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Academics and Bucks qualify on final day
Bradenton and Michigan are only PDL clubs with Open Cup experience
  With each club winning on the final day of U.S. Open Cup qualifying, the Michigan Bucks and the Bradenton Academics both qualified for the tournament. As the last two clubs to punch their tickets, they represent the only PDL teams who enter the competition with previous Open Cup experience.
Playing what seems to be a traditional game on the final day, the Michigan Bucks defeated the Cleveland Internationals 2-1 to give themselves a perfect 4-0-0 record and a third straight Open Cup berth. The Bucks are the only PDL team to ever qualify three times in a row, and this is the second time that they have accomplished that feat (1999-2001, 2006-2008). Michigan also extends their PDL record with their eighth appearance in the 94-year old tournament.
The Bucks are known for their success in this competition. Aside from being the most successful PDL team in the tournament’s history, their shining moment came in 2000 when they upset Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution at Foxboro Stadium 1-0. Since their first appearance in 1997, the Bucks have defeated seven professional teams, more than any other PDL club.
The Bradenton Academics found themselves in a must-win situation on the final day. Their opponent, the Central Florida Kraze, were the division leaders when the day began, and would have clinched with a win or a draw. Bradenton had little trouble with the Kraze, winning 3-0 and leapfrogging Central Florida into first place in the Southeast Division.
This is only the second Open Cup appearance for the club, with their first trip coming in 2003. That year, they began the tournament in the second round and took the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL Pro Select League (now the USL Second Division) to extra time, where they would fall 2-1 in the extra period. In that game, the Academics’ starting lineup included familiar names like Michael Parkhurst and Heath Pearce.
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