A familiar theme continued on Sunday in PDL U.S. Open Cup qualifying, one team clinched on the field with a victory, while another got the right result from a game they were not involved in.
The Ocean City Barons became the 6th PDL club to qualify for the cup, after a 1-1 draw between Fredericksburg and Reading. Scott Rowling put Reading ahead in the 14th minute, and carried that lead into halftime. Fifteen minutes after the restart, Cameron McCarthy drew the game level for the Gunners. Fredericksburg were not able to get the go-ahead goal they were looking for, settling for a draw, leaving them unable to match Ocean City’s 4-0 record. The Barons return to the Open Cup after a year’s absence, last qualifying in 2005, where they made it to the third round before losing to the Richmond Kickers in a wild 8-4 affair.
The Kansas City Brass had an even longer wait, 8 season in fact, to return to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In a do or die affair on Sunday, the Brass prevailed 3-1 over inter-state rivals St. Louis Lions. Garret Guthrie and Joshua White scored within two minutes of each other midway through the first half to give KC a 2-0 lead. Shortly after halftime, St. Louis got on the board though a Rackley Shirland Thomas goal. Kansas City put the game away with three minutes remaining with a Joshua Howard score. Kansas City made their last cup appearance in 1998, when they fell 2-1 after extra time to the Central Jersey Riptide in the opening round.
The final PDL cup berth will be settled on Memorial Day, when the Michigan Bucks and Indiana Invaders meet in South Bend, Indiana at 7:30 Eastern Time.
