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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. 
Three more from PDL set for Cup debut
Final two PDL berths to be decided on Memorial Day
  The Fredericksburg Gunners, Brooklyn Knights and St. Louis Lions became the latest PDL clubs to qualify for the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this afternoon. Brooklyn secured their bid with a 1-1 draw at New Hampshire, enough for them to pass Cape Cod for the top spot and clinch. Later in the day, Fredericksburg (4-0-0) became the first PDL club to post a perfect qualifying record when they defeated the Rhode Island Stingrays 1-0 at home. The St. Louis Lions punched their Open Cup ticket with a 2-2 draw at Kansas City. The result also eliminated the Chicago Fire from contention. This will be the first Open cup appearance for all three clubs, and all six PDL clubs that have qualified thus far will be making their cup debut in the 2008 tournament.
 Two spots remain to be filled to complete the PDL field, both of which will be decided on Memorial Day. The Michigan Bucks visit Cleveland Internationals to determine the final Central Conference berth. A win or draw will get Michigan in, while Cleveland must win to qualify.
In the Southern Conference, Central Florida visit Bradenton to settle the Southeast Division berth. The situation is the same as in the Central, Central Florida is in with a win or draw, while Bradenton must win outright.
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.
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.
PDL qualifying scenarios - After Friday's games
17 clubs vie for seven Open Cup spots this weekend
 PDL U.S. Open Cup qualifying is entering it’s final three days, and since our last look at the qualifying scenarios at the beginning of the week, many clubs have fallen to the wayside. 17 clubs still remain to try to stake a claim to one of the seven remaining PDL U.S. Open Cup berths. USOpenCup.com takes a revised look at all of the conference races, and who needs to do what in order to get in.
Legend-ary preformance lifts LA into the Cup
5 goal rout of SFV Quakes puts LA into the cup field
 The Los Angeles Legends, needing to win by two or more goals, did that and more in defeating the San Fernando Valley Quakes 5-0 at Azusa Pacific University’s Cougar Stadium, claiming the first of eight PDL U.S. Open cup berths up for grabs this weekend. The Legends came into the match knowing exactly what was needed to advance. A single goal win would leave them short of surpassing the San Jose Frogs on tiebreakers. What they received was a convincing five-goal triumph over the visiting Quakes.
PDL qualifying scenarios
Who's in the driver's seat and who needs help down the stretch
The Premier Development League (PDL) is headed into the home stretch of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying. Four conferences will send eight teams to the tournament and the scenarios are starting to become a little more clear. USOpenCup.com takes a look at each conference to see where each team stands heading into the final two weeks and also examines how finishing unbeaten in qualifying doesn’t always guarantee a place in the Open Cup.
USL unveils Open Cup qualifying format
Layout similar to 2007, but changes made to PDL
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2008 U.S. Open Cup
Automatic Entries
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MLS: Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution, DC United, Chivas USA, FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls.
USL-1: Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Charleston Battery, Miami FC Blues, Minnesota Thunder, Portland Timbers, Rochester Rhinos, Seattle Sounders
USL-2: Harrisburg City Islanders (defending league champion), Richmond Kickers (defending regular season champion) |
The qualifying format for the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will look a lot like the 2007 format, according to the United Soccer Leagues Web site.
An official announcement hasn’t been made by U.S. Soccer, which runs the tournament.
Each league participating in the Open Cup this year - Major League Soccer, USL First and Second Divisions, Premier Development League and the United States Adult Soccer Association - will have eight entries, marking the first time every league will have the same number of teams entered.
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The Rochester Raging Rhinos of the A-League defeated four MLS teams en route to the 1999 U.S. Open Cup championship. They defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-0 in the final which was held at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH.
Photo courtesy of Triangle Soccer Fanatics |
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