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Long and the short of it: Austin & Yakima qualify
Aztex gain Open Cup in first year, Yakima finally arrive after 14
  After 14 years, the Yakima Reds will make their debut in the U.S. Open Cup, while the first-year Austin Aztex didn’t have to wait nearly that long. Austin clinched their Open Cup berth without playing on Saturday, as they awaited a pair of results from this weekends matches involving Mississippi Brilla after finishing their qualifying run with a 1-0 win over Laredo on Friday.
Brilla had a tough hill to climb, needing to win both matches by three goals to pass Austin on tiebreakers. As it turned out, the roles were reverses and Mississippi dropped a 3-0 decision to the Houston Leones at the Soccer World Complex in Houston. Houston jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by Antonio Chavez and Miguel Hurtado, and Juan Carlos Hernandez finished the scoring midway through the second half. The results paved the way for the Aztex to become the first USL team from Austin to qualify for the Open Cup since the D3 Pro league’s Lone Stars did so in 1999.
At Marquette Stadium in Yakima, the Reds held their fate directly at their feet. Win and they were in, draw, and hope for the same from BYU and Tacoma. While BYU and Tacoma did end in a 1-1 draw, the Reds overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit with second half goals from Alonso Rojas and Jake Sagare to secure thier place in the First Round on June 10. Having debuted in the USL in 1995, the win ends Yakima’s fourteen year Open Cup drought, the longest any current USL club has gone without an Open Cup appearance.
In other PDL qualifying action from Saturday, the Brooklyn Knights solidified their stake for an Eastern Conference berth with a 2-0 victory over Vermont. This sets up a showdown with New Hampshire on Memorial Day in which the winner will qualify for the Open Cup, while a draw would still clinch a spot for Brooklyn. Fredericksburg host Rhode Island today, and a win or draw would clinch a spot for the Gunners. Should Fredericksburg lose, the Cape Cod Crusaders will return to the cup for the first time since 2006.
In the Central Conference the St. Louis Lions and Michigan Bucks vaulted to the top of the standings with wins on Saturday. The Bucks rolled past Fort Wayne 5-0, while St. Louis edged Springfield 1-0. The Cleveland Internationals stumbled with a 1-1 away draw with West Virginia, and must win their final match versus Michigan on Memorial Day to get in. St. Louis can clinch a spot today with a win at Kansas City, but a draw will force them to await the Michigan-Cleveland result. The Chicago Fire need a win Sunday at West Michigan, along with a St. Louis loss and a Michigan-Cleveland draw, in order to qualify.
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