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 What are the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and/or Canadian Championship? These two competitions are the tournaments to determine the best club, regardless of level of play, in their respective country. What this really means is any team, regardless of how good they are, can win a trophy. What's so important about these competitions? Other than the trophy, the winners of these competitions get access to the CONCACAF Champions League, where they will proceed to lose to a Mexican team in depressing fashion. Who gets to play? All professional teams that AREN'T reserve sides are invited; amateur and semi-pro teams must qualify in their respective leagues and competitions. With that being said, the U.S. Open Cup now has  the stupid layer where not every MLS club is taking part this year because of disagreements between the league and the federation. The temporary agreement has led to only EIGHT first-division sides taking part and NINE MLS reserve sides in the Cup this year. No one is happy about this.How do the competitions work? The U.S Open Cup is a single-leg knockout competitions featuring 96 clubs, while this year's Canadian Championship features 14 clubs and splits between single-leg draws and home-and-home ties. The U.S. Open Cup's competition is staggered by the quality of team: First Round (MLS Next Pro, NISA, USL League One, USL League Two, NPSL, and other assorted amateur clubs enter) Third Round (most USL Championship clubs enter) Fourth Round (MLS clubs and the rest of the USL Championship enters) Then the Round of 16 onwards For the Canadian Championship, Montreal and the Vancouver Whitecaps receive byes to the quarterfinals, while the remaining 12 clubs play-in. The U.S. Open Cup is usually bracketed by geography, and draws happen every two rounds. The Canadian Championship's fixtures have all been set already. Where can I watch these games? Good question! The USSF says that the first two rounds will be on ussoccer.com, uslsoccer.com, and mlssoccer.com, but doesn't say where the third round onward will be. Canada's even more confusing, with the Mediapro lawsuit ongoing and everything. When does this start? Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: March 19 Canadian Championship: April 23
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Mar 17, 2024 21:15
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The US Open Cup – officially the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup since 1998 in honour of one of US soccer’s most influential figures – is the oldest continuing competition in North America. The competition is predated by the American Cup, which began in 1884 and ran for forty years until it was supplanted in importance by the National Challenge Cup, the name by which the US Open Cup began its existence in 1914. The National Challenge Cup was born after the United States Football Association had received official sanctioning from FIFA and was an attempt to create the first nationwide soccer trophy in the US, with teams playing for the Sir Thomas Dewar Trophy, donated by a whiskey magnate heavily involved in the promotion of US soccer at the time. The early years of the cup were dominated by teams from the first American Soccer League, although clubs from the isolated league in St Louis did challenge their supremacy and took the trophy back to Missouri on occasion. After the collapse of the ASL and the launch of the second competition to bear that name, cup wins were more widely spread, with teams from the National Soccer League of Chicago becoming a major force. After World War 2 that spread expanded to include teams from Los Angeles – notably the Kickers – and it was as likely to find teams from the New York-based German American Soccer League in the final as it was from the similarly New England-centred second American Soccer League. When the North American Soccer League was founded in 1968, it opted not to have its teams enter the National Challenge Cup, something that was echoed by the ASL when they sought to ape their richer rivals and go nationwide themselves in the 1970s. After the collapse of both leagues – and of organised outdoor professional soccer in the US – the tournament reverted to an almost amateur basis, existing alongside the US Amateur Cup (which had been launched in 1924). Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, as the cup was renamed to its more familiar moniker, powerhouse clubs such as St Louis Kutis, Maccabee Los Angeles, and the Brooklyn Italians came to the fore, a situation only upset in 1995 when teams from the A League entered, followed a year later by those from Major League Soccer. Since 1996, MLS clubs have won every tournament bar one – when the A League’s Rochester Raging Rhinos carried off the trophy in 1999 – and the reigning champions are Houston Dynamo of the MLS. Ahead of the 2024 season, MLS signalled its intention to withdraw from the competition, quite against the spirit and the letter of US Soccer’s rules. Subsequent negotiations saw US Soccer cave into their golden child and this season will see a hybrid approach from MLS clubs, with some entering, some sending their reserve sides, and some sitting out altogether. It is to Houston Dynamo’s credit that they, at least, will defend their title, but many MLS fans and players are unhappy at the stance their league has taken. The format for this year’s competition has been tweaked as a result, with a first round of 32 matches consisting of professional versus semi-professional clashes in each tie. The 32 semi-professional clubs are a mix of those who qualified through open qualification rounds in the latter half of 2023 and those selected by the two unofficial fourth-tier leagues, United Soccer League Two and the National Premier Soccer League. They are joined in the first round by clubs from the third-tier USL One, National Independent Soccer Association, and MLS Next Pro competitions. Sixteen teams from the second-tier USL Championship will join in the third round, with the remainder and the eight MLS clubs sending their first teams coming in a round later. US Open Cup First Round preview The first round of the competition begins tonight and is spread over the next three days. One club is already into the hat for the second round as one of NISA’s newest clubs – Georgia Lions – was unable to organise itself in time to take part, sending Atlanta-based NPSL side Apotheos FC through with a forfeit win. In tonight’s matches, reigning MLS Next Pro champions Austin FC II host Foro SC of the United Premier Soccer Leagues. The Dallas club won the UPSL National Championship in 2021 but will be up against things at Palmer Field tonight. Brave SC – formerly known as The Villages SC – are based in Summerfield, Florida, an hour northwest of Orlando. The USL-2 side have qualified for the first time since 2019 and will welcome NISA’s Savannah Clovers to their HG Morse Range Stadium. Chattanooga FC moved from NISA to MLS Next Pro this season and had a crowd of almost 5,000 at their opening game on Saturday. They face old enemies from their days in the NPSL in the shape of Miami United, who currently play in the United States Soccer League (sixth tier at best) and reached the last 32 in 2018. USL-1 side Forward Madison have made the third round of the Cup on a couple of occasions and will face NPSL opposition in the shape of Duluth FC from Minnesota, returning to the first round proper after an absence of five years. The second of the MLS reserve sides to take the field are Portland Timbers 2, who will host the NPSL’s El Farolito SC at Providence Park. El Farolito won the US Open Cup in 1993 when they were playing under the name Club Deportivo Mexico and dominated the San Francisco Soccer Football League before stepping up to the NPSL in 2018. USL1 side South Georgia Tormenta have just one point from their two games so far this season which will catch the attention of their UPSL opponents FC America CFL Spurs. If that name sounds unwieldy, the Sandford, FL, club are mostly known as FC America. The NPSL’s Tulsa Athletic have a good recent record in the Open Cup and reached the third round last year after defeating city rivals FC Tulsa of the USL Championship. They’ve been drawn at home to USL-1’s Northern Colorado Hailstorm, who have yet to find their rhythm this season, and it’s probably tonight’s best chance of an upset. There’s a USL-2 versus USL-1 clash in Burlington tonight as Vermont United take on Lexington SC. Both clubs are just three years old, and it will be the first time Vermont – who average over 2,000 fans at home – will compete in the first round proper. Tonight’s final game comes from Pennsylvania, where West Chester United (who were formed in 1976 and play in both the NPSL and USL-2) welcome NISA powerhouse Maryland Bobcats to the YSC Sports Stadium in Wayne. There are twelve games on Wednesday night, down from thirteen after Apotheos FC were given a walkover victory when new NISA side Georgia Lions couldn’t make their tie. Down in Florida, UPSL National Champions AS Frenzi host NISA’s Club de Lyon in Daytona Beach and with CdL being in some disarray last season, the chances of an upset are good. USL-2’s Asheville City make their US Open Cup first round proper debut, welcoming USL-1 sophomore side One Knoxville to North Carolina, with another first-timer in the shape of USL-2 National Champions Ballard FC of Seattle facing the USL-1’s newest club, Spokane Velocity. In the longest distance travelled at this stage, USL-2 side Des Moines Menace travel to San Luis Capistrano in California to face Capo FC, one of the new intake of NISA clubs for 2024. Menace have been in existence for almost thirty years and were awarded a USL Championship spot five years ago, although a series of delays has postponed that indefinitely. There’s a Chicago derby at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, when Chicago Fire II of MLS Next Pro face Chicago City, the Windy City’s top USL-2 side. Another Chicago team – the cult favourites of Chicago House AC – are at home to Minnesota United 2 and will hope to capture the imagination of the fans in the same way that took the Midwest Premier League club to the third round last year. Over in California, FC Folsom of the UPSL host Jermaine Jones and his USL-1 Central Valley Fuego charges, and another NISA newbie – Irvine Zeta – will play their 2024 season opener against California State League outfit SC MesoAmerica, winners of the 2023 US Amateur Cup. Zeta’s city and league rivals LA Force are also in action, welcoming USL-2 side Redlands FC to their new home in Long Beach. Redlands actually get bigger crowds than the Force and so it will be interesting to see how many fans make the short journey and whether that will negate the NISA side’s home advantage. The Hudson Valley Hammers will make the journey from their Newburgh, New York, base to Montclair, New Jersey, to face New York Red Bulls II of MLS Next Pro having reached the USL-2 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals last season, and there’s another local derby of sorts in the DMV where Richmond Kickers of USL-1 host Christos FC of the Maryland Super Soccer League at City Stadium. Wednesday’s final game comes from Columbia, South Carolina, where South Carolina United Bantams – named for their links to English league side Bradford City – face near-neighbours Greenville Triumph in another USL-2 versus USL-1 clash. Thursday sees the final ten games in the first round, beginning with MLS Next Pro expansion side Carolina Core’s first-ever home game when they welcome NoVa FC – from Leesburg, Virginia (also home of USL Championship outfit Loudoun United) – of USL-2. Brockton FC United of the UPSL have to travel over a thousand miles to face Chattanooga Red Wolves of USL-1, a rare distance at this level of competition and one many times that between Colorado Rapids 2 and Colorado Premier League rivals Azteca FC, who just have to cross metropolitan Denver. In a trans-Carolinas tie, Crown Legacy FC - the MLS Next Pro affiliate of Charlotte FC – play South Carolina United Heat at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, North Carolina, while another MLS reserve side with a fancy name – LA Galaxy seconds Ventura County FC – host Irvine Zeta 2, the main club having already qualified before their elevation to the professional ranks and subsequently replaced by their amateur equivalent. The last of the four new clubs to join NISA this season, Arizona Monsoon, have their roots in former UPSL side Phoenix Monsoon, and they make their professional debut away to Lubbock Matadors of the NPSL on Thursday. With a name like FC Motown, you’d think the NPSL club are from Detroit, but the name is actually short for Morristown, the New Jersey commuter city where they formed, and their home tie against New York City II will be their eighth straight appearance in the first round proper, having first qualified under their previous identity of Clarkstown SC Eagles. Motown’s NPSL rivals, the equally ace-monikered Steel City FC (who are from where you’d expect them to be, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh) take on Michigan Stars (who are, weirdly, from Detroit) in another first round tie. Langhorne, Pennsylvania, is the unlikely location of Vereinigung Erzgebirge, a team you’d think would be taking part in the DFB Pokal judging by their name but were actually formed in 1931 to represent immigrants to Pennsylvania from the Ore Mountains region of eastern Germany. The sole remaining representative of the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania, they take on USL-1 heavyweight Charlotte Independence. The final first round game comes from the historic soccer city of Ludlow, Massachusetts, where Western Mass Pioneers – who have their roots in the 102-year-old Gremio Lusitano club – of USL-2 host Union Omaha of USL-1.
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Mar 19, 2024 18:44
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Here's the Canadian Championship bracket. And the schedule for the first round.  Why is the first round single elimination with two legs after? gently caress if I know!!!
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Mar 19, 2024 21:11
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US Open Cup round-up Of the nine games that took place last night, each between a third-tier side and one from lower down the (unofficial) soccer pyramid, four saw victories for the lower-ranked teams, a rate of upsets that bodes well for seasoned underdog fanciers. The win that grabbed the headlines was Vermont Green's victory over USL League One leaders Lexington SC. The USL League Two club became the first to host a US Open Cup game in the Green Mountain State, and only the second side from Vermont to take part in the competition's latter stages, and a sell-out crowd of 3,500 was on hand to see the Burlington outfit race into a 2-0 lead courtesy of Zach Barrett and Nick Lockermann (whose corner Barrett had nodded in). Isaac Cano pulled one back for the visitors after 20 minutes had elapsed but Jacob Labovitz added a third for the Green midway through the first half and, with the score at 3-1 at half-time, the upset watch was on. The Vermont fans were in dreamland five minutes into the second-half when Labovitz, a former Greenville Triumph player, scored his second, and even two goals from Cameron Lancaster couldn't spoil Vermont Green's party, a 4-3 win emphatically celebrated by both players and fans. Down in Tennessee, new MLS Next Pro side Chattanooga FC welcomed Miami United to Finley Stadium, the two very familiar from the days they shared in the NPSL. United now play in the United States Soccer League's Florida division - sixth-tier at best - but played a textbook defensive game to restrict the home side to zero shots on target. The visitors managed two, though, and one of them - from Colombian veteran Jhon Pajoy was all it took for the Florida side to move through to the next round. Two other Florida minnows were less fortunate, both in games against third-tier sides from Georgia. USL League Two Braves SC hosted NISA's Savannah Clovers, with both sides playing their first games of 2024, but the visitors' greater experience told with a 2-0 win courtesy of first-half goals from Roderic Green and Vladimir Jokic. The stupidly named FC America CFL Spurs of the fifth-tier UPSL travelled to Statesboro to play South Georgia Tormenta in the USL-1 side's third home game in a row but were undone by Nick Akoto's fifth minute goal for the hosts. With Chattanooga bowing out, you might have thought that the evening's remaining MLS Next Pro sides - the reserve teams of Austin FC and Portland Timbers - might have put up more of a defence of their division, but both were defeated at home. Austin FC II are reigning MLS Next Pro champions but could only draw 2-2 with Dallas-based Foro SC of the UPSL, going behind after 39 minutes when Jonathan Sauceda headed the visitors in front. Jonathan Santillan forced an own goal equaliser early in the second-half but even a red card for Foro's Ivan Muanze-Bengono couldn't prevent the game going to extra-time. Sebastian Pineau looked to have won the game for Los Verde on the stroke of extra-time half-time, but Foro kept pressing and achieved the impossible with an equaliser from Kyle Bennett coming in stoppage time. The game went to penalties and Bennett scored the winner for Foro, sending MLS representatives Austin tumbling out. It looked to be more straightforward for Portland Timbers 2, playing NPSL side El Farolito SC at Providence Park, home of the first team Timbers. Keesean Ferdinand put the home side ahead on the half-hour mark and it stayed that way until the 52nd minute, when former Atletico Nacional man Sebastian Yabur levelled for Farlotio, who won the US Open Cup in 1993 under the name Club Deportivo Mexico. Timbers 2 then had Harvey Neville sent off a minute later, giving Farolito the impetus to press for a winner, which duly arrived when Honduran striker Dembor Benson put the fourth-tier side through. It was business as usual elsewhere as USL-1's Forward Madison defeated Duluth FC of the NPSL 2-0 in Wisconsin thanks to a brace from Christian Chaney, NISA regular Maryland Bobcats won 2-0 away at West Chester United (also of the NPSL, and with Darwin Espinal scoring twice), and Tulsa Athletic couldn't repeat their heroics of a year ago when they hosted Northern Colorado Hailstorm of USL-1. 1-0 up at half-time thanks to Lucky Opara, the visitors put their foot on the gas in the second-half and went 4-0 up thanks to Irvin Parra, Mark Hernandez, and Ethan Hoard, with Athletic grabbing a consolation through Riolan Mello just before the final whistle.
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Mar 20, 2024 18:16
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US Open Cup round-up After four of Tuesday's matches ended in "cupsets," it was business as usual in the majority of Wednesday thirteen ties, with just two lower-league sides progressing (and one of those by default). NPSL side Apotheos FC, formed in 2021 and based 30 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta, were given a walkover win over Georgia Lions, one of a crop of new sides in the NISA league this year who clearly weren't ready to start a club from scratch in such a short amount of time. They will be joined in the next round by Des Moines Menace of USL League Two, who managed to secure a draw away at another of the new NISA teams, Capo FC, and then win the penalty shootout. The Iowa club made headlines by signing former USMNT star Sasha Kljestan, who retired at the end of the 2022 MLS season with LA Galaxy, could only swell the gate to around 100 fans but played the full 120 minutes for Menace and assisted Cyrus Harmon for the opening goal eight minutes into the second-half. Capo hit back through Parker Scalzo 13 minutes later and 1-1 was how it stayed through to the end of 90 minutes. Capo had Daniel Segal sent-off five minutes after the restart and former Sporting Kansas City academy player Leroy Enzugusi thought he'd won it for the visitors with just three minutes left to play, only for Scalzo to equalise with almost the last kick of the game to take it to penalties. After the first four penalties for each side had been converted, Kljestan stepped up to give Des Moines the advantage and it was Scalzo who took Capo's final kick, shooting over the bar to send the USL-2 side through. There were three other games in California last night, all with third-tier clubs successfully negotiating some tricky hurdles. NISA side LA Force welcomed Redlands FC to their new base at Long Beach Community College, with the USL-2 side acquitting themselves well early on, until former Hartford Athletic man Joel Quist opened the scoring for the hosts on 40 minutes. Redlands levelled two minutes later through Ethan Kovach and it looked like penalties might be needed here, too, but Jose Montes put Force through with six minutes to spare. Fellow NISA club Irvine Zeta were playing the first game of their professional era and hosted 2023 US Amateur Cup champions SC Mesoamerica at the Championship Soccer Stadium, also home to the USL Championship's Orange County SC. Japanese midfielder Shin'ya Kadono, who started his career with OC, got an early goal for Zeta in the 12th minute and despite some pressure from the visitors, that's how it stayed (with a red card for Mesoamerica's Gonzalo Salguero for good measure). The third game in the Golden State came from east of Sacramento, where FC Folsom of the UPSL welcomed USL-1's Central Valley Fuego to Folsom Lake College. Jason Ramos put Jermaine Jones's visitors ahead in the 9th minute and that's how it stayed to the half-time whistle despite both sides having their chances. Six minutes into the second-half, Moshi Wilondja headed in from close range to tie the game but the professionals' class showed as Shavon John-Brown fired home to take Fuego through to round two. Up the coast in Seattle, 2024 USL-2 champions Ballard FC were cheered on by 1,800 fans as they took on USL-1 expansion side Spokane Velocity at the University of Washington. It was a tight affair with chances at a premium and it took Andre Lewis's 97th minute strike to separate the teams just as extra-time was beckoning. Over in Florida, 2024 UPSL champions AS Frenzi and NISA's Club de Lyon met in an Orlando-area derby at Daytona Beach College Soccer Stadium and, with CdL having endured a torrid season in 2023, hopes were high for an upset. The pro side went ahead in the 9th minute when Frenzi's Kevin Miranda put through his own net, with Juan Manuel Martinez doubling Lyon's advantage midway through the first half. Miranda headed in on 35 minutes to reduce the deficit and the home side got off to the best possible start after the break, levelling the scores through Jean Forestal two minutes in. Their chances of kicking on were dealt a huge blow, though, when Justin Dorman got two yellow cards in five minutes and was dismissed in the 53rd minute, but it still took Lyon until the 90th minute to find a winner, Martinez notching his second to take the NISA side through. 400 miles north in Columbia, South Carolina United Bantams were facing state rivals Greenville Triumph in a USL-2 versus USL-1 clash. A decent crowd of 600 trekked out to the SEFL Soccer Complex but chances were at a premium in the first half, which ended looked to be ending goalless before veteran striker Leonardo Castro headed Triumph in front. That's how it stayed to the final whistle, despite the Bantams having two good chances in stoppage time. Over the border in North Carolina, USL-2 Asheville City and USL-1 One Knoxville resurrected the Smokey Mountain Series trophy they played for in USL-2 in 2022, with over a thousand fans on hand at Asheville's Greenwood Field stadium to witness the clash. Asheville had the better of the game and dominated the goal chances but it was Knoxville's class that showed, taking the tie (and the golden work boot) thanks to first-half goals from Rodolfo Castro and Callum Johnson. Jalen Crisler saw red for the visitors just past the hour mark. Richmond Kickers won the US Open Cup in 1995 and are one of the biggest sides currently playing at division III level. They hosted Christos FC, based out of a Baltimore liquor shop, at City Stadium and it was only Adrian Billhardt's first-half stoppage-time goal that separated the teams at the final whistle. The final three games all featured MLS Next Pro sides and, with all three of their representatives falling on Tuesday night, a small amount of pride was at stake, as well as a berth in round two. New York Red Bulls II - who really need a snappier name - took on USL-2's Hudson Valley Hammers at Montclair State University, 1,073 fans enjoying a game with 33 shots, 20 of them on target. Six of those were converted, with five of them going to the home side. Red Bulls raced into a 3-0 lead courtesy of Dylan Sullivan, Mohammed Sofo, and Aiden Jarvis, after Dylan Evande saw red for a bad foul 12 minutes in, but Brazilian midfielder Israel Neto pulled one back for the Hammers with 11 minutes left on the clock to give the visitors some hope. It was New York who finished the game strongly, though, adding two more goals through Malick Demebele and Ibrahim Kasule to go through 5-1. The other two games came from Chicago, where Chicago Fire II hosted Chicago City of USL-2, and everyone's favourite second side Chicago House AC (of the sixth-tier Midwest Premier League) welcomed Minnesota United 2 to the Windy City. Fire's reserves had an easy time of it at SeatGeek Stadium, where goals from Giovanni Granda, David Poreba, Michael Nesci, Harold Osorio, Vitaliy Hlyut, and a Aleksandar Labovic own goal completed a 6-0 route, and it was also straightforward for the Loons on the Elmhurst University campus in the west of the city as Jordan Abebayo-Smith put three unanswered goals past Tony Halterman in the House goal. The remaining ten games in the first round are tonight.
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Mar 21, 2024 17:45
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US Open Cup round-up The second biggest crowd on the final night of US Open Cup First Round ties was at the University of North Carolina's Greensboro Stadium, where MLS Next Pro expanside club Carolina Core drew 1,500 for the first ever home fixture. They faced NoVa FC from USL League Two, a club that can trace their history back to 1998 when they formed as North Virgina Royals. Antiguan Barbudan international Drake Hadeed got the opener for Core but Eddie Pope's side found themselves a goal down at the break thanks to Noah Holmes and Alex Abril, with an upset seriously on the cards. Carolina restored party five minutes into the second half with a strike from David Polanco and finally managed to make their domination of the game count when Joshua Rodriguez scored eight minutes from time. Elsewhere in North Carolina, Charlotte FC's MLS Next Pro affiliate Crown Legacy FC welcomed South Carolina United Heat to the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews but were undone by their UPSL visitors in the fifth minute of stoppage time when the exotically named former Rochester New York player Wilterlynd Inalien converted a peanlty given for a foul on Hale Lombard. A couple of hundrerd miles west in Tennessee, USL League One side Chattanooga Red Wolves did what their city rivals from MLS next Pro couldn't and despatched lower league opposition, this time in the shape of Massachusetts club Brockton FC United. The visitors play in the UPSL and have a side mostly made up of locals and immigrants with Cape Verdean roots but seemed to be letting the occasion getting to them, going 2-0 down in the 66th minute, both from penalty kicks. Omar Hernandez converted the first after a bad foul on Stefan Cvetanovic, with Chevone Marsh scoring the second when Ropapa Mensah was brought down by Dario Monteiro. Red Wolves' battle plan took a hit ten minutes later when Omar Gomez was shown a straight red for violent conduct and this allowed the visitors back into the game, a header from Wuilito Fernandes reducing arrears in the 89th minute and allowing Leonardo Texeira to head the sides level in the fifth minute of added time. That sent the tie to extra-time where the professionals' better fitness told, two goals from Menash sending the USL-1 side through. FC Motown's big night against New York City II turned out to be a damp squib as the NPSL side found themselves 2-0 after 20 minutes, thanks to goals from Taylor Calheira and Andrew Baiera. Meximo Carrizo added a third midway through the second half to put the Baby Pigeons through. Two of the oldest clubs in USL-2 both faced USL-1 opposition and came up empty, with Vereinigung Erzgebirge losing 2-0 to Charlotte Independence courtesy of late goals from Omar Ciss and Kharlton Belmar, and Western Mass Pioneers conceding twice that at home to Union Omaha, with a Joe Gallardo hatrick and a single from Steevan dos Santos doing the damage. A home defeat was also the end result of the Steel City FC versus Michigan Stars tie, although the NPSL side from Pittsburgh can count themselves unlucky having dominated the game in front of 1,142 fans at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The visitors from the NISA league grabbed the game's only goal in the 83rd minute when Niels Lellouch, playing with Fort William in the North Caledonian Football League a year ago, headed in a free-kick cross from Daniel Wright. The action swung west for the final three ties of the night, with the stop at Lubbock in Texas providing another upset as Lubbock Matadors of the NPSL defeated NISA expansion club Arizona Monsoon. Matadors drew an astonishing 2,258 fans to Lubbock Christian University Soccer Field but went a goal behind in the 37th minute when Izsak Fierro fired home for the visitors. Monsoon then found themselves down to ten men when Giancarlo Canas-Jarquin reacted badly to a foul and was shown a red in the 79th minute, allowing the Texans to find an equaliser through Salvador Martinez just four minutes later. That sent the game into extra-time where Lubbock's Bruno Garcia was dismissed for two yellow cards three minutes in, but the Matadors had the better of the play from there on, finally finding a winner with just one minute on the clock through Toufik Najem. The Denver derby between Colorado Rapids 2 and Azteca FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park was a one-way affair, with the MLS Next Pro side putting three goals past Gerardo Aguilar Gardea in the Azteca goal. Josh Belluz, Daniel Garcia, and Alec Diaz grabbed the goals for Rapids over their NPSL visitors. The night's final game took place in Carson, California, as the newly-rebranded Ventura County FC - the MLS Next Pro affiliate of Los Angeles Galaxy - took on Irvine Zeta 2. The visitors qualified for the tournament before their accession to NISA, where they were guaranteed a spot as a professional side, and so their amateur reserves took the spot they won. It looked to be a dream start for the visitors when Daniel Baumgartner converted an 8th minute penalty given for a foul on Orlando Erazo, but Joseph Barry put through his own net three minutes later to level things up. A minute into added time at the end of the first half, Ventura's Sean Karani gave the home side their first lead of the night and that's how it stayed, despite chances for both sides in the second half. Eight lower-league sides have made it through to the Second Round, which will take place in two weeks' time. Of the professional leagues, USL-1 lost just one of its twelve entrants in the first round, NISA shed three of its nine competitors, and MLS Next Pro saw just seven of its eleven clubs go through. Of the qualifiers, (unofficial) division IV competition NPSL have the most clubs through - three - while similarly fourth-tier ranked USL-2 have two. The fifth tier UPSL also have two clubs in the hat for the next round, with Florida's USSL - a sixth-tier league - making up the numbers.
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Mar 22, 2024 14:36
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US Open Cup, second round preview The second round (proper) of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup gets underway tonight with the 32 first round winners facing off for a chance to meet sixteen USL Championship teams in round three. There were a number of "cupsets" in the first round, resulting in seven lower-tier sides progressing at the expense of their third-tier opponents. Of those, two will meet and so at least one side from (at least) the fourth tier is going to be in the draw for the next round! Action begins tonight in Virginia, where Richmond Kickers of USL League One welcome NISA's Maryland Bobcats. The Kickers began life in the USL predecessor league USISL in 1993 and actually won the US Open Cup in 1995, the last year before MLS arrived on the scene. They used to enjoy a healthy rivalry with the third Baltimore Bays club and will look to renew that border rivalry with the Bobcats, who are based in Boyds, west of Charm City. The Bobcats were themselves formed in 2016 and moved into the semi-professional fifth-tier UPSL in 2019, joining NISA in 2021. They reached the third round of last year's Open Cup where they were eliminated by Pittsburgh Riverhounds of USL-C, with Kickers reaching the same stage and losing to MLS's DC United. Kickers have not started the season well in USL-1 and have lost two from two, but NISA doesn't start its season until this weekend and so the home side should have a slight advantage in terms of match sharpness. There's an MLS Next Pro derby at Belson Stadium in Jamaica, New York, as New York City FC II take on New York Red Bulls II. The inclusion of MLS reserve sides in this year's Open Cup is disappointing but we are where we are and at least one of them will be eliminated in this clash. Both sides breezed through the last round against fourth-tier opposition. Of far more interest to the neutral is tonight's clash between USL-1's Charlotte Independence and South Carolina United Heat of the fifth-tier UPSL. Very much the second team in the Queen City, Independence started play in the USL in 2015, having acquired the local franchise rights from Charlotte Eagles, and spent time in the second tier USL-C until taking voluntary relegation to USL-1 for the 2022 season. They've won one and lost one so far this season, with the Columbia-based Heat winning their first league game in the UPSL Mid-Atlantic Conference at the weekend when they beat the MLS babies of Charlotte Soccer Academy. They eliminated Charlotte FC's MLS Next Pro affiliates Crown Legacy FC in the last round and will be looking to cause another upset in the city tonight. MLS Next Pro's Minnesota United 2 knocked out everyone's favourite Farley "Jackmaster" Funk tribute club Chicago House AC in the first round and tonight welcome NISA's Michigan Stars - from the Detroit suburbs - to St Paul. Stars were 1-0 winners over Pittsburgh's Steel City FC in the first round but again, as a NISA club, haven't started their league season yet. The Detroit club were officially formed in 2014 but trace their history back through both Windsor Spartans and Dearborn Stars to 1982. They played in the NPSL before turning professional with the establishment of NISA in 2019. The one all lower-tier game on the schedule for this week comes from Texas, where Lubbock Matadors face Foro SC at Lubbock Christian University Soccer Field. Matadors, who are only in their third year of existence and took third place in last year's NPSL national play-offs, beat NISA newbies Arizona Monsoon in the first round, while Foro accounted for MLS Next Pro's Austin FC II. The Dallas club finished fourth in the Fall 2023 UPSL play-offs and are coached by former FC Dallas star Michel Garbini, who also works as an assistant coach at North Texas SC in MLS Next Pro. The final game tonight comes from Fresno, California, where Jermaine Jones's Central Valley Fuego from USL-1 take on El Farolito SC of the NPSL's Golden Gate Conference, who knocked out Portland Timbers 2 of MLS Next Pro in the first round. Formed in 1985 and named after the owner's chain of restaurants in the San Francisco area, they won the Open Cup in 1993 under the name Club Deportivo Mexico and represented the US in the 1994 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
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Apr 2, 2024 17:07
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US Open Cup Second Round round-up 1995 US Open Cup winners Richmond Kickers became the first side into the hat for round three when they beat NISA's Maryland Bobcats 5-2 at City Stadium in Richmond last night. The USL League One club went ahead after just six minutes when Nil Vinyals converted a penalty given for a handball by Luis Almeida and doubled that advantage in the 20th minute through Chandler O'Dwyer. Abdul Kooistra reduced the arrears for the Bobcats four minutes later, but Kickers finished the half strongly, adding a third goal - a header from Dakota Barnathan - to take a two-goal lead into the break. Thriteen minutes into the second-half, Maryland had a chance to come within a goal again when they were awarded a penalty for a foul by Justin Sukow on Darwin Espinal, but Espinal's spot kick hit the bar. Things got worse for the visitors two minutes later when Josselin Possian was dismissed for a second yellow, but they did manage to claw a goal back through Espinal, a distance strike on 71 minutes. From there, Richmond reasserted control, scoring two late goals from Ryan Sierakowski and Barnathan again to ease into round three. The all-MLS Next Pro New York derby also produced a hatful of goals as New York City II beat New York Red Bulls II 4-2 in Jamaica (the New York neighbourhood rather than the Caribbean nation). Mohammed Sofo opened the scoring for the baby Bulls after just six minutes but the baby Pigeons hit back with two goals from Jonathan Jimenez and one from Malachi Jones to take a 3-1 lead into the break. Serge Ngoma put Red Bulls within touching distance two minutes after the restart after Roald Mitchell had an effort saved by Tomas Romero in the City goal but an 87th penalty given for handball completed Jimenez's hatrick and sent the home side through. Down in North Carolina, USL-1 side Charlotte Independence and the UPSL's South Carolina United Heat from across the border, drew 0-0 after extra-time at the American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte. Penalties were called upon and an opening miss by Juan Carlos Obregon for the hosts was negated by two saves by Independence 'keeper Austin Pack to keep Charlotte in the hunt for cup glory. MLS Next Pro met NISA in St Paul when Minnesota United 2 faced Michigan Stars, and it was the 2022 NISA champions who walked away with a 2-0 win, despite the hosts having the . Scores were level after ninety minutes but nine minutes into the first period of extra-time, Sacko Konate headed the visitors into the lead, compounded by Hunter Olson's strike a minute after the half-time in extra-time break. There was guaranteed to be a lower-tier winner at the end of the match at Lubbock Christian University in west Texas, where the NPSL's Lubbock Matadors met Dallas side Foro SC from the UPSL. A crowd of over 2,000 saw a cagey affair, with the teams level until Salvador Martinez struck in the 71st minute to give the Matadors the lead and Foro's problems deepened when Nigel Katawa was red-carded for violent conduct five minutes later, the end result of a pell-mell sparked by Daniel Celi's bad foul on Kodai Kobayashi. The ten men battled back and went very close to an equaliser in stoppage time through Juan Ramirez, but Shuma Sasaki's 93rd minute goal sent the home side through 2-0. The night's final game in the Open Cup came from Merced, California, where USL-1 side Central Valley Fuegos were taking on 1993 Open Cup winners El Farolito SC from the UPSL. The game took place not at Fuegos' usual ground in Fresno but at Bobcat Field on the University of California campus an hour north, but Fuego looked right at home when they took the lead through a Jose Carrera-Garcia penalty on 19 minutes, given for a foul by Jonathan Mosquera. The home side looked happy to sit back and were caught out in first-half stoppage time by Dembor Benson's equaliser. The visitors again had much of the play in the second-half and got their reward two minutes from time, with Benson adding a second to secure the night's first "cupset." There are ten more games tonight, with another four lower-tier sides looking to join Lubbock and El Farolito in the next round.
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Apr 3, 2024 17:19
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US Open Cup Second Round, preview (part 2) There are ten games in the US Open Cup Second Round tonight, completing the round before sixteen second-tier USL Championship sides enter next time out, and four lower-tier teams have the chance to join El Farolito SC and Lubbock Matadors in round three. Although the rankings are far from an exact science (and they have joined the fifth-tier UPSL for 2024), Miami United are the lowest ranked side remaining in the cup, having accounted for MLS Next Pro newbies Chattanooga FC in the first round. They began play in 2013 and spent most of their existence in the NPSL, but recently played in United States Soccer League (Florida). Their opponents at Broward College in North Miami tonight are NISA's Club de Lyon from Daytona Beach in central Florida. Lyon had a season to forget last year, unable even to secure a home pitch for the complete season, but beat 2023 UPSL national champions AS Frenzi in the first round and will be hoping for a more stable 2024. There's a Georgia derby in Statesboro as South Georgia Tormenta of USL League One face NISA's Savannah Clovers at Tormenta Stadium. Tormenta were surprise winners of USL-1 in 2022 and have had a mixed start to the season so far, but - as with all NISA sides - Clovers are yet to start their league season. Tormenta reached the third round last year, where they lost to Charlotte FC of MLS, one stage further than Savannah, who were knocked out in the second round by Charleston Battery. One Knoxville SC have won all of their four league and cup matches so far this season and will relish the visit of USL-1 rivals Greenville Triumph to the Regal Soccer Stadium tonight. This is only their second tilt at the Open Cup, having been knocked out by Memphis 901 in the second round last season, but they will be wary against a Triumph team that won away at Lexington SC at the weekend. USL League Two outfit Vermont Green provided one of the shocks of the first round when they beat Lexington SC in the first Open Cup match ever staged on Vermont soil. The Burlington side began play in 2022 and have an ambition to become a net zero soccer club, the Green in their name more than just a colour. They welcome MLS Next Pro expansion club Carolina Core to the aptly named Virtue Field, which will no doubt be full and rocking again. Core have yet to win a game in 90 minutes in the league (which settles draws with penalties) and squeezed past NoVA FC in the last round, so there's all to play for in the Green Mountain State. Atlanta club Apotheos FC - who play in the NPSL - were given a walkover in the first round when their NISA opponents Georgia Lions were not in a position to begin their season. Apotheos were runners-up in the NPSL national play-offs last year but don't start their season until next month, meaning their clash with USL-1's Chattanooga Red Wolves will be their first competitive game of the year. Chicago Fire II easily dispatched local semi-professional side Chicago City in the first round but face tougher opposition in round two in the shape of Forward Madison from USL-1. The 'Mingos won away at Central Valley Fuego at the weekend, are in decent form so far this term, and will be looking forward to testing their wiles against the MLS Next Pro side at SeatGeek Stadium. USL-1 mainstays Union Omaha have had a stuttered start to the season but have won both their games so far, including a commanding first round victory over Western Mass Pioneers. In tonight's game they will come up against Des Moines Menace, the USL-2 side that made headlines even before they beat NISA's Capo FC in the first round when they tempted former USMNT regular Sasha Kljestan out of retirement for their cup campaign. Kljestan set up a goal and scored the decisive kick in the penalty shootout and Omaha will be wary of his abilities as both a player and a talisman tonight. As in Georgia, there's a derby game in Colorado, too, when Colorado Rapids 2 welcome Northern Colorado Hailstorm to Dick's Sporting Goods Park tonight. The Rapids beat fellow Denver side Azteca FC in the last round, with Hailstorm winning away in Oklahoma against Tulsa Athletic, and it'll be another interesting clash of MLS reserves versus their independent third-tier equivalents. As will Ventura County FC (formerly known as LA Galaxy II) versus NISA's Irvine Zeta at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. Branding itself as the first Chinese-owned club in US Soccer, Zeta were elevated into the professional ranks this season after playing in the UPSL last year and beat 2023 US Amateur Cup winners SC Mesoamerica in the first round, with County seeing off Irvine Zeta 2, the club's semi-professional arm still competing in the UPSL. The final second round game comes from western Washington state, where USL-1 expansion side Spokane Velocity - who beat 2023 USL-2 champions Ballard FC in the first round - welcome NISA's Los Angeles Force to One Spokane Stadium. Velocity have won two and lost two in their debut league campaign thus far but have quality up front with English striker Josh Dolling always a threat. The sixteen winners from round two go forward to the next round on April 16 and 17, where sixteen USL Championship sides await.
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Apr 3, 2024 17:23
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US Open Cup round three preview, April 16 & 17 The USL Championship sides - sixteen of them, at least - have arrived in the US Open Cup, facing the sixteen teams who made it through the first two rounds proper. That latter sixteen includes three teams from the fourth-tier or lower who will be chomping at the bit to get a chance at reigning champions Houston Dynamo, the USL-C big boys, and the MLS also-rans in the Fourth Round. There are five games on Tuesday night, with the balance coming on Wednesday, and two chances of a "cupset" as the NPSL's Lubbock Matadors travel to USL-C side New Mexico United, and Oakland Roots welcome another NPSL side in El Farolito. Lubbock are a fairly new club, former just two years ago but already turning heads in northwestern Texas. They beat NISA newbies Arizona Monsoon in round one, and then ousted fellow Texas amateur side Foro SC in the second round, but face tough competition in New Mexico, who had a weekend off from league competition to prepare. El Farolito are former US Open Cup winners - as CD America in 1993 - but the competition has levelled up a bit since then. Still, they accounted for MLS next Pro's Portland Timbers 2 in round one, and USL League One's Central Valley Fuego in round two, and will fear nothing in their local derby against an Oakland Roots side not really into their stride this season. USL Championship expansion club Rhode Island FC make their US Open Cup debut away at Charlotte Independence, a USL-C side themselves until five years ago. With MLS Charlotte FC across town, Independence may not get big crowds at American Legion Memorial Stadium but they have a hardcore following who will be urging them on tonight having dispatched two amateur sides - Philadelphia's Vereinigung Erzgebirge and South Carolina United Heat of the UPSL - to get here. But for a 3-2 defeat at Charleston Battery last week, Louisville City have been imperious in the USL Championship this season and will represent a tough test for USL-1's Greenville Triumph, especially as the visitors are coming off a defeat to Charlotte at the weekend. Still, Triumph have looked good new head coach Rick Wright and City might have a battle on their hands. Tonight's final game is the Motor City derby between the USL Championship's Detroit City - played four, won four so far this season - and NISA's Michigan Stars. There is considerable ill-feeling between the clubs, with the Stars owner George Juncaj partially blaming their last US Open Cup defeat in Detroit on "darkness, smoke, and smell," and it's sure to be a lively - if maybe one-sided - night at Keyworth Stadium. The other lower-tier side, Miami United, can count themselves lucky to still be in the competition after several of their players were caught betting on them to beat Club de Lyon in round two. That came after they had got through MLS Next Pro independent club Chattanooga FC in the first round, and it would be a shame to have spoiled their impressive run over something as stupid as gambling. In their third round match tomorrow they face Memphis 901 of the USL Championship - as you may have noticed, all these games are USL-C versus the rest encounters - and you wouldn't (in fact, you shouldn't) bet against them doing it again. United's city rivals The Miami FC are at home to 2022 USL League One champions South Georgia Tormenta at FIU Stadium on Wednesday, with the visitors not in the greatest form so far this season, although they did win their last game on April 6th. Miami are undergoing a rebuild of their squad, though, and it may be a good time for Tormenta to play them... There's a North Carolina derby up in Cary, as North Carolina FC, promoted from USL-1 to USL-C over the winter, take on MLS Next Pro independent side Carolina Core. Core beat USL League Two's NoVA FC in the first round before ending USL-2 Vermont Green's cup dreams in round two, and it will be an interesting gauge of their strength against a professional side that isn't made up of MLS reserves. One of the two remaining reserve sides, New York City FC II, visit Hartford Athletic tomorrow night, and it may sound weird to say it but there's a good chance of the second division side causing an upset by beating the third division baby Pigeons. NYCFCII won 6-2 at the weekend, and have already eliminated the NPSL's FC Motown and New York Red Bulls II so far, but Hartford have won three out of four so this season and look a different side to last year. The other reserve side are Chicago Fire II, who have accounted for USL-2 Chicago City and USL-1 Forward Madison so far, and they play their third home tie in a row against Indy Eleven on Wednesday. Fire can score goals for fun, worrying for an Indy side that have conceded nine goals in their last two games.Besides El Farolito - and until Houston Dynamo, Atlanta United, Sporting Kansas City, FC Dallas, Seattle Sounders, and DC United enter in round four - the only other past winners are Richmond Kickers, a historic club with plenty of second-tier experience. The USL-1 outfit knocked out Christos Discount Liquor and Maryland Bobcats on their way to round three and now face the young bucks of Loudoun United in a Virginia derby. Kickers aren't in the best form but this is sure to be hotly contested. Birmingham Legion reached the quarterfinals last year and will be hoping for a repeat of that this year at least. They face USL-1's Chattanooga Red Wolves tomorrow night at Protective Stadium, with Wolves coming off the back of a win at Central Valley Fuego at the weekend, having knocked out the UPSL's Brockton FC United and Apotheos FC of the NPSL to get this far. FC Tulsa welcome Northern Colorado Hailstorm to Oklahoma tomorrow night having earned a great 1-1 draw away at Sacramento Republic with just ten men on Saturday. Hailstorm are usually solid at the back but have been vulnerable there this season and are lacking the goals of Trevor Amann, sold to Republic over the winter. They've already won in Tulsa this year, having eliminated the NPSL's Tulsa Athletic in round one, going on to knockout Colorado Rapids 2 of MLS Next Pro in their next match. It's four games and four wins in all competitions for Union Omaha so far this season, having won two out of two in the league and dispatching Western mass Pioneers and Des Moines Menace of USL-2 on their way to round three. They host El Paso Locomotive at Werner Park on Wednesday, the Texas side sensibly having forgone a home tie, and this would be a good one to keep your eye on, the varying fortunes of each side ripe for an upset. That might also be the case in Seaside, California, where Monterey Bay FC welcome NISA new boys Irvine Zeta to Cardinale Stadium. Frank Yallop's side have started well this season but Zeta have looked very impressive in the cup this year, defeating US Amateur Cup winners SC Mesoamerica in round one before eliminating the capable youngsters of Ventura County FC (LA Galaxy II, rebranded) in round two. Last year, it was Yallop who sprung an upset on his old club San Jose Earthquakes, but the shoe might be on the other foot this year... Finally, we find ourselves in Sin City, where Las Vegas Lights will play USL-1 expansion club Spokane Velocity. Velocity are enjoying life as the newest professional club in the USL third tier and have beaten USL-2 national champions Ballard FC and NISA powerhouse LA Force to get this far, but Lights have generally looked good this year - when they keep eleven men on the field, that is. The sixteen winners will go through to round four, which is scheduled to take place on May 7th and 8th.
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Apr 16, 2024 16:03
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US Open Cup Third Round round-up, April 16 & 17 Medication might be needed if there are any more games like the one between Charlotte Independence and Rhode Island FC that opened the US Open Cup Third Round at American Legion Memorial Stadium on Tuesday night. The visitors, playing in their first Open Cup campaign and seeking their first win ever as a club, made seven changes from the weekend but took the lead after just eleven minutes when Conor McGlynn shot home. Their advantage lasted just fifteen minutes before Juan Carlos Obregon Jr was brought down in the Rhode Island box and stepped up to convert the subsequent penalty. The USL League One side then went ahead in the 35th minute when Tresor Mbuyu finished a slick move, whetting the cupsetters' appetites, but the away side drew level two minutes into first-half stoppage time when Nathan Messer found the net from Mark Doyle's pass. Five minutes into the second-half, Clay Holstad scored a pearler of a goal to give Rhode Island the lead once more, and they had chances to increase that lead before Luis Alvarez levelled for Charlotte on 72 minutes, the game reaching ninety minutes without further goals, although the USL Championship visitors went close right at the whistle. Extra-time, then, and heavy Independence pressure five minutes in saw them take the lead again through Obregon Jr. That lasted until five minutes from the final final whistle when Stephen Turnbull made it 4-4, with no further goals in the last five minutes sending the game to penalties. 2023 USL-C MVP Albert Dikwa had come on as a substitute for Rhode Island during extra-time and he stepped up to take their first spot-kick, firing wide for an uncharacteristic miss. Charlotte put two of their own penalties over and Joel Brito had a chance to secure the win for the visitors but Austin Pack dived to his right to keep it out. Three more kicks were converted until Gabriel Alves stepped up for Rhode Island, knowing that if he missed the lower-league team were through. Pack guessed right again, saved the penalty, and put the first third-tier side through into the fourth round. There were less goals - and slightly less excitement - as Louisville City welcomed Greenville Triumph to a one-third full Lynn Family Stadium, the in-form USL Championship side wasting no time in going ahead thanks to a second minute header from Sean Trotsch. Triuimph are playing well themselves in USL League One and they gave as good as they got, with no further goals seeing the game reach half-time at 1-0. Just as they had in the first half, City made a quick start to the second, the prolific Wilson Harris tapping from close range with 49 minutes on the clock, and both Harris and Wilson Perez went close to increasing Louisville's lead before Triumph dragged themselves back into the contest. That two goal lead looked momentarily vulnerable three minutes into stoppage time when Hayden Anderson finished a set piece move to make it 2-1, only for Jorge Gonzalez to restore City's two-goal advantage at the 97 minute mark. Despite a good chance for Triumph substitute Zion Scarlett, it finished 3-1. It also finished 3-1 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the USL Championship's New Mexico United took on Lubbock Matadors of the fourth-tier NPSL. For some horrible reason, the game was moved to the gridiron-marked pitch at Rio Rancho High School, which might explain why it took almost an hour to find a goal. That came courtesy of a close-range finish from United veteran Harry Swartz on 58 minutes, and Daniel Bruce - who had made the final pass to Swartz for the first goal - added a second under a minute later, the Matadors' cup dreams looking in tatters. That was pretty much confirmed three minutes later when Mukwelle Akale scored from a free-kick to make it 3-0 but, to their credit, Lubbock never gave up and earned a consolation in stoppage time when the ever-lively Shuma Sasaki was brought down and converted the subsequent spot-kick. Matadors return to league action at the weekend but they've made a name for themselves here. The grudge match at Detroit City's Keyworth Stadium began tamely, although the referee did issue three yellow cards in the first-half. Both sides had their chances but Michigan Stars' Tatenda Mukruva was definitely the busiest of the two goalkeepers. In the second-half, it was almost all one-way traffic, especially once Michigan's Hunter Olson was given his second yellow card for a silly foul in the 78th minute, but it looked like the away side from NISA would at least take it to extra-time as ninety minutes passed at 0-0. There was plenty of stoppage time, however, and certainly enough for Maxi Rodriguez to chase a through ball and give Le Rouge a lead they held onto, despite losing Brett Levis to a second yellow before the final whistle. 1-0 to Detroit City and we're still waiting to hear about the levels of darkness, smoke, and noise present from Stars' owner George Juncaj. The final match on Tuesday came from the West Coast where Oakland Roots welcomed fourth-tier El Farolito to their Hayward, California, home. Something of a local derby (the visitors are based across the Bay in San Francisco) and a repeat of a Second Round game from last year, there was an edge on the field, if not on the terraces, something heightened when the semi-professionals took a 1-0 lead in the twelfth minute through Honduran striker Dembor Benson. Roots stepped up their game at this point but El Farolito held firm, at least until first-half stoppage time when Guillermo Diaz headed home from a set-piece. The chances of an upset began to recede six minutes into the second-half when young midfielder Edgard Kreye was given a second yellow card and ordered off the field, but the visitors still had their chances to win the game, with Benson a constant menace. Roots brought eighteen-year-old Ali Elmasnaouy on with five minutes to go for his first-team debut, but eleven minutes of stoppage time still couldn't separate the teams. Extra-time beckoned and this is when Elmasnaouy wrote his name into the US Open Cup book with a 98th minute close range effort to give Oakland the lead for the first time. 2-1 is how it stayed, despite Trayvonne Lewis picking up a second yellow just after half-time in extra-time. Wednesday eleven matches began with a North Carolina derby in Cary between USL Championship new kids North Carolina FC and Carolina Core of MLS Next Pro. As a test of the independent side's strength against a non-reserve team - MLS Next Pro contains all MLS reserve teams, save for Carolina and Chattanooga FC - it was a very one-sided affair, with the home side registering eight shots on target to Core's none, although Julian Placias's goal on the hour was the only one that found the net, the USL-C side going through 1-0. It was also local derby time in Virginia, where USL League One's Richmond Kickers were hosting USL Championship side Loudoun United at City Stadium. It was a very balanced game, with the visitors shading possession, but goal chances evenly were shared and both defences in good shape, 120 minutes of action unable to find a winner or, indeed, a goal. The penalty shoot-out saw nine straight spot-kicks converted until Richmond's Artur Bosua saw his effort saved by Dane Jacomen in the Loudoun goal to send the youngsters through. It looked like penalties might also be required up in Connecticut, where the USL Championship's Hartford Athletic were at home to New York City FC II of MLS Next Pro. There were over forty shots at goal during the game, with fifteen of them finding the target, but it took over an hour for one to hit the net, Taylor Calheira's left-foot tap-in giving the baby Pigeons the lead. Athletic worked hard to get back into the game and got their reward when Romario Williams was fouled by Alexander Hauschild in the box, picking himself up to convert the penalty. That took the game to extra-time and it was Hartford's turn to take the lead, Deshane Beckford latching onto the end of Williams's header on 92 minutes. Parity lasted for just seven minutes before Calheira grabbed his second, a point-blank header. Hartford's legs began to tire at this point and, just as penalties looked inevitable, NYCFCII scored the winner when sixteen-year-old Maximo Carrizo fired home. There were no more goals and the 3-2 win to the third-tier side was slightly tarnished by a hullabaloo that saw Beckford and Markus Epps see red for the home side, with the visitors' Christopher Tiao also dismissed for his part in the ruckus. The lowest-ranking side still left in the competition, Miami United, were on their travels to Memphis 901 of the USL Championship. United, who are playing in the fifth-tier UPSL this season, knocked out two professional sides to get this far and - in everything other than goals scored on the night - looked as capable as their hosts from three tiers above. It is goals, though, that settle games, and Nighte Pickering's brace in the 31st and 85th minutes was the difference between the sides, the last of the lower-tier teams falling at this hurdle. Another Miami side, The Miami FC of the USL Championship, were at home to USL League One's South Georgia Tormenta and you could have been forgiven for expecting they would short work of the visitors, even if Miami are going through something of a rebuild. However, the apple cart was upset in the twelfth minute when Jake Dengler headed home from a set-piece, and although Luisinho fired home an equaliser eight minutes later, the third-tier side were still very much in the game. That looked to be especially the case four minutes into first-half stoppage time when Khadim Ndiaye was shown a straight red for violent conduct in the aftermath of being fouled by Gabriel Rodriguez, but Miami took the lead almost straight after, going into the break 2-1 up thanks to Luisinho's second. Tormenta took control from the restart and the home side hadn't even had a shot on goal before Irish striker scored a nice equaliser on 69 minutes. There were chances for both sides as the clock ticked down and, just when it seemed like extra-time would be called upon, Tormenta took the lead again, this time through Callum Stretch's header from a corner. Miami didn't have time to pick themselves back up before Sebastian Vivas scored Tormenta's fourth, sending the Championship side tumbling out at the same stage they exited last year, only this time to lower-tier opposition rather than Inter Miami. Birmingham Legion reached the quarterfinals last year and hoped that the visit of Chattanooga Red Wolves would be the start of another cup run. As in Miami, the USL Championship hosts found themselves a goal down after twelve minutes when Leo Folla headed home from a free-kick for Chattanooga, a lead they held through the half-time break before Stefano Pinho's header from a corner - his first goal since his move from Indy Eleven over the winter - brought the sides level three minutes into the second-half. Legion had the better of the action afterwards but Matt van Oekel conceded a second penalty in four days when he brought down Ropapa Mensah in the box on 76 minutes, Ricky Ruiz stepping up to restore Red Wolves' lead. Four minutes later, another corner and another Pinho header made it 2-2, which is how it stayed until the final whistle, extra-time called on in Alabama, but not before Chattanooga's Gustavo Fernandes was shown a red card for a foul on the Brazilian striker. The extra man made all the difference in extra-time and Pinho scored another two - the first from another corner - to send Legion through. With NYCFCII having defeated USL Championship opponents in Hartford Athletic, hopes that MLS Next Pro rivals Chicago Fire II might do the same against Indy Eleven at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgewater, Illinois, and with eleven shots on target to Indy's two, chances were that they'd be warranted. However, as in Memphis, goals are the only statistic that matters and it was Indy's fourth minute goal from Douglas Martinez that separated the teams, despite Lil' Fire's overwhelming dominance of the game. Further into the Midwest, FC Tulsa of the USL Championship hosted USL-1 Northern Colorado Hailstorm at the Hurricane Track & Soccer Stadium having started the season in mixed form. The first clear chance of the game went to the visitors as Brecc Evans saw his header saved by Tulsa goalkeeper Michael Creek in the 34th minute. Four minutes later, Noah Powder fouled Blaine Ferri in the Hailstorm box and Diogo Pacheco put Tulsa 1-0 ahead with the resulting penalty. They made it 2-0 a minute into first-half stoppage time when Milo Yosef got on the end of a set-piece but it was still anyone's game as the second-half kicked off. Sebastian Sanchez and Bradley Bourgeois missed chances to make it 3-0 for Tulsa and that allowed Hailstorm back into the game when Isidro Martinez reduced the arrears in the 65th minute. Ethan Hoard and David Garcia both went close to equalising as the clock ran out, but the home side held strong for a 2-1 win. Another Midwest side - Union Omaha of USL-1 - were at home to a decidedly out of form El Paso Locomotive, and a goalless first 45 minutes was almost upset in the twelve minutes of stoppage time when Amando Moreno fired over from a penalty given to the visitors after a Nortei Nortey handball. The big action in the second-half was also reserved for the very end as Noah Dollenmayer saw red for El Paso after a bad foul on Marco Milanese, with another nine minutes of time added on still not producing a goal. That was the same story in extra-time, despite chances for both sides, and the peanlty shoot-out was called upon. Omaha took the first penalty and ended up netting all five of their spot-kicks, meaning Rashid Nuhu's save from Gonzalo Pelua's third kick for El Paso made the difference, something of an upset (if a low level one). New to NISA this year, Irvine Zeta looked handy in winning through to the third round and have started positively in the league, although they are still to record their first league win. They travelled north to Seaside, California, last night to face a handy looking Monterey Bay FC side that beat San Jose Earthquakes of MLS at this stage last year. Jerry Ayon, signed just three days ago from San Jose's reserve side The Town FC, opened the scoring for the home side on his debut, a header from a Rafael Baca cross in the 32nd minute. Zeta had a couple of chances to equalise either side of half-time and finally drew level just past the hour when George Almeida found the bottom right corner. Parity lasted for just three minutes, however, before Ayon scored again, sending Monterey through to a possible reunion with the Quakes. The final game of the first round came from Las Vegas, where Jose Bautista's Las Vegas Lights hosted Spokane Velocity. Lights look a much better side this season and even put three wins in a row together until defeat at the weekend to Monterey Bay, but Velocity look to be enjoying things as USL-1's newest club. The first half was a fairly even affair and the deadlock was only broken in the 51st minute when Valentin Noel fired home from a Solomon Assante pass to give the home side the lead. Las Vegas had the better of the rest of the game, although both Kimarni Smith and Colin Fernandez had shots blocked for Velocity, and it looked like a home win banker when Derek Waldeck was given a second yellow for his reaction to being fouled three minutes into stoppage time. As it turned out, that extra time added on gave Spokane the chance to level, a long distance effort from Andre Lewis sending the game into extra-time. Both sides had chances to find a winner but it was Lights' Norway-born Dominican Republic international Riki Alba who scored next, his 112th minute strike ultimately the difference between the teams. The sixteen winners - twelve USL Championship sides and four third-tier representatives from USL-1 and MLS Next Pro - will enter tonight's draw, along with the top eight from last year's USL, reigning champions Houston Dynamo, and - to their shame - MLS's bottom seven from the 2023 season.
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Apr 18, 2024 17:19
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I'm ready to take on the Whitecaps again.
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Apr 24, 2024 05:03
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The preliminary round of the 2024 Canadian Championship got underway on Tuesday with an all-Canadian Premier League clash between Cavalry FC and Vancouver FC. The winners knew they would be playing Vancouver Whitecaps from MLS in the quarterfinals and so the tie took on added impetus for those wanting to impress on a bigger stage, and - of course - a possible local derby for the visitors. Almost 2,000 fans came out to ATCO Field in Calgary to cheer on the home side, and a scoreless first-half was not without its chances. The game fired into life just past the hour, though, when Cavalry's Shamit Shome was shown a straight red card. What could have been a fatal blow seemed to charge up the home side and they took the lead five minutes later when Tobias Warschewski got his head on the end of a deflected cross. This was the fifth time Vancouver and Cavalry have met, with the Eagles still yet to win. Wednesday's match between Toronto FC of MLS and Simcoe County Rovers, 2023 winners of the semi-professional League 1 Ontario competition, was very much a David and Goliath situation, even if Reds coach John Herdman did make seven changes from the side that beat New England Revolution. This was Simcoe's first foray into the Canadian Championship and they gave a good account of themselves early on, hitting the post and testing Luka Gavran in the Toronto goal either side of the home side's opener from Prince Owusu in the eighteenth minute. After that, though, it became something of a one-sided affair as the MLS side added another three in the first half - Cassius Mailula, Kevin Long, and Jonathan Osorio making it 4-0 at the break. Toronto took their foot off the gas after the break, scoring just once more when substitute Tyrese Spicer found the net, and although the game highlighted the massive gulf between the first- and third-tiers of Canadian soccer, Simcoe will have enjoyed their night out in front of over 11,000 fans. Toronto now await the winners of next week's HDX Wanderers versus CS Saint-Laurent match.
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Apr 25, 2024 17:46
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Las Vegas vs LAFC on may 8th, Vegas is gonna get shithoused but I can’t wait to watch in person. Wish it wasn’t a mid week game, been trying to get my friends to come up from LA.
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Apr 25, 2024 21:42
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