The Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup saw some upsets on Tuesday night. As is always the case with domestic cup tournaments, it’s the underdog factor that makes the tournaments appealing. Such was the case last night as Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls were tossed from the tourney by Division-3, USL-2 Harrisburg City Islanders. Dominic Oppong scored for the Islanders in the 117th minute. That single goal was enough to move Harrisburg into the 4th round.

The other upset of the evening was another USL-2 side, the Charleston Battery, who advanced all the way to the Open Cup final in 2008. Last night the Battery took out the Chicago Fire. Charleston forced the game to extra time and then a penalty kick shootout after a 0-0 draw with the Fire. The Battery won the game 3-0 on pk’s as both Brian McBride and Wilman Conde missed their shots for Chicago and Charleston keeper Tim Melia saved a Krzysztof Krol penalty.

Two more USOC games played tonight will finalize the 3rd round. The Richmond Kickers will square off against DC United at 6:30 p.m. CT. and the future MLS Portland Timbers will host the former 2nd division and Pacific Northwest rival Seattle Sounders for the second year in a row.

As always, the best US Open Cup news can be found at The Cup.us.

Skyline Sports Complex – Harrisburg, PA
RECAP: PennLive.com | Photos/Videos

New York Red Bulls	0	AET	1	Harrisburg City Islanders
				117′ – Dominic Oppong
Columbus Crew Stadium – Columbus, OH
RECAP: Columbus Crew
Rochester Rhinos	1	FT	2	Columbus Crew
Darren Spicer 69′				30′ Andy Iro (Eddie Gaven)
SENT OFF – Alfonso Motagalvan 84′				90′+ Steven Lenhart
Toyota Park – Bridgeview, IL
RECAP: Charleston Battery
Charleston Battery	0	AET	0	Chicago Fire
Charleston advances on penalties 3-0
PENALTY SUMMARY
Lamar Neagle – GOAL				MISS – Brian McBride
Mike Zaher – GOAL				SAVED – Krzysztof Krol
Ian Fuller – GOAL				MISS – Wilman Conde
Robertson Stadium – Houston, TX
RECAP: Houston Dynamo
Miami FC	0	FT	1	Houston Dynamo
SENT OFF – JP Rodrigues 83′				80′ Lovel Palmer (Dominic Oduro)
The Home Depot Center – Carson, CA RECAP: LA Galaxy
AC St. Louis	0	FT	2	Los Angeles Galaxy
				69′ Chris Klein
				80′ Juninho
Titan Stadium – Fullerton, CA RECAP: Chivas USA
Austin Aztex	0	FT	1	Chivas USA
				12′ Jesus Padilla (Osael Romero)

St. Louis goalkeeper Alec Dufty came up big on a Kentaro Takada shot. Photo by Jeremy Olson - www.digitalgopher.com

A nine hour bus ride from St. Louis to the Twin Cities didn’t stop AC St. Louis from winning their first ever second round game in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The USSF D2 team defeated the NSC Minnesota Stars on Tuesday evening in Blaine, MN by a score of 1-0.

A good game plan from AC St. Louis head coach Claude Anelka and motivated players got the job done – that and an amazing full volley shot from Mike Ambersley in the 35th minute from 30 yards out. The 1-0 lead was enough to topple Minnesota from the oldest sporting tournament in the US.

Minnesota controlled long sections of the game throughout the match but seemed to lack a player who wanted to go one-on-one or take a shot. Despite an overwhelming majority of possession in the first half, AC St. Louis held a 4-0 shot advantage at the break.

“The other team (NSC Stars) had the possession, but it’s what we do when we have the ball,” said AC St. Louis head coach Claude Anelka.

Anelka said it was his game plan after the long bus ride and the away game in Minnesota to play a counter attack style. “I think we could have scored more goals tonight because we were more dangerous on the ball.”

Minnesota had better chances in the second half but AC St. Louis goalkeeper Alec Dufty came to the rescue several times. In the 58th minute Dufty made his best save of the night with a reaction foot save on an Ely Allen’s shot that was low and hard and looked to have beat the keeper.

St. Louis played a good tactical game and stalled off Minnesota’s attack the last 10 minutes of the game, preserving a win and assuring a matchup with the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center next Tuesday. Hopefully the team will be flying to Los Angeles.

For a full game report please see NSC Minnesota’s website.

NSC Minnesota Lineup (4-4-2): Joe Warren, Kevin Friedland (Scott Lorenz 46),
Kyle Altman, Andres Arango, Chris Clements, Daniel Wasson, Kentaro Takada
(Geison Moura 85), Ely Allen, Melvin Tarley, Brian Cvilikas (Neil Hlavaty
76)

AC St. Louis Lineup (4-2-2-2): Alec Dufty, Mark Bloom, Christian Nzinga, Tim
Velten, Jack Traynor (Ryan Moore 46), Dillon Barna (Jeff Cosgriff 60), Troy
Cole, Luke Kreamalmeyer, Gauchinho (Elvir Kafedzic 72), Mike Ambersley, Brad
Stisser

Scoring Summary
STL – Mike Ambersley (Luke Kreamalmeyer) – 35th minute

Misconduct Summary
STL – Troy Cole (caution, reckless tackle) – 5th minute
STL – Mike Ambersley (caution, dissent) – 29th
STL – Brad Stisser (caution, delaying a restart) – 62nd

BLAINE, Minn. (June 21, 2010) – After defeating an amateur side to start their 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup campaign, the NSC Minnesota Stars are ready for a more challenging opponent in the second round. The Stars will welcome fellow USSF Division 2 Pro League side AC St. Louis to the NSC Stadium Tuesday at 7 p.m.

On the line is a third-round match with one of Major League Soccer’s premier franchises, the Los Angeles Galaxy. If the Stars win, they’ll host the 2009 MLS Cup finalists on June 29, but head coach Manny Lagos said he won’t allow his team to look ahead to the prospect of a high-profile opponent.

Off the field, AC St. Louis has been embroiled in financial turmoil for the last month, which has forced it to terminate the contracts of several players, including St. Louis native and first signing Steve Ralston, who returned to Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution earlier this month. Lagos cautioned that the right mindset can keep off-field turmoil from affecting on-field performance.

“In a way, it’s galvanizing for a team. You want to fight for your club,” he said.

The Stars and AC St. Louis have met once in league play this season, a game in which the Stars twice came back from a goal down and won on a late goal by Neil Hlavaty. That win started a five-match unbeaten streak for the Stars in all competitions. That streak ended Saturday night at NSC Stadium in a 2-0 loss to the Portland Timbers that left Lagos hoping to move on quickly.

“It was disappointing to our team and disappointing for our fans,” Lagos said after Saturday’s match. “We have to look into each other’s eyes, regroup and try to recover the momentum we had going.”

To do that, Lagos will likely return the core of his squad to the lineup. Saturday’s match was the Stars’ third in five days, and several key players started the game on the bench. Captain Johnny Menyongar, defenders Kevin Friedland and Andres Arango, and forwards Brian Cvilikas and Melvin Tarley all rested Saturday, although Menyongar, Friedland and Cvilikas all featured as substitutes.

Tuesday’s game will not be broadcast online. Tickets start at $8 for children and $13 for adults, and can be purchased by calling (763) 792-7355 or by visiting www.nscminnesota.org/tickets.

It’s a question I often get asked. It’s also a question I had myself for several years. Over time I’ve received a few answers from those that are involved with the process.

The US Open Cup has a committee who sets the tournament format and puts the policies in place prior to each year’s competition, however it has no active involvement or input in the actual choosing of the hosts in any round of the competition. The committee consists of Todd Durbin – Co-Chair and Division I Representative, Tim Holt – Co-Chair and Division II / III Representative, Marcelo Balboa – Athlete Representative, Werner Fricker, Jr. – Amateur Representative, Tom King – Committee Liaison and Paul Marstaller – Committee Liaison.

Selecting the match-ups and host teams for each of the rounds is administered by staff from US Soccer. Marstaller heads up the tournament  staff at US Soccer. There is a full time administrator assigned to the tournament with other members of the US Soccer staff assisting. As you would suspect, a number of factors go into this process which I will try to detail.

Deadlines
Before I explain some of those criteria an important point should be noted. US Soccer sets an overall calendar of when the different rounds of the tournament will be played. In the early stages of the tournament US Soccer has to wait to see who qualifies from the lower groups like USL-PDL, USASA or NPSL. Once those teams have qualified they have little time to plan for the next round. For instance, last week on June 15th, 16 games were played involving 32-teams. Just one week later on June 22, 8-games will be played between 16-teams. In that brief period of time between the 2nd and 3rd round games on June 29th, (when the qualified MLS teams step in) the schedule needs to be tentatively planned. It happens quickly and time is of the essence when it comes to planning and securing venues. Currently US Soccer is working tentatively on the myriad  of possibilities for the July 6th and 7th games with any of the 16 remaining remaining teams being involved along with the 8 MLS teams that will join the tournament on June 29.

The bidding process
While the bid is not the only thing that is considered it is an important part of the how the US Soccer comes to its decision. Each team is given an allowance by US Soccer for plane fare, hotel and a food stipend. Teams that want the home game can make a bid but as pointed out previously, they have very little time to prepare and submit that bid. US Soccer allows the home team to keep all profits from the game up to a certain dollar amount. Once that figure is reached US Soccer takes a percentage of the profits. A bid could be made to pay the visiting team’s hotel bill or perhaps to lower the kick-in stage for US Soccer to start taking their profit. Or perhaps to raise the percentage of money US Soccer receives from the gate. Any bid is considered that helps US Soccer save money on a tournament that has no major sponsor.

Venues
Another factor is availability of stadiums and the understanding from US Soccer that the game may draw better (better gates = reduced costs) at a Division 2 team when playing an MLS team than vice versa. It’s not unusual for an MLS team to hold their first round Open Cup game at a college stadium for a lower venue fee than their normal home stadium since the draw will be nominal at best. Where an MLS team coming to a USL-2 or D-2 team will mean much better crowds and a bigger gate. It’s also possible that a team cannot get their regular venue for a particular game and it might default to a team that has no problem hosting the game and securing their venue. All these things are taken into account on a very tight timeline.

As always, your best place to get information on the US Open Cup is The Cup.us.

IMS published a story yesterday concerning the US Open Cup and how those that run the tournament make decisions on which venues games are played at and who gets the home field advantage. While most of the information was correct, there was a major bit of misinformation in that article.

Selecting the match-ups and host teams for each of the rounds is NOT done by the Open Cup Committee, but rather by US Soccer staff. The Committee sets the tournament format and puts the policies in place prior to each year’s competition, however it has no active involvement or input in the actual choosing of the hosts in any round of the competition.

A new corrected article will be posted shortly. IMS apologizes for the misinformation.

US Soccer announced on Wednesday the possible scenarios for the third round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Tournament.

Minnesota plays AC St. Louis at home next Tuesday, June 22. Should Minnesota win that game, US Soccer has scheduled the LA Galaxy of MLS to play the Stars on Tuesday, June 29th at the National Sports Center.

If AC St. Louis defeats Minnesota, they will have to travel to Los Angeles to play the Galaxy away the Home Depot Center.

Playing the LA Galaxy at home will be extra incentive for the Stars to get a favorable result against AC St. Louis. The Galaxy currently sit 1st in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer and hold the league’s best record at 10-2-1. The Galaxy under coach Bruce Arena have scored a league high 22 goals, tied with Real Salt Lake, and have allowed only 4 goals in 13 games. Nine of the team’s 22 goals have been scored by Edson Buddle. It’s highly unlikely that Buddle or Landon Donovon would make the trip even if the US don’t advance out of the 1st round of the World Cup.

Minnesota will be going into the AC St. Louis game with a streak of four games in 6 days. With Tuesday’s US Open Cup match it will be 5 games in 8 days. Should the Stars win Tuesday’s game, they would not have to play again until Saturday, June 26, away at Crystal Palace Baltimore.

The Galaxy last played on June 9th (1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake) and will not play again until Saturday, June 26 when they travel to BMO field to play Toronto FC. Major League Soccer took a World Cup break this year which will mean the Galaxy will have fresh legs no matter who they face, Minnesota or St. Louis.

2010 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP THIRD ROUND POSSIBLE MATCHES

CHICAGO (June 16, 2010)

Five matches went into extra time and one concluded in penalty kicks as 16 teams advanced to the second round of the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The first-round winners will face off in the second round on June 22, where eight teams will advance to face the eight qualified Major League Soccer teams June 29 or 30.

Only one lower division team defeated its higher-ranked opponent, needing extra time to do so. The Richmond Kickers of the USL Second Division defeated USSF D-2 Crystal Palace Baltimore 1-0 at University of Richmond Stadium in Richmond, Va. In the only game to be decided on penalty kicks, the Arizona Sahuaros (USASA) finished tied 1-1 with Ventura County Fusion (PDL) after regulation and overtime before advancing 4-2 in penalty kicks. The Sahuaros are participating in their second consecutive Open Cup, advancing in 2010 after falling to the PDL’s El Paso Patriots in the 2009 edition of the tournament.

The other three matches that required extra time to determine who advanced were a Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2) 4-2 win against the Brooklyn Italians Soccer Club (USASA), a Real Maryland FC Monarchs (USL-2) 2-1 victory at Reading United A.C. (PDL) and a thrilling 5-1 Miami FC (USSF D-2) victory against the Central Florida Craze (PDL). This last match finished regulation time deadlocked at 1-1 before Paulo Araujo Jr. unleashed a fury in extra time, scoring four goals to round out the final score.

The third round features the participation of eight MLS teams, which will face off against the eight second round winners on June 29 or 30. With the second round of games now known, the possible third round matches have been determined and are listed below. The quarterfinals will be played July 6-7, the semifinals will be played Aug. 31-Sept. 1, and the final will be played Oct. 5.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which is recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 95 consecutive years dating back to 1914. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

2010 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP FIRST ROUND RESULTS

*NOTE: Change of venue since original announcement on June 2.

2010 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP SECOND ROUND SCHEDULE

BLAINE, Minn. (June 15, 2010) NSC Minnesota Stars

Warren Ukah wins a header. Ukah had a big night for the Stars scoring two first half goals to set the pace for the team.

Warren Ukah’s first two goals of the season helped carry the NSC Minnesota Stars to a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Athletics in the first round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Simone Bracalello and Neil Hlavaty also scored as the Stars moved on at the expense of a shorthanded amateur side.

Pressure was the name of the game from the outset for the Stars, as the home side created several quality scoring chances, but strong play from Kansas City goalkeeper Zach Brennan, who made seven saves on the night, kept the score deadlocked until the 35th minute. Only a minute after watching Brennan stop him from close range, Ukah put the Stars ahead from 10 yards out, blasting a low Scott Lorenz cross into the top corner.

Ukah doubled the lead with the last kick of the first half, again gathering a Lorenz cross before turning past two defenders and powering a low shot past Brennan to put the Stars ahead 2-0 at the break.

Despite breaking his own duck, Ukah was quick to credit Lorenz’s play on the left wing in the build up to his goals.

“Scott had a wonderful exhibition tonight on the left side,” Ukah said after the game. “On the second goal, he saw me break off my run and hit me.”

The Stars came out attacking in the second half, but a counter attack from Kansas City earned a penalty kick that made for an action-packed last half hour. Max Lipset pulled Kyle Perkins down in the penalty box while challenging for a high ball, and Stephen Hoffman converted the penalty kick off Stars goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel’s outstretched left hand.

Pushing for the equalizer, the Athletics found themselves back down by two goals in the 71st minute, when Bracalello, on as a substitute only five minutes earlier, drove a left-footed shot past Brennan from 25 yards out to make it 3-1. The score would stay that way for less than one minute, as Perkins touched home a Brian Williams cross from the top of the goal box.

Hlavaty dispelled any anxiety about the final result in the 75th minute, rolling a penalty kick past Brennan after David Russell tripped Bracalello at the edge of the box. The goal was Hlavaty’s team-leading fourth goal of the season.

The Stars will play AC St. Louis at NSC Stadium on June 22 in the second round of the US Open Cup. AC St. Louis defeated the Des Moines Menace 1-0 Tuesday night in Des Moines.

NSC Minnesota Stars Lineup (4-5-1): Matt Van Oekel, Scott Lorenz, Max Lipset, Brian Kallman, Chris Clements, Two-Boys Gumede (Simone Bracalello 66), Geison Moura, Neil Hlavaty, Leilei Gao, Leland Wright (Thomas Granum 82), Warren Ukah

Kansas City Athletics Lineup (4-5-1): Zach Brennan, Ben Hicks, Larry Mason (Brian Williams 46), Ryan Barber (Neal Woodworth 82), Stephen Hoffman, Martin Johnston, Scott Vermillion, Josh McDaniel, Geoff Miles, Kyle Perkins

Scoring Summary
MIN – Warren Ukah (Scott Lorenz) 35th minute
MIN – Warren Ukah (Scott Lorenz) 46+
KC – Stephen Hoffman (penalty kick) 61
MIN – Simone Bracalello (Chris Clements) 71
KC – Kyle Perkins (Brian Williams) 72
MIN – Neil Hlavaty (penalty kick) 75

Discipline Summary
KC – Scott Vermillion (caution, reckless foul) 27th minute
MIN – Neil Hlavaty (caution, reckless foul) 45

The first round of the United States’ longest-running sport tournament (since 1914), the US Open Cup (USOC), gets underway tonight with matches across the country.

The NSC Stars open their 1st round game with the Kansas City Athletics of the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The Athletics have already worked hard to qualify for the cup competition while the Stars, along with all other USSF D-2 Pro League teams, get an automatic berth into the tournament.

“It’s always a special tournament with all the teams involved in the U.S.,” Stars defenseman Kevin Friedland said. “And getting a home game is usually pretty crucial to moving on and getting results.”

The Athletics were founded in 2001 as a US Youth Soccer team that eventually won the U-20 National Championship. The team has stayed together with many of those same players.

The KC Athletics

This year the Kansas City team decided to qualify for the USOC and defeated the Des Moines Menace USASA team with a come-from-behind victory as well as defeating the AAC Eagles of Illinois in a penalty kick shootout.

Player/coach Kyle Perkins told Thecup.us that a number of their players are injured including former Minnesota Thunder and Kansas City Wizard player Brian Roberts. Former KC Comet player Jason Woods is also injured.

The article goes on to explain that several players have been recruited to play to replace the injured players. Former MLS player Scott Vermillion (Kansas City Wizards, Colorado Rapids, DC United),and local college standouts David Russell and youngster Larry Mason will most likely see time for the Athletics.

The game is at the NSC Stadium in Blaine, MN and kick off is at 7:00 pm.

The NSC Stars will be doing a live audio webcast with Dave Washburn of North Metro TV doing the play-by-play.

The NSC Stars will also be twittering @NSC_Minnesota.

The Cup.us will also be holding a live chat throughout the evening with reporters from across the country adding live updates. You are also welcome to join the chat. As usual, The Cup.us is the best place to get all your USOC information.

US Soccer announced today that if the Minnesota Stars pro soccer team wins their first round United States Open Cup game against the Kansas City Athletics in the first round, they will play the second round team at home at the National Sports Center Stadium.

Minnesota’s first round game is next week June 15, at 7:00 pm at the National Sports Center. If Minnesota comes away with the win, they will host the winner of the AC St. Louis (D2) v Des Moines Menace (PDL) game which is played on June 15 in Des Moines.

If the NSC Stars lose in the first round game, the other scenarios are: Kansas City Athletics (USASA) at Des Moines Menace (PDL) 7:30 p.m. CT Valley Stadium; West Des Moines, Iowa -or- Kansas City Athletics (USASA) vs. AC St. Louis (D2) TBD.

Please see US Soccer’s article on 2nd round games for complete schedule scenarios.