Open Cup champ Sounders bumped forward to 2012 CCL Group Stage

Though the Seattle Sounders were unable to turn a great season into multiple championships, the club’s ability to juggle their championship Open Cup campaign with the Major League Soccer season and CONCACAF Champions League proved beneficial when the final whistle sounded for the 2011 MLS season.

By virtue of CCL qualification rules established by US Soccer and MLS, the Sounders were upgraded to automatic Group Stage entrants for the 2012-13 tournament courtesy of the Los Angeles Galaxy winning MLS Cup. The Open Cup champion and MLS Cup runner-up are slated to play in the Champions League Preliminary Round while the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield winners are placed into the group phase.

The qualification rules use the order of finish in MLS as the determinant for the alternates should those honors be claimed by the same club. With LA winning both MLS titles, one of the group berths became available. As the runners-up for the Supporters’ Shield the Sounders were advanced onto the Group Stage with the Galaxy.

Real Salt Lake was the first beneficiary of the qualification rules, earning the berth when LA advanced to a semifinal meeting against them. It ensured that either RSL would reach the final or earn the berth via the qualification rules since their opponent had already earned a berth and they were in line per the league’s order of finish. RSL, finalists in the 2010-11 CCL, finished the season third behind the Galaxy and the Sounders, who had also already qualified via the Open Cup.

MLS Cup runners-up Houston Dynamo are the fourth entrant. They fell, 1-0, to the Galaxy Sunday on a late second half tally. It is the third entry into the CCL for the Dynamo, the first team from MLS to reach the tournament Quarterfinals. As Group Stage entrants in 2008, Houston went 2-1-3 to advance to the final eight, falling 4-1 on aggregate to eventual champion Atlante after posting a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg.
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World Cup Qualifying 2012 Dates set for CONCACAF

CONCACAF released the schedule for its third round of FIFA World Cup qualifying, setting the match-ups and dates for the 12 remaining teams split into three groups. The six-match schedule was split into three pairs of games set for June 8-12, September 7-11 and October 12-16.

The qualifying dates will have minimal impact on the 2012 US Open Cup according to the new format of the tournament reported by TheCup.us in which the event will be completed prior to August. The first pair of qualifiers, June 8 and 12, are the lone contests that fall within that window. At least the first three rounds of the US Open Cup are expected to be complete at that time, meaning that MLS participation will have commenced and some teams could already be eliminated.

Slated for a May 15 start, the first four rounds could potentially be complete prior to the first qualifiers if they are held on consecutive weeks. The 2010 tournament is the only time in recent years in which four rounds were played without a break, but the World Cup that year fell during the dates of the first two rounds in which MLS was not participating.

Although the dates for the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League have not been announced, the 2012 World Cup qualification dates fall within similar breaks in CCL group play observed in all four previous editions of the tournament. The first two CCL group games would be held before the September 7 and 11 qualifier contests. The next three CCL matches would be played before the final two qualification dates October 12 and 16, leaving one final group contest to determine the CCL Quarterfinals.

Full CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Schedule [+]
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Quarterfinals set for CCL in March

The quarterfinal schedule details for the CONCACAF Champions League have been set. The defending three-time US Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders continue their run for glory, representing the 2010 Open Cup title, on Wednesday, March 7. They will play the first leg at home versus Santos Laguna of Mexico with the return leg the following Wednesday, March 14.

The other two remaining Major League Soccer representatives, LA Galaxy and Toronto FC, will square off against one another in the other half of their semifinal bracket on the same two dates. The all-MLS affair will be the early match for the first leg as they play in Toronto. The Galaxy will host the late match the following week.

While the draw did unfortunately pair two MLS clubs into playing one another, it has created a scenario in which an MLS team will be guaranteed to reach the semifinals for a second consecutive year. And, if the Sounders win their series against two-time quarterfinalist Santos, it would ensure an MLS club reached the final for a second straight season. Real Salt Lake became the first MLS team to play in the CCL Final in April earlier this year, falling 3-2 on aggregate to unbeaten Monterrey after a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Mexico.

This is the first quarterfinal appearance for all three clubs, though the LA Galaxy have won the confederation's championship under a smaller and more simplified tournament format in 2000, which was held in Los Angeles. It is also the first time MLS has had three teams in the quarterfinals. The league set a high of two in the previous tournament, but saw RSL and the Columbus Crew, unfortunately, drawn against one another in the quarterfinals.

Full Quarterfinal Schedule [+]
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The Closet Door was Open with Testo; Privacy Surprisingly Respected

The announcement Thursday by David Testo, a professional soccer player for nearly a decade now, that he is gay turned into big news. It prompted numerous stories across Canada, where he currently resides, and the United States, making the sites of USA Today and ESPN. But perhaps the more shocking news is that he has been open about his sexuality all along, and the people around him – in a professional sports league – respected his privacy.

To me, this is a great illustration of how progressive and open-minded the sport has become in the United States and Canada. As the former long-time director of public relations at United Soccer Leagues, where he has played for Richmond Kickers (2003), Vancouver Whitecaps (2006-07) and Montreal Impact (2007-present), I have to say that there were the usual rumors and stories about W-League players (not surprising given the unfortunate innuendo surrounding women’s sports), but there was never, ever anything about a player in one of our men’s leagues being gay.

That says a lot about the quality of person that Testo is and is a great statement about the people that surrounded him. In a world obsessed with the sexuality of its celebrities and sports stars, he basically lived a somewhat openly gay life with his teammates and coaches and it never became a news story until he himself took overt action yesterday to make it a headline.

While it is unfortunate, and despicable, that gay slurs were used during play by opposing players on a few occasions (according to this LaPresse report quoting former coach Marc Dos Santos, who estimates 60-80% of the players in the league knew Testo’s orientation), I think it is a far greater representation of the sport in this country that not a single player – teammate or opponent – threw Testo’s personal life into the limelight by talking to the media. In this day and age of electronic media, social app addiction and online anonymity, Testo played nine seasons of professional soccer without the news of his sexuality leaving the locker room and becoming a public discussion. That is an incredible display of respect and restraint.

"David Testo's declaration is in fact very personal," Joey Saputo, owner of the MLS-bound Impact said in a statement. "We knew David's orientation prior to him joining our club from Vancouver in 2007.”  Regarding the non-disclosure of the on-field incidents club executive VP Richard Legendre said they all met and since Testo’s orientation was private, the club chose to respect that and did not disclose the incidents, which is likely why Dos Santos did not speak about them until Testo’s announcement.

Former teammate Patrick Leduc, in a special column for LaPresse said (translated) “Let the record (show). We knew David's sexual orientation on arrival and it had no negative effect on his relationship with the team or group performance. I have heard sports commentators claim that the coming out of an athlete could endanger the stability of the locker room. This is not (the case), at least not in the Impact. David is a professional who has greatly helped the cause of the club.”

It is not as though Testo is fringe player either. He has been a standout in the second division flight since his rookie season in Richmond in 2003, winning championships and earning numerous team and league honors. He earned a second chance at playing in MLS after going undrafted, playing for the Columbus Crew (2004-05). He was with the Impact when they won the Canadian Championship in 2008 and played in the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, where he helped lead Montreal to its historic run to the competition’s quarterfinal stage.

Unforunately, despite the respect shown by those around him, Testo still felt burdened by the situation, clearly showing emotion visually in the video interview he did with Radio-Canada. "Living the life of a professional athlete and being gay is incredibly hard," Testo said in the interview with French-language Radio-Canada. "It's like carrying around a secret, you know, and carrying around luggage and just never being allowed to be yourself." [short video - full video]

Unless Montreal re-signs Testo to play for in its MLS debut season in 2012, his actual luggage will have to hit the road once again as he searches for a new team. He was one of a handful of players on the team with 20+ games played last season and will undoubtedly be an impactful signing for anyone next year. Hopefully, he finds that new home soon, and without a storm of discontent from the community. 

MLS & USSF Establishing Long-Term Calendar?

With our report on TheCup.us Wednesday regarding the structural changes most likely upcoming for the 2012 US Open Cup and beyond, I was paying particular attention to Thursday's 'Best XI / State of the League' conference call with MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Although the topic itself was largely brushed over as he focused on league-specific scheduling and calendar issues, a few things did stand out in regards to long-term strategic planning for MLS and the US Open Cup.

Garber mentioned that the league is working on establishing a broad list of schedule dates over a multi-year period. To me it sounds like the league's competition committee is looking beyond the next season and trying to establish a mostly-fixed calendar for the league's season along with the competitions of the two federations and CONCACAF.

That is something long overdue, but until the recent growth and success in the US Open Cup (and Canadian Championship) and Champions League, it has been very difficult to accomplish. Now that the league, those competitions and the non-MLS clubs seem to be settling in, a master calendar seems to be emerging. The new schedule adaptations to the US Open Cup are a modification that appears to be making that the case the process is underway.

With clubs like the Seattle Sounders, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake openly and actually taking all competitions seriously, the overlapping calendar of non-league competitions has made things difficult on the clubs and players (see the schedule flow chart pdf). With the CCL Group Phase lingering toward the end of the MLS regular season, it was important for the league to open the midweek windows occupied by the Open Cup semifinals and final that have fallen within the range of the CCL group games. By moving the Open Cup up, the league's elite teams will be able to provide more rest for its top players.

This is particularly important considering situations like Seattle and Los Angeles Galaxy, who are repeat CCL participants and could be virtually playing multiple competitions all campaign long. The knockout championship stage rounds of the CCL are in the spring followed by the bulk of US Open Cup in early summer. The CCL Preliminary Round for the next tournament pops up in the heat of the summer with the group phase coming shortly thereafter.

The other item that came up was the discussion of the league's competition committee itself. From a US Open Cup perspective it may be interesting to note the tournament-friendly composition of the group.

Clark Hunt (Dallas/Columbus) - The son of the tournament's namesake... Sunil Gulati (New England) - President of US Soccer... Adrian Hanauer (Seattle) - Sounders are one of the leading proponents of USOC... Andrew Hauptman (Chicago) - Fire are one of the leading proponents of USOC... Greg Kerfoot (Vancouver) - Whitecaps are an advocate for counterpart Canadian Championship... Todd Durbin - MLS. Nelson Rodriguez - MLS

While the group obviously has to take its lead from the whole of the ownership around the league, it is a good sign for the US Open Cup, and the league, that the men at the table for the discussion of the external competitions are among those who treat the events with gravitas. It is particularly great that two - Hanauer and Kerfoot - have experienced the tournaments from the lower division viewpoint as well.
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Extreme Makeover – Open Cup Edition: What It All Means

While the reported changes likely upcoming for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and future editions of the tournament will create a simpler competition calendar for Major League Soccer, it will certainly be a paradigm shift for the amateur levels of the sport.

Major League Soccer

For MLS, there are two main changes. The first is that it will mark the first time since 2006 that all of its clubs have competed in the event, marking an end to its internal qualification process used since 2007. In 2006, however, the league had 12 clubs based in the United States to the 16 it now has.

The second change is in the schedule. With the change in the confederation’s club championship to the new CONCACAF Champions League, club competition schedules have grown in complexity, burden and exertion. Seattle, Los Angeles and Dallas – for example – were all balancing the US Open Cup, CCL and the race for the Supporters’ Shield at the same time. They also had to manage the loss of players for international duty, primarily for the Gold Cup. Whilst the Open Cup and CCL are midweek contests, the travel demands to hot and humid nations in the vast confederation make the off days just as demanding as game days.

Bumping the Open Cup up earlier and concluding the competition before August greatly streamlines the MLS calendar. The Open Cup would begin for MLS clubs approximately two months into their campaigns. If MLS again lightens its schedule during heavy international dates, teams will be able to manage the additional Open Cup matches while players are away. Last year, the CCL Preliminary Round was held the last week of July and first of August with the Group Phase beginning two weeks later. The six group matches were spread mostly throughout August and September, wrapping up after a three-week layoff mid-October, just prior to the final weekend of the league season. This year, the Open Cup champion Sounders had only two midweek dates off from the time they began the Preliminary Round of the CCL July 26 to the Open Cup Championship October 4 – a span of nine weeks.

But what does this mean for the lower divisions?

USL Pro & NASL (pending sanctioning)

For the pro leagues, this would also reduce congestion prior to the postseason, which begin earlier than MLS. Teams who are fortunate to find success in the Open Cup will not be penalized with having to sacrifice their race for a playoff berth or the ability to win a league championship in favor of trying to make Open Cup history. 

PDL, NPSL & USASA

The amateur flight, however, is not so fortunate. For nearly all of the Modern Pro Era (95-present), the amateur leagues and organizations have had until approximately June 1st to determine the qualified teams for the berths allotted to each. That proved workable in the USASA regional qualifying calendar with the four regions holding their respective tournaments in the month leading up to the deadline. For the PDL, and newly added via direct berths NPSL, it meant at least a month of league play could be fit in, allowing the leagues to determine in their own fashion how to determine berths.

For USASA regional and state associations, moving Open Cup qualifying events is no small task. Regional competitions are often held in conjunction with other tournaments, possibly affecting the entire slate of events within the system in a given region. That is not an easy process to manage changes given the fairly independent nature of the state associations and their own varied qualifying processes to determine entrants for the regional events.

While the leagues will not have to change their schedules, one of the great byproducts of that previous June 1 deadline has been the longstanding system utilized by the PDL. Four matches doubled as qualification contests with the winners from the conference or division, depending on number of berths available, advancing to the tournament in what were essentially must-win matches. It created a dynamic start to the season and delivered berths on recent merit to clubs that had proven a capability to play under pressure.

That drama will very likely be lost now. With collegiate players, who make up the majority of PDL and NPSL rosters, unavailable until May 1, the same date as the proposed new deadline, the two leagues will undoubtedly resort to handing out berths based on the previous season’s performance – the exact qualifying method MLS has been using for six of eight entrants since 2007.

With the Open Cup First Round slated to now be May 15, there is still very slight hope we could see some early season drama in the PDL.

Here is what I would like to see in PDL Qualifying:

With the expansion of the amateur pool doubling to 32, it is possible the PDL’s allotment of berths will at least double based on the league’s size and success over the years, along with the off-field standards most can meet in comparison to the USASA sides. With that doubled number being 16, it would not be hard to fathom an extra two slots (18) to make it a balanced tally of two per division.

It’s easy to assign those to berths to the top two in the table from the year before, but that would basically just be the playoff teams, adding little in exchange for the loss of intrigue from the opening of the season. It would also expand the gaps between the elite sides and the others as having Open Cup berths in hand will drastically alter the player recruiting landscape throughout the league, reducing parity. The top two teams would attract better players with the allure of facing professional clubs, possibly MLS, and cement themselves as the better teams for the whole of the season, increasing the odds of finishing in the top two once again – the same cycle seen in collegiate sports.

One of the longstanding issues in the PDL has been increasing the depth of the playoff chase within divisions beyond the top two or three teams in the final weeks. The Open Cup berths could be the answer

If USL could get an exemption from US Soccer to hold a special Qualification Match Window of May 1-4 (Tue-Fri), the league could expand the qualification pool to four per division and hold playoff matches with at least 11 days to spare before the First Round. The First Round scenarios would still be fully known and prepared for as the division champions play the fourth seed while the second and third seeds square off in the other match. With those seeds and matchups predetermined, the league can easily arrange the matches as part of the league schedule, doubling them up as they have before, or add them in as special independent contests.

The most important thing is that it would expand the late-season intrigue from the usual depth of 2-3 teams to 4-6, in some instances keeping nearly the entire division in competition at the close of the campaign. It would keep a taste of the early-season drama in the league’s profile, and would also serve as a filter to ensure the teams entering the tournament have some recent merit to there resume – an important element considering the high amount of player turnover in the PDL from the close of the previous season nine months prior.
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Update: Chasing the Majors

The 2011 Majors are nearing a third champion.

The Seattle Sounders won their third consecutive US Open Cup, claiming the first of the year. Not long after the LA Galaxy captured the Supporters’ Shield as the Major League Soccer regular season champion.

On Sunday the Galaxy kept their bid for a double, possibly a treble, alive by reaching the Final of the MLS Cup playoffs. Their opponent for the third Major of the year will be the Houston Dynamo.

The Galaxy and the Sounders are both still also alive for the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League title, having advanced to the Quarterfinals, which will resume in the early spring. The Canadian champion Toronto FC, yet to reach MLS Cup playoffs, are also still alive for their own version of a double, moving on from the CCL group stage over FC Dallas.

The 2012 Majors...

CCL Qualifiers

The four US entrants for the next edition of the CCL are set. As Open Cup and Supporters’ Shield winners, both the Sounders and Galaxy will return to the event once again. The Dynamo are technically the fourth team to join the fray as one of the two MLS Cup finalists, which advance to the regional championship. With LA having already qualified, that spot was already determined midweek as it fell to Real Salt Lake, third-place finishers in the regular season courtesy of runners-up Seattle also having advanced. RSL would have been guaranteed a spot regardless of its playoff outcome Sunday.

It is only the second time in the last eight years in which the Supporters' Shield winner has reached the MLS Cup Final. It happened five times in the first eight years of the league's existence. In contrast, the US Open Cup champion reached the MLS Cup Final three of the last eight years, the same tally as the first eight years.

US Open Cup

Though rumors/reports are saying that the format may change with more, if not all, MLS teams participating in the tournament next year, here is a look at the top six from the 2011 MLS season that would be pre-qualified for the 2012 tournament if the same qualification process is followed as has been the case since 2007.

1 – LA Galaxy, 2 – Seattle Sounders, 3 – Real Salt Lake, 4 – FC Dallas, 5 – Sporting KC, 6 – Colorado Rapids

It would mark the first appearance since 2007 for Colorado, the only club among the six that did not participate in the tournament this year.
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TheCup.us 2011 Sounders & Keller Wallpapers

The 2011 US Open Cup Final was the first tournament championship game TheCup.us has had an official presence at beyond having a local correspondent. In honor of the Sounder's historic achievement and the retirement of Kasey Keller, whose Sounders career has been highlighted by the 3-Peat, we have designed a pair of wallpapers to commemorate the eventful campaign.

Seattle Sounders (1600 x 1200)

Kasey Keller (1600 x 1200)

(all photos by Gerald Barnhart)

Scoreboard watching for Open Cup Finalists

As they sit in the locker rooms and step on the field for warm-ups tonight, many of the players and coaches for the Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders may be tempted to glance at the scoreboard for tonight’s lone MLS league contest, a marquee match between the New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy on ESPN2.

A win by either of the two clubs in the league fixture will likely be a dagger for one of the Open Cup finalists.

The Sounders sit seven points pack of the Galaxy with three games remaining in their campaign. A win by Los Angeles tonight would clinch the Supporters’ Shield for the Galaxy as regular season champions.

Chicago, meanwhile, is in the midst of a hot run that has them clawing at the edge of the playoff zone, sitting three points back of the New York Red Bulls, who are currently occupying the final spot. A win by New York would make the gap six points with three games remaining in the Fire season and two for New York.

MLSsoccer.com Playoff Standings [+]

Open Cup champion Sounders advance in CCL

The Seattle Sounders became the first entrant in the current format of the CONCACAF Champions League to advance from the group stage of the event as representatives of the US Open Cup. A 2-2 draw in Guatemala versus Comunicaciones on Tuesday clinched a spot in the Quarterfinals.

The Sounders sit in first place in their group with 10 points, one ahead of defending CCL champion Monterrey of Mexico, with one game remaining in the group phase. Comunicaciones is third with seven. After falling 1-0 in Panama to San Francisco in the first leg of the Preliminary Round, the Sounders won four straight, advancing to the group phase with a 2-0 win at home versus San Francisco. The opened group play with a 4-1 win against visiting Comunicaciones and then stunned Monterrey 1-0 on the road in the second match, becoming only the second MLS club ever to win in Mexico. A few weeks later Seattle built a commanding lead in the group with a 2-1 road win versus Herediano. The Costa Ricans, however, returned the favor the following week with a 1-0 win in Seattle.

Open Cup News Reports - August 30

Coverage of the US Open Cup...

• SoundersFC.com – Match Preview: vs FC Dallas (video) [view]  
• MLSsoccer.com – USOC Preview: Fire meet familiar foes Richmond in semis [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – USOC Preview: Sounders host FCD in semifinal clash [view]  
• MLSsoccer.com – John returns to FC Dallas to “win championships” [view] 
• Chicago-Fire.com – The Fire Report: Momentum builds after consecutive wins [view]  
• Chicago-Fire.com – Kings of the Cup (Fire Open Cup trophies photo gallery) [view] 
• SoundersFC.com – Neagle named MLS Player of the Week [view] 
• SoundersFC.com: Rave Green – Meet FC Dallas (US Open Cup edition) [view]  
• GoalWA.net – FC Dallas stands between Sounders and another USOC Final [view] 
• The Sporting News – Fire coach Klopas hopes Cup greeted with Open arms [view]  
• Chicago Sun-Times – Revived Fire ready for Richmond in US Open Cup semi [view] 
• Richmond Times-Dispatch – VCU ties aplenty in Kickers’ Cup game [view]  
• ESPN.com Chicago – Fire aim for 6th Open Cup final appearance [view]  
• Chicagoland Soccer News – A Win Away: Fire can advance to Open Cup final [view] 
• Seattle Times – Sounders FC hosts FC Dallas in US Open Cup semifinal [view] 
• The Olympian – Familiar foe meets Sounders in semis [view]
• SI.com: Inside Soccer – Five things learned in MLS Week 24 [view]  
• SB Nation: Big D Soccer – FC Dallas News Update 8/29 [view]

Open Cup News Reports - August 29

Coverage of the US Open Cup... 

• The Seattle Times: Sounders FC Blog – Sounders FC would host USOC final if it advances Tuesday [view] 
• The News Tribune: Sounders Insider – If Sounders advance, they’ll host US Open Cup final [view] 
• The Olympian – Active Sounders add to their crew [view] 
• MLive.com – Hosting scenarios for 2011 US Open Cup Final announced [view] 
• Chicago Sun-Times – Rapidly improving Fire tops champs [view] 
• The Dallas Morning News – With deal in England not finalized, FC Dallas star George John set to return [view]  
• Daily Herald – Has the Chicago Fire turned the corner? [view] 
• RichmondKickers.com – US Open Cup Semifinals Tuesday [view] 
• ChicagoFire.com – Double Knockout: Klopas, Cowlishaw on managing matches ahead of semi’s [view] 
• ChicagoFire.com – Postgame Quote Sheet (from MLS match including Open Cup comments) [view]
• MLSsoccer.com – FCD defender George John’s move to Blackburn called off [view]

Open Cup clubs unaffected by Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene created three cancellations within the Major League Soccer schedule for the weekend, but has had no effect on the upcoming US Open Cup semifinals. All three MLS clubs are in action west of the Mississippi Saturday evening. Even the fourth club, Richmond Kickers, appear to be on schedule with no word of postponements out of Orlando, Florida where they are scheduled to play in the USL Pro semifinals Saturday night.

Open Cup clubs leading way as MLS sides off to unprecedented start in Champions League

For the first time, the full potential of five participants from Major League Soccer found themselves advancing to the Group Stage of the CONCACAF Champions League as FC Dallas, Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC all won their Preliminary Round series. They joined previously seeded Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy in the 16-team phase of the tournament.

Nutrilite Canadian Championship 2011 winners Toronto FC advanced with a pair of 2-1 victories over Real Esteli (Nicaragua) and the 2010 US Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders rallied from a 1-0 road loss in Panama to defeat San Francisco in series overtime. US Open Cup hero Nate Jaqua scoring the series winner in the 98th minute of the 2-0 second leg result.

Current Open Cup semifinalist FC Dallas made history as the second non-Mexican club to post two shutouts in any two-leg CCL series (Preliminary or knockout stages), blanking Alianza (El Salvador) in a pair of one-goal decisions. The only other non-Mexican side to accomplish the feat previously was future MLS side Montreal Impact, which posted a 1-0 home win and scoreless draw against Real Esteli in the 2008 Preliminary Round.

Excuse our half-hiatus

Just to update everyone... If you have not noticed over the past week, we have been rather silent at TheCup.us and here on the blog. Myself and TheCup.us editor in chief / overall guru Josh Hakala are going through some significant changes.

First off, congratulations to Josh and his wife for the recent birth of twin baby girls. Unfortunately, Josh also picked this time to move into a new home and has been quite busy balancing the newborns with the packing, moving and now unpacking.

In addition, I have myself spent the better part of the past two weeks preparing for my cross-country move from Tampa, FL where I worked for United Soccer Leagues for 10 years to head back to my hometown of Spokane, WA. I officially embark from the greater Tampa area on the road trip beginning Monday morning for a trip I expect to take probably 10 days to two weeks.

Part of the reason the trip will be a little longer is I will be making a stop in a few days in Frisco, TX. While there I will be taking in the FC Dallas CONCACAF Champions League match, representing TheCup.us. I am planning to conduct a few interviews and maybe provide some behind-the-scenes photos/videos of the event and/or training while there to be featured on the website.

Look for those features as the Semifinals near. In fact, with the move back to Washington state, you can also expect me to be attending the US Open Cup match against Dallas at the end of the month in Seattle (Tukwila). I have been to a number of games in Seattle... for PDL games when I worked for the Spokane Shadow; and for USL when the Sounders hosted championship games. Surprisingly it will be my first match at Starfire, despite having been to many other stadia around the area.

In this day and age of technology, we'll still be around... just not as active as usual.
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Sounders drop Champions League opener

The defending US Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders fell 1-0 in Panama Tuesday evening despite controlling the run of play against San Francisco, coming out on the wrong side of the contest decided by a Roberto Brown penalty kick in the first half.

Seattle’s domination of possession, however, presented very few quality chances with Osvaldo Alonso shooting high from 24 yards six minutes in as they looked to convert from long range. One good opportunity from closer distance did arise, though, in the 13th minute when Erik Friberg sent a ball into the area only to see Fredy Montero head the ball just wide.

A ball played into the box to Brown was challenged by Jeff Parke, who fell on the play and inadvertently handled the ball, giving the home side a penalty in the 28th minute. The former Montreal Impact striker, who tallied four goals in his stint with the club in the 2008-09 event, stepped to the spot and buried it inside the right post past Kasey Keller, who had started the play that led to the penalty with distribution directly to a San Francisco player.

2011-12 CCL Kicks off Tuesday

The fourth edition of the CONCACAF Champions League begins Tuesday evening with the first two Preliminary Round matches of the eight series set to determining the other half of the group stage entrants for the 2011-12 competition. Reigning two-time US Open Cup champion and representative Seattle Sounders will kick things off in the opening match in their second CCL appearance while fellow current and upcoming US Open Cup semifinal opponent FC Dallas begins its debut CCL campaign Thursday.

Here is a look at the eight series that will be played over the course of the next two weeks.

2011 Open Cup clubs vying for PDL Playoffs

Heading into the final weekend of the season, six of the 10 clubs that participated in the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup have already locked up tickets to the Premier Development League postseason. Three of the other four have the opportunity to claim a berth this weekend with action beginning Friday evening.

Breakdown by Conference…

USASA National Cups conclude in Kentucky

UPDATE: On Friday, the NY Pancyprian Freedoms dominated in a 6-0 victory over Chicago's AAC Eagles to advance to the championship while the LA's Doxa Italia needed extra time to edge Houston's ASC New Stars, 3-2. Doxa went the distance in the championship as well, taking the defending champions to overtime in a match that finished 2-2 Sunday. The Freedoms would raise the trophy a second straight year with a 5-4 decision in the tiebreaker. In the Amateur Cup, the club RWB Adria, regulars in the US Open Cup, saw its entrant win 3-1 Friday against Mass Premier Soccer before claiming the championship 3-2 Sunday. The Carolina RailHawks captured the U23 title with a pair of four-goal victories. The Women's Cup tournament saw St Louis JB Marine capture the championship in another contest that went to overtime, downing Utah's Sparta United WSC, 2-1. Other Events +

It is down to the Final Four in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. This weekend, six sets of Final Four determine champions in the USASA National Cups in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Four men’s tournaments will determine champions in the Open, Amateur, Over-30 and U23 brackets while the Women’s Cup and Women’s U23 tournaments also crown champions.

The USASA Men’s Open event is the conclusion of the tournament that determined the eight USASA entrants for the US Open Cup that began in June. The four Regional Champions will gather at the Lovers Lane Soccer Complex for the Semifinals Friday, July 15.

The defending champion New York Pancyprian Freedoms are looking to repeat, and were the only side of the eight USASA entrants to advance to the Second Round of the US Open Cup. The Freedoms defeated the NPSL Brooklyn Italians 2-1 in the First Round and were eliminated via penalties by the USL Pro FC New York after a scoreless draw, missing out on a Third Round meeting with the New York Red Bulls.

The other three vying for the title are the AAC Eagles of Chicago, ASC New Stars from Houston and Doxa Italia from LA. AAC Eagles were knocked out of the Open Cup by the NPSL Madison 56ers and ASC New Stars by USL Pro Orlando City by the same 4-0 scoreline. Doxa Italia were bounced 3-1 by the PDL Ventura County Fusion. The Daily Breeze recently featured Doxa Italia’s rebirth in a feature story [view]. You can also check out 2011 edition of TheCup.us annual Meet the USASA features in which the site profile’s the organization’s entries [view].

Names in the other tournaments may also be familiar to US Open Cup followers. Mass Premier Soccer, RWB Adria and Legends FC are among the field in the Amateur bracket. FC New York United and the Carolina RailHawks are in the U23 event.

Here is more information on the 2011 USASA National Cups, including links to the schedule/result pages for each of the six events being held this weekend [view].
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Open Cup News Reports - Quarter LA v Seattle

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: LA Galaxy at Seattle Sounders

• Seattle Times – Sounders FC beats Galaxy 3-1 in US Open Cup quarterfinal [view]  
• Seattle Times: Sounders FC Blog – Sounders FC 3, LA Galaxy 1, Open Cup quotes and stats [view]
• ESPN LA – Galaxy: Sounders end Open Cup hopes [view]  
• LA Times – Galaxy loses to Seattle, 3-1, in US Open Cup [view] 
• LA Soccer News – Over and Out [view]  
• Daily News – US Open Cup run for Galaxy done after 3-1 loss to Seattle in quarterfinal [view]  
• Soccer America – Jaqua leads Sounders into semifinals [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – Galaxy reeling after another USOC defeat at Seattle [view]  
• MLSsoccer.com – Veteran Jaqua continues to be Seattle’s talisman [view]  
• MLSsoccer.com – Kick Off: Seattle have Galaxy’s number in Open Cup [view] 
• SoundersFC.com – Jaqua Lifts Sounders to Semis [view] 
• SoundersFC.com – Match Recap: vs Galaxy (video) [view]  
• MLSsoccer.com – The Daily, July 14 (video) [view]

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Open Cup News Reports - Quarterfinal Post-Game

The Quarterfinals are getting plenty of coverage around the nation. Therefore, we have broken up the Open Cup News Reports media link posts into separate entries for each match. Here are a few general tournament-wide recap reports followed by links to tonight's contest as well as the other Extra Time Open Cup News Report pages for last night.

• Soccer by Ives – US Open Cup: SKC kicked out by Richmond, FCD turns tables on RSL [view]
• Goal.com – McCarthy’s Musings: Fortune favors the brave in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup quarterfinals [view] 
• Big Apple Soccer – US Open Cup Roundup [view] 
• San Francisco Chronicle – US Open Cup [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – The Daily: July 13 (video) [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – USOC Roundup: Sporting fall as Fire, FCD go on to semis [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – Kick Off [view]  
• ESPN LA – Galaxy: Starfire is sweet for Sounders [view] 
• The News Tribune: Sounders Insider – Sounders-Galaxy winner will face Dallas in semis [view]  
• Kitsap Sun – US Open Cup getting harder for Sounders [view] 
• The Seattle Times – Sounders FC faces LA in Open Cup quarterfinal [view] 
• The Seattle Times – Sounders would host USOC semi, but have to get there first [view]  
• SB-Nation: Sounder at Heart – US Open Cup: LA Galaxy at Seattle Sounders – Three Questions [view]
• MLSsoccer.com – Galaxy vie for USOC redemption against Seattle [view]  
• SoundersFC.com – Open Cup Preview: vs Galaxy (video) [view] 

Open Cup News Reports by Game

Richmond vs Kansas City [reports]
RSL vs Dallas [reports]
NY vs Chicago [reports]
LA vs Seattle [reports] 
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Open Cup News Reports - Quarter Richmond v KC

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: Richmond Kickers at Sporting Kansas City

• The Kansas City Star – Sporting KC ousted from US Open Cup tourney [view]  
• Fox News Latino – Third-tier Richmond in US Open Cup semis [view] 
• Richmond Times-Dispatch – Kickers do it again: Bangura and Bulow stun Sporting Kansas City, 2-0 [view]  
• Richmond Times-Dispatch – Kickers show grit in victory [view]
• SB-Nation: The Daily Wiz – Sporting Kansas City 0-2 Richmond Kickers: Washed Away [view]
• Associated Press – Kickers beat Sporting KC in US Open Cup quarters [view]  
• Forbes – Kickers beat Sporting KC in US Open Cup quarters [view] 
• WTVR-CBS6 – Kickers advance to US Open Cup Semifinals [view] 
• SportingKC.com – Recap: KC eliminated from US Open Cup [view] 
• SportingKC.com – Late letdown leaves KC manager fuming [view] 
• SportingKC.com (members) – USOC: Highlights/Reaction [view] 
• RichmondKickers.com – Lightning Strikes Twice [view] 
• USLsoccer.com: Pipeline – Kickers Down Kansas City in Open Cup [view]

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Open Cup News Reports - Quarter RSL v Dallas

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas

• Dallas Morning News – No heroics needed for FC Dallas to advance to US Open Cup semis [view] 
• Salt Lake Tribune – MLS: FC Dallas ousts Real Salt Lake from US Open Cup [view] 
• Associated Press – Benitez, Goncalves lift FC Dallas in US Open Cup [view] 
• SB-Nation: Big D Soccer – FCD News Update 7/13 [view]  
• SB-Nation: Big D Soccer – FC Dallas Drops Real Salt Lake 2-0, Advances to Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semifinals [view]  
• Deseret News – Real Salt Lake bows out of Open Cup with 2-0 loss [view] 
• SB-Nation: RSL Soapbox – FC Dallas rains on Real Salt Lake’s US Open Cup dreams [view] 
• ABC4 Salt Lake City – Dallas takes down RSL in US Open Cup quarterfinals [view]  
• Standard-Examiner – Hoops thump short-handed RSL [view] 
• Sports Page Magazine – RSL’s Road to Open Cup Closed After 2-0 Defeat at FC Dallas [view]
• MLSsoccer.com – Practice makes perfect for Dallas’ Benitez in USOC victory [view]  
• MLSsoccer.com – RSL eye another road back to CCL after disappointing loss [view]  
• FCDallas.com – USOC Recap: FC Dallas 2, Real Salt Lake 0 [view]  
• RealSaltLake.com – USOC Recap: FC Dallas run away with 2-0 win vs RSL [view]

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Open Cup News Reports - Quarter NY v Chicago

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: NY Red Bulls at Chicago Fire

• Chicago Sun-Times – Red Bulls barely there as Fire wins 4-0 in Cup quarterfinals [view] 
• Soccer by Ives – Barouch’s brace fires Chicago past Red Bulls reserves into US Open Cup semis [view] 
• Chicagoland Soccer News – Very Important: Fire taking Open Cup very seriously [view] 
• New York Times – Red Bulls Fall in US Open Cup [view] 
• ESPN Chicago – Fire roll into Open Cup semifinals [view] 
• ESPN Chicago – Rapid Reaction: Fire 4, Red Bulls 0 [view] 
• ESPN NY – Double Down [view]
• Big Apple Soccer – Albright’s All Right [view] 
• Big Apple Soccer – A Toyota Trouncing [view] 
• SB-Nation: Once a Metro – New York Red Bulls Torched by Fire in Open Cup [view] 
• NY Post – Fire rout Red Bulls reserves in US Open Cup quarterfinal [view] 
• Huffington Post – Fire rout Red Bulls, advance to US Open Cup semis [view] 
• ChicagoNow.com – Fire trounce New York 4-0 [view] 
• Chicago Tribune – Fire rout Red Bulls, advance to US Open Cup semis [view] 
• Examiner Chicago – Fire move on to US Open Cup Semifinals [view] 
• Daily Herald – Fire plays to win against Red Bulls [view] 
• Chicago Tribune – Fire rout Red Bulls 4-0 [view] 
• USSoccerPlayers.com - The Red Bulls And The Value Of The Open Cup [view]
• Chicago-Fire.com – On To The Next One [view] 
• Chicago-Fire.com – Highlights (video) [view]   
• Chicago-Fire.com – Fire Savor Win [view]

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Quick Reference: Game Night Line-Ups QF

Looking for a starting lineup?  We'll post them here as we get them (please excuse formatting)...

#LAGalaxy Starting XI: Saunders; Dunivant, Berhalter, DeLaGarza, Jordan; Donovan, Juninho, Stephens, Birchall; Cristman, Cardozo Bench - Brian Perk, Juan Pablo Angel, Kyle Davies, Hector Jimenez, Jovan Kirovski, Miguel Lopez
SEATTLE - Terry Boss; Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Leo Gonzalez; Pat Noonan, Osvaldo Alonso, Alvaro Fernandez, Lamar Neagle; Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero Bench - Kasey Keller, Erik Friberg, Servando Carrasco, Mike Fucito, Roger Levesque, James Riley, Mauro Rosales

#RSL XI ... Reynish; Beltran, Olave, Borchers, Wingert; Beckerman, Williams, Johnson, Grabavoy; Gil, Espindola #RSL bench: Melia, Schuler, Russell, Alexandre, Warner, Gonzalez, Alvarez
#FCDallas Starting XI: Hartman, Loyd, John, Ihemelu, Benitez, Warshaw, Alexander, Guarda, Villar, Avila, Chavez Bench: Seitz, D. Hernandez, Shea, Wiedeman, Marosevic, Jackson, Rodriguez

KC - Kronberg; Harrington, Besler, Collin, Myers; Sassano, Diop, Stojcev; Lorenz, Bunbury, Kamara Bench: Kempin, Aiyegbusi, Thomas, Ellis, Espinoza, Bravo, Sapong
Richmond - Pascale; Goerres, Kalungi, William, Bangura, Callahan, Dos Santos, Elcock, Heins, Hertel, Nyazamba Bench: Bulow, Delicate, Harding, Mackenzie, Vercollone, Wallace

#RBNY Starting XI Coundoul, Albright, Keel, Lassiter, Jones, Schneider, Rooney, Kassel, da Luz, Ballouchy (C), Hertzog #RBNY Bench: Horwath, Hot, Paullo
#Fire Starting XI: Johnson, Anibaba, Mikulic, Cuesta, Segares, Paladini, Pause (C), Nyarko, Pappa, Oduro, Nazarit #Fire Bench: Conway, Pantazopoulos, Robinson, Husidic, Videira, Barouch, Chaves

Open Cup News Reports - July 12

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Game Day Edition

• The Kansas City Star – Sporting KC to take on Richmond in US Open Cup match [view] 
• Chicago Tribune – Fire taking US Open Cup quarterfinal seriously [view] 
• ESPN Chicago – Fire, Red Bulls tangle in Open Cup [view] 
• SB-Nation: Once a Metro – Three Questions: New York Red Bulls vs Chicago Fire, Open Cup Edition [view] 
• SB-Nation: Once a Metro – New York Red Bulls vs Chicago Fire Preview [view]  
• NY Post – Red Bulls to use all reserves in Tuesday’s US Open Cup game [view] 
• Big Apple Soccer – Contrasting Lineups [view]  
• Chicagoland Soccer News – Cup Qwest [view]  
• Potomac Soccer Wire – Road-weary Richmond Kickers carry upset hopes to Kansas City [view]  
• The News Tribune – Two more games demand Sounders’ attention [view] 
• Chicago Sun-Times – Fire looks to take next tourney step [view] 
• ESPN Dallas – Hernandez to start tonight? [view] 
• Salt Lake Tribune – Key players left home as RSL seeks big win at FC Dallas [view] 
• Dallas Morning News – FC Dallas-Real Salt Lake, 8 pm; Final-four spot in Cup at stake [view] 
• Deseret News – Real Salt Lake focuses on tie, not 9 losses, in Dallas [view] 
• FCDallas.com – USOC Preview (video) [view]  
• Chicago-Fire.com – Open Cup Importance [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – Chicago armed with full lineup in USOC match with NY [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – Kick Off [view]  
• NewYorkRedBulls.com – Red Bulls aim for US Open Cup Semifinal berth vs Chicago [view]
• NewYorkRedBulls.com – USOC matchup looms large for Red Bulls reserves [view]
• RealSaltLake.com – RSL Game Notes & Preview @ FC Dallas Tuesday, July 12 [view]
• RealSaltLake.com – RSL not expecting another gift from Dallas’ Hartman [view] 
• SportingKC.com – Sporting KC hosts Richmond Kickers in USOC [view] 
• RichmondKickers.com – Kickers vs Sporting Kansas City Live [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com - Watered down lineup not a concern for Sporting in USOC [view]

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MLS All-Stars & the US Open Cup

On Sunday, Major League Soccer unveiled the MLS All-Star First XI for the upcoming league friendly versus Manchester United at Red Bull Arena July 27. Nine of the 11 players selected via fan vote came from the eight 2011 US Open Cup clubs with a 10th selected via the special AT&T Text Voting ballot.

MLS All-Star First XI - Goalkeeper: Kasey Keller (SEA); Defenders: Omar Gonzalez (LA), Sean Franklin (LA), Rafa Márquez (NY), Tim Ream (NY); Midfielders: David Beckham (LA), Jack Jewsbury (POR), Brek Shea (DAL); Forwards: Landon Donovan (LA), Thierry Henry (NY), Chris Wondolowski (SJ); AT&T Text Voting Winner - Defender: Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)

Here’s a look from a US Open Cup point of view at the players named to the squad so far…

Open Cup News Reports - July 11

Coverage of the US Open Cup...

• Goal.com – Real Salt Lake is beginning to get back on track [view] 
• KSL.com – RSL pulls away a win, but now has a bigger focus [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – On Fire: Nyarko good to go for USOC after rough tackle [view] 
• Chicago-Fire.com – Open Cup Lore: Dunmore: What the USOC means [view] 
• Chicago-Fire.com – Weekly Notes: Fire challenge Red Bulls in USOC [view] 
• FCDallas.com – Match Recap: Real Salt Lake 2, FC Dallas 0 [view] 
• FCDallas.com – Hartman, FCD frustrated by loss at Real Salt Lake [view] 
• NewYorkRedBulls.com – Monday NY Gaffer: A clash of style in DC loss… Backe stresses Red Bull’s lack of grit; subs expected for USOC match vs Chicago [view]
• RealSaltLake.com – RSL Insider: Preview Open Cup vs FC Dallas (video) [view] 
• RealSaltLake.com – RSL Notes & Quotes RSL 2:0 DAL [view] 
• SportingKC.com – Quotes: Reaction from draw vs Chivas USA [view] 
• SoundersFC.com – Sounders FC Weekly 7/10 (video) [view]  

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Open Cup field still Best in MLS

UPDATE: The 1-0 loss by the New York Red Bulls halted the unbeaten streak Saturday at 38 games. The other two applicable matches, however, with Open Cup clubs ended positively, making the Red Bulls result the only loss in the last 41 games. 

Heading into the second weekend of league play between the Third and Quarterfinal rounds of the US Open Cup, the amazing unbeaten streak in MLS action from the tournament teams remains alive - now at 38 games.

The eight Open Cup sides went into the Third Round with a streak of 30 unbeaten against non-tournament teams in league play dating back to a 1-0 loss by the Columbus Crew in Portland and a 2-1 Chicago Fire loss in Philadelphia on May 21.

The streak is at 36 if you only consider remaining Open Cup sides by excluding the Columbus Crew, who were eliminated by the Richmond Kickers.

Only three games in MLS this weekend can be added to the run with Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls playing host Saturday night to teams that failed to qualify for the tournament this year. The two-time defending champion Seattle Sounders travel to Portland Sunday in the third.

Four other Open Cup clubs play one another with the Chicago Fire visiting Los Angeles and Real Salt Lake hosting FC Dallas in a back-to-back home and away series in league and Cup play.

Read the original story about the streak at TheCup.us [+]
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Open Cup News Reports - July 8

Coverage of the US Open Cup...

• The Salt Lake Tribune – Real Salt Lake will host US Open Cup semifinal if it gets that far [view]
• Deseret News – Real Salt Lake: Nat Borchers is RSL’s top player according to index [view]  
• KSL TV – Two crucial games await RSL [view]  
• USA Today – Portland enemy Levesque ready for Sounders-Timbers [view]  
• Seattle Times: Sounders FC Blog – Sounders FC would host Dallas, travel to RSL in USOC semis [view] 
• SB-Nation: Sounder at Heart – US Open Cup Semifinal Pairings, Schedule Announced [view]
• MLSsoccer.com – The Throw-In: Sounders a victim of their own expectations? [view]
• MLSsoccer.com – ExtraTime Radio (podcast): Roger Levesque & Brek Shea interviews [view]
• MLSsoccer.com – FC Dallas gearing up for two straight dates with RSL [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – Real Salt Lake wary of FC Dallas ahead of two-game set [view] 
• USLsoccer.com - Kickers Maintain Tradition of Success [view]  

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The long NCC wait is nearly over; CCL Prelims near

The final participant for the upcoming CONCACAF Champions League is set to be determined Saturday when the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC play the second leg of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship Final. The two clubs go into the contest level 1-1 on aggregate.

It will certainly have been a lengthy wait in one of the largest spans imaginable between two legs of a championship series at 45 days. The extraordinarily long hiatus was courtesy of a thunderstorm that wiped out the second leg with the Whitecaps leading on the road in the second half of the contest.

Open Cup News Reports - Third Round Post-Game

The Third Round had plenty of coverage around the nation. Therefore, we have broken up the Open Cup News Reports media link posts into separate entries for each match. Here are a few general tournament-wide recap reports followed by links to the other Extra Time Open Cup News Report pages. 

• Soccer by Ives – FC Dallas squeaks by Orlando City, Crew falls in US Open Cup Round of 16 [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – Kick Off [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com – USOC Roundup: Crew upset, 7 other MLS sides advance [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com - Video: The Daily, Wed. June 29 [view] 

Open Cup News Reports

NY v NY [+]
Chicago v Rochester [+]
Richmond v Columbus [+]
Chicago PDL v KC [+]
Orlando v Dallas [+]
Wilmington v RSL [+]
LA v LA [+]
Kitsap v Seattle [+]

Open Cup News Reports - Rd 3 Kitsap v Seattle

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: Kitsap Pumas vs Seattle Sounders

• SoundersFC.com – Sounders Advance in Open Cup [view]  
• SoundersFC.com – Match Recap: vs Pumas (video) [view] 
• The Seattle Times – Sounders FC fends off pesky Kitsap Pumas in US Open Cup action, 2-1 [view] 
• The News Tribune – Fucito scores twice to help Sounders top plucky Pumas [view] 
• The News Tribune: Sounders Insider – Sounders advance, 2-1; LA next [view] 
• The News Tribune: Sounders Insider – Reaction to Sounders’ Open Cup win over Kitsap [view] 
• SB-Nation: Sounder at Heart – Seattle Sounders vs Kitsap Pumas: Mike Fucito Saves the Day [view] 
• Washington Post – Seattle starts pursuit of third straight US Open Cup by beating Kitsap 2-1 [view]
• Kitsap Sun – Chuck Stark: Pumas didn’t play like little guys [view] 
• Seattle Times: Sounders FC Blog – Sounders FC 2, Kitsap Pumas 1, postgame quotes and stats [view]
• Kitsap Sun – Sounders knock Pumas out of Open Cup 2-1 [view] 

Open Cup News Reports - Rd 3 LA v LA

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: LA Blues vs LA Galaxy

• LAGalaxy.com – USOC Recap: Magee again heroic as Galaxy stop LA Blues [view] 
• LAGalaxy.com – Galaxy gut out another result thanks to Magee heroics [view]  
• LAGalaxy.com – Postgame Notes & Quotes: Galaxy vs LA Blues [view] 
• LABluesProSoccer.com – Strong Blues Fall to Galaxy 2-1 [view] 
• ESPN LA – US Open Cup: Magee big at other end, too [view]  
• Bleacher Report: LA Galaxy – US Open Cup: Mike Magee Magic Powers LA Galaxy to 2-1 Victory Over LA Blues [view]  
• LA Soccer News – Busy Magee: Scores Galaxy winner in Open Cup [view]  
• Daily News – Galaxy stay alive in US Open Cup [view]  
• Examiner: Los Angeles – Galaxy Avoid Blues [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com - Perk prepared for LA Galaxy limelight against Sounders [view] 

Open Cup News Reports - Rd 3 Wilmington v RSL

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: Wilmington Hammerheads vs Real Salt Lake

• RealSaltLake.com – USOC Recap: RSL ease past third-div. Wilmington 2-0 [view]  
• RealSaltLake.com – Notes & Quotes: RSL 2-0 WIL [view] 
• RealSaltLake.com – Kreis Post-game (video) [view]
• Star News – Real Salt Lake ends Hammerheads’ US Open Cup run [view]  
• BYU Daily Universe – Real Salt Lake tops Wilmington, headed to US Open Cup quarterfinals [view] 
• Washington Post – Real Salt Lake advances with 2-0 victory against Wilmington in US Open Cup [view] 
• Salt Lake Tribune – RSL cruises to US Open Cup win vs. Wilmington [view]  
• Deseret News – Real Salt Lake takes first step toward Open Cup with win over Wilmington [view] 
• Deseret News – Wilmington at Real Salt Lake: Report Card [view] 
• Salt Lake Tribune - RSL's Tony Beltran enjoys scoring first career goal in important win [view]
• Standard-Examiner - RSL beats Wilmington to reach quarterfinals [view]
• ABC4 Salt Lake City - RSL advances to US Open Cup quarterfinals [view]
• KSL TV - With US Open Cup match win RSL will now focus on being back in CONCACAF [view] 

Open Cup News Reports - Rd 3 Orlando v Dallas

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: Orlando City SC vs FC Dallas

• FCDallas.com – USOC Recap: Villar helps push FCD past Orlando City [view]  
• OrlandoCitySoccer.com – Last-second goal knocks City out of Open Cup [view]  
• SB-Nation: Big D Soccer – FC Dallas Outlasts Orlando City to Advance in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup [view]  
• ESPN Dallas – FC Dallas beats Orlando City [view] 
• ESPN Dallas – Quote sheet: Orlando City at FC Dallas [view] 
• Dallas Morning News – US Open Cup: Last-minute goal lifts FC Dallas [view]  
• WFTV – Orlando City Eliminated by FC Dallas in US Open Cup Thriller [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com - Latest win exemplifies never-say-die mantra for FCD [view] 

Open Cup News Reports - Rd 3 Chicago PDL v Kansas City

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: Chicago Fire PDL vs Sporting KC

• SportingKC.com – Recap: Sporting KC 3, Chicago Fire PDL 0 [view]  
• SportingKC.com – KC into USOC quarterfinals with 3-0 win [view] 
• SportingKC.com – Quotes: Postgame reaction to Open Cup win [view]  
• SportingKC.com – Video: KC moves on in Cup [view] 
• Kansas City Star – Sporting KC advances to US Open Cup quarterfinals [view] 
• Kansas City Star – TMK: KC just three games from silverware [view] 
• MissouriNet – Sporting KC advances into quarterfinals of Hunt US Open Cup [view]  
• ChicagoLand Soccer News – Fire PDL Fall [view]  
• The Chieftain – Sporting KC routs Chicago Fire PDL, advances to US open Cup quarterfinals [view]

Open Cup News Reports - Rd 3 Richmond v Columbus

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: Richmond Kickers vs Columbus Crew

• TheCrew.com – Recap: Crew vs Kickers USOC [view]  
• RichmondKickers.com – Kickers Knock Out Crew [view] 
• Examiner: Columbus – Minor-league Richmond Kickers depose the Columbus Crew from Open Cup [view]  
• The Columbus Dispatch – Soccer: Crew has loss of heart in Open Cup [view] 
• Washington Post – Kicker ousts Crew with 2-1 victory in US Open Cup [view] 
• WTVR – Kickers Upset Columbus 2-1 (video) [view]  
• Richmond Times-Dispatch – Kickers stun crew on Delicate’s goal [view] 
• NBC4i.com – Kickers Upset Crew in US Open Cup (video) [view]  
• MLSsoccer.com - Crew View: USOC loss a blessing or missed opportunity [view] 

Open Cup News Reports - Rd 3 Chicago v Rochester

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: Chicago Fire vs Rochester Rhinos

• Chicago-Fire.com – Fire 1-0 Rhinos [view] 
• Chicago-Fire.com – Frankie’s Thoughts [view]  
• RhinosSoccer.com – Chicago Knocks Rhinos Out of Cup [view]  
• RhinosSoccer.com – Fire 1-0 Rhinos: Postgame Reactions [view] 
• Rochester Democrat & Chronicle – Rochester Rhinos fall to Chicago in US Open Cup [view] 
• Rochester D&C: Devo’s Direct Kicks – Final: Chicago Fire 1, Rhinos 0 [view] 
• Wall Street Journal – Chicago Fire advance in US Open Cup [view]  
• ESPN Chicago – Fire advance to Open Cup quarterfinals [view]  
• ESPN Chicago – Rapid Reaction: Fire 1, Rhinos 0 [view] 
• ChicagoLand Soccer News – Fire Advance [view] 
• Chicago Tribune – Fire advance in US Open Cup [view] 
• MLSsoccer.com - On Fire: Chaves comes to the rescue in USOC win [view]

Open Cup News Reports - Rd 3 NY v NY

Coverage of the US Open Cup... Post-Game: NY Red Bulls vs FC New York

• NewYorkRedBulls.com – USOC Recap: Rooney, Hertzog lead Red Bulls over FCNY [view]  
• ESPN New York – RBNY Recap: Lil’ Rooney lifts Bulls over FCNY [view] 
• New York Post – Red Bulls’ Rooney trying to make a name for himself [view] 
• New York Times – Red Bulls Advance in Cup [view]  
• Taiwan News – Rooney opens account for Red Bulls in US Open Cup [view]  
• Bleacher Report: New York Red Bulls – 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup: Red Bulls Rally to Defeat FC New York [view] 
• Wall Street Journal – Red Bulls Hold Off FC New York, 2-1 [view] 
• New York Times: Goal blog – ‘Best Rooney Ever’ [view] 
• Empire of Soccer – Bragging Rights: Rooney’s Game Winner Nets Red Bulls 2-1 Victory Over FC New York [view]  
• SB-Nation: New York – Red Bulls 2, FC New York 1: Reserves Carry New York in US Open Cup Play [view]  
• The Star-Ledger – Red Bulls capture 2-1 victory over FC New York in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup [view] 
• Soccer by Ives - Red Bulls edge out FC New York to advance in US Open Cup [view] 
• Stamford Advocate -  Stamford's Arteaga holds his own against Red Bulls [view]

Quick Reference: Game Night Line-Ups Rd 3

Looking for a starting lineup?  We'll post them here as we get them (with 8 games, please excuse formatting)...

Sounders XI: Boss, Scott, Gonzalez, Graham, Tetteh, Estrada, Alonso, Seamon, Montano, Fucito, Jaqua
Kitsap 11: Meredith; Mohn, D Scott, Hyde, Lee; N Besagno, Fauske, Christner, Friesen, Hepple; Burke

#lagalaxy starting XI: Perk; DeLaGarza, Berhalter, Gonzalez, Franklin; Magee, kirovski, Stephens, Jordan; Barrett, Cardoz bench Saunders, Cristman, Juninho, Jimenez, Keat, Lopez, Davies
LABLUESPRO starting XI: Dautt; Dunn, Akwari, Garcia, Randolph; Momeni, Tudela, Miranda, Sesay; Borja, Chijindu

 #FCDALLAS starting XI: Hartman, Ihemelu, Loyd, Weideman, Benitez, Warshaw, Villar, Jacobson, Shea, Jackson & Lun
@orlandocity11 starting XI: Gallardo, Traynor, Stewart, Valentino, Mechack, Ustruck, Olum, Alvarez, Neal, Griffin, Molino

RSL Reynish; Beltran, McKenzie, Borchers, Schuler; Beckerman, Williams, Johnson, Warner; Gil, Alexandre bench Melia, Olave, Russell, Gonzales, Grabavoy, Toia, Aghasyan
WIL #USOC starters: Polak; parratt, becerra, Evans, Riley; Guzman, Taylor, Nicholson, Avesyan; mulholland, Budnyy

KC - Kronberg, Lorenz, Thomas, Collin, Harrington, Sassano, Diop, Stojcev, Aiyegbusi, Kamara, Bunbury bench Kempin, Besler, Myers, Ellis, Zusi, Bravo
Chicago Fire PDL starting 11: Meves; Polak, Raj, Cope, Gorskie; Estridge, Ribeiro, Bushue, Petts; Christianson, Vaz

NY Red Bulls G: Sutton D: Kassel, Keel, Ream, Michael Jones M: Paullo, John Rooney, Da Luz, Schneider F: Agudelo & Hertzog bench Horwath, Lassiter, Hot
FCNY G Steve Diaz D: Troy Cole, Karsten Smith, Kyle Hoffer, Josiah Snelgrove M: Gary Boughton, Quame Holder, Mike Aquino, Taden Terra F: Jhonny Arteaga & Bradley Welch bench Carrillo, Reed, Roche, Morrison, Smart, Tavernese, Rengifo

Columbus: Gruenebaum, Veeder, Gehrig, Burns, O'Rourke, Prim, Grossman, Rusmir, Rogers, Meram, Cunningham bench Riggs, Iro, Adlard, Balchan, Sippola, Anor, Heinemann
Richmond Kickers: Starting XI: Pascale, Gorres, Kalungi, Yomby, Hertel, Vercollone, Wallace, Hiroyama, Heins, Nyazamba, Delicate bench Sowell, Harding, Bulow, Elcock, Bangura, MacKenzie 

#Rhinos 11 - G-Kitson, D-Bellamy, Roberts, Kirk,Gore, M-Motagalvan,Tanke, Donatelli, Rosenlund, Jagdeosingh, F-Hoxie subs  Kenny, Traynor, Cost, Costanzo, Hamilton, Kissi, Banks
Chicago Fire 11: G-Johnson, D-Ristic, Mikulic, Robinson, Pantazopoulos, M-Bone, Videira, Paladini, Ferrori, F-Nazarit, Chaves subs Conway, Anibaba, Husidic, Paul, Oduro, Nyarko, Barouch

Open Cup News Reports - June 28

Coverage of the US Open Cup...Game Day - Morning Edition...

• FC Dallas TV – Match Preview: FC Dallas vs Orlando City SC (video) [view] 
• SoundersFC.com – Open Cup Preview: vs Pumas (video) [view] 
• RealSaltLake.com – RSL Insider: RSL’ers open up on Tuesday’s Open Cup clash (video) [view]
• SoundersFC.com – Sibling Rivalry [view] 
• Chicago-Fire.com – Rochester bound: Paladini talks familiar foe [view] 
• Star News – Hammerheads face multiple obstacles on road to Salt Lake City [view] 
• Rochester D&C: Devo’s Direct Kicks – Rhinos: Getting ready for the Fire, 3 questions [view] 
• Wall Street Journal – Scrappy City Team to Face Red Bulls [view] 
• Big Apple Soccer – From Fan to Rival [view] 
• Salt Lake Tribune – RSL eyes US Open Cup springboard to future [view] 
• Goal.com – Real Salt Lake eyeing return to CONCACAF Champions League as it begins US Open Cup play [view]  
• ABC4 Salt Lake City – RSL looking to make return to Champions League [view] 
• SB-Nation: RSL Soapbox – Hey RSL fans are you US Open Cupping [view]  
• KSL.com – RSL to play early week US Open Cup game Tuesday [view] 
• ESPN Chicago – Fire return to Open Cup play at Rochester [view] 
• New York Times: Goal – Two Red Bulls Return, Another Exits [view] 
• Big Apple Soccer – When Giants Fall [view]
• The Kansas City Star – Sporting KC reserve keeper Kronberg seeks another strong start [view] 
• Seattle Times: Sounders FC Blog – A stop and chat with Kitsap Pumas coach Peter Fewing [view]
• Springfield MO Soccer – Sporting Kansas City Host Chicago Fire PDL in US Open Cup Tuesday [view] 
• LAGalaxy.com – LA Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts suffers fractured left ulna [view]
• NewYorkRedBulls.com – Red Bulls Weekly Update: June 27 [view] 
• OrlandoCitySoccer.com – Match Preview: 6.28.2011 at FC Dallas [view] 
• The Herald (Everett) – Key to Sounders success? They care about Open Cup [view] 
• ESPN LA – US Open Cup: Can Blues shock Galaxy? [view] 
• Big Apple Soccer – When the Vipers Bit [view] 
• Chicago Sun-Times – Open Cup gives Fire MLS break [view] 
• Rochester Democrat & Chronicle – Rochester Rhinos eager to play Chicago Fire in US Open Cup [view]  
• Chicagoland Soccer News – Ready to Open: Fire face Rhinos in Cup game [view]  
• Columbus Dispatch – US Open Cup: Crew reserves get their chance to play [view] 
• LAGalaxy.com – Weekly Update June 27 [view] 
• SportingKC.com – Preview: Sporting KC vs. Chicago Fire [view]