1.
Houston Dynamo
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The Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club based in Houston, Texas. The franchise competes in Major League Soccer, as a member of the Western Conference, the Dynamo had first played their home games at Robertson Stadium on the University of Houston campus until 2011. Since 2012, the Dynamo plays their matches in their. The teams head coach is Wilmer Cabrera, the club would then be an expansion team of the league, which began play in 2006. The Dynamo is owned by Gabriel Brener, Jake Silverstein, Ben Guill, Houston Dynamos domestic success consists of winning the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cups being in their first two seasons. In 2008, Houston became the first American club to secure a point on Mexican soil in the CONCACAF Champions League era during the 2008-2017 format of the tornament. Houston returned to the soccer scene with two clubs, both operating from 1978-80, the Houston Hurricane, and the Houston Summit. Professional soccer returned to Houston again from 1984-91 with the Dynamos, who competed in the United Soccer League, the Hotshots was the last professional soccer franchise in Houston before todays Dynamo, operating from 1994-2000 in the Continental Indoor Soccer League and the World Indoor Soccer League. Houston did not field a team from 2000 to 2005. Houston Texans Chief Development Officer Steve Patterson spearheaded efforts to host a USA vs, Mexico friendly in May 2003, a rematch of the two nations historic round of 16 encounter at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, as the first soccer match at Reliant Stadium. The 69,582 attendance set a new record for a match in Texas. This is the market theyve got their sights set on and this is a market that weve got investor interest, weve got sponsor interest, weve got media interest. This is a market thats going to be terrific for us and we will have a team in Houston in due time. The question is whether we have one as early as 2006 as part of a move, well get a team here, theres no doubt in our mind. On December 15,2005, Major League Soccer announced the relocation of the San Jose franchise, along with all players and coaches under contract, the Earthquakes name, colors and competition records were retained by the league for a possible expansion team. According to MLS, AEG had invested more than $20 million in the Earthquakes since purchasing the team in 2003, AEG had previously considered Houston as a site to relocate to and entered positive discussions about finding a soccer stadium in Houston. A ceremony was held outside Houston City Hall on December 16,2005 to officially announce the franchises arrival, in an immediate effort to plant roots in the community, AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke announced former Houston Oilers quarterback Oliver Luck as the teams president and general manager. The Dynamo played their first MLS league game on April 2,2006 at Robertson Stadium in front of a crowd of 25,462, the Dynamo beat the Colorado Rapids 5–2, with Brian Ching scoring four goals, with all four assisted by Dwayne De Rosario
2.
Portland Timbers
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The Portland Timbers are an American professional soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The club was founded in 2009, when the city of Portland was awarded a berth to Major League Soccer. The team is own by Merritt Paulson who acquired the then USL Pro team in 2007, the club is the fourth soccer franchise based in Portland to share the legacy of the Timbers name, which originated with the original team, in the North American Soccer League in 1975. In 2013, the Timbers finished the Western Conference, during the regular season, the franchise won the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs, and their first major trophy, the MLS Cup in 2015. Soccer in Portland, Oregon can be traced to the soccer team, in 1985, F. C. Portland had established and was a charter club in the Western Soccer Alliance League and competed until folding in 1990. There would be no soccer club in the city until 2001, the USL pro club finished with the best record in the league in both the 2004 and 2009 regular seasons. The group included former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Meritt Paulsons father, the biggest issue for the city of Portland at that time was that due to league concerns about seating configuration, field surface and scheduling, obtaining an MLS club would require a new stadium. MLS was in support of the proposal, wanting to continue to expand the number of owners in the league, the announcement occurred during the first and second round games of the 2009 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament that were held in Portland. The announcement noted that the team would retain the Portland Timbers name, former forward and Colorado Rapids assistant coach John Spencer was named the first head coach of the Timbers on August 10,2010. It was also announced former head coach Gavin Wilkinson of the USL-1/USSF D-2 Timbers, was promoted as the general manager/technical director of the team. The Timbers signed five players before the MLS Expansion Draft on November 24,2010, three were part of the Timbers D-2 Pro League squad in 2010, one was signed from D-2 Pro League team Austin Aztex and one was acquired via trade with New York Red Bulls. On November 24,2010, the Timbers, along with the other 2011 expansion team, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, participated in an MLS Expansion Draft, immediately after the Expansion Draft, the Timbers announced the trade of their first pick, from FC Dallas to D. C. The Timbers and Whitecaps also participated in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft on January 13,2011 with the Whitecaps having the first pick, Vancouver surprised some by selecting youngster Omar Salgado and Portland swiftly selected Akron midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe. The Timbers played their first MLS game on March 19,2011, against reigning MLS champions Colorado Rapids, the first goal in the Timbers MLS era was scored by Kenny Cooper. In their first season, Portland Timbers were in 6th place in the Western Conference, on July 9,2012, John Spencer was fired after a 0–3 loss to Real Salt Lake. He was replaced by Caleb Porter who was head coach of the United States U-23 team. Gavin Wilkinson took over on a basis for the rest season. The Timbers finished 2012 with the 3rd worst record in the league and was 8th out of 9th in the Western Conference, under new head coach Caleb Porter, the Portland Timbers achieved success in the 2013 MLS regular season
3.
D.C. United
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United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D. C. The club competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer, the franchise began play in 1996 as one of the ten charter clubs of the league. The club was one of the most successful clubs in the years of MLS. United holds the joint MLS record for most Supporters Shields, has four MLS Cups and it is also the first club to win both the MLS Supporters Shield and MLS Cup consecutively. United has competed in both the CONCACAF Champions League and its predecessor, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the club won the 1998 CONCACAF Champions Cup, making them one of only two MLS teams to ever win a CONCACAF tournament. Subsequently, United won the now-defunct Copa Interamericana in 1998 against Vasco da Gama of Brazil and this is the only intercontinental title won by an MLS club. The teams home field is the 45, 596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia, the team is owned by the consortium D. C. The teams head coach is former long-time starting midfielder Ben Olsen, players such as Jaime Moreno, Marco Etcheverry, and Eddie Pope are among the teams most successful stars. Uniteds fan base includes four supporters clubs, the clubs official nickname is the Black-and-Red and home uniforms are black and white with accents of red. The teams name alludes to the United appellation commonly found in the names of teams in the United Kingdom. Prior to the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the United States Soccer Federation fulfilled its promise to FIFA by aiding in the foundation of a new professional league. On June 15,1994, Major League Soccer selected Washington, D. C. out of twenty-two applicants to host one of the first seven teams, the teams name was chosen as a reflection of the names of European clubs, such as Manchester United or Leeds United. United played in the inaugural match against the San Jose Clash in Spartan Stadium in San Jose. In the leagues early years, D. C. was the most successful of all the teams in MLS, D. C. repeated its MLS Cup victory in 1997 against the Colorado Rapids, in front of a home crowd at RFK Stadium. The team also experienced success in CONCACAF competitions, winning both the Champions Cup and the Interamerican Cup in 1998. In October 1998, Arena left the team to coach the U. S. mens national team, arenas departure marked the beginning of a downturn in the teams fortunes. While the club won the MLS Cup in 1999 under coach Thomas Rongen, lackluster results in 2000 and 2001 led to Rongens departure. The team did not, however, fare much better under Hudson, the clubs first season under Nowak was marred by injuries in the early going, and some players were known to have complained about Nowaks methods
4.
Association football
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Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the worlds most popular sport, the game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers. Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, the Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, the first written reference to the inflated ball used in the game was in the mid-14th century, Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word soccer was split off in 1863, according to Partha Mazumdar, the term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford -er abbreviation of the word association. Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. People in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand use either or both terms, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now primarily use football for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is scientific evidence, cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to football, though similarities to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established, phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup, athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence and they all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all football codes. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia, Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England
5.
University of Washington
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The University of Washington, commonly referred to as simply Washington, UW, or informally U-Dub, is a public flagship research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast, the university has three campuses, the oldest and largest in the University District of Seattle and two others in Tacoma and Bothell. Washington is a member of the Association of American Universities and is ranked among the top 15 universities in the world by a variety of international publications. In athletics, the university competes in the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference and its athletic teams are called the Huskies. Seattle was one of several settlements in the mid to late 19th century vying for primacy in the new Washington Territory, in 1854, territorial governor Isaac Stevens recommended the establishment of a university in Washington. Several prominent Seattle-area residents, chief among them Methodist preacher Daniel Bagley and they convinced early founder of Seattle and member of the territorial legislature Arthur A. Denny of the importance of Seattle winning the school. When no site emerged, the legislature, encouraged by Denny, in 1861, scouting began for an appropriate 10 acres site in Seattle to serve as the campus for a new university. Arthur and Mary Denny donated eight acres, and fellow pioneers Edward Lander and Charlie and this tract was bounded by 4th and 6th Avenues on the west and east and Union and Seneca Streets on the north and south. UW opened on November 4,1861, as the Territorial University of Washington, the following year, the legislature passed articles incorporating the University and establishing a Board of Regents. The school struggled initially, closing three times, in 1863 for lack of students, and again in 1867 and 1876 due to shortage of funds. However, Clara Antoinette McCarty Wilt became the first graduate of UW in 1876 when she graduated from UW with a degree in science. By the time Washington entered the Union in 1889, both Seattle and the University had grown substantially, enrollment increased from 30 students to nearly 300, and the relative isolation of the campus had given way to encroaching development. A special legislative committee headed by UW graduate Edmond Meany was created to find a new campus able to serve the growing student population. The committee selected a site on Union Bay northeast of downtown, the university relocated from downtown to the new campus in 1895, moving into the newly built Denny Hall. The regents tried and failed to sell the old campus, the University still owns what is now called the Metropolitan Tract. In the heart of the city, it is among the most valuable pieces of estate in Seattle. The original Territorial University building was torn down in 1908 and its former site houses the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. The sole surviving remnants of UWs first building are four 24-foot, white, hand-fluted cedar and they were salvaged by Edmond S. Meany—one of the Universitys first graduates and the former head of the history department
6.
Major League Soccer
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Major League Soccer is a mens professional soccer league, sanctioned by U. S. Soccer, that represents the sports highest level in both the United States and Canada. MLS constitutes one of the professional sports leagues of the United States. The league comprises 22 teams—19 in the U. S. and 3 in Canada, the MLS regular season runs from March to October, with each team playing 34 games, the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters Shield. The postseason includes twelve teams competing in the MLS Cup Playoffs through November and December, culminating in the championship game, MLS teams also play in other domestic competitions against teams from other divisions in the U. S. Open Cup and in the Canadian Championship. MLS teams also compete against continental rivals in the CONCACAF Champions League, Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The first season took place in 1996 with ten teams, MLS experienced financial and operational struggles in its first few years, The league lost millions of dollars, teams played in mostly empty American football stadiums, and two teams folded in 2002. Instead of operating as an association of independently owned teams, MLS is an entity in which each team is owned and controlled by the leagues investors. The investor-operators control their teams as owners control teams in other leagues, MLS headquarters is located in New York City. Major League Soccers regular season runs from March to October, teams are divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences. Teams play 34 games in a schedule,23 matches against teams within their conference. Midway through the season, teams break for the annual All-Star Game, at the end of the regular season, the team with the highest point total is awarded the Supporters Shield. While MLS has looked into changing to a format, there are no current plans to do so. If the league were to change its schedule, a break would be needed, especially with several teams in colder climates. It would also have to compete with the more popular National Football League, National Hockey League, MLS teams also play in other competitions. Every year, up to five MLS teams play in the CONCACAF Champions League against other clubs from the CONCACAF region, two U. S. -based MLS teams qualify based on MLS regular-season results, the winner of the Western conference and the winner of the Eastern conference. The third U. S. team to qualify is the winner of the MLS Cup. A fourth U. S. -based MLS team can qualify via the U. S. Open Cup, Canadian MLS clubs play against lower division Canadian clubs in the Canadian Championship for the one Champions League spot allocated to Canada. MLSs 22 teams are divided between the Eastern and Western Conferences, each club is allowed up to 28 players on its first team roster
7.
Fresno, California
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Fresno (/ˈfrɛznoʊ/ FREZ-no is a city in California, United States, and the county seat of Fresno County. It covers about 112 square miles in the center of the San Joaquin Valley, named for the abundant ash trees lining the San Joaquin River, Fresno was founded in 1872 as a railway station of the Central Pacific Railroad before it was incorporated in 1885. The population of Fresno proper soared in the half of the 20th century. It was here in Fresno in 1958 that Bank of America first launched the BankAmericard credit card, Fresno is near the geographical center of California. It lies approximately 220 miles northeast of Los Angeles,170 miles south of the capital, Sacramento. Yosemite National Park is about 60 miles to the north, Kings Canyon National Park is 60 miles to the east, the county of Fresno was formed in 1856 after the California Gold Rush. It was named for the abundant ash trees lining the San Joaquin River, Millerton, then on the banks of the free-flowing San Joaquin River and close to Fort Miller, became the county seat after becoming a focal point for settlers. Other early county settlements included Firebaughs Ferry, Scottsburg and Elkhorn Springs, the San Joaquin River flooded on December 24,1867, inundating Millerton. Flooding also destroyed the town of Scottsburg on the nearby Kings River that winter, rebuilt on higher ground, Scottsburg was renamed Centerville. In 1867, Anthony McQeen Easterby purchased land bounded by the present Chestnut, Belmont, Clovis and California avenues, unable to grow wheat for lack of water, he hired sheep man Moses J. Church in 1871 to create an irrigation system. Building new canals and purchasing existing ditches, Church then formed the Fresno Canal and Irrigation Company, in 1872, the Central Pacific Railroad established a station near Easterbys—by now a hugely productive wheat farm—for its new Southern Pacific line. Soon there was a store around the station and the store grew the town of Fresno Station, many Millerton residents, drawn by the convenience of the railroad and worried about flooding, moved to the new community. Fresno became a city in 1885. By 1931 the Fresno Traction Company operated 47 streetcars over 49 miles of track, in 1877, William Helm made Fresno his home with a five-acre tract of land at the corner of Fresno and R streets. Helm was the largest individual sheep grower in Fresno County, in carrying his wool to market at Stockton, he used three wagons, each drawn by ten mules, and spent twelve days in making the round trip. Two years after the station was established, county residents voted to move the county seat from Millerton to Fresno, when the Friant Dam was completed in 1944, the site of Millerton became inundated by the waters of Millerton Lake. In extreme droughts, when the reservoir shrinks, ruins of the county seat can still be observed. In the nineteenth century, with so much wooden construction and in the absence of sophisticated firefighting resources, fires often ravaged American frontier towns, the greatest of Fresnos early-day fires, in 1882, destroyed an entire block of the city
8.
New York Red Bulls
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The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. The team competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer, the Red Bulls began play in 1996, as one of the charter clubs of the league. In 2006 the team was sold to Red Bull GmbH, leading to the current name. The team is one of two MLS franchises representing New York, along with New York City FC, the Red Bulls won the Supporters Shield in 2013 and 2015. The teams prior best result in an MLS season was reaching the MLS Cup final in 2008, in the Lamar Hunt U. S. Open Cup, the MetroStars reached three semi-finals, before reaching their first final in 2003, losing 1–0 to the Chicago Fire. The clubs original name was Empire Soccer Club, which gave birth to the name of the teams largest supporters group, the teams original owners were John Kluge and Stuart Subotnick. The name MetroStars was chosen in reference to Metromedia, the company founded by Kluge. The owners also considered but rejected buying the rights to the name Cosmos. Tab Ramos, the first player to sign with MLS, became the first MetroStars player,1990 World Cup player Peter Vermes was named the first team captain, but it was the previously unknown Venezuelan Giovanni Savarese who became the Metros first breakthrough star. The teams first coach was Eddie Firmani of New York Cosmos fame, in 1996, the MetroStars made news when they selected players named Juninho and Túlio in the 1996 MLS Supplemental Draft. The MetroStars waived both draftees on March 25,1996, while the identity of Juninho was later discovered, the true name and club history of Tulio remains unknown. This bizarre episode has entered MetroStars folk lore, when the league began play in 1996, it was expected that the MetroStars would quickly become the leagues dominant team. Despite famous players and high-profile coach, the team never seemed to click together, the teams first home game against the New England Revolution proved to be a harbinger of things to come. Former Juventus defender Nicola Caricola inadvertently flipped a cross into his own net in the minutes to hand New England a 1–0 win in front of 46,000 fans. The resulting play would later be dubbed the Curse of Caricola by fans to explain the inability to come through with a domestic trophy in their history. Firmani left after eight games and was replaced by former Portugal coach Carlos Queiróz, the team made it into the playoffs, only to lose to eventual champions D. C. Starting in 1998, the team stopped referring to itself as New York/New Jersey, the team went by just MetroStars, with no city, state or regional geographic name attached to it, a rarity in American sports. The MetroStars bottomed out in 1999 with a record of 7–25 under former U. S. national team coach Bora Milutinović, hoping to light a spark under the floundering club in 2000, the MetroStars dropped a bombshell by acquiring German international player Lothar Matthäus from Bayern Munich
9.
Defender (association football)
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In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals. There are four types of defenders, centre-back, sweeper, full-back, the centre-back and full-back positions are essential in most modern formations. The sweeper and wing-back roles are more specialised for certain formations, a centre-back defends in the area directly in front of the goal, and tries to prevent opposing players, particularly centre-forwards, from scoring. Centre-backs accomplish this by blocking shots, tackling, intercepting passes, contesting headers, with the ball, centre-backs are generally expected to make long and pinpoint passes to their teammates, or to kick unaimed long balls down the field. For example, a clearance is a long unaimed kick intended to move the ball as far as possible from the defenders goal, during normal play, centre-backs are unlikely to score goals. In this case, other defenders or midfielders will temporarily move into the centre-back positions, in the modern game, most teams employ two or three centre-backs in front of the goalkeeper. The 4–2–3–1, 4–3–3, and 4–4–2 formations all use two centre-backs, the sweeper is a more versatile centre-back who sweeps up the ball if an opponent manages to breach the defensive line. This position is more fluid than that of other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. Because of this, it is referred to as libero. For example, the system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s. The more modern libero possesses the qualities of the typical libero while being able to expose the opposition during counterattacks. The Fundell-libero has become popular in recent time with the sweeper transitioning to the most advanced forward in an attack. This variation on the position requires great pace and fitness, while rarely seen in professional football, the position has been extensively used in lower leagues. Modern libero sit behind centre-backs as a sweeper before charging through the team to join in the attack, some sweepers move forward and distribute the ball up-field, while others intercept passes and get the ball off the opposition without needing to hurl themselves into tackles. If the sweeper does move up the field to distribute the ball, they will need to make a speedy recovery, in modern football, its usage has been fairly restricted, with few clubs in the biggest leagues using the position. Though it is used in modern football, it remains a highly respected. A recent and successful use of the sweeper was made by Otto Rehhagel, Greeces manager, Rehhagel utilized Traianos Dellas as Greeces sweeper to great success, as Greece surprisingly became European champions. The full-backs take up the wide positions and traditionally stayed in defence at all times
10.
College soccer
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College soccer is played by teams of soccer students throughout colleges and universities. It is most widespread in the United States, but is prominent in South Korea. The institutions typically hire full-time professional coaches and staff, although the student athletes are strictly amateur and are not paid, College soccer teams play a variety of conference and non-conference games throughout the fall season, with the season culminating in the post-season tournament called the College Cup. The St. Louis University Billikens are the most successful team, top college players often go on to play professionally in Major League Soccer or other professional leagues. The best college soccer player each year is awarded the Hermann Trophy, College soccer is played in the fall. The regular season lasts from late August to early November, playing games against both opponents and non-conference opponents. The NCAA championship is played in November and December, with 48 teams qualifying for the playoffs, in addition to more closely matching the professional season, the changes address issues of player health and safety and of the time demands on student-athletes. The proposal concerns only Division I mens soccer, while a large majority of mens coaches and players support the changes, only a small minority of womens coaches and players currently do so. At this time, there is only the informational campaign, no formal proposal has been made to the NCAA. While similar in appearance, NCAA rules diverge significantly from FIFA Laws of the Game. All matches have a period if the game remains tied after 90 minutes. As opposed to a regular two-half extra time period, golden goal is applied, if neither team scores in the two ten-minute halves, the match ends in a draw. College soccer is played with a clock that can be stopped when signaled to by the referee for injuries, the clock is also stopped after goals until play is restarted, and the clock generally counts down from 45,00 to 0,00 in each half. In most professional leagues, there is an up-counting clock with the referee adding stoppage time to the end of each 45-minute half. The following Division I soccer teams had a home game attendance of at least 2,000 during the 2015 season. NOTE1, The Southeastern Conference does not sponsor mens soccer, both members that sponsor the sport play as Conference USA members. However most sports historians argue that this was actually the first-ever college gridiron football season in history, but that perception is changing, with Harvard being recognized as a pioneer in gridiron football, along with McGill, Tufts, and Yale. The NCAA first began holding a national championship in 1959
11.
Fresno Fuego
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Fresno Fuego is an American soccer team based in Fresno, California, United States. Founded in 2003, the plays in the Premier Development League. The club drew a home attendance of 3,951 in 2016, including league matches, divisional playoffs. The team plays its games at Chukchansi Park, where they have played since 2006. The teams colors are red, white and black, the club enjoys a successful cross-promotional partnership with the Fresno Grizzlies AAA baseball team, which was the first of its kind in the PDL. Fresnos home form was superb during their first season, losing just one game – a 3–2 turnaround to California Gold – the entire year, the playoffs were a disappointment, after defeating Northwest champions Spokane Shadow, Fresno fell to Blue Star in the conference final. This time, however, Fuego took the title after wins over Cascade Surge. However, progress on the national stage eluded them, a 3–0 defeat to central conference champs Boulder Rapids Reserve ending their dreams of the PDL title, nevertheless, two straight trips to the playoffs was impressive for a 2-year franchise. 2005 saw expansion in the Southwest, and Fresno suffered a little, despite opening strongly with 3 wins in their first 4 games, a mid-season slump saw them drop points against the Southern California Seahorses, California Gold and BYU Cougars. Veteran Edgardo Contreras and new signing Amaury Nunes were the top marksmen, knocking in 8 goals each, while Brazilian Fabricio Codeceira was a midfield dynamo, once again, Fresnos playoff campaign was a short one, falling to Orange County Blue Star in the first game. 2006 was more still for Fuego. Secondly, even more expansion in the raised the level of competition considerably. 2007 saw a change in fortunes for the Fuego. On-field, the team stuttered slightly in the month of the season. By mid-season, however, Fuego were burning up their opposition, Camposs send-off was a disappointing one, with Fresno losing, 4–1, at home to Ventura County Fusion in his farewell game, and it was almost as though Campos impending departure was affecting Fuego. They suffered another 4–1 home loss in July, this time to the San Fernando Valley Quakes, the final regular season game, away at San Fernando Valley Quakes, was a winner-take-all game for the divisional title. The Quakes won it, 2–1, to take the championship and their first round game was a rematch against Northwest Conference champions Tacoma Tide, however, without Camposs firepower, Fresno were toothless in attack, and eventually fell, 3–0. Despite leaving mid-season, Pablo Campos was still Fuegos top scorer with 14 goals, Fresno suffered one of their worst seasons in several years in 2009
12.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
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The Lamar Hunt U. S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U. S. Open Cup, is a knock-out cup competition in American soccer. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U. S. the overall champion earns a total of $250,000 in prize money, while the runner-up receives $60,000, and the furthest-advancing team from each lower division league receives $15,000. In addition, the tournament winner qualifies for the stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. The competition was first held during the 1913–14 season as the National Challenge Cup and it was renamed and then dedicated to MLS owner Lamar Hunt by the United States Soccer Federation in 1999. Major League Soccer teams have dominated the competition since MLS began play in 1996, the most recent champions of the competition, FC Dallas, won their second title after defeating the New England Revolution 4–2 in the 2016 final. The competition is a tournament that has been contested by 80 teams since the 2014 edition. The winner of each match progresses to the round and the loser is eliminated from the tournament. After the fourth round, no new teams are introduced, leading to a round in July, a semifinal round in August. Every match, including the final, is a tie that lasts 90 minutes plus any additional stoppage time. If no clear winner has been determined after 90 minutes of time,30 minutes of extra time is played. If the score is level after extra time then the winner is decided by a penalty shoot-out. In some cases, additional teams played in qualifying rounds to gain entry, beginning in 2012, the competition was expanded from its previous 40 teams to 64, with the qualifying process radically changed. The National Premier Soccer League received six places, plus the possibility of a seventh in a playoff against a team from the amateur US Club Soccer setup, nine clubs from the USASA earned places, as did 16 USL Premier Development League teams. Each of these organizations has its own qualifying process to determine its entrants and these 32 teams competed in the first round of the Cup, with the winners meeting all 16 USL Pro and NASL teams in the second round. The 16 U. S. -based MLS teams entered in the third round, in 2013 the competition was expanded to 68 teams. All U. S. based Division I, II and III teams participated in the tournament proper,16 from Major League Soccer, six from the North American Soccer League and 12 from USL PRO. The remaining 34 spots in the tournament field were filled by teams from the Adult Council category–16 from the Premier Development League. Adult Soccer Association regional qualifying, eight from the National Premier Soccer League, one from US Club Soccer, the process for determining the site for the Open Cup tournament semifinals and final was changed in 2013
