SECOND ROUND
Orlando City SC at Charleston Battery
Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, S.C. – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com
THIRD ROUND
Orlando City SC / Charleston Battery at FC Dallas
June 28, 9 p.m. ET Pizza Hut Park; Frisco, Texas
Charleston Battery
Founded in 1993, the club has been one of the most successful USL clubs. The Battery joined the professional third division in 1995 and won the championship the following year, moving to the second division in 1997. The club never missed the postseason until 2004, the year following its first second division title. It returned to the third division in 2010, winning its third league championship. The club is also well known for Blackbaud Stadium, the first privately-financed soccer stadium, which debuted in 1999. Blackbaud has been a fortress for the club in the Open Cup, as the stadium that has hosted the most US Open Cup games (24) in the Professional Era (1995-present). The Battery are 18-4-3 (2-1 in PKs) on their home field in the tournament since they first entered the tournament in 1999.
Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.
First Round: Charleston Battery (USL Pro) 2:0 Regals FC (USASA)
The amateur Texas club Regals FC gave Charleston a tough time in the first half before a penalty three minutes into the second half from Nicki Paterson broke the deadlock in the First Round contest. Dane Kelly added the second in the 76th and Regals were unable to mount a comeback losing a player to a red card two minutes later and the game finished with a 2-0 result.
League Form: Charleston was back in action Friday evening with a 1-0 victory over visiting Dayton with Levi Coleman scoring in the 77th minute. They are currently in fourth place in the American Division with a 6-5-3 record, seven points behind first place Orlando City.
Open Cup History: One of the most successful lower division teams in the Pro Era of the tournament, the club has failed to qualify only once in the last 12 years, missing the tournament ironically in the same year it won the 2003 second division championship. The Battery have reached the semifinals on three occasions and advanced to the 2008 Open Cup Final amidst a run of four straight quarterfinal trips coming into this year. The 2008 Battery eliminated the MLS Houston Dynamo in penalties after a Third Round 1-1 draw and then stunned FC Dallas on the road, 3-1, to reach their third Semifinal. They took another penalty decision after a 1-1 draw against league foe Seattle Sounders in the final four before falling in a narrow 2-1 contest to DC United in the final. The two MLS upsets raised the tally to six, having upset DC United in overtime, 4-3, in the 1999 Third Round and New York twice, the first in the 2001 Second Round (4-1) and second in the 2004 Fourth Round (1-0). They also previously beat Houston in overtime, 1-0, in the Round 3 of the 2007 competition. They added a seventh MLS upset by defeating Chivas USA 3-1 in the 2009 Third Round before Houston finally got the better of them in the Quarterfinals, 4-0. Last year, they made it eight with a penalty kick decision against the Chicago Fire after a scoreless draw, falling 3-0 in Columbus the following round.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 22-9-4 (3-1 in PKs) overall | 15-10-4 vs. professional teams (0-0-0 vs. USL Pro)
Orlando City
An expansion club, essentially, off the field, the team itself is the former Austin Aztex side that played in the professional second division the previous two seasons. However, despite their connections to the Austin franchise, the Orlando City team is a completely new club.
Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.
First Round: Orlando City (USL Pro) 4:0 ASC New Stars (USASA)
A lightning delay of nearly 90 minutes itself stretched the First Round match into a late night, but Orlando, the host side, enjoyed a comfortable 4-0 victory over the ASC New Stars. Devorn Jorsling scored twice with Kevin Molino and Dennis Chin each adding to the tally.
League Form: Orlando City played host to Wilmington Saturday night in league play, settling for a 1-1 draw on a late Hammerheads equalizer after Open Cup hero Jorsling had given them the lead. Orlando City is currently in first place in the American Division with an 8-2-4 record.
Open Cup History (Austin Aztex): This is officially the first appearance in the US Open Cup for Orlando City, but with such close ties to the Austin Aztex franchise, it’s worth mentioning that the Aztex reached the Third Round the last two years. In 2009, the Aztex downed PDL sides Mississippi Brilla, 2-0, and El Paso Patriots, 2-0, before falling by the same 2-0 scoreline to the Houston Dynamo of MLS. Last year the team blanked the PDL’s DFW Tornados, 3-0, and downed the USASA’s Arizona Sahuaros, 3-1, before a 1-0 loss on the road to Chivas USA of MLS in Round 3.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 1-0-0 overall | 0-0-0 vs. professional teams
FC Dallas
How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.
This Month in MLS: The club played their third contest of the month Saturday in Los Angeles against Chivas USA, winning 2-1 with Break Shea scoring the opener and Jackson Goncalves adding the late winner. Dallas returns home for one more league match against the Portland Timbers June 25 before playing in the Third Round. FCD opened the month June 4 with a 1-0 win in New England on a 69th minute goal from Marvin Chavez as Kevin Hartman recorded the shutout. They returned home June 12 and were stunned 4-1 by Sporting Kansas City in which Break Shea had an equalizer in the 32nd before seeing KC strike three unanswered.
Last Five: W-L-W-D-W Season Record: 8-4-4 (5-2-2 Home), Second in Western Conference, Second Overall.
Open Cup History: Up to 2009, FC Dallas could claim the distinction of being the only MLS team to participate in every Pro Era Open Cup tournament since the league began in 1996. Poor finishes in MLS play in 2009 and 2010 left them to the mercy of MLS qualifying, where they lost both times to DC United. Dallas found success early in their Open Cup history, reaching the Semifinals in 1996 and winning the title on penalties over DC United in 1997. Another semifinal appearance in 1998 and two quarterfinal finishes in ’99 and 2000 were followed in 2001 by one of the biggest upsets in Pro Era history, a 3-2 sudden death extra time loss to the PDL’s Seattle Sounders Select in the Second Round. It remains the only time Dallas failed to advance past their opening match. Finals appearances in 2005 and 2007 bolstered their Open Cup resume a bit, although they will look to regain some stature after missing the last two tournaments.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 19-12-4 (4-0 in PK’s)
FIRST ROUND
ASC New Stars (USASA-South TX) 0:4 Orlando City Soccer Club (USL PRO)
University of Central Florida Soccer Complex – Oviedo, Fla. – 7:30 p.m.
Full Recap [+]
Regals FC (USASA-South TX) 0:2 Charleston Battery (USL PRO)
Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, S.C. – 7:30 p.m.
Full Recap [+]
ELIMINATED TEAMS
ASC New Stars
A longtime member of the Houston Football Association, Aria Soccer Club’s New Stars dominated the recent Premier Division season with a 13-4-1 record, allowing only 18 goals in as many while also scoring 58. It was the fifth consecutive title in the division for the New Stars, but marked the first time the club lost more than once in league play, having only three losses total in the previous four campaigns. || Meet the USASA Feature [+]
Path to Open Cup: The club opened with a 2-0 victory on a pair of Alex Bolan strikes against Boston Avenue on opening day of Region III group play. They then defeated Greenville Eagles 4-1 with goals from four different scorers, including Bolan, who also had an assist. They wrapped up the group with a 1-0 win against Florida Gators on another strike from Bolan in the 14th minute to secure the US Open Cup spot. The club would go on to defeat Houston rival Regals FC 2-1 in overtime on a Chuks Ndame goal in the 116th minute.
June News Updates: The team has been idle since it won the HFA Premier Division that ended in May with a 13-4-1 record.
Open Cup History: In the club’s lone previous appearance in 2008, the New Stars fell 3-0 on the road to the second division Charleston Battery. Along with Regals FC, this is the first time two amateur teams from Houston have qualified for the Open Cup in the same year during the Professional Era.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 0-1-0 overall | 0-0-0 vs. 3rd Division
Regals FC
Founded in 2010, the club was a founding member of the newly forged Southern Premier Soccer League. || Meet the USASA Feature [+]
Path to Open Cup: Drawn into the three-team group created when another club withdrew, Regals opened the event with a 2-1 loss on day two to Royal Eagles of Florida, who fell 3-0 to CASL on day one. Regals rebounded in a dramatic group finale, jumping out to a four-goal lead against CASL with two goals from Roy Hernandez. CASL came back with two strikes to force a three-way tie in the table and a two-way deadlock with Regals, sending the duo to penalty kicks to determine the Open Cup berth and finalist. Regals goalkeeper Marcos Sanchez made three saves on four CASL attempts to send Regals through. He would also play brilliantly in the final, only to fall 2-1 to Houston rival ASC New Stars in overtime.
June News Updates: Defeated Houston Hurricane 6-1 via six different goal scorers June 4 to move to 1-1 in the SPSL Summer Cup.
Open Cup History: First appearance in the tournament. Along with ASC New Stars, this is the first time two amateur teams from Houston have qualified for the Open Cup in the same year during the Professional Era.