Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

NY Pancyprian Freedoms

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Greek American Atlas thrash Pancyprian Freedoms to regain Eastern NY crown

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

On a cold November evening , the New York Greek American Atlas, four-time US Open Cup winners, reclaimed their Eastern New York title with a 4-0 win over 3-time Open Cup champion New York Pancyprian Freedoms. It was their second meeting in nine days, and it took place at Belson Stadium on the campus of St. John’s University. The Greeks won the last meeting in league play 2-0 and with the win in the championship game, they have booked a place in next spring’s USASA Region I tournament, with a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on the line.

Keith Detelj scored a pair of goals for the Greeks who, with the win, earn their first Eastern NY Open Cup title since 2007, breaking a string of four straight by the Freedoms.

Play became chippy right from the kick off, as it was obvious that these two shared a fierce rivalry. Throughout the first 20 minutes of the contest, the teams had an equal share of possession, with both teams fighting through the midfield, hoping to take a much-wanted lead.

The Pancyprian Freedoms had the first real scoring opportunity when Stefan Dimitrov hit a low cross sent in by Anastasios Polydefkis wide off the mark.

It was the Greek AA who made the first breakthrough about nearly midway through the half. A cross from the left flank found it’s way to Keith Detelj who put it past Freedoms keeper Chad Calderone and gave put the Greek Americans up 1-0 after 22 minutes.

Neither keeper saw much action after Detelj’s goal, but the midfield battle that had begun at the start of the game continued until the ref blew the whistle for halftime, no yellow cards given, though there were plenty of opportunities.

The second half of the contest picked up right where it left off for Greek AA. They held a majority of the possession and created more goal scoring opportunities by consistently winning the ball in the midfield. The game’s first yellow card finally came in the 56th minute, as midfielder John Koutsoundis came in hard on one of the Greek AA players. The Greeks continued to press forward, trying to increase their one-goal lead and they were rewarded. A handball in the box led to a penalty kick and Ben Arikian stepped up to the spot and beat Calderone to the right, as the keeper dove the opposite way to make it 2-0 in the 62nd minute.

Greek AA didn’t have to wait long for their next goal, as Detelj fought off two Freedoms defenders to slot home his second of the night and the third for the Greeks in the 64th minute. Shortly afterward, the Greeks received their first yellow card of the night, as Josh Trott came in with a hard tackle a few yards from the penalty area, but the Greek AA were unable to capitalize.

Down three with a little more than twenty minutes to play, the Freedoms attempted to fight back. In the span of five minutes,  Freedoms attacker Julio Cesar Dos Santos struck from about 3 yards from goal, but it was handled by Greek AA keeper Steven Diaz. Dos Santos’ second attempt, a volley from about the same distance as his previous attempt, was also kept out by Diaz with some ease.  The Freedoms fought hard in the game’s last minutes, with a header by Dimitrov sent just wide of Diaz’s goal.

The Greeks made the Freedoms pay with a counter attack, with Paul Shaw chipping the ball from a few yards out past  Calderone to seal the victory and make it 4-0 Greek AA in the 72nd minute. With that goal came the final whistle, and with it advancement to the USASA Region I tournament. The Greek Americans will continue their quest to return to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since 2005 as Region I tournament begins in the spring of next year.

“I thought it was a great win tonight, and thought we thoroughly deserved it,” said Michael Todd of the Greek Americans. “We worked incredibly hard, the guys, everyone on the team, especially the guys coming off the bench. I thought we thoroughly deserved the win and I’m glad we’re in the next round of the cup.”

Martinos Kyprianou, coach of the New York Pancyprian Freedoms was disappointed with the result.

“To beat a team like this, you need to be on top of your game. Clearly tonight we were not,” said Kyprianou. “The effort was there, but we had no concentration. We missed scoring opportunities, they scored on 95% of theirs. And that was the difference of the game.”

The new champions took the toughest road to get to the final, having begun play in the opening round, while the Freedoms earned a bye into the championship game as the winners of the Eastern NY Super Cup tournament in September. After defeating the Manhattan Kickers in the first round 4-2, they narrowly escaped the NY Athletic Club in the next round 1-0, and needed an 89th minute goal from Jamal Neptune in the semifinals to knock off the Barnstonworth Rovers by the same score.

2011 Eastern NY Open Cup championship results
(Winner qualifies for the 2012 USASA Region I tournament)

Round 1
NY Athletic Club 3:1 NY Olympiacos
NY Greek American Atlas 4:2 Manhattan Kickers

Round 2
Barnstonworth Rovers 2:1 NYC Albania
NY Athletic Club 0:1 NY Greek American Atlas

Semifinal (winner plays NY Pancyprian Freedoms in the championship game)
Barnstonworth Rovers 0:1 NY Greek American Atlas

Final
NY Greek American Atlas 4:0 NY Pancyprian Freedoms

Past Eastern NY Open Cup champions (US Open Cup finish)
2003: Greek American Atlas (Did not qualify)
2004: Greek American Atlas (US Open Cup Round 1)
2005: Greek American Atlas (US Open Cup Round 1)
2006: Pancyprian Freedoms (Did not qualify)
2007: Greek American Atlas (Did not qualify)
2008: Pancyprian Freedoms (US Open Cup Round 1)
2009: Pancyprian Freedoms (Did not qualify)
2010: Pancyprian Freedoms (US Open Cup Round 1)
2011: Pancyprian Freedoms (US Open Cup Round 2)
2012: Greek American Atlas (?)

2011 US Open Cup New York Red Bulls bracket preview: FC New York at NY Pancyprian Freedoms

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SECOND ROUND

FC New York at NY Pancyprian Freedoms
Belson Stadium – Queens, NY – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: None

THIRD ROUND

FC New York / NY Pancyprian Freedoms at New York Red Bulls
June 28, 8 p.m. ET – Red Bull Arena; Harrison, NJ

NY Pancyprian Freedoms

Founded in 1974, the club has been a long-time member of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. The Freedoms also played under the USL auspices for several years, launching in the PDL in 1999 and moving up to the professional third division league for two seasons before leaving USL. Meet the USASA Feature [+]

Path to Open Cup: The Region I tournament kicked off May 1 with the Freedoms dominating former Open Cup qualifier Danbury United, 4-0, with two goals from Julio Cesar Dos Santos. Three weeks later in the Semifinal May 22, New York traveled to Massachusetts for a “Win & You’re In” match and defeated Mass Premier Soccer, rallying from a two-goal deficit at halftime with a pair of goals each from Dos Santos and Stefan Dimitrov to post a 4-2 victory. Region I Semifinal Recap [+]

First Round: Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA) 2:1 Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)
In a showdown of longtime local and Open Cup rivals with five Cup titles between them, the Freedoms and Italians were in a stalemate in the First Round until Stefan Dimitrov gave the Freedoms the lead in the 65th minute. Brooklyn answered back in the 80th only to see Dimitrov immediately reply a minute later with the 2-1 winner. Full recap[+]

League form: The Freedoms are idle in league play. They captured the Cosmopolitan Soccer League First Division championship June 5, rallying from a two-goal deficit to tie NY Athletic Club 2-2 with a penalty from Stefan Dimitrov (55) and goal from Julio Cesar Dos Santos (71) en route to claiming the title via penalties 4-2.

Open Cup History: One of the most successful clubs in the history of the tournament, it is one of the few current long-time participants that have played in the tournament in four decades and one of seven clubs all-time to win the tournament at least three times. The three-time champions won their titles in 1980, 1982 and 1983 when the tournament was an all-amateur event. The third title led to an appearance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup where they upset Mexican side Puebla via penalties and Vida from Honduras, but were disqualified in the final stage for the North/Central America Zone, along with opponent Guadalajara, when they failed to agree on match dates, giving the Caribbean winner Violette AC the title by default. The Freedoms were the last US club to reach the equivalent of the semifinals in the competition until the Seattle Sounders reached the four-team group stage Final in 1996.

The club also reached the Open Cup semifinals in 1988 and the quarterfinals in 1993 before professional teams began to enter in 1995. The club launched a PDL team in 1999 that would qualify and upset professional third division club Cape Cod Crusaders in their debut campaign before falling in a narrow 2-1 overtime defeat in Rochester to the defending second division champion and eventual US Open Cup champion Rhinos. The team played four more seasons, two in the third division, before leaving the USL. They continued to compete in the CSL, qualifying for the tournament through the USASA in 2008. The new Freedoms lost to USL Second Division’s Real Maryland 3-2 in overtime in the First Round. Last year they were also knocked out in the opening round, 2-0, by the PDL Long Island Rough Riders.
PRO ERA RECORD: 3-4-0 overall | 0-1-0 vs. professional teams (0-1-0 vs. 2nd Division)

FC New York

The club is an expansion side playing in USL Pro.

Path to the Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

First Round: FC New York (USL Pro) 3:0 Western Mass Pioneers (PDL)
The expansion New York side dominated the First Round match Tuesday against Western Mass with Jhonny Arteaga scoring all three goals in the 3-0 victory. Recap [+]

League Form: The club is idle in league play this week. The team has only lost once in the last five games (2-1-2) and are in fourth place in the USL Pro National Division with a 3-5-4 overall record.

Open Cup History: First appearance in the tournament. PRO ERA RECORDS: 1-0-0 overall | 1-0-0 vs. amateur teams

New York Red Bulls

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS: The Red Bulls came away with a dramatic come-from-behind 3-3 draw at Portland on Sunday. Down 3-1, Thierry Henry scored in the 73rd minute, but it was a Timbers handball that led to a Dwayne De Rosario penalty kick in second half stoppage time. They have two more games to play before their Third Round matchup. They will make trips to Seattle on Thursday, June 23 and to Chicago on June 26 before returning home two days later for the Open Cup. They opened the month with a 1-1 draw at home against the Columbus Crew June 4 in which they allowed a 92nd minute equalizer after leading since Mehdi Ballouchy’s ninth-minute strike. They rebounded from the setback a week later on June 10 with a 2-1 victory at home against the New England Revolution. The Red Bulls were the recipient of an own goal and Thierry Henry delivered the second before the Revs answered.
Last Five: D-W-D-D-D | Season record: 5-2-8 (4-1-3 at home), first place in Eastern Conference, fourth overall.

Open Cup History: The Red Bulls have come close early in their history with trips to the Semifinals in 1997, 1998 and 2000, but have never won the US Open Cup. The closest they came was in 2003 when they lost to the Chicago Fire in their only trip to the championship game. Since then, it’s been a series of short runs in the tournament with a 1-5 record the last five times they have qualified, including a pair of upsets to third division clubs (Crystal Palace Baltimore, Harrisburg City Islanders) and two more to second division teams (Charleston Battery, Rochester Rhinos). New York did not qualify in 2007 or 2009.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 12-12-1 (1-0 in PKs)

FIRST ROUND

Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) 1:2 N.Y. Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA – East NY)
Belson Stadium, St. Johns University – Queens, N.Y. – 7:30 p.m.
Full Recap[+]

Western Mass. Pioneers (PDL) 0:3 FC New York (USL PRO)
Met Oval – Queens, N.Y. – 7 p.m.
Full Recap [+]

ELIMINATED TEAMS

Brooklyn Italians

Founded in 1949, the club played in the Metropolitan Soccer League and later the American Soccer League through 1964. Since then, the club has played in the amateur ranks, recently joining the National Premier Soccer League in 2010.

Path to the Open Cup: The club was one of three teams in the NPSL Northeast that entered the qualifying competition. Brooklyn played host to FC Buffalo in the opening game, defeating the Western New York side by a narrow 1-0 margin on a 25th minute goal from Jorge Joseph. The club advanced to face the defending league champions Sonic Lehigh Valley, winning on the road 2-1.

June News Updates: Drew 2-2 against Morris County, rallying from two down on goals from Don Smart and Kordel Samuels.

Open Cup History: One of the 21 clubs to have won the US Open Cup on two occasions, it also one of the few current long-time participants that has played in the tournament in four decades. Brooklyn won the championship as the “Dodgers” in 1979 with a runners-up finish two years later. During that run to the Final in 1981, they defeated the New York Pancyprian Freedoms in the Semifinals to deny them a shot at repeating as champions.

Brooklyn returned to Open Cup prominence as runners-up in 1990 (falling to 2011 qualifier AAC Eagles from Chicago) before winning the championship a second time the following year. They won their 1991 title 1-0 over Houston’s Richardson Rockets on a sixth minute goal by Ernest Inneh. The club, however, did not return to the tournament until last year, falling 4-2 in overtime to the USL Second Division’s Harrisburg City Islanders despite taking the lead twice in regulation. Read more about the Freedoms/Italians rivalry [+]
PRO ERA RECORD: 0-1-0 overall | 0-0-0 vs. USASA

Western Mass Pioneers

Founded in 1998, the club was a long-time member of the professional third division league in USL prior to moving to the PDL in 2010. The team has made the playoffs only six times in 13 previous seasons, but reached the final twice (1999, 2005) and winning the 1999 championship.

Path to the Open Cup: Playing in the smallest of the nine PDL groups, the Pioneers’ campaign came down to the final game against MPS Portland Phoenix. Western Mass opened with a 2-1 win in New Hampshire and then defeated the Phantoms in the return match 4-2. They then played to a scoreless stalemate in Vermont, leaving them at 2-0-1 and needing at least a draw against the 2-1-0 visitors from Maine in the finale. Chris Roswess scored the winning goal in the 71st for the 1-0 win. Kyle Clancy was the lone player with multiple games in the campaign, scoring in both matches against the Phantoms. PDL East Qualifying [+]

June News Updates: The Pioneers fell at home 2-1 June 11 to Vermont with TJ Popolizio scoring an equalizer in the 65th minute while following up with a 1-0 win at Ottawa on June 4 that snapped the Fury’s 26-game regular season home unbeaten streak on a 56th-minute James Mooney strike. Their June 1 match versus Vermont was postponed.

Open Cup History: The Pioneers qualified for the tournament in its inaugural campaign in 1998 and advanced to the second round via a forfeit by USASA entry NY Greek American Atlas. Their run would end with a 3-1 loss to the second division Rochester Rhinos 3-1. They did not return until the 2004 tournament, the first of five appearances over the next six seasons. The club reached the Third Round only once, and that came in the 2005 season when they defeated Reggae Boyz FC (USASA) in their opening second round match 5-0 before falling 3-1 to the Chicago Fire. The club’s five tournament wins have all come against USASA opponents. The Pioneers last qualified in 2009 and were eliminated via penalties by league rival Harrisburg after a scoreless draw.

While Tuesday’s game is being held in New York, Open Cup soccer in the Pioneers’ home of Ludlow, Mass. goes back to 1937, when the Gremio Lusitano club began Cup play. The team continued through the 50s and 60s, and often called Lustiano Stadium their home, the same place the Pioneers play their home games. In 1956, Gremio Lusitano reached the Quarterfinals, but were stopped by a Big Apple team, New York Hakoah. After a 2-2 extra time draw at Zerega Oval in the Bronx, on Feb. 26, 1956, Hakoah won the replay 1-0 on the same field two weeks later.
PRO ERA RECORD: 5-4-1 (0-1 in PKs) overall | 0-1-1 (0-1 in PKs) vs. 3rd Division


2011 US Open Cup First Round: Pancyprian Freedoms edge rival Brooklyn Italians in battle of former champions

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It was a battle between two long-time New York rivals in the most highly-decorated First Round matchup in the Professional Era (1995-present), with five US Open Cup titles between them. In the end, the New York Pancyprian Freedoms got the best of the Brooklyn Italians, 2-1, to earn their first Open Cup victory since 2002.

Stefan Dimitrov scored both goals for the Freedoms, including the game-winner which came less than a minute after Brooklyn’s Kordel Samuel had equalized in the 80th minute.

The victory sets up another Big Apple match in the Second Round between the Freedoms and FC New York of  USL Pro at Belson Stadium next Tuesday. The site of the game is interesting, not because it was where tonight’s game was played, but because FC New York and the Pancyprian Freedoms both call the stadium on the campus of St. John’s University their home field in their respective leagues.

Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)
1:2
NY Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA – East NY)
Belson Stadium, St. Johns Univ. – Queens, N.Y.
RECAP: New York Post

Scoring Summary
NYP: Stefan Dimitrov – 65th
BKI: Kordel Samuel – 80th
NYP: Stefan Dimitrov – 81st
FULL REPORT: NY Post (Dylan Butler)

While nothing has been confirmed, the winner of next Tuesday’s game could be in line to face the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer in Round 3. The United States Soccer Federation will make an announcement about the potential Third Round pairings in the coming days.

The two clubs canceled each other out in the opening half and it wasn’t until the 65th minute when Julio Cesar Dos Santos helped create the first goal. The former USL great sent a cross into the box and Dimitrov, a former Chicago Fire player, was there to put the Freedoms up 1-0.

After Kordel Samuel hit the post for Brooklyn in the 75th minute, he got it right the next time, putting the ball into the back of the net for the equalizer in the 80th minute. However, before Brooklyn fans were settled back in their seats, New York took the kickoff and Stelios Andreou’s cross would find Dimitrov in front of goal once again to re-claim the lead for good.

New York owes their berth in the Open Cup to Dimitrov who helped create or produce all four goals in their USASA Region I semifinal win over Mass Premier Soccer. He scored two goals and also assisted on both of Dos Santos’ tallies.

The last time the Freedoms were victorious in the tournament was in the opening round of the 2002 competition when the three-time champs were a member of the D3 Pro League (3rd Division) and they defeated fellow 2011 qualifier AAC Eagles (Chicago) 1-0 on a 119th minute golden goal by a young midfielder by the name of Shalrie Joseph.

Meet the USASA: Class of 2011

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Eight teams from the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) have qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and will attempt to become the 2011 tournament’s Cinderella story.

Will we see another Dallas Roma FC run from 2006? No one knows, but once again, TheCup.us has taken the time to introduce soccer fans to these largely unknown clubs. Click below to read about each club:

NY Pancyprian Freedoms (Region I – East NY)

Phoenix SC (Region I – East PA – Feasterville, PA)

AAC Eagles (Region II – IL – Chicago)

Iowa Menace (Region II – IA – Des Moines)

Regals FC (Region III – TX-South – Houston)

ASC New Stars (Region III – TX-South – Houston)

DV8 Defenders (Region IV – CA-North – Redwood City)

Doxa Italia (Region IV – CA-South – Orange County)

2011 Meet the USASA: 3-time Open Cup champion New York Pancyprian Freedoms

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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. Click here for more Meet the USASA stories.

While the New York Pancyprian Freedoms may not have won a match in their two previous Open Cup appearances (2008 & 2010), the proper way to judge the credentials of the club is to look at their accomplishments outside of those two matches. The team from Jamaica, Queens, New York has been one of the top amateur clubs in the nation over the past four years. Since 2008, the Freedoms have two Cosmopolitan Soccer League championships (2010 & 2011), four Dr. Manning Cup victories (Eastern NY state cup, 2006-2008, 2010), and two USASA National Cup trophies (2008 & 2010). It is no coincidence then that they have won, or could win, all of those championships again in 2011 as they prepare for another U.S. Open Cup First Round match.

A short but rich history

The Pancyprian Freedoms got their start in 1975 when the Pancyprian Association of America was founded in the aftermath of the Turkish invasion and annexation of northern Cyprus in 1974. The soccer team was started as a way to better enlighten the general public about what was happening in Cyprus. Freedoms General Manager George Halkidis says that all of the players on the current roster are aware of the meaning of the club’s name, and that their players of Greek ethnicity have traveled to Cyprus either as part of the club’s youth program or on vacation to visit their parents’ homeland.

The club spent their first two years in the Long Island Soccer League, and in 1977 paid $5,000 to join the Cosmopolitan Soccer League in 1979. By 1982 they had won the CSL title three times. While the current Freedoms have a more diverse roster, during their run of three Open Cup championships in four years from 1980-1983 the core of the team was made up of a mix of former Greek professional players and Cypriot players attending college in the U.S. through scholarships set up by the Pancyprian Association. Many of those college players returned to Cyprus and Greece after graduating, and maintained long careers with some of the top teams in those countries.

The former Greek pros that wore the Freedoms’ blue shirts were not your ordinary run of the mill imports. Two such players were considered to be two of the greatest players in Greek soccer history. Papaioannou spent 19 seasons with AEK Athens, scoring 234 goals, a mark that stood as a Greek record until 1989. Domazos played with Panathinaikos for 20 seasons and is widely considered the greatest player ever from Greece.

Rivalry with the Italians

Their first round opponents, the NPSL’s Brooklyn Italians, were recent CSL rivals of the Freedoms before the Italians decided to concentrate on NPSL play over fielding a team in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. However, in the late 1970s and early 80s, the two clubs were constantly battling for the top spot in the CSL standings. Between 1977 and 1982 the Freedoms and Italians (then known as the Brooklyn Dodgers) were the only clubs to win the Cosmopolitan Soccer League championship. Each club took home three titles in that period, often at the expense of the other.

From 1977 to 1981 the teams would take turns knocking each other out of the Open Cup. The first meeting of the clubs in Open Cup play came in the a Southern New York second round qualifying match on November 28, 1976, when the Italians won 2-1. The next year the Freedoms got revenge with a 4-1 win in the SNY First Round.

In 1979, the teams met in the Southern New York semifinals, and the Italians prevailed 5-3 on their way to winning the Open Cup championship. In 1980 and 1981, the Freedoms and Italians met in the Southern New York Final. The Freedoms won 4-1 in the first meeting, while the Italians came away with a 1-0 win in 1981. The 1981 victory by the Italians not only pushed them closer to an appearance in the Open Cup Final, but it also prevented the Freedoms from capturing what would have been a record four straight Open Cup titles. From 1979-1983 either the Italians or Freedoms represented the Eastern side of the bracket in the Open Cup Finals.

While the rivalry may have been heated in the early 80s, Halkidis insists the teams are friendly rivals today, and he speaks to Italians GM Joe Barone on a weekly basis while also being close friends with Italians manager Tony Noto.

When reminded that it was the Italians who interrupted his teams Open cup title run in the early 80s, Halkidis joked that “maybe it’s a good time for payback,” but acknowledged their real goal is to win the USASA Open Cup. The Freedoms have won the USASA title two out of the last three years, and will have a chance this year if they can defeat Phoenix SC in the USASA Region I Final on June 19. A win will pit the Freedoms against fellow Open Cup qualifiers ASC New Stars, Doxa Italia, and the winner of the Region II Final between AAC Eagles and Iowa Menace (Bowling Green, Kentucky on July 15-17) for the right to wear the USASA crown.

The June 19 game will mark the end of a 16-day period of important games for the club. On June 5 the Freedoms defeated the New York Athletic Club via penalties for the Cosmopolitan League championship. The Freedoms came back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to end regulation 2-2 on goals from Stefan Dimitrov (55’) and the ageless Julio Cesar Dos Santos (71’). Just two days before their Open Cup game against the Italians, the Freedoms will face Mineola Portuguese of the Long Island Soccer Football League in the Dr. Manning Cup Final, which is the top tournament for the Eastern New York State Soccer Association.

Brooklyn Italians vs. New York Pancyprian Freedoms
In the US Open Cup 1977-1981

1977 Southern New York Second Round
Nov. 27, 1976 – Brooklyn Italians 2:1 Pancyprian Freedoms
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1978 Southern New York First Round
Nov. 20, 1977 – Pancyprian Freedoms 4:1 Brooklyn Italians
Downing Stadium – Randalls Island, NY
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1979 Southern New York Semifinals
Apr. 1, 1979 – Brooklyn Dodgers 5:3 Pancyprian Freedoms
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1980 Southern New York Final
Mar. 29, 1980 – Brooklyn Dodgers 1:4 Pancyprian Freedoms
Metropolitan Oval – Queens, New York
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1981 Southern New York Final
Mar. 28, 1981 – Pancyprian Freedoms 0:1 Brooklyn Dodgers
Metropolitan Oval – Queens, New York

2011 US Open Cup qualifying: Cup veterans NY Pancyprian Freedoms qualify along with first timers Phoenix SC (Video)

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Phoenix SC opening goal – Murtagh free kickIn two very contrasting USASA Region I semifinal matches, the three-time US Open Cup champion New York Pancyprian Freedoms qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the fifth time in the Pro Era with a dramatic 4-2 victory against Mass Premier Soccer while Phoenix SC of Philadelphia shutout Go Soccer FC 3-0 to advance to the tournament for the first time. Both clubs won on the road.

Mass Premier Soccer 2:4 New York Pancyprian Freedoms

It was a tale of two halves. Sometimes cliches are over-used, but there is no better way to describe the USASA Region I Semifinal match between Mass Premier Soccer and the visiting New York Pancyprian Freedoms Sunday afternoon as the New Yorkers rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to win 4-2 and claim a berth to the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Meeting for the first time, the sides felt each other out for the first 20 minutes before strategies started too take shape. MPS would absorb a Pancyprian attack and look to pick off the small passes and quickly counter with speed.

The strategy worked as planned when the MPS defense stole a through ball and quickly advanced it through midfield in the 24th minute.  One touch outside and Nick Tornaritis whipped in a deadly cross which found rumbling forward Dan Rudolph.  Rudolph got his head to it, and the ball struck the post.  However, his persistence paid off as he collected his own rebound and slotted it home for opening tally of the game.

New York tried to respond but they were settling for long range blasts that goalkeeper Nick Armington was handling well. MPS kept the ball in New York’s half for the majority of the play and the pressure paid off.

2011 New York Pancyprian Freedoms
2011 New York Pancyprian Freedoms: Standing (Left to Right): Nick Katsanos, Chris Iordanou, Tasso Polydefkis, Mahamadu Simpara, Pete Halkidis, Matia Damiani, John Koutsounadis, Stefan Dimitrov, Peter Pavlakos, Jon Simos | Seating (Left to Right): Nick Christopher, Chris Zisimatos, Chad Calderone, Stelios Andreou, Jeff Matteo, Tommy Vlahos, Julio Cesar Dos Santos, Billy Antoniou

Nearing halftime, Matt Nolan made a cheeky run down the right flank and, after juggling the ball over a New York defender, he was brought down hard outside the box.  The foul warranted a New York yellow card, but moments later the foul would prove more costly.  From about 30 yards out, Matt Hoff let loose a rocket of a free kick that careened off a Freedoms defender and deflected into the net two minutes before the break, doubling the advantage.

Each club made two changes at the half, and from the get-go you could see it was going to be a different game.  New York came out fired up clearly did not want to make a five-hour drive home without earning a berth in the US Open Cup.  The Freedoms began to attack the flanks instead of trying go though the heart of the MPS defense, and it started to stretch MPS.

Their new game plan paid off quickly as they halved the MPS lead in the 48th minute. Attacking down the right flank the Freedoms had MPS on their heels and defenders out of position.  A great cross from Anastasios Polydefkis found the foot of an onrushing Stefan Dimitrov who calmly finished off a great goal.

After the strike, you could almost feel the momentum shift and New York knew they were back in the game.

Less than five minutes later the Freedoms would strike again on a goal by Julio Cesar Dos Santos.  The two-time USL Pro scoring champion and MVP received a through ball from Dimitrov, and after taking a great touch towards goal, he was able to beat the MPS keeper and even the game at the 53rd minute mark.

With the game back to par, MPS tried to regain its composure but the tide had shifted.  With New York dominating possession and the MPS defenders constantly on their heels, it was only a matter of time.

Dimitrov scored New York’s go-ahead goal in the 71st minute.  There was some debate as to whether Dimitrov was offside, but the assistant referee had a good view and kept the flag down.  With MPS defenders caught off guard, Dimitrov collected a long range ball from Panagiotis Halkidis and was able to sneak through the flat MPS defensive line. One-on-one with the goalie, Dimitrov was composed and gave New York the 3-2 lead.

MPS had several chances to even it up, including a few chances on the opposition’s goal by Nick Christman and Dan MacGregor. But the New York defenders recovered well to cut down angles and break up the counter-attacks.

The last blow of the bout came in the 84th minute, and was again the result of flank play by the Freedoms led by John Koutsounadis and Dimitrov.  Driving down the right side New York exposed the MPS backline and Dos Santos was able to get a slight touch on the Dimitrov cross, directing the ball inside the left post.

The strike sealed the club’s fifth trip to the US Open Cup in the professional era (1999, 02, 08, 10, 11) after having won the tournament three times in four years during the early eighties (1980, 82, 83).

“We are very excited,” said NYPF Manager Mike Iordanou. “We’re going to celebrate on the way back, but we have to get ready for the Cosmopolitan League playoffs next Wednesday, so we will be very busy leading into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.”

Go Soccer FC 0:3 Phoenix SC

In the second match of the day, a free kick from Dan Murtagh four minutes before the break put things in motion for the visiting Phoenix SC from Philadelphia as the club used a penalty and own goal in the second half to secure a place in the US Open Cup. The free kick from 25 yards out was curled around the wall and into the upper corner.

Six minutes into the second half captain Bob Francis doubled the lead from the spot. The penalty was the result of Phoenix breaking down the right flank through Ryan Soroka for a cross in to Murtagh, whose effort was blocked by a handball.

Phoenix put the game well out of reach courtesy of Soroka again in the 70th. The club quickly moved up the left side through Greg Mangels to Soroka, who crossed the ball into the area. A defender, tracking back to deny another Murtagh chance made a play to intercept the cross, but sent it instead into the back of his own net.

“I think it’s great, great for the kids because they’ve worked so hard,” said head coach Blair Thomson after the match. “The players are very excited about being in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

“It has taken us a long while to get here,” added Thomson, noting that the club’s journey began last June with the club playing in events and league play before moving onto the state tournament and the current regional stages of the USASA national open cup. They will meet in the Region I Final the same Freedoms team that eliminated them in the First Round a year ago, 3-2, on an unanswered three-goal comeback led by Julio Cesar Dos Santos with two goals and an assist.

“We have only had two losses since last August. We are hoping that we can take the next step. It’s quite exciting,” he said about where the team is and what it means for the players, including standout striker Frebole Kamara as well as a couple of younger players that came on late in the game.

“He’s as good a player as I’ve seen,” Thomson said of his Liberian forward that put in an hour of work on the day. “He went down to DC on a trial and didn’t get past the first day, and I couldn’t believe it. Now, I hope we play well in the tournament so that he has another opportunity to be seen and get another chance.”

Match Capsules

Mass Premier Soccer 2:4 New York Pancyprian Freedoms

Scoring Summary
MPS: Dan Rudolph (Nick Tornaritis) 24
MPS: Matt Hoff 43
NY: Stefan Dimitrov (Anastasios Polydefkis) 48
NY: Julio Cesar Dos Santos (Stefan Dimitrov) 53
NY: Stefan Dimitrov (Panagiotis Halkidis) 71
NY: Julio Cesar Dos Santos (Stefan Dimitrov) 84

MPS Lineup: Dan Rudolph, Nick Tornaritis, Tommy Day, Matt Nolan, Matt Hoff, Derek Stenquist, Nick Armington, Matt Cross, John O’Reilly, Nick Chistman, Desmond Mitchell – Subs: Kevin Unger (17th minute), Dan MacGregor (Half Time) Chris Doran (Halftime)

New York Lineup: Chad Calderone, Stelios Andreou, Stefan Dimitrov, Nick Christopher, Matia Damiani, Julio Cesar Dos Santos, Jeff Matteo, Mahamadou Simpara, Peter Pavlakos, Anastasios Polydefkis, Chris Zisimatos – Subs: Billy Antoniou, Panagiotis Halkidis, John Koutsounadis,  Athanasios Vlahos

Go Soccer FC 0:3 Phoenix SC

Scoring Summary
PHO: Dan Murtagh 41
PHO: Bob Francis penalty 51
PHO: GSFC own goal 70

Phoenix SC Lineup: Anthony Pratico; Bob Francis, Jack Pocorobba, Nick Pittaoulis, Greg Mangels; Dan Murtagh, Stephen Mellor (Kyle Soroka 70), Ben Castor, Ryan Soroka (Justin Dotzman 80); Scott Rowling, Frebole Kamara (Virgis Anusauskas 62)

Go Soccer Lineup: not available

2011 US Open Cup qualifying: Home clubs sweep quarterfinals of USASA Region I tournament (Video)

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New York Pancyprian Freedoms vs. Danbury United
The New York Pancyprian Freedoms (blue) defeated Connecticut's Danbury United 4-0 at St. John's University. Photo: Nick Laveglia | The Borough Boys

Home field proved to be a deciding factor on the day as each of the four hosts were victorious in the Quarterfinals of USASA Region I qualifying for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Sunday afternoon. Moving onto the Semifinals were Go Soccer FC (NJ), Mass Premier Soccer (MA), NY Pancyprian Freedoms (East NY) and Phoenix SC (East PA).

Dan Rudolph and Julio Cesar DoSantos were stars on the day, scoring twice each to lead their clubs to victories that will now bring them head-to-head. Rudolph’s brace gave MPS a 4-1 win over East Providence Sports (RI) while DoSantos’ double added another chapter to his fantastic career while guiding the Freedoms to a 4-0 shutout against Danbury United (CT). Phoenix Sports Club needed overtime to edge the Maryland Bays 3-2 and Go Soccer rallied with two second half goals to down Club Atletico Virginia in a 2-1 decision (Video highlights below).

With the win, Mass Premier will face the N.Y. Pancyprian Freedoms on May 22 in Lancaster for the Region I USASA semifinals of the US Open Cup qualifying tournament. In the another “Win & You’re In” match, Go Soccer FC will play host to Phoenix SC.

Mass Premier Soccer downs East Providence Sports 4-1
Report by Brian O’Connell | New England Soccer Today

LANCASTER, Mass. – Dan Rudolph’s two strikes against East Providence Sports helped advance Mass Premier Soccer to the USASA Region I Semifinals of the US Open Cup qualifying tournament with a convincing 4-1 victory at Citizens Bank Fields at Prongin Park Sunday afternoon.

Rudolph, who gave MPS the first goal of the game in the 32nd minute, added another in first half stoppage time while Andrew Hench and Derek Stenquist each picked up a goal in the 35th minute and second half stoppage time, respectively. A 44th minute strike from Armando Gomes gave East Providence its only measure of success on the afternoon.

Despite the scoreline, it was East Providence that appeared ready and able to find the board first. In the opening minutes, the guests had made a number of runs into their host’s half and earned a trio of corner kicks before the 10th minute. But, it was all for naught as each chance went begging.

By the half hour mark, MPS began to probe the East Providence end, testing keeper James Underhill with a couple of dangerous shots. Underhill withstood the attacks until the 32nd minute, when Rudolph nodded a cross through for the opening goal.

Minutes after Rudolph’s header, MPS stormed into the attacking third, where Hench helped himself to the second goal of the game inside the area at the 35th minute.

East Providence, who’s attacking spirit had left them empty-handed going into halftime, were stunned. Down two goals with the interval approaching, Gomes took possession in the middle of the park, beat a pair of defenders, and with only the goalkeeper ahead, slid it through to cut the lead in half at the 44th minute.

Any hopes of heading into the break down a single goal evaporated moments later when Rudolph emerged from a scramble in front of the East Providence net to bury his second goal of the game in stoppage time.

Mass Premier Soccer: 2011 Massachusetts Open Cup champions
Mass Premier Soccer: 2011 Massachusetts Open Cup champions

Entering the second frame staring at a 3-1 deficit, East Providence went from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2 formation, hoping to find better success in the attacking third.

But, after coming up empty-handed following a series of chances, frustration began to mount. At the 57th minute, a hard challenge near the center circle fueled a midfield scuffle. East Providence’s Rui Fortes and MPS’s Tony Tornaritis were each given straight red cards for their roles, leaving each team with 10 men.

In the 76th minute, East Providence nearly cut the deficit again when Kyle Texeira sent a spectacular free kick that screamed over the paw of keeper Nick Christman before it continued over the bar.

Sending numbers forward in the remaining minutes, East Providence desperately sought any chances they could find. But, as a result, their defense was painfully exposed when MPS counter-attacked in stoppage time as Stenquist broke free and coolly finished it to find goal number four.

Freedoms blank Danbury United 4-0 in New York
Report by Nick Laveglia | The Borough Boys

QUEENS, NY — The New York Pancyprian Freedoms moved onto the next round of the US Open Cup qualifying with a 4-0 win over Danbury United today in Queens, New York fueled by a man advantage and a pair of goals from longtime club star Julio Cesar DoSantos.

The Pancyprian Freedoms, three-time winners of the tournament, are one win away from returning to the US Open Cup for the second year in a row. Photo: Nick Laveglia | The Borough Boys

The first half saw some chances, including a Freedoms header just wide of goal in the 32nd minute, but the game really did not pick up in action until the 35th minute when Danbury United’s Michael Mingione was sent off for a challenge on a New York defender.

The ejection opened the door for the Freedoms to take over the game, and they did.

In the 40th minute, former two-time USL Second Division (pro third division) Most Valuable Player and Scoring Champion DoSantos opened up the scoring with a header to put the Freedoms up 1-0, which they would take into the intermission.

New York came out of the dressing room looking to put Danbury away and nearly did 10 minutes in only to see the shot fly off the post.

Despite the best efforts of Danbury to get the equalizer, the flood gates opened in the 65th as the Freedoms were awarded a penalty. Stefan Dimitrov stepped to the spot and converted.

Ahead 2-0, New York did not let up on its opposition as just two minutes later John Koutsounadis put in the third goal.

Another New York attempt was volleyed off the post in the 75th minute before the easy victory was capped off in the 84th minute as man of the match DoSantos netted his second.

The Freedoms advance to the next round to play at Mass Premier on May 22 in a “Win & You’re In” match. New York, who has won the tournament three times (1980, 1982, 1983), is looking to return to the competition for the second year in a row and the fifth time in the Professional Era (1995-present).

Go Soccer FC rallies to top Club Atletico Virginia 2-1

Go Soccer FCBRIDGEWATER, NY – The only home club to trail on the day in Region I Quarterfinal action, Go Soccer FC tallied twice in the second half to beat the Metro DC/VA champion Club Atletico Virginia 2-1 to secure a spot in the Semifinals.

After a cautious opening few minutes, Go Soccer created the first chance with a long ball over the defense from Bryan Oelkers to Dom Paolella forcing a point blank kick save from the CAV keeper and again 10 minutes later after making a first save the CAV keeper denied Paolella again on the rebounded effort with a low diving save. Shortly after, the keeper came up big again when Brian Davis’ header off a corner kick was saved.

The hosts found themselves behind 14 minutes into the contest when a shot from John Carson from 45 yards out surprised and floated over goalkeeper Joe Roth’s reach to give Club Atletico Virginia the initial advantage.

The visitors looked to take advantage of the surprise, forcing Roth to make a diving save just another five minutes later.

The hosts engaged in their first series of pressure on the Virginian side with five minutes remaining in the half. A Go Soccer free kick from the top of the box that was initially cleared out was sent over the goal on a follow-up shot in the 40th minute and two minutes later a corner kick led to a shot that Fabio Andrade pushed over the crossbar.

Go Soccer FC vs. Club Atletico Virginia – 1st half highlights (Video by Go Soccer FC)

It took very little time for the hosts to continue the offensive in the second half. Seeking an equalizer Chase Barbieri sent a shot wide left two minutes into the second stanza and in the 51st minute got his foot on a corner that was saved at the near post.

Around the 60th minute, Bryan Oelkers won a tackle on the left sideline and passed it off to Barbieri who drilled a low shot from about 25 yards to the far post, just under the keeper’s reach to level the score at 1-1 (2:53 of the video highlights)

The pace of the game changed after that goal and the Reds created several opportunities, but could not finish them off. A cross from Matt Heitmann was almost headed home by Paolella from the penalty spot, but the CAV keeper came off his line to get a hand to it, and gobbled up the loose ball right after.

CAV had a golden opportunity on back-to-back free kicks from just outside the box, but Roth came up big once again to keep the score tied.

Finally, the game-winner would come in the 87th minute (5:15 mark of the video highlights) when a Go Soccer free kick was headed out by a CAV defender. The ball wasn’t cleared out far enough as Dennis Maldonado took the ball out of the air on the right side of the box and volleyed a shot that went off the far post. After the ball smacked off the post, Heitman tracked it down and found enough space on the near side to fire a shot that beat the keeper to the near post to send the New Jersey champions to the Semifinals.

Go Soccer FC vs. Club Atletico Virginia – 2nd half highlights (Video by Go Soccer FC)

Phoenix SC holds off Maryland Bays in overtime to earn first-ever Open Cup regional win
(Still awaiting details from Maryland Bays)

FEASTERVILLE, PA – The visiting Maryland Bays made a valiant comeback from a two-goal halftime deficit to force extra time in Pennsylvania only to see the home side Phoenix Sports Club come away the victors, 3-2.

The Eastern Pennsylvania champions got off on the right foot with a goal in the 15th minute. Phoenix was pressuring Maryland’s end of the field when the ball was played into the penalty area. It came back out to the top of the 18 where Scott Rowling was waiting for it. Rowling fired a low-driving shot into the back of the net to strike first blood.

Later in the half, it was a case of teamwork and persistence as Danny Murtagh was sent in behind the defense after a nice 1-2 sequence in midfield. Murtagh found himself one on one with the Maryland keeper and took the shot. The goalkeeper stood tall, stopping the shot, but the ball deflected right back to Murtagh, went off his knee and past the goalkeeper for the second goal.

In the second half, the Bays leveled the match. After a cross came in on the left side, Phoenix goalkeeper Tony Pratico came off his line and attempted to swat the ball out of danger. However, the ball found it’s way through to the right wing where Bryan Moffa was making a well-timed run, and he put it into the back of the net.

Later in the half, Phoenix took a throw-in deep in their own territory. The throw was stolen by Maryland’s Chris Ports who dribbled through two defenders into the left side of the penalty area and beat the keeper with an impressive shot with his left foot into the far upper right hand corner.

Both teams created chances down the stretch, but the match would have to be decided in extra time. In the seventh minute of the extra session, Phoenix made a run down the right side and crossed the ball in but it deflected off a Maryland defender’s hand and earning a penalty kick for the hosts. Team captain Bobby Francis stepped up and buried the PK to put Phoenix up 3-2.

Maryland did everything they could to equalize and nearly did in the final minutes. With everyone back defending, the Bays forced Pratico to make an acrobatic save. He was unable to control the rebound and the ball deflected off a Maryland player, and rolled just wide of the post.

The win marks the first US Open Cup qualifying win for Phoenix SC at the regional level. Last year, they won their first-ever Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup title, but lost to the New York Pancyprian Freedoms in the opening round. This year, they defended their Eastern PA title, beat CAV, and are now one win away from their first trip to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. To accomplish that they will have to play at Go Soccer FC (NJ) on May 22.

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Maryland Bays (MD) 2:3 (AET) Phoenix SC (East PA)
Phoenix Sports Club (Feasterville, Pa.) – 2 p.m.

Scoring Summary
PHO: Scott Rowling (Unassisted) – 15th minute
PHO: Danny Murtagh (Unassisted) – 40th minute
MAR: Bryan Moffa – 65th minute
MAR: Chris Ports – 75th minute
PHO: Bobby Francis (PK) – 97th minute

Lineups
Maryland Bays: Ryan Hock (GK), Nino Mangione (Evan Scheffey), Matt Shell, Matt Beckman, Josh Taylor, BJ Quigley (Lucas Emil), Tim Lane, Chris Ports (Matt Beale), Bryan Moffa, Marco Mangione, Jon Ports

Phoenix SC: Tony Pratico (GK), Pat Dillon, Jack Pocorobba, Ryan Kelly, Danny Murtagh, Nick Pittaoulis, Frebole Kamara, Scott Rowling, Bobby Francis, Greg Mangels, Ben Castor | Subs: Ryan Soroka, Tom McNeil, Virginijus Anusauskas


East Providence Sports (RI) 1:4 Mass Premier Soccer (MA)
Citizen Bank Fields at Progin Park – Field #6 (Lancaster, Mass.) – 1 p.m.

Scoring Summary
MPS: Dan Rudolph – 32nd minute
MPS: Andrew Hench – 35th minute
EPS: Armando Gomes – 44th minute
MPS: Dan Rudolph – 45th minute+
MPS: Derek Stenquist – 90th minute+

Lineups unavailable

Danbury United (CT) 0:4 NY Pancyprian Freedoms (East NY)
Belson Stadium (St. John’s University) – 2 p.m.

Scoring Summary
NY: Julio Cesar DoSantos 40
NY: Stefan Dimitrov pen. 65
NY: John Koutsounadis 67
NY: Julio Cesar DoSantos 84

Discipline
DAN: Michael Mingione (red) 35

Club Atletico Virginia (DC/VA) 1:2 Go Soccer FC (NJ)
Torpey Athletic Complex (Bridgewater, NJ) – 1 p.m.

Scoring Summary
CAV: John Carson (Javier Castro) – 14th minute
GOS: Chase Barbieri – 60th minute
GOS: Matthew Heitmann – 89th minute

Lineups
CA Virginia: Fabio Andrade, Nikolay Aleksandrov, Javier Castro, Jordan Cullinane, Matt Davis, Dave Leon, Bryant Meckley, Matt Miller, Ryan Rich, Andrew Stadler, Kevin Tangney

Go Soccer FC: Dan Roth, Matt Heitmann, Chad Barbieri, Bryan Davis, Edgardo Alfaro, Bryan Oelkers, Dennis Maldonado, Justin Kamine, Steve Mellen, Chase Barbieri, Dominic Paolella


Semifinals (May 22)*
NY Pancyprian Freedoms (East NY) at Mass Premier Soccer (MA)
Phoenix SC (East PA) at Go Soccer FC (NJ)

* Winners of each game qualify for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2010 Meet the USASA: New York Pancyprian Freedoms

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The New York Pancyprian Freedoms, one of the all-time great US Open Cup clubs, are back in the tournament again in 2010. The USASA Region I club are a storied club with origins dating back to the mid 1970s and have qualified, or have attempted to qualify for the Open Cup every year of their existence, according to general manager George Halkidis.

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms pose for a team photo before their USASA Region I semifinal match with the United German Hungarians. Photo: NY Pancyprian Freedoms

The Freedoms hold the distinction as the last team to win back-to-back Open Cup titles when they won it all in 1982 and ’83. They have lifted the Dewar Trophy three times in all, capturing their first championship in 1980.

The Queens-based club has been a part of New York City’s famed Cosmopolitan League since their inaugural season in 1974. They have captured five Cosmopolitan championships (1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82, 2002-03, 2003-04) and over the years, have been one of the more consistent teams in the league. In fact, the last two years they have lost in the championship game of the league playoffs.

“The CSL, in my opinion, is the premier amateur league in the country,” said Halkidis. “The quality and history of some of the teams is second to none. As a whole, the first division teams could hold their own against any amateur side in the country. We have traveled enough and seen most of the top teams in the country to make such a bold statement. But again if you look at the history, personnel and results of these teams from top to bottom you’ll agree.

3-time US Open Cup champions: New York Pancyprian Freedoms

They will open the 2010 edition of the tournament against fellow amateur club Long Island Rough Riders of the USL’s Premier Development League on June 15. Long Island will host the match at Cy Donnelly Stadium in South Huntington, NY at 7:30 p.m.

The Freedoms had a difficult path through Open Cup qualifying, beginning with state qualifying in the Eastern New York Soccer Association. Tasso Polydefkis and Puerto Rican international Chris Megaloudis scored to lead the club to a 2-0 win over Barstonworth Rovers in the opening round. In the semifinals, it was another 2-0 victory, this time over New York Athletic club. Megaloudis and veteran Jeff Matteo were responsible for the scoring.

The championship game was a controversial one as the Freedoms found themselves matched up with Fenerbahce USA, a team who had lost their semifinal match 4-1 to the New York Greek American Atlas. Fenerbahce reached the final because they filed a protest because the Greeks had mistakenly written down the name of a player on their roster who had left the club weeks earlier to play professionally overseas.

Freedoms general manager George Halkidis was not pleased with the controversial decision to disqualify the Greek Americans by the Eastern New York cup commissioner, Gus Xikis, the father of Fenerbahce goalkeeper EJ Xikis.

“It’s a shame what happened to . Games are decided on the field and not on paper,” said Halkidis. “It’s OK though because I promise that this team, , will not advance. Not on the field nor on paper.  Pancyprians will take care of business.”

And they did just that, dispatching Fenerbahce 4-1 on goals by Matteo, Megaloudis, Polydefkis and Julio Cesar Dos Santos.

Dos Santos, one of the best players in USL history according to USLSoccer.com, continued to play well into the USASA Region I tournament. After falling behind 2-0 to Phoenix SC of Eastern Pennsylvania in the first half, Dos Santos scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the Freedoms to a 3-2 victory.

Dos Santos rescued New York again in the quarterfinals, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to eliminate the Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks from Washington D.C., 2-1. In the semifinals, a win would send the Freedoms to the US Open Cup, and they needed penalty kicks to get past the United German Hungarians of Eastern Pennsylvania. After a scoreless draw through regulation and extra time, and playing a man short from the 43rd minute on, New York would qualify for the US Open Cup for the fourth time in the Professional Era (1995-present) with a 3-0 shootout victory over UGH.

“We feel that the teams we have to play in order to qualify are of high quality,” said Halkidis. “Having to play six games to get in has prepared us for what’s ahead.”

What’s ahead is the Long Island Rough Riders of the PDL who have yet to lose a game in their first six league contests (4-0-2). If the Freedoms are able to advance, they will play the winner of fellow New York club Brooklyn Italians and the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division. Potentially, all the Freedoms would have to do is defeat a PDL team on Tuesday, then turn around and beat either a fellow amateur club or a last place USL-2 club to earn a date with a Major League Soccer team.

After years of competing in the Cosmopolitan League and the US Open Cup, the Freedoms branched out and created a second team in 1999 (called simply, the “New York Freedoms”) that joined the USL Premier Development League. They wasted no time in carrying over their success to the new league, winning the Northeast Division title and advancing to the PDL national semifinals in their inaugural season. They also qualified for the US Open Cup, where they upset the Cape Cod Crusaders of the USL D3 Pro League in the first round and nearly eliminated the A-League’s Rochester Raging Rhinos falling 2-1 in extra time to the eventual champions.

They spent two more years in the PDL before taking the club to the next level to play in the D3 Pro League. Their best year in the third division was in 2002 when current New England Revolution star Shalrie Joseph helped them advance to the league quarterfinals and qualify for the Open Cup. They defeated Chicago’s AAC Eagles from USASA Region II in the first round before losing to the A-League’s Milwaukee Rampage.

After the 2003 season, the club left the USL to focus on the Cosmopolitan League team.

The last time New York qualified for the Open Cup was in 2008 and they nearly pulled off an upset on the road against the Real Maryland Monarchs of the USL Second Division.

“The game was originally scheduled for a Tuesday night but because of lightning, the match was re-scheduled for Friday,” said Halkidis. “So within four days we traveled back and forth to Maryland. The match was very competitive, but we lost in overtime after going down a man during regulation . We felt that if we did not lose a man we could of left with the win.”

Dos Santos and Matia Damiani both scored for New York that night, while George Halkidis’ son Panagoitis was the man sent off.

The core of the team from that 2008 season are still with the club this year, led by veterans who have been with the club for a number of seasons like Dos Santos, Matteo, Megaloudis, Damiani, Chris Zisimatos, Panagiotis Halkidis and goalkeeper Chad Calderone.

After earned All-American honors at St. John’s University, where he played home games at Belson Stadium (where the Freedoms call home), Matteo graduated and signed with Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew in 2002. After that, his path through the pros saw him play for the New York Red Bulls, Minnesota Thunder (USL-1) and the Charleston Battery (USL-1). Now he is an assistant coach for his alma mater and is entering his ninth season with the Freedoms.

Another player that the Freedoms will be counting on will be one of the club’s all-time greats, Dos Santos. The Brazilian, who grew up playing with World Cup winner Bebeto, has scored 248 goals in 211 matches over the last nine seasons for New York.

His first club was the legendary Rio de Janeiro club Vasco da Gama, and his first professional team was American, where he was tasked with helping create chances for a young striker named Ronaldo.

Dos Santos moved to the U.S. and joined the New Jersey Stallions where he scored 115 goals in 111 games for the professional side. He then hooked on with the Freedoms in 2003 when they were a professional team. He finished third in the league in scoring with 11 goals, two assists and 24 points.

The club takes a lot of pride in the young talent that they develop and help them move on to professional careers.

Another youth team product is Chris Megaloudis, who has four caps for the Puerto Rican national team and spent time with the New York Red Bulls. Megaloudis graduated from Stony Brook and also spent time with the same club they Freedoms will face on Tuesday, the Long Island Rough Riders and the Westchester Flames.

A couple of new additions with significant play are Joel Gustafsson (former St John’s Univ.), John Koutsounadis (Adelphi University), Andreas Paphitis (Fordham Univ.) and Gabe Ortega (Loyolla Maryland).

The team is lead by head coach Luka Lukovic, who knows a thing or two about the U.S. Open Cup, too. He was the starting goalkeeper for New York-based A.O. Krete when it won the 1984 US Open Cup title. His professional career during the 1970s and ’80s included stops in his home country of Yugoslavia and Greece before he moved to the United States.

“We are looking forward to our first round game against the Long Island Rough Riders,” said Halkidis. “We feel confident that we can get by our opponent. I think we match up well against them.

New York Pancyprian Freedoms
1999 (as New York Freedoms in the PDL)
1r – v. Cape Cod Crusaders (D3), 3-1
2r – v. Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-Lg), 1-2 (aet)
2002 (as New York Freedoms in the USL D3 Pro League)
1r – v. AAC Eagles (USASA), 1-0 (aet)
2r – v. Milwaukee Rampage (A-Lg), 0-4
2008
1r – v. Real Maryland Monarchs (USL2), 2-3 (aet)

With rich histories, Pancyprian Freedoms & Brooklyn Italians, qualify for USOC

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The New York Pancyprian Freedoms and the Brooklyn Italians are back in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup after victories in the USASA Region I semifinals. The Freedoms will make their fourth Open Cup appearance in the Professional Era (1995-present), while the Italians, a two-time Open Cup champion, are making their first appearance since they won it all in 1991.

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms pose for a team photo before their USASA Region I semifinal match with the United German Hungarians. Photo: NY Pancyprian Freedoms

UNITED GERMAN HUNGARIANS (EAST PA) 0:0
NY PANCYPRIAN FREEDOMS (EAST NY)
New York qualifies for the US Open Cup, 3-0 on PKs
Belson Stadium (St. John’s University) – Queens, NY

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms have qualified for the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup after winning a penalty kick shootout with Eastern Pennsylvania’s United German Hungarians. The Freedoms qualify for the tournament for the fourth time in the Professional Era, while UGH fell short of returning to the tournament for the first time since 1999.

This matchup featured two teams who have not only both participated regularly in the US Open Cup, but they are no strangers to each other. Their last meeting in Region I qualification was in the 2008 quarterfinals, won by the Freedoms 3-1. Looking a bit further back, they met in the regional finals (also known as the Quarterfinal stage) of the 1993 US Open Cup, which was won 1-0 by UGH. They went on to lose in the Final that year to CD Mexico. Overall, both of these clubs have some successful history in the US Open Cup. The Pancyprian Freedoms won the title in 1980, 1982, and 1983, while UGH has lost in the Final twice (the other coming in 1977 to Maccabee AC from Los Angeles).

United German Hungarians, the only non-New York-based club (they are based in Oakford, Penn., just north of Philadelphia), reached the semifinals by defeating Charm City FC of Maryland 3-1 in the quarterfinals after going down 1-0 at the half. NY Pancyprian Freedoms, however, have had recent success in gaining entry to the Open Cup. They last made the tournament in 2008, losing to Real Maryland 3-2 in extra time. Their road this year went through Phoenix SC (another Eastern PA representative) and notable club Aegean Hawks FC of DC/Virginia, defeating both teams by one goal at home.

In this match, New York went down to 10 men after Stelios Abdreou received his second yellow card in the 43rd minute. Despite the man advantage, UGH was unable to capitalize. In fact, it was New York that nearly stole the match in the final minutes. The Freedoms were awarded a penalty kick in the 89th minute, but UGH goalkeeper Eric Talbot saved the Jeff Matteo spot kick attempt to send the match into extra time. UGH nearly scored a goal in the dying seconds but the referee blew the whistle for the end of regulation as United forward Tim O’Neill was on a breakaway toward the New York goal.

After overtime did not produce a winner the two teams went to a penalty kick shootout where New York would emerge victorious, 3-0. Julio DoSantos, Jeff Matteo and Chris Zisimatos all converted theirs for the Freedoms, while UGH missed one and had three others saved by New York goalkeeper Chad Calderone to send the Freedoms to the Open Cup for the second time in three years.

Scoring Summary:
None

Penalty Summary:
UGH: (MISS)
NYP: Julio DoSantos (GOAL)
UGH: (MISS)
NYP: Jeff Matteo (GOAL)
UGH: (MISS)
NYP: Joel Gustafsson (SAVED)
UGH: (MISS)
NYP: Chris Zisimatos (GOAL)

Lineups:

New York Pancyprian Freedoms: Chad Calderone (GK), Andreas Pafitis, Joel Gustafsson,  Chris Zisimatos, Gabe Ortega, Stelios Abdreou, Taso Polydefkis, Jeff Matteo, Matia Damiani, John Koutsounadis, Julio Cesar DoSantos
Subs: Bart Stolarczyk (91st for Pafitis), Peter Antoniades (55th for Polydefkis), Pete Halkidis (104th for Koutsounadis)

United German Hungarians: (1)  Eric Talbot (GK), (2) Jason Karasow (Capt), (5) Ryan Tadley, (6) Will Thornton, (7) Blair Carson (8) Jeremy Ortiz, (9) Brian Blesi, (12) Ben Marucci, (13) Tony Rod, (15) Ryan Moseley, (20) Dave Castellanos
Subs: Ptah Myers (50th for Ortiz), Andrew Weyershaeuser (75th for Blesi), Tim O’Neill (46th for Moseley), Brian Bowers (110th for Castellanos)


BROOKLYN ITALIANS (NPSL – NY) 4:0 FENERBAHCE USA (EAST NY)
Park Stadium – Franklin Square, NY

In a bit of unfortunate scheduling, the Brooklyn Italians, came into their Region I semifinal match after playing an NPSL league match the night before. They defeated the Boston Tea Men 3-1 and less than 24 hours later, they were back on the field, playing against fellow Eastern New York club, Fenerbahce USA. The Italians, who date back to 1949 and are long-time members of New York’s famed Cosmopolitan League, entered a team in the NPSL beginning this year and are off to a good start with a 2-0 record.

After a scoreless first half, the Italians made some halftime adjustments and blew out Fenerbahce USA 4-0 to deny the home team their first trip to the US Open Cup. The scoring began in the 55th minute when Paul Nittoli made it 1-0, only to have Semso Nikocevic double the lead five minutes later. In the 72nd minute, Nittoli added a second, while Kevin Beaton made it 4-0 just three minutes later.

“After playing a league match the night before, we came out a little slow,” said Brooklyn head coach Joe Barone. “But we made some adjustments in the second half and we dominated the match.”

Fenerbahce, a new entry this year, fell one game short of becoming the first team to ever reach the US Open Cup without winning a game in qualifying. In the semifinals of state qualification, they lost to NY Greek American Atlas, however, a protest was filed by Fenerbahce. An ineligible player for GAA (Abbe Ibrahim) disqualified them, and Fenerbahce USA was allowed to move on. In the Eastern New York final, they lost to the NY Pancyprian Freedoms. Due to the structure of the Region I tournament this year, 16 teams were included, and Fenerbahce was allowed to participate as one of the state finalists. They then were granted a pass to the quarterfinals because their opponent, the Erie Admirals, dropped out due to a player shortage. Finally, in the quarterfinal stage, they defeated Danbury United (Conn.), but only on penalty kicks after a 4-4 tie.

Brooklyn’s path to the tournament was a little different, but also benefited from a protest. They entered the tournament as the New York representative from the NPSL but began the Region I tournament with a loss to Massachuetts’ Emigrantes Das Ilhas (MA). A protest was filed and they were awarded a forfeit victory because the USASA ruled that they had used an ineligible player. (Emigrantes disputes that ruling and are planning to file a lawsuit against the USASA). With Emigrantes out of the picture, the Italians followed that up with a quarterfinal win over Go Soccer FC (New Jersey) to reach the semifinals.

The Italians have won the tournament twice, winning in 1991, and in 1979 when they were known as the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Lineups:

Brooklyn Italians: Candela, Moncaleano(88th Soli), Vavalle, Dean-Scarlett, Ahoua, Iriarte, Lehto (20th Tramontozzi) Conigliaro, Hamilton(78th Sykes), Nikocevic (78th Beaton), Nittoli

Fenerbahce USA: Not available

Open Cup qualifying: Only New York, Philly remain after USASA Region I quarterfinals

by

After a weekend of quarterfinal action, the USASA’s Region I, which covers the northeastern part of the country, has reached it’s final four. With victories on Sunday, May 1, three New York-based clubs and a Philadelphia team have put themselves one win away from qualifying for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The Brooklyn Italians defeated Go Soccer FC 1-0 and will face newcomers Fenerbahce USA in the semifinals. Fenerbahce survived a wild match with Danbury United and advance on penalty kicks. Meanwhile, the United German Hungarians defeated Charm City FC 3-1 to set up a match with the historic club, New York Pancyprian Freedoms. The Freedoms needed extra time to eliminate D.C.’s Aegean Hawks, 2-1. The semifinal matches are scheduled to be played on Sunday, May 23, with the winners qualifying for the US Open Cup. Fenerbahce USA is the only club of the four who has never qualified for the tournament, with the other three having either won the tournament (Brooklyn: 1991; New York: 1980, 1982, 1983), or finished as a runner-up (UGH: 1977, 1993; Brooklyn: 1979, 1981, 1990).

RECAPS:

GO SOCCER FC (NJ) 0:1 BROOKLYN ITALIANS (NPSL – NY)
John Dewey High School – Brooklyn, NY

The Brooklyn Italians moved one step closer to qualifying for the US Open Cup with a 1-0 win over New Jersey’s Go Soccer FC. JP Ahoua headed home the lone goal off a free kick in the 55th minute. The free kick was cleared out, but Brooklyn sent it back in where Ahoua nodded it past the keeper.

After the game, Go Soccer’s player/coach Dominic Paolella was proud of the way his team played. “It was a good game, though really tight the entire time,” said Paolella. “Our keeper Faouzi Bendaoud played a hell of a game. He made at least a dozen saves. I thought we did a good job against a very good NPSL team.” He added, “We made it one round further than we did last year, so at least we improved. We’ll be back next year for sure.”

Brooklyn is the NPSL representative in the Region I tournament, having just joined the league this past off-season, after decades in New York’s historic Cosmopolitan League. Brooklyn will travel to play at Fenerbahce USA on May 23 in the next round, however the site and time of the match are yet to be determined.

Go Soccer FC lineup:
GK: Faouzi Bandaoud
RB – Paul Racz
CB – Paul Breen (injured and subbed out 6th min)
CB – Dan Ryan
LB – Chris Tatro
RM – Steve Mellen
LM – Matt Connor
CM – Steve DeMatteo
CM – Dennis Maldonado
CM – Gary Gibbings
ST – Dominic Paolella (injured and subbed out in 60th min.)

sub – Matt Heitmann (6th min.)
sub – Matt Tatro (60th min.)

FENERBAHCE USA (EAST NY) 4:4 DANBURY UNITED (CT)
(Fenerbahce USA advances 4-3 on PKs)
Portuguese Cultural Center – Danbury, Conn.

Keith Detelj of Fenerbahce USA challenges for the ball against Danbury United. Photo: Gus Xikis

After a crazy back and forth match, it would take penalty kicks to separate Fenerbahce USA of Eastern New York and Connecticut’s Danbury United. Fenerbahce, competing in US Open Cup qualifying for the first time, would emerge victorious in the tiebreaker after finishing extra time tied at 4-4.

Fenerbahce USA scored two goals in the first ten minutes of the match, but before the game got out of hand, Danbury answered with two goals of their own before halftime. The two clubs couldn’t break the deadlock in regulation, but in overtime, it was the first half all over again. Fenerbahce scored twice, and it looked like they were going to walk away with the match, but, once again, the Connecticut club retaliated with two goals to tie the game back up in the final minutes of extra time to send the match into a penalty kick shootout.

Jose Batista scored two of the goals for Fenerbahce, with Keith Detelj and Frank Alesci adding one each.

Fenerbahce USA will host fellow New York club, the Brooklyn Italians, in a battle of the old and the new. Brooklyn won the tournament in 1991 and finished runner-up three times, while this is brand new to Fenerbahce, who was founded in 2001.

Fenerbahce USA lineup: GK: EJ Xikis (45th – John Sanfilippo), James Davis, Laurent Manuel, Alejandro Montanez, Diego Martinez, Mohammad Mashriqi, Torres Garcia, Christopher Alesci (75th – Deleon Herbert), Frank Alesci, Jose Batista, Keith Detelj

DULLES SPORTSPLEX AEGEAN HAWKS (DC/VA) 1:2 (AET) NY PANCYPRIAN FREEDOMS (EAST NY)
Belson Stadium – Queens, NY (St. John’s University)

Robby Wright of the Aegean Hawks, pictured above in pre-game warm-ups, scored the lone goal for the Hawks. Photo: Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks FC

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms are through to the semifinals after being taken the distance by a shorthanded Aegean Hawks club from D.C. The Freedoms won the match 2-1 after extra time, but needed a late equalizer to survive into overtime against a team who had only brought 11 players up to New York.

The previous night, the Hawks had competed in the championship game of “La Super Copa” tournament, which was hosted by DC United of Major League Soccer. They won the game in a penalty kick shootout after a 3-3 draw but lost three key players to injury. Less than 24 hours later, the 11 players remaining drove up to Queens for Sunday’s quarterfinal match.

Predictably, the Hawks played a defensive game throughout, especially after striker Carlos Garcia suffered a hamstrong injury. Garcia played through the injury, but was largely ineffective throughout.

The Hawks held off the New York attack, but it was the visitors who scored the first goal. Watson Prather sent a penetrating ball into John Stephens who flicked a layoff to Robby Wright, who was making a secondary run. Wright dodged a defender at the top of the box, then hit a looping left-footed strike into the top left corner of the goal.

Just when it looked like the Hawks were going to pull off an improbable upset, New York’s Joel Gustafsson saved the Freedoms with a goal in the 86th minute. The match went into extra time and the Hawks would run out of gas. The Freedoms Stelios Andreou would find Julio Cesar DoSantos for the game-winning goal.

For a full report of this match by Dylan Butler of the New York Post, click HERE.

New York will host the United German Hungarians (East PA) in the next round on May 23.

Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks FC lineup: Alex Fatovic (GK – Long Island University), Eddie Thurston (Brown), Devlin Barnes (UMass), Karsten Smith (American University), Alan Golden (William & Mary), Michael Goldman (George Washington University), Watson Vaughan-Prather (Univ. of Wisconsin), Robby Wright (Virginia), Erwin Diaz (U of Maryland), John Stephens (James Madison), Carlos Garcia (William & Mary)

CHARM CITY FC (MD) 1:3 UNITED GERMAN HUNGARIANS (EAST PA)
UGH Field – Oakford, PA

The United German Hungarians are now one step away from qualifying for the US Open Cup for the first time in over a decade after a 3-1 win over Charm City FC. The representative from Maryland got an early goal in the fifth minute and held on to the lead until halftime, but the second half was taken over by the hosts. Jeremy Ortiz tied the game in the 51st minute and David Castellanos gave UGH the lead nine minutes later. Andrew Weyershaeuser would put the game away in the 83rd minute to put the 100-year old club into the semifinals to face the New York Pancyprian Freedoms.

Scoring Summary:
CHA: Unknown goalscorer – 5th
UGH: Jeremy Ortiz – 51st
UGH: David Castellanos – 60th
UGH: Andrew Weyershaeuser – 83rd

UGH lineup: Eric Talbot (GK), Jason Karasow (c), Ryan Tadley, Will Thornton, Jeremy Ortiz, Brian Blesi, Ben Marucci, Tony Rod, Ryan Moseley, Blair Carson, Dave Castellanos | Subs: Andrew Weyershaeuser, Brian Bowers, Jimmy Bradley, Kevin Sherry | Coach: Mike Curley

USASA Region I quarterfinals results
(All games are Sunday, May 2)

Fenerbahce USA (East NY) 4:4 Danbury United (CT) (Fenerbahce USA advance 4-3 on PKs)
Aegean Hawks FC 1:2 (AET) NY Pancyprian Freedoms
Charm City FC 1:3 United German Hungarians
Go Soccer FC 0:1 Brooklyn Italians
Go-Soccer FC vs. Emigrantes Das Ilhas *Emigrantes Das Ilhas disqualified*

USASA Region I semifinals schedule
(All games are Sunday, May 23 – All times Eastern)

Brooklyn Italians at Fenerbahce USA – Park Stadium (Franklin Square, NY) | 5 p.m.
United German Hungarians at NY Pancyprian Freedoms – Belson Stadium (St. John’s University) | 4 p.m.
*Semifinal winners will qualify for the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

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