Real San Jose

2015 US Open Cup qualifying: Real San Jose advances to NPSL Golden Gate semis; San Diego Flash, Coras USA reach Southwest final

March 9, 2015 by Evan Ream

SACRAMENTO – In the five year history of Sacramento Gold FC, the club has finished higher in the NPSL standings than its rival from the south: Real San Jose.

2014 was no different with the Gold shellacking Real by a seven goal margin en route to finishing as national semifinalists.

But Saturday at Capital Christian High School in Sacramento, in front of a crowd of roughly 100, 10-man San Jose garnered an elusive 3-0 victory over the heavily-favored hosts to put them in the semifinals of the NPSL’s Golden Gate Conference tournament, the winner of which will qualify for the 102nd edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

“I thought (our performance) was great. We battled hard from the start all the way through,” said San Jose coach Nick Arellano. “It’s a tough environment playing against Sacramento, everybody knows about Sac, so it was great for us…it just feels great to finally beat Sacramento.”

The win, which advances Real to host the Sonoma County Sol next Saturday, did not come easily for the team who has never qualified for the Open Cup in its nine-year history.

Edwin Luna was the hero on the day, scoring a short-handed goal and setting up another to put the game away late.

“That was just some great stuff from Edwin. He’s got a special gift,” Arellano said. “Some guys can run fast. He can run fast with the ball, and that’s a rare thing.”

Up 1-0 in the 75th minute, two minutes after substitute Eric Bettencourt was shown a straight red for a late challenge, Luna produced some breathtaking skill.

As the Gold were pressing forward to try and find an equalizer, the San Jose No. 10 found himself open on the counter attack, sent through alone on goal.

Onrushing Sacramento goalkeeper John Connelly cut down the angle, but Luna cheekily lifted the ball off the turf with the outside of his right foot and reeled away to the bench as it slow-rolled into the back of the net.

Luna again found the ball at his feet in the attacking third in stoppage time. He faked a move to the corner flag, rounded a defender in the box and looked up for options.

As Connelly again came out to close the angle, Luna squared the ball across the box to forward Salifu Jatta, who side-footed it into the empty net, sealing the game.

Though it appeared easy from there on out, things could have been much worse for the visitors who were nearly behind 15 minutes into the game.

Influential midfielder Niko Brioso picked out Clemente Fonseca with a chipped through ball.

Fonseca, in a near-mirror image of what Luna would later do, chipped the ball over the goalkeeper, but instead of hitting the back of the net, center back Nick Vargas athletically cleared the ball off of the line, preserving the shutout.

Sacramento enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession in both halves as San Jose attempted to defend narrowly and try and catch the home side on the break.

They were successful in their plan 30 minutes into the game when Gold right back Zach Ulrich took down Jose Avalos in the box, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot.

Alfredo Daniel Martinez stepped up and coolly smashed the ball down the middle of the goal for what would turn out to be the game-winner.

Despite its best efforts, the Gold weren’t able to get back into the game, the closest they came being a header from defender Danny Mititelu that rattled off the post in the 83rd minute.

While Real San Jose have never qualified for the Open Cup, the 2010 National Champion Gold qualified in 2013, losing in the first round to Portland Timbers U-23 despite a two goal lead in the first 25 minutes of the game.

Real’s Saturday opponent, the Sonoma County Sol, are four-time Open Cup qualifiers, reaching the second round in 2006 and 2009.

On the other side of the bracket, CD Aguiluchos will host the San Francisco Stompers. Aguiluchos are the defending Golden Gate Conference tournament champions, but were knocked out in the first round of the Open Cup last year, the only year they have qualified.

San Francisco has never qualified for the tournament.

Southwest Conference Semifinals

Also taking place Saturday were the two Southwest Conference Semifinals, of which the winner will play FC Tacoma 253 March 21 to determine the second and final western NPSL Open Cup qualifier.

In the first match of the day, 2013 qualifier FC Hasental were dispatched by visitors Deportivo Coras USA 3-0, with Christian Zamora scoring a goal and setting up Shane Shelton for a second in the first half. Julio Ayala added a third in the second half to put the game away.

The other semifinal saw four-time qualifier San Diego Flash defeat Temecula FC by a score of 4-2.

Dauch Jock put the hosts up early before Temecula tied the game right before the half through Isaias Cruz.

A second half brace from Allessandro Canale gave the Flash a 3-1 lead, before Justin Picou scored to unofficially end the game at 4-1 late in the match.

The Flash will host Coras USA Saturday to determine who advances to the win-and-you’re-in game against Tacoma.

Evan Ream covers Sacramento Republic FC for the Davis Enterprise. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @EvanReam.

MORE: FC Tacoma one win away after NPSL playoff victory

2015 US Open Cup Qualifying (NPSL West)

SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE

First Round (March 7)
San Diego Flash 4:2 Temecula FC
FC Hasental 0:3 Deportivo Coras USA

Final (March 14)
Deportivo Coras USA at San Diego Flash
Location/Time TBA

NORTHWEST CONFERENCE

Final (Feb. 20)
SFC Spartans 1:2 FC Tacoma 253 [+] RECAP

WIN & YOU’RE IN

FC Tacoma 253 vs. Southwest winner
Date/Location TBA
*Winner qualifies for 2015 US Open Cup

GOLDEN GATE CONFERENCE

First Round (March 7)
Real San Jose 2:1 Sacramento Gold

Second Round (March 14)
Sonoma County Sol at Real San Jose
Time/Location TBA

San Francisco Stompers at CD Aguiluchos
Raimond Park – Oakland, CA
8 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. ET

Final (March 21)
CD Aguiluchos/SF Stompers winner at SJ/SAC/SOL winner
* Golden Gate winner qualifies for 2015 US Open Cup

2014 US Open Cup qualifying: Sonoma County Sol, three other NPSL clubs, advance in qualifying

March 5, 2014 by Ben Simmons

Second half strikes from Tyler Hurst and Taylor Varnadore lifted the Sonoma County Sol to a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Real San Jose Saturday night in the semifinals of the Golden Gate Conference US Open Cup qualifying tournament. The Sol are one of four National Premier Soccer League teams to take another step toward qualifying for the 2014 US Open Cup.

With the win, the Sol ensured they will play next weekend in the tournament final at Rancho Cotate High School, the site of Saturday night’s triumph. Their scheduled opposition, CD Aguiluchos USA, saw off the San Francisco Stompers 1-0 in the conference’s other tense semifinal. The deciding goal came in the 89th minute when Nestor Palacios came through with a 30-yard strike to send the club to the Golden Gate Conference’s championship game. The winner is expected to qualify for the 2014 US Open Cup, but the official format has yet to be announced by the US Soccer Federation.

Hurst, who netted his second goal in as many games, opened the scoring for Sonoma County in the 47th minute in opportunistic fashion. As a frantic scramble in the Real San Jose goalmouth cast doubt on the continuation of the scoreless stalemate, the ball fell perfectly into the path of the on-charging midfielder, who promptly fired the ball into the lower-left corner and the Sol into a lead they would not relinquish.

Reacting to the setback, Real San Jose opted to switch to a more attacking formation, pushing an extra player forwards and leaving just three back to defend. The move failed to spur the desired effect, though, as a skilled Sol side poured forward with even more gusto than before. The orange-clad Sonoma County squad were especially busy on the right flank, repeatedly testing the mettle of their reeling southern neighbors during a dominant stretch sandwiched between both goals.

The insurance the Sol craved finally arrived in the 71st minute and took the form of an extraordinary solo effort. Varnadore, who had been a prime culprit in terrorizing the San Jose defense, narrowly missed doubling the lead twice in the preceding exchanges—once with a downward header from a long throw that was well saved, and once with a close-range shot that appeared to skim the right post. But on this occasion, he left no doubt about the outcome.

In the undisputed highlight of the night, Varnadore stormed through the gap between Real San Jose’s defense and midfield and into the final third with the ball roped to his feet and then unleashed a left-footed stunner into the top-left corner to cap his splendid run and give the Sol a 2-0 cushion. The goal all but extinguished Real San Jose’s lingering hope of equalizing.

The remaining twenty minutes offered more of the same, as the Sol continued to assert their influence on the increasingly one-sided encounter. With the affair beginning to take on the air of an inevitable Sonoma County Sol victory, Brandon Boone very nearly added a third. As the Real San Jose keeper was sprawled on the ground, Boone latched onto a bouncing ball, but his effort from the penalty spot was deflected and fell agonizingly to the wrong side of the crossbar.

Then, as Real San Jose was forced to come to grips with their waning hopes in the latter stages, the yellow cards started to emerge from the referee’s pocket more frequently. Despite the frustration on both sides, none of the cautions turned a darker shade and both teams finished the game with their squads numerically intact.

As mentioned in the report of the Sol’s 2-1 first round victory against the Sacramento Gold last week, the Sonoma County side is bidding to make its first appearance in the US Open Cup since 2010, when the Californians fell in the opening round to the Portland Timbers. At the time, the Timbers were in their final season prior to joining Major League Soccer as an expansion club along with fellow Cascadia Cup contender Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Sol have qualified for the Open Cup four times since 2005, tied for the most by any NPSL club with the Brooklyn Italians.

In other NPSL US Open Cup qualifying action Saturday in California, two teams advanced to the semifinals of the Southwest Conference. The Santa Clarita Storm only needed a 17th minute goal from Robbie Giuk and a stingy defense to keep Del Rey City at bay and advance by a slim 1-0 margin. According to the Storm, they limited their opponents to just three shots on goal for the entire game. The Storm move on to the conference final four where they will meet FC Hasental on Saturday. FC Hasental will host at Thousand Oaks High School in an attempt to qualify for the second year in a row.

In the other opening round game, FC Force defeated Temecula FC 5-2 to reach the semifinals. The 2014 expansion team will face a big test in the next round as they will travel to San Diego to take on the Flash, who have won two of the last three division titles.

The Golden Gate final will take place on Saturday, March 8 at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park, Calif., while the Southwest semifinals are scheduled for Sunday, March 9. Details are listed below.

2014 US Open Cup qualifying (NPSL)

GOLDEN GATE CONFERENCE

First Round
Sacramento Gold 1:2 Sonoma County Sol

Semifinals (Mar. 1)
Real San Jose 0:2 Sonoma County Sol
CD Aguiluchos USA 1:0 San Francisco Stompers

Final (March 8 – Win & You’re In)
CD Aguiluchos USA at Sonoma County Sol
Rancho Cotate HS; Rohnert Park, Calif. – 7 p.m. PT

SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE

First Round (Mar. 1)
FC Force 5:2 Temecula FC
Santa Clarita Storm 1:0 Del Ray City

Semifinals (Mar. 9)
FC Force at San Diego Flash
Mira Mesa HS; San Diego, Calif. – 6:30 p.m. PT
SC Storm at FC Hasental
Thousand Oaks HS; Thousand Oaks, Calif. – 7 p.m. PT

Final (Mar. 15 – Win & You’re In)
Site/Time TBD

NOTE: The 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup format has not been officially announced by the US Soccer Federation yet, so this tournament is operating under the assumption that the number of teams awarded to the NPSL will not change from 2013.

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Saturday’s NPSL “Win & You’re In” to decide who will join Sacramento Gold in Open Cup (video)

March 27, 2013 by Josh Hakala

The National Premier Soccer League’s Western Conference US Open Cup qualifying tournament will wrap up this weekend when the San Diego Flash take on FC Hasental in a “Win & You’re In” match on Saturday. The winner will join the Sacramento Gold in the 100th edition of the tournament who punched their ticket with a convincing 5-1 win over the Sonoma County Sol back on March 23.

The Western Conference represents two of the NPSL’s eight spots in the Open Cup, with three teams yet to be announced by the league.

The qualifying tournament was split into the conference’s north and south divisions. All five teams took part from the Northern Division and the Gold cruised their way into the championship game with back-to-back shutouts over newcomers CD Aguiluchos USA (3-0) and Real San Jose (2-0).

The Sol entered the tournament as the only team in the field who have qualified for the US Open Cup. In fact, they have reached the tournament four times: 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010. They have a 1-3-2 (1-1 in PKs) record in their four appearances with their lone regulation win coming against the PDL’s Orange County Blue Star in 2009. They used their experience and skill to crush the San Francisco Stompers 5-2 in the semifinal round while getting goals from Brandon Boone, Chris Daly and the Hurst brothers Tyler and Trevor.

WIN & YOU’RE IN

FC Hasental at San Diego Flash
March 30 – 5 p.m. PT
Del Norte High School
San Diego, CA

The Northern Division’s “Win & You’re In” match came down to the Sol, who ran away with the division crown last year with a 4-0-2 record, and the Gold, who finished second last year. In the opening 20 minutes, it appeared as though the Sol, who swept both games against the Gold last year by a combined score of 8-3, were going to make another Open Cup appearance.

Sonoma’s Ross Middlemass opened the scoring in the 18 minute, but it was all Sacramento after that. The Gold scored five unanswered goals, including a hat trick and an assist by Manolo Pina. Clemente Fonseca also scored and assisted on two other goals, including a goal by John Jones II. With the win, the Gold become the first Sacramento-based club to qualify for the US Open Cup since the Sacramento Knights of the NPSL (then known as the MPSL) reached the Second Round in 2004. If they are lucky enough to host their opening round game, that will mark the first time an Open Cup game has been played in the city of Sacramento since 1982.

In the other bracket, both first round games were forfeited, as the Las Vegas Stallions and Orange County Spartans did not properly register their players. This sent FC Hasental and San Diego Boca into the final four where they were matched up against the Santa Clarita Storm and the San Diego Flash, respectively.

In what was a theme that weekend, the Storm scored an early goal, but Hasental rallied with goals from Manuel Cazares and Alberto Anguiano to win 2-1. (SEE highlights below)

In the other semifinal, it was a San Diego derby as the Flash came back to beat San Diego Boca 4-2. Boca got on the board early with goals from David Luquen and Joe Schloss in the first 15 minutes. However, just like the other two games, the team that fell behind early came roaring back as the Flash scored four unanswered goals from Brandon Zuniga, Daniel Ortega, Justin Picou, and Andy Ortega.

The Flash will host the “Win & You’re In” match against FC Hasental on March 30 at 5 p.m. local time at Del Norte High School. If Hasental wins, it will mark their first appearance in the US Open Cup, but if the Flash qualify, it will be the franchise’s first time in the tournament since 2001 when they were a professional team in the USL’s A-League. (Highlights below)

2013 NPSL Western Conference Southern Division qualifying

First Round (March 17)
Las Vegas Stallions at FC Hasental*
*Las Vegas forfeits (player paperwork issues)
San Diego Boca FC 0:2 Orange County Spartans**
**Orange County forfeits (player paperwork issues)

Semifinals (March 23/24)
FC Hasental 2:1 Santa Clarita – Mar. 23
San Diego Boca 2:4 San Diego Flash – Mar. 24

Final (March 30) – “Win & You’re In”
FC Hasental vs. San Diego Flash
Del Norte High School (San Diego, CA) – 5 p.m. PT

2013 NPSL Western Conference Northern Division qualifying

First Round (March 9)
Sacramento Gold 3:0 CD Aguiluchos USA

Semifinals (March 16)
Sacramento Gold 2:0 Real San Jose
San Francisco Stompers 2:5 Sonoma County Sol

Final (March 23) – “Win & You’re In”
Sonoma County Sol 1:5 Sacramento Gold

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: NPSL West tournament continues this weekend; Sacramento Gold qualify (UPDATED)

March 20, 2013 by Josh Hakala

UPDATE: According to the San Diego Flash’s official website, the Orange County Spartans had to forfeit their 2-0 win over San Diego Boca due to improper player registration.

UPDATE (3/24 – 12:41 a.m. ET): The Sacramento Gold have qualified for the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 5-1 win over the Sonoma County Sol. FC Hasental also advanced to a “Win & You’re In” match next weekend with a 2-1 win over the Santa Clarita Storm. Results updated below.

The National Premier Soccer League Western Conference is holding a qualifying tournament for the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, and the competition is down to six teams. Of the six remaining teams, just two will advance to the US Open Cup, and according to NPSL officials, both will begin play in Round 1.

Each division of the Western Conference will submit their winner into the 2013 Open Cup, and the Northern Division has already determined their championship game. On Saturday, March 23, the Sacramento Gold will host the Sonoma County Sol at River City High School in West Sacramento in a “Win & You’re In” match. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT.

The Sacramento Gold reached the Northern Division final with a pair of shutout victories away from home. On March 9, they traveled to Oakland, Calif. and defeated CD Aguiluchos USA 3-0. The scoring opened with an own goal in the 31st minute, and the game remained tight until John Jones and Eliot Ricks-Chambers scored clinching goals in the 78th and 83rd minute respectively.

“We came away with a positive result but we only expect to get better,” said Sacramento coach Ruben Mora. “With a lot of returning players it will not take long to find our rhythm. You can’t say enough about the role the solid defense and goalkeeping played in the shutout.”

A week later, the Gold earned a 2-0 win at Real San Jose to punch their ticket to the final where they will face the Sol who only needed to win one game to reach the championship game. The Sol received a bye into the semifinals and defeated the San Francisco Stompers 5-2 on March 16.

The Sol are the only team in the field who have qualified for the US Open Cup. They have reached the tournament four times: 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010. They have a 1-3-2 (1-1 in PKs) record in their four appearances with their lone regulation win coming against the PDL’s Orange County Blue Star in 2009.

In the other bracket, the final four is set with the Orange County Spartans — formerly known as the Fullerton Rangers — traveling to San Diego to take on the Flash, while Santa Clarita will host FC Hasental. Both games will take place on March 23 and are both are scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. local time.

The Spartans were the only team that had to earn their way into the semifinals, as they defeated San Diego Boca 2-0 in the opening round. FC Hasental was scheduled to play the Las Vegas Stallions in Round 1, but according to Hasental team officials, the Stallions failed to submit the necessary paperwork for their players and were forced to forfeit. The Flash and Santa Clarita both received byes into the semifinals. The final is set for March 30.

Last year, the NPSL received 6.5 spots and the West had 1.5 berths. The Rangers qualified while the Bay Area Ambassadors claimed the “half berth.” Bay Area faced fellow California club Stanislaus United Turlock Express in a play-in game — Stanislaus United won that match 3-0 to become the first US Club Soccer team to qualify for the Open Cup.

This year, the NPSL received eight spots, and three of those teams have been confirmed: FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, Madison 56ers and Chattanooga FC. According to NPSL officials, the two teams that emerge from the Western Conference will join those three teams in the first round of the US Open Cup. The remaining three teams are still to be determined, with two of them beginning their cup run in the Qualifying Round against either the US Club Soccer representative or the US Sports Specialty Association representative. The third team will begin play in Round 1.

2013 NPSL Western Conference Southern Division qualifying

First Round (March 17)
Las Vegas Stallions at FC Hasental*
*Las Vegas forfeits (player paperwork issues)
San Diego Boca FC 0:2 Orange County Spartans**
**Orange County forfeits (player paperwork issues)

Semifinals (March 23/24)
FC Hasental 2:1 Santa Clarita – Mar. 23
San Diego Boca 2:4 San Diego Flash – Mar. 24

Final (March 30) – “Win & You’re In”
FC Hasental vs. San Diego Flash
Del Norte High School – 5 p.m. PT

2013 NPSL Western Conference Northern Division qualifying

First Round (March 9)
Sacramento Gold 3:0 CD Aguiluchos USA

Semifinals (March 16)
Sacramento Gold 2:0 Real San Jose
San Francisco Stompers 2:5 Sonoma County Sol

Final (March 23) – “Win & You’re In”
Sonoma County Sol 1:5 Sacramento Gold
River City High School (West Sacramento)

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Fullerton Rangers clinch NPSL berth, Bay Area Ambassadors reach play-in game

April 6, 2012 by Josh Hakala

The National Premier Soccer League qualifiers for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup are nearly complete with one Western Conference team clinching a spot, while another put themselves one win away from the 99th edition of the tournament.

The Fullerton Rangers defeated San Diego Boca, 3-2, in their final qualifying match to punch their ticket to the US Open Cup. The club formerly known as the Santa Ana Winds before an off-season rebranding, will enter the tournament in the first round, which is scheduled to begin May 15. It was a single-elimination tournament for the Western Conference’s Northwest flight and Fullerton advanced to the final without allowing a goal. They defeated Santa Clarita Storm 5-0 on March 24 and three days later, edged FC Hasental 1-0 to reach the final against Boca.

On the north side of the conference, the Bay Area Ambassadors punched their ticket to the tournament with a win over the Sacramento Gold in a penalty kick shootout (VIDEO BELOW). It looked as though Bay Area was going to walk away winners in regulation with Brayan Walle scoring off a rebound in the 64th minute, but Sacramento’s Manolo Pina tied the game in the 82nd minute. There was no extra time played as the match was decided by penalty kicks. The shootout was knotted up at 4-4 when Bay Area goalkeeper Derek Leslie dove to his left, but was still able to get a foot on Mykell Bates’ shot down the middle to make the save. Mohamed Abalil would follow up with a goal on the next attempt to send the Ambassadors to an April 28 Open Cup play-in match that they will host against the winner of US Club Soccer’s qualifying tournament. The Ambassadors will be attempting to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2010, when they lost an opening round match against the PDL’s Kitsap Pumas, 4-2.

Bay Area’s path to the play-in game started in the Southwest Flight’s round-robin competition. They blew a 3-1 lead in the final minutes to Sonoma County Sol to finish regulation 3-3. The referee mistakenly failed to call for penalty kicks to decide the outcome, but the Ambassadors made sure that error didn’t matter as they stomped the San Francisco Stompers by a score of 8-0 to put them into the final against Sacramento. Walle and Dylan Leslie each scored a pair of goals in the victory. The Gold cruised through their group, beating Real San Jose 2-0 and North Coast Tsunami 5-0.

There was some confusion following both teams earning their respective victories as to which team would enter the Open Cup directly, and which would participate in the play-in game against a US Club Soccer representative. The league website erroneously announced that Bay Area would get the Open Cup spot, but TheCup.us later confirmed that Fullerton have indeed qualified.

Five other NPSL clubs have already booked their place in the 2012 competition, as all of the other conferences decided to submit their teams based on 2011 results. Already qualified are last year’s NPSL champion Jacksonville United, Southeast Conference co-champion Georgia Revolution, Northeast-Atlantic Conference title holder Brooklyn Italians, and Midwest Conference winner Milwaukee Bavarians (the NPSL version of the Bavarian Soccer Club). Originally the league announced the Erie Admirals would represent the Northeast-Keystone Conference, but the club elected to withdraw from the Open Cup, allowing runner-up FC Sonic to replace them (as TheCup.us had originally reported).

This is just the second year NPSL teams have been given direct access to the Open Cup. Prior to last season, clubs had to get in through the USASA’s regional qualifying tournaments.

NPSL qualifying results

West – Northern Conference
Group A
March 10: Sacramento Gold 2:0 Real San Jose
March 17: Real San Jose 2:0 North Coast Tsunami
March 24: North Coast Tsunami 1:5 Sacramento Gold

Group B
March 10: Sonoma Sol 3:3 Bay Area Ambassadors*
March 17: Sonoma Sol 3:3 San Francisco Stompers (Sol win PKs 6-5)
March 24: San Francisco Stompers 0:8 Bay Area Ambassadors
* The referee mistakenly failed to call for penalty kicks

FINAL

March 31: Bay Area Ambassadors 1:1 Sacramento Gold (Bay Area win PKs, 5-4)
Bay Area qualify for the US Open Cup play-in game vs. US Club Soccer rep

West – Southern Conference

FIRST ROUND
March 24: Phoenix Monsoon 5:4 San Diego Boca (Phoenix win PKs 5-4)
March 24: Fullerton Rangers 5:0 Santa Clarita Storm

SEMIFINALS
March 25: San Diego Boca 1:0 San Diego Flash
March 27: FC Hasental 0:1 Fullerton RangersFINAL
March 31: Fullerton Rangers 3:2 San Diego Boca
Fullerton qualify for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2011 US Open Cup qualifying update: Hollywood claims NPSL West berth after league ruling

May 20, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

Competition Update (as of 5/20/11) ** Final Update: On Thursday, May 19 the NPSL commissioner and other committee members upheld the league’s decision to penalize the San Diego Flash use of an illegal player in two matches by ruling the games as 3-0 forfeitures.

With the news Thursday that the appeal by the San Diego Flash to overturn the penalties levied against them for using an illegal player in its matches versus Hollywood and Bay Area had failed, the club was officially eliminated from US Open Cup contention.

The ruling gives the US Open Cup berth to Hollywood United, which is now perfect at 7-0-0 and uncatchable. Hollywood finished with a nearly flawless record with 34 goals scored and only three allowed.

Second to Hollywood in the table are the Santa Ana Winds, whose only loss of the six games played on their slate thus far was a 1-0 decision against the leaders in just the second game of the season.

The Flash would have had a perfect 7-0-0 record with the win against the Sacramento Gold. Instead, it is Hollywood United that sits atop the table with a perfect record, including their victory against the Flash, one of the two forfeitures. Along with news of the NPSL ruling, the Flash management commented on their Facebook page, “As an Organization, we will move forward from this decision and do our best to have a great 1st season in the NPSL.”

See the updated standings below (includes penalties):

NPSL WEST	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA	GD
Hollywood United	7	7	0	0	21	34	3	+31
Santa Ana Winds	6	5	1	0	15	15	6	+9
San Diego Flash	7	5	2	0	15	14	9	+5
Sonoma County Sol	6	3	2	1	10	16	10	+6
San Diego Boca	7	3	4	0	9	14	16	-2
Sacramento Gold	6	2	2	2	8	10	8	+2
FC Hasental	7	2	4	1	7	13	17	-4
Bay Area Ambassadors	7	1	5	1	4	9	22	-13
Rattlers FC	4	1	3	0	3	4	9	-5
Real San Jose	7	1	6	0	3	4	32	-28

Top team qualifies for the 2011 US Open Cup

Clinched Open Cup berth – Eliminated from contention

NPSL West tiebreakers

(1) Goal difference (2) Goals scored

* Denotes forfeiture – All times Eastern

April 1	Sonoma County Sol	3:1	Bay Area Ambassadors	Final
April 2	Hollywood United	1:0	Santa Ana Winds	Final
April 2	Real San Jose	1:2	San Diego Boca	Final
April 3	FC Hasental	1:3	San Diego Flash	Final
April 9	San Diego Flash	0:3*	Hollywood United	Final
April 9	Sacramento Gold	4:1	Bay Area Ambassadors	Final
April 9	FC Hasental	0:1	San Diego Boca	Final
April 16	Hollywood United	4:0	Sonoma County Sol	Final
April 16	Bay Area Ambassadors	0:2	Real San Jose	Final
April 16	Santa Ana Winds	4:1	FC Hasental	Final
April 17	Hollywood United	3:0	Sacramento Gold	Final
April 17	Real San Jose	0:8	Sonoma County Sol	Final
April 17	San Diego Boca	1:2	San Diego Flash	Final
April 23	Sacramento Gold	0:0	Sonoma County Sol	Final
April 23	Real San Jose	0:11	Hollywood United	Final
April 23	San Diego Flash	0:3*	Bay Area Ambassadors	Final
April 23	Santa Ana Winds	3:2	San Diego Boca	Final
April 23	FC Hasental	3:1	Rattlers FC	Final
April 30	Santa Ana Winds	3:0	Rattlers FC	Final
April 30	Sacramento Gold	4:0	Real San Jose	Final
April 30	Bay Area Ambassadors	2:2	FC Hasental	Final
May 1	San Diego Boca	3:5	Hollywood United	Final
May 1	Sonoma County Sol	0:1	San Diego Flash	Final
May 7	Bay Area Ambassadors	2:4	San Diego Boca	Final
May 7	San Diego Flash	5:0	Real San Jose	Final
May 8	Bay Area Ambassadors	0:7	Hollywood United	Final
May 8	Rattlers FC	1:2	Santa Ana Winds	Final
May 14	FC Hasental	4:5	Sonoma County Sol	9:30
May 14	Sacramento Gold	1:1	Hollywood United	10 p.m.
May 14	San Diego Boca	1:3	Santa Ana Winds	10 p.m.
May 14	Rattlers FC	2:1	Real San Jose	10:30
May 15	San Diego Boca	1:2	FC Hasental	5 p.m.
May 15	Sacramento Gold	1:3	San Diego Flash	6 p.m.
May 21	Real San Jose	at	Santa Ana Winds	10 p.m.
May 21	Rattlers FC	at	San Diego Boca	10 p.m.
May 22	Rattlers FC	at	San Diego Flash	6 p.m.
May 22	FC Hasental	at	Sacramento Gold	8 p.m.
May 28	Rattlers FC	at	FC Hasental	10 p.m.
May 29	Sonoma County Sol	at	Sacramento Gold	8 p.m.

PREVIEW

The most sought-after US Open Cup berth in the National Premier Soccer League numerically, the 10 clubs in the West Division, at the time of this article being written, are a third of the way through the qualification process. The berth at stake will go to the club with the best point total after its first seven matches of the league campaign.

Given the method of determining the qualifier, the quest began on April 1 when the Sonoma County Sol won on the road against the 2010 US Open Cup qualifier Bay Area Ambassadors. Both are returning teams to the division. The final qualification match, of 40 total, also features Sonoma County when they travel to play May 29 against the Sacramento Gold.

Qualifying for NPSL teams was previously done via the USASA Regional tournaments. The 2011 edition of the US Open Cup gave the league four automatic entrants into the event. Last year, the division was comprised of six teams. With one team folding, five new clubs join the fray this year, including former United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League teams Hollywood United Hitmen and Lancaster Rattlers. The other three newcomers are FC Hasental, Santa Ana Winds and San Diego Flash, a new version of a former USL club from years past.

Last year, four of the NPSL sides participated in the Region IV tournament and found success. Real San Jose, Bay Area Ambassadors and Sacramento Gold each won their groups with perfect records. Bay Area then edged Sacramento 1-0 in the semifinals while San Jose fell 2-1 to former NPSL and USL side Arizona Sahuaros, who earned the wild card berth in a tiebreaker with the NPSL San Diego Boca. With the two US Open Cup berths already determined, the Ambassadors won the regional championship, 2-0. Sonoma County Sol also qualified via a special play-in match.

Ian Carrington Hollywood United celebrate win vs Portland Timbers — Hollywood United coach Ian Carrington celebrates his club’s upset win over the Portland Timbers in the 2008 US Open Cup. Photo: Allison Andrews | SoccerCityUSA.com

The qualifying format for the West upon closer inspection is fairly balanced based in the breadth of opposition each club is facing as five teams only play one opponent twice and the Rattlers are the lone club that plays two teams twice. The Rattlers, the remaining club yet to begin their league campaign, are also the only side that has four matches against clubs that were not in the NPSL or PDL a year ago while Real San Jose and Santa Ana are the only two teams that only play one match against said opponents.

The other balanced schedule aspect comes via the home-away composition. Only two clubs have more than four home or road games on the schedule. Both Sacramento and the Rattlers will be forced to play away from home five times during the campaign. The Gold have four consecutive on the road at one point while the Rattlers play both home matches at the top of the schedule before finishing out on the road five straight. No other clubs have four consecutive matches home or away on the fixture list.

The selection of seven games as the determining point matches the fact that Sonoma County, Santa Ana and the Rattlers only have seven matches prior to the official Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifying deadline. With other clubs playing more than seven by the deadline, the scheduling creates a unique scenario in which a handful of games only count as qualifiers for one club. Sonoma has one such match against an opponent whose qualifying campaign is already concluded. Sacramento, Santa Ana and the Rattlers each have three such games at the ends of their campaigns. Sacramento’s match May 14 against Hollywood United is the first of the 10 specific matches. The final six games, overall, from May 21-29 only count as qualifiers for one team.

About the Teams

Bay Area Ambassadors: A 2009 addition to the NPSL, the Ambassadors entered the US Open Cup fray a year ago with outstanding success, winning all three group games in the USASA Region IV tournament and earning a berth with a semifinal win against fellow NPSL side Sacramento, 1-0, en route to winning the championship against Arizona Sahuaros, 2-0. Bay Area made a thrilling comeback in the First Round of the US Open Cup on the road against the PDL Kitsap Pumas. Trailing since the third minute, Phil Silva scored twice in the 71st and 77th minutes to send the match to overtime where Kitsap scored twice for the 4-2 victory. The club’s two-year league record is 9-10-3.

FC Hasental: While the club is new to the NPSL, it is not new to US Open Cup qualifying. Established in 2005, the team has entered the Region IV tournament the past two years, coming up short in the quest for a berth. Last year FC Hasental was 1-1-0 in the group with Real San Jose of the NPSL. Hasental translates from German to English as Hare-Valley, also known as Conejo Valley, the home of the club.

Hollywood United: The side is the feature team of the Hollywood United Football Club that is famous for numerous celebrities and former internationals playing on its teams over the years as well as participating in the club’s many charity events. As an independent team, the team qualified for the US Open Cup in 2008 through the USASA Region IV tournament, going 3-0-0 with victories against three NPSL teams. They then shocked many in the First Round of the US Open Cup by eliminating then USL First Division (pro second division) Portland Timbers in a 3-2 affair. They were then defeated by the USL-1 Seattle Sounders 6-0. In the past two years, Hollywood finished in the top two of the PDL Southwest Division, but missed out on qualifying for the US Open Cup, finishing 1-2-1 in the group a year ago after narrowly missing out in 2009 at 3-1-0.

Rattlers FC: The club is in its first season in the NPSL after spending four in the USL PDL. The club struggled in PDL play, finishing 10th in its first two seasons and seventh the past two for a combined record of 12-38-14. The Rattlers are a total 3-11-2 in Open Cup qualifiers, but had their best PDL qualifying campaign last year at 1-1-2.

Real San Jose: A member of the NPSL since 2007, the club reached the postseason for the first time last year with a record of 5-3-2. The team is a combined 8-8-6 the past two league campaigns. The club reached the Region IV Semifinals a year ago in its qualification quest, winning its two group matches before falling to the Arizona Sahuaros in the Final Four, 2-1.

San Diego Boca: New to the NPSL last year, the club finished the season fourth in the division at 4-3-3, but surprised second-seed Real San Jose 4-0 in the playoffs before falling to division and eventual league champion Sacramento. In qualifying, San Diego Boca finished 1-1-1 in its group, second to league-mate Bay Area and missed out on the wild card based on tiebreakers.

San Diego Flash: A familiar name, the club is new to the NPSL. The team is a rebirth of the former A-League (pro second division) team that played in United Soccer Leagues from 1998-2001. The new club is guided by former English international Warren Barton (Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Derby County, QPR), who is also an analyst for Fox Soccer Channel. The previous Flash side was 2-3 in the tournament after failing to qualify in its first season. In 1999 and 2000 the club posted victories against pro third division USL clubs before being ousted back-to-back times by the MLS Los Angeles Galaxy in the Third Round. In 2000, they were knocked out by the MLS Chicago Fire in the Second Round.

Santa Ana Winds: A new addition to the NPSL, the club was founded in 2009 and has played locally the past few years. This is the club’s first campaign to qualify for the US Open Cup.

Sonoma County Sol: The oldest club in the division, Sonoma County is looking to qualify for the US Open Cup for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall, having advanced via the USASA Region IV tournament previously. The club joined the league in 2004 and reached the US Open Cup for the first time in 2005. It has advanced to the Second Round of the tournament twice, downing the Ogden Outlaws (PDL) in penalties, 6-5, after a 1-1 draw in 2006 and topping Orange County Blue Star (PDL), 5-2, in 2009. They were knocked out by the USL First Division’s (pro second division) Charleston Battery, 1-0, and Portland Timbers, 3-0, in the Second Round contests, respectively. In their 2005 debut they were ousted in penalties, 6-5, after a 2-2 draw with Salinas Valley Samba in the First Round. Last year, extra amateur spots led to a special amateur play-in game that gave the defending NPSL champions the opportunity to qualify in one match, defeating a fellow California side PSA Los Gatos 3-0 to reach the tournament where they were blanked, 3-0, by the USL-1 Timbers again.