June 25, 1999
The San Diego Flash and U.S. Soccer announced today that the U.S Open Cup second round match between the Flash and the D3 League's Arizona Sahuaros will be played on Wednesday, June 30, 7:35 p.m. at San Diego Mesa College's Douglas Stadium.
Dating back to 1914, the U.S. Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in the United States and is among the oldest in the world. Open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams in the United States, the annual Open cup is an 86-year old single-elimination tournament.
The Flash is seeded tenth in the 32-team field, while 19th-ranked Arizona defeated Fresno's Mexico F.C. 3-2 in overtime in the first round to advance to face San Diego. A-League teams were granted a bye into the second round of the tournament. The winner of the match will meet the Los Angeles Galaxy in the next round, as the eight MLS clubs will enter the competition in the third round.
Arizona (9-2) leads the D3 League's West Conference and is the only D3 team to qualify every year for the Cup, since D3 teams became associated with the tournament three years ago.
Mate Kozul is in his second year as head coach of the Sahuaros. The 27-year-old Kozul was named D3 Coach of the Year in 1998, after leading the team to a 14-4 record. Forward Aaron Muth and midfielder Don Gaillard pace the offense.
San Diego currently tops the A-League with an 11-3 mark and a League-best 51 points. Carlos "Chile" Farias is the League's leading scorer with 14 goals and 5 five assists. Midfielder Mugurel Dumitru leads the league with eight assists. The Flash's goalkeeper duo, Tom Tate (0.91) and Kevin Rueda (0.97), are ranked fifth and sixth respectively amongst the League netminders in goals against average.
In appreciation of the support from local soccer fans, the Flash has set ticket prices at only $5 for youth or adult general admission plaza or field seating. Season Ticket and VIP pass holders will gain free admission to the U.S. Open Cup match.
Return
to Frontpage