I read this article yesterday on ussoccer.com about the format for this year's cup. Lots of changes from last year. Looks like NPSL gets 6.5 spots this year (the 0.5 coming from a playoff with a US Club Soccer team). http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Lamar-Hunt-U-S-Open-Cup/2012/01/2012-Open-Cup.aspx I haven't found anywhere that specifies how the NPSL will determine who gets the spots, although with the earlier start of the tournament this year (May 15) it will have to be decided sooner rather than later. It will be interesting to see how the 6.5 spots are divided up among the 4 regions...it's likely it will have to be based on last year's results if the entrants need to be decided before this year's games begin. Maybe one spot for each region's 2011 champion, plus an extra spot for the regions with 2 conferences (NE and West). That would be 6, not sure how the 0.5 should be decided. We'll probably know more after the AGM this weekend.
I hate to say it, but the 0.5 pretty much has to come from the area where the U.S. Club Soccer team comes from, right? Travel has to be a factor in that match.
Yeah I was thinking that too. It's appropriate in a tournament where nearly all the matchups are decided based on geography. Maybe the highest ranking NPSL team within x miles of whatever team qualifies from Club Soccer?
Hmm, interesting. Some thoughts: 1. Seems to only include the SW teams. 2. I guess the West could be getting 2 of the 6 berths (assuming the NW would have a similar qualifying tourney), since there are a lot of teams in the West. 3. It makes sense that the new teams (FCSC, Rangers, and Monsoon) would have to play the first round, with existing teams getting byes based on last-year's standings. 4. It doesn't make sense for Boca to get a bye instead of the Flash, if they're using last year's standings. 5. Phoenix Monsoon is not on the NPSL site, although they have been rumored to be joining (and claim on their own site that they're playing in the NPSL this season).
They must of gotten everything in order, because they are now listed in the West/Southern conference on the NPSL site. http://npsl.info/teams/index_E.html http://npsl.info/teams/41722524/44024976-41722620/TEAM.html
Interesting - does anyone know what happened to the Hollywood Utd team? - one year in NPSL and their done? There was also a lot of talk about a team in Las Vegas...anyone know anything about that?
Not sure about Hollywood Utd. From what little I know of their history, they've had a lot of transitions since they were formed...from no league, then to PDL, then out of PDL and into NPSL, now out of NPSL and into...? On a semi-related note, the NPSL teams for the Open Cup have been announced, according the thecup.us. Jacksonville Utd, Georgia Revolution, Sonic Lehigh Valley, Brooklyn Italians, Milwaukee Bavarians, and SD Flash are all in, and the 0.5 play-in spot goes to another Western team to be named later.
The Northwest Conference will have a US Open Qualifying Tournament starting March 10 (http://www.soccermagic.ncaweb.net/rsj/rsjstore/index.php). There will be 2 groups of 3 with the winners playing in the final. The winner will either be qualified directly or have a play-in match with a US Club Soccer team. Group A will be Real San Jose, Sacramento Gold, and Northcoast Tsunami. Group B will be Sonoma Sol, Bay Area Ambassadors, and San Francisco Stompers. On a side note, anyone know about San Francisco Stompers? They claim to be a new NPSL team with former pro players of the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy. http://www.sfexaminer.com/sports/personal-best/2012/02/semipro-soccer-top-retirees-do-list
Looks like there have been some changes to the info that was originally posted at thecup.us. What they're saying now matches the release on the NPSL site: Jacksonville Utd, Brooklyn Italians, Eerie Admirals, and Milwaukee Bavarians have 4 of the automatic spots. Neither article seems real clear as to whether the remaining 2.5 spots are all coming from the West, or if 1.5 will be from the West with the other one coming from another region. But it looks like both Western conferences will be holding some sort of qualifying tournaments, with the NW having already finalized their draw, as mentioned above. ^^
The SW will be holding a similar qualifying tournament starting March 17th, according to the SD Flash website. Looks like the same format the NW has, with 2 groups of 3 team playing single elimination, and the group winners playing in the final. Group A is the Flash, Boca, and the Monsoon (Flash have a bye), and Group B is Hasental, Santa Clarita, and Fullerton (Hasental has a bye). The article also mentions that either the NW or SW entrant will have to face a US Club Soccer team to get into the tournament (that's the 0.5 berth), and that will be decided "based on points", whatever that means. It will be announced at the end of March, after both qualifying tournaments are finished.
Without question, the U.S. Open Cup is a part of the DNA of the Brooklyn Italians. Before their days in the National Premier Soccer League, the Italians won the Open cup twice, in 1979 and 1991, and finished as runners up twice, in 1981 and 1990. Only eight other teams have won more Open Cups than the Italians, and with their two titles, they find themselves in the company of MLS sides DC United and LA Galaxy. That’s why the team takes its position as one of the at least six entries from the NPSL this year very seriously. "Our goal is to go into the professional rounds as far as possible," said General Manager Joe Barone, referring to advancing in the cup bracket to get a chance to play against a team from USL Pro, the North American Soccer League or even MLS. "This year we started early in selecting the guys," Baron said of the roster he and coach Luccio Russo are putting together. While teams in the NPSL are allowed to carry college-eligible players, those players cannot even train with their clubs until after May 1. The Open Cup starts a week later, and Barone says the Italians want to be prepared. "It makes it difficult for an amateur side to succeed in it," Barone said of the way the draw is set up. The Italians’ strategy this year is to bring in a more veteran team early, have them together and working as a unit before the qualifying starts. Then, gradually assimilate college-eligible players into the team. "Being that we are in New York City, and have access to a lot of high caliber players that are out of college. We can build the team this way," said Barone. Only one non-MLS club, the 1999 Rochester Rhinos, has won the open Cup since the formation of the Division One league, and only one other non-MLS team, the Charleston Battery in 2008, has advanced to the final. So the idea of an amateur team winning the cup seems improbable with the way things are stacked. Still the Italians remember when they won it all twice, and advanced into CONCACAF competitions. In 1991, they played in the qualifying rounds of the 1991 CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup and the 1991 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. They lost 6-1 on aggregate to Club Universidad de Guadalajara in the Cup Winners Cup, but fared much better in the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, beating Bermudian side Dandy Town Hornets 4-3 in the first round before losing 4-1 to eventual champions Puebla. Those heady days might seem far in the past, with the Italian crashing out of the tournament in the first round in each of the last three years, most recently in 2011 to local rival New York Pancyprian Freedoms. Still, Barone says the team is working hard to improve its fortunes in 2012.
WEST REGION CONFERENCES US OPEN QUALIFYING: Northwest Qualifying Group A Sacramento Gold defeated North Coast Tsunami 5-1 this weekend, winning Group A. Last weekend, Real San Jose defeated North Coast Tsunami 2-0. Having beaten San Jose 2-0 two weeks ago, Sacramento only needed a 1-0 loss or better against NPSL newcomer North Coast to win the group. Group B Bay Area Ambassadors FC defeated San Francisco Stompers 8-0 this weekend, winning Group B. After opening qualifying with a 3-3 tie against Sonoma County Sol, the Ambassadors won the group by routing NPSL newcomer San Francisco. Final Sacramento Gold and Bay Area Ambassadors will face each other in the Northwest Final on April 1. Southwest Qualifying Quarter Finals Fullerton Rangers defeated Futbol Club Santa Clarita Storm 5-0 this weekend. The NPSL newcomer will travel to FC Hasental, who had a bye, in the Southwest Semi-Finals. San Deigo Boca defeated Phoenix Monsoon 4-2 on penalties this past weekend. After a 3-3 score in regulation, and 4-4 after overtime periods, Boca eliminated the NPSL newcomers Pheonix on penalties. They will tavel to San Diego Flash, who had a bye, in the Southwest Semi-Finals. Semi-Finals Fullerton Rangers will travel to FC Hasental on March 27 in the Southwest Semi-Finals. After eliminating Phoenix on a Saturday, San Diego Boca defeated San Diego Flash 1-0 the next day. San Diego Boca are in the Southwest Final and will face the winner of the Fullerton Rangers/FC Hasental match. Note: The NPSL was awarded 6.5 spots in the Open Cup this year. The West Region was awarded 1.5 spots. This means that the two West Region Conferences will have separate competitions each sending their winner to the next stage. The next stage will be either a direct trip to the Draw or to face the Club Soccer entrant with the winner of that match going to the Draw.
The Fullerton Rangers were able to over come a first half deficit to defeat FC Hasental 2-1 in the semi-final of the US Open Cup Qualifier. Going into halftime the Rangers were down 1-0, but were able to over come the deficit with goals in the 60th and 65th minute by Andre Turoldo and Julio Madrigal. With the win the Rangers have earned at least half a bid as the loser of the final will face a US Club Soccer team in a playoff for a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Rangers will face San Diego Boca in the final of the US Open Cup Qualifier on Friday, March 30th at Balboa Stadium in San Diego. Kickoff is set for 7pm. Come out and support your Fullerton Rangers as they seek the automatic bid for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
This is totally off-topic, but Ed NYC Firm and I support Dundee FC. Dundee United is a competing local team. I was going to say cross-town rival, but they actually are across the street from each other.
We both support the club with the very nice stadium with the Blue seats.. Not the one with horrific dayglo orange... ;-)
Oh, that leads to a good segue back to NPSL. I had a hard time rooting for FC Hasental because they were wearing orange at the US Open Cup Qualifier against Fullerton (I thought they wore black or white last season from the videos I saw).
Haha.. I'm in this forum now because I followed FCNY last season in the USL. They have apparently dropped down into this division. At least they wear blue (although it's more of a sky blue). I find myself hating Houston in MLS solely because of their strips.
Houston actually has my favorite colors. But I'm still an FCD fan within Texas and a Seattle fan overall. I didn't make it to t;he Boca/Fullerton match due to bus troubles, but it was 3-2 Fullerton as someone noted. How much more time until all the spots are spoken for? I'm getting impatient.
