Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

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2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Ocean City upsets Pittsburgh, files protest in hopes of hosting Philadelphia Union in Round 3

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Carey Stadium ("The Beach House") in Ocean City, NJ

UPDATE: Ocean City’s protest was unsuccessful, so the Third Round match against the Philadelphia Union will take place, as announced, at PPL Park.

Round two of the 100th edition of the US Open Cup kicked off in Ocean City, New Jersey tonight as the Ocean City Nor’easters of the PDL took on USL Pro side Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The Nor’easters, victors over the RBNY U-23s were taking on a Riverhounds squad that needed extra time and penalty kicks to overcome USASA side RWB Adria in the previous round.

The Nor’easters emerged victorious 1-0 thanks to a stout defense and a 68th minute goal by Ken Tribbet to give the club their fifth upset of a professional team in team history. Among amateur teams, only the Michigan Bucks (9) have more pro team upsets in US Open Cup play in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present).

However, shortly after the final whistle blew, the Nor’easters front office, led by general manager Neil Holloway filed a protest with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) over the location of their Round 3 match. It was previously announced that if the Nor’easters defeated the Riverhounds, the Philadelphia Union would host. However, according to Ocean City, they should be hosting.

According to Holloway, there are two main issues. First, the Nor’easters did not receive a copy of the 2013 tournament rules prior to the venue declaration deadline, so they were unaware their home, Carey Stadium, was three yards shy of the Open Cup standard width of 68 yards. The club submitted their venue declaration form, with the width listed as 65 yards and they won the hosting coin flip for the first two rounds. When the team received the 2013 handbook on May 7, the day the Preliminary Round began, Holloway realized that his field was not up to standard and moved quickly to widen the field to 71 yards.

Despite declaring a month in advance that the field was 65 yards, the Nor’easters won the hosting coin flip and were awarded home games for Rounds 1 and 2 because, as Holloway learned from a USSF official, the federation waived their minimum standards for those two games. However, after Ocean City won the hosting coin flip for Round 3, USSF chose not to waive the minimum standards, thus giving the home game to Philadelphia. Based on that scenario, Holloway’s complaint is there being different rules for different teams.

With the Third Round less than a week away, the Nor’easters expect a relatively quick ruling on their protest.

“I contacted less than 12 hours after the Round 3 announcement had been made,” said Holloway. “They had an opportunity to overturn it, but they chose not to.”

The club sees this as an opportunity to bring professional soccer to South Jersey, but doesn’t deny the financial stakes in play when it comes to hosting an MLS team.

“If USSF is trying to grow the game, having a game like this in Ocean City would be a tremendous event,” said Holloway. “Financially-speaking, it could set our club’s budget for the next three to four years. However, if we have to travel to Philadelphia and we don’t get a percentage of the gate, or anything.”

Regardless of where the game is ultimately played, this will be the second MLS team that Ocean City has played in franchise history. The first time they reached Round 3 was in 2009 when the club dropped a close 2-0 decision to DC United at the Maryland Soccerplex.

Pittsburgh controlled the play and possession early on in the match, winning a free kick only a few minutes into the game. The free kick was lobbed into the box, but the Nor’easter keeper Brian Billings managed to collect it with ease. Pittsburgh kept the pressure on though throughout the opening minutes of the half. Ocean City were keeping it together though, handling everything that the Riverhounds threw at them. Eventually, the Nor’easters starting making their way into the game. Not only absorbing the Pittsburgh pressure, but stringing together a counter attack as well.

The Nor’easters had a good opportunity in the 12’ when a cross was sent into the box, only to be headed out of play for a Pittsburgh goal kick. Both teams struggled to get a threatening attack going, play began to level out. Anthony Asante was lead into the Riverhound’s 18 yard box on a great through ball, but it was just out of his reach. The Nor’easters continued their attack, this time moving to the wing, but each attack proved unsuccessful. The Pittsburgh defense managed to repel each attack that came their way on the wing.

Asante was again lead in on goal by another great through pass in the 20’, but like his earlier attempt, it was just out of his reach and into the Riverhounds’ keeper’s hands. Possession slowly became equal between the two teams as each team’s attack stalled out in their opponent’s attacking third. Ocean City returned to attacking on the wing in the 27’, but once more, the Pittsburgh defense managed to repel the attack. Duke Lacroix put Asante in for a third time, but the ball seemingly rolled into Riverhounds’ keeper Greg Blum’s hands.

Play was end to end on the pitch starting in the 30th’ as both teams searched for the opening goal. Riverhounds midfielder Kevin Kerr had his shot scooped up by Billings, the Nor’easter keeper handily. The Nor’easters responded with Lacroix had a shot from the top of the box handled easily by Blum who started the Riverhounds counter attack. The shot from almost the same spot, just opposite end, as Lacroix’s shot went well wide of the Nor’easter goal. Minutes later, Pittsburgh managed to get a cross into the Nor’easter box, but there was no one on the other end of it and it was cleared quite quickly.

In the 41st’, Pittsburgh forward Jose Angulo challenged Billings with a hard low shot, but Billings managed to hang onto it. As for Angulo, he went down almost immediately after the shot went off, having to be subbed off soon after for midfielder Seth C’debaca. That was the last of the action for the first half, with the first half finishing 0-0.

The second half began with two subs, one for each team. Forward Emmanuel Kollie came in for midfielder Abraham Keller, while forward Mike Seth came in for the Riverhounds. Almost immediately after coming into the game, Mike Seth managed to get the game’s first yellow card for a hard challenge on a Nor’easter player. Pittsburgh began the second half as they began the game, pressing hard, looking for that opening goal.

Ocean City’s next good attempt came when a ball fell to the feet of Emmanuel Kollie right in front of the Riverhounds goal. Unfortunately, Kollie’s shot was shot wide left and out for a goal kick. Pittsburgh won a free kick a few yards from the Nor’easter 18 yard box, but the attempt fell right into the hands of Nor’easter keeper Billings. Ocean City won the game’s first corner, which came in the 59th’. The corner came in high, but managed to get worked out for throw in near the corner in favor of the Nor’easters. The resulting throw in was quickly cleared by the Riverhounds defense once more.

Play continued to be a battle in the midfield, but allowed for Ocean City to get off a long ranged effort that went well over the Pittsburgh crossbar. However, a foul was called against the Riverhounds, giving the Nor’easters another shot on goal about 35 yards from goal. The shot, taken by Kollie, barely went over the Pittsburgh crossbar. The Riverhounds managed to break into the Nor’easter attacking third, toying with the ball just outside the OC box. The resulting shot ended up going well wide of the Nor’easter goal.

Ken Tribbet had the game’s very best effort when his shot hit the side netting, via a slight deflection. During the ensuing corner, the ball was ping ponged around the Riverhounds box, until Tribbet hit the ball home past Blum giving Ocean City a 1-0 lead in the 68th’. Pittsburgh attempted to respond via Jhonny Arteaga, but the Nor’easter defense proved too much and his attempt trickled out for a goal kick.

As the game approached the final ten minutes, Ocean City found themselves on the attacking end of things rather than on the defensive. Nor’easter forward Frank Tweneboa was sprung free in the 80th’, but his touch near the 18 yard box was too heavy to cause any problems. Moments later, Pittsburgh were given a free kick just outside the Nor’easter 18 yard box, but the kick went well wide of the Nor’easter goal. The Riverhounds continued to press on, but had trouble finding their equalizer.

Pittsburgh’s final attempt on goal came in injury time as Brian Billings was tested by the Pittsburgh offense, but Billings kept the Hounds off the board with a series of great saves. Moments later, the ref concluded the game, ending Pittsburgh’s cup run and continuing Ocean City’s journey, 1-0 to the Nor’easters.

Riverhounds coach Justin Evans had this to say about the result: “”its disappointing, its a game we should have won but we let it slip away from us”

The result adds to their total number of Open Cup wins by a PDL team, bringing the number to eight wins.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Wilmington Hammerheads net first road win 2-0 in Austin with Aztex aid

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Having beaten MLS clubs in the past, the Wilmington Hammerheads came into Tuesday’s contest with the PDL Austin Aztex fully focused after an embarrassing 4-0 home loss to amateur Cal FC a year ago in the Second Round and used some help from the hosts for a 2-0 win, moving on to a Third Round showdown with the Portland Timbers.

Troy Hernandez posted the shutout in his debut for Wilmington, making a few important saves in the early going and eliminating any potential nerves.

Things became a lot easier in the 23rd minute when his counterpart, Devin Cook, was sent off for taking down Steven Perry on a breakaway. Richard Isberner converted the subsequent penalty and the Hammerheads controlled from that point.

They were unable to find the back of the net themselves, however, with an own goal providing the insurance in the 68th minute. A failed clearance on a free kick led to Juan Cruz putting the ball in his own goal.

The victory was the first in tournament history away from home for the Hammerheads against all opposition, having come into the match 0-5-1 with a PK victory. It is a complete contrast to their 13-5-0 record at home.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Orlando City advances with 2-1 road victory over nearby Ocala

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If Sporting KC had plans of using reserves for the Open Cup, apparently Dom Dwyer is not a part of them as the red-hot goal scorer for Orlando City netted once again on loan while leading the USL Pro side to a 2-1 victory against the PDL Ocala Stampede.

The victory secured a home fixture next Tuesday against the Colorado Rapids at the Citrus Bowl in the Third Round.

Dwyer nearly wowed the crowd 20 minutes in with a bicycle kick, but made up for the missed effort seven minutes later via a play created on a turnover off an Ocala throw-in that defender Erik Ustruck stole and sent into the box. The ball deflected off a defender inside the area, falling to Dwyer, who looped it over goalkeeper Lex Craggs for the only goal of the half.

Five minutes into the second stanza a little free space allowed little used Adama Mbengue to tally his first goal of the year, firing into the lower right corner from about 17 yards for what proved to be the game winner with Ocala responding eight minutes later.

The hosts attempted to fight back against the USL Pro league leaders, but it took repeated efforts on one play to beat goalkeeper Jon Kempin, who made the initial stop on a 58th minute penalty by Christian Blandon. Kempin made up for the foul that led to the penalty with the penalty stop and a second on a rebound, but Blandon got one more bite at the apple and finally buried it.

The victory makes Orlando City perfect in four games against equal or lesser competition over the past three years, but the last two outings against MLS opposition have ended in one-goal defeats as they fell by the same 3-2 in Dallas in 2011 and in Kansas City a year ago.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: LA Blues avenge last year’s upset, cruise past Ventura County Fusion, 5-1

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The LA Blues came out in spectacular fashion tonight in Fullerton, scoring five goals in the first half, and knocking Ventura County Fusion out of the Second Round of the US Open Cup and advancing to the Third Round of the US Open Cup, where they will face MLS side Chivas USA.

The Fusion started out with possession for the first minute, but created very little chances and the Blues were quick to win the ball from the get go. Four minutes in, a perfectly crossed ball from Shay Spitz found Gabriel Gonzalez, who headed the ball into goal, giving the Blues an early 1-0 lead and kickstarting an onslaught that saw them up by three by the 12-minute mark.

The Fusion gained possession and bounced back making a run to set up Ema Boateng, who clumsily skied a shot just over the Blues bar in the sixth minute.

But not even a minute later, the Blues were on the attack when Matt Hall crossed a ball to Spitz, who struck with his left foot from the top of the box into the upper left corner for a spectacular finish, giving LA a 2-0 lead in just under 10 minutes.

You’d think the Fusion would start to look alive after finding themselves down two goals in 10 minutes, but it was quite the opposite, actually, as they themselves down by three only two minutes later. Mehrshad Momeni found a ball played from his right and danced around until he found some space to strike from distance, putting a rocket into the back of the net from about 20 yards out.

The entire first half was the LA Blues show, and now down by three the Fusion attempted to pick up the aggression when Frankie Lopez gained possession and spun a shot high, but it went well wide of the Blues’ net.

In the 29th minute things got worse for Ventura County when a defender dragged Gonzalez down in the box and the referee whistled for a penalty to the Blues. Allen Russell converted the penalty for LA and the Blues, now up 4-0, rode the advantage out, scoring another goal six minutes later. It was Momeni again, firing another 20-yarder off a corner cross and putting the Blues up by five.

In the 40th minute, Fusion midfielder Steve Palacios was given a yellow card for a hard foul on Momemi on the edge of the area that resulted in him being carried off after several minutes laying on the ground in pain.

The Fusion saw three more chances before the halftime whistle, but shots were high and wide.

Sam Hayden came up with a couple of big saves for Ventura County early and midway through the second half, preventing what could have been a sixth goal for the Blues. The Fusion saw a chance in the 68th minute but the header went high. Finally, in the 87th minute, the Fusion put themselves on the scoreboard when Peter Schmetz flicked a cross with his head into the back of the net from the six.

The Blues held onto their four-goal lead up until the final whistle blew, handing the Fusion a record loss as it was the first time in four years in which the Fusion have lost a game by more than one goal, including previous fixtures against the Blues and Chivas USA.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Dayton Dutch Lions down Dearborn during meltdown in OT 4-1

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A year ago the Dayton Dutch Lions were still winless in league play as they narrowly advanced in the Second Round and stunned the Columbus Crew in the Third Round en route to a surprising run to the tournament Quarterfinals. This seems to have given the side new life, as they own a winning record for the latest time in the season since moving from the PDL to USL Pro. However, they faced a stiff challenge during regulation from an amateur Dearborn Stars side, though that story completely changed in extra time. The Dutch Lions kept their cool and scored, while the Stars lost theirs and ended the 4-1 home side victory down to eight men.

As the first half kicked off, the Dutch Lions came out aggressive, dominating possession for much of the half. Dearborn immediately played tight defense to keep the Dutch Lions on the perimeter, and countered the tight passing with physical challenges, attempting to unsettle the USL Pro side. Through 25 minutes it seemed inevitable that the Dutch Lions would score as they sent chance after chance toward Stars keeper Vito Lonigro.

After sitting tight for much of the game, it was the Stars that struck first, however, off a counter following a Dutch Lions corner kick. Stars defender Mike Haidar sent a cross to Mo Kaba to get the visitors on the board in the 27th minute.

After being forced to regroup, the Dutch Lions caught a break in the 43rd minute when a Stars player hit the ground due to an errant elbow, The referee nearby stood over the player to assess if there was an injury, but play was never stopped, and no foul assesed. The Stars players in their defensive half just stopped moving, waiting for a whistle or a card, allowing the Dutch Lions’ Joseph Madigan to casually jog on in and put the ball past Lonigro to even the game up. The Stars immediately objected to the goal and felt it was bad sportsmanship on the part of the Lions to continue play. Nevertheless, the goal stood and half ended even.

The second half saw Dayton dominating possession once again, but Dearborn came out with more confidence and were able to mount a more organized offense. The Stars continued their physical play, going overboard when Mo Kaba was handed a straight red card in the 57th minute. Kaba made a very rough tackle on Dayton defender Jeremy Cheeseman, and his exit left his squad down a man.

One might expect an amateur squad who’s down to 10 men to bunker in again, however, Dearborn managed the space incredibly well, almost negating Dayton’s advantage. Through the last ten minutes of regulation, it was Dearborn that had the Dutch Lions on their heels. Keeper Matt Williams was forced to make some big saves, including on a looping 40-yard strike in the 88th minute that Williams had to leap and bump with his fingertips to send over the crossbar, ultimately saving the tie and forcing it to extra time.

From the start of extra session, Dayton came out focused. Their attack paid off in the 96th minute when Gibson Bardsley blazed down the left flank and fired a rocket past the Stars keeper for his second goal of the night.

Dearborn were clearly frustrated after losing the lead in the extra time they felt the game should have never went to, and started to break down, with the Stars answering Dayton goals with red cards instead of more goals. First, Joe Beshara was sent off in stoppage time of the first extra time period, leaving Dearborn down to nine. Shortly after that, the Dutch Lions would get a little insurance early in the second half of overtime when Tjeerd Westdjik put a ball through to Joel Delass to give them a 3-1 lead.

Nik Djokic then retaliated, not in the scoring sense that he brought to last week’s 2-0 win against the Michigan Bucks, but rather with a flagrant arm to the face of a Dayton player. He was also shown a straight red with seven minutes left, leaving the Stars with only eight men on the field. Dayton would add insult to Dearborn’s injury, when DeLass would return the favor to Westdjik, setting him up in the 119th minute to leave no uncertainty to the Dutch Lions victory.

The Dutch Lions now move on to the third round and a rematch from last year’s tournament, returning to Columbus Crew Stadium next Wednesday. It was a Third Round match in May of last year when the upstart Dutch Lions stunned the home crowd with a 2-1 upset win. After the Crew dominated most of the game, leading 1-0, the Lions executed some late scoring chances to beat the MLS side on their way to last year’s tourney quarterfinals. One would expect Columbus will be on their guard to avoid another embarrassment this year as the Crew’s head coach Robert Warzycha and an assistant coach were in the stands Tuesday to scout the competition.

Dayton Dutch Lions 4:1 Dearborn Stars SC

May 21, 2013 – Miami Valley Hospital Stadium, Beavercreek, Ohio

Scoring:

DEA – Mo Kaba 27’

DAY – Joseph Madigan, 43’

DAY – Gibson Bardsley, 96’

DAY – Joel DeLass (Tjeerd Westdjik) 107’

DAY – Tjeerd Westdjik (Joel DeLass) 119’

Discipline:

DEA – Zach Wilkes (Yellow) 45

DEA – Mo Kaba (Red) 57

DAY – Tjeerd Westdijk (Yellow) 101

DEA – Nik Djokic (Yellow) 104

DEA – Joe Beshara (Red) 105

DEA – Nik Djokic (Red) 113

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Visiting Rowdies prevail 2-1 in ‘Tampa Bay Derby’

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Georgi Hristov’s brace sent the Rowdies to the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night as NASL side defeated cross-bay USL Pro rival VSI Tampa Bay FC 2-1 in front of a small but boisterous crowd at Plant City Stadium.

After heavy thunderstorms invaded the area for much of the afternoon, the clouds gave way for what many fans would say was a historic night in Tampa Bay soccer history. This was not only the first meeting between the two clubs, but also the first time that two professional teams representing the Tampa Bay area had ever faced off against one another. Dubbed the ‘Tampa Bay Derby,’ this match lived up to all the hype.

First-year VSI thought it had the upper hand 16 minutes in when Rowdies defender Andres Arango was called for a foul in the box, but midfielder Tony Donatelli took the penalty kick only to be denied by a great glove save by Diego Restrepo. The Rowdies goalkeeper guessed correctly and was just able to get his hand on the ball shot low to his right.

The match would not remain scoreless for long as Rowdies Hristov was fouled just inside the VSI penalty area in the 20th minute. The Bulgarian forward took the penalty and comfortably put the ball past VSI goalkeeper Alex Horwath, giving the Green & Gold a 1-0 lead.

JT Noone would equalize for VSI in the 27th minute, receiving a low cross from fellow midfielder Shawn Chin at the top of the Rowdies’ penalty area and putting it past Restrepo at the far post. For Noone, the goal was a historical one because by putting the ball in the back of the net, he became the first player in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present) to score in five consecutive tournaments. He began his journey with a pair of goals for the PDL’s Ocean City Barons (now Nor’easters) in 2009, and scored one goal in each season with the Harrisburg City Islanders from 2010-12, before signing with VSI Tampa during the offseason.

Just before the halftime whistle, the Rowdies came back with a neat through ball up front to Hristov that proved fatal. The ensuing one-on-one with Horwath ended with the Hristov scoring the game-winner for the Rowdies. Despite scoring a historic goal against a crosstown rival, the Rowdies forward was somewhat stoic about the winner.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re playing against (VSI Tampa Bay FC) or some other team in another state,” he said. “My job is to score goals and I’m really happy with that.”

Rowdies head coach Ricky Hill was clearly delighted with his side’s victory.

“This is very important for us,” he said of the tournament. “We want to go as far as we can in any cup competition that we enter.”

The Rowdies will now face Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC in the Third Round at Al Lang Stadium next Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“It’s fantastic to host any MLS side,” the Rowdies’ boss said with excitement in his voice. “They are the number one league in the country. It’s great to see their class of players up close and personal.”

Scoring Summary:
Tampa Bay: Georgi Hristov – 21st minute (Penalty Kick)
VSI: JT Noone – 27th minute (Assisted by Shawn Chin)
Tampa Bay: Georgi Hristov – 43rd minute

Caution Summary:
Tampa Bay: Andres Arango – 16th minute
VSI: Kyle Hoffer – 20th minute
VSI: Alex Freitas – 65th minute

Starting Rosters:
Tampa Bay Rowdies:
GK Diego Restrepo; D Jordan Gafa, D Frankie Sanfilippo (Captain), D Daniel Scott, D Andres Arango; M Evans Frimpong, M Luke Mulholland, M Stuart Campbell (Kyle Clinton 82′), M Raphael Cox (Keith Savage 62′); F Georgi Hristov, F Carl Cort (Amani Walker 45′)

VSI Tampa Bay FC:
GK Alex Horwath; D Alex Freitas, D Kyle Hoffer (Captain), D Josh Rife, D Sean Reynolds; M Tony Donatelli, M JT Noone, Darren Toby, M Shawn Chin; F Douglas Dos Santos, F Andriy Budnyy

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Charlotte Eagles silence Sounders U23 3-0

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After cruising to an easy win last week, the PDL Sounders U23 side could find little of that magic on the road on the other side of the country Tuesday night in Charlotte, falling 3-0 to the unbeaten USL Pro Eagles, who advance to play host to the Chicago Fire in the Third Round next Wednesday.

Charlotte had the better of chances in the first half with Jorge Herrera sending a shot off the post six minutes in and Sergio Villasenor forcing a nice save from Zac Lubin int eh 25th, but were left scoreless until the second stanza.

Second half sub Drew Yates broke the deadlock in the 57th minute when he took advantage of a free ball and drove inside the box and let loose from about 16 yards, finding the lower right corner.

The game was locked up for the Eagles by Herrera, who converted from the spot after Samuel Asante was fouled in the box by Nick Raskasky

Herrera’s second strike of the night, fourth career in the tournament, came in the 65th minute when he put it in the lower right corner after Fejiro Okiomah brought the ball forward from the back.

The goals were his first since the 2008 tournament.

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Reading United earn first pro upset, 1-0 over Harrisburg City Islanders

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Mario Pinto of Reading United celebrates his goal with teammates in their second round against the Harrisburg City Islanders. Reading was one of four PDL teams to reach the Third Round. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

In a second round US Open Cup battle of two Philadelphia Union affiliates, Reading United pulled off a 1-0 upset victory over the Harrisburg City Islanders on Tuesday night. A Mario Pinto goal in the ninth minute and 90 minutes of sound defending sent United through to the third round for the first time in club history.

“ is a mentality,” Reading United coach Brendan Burke said. “When you’re defending from the front…it’s difficult for teams to get any sort of rhythm. is probably a more talented team than us right now, so we knew we would have to make the game a little ugly to get through it tonight, and we did it extremely effectively.”

Coming into the match, Reading had outscored its opponents 13-0. The team took that confidence into its contest against professional opposition, applying early pressure high up the field. In the ninth minute, a Reading goal kick bounced several times toward the Harrisburg net. Pinto judged the ball correctly and beat the City Islander defenders. He then hit a magical volley from the center of the box that Harrisburg keeper Nick Noble could do nothing about to put Reading up 1-0.

Harrisburg pressed forward after the goal, consistently going down the right side of the field with the speedy Morgan Langley. Several sequences involving Langley ended with Lucky Mkosana shots, but the forward could not find the back of the net. Reading goalie John McCarthy was a big reason for that, especially in the 39th minute when he saved a point-blank header off of Mkosana.

Mario Pinto of Reading United watches the ball carry into the back of the net in what would prove to be the game-winner against the Harrisburg City Islanders. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

In the second half, Reading continued to press high up the field. Darius Madison subbed in for Pinto, serving as a constant presence and nuisance to the Islander backline.

“You saw Darius chasing 60 yards laterally at the end of the game. That’s hard work that doesn’t show up in the score sheet but wins you games,” Burke said.

As the game wore on, however, Harrisburg exerted more and more pressure. The City Islanders controlled the ball for nearly the entire last 15 minutes of play, but solid defending kept them from scoring. Other than a shout for a penalty kick in the 86th minute, Harrisburg could not create too many solid chances. That lack of creativity would cost them, as they eventually fell 1-0.

Reading earned its first-ever Open Cup victory over a professional team with the win. Next up is the New York Red Bulls, which will be the first MLS squad Reading faces in Open Cup play. What can already be defined as a magical Open Cup run for the PDL side will continue in Red Bull Arena next week.

“It’s a big step forward for the organization,” Burke said. “What an experience. I just walked over and asked the team who’s going to mark Henry next week! I’m sure he won’t play, but maybe they’ll put him on for a token 10 minutes to let the boys enjoy playing against him.”

Reading United 1:0 Harrisburg City Islanders
Don Thomas Stadium – Reading, Pa.

Scoring Summary:

RU: Mario Pinto (unassisted) 9

Lineups:

Reading United: John McCarthy; Jonathan Dolezal, Damion Lowe, James Ockford, Benjamin Sweat; Keegan Rosenberry, Stephen Neumann, Emanuel Sanchez (Melvin Snoh, 65), Wesley Charpie; Larry Ndjock (Fatai Alashe, 74), Mario Pinto (Darius Madison, 56)

Harrisburg City Islanders: Nick Noble; Stephen Basso, Andrew Ribeiro, Coady Andrews, Colin Zizzi; Matthew Bahner, Cristhian Hernandez, Jamiel Hardware (Sainey Touray, 61), Morgan Langley; Jimmy McLaughlin (Yann Ekra, 61), Lucky Mkosana

Discipline:

RU: Keegen Rosenberry (caution – 42)
RU: Damion Lowe (caution – 67)
HCI: Sainey Touray (caution – 67)
RU: Stephen Neumann (caution – 90+)

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Richmond pull away from Icon FC to set up another rematch with DC United

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Michael Callahan of the Richmond Kickers dribbles through the Icon FC defense. Photo: Suz Kitsteiner | Richmond Kickers

Despite some early setbacks, the USL Pro’s Richmond Kickers sent Icon FC of the USASA home packing, 4-1 Tuesday night. Icon FC, anchored by former US international Danny Szetela, didn’t go without a fight, however, tallying an early goal and holding tough until late in a rough, chippy affair.

It took just nine minutes for the first goal to be scored in this contest, as Icon FC’s Argjent Duka got on the end of defender Kevin Garcia’s through ball in the Richmond box and slotted a goal past Kickers keeper Andrew Dykstra. The celebrations didn’t last long as Richmond’s Stanley Nyazamba scored just seconds later off of a Joseph Ngwenya assist. Both of those players would be involved further as the game progressed. Ngwenya converted a penalty 14 minutes later after a Richmond player was dragged down in the box. The MLS veteran calmly placed his shot in the lower-right corner of the goal after catching Icon’s keeper, Chris Duggan, out of position with a stutter-step. Icon then turned on the pressure, forcing Dykstra into making two saves in a four-minute span right before halftime. Despite their efforts, Icon went into the half down 2-1.

Coming out of halftime, the Kickers started peppering the Icon goal. Richmond forward Nate Robinson narrowly missed the open goal in the 52nd minute and Ngwenya put a scissor-kick just high in the 55th. There was some controversy in the 58th minute, as two Icon players seemed to handle the ball inside of the box. Center referee Mark Gorak saw it differently and allowed play to go on. Richmond responded with two shots in rapid succession, both well saved by Dugan.

Three minutes later, Dugan couldn’t keep his string of great saves going when Kickers midfielder Mike Callahan collected a ball from Ngwenya on the right wing and attempted to cross it in. The cross skipped off the shin of Icon defender Teddy Niziolek and nestled neatly under the crossbar to give Richmond a 3-1 lead. The official scorer credited the goal to Callahan, his first in the tournament this year.

In the 68th minute, Icon FC won a free kick on the corner of the Richmond area and was looking to punch a second goal in directly. The shot was easily collected by Dykstra for his fourth save, and the Kickers played on. Gorak, the referee, started to put his mark on the game from this point, clamping down on fouls and dealing two Icon yellows in a ten-minute span. The discipline wasn’t the only action left, however, as Richmond forward Stanley Nyazamba got on the end of a ball from Nate Robinson in the 85th and put it past Dugan to propel the Kickers to a 4-1 win.

The Richmond Kickers move on to host MLS side D.C. United on May 28th at City Stadium. This will mark the second year in a row, and the sixth time overall, that the two teams have faced each other in Open Cup play with United winning the last five of the six meetings.

#USOC100

2013 US Open Cup Second Round: Famed coach Ercoli leads Rochester Rhinos past GPS Portland 1-0 in first game back

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Brendan Doherty & Rob Elder contributed to this report

After a terrible start to the season due to a torturous road schedule and a plague of injuries, the one thing the Rochester Rhinos can almost always count on for sunshine is the US Open Cup. Though it was not easy, the club posted its first win under returning, but interim, coach Pat Ercoli Tuesday night by defeating GPS Portland Phoenix of the PDL 1-0, advancing to play host to the New England Revolution, who also happen to be their MLS affiliate, in the Third Round.

Ironically enough, the deciding goal for Rochester on the night came from one of their loaned players from the Revolution, Bilal Duckett. The right back got his head on the ball at the far post in the 65th minute to redirect a corner from Danny Earls past the keeper for the win.

The victory is only the second on the year for the Rhinos, who played six of their first eight on the road and had lost both home contests, including Saturday’s late 1-0 decision to league leading Orlando City side that played over an entire half a man down, prompting the dismissal of head coach Jesse Myers the following day.

The change resulted in Ercoli returning to the sidelines for the first time since 2004, though he has been serving as COO. The USL Hall of Famer won 16 trophies as the head coach of the Rhinos reached the Final on seven occasions in major competitions, including a runners-up finish in 1996 and the famous 1999 championship campaign in the US Open Cup.

The opening sequences were fairly wide open as both teams enjoyed promising chances even though Lance Rozeboom and Tyler Rosenlund combined well to control midfield. Portland found a break on the counter attack that resulted in a couple of corners in the 10 minutes, but both were cleared by the Rhinos without much worry.

Ross LaBaeux was fouled in the 14th minute which allowed Danny Earls to play a ball in to Blake Brettschneider at the far post. He headed it back across the front of goal to Tam McManus who had the first real chance for the Rhinos with his first timed volley smacked off the crossbar. Reidy was active again for the Rhinos down the right flank and trying to cut inside to find a shot.

In the 18th minute Blake Brettschneider had a chance from service by Bilal Duckett but the Portland goalkeeper does well to block the attempt and smother and rebound. Brettschneider failed to keep up the pressure on Portland’s net as he appeared under the same spell as the rest of the Rhinos team as of late and was keen to pass the ball back at every chance.

GPS Portland’s first shot of the night came just after the hour mark but sailed wide of the mark without calling Nicht into action. Before the halftime whistle, GPS Portland had two yellow cards for late challenges

At the break the Rhinos had 4 shots, 2 on target, 4 corners, and 10 fouls. Portland only had one total shot, 2 corners and 4 fouls. There was a delay for a little over an hour as a summer thunderstorm passed through Rochester. GPS Portland took advantage of the time to regroup and came out for the second half to sub Ben Havey in for central midfielder Sean Rosa.

In the 54th minute Interim Head Coach Pat Ercoli, after watching Mike Reidy cross into the accepting arms of Portland goalkeeper Perron, decided he didn’t like what he was seeing on the field, 2012 Rhinos player of the year and USL All-League team J.C. Banks came on for Ross LaBaeux.

GPS Portland showed they weren’t pushovers in the 56th minute as Danny Earls cleared a headed corner kick off the line before Appiah’s forced Kristian Nicht into a diving save. In the 60th minute George Kyriazis comes off for Tyler Bellamy but it appears to be a hamstring injury not the upper body injury from the end of the first half.

Mike Reidy showed Pat Ercoli why he should stay in the starting line up by latching onto the end of a long ball in the 64th minute but his shot was saved by a diving Perron for a corner. New England Revolution loanee Duckett nodded home  the resulting corner served up by Danny Earls in the 65th minute.

Earls did well to overlap down the left side to cross balls into the box in the 83rd. Immediately after their goal the Rhinos pressed to apply the killing blow but after a corner kick the play moved back to the midfield.

In the 78th minute Bompart came out for Diebold who was active crossing into the box late. DaSilva went down under questionable contact outside of the area but the Portland bench was outraged calling for a penalty. Former Rochester Rhino Nano Short put a header just wide for Portland within the last 8 minutes.

The flow of the match swung back to Portland as they forced another Kodak-moment save from Kristian Nicht. Portland had a chance late but their free kick from within 30 yards was deflected out for a corner. The resulting kick was punched out by Kristian Nicht who earned his shutout.

The final whistle had the USL-Pro Rochester Rhinos over the PDL GPS Phoenix 1-0. The Rhinos their 18 year winning streak in their opening round in the US Open Cup alive and will now host their MLS affiliate New England Revolution next Tuesday at 7:35PM.

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