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Meet the USASA: Danbury United
United's player/coach set to face his old club in first round
USASA teams from Connecticut have made several appearances in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup since 1995, and Danbury United is the latest to emerge from the Constitution State.
In the USASA Region I Finals, they faced the Lowell Revolution from Massachusetts, and rolled to an easy 5-0 victory to move on to the semifinals. With one victory between them and the U.S. Open Cup, Danbury traveled to Brockton, Massachusetts to face another Portuguese club, Emigrantes Das Ilhas. Emigrantes, featuring former New England Revolution midfielder Carlos Semedo, made Danbury earn their spot in the Cup. After playing to a 0-0 draw, Carlos Valdir Fernandes broke the deadlock for Emigrantes in extra time, only to see Danbury draw level after converting a spot kick to send the game into penalties. Danbury secured their U.S. Open Cup spot 6-5, a feat made more amazing considering they played with only eleven men, two of whom were goalkeepers.
Danbury United Club President, Jorge Sousa, even went so far as to say that his team wasn’t the best team on the field that day. "Emigrantes were a much better team the entire game, we really had luck on our side on Sunday. Without luck, no team can win."
83 Years of Tradition
Like many top amateur teams around the country, Danbury United is backed by an ethnic club. In Danbury’s case, it is the Portuguese Cultural Center. While the soccer team has been around since 2002, The Portuguese Cultural Center traces it’s roots from two separate clubs, the Sons of Portugal Club, and the Portuguese American Club. The Sons of Portugal Club was founded in 1924, and with the growing Portuguese community came a need for larger facilities, so the Portuguese American Club was built in 1938.
In 1998, the Portuguese community, led by Joe Boa, Francisco Bahia, Ray Boa, and Agostinho Ribeiro, decided to unite the two clubs. Both organizations were sold, and the Portuguese Cultural Center was created. In 2000, construction begin on a brand new building that the Center would call home, which includes a ballroom with a 600 person capacity, three bars, an indoor gym, as well as a soccer field right next to the Center, where Danbury United play their matches.
Aiming for Higher Levels
Danbury have been a force in the Connecticut Soccer League, winning the championship three times in the last five years. They have already clinched their fourth title this season, leading second place Hartford United by seven points with a few matches remaining. Sitting at forty points, Danbury are only two points removed from being perfect after fourteen league matches. Even their Over-30 team has found success, winning the Shoreline Adult Soccer League championship three years in a row.
The team is lead by player/coach Tony Fernandes, who played with the USL Second Division’s Western Mass Pioneers from 2004-2006. Fernandes accumulated a total of 55 games, 4,851 minutes, two goals and three assists in his three years with the Pioneers. Other standout players are Brian Cochenour, Mauro Costa, Mauro Cesar, and Edson Freire. With league play becoming less of a challenge, it was Sousa’s decision to begin entering Danbury into tournaments such as the U.S. Open Cup. In fact, his goal is to eventually take the team to the USL Second Division.
“We are certain this game will help to keep alive the goal to move this team to a higher division of soccer then the Connecticut League,” Sousa explained. “More of these games are what we need to create the necessary momentum to go forward.”
As Danbury prepares for their first-ever U.S. Open Cup match, against Fernandes’ old club on June 12, Sousa is obviously very proud of what his team has accomplished.
"I really see this game as a gift to all my players, for their commitment they had during the last few years," Sousa proudly said. "This is already history for the Portuguese Cultural Center, whatever is going to happen next is just icing on the cake!"
A victory over the Pioneers, in front of the home crowd, at the Portuguese Cultural Center will no doubt make that cake taste even sweeter.
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