West Chester United

2025 US Open Cup Round 1: Loudoun United holds off West Chester United to earn road win

March 19, 2025 by George Diamond

Loudoun United FC celebrates in the locker room after a 3-2 win over West Chester United in the First Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Loudoun United FC

Loudoun United FC knocked West Chester United out in the First Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on the back of a Riley Bidois brace. The home side were the ones who opened the scoring, via a Yassine Elkhaloun penalty kick. Although the amateurs kept the pressure on, Loudoun’s attack proved to be too powerful.

An elegant move saw an open Riley Bidois tap home from close range to equalize. After the half, Loudoun converted a penalty of their own, before Bidois bagged his second with an adept 1-v-1 finish. West Chester kept things interesting through a Kenneth Roby strike that brought them within one, but were unable to find a 3rd goal despite some late chances. The result sees Loudoun United advance to the Second Round. It marks the third year in a row that United has advancd in their first game.

On a pleasant evening that turned chilly with the sun’s setting, West Chester and Loudoun faced off for the first time in history under the lights at YSC Sports in Wayne, Pa. Both sides wasted no time, each creating several dangerous opportunities in the opening minutes of back and forth action. Under heavy pressure from three West Chester players, Riley Bidois lost the ball in his own half. Forward Joshua Luccini slipped midfielder Kenneth Roby in on net but Hugo Faroux’s kick save kept West Chester off the board.

The Pegasus responded with a few of their own attacks and it seemed like they would open the scoring. In the 7th minute, midfielder Benjamin Mines sent a curving cross onto the foot of forward Bidois, but the New Zealander’s shot was inches wide.

Not long after, the hosts opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Luccini played his winger Ayoub Mouhou into Loudoun’s area. Defender Alex Nagy applied pressure but his tackle attempt tripped Mouhou, causing head referee Joshua Encarnación to point to the spot. Yassine Elkhaloun stepped up and sent Loudoun keeper Faroux the wrong way, as he stroked home from 12 yards out.

West Chester, with the fans at YSC roaring them on, kept the pressure on Loudoun for the next several minutes. In the 22nd minute, Mouhou drove forward on the break and switched to Roby who cut back for midfielder Marcus Brenes’s late run. Brenes shot but Faroux was again equal to the task.

As the first half wore on, momentum swung in favor of Loudoun United. After probing the West Chester defence, the Pegasus took flight with an elegant maneuver to score. After regaining possession near midfield, the ball came to striker Christian Sorto. He bobbed and weaved through the West Chester wing before passing to Hurge. Hurge clipped a pinpoint cross to Mines, who volleyed a pass to a waiting Bidois at the back post for the leveller in the 37th minute.

The score remained at one apiece heading into the halftime break.

Early into the second half, Loudoun United would take the lead with a penalty of their own. In the 47th minute, a lurking Benjamin Mines was first to a spilled ball from WCU goalie Andrew Cooke. Mines collected and looked set to score but was brought down by Cooke in the keeper’s attempt to regain possession. Encarnación initially signaled advantage, as West Chester still had the ball, but Bidois’s miss caused the referee to point to the spot. Sorto was the chosen man for Loudoun. He shuffled his feet in the run up and sent Cooke the wrong way to give Loudoun the lead.

The Pegasus doubled their advantage not long after. Bidois would find his brace in the 61st minute. After a backheel flick from Sorto found midfielder Surafel Mengestu, the Ethiopian’s pass deflected off West Chester’s Ammit Bhogal and bounced favorably for Bidois. The Kiwi deftly finished past Cooke to bag his brace.

Not content to let things get boring, West Chester pulled one back in the 68th minute. Loudon substitute Yanis Leerman hit a hard pass to Mengestu who miscontrolled. Mouhou was ready to pounce and pushed past Mengestu before playing Roby through on goal. The former SUNY New Paltz Eagle made no mistake, and his low finish sent a shockwave of hope through YSC Sports.

With an impassioned West Chester pushing for an equalizer, there was always bound to be some drama. Deep into the 5 added minutes of stoppage time, the game threatened to boil over.

West Chester sub Giancarlo Vaccaro burned Loudoun’s Benjamin Mines with a slick dummy turn, and looked to be streaking towards goal. Mines, determined to stop the Eagles from scoring, could only haul Vaccaro down in desperation. As Encarnación blew for a foul, Vaccarro furiously went after Mines and pushed him to the ground, sparking an altercation between both teams.

After things calmed down, Encarnación booked both players and West Chester restarted with a free kick near mid-field. Every WCU player lined up in Loudoun’s box, including the goalie, in a final attempt to carve out a goal. After Loudoun cleared the initial ball, it came out to West Chester’s Ammit Bhogal on the edge of the box. Bhogal felt the push of the smaller Aaron Hurge, but went down too easily. Encarnación ignored the pleas of the WCU players and fans who felt otherwise, even booking Andrew Cooke for his excessive protest on the way back to his net.

That was the last meaningful action of the game as the whistle blew for full time shortly after.

When asked about his team’s performance on the night Loudon Head Coach Ryan Martin stated that lots of his players played well, with several making their first ever starts for the club he went to surmise the importance of winning in a knockout game, “… It’s really important when you get into these moments here…to find a way to advance. Whether it’s penalty kicks, last minute, when they got everybody in the box, it’s the last service of the game you got to find a way to clear it out and make a play. Our guys did enough to win the game. We made it harder on ourselves than we had to but, incredibly proud that they pulled off a result here on the road and in a tough place”.

Loudon will advance to the Second Round of the Open Cup and will look to reach at least the Round of 32 for the third year running. West Chester can hold their heads high but have not advanced past the opening round since 2019.

2025 US Open Cup Qualifying: West Chester United edges rival VE to book 3rd straight trip to USOC

November 21, 2024 by Dave Einhorn

West Chester United celebrates after defeating Vereinigung Erzgebirge 2-1 to qualify for the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: West Chester United

West Chester United SC and Vereinigung Erzgebirge (VE) are the sibling rivals of eastern Pennsylvanian soccer. Having just played each other six days prior in the Robert M. O’Neil Amateur Cup group stage, the two teams were ready to lock horns again in the Fourth Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifying tournament.

The all-important “Win & You’re In” round meant a lot to both sides. West Chester United SC was looking to qualify for the third year in a row and the sixth time as a club. Meanwhile, VE was looking to build on last year’s progress as the club competed in the Open Cup proper for the first time since 2002, but lost to the Charlotte Independence of the USL League One (Div. 3 pro).

Ultimately, the spoils belonged to West Chester United on Saturday night on their home field at Kildare’s Turf Field. They defeated a 10-man VE squad 2-1 to advance to the First Round of the 2025 US Open Cup.

https://twitter.com/phlsoccernow/status/1857958676809515326

The temperature boiled over early in the first half. Contact between VE player Christopher Baker and a West Chester defender caused tensions as Baker looked for a penalty. It was clear this game would be hard fought for both teams. In the 33rd minute, VE was forced to make a substitution for midfielder Alex Haji, who went down in pain after a serious challenge. In his absence VE’s game plan had to change.

West Chester would take the lead in the 38th minute after a contentious penalty. Kenneth Roby converted, and with the first blood drawn, the match got more intense.

VE pushed for a response over the next few minutes, hoping to level the match. Their hearts would break as Joshua Luchini intercepted a poor back pass to Jimi Leder near the halfway line. He ran down the pitch like a jewelry bandit with last night’s lotto winnings. VE goalkeeper Stephen Paul, did his best to put off Luchini, but there wasn’t much he could do as Luchini gave West Chester a 2-0 lead right before at halftime.

West Chester was 45 minutes away from glory, and VE had 45 minutes to rewrite the story thus far. VE would strike in the 56th minute. A corner kick to the far post was headed toward the goal but appeared to come off both the post and the goalkeeper. Derek Antonini bundled it home in the end. With more than a half-hour left to play, the fans in attendance seemed to be on their way to being treated to a dramatic finish.

VE’s chances of completing the comeback took a significant blow when they went down to 10 men in the 73rd minute. In a match that featured so many personalities that knew each other so well, it was unsurprising that there was a lot of talk going back and forth between players of both sides and the referee to both sets of players. Kevin Smolyn was sent off for dissent against the center referee, and a challenging task became even more difficult for VE.

In the last 15 minutes, it was all about making the most of every opportunity on the ball while working tirelessly to ensure their deficit was only one goal. In the best defensive play of the match, VE had a triple save between the goalkeeper and the defenders. Considering the context of the match and what winning would mean, it was clear players wanted to leave it all out on the pitch.

In the end, West Chester was victorious. They move on to the first round of the US Open Cup which will take place next spring. Both managers had different perspectives. West Chester’s Blaise Santangelo focused on his team’s performance but suggested they could close out games and possess the ball better before round one.

“We just trained to play faster,” said Santangelo. “You know, if you get linked up with them , they are smart. They know how to grind on you, and they are good at countering. We just wanted to play on their side of the field with possession. I think we did that for parts of the game, but not all of it.”

Meanwhile, VE’s head coach Rob Oldfield lamented the injury substituion as well as the mistakes his club made during the match.

“The Haji sub really limited us. You never want to have to make a sub that early. He’s been playing so well. I thought the back line was pretty good. Jimi made one mistake. If you take away that and the PK, it wasn’t so bad.”

2024 US Open Cup Round 1: Darwin Espinal’s brace leads Maryland Bobcats to win at West Chester United

March 20, 2024 by George Diamond

Players from the Maryland Bobcats FC (red) and West Chester United battle for the ball in their First Round match in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Don Robson | DonRobson.com

On a chilly spring evening in Wayne, PA, the visiting Maryland Bobcats faced off against a determined West Chester United side in the opening round of the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Bobcats, a professional side from the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) proved to be too strong for the hosts from the NPSL. Darwin Espinal scored both goals in a 2-0 road win as Maryland advanced to Round 2.

A passionate crowd of around 250 people gathered in the bleachers and behind the goal at the YSC Complex. Following a call to action from the Sons of Ben, many members of Philadelphia Union supporters groups attended to lend their voices in support of local soccer and the Open Cup. Additionally, a smaller but equally passionate contingent of Maryland Bobcats fans could be seen proudly flying the distinct Maryland state flag in the stands.

Maryland Bobcats FC got off to a strong start and were duly rewarded for their efforts. In the 8th minute, a long ball forward from the defense was skillfully knocked on by Amo-Gottfried. The winger raced down the wing with blistering speed, leaving the West Chester defenders trailing in his wake. Although Sanders rushed off his line, the winger managed to slip a pass across the face of goal to Darwin Espinal, who calmly slotted the ball home. Despite Maryland’s initial dominance, West Chester United gradually settled into the game and began creating opportunities of their own.

Bobcat Attack by a Cup legend | Darwin Espinal ????@MDBobcatsFC | #USOC2024 pic.twitter.com/NmQxhSOVBJ
— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) March 19, 2024

After a sustained period of possession, United’s Robinson intercepted an errant Bobcat back-pass. Dribbling around the center back, he squared the ball for Roby Kenneth, only for it to be cleared by a Bobcat defender into the woods surrounding the complex.

Around the 35th minute, a foul set up one of West Chester’s better chances. A long ball forward saw the United winger beat his defender just outside the edge of the box. Jacob Campell brought down the winger, resulting in a yellow card and a free kick. However, some West Chester supporters felt the foul occurred on the line of the box and should have been a penalty. Despite a well-worked free kick routine, the resulting shot sailed over the bar.

The two best chances of the half for West Chester came in added time. A precise entry ball initiated a smooth sequence resulting in a one-two pass that put Mason Miller through on goal. However, Miller’s shot went straight at Trevor Jackson, and the rebound was sent wide. Shortly after, a crunching tackle from Brenes initiated a counterattack that led to an inviting ball across the face of goal, forcing the Bobcats to clear. West Chester were unable to capitalize on their momentum, and halftime saw Maryland Bobcat FC holding onto a narrow 1-0 lead.

As the second half unfolded, tensions rose, and the game became increasingly physical. Yellow cards were brandished as both teams fought fiercely. Early in the second half, John Ricks received a yellow card for pushing a Bobcat attacker to the turf while challenging for the ball.

Maryland was able to double their advantage in the 57th minute following a good attack from West Chester. After United Forward Robinson produced a nice turn and shoot opportunity, the Bobcats hit on the counterattack. Jackson initiated play with a throw out to the wing, and Maryland recycled play between the midfielders and defenders until a lane opened along their right sideline.

We just can’t get enough of Espinal! ???? @MDBobcatsFC @opencup | #USOC2024 pic.twitter.com/Nma2hqpUgB
— NISA Official (@NISALeague) March 20, 2024

Amo-Gottfreid again used his pace to burn the United defender and played a low first-time cross to Thiam, who squared it to Espinal, who beat his defender and scored. In a series of eleven passes, nearly every Bobcat player touched the ball. For Espinal, it was his second goal of the evening and the fifth US Open Cup goal of his career. Espinal scored a pair for Maryland last year, and his first tournament goal came back in 2017 with the South Florida Surf of the PDL (now USL League Two).

Ricks was almost sent off for a second bookable offense; however, the referee reconsidered and opted to keep the card in his pocket, much to the chagrin of Maryland’s coaching staff. The ensuing free kick was sent into the box by Maryland and headed on to the winger, who rifled a shot at goal. Sanders made an incredible save, tipping the ball onto the post to keep United alive with 15 minutes left.

In the 77th minute, United came agonizingly close to scoring. A long ball switched the field of play and was settled by Roby. He cut back and beat one defender before holding off two more and slipping Brenes into the box behind him. Brenes unloaded a powerful shot that forced a diving save from Jackson to tip the ball over the bar.

The match concluded with the Maryland Bobcats booking their ticket to the second round of the US Open Cup, scheduled for April 2-3. Their triumph was a testament to their cohesive teamwork, clinical finishing, and impressive goalkeeping. Meanwhile, West Chester United can take pride in their valiant effort and attacking creativity, despite falling short on the night.

2023 US Open Cup Round 1: Ocean City Nor’easters score 3 unanswered to beat West Chester United

March 22, 2023 by Greg Oldfield

Piero Sabroso of the Ocean City Nor'easters celebrates after scoring a goal against West Chester United in the First Round of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Matt Ralph | Philadelphia Soccer Now — Piero Sabroso of the Ocean City Nor’easters celebrates after scoring a goal against West Chester United in the First Round of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Matt Ralph | Philadelphia Soccer Now

The Ocean City Nor’easters scored three unanswered goals and held on in the game’s final minutes to beat West Chester United 3-1 in the opening game of the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Tuesday night at YSC Sports in Wayne, Pa. For the Nor’easters, it was the club’s 12th Open Cup win as an amateur side (13th overall), the third-most in the Modern Era (1995-present) behind Flint City Bucks (15) and the Des Moines Menace (13).

As the lone matchup on the opening day of the 2023 tournament, both teams played a spirited back and forth game that saw quality chances from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. Dylan Evande’s 60th minute header put the visitors up 2-1, and Andre Sabino’s penalty kick seven minutes later proved enough as the Nor’easters withstood a furious onslaught from the two-time Amateur Cup champions that forced multiple clearances off the line and a few remarkable saves by Brady Hochman to see out the game.

With the win, Ocean City will travel south to face the Maryland Bobcats (NISA) in the Second Round at the Maryland Sportsplex. The last time Ocean City played at that venue was in the 2009 US Open Cup when they narrowly lost to D.C. United on two late goals. The Storm are now 5-4-0 all-time in USOC road games and 13-8-2 overall.

Ocean City and West Chester came out of firing on the fast turf, trading a number of flying tackles and quick transitions. West Chester nearly jumped on the scoresheet in the second minute on a free kick from Kyle Tucker just outside the box, but Hochman made a sprawling top hand save to deny the hosts.

We ❤️ you, @opencup.@OCNoreasters BANGER ????????????pic.twitter.com/9HsboWDLDz
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) March 22, 2023

After several surges of possession from both sides, Ocean City’s striker Piero Sabroso appeared to have the opener in the 11th minute when he cut through the West Chester defense and slotted the ball past Cameron Sanders. But the Peruvian was whistled for a foul, and on the ensuing restart, West Chester scored the game’s first goal. Luca Mellor played a long ball from deep within his own half that beat the Ocean City backline. Finn Reese, a former Ocean City player, chased down the ball just ahead of Hochman, dribbling around the keeper and tucked it into the empty net for a 1-0 lead.

Six minutes later, Ocean City equalized on a stunner from Andres Lattore, which should be a candidate for goal of the round. Kevin Curran whipped in a free kick that bounced around the box several times before the ball popped out into the path of Lattore, who unleashed a cracker from the top of the box that hit the back of the net before Sanders had a chance to react.

Tied at 1-1, Ocean City began to carry more of the play, and in the 27th minute Sabroso had another chance denied by the West Chester keeper. Two more chances late in the half, one from Sabino in the 34th minute, and another from Vilius Labutis in the 45th, missed the frame by inches and sent the teams into the break tied at one goal apiece.

Minutes into the second half, Sabroso nearly broke the deadlock, but his long range strike was denied by the post. Ocean City found the go-ahead goal in the 60^th minute when Curran’s in-swinging free kick just inside the right corner met Evande at the six. Evande outjumped numerous players and headed the cross into the net for the 2-1 lead.

Ocean City picked up a third in the 67th minute after a scramble at the top of the box led to Sabino’s shot being blocked by Mellor’s hand inside the box. Referee Joshua Encarnacion pointed to the spot, and Sabino converted the ensuing penalty to extend the lead to 3-1.

Both teams made several changes to maintain the intensity, and as West Chester pushed the game’s momentum, Ocean City stayed compact and composed, stopping multiple chances late to preserve the win and advance.

Andre Sabino makes it 3 for @OCNoreasters (and does a little dance????too)

1-3 | #USOC2022

B/R App » https://t.co/GfK7Re0BXt
B/R YouTube » https://t.co/EZK64Dcg87 pic.twitter.com/YSldJJirau
— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) March 22, 2023

“I’m super pumped,” an emotional first-year Ocean City coach Matt Perrella said after the game. “They’ve trained together for four days, so finding the right players to come in who have the heart and will to win was massive.” With the USL League Two season months away, Ocean City found a way to pull together a roster that could compete immediately in the tournament, and although they may have needed some time to gel, the visiting coach was proud of the way his players performed, even as a slight underdog coming into the game.

Perrella, who was an assistant with Ocean City for two seasons before getting promoted to head coach just a few months ago, was complimentary of his goalkeeper.

“Brady Hochman,” he said, “what a stud, what an amazing game he had.” Perrella, himself a former Rider University goalkeeper and the Nor’easters backup netminder on the night, was impressed with Hochman’s early save on Tucker’s free kick.

“It’s more difficult if you go 25 minutes without making a save and then you’re called to action, so I think that save prepped him for 90 minutes.”

This was the fourth straight win for Ocean City against West Chester. The Nor’easters swept all three meeting in USL League Two play last season, but this United side qualified as a member of the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania. The two rivals will meet three more times in league play this summer.

Ocean City’s striker Sabroso, who helped Bethel University (Ind.) win an NAIA national championship this past season, enjoyed his first experience in the Open Cup and the way his teammates came together in a short time.

“I’m used to two months of preseason then the season,” he said after the game, “and making an improvised trip, meeting players from around the world, and training just four days and win this match and play as brothers felt nice.”

Defender Osman Barrie, who is from New Jersey and previously played for Lone Star FC, also enjoyed his first Open Cup match.

“Coach prepared us well for this,” he said. “He told us this is not going to be a 1-1 kind of game. There’s going to be goals, and it’s going to be a 90-minute game.”

The defender asserted his presence throughout the game and reflected on how well his team defended at the end. “We knew as soon as we got that goal, we gotta stay on the defensive and stay switched on, and I think we did that for the most part.”

Andre "Dede" Sabino of the Ocean City Nor'easters celebrates after scoring a goal against West Chester United in the First Round of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Matt Ralph | Philadelphia Soccer Now — Andre “Dede” Sabino of the Ocean City Nor’easters celebrates after scoring a goal against West Chester United in the First Round of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Matt Ralph | Philadelphia Soccer Now

“It’s a tough night if you don’t finish goals,” West Chester coach Blaise Santangelo said after the game. “I think we could have gone up 3-1, and in less than 5-10 minutes, we’re down 3-1.”

West Chester had the advantage of being the more cohesive side, fresh after securing an EPSA Cup double in recent weeks with wins over United German Hungarians in both state finals.

“We’re not going to win this tournament,” he said, “and now we go on to the next tournament. It was a great night of soccer.”

West Chester has advanced in the tournament twice by penalty kicks, but ended the night still seeking the club’s first official win in the competition.

Last year, West Chester was bounced 1-0 in a First-Round replay by FC Motown. The amateur side will continue regional play in both the USASA Amateur Cup and the Werner Fricker Open Cup, the latter of which the Predators will seek to defend their 2022 national title.

For Ocean City, they will return to the Maryland Soccerplex in Boyds, Md. for Round 2 against the Maryland Bobcats. The Nor’easters have upset six professional teams, the third-most of any amateur team in the Modern Era. A seventh would tie Des Moines for second-most since 1995.

2020 US Open Cup Qualifying Win & You’re In: Vereinigung Erzgebirge edges West Chester to clinch spot

November 29, 2019 by Matt Ralph

Graphic by Harrison Huntley | @hhuntley17

For the first time since 2002, Vereinigung Erzgebirge is heading to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup after knocking off their local rivals West Chester United with a 2-1 win in the third and final round of the Open Division Local qualifying tournament on Sunday afternoon.

Derek Antonini had a goal in the first half and set up Alec Neumann’s game-winner in the second half to secure the victory and achieve a goal head coach Rob Oldfield has been aiming for ever since he led the club to their last Open Cup appearance 17 years ago.

“That was a much younger me, I was a 26-year-old coach in that one,” Oldfield said after the win at William Tennant High School. “That’s been the goal, getting the guys back there so they can experience what we did before.”

Though they were the home team, VE had a longer trip than normal to their clubhouse afterwards to celebrate. Heavy rains Sunday morning forced a late move of the game to the turf field at William Tennant but it didn’t disrupt VE’s game plan at all.

They were poised and organized in the back and dangerous going forward and on set pieces. They opened the scoring in the 36th minute after Adam Bestidas was given enough space on the left flank to send a long ball into the box that found the head of Antonini. The 6-foot-6 target forward, who was a handful all day, nearly doubled the lead before halftime when he pounced on a rebound in front of goal but West Chester keeper Evan Bleiler was able to parry the attempt away.

The second goal came on a tight angle shot from Antonini in the box in the 80th minute that resulted in an easy tap-in for Neumann at the far post.

“They were just taking the game to us, they got a good first goal and a good second goal,” West Chester head coach Blaise Santangelo said. “They played better than us today. They deserved it. I’m happy for my friend Rob, it was their game.”

Players from Vereinigung Erzgebirge and West Chester United battle for the ball in a 2020 US Open Cup qualifier. Photo: Matt Ralph | Brotherly Game

After scoring nine goals in their first two qualifiers – a 5-0 win over Danubia SC and a 4-2 win over Landsdowne Bhoys – the West Chester attack struggled to generate clear chances in front of goal. A couple tweaks to the lineup, moving Jordan Poarch from the back line to the wing and pushing center back Andrew Gonzalez up to forward and switching to three in the back eventually led to the breakthrough when Gonzalez volleyed a Matt Greer pass past a diving Tim Washam. But by then it was too late and the VE defense just too stingy to find an equalizer. West Chester also played short-handed in the closing minutes after Andreas Bartosinski was sent off for a late challenge on Fraser Colmer in front of the fourth official.

“I thought it was just really good communication, really good work from our midfield, the guys did a really good job tracking back and staying with their runners and we had a couple lucky bounces,” said defender Mike Reese, who has been with the team since 2012. “It feels good to get a win in a meaningful game.”

Qualifying for the Open Cup, something the Warminster, Pa.-based sports club dating back to the 1930s has done only once in the Modern Era (1995-present). Prior to that, they attempted to qualify several times. According to TheCup.us records, their best finish prior to the Modern Era was a Round of 16 run in 1984. Qualifying was a goal Oldfield had set for the club and reminded the group of during a halftime talk. They’ll have to wait for the spring to compete in the “Open Cup proper” but they retreated from the cold to their bar back at the club with a big mission accomplished on Sunday.

“We play in a lot of different cups but you know this one’s the most special,” Antonini said.

#USOC2020 ESSENTIALS

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2019 US Open Cup Round 1: West Chester United extends road unbeaten streak with PK win over FC Baltimore Christos

May 8, 2019 by Renny Thomas

FC Baltimore Christos (NPSL) and West Chester United battle for the ball during their First Round 2019 US Open Cup match. Photo: Matt Ralph | Brotherly Game

On a picturesque Tuesday evening at Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, it took penalty kicks to decide the first round matchup between FC Baltimore Christos (NPSL) and West Chester United SC (USL of Pennsylvania). In the end, United edged the home team in penalties, 5-4 after a 1-1 draw and advanced to the Second Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The Predators advanced in the tournament away from home, marking the fifth straight game (including qualifying) that they have survived a knockout game away from home.

West Chester struck first and very early into the match, with an early headed goal from Troy Amspacher to the far post, assisted by midfielder Andreas Bartosinski. That goal put the Predators up 1-0, which gave them the lead and the momentum that they carried through until the halftime break.

As kickoff began in the second half, the sense of urgency seemed to rise for Baltimore, as the home team began to raise their tempo and put United on their back foot. The pressure eventually paid off in the 56th minute, as the home side equalized off of a booming shot from distance by defender Jake Dengler (setup by a pass from midfielder Eddy Rodriguez) that deflected off the keeper and into the back of the net.

It was a slog from the opening whistle to the final PK, but @WCUSC edged out @fcbaltimore1729 from the spot to move on to the 2nd Round & @bhmlegion.#USOC2019 | ? Game Highlights ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/xBZVEWkhCu

— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) May 8, 2019

Once the two teams were on even terms on the scoreboard, the rest of regulation and extra time were characterized by missed opportunities and a lack of touch in the final third. The two sides combined for 29 shots and nine shots on goal but only one goal a piece to show for it.

As the game went to a penalty kick shootout, the two teams remained deadlocked through the first five rounds, with the score tied at four a piece. Each team failed to convert on their sixth attempts on goal. After United’s Samuel Phelps slotted home his attempt to put his team up 5-4, Baltimore’s Charles Pulliam skied his attempt over the crossbar, to give West Chester the victory.

With the victory, West Chester United will move on to the second round of the US Open Cup competition, where they will go on the road for the sixth game in a row (including qualifying) to take on Birmingham Legion FC on May 15 at 8 p.m. at the BBVA Compass Field in Birmingham, Ala.

2019 Meet the Underdogs: West Chester United battle tested from long journey back to US Open Cup

May 5, 2019 by Matt Ralph

West Chester United pose for a team photo before their 2019 US Open Cup qualifying match against New York Pancyprian Freedoms. Photo: West Chester United

West Chester United’s road back to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since 2016 has been a meandering and arduous one with trips to Wisconsin, New York City and Boston all while juggling a roster of players with a wide variety of off-the-field commitments that interfere with weekend travel.

The amateur club — based in a university town 45 minutes due west of Center City Philadelphia — narrowly missed qualifying through the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and the National Amateur Cup — losing in the final in Wisconsin in August — but after four straight road games in local qualifying finally punched their ticket with a win over Safira FC outside Boston last month.

“Travel gives a different facet to the relationships that are built,” said West Chester United head coach Blaise Santangelo. “Although costly for an amateur program it really unites the guys and helps them to focus for a longer period of time. It’s also the us-against-the-world mentality when you’re on the road. I don’t want to say it’s preferred but our guys really know how to handle it.”

Santangelo wasn’t exactly happy when he learned they would again have to charter a bus for a fifth straight road game to visit FC Baltimore Christos on May 7 or that the reward for a win there would be an even longer and more expensive midweek trip to Birmingham, Alabama to play USL Championship side Birmingham Legion in that club’s first-ever Open Cup match.

Like it or not, the road has been good to Santangelo’s team, which is still relatively young on the amateur scene having started a decade ago as an Over-30 team before branching out into an open team and summer Under-23 program. The club won its first national championship — the Werner Fricker Cup — back in 2015 in Virginia Beach and qualified for the Open Cup for the first time in 2016. They traveled to Virginia to play Fredericksburg FC for the first round match and advanced on penalties their last and only first round appearance. Their reward then was a home game against the Harrisburg City Islanders, which they lost in front of an overflow crowd at their home field five minutes from West Chester University.

Only one player remains from that team, 27-year-old Temple University grad Chas Wilson. Wilson, who is a social studies teacher at one of the nearby high schools and also coaches for a local youth club, has played a number of positions for Santangelo, filling in where he’s needed most at just about every position other than goalkeeper but is back to playing as a No. 9 with as much of a knack for setting up teammates as he has for putting the ball in the back of the net.

“He doesn’t score a lot of goals but he facilitates a lot of players and a lot of our goals come from his work,” Santangelo said. “He’s a joy to watch.”

Though he has the most history with a team that goes by the nickname Predators, Wilson isn’t the oldest player on the team. That would be 30-year-old center back Peter Nolan, who is an accomplished squash player and high-level corporate executive with an MBA from Harvard. Nolan had a pair of goals in their qualification-clinching 3-0 win over Safira FC.

Many of the players on the team end up with the club because they find work in the area like Nolan, have ties to local college programs or grew up playing for the West Chester United’s youth club, which encompasses the nationally-recognized Penn Fusion Academy program.

Sami Phelps, a defender on the team, joined Penn Fusion Academy after moving to the area to attend Westtown School. He and Kyle Hoops were also teammates on a West Chester University team that made it all the way to the NCAA Division II final in Pittsburgh last December.

“It’s been nice because I’ve been able to go from one high level to another high level,” said Phelps, who joined back up with the squad he spent time with in the summer after his college career ended. “The success for both West Chester United and West Chester University shows what the area has to offer since both teams are drawing mostly from the area here.”

Midfielder Andreas Bartosinski is one of only a couple internationals on the squad. The former FC Köln youth player joined the team last spring after starring at nearby Villanova University, where Wisconsin native Enda O’Neill spent his senior season last fall as a grad transfer.

“For me personally, the run we’re on has been exciting, especially after we lost in the National Amateur Cup in Milwaukee,” said Bartosinski, who won a national Under-19 cup as a youth player in 2013. “The Open Cup compares to the German National Cup. It’s pretty much the same thing. It’s all about lower tier teams getting a chance to upset higher level teams. It’s just really fun to play in that environment where anything can happen in one game.”

Penn State is also represented in the team with grads Michael Gonzalez, who regularly wears the captain’s armband and defender Sam Bollinger while Notre Dame teammates Senan Farrelly and Aiden McFadden both starred on the team’s second season in the NPSL. Whether it’s league play in the fall and spring, cup competitions, NPSL and Northeast Elite Soccer League competition in the summer or preseason friendlies against Bethlehem Steel FC or the Philadelphia Union’s Under-19 team, a large roster is part of what enables Santangelo to piece together a squad that can go head to head with some of the best amateur teams in the nation.

“In the last two-three years I think we’ve raised our level of play and our quality of play through our sheer numbers,” Santangelo said. “Our success from that comes year round with all the games we get in different competitions.”

Santangelo, a father of five who runs a successful landscaping business, is a tireless advocate not only for the players he recruits into the program but also for a sport that has been a lifelong love and passion. Committed as he is to his player and the club, he does admit that he probably wouldn’t be as willing to make some of the sacrifices he’s had to make things run if so much success hadn’t followed, which at present includes a streak of three straight league championships in the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania.

A stalwart as a player who played through the various levels of age divisions in amateur soccer with the four-time former Open Cup champions Ukrainian Nationals after a successful college career at Elizabethtown College, Santangelo is also part of the more distant history of one of the oldest soccer competitions in the world.

“I played in this tournament with the Ukies, I remember playing a game at RFK Stadium so I knew what it meant to represent the club and our local soccer community,” Santangelo said. “I’m proud to be part of the Philly soccer landscape. There’s been a lot of great people who have helped build the talented regional area we have here.”

While over the past 18-plus months the focus has been on racking up wins and getting into the “Open Cup proper,” the approach now will be to stay alive as long as possible and make it back home to what would seem to be their turn to host a game should they make it all the way to the third round.

“It really is all about enjoying the journey at this point,” Santangelo said.

2019 US Open Cup Qualifying: West Chester United returns to the Cup with 3-0 win at Safira FC

April 7, 2019 by Michael Preston

West Chester United won a fourth straight 2019 US Open Cup qualifying match away from home to qualify for the First Round of the competition with a 3-0 win over Boston-based Safira FC at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville, Mass.

Having stolen the lead during first half stoppage time through Chad Poarch, United put the contest away in the second half thanks to two Peter Nolan strikes, with all three goals coming from set pieces.

“It means the world to us,” said West Chester head coach Blaise Santangelo of his team qualifying for the second time in club history. “Four road wins and it’s been a lot of work for the guys. We’ve been focused to win and get into the tournament since we lost the automatic bid in the National Amateur Cup Final against Bavarian SC.”

A patchy first half failed to present many clear scoring chances, with Safira misfiring after West Chester had dictated the opening quarter of an hour. From one of five corners won before the break, Matthew Vidal delivered a left-footed in-swinger, but Thiago Teixeira failed to fully connect with his header at the near post and the ball was cleared, summing up the hosts’ frustrating half.

With 41 minutes played, Charles Wilson broke free on a promising West Chester counter attack, but with a teammate to either side, played a harmless ball through the middle and the outnumbered hosts were relieved to clear the danger.

The deadlock was broken by the only chance of the first half a minute into stoppage time. Troy Amspacher’s long throw into a crowded penalty area was flicked on by Enda O’Neill and Poarch fired home having broken free at the far post to give Unite the edge.

“I told the guys when we came out here that when we played this team in June , we missed an opportunity just before halftime, so when the ball went out of bounds, because the field is tight, we now have a throw in that’s like a corner kick,” explained Santangelo. “So, I told the defenders to go up and play it like a corner kick and we knew it was less than a minute to the half. Enda got a great head on the ball and Chad had a fantastic finish from about ten yards out.”

West Chester carried that momentum into the second half and nine minutes after the break, Matthew Greer produced a spectacular 25-yard effort on the turn that left Safira keeper Patrick Vilela rooted to the spot but flashed just wide of the right-hand post.

West Chester continued to press and it was no surprise when the visitors doubled their lead after 57 minutes. Greer’s vicious in-swinging corner was met with a power-header from close range by Nolan who was unmarked with the goal at his mercy. Two minutes later, the same combination almost paid off again, but this time Nolan was crowded out.

On the hour mark, with United pressing for a third goal, Greer delivered a free kick from 35 yards out and Nolan claimed the decisive touch with a defender’s body also making contact to beat Vilela from within a crowded goalmouth for a 3-0 advantage.

“We are really disappointed because we didn’t play a good game and while they didn’t control the game, we made mistakes and they caught us when we didn’t pay attention,” said Safira coach Andre Ferreira. “We made mistakes on all three goals and the goal in the first half really frustrated our players going into halftime.”

For Nolan, the two-goal performance was a bit of redemption. When these two clubs met in the Amateur Cup last summer, he was shown a red card in the 9th minute, leaving his team shorthanded.

West Chester now returns to the US Open Cup for the first time since they made their tournament debut in 2016. That year, they eliminated the NPSL’s FC Fredericksburg in penalty kicks before hosting the USL’s Harrisburg City Islanders where they fell 2-0.

2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 3: West Chester United oust 3-time champion Freedoms

November 24, 2018 by Paul Blackman

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms hosted the West Chester Predators in Round 3 of the Open Division Local qualifying tournament for the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. West Chester were victorious 3-0 after a spirited but mismatched affair that resulted in a fitter, faster and more skilled display. All three of the Predators’ goals came from attacking runs that went either through or beside an ever tiring Freedoms backline. A late surge of energy by the Freedoms in the second half was not enough to create the scoring opportunities they desperately needed.

It’s been over 30 years since the Pancyprian Freedoms won the club’s third US Open Cup title, but a few pre-MLS bastions such as these continue to keep the tradition alive and continue to compete in the 106-year-old tournament. For clubs like the Freedoms, it’s a chance to revive the days where soccer was as much a game as it was an expression of expatriate pride. In this case, the Cypriot variety.

West Chester, on the other hand, could not be any different. Based at the outer suburb of West Chester, 25 miles west of Philadelphia, they started as a youth organisation that sprouted an amateur senior team in its more recent history. Just like all like programs across the country, it becomes a somewhat intermediate stop in an aspiring football professional’s career. And in 10 short years, the Predators have become one of the top amateur teams in the country and are trying to qualify for the US Open Cup for the second time (2016).

It was a battle between the old and the relatively new, and it was the Predators who came out on top.

“We knew that they were very good on possession, they go East to West,” said West Chester head coach Blaise Santangelo. “We thought if we could get them on some counters with our pace, we thought we had a little more pace than they did, we were a little bit younger and if we could get them on the counter, we actually got three goals off of that. We thought we could really stretch them.”

In the game, West Chester was faster, fitter, more determined.

“We lost to a team that was in better shape, more organised,” said Andreas Chronis of the Freedoms. “They had a great team in the summer and they had a great team today too. We weren’t able to get that one goal that we needed to get us back in the game. We got a little tired, it was a tough loss.”

The Predators’ attacking midfielder Matthew Greer echoed Ronaldo in the way that he would run in, around and through the Freedoms’ backline from beginning to end. He was found in almost every part of the attacking third. Sometimes passing, sometimes receiving, sometimes even fetching balls being contested by other players.

Greer opened the Predators’ account, weaving through two close defenders on the left flank, flicking the ball into the center of the field, 25 yards from goal, and delivering a one touch blow into the back of the net in the 36th minute.

Not to be outdone, Chad Poarch also executed a one-man attack on goal twice. First, netting a goal for himself just before the half time whistle and in the second half finding Andreas Bartosinski to his right to make it a 3-0 game in the 74th minute.

The Freedoms were outpaced and outrun by the time the second half rolled around and could not dominate the center of the field. They found themselves playing long balls down the wings and then into the center, most of which found an opposing center back who would trouble the Freedoms by starting a string of promising attacks directly up the line.

The Predators’ defense was just as determined, staving off multiple 50/50 balls in the closing minutes of the game to preserve the shutout.

With the win, West Chester United advances to the Fourth Round of the qualifying tournament but it is unclear, as of now, whether a Fourth Round, which is tentatively scheduled for March of 2019, will take place. Every professional team in the United States is automatically entered into the US Open Cup, and with the addition of an entirely new professional league with USL League One (Div. 3), and a number of expansion teams in the USL Championship (Div. 2), the format of next year’s tournament has yet to be finalized. Without a finalized format, it’s unclear how many Open Division teams (National Premier Soccer League, USL League Two — formerly Premier Development League — , and all of the Open Division Local teams) will be granted entry into the competition. It’s possible that the WCP will have to play a Fourth Round qualifying match, but they won’t find out until January.

will advance to the final qualifying week and the Freedoms will return to the New York Cosmopolitan League after the Thanksgiving holiday. Undefeated and three points behind the competition leaders with two games in hand their prospects for local success and another opportunity at Open Cup glory should not be too far off.

Scoring Summary
WCU: Matthew Greer – 36th min.
WCU: Chad Poarch – 42nd min.
WCU: Andreas Bartosinski (Chad Poarch) – 74th min.

Booking Summary
NYP: Andreas Chronis – 70th min.
NYP: Benjamin Maurey – 79th min.

Referee: Ernie Constantine
Assistants: Anthony Espino, Sean Lyons
Fourth Official: Joshua Pagan

2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 1: West Chester United edge rivals Vereinigung Erzgebirge

September 25, 2018 by Matt Ralph

A second half goal from Matt Greer was the difference on a muddy day in the Philadelphia suburbs in a 1-0 win for West Chester United over Vereinigung Erzgebirge (VE) that put the club one step closer to qualifying for the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Greer, who was one of the standouts in West Chester’s run to the National Amateur Cup final in August, found the breakthrough in the 57th minute when Chas Wilson fed him a ball into the box he was able to calmly put past VE goalkeeper Tim Washam.

Players from West Chester United and Vereinigung Erzebirge battle for the ball in a 2019 US Open Cup qualifying tournament game. Photo: Matt Ralph | BrotherlyGame.com

The lead was not undeserved given the pressure and the attacking talent on display for West Chester, but VE had chances of their own they weren’t able to put away in a scrappy back-and-forth clash that featured a flurry of whistles and several players losing their footing in the muddy surface.

“The way the game flowed if you make a mistake in the back that’s how it’s going to be won,” VE head coach Rob Oldfield said after the match. “I thought we played pretty good — I think these are still the best two teams in the state.”

The rivals, which finished first and second in the majors division standings of the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania last season, are familiar foes with history as opponents in the amateur ranks. Several players on the field either played together or against each other on local division 1 college teams.

So it was no surprise that the margin would be narrow and the competition fierce from the opening whistle.

Greer, a former Dartmouth and Philadelphia Union Academy midfielder had been threatening throughout the day with some strong runs through the middle of the VE defense before capitalizing on the best chance either side had on the day to open the scoring 12 minutes after the break.

“It seemed like the play just opened up,” Greer said. “I made a pass off to Chas, he did a good job feeding it off; I think the conditions may have played a part because the center backs couldn’t recover, there was a big pocket and I was able to get one on one with the goalkeeper.”

West Chester United head coach Blaise Santangelo called the rivalry between the teams “ridiculous.”

“Last time we were here they beat us in the Werner Fricker Open Cup so we have a ton of respect for them,” Santangelo said. “I think we were the better team on the day but it was a battle.”

With the win, the Predators return to the second round of local qualifying for the fourth straight year after losing last year to Phoenix SC and Christos FC in the second round in 2017. They qualified for the Open Cup for the first time in club history through local qualifying by winning two rounds in 2016.

“We’ve been so close to qualifying for the Open Cup in so many competitions throughout the year,” said captain Michael Gonzalez. “This tournament means a lot to us and it’s one of our biggest goals every season to get to that first round.”

Sunday’s match at VE was one of two on the day for USL of PA teams. Ukrainian Nationals advanced in the other game against United German Hungarians, 2-0, and will host West Chester United on Sunday, Oct. 21 at the Ukrainian American Sports Center in North Wales, Pa. in Round 2.