Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage
Darren Spicer’s natural hat trick in the first half was all the Charleston Battery needed for a 3-0 victory over the visiting ASC New Stars.
The Houston-based USASA club nearly jumped out to the lead after 12 minutes, as Esteban Lotero found Alex Bolan with a through ball. Bolan beat Charleston goalkeeper Keith Wiggans, but the shot just missed wide right.
The Harrisburg City Islanders wasted no time making sure the Yakima Reds wasted their cross-country trip, scoring in the first minute en route to a 5-1 drubbing of the PDL club. The Open Cup draw forced the Washington state-based PDL team to travel to City Island in Harrisburg, Pa. and the extra travel showed on the field as the City Islanders jumped on the Reds early.
Midfielder Pat Healey’s second goal of the night, a low strike inside the right post in the 88th minute, lifted Crystal Palace Baltimore to a 2-1 victory over the 10-man Los Angeles Legends in Azusa, Calif.
You all know the cliché, if you turned this story in to a movie producer, he would laugh at you because of the ridiculous ending. Well, since someone already turned this script in two years ago with the name Dallas Roma FC on it, perhaps it was time for a more dramatic sequel.
Hollywood United became only the second USASA club to defeat a USL First Division team in the US Open Cup, knocking off the Portland Timbers with a stoppage-time goal from Earl Alexander.
The Rochester Rhinos escaped the clutches of the upset-minded RWB Adria, needing an extra time goal from Hamed Diallo to overcome the Chicago-based USASA club 2-1. The match marked the first time that the Rhinos, competing in their 13th US Open Cup competition, had faced a club from the USASA.
The Cleveland City Stars overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the Michigan Bucks 2-1, and move on to the Second Round. The game was played in the Bucks’ new indoor soccer stadium in Pontiac, Mich. but Cleveland eliminated the home team in the opening round for only the second time in eight tournament appearances.
Melvin Tarley opened the scoring and then squelched any hopes of a comeback by the St. Louis Lions, as the Thunder beat the PDL side 4-1 in Blaine, Minn.
With the Thunder up 2-0 after Ricardo Sanchez’s 57th minute goal, Tommy Heinemann got the Lions on the board and sliced the lead to 2-1 in the 79th minute. But a minute later, the lead was back to two thanks to Tarley, who scored his seventh and eighth career Open Cup goals.
Kenji Treschuk pounced on a poor clearance and scored the game’s only goal with 92 seconds left in the second period of extra time as the Seattle Sounders avoided an upset with a 1-0 win over the Arizona Sahuaros. The game was played in front of a stadium record crowd of 3,559 fans on a blazing hot night at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz.
Miami F.C. finally shook the Open Cup monkey off their back, earning their first win in three tries with a 4-2 victory over the PDL’s Bradenton Academics. They were not only trying to avoid their third straight Open Cup loss, but their third loss to an amateur club. In 2006, they famously were beaten by Dallas Roma F.C. of the USASA and last year the PDL’s El Paso Patriots eliminated them in a penalty kick shootout.
The Fredericksburg Gunners’ first Open Cup run was cut short by the Richmond Kickers, who are making their 10th trip to the tournament. Kickers score a trio of first half goals to beat the Gunners 3-0.
Richmond scored all of its goals in the first 25 minutes, starting with midfielder Eliot Paschalis’ tally in the 11th.
