USASA

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: City Islanders oust West Chester United to continue 4th division dominance

May 19, 2016 by Michael Berton

Harrisburg City Islanders vs. West Chester United in the 2016 US OpenCup. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

City Islanders FC (formerly Harrisburg City Islanders) has made a name for itself in the US Open Cup as giant-killers. On Wednesday night, the giant-killers took the role of the giants and held off their amateur opponents in West Chester, Pa.

In front of the largest crowd in West Chester United SC history, the City Islanders scored a goal in each half en route to a 2-0 victory that propelled them to the US Open Cup Third Round. With the win, Harrisburg improved to 12-1-0 all-time against amateur opponents.

After four years of falling just short of the Open Cup, West Chester qualified this year by notching a pair of wins over Philadelphia-area teams Junior Lone Star and Salone FC in the open division qualifying tournament. United, which plays in the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania, advanced past Fredericksburg FC 8-7 in penalty kicks after finishing 1-1 at the end of regulation in the First Round.

With its First Round victory, West Chester got to host an Open Cup game for the first time.

Bobby Warsaw of the City Islanders scores the team's first goal against West Chester United in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger. — Bobby Warsaw of the City Islanders scores the team’s first goal against West Chester United in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger.

“This is the biggest game we have ever hosted, and it was our first game against a pro side” West Chester coach Blaise Santangelo said. “We filled the place. It was an exciting night.”

The home crowd had very little to cheer about in the beginning of the match. The City Islanders pressed forward early and dominated the first portion of play. The away side was awarded for its effort in the 13th minute. The ball was played into the West Chester penalty area, where City Islanders forward Craig Foster passed it on to Bobby Warshaw. The defensive midfielder made no mistake with his shot, burying it in the back of the net.

City Islanders FC coach Bill Becher said, “Bobby is more of a defensive player usually, but he helps the guys around him a lot. He and the rest of the team played a very good first half.”

After the goal, West Chester started to get some chances going forward. Those chances were not leading to goals, however, and the City Islanders kept threatening with their speed over the top.

Speaking about the City Islanders, Santangelo said, “They kept stretching us defensively. They also played a lot of one-touch soccer, moving our guys around. They were getting us out of our shape.”

The City Islanders, which are currently 12th out of 14 teams in the United Soccer League Eastern Conference, started the second half in much the same way they started the first. Early pressure led to a corner kick in the 49th minute. The initial kick from Jose Barril did not find a player in the box, but the ball was eventually played to Matthew Bolduc, who curled a shot around keeper Charlie Sales to give his team a 2-0 lead.

With a comfortable lead, the pro side took its foot off the gas a little, and West Chester pushed everything forward. In the 59th minute, the home team even scored a goal, only to have the play called back for a foul.

Through a light rain, City Islanders FC held West Chester at bay for the rest of the second half. The 2-0 scoreline held, sending the fans home disappointed.

Becher said, “It was a good result. These games are tricky. We knew it would be a battle. They gave us a tough time, and this tournament is crazy. But we played well enough to get the win.”

With the win, City Islanders FC moves on to the Open Cup Third Round. It will play on the road to another amateur team–Chattanooga FC. A victory there would mean the chance to become giant-killers yet again, as a Fourth Round berth comes with a guaranteed match-up with an Major League Soccer team. Harrisburg has eliminated a MLS team five times since its first Open Cup appearance in 2007.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Lansdowne Bhoys earn Cosmo League’s first pro upset, 2-0 vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

May 19, 2016 by John Krysinsky

Lansdowne Bhoys pose for a team photo before their 2016 US Open Cup match vs. Long Island Rough Riders.

Lansdowne Bhoys FC continue to make the most of its first-ever Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, upsetting the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2-0 at Highmark Stadium in a Second Round match on Wednesday. Craig Purcell led the amateur club from Yonkers, NY past the United Soccer League side to become the first Cosmopolitan League team to upset a pro team in the Modern Era (1995-present).

“As I said in the lead-up to this game, if my players were able to train five, six days per week, they would do very well in the USL,” said Lansdowne Bhoys head coach Austin Friel. “We were patient, and took our chances when we had to — and made the most of them.”

In a game where the Riverhounds clearly dominated possession, they could not find the back of the net, despite having 14-8 advantage in shots — and twice as many corner kicks (8-4).

The game turned early in the match, as the Hounds’ Karsten Smith was called for a foul in the 10th minute.

Lansdowne’s James Nealis lined up a free kick from 32 yards near the center of the field. His bending ball toward the far post connected with Purcell, who cleanly headed it past Riverhounds goalkeeper Mauricio Vargas for the early lead.

“ complete breakdown,” said Riverhounds assistant coach Josh Rife. “You can’t let a guy have a free header in the box. I don’t care what level you play against. Those are bad mental mistakes. When you are not scoring goals like we are, you can’t be giving teams goals like that because right now, we’re not a team that has a lot of confidence to be able to score a lot of goals right now.”

From that point, the Bhoys were content to keep the back line and midfield tightly-organized and mostly in front of the Hounds attack. They also were willing to strategically take fouls to slow down Pittsburgh.

The Riverhounds had plenty of possession– and build up to its attack from the perimeter — and at times were getting crosses in mostly from Kevin Kerr’s right side — but few connected to create quality chances.

Zak Boggs had the only clear-cut shot on goal in the first half, and then early in the second half, in the 51st minute. Kerr sent a lining cross from the right side that connected with forward Corey Hertzog, which pinged off the bar, and bounced away from goal.

While the Hounds kept coming, Kerr and Lebo Moloto, the team’s two leading returning scorers from the team that reached the USL playoffs and the US Open Cup Fourth Round last year had an answer. The duo really started working off each other with short passes to try to get an open opportunity in the crowded box.

The highly-organized Lansdowne Bhoys held on — limiting the Hounds’ shots mostly from distance.

The Riverhounds first sub of the game turned out to be a bit of an omen.

Drew Russell entered the match for Zak Boggs in the 58th minute, and within seconds was called for a handball with intent by referee Chuck Murphy as he was trying to secure a through ball to get behind a Bhoys defender.

Eleven minutes later — Russell inexplicably redirected a ball played into the box with his hand again, and was sent off with his second yellow card.

Playing down a man, the Riverhounds became more vulnerable to the Lansdowne counter attacks. Sure enough, moments later, in the 75th minute, Ovan Oakley ripped a shot from the far left end line.

Vargas reached out to knock away the shot from a difficult angle — and it rolled right to Purcell’s foot. With an open goal in front of him, Purcell buried a one-time shot that gave the amateurs a two-goal lead with 15 minutes to play.

The 10-man Riverhounds could not surmount any additional dangerous opportunities in the final 15-plus minutes, and the Landowne Bhoys pulled off the big upset.

“I am so delighted for our club, for our community,” said Friel. “A lot of hard work has gone into this. I am very proud of my players tonight.”

For the Riverhounds, it was another lackluster effort at home, where in four games this season, they are 0-4, having been outscored 8-2.

“At the end of the day, it’s not good enough as a group,” said Rife. “Up to this point, there’s not a game where we’ve not been in. But we don’t seem to have what it takes right now. Whether or not that’s the coaching staff. The players. It just has to be better.”

“Are we disappointed, yes. Extremely disappointed. Sure,” added Rife. “The beauty of the US Open Cup is what happened out there today. That anybody on any given day can win. Obviously from our standpoint it hurts. It stings greatly for us.”

Line-ups:

Riverhounds – Mauricio Vargas – Ryan Dodson (Nick Kolarac 84′), Karsten Smith, Willie Hunt, Mike Green – Zak Boggs (Drew Russell 59′), Lebo Moloto, Stephen Okai, Kevin Kerr, Conor Branson – Corey Hertzog (Caleb Postlewait 77′)

Subs not used: Hunter Gilstrap, Alex Harlley, Sergio Campbell, Isaiah Schafer

Lansdowne Bhoys FC – Abdoukarim Danso – Shaun Foster, Sean Kelly, James Nealis, Tom Wharf (Ciaran McGuigan 30′) – Craig Purcell, Stephen Roche – Conor Hunter, Daryl Kavanagh (Karim Russel 82′), Ovan Oakley (Michael Bello 86′), Sikele Slyvester

Subs not used: Timothy O’Driscoll, Aidan Tucker

Scoring Summary:

LAN – Craig Purcell 10′ (James Nealis)

LAN – Daryl Kavanagh 76′

Misconduct Summary:

LAN – Conor Hunter 30′ (caution)

LAN – James Nealis 45′ (caution)

LAN – Ciaran McGuigan 49′ (caution)

PGH – Lebo Moloto 55′ (caution)

PGH – Drew Russell 60′ (caution)

PGH – Drew Russell 69′ (caution/ejection)

LAN – Shaun Foster 90′ (caution)

2016 Meet the Underdogs: Boston area’s Southie FC want to be more than weekend warriors

May 18, 2016 by Brian O'Connell

Like many great success stories in American soccer, the idea of Southie FC started with a couple of college buddies who weren’t quite ready to give up playing the beautiful game after graduation.

Following the completion of their studies – as well as their NCAA soccer careers — at Providence College in 2010, Sean Bakhtiari and Roy Sandeman soon hit a fork in the road.

While Bakhtiari and Sandeman both intended to extend their playing days at the PDL level – Bakhtiari had played for Seacoast United while Sandeman suited up for Western Mass Pioneers – the reality of starting a career in the real world conflicted with that idea.

So they compromised. Initially, both were content with linking up with one of many local amateur sides in Boston. But before long, they both realized they didn’t just want to show up and play every weekend.

“After one year with this local team, we thought it would be fun to start our own team, run it in a semi-professional manner, recruit our own friends and players, and try to surpass the success of local clubs like GPS Omens, Battery Park Gunners and Boston Olympiakos,” Bakhtiari said. “So in the fall of 2012, Southie FC was launched with the vision of playing our first outdoor season in the spring of 2013.”

The duo immediately went to work on their new idea. During the winter of 2012-13, the Providence alums gathered together some of their former Providence Friar teammates and friends and put together a roster.

“We didn’t really ‘recruit’ players,” Bakhtiari said. “We’re basically a group of friends and friends of friends who love the game, played competitively growing up, and demonstrate a ‘team-first’ focus.”

In a sign that the soccer gods were clearly smiling upon the efforts of Bakhtiari and Sandeman, the Boston-based outfit was afforded the
opportunity to take over the spot formerly inhabited by Suchi FC and enter the first division Massachusetts State Soccer League (MSSL)
instead of starting from scratch in the league’s second tier.

GPS Omens and Southie FC square off in 2016 US Open Cup qualifying at Lawrence Veterans Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Mass.

It didn’t take long for the newly-formed outfit to thrive. In its first season in MSSL, the so-called Boys in Neon (for its neon green
kits) finished in second place, one point behind league champion Mass United FC.

Southie’s initial success was no flash in the pan, either. Not long after, the club expanded its reach, fielding three separate teams in
different leagues in Massachusetts, all which have garnered success.

To say that the original squad has set the bar would be an understatement.

Since its debut three years ago, Southie has gone on to win the Massachusetts Amateur Cup (2015), Massachusetts State US Open Cup
(2015), MSSL Division 1 North, (2015), MSSL Cup (2014), and claimed runner-up finishes in the MSSL league (2014) and Massachusetts US
Amateur Cup (2014).

The most recent – and perhaps greatest – success came last week, when Southie pulled off a 2-0 win over Seacoast United Phantoms of the PDL during the First Round of the US Open Cup.

“ was something special for all the guys involved in our club,” Bakhtiari said. “We have about seven guys, including myself, who
played for Seacoast United growing up. Very few teams and players ever get the chance to compete in the most prestigious soccer tournament in the country and we’re very proud to have qualified and represent Massachusetts well.”

While Bakhtiari and his Southie teammates already have plenty to be proud of, they’re certainly not resting on their laurels.

“Right now, we’re focused on May 18th’s US Open Cup match in Rochester ,” Bakhtiari said. “On paper, we are heavy underdogs, but we’re confident in our ability to pull off an upset on the road midweek.”

Whether Southie can pull off another stunner against the defending USL champions remains to be seen.

No matter the outcome of the Second Round clash, Bakhtiari is clearly savoring the spoils of the dream birthed by two college buddies who simply wanted to keep playing competitive soccer after commencement day.

“Our team-first focus has always been our No. 1 motive and, in my opinion, has been the biggest contributor to our club’s success,”
Bakhtiari said. “This means, committing to the team’s goals, understanding certain player selection decisions, having each other’s back on and off the field, and focusing on team play vs. individual play.

“I’m probably most proud of our team-first attitude more than anything with Southie FC. It’s something special.”

Brian O’Connell is a freelance writer who also created and runs the website New England Soccer Today.

2016 US Open Cup Round 1: West Chester United mark debut with PK shootout win over Fredericksburg

May 14, 2016 by J.T. Alwin

West Chester United scored first and survived a late tying goal by Fredericksburg FC, eventually earning advancement with a 8-7 edge in a penalty kick shootout in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday evening.

The match was played at the University of Mary Washington’s Battleground Athletic Complex and marked the first-ever Open Cup win for the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) side from West Chester, Pa. It was the second loss in two tries for the Fredericksburg FC National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) franchise, who dropped their opening match of the 2014 tournament to the Richmond Kickers (USL).

The guests from the Philadelphia area came out of the gates fast and controlled the play for the first 10-15 minutes before Fredericksburg settled into the match and play began to even out.

Despite its early presence in the FFC attacking third, it was the hosts that would get the first quality scoring chance of the evening, but WCU goalie Charles Sales dove to his right to deny a Juan Monge’s free kick in the 24th minute.

West Chester immediately came back the other way, but their counter attack came up empty when Fredericksburg goalie Carlos Canas slid out to collect a through ball before WCU’s Charles Wilson could get onto the end of it.

The teams pretty much played to a stalemate for the next 15 minutes with Fredericksburg maintaining most of the possession and West Chester looking for counterattacks.

FFC would get another quality chance in the 40th minute. After stringing together some nice passes, Ivan Sakou ripped a shot from about 20 yards out, but Sales dove to his left to make the save.

WCU quickly went on the counter after the play and ended up with the ball deep in the left corner of Fredericksburg’s defensive third. Justin McCall then sent a cross in front that found the head of Matthew Poole, but his header from 10 yards out floated over the crossbar.

Play was opening up a bit as the half wound down and FFC nearly took advantage of it. Sakou lofted a diagonal ball over the WCU defense to the right side to a streaking Ryan Zinkhan, but Sales went low to his right to save Zinkhan’s ensuing shot to keep the game scoreless going into halftime.

The second half was more of the same as the first from both teams, FFC enjoying much of the possession and WCU staying organized defensively and trying to hit counter attacks when they presented themselves.

One of those eventually led to the go-ahead goal when Joseph Sales took a pass on the left side deep in the Fredericksburg end and skipped a well-placed shot past a diving Canas, off the right post and in to put West Chester ahead 1-0 in the 59th minute.

With the lead, WCU emphasized its organized defense even more and almost saw out a 1-0 victory, until the closing minutes.

With FFC pushing hard for a tying goal in front of an exuberant home crowd, Zinkhan took a ball at the top of the West Chester goal area, took a few touches to his left and fired a shot toward goal that caromed off a WCU defender’s arms just inside the box resulting in a penalty kick.

Zinkhan calming stepped up to the spot and buried a shot past Sales in the 87th minute to tie the game 1-1 before racing to the corner of the field to celebrate with the FFC youth players he coaches when not captaining the NPSL side.

The clearly drained teams played out the ensuing 30 minutes of extra time with neither really getting any clear chances to take the lead meaning the game would move on to a penalty kick shootout to determine who advanced to next Wednesday’s second round.

The first seven shooters for each team coolly converted their spot kicks, but the eighth round would begin a dramatic shootout finale.

First, FFC’s Canas dove to his right to deny West Chester’s David King, giving the home side a chance to win with a its next kick.

Fredericksburg’s Cedric Ekoue then sent his ensuing kick to the left, but WCU’s Sales ranged to his right to make the save and force another round of kicks.

West Chester’s Thomas Ryan then strolled up and put the first shot of the ninth round away, but Fredericksburg’s Sakou could not follow with the same, sending his kick over the crossbar and the WCU players into a frenzy of celebration in the penalty area.

West Chester now advances to face the United Soccer League’s Harrisburg City Islanders in next Wednesday’s Second Round. West Chester will host the clash between Pennsylvania opponents, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.

SUMMARY

LINE-UPS (not by position, just starters and subs):
WCU—Charles Sales, Mark Fetrow, James Graf (Peter Janelli 73’), David King, Jordan LeBlanc, Justin McCall (Julien Aoyama 61’), James Miller, Matthew Poole, Thomas Ryan, Joseph Sales, Charles Wilson (Jeremy Payne 69’). Subs not used: Anthony Noel, William Brown, Patrick Tobey, Samuel Yarosh.
FFC—Carlos Canas, Juan Monge, Assane Keita (Francesco Amorosino n/a), Matthew Carragher (Simond Kargbo n/a), Cedric Ekoue, Michael Bennett (Patrick Sedjro 66’), Romena Bowie, Nick Rich, Uriah Bentick, Ryan Zinkham, Ivan Sakou. Subs note used:

SCORING:
WCU—Joseph Sales 59’
FFC—Ryan Zinkhan (PK) 87’

CARDS:
FFC—Ryan Sinkhan 45’
WCU—Jordan LeBlanc 53’
FFC—Matthew Carragher 73’
FFC—Cedric Ekoue 103’

2016 Meet the Underdogs: UPSL’s LA Wolves rose from ashes, set to make US Open Cup debut

May 11, 2016 by Zach Smith

LA Wolves FC was 24 hours away from turning the lights off on their franchise.

With finances of running a fourth-tier franchise becoming increasingly difficult, the Wolves got a pair of major corporate sponsors to keep them afloat. Just over a year later, they’re preparing to face off with PDL stalwarts Ventura County Fusion in the first round of the US Open Cup Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT at the Ventura College Sportsplex.

“We’ve not only been able to expand the first team to another level, but we have two reserve teams and we have a youth program,” LA Wolves President and CEO Yan Skwara said. “In two years, we’ve gone from zero to 100 to almost out of business. Now we’re rising again.”

LA, which won the UPSL Western Conference for the second straight season, qualified for the US Open Cup thanks to a pair of 2-1 wins, first beating Del Rey City FC and then against well-known giant killers Cal FC on Nov. 21.

The original LA Wolves were one of the founding members of the United Soccer Association in 1966 before the league merged with the National Professional Soccer League to form the NASL in 1967. Chick Hern, the legendary voice of the Los Angeles Lakers was also the voice of the Wolves. They played in the Los Angeles Coliseum and won the USA championship before folding in 1968.

Skwara started the club two years ago, seeing there was a gap in competitive play after the youth level. LA dominated its first-ever game with a 6-0 win against Orange County Crew in October 2014.

“Our goal from the get-go was to launch the Wolves into the market as a pro-development football club,” Skwara said. “We like working with players that are at a high level and want to get to the next level. There’s a huge amount of talent, especially in Los Angeles.”

LA Wolves FC Del Rey City — LA Wolves and Del Rey City battle for the ball in a 2016 US Open Cup qualifying match. Photo: LA Wolves FC

In UPSL winter action, the Wolves finished 11-1-4 and won the Western Conference and were led by Paolo Cardozo with 16 goals and Miguel Sanchez with 11. The defense, led by goalkeeper Kifi Kalani, had seven shutouts. In the last two years, LA has won 30 of its 36 UPSL games.

There aren’t many players from the current iteration of the club that have gone on to play at the next level. Cameron Marlow played with the team last year before going to Scotland to play for Queen’s Park Football Club in the Scottish second division.

While the Wolves are making their first-ever Open Cup appearance this year, Ventura County has qualified for the tournament in each of the last seven seasons and set a new Modern Era amatuer record with at least one win in the last five tournaments.

“They’ve been here before so this is old hat for them,” Skwara said. “They have a core base of players who have been playing in the Open Cup for five years, so this is no walk in the park. Our guys are ready to take it on and we can come through the other side.”

The winner of the Wolves-Ventura County game will host the OC Blues of the USL in the second round on May 18.

Despite the familiar opponent and underdog role the team has adopted, Skwara knows there’s no room for mistakes. All in all, he said the Open Cup has been a wonderful experience for the young club thus far.

“The Open Cup, without a question, is great because you can feel the electricity in the air,” he said. “The players are at a different level mentally. Regardless of who you’re playing, it’s going to be very intense and it’s all business.”

2016 Meet the Underdogs: US Open Cup debutant Outbreak SC proves that practice is overrated

May 11, 2016 by Brandon Gee

As of late last week, according to Outbreak SC’s player/manager, Trent Bryson, the team had only had three practices in the past 10 years. In spite of that, this group of friends from around Orange County, Calif. have won their division five times in the last six years, and are now gearing up for a first round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match Wednesday against the Seattle Sounders U23s.

Yet this is not a team lacking pedigree. Nearly all of them played collegiate soccer, mostly for schools around southern California like Cal State Fullerton, UC-Irvine and UCLA. They even have Jason Boyce, a former professional player on the roster, who played for the USL Premier Development League (PDL) with Orange County Zodiac, in MLS with the Colorado Rapids and Miami Fusion after a college career at the University of Washington. He also played professionally in Seattle for the Sounders in their USL A-League days. This isn’t Boyce’s first chance at an Open Cup upset. He was on the amateur Hollywood United squad that knocked out the Portland Timbers, who were USL First Division team at the time) back in the first round of the 2008 tournament. Bryson said the team has never recruited solely for skill, instead opting for recommendations from current players on new guys who fit the personality of the club first.

The fact is that they don’t practice because of everyone managing careers, families and other responsibilities. Four players work with Bryson at a financial firm. Most guys keep their fitness up by playing in weekly recreational leagues, indoor soccer or futsal at one of the facilities near Long Beach where Outbreak got its name. They barely have time for drills before their Sunday matches in the SoCal Premier League’s Major Division.

Outbreak SC San Pedro Monsters — Players from Outbreak FC (blue) and the San Pedro Monsters battle for the ball in a 2016 US Open Cup qualifying match. Photo: Joe Walsh

Although they won that division last year, Outbreak SC earned their way to this moment by entering the US Soccer Federation’s Open Division qualifying tournament. In their first-ever Open Cup match, they easily dispatched Buena Park FC 5-1 on Oct. 25, then weeks later in their second round match, they fought off the San Pedro Monsters, who tied the game with two goals in last 15 minutes of regulation, to pull out a dramatic 4-3 win in extra time.

They’ll face a Sounders U-23 team that finished third in the PDL’s Northwest division, but ended up qualifying for the playoffs and reaching the PDL Semifinals. They’re returning a good number of players from last year’s squad including leading scorer Michael Bazja. When asked if Outbreak heading into the game at the end of their 16-game season (where they wrapped up the title on May 1) gave them an edge over Seattle, with a roster of college-age athletes playing together in their first match of the year tonight, Bryson deflected, saying, “I’m more worried about us nursing injuries than us being in game shape. I guess that’s when age gets to you.”

The youngest player on Outbreak is 26, but most are between 35 and 40.

“We just play well together,” said Bryson. “There are no superstars on the team.”

They rely on the fact that this crew of players have played together for so long that they just know where their teammates are going to be. Despite the age difference, Bryson said the part of their success is the confidence they have “when we show up, we expect to win games.”

Outbreak SC

A member of the SoCal Premier League’s Major Division, a step below the Premier Division (which was just won by past Open Cup darlings PSA Elite), Outbreak doesn’t plan on stepping up a level.

“This is truly about playing for the love of the game,” said Bryson. “None of us have any vision of going pro. We do more off the field than on the field.”

He added that the team “is more about the camaraderie amongst the guys.” As for the team’s goals for the Open Cup, they’re taking it game-by-game and, despite their confidence, admit some surprise that they’ve gotten this far.

Traveling mid-week can be tricky for amateur teams and Outbreak is no different. They’ll be missing a few starters, one, Tomer Konowiecki, to a family vacation, the others due to being unable to get out of work. Even though Outbreak does field a reserve team in the SCPL that they could’ve added people from and had the option to pull in a couple ringers for the Open Cup games, Bryson said the players made a decision to stick with the collection of guys that got them into the tournament.

“We all have friends that are great players who we could’ve brought in, but we said “we got here together, we’re going to finish this off together.”

2016 Meet the Underdogs: Lansdowne Bhoys conquer New York City, have sights set on US Open Cup

May 10, 2016 by Craig Tower

Lansdowne Bhoys pose for a team photo before their US Open Cup qualifying match against Worcester FC. Photo: Lansdowne Bhoys FC

Lansdowne Bhoys are making their first appearance in the US Open Cup, but they are not a new club. The Bhoys played their first game in the 1997 in the third division of New York’s Cosmopolitan Soccer League, slowly rising in the ranks before capturing the title for the past two years running.

The Lansdowne Bhoys qualified for the US Open Cup through two qualifying rounds. On October 17 of last year, they downed Newtown Pride of Connecticut by a score of 3-0, followed by a 5-0 victory over Worcester FC of Massachusetts on November 15.

But they have bigger ambitions than winning CSL or qualifying for the US Open Cup – the Bhoys are gunning for a spot in the USL.

“It hasn’t been easy,” says the Bhoys manager and head coach Austin Friel. “Starting a club takes a lot of hard work and dedication – especially an amateur club. Six years ago, we were a mid-table club, fighting relegation in the CSL.”

Irish Roots

Lansdowne was founded by Irish immigrants in New York who frequented a bar by the same name. “Lansdowne” refers to the Lansdowne Road field that was the national stadium for Irish rugby and football until 2007. The immigrants also decided to pay homage to Celtic FC of Glasgow, Scotland, by borrowing the nickname “Bhoys.”

“The Irish community is massive,” says Friel. “Six or seven of my starters all came from Ireland. They had no friends here. They mix with all the other Irish guys. And Lansdowne gave them a base to make new friends and play their soccer at the weekend.”

“Now that Lansdowne’s getting bigger and bigger, there’s actually guys that are playing pro in Ireland that are actually approaching me now to play here.”

A Club Reborn

The current gaffer arrived on the scene as a Bhoys player 10 years ago when visiting his brother in the New York area. He played a few games when he was in town, but didn’t take a full role until he moved here from the Emerald Isle five years later.

“I started playing for Lansdowne and they were gradually getting just a little bit better then. We got a new president, William McGrory, about six years ago, and we put together a new board that helped organize the club, run it better, bring in better players and better coaches. I took over as manager three years ago. It’s just gone from strength to strength since then.”

While the club started as an adult club, the management is now turning its attention to youth soccer through an affiliation with Yonkers United and their 24 teams. “I’m the director of coaching for both Lansdowne Bhoys and Yonkers United. It’s like 60-70 percent Irish-American kids.”

Friel is bullish on building the club from the roots – both locally and internationally. “The Celtic affiliation just started this year. We actually have a summer camp here from the 5th to the 9th of July in Yonkers. Celtic will send their top youth coaches out here for the week, which is massive I think. And it also means a few of our teams go over to Glasgow each year and use their facilities and play in tournaments and play in friendlies. So it’s only making our club bigger and stronger.”

And this helps to explain his hopes for the club in the future. “As I see it, Lansdowne are a sleeping giant,” says Friel.

An Athletic Style

Lansdowne Bhoys win the 2013 Eastern NY Open Cup title. Photo: Lansdowne Bhoys Facebook page

Friel promises that fans can expect to see energetic soccer from his side as they face off against the Rough Riders.

“We play a high tempo, high press game, we like to dominate possession. When we don’t have possession, we try to get the ball back. We like to dominate games. We play a nice passing style. We have a lot of good skillful players on our team.”

The goals could come from anywhere on the field, according to Friel: “To be honest, our scoring is pretty divided out. My midfielders would score as many goals as my forwards would, and we actually get a lot of goals from fullback, believe it or not. But we don’t have a goal-getter, the goals are spread around.”

Friel cites several players to watch, including ex-Arsenal U-18 captain and Irish U-19 national team player Sean Kelly and Daryl Kavanagh, who won the league of Ireland title with St. Patrick’s Athletic in 2013. “Sean Kelly is an excellent defender. He’s an intelligent footballer, and as I said he scored two 25-yard free kicks the last two games. He’s a great leader also.”

Of forward Kavanagh, Friel says “He actually just scored a hat trick for us in our last league game. He’s a very good link-up player between our midfielders and our forwards, but he has an eye for goal also.”

“Then I have Craig Purcell who is another guy from Ireland, he’s a center midfielder. He’s very vital in our style of play because he forces teams into mistakes with his high work rate.”

If you think the entire team is made up of Irishmen, you’re wrong. In addition to a smattering of Gambians and a Pole, Friel cites two Jamaicans who are key to the team’s success.

“One plays up top and one plays winger. The one up top is Sikele Sylvester. I think he’s one of most talented guy I’ve ever seen playing local football. Then obviously we have the lightning pace of Jamaican Ovan Oakley. He’s a winger, and he’s been on the scoresheet recently.”

Prospects Against the Rough Riders

Manager Friel measures his words carefully in talking about the Rough Riders. “I totally respect the rough Riders. They’ve been about for years, they’ve produced some good players, some players who went on to play a good level professionally. But, as I said, I don’t fear anyone.”

But the Bhoys have two main advantages over the Long Island outfit.

“We’ve been playing since September. They’re still getting organized, and I know it’s a lot of work for them, and they’re getting their paperwork sorted, getting their college kids back, some of them are in their finals. So maybe they don’t have their full squad available.”

The game would be a difficult task, then, for any PDL team as they prepare to face an in-form local side with international talent.

But Friel may have something else up his sleeve.

“Believe it or not, we have five Rough Rider guys playing for us not them. Five starters from last year on their team are going to be starting for us.”

Whatever the outcome on May 11, it’s likely that US soccer fans will be hearing more from Austin Frield and the Lansdowne Bhoys.

2016 Meet the Underdogs: Three-time champ Pancyprian Freedoms seek to add to club’s rich US Open Cup history

May 10, 2016 by Jack Cumming

New York Pancyprian Freedoms 2015 Team Photo

With a rich history in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms go into the 103rd edition of the tournament hoping to add to it, starting out tomorrow by hosting the USL PDL’s New York Red Bulls U23s (7:30 p.m., Belson Stadium, Jamaica, NY).

Representing the Cosmopolitan Soccer League in this year’s competition, the Astoria-based neighborhood club has won the crown three times, in 1979, 1980, and 1982. They have also had recent success winning the USASA equivalent of the competition in 2008, 2010, and 2011. Given their experience in the tournament, look out for this Helenic underdog as a potential upset.

Though the Red Bulls bring a big name to the tournament, the Freedoms will look for their strong following and supporters to keep provide a difficult environment for their opponents.

In addition to packing their home ground at Belson Stadium on the campus of St. John’s University, the Pancyprian-Freedoms will look to strong team play in order to advance to the next round.

“We rely on team play rather than on individuals,” said Freedoms’ team manager George Halkadis. “We have vast experienced players, the majority of which have played NCAA Division I soccer, many of which have gone on to play overseas, in the MLS, and the NASL.”

USASA teams have had recent success in the U.S. Open Cup. Chula Vista FC advanced to the third round before being bested by USL’s Sacramento City FC, and PSA Elite advanced to the fourth round of the tournament before losing to the LA Galaxy.

The Pancyprian-Freedoms will look to their favorable draw with the hopes of being the amateur team to advance furthest in the tournament. They play the winner of NPSL’s Clarkstown SC Eagles and PDL’s Jersey Express, dodging a USL opponent in the second round.

“I see the bracket draw as favorable,” Halkadis said. “We have a very good chance of getting to the third round. Being the last amateur club in the competition is . We’ll be more than satisfied if we get to that point.”

NTX Rayados disqualified the night before 2016 US Open Cup set to begin

May 10, 2016 by Josh Hakala

The night before they were scheduled to host Corinthians FC of San Antonio in the opening round of the 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the North Texas Rayados learned that they had been disqualified.

According to North Texas player/coach Tito Salas, the reason given by the US Soccer Federation was because the Rayados did not participate in the North Texas Premier Soccer League this past season due to injuries and player availability. In order to be eligible to participate in the US Open Cup, teams must be active in a USSF-sanctioned league.

“It’s disappointing,” said Salas. “ moving forward with a positive attitude. We plan to stay active active year-round. We’ll learn from this.”

North Texas were planning to take part in their fifth straight US Open Cup, an open division record for the Modern Era, and were set to host a tournament game for the first time on Wednesday night.

The US Soccer Federation explained the decision in a statement:

U.S. Open Cup Policy 203(a) states in part: “Teams entering the Open Cup shall use their official league roster as their Open Cup roster.”

Having skipped playing in their league’s 2016 spring season, Rayados does not have any players currently registered with their league. With no existing league roster, the team has no eligible players for their 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup roster.

According to US Soccer spokesperson Neil Buethe, the issue was discovered during a roster check with the North Texas Soccer Association. North Texas was eligible to compete in the open division qualifying tournament in the fall because they were active in the North Texas Premier Soccer League at the time. When the team pulled out of the league’s spring season, that’s what led to the disqualification.

Unfortunately for Corinthians FC, according to Jon Arnold, the team had already arrived in Dallas for Wednesday’s game before they were alerted of the disqualification late Tuesday night.

With the decision, Corinthians FC gets a free pass into Round 2 where they will face the USL’s San Antonio FC at Toyota Field on May 18 at 8 p.m. ET.

Corinthians are happy to move on, but they expressed their sympathies to their disqualified opponents:

@loJicIVOK @usopencup @Ntxrayados Our sympathies to NTX Rayados for the manner in which this happened we hope to see you back next year

— Corinthians FC SA (@CorinthiansFCSA) May 11, 2016

2016 Meet the Underdogs: Aromas Cafe FC embrace their “5000-to-1” odds in US Open Cup debut

May 10, 2016 by Sean Maslin

A debutant in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, Aromas Café FC is breaking ground not just in the Charlottesville area but also in the D.C. Metro area. The club’s victory against the Aegean Hawks was a watershed moment for the D.C.-Metro area as the Hawks have represented the state association at the region qualifying tournament nine of the last 10 years. That Aromas had also defeated a Tartan Devils side who have gone undefeated in the Greater Pittsburgh soccer league for three seasons should speak to the level of play of the Charlottesville team.

“Those were two great opponents who have a lot of great soccer and playing against them have definitely helped us prepare for this tournament,” said Aromas Café FC player-coach David Deaton.

Café FC is by no means a new team. Prior to securing a sponsorship deal with Aromas Café, a local French bistro from the Charlottesville area, the team played under various names in the region for close to a decade. It is a team made up of former Division 1 soccer players, and players from countries as diverse as Croatia, Morocco, and Mexico.

One name that might be familiar to soccer supporters from the D.C. –Metro area would be Jake Van Yahres. Van Yahres, who scored two of the club’s three goals against the Hawks, played for both American University and Virginia Commonwealth University. He was also named second team All-District in 2005 and Second Team All Region in 2004 for Charlottesville High School.

Despite their different backgrounds and experience levels Deaton believes what makes this team special is their bond.

“We may have 5000-1 odds of winning but in the history of this tournament smaller sides have succeeded when they are highly organized, they have good management, and play with purpose,” said Deaton.

Deaton believes his club’s background and experience will also come into play against their next opponents, the Richmond Strikers (who were known as Chesterfield United until a club merger shortly before the tournament).

“We feel very good ,” said Deaton. “They have a lot of players who are currently playing Division 1 soccer. But many of our players have also played Division 1 and we have tested ourselves in recent friendlies. We have also had players who have had the opportunity to go pro. There is no doubt that they are a talented squad; but we believe with our bond and our passion that we have a chance to win.”

Watch a local news story on Aromas Cafe FC below