New England Soccer Today

PDL: New England Trio Set for USOC Play

Photo credit: David Henry/sweetdogphotos.com

Photo credit: David Henry/sweetdogphotos.com

New England PDL trio AC Connecticut, Western Mass Pioneers, and Seacoast United Phantoms all learned on Wednesday who they’ll face during the first round of the 2015 U.S. Open Cup tournament, which will take place on May 13.

AC Connecticut will face Virginia Beach City FC (NPSL) at Westside Athletic Complex in Danbury, Conn. at 7:00pm. The contest will be the Nutmeg State selection’s first foray into the historic tournament. The winner will meet the Richmond Kickers in second round action at City Stadium in Richmond, Va. on May 20.

The Pioneers have been pitted against Greater Binghamton FC Thunder (NPSL), and will host them at Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow, Mass. at 7:00pm. Western Mass beat GPS Massachusetts (formerly Mass Premier Soccer) in the first round last year, but fell in the second round to the Rochester Rhinos (USL). The winner will face the Rhinos at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. on May 20 for the second round.

Seacoast United, who won the Northeast Division last summer, will face GPS Massachusetts (USASA) at Bennett Field in Wayland, Mass. at 8:00pm. The Phantoms last qualified for the tournament in 2006. The winner will meet the Tulsa Roughnecks in the second round on May 20 at a location to be determined based upon who advances. If GPS advances, the match will take place at Bennett Field, while a location has not yet been set should the Phantoms advance.

The third round match-ups – scheduled for May 27 and the first to include Division II (North American Soccer League) squads – will be determined on May 14 after first-round results are in the books.

The possible fourth round pairings, when Division I (Major League Soccer) clubs enter the fray, will be announced on May 21 once the second round has concluded. The highly-anticipated round of matches between MLS teams versus survivors from previous rounds (with the exception of one all-MLS tilt) is set for Jun. 16 and 17.

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