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.

USASA Region I Finals Group N Semifinals May 4, 2008 Danbury United at Queen City FC Massachusetts champion vs. Vistula Garfield SC Group N Final May 18, 2008 Winner qualifies for 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup   Group S First round April 27, 2008 Sport Club Portuguese vs. Aegean Hawks FC Semifinals May 4, 2008 SC Portuguese/Hawks vs. Baltimore Colts FC  Pancyprian Freedoms vs. United German Hungarians Group S Final May 18, 2008 Winner qualifies for 2008 Lamar Hunt 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.

Kicking things off on April 27, Champion League Soccer’s Sport Club Portuguese will face one of the teams that qualified for last year’s U.S. Open Cup, Aegean Hawks of the Washington Premier League. Sport Club has won the CLS championship four years running, and are in a good position to win their fifth, sitting five points behind leaders Garfield Vistula SC. SCP defeated New York Salamina 5-0 to claim the CLS spot in the finals. The Hawks are coming off a first place finish in the WPL fall campaign, finishing 7-0-1. The team also will compete in the USASA Region I Amateur Cup tournament, having defeated Reds United 4-0 in the DC/Virginia Final in December.

The winner of the Aegean Hawks/Sport Club Portuguese match will  move on to the first round of Group S to face Baltimore Colts FC, who finished third in the Maryland Major Soccer League fall season. The Colts defeated the fall champions, Maryland Allyance, 4-0 in March to claim Maryland’s spot. Baltimore are looking to reach the U.S. Open Cup once again, having previously qualified in 2005.

The other Group S semifinal match will pit United German Hungarians against either New York Pancyprian Freedoms or New York Greek American-Atlas. UGH currently are in third place in the United Soccer League season, though they have two games in hand on leaders Phoenix SC. The club from Oakford, Penn., won Eastern Pennsylvania’s qualifying tournament with a 1-0 win over PA Rush, and are looking to avenge last year’s elimination in the first round of Eastern Pennsylvania. Their opponent will be the winner of the Eastern New York Open Cup final, to be played in the coming weeks.

Their opponents, Cosmopolitan Soccer League West division leaders Pancyprian Freedoms, won their berth in dramatic fashion. The Cypriot club won the Eastern New York Final over bitter rivals New York Greek American/Atlas 1-0 in extra time on April 16. Sebastian Alvarado Ralph scored the winning goal in the final minute of extra time. The match was the second of three scheduled meetings between the two clubs. the teams to a 1-1 draw in league play, and will meet in the Manning Cup semifinals on April 27. Winners of the U.S. Open Cup three times in the early 1980’s, the Freedoms’ USASA team has never qualified for the U.S. Open Cup in the professional era. However, they did make it in 1999 & 2002 when they fielded a team in the USL. In ’99, they lost a narrow 2-1 extra time decision to Rochester in the Second Round, the Rhinos’ first opponent on their way to winning the ’99 Cup.

On the other side of the bracket in Group N, the National Premier Soccer League’s Queen City FC will face Danbury United, while Vistula Garfield SC will square off against the Massachusetts Open Cup champion, which will either be Boston Olympiakos or Estrella Negra.

Buffalo’s Queen City FC were the NPSL national runners-up last year, and exited the 2007 U.S. Open Cup qualifying campaign in a bitter way, on a 90th-minute own goal against Emigrantes Das Ilhas. A major disadvantage for Queen City will be the fact that their team will have a very short time together before they face Danbury United on May 4. Danbury United not only qualified for the 2007 tournament, but nearly pulled off a big upset against the Western Mass Pioneers of the USL Second Division, falling 3-2 in extra time. Danbury are strong again this year, having won the Connecticut Soccer League’s fall session.

On the other side of Group N, Garfield Vistula SC awaits the winner of the Massachusetts qualifying tournament. Vistula are currently in first place in Champions League Soccer with a 7-1-2 record, holding a five-point lead over Sport Club Portugese with three games remaining. Their Massachusetts opponents will be set in the coming weeks, as weather has delayed the completion of their tournament. One of the finalists in Massachusetts is Boston Olympiakos, the defending USASA national Amateur Cup champions. The winners of Group N and S not only qualify for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, but also will face each other in the Region I final to determine who will advance to the USASA National Cups finals this summer in Seattle.

Region II Finals First round May 3, 2008 RWB Adria at Carpathia Kickers Missouri Arsenal at Des Moines Menace Reserves AAC Eagles at Bavarian SC  Princeton 56ers at Bloomington Cutters  Semifinals May 17, 2008 Winners qualify for 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

In Region II, eight teams will kick off on May 3. Illinois’ RWB Adria are looking to make their way to the Open Cup once more, having qualified in 2007. Adria put in a respectable performance last year, losing 4-1 to the Carolina RailHawks of the USL First Division. Champions of Chicago’s National Soccer League in 2007, Adria won the Illinois final with a 4-1 win over AAC Eagles. Their first-round opponents will be the Carpathia Kickers, 2007 fall champions of the Michigan Premier League and the MPL League Cup winners. The Kickers made their way to the Region II finals by defeating AAFC Elite 4-1 in the Michigan final last weekend.

One of the more-anticipated matches in the Region II finals is a clash of two teams who are very familiar with the Open Cup. AAC Eagles, the runners-up from Illinois, will travel to Milwaukee to take on Bavarian SC. The Eagles are currently in first place in the Metropolitan Soccer League in Chicago, and were the runners-up in last year’s USASA National Amateur Cup championship, losing to Boston Olympiakos.

As the Region II finals approach, Bavarian SC are near the top of the Wisconsin Major Division. Both clubs have qualified on numerous occasions for the U.S. Open Cup. The Eagles have qualified three times, with their most recent entry coming in 2005. Bavarian SC qualified for a record fifth time last year, reaching the second round, where they fell to the Carolina RailHawks of the USL First Division. Their three Open Cup victories are tied with Dallas Roma FC for the most wins for a USASA club since 1995.

Also in Region II, the Princeton-56ers, defending NPSL Midwest champions, take on Indiana’s Bloomington Cutters. Last year, the Princeton-56ers, from Madison, Wis., lost to Detroit United 2-1 on an 89th-minute goal in their Open Cup qualifying debut.

The fourth match will see a pair of teams that were the lone entries in their respective states. The Des Moines Menace Reserves from Iowa will host the Missouri Arsenal. This is the second year in a row that the Menace Reserves have taken part in the tournament, having lost to RWB Adria 1-0 in the first round in 2007.