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new york pancyprian freedoms

2025 National Amateur Cup: West Chester United wins Region I title, heads to nationals

June 15, 2025 by Michael Battista

West Chester United SC poses with the USASA Region I Amateur Cup after beating New York Pancyprian Freedoms, 3-0, in the final (Credit: West Chester United SC)
West Chester United SC poses with the USASA Region I Amateur Cup after beating New York Pancyprian Freedoms, 3-0, in the final (Credit: West Chester United SC)
West Chester United SC poses with the USASA Region I Amateur Cup after beating New York Pancyprian Freedoms, 3-0, in the final (Credit: West Chester United SC)

West Chester United SC dominated New York Pancyprian Freedoms on Saturday evening in the 2025 USASA Region I Amateur Cup Final. The Pennsylvania side won, 3-0, and earned a direct spot in the 2025 National Amateur Cup tournament later this summer. The win is West Chester’s second-ever regional amateur cup but first since the tournament began awarding direct US Open Cup qualification in 2017.

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms, the defending National Amateur Cup champions, will not be able to defend their title in Milwaukee. West Chester meanwhile will attempt to win their first ever National Amateur Cup. The team is two wins away from both the natty and a guaranteed spot in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

On a soggy day at the Ukrainian American Sports Center in Horsham, Pa., West Chester technically played the role of the visitors despite being only a couple miles from home. They opened the scoring in the 12th minute when goalkeeper Tino Kneis sent a ball down the field to a running Josh Luchini. He finished the play with a successful low shot past the Freedoms’ goalkeeper to make it 1-0.

The Freedoms looked stunned. The goal marked only the second time this tournament that the team had trailed. Speaking to Philadelphia Soccer Now after the game West Chester head coach Blaise Santangelo noted how the Freedoms still couldn’t be overlooked.

“Getting up early on them was super huge,” he said.  “They’ve been down to Lansdowne (Yonkers FC) twice recently, and they’ve come back to win 3-2 so we knew they weren’t going to go away without giving a fight.”

West Chester kept the pressure early and capitalized once again before the half hour mark. A free kick by Dylan Lacy found the head of Ridge Robinson on the left side of the box. The attempt found the back of the net to make it 2-0 in the 28th. The goal was Robinson’s third of the tournament.

New York exited the half trying to cut into the deficit. The defending champs pulled the West Chester backline but couldn’t break through. It forced the New York goalkeeper to push up into the Predators’ end. In the 84th minute, defender John Ricks headed the ball to substitute Tomas Ascoli. A quick pass to Jack Jasinski saw the Princeton player hit a slow roller on goal that made it across the goal line.

That was the nail in the coffin for the Freedoms title defense. When the full time whistle sounded, coach Santangelo congratulated everyone in his group for their effort on the day.

“I tell the guys every year at the beginning of the year, this is the one, this is the one we need to win,” Santangelo said. “We lost in the final to Milwaukee Bavarians in 2018 and this is one we’ve been trying to get to and to finally get back there. We still have a lot of work, we’re going to play against some great competition, I’m sure, but it’s to get out of this region is pretty special. A lot of times national champs come out of this region.”

The following two paragraphs come directly from Philadelphia Soccer Now’s recap of the match.

The trip to Milwaukee in late July will be the third final four event of the season for the Predators, who are managing multiple leagues and competitions with a deep and talented pool of players ranging from teenagers to players approaching their 30s and older. They came up short last weekend in the Hank Steinbrecher Cup to champions El Farolito in the semifinal but have a chance to win the American Premier Soccer League title next weekend in addition to this third opportunity.

Saturday’s final for West Chester United nearly didn’t happen. After losing to Christos FC in the semifinal, West Chester United filed a protest that was upheld by the league office in Chicago.

Filed Under: Amateur Cup, Feature - Amateur Cup, Feature - Main, Feature - Qualifying, Featured Post - Amateur Cup, Featured Post - Main, Featured Post - US Open Cup Qualifying, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Central, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: 2025 National Amateur Cup, National Amateur Cup, new york pancyprian freedoms, USASA Region I, West Chester United, West Chester United SC

2025 US Open Cup Round 1: Josh Levine of NY Pancyprian Freedoms voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

March 31, 2025 by Josh Hakala

Graphic: Dan Crooke

Facing one of last year’s best MLS NEXT Pro teams on the road in the opening round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup was a tall task for the New York Pancyprian Freedoms. The amateur side from the American Premier Soccer League (APSL – formerly the Eastern Premier Soccer League) and reigning USASA Amateur Cup champions won three US Open Cup titles in the early 1980s, but haven’t won a game in the competition since 2016.

The Pancyprian Freedoms kept FC Cincinnati 2 off the scoresheet and took them to a penalty kick shootout after 120 minutes. The performance of New York goalkeeper Josh Levine and the backline in front of him were key to holding the Cincinnati offense in check and in the end, the Freedoms won the PK shootout 5-4 to advance to Round 2. Levine faced 24 shots, four corner kicks and made seven saves to earn the 120-minute clean sheet.

For his performance, Josh Levine was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round. He distanced himself from another goalkeeper, Tomasz Wroblewski who finished in second place. Wroblewski led Little Rock Rangers (USL League Two) to a 1-0 upset of the Birmingham Legion FC (USL Championship). It was a tight race for third place between Brayan Padilla of FORO SC (UPSL) who scored both goals in FORO’s road upset of Texoma FC of USL League One and Rafael Jauregui of Charlotte Independence (USL League One) who scored twice, including the game-winner in extra time on the road against the Long Island Rough Riders (USL League Two).

The Player of the Round award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers (those that pledge $10 or more) from TheCup.us’ Patreon team.

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“Our match against FC Cincinnati 2 was a strong testament to the coaching staff’s game plan and the team’s collective effort,” said Levine. “We saw standout performances across the board, from the starting lineup to the players who came on later. Jack Sluys, Devin Heanue, Rikard Cederberg, and Jens Hoff were solid on the back line. Proud of what this group has accomplished so far and ready to keep the momentum going into our next match.”

The Freedoms advance to Round 2 where they travel to face Westchester SC of USL League One on April 2.

Levine, who led the Freedoms to last year’s Amateur Cup title, which clinched a spot in the Open Cup for New York, becomes the first player from an APSL team to win Player of the Round.

Levine spent four years at Penn State where he was a standout with a 1.39 goals against average in 32 games with the Nittany Lions. After graduating from Penn State, he spent one season as a graduate student at Fordham where he helped the Rams win an Atlantic-10 championship and punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament. His 0.65 goals against average in his lone season with Fordham tied the single-season school record set by Ryan Meara who went on to play professionally with the New York Red Bulls of MLS.

Filed Under: 2025 US Open Cup, Feature - Main, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Central Tagged With: 2025 US Open Cup, new york pancyprian freedoms, Player of the Round

2024 National Amateur Cup: New York Pancyprian Freedoms win first Amateur Cup, qualify for 2025 US Open Cup

July 29, 2024 by Jake Sillick

Members of the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms celebrate after winning the 2024 National Amateur Cup in DeKalb, Illinois. Credit: US Adult Soccer Association
Members of the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms celebrate after winning the 2024 National Amateur Cup in DeKalb, Illinois. Credit: US Adult Soccer Association

The New York Pancyprian-Freedoms can add two new honors to their long list of accomplishments; 2024 National Amateur Cup champions and 2025 US Open Cup Qualifiers. The three-time Open Cup champs won their first ever Bill Marth Trophy on Saturday, winning two games in three days against fellow USASA regional champions. The team also qualifies for its eighth Open Cup since 1995, the start of the Modern Era, with that record also including its ill-fated qualification to the COVID cancelled 2020 tournament.

Let that @MichelobULTRA flow!!! ???? https://t.co/5d2ASRpqST pic.twitter.com/zSOdjWvjRn

— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) July 28, 2024

Since 2018, the champion of the National Amateur Cup, the highest tournament in the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), receives direct qualification to the following year’s Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. For the last few years, TheCup.us has tracked the National Amateur Cup from its regional stages all the way up until the national final. These updates have been provided on Twitter / X and stats have been kept internally.

USASA is broken into four regions, each holding their own amateur cup tournament respectively. The champions of these four tournaments qualify for the national finals.

You can find a brief summary of every game from this past weekend below. Additionally, here are links to the Twitter threads and articles made over the last few months regarding other results:

  • April 7 (Region I)
  • April 14 (Region I & Region II)
  • April 20 (Region II)
  • April 27 to May 5
  • May 11 to 25
  • May 28 to June 2
  • June 7 to 9 (Region III Tournament Recap)
  • June 9 to 16
  • June 25

FULL 2024 NATIONAL AMATEUR CUP SCHEDULE/RESULTS

National Semifinals

THURSDAY, JULY 25

New York Pancyprian Freedoms (NY – Eastern Premier Soccer League)
5:1
Tobacco Road FC (NC – Triangle Adult Soccer League)

NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex – DeKalb, IL

The New York Pancyprian-Freedoms outgunned Tobacco Road FC in the opening match of the national phase. The Region I champions opened the scoring when Sebastian Ruiz Restrepo launched a shot to the Tobacco keeper, whose save was tapped in by a contentiously onside Junior Rosero. Rosero, who made a name for himself with Oyster Bay United FC in the 2022 US Open Cup, and James Thristino both scored braces. Region III champs TRFC fall in the national semifinals for a second straight year.

(Full game recap by TheCup contributor Adnan Bašić for Protagonist Soccer)

ICYMI: a goal by @NYpancyprian in their semi against @TobaccoRoadFC was featured at # 4 in #SCtop10 on @espn ????#NationalAmateurCup #USASA pic.twitter.com/yRO93DOR2f

— USASA | US Adult Soccer (@USAdultSoccer) July 29, 2024

Goal scorers

NYPF:

  • Junior Rosero 37′
  • James Thristino 45+2′
  • Junior Rosero 61′
  • Jordan Bailon 75′ (Asst: Sebastian Ruiz Restrepo)
  • James Thristino 80′

TRFC:

  • Jahmir Flowers 90+3′ (Asst: Jackson Allen)

MATCH BROADCAST

FC Arizona (AZ – National Premier Soccer League)
2:4
FC Milwaukee Torrent (WI – National Premier Soccer League)

NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex – DeKalb, IL

In a battle of NPSL sides, FC Milwaukee Torrent scored three goals in five minutes to beat FC Arizona. Torrent got the scoring going in first half stoppage time, with Max Ludwig cutting between multiple defenders before feeding Jaime Le Comte on the right side for a successful shot. Arizona responded in the second half, with Marco Afonso combining with Kyle Benjamin for a pair of goals. However the Torrent pulled away in the final ten minutes to secure their spot in the final in their debut tournament.

(Full game recap by TheCup contributor Adnan Bašić for Protagonist Soccer)

Goal scorers

FCA:

  • Kyle Benjamin 63′ (Asst: Marco Afonso)
  • Kyle Benjamin 80′ (Asst: Marco Afonso)

FCMT:

  • Jaime Le Comte 45+2′ (Asst: Max Ludwig)
  • Gabe Voung 83′ (Asst: Javier Steinwasher)
  • Jaime Le Comte 85′ (Asst: Javier Steinwasher)
  • Max Ludwig 88′ (Asst: Taylor Pill)

MATCH BROADCAST

2024 National Amateur Cup Final

SATURDAY, JULY 27

New York Pancyprian Freedoms (NY – Eastern Premier Soccer League)
6:0
FC Milwaukee Torrent (WI – National Premier Soccer League)

NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex – DeKalb, IL

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms overpowered FC Milwaukee Torrent to win the 2024 National Amateur Cup. Four goals inside the first 25 minutes included a great shot by former Houston Dynamo FC player Joe Holland. Junior Rosero and Sebastian Ruiz Restrepo both earned braces in the first half, with it being the former’s second in three days. A free kick goal in the second half (which may have hit off another player) ended the scoring as the NPSL side looked completely overwhelmed by New York’s speed and experience.

Of note, with these stats the tournament ends with six players tied for Golden Boot with five goals scored between the regional and national rounds. Those players are: Joe Holland (New York Pancyprian-Freedoms), Junior Rosero (New York Pancyprian-Freedoms), Sebastian Ruiz Restrepo (New York Pancyprian-Freedoms), Alan Salgado (Azteca FC), James Tristino (New York Pancyprian-Freedoms), and Nico Williams (Chicago House AC).

(Full game recap by TheCup contributor Adnan Bašić for Protagonist Soccer)

Goal scorers

NYPF:

  • Junior Rosero 7′
  • Sebastian Ruiz Restrepo 9′ (Asst: Joe Holland)
  • Sebastian Ruiz Restrepo 14′ (Asst: Junior Rosero)
  • Joe Holland 24′ (Asst: Sebastian Ruiz Restrepo)
  • Junior Rosero 43′
  • Rafael Bustaenti 50′

MATCH BROADCAST

Filed Under: 2025 US Open Cup, Amateur Cup, Feature - Amateur Cup, Feature - Main, Feature - Qualifying, Featured Post - Amateur Cup, Featured Post - Main, Featured Post - US Open Cup Qualifying, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Central, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: 2024 National Amateur Cup, 2025 US Open Cup, 2025 US Open Cup Qualifying, FC Arizona, FC Milwaukee Torrent, new york pancyprian freedoms, Tobacco Road FC, United States Adult Soccer Association, USASA, USASA Region I, USASA Region II, USASA Region III, USASA Region IV

2024 National Amateur Cup Recap: Pancyprian Freedoms win Region I, Midwest Semis produce all Wisconsin Final (June 9–16)

June 18, 2024 by Michael Battista

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms celebrate the club’s 2024 USASA Region I championship in the National Amateur Cup.

A three-time US Open Cup champion is heading to Dekalb, Illinois to compete for the 2024 National Amateur Cup. The New York Pancyprian Freedoms became the third team to punch its ticket last weekend which two other teams inched closer to claiming the final spot. The Midwest final is now set and going to be a first-ever match between two Wisconsin sides looking to make history.

Since 2018, the champion of the National Amateur Cup, the highest tournament in the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), receives direct qualification to the following year’s Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. For the last few years, TheCup.us has tracked the National Amateur Cup from its regional stages all the way up until the national final. These updates have been provided on Twitter / X and stats have been kept internally.

USASA is broken into four regions, each holding their own amateur cup tournament respectively. The champions of these four tournaments qualify for the national finals later this summer.

You can find a brief summary of every game from this past weekend below. Additionally, here are links to the Twitter threads and articles made over the two months regarding other results:

  • April 7 (Region I)
  • April 14 (Region I & Region II)
  • April 20 (Region II)
  • April 27 to May 5
  • May 11 to 25
  • May 28 to June 2
  • June 7 to 9 (Region III Tournament Recap)

FULL 2024 NATIONAL AMATEUR CUP SCHEDULE/RESULTS

USASA Region I (Northeast)
Final

SATURDAY, JUNE 15

Christos FC (MD – Maryland Super Soccer League)
0:2
New York Pancyprian Freedoms (NY – Eastern Premier Soccer League)
Ukrainian American Sports Center, Field 6 – North Wales, PA

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms won the USASA Region I Amateur Cup over Christos FC, 2-0, to qualify for July’s national tournament. Goals at the bookends of the match were enough to beat an over-extended Christos team, which had a USL League Two match earlier in the day. The game was played at the Ukrainian American Sports Center during a weekend in which Region I also crowned other champions ranging from Under-23 to women’s amateur cup. The Freedoms are looking to join an exclusive club of teams to win both the National Amateur Cup and US Open Cup. The last team to do it was the Freedoms’ EPSL rival New York Greek Americans back in 2014.

Goal scorers

NYPF:

  • James Thristino 2′
  • Joe Holland 80′

Match Broadcast:

USASA Region II (Midwest)
Semifinals

SUNDAY, JUNE 9

Bavarian United SC (WI – Midwest Premier League)
7:5
Akron City FC (OH – National Premier Soccer League)
After Extra Time
Indiana Invaders Sports Complex – South Bend, IN

Bavarian United SC is back in the Region II Final after an unbelievable comeback win over Akron City FC, 7-5 after extra time. Despite being the host, Bavarians elected to play the game in South Bend, Indiana as a “meet in the middle” compromise with Akron City. The NPSL side trailed heading into halftime but responded by scoring four goals. The two teams traded goals in the last ten minutes meaning the score was 5-2 in the 82nd minute. The six-time National Amateur Cup champions then pulled off one of the greatest comebacks not seen (because there was no stream). Three goals, including two in stoppage time, forced the game to extra time. Akron seemed deflated and allowed a goal in each extra time half to exit its inaugural tournament.

(Full match recap by Akron City FC)

Goal scorers

BUSC:

  • Buran Huseini 40’
  • Joe Raasch 81’
  • Dogara Zamani 86’
  • Kelmend Islami 90+2’
  • Michael Russell 90+5’
  • Chaney Christensen 100’
  • Logan Andryk 113’

ACFC:

  • Sam Sarver 47′, 63′
  • Ryan Kingsford 60′
  • Kelly Jannsen 67′
  • Carter Cormier 82′

SUNDAY, JUNE 16

Vlora FC (MN – Minnesota Amateur Soccer League)
0:1
FC Milwaukee Torrent (WI – National Premier Soccer League)
Burnsville High School – Burnsville, MN

FC Milwaukee Torrent scored a late goal over Vlora FC to advance, 1-0, to its first-ever regional final. A scoreless first half saw a Torrent goal called back for offside and two Vlora chances held up by strong defensive plays by the visitors. The critical chance came with under ten minutes to play in regulation. A run down the right side saw a cross from the end line find Juan Lopez for the game’s only goal. For Vlora, the loss ends a historic tournament which saw the Minnesota side reach the regional semifinals for the first time. The team was the only team without a bye to the Quarterfinals to reach the final four of Region II.

(Full match recap by the NPSL)

Goal scorers

FCMT:

  • Juan Lopez 81′ (Zakaria Daaou)

Match Broadcast:

USASA Region III (South)

Won by Tobacco Road FC (NC) on June 9, 2024.

USASA Region IV (West)

Won by FC Arizona (AZ) on June 2, 2024.

USASA National Amateur Cup Finals

Once all four regional champions have been crowned, each will take part in the national finals on July 25 to 28 in DeKalb, Illinois. This event is officially being hosted by DeKalb County United, who oddly enough did not even enter the tournament.

Qualified teams:

  • New York Pancyprian-Freedoms (Region I)
  • Tobacco Road FC (Region III)
  • FC Arizona (Region IV)

Filed Under: Amateur Cup, Feature - Amateur Cup, Featured Post - Amateur Cup, US Open Cup Tagged With: 2024 National Amateur Cup, 2025 US Open Cup, 2025 US Open Cup Qualifying, new york pancyprian freedoms, United States Adult Soccer Association, USASA, USASA Region I, USASA Region II, USASA Region III, USASA Region IV

2024 US Open Cup Qualifying Final Round: Brockton FC United uses lengthy stoppage time to get revenge on Pancyprian Freedoms

November 22, 2023 by Michael Battista

Photo: Brockton FC United

On a chilly night in Jamaica, Queens, the New York Pancyprian Freedoms and Brockton FC United looked destined for extra time. Both teams were held scoreless as the clock neared the 90-minute mark at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium. However, over ten minutes of second-half stoppage time saw four goals and a red card. The final whistle saw Brockton book its ticket for the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 3-1 win.

“It’s a huge accomplishment,” said forward Wuilito Fernandes. “We had our goal which was to win the (UPSL) regular season, which we did, and win the playoffs. Unfortunately, we slept on that one last weekend against (Olé Football Club). Our other goal was to go as far as we can into the US Open Cup and try to make sure we qualify.

“We did what we had to do to prepare after that tough loss to come here and get the good result. It’s a great feeling, it’s special, it’s priceless.”

This will be Brockton’s second-ever Open Cup appearance after first debuting in the 2022 tournament. The Massachusetts side has made it to a “Win & You’re In” match in four straight qualifying tournaments (2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024).

That first match in the fall of 2019 was against the Pancyprian Freedoms, who won 1-0 as the game ended early due to weather. Brockton head coach Jose Mendes said after Saturday’s match that he and many on the team had not forgotten that game.

“Just like it happened to us back in (2019) where they eliminated us to qualify for the tournament, that was our goal,” Mendes said through a translator. “To come here and actually make sure they feel the same thing that we felt back then.”

Brockton made sure their win was as painful for New York as possible in front of a crowd of 30 fans at Belson. In the 90th minute, they had a quick attack up the middle. Leandro Alves had his shot saved by Rafael Diaz, who was unable to catch the ball. As it rolled, Alves went for it, and Diaz, on the ground, extended his hands. According to the referee, Diaz grabbed the player’s legs and forced him to trip, earning a penalty shot.

Fernandes, a former USL professional who has caps with the Cape Verde national team, stepped up. His shot into the top left corner gave Brockton a 1-0 lead in the 90+1st minute.

The Freedoms kicked off just as the clock ticked over to 93 minutes. Within 120 seconds, the game was tied. A cross from the left side found Matthew Forester, who tapped it back in the box. A whiffed shot by a Pancyprian set the ball trickling towards Joe Holland, who slammed the ball into the net in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Again, the game looked destined for extra time. But the referee allowed play to continue. A foul in the New York end gave Brockton a free kick, which they took quickly. Stephan Teixeira shot low towards the left post, which Diaz saved. Manuel Alejandro Pereira Castellon jumped on the loose ball and struck it into the right side to make it 2-1. He ran towards the Brockton bench and was swarmed by his teammates as Pancyprian players argued with the referee; Both about offside and that the free kick was taken too quickly.

With momentum back on their side, Brockton’s Euclides Ramos Mendonça iced the game with a shot from miles out. It chipped Diaz and found the back of the net in the 11th minute of stoppage time.

After it was all done Fernandes noted that the referee initially said there would be seven minutes of stoppage time after the initial go-ahead PK was scored. He said even that felt like slow motion, feeling closer to 15 minutes (which eventually, it got close to being).

“It felt so long,” the Cape Verde national said. “We’re just happy it ended and we’re just happy we’re the ones that came out on top. And now we’re excited to get back on the road and enjoy this victory.”

Of note, Brockton’s Jose Orlet Tavares had been cautioned in the 70th minute and subbed off later. He removed his coat and ran onto the field in uniform to celebrate, running across the pitch near the Belson bleachers. That earned him a second yellow, meaning he will miss Brockton’s first Open Cup match.

The first half went by fairly quickly but neither team found the back of the net. New York was forced to make an early sub within the first ten minutes after a head-to-head collision. A Brockton takeaway got the ball to Pereira Castellon. He sent a high ball into the box where St. John’s alumni Luke Hansen and Brockton’s Leonardo Teixeira slammed heads while trying to head the ball. Teixeira eventually got up but Hansen, who got up and walked shakily before sitting down again, was subbed off for Camil Koreichi.

Overall, New York had the better offense in the first 45 minutes. Former professional and Grenada national team player Shavon John-Brown skied a header over the crossbar in the 10th minute. For much of the first half John-Brown, who scored a brace last round, was playing near the midfield. It turns out Pancyprian, missing players due to injury and inability to adjust the roster during qualifying, was trying to adjust.

Holland, another former professional, returned to the starting XI and played up top. In the last 15 minutes, he shot into the side of the netting and got a weak shot off from the top of the box that the keeper jumped on. In stoppage time, Holland got under a free kick in the box but headed it wide right to keep it scoreless.

For the visitors, Brockton’s best assets were great set-piece defending and fast breaks. The side stopped at least three New York corner kicks and two free kicks near the penalty area.

A Brockton FC United player strikes the ball in the heavy rain in the club’s 2020 US Open Cup qualifier against the New York Pancyprian Freedoms. Photo: Liz McQuilkin – Mass Soccer

Joseano Paulo Tavares struck a hard shot right to keeper Rafael Diaz in the 12th minute. The team’s best chances of the first half came in the 39th minute. After a Holland shot was saved, United countered quickly up the right side. Running to near the end line, the ball was played to Leonardo Teixeira six yards from the net. His shot was saved by Diaz but put back into play. Pereira Castellon quickly jumped on the rebound attempt but that was blocked by a diving New York player.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game and we tried to stay as open as possible,” Mendes said. “Especially when we transition back and forth. Make sure we do it in an organized way.”

After the break Brockton’s offense began to pick up possession. In the first 20 minutes, United received two yellow cards and two free kicks on opposite sides of the Pancyprian box. Another in the 68th saw a Brockton player attempt a bicycle kick but not get fully connected with it.

New York wasn’t quiet either. John-Brown began to move up and Holland continued to threaten. A 65th-minute shot went right to Brockton keeper Christopher Moura. Ten minutes later, he ran down the left side and danced around a defender near the end line. But moving the ball towards the net, he either crossed or shot, allowing United to block it back into play.

Forester got a great scissor kick-off in the 88th minute. Moura made a jumping dive to his left, but the ball sailed wide of the goal.

For New York, it is another crushing disappointment. The three-time Open Cup champions have not competed in the tournament proper since 2016. Their last qualification in 2020 was snubbed when COVID-19 canceled the tournament for the first time ever.

Filed Under: 2024 US Open Cup, Feature - Main, Feature - Qualifying, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Central, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: 2024 US Open Cup, 2024 US Open Cup Qualifying, Brockton FC United, new york pancyprian freedoms

2022 US Open Cup Qualifying: Oyster Bay United downs 3-time champ Pancyprian Freedoms in OT

October 21, 2021 by Michael Battista

Oyster Bay United FC players pose in front of their fans following the team’s win over the New York Pancyprian Freedoms in the 2022 US Open Cup Third Qualifying Round. Photo: Karla Esqueche E&M Photography

2022 Open Division Local Qualifying Schedule / Results

On a chilly night in Queens, three month old club Oyster Bay United FC defeated the New York Pancyprian Freedoms, a team with almost five decades of history behind it. Oyster Bay United won 2-0 after extra time and are now one win away from the tournament proper. Goals from Davidson Marseille and Jeison Solano at the end of each of the extra time halves put an end to a chippy 2022 US Open Cup qualifying match at Belson Stadium.

United’s defeat of the three-time US Open Cup champions followed their victory against four-time champion New York Greek Americans in the previous round. The Freedoms advanced after their Second Qualifying Round opponent, New Amsterdam FC II, forfeited the match.

Oyster Bay head coach Josue Esqueche knows these past two wins are huge on their own. But heading into a “Win And You’re In” game next month, his team is already going to play a less experienced side in Westchester United FC.

“They are both great teams with great history,” Esqueche said after the game. “That’s a plus for the team. That’s a plus for the guys. When you have those two matches on your backpack, you’re going to face other teams with lesser history. You are proud because you know that you already handled a big deal. You’re going to be able to face anything.”

With the Freedoms loss, only two 2020 US Open Cup qualifiers are still in-line to requalify for the tournament (Chula Vista FC & Harpos FC).

Ten minutes into the game and it was clear both teams were evenly matched. In the 8th minute, the Freedoms’ James Mulligan was carded for a foul just on the edge of the box, which Oyster’s Joey Sanchez slammed into the defensive wall. On the immediate counter attack, Dillon Woods was carded for a handball when challenging Charlie Ledula on the right side. The subsequent free kick by former pro and current Seton Hall assistant coach Jeff Matteo was also quietly handled by the defense before being skied out.

Yellow cards were a common sight during the game with Oyster Bay accumulating nine and the Freedoms picking up three. It was enough that the Pancyprian staff in the media box questioned how none of the visitors picked up a second card when not many substitutions were being made.

Esqueche put that down to his team’s training. He knows his players want to play professionally or at least advance to a higher level so adapting after getting carded is part of that.

“Part of being professional responsibilities on the field,” he explained. “If you get a card because of a foul, even if it’s not your fault, you have that card, you have to be professional enough to handle it.

“I’m not going to change every player on the field because of a yellow card. They have to be responsible enough knowing that when they have a card, they have to be more cautious when they go into a player.”

That didn’t really matter to the 46 people in attendance though who were mostly in favor of the visitors from Long Island. New York had more chances offensively but Oyster Bay looked more organized for the most part. That did lead to some moments where the visitors over-pressed leaving open space for Pancyprian to try and attack 2-on-1, with the saving grace being Ledula struggling to make plays up top. The half ended with the former New York Cosmos player getting a near breakaway but shooting high over the net.

In the second half, the home side came out in a completely different shape. United had playback as the historic side shot on goal multiple times with keeper Jean Perez making multiple clutch saves. The best way the visitors had to try and counter this was physicality and the cards continued to add up in this half especially. The game slowly reverted into a back and forth again.

Oyster Bay United FC’s Sebastian Ruiz played all 120 minutes for his team, switching between both wings and causing issues for the New York Pancyprian Freedoms. Photo: Karla Esqueche E&M Photography

Oyster Bay’s Sebastian Ruiz stood out as one of his team’s MVPs in the half. The midfielder fluently switched from the left to right side and his speed helped move the ball down field away from the feet of Freedom players. On the other side James Nealis, older brother of New York Red Bulls player Sean Nealis, was one of the best players on the field. The former New York Cosmos player was key in moving the ball and developing plays for his team. He nearly scored a game winner in the latter half of the second period but a great save kept it out.

Late on in the 80th minute, Ledula attempted to challenge Sanchez for the ball in the United end. Whether he tripped over the ball, the OBUFC player’s leg or himself he went down and grabbed his right ankle. It took a few moments before his teammates and team staff could help him off the field.

Esqueche realized that despite Ledula’s slow game on the scoreboard most of the Pancyprian attack was flowing through him. With him off and knowing the game was most likely heading to extra time he could adjust his players around.

“That was a big change for the game,” said Esqueche. “It gave us the space to put some fresh players on that side because (Ledula) was practically their best player. So that way, when he got injured, we were able to put our subs (in), which were fresh.

“(Pancyprian) were all playing in the back and we knew that it was going to be hard to break those lines.”

Just before the final whistle New York’s James Thristino had a chance to end it when he was fed a cross from the right side just outside the goalkeeper box. The pass came fast, he missed, and was cleanly challenged to the ground. The game entered extra time not long after.

In the first 15-minute half, Oyster Bay came out quick and did not allow the home side to get any shots on goal. Ruiz switched sides back to the left and while his acceleration may have slowed after 90-plus minutes, his legs still played a major part. He helped set up two back-to-back attempts on the Freedoms net in the 100th minute, one stopped by a jumping Bernardi in net and the next shot high and wide.

The breaking point came just before the third intermission. A long kick found Marseille charging down the center and for a moment play slowed down as players expected the referee to call offside. The Oyster Bay player kept going and recovered the still bouncing ball with a finish that slid past Bernardi’s right side.

Marseille, a Haitian immigrant who had two surgeries last summer before joining United, knows his team believes in him. While the team is young he knows there’s talent here and showing he deserves to be here means a lot to him. But even with their support he credited the goal to something that’s been with him since he played the game on a dirt field just outside his house.

“This was God’s doing, it has nothing to do with me,” he said after the match. “It’s a lot of work that came into this, but I give this to God because that’s what I believe in. And that’s all I can say.”

In the second extra time half, United shot wide of the net twice in the first two minutes but the game settled into a back and forth again. The middle of the field saw the most action and Oyster Bay attempted to slow the game down. Emotions boiled over in the 120th minute when Luis Altuve took down Andreas Iosifidis and players from both teams began shoving and exchanging words. Eventually New York players crowded around the match official after they felt he wasn’t punishing United enough for their rough play. Both Iosifidis and Altuve were carded.

By the time Solano slipped in the game sealer in the third minute of stoppage time, as Bernardi played up leaving the net empty, the home side was completely demoralized and the final result felt more like a formality.

Heading into the next match against a fellow United Premier Soccer League side Marseille and Esqueche both know their team has a big advantage thanks to all the support the young group has. With people coming from across Oyster Bay and beyond to support it’s something both know they can’t replace and both are truly grateful for it.

“From somebody that didn’t really have support going up this is very ideal for us,” Marseille said. “Without fans, without support in life, you can’t really go forward. God can only do so much, but he’s gonna do his part and people that are around you as friends and family, those are what pull you through sometimes.”

Full Match Broadcast

Filed Under: 2022 US Open Cup, Feature - Main, Feature - Qualifying, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: 2022 US Open Cup, 2022 US Open Cup Qualifying, Eastern Premier Soccer League, EPSL, new york pancyprian freedoms, Oyster Bay United FC, United Premier Soccer League, UPSL

American soccer’s greatest modern underdog story: Rochester Raging Rhinos win 1999 US Open Cup

September 14, 2020 by Josh Hakala

Rochester Raging Rhinos: 1999 US Open Cup champions

The Rochester Raging Rhinos celebrate their 1999 US Open Cup championship after defeating the Colorado Rapids 2-0 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH. Photo: Rochester Rhinos

A version of this story by Josh Hakala originally appeared on FourFourTwo.com

Every sport has its go-to underdog story. Hockey has the “Miracle on Ice”, college basketball has N.C. State in 1983, baseball has the “Miracle Mets” in 1969, and boxing has Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson. World soccer has plenty to choose from with Leicester City (2015/16 Premier League champions) being the most recent example.

For American soccer, it’s the 1999 Rochester Raging Rhinos, who became the first and, to date, the only lower division club to win the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup since Major League Soccer launched in 1996. Fans of domestic cup competitions like the FA Cup (England) know that anything can happen, and in 1999, the Rhinos of the A-League (Div. 2) upset four MLS teams en route to lifting the trophy.

The last team to come close to repeating their accomplishment was the 2008 Charleston Battery who reached the Final in 2008, but lost to D.C. United. More recently, FC Cincinnati, then of the USL, let a 2-0 lead on their home field slip away in the 2017 Semifinals, falling to the New York Red Bulls. If they would have held on for the win, they would have had a chance to join the Rhinos in the American soccer history books.

However, looking back at the 1999 Rochester Raging Rhinos (they dropped the “Raging” part of their name prior to the 2008 season), their magical Open Cup run almost didn’t happen. Multiple times.

Round 2: Rochester Raging Rhinos 2, New York Freedoms 1 (OT)

The Rhinos began the tournament in Round 2 and their opening game was against the New York Freedoms, an amateur team from the Premier Development League (PDL, now known as USL League Two). To put the mismatch in perspective, the US Soccer Federation assigned seedings to the teams for the 1999 US Open Cup and the Rhinos were the No. 9 seed and the Freedoms were 28th out of the 32-team field. 

Mauro Biello of the Rochester Raging Rhinos battles for the ball against the New York Freedoms in the Second Round of the 1999 US Open Cup. Photo: Democrat & Chronicle

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms were three-time US Open Cup champions (1980, 1982, 1983) and long-time members of the New York’s famed Cosmopolitan League. They launched a PDL team in 1999 under the name “New York Freedoms” and qualified for the Open Cup in their debut season.

More than 7,000 fans showed up at the Rhinos’ Frontier Field to cheer on the defending A-League (Div. 2 pro) champions. In the first half, it looked like it was going to be a one-sided affair when New York’s Ronan Wiseman, who was on loan from the Long Island Rough Riders, received a straight red card for a hard tackle in the 35th minute.

“I’m very disappointed,” Freedoms manager Tony Noto told the Democrat and Chronicle after the game. “The referee made a difference. He changed the destiny of the Freedoms. You don’t (throw) players out on the first foul.”

Despite being down a man, the Freedoms walked into the locker room at halftime scoreless against the Rhinos.

According to Rhinos head coach Pat Ercoli, his team’s smaller field dimensions at Frontier Field may have helped the visiting team stay in the game as they bunkered down once they were down a man.

In the 57th minute, New York’s Rodney Rambo stunned the announced crowd of 7,131 by giving the 10-man Freedoms the lead. The former University of Portland star stole the ball from Rhinos midfielder Kirk Dietrich near the Rochester penalty area, dribbled in and put the ball past goalkeeper Bill Andracki, who was filling in for injured starter Pat Onstad.

“ was certainly a wake-up call,” said Rhinos head coach Pat Ercoli. “When you’re playing the amateur teams, sometimes you take them for granted, just like the MLS teams have done in certain cases with lower division teams. The lower division teams tend to up their game and the higher division teams tend to play down to .”

That lead would be short-lived as Mauro Biello, the team’s top scorer, received a pass just outside the box from Doug Miller, the A-League’s 1997 MVP. Biello launched a shot from a little more than 20 yards out to tie the game in the 62nd minute.

The match would head into golden goal extra time where Biello played provider, delivering a corner kick to the head of Darren Tilley who nodded home the game-winner in the 110th minute. The Freedoms gave the Rhinos a scare despite Rochester outshooting New York 22-7 and earning 19 corners to the Freedoms’ four. New York’s goalkeeper Roberto Sir kept his team in the game, making seven saves over 110 minutes of action.

After the game, Tilley told Jeff DiVeronica of the Democrat and Chronicle that the team was just happy to advance.

“We didn’t play to our best, as I think everyone would acknowledge, but it’s all about winning in Cup competitions.”

The headline in the July 15, 1999 edition of the Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY) after the Rochester Raging Rhinos upset the defending MLS Cup and US Open Cup champion Chicago Fire.

ROUND 3: Rochester Raging Rhinos 1, Chicago Fire 0

In the next round, the Rhinos found themselves in a battle worthy of a Final. Rochester, the defending A-League champions welcomed the defending MLS Cup and US Open Cup champions in the Chicago Fire. With two major trophies already added to Chicago’s trophy case after its inaugural season, the Rhinos were not intimidated.

Photo: Democrat & Chronicle archives

After Yari Allnutt headed home a Michael Kirmse corner kick to put the Rhinos ahead in the 51st minute, the more than 10,000 fans in attendance at Rochester’s Frontier Field saw the game’s physical play cranked up to another level.

“We had a mentality that we don’t care where you play, we’re going to come and take it to you and compete on any given day and make sure we’re going to be successful,” said Rhinos forward Doug Miller. “Other teams, they had given more respect and time for these guys to play … we were very hard-nosed and very chippy.”

That hard-nosed approach produced a tournament-high 45 fouls between the two teams, but the cards didn’t start coming out until about 20 minutes into the second half.

With roughly 15 minutes left in the game, Chicago’s Lubos Kubik got into a confrontation with multiple Rhinos players which led to him putting Rochester’s Scott Schweitzer in a headlock. Kubik and Schweitzer, who were the previous year’s Defender of the Year in their respective leagues, were both sent off.

Despite missing their top defender, goalkeeper Pat Onstad and the Rhinos were able to keep the Fire’s high-powered offense off the scoresheet. Rochester’s defense held Chicago to just eight shots with Onstad, a Canadian international, only needing to make three saves to earn the clean sheet. With the win, the Rhinos were moving on to the Quarterfinals, 1-0.

“We had that swagger where we knew we could win. They came in with their best team and we came in with our best team and it was a fight,” said Ercoli.

“Some of those things we did in that game, you wouldn’t get away with today. You would have seen four or five red cards ,” Ercoli added with a chuckle.

QUARTERFINALS: Rochester Raging Rhinos 2, Dallas Burn 1 (OT)

The sports page in the Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, NY) on Aug 12, 1999 as the Rochester Raging Rhinos defeated the Dallas Burn in the Quarterfinals of the 1999 US Open Cup.

In the Quarterfinals, the Rhinos hosted the 1997 US Open Cup champion Dallas Burn in front of another crowd of more than 10,000 fans. This was nothing new for the Rhinos faithful who’s attendance figures had made Rochester a strong candidate to join Major League Soccer. The match against Dallas drew an announced crowd of 10,730, which was the seventh time that a US Open Cup match cracked the 10,000 mark in the Modern Era. Of those seven games, four of them were hosted by the Rhinos at Frontier Field, one of them was the 1998 Final, and the record of 20,376 was a Colorado Rapids game at Mile High Stadium against the Seattle Sounders (A-League) that was given a significant boost as being the opening match of a doubleheader with the US Men’s National Team playing against Derby County of the English Premier League.

After a scoreless first half, Mauro Biello opened the scoring by redirecting a Tim Hardy shot past Dallas’ All-Star goalkeeper Matt Jordan in the 71st minute. Jason Kreis, who would finish tied as MLS’ leading goalscorer that year and win the MLS MVP award, rescued the Burn with an 85th minute equalizer on a cross from Paul Broome.

Just like the match against the Freedoms in Round 2, it came down to extra time and another golden goal from the Rhinos. Michael Kirmse was at the right place at the right time. In the 110th minute, Biello sent in a free kick that Tilley headed off the crossbar. The rebound fell right to Kirmse who put it into the back of the net to send Rochester back to the Semifinals for the second time in four years.

The game was satisfying for the Rhinos because of the criticism directed at them by members of the Dallas Burn before the game. Chief among them was outspoken Dallas head coach Dave Dir saying that Rochester played like “11 Dennis Rodmans”, referring to the physical style of play of the NBA star. While Dir attacked the players’ style of play, Kreis mocked the size of the Rhinos’ Frontier Field, saying “when they play on a real field, they’re going to get their butts beat.”

“That was definitely fodder for the locker room,” said Ercoli. “Scott Schweitzer was one of the guys on our team that made sure everyone knew about it.”

SEMIFINALS: Rochester Raging Rhinos 3, Columbus Crew 2

The Rhinos played away from home for the first time as both Semifinals were scheduled at a neutral venue at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex (Va.) on Sept. 1. Both games featured an A-League vs. MLS match-up, however, the event was overshadowed, quite literally, by the weather as Hurricane Dennis was bearing down on the region. The game was able to move forward because Dennis was downgraded to a tropical storm, but it still brought high winds and heavy rain to the doubleheader.

Rochester Raging Rhinos head coach Pat Ercoli celebrates his club’s 1999 US Open Cup title. Photo courtesy of Pat Ercoli

Earlier in the evening, the Colorado Rapids (MLS), the team the Rhinos beat in the 1996 Semifinals, punched their ticket to the Final with a 3-0 win over the A-League’s Charleston Battery. All the scoring came in the second half with Jorge Dely Valdes accounting for two of them and Paul Bravo adding another. Wolde Harris assisted on two of the three goals, while Ian Feuer made four saves to earn the clean sheet. After the match, Rapids head coach Glenn Myernick had the quote of the night: “It was a great night, if you’re a duck.”

It was already announced that the tournament’s championship game two weeks later would be held at the Crew’s new soccer-specific stadium in Columbus. So when the Rhinos kicked off against a star-studded Crew team in the pouring rain, they would play spoiler in the most dramatic way possible.

With wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour, it was not a fun night for anyone but especially the goalkeepers.

“I’ve never played in wind like that before in my life,” said Rhinos goalkeeper Pat Onstad, who was the A-League Goalkeeper of the Year in his debut season the year before. “I would try to hit a goal kick as hard as I possibly could and it would get about 30 yards out and it would be coming back at our center backs and they would be heading it out. It was crazy.”

After a scoreless first half, the game opened up with the Rhinos answering everything the Crew fired at them. Despite facing 8 Rochester players in the wall, Columbus’ Robert Warzycha connected on a stunning free kick in the 56th minute to give the Crew, one of the top teams in MLS, a 1-0 lead. The Rhinos nearly equalized in the next few minutes as Darren Tilley had a goal disallowed for offside and Bill Sedgewick launched a shot from distance that hit the post.

Rochester would finally level the match in the 68th minute when Tilley headed home a Tommy Tanner cross. Just under ten minutes later, the Crew’s speedy winger Brian West put his team back in front, only to see Schweitzer take a rare free kick from 25 yards away that took a deflection off of Tanner and ended up in the back of the net.

It looked like Rochester was headed to its third extra time match in four matches, but three minutes into stoppage time, another Rhinos defender came to the rescue. Tim Hardy, cut inside his defender on the wing, took a shot that caught a gust of wind that carried into the corner of the goal, out of the reach of MLS goalkeeper wins leader Mark Dougherty.

It remains one of the most exciting finishes of the US Open Cup’s Modern Era (1995-present).

Mali Walton of the Rochester Raging Rhinos celebrates after winning the 1999 US Open Cup with a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids.

“At that point, we knew we were destined to win this thing,” said Ercoli.

FINAL: Rochester Raging Rhinos 2, Colorado Rapids 0

The hopes of a sold-out Crew Stadium for the Final were dashed as soon as the Rhinos eliminated Columbus in that rainy Semifinal in Virginia Beach. The vast majority of the announced crowd of 4,555 were cheering for the Rhinos against the Rapids, with many of those fans making the roughly 400-mile trip from Rochester on a Tuesday night. Those unable to make the trip were able to watch the game live on ESPN2, giving fans around the country a taste of the drama that the US Open Cup is capable of.

After three upsets of MLS teams, Rhinos beat writer Jeff Di Veronica wrote in his recap of the Columbus Crew game that “it might be time to stop calling Rochester’s wins over MLS teams upsets.”

After a scoreless first half, the Rhinos were struggling to create chances and needed to add some speed to the attack, so Coach Ercoli brought on a not-so-secret weapon in the 62nd minute. The club’s all-time leading scorer Doug Miller, who was frustrated because he had been the odd man out of the starting lineup in recent weeks, gave the Rhinos the spark they needed.

Rochester Raging Rhinos: 1999 US Open Cup champions
Rochester Raging Rhinos: 1999 US Open Cup champions

Three minutes after entering the game, Miller received the ball on the left wing, beat Rapids defender Peter Vermes and fired a shot through the legs of Colorado goalkeeper Ian Feuer to give the Rhinos the lead. Pat Onstad made some big saves down the stretch and Yari Allnutt put the game away with a goal in the 90th minute to kick off a long night of celebrations for the Rhinos and their traveling fans.

Miller used that moment to spark the rest of his season as he played a big role in the team’s playoff run as he scored six goals in the team’s seven playoff games as Rochester reached the A-League championship game before losing 2-1 to the Minnesota Thunder.

For Miller, looking back on his career, the US Open Cup title is something he will never forget.

“I’ve got four championships, two indoor, two outdoor, and I’ve got an amateur championship, but that ranks right up there at the top for many reasons,” said Miller. “To win the US Open Cup and to beat all those MLS teams in the fashion that we did was special.”

 

 

FULL MATCH REPLAY

“WHEN MLS DIDN’T WIN THE US OPEN CUP”

SOCCER SAM RECAP: 1999 US OPEN CUP FINAL

LOCAL NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Filed Under: Feature - History, Feature - Main, US Open Cup, US Open Cup History Tagged With: 1999 US Open Cup, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, Dallas Burn, new york pancyprian freedoms, Rochester Rhinos

2020 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 2: NY Pancyprian Freedoms win league title game rematch to advance

October 23, 2019 by Michael Battista

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms and the Cedar Stars Academy Westchester, who met in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League championship game, met again in the 2020 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Michael Battista

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms and the Cedar Stars Academy Westchester, who met in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League championship game, met again in the 2020 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Michael Battista
The New York Pancyprian Freedoms and the Cedar Stars Academy, who met in the 2019 Cosmopolitan Soccer League championship game, met again in the 2020 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Michael Battista

The three-time US Open Cup champion New York Pancyprian Freedoms advanced to the Third Round of the Open Division Local qualifying tournament for the 2020 US Open Cup with a win over its Cosmopolitan Soccer League (CSL) counterpart Cedar Stars Academy (“CSA Westchester” in tournament logs), 2-0, on Sunday afternoon. The first game of the Sunday slate was a rematch of the 2019 CSL Division 1 championship game, which the Freedoms also won.

CSA’s loss in it’s USOC qualifying debut means New Jersey is now down to zero active participants after starting the 2020 process with a record number (3). The last Garden State team to reach the tournament proper through the qualifying tournament was FC Motown in 2017, which beat two Cosmopolitan Soccer League sides on route to its only tournament appearance as a Local Qualifier (the team has since qualified through league results in the National Premier Soccer League in both 2018 and 2019).

For the Freedoms, which have began the league season on a slow start only winning one of its first four games, the win over a top team not only in the CSL but the region is something staff, like midfielder Justin Tristino, hope can be a huge boost.

“It’s big for the team as a whole,“ Tristino said. “We started a little bit slow. But we came out today and made a statement. Probably our best game I’ve seen us play yet.”

Pancyprian Freedoms team captain Andreas Chronis, who has previous professional experience in Greece, said that his team did what it needed to do

“For us, the objective is to go as far as we could and to play as well as we could,” the Queens native said. “Today our coach said that ‘we actually played soccer today, we enjoyed the game and we were out there fighting.’ That’s what we want to do win or lose and as we keep going forward we just want to show that we can play soccer with any team out there.”

New York Pancyprian FreedomsDespite playing a man up for nearly three-quarters of the game the tough competition forced the Freedoms to play smart. Goals from Adam Himeno and second-half substitute Nicholas Psarras only came after the team wore down their competition.

The game started in a back and forth despite the Freedoms getting a majority of the early shots.

The Cedar Stars tried to play around the Pancyprian players, including fast runs up the wing especially from midfielder Maxi Garcia. For New York, the majority of time consisted of either trying to move the backlines of CSA and open space for long chances.

Chronis admits that as the weather deteriorated, he and his team tried to use it to their advantage.

“We wanted to test their goalie. They were dropping off us quite a bit … That was our strategy, to let them know we’re not here to just play passively. We want to attack and get opportunities on net. And if it just so happened that the goalie dropped the ball we would be there to put it in.”

One of those opportunities came in the 7th minute when his teammate James Thristino was fouled in the box. Chronis stepped up for the penalty kick but Stars keeper Derby Carrillo guessed right on a shot to the lower left and blocked it out for an unsuccessful corner. Chronis said afterwards he couldn’t remember the last time he failed to convert a penalty.

As the visiting team’s bench and coaches showed frustration for the lack of finishing, including a very vocal Mastrokyriakos, CSA passed the ball in a more organized fashion for most of the first 45 minutes. The home team did not have the majority of actually shots at goal, but compared to the ones the Freedoms were producing, CSA looked to be playing a longer more developed game that it was unable to culminate into anything.

The turning point came in the 27th minute as a collision between two players escalated. Cedar Stars’ Garcia and a Freedoms defender collided hard, with an audible thud, but neither player went down. Words were exchanged as both went chest-to-chest and after some physicality Garcia threw an open first punch / slap and made contact with the other player. A red card sent him off as the rest of the Freedoms held back their infuriated teammate while the Stars manager and owner, Oliver Papraniku, tried to make a point to the fourth official.

From his perspective, explained in an email following the game, both players should have been tossed from the game. Regardless,play would continue with only 10-men and the CSA wing losing a key piece to get around the defense.

The second half was almost all Freedoms, and despite Carrilo making a number of saves his team began to be vocally frustrated as plays failed to develop out of their own end.

Right as rain began to pick up in the 65th minute, with the dozen spectators either dawning umbrellas or heading for nearby sheltered viewing areas, Himeno scored the gamer winner off a cross from the left side by Chronis.

More chances for the Freedoms, including a point-blank shot that was saved by Carrilo, gave CSA hope for tying. One chance down the right side late by First Round hero Ovan Oakley seemed to have promise, but a raised flag seemed to deflate any momentum as both head coach Austin Friel and Papraniku were issued a yellow card for conduct.

The game finished when Psarras, who had only entered the match nine minutes prior, received a long pass from a broken up CSA play. His run into the zone brought Carrilo out from net but he was unable to block the sub from playing around the right side and kicking into the open net for the last play of the game in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The team now moves on to play Brockton United FC, the last side remaining from the state of Massachusetts, where the Freedoms will once again be the road team.

For Chronis he knows how much this tournament means not only to him but everyone on the Freedoms.

“I think the further we go in this tournament the more opportunity we have to show what kind of caliber we have as an amateur team,” he said. “We have a lot of players that are actually good, a lot of young players that want to play at the highest level that they can and this is probably the only opportunity they have, and us as a team, to continue to go forward and to improve what we have.”

Filed Under: 2020 US Open Cup, Feature - Main, Feature - Qualifying, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: 2020 US Open Cup Qualifying, Cedar Star Academy, Cedar Stars Academy Westchester, Cosmopolitan Soccer League, new york pancyprian freedoms

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U.S. Open Cup History

1995 us open cup rewind graphic

1995 US Open Cup Rewind series: The Modern Era begins

The 30th anniversary of the 1995 Open Cup is upon us this year, and as we did with the inaugural tournament in 1913-1914, we’re going to take you back in time and relive the 1995 US Open Cup in chronological order, as it happened.

  • Dating back to 1913, Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh soccer rivalry returns to US Open Cup
  • How a US Open Cup classic, locker room vandalism inspired fans to create Coffee Pot Cup
  • Highs and lows of Los Angeles’ 25 all-time US Open Cup Final appearances
  • Before Lionel Messi’s 2023 US Open Cup impact, Pele changed the 1975 Final in a different way
  • A history of violence against referees in US Open Cup

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