Four remain in Region I tournament
Danbury United, Aegean Hawks remain on course for return to the Cup
 Danbury United and Aegean Hawks FC, the 2007 US Open Cup qualifiers from Region I of the United States Amateur Soccer Association (USASA), stayed on track for berths in this year’s competition with wins on Sunday. They are joined in the Region I semifinals by the New York Pancyprians and Boston Olympiakos.
Eagles soar into U.S. Open Cup
After three games, Charlotte clinches Cup berth
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Charlotte Eagles
U.S. Open Cup History
1998
1r - v. Los Lobos (USASA), 4-3
2r - v. Worcester Wildfire (A-Lg), 0-2
2004
2r - v. Carolina Dynamo (PDL), 2-4
2005
2r - v. El Paso Patriots (PDL), 4-1
3r - v. CD Chivas USA (MLS), 2-3 (aet)
2006
2r - v. Wilmington Hammerheads
(USL2), 1-3
2007
1r - v. Lynch’s Irish Pub (USASA), 2-0
2r - v. Atlanta Silverbacks (USL1), 0-1
USL Second Division qualifying
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The Charlotte Eagles used dramatic means to secure their fifth consecutive appearance in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. A stoppage-time game-winning goal from Patrick Daka gave Charlotte a 3-2 road victory over the Wilmington Hammerheads. The win, along with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds' 1-1 draw with Harrisburg, assured the Eagles of not finishing last in the qualifying standings.
Charlotte reached the second round last season, losing a narrow 1-0 decision to the USL First Division’s Atlanta Silverbacks. The Eagles most famous cup appearance came in 2005, when they dropped a 3-2 extra time affair with Major League Soccer’s CD Chivas USA in the final minute of extra time.
In Pittsburgh, over 3,000 fans welcomed the Riverhounds home as they gained their first point of the 2008 season after holding the defending USL-2 champions to a draw. The point lifts Pittsburgh out of the dreaded last place spot in the USL-2 qualifying table, while Wilmington slid outside the qualifying zone with a 0-2-0 record.
Region II down to the final four
Both Illinois teams to host semis with winners qualifying for Open Cup
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"Win & You’re In"
USASA Region II
May 17, 2008
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Princeton 56ers
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RWB Adria
Des Moines Menace Reserves
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AAC Eagles
USASA Region II Qualifying
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Saturday's first round of matches in the USASA Region II U.S. Open Cup qualifying was an eventful one.
Reigning champion RWB Adria from Chicago needed penalty kicks to get past Michigan's Carpathia Kickers after the teams played 120 minutes of scoreless soccer. The match between the host Des Moines Menace Reserves and Missouri's WC Arsenal was without a goal until the final minutes of extra time before the Menace Reserves won 2-0. And perhaps the most successful amateur team in Open Cup history, Bavarian SC, dropped a narrow 3-2 decision to Illinois' AAC Eagles in Milwaukee.
The other scheduled quarterfinal wasn't even played, as game officials ruled that defending NPSL Midwest Region champion Princeton-56ers from Madison, Wis., would receive a forfeit victory over the Bloomington (Ind.) Cutters, as the host team did not have enough players with valid player passes.
RSL whitewashes Earthquakes 4-0
MLS reveals play-in format and schedule
After failing to qualify last season, Real Salt Lake took a step toward returning to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a convincing 4-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night.
The two teams celebrated the end of the month of April with a snow storm in Salt Lake City. It was the first Major League Soccer (MLS) play-in game for 2008, with RSL moving on to play at the Columbus Crew on May 27.
Kyle Beckerman, one of the few regular starters on the field for either team, led the way, scoring the first two goals of the game in the first half. Less than a minute after the second strike by Beckerman, Yura Movsisyan made it 3-0 thanks to an assist by Matias Cordoba. Andy Williams added insult to injury with a fourth goal in the 90th minute.
RWB Adria win Illinois Open Cup title
Both finalists looking ahead to Region II finals
RWB Adria survived the weather and player absences on April 13 as they defeated AAC Eagles by a score of 4-1 to capture their second consecutive Illinois Open Cup championship.
Kelto sends Aegean Hawks to next round
Hawks advance to face Baltimore Colts FC in Group S semifinals
 The Aegean Hawks, last year’s USASA Region I champions, took a step toward defending their title with a 1-0 win over the Champions League representative Sport Club Portuguese (SCP).
At the West Side Park in Newark, NJ, both teams found themselves in a stalemate at the halftime break. Tactical changes by the Hawks created chances, and the game’s only goal. Anders Kelto, who came on as a substitute, scored on his first touch of the game when he headed home a cross by Watson Prather in the 60th minute.
USL-2 Qualifying : Round Two
Charlotte close to qualification, 'Hounds dig an 0-3 hole
Five matches were featured in the second week of USL Second Division qualifying, and one team is already one victory away for securing their spot in the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, while another has dug itself a giant hole to climb out of. Defense has also been tough at home in week two with four of the five matches featuring shutouts by the home team.
Two USASA regions approaching final tourneys
Region I and II will each send a pair of teams to Open Cup
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Recent U.S. Open Cup qualifiers
Region I
2007 - Aegean Hawks, Danbury United
2006 - Allied SC, Milford International
2005 - Baltimore Colts FC, NY Greek Americans
Region II
2007 - RWB Adria, Bavarian SC
2006 - Croatian Eagles, Lightning SC
2005 - Reggae Boyz, AAC Eagles
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The Open Cup final qualifying tournaments for Regions I and II are nearly set and are slated to kick off April 27, with the bulk of the opening action set for the weekend of May 3 and 4. Of the 14 teams determined so far for the two tournaments, seven have previously qualified for the U.S. Open Cup.
In Region I, nine teams will participate in this year’s tournament, and looks to be one of the most competitive in regional history. Of the eight teams already determined, none have finished lower than third in the respective leagues.
USL-2 qualifying kicks off!
Drama in Cleveland, Swinehart scores four for Charlotte
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Randolph Jerome scores Cleveland’s first goal, in the City Stars' 2-1 stoppage time victory over Pittsburgh. PHOTO: Cleveland City Stars
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Three teams got their USL Second Division qualifying campaigns off to fine starts over the weekend, each winning their 2008 home openers.
On Saturday, the most dramatic finish was in Cleveland. The City Stars scored twice in the final fifteen minutes, including the winning goal by Ian Leibbrandt in stoppage time, to defeat the returning Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2-1. One of the USL-2 teams that reached the Quarterfinals of last year’s Open Cup, Richmond, cruised past Western Mass 3-0. Finally, severe weather mercifully stopped Charlotte’s 6-0 drubbing of Bermuda in the 82nd minute, which included four goals from Dustin Swinehart.
In Sunday’s lone game, Western Mass continued their road trip, spoiling the home debut of Real Maryland Monarchs with a 1-0 win for the visitors.
USL unveils Open Cup qualifying format
Layout similar to 2007, but changes made to PDL
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2008 U.S. Open Cup
Automatic Entries
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MLS: Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution, DC United, Chivas USA, FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls.
USL-1: Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Charleston Battery, Miami FC Blues, Minnesota Thunder, Portland Timbers, Rochester Rhinos, Seattle Sounders
USL-2: Harrisburg City Islanders (defending league champion), Richmond Kickers (defending regular season champion) |
The qualifying format for the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will look a lot like the 2007 format, according to the United Soccer Leagues Web site.
An official announcement hasn’t been made by U.S. Soccer, which runs the tournament.
Each league participating in the Open Cup this year - Major League Soccer, USL First and Second Divisions, Premier Development League and the United States Adult Soccer Association - will have eight entries, marking the first time every league will have the same number of teams entered.
USOpenCup.com adds RSS feed
New feature makes it easier for fans to follow the Open Cup
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An RSS feed allows you to automatically receive the latest USOpenCup.com stories directly to your computer. Some web browsers, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, can read them automatically. You can also use a program like NewzCrawler or NewsGator, or websites such as Bloglines.com and Google Reader. For more information about RSS Feeds, visit the Wikipedia entry.
Colts secure Region I berth
Lotocki's goal and two assists pace club to 4-0 win
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Maryland
Open Cup Champions
2008 - Baltimore Colts FC
2007 - A.C. United
2006 - Allied SC
2005 - Baltimore Colts FC
2004 - Allied SC
2003 - Brilla Baltimore Colts FC
2002 - Christos SC
2001 - DiPasquale Baltimore Colts FC
2000 - Jerry D’s
1999 - Jerry D’s
1998 - High Topps
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For the third time since 2003, Baltimore Colts FC will represent Maryland in the Region I U.S. Open Cup Finals, after defeating Maryland Allyance FC 4-0 at the Soccerplex in Germantown, Maryland on March 2.
The Colts quickly took control of the match, scoring all four goals in the first half. Mike Lotocki and Kyle Sterling combined for the first two scores, with Sterling scoring twice off of corner kicks from Lotocki in the 21st and 30th minutes. Sterling had also scored the game winning goal in the Colts’ 1-0 semifinal win over AC United. Sterling’s teammate at Salisbury State University, Bill Whittington, gave the Colts a 3-0 lead off an assist from Guil Costa in the 35th minute. Costa provided help again on the final goal, scored this time by Lotocki himself.
BCFC’s victory means that the last six Maryland Open Cup tournaments have been won by either the Colts or AC United (formerly Allied SC), both teams winning three apiece. It also marks the sixth time overall the Colts have won Maryland’s Open Cup berth, representing the state in 2001, 1997 and 1996.
United German Hungarians conquer Eastern PA
UGH advance to USASA Region I finals
On a pitch made sloppy by the chilly December rain, United German Hungarians booked their spot in next spring’s USASA Region I U.S. Open Cup finals tournament with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Pennsylvania Rush.  UGH grabbed the lead early on a goal from Matt Hemberger, a former La Salle University player. Rush took control of the match for much of the run of play after the goal, with the goalpost keeping them out of the net once and leaving the score 1-0 at halftime. After the restart, both clubs had good chances, and UGH appeared to have doubled their lead, but a disputed offside call kept the visitors within a goal. Rush then threw everything they had at UGH in hopes of finding the equalizer. The UGH defense, headed by goalkeeper Stash Graham, held on for the victory.The win avenged UGH’s 3-1 Open Cup loss to Rush (then known as Montco Azzurri) last season in the opening round of the Eastern Pennsylvania tournament. This year, Rush also fell to UGH’s Reserve team in the USASA Amateur cup tournament, in which UGH and their Reserve squad have reached the EPASA semifinals. UGH last qualified for the U.S. Open Cup in 1999, and have reached the finals twice, in 1977 and 1993. UGH join Aegean Hawks (DC/Virginia), Garfield Vistula (New Jersey) and Queen City FC (NPSL) in next spring’s USASA Region I finals so far.
The Bavarian dynasty continues
Bavarian SC wins Wisconsin state title, advances to Region II finals
Bavarian SC captured their 12th Wisconsin state championship in the last 14 years on Sunday with a 3-1 win over the Milwaukee Kickers.  The club advances to the USASA Region II finals next year, giving them a shot to qualify for the Open Cup for the sixth time, the most by any USASA club in the professional era (1995 - present).
At the Wisconsin State Cup Final at Marquette’s Valley Field on Sunday, Brian Doherty and Jake Provan gave Bavarian SC a comfortable 2-0 halftime lead. Brian McGuire’s second half goal that cut the lead in half for the Kickers, but Blair Kohlmeyer would eventually seal the deal for the Bavarians with a goal to make it 3-1.
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Tracing its origins to 1914, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history. However, The Dewar Cup, an impressive three-foot high silver trophy awarded to the Open Cup champion, is virtually unknown - even among avid soccer fans.
Why is this? Could it be because it’s so darn hard to find out anything about the Open Cup? We think so. That’s why we’ve created USOpenCup.com. Consider it our gift to the soccer community.
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2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champions
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CHICAGO FIRE
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This website is for the enjoyment and benefit of soccer fans and the advancement of the game in the United States. It is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by US Soccer, US Adult Soccer Association, Major League Soccer, or the United Soccer Leagues. The site was created by and is hosted by Demosphere International, Inc. of Falls Church, Virginia. The site is maintained by Josh Hakala and Chuck Nolan Jr. and are always looking for help from the soccer community to keep on top of the action due to the total void of information in the "mainstream" media. If you have anything you can contribute, or feel you can help either by writing feature stories, match reports, covering games, web graphics, website design, or any other way that might be helpful, please contact us.
It’s time that the U.S. Open Cup claimed its rightful place among the other great sports traditions in the country. Hopefully, this site will be first step in that direction.
Yours in Soccer,
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