USASA Region I

2010 US Open Cup qualifying: NY Pancyprian Freedoms avenge the Greeks, beat Fenerbahce to win Eastern NY

December 17, 2009 by adamspangler

New York Pancyprian Freedoms: Three-time US Open Cup champions

There was plenty of drama entering the Eastern New York Open Cup Final. The game featured Fenerbahce USA, a second-year club that reached the championship game due to a controversial protest filed after they lost 4-1 to the New York Greek American Atlas in the Semifinals. When the decision was made to disqualify the Greek Americans, New York Pancyprian Freedoms general manager George Halkidis, stepped to the defense of his rivals in an interview with FirstTouchOnline.com.

“It’s a shame what happened to . Games are decided on the field and not on paper,” said Halkidis. “It’s OK though because I promise that this team, , will not advance. Not on the field nor on paper. Pancyprians will take care of business.”

Halkidis made good on that promise as the Freedoms dispatched Fenerbahce 4-1 to continue their dominance over Eastern NY. For New York, it was their third straight Open Cup title and their fourth in the last five years.

Jeff Matteo, Chris Megaloudis, Julio Cesar DoSantos and Tasos Polydefkis all scored for the Freedoms as they qualify for the 2010 USASA Region I Finals that will be held next Spring. Last year, they lost in the opening round to Emigrantes Das Ilhas of Massachusetts, but they earned a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2008 after advancing to the Region I title game.

More details to follow …

Entries for the 2010 USASA Region I Finals

New York Pancyprian Freedoms (Eastern NY)
Phoenix SC (Eastern PA)
Emigrantes Das Ilhas (Massachusetts)

Entries for the 2010 USASA Region II Finals

Milwaukee Kickers (Wisconsin)
AAC Eagles (Illinois)

Fenerbahce USA in Eastern NY Final after Greek American Atlas forfeit

December 15, 2009 by

Eastern New York SA logo Following their 4-1 win over Fenerbahce USA in the Semifinals of the Eastern New York Open Cup tournament, New York Greek American Atlas has been disqualified. Following the match, Fenerbahce filed a protest with the Eastern New York Amateur Soccer Association (ENYASA) accusing the Greek Americans of fielding an ineligible player. After the review was complete, the ENYASA ruled that the Greeks had broken the rules.

According to Gus Xikis of the ENYASA, there were two rules violations.

First, former New York Red Bulls forward Abbe Ibrahim was listed on the Greek Americans’ lineup sheet submitted to the referee. This was an odd mistake considering that Ibrahim is currently playing for Romanian club FC Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt. Even though Ibrahim did not participate in the match, listing a professional player on the lineup card of an amateur team, according to Xikis, is against the rules and is worthy of a match being forfeited.

Ibrahim made his MLS debut for the Metrostars (now the New York Red Bulls) of Major League Soccer back in 2005, scoring two goals in 15 matches and most recently played for Toronto FC in 2007. He played two games for the Greek Americans in late September, but George Mellis, the long-time general manager for the Greek Americans, claims that he was unaware that Ibrahim was a professional player, and wasn’t even aware that Ibrahim was playing in Romania.

Abbe Ibrahim scored the opening goal of the game in a losing effort for his
Romanian club a few days after the Eastern NY Semifinal took place.

“The reason our coach Lucio Russo put on the lineup form was because on the date of the game, our players were running late, and the game had already started,” said Mellis. “We put him in there, in case we had to start the game with less than 10 players.”

The players running late arrived at the match in time, but Ibrahim’s name remained on the lineup sheet.

The second violation that was discovered by the ENYASA was that Michael Todd, who spent time with the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division in 2007 and also played for the Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League, was listed as a professional player and did not submit the proper paperwork to be re-instated as an amateur athlete.

Todd, who has played for the Greek Americans for the last three seasons, spent this past summer playing for the Long Island Rough Riders of the Premier Development League (PDL). The Rough Riders are an amateur club, but it is possible to be signed to a PDL club on a $0 professional contract. According to the ENYASA, Todd had signed a pay-free professional contract with the Rough Riders, however, a source with the United Soccer Leagues says that according to their records, he was registered as an amateur player.

Regardless of Todd’s status, the violation involving Ibrahim was enough to disqualify the three-time US Open Cup champions.

Mellis, who has worked for the Greek Americans for the last 40 years, takes full responsibility for the errors. He says that not only did he not know that Ibrahim was a professional, but he wasn’t aware that he had left the country to play in Romania. As for Todd, he says that he did not re-instate him as an amateur because he didn’t think it was necessary since he had just finished playing for an amateur PDL club.

This isn’t the first time that the club has been involved in a situation like this. In 1998, after upsetting the Western Mass Pioneers of the USL D3 Pro League (now USL Second Division) in the opening round of the US Open Cup, it was determined that they used as many as six ineligible players and were disqualified and denied a Second Round match with the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the A-League.

Fenerbahce USA will now replace the Greek Americans in the Eastern New York Open Cup Final and will face the New York Pancyprian Freedoms on Wednesday, December 16 at 7:30 at Central Island Beach Field in Bayville, NY.

2010 US Open Cup qualifying: Phoenix SC win USASA Eastern PA Open Cup title, advance to Region I Finals

December 14, 2009 by adamspangler

Phoenix SC wins their first Eastern PA Open Cup title with a 2-1 overtime victory over the United German Hungarians

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA – Despite playing in a torrential downpour throughout the match, Phoenix SC captured their first Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup championship, defeating the United German Hungarians (UGH) 2-1 in overtime. The Final went ahead despite nature’s best attempts to dampen the participants’ spirits. Played in a high school football stadium, the field was narrow, but the artificial turf ensured the game would go on despite the heavy rain.

UGH came out of the blocks quickly, as they tried to win their second Open Cup inside of three years. Using the narrow field, they deployed a high-pressure strategy and controlled the opening 25 minutes, with Tommy DeGeorge fashioning the best opportunities for UGH. Phoenix was not without creativity of its own, as both Ben Castor and Steve Mellor missed out on opportunities to get on the scoresheet in the opening moments of the game.

Phoenix eventually found their footing and started to hold possession, matching UGH for the remainder of the half as both teams created several more chances in the final 20 minutes, but were unable to break the scoreless tie before halftime.

With the wind at their backs, Phoenix came out and gained the upper hand in the second half, although, it would be UGH that would make the first breakthrough. In the 67th minute, a clearance by a UGH defender slipped away from the control of a Phoenix player, allowing Tim O’Neill to be released down the left side. He surprised everyone in attendance when he toe poked the ball from 22 yards into the far upper corner to give UGH a 1-0 lead.

Phoenix responded by changing tactics and pushing players forward, which nearly brought immediate dividends as they created several chances by Ben Castor, Pat Dillon and Roman Escobar. UGH continued to be dangerous on the counter and from set plays, with Blair Carson nearly putting the game out of reach on a free kick that missed the target.

However, in the 81st minute, Phoenix would find the equalizer. A flowing pass culminated in substitute Brian McKinney, playing in his first Open Cup Final after 10 years with the club, releasing Kamara Freebolle to round the keeper and slot home the tying goal. Phoenix, however, were not content to go to extra time as Freebolle and Danny Murtagh both came close to winning the game in the final, frantic moments.

The first overtime session was evenly played, with Phoenix controlling possession and UGH looking to hit them on the counter. In the second session, Phoenix finally made a breakthrough. With nine minutes remaining, a Matt Lapish freekick found the head of McKinney, whose flick traveled 25 feet into the air. Jack Pocorobba was the first to react, getting under the ball and heading across goal and into the far corner, sparking jubilant scenes in the stadium. UGH pressed forward to find a goal to send the match into penalty kicks, but they fell short, losing to Phoenix 2-1.

For Phoenix SC, it was their first state Open Cup title, giving coach Blair Thomson the only trophy which has eluded him in his 28-year association with the club. Thomson’s team, with the victory, have qualified for the 2010 USASA Region I Finals, which will take place in the Spring.

Phoenix SC Lineup

GK – Tony Pratico
LB – Greg Mangels (captain)
CB – Matt Lapish
CB – Mark Scaccia (Brian McKinney, 72nd)
RB – Jack Pocorobba
LM – Danny Murtagh
CM – Ben Castor
CM – Steve Mellor (Pat Dillon, 70th)
CM – Roman Escobar
RM – Ryan Soroka
ST – Kamara Freebolle
Unused Sub – Matt Rominger

2010 Qualifying: Phoenix SC, United German Hungarians advance to Eastern PA Final

November 25, 2009 by

Eastern Pennsylvania Logo

Eastern PA Open Cup Final

United German Hungarians at
Phoenix SC
December 6 – 2 p.m.
Feasterville, Pa. | Map

Eastern Pennsylvania will soon have a representative in the USASA Region I Finals as the championship game was set in stone this past weekend. The United German Hungarians (UGH) and Phoenix SC will meet in the deciding game after posting Semifinal victories in matches held around the Philadelphia area.

Phoenix earned their spot in the the Eastern PA Open Cup Final with a 3-1 win over Danubia SC with UGH defeating long-time rivals Vereinigung Erzgebirge (VE) 1-0 in the second game. Phoenix SC will host the title game on December 6 with a kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m.

At Beneficial Bank Field at the United German Hungarian club in Oakford, Pa., the game was a rematch of last year’s Open Cup Final, which VE won 3-0. UGH had eliminated VE in the Semifinals the year before on their way to capturing their last Eastern PA title.

Vereinigung Erzgebirge logo The German Hungarians came out strong early in the match. The hosts put pressure on VE’s backline and scored the game’s only goal 20 minutes into the game.

Central midfielder Blair Carson sent a long ball over the top to forward Ryan Mosley, who controlled and dribbled in from nearly 40 yards out with a VE defender on his shoulder and beat the goalkeeper from just inside the penalty area.

UGH continued to put pressure on the VE goal, but before the halftime break, the visitors shifted the momentum. Their attack on the UGH goal continued into the second half and the pressure increased at the midway point of the half when they went up a man.

United German Hungarians have finished as the runner-up in the US Open Cup twice (1977, 1993)

The German Hungarians had their outside midfielder ejected, which shifted their focus to defending. With the back four and the midfield dropping back to help out, UGH limited VE’s chances. The best scoring chance for VE came late in the game when a cleared ball struck a VE player in the chest and rebounded toward the UGH net and nearly caught goalkeeper Eric Talbot off his line. Talbot was able to recover in time and keep the ball out of the back of the net to preserve the clean sheet.

In the other Semifinal, Phoenix SC took another step toward capturing their first Eastern PA Open Cup title as they knocked off Danubia SC.

On a bumpy field, each team kept their shape and played conservatively in the early going while probing for weaknesses in their opponent. In the 22nd minute, Phoenix forced the Danubia backline into an error, with Steve Mellor’s pressure allowing Roman Escobar to steal the ball and poke it home from 10 yards out. The goal spurred Phoenix on as they created several other chances, before capitalizing again in the 36th minute. Danny Murtagh and Steve Mellor’s one-two in the midfield released Murtagh down the left side, whose cross found the foot of Mellor for the second goal of the game. Danubia found a lifeline just before halftime as they were able to capitalize on an error by the Phoenix defense, with Pete Pitoulis slotting the ball into an empty net to make it 2-1.

With mascot Carlson Thomson performing a rousing rendition of Phoenix’ “Lisztomania” at halftime, Phoenix came out ready to rise to the challenge of defending their one-goal lead. The visitors used the crowd to soak up Danubia’s momentum as the half began. The Danubia goalkeeper kept his team in the game with fine saves on shots by Ryan Soroka and Kamara Freebolle. Phoenix were in full flight in the 71st minute when Ben Castor released Murtagh down the left with a 30-yard first time ball, Murtagh cut inside and forced the goalkeeper into a flying save, only for substitute Billy James to put the ball into the back of the net with his first touch of the game.

The state final will be a rematch of a United Soccer League match from last week when UGH came out on top by a score of 1-0. The German Hungarians will be playing in their fourth Eastern PA title game in five years, having only lifted the trophy in 2007 (for 2008 Open Cup qualifying). UGH has a strong history of not only in regional qualifying, but in the national tournament as well. They have never won the US Open Cup, but they were the runner-up in 1977 and 1993.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=301+W+Bristol+Rd,+Feasterville-Trevose,+PA+19053&sll=45.160799,-93.234949&sspn=0.111116,0.308647&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=301+W+Bristol+Rd,+Feasterville-Trevose,+Bucks,+Pennsylvania+19053&ll=40.166986,-74.99568&spn=0.007526,0.01929&z=16&iwloc=A

2010 Qualifying: Pancyprian Freedoms reach 5th straight Eastern NY Final

November 25, 2009 by

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms continued their Eastern New York dominance with a 2-0 Semifinal win over the New York Athletic Club. The Freedoms got their goals from Chris Megaloudis and Jeff Matteo to reach their fifth straight Eastern NY Open Cup Final. They move on to play the winner of the other final four match between Fenerbahce USA and New York Greek American Atlas for the right to advance to the USASA Region I tournament next Spring.

After a scoreless first half, the Freedoms broke through in the 60th minute. Pete Halkidis played a ball over to Megaloudis who split three defenders and placed a low shot to the left of a diving goalkeeper.

The game was a defensive battle with both teams able to withstand the attack of the other, however the Freedoms would put the game away off a set piece. After a foul was called just outside of the penalty area, second half substitute and former USL player Jeff Matteo stepped up and scored off the free kick to make it 2-0.

The Freedoms will host the winner of next week’s match between Fenerbahce USA and New York Greek American Atlas. The game is scheduled for Wednesday, December 2 at St. John’s University. The championship game is also scheduled to be played at St. John’s on a date to be determined.

NY Pancyprian Freedoms Lineup:

(Luka Lukovic) Chad Calderone, Srdjan Stojiljkovic, Chris Zisimatos, Matia Damiani, Stelios Andreou, Tasso Polydefkis (Jeff Matteo 50th min), Pete Halkidis (Peter Pavlakos 85th min), Andreas Pafitis, Peter Antoniades (Marc Reeves 20th min), Chris Megaloudis, Julio Cesar DoSantos

2010 Qualifying: Phoenix knocks off their Ukrainian rivals, advance to Eastern PA semis

November 9, 2009 by

With unseasonable 70 degree weather in Feasterville, Pa., Phoenix SC and the Ukrainian Nationals met in the latest edition of a long-standing rivalry. In one of four Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup games played that day, Phoenix got the best of their Ukrainian rivals, beating them 3-0 to advance to the Third Round of the tournament.

While the Ukies have tasted success in the Open Cup in recent seasons, Phoenix came out hoping to win the club’s first state Open Cup title having won two United League and two state Amateur Cup titles in the past three seasons.

Phoenix SC (Eastern PA)

Phoenix started the game well, maintaining possession and putting the Ukies under pressure. That pressure finally paid off after 20 minutes when Daniel Murtagh put a 25-yard bending ball past the Ukies goalie after a pass from Greg Mangels. Five minutes later, Phoenix had the chance to go up 2-0 from the penalty spot, but goalkeeper Jason Sherman made a diving save to his left on Bobby Francis. Phoenix did not allow the momentum to change after the saved penalty and quickly scored their second goal when Steve Mellor lashed a shot to the far corner from the right side of the 18 after a driving run and feed by Ryan Soroka.

Wanting to avoid a let down after the halftime break, Phoenix came out and scored the third and final goal when halftime substitute Kamara Freebolle struck a 25-yard thunderbolt off a pass from Ben Castor. For the rest of the half, Phoenix dominated possession while the Ukies were not able capitalize on their opportunities.

Phoenix progresses to the Semifinals where they will host Danubia, who thrashed Hunter Inazu 7-0 in their Second Round match.

Phoenix lineup
Tony Pratico
Greg Mangels
Pat Dillon (Mark Scaccia-70)
Jack Poccoroba
Matt Lapish
Ben Castor
Steve Mellor
Bobby Francis
Daniel Murtagh (Brian McKinney-65)
Ryan Soroka
Virgis Anusauskas (Kamara Freebolle 45)

Unused Sub
Matt Rominger

The scores of the Eastern PA tournament are listed below. If you have any details to pass along, contact us.

Second Round
(Home teams listed on the right)

Ukrainian National Tryzub 0:3 Phoenix Majors
Scoring Summary: Daniel Murtagh, Steve Mellor, Kamara Freebolle
Danubia 7:0 Hunter Inazu
United German Hungarians Majors 2:1 Intare FC
Fishtown 1:4 Vereinigung Erzgebirge Majors

The Semifinals of the Eastern PA tournament is scheduled for November 22.
—————————————————

First Round Results
(Home teams listed on the right)

Ukrainian National Tryzub 2:1 (aet) United German Hungarians Ultra
Danubia 2:1 Plymouth Ultra
Wallace FC 1:5 Hunter Inazu
Keystone Pride 1:2 Intare FC
Quakertown 1:4 Fishtown

2010 Qualifying: Pancyprian Freedoms among opening round Eastern NY winners

November 6, 2009 by

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms got off on the right foot in US Open Cup qualifying, defeating the Barstonworth Rovers 2-0 in the opening round of the Eastern New York Open Cup tournament.

The three-time Open Cup champions (1980, 1982, 1983) took an early lead in the 15th minute when Pete Halkidis found Tasso Polydefkis at the top of the penalty area, and Polydefkis fired it past the Rovers goalkeeper.

In the 28th minute, Polydefkis helped the Freedoms add to their lead when his corner kick found the head of Puerto Rican international Chris Megaloudis who found the back of the net.

The Freedoms controlled the majority of play on a damp night, but the Rovers continued to fight back with counter attacks. In the 55th minute, Barstonworth had a chance to cut the lead in half with a penalty kick, but New York goalkeeper Chad Calderone dove to his right to make the save to keep the clean sheet.

The Freedoms have pretty much the same team as they had from last year’s team that won the 2008 US Open Amateur Cup (USASA). They will move on to take on New York Athletic Club, who had no trouble with their opening round matchup, beating Stade Breton New York by a score of 7-0. The date has not been confirmed as of yet.

New York returns to league play in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League where they are in first place in the East group with a 3-1-2 record.

NY Pancyprian Freedoms lineup
Coach: Lukas Lukovic

Chad Calderone, Jon Simos, Chris Zisimatos, Matia Damiani, Peter Pavlakos, Stelios Andreou, Julio Cesar DoSantos (Tommy Vlahos 75th min.), Jeffrey Matteo, Pete Halkidis (Peter Antoniades 70th min.), Chris Megaloudis, Tasso Polydefkis

Fenerbahce USA 16:1 VV Nieuw Amsterdam

Fenerbahce USA scored a goal in the first five minutes of the match and never looked back in a 16-1 win over VV Nieuw Amsterdam. The term ‘mismatch’ might be a strong understatement as Fenerbahce’s Mohammad Mashriqi scored an unheard of 10 goals to send his club to the Semifinals of the Eastern New York Open Cup tournament. The score was 10-0 by the time the halftime whistle blew and their dominance continued from beginning to end in a game played at Bayville Soccer Stadium in Bayville, NY. Fenerbahce will likely be tested in their next match as they take on the New York Greek American Atlas.

Fenerbahce USA goalscorers: Mohamammed Mashriqi (10), Keith Ditell (2), Noorullah (2), Douglas Navarez (1), Ugur Kahveci (1).

Other Eastern New York First Round results:

New York Greek American Atlas 2:1 New York City Albanians
New York Athletic Club 7:0 Stade Breton NY

Eastern New York Semifinals schedule (Both games played at St. John’s University):

November 24: New York Athletic Club at New York Pancyprian Freedoms
November 25: New York Greek American Atlas at Fenerbahce USA

2009 Meet The USASA: Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks

August 21, 2009 by

dulles-sportsplex-aegean-hawks Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks manager Jonathan Knight brings his club, new sponsor and all, into the 2009 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a better view of their situation than in 2007. “You can’t measure the power of that experience.” Knight says of their 2007 trip to Harrisburg, which ended in a 4-0 loss for Hawks.

“I think in 2007 there was an unstated belief, a naiveté that we would get to this level every year.” The Hawks missed out on the 2008 Cup with a 3-2 loss to New York Pancyprian Freedoms in the USASA Region I semifinals, but now that they are back and more prepared for their 2009 trip to nearby Rockville, Maryland to face Real Maryland FC Knight says the Hawks’ road to this point has prepared them better for what lies ahead. “Now we’ve been to this point before and had more games against quality opponents. Our preparation leading up to the regional qualification process has been much more thorough.” Knight says.

The club’s quest for a berth in this year’s Cup nearly ended right where it began. On January 18, a combination of injuries and miscommunication left the team able to field only 10 men for their opening round match in the D.C./Virginia qualifiers versus World Bank. In the 35th minute an injured player stepped on the field to bring the lineup to 11, but the Hawks eventually found themselves down 1-0 with just two minutes remaining. The tying goal began off the foot of Knight, who was pressed into emergency service. Knight, playing outside back, passed to midfielder Watson Vaughan-Prather, who then found Mike Minai in the penalty area to draw the match level. An own goal off a corner kick in extra time put the Hawks up 2-1, and Minai netted the clincher from another assist by Vaughan-Prather.

”I don’t think that there was ever any doubt in the players’ minds that we would find a way, but as the game approached the end of regulation, you couldn’t help but think that the Cup run could have been over,” Knight says. Head Coach Doug Homer perhaps sums up the Hawks drive best. “No one player has overlooked the cold training sessions in January and February or the scrimmages on the road at Delaware and James Madison to visualize success against a professional side in the US Open Cup.” Homer continues “If dedication and commitment could be tattooed on all of our players, I’d bet you’d see 24 guys with this on the arms come June 9th.”

The one thing that hasn’t changed much from 2007 is the core roster of the club. Leading the squad are two players with professional experience, Carlos Garcia (William & Mary, Virginia Beach Mariners, Montreal Impact, Baltimore Blast) and Anders Kelto (Brown/Michigan State, New England Revolution) as well as team center midfield co-captains Mike Goldman (George Washington) and Watson Prather (Univ. of Wisconsin). Mike Minai (St. John’s/Temple), Ricky Schramm (Georgetown, Richmond Kickers, New York Red Bulls), Erwin Diaz (Univ. of Maryland), Corey Curnutte (Bucknell), Andrew Loia (Bucknell), Clayton Voss (William & Mary), Nidhal Charfi (American), Luis Martinez (American), Nick Carlin-Voigt (Kalamazoo), Alex Fatovic (LIU), and Nate Adams (West Virginia-bound) have all been welcome additions to the squad since 2007. Other players who played in the 2007 cup run are Alan Golden (William & Mary), Ricardo Valverde (VCU), Eddie Thurston (Brown), Nick McMorris, John Stephens (James Madison), Alex and Andreas Nydal (JMU, William & Mary), Trevor Martin (George Washington), Justin Bodiya (Duke), Andy Zayas (Philadelphia U), Bryan Vitagliano (Univ. of Maryland), William Fierro (St. Leo), and Geoff Thompson (Old Dominion).

One factor Knight hopes to improve upon from 2007 is the team’s fitness and stamina. The Harrisburg match in ’07 was still 0-0 after sixty minutes, but the City Islanders scored four times in the final half hour once the Hawks players began to tire. “They were a special team that went on to win the 2007 USL-2 championship, so we had nothing to be ashamed of,” Knight says of their 2007 opponents. As for their 2009 opponents, the Hawks are quite familiar with Real Maryland, having played them in two friendlies in February and March. Knight notes that much has changed since then. “That was an entirely different team that bears little resemblance to the Monarchs of today. We really respect what Coach Hudson is doing with that organization. I think the progress they’ve made in the last six months is immeasurable.”

An aspect of the team that is markedly different from 2007 is the name of the team. Now known as the Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks, the partnership was born in January 2008. At the time Doug Homer, coach of the US Maccabi in 2007 & 2008, worked with the Hawks to develop his training sessions for the Maccabi squad. Barry Gudelsky, one of the partners of Sportsplex Management Group, which owns Dulles Sportsplex and two other multi-sport facilities in the region, had been a long time Maccabi participant and supporter. Gudelsky had already sponsored a couple of the players on the Hawks for the Maccabi games, so he was familiar with the team. Doug and Barry both liked what they saw in the Hawks, in particular the commitment of the players to play for the love of the game and the high level of the team. Homer coaches with the Hawks as much as his schedule allows, and Gudelsky and his partners at Sportsplex Management Group have supported the team financially since January 2008. The team still asks for membership dues from the players, but without the financial support of Sportsplex Management, the Hawks would not likely be able to consistently pursue their team goals of a USASA amateur championship and Open Cup participation.

Above all else, Knight and his team will not take their Open Cup participation for granted. “Most of all, we know how hard it is to get these moments back.” Knight says.

2009 Meet the USASA: Emigrantes Das Ilhas

August 21, 2009 by

“Immigrants of the Islands” making their first US Open Cup appearance

Translated into English from Portuguese, Emigrantes Das Ilhas means “Immigrants of the Islands”, but as manager/player Carlos Amado plainly states, it simply means “We’re from theCape Verde Islands.” The club was founded in 1987 and aside from two seasons with the Super N League, the team has played in the New England Luso American Soccer League, which was formed in 2001 after a merger of the LASA (Luso-American Soccer Association) and NESA (New England Soccer Association). Emigrantes were NELASA champions in 2004, and also won the 2008 Massachusetts state cup. Defeating fellow NELASA club Strela Negra for the honors.

Aside from their success in the USASA Region I Open Cup tournament, which earned them their first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup appearance. Emigrantes have also reached the Region I Amateur Cup final. Off the field, many of the younger players on the Emigrantes squad have been awarded scholarships to local colleges and universities due in part to their participation with the club. “We’re a non-profit organization and we rely on neighborhood goodwill and business-based funding for support,” Amado says of his club. “Currently we are actively seeking sponsorship to enable us to not only to continue to compete in NELASA, but to also satisfy our equipment and uniform needs.”

The roster for Emigrantes features many players with experience playing soccer abroad. Leading the way is Carlos Semedo. Semedo played briefly for the New England Revolution in 2002, and before that played professionally in Portugual for clubs like Clube de Futebol Estrela da Amadora and Vitoria Futebol Clube Setubal. Semedo was a part of the Portuguese team that won the European U18 Championship in 1999.the USASA Region I Open Cup tournament, which earned them their first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup appearance. Emigrantes have also reached the Region I Amateur Cup final. Off the field, many of the younger players on the Emigrantes squad have been awarded scholarships to local colleges and universities due in part to their participation with the club. “We’re a non-profit organization and we rely on neighborhood goodwill and business-based funding for support,” Amado says of his club. “Currently we are actively seeking sponsorship to enable us to not only to continue to compete in NELASA, but to also satisfy our equipment and uniform needs.”

DOUBLE VISION

USASA Region I qualifiers Emigrantes Das Ilhas and Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks have found themselves in a unique situation. Both have advanced to the Region I Open Cup and Amateur Cup finals, which are both set to be played on June 21. On May 31, Emigrantes got there by defeating Pancyprian Freedoms 1-0, while the Hawks got by Baltimore Colts F.C. 3-1 in extra time.

Semedo was also the first Portuguese native to sign with an MLS club.

Captaining the club is Carlos Fernandes, who has played in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) with the Rhode Island Stingrays, New Hampshire Phantoms and Cape Cod Crusaders. Zico Veiga has been twice selected for the US National Amateur team, and has also represented Cape Verde on the Under-21 level.

Emigrantes cleared their Open Cup hurdle on May 24 by defeating Danbury United 4-2 in extra time. In 2007 it wasDanbury who qualified at the expense of Emigrantes via penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. It looked as though history may repeat itself when Danbury tied the game at 2-2 on an 85th minute penalty kick. Prior to that, Emigrantes took a 2-1 lead on two goals from Zico Viega. However, Denivaldo DaSilva and Justin Fernandez came to the rescue for Emigrantes goals in the second overtime period.

“We were confident going to Connecticut because we felt that they were fortunate to beat us in PKs in Brockton (Mass.) (in 2007) and that it was a missed opportunity for our team,” Amado said. In fact, one of the goals of the club is to grow to the level that Danbury United has, both on the field and off. Danbury’s home field is a part of the Portuguese Cultural Center in Danbury,Connecticut.

Portuguese speaking clubs have had a strong history in the southern New England area, with its roots coming from immigrants from the Azores and Cape Verde Islands in the late 19th century. According to Roger Allaway’s book “Rangers, Rovers and Spindles”, the majority of the Portuguese speaking New Bedford, Massachusetts population came from the Western Azores andCape Verde via American whaling ships, while those who settled in Fall River hailed from theEastern Azores, and did so due to recruiting done by the Fall River textile industry. The 1947 Open and Amateur cup winning Ponta Delgada club, from Fall River, took its name from the capital of Sao Miguel, the island most of the towns’ Portuguese population came from.

While Cape Verde has yet to qualify for either the World Cup or African Cup of Nations, it has produced talents like Nani (Manchester United), Patrick Viera, Miguel (Valencia), Jair (New England Revolution) and Rolando (Porto). However, most of the top talent chose to represent other nations when they are eligible to do so.

Amado knows that his club’s First Round Open Cup game against the Western Mass Pioneers of the USL Second Division is more then just a chance to pull an upset. “This is an opportunity for some of our young players to display their talents and for us to make our Cape Verdeancommunity proud.”