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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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 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 - 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]

Gold Cup Overlap Update: Red Bulls missing trio

Six more teams were knocked out of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals over the past week, but only four players are making their return to MLS clubs slated for starting their US Open Cup campaigns Tuesday. Five remain with the United States and Mexico for Saturday’s Final at the Rose Bowl.

The US eliminated Jamaica 2-0 in the Quarterfinals Sunday evening, sending goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts back to the LA Galaxy and Dane Richards to the New York Red Bulls. The two clubs are set for derbies versus local USL Pro clubs in the Third Round. Ricketts made eight saves in the loss, but allowed his first two goals of the tournament after recording three clean sheets in group play. Richards finished with two assists.

Eliminated via penalties, 4-2, after a 1-1 draw with Honduras Saturday, Costa Rica’s Alvaro Saborio may be looking for redemption in Real Salt Lake’s first Open Cup appearance since 2006. Tied 1-1, Saborio had a chance to win the match for the Ticos in the 76th minute with a penalty kick but struck the attempt poorly, allowing the netminder to make the stop. Trailing 2-1 after the first two rounds of the shootout, Saborio’s effort rang off the crossbar, dooming Costa Rica to the eventual elimination.

The Hondurans, and Sporting Kansas City's Roger Espinoza, would fall 2-0 Wednesday in overtime by Mexico. Espinoza had a chance to provide the winner in the 90th minute on a long-range effort only to see the keeper make a diving stop. 

Still in the tournament are the Red Bulls’ Rafael Marquez with Mexico and the US foursome of the Columbus Crew’s Robbie Rogers, LA Galaxy’s Landon Donovan and the New York duo of Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo.

With a trio of Red Bulls set to play in the Final Saturday, the club will likely rest all three come Tuesday’s Open Cup contest.

For the initial report on the Overlap Affect of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on the US Open Cup, as well as the list of the players on international duty, view it here at TheCup.us.

MLS Open Cup clubs on a run

Bad news for the lower division teams playing in the Second Round Tuesday. Their Third Round opponents are in good form. With the New York Red Bulls’ dramatic come-from-behind 3-3 draw Sunday night in Portland, the qualified Open Cup teams have not lost to a non-qualified opponent in their last 33 matches.

That is an unbeaten streak for the eight teams that dates back to a 1-0 loss by the Columbus Crew in Portland and a 2-1 Chicago Fire loss in Philadelphia on May 21, making the streak at least a month long considering the next match is not until Wednesday, June 22.  The streak is 36 matches if you also include the three other matches with Cup-qualified teams that night.

Open Cup & Gold Cup Overlap Update

Sporting Kansas City got half of the missing Gold Cup contingent back with the elimination of Grenada (Craig Rocastle) and Guadeloupe (Stephane Auvray). Auvray did not have far to go to re-united with the club with his team falling at LiveStrong Sporting Park. Still out for the club are Roger Espinoza (Honduras) and Shavar Thomas (Jamaica).

Also returning to their clubs from Canada’s stunning exit on a stoppage time goal are Dwayne De Rosario (New York Red Bulls) and Will Johnson (Real Salt Lake). The Red Bulls were missing five players, but with the US playing Jamaica in the Quarterfinals, they are assured of at least one more returning - of the three in the match - with more than a week before their US Open Cup Third Round match at home.  RSL is now down to just two players missing from the squad.

For the initial report on the Overlap Affect of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on the US Open Cup, as well as the list of the players on international duty, view it here at TheCup.us.

Gold Cup Schedule [+]

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TheCup.us First 11 for MLS Open Cup Qualifying

Ten clubs battled it out through an eight-game qualifying process to determine the final pair of 2011 US Open Cup entrants from Major League Soccer. Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire claimed their place in the 40-team event, where they will begin play in the Third Round set for June 28.

While Sporting and the Fire were the winning teams, there were plenty of standout individual performances on their clubs and elsewhere, many of which were provided by players who are not always in the regular season starting 11.

Possible First 11 for MLS Qualifying as finales near

The US Open Cup qualifying process for Major League Soccer comes to a close this week with four teams playing in the two finales of their respective brackets to claim the league’ two additional berths, joining the initial six given automatic entry based on last year’s league table. With MLS launching Team of the Week honors this year, we thought we would take a look at who the Best 11 are for MLS Open Cup qualifying.

Here is a quick look at who is on the radar heading into the final two matches Tuesday and Wednesday.