PROFESSOR DUERR >>

Monday, June 25, 2007

It will come as no surprise to readers that my favorite subject in school was history. Indeed, history can tell us a great deal about where we have been and where we are going. It is, therefore, important to cherish historical institutions that give meaning to our current ventures and provide us with a rich heritage.

For soccer players in the United States, the U.S. Open Cup is that institution that shows us where we have been and allows us to pay homage to those who have gone before us. Founded in 1914, the U.S. Open Cup shows us that the United States does have deep historical roots in the game of soccer and that generations of players have played, coached and watched the same game we have. We also have to recognize the namesake of the cup, Lamar Hunt (1932-2006), who was a great visionary and builder of the game in this country.

The U.S. Open Cup also links us to teams from all over the country that participated in the tournament. It allows us to catch a glimpse of an earlier era when immigrants from Western Europe played for factory teams before World War Two and helped the United States get to the semi-final of the 1930 World Cup. It allows us to connect with early soccer communities in St Louis, New York and Chicago which helped the United States shock England 1-0 in the 1950 version of the tournament. The US then waded into soccer obscurity until an upstart group of college players qualified in 1990. Virtually all of these players honed their skills in the U.S. Open Cup and this same group helped pave the way for the famous 2002 run to the Quarter-Finals. There is much history with the U.S. Open Cup and we entered this year’s tournament hoping to write our own chapter.

In the opening round of the tournament, we traveled to Kansas City to take on the Brass of the Premier Development League (PDL). I remember my seasons in the PDL with the Cascade Surge (2002 and 2004) and what it meant to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup from the PDL, so we knew that we could not underestimate Kansas City. The Brass had done very well so far with a 4-0 record in a tough Heartland Division that usually produces one of the PDL’s finalists each year.

For us, qualifying for the U.S. Open Cup was not as arduous as our opposition since we only had to finish amongst the top six of eight eligible teams in the USL Second Division. After getting off to a hot start, we qualified in first place and were rewarded with an opportunity to compete with the best club teams in the country. It is, after all, the dream of every USL player to be given the opportunity to knock off an MLS team or two.

Last year, our USL Second Division rivals, the Wilmington Hammerheads made it to the fourth round before succumbing 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls of MLS. Amateur side, Dallas Roma also made it to the fourth round after shocking Chivas USA of MLS on penalties, so we knew that we had a chance to make some waves across the soccer community.

Unfortunately, due to my hamstring injury, I did not make the trip to Kansas City. We won the game 4-0 on a commanding performance away from home and represented our league well against the underdogs from the PDL.

We then transitioned from U.S. Open Cup play back to our regular season with a game against the Western Mass Pioneers. The competition had changed, but the score line did not, as we rolled to another 4-0 victory. Due to my aforementioned injury, I spent some time in the commentary box, announcing the game on First Class Hip Hop internet radio (www.firstclasshiphop.com). This was an exciting experience for me, but I was still itching to get back in the lineup again.

Overall, the game was a bruising affair and the win pushed us closer to a coveted playoff spot. Coach Martin Rennie warned us all week against looking too far forward and the team recognized his urgency against Western Mass.

After a brief trip back home, we were on the road once again traveling through the Tar Heel state. My earlier hamstring injury persisted which left me unable to travel with the team.

Fortunately for me, I was able to take a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC for some relaxation on the beach. My teammates, in contrast, went to Wilmington where the Hammerheads provided our opposition on Friday night and we were anxious to avenge our 0-0 draw at home from earlier in the season. It was not to be, however, as Wilmington kept the game tight and held us to a 2-2 draw.

City Stars General Manager, Mark Geissbauer kept me informed of every change in the scoreline via text message and I was able to witness the vicissitudes of the match without physically being in attendance.

On Saturday night we traveled to Charlotte to take on the Eagles. Charlotte made it to the final of the USL Second Division last year and we knew that this would be one of our greatest challenges all year. The game, according to my sources, was an even affair with both sides creating good chances. Unfortunately for us, Charlotte got the only goal of the game and handed us our first regular season loss in franchise history. It was a tough loss for us, but we are buoyed by the first half of our season and a promising 6-1-3 record. We still sit in third place and we are in a commanding position to make the playoffs.

We now have the Second Round of the U.S. Open Cup ahead against the Richmond Kickers ahead of us on Tuesday. This will be another tough test for us and provides us with an opportunity to test our mettle against the top team in the USL Second Division.
Awaiting the winner is a date with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. There is much to play for with the chance to play David Beckham’s future team, even if he is yet to make his debut. The stakes are high and the club is exhilarated to be in this position.

‘The Professor’ Glen Duerr