Piotr Kolasinski

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: RWB Adria first to qualify for USASA regionals, defeat AAC Eagles in Illinois final

October 25, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

RWB Adria - 2011 Illinois Open Cup champions. Photo: Ninos Alexander

Sixteen days after the Seattle Sounders were crowned Lamar Hunt US Open Cup champions for a third consecutive year, qualifying for the 2012 tournament kicked off in earnest with the Illinois State Final. In a meeting of two well-known clubs, RWB Adria became the first team to advance to a USASA regional tournament, posting a 2-0 victory over rival AAC Eagles Thursday in front of a reported crowd of 400-plus.

The Chicago duo of RWB Adria and AAC Eagles have long been powers in the region, representing USASA Region II in the US Open Cup on eight occasions during the modern professional era (1995-present). While the Eagles have been the more successful club in advancing to the US Open Cup by qualifying five times since 1995, RWB was the dominant side of the two in the Illinois championship.

Two years ago, the Eagles snapped a three-year streak of RWB winning the state crown, winning the Illinois Final, 2-0, to reach the regional tournament. AAC then blitzed Minnesota’s Fire SC, 8-3, before being edged out in the ‘Win and You’re In’ semifinal via penalties, 5-3, after a 3-3 road draw against KC Athletics.

After coming so close to reaching the 2010 tournament, the Eagles dominated in the Region II first round last year with a 7-2 win over FC Indiana that was just short of earning the first berth, setting up a Illinois showdown with RWB, who won a 6-4 overtime road thriller against Detroit United. After falling behind on an early seventh minute Boris Smoljan strike, AAC answered back via a surprise player – center back Piotr Kolasinski. He nodded home the equalizer in the 14th with Mark Golik giving the club the lead before the break. Kolasinski would convert from the spot in the 55th to double the advantage and locked up the match on a curling 19 yard free kick in the 75th minute for a hat-trick to give AAC Eagles a 4-1 victory and a spot in the 2011 US Open Cup.

This year though, the Eagles will need a second chance via an invitation to the regional tournament after falling to RWB Thursday. One of the changes that may have turned the table was the move of the standout Kolasinski, who helped lead RWB to the victory this year.

Igor Stijepic was the key figure in giving RWB the advantage in the match, collecting a throw-in on the right wing and driving up the flank before crossing the ball in to Charlie Trout for the finish in the 20th minute.

The contest livened up with a pair of penalty kicks in about a five minute span in the late stages of the match. The AAC netminder and his left back collided with an RWB attacker, sending Adria to the spot. Semir Mesanovic would convert the penalty to give RWB a two-goal command with 20 minutes remaining.

Five minutes later, a handball gave the Eagles a chance to start a rally, but Pawel Otachel’s attempt right at the keeper was stopped by Igor Dimov, smothering AAC’s hopes of a comeback.

rwb-adria-2011-illinois-champs-team-photo — RWB Adria pose for a team photo after winning the 2011 Illinois Open Cup championship. Photo: Ninos Alexander

While Illinois is the first to finish its 2012 US Open Cup qualifying, several other states are also under way. In Region I, Eastern Pennsylvania and Eastern New York started their tournaments over the weekend and the semifinal of the Wisconsin state tournament is already complete.

Scoring Summary

RWB: Charlie Trout (Igor Stijepic) 20
RWB: Semir Mesanovic (penalty) 70

Lineups
RWB – Igor Dimov; Robert Younger, Charlie Trout, Joey Carver, Piotr Kolasinski, Admir Ljeljak, Igor Stijepic, Vlad Baciu (Alex Loncar 85), Taylor Bond (Ifeanyi Okorie 45), Semir Mesanovic, Jani Galik (Boris Smoljan 60)
AAC – Not available

2011 US Open Cup qualifying: AAC Eagles back in Open Cup after Kolasinski hat trick

May 15, 2011 by David Gubala

Special thanks to David Gubala (@DavidGubala) from Goal.com for live updates and match report.

BRIDGEVIEW, IL – On a cold, rainy, Saturday afternoon, AAC Eagles came away with a satisfying 4-1 victory over RWB Adria at the Toyota Park practice field in Bridgeview, Illinois. The match was the final USASA Region II play-in match for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the region’s second berth. Piotr Kolasinski as the man of the match with a hat-trick on the day.

AAC Eagles now progress to the US Open Cup along with previous Region II qualifier Iowa Menace, who advanced with a 7-1 victory in the First Round. The AAC Eagles came up came up short on the goal differential format utilized to determine a qualifier from three contests, winning 7-2 against FC Indiana while RWB Adria downed Detroit United 6-4 in overtime.

Knowing what was at stake, both teams threw in everything they had from the get-go. Adria broke the deadlock in the early minutes of the game when Boris Smoljan slotted the ball home in the seventh minute off a well-played through ball.

Not much later, the Eagles struck back. Forward Mariusz Napiorkowski crossed a well-driven ball to Kolasinski, who headed past the keeper to level terms in the 14th minute.

AACEagles-Clincher-ToyotaPark — The AAC Eagles celebrate at the practice field outside Chicago Fire's Toyota Park

Midway through the first half Mark Golik broke away to see him one-on-one with the keeper. The captain did well for himself and slotted it inside Adria’s far post to take the lead in the 38th minute.

After the break, things started to get a little hectic and controversial. Adria goalkeeper handled the ball with his hands outside the box and was given a straight red. However, after much debate, the referee negated the call, rescinding the red card.

This sparked high emotions off the Eagles’ bench. With a plethora of attacking play, the Eagles would eventually earn a penalty kick. Kolasinski put it away, giving the Polish side a 3-1 lead 10 minutes into the second stanza.

Nearing the end, the Eagles were given a free kick just outside the box and the local hero of the night, Kolasinski, was perfect in the spotlight yet again in the 75th. He managed to curl it past the Adria keeper for a hat-trick, giving his club a resounding 4-1 lead.

“We played good, organized football,” said Eagles manager Mike Bechtold. “We didn’t give up any silly fouls and were able to play according to our plan.”

About the AAC Eagles

A Polish club from the Metropolitan Soccer League, the AAC Eagles returned to prominence a year ago when they ended state rival RWB Adria’s three-year reign as champions. The 1990 US Open Cup champions defeated RWB Adria 2-0 in the Illinois state qualifier the previous November before knocking out Minnesota entrant Fire SC in the Region II Quarterfinals, 8-3. The side was then eliminated in the Final Four via penalties 4-2 by KC Athletics after a 3-3 draw. The two matches took place at MLS venues, playing at Toyota Park’s training field and in a doubleheader with the Kansas City Wizards. This year, AAC Eagles were seeded as host of the Illinois Final as defending champion, and defeated Viking AA 2-1 to retain the state crown.

The Eagles have qualified for the tournament four times (1995, 2002, 2005, 2008) in the Professional Era (1995-present), but have fallen in the opening round all four times. Three of the four games have been against professional opponents.

Scoring Summary:

RBW Adria: Boris Smoljan – 7
AAC Eagles: Piotr Kolasinski – 14
AAC Eagles: Mark Golik – 38
AAC Eagles: Piotr Kolasinski – pen. 55
AAC Eagles: Piotr Kolasinski – 75