forced to retire the match before they could increase their goal haul in a tournament that uses goal differential as a tiebreaker in determining group winners. The tournament committee has been appealed to by the New Mexico club in order to decide on a compromise to the final score that will be fair for all members of Group A.

Doxa Italia FC held to 1-1 draw by Rosal FC: In a match between the two favored clubs in Group B, neither side could come out on top in an evenly played 1-1 draw. Doxa Italia, a Southern California based team with a rich history of success in soccer tournaments around the state played with a high energy fashion that was matched by the San Francisco based Rosal FC. With neither side able to capture all three points in the match, both teams will need to earn points against their cross-group opponents in order to separate themselves and earn first place in Group B.

GROUP A GP W L T PTS GF GA
DV8 Defenders 3 2 0 1 7 14 2
Metro SC 3 1 1 1 4 7 8
SF Italian AC 3 0 3 0 0 1 15
GROUP B GP W L T PTS GF GA
Doxa Italia 3 2 0 1 7 25 1
Rosal FC 3 2 0 1 7 16 3
CV Eagles FC 3 0 3 0 0 1 35


Region IV Tournament Schedule
May 20
Group A SF Italian AC 0:5 Metro FC 6:00 pm ET
Group B Rosal FC 1:1 Doxa Italia FC 6:00 pm ET
Cross-over CV Eagles FC (B) 0:9 DV8 Defenders (A) 6:00 pm ET
May 21
Group A DV8 Defenders 2:0 SF Italian AC Noon ET
Group B Rosal FC 8:1 CV Eagles FC Noon ET
Cross-over Metro FC (A) 0:6 Doxa Italia FC (B) Noon ET
Group A DV8 Defenders 2:2 Metro FC 6:00 pm ET
Group B Doxa Italia FC 18:0 CV Eagles FC 6:00 pm ET
Cross-over SF Italian AC (A) 1:7 Rosal FC (B) 6:00 pm ET
FINAL
May 22 Doxa Italia FC vs DV8 Defenders Noon ET


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

2011 US Open Cup qualifying: USASA Region IV tournament format set

by

The USASA Region IV National Cup tournament is all set for May 20-22 in Sacramento, California with six teams vying for a chance to two berths from the region into the 2011 edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Five of the six clubs are from California with the lone outsider traveling in from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The tournament will feature two groups of three teams playing in a round robin format with a third game being played against a team from the opposing group in a cross-over. The teams with the greatest point total in their respective groups will not only advance to the final, but also to the US Open Cup.

Two of the clubs in Group A are from the California North region. San Francisco Italian Athletic Club comes out of the San Francisco Soccer League and the DV8 Defenders play in the Peninsula Soccer League out of Redwood City. They are paired with Metro FC from the Albuquerque Soccer League.

Group B also has two California North clubs. Rosal FAS is representing the California Premier Soccer Association and CV Eagles FC are playing in the National Star Soccer League. Doxa Italia FC hails from the Orange County region, representing California South, and participates in the Coast Soccer League.

Check back with TheCup.us for a more in-depth preview of the tournament soon.

Region IV Tournament Schedule

May 20
Group A SF Italian AC vs Metro FC 6:00 pm ET
Group B Rosal FB vs Doxa Italia FC 6:00 pm ET
Cross-over CV Eagles FC (B) vs DV8 Defenders (A) 6:00 pm ET
May 21
Group A DV8 Defenders vs SF Italian AC Noon ET
Group B Rosal FB vs CV Eagles FC Noon ET
Cross-over Metro FC (A) vs Doxa Italia FC (B) Noon ET
Group A DV8 Defenders vs Metro FC 6:00 pm ET
Group B Doxa Italia FC vs CV Eagles FC 6:00 pm ET
Cross-over SF Italian AC (A) vs Rosal FB (B) 6:00 pm ET
FINAL
May 22 Group A winner vs Group B winner Noon ET

Tiebreakers: Head-to-head, goal differential, goals for, goals against and if all else fails a flip of a coin.

Copyright © 2026 • Built by Jacob Martella Web Development