US Club Soccer

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Eight US Club Soccer teams battling for tournament berth (UPDATED)

March 25, 2013 by Josh Hakala

UPDATED 4/6/13 – 2 p.m. ET

For the second year in a row, US Club Soccer (USCS) is holding a qualifying tournament to decide a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. This year, eight teams, all of them based in the league NorCal Premier Soccer”, are taking part, with the winner taking on a National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) team in the Qualifying Round.

The eight teams are divided into two groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals for a single-elimination tournament. The team that emerges will qualify for the 100th edition of the US Open Cup, which is scheduled to begin on May 7.

Bracket A features San Ramon SC, Cap FC and a pair of former NPSL clubs, North Coast Tsunami and Southern Oregon Fuego.

The other bracket includes some familiar names, headlined by Stanislaus United, who last year became the first US Club Soccer team to qualify for the US Open Cup. Also in Bracket B are the Fresno Fuego Future, which is a club under the umbrella of the PDL team of the same name. In fact, the Fresno Fuego PDL side were the team that knocked Stanislaus United out of the Open Cup in the opening round last year, 2-0.

Los Gatos Storm are in Bracket B, as they make their third attempt to qualify for the US Open Cup. In 2010, they made history as the first USCS team to register for the Open Cup. They were the lone entry that year, and since the USSF had no place to put them, they created a play-in game between them and the reigning NPSL champions, Sonoma County Sol. The Sol won that game 3-0. In 2011, USCS did not receive a spot in the tournament, but last year, the Storm tried to qualify again, but lost to Stanislaus United in the single-elimination qualifying tournament. The fourth team in the bracket is Bullard United who are based in Fresno.

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: US Club Soccer

Bracket A	PTS	W	L	D	GD
San Ramon SC	9	3	0	0	+11
Cap FC	6	2	1	0	+6
North Coast Tsunami	3	1	2	0	-4
Southern Oregon Fuego	0	0	3	0	-13

March 16
Cap FC 0:3 San Ramon SC
North Coast Tsunami 1:0 Southern Oregon Fuego

March 23
Southern Oregon Fuego 0:5 San Ramon SC

March 24
Cap FC 4:2 North Coast Tsunami

March 29
San Ramon SC 3:0 North Coast Tsunami

March 30
Southern Oregon Fuego 0:7 Cap FC

Bracket B	PTS	W	L	D	GD
Fresno Fuego Future	7	2	0	1	+3
Los Gatos Storm	6	2	1	0	+3
Stanislaus United	2	0	1	2	-1
Bullard United	1	0	2	1	-5

March 16
Fresno Fuego Future 1:0 Los Gatos Storm

March 17
Los Gatos Storm 3:2 Stanislaus United

March 22
Bullard United 0:3 Los Gatos Storm

March 24
Stanislaus United 2:2 Fresno Fuego Future

March 27
Fresno Fuego Future 3:1 Bullard United

March 30
Bullard United 1:1 Stanislaus United

Tiebreakers: (1) Head-to-head (2) Goal diff. (3) Goals for (4) Goals against (5) Most shutouts
—————————————————

Semifinals (April 6)
Cap FC 2:10 Fresno Fuego Future
Los Gatos Storm at San Ramon FC*
* The game was suspended when the lights went out at the stadium with the score tied 1-1 in extra time.

Final (April 27)
Fresno Fuego Future vs. Los Gatos Storm/San Ramon FC
Chukchansi Park (Fresno, CA)

Meet the first-ever US Club Soccer team in the US Open Cup: Stanislaus United Turlock Express

May 14, 2012 by Robert Jonas

For the first time in the long history of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a team from U.S. Club Soccer has qualified for the tournament proper. Based in the vast central valley of California, Stanislaus United Turlock Express defeated the Bay Area Ambassadors in a play-in game by a score of 3-0 to secure their ticket to the big dance. Up next for the Express is a date with the Fresno Fuego of the PDL this Tuesday.

Founded in the early 2000s as an organization dedicated to making high-level organized soccer available to the less well heeled in its community, the Express offered mainly the children of agricultural workers and other related fields an opportunity to play futsal, or indoor soccer. One of the chief architects of the club was current technical director of soccer Antonio Reis, who recognized that vastness of the talent in his community and wanted to provide them an avenue to perhaps play professionally.

“We have a community based club that caters to the local kids. We don’t charge to play, so many of our players stay with us a long time, even after returning from going to college.”

Reis is proud of all the players that have come through his system, and he embraces the father figure role he takes on for many of his former and current players.

“They are all my sons and they are all very good. Some of the kids have been with me since they were 7 years old. Many kids grew up in our club playing futsal, and some have gone on to play in Fiji, and Mexico, and in Germany. Today, many of our kids travel throughout our area and to the Bay to play with other clubs and in tougher leagues.”

A deep appreciation for the success of the Express warms Reis, and he is quick to point out that despite the minimal coaching and training resources the club can provide, the players have grown into a tight knit group of young adults.

“They are all a big part of our local culture. We have the clown, the leader, the serious guy, the excitable guy, we have all of that. But what makes us good is the teamwork and the overall belief the kids have for one another.”

Reis may often refer to his players as kids, but the team that will play in this week’s Cup match against Fresno Fuego has a maturity built from age and experience. The bulk of the current team won a U-18 California state title four years ago, and the nucleus of the side knows what it means to be successful. The team captain is Gerardo Ramirez, who Reis credits as the cohesive force that keeps the young group of men together as a unified squad.

“Ramirez is the leader and keeps the spirit high and he helps out the guys when they make mistakes. He helps keep a nice atmosphere around the guys and they are all great friends.”

The team’s goalkeeper, Javier Rosales, was instrumental in the Express weathering an opening match salvo from the Ambassadors, and still being able to regroup for the historic win. A long time member of the club, Reis marvels at how far Rosales has come despite the long odds of success.

“He has been very good for us. Sometimes we wish he had better days, and sometimes he saves our butt. We try to have excellent coaching at all levels, but we don’t have enough to really train these guys completely. He is definitely a hard worker and is doing great with the limited amount of goalkeeping coaching we can provide.”

Reis leads the team into training four times a week, and is often flooded with requests from local players wanting to join the club. Part of that enthusiasm to represent the Express comes from the low fees to play, but much of it is a product of that familial environment that Reis has instilled in the club. From youth teams on up to the senior U.S. Club Soccer team, players don’t often stray from the opportunity to play the game they love. And even with the odds clearly stacked against his team this Tuesday, Reis knows his players will enjoy every moment of their US Open Cup experience.

“I think we will provide a nice game. Our players are very excited to play Fresno. Now, we aren’t going in there thinking we can kick their butts, but we also don’t think we are going to get out butts kicked!”

Robert Jonas writes for Centerline Soccer and you can follow him on Twitter @RobertJonas.

MORE: Check out the rest of the 2012 Meet the USASA series

Stanislaus United Turlock Express become first US Club Soccer team to qualify for US Open Cup (video)

April 30, 2012 by Josh Hakala

For the first time, a team from US Club Soccer have earned a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Stanislaus United Turlock Express got a pair of goals from Salvador Vergara to defeat the National Premier Soccer League’s Bay Area Ambassadors 3-0 to book their first trip to the tournament.

US Club Soccer held a qualifying tournament for the first time this year after the United States Soccer Federation awarded a half-spot to the organization. The representative from USCS would have to play an NPSL team, and Bay Area emerged from their league’s qualifying tournament after winning their group and defeating the Sacramento Gold in a match that ended in penalty kicks.

The Ambassadors had plenty of opportunities in the opening five minutes, but could not capitalize. An early long shot from Jordan Keyes hit the crossbar, and Cristian Cortes’s rebound was headed over the net. A few minutes later Bay Area had another opportunity as Francisco Camacho sent a long crossfield pass to Cortes, but the shot went wide right. Twenty minutes in, the Stanislaus United’s Arturo Pulido dribbled through traffic and sent through to Salvador Veraga in the penalty area. Veraga one-timed the ball into the right top corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The home side were able to get a couple more chances, but could not convert as the score remained 1-0 at the half.

Turlock Express kept the pressure on after halftime, as Jesse Horta forced a diving save from Bay Area keeper Julian Pereira at long range. Shortly after, Eduardo Meza sent the ball across the penalty area to Martin Arista, who recovered from a near-giveaway to double the Express lead at 57′. The Ambassadors almost cut into the lead, but Turlock keeper Javier Rosales managed to block Francis Lopez from getting the shot off. Ajaya Rana later found Lopez out of position and tried to tap it in the net, but United’s Juan Flores deflected the ball at the line. Stanislaus continued to pressure though, and Bay Area avoided calamity as Ahmad Hatifie avoided a tripping call in the penalty area, play being waved on by the referee.

However, Veraga would not be denied again. Arista ran through defenders in the 80th minute, then turned provider as he set up Veraga with an easy shot to put away the game for the Express. The United players and coaches were elated after the match, but once the dust settled, director of coaching Antonio Reis put it all in perspective. “We will have to work much harder to get ready for the quality teams we will face in the ,” said Reis. “We are really happy to get in and we think the kids we have can get the job done.”

2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Play-In (NPSL vs. US Club Soccer)
Richmond High School – Richmond, Calif.

Stanislaus United Turlock Express (USCS) 3:0 Bay Area Ambassadors (NPSL)

Scoring Summary
STA: Salvador Vergara (Arturo Pulido) – 20th minute
STA: Martin Arista (Eduardo Meza) – 57th minute
STA: Salvador Vergara – 80th minute

2012 US Club Soccer Open Cup qualifying tournament

Northern California
March 31: Pacific Los Gatos Storm 4:1 Sacramento United Legend
April 1: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 3:1 Pacific Los Gatos Storm
April 7: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 1:0 Sacramento United Legend

Southern California
April 15: Zicuiran vs. Napoli
*Zicuiran withdraws from the competition, Napoli advances to the Final

US Club Soccer Final
April 22: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 5:2 Napoli [+] Recap
Stanislaus United advances to an US Open Cup play-in match vs. Bay Area Ambassadors on April 28

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Stanislaus United Turlock Express to represent US Club Soccer in play-in game

April 24, 2012 by Josh Hakala

The qualifying tournament is complete and US Club Soccer has crowned a champion that they hope will become the organization’s first-ever entry into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Stanislaus United Turlock Express defeated Napoli, 5-2, at Chukchansi Park in Fresno to earn a spot in next weekend’s play-in game against the National Premier Soccer League’s (NPSL) Bay Area Ambassadors. The winner will qualify for the 99th edition of the US Open Cup.

Turlock Express jumped out a 3-0 lead in the first half and held off Napoli’s second half rally to put themselves one win away from US Club Soccer’s first-ever berth in the US Open Cup. Martyn Artista led the way for Turlock with a pair of goals.

Stanislaus United is a club based in Stanislaus County (which includes the cities of Modesto and Turlock), and the Turlock Express is the adult portion of that club. The Express field a variety of teams including outdoor teams as well as an indoor team who qualified for the playoffs last season in the Professional Arena Soccer League.

“We are very thankful to US Club Soccer for giving our club this opportunity to qualify for the US Open Cup,” said Antonio Reis, the director of coaching at Stanislaus United. “We will work very hard this week to get prepared and I know that we’ll be ready to play next weekend.”

Reis says they have done some advanced scouting of the Bay Area Ambassadors and he’s confident that the Express, with their large pool of mostly younger players, should produce an entertaining match.

The opening 20 minutes were entertaining between the Express and Napoli, who are based in Paso Robles, Calif. (about 150 miles south of San Jose). The Express created some early chances starting by misfiring on a dangerous ball sent into the box and missing on a shot from just outside the 18-yard-box in the opening five minutes. In the 12th minute, Arturo Pulido launched a 35-yard shot that just missed the target. Napoli created chances of their own off a counter attack, they forced a save from United goalkeeper Javier Rosales, then both teams would hit the post, all in the first 22 minutes.

The first goal would come in the 23rd minute when Adrian Gutierrez sent Artista in behind the defense, setting a one-on-one battle with the goalkeeper which he would win.

10 minutes later, Pulido would set up Gutierrez for a 30-yard blast to put the Express up 2-0.

Napoli nearly found an answer as Dana McGregor used his speed to find space in Turlock’s end of the field. He used that space to set up a 25-yard shot that just missed wide.

A 2-0 deficit seemed manageable for Napoli, as they were creating chances of their own, but they would give up a third right before the halftime break. Samuel Saldate found Salvador Vergara in front of goal to make it 3-0, shifting all the momentum to Stanislaus United.

Napoli refused to give up as they struck quickly in the second half. A McGregor free kick found the head of Eric Ward to cut the lead to two.

In the 67th minute, Jose Barajas’ shot hit the post for Turlock, but just six minutes later, Ward wouldn’t miss as his second goal of the half gave the game new life with a 3-2 scoreline.

The newly found optmism for Napoli fans was quickly dashed when Pulido made it 4-2 for the Express less than a minute later. In the 84th minute, the Express put the game away with Artista knifing through the Napoli defense and scoring.

United goalkeeper Rosales shut down Napoli’s last real chance in the final minutes, making a save on a breakaway to keep the score at 5-2.

TheCup.us would like to thank Gabe Rood for contributing to this report

2012 US Club Soccer Open Cup qualifying tournament final
April 22 – Chukchansi Park – Fresno, CA

Stanislaus United Turlock Express 5:2 Napoli
STA: Martyn Artista (Adrian Gutierrez) – 23rd minute
STA: Adrian Gutierrez (Arturo Pulido) – 33rd minute
STA: Samuel Saldate (Salvador Vergara) – 45th minute
NAP: Eric Ward (Dana McGregor) – 49th minute
NAP: Eric Ward (Unassisted) – 73rd minute
STA: Arturo Pulido (Unassisted) – 74th minute
STA: Martyn Artista (Unassisted) – 84th minute

2012 US Club Soccer Open Cup qualifying tournament summary

Northern California

March 31: Pacific Los Gatos Storm 4:1 Sacramento United Legend
April 1: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 3:1 Pacific Los Gatos Storm
April 7: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 1:0 Sacramento United Legend

Southern California

April 15: Zicuiran 28 vs. Napoli
*Zicuiran 28 withdrew from the competition, Napoli advances to the Final.

US Club Soccer Final

April 22: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 5:2 Napoli
Stanislaus United advance to US Open Cup Play-In Game

NPSL / US Club Soccer Play-In Game (Win & You’re In)

April 28: Stanislaus United Turlock Express at Bay Area Ambassadors
Richmond High School – Richmond, Calif. – 5 p.m. PT

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: US Club Soccer tournament kicks off to decide play-in game representative

April 11, 2012 by Steven Bayley

UPDATE (4/13/12): Zicuiran 28 has withdrawn from the competition, leaving Napoli to represent Southern California in the Final.

US Club Soccer’s qualifying tournament to determine their US Open Cup representative in a play-in game against the NPSL’s Bay Area Ambassadors is taking place in California this month. Four teams will battle to take part in the game, which will be hosted by the Ambassadors on April 28.

The winner of a three-team Northern California qualifying group containing NorCal Premier Soccer League sides Sacramento United Legend, Pacific Los Gatos Storm, and Stanislaus United Turlock Express will play April 22 against Napoli, the Southern California representative from the Central Coast Soccer Association.

The first two games of the NorCal group stage were played March 31 and April 1. Pacific Los Gatos Storm beating Sacramento United Legend in the Saturday game by the score of 4-1, courtesy of a first half brace by PLGS’ Dan Oka, and a second half pair from Enrique “Qeeks” Tovar that put the game away for Pacific Los Gatos. Less than 24 hours later, PLGS appeared understandably sluggish in their second game of the weekend, against a rested Stanislaus United Turlock Express side seeing its first action in the qualifying tournament. Stanislaus United got the 3-1 victory, and sits atop the group heading into this Saturday’s group stage finale with Sacramento United Legend. Stanislaus needs only a draw to advance to the next round and book the April 22 US Club Soccer final which will take place at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, Calif. at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

In only its second year of competition, The Angels Confrontation has quickly established itself as one of the premier amateur leagues in the country. The league has been making an effort to build a fanbase, and last year’s championship game between San Nicholas and 2010 Open Cup qualifier Doxa Italia shows some of the progress that’s been made (SEE VIDEO BELOW).

2012 US Club Soccer Open Cup qualifying tournament

Northern California

Southern California

April 15: Zicuiran 28 vs. Napoli
*Zicuiran 28 withdrew from the competition, Napoli advances to the Final.

US Club Soccer Final

April 22: Stanislaus United Turlock Express 5:2 Napoli
Chukchansi Park – Fresno, CA – 1:30 p.m. kickoff

NPSL / US Club Soccer Play-In Game (Win & You’re In)

April 28: Stanislaus United Turlock Express at Bay Area Ambassadors
Richmond High School – Richmond, Calif. – 5:30 p.m. PT

2011 USOC team allocations, dates set

February 17, 2011 by Josh Hakala

The United States Soccer Federation’s US Open Cup committee has finalized the dates and the team allocations for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The 98th edition of the tournament will begin on June 14 with 40 teams entering and will wrap up with the championship game on October 4.

The only professional entries in this year’s tournament will be eight Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs and all 11 USL Pro teams (Third Division). With 16 U.S.-based MLS teams eligible, it’s clear that MLS qualifying will return, in some form, for the fifth year in a row.

Aside from the US Soccer Federation’s exclusion of the five U.S.-based NASL (Second Division) teams, which was announced on Monday, the most notable changes to the 2011 edition of the Open Cup is on the amateur side of the competition. For the first time since the league began play in 2003, the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) will have four slots set aside for the competition. In the past, the Fourth-Division amateur league has had to qualify for the Open Cup through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), which retains the eight spots that it has held since 2004. The Premier Development League (PDL) will get an extra team into the tournament this year, giving the league nine entries, the most they have ever had.

CONCACAF’s official twitter account recently confirmed what most people assumed, which is that the 2011 US Open Cup champion will still qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.

The two-time defending champion Seattle Sounders FC will earn an automatic bid to the Open Cup, and have the chance to be the first team in over 40 years to win three consecutive Open Cups. The last team to achieve that feat was the New York Greek-Americans (1967-69). Only three teams in the history if the tournament have won three straight championships.

The Sounders will be joined by five other automatic qualifiers, based on the MLS league standings from 2010. The Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake and the Supporters’ Shield winning Los Angeles Galaxy will all enter the tournament in the third round. The 10 remaining U.S.-based MLS clubs (Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, DC United, Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City) will battle for the remaining two slots.

seattle-sounders-2010-us-open-cup-final — Can the Sounders become only the second team in the tournament's 98-year history to win three straight US Open Cup titles? Photo: Seattle Sounders FC

Each league chooses how their teams will qualify, and will announce their criteria at a later date. Since 2007, MLS has held a play-in tournament, with the last two years having the games separate from the regular season schedule. 2007 and 2008 saw regular season games double as Open Cup qualifiers.

While it is unknown which format MLS will take for play-in games this year, the play-in games from the last two years have struggled to spark fan interest. In 2009, the qualifying games, which were separate from the regular season schedule, drew less than 5,000 fans per game, and last year, the average fell to less than 2,500.

The PDL will keep a similar format with each U.S.-based team having four regular season games selected (usually two home, two away) to double as Open Cup qualifiers. The top team from each of the nine divisions will earn a berth into the First Round.

The USASA will keep the same qualifying format they have had for the last seven years where each of the four regions submits both finalists in their US Open Cup tournament.

MLS (8 teams – First Division): Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders FC + 2 qualifying teams
USL Pro (11 teams – Third Division): Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles, Dayton Dutch Lions, FC New York, Harrisburg City Islanders, Los Angeles Blues, Orlando City, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Rhinos, Wilmington Hammerheads
PDL (9 teams – Amateur): Teams to be determined
USASA (8 teams – Amateur): Two finalists from each of the four regional tournaments
NPSL (4 teams – Amateur): Teams to be determined

The prize money also remains the same as last year with the winner of the tournament earning $100,000, the runner-up getting $50,000 and the Third Division (USL Pro) and Amateur team that advances the furthest gets $10,000.

Much like recent Open Cup tournaments, games are scheduled to take place on Tuesdays and the first three rounds will be played in consecutive weeks with the remaining games spaced out over the rest of the season until the October 4 final.

The dates for each round are as follows and are subject to change:

May 30: Qualification Deadline
Tuesday, June 14: First Round
Tuesday, June 21: Second Round
Tuesday, June 28: Third Round
Tuesday, July 12: Fourth Round
Tuesday, August 30: Semifinals
Tuesday, October 4: Final

Sol defeat PSA Los Gatos Storm 3-0 in US Open Cup play-in match

May 26, 2010 by Tavio Palazzolo

On a chilly Saturday night at PAL Stadium in San Jose, California, the defending NPSL champions Sonoma County Sol booked passage into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the fourth time since 2005 with a 3-0 victory over PSA Los Gatos Storm.

The single game play-in contest was made necessary when it was found that the US Club Soccer affiliated Storm could not participate in the USASA’s Region IV tournament since US Club Soccer are competitors. US Soccer does not have any plans in place for US Club Soccer teams to qualify, since no team from that organization has ever expressed interest in participating in the tournament.

The Sol jumped in front quickly on a 9th minute goal from team veteran Eric Larson. The Storm found it difficult to create chances at goal against the Sol defense. After thirty minutes, Sonoma County doubled their lead when Lee Summerscales headed in a corner kick. The opening 45 minutes finished with the Sol’s 2-0 advantage.

Just five minutes into the second half, Sonoma County put the game out of reach. Tyler Hurst, another of the Sol’s veteran players, scored on a cross from the far left corner after a defensive lapse by the Storm.