USASA Region I Tourney set to kick off

By USASA
Abril 27, 2009

NELASA 09

USASA Region I qualifying for the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup kicks off this weekend as teams representing nine states and leagues vie to win the two qualifying spots for this summers tournament. The teams are split into two brackets (Group N and Group S), with the winners of each earning the right to represent the USASA in this summers tournament. The two qualifiers will also meet on June 21 at the Ukrainian American S.C. in New Wales, Pennsylvania to determine will represent Region I at the USASA National Cups tournament at the Seminole County Sports Training Center in Sanford, Florida on July 24 through 26.

The action kicks off on April 5 with a preliminary round game in the Group S bracket between the NPSL’s Charm City F.C. and Go Soccer F.C., the New Jersey champion from the Garden State Soccer League. The Gambrills, Maryland based Charm City F.C. is set to begin their second season in the NPSL, following a 3rd place finish in the 2008 NPSL campaign. In charge of the NPSL squad is head coach Jason Rims, who lead Baltimore’s Allied F.C. to the Open Cup in 2004 and 2006. Go Soccer F.C. are making their first appearance in the Region I finals, having knocked off fellow GSSL club Neptune De La Roma 4-2 in the lone New Jersey qualifying match last November. Go Soccer finished the GSSL Fall season at 3-1-4 in the Central Division. Saturday’s match will kick off at White Oak Park Field #15 in Banchburg, New Jersey at 2:30 pm.

The winner will move on to the Group S semifinals, where they will host Maryland’s Christos F.C. on May 3. Christos advanced to the Region I tournament with a 2-0 win on February 22 over FC Allyance, with both goals coming from Shondell Busby in the first half. Christos also won the Rowland Cup (Maryland State cup) on March 8 with a 4-1 over Allyance, and finished the Maryland Major Soccer League Fall campaign with a 7-2-2, good for 4th overall.

Awaiting the winner will be a club that has qualified for the Open Cup before. Vereinigung Erzgebirge, a 2002 qualifier, will host Aegean Hawks, who reached the cup in 2007. VE current sit in second place in the United Soccer League with a 5-2-2 record, and reached the Region I finals with a 3-0 win over United German Hungarians on December 7. VE are the last USASA team from Eastern Pennsylvania to reach the Open Cup, falling to the South Jersey Barons in the opening round of the 2002 tournament.

The Hawks have a more recent history in the Open Cup, dropping a 4-0 decision to the Harrisburg City Islanders in the opening round of the 2007 cup. The Hawks have had quite a busy past few months. After finishing on top of the Washington Premier League fall season with an 8-0-1 record, the team captured the Arlington Premier Soccer League winter title with a 9-1-1 record. They also captured the inaugural Nations Capital Cup at RFK Stadium. In between all that, the Hawks found time to book their spot in the Region I tournament, with a 9-0 thrashing of Atletico Virginia.

The Group N bracket will feature two clubs looking to return to the Open Cup, and two others seeking their first appearance. The Portuguese Cultural Center in Danbury, Connecticut is where 2007 qualifiers Danbury United will greet Champions League entrants US Parma on May 3. United dropped their lone cup appearance to the Western Mass Pioneers in a hotly contested 3-2 extra time affair at the PCC. Danbury won the Connecticut Soccer League championship last fall with a 9-1-2 mark, and were the only Connecticut entrant this year. US Parma finished the 2008 Champions League fall season with a 5-3-0 record, finishing 3rd overall. Parma have also qualified for the Region I Amateur Cup finals, and have a training agreement with Italian club Atlalanta. Likewise, Parma was the only Champions League club to enter Open Cup qualifying.

Rounding out the May 3 schedule finds the Eastern New York winners Pancyprian Freedoms visiting Brocton, Massachusetts to face Emigrantes Das Ilhas, survivor of Massachusetts qualifying. The three-time cup champion (1980, 82 & 83) Freedoms are looking to repeat their performance from last year, when they qualified for the cup and gave the Real Maryland Monarchs a scare by taking them to extra time before losing 3-2. Tasso Polydefkis, Julio Santos, Chris Megaloudis and Jeff Matteo have lead the club to the top of the Cosmopolitan League standings with a 10-2-0 record. Emigrantes are returning to the Region I finals, having last reached this point in 2007. That season they fell one step short of the Open Cup, falling to Danbury United on penalties. Emigrantes finished first in the NELASA Zone B with a 12-2-4 record, and made it to the league final, where they lost to Fidjos Terra. The Capeverdean club has also advanced to the Region I Amateur Cup tournament.