The Weekend Before Results - Second Round

While the Rochester Rhinos are no longer perfect following a draw against winless Dayton Dayton Lions, they and the Minnesota Stars remain part of a trio of teams heading into the Second Round of the US Open Cup unbeaten. Minnesota downed Fort Lauderdale in NASL action and Rochester rival Orlando City was idle in USL Pro.

The draw also kept Dayton among a trio of winless professional league clubs as the Atlanta Silverbacks lost to Tampa Bay and Carolina played to a 1-1 draw against league leading Puerto Rico in NASL action.

The season kicked off for the Long Island, but the Rough Riders fell to fellow Second Round side Reading United AC. The Michigan Bucks' opener, meanwhile, went a lot better Saturday with a 4-1 victory against expansion Chicago Inferno. In two other matches featuring a pair of Open Cup Second Round clubs, Georgia Revolution downed Jacksonville United of the NASL and in the PDL the Laredo Heat topped the El Paso, the first of back-to-back losses for the Patriots, who also lost in Austin Saturday. All three such games were decided by one goal. Also playing twice, Ventura County Fusion won both contests at home, blanking Ogden and Pali.

Follow Open Cup clubs on Twitter - Participant List [+] 

THIS WEEK*

Friday, May 18
Richmond Kickers 1:1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Dayton Dutch Lions 1:1 Rochester Rhinos
El Paso Patriots 1:2 @ Laredo Heat
Fresno Fuego 1:3 vs Orange County
Ventura County Fusion 2:0 vs Ogden

Saturday, May 19
Puerto Rico Islanders 1:1 Carolina RailHawks
Tampa Bay Rowdies 3:2 Atlanta Silverbacks
Minnesota Stars 3:1 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
FC Edmonton 0:2 San Antonio Scorpions
Dayton Dutch Lions 0:4 Harrisburg City Islanders
Charlotte Eagles 1:1 Wilmington Hammerheads
Reading United AC 1:0 @ Long Island Rough Riders
Michigan Bucks 4:1 vs Chicago Inferno
El Paso Patriots 1:6 @ Austin
Des Moines Menace 3:2 vs Kansas City
Brooklyn Italians 2:1 @ NY AC
Georgia Revolution 2:1 @ Jacksonville United

Sunday, May 20
Ventura County Fusion 3:0 vs Pali

*Open Cup PDL/NPSL clubs included, listed first &/or bold

The Weekend Before - Second Round

Nearly all of the lower division professional league clubs are in action the weekend before their entry into the 99th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Still unbeaten in league play are 3-0-3 Minnesota Stars of the NASL and the USL Pro duo of defending champion Orlando City (6-0-1) and Rochester Rhinos (6-0-0).

Minnesota is on a trip to Florida to face the 2-2-3 Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The Rhinos are playing host to the 0-3-2 Dayton Dutch Lions while Orlando City is idle. Also off this weekend in USL Pro are the Charleston Battery and LA Blues.

In addition to Dayton, the Atlanta Silverbacks (0-3-4) and Carolina Railhawks (0-4-4) are looking for their first wins of the league campaign. Atlanta hosts Tampa Bay Rowdies and Carolina is at home against the league-leading Puerto Rico Islanders.

In the PDL and NPSL, there had been only one meeting between two Open Cup entrants prior to the First Round (Des Moines vs Real Colorado), but this week along there are three. In the PDL, the Texas duo of the 1-0-1 El Paso Patriots square off against the 0-1-0 Laredo Heat Friday evening. On Saturday, the 0-0-1 Reading United AC face Mid Atlantic Division foes Long Islander Rough Riders, who are kicking off their league campaign. Also on Saturday, the NPSL rivals Georgia Revolution and Jacksonville United meet up.

Also finally kicking off their league campaign are the Michigan Bucks, who play host to the expansion Chicago Inferno Saturday. The Chicago Fire will not play their first PDL game until the night following the Second Round fixture, playing host to River City Rovers.

Follow Open Cup clubs on Twitter - Participant List [+]

THIS WEEK*

Friday, May 18
Richmond Kickers @ Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Dayton Dutch Lions @ Rochester Rhinos
El Paso Patriots @ Laredo Heat
Fresno Fuego vs Orange County
Ventura County Fusion vs Ogden

Saturday, May 19
Puerto Rico Islanders @ Carolina RailHawks
Tampa Bay Rowdies @ Atlanta Silverbacks
Minnesota Stars @ Fort Lauderdale Strikers
FC Edmonton @ San Antonio Scorpions
Dayton Dutch Lions @ Harrisburg City Islanders
Charlotte Eagles @ Wilmington Hammerheads
Reading United AC @ Long Island Rough Riders
Michigan Bucks vs Chicago Inferno
El Paso Patriots @ Austin
Des Moines Menace vs Kansas City
Brooklyn Italians @ NY AC
Georgia Revolution @ Jacksonville United

Sunday, May 20
Ventura County Fusion vs Pali

*Open Cup PDL/NPSL clubs included, listed first &/or bold

US Open Cup First Round - Lineups

This page is a quick reference to lineups for the 2012 First Round during match night... We don't expect to get them all, but as we do they will be compiled here...

Chicago Fire PDL - #cf97 PDL Starters J. Godsey, D. Keller, D. Tiemstra, S. Totsch, P. Doody (C); B. Wahl, J. Bushue, H. Shipp, M. Blades; I. Kannah, C. Prince SUBS: S. Euler, T. Engel, D. Figura, C. Ritter, L. Medina, M. Gutierrez, J. Torres
Croatian Eagles - CE XI: Boyd; Narciso, Patterson, Schroeder, Von Rueden; Willan, Wiedabach, Suprise, Raymonds, Anderson; A. Lauber SUBS: A. Cop, A. Cranfill, E. Crespo, I. Ksenidi, G. Mena, M. Sethi, S L Ziba


Jacksonville: Stu McCrory in goal, Adam Allee, Mats Elmsater, Jacobi Goodfellow and Hollis Donaldson in the back, Tyler Williams, Jon Glenn, Sean Steed, Qui Que Hausler and Nedim Hrustic in the middle, Tommy Krizanovic up top: playing 4:5:1
Orlando City: NA

Bavarian starters: GK 31 Rhode, D 6 Stone, D 18 Goodnetter, D 17 Krenzien, D 23 Whitehead, M 4 Hoover, M 8 Islami M 9 Herrera, M 24 Madsen, F 20 Simmons
Des Moines: GK 28 Billings, D 19 Laetti, D 16 Lopez, D 6 Diem, D 17 Lawal, M 22 Moloto, M 11 McDaniel, M 8 Fricke, 2 M Armaral, 20 M Jupic, F 7 Silva

Cal FC XI: D. Carrillo (GK), Aghasyan, Arreola, Da. Barrera, Di. Barrera, Cruz, Espinoza, Gonzalez, Manjivar, Navarro, Randolph [Carillo played for Kitsap in 2010]
Kitsap: Kitsap: Brim; Friesen, MacLeod, Johnson, Medina, Mohn, Robbins, Sampson, Bettencourt, Miley, Truax SUBS - Lubin, Fabian, Drew Jensen, Jarrett Robbins, Jamie Thomas and Sam Zipperstein make up the bench

Fresno: Goalkeeper: G. Vega; Defenders; A. Berhane, TJ Grewal, E. Gonzales, E. Ochoa; Midfielders: N. Blanco, G. Cignetti, P. Islas, A. Campos, I. Yanez; Forward: T. Reinhart;

Fullerton: gk Geovanni Hernandez df julio garrido, david arvizu, mf, alex munoz, julio madrigal, fw cristian alvarado, elves rodan
Ventura County: Hayden, Steres, Rupert, R. Lopez, Chongo, Tsonis, Daly, F. Lopez, Roman, McGlynn, T. Pontius

TheCup.us creates Twitter Open Cup - #OpenCupFan

We few faithful who have managed and operated TheCup.us since the site’s founding in 2002 have had a burning question searing in our heads lately. How can we get the fans out there to show their appreciation or love for the US Open Cup?

In the past few years, we have seen a greater percentage of clubs in Major League Soccer taking the cup more seriously on the field and many fans have also displayed the same respect for the tournament we have long held.

Now we are asking you to show that pride to the world in a super Twitter battle that is OPEN TO ALL (including the ACC/CFU event clubs), regardless if your team qualified or not.

#OpenCupFan

All you have to do is tweet mentioning @usopencup and #OpenCupFan along with the name of the club(s) you support (preferably using their twitter name). We will tally the results and announce after the completion of the US Open Cup Third Round (featuring MLS teams) which clubs have the best support overall and in each league.

Add a Slogan

Got a slogan or something creative to say to support the tourney? Include the hashtag #OpenCupFan and a panel will select the best for publication along with the Twitter battle voting updates and results. Your tweets only count once toward the tally, but feel free to submit as many #OpenCupFan comments as you wish. More importantly, make sure your friends and followers do the same!

Follow 44 of the remaining 48 teams on Twitter in one place - 2012 Entrants List

A Call for a Canadian Open Cup

Jonah Freedman of MLSsoccer.com may be onto something - though it has been a topic of discussion for a long while - with his feature column about expanding and opening the Amway Canadian Championship into an event more like the US Open Cup. The question behind the scenes over the years has been: "Can we create an Open Cup in Canada?" Politics and the same financial realities the American version faces were the main roadblocks over the years, particularly before Major League Soccer grew over the border.

With Toronto FC came a desire from the then lower division Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps to continue to show that they are just as good, despite the technical designation of the league. The three clubs, having built themselves to a professional capability on and off the field far superior to those in the other Canadian and Canadian-American leagues, came together, with the revamped CONCACAF Champions League on the horizon, and created the Canadian Championship. That event, obviously, has evolved with Vancouver and Montreal moving up to MLS while FC Edmonton was also founded.

But four years later, the question still remains. Can Canada, with a lot of fan and, seemingly, corporate support, finally expand the nation's championship event and make it open to all levels of the sport?

The Weekend Before: PDL & NPSL clubs in action

With the First Round of the 2012 US Open Cup looming around the corner on Tuesday evening, 16 of the 22 clubs from the USL Premier Development League and National Premier Soccer League will be in action this weekend, many making their season debuts.

Ten clubs have already kicked off their campaigns and have a combined record of 10-5-5.

Among the clubs with multiple games already under their belts, the PDL’s Fresno Fuego and NPSL’s Brooklyn Italians are off to the best starts. Fresno, who visits Orange County Friday evening, has won all three matches. Brooklyn, which travels to Rhode Island Saturday, has won both contests on its slate.

On the other side of the ledger are the Des Moines Menace, who are winless through three. Coming off a 1-0 road loss in Springfield Wednesday, the Menace visit St Louis Saturday looking to head into the tournament on a positive note. A primary reason for the 0-2-1 start is a season-opening series with fellow Open Cup participant Real Colorado Foxes, the only league meetings between First Round clubs thus far. The Foxes won the second match, 1-0, after a 1-1 draw in the season opener of the double dip.

With the advanced time frame of the tournament, nearly a month earlier than the past, PDL clubs will go into the event without any games played for the first time. The Long Island Rough Riders and divisional foes Michigan Bucks and Chicago Fire PDL will not open their league schedules until after they begin their Open Cup campaign. In the NPSL, FC Sonic and Milwaukee Bavarians will also enter the tournament without any official matches played.

Follow 52 of the 64 teams on Twitter in one place - @USOpenCup/USOC2012Entrants

THIS WEEKEND
(Open Cup club listed first)

Friday
PDL: Orlando City U23 v Fort Lauderdale
PDL: Fresno Fuego @ Orange County
PDL: Portland Timbers U-23s v Fraser Valley

Saturday
PDL: GPS Portland Phoenix v Vermont
PDL: Carolina Dynamo v Real Maryland
PDL: Reading United AC v New Jersey
PDL: Des Moines Menace v St Louis
PDL: Laredo Heat @ Texas
PDL: Mississippi Brilla v Ocala
PDL: Real Colorado Foxes v Winnipeg
PDL: Kitsap Pumas v Fraser Valley
PDL: El Paso Patriots v Austin
NPSL: Jacksonville United v Myrtle Beach
NPSL: Georgia Revolution v Mississippi
NPSL: Brooklyn Italians @ Rhode Island

Sunday
PDL: Ventura County Fusion @ Los Angeles
PDL: Real Colorado Foxes v Winnipeg

Canadian Championship kicks off Wednesday; Monterrey repeats as CCL champs

A week after CONCACAF crowned Monterrey champions and while the US Open Cup and its modern professional era record 64 entrants are busy preparing for the 99th edition of the tournament, the Amway Canadian Championship's fifth edition is about to kick off Wednesday evening with the three MLS clubs and one lower division NASL entrant.

FC Edmonton of the NASL and Montreal Impact, in their first season as an MLS club, will play host to the first leg matches. The second leg matches for the Canadian Championship are next Wednesday, April 9.

The Vancouver Whitecaps will head north with a 4-2-2 record in league play to face the winless FC Edmonton (0-3-1), who picked up their first point two weeks ago with a scoreless draw in Puerto Rico and ended their scoreless status in a wild 4-3 loss at their home opener 10 days ago.

Vancouver has yet to win the competition, finishing as runners-up the past three years. FC Edmonton is hoping to become the second lower division side to win the competition since the Montreal Impact accomplished the feat in the inaugural edition in 2008. It will be only the second all-Canadian match this season for Vancouver, who opened the MLS season with a 2-0 victory over the visiting Impact, who were making their league debut. Sebastien Le Toux and Camilo Sanvezzo scored in the match.

Open Cup Chronicles: Hejduk and Burke

US and Columbus Crew great Frankie Hejduk announced his official retirement Thursday, returning to Columbus for a front office position after a year in Los Angeles playing for the Galaxy in 2011. Hejduk’s announcement comes just prior to another team great being honored in Richmond Saturday, Michael Burke.

In honor of both, I thought I would take a look back at their histories with the US Open Cup as most reminiscent stories about the duo will focus on their overall career achievements, which are numerous.

This Week in US Open Cup History... Apr 9-15

[April 9, 1928] The New York Nationals and Bricklayers S.C. (Chicago) played to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the National Challenge Cup final at the Polo Grounds in New York. Clem Cuthbert scored early for the Bricklayers, and Siegfried Wortmann drew the Nationals level in the 30th minute.

[April 11, 1926] Bethlehem Steel claimed the club’s sixth and final National Challenge Cup, steamrolling St. Louis' Ben Millers, 7-2, at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. National Soccer Hall of Fame member Archie Stark scored a hat-trick for Bethlehem. A reported 18,000 attended the match, an American record for a soccer game, although it only lasted a month.

[April 11, 1937] In the first leg of the National Challenge Cup final, Shamrocks S.C. (St. Louis) defeat the New York Americans, 1-0. Eddie Kane scored the lone goal for the Shamrocks, who were appearing in their fifth straight Challenge Cup final - though they played under three different sponsors during the run.

[April 14, 1957] St. Louis' Kutis S.C. won the National Challenge Cup, defeating New York Hakoah in the second leg of the final, 3-1, at Zerega Oval in the Bronx.  Billy Looby, Richard Meisemann and Bob Roney scored for Kutis, giving them a 6-1 aggregate victory.

[April 15, 1928] In the second leg of the National Challenge Cup final, The New York Nationals defeated Bricklayers S.C. (Chicago) 3-0, at Soldier Field in Chicago. George Henderson scored twice in the first half, and Siegfried Wortmann added the final goal in the second half. The win marked only the third time in the 15 years since the competition began that a club from New York took home the cup.

This Week in US Open Cup History... Apr 3-8

[April 3, 1955] In a Semifinal match, Danish American SC from Los Angeles defeat Simpkins Ford from St. Louis 5-2 after extra time to become the first team from Southern California to reach the US Open Cup Final. Three weeks later, they were victorious, winning the title 2-0 over New York City's SC Eintracht at Rancho La Cienega Stadium in Los Angeles in front of 6,000 fans.
 
[April 4, 1920] Robins Dry Dock (NYC) defeated Bethlehem Steel 1-0 in the quarterfinals, denying Bethlehem a shot at winning a third straight National Challenge Cup title, and a sixth straight final appearance. With the string snapped, Bethlehem Steel would not reach the championship game again until winning it all in 1926.

[April 4, 1925] In an all-Massachusetts semifinal, the Shawsheen Indians (Andover, MA) reach the National Challenge Cup Final with a 2-1 win over Abbot Worsted (Forge Village, MA). The Indians would lift the cup that year as the first Massachusetts club outside of Fall River to win the title.

[April 5, 1931] In the first leg of the National Challenge Cup final, the Fall River Marksmen defeated Chicago's Bricklayers S.C. 6-2 at the Polo Grounds in New York, with Bert Patenaude scoring five goals for the winners. The Marksmen by this time had moved to New York, competing in the ASL as the Yankees, but retained the Marksmen name for cup play, since the club was still in Fall River, Mass. when the competition began.

[April 6, 1930] The Fall River Marksmen claim their third National Challenge Cup title in seven years, defeating Bruell Insurance 2-1 in the second leg played at Luna Park in Cleveland. Alex McNab and Bob McAuley scored for Fall River to finish the aggregate score at 9-3.

[April 7, 1929] In the second leg of the National Challenge Cup , in front of 20,000 at Dexter Park in Brooklyn, New York Hakoah defeated Madison Kennels of St. Louis, 3-0, to win the cup on 5-0 aggregate. Erno Schwarz, Max Gruenwald and Moritz Haeusler scored for Hakoah. The cup was without several of the top clubs from the northeast, since the ASL barred clubs from entering the tournament. The league was at odds with the USFA, in what was known as the "Soccer War".

[April 8, 1934] In the second of three legs in the National Challenge Cup final, at Coats Field in Pawtucket, the Pawtucket Rangers defeated Stix, Bear & Fuller 3-2. Robert McIntyre scored twice for Pawtucket, and Jimmy McAuley added the other goal. The St. Louis club won the first leg over Rangers, 4-2.