Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Reading United AC

PDL players with US Open Cup experience advance careers with 2012 MLS SuperDraft

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A handful of players with US Open Cup playing experience as members of Premier Development League teams were selected in the two-round, 38-player Major League Soccer Draft Thursday afternoon at the NSCAA Convention in Kansas City, MO.

Andrew Wenger (top) and Chris Estridge have scored in the US Open Cup

The Chicago Fire PDL team reached the Third Round in the 2011 US Open Cup and Second Round in 2009, making it no surprise that among the 11 players selected from their development program were four players that saw action during the club’s run this past summer.

Among them was Chris Estridge (21st, Vancouver Whitecaps), who tallied a goal and assist. The defender scored the 1-0 game-winner in the opening round with three minutes remaining, edging the Iowa Menace (USASA entrant of PDL Des Moines Menace). He went on to add an assist on the second goal in another shutout performance in the Second Round as they blanked the NPSL’s Madison 56ers, 2-0.

The team’s run came to an end in the Third Round, falling on the road to Sporting Kansas City, 3-0. Estridge played in all three matches along with Tyler Polak (22, New England Revolution) and Brendan King (27, Portland Timbers). Teammate Calum Mallace (20, Montreal Impact) appeared in the Third Round match.

Reading United AC, a PDL affiliate of the Philadelphia Union, also saw Open Cup players move on to the next flight with hopes of landing on an MLS roster. First overall pick Andrew Wenger (Montreal Impact), a member of the Carolina Dynamo in 2011, nearly led Reading to an upset win over then USL Second Division side Real Maryland with the opening goal of the 2010 First Round only to see the professional side rally for a 2-1 victory. Reading faced fellow Union affiliate USL Pro Harrisburg City Islanders in 2011, falling 2-1 with Matt Hedges (11, FC Dallas) in the lineup.

Jacob Hustedt (25, San Jose Earthquakes) helped lead the Ventura County Fusion in 2011, providing the assist on the game-winner in a 3-1 victory against USASA’s Doxa Italia in the First Round. He was also in the lineup for the club’s valiant effort in a narrow 1-0 loss to USL Pro side Los Angeles Blues in the Second Round.

Ironically, three of the seven players featured above were taken by Canadian clubs, meaning they would be mostly likely to participate in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship this year.

Report: PDL selects 16 entries for 2012 US Open Cup; No qualification matches

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Update: USL confirmed the following report with its official announcement.

TheCup.us has learned from multiple sources that the Premier Development League, the amateur division of United Soccer Leagues, will receive 16 berths for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The expanded number of berths will be dispersed, with one exception, to the top two clubs from the 2011 standings in each division.

The news, coming from the USL Annual General Meeting being held currently in Clearwater, FL, is further confirmation of TheCup.us’ earlier report about upcoming changes for the tournament which will see an expansion of teams from 40 to 64 and an accelerated schedule that shifts the calendar too close to the start of the PDL season for the league to continue utilizing its four-match qualification format used since 1997. The report also noted that the expansion revolved around the inclusion of all Major League Soccer teams.

The one alteration to the PDL’s two-berth format, a total of four per conference, is in the Eastern Conference, which consists of three divisions. Based on the number of teams per division, the Mid Atlantic (9 teams last year) will receive two berths while the Northeast (5 teams) and South Atlantic (6 teams) will each receive one spot in the tournament.

With the USL AGM in the midst of planning the 2012 season, the final composition of clubs set to play next season has not been announced. Reading United AC and reigning PDL champion Kitsap Pumas are headed to a fourth consecutive appearance in the tournament, matching a record for consecutive entries from an amateur flight league set by Mexico SC (Fresno, CA) of the USASA.  The Michigan Bucks are adding a league-record ninth appearance to their ledger. The Portland Timbers U23s and the MPS Portland Phoenix (Maine) are the only two teams who will make their debut in the 2012 tournament.

The 16 PDL clubs are expected to enter the 2012 competition in the opening round, along with 16 other amateur clubs, according to an earlier report. The distribution of the remaining amateur teams, between the USASA, NPSL and possibly US Club Soccer, has yet to be unveiled.

2012 PDL Entries – Based on 2011 Standings (official 2012 alignment unknown)

Central Conference
Michigan Bucks – 1st place in Great Lakes Division – record 9th appearance (9-7-1 all-time), last appearance: 2008
Chicago Fire PDL – 2nd place in Great Lakes Division – 5th appearance (6-4-0), 3rd straight appearance
Des Moines Menace – 2nd place in Heartland Division* – 6th appearance (6-5-1, 1-0 in PKs) – Last appearance: 2010
Real Colorado Foxes – 3rd place in Heartland Division * – 2nd appearance (1-1-0), 2nd straight appearance
*Canadian club Thunder Bay finished 1st

Eastern Conference
Long Island Rough Riders – 1st place in Mid Atlantic Division – 5th appearance, 3rd as a PDL team (3-5-0 all-time, 1-2-0 as a PDL team) …  Last appearance: 2010
Reading United AC – 2nd place in Mid Atlantic Division … 6th appearance, 4th as a PDL team (0-5-0 all-time, 0-3-0 as a PDL team) … 4th straight appearance (tied for the amateur record)
MPS Portland Phoenix – 1st place in Northeast Division … 1st appearance
Carolina Dynamo – 1st place in South Atlantic Division … 8th appearance, 3rd as a PDL team (10-8-0 all-time, 5-3-0 as a PDL team) … 2nd straight appearance

Southern Conference
Laredo Heat – 1st place in Mid South Division … 2nd appearance (0-0-1, 0-1 in PKs … lost to Dallas Roma FC in 2006, who went on to make their magical run) … last appearance: 2006
El Paso Patriots – 2nd place in Mid South Division … 10th appearance, 5th as a PDL team (8-7-3, 1-2 in PKs all-time, 2-3-2, 1-1 in PKs as a PDL team) … 2nd straight appearance
Mississippi Brilla – 1st place in Southeast Division … 2nd appearance (0-1-0) … last appearance: 2009
Orlando City U23s (previously Central Florida Kraze) – 2nd place Southeast Division … 5th appearance (0-4-0) … 3rd straight appearance

Western Conference
Kitsap Pumas – 1st place in Northwest Division…. 4th appearance (2-3-1, 1-0 in PKs), 4th straight appearance (Amateur record) … have qualified in every year of their existence
Portland Timbers U23s – 4th place in Northwest Division* … 1st appearance
Fresno Fuego – 1st Southwest Division … 2nd appearance (3-1-0) … last appearance: 2003 (advanced to the Fourth Round and lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy. 1 of only 3 PDL teams to ever advance beyond the Third Round)
Ventura County Fusion – 2nd Southwest Division … 3rd appearance (1-1-1, 0-1 in PKs), 3rd straight appearance
*Canadian clubs Victoria Highlanders and Vancouver Whitecaps U23s were 2nd & 3rd

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2011 US Open Cup Chicago Fire bracket preview: Rochester Rhinos at Harrisburg City Islanders

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SECOND ROUND

Rochester Rhinos at Harrisburg City Islanders
Skyline Sports Complex – Harrisburg, Pa. – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: USLlive.com

THIRD ROUND

Chicago Fire at Rochester Rhinos
June 28, 7:35 p.m. ET  Sahlen’s Stadium; Rochester, N.Y.
OR
Harrisburg City Islanders at Chicago Fire
June 28, 8:30 p.m. ET  Toyota Park; Bridgeview, Ill.

Harrisburg City Islanders

The club has been a member of USL’s professional third division league since its founding in 2004 and has only missed the postseason on two occasions. The club won the league title in 2007.

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

First Round: Harrisburg City Islanders 2:1 Reading United
Harrisburg found themselves trailing by a goal in the First Round to fellow Philadelphia Union affiliate, the PDL’s Reading United AC, at halftime and looked to be heading toward an early exit when JT Noone scored in the 86th minute. Four minutes later Sainey Touray provided the 2-1 game-winner in a late stunner. Recap [+]

League Form: The City Islanders returned to league action Friday with a 1-0 win in Richmond on a goal from Jason Hotchkin just before the break. They are current in second place in the National Division with a record of 5-4-2 (4-1-1 at home).

Open Cup History: After failing to qualify in its first three seasons (2004-2006), the club has reached the quarterfinals three times over its appearances in the last four years. Harrisburg is the only third division club in the Pro Era to reach the quarterfinals three times, and the only one to do it two years in a row (2009-10).

In 2007 the club upset visiting DC United 1-0 in the Third Round before falling 2-1 on the road to the New England Revolution. The following year, however, the team was knocked out in the second round by league rival Baltimore via penalties. After defeating Reading 4-1 and sneaking past league foe Western Mass via penalties in 2009, the club returned the favor against New England, beating the MLS club in overtime 2-1 in Connecticut before falling 2-1 to DC United in the Quarterfinals. The club upset a third MLS club in four years last year. After needing overtime to defeat the Brooklyn Italians 4-2 and edging Long Island Rough Riders 1-0, the City Islanders knocked off the New York Red Bulls in overtime, 1-0, on a goal from Dominic Oppong. DC would knock them out once again in the quarters, this time 2-0.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 10-3-2 (1-1 in PKs) overall | 3-3-2 (1-1 in PKs) vs. pro teams | 0-0-2 (1-1 in PKs) vs. 3rd Division

Rochester Rhinos

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

Founded in 1996, the Rhinos are arguably the most successful professional club outside of Major League Soccer, winning three professional second division titles in six league finals appearances. The club, which has also reached the Open Cup Final twice and won it in 1999, has never failed to qualify for the tournament.

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

First Round: Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro) 2:1 Phoenix SC (USASA)
The Rhinos took the initial lead through JC Banks in the 27th minute of the First Round Tuesday and Anthony Hamilton doubled the advantage from the spot in the 55th. Visiting Phoenix SC made it a tense finish with a strike midway through the second half to make it 2-1, but Rochester’s defense held on. Recap [+]

League Form: Rochester traveled to Pittsburgh for league action Friday, blanking the Riverhounds 3-0 on first half goals from Rich Costanzo, Andrew Hoxie and Drew Cost. The Rhinos are in first place in the National Division with a 6-4-3 record.

Open Cup History: The club is most famous for its 1999 US Open Cup championship run with four victories over MLS clubs (Chicago, Dallas, Columbus, Colorado) after needing overtime to defeat PDL side New York Freedoms 2-1. The Rhinos also reached the final in their debut season in 1996, beating Tampa Bay and Colorado before falling to DC United in the final at RFK Stadium. Rochester also advanced versus MLS opposition in 2004, edging New England in penalties after a 1-1 draw, and 2005, topping New York 3-1. Both games were in the Fourth Round. The Rhinos reached the Semifinals for a third time in 2009, eliminating Columbus via penalties in a Third Round 1-1 draw and downing third division Wilmington 2-1 in the Quarterfinals before being eliminated 2-1 by DC.

Last year Rochester blanked the PDL Dayton Dutch Lions 2-0 and third division Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-0 before falling 2-1 to the Crew in the Third Round. The Rhinos also have the distinction as the lower division club that has eliminated the most MLS teams with nine (7-10-4 overall, 2-2 in PKs)
PRO ERA RECORD: 26-12-5 (3-2 in PKs) overall | 17-3-5 vs. pro teams (all as 2nd Division franchise)

Chicago Fire

Photo by Brian Kersey/Wireimage.com

How They Qualified: Seeded fourth overall, the Fire opened the play-in tournament in the second round of the western bracket of MLS qualifying. They defeated the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids March 30 with a 2-1 victory. Gaston Puerari, who was recently sold to Atlas (Mexico), scored the opening goal moments before the break with Andre Akpan answering back in third minute of the second stanza. In the haze remaining from flares set off at the hour mark defender Jalil Anibaba let loose a shocking 45-yard strike that surprised the keeper and proved to be the winner. Trailing San Jose by two goals in the finale for the bracket, Chicago’s Orr Barouch pulled a goal back in the 61st and Yamith Cuesta leveled terms in the 76th, sending the match, ultimately, to penalties where two Earthquakes rang shots off the crossbar in a 5-4 decision to send the Fire to the Open Cup.

This Month in MLS: The Fire played its fourth league match of the month this Saturday when they traveled to Foxboro to take on the New England Revolution, earning a 1-1 draw with Dominic Oduro scoring the opening goal. They also have two more contests before the Third Round with matches at home versus Real Salt Lake and New York Red Bulls June 22 and 26, respectively. They opened the month with a scoreless draw at home against the Seattle Sounders June 4 and repeated the outcome June 9 against fellow play-in qualifier Sporting Kansas City in the MLS debut of LiveStrong Sporting Park. Sean Johnson recorded both shutouts. The club extended an unbeaten streak to five games with a 1-0 home victory June 12 against the Columbus Crew with a stoppage time winning goal from Cristian Nazarit and Johnson registering a third consecutive clean sheet.
Last Five: D-W-D-D-D | Season Record: 2-4-9 (1-1-4 Home, 1-3-5 Away), Tied for sixth in Eastern Conference, 14th overall.

Open Cup History: The Fire are one of the most successful Pro Era teams, winning the Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006) and finishing runner-up in 2004. The team has qualified for the Open Cup every year since their founding in 1998. However, since the 2006 Cup title, the team has only won one game in the tournament since, going 1-3-1 (0-1 in PKs). Two of those four losses came against third division teams (Wilmington in 2009, Charleston in PKs in 2010), as did their sole win (Cleveland in 2008), with their other losses against MLS’s DC United (2008) and second division Carolina RailHawks (2007).

Last year, the team played a scoreless draw against the Charleston Battery in the third round, then couldn’t find the net in a penalty shoot, losing 3-0.
PRO ERA RECORD: 25-8-3 (2-1 in PKs)

FIRST ROUND

Reading United AC (PDL) 1:2 Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO)
Skyline Sports Complex – Harrisburg, Pa. – 7 p.m.
Full Recap [+]

Phoenix SC (USASA-East PA) 1:2 Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO)
Sahlen’s Stadium – Rochester, N.Y. – 7:35 p.m.
Full Recap [+]

ELIMINATED TEAMS

Reading United AC

Founded in 1996, the club has been a member of USL playing in the professional third division through 2003 and in the PDL since. Previously known as the Rage, the club recently applied the significant image change with its new affiliation agreement with Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union in December of 2009. In recent years the club has been a dominant force, finishing first in the division three straight years and reaching the PDL Final Four twice.

Path to the Open Cup: Reading controlled the Mid Atlantic group essentially from the second game with two wins and a +5 goal differential. With all four games wrapping up midway through the division’s fixture schedule, the team’s perfect record and nearly perfect +11 GD set the bar too high for Long Island to catch up as the Rough Riders failed to earn the maximum differential, leaving them out of reach on tiebreakers come their final game. A Matt Sanner hat-trick doomed Brooklyn in the opener, 3-1, and a three-assist night from Hasani Sinclair in the second game led Reading to a 4-0 win against the Rangers. Will Bates provided a double in the 4-1 win at Westchester for the third win and repeated the feat two nights later in another 4-1 win, this time at home against Ocean City.

June News Updates: Fell 2-0 at home June 10 versus Long Island Rough Riders… Matthew Baker and Matthew Hedges scored in a 2-1 win June 5 at New Jersey Rangers… Four second-half goals after a 1-1 first half led to 5-1 victory (5 different scorers) on June 3 against visiting Central Jersey, who played a man down after 56th (three goals scored after).

Open Cup History: With its three Open Cup appearances the past three years as a PDL team, the club matched the number of times it played in the tournament as a professional third division side. Reading is yet to earn a win in the tournament, falling to higher division opponents on three occasions and once to a USASA club in a 1-0 decision against Bavarian SC (Milwaukee) in 2003. Last year, the team was knocked out in overtime, 2-1, by Real Maryland of the USL Second Division. Two years ago the team was knocked out 4-1 at Harrisburg (USL-2). This year Reading and the Kitsap Pumas made history by joining the Michigan Bucks (1999-2001, 2006-08) as the only three teams in PDL history to qualify for the Open Cup three years in a row.
PRO ERA RECORD: 0-4-0 overall | 0-2-0 vs. 3rd Division | 0-1-0 vs. Harrisburg (2009 First Round)

Local History: The German American Soccer Club represented Reading, Pa. in the Open Cup from 1940-1942, though the club saw little success in the tournament and often failed to move beyond the early stages of the regional qualifying rounds.

Phoenix SC

Officially known as First German Sport Club Phoenix for much of its existence, the Philadelphia club was founded in 1926 and is located in Feasterville, where it is home to numerous sporting activities. Although it is one of the oldest clubs in the 2011 field, it is believed to be making its tournament debut. The club plays in the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania where it recently clinched the Men’s Majors Division title.

Path to Open Cup: The club opened the Region I tournament with a dramatic affair with goals from Scott Rowling and Danny Murtagh to take a two-goal lead against the Maryland Bays only to see the lead disappear at home in the second half, forcing overtime. A Bobby Francis penalty seven minutes into extra time gave Phoenix the 3-2 Quarterfinal win. The Semifinal match proved much easier with Murtagh giving the side a 1-0 lead in the 41st and Francis a two-goal lead from the spot in the 51st. An own goal from Go Soccer FC sealed the opponent’s fate in the 70th, sending Phoenix to the US Open Cup with a 3-0 win.

June News Updates: The team has been idle since winning the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania with a 12-1-1 record (2 games remain unplayed).

Open Cup History: Their first known match in the Open Cup was on October 18, 1936, when Phoenix defeated the German Hungarian SC 4-1. From that point forward you can find their name among the results of both the Open and Amateur Cups year after year. 2011 marks their first entry in the tournament during the Professional Era (1995-present).


2011 US Open Cup First Round: City Islanders need late rally to get past 10-man Reading United

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Harrisburg City IslandersHarrisburg City Islanders came on late to earn a come from behind win against a shorthanded Reading United 2-1 at the Skyline Sports Complex.

Reading struck first on a David Rodriguez shot that put them up in the 35th minute, and held the upper hand throughout the half. However, their luck changed in the 53rd minute when Stephen Okai was given a straight red for a challenge on Harrisburg defender Stephen Basso. That left United with 10 men, however the team still held their resolve against a City Islanders side that showed little energy.

Harrisburg also struggled against amateur side Brooklyn Italians last year before forcing overtime and finally winning. They finally managed to get pressure on Reading in the last 10 minutes, with JT Noone slotting home his fifth career Open Cup goal on a ball from Jason Hotchkin with four minutes remaining to tie the game. During stoppage time, Jordan Seabrook served up a ball on the wing to Sainey Touray. Touray had United keeper Bryan Holt out of position, and sent home the game-winner to avert an upset.

Harrisburg kept a couple of streaks intact with the win. The club remains perfect in First Round matches (5-0-0) the last five years and the City Islanders have yet to lose to an an amateur side in tournament play (6-0-0 vs. Amateur Teams | 4-0-0 vs. PDL).

They will move on to host USL Pro rivals Rochester Rhinos at the Skyline Sports Complex on Tuesday, July 21st. The winner of the game will advance to the Third Round where they will face off with an MLS opponent to be determined. Game time is set at 7 p.m.

JT Noone’s equalizer

Highlights from CBS 21 Harrisburg

RECAP: Reading United AC | Reading Eagle | The Patriot-News (Harrisburg)

Scoring Summary
35th minute: Rodriguez (Barreiro)
86th minute: Noone (Hotchkin)
90th minute: Touray (Seabrook)

Shots Saves Fouls Corners
Reading: 11 Reading: 2 Reading: 14 Reading: 2
Harrisburg: 9 Harrisburg: 5 Harrisburg: 17 Harrisburg: 6

Cautions:
31′: Lasse Sohrweide (Reading)
76′: Jason Hotchkin (Harrisburg)
87′: Dustin Bixler (Harrisburg)
87′: Josh Rich (Reading)
90′: Matt Hedges (Reading)

Ejections:
53’: Okai (Reading)
90′: coach (Reading)

Referee: Eric Weisbrod

Assistant Referees: Ross Kleinstuber, Katja Koroleva
Fourth Official: Rich Giusti

2011 US Open Cup qualifying (PDL East): Reading & Western Mass qualify; Carolina Dynamo clinch via tiebreakers

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PDL East logoUS Open Cup qualifying for the Premier Development League is already underway for 2011 as the season began on April 30. It is arguably the most exciting portion of the event for the league as the task of qualifying can be more daunting than the professional opponents awaiting them in the tournament proper.

In the 2011 edition of the tournament, the PDL will be represented by a record nine clubs after seven consecutive years with eight representatives. With nine berths available, the league will send one from each division based on four league contests that will double as qualification matches – a format long established by the parent United Soccer Leagues.

For the first time since 2008, the Eastern Conference has three divisions – the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, and the new South Atlantic (which last appeared in 2006). Four teams have a recent history with qualifying for the US Open Cup on multiple occasions. Two of them were last year’s representatives (Long Island Rough Riders, Reading United AC), and two more have qualified at least three times each from the PDL (Carolina Dynamo, Ocean City Nor’easters). A total of 18 teams are fighting for a record three spots from the East this year.

Here is the how the Eastern Conference is currently shaping up:

Northeast Division
Final Results

The Western Mass Pioneers qualified for the U.S. Open Cup with a 1-0 win over the MPS Portland Phoenix in a head-to-head match between the two Northeast Division group leaders to determine the berth. Halftime substitute Chris Roswess scored the game’s only goal in the 71st minute when he hammered the ball into the net on a half volley from 18 yards out.  “In the first half Portland controlled the majority of play and dictated the tempo of play,” Pioneers Head Coach Joe Calabrese said.  “But in the second half we made a couple of substitutions and we thought those two changes had a positive impact on the game.”

An automatic entrant numerous times as a USL-2 professional third division club (now USL PRO), it is the first time in two years in the PDL that it has qualified, finishing third in its group at 2-1-1 last year.  “For some of our collegiate players this is a dream come true,” Calabrese said.  “Many of our college players will never aspire to be professional players.  This is once in a lifetime for many of them.  You don’t know when your career is going to end so it’s spectacular to have them get this experience.”

NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Western Mass Pioneers 4 3 0 1 10 7 3 6 +4
MPS Portland Phoenix 4 3 1 0 9 5 2 5 +3
Vermont Voltage 4 0 2 2 2 1 4 1 -3
Seacoast United Phantoms 4 0 3 1 1 3 7 3 -4

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Seacoast United Phantoms 0:1 MPS Portland Phoenix 6:00
May 14 Western Mass Pioneers 2:1 Seacoast United Phantoms 4:00
May 14 Vermont Voltage 0:2 MPS Portland Phoenix 6:00
May 20 Seacoast United Phantoms 2:4 Western Mass Pioneers 7:00
May 21 MPS Portland Phoenix 2:1 Vermont Voltage 7:00
May 25 Western Mass Pioneers 0:0 Vermont Voltage 7:00
May 27 MPS Portland Phoenix 0:1 Western Mass Pioneers 7:00
May 28 Vermont Voltage 0:0 Seacoast United Phantoms 7:00


Mid-Atlantic Division
Final Results

Reading United continued to cruise through Open Cup qualifying with a 4-1 win over the Ocean City Nor’easters on May 20, to finish with a perfect 4-0-0 record. Even though it was Ocean City’s season opener, one loss eliminated them from contention, and it also knocked Long Island out of the running despite their 2-0-0 record. Based on the tiebreaking situation, even if Long Island were to win their final qualifier by three goals or more, they would still fall short in the goal difference tiebreaker. They clinched their place as the first team to qualify from the PDL as the Jersey Express fell to the Rough Riders 3-1. Reading has now qualified for the third straight year.

This marks the third year in a row that Reading has finished qualifying without a loss. When they were known as the Rage in 2009, they finished 3-0-1, and in 2010 they finished tied with the Newark Ironbound Express at 4-0-0. Unfortunately for the Express, Reading qualified based on a tiebreaker, having scored one more goal than Ironbound. This was an unfortunate bit of history for the Express as they became not only the third PDL team in the Pro Era (1995-present) to miss out after a 4-0-0 record, but they were the first team to register four straight shutout victories, and fail to qualify.

MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Reading United AC 4 4 0 0 12 15 3 12 +11
Long Island Rough Riders 4 3 0 1 10 9 4 9 +5
Jersey Express 4 3 1 0 9 7 3 7 +4
Westchester Flames 4 2 2 0 6 9 11 7 -2
New Jersey Rangers 4 2 2 0 6 3 8 3 -4
Ocean City Nor’easters 4 0 3 1 1 3 8 3 -5
Central Jersey Spartans 3 0 3 0 0 2 6 2 -4
Brooklyn Knights 3 0 3 0 0 5 10 4 -5

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Reading United AC 3:1 Brooklyn Knights 7:00
May 8 Westchester Flames 3:0 New Jersey Rangers 6:00
May 11 Long Island Rough Riders 2:0 Brooklyn Knights 7:00
May 14 Westchester Flames 0:3 Jersey Express 7:00
May 15 New Jersey Rangers 0:4 Reading United AC 6:00
May 18 Reading United AC 4:1 Westchester Flames 7:30
May 19 Central Jersey Spartans 1:2 Long Island Rough Riders 8:00
May 20 Ocean City Nor’easters 1:4 Reading United AC 7:30
May 21 Jersey Express 1:3 Long Island Rough Riders 7:30
May 22 Brooklyn Knights at Central Jersey Spartans PPD
May 22 New Jersey Rangers 1:0 Ocean City Nor’easters 6:00
May 25 Central Jersey Spartans 1:2 New Jersey Rangers 8:00
May 27 Ocean City Nor’easters 0:1 Jersey Express 8:00
May 28 Brooklyn Knights 4:5 Westchester Flames 7:30
May 29 Long Island Rough Riders 2:2 Ocean City Nor’easters 6:00
May 30 Jersey Express 2:0 Central Jersey Spartans 5:00

South Atlantic Division
Final Results

The West Virginia Chaos finished their qualifying slate with a 3-1 win over the Virginia Beach Piranhas May 21, leaving them in a wait-and-see situation as the Carolina Dynamo and Real Maryland Monarchs could pull level or move past them. They got some help the following night as the Dynamo slipped up in a 1-0 road loss to the Northern Virginia Royals, creating the possibility of a three-way tie at 3-1 after the final weekend. With Real Maryland set for its finale Monday, the Monarchs were awaiting good news that would not come as Carolina blanked the visiting Virginia Beach Piranhas 3-0 Saturday evening, clinching the top spot in the division and berth to the US Open Cup via tiebreaker scenarios.

SOUTH ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Carolina Dynamo 4 3 1 0 9 7 1 7 +6
Real Maryland Monarchs 4 3 1 0 9 8 2 8 +6
West Virginia Chaos 4 3 1 0 9 10 4 9 +5
Northern Virginia Royals 4 2 2 0 6 5 6 5 -1
Virginia Beach Piranhas 4 1 3 0 3 3 9 3 -6
Fredericksburg Hotspur 4 0 4 0 0 1 12 1 -10

Note: Carolina qualifies based on head-to-head tiebreaker vs. Real Maryland & West Virginia

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Fredericksburg Hotspur 0:2 Virginia Beach Piranhas 7:00
May 7 Northern Virginia Royals 1:3 West Virginia Chaos 7:00
May 14 Real Maryland Monarchs 3:0 Virginia Beach Piranhas 5:30
May 14 West Virginia Chaos 0:2 Carolina Dynamo 7:00
May 15 West Virginia Chaos 4:0 Fredericksburg Hotspur 2:00
May 15 Northern Virginia Royals 0:2 Real Maryland Monarchs 4:00
May 21 Carolina Dynamo 2:0 Real Maryland Monarchs 7:00
May 21 Virginia Beach Piranhas 1:3 West Virginia Chaos 7:30
May 22 Carolina Dynamo 0:1 Northern Virginia Royals 7:00
May 28 Virginia Beach Piranhas 0:3 Carolina Dynamo 7:00
May 29 Fredericksburg Hotspur 1:3 Northern Virginia Royals 7:00
May 30 Real Maryland Monarchs 3:0 Fredericksburg Hotspur 5:00

Breakdown for 2011 USL PDL US Open Cup Qualifying: Eastern Conference

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PDL logoThe 2011 US Open Cup qualifying process for the Premier Development League begins April 30 when the Central Florida Kraze play host to Fort Lauderdale Schulz. The match marks the beginning of what is arguably the most intense opening to any league season, making it the most pressure-packed portion of the PDL schedule league-wide. The task of qualifying can be more daunting than the professional opponents awaiting them in the tournament proper.

In the upcoming edition of the tournament, the PDL will be represented by a record nine clubs after seven consecutive years with eight representatives. With nine berths available, the league will send one from each division based on four league contests that will double as qualification matches – a format long established by the parent United Soccer Leagues.

Here is the Eastern Conference portion of the four-part series of breakdowns:

Eastern Conference Qualifying Breakdown

US Open Cup qualifying for the PDL Eastern Conference, the lone conference with three divisions and berths, opens with four games on May 7 and a fifth the following evening.

A year ago, this conference, which spans the Atlantic coast from Maine to North Carolina, was basically evenly split with nine and eight-team groups. By carving out a third division, the balance has been eliminated. The new ‘metro’ Mid Atlantic division with eight teams in the greater New York City / New Jersey area and an exception from Pennsylvania has twice as many teams as its Northeast Division counterpart, which has four, and is two more than the South Atlantic, which is at six.

The most stunning result of the shifting is arguably the competitive imbalance between the divisions as the Mid Atlantic has five teams with impressive winning records over a four-year Open Cup qualifying span while the other two divisions have a combined two teams with winning records.

Mid Atlantic Division
Brooklyn Knights, Central Jersey Spartans, Jersey Express, Long Island Rough Riders, New Jersey Rangers, Ocean City Nor’easters, Reading United AC, Westchester Flames

The Ocean City Nor'easters (shown here playing against DC United in the Third Round of the 2009 US Open Cup) have qualified four times in the last seven years. They have four professional team upsets to their credit, second-most of any PDL franchise (Michigan Bucks - 7) | Photo: Bill Pellegrino, Ocean City Nor'easters

With three teams from New York and four from New Jersey, the eight-team grouping’s lone outsider is Reading United AC. The club also happens to be the side which advanced from this particular group the past two years, although the Mid Atlantic division has previously been largely comprised of teams from what is now the South Atlantic. Most of the current composition was primarily in what was then the Northeast, which sent Ocean City as its representative two years ago.

Reading leads what could be considered part of the quintet of power teams among the division with the two recent trips to the tournament and a four-year record of 11-2-3 in qualifying that hit its peak with a 4-0-0 effort last year. Matching that record were the Long Island Rough Riders, who qualified last year out of the Northeast. The five-time tournament entrants from New York also qualified in 2007 with a perfect 4-0-0 record. Last year’s two qualifiers, however, are not slated to face one another in qualifying this year in what would have been a marquee match-up.

The other three power teams are the Ocean City Nor’easters (9-2-5), Jersey Express (8-2-2) and Brooklyn Knights (7-5-4). The trio of New Jersey, Central Jersey and Westchester has just a combined seven wins between them over the past eight qualifying campaigns (last four years) as the first two are recent expansion sides.

Of the power five, the fourth-year Express are the only club that has not yet qualified for the tournament. The other four have reached the US Open Cup on 13 combined occasions.

Reading and Brooklyn kick off the division’s qualifying slate with the lone match May 7. After that, both clubs will only face one more team from the power quintet as Brooklyn takes on Long Island and Reading closes against Ocean City. Jersey also were fortunate to only find two power teams on the fixture list with games against Long Island and Ocean City, who will both have to face three of their power peers.

MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Brooklyn Knights 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Central Jersey Spartans 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Jersey Express 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Long Island Rough Riders 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
New Jersey Rangers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Ocean City Nor’easters 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Reading United AC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Westchester Flames 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Reading United AC at Brooklyn Knights 7:00
May 8 Westchester Flames at New Jersey Rangers 6:00
May 11 Long Island Rough Riders at Brooklyn Knights 7:00
May 14 Westchester Flames at Jersey Express 7:00
May 15 New Jersey Rangers at Reading United AC 6:00
May 18 Reading United AC at Westchester Flames 7:30
May 19 Central Jersey Spartans at Long Island Rough Riders 8:00
May 20 Ocean City Nor’easters at Reading United AC 7:30
May 21 Jersey Express at Long Island Rough Riders 7:30
May 22 Brooklyn Knights at Central Jersey Spartans 4:00
May 22 New Jersey Rangers at Ocean City Nor’easters 6:00
May 25 Central Jersey Spartans at New Jersey Rangers 8:00
May 27 Ocean City Nor’easters at Jersey Express 8:00
May 28 Brooklyn Knights at Westchester Flames 7:30
May 29 Long Island Rough Riders at Ocean City Nor’easters 6:00
May 30 Jersey Express at Central Jersey Spartans 5:00
The Western Mass Pioneers have competed in the US Open Cup six times since they were founded in 1998.


Northeast Division
MPS Portland Phoenix, Seacoast United Phantoms, Vermont Voltage, Western Mass Pioneers

The combined win total of the last four years of PDL qualifying for the division – 10 – falls short of two individual teams in the Mid Atlantic. In this grouping everyone is basically on equal footing as no team has more than three PDL qualifying campaigns in the past four years.

MPS Portland Phoenix was an expansion team a year ago while the Western Mass Pioneers were playing their first season in the league having dropped down from the professional third division. The move down was one that the Seacoast United Phantoms (formerly New Hampshire Phantoms) had made two years prior. The Vermont Voltage, longtime PDL members, were making their return after a year’s absence from play.

The veteran trio is familiar with one another from their extensive USL history, but the Pioneers, Phantoms and Voltage have limited history meeting on competitive terms like this.

Kicking off the group’s schedule is a May 7 contest between host Portland and the Phantoms, who played to a 1-1 draw in last year’s qualifier in New Hampshire. Portland , however, would later win at home in dominating fashion, 5-0, in league play.

The smallest fixture list among the nine groups with only eight games comes to a close May 28 when the Phantoms play host to the Voltage, who swept the season series a year ago with two victories – neither of them qualifiers.

NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
MPS Portland Phoenix 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Seacoast United Phantoms 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Vermont Voltage 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Western Mass Pioneers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Seacoast United Phantoms at MPS Portland Phoenix 6:00
May 14 Western Mass Pioneers at Seacoast United Phantoms 4:00
May 14 Vermont Voltage at MPS Portland Phoenix 6:00
May 20 Seacoast United Phantoms at Western Mass Pioneers 7:00
May 21 MPS Portland Phoenix at Vermont Voltage 7:00
May 25 Western Mass Pioneers at Vermont Voltage 7:00
May 27 MPS Portland Phoenix at Western Mass Pioneers 7:00
May 28 Vermont Voltage at Seacoast United Phantoms 7:00


South Atlantic Division
Carolina Dynamo, Fredericksburg Hotspur, Northern Virginia Royals, Real Maryland Monarchs, Virginia Beach Piranhas, West Virginia Chaos

The Carolina Dynamo have been around since 1993 and have competed in the US Open Cup six times since they were founded in 1993.

This grouping may be a new creation, but for four of these clubs, they are no strangers to one another. What is new is the addition of expansion Fredericksburg Hotspur and former professional third division club Real Maryland Monarchs.

The Monarchs are the newest club in this group to make the transition to the PDL. The only other two teams of the six with US Open Cup tournament experience are also former professional clubs. Along with the Carolina Dynamo and Northern Virginia Royals, the three have 12 appearances in the tournament, but only a pair of trips by the Dynamo in 2004 and 2006 came via qualifying out of the PDL. Carolina played in the tournament five times before joining the league in 2004 and Northern Virginia twice before the switch in 2006. Real Maryland has been an automatic entrant as a pro team the past three years.

Despite last qualifying for the tournament in 2006, the Dynamo have been in the running the past four years with a combined record of 9-4-2, never suffering more than one loss in each of their efforts. Located centrally along the Atlantic coast, Carolina has found itself also shifting divisions and conferences, having previously been a member of the Southeast group prior to 2008.

Carolina’s success overshadows that of its three group-mates with PDL experience as the trio of Northern Virginia, Virginia Beach and West Virginia have fewer wins combined (7) over the last four years than the Dynamo. Carolina, though, will have to play the four experienced clubs in the group with the expansion side missing from its slate. The first contest comes May 14 at home against West Virginia.

The opening night of qualifying, though, is heavy on the Virginias with all four clubs hailing from the two states as Fredericksburg visits Virginia Beach and West Virginia plays host to Northern Virginia May 7. But while Fredericksburg may have avoided drawing Carolina in the fixture list, the new club will have a difficult task at the finish with back-to-back games on the road against Northern Virginia and at home versus Real Maryland.

SOUTH ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Carolina Dynamo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Fredericksburg Hotspur 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Northern Virginia Royals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Real Maryland Monarchs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
Virginia Beach Piranhas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0
West Virginia Chaos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0

Top team qualifies for the US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

USL Premier Development League tiebreakers

(1) Head-to-head record based on total points in Open Cup qualifiers

(2) Total wins in Open Cup qualifying games

(3) Goal difference (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(4) Goals scored (+/- 3 goals maximum for each USOC qualifier)

(5) Lottery conducted by the USL

All times Eastern

May 7 Fredericksburg Hotspur at Virginia Beach Piranhas 7:00
May 7 Northern Virginia Royals at West Virginia Chaos 7:00
May 14 Real Maryland Monarchs at Virginia Beach Piranhas 5:30
May 14 West Virginia Chaos at Carolina Dynamo 7:00
May 15 West Virginia Chaos at Fredericksburg Hotspur 2:00
May 15 Northern Virginia Royals at Real Maryland Monarchs 4:00
May 21 Carolina Dynamo at Real Maryland Monarchs 7:00
May 21 Virginia Beach Piranhas at West Virginia Chaos 7:30
May 22 Carolina Dynamo at Northern Virginia Royals 7:00
May 28 Virginia Beach Piranhas at Carolina Dynamo 7:00
May 29 Fredericksburg Hotspur at Northern Virginia Royals 7:00
May 30 Real Maryland Monarchs at Fredericksburg Hotspur 5:00


Central Conference (Coming Soon)

Great Lakes Division: Akron Summit Assault, Chicago Fire, Cincinnati Kings, Indiana Invaders, Michigan Bucks, River City Rovers
Heartland Division: Des Moines Menace, Kansas City Brass, Real Colorado Foxes, Springfield Demize, St Louis Lions

Southern Conference (Inside Look +)

Mid South Division: Baton Rouge Capitals, Chivas El Paso Patriots, Laredo Heat, New Orleans Jesters, RGV Grandes FC, West Texas United Sockers
Southeast Division: Central Florida Kraze, FC Jaxy Destroyers, Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy, IMG Bradenton Academics, Mississippi Brilla, Nashville Metros

Western Conference (Coming Soon)

Northwest Division: Kitsap Pumas, North Sound SeaWolves, Portland Timbers U23, Tacoma Tide, Washington Crossfire
Southwest Division: BYU Cougars, Fresno Fuego, LA Blues 23, Los Angeles Legends, Ogden Outlaws, Orange County Blue Star, Southern California Seahorses, Ventura County Fusion

2010 PDL qualifying recap: 8 teams qualify after tiebreakers, failed perfection, final day drama

by

PDL qualification for this season is complete, with eight teams punching their ticket to the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The qualifiers – and their competitors – had to deal with multiple tiebreakers and plenty of final day nail biting action. Even then, for two teams, a perfect 4-0-0 record wasn’t enough to send them through.

CENTRAL CONFERENCE

GREAT LAKES DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Dayton Dutch Lions 4 3 0 1 10 8 1 7 +7
Michigan Bucks 4 3 1 0 9 8 3 8 +5
Chicago Fire 4 2 1 1 7 5 3 5 +2
Indiana Invaders 4 2 1 1 7 4 3 4 +1
Cleveland Internationals 4 1 2 1 4 4 9 4 -5
Cincinnati Kings 4 1 3 0 3 6 8 6 -2
Kalamazoo Outrage 4 0 4 0 0 3 11 3 -8

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

HEARTLAND DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Des Moines Menace 4 3 1 0 9 7 4 7 +3
Rochester Thunder 4 2 1 1 7 5 2 5 +3
Real Colorado Foxes 4 2 1 1 7 7 4 6 +2
St. Louis Lions 4 2 2 0 6 7 5 6 +1
Kansas City Brass 4 1 2 1 4 2 6 2 -3
Springfield Demize 4 0 3 1 1 2 9 2 -6

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes
EASTERN CONFERENCE

MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Reading United AC 4 4 0 0 12 13 1 10 +9
Ironbound Express 4 4 0 0 12 9 0 9 +9
New Jersey Rangers 4 3 1 0 9 7 3 7 +4
Carolina Dynamo 4 2 1 1 7 11 7 7 +3
Central Jersey Spartans 4 1 2 1 4 3 6 3 -3
West Virginia Chaos 4 1 3 0 3 2 7 2 -5
Ocean City Nor’easters 4 0 2 2 2 4 8 4 -4
Northern Virginia Royals 4 0 3 1 1 5 13 5 -6
Hampton Roads Piranhas 4 0 3 1 1 3 12 3 -7

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Long Island Rough Riders 4 3 0 1 10 9 2 6 +5
Albany BWP Highlanders 4 3 0 1 10 10 6 9 +4
Western Mass Pioneers 4 2 1 1 7 7 3 6 +3
MPS Portland Phoenix 4 1 0 3 6 6 3 6 +3
New Hampshire Phantoms 4 1 1 2 5 3 2 3 +1
Vermont Voltage 4 1 3 0 3 4 14 4 -7
Westchester Flames 4 0 2 2 2 2 6 2 -4
Brooklyn Knights 4 0 4 0 0 5 10 5 -5

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

MID-SOUTH DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
DFW Tornados 4 3 1 0 9 6 2 6 +4
Rio Grande Valley Bravos 4 2 1 1 7 5 4 5 +1
Laredo Heat 4 2 2 0 6 11 5 8 +3
El Paso Patriots 4 2 2 0 6 4 8 4 -1
West Texas United Sockers 4 2 2 0 6 4 6 4 -2
Houston Leones 4 0 3 1 1 2 7 2 -5

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

SOUTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Central Florida Kraze 4 3 0 1 10 12 2 10 +8
Mississippi Brilla 4 3 0 1 10 11 2 9 +7
Baton Rouge Capitals 4 2 0 2 8 5 2 5 +3
New Orleans Jesters 4 2 2 0 6 11 7 7 +2
Atlanta Blackhawks 4 1 1 2 5 6 6 4 +0
Bradenton Academics 4 1 2 1 4 2 7 2 -3
Nashville Metros 4 1 2 1 4 1 5 1 -4
Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy 4 0 4 0 0 0 10 0 -8

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes
WESTERN CONFERENCE

NORTHWEST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Kitsap Pumas 4 4 0 0 12 12 0 11 +11
Portland Timbers U23s 4 4 0 0 12 9 1 9 +8
Tacoma Tide 4 2 2 0 6 8 6 6 +2
Yakima Reds 4 1 3 0 3 2 10 2 -7
Washington Crossfire 4 1 3 0 3 8 8 4 -2
Spokane Spiders 4 0 4 0 0 3 17 3 -12

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

SOUTHWEST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA GF GD
Ventura County Fusion 4 3 1 0 9 10 3 8 +5
Orange County Blue Star 4 2 0 2 8 14 6 9 +6
Los Angeles Legends 4 2 1 1 7 8 4 8 +4
Fresno Fuego 4 1 1 2 5 11 12 10 +0
Lancaster Rattlers 4 1 1 2 5 4 8 4 -2
BYU Cougars 4 1 2 1 4 4 5 4 -1
Hollywood United Hitmen 4 1 2 1 4 6 8 6 -2
Ogden Outlaws 4 1 2 1 4 4 10 4 -5
Southern California Seahorses 4 1 3 0 3 2 7 2 -5

Top team qualifies for the U.S. Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

Note: Columns on the far right are for tiebreaker purposes

CENTRAL CONFERENCE

Great Lakes Division

With a week to go, Dayton and Chicago both led the division at 2-0. The Fire would stumble for the next two games, losing to Cincinnati and tying in Cleveland, allowing the Michigan Bucks to pass them, which they did so by defeating  Kalamazoo on the road and Cincinnati in a late game-winner. Dayton tied Indiana, which meant that they had to win in Kalamazoo in order to pass the Bucks and qualify for their first Open Cup. They took care of business by winning 4-1 to finish with a 3-0-1 record, one point ahead of Michigan.

Heartland Division

After last week, this division came down to one game, as Des Moines sat at 3-1, with Rochester on their heels at 2-1. Rochester needed to defeat the Kansas City Brass in order to qualify. The score was no matter as they held the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Menace. However, they couldn’t complete their task, tying Kansas City 0-0. This allowed Des Moines to qualify for their fifth trip to the US Open Cup. They share a record (with the Carolina Dynamo) for the furthest advancement by a PDL team, making it to the Fourth Round in 2005. Can they go further? It all starts with game #1 on June 15.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Mid-Atlantic Division

Two teams went all out in making sure they had their chance to make the US Open Cup: the Ironbound Express of Newark and Reading United AC (formerly the Reading Rage). Ironbound made their case by shutting out all the teams on their schedule, defeating the West Virginia Chaos, Central Jersey Spartans, New Jersey Rangers, and Ocean City FC. They finished with 9 goals scored. At the time, Reading was 2-0, having beaten Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, and had a +5 goal differential with 6 goals scored. They would need to win both their games (both on the road) by a total of 4 goals, as well as having to  in order to make the tournament. Any slip up, and Ironbound were Open Cup-bound. They proceeded to beat West Virginia 1-0 and Carolina 4-0, finishing at 4-0 with a +9 goal differential (tying Ironbound) and 10 goals scored (edging the Express by 1 goal). With that, Reading United qualify for the US Open Cup for the second straight year, and their fourth trip overall. Ironbound received the unfortunate distinction of being the third team since the current PDL qualifying format began in 1997 to win all four of their games and still miss the tournament (the other two being the Colorado Comets in 1999 and the Southern California Seahorses in 2005). However, out of those three teams, they are the first to miss out after earning shutout victories in all four of their qualifying games.

Northeast Division

The Albany BWP Highlanders and Long Island Rough Riders were the two teams left in the running with a week to go. Albany had finished their campaign at 3-0-1, with Long Island sitting at 3-0 with a game in Westchester to play. A draw was all they needed to qualify, and a draw is what they got. They tied the Flames 0-0 to qualify for the US Open Cup for the fifth time, and their second as a PDL team.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

Mid-South Division

Three teams were in the running with a week remaining: DFW and El Paso, who sat in the drivers’ seats at 2-0, and Rio Grande Valley, who were at 0-1-1, but had games against both of those clubs remaining. The Bravos started their comeback with a 1-0 win over the Tornados, pulling themselves within two points. Meanwhile, the Patriots dropped a humiliating 6-0 result to the Laredo Heat. RGV then took care of business and finished off El Paso with a 2-0 win, to put themselves at 7 points. DFW then needed a win over Houston to qualify, as RGV held the head-to-head tiebreaker between the clubs. The Tornados did their job to fend off the comeback kids, beating the Leones 1-0 to qualify for their fourth US Open Cup, and their first since 2004.

Southeast Division

The loss of the Panama City Pirates made a serious mess in how division qualification worked here in the Southeast, and New Orleans and Central Florida had to adjust their schedules accordingly. The Jesters had a match against Bradenton count double for them, while the Kraze had an extra game against Fort Lauderdale only count for themselves and not for Schulz Academy. Both took advantage of their “extra” qualifying games, winning 5-0 and 3-1, respectively. Then the race to the finish got crazy, as three of the five teams still in the running did all they could to make it to the tournament. First, the Kraze defeated Atlanta to go to 2-o-1, tying Mississippi at the top, while knocking the longshot Blackhawks out. Then, in a matchup to decide who still got a chance, Baton Rouge defeated the Jesters 2-1 to move into the lead at 2-0-2, knocking New Orleans out. They would then have to wait for results from the Brilla and Kraze. Mississippi would bump the Capitals with a 3-0 win over Nashville to finish at 3-0-1, but their trip wasn’t quite booked yet. Central Florida had to win by 3 to make it, and win by 3 they did. A 3-0 victory over Schulz Academy gave the Kraze their first trip to the US Open Cup since 2007.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

The Kitsap Pumas and Portland Timbers U23s both lined up with the same schedule, and all at the same site (Tacoma/Washington at home, Spokane/Yakima on the road). They both proceeded to take care of business and win all four of their games. The final day consisted of the Timbers playing in Yakima and Kitsap hosting the Crossfire. Portland needed to better the result of the Pumas in order to qualify. They did their job, defeating the Reds 2-0, but then would have to wait and see how Kitsap would respond. The Pumas did so by defeating Washington 2-0 themselves, making the US Open Cup for the second straight year, in only their second year of existence. In the same token, Portland becomes the fourth team in PDL qualifying history – and the second of the DAY – to finish 4-0 and not qualify for the Open Cup.

Southwest Division

The Ventura County Fusion, the defending champions of the Premier Development League, are well on their way to a repeat, currently with a 4-1 record. Their first task, qualifying for the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (their first), had already been achieved with a game to spare. They stand at 3-0, defeating Lancaster, Ogden, and Southern California. No other team can finish with more than eight points.

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