Considering Cal FC’s stunning Open Cup upset

May 31, 2012, 9:32 AM EDT

Was Cal FC’s upset Wednesday over Portland the biggest upset in U.S. Open Cup history?

Tough to say, in all honesty, because research material on the tournament, approaching its 100^th birthday, is painfully thin in some spots.

But stamp this one “major stunner” for sure, one we’ll talk about for a while.

Consider that:

Portland was at home. While the Timbers ground has hardly been Fortress Jeld-Wen this year, it’s still a tough place for achieving results.
Some of the upsets over the last two nights in Open Cup action – eight MLS clubs fell to lower tier sides – were more predictable than others. Teams from the second-tier NASL, for instance, aren’t outrageously distant in quality from MLS teams. (And the gap closes further when the Major League Soccer entries reach deep into the bench, as some did.)
But Cal FC is a second-tier team; it’s an amateur outfit. The team is out of Oxnard, Calif., training once or perhaps twice a week and competing in the Gran Liga. You could probably call it the fifth tier of U.S. Soccer’s hierarchy.
The last amateur team to notable beat down an MLS team was Roma FC back in 2006. Roma, from Dallas, traveled to California to beat Chivas USA, advancing into the Round of 16 (where Roma lost to the L.A. Galaxy). The victory was in penalty kicks, but consider the strength of that Chivas side. Playing that day for Chivas was longtime Mexican internationals Francisco Palencia and Claudio Suarez, MLS veteran Jesse Marsch, U.S. international Sacha Kljestan and Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Either way, congratulations to the Cal FC side, managed by former U.S. international Eric Wynalda (who has attempted to deflect the “Wynalda” angle and point the praise back at his players). The amateurs from Oxnard face Seattle next.

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8 Comments (Feed for Comments)

ndnut - May 31, 2012 at 10:14 AM

According to thecup.us, this was the first time a USASA team scored a goal in the U.S. Open Cup against a top tier team. Roma defeated Chivas in PKs after a 0-0 draw.

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Jason Chalifour - May 31, 2012 at 10:42 AM

This really is a great story. I am a casual MLS fan, but this run has captured my attention. Hopefully this and the other upsets gives the USOC a shot in the arm. http://98ontheblack.com/2012/05/31/cal-fc-does-it-…

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shanmatt72 - May 31, 2012 at 10:51 AM

After watching the Sounders dismantle Atlanta, I turned this epic fail on. Portland played like the game was a given, that they didnt have to work hard. Boyd missing the pk over the xbar, the 40+ shots missing frame, and all in all getting out hustled had to be horrible to watch if your a Timbers fan. Congrats go out to Cal FC for doing exactly what they needed to, sank back, clogged the lanes and countered when they had numbers. Spencer as a coach is a joke. Forcing bad player transactions, a style that the team is not suited for, leads to this. Oh well, sorry Cal FC, your run will be over here in Seattle

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ndnut - May 31, 2012 at 10:56 AM

I’m a Sounder ‘Til I Die, but Cal could beat us if Sigi doesn’t care enough. They have a lot of speed and even more heart out there on the field than most if not all MLS sides. Of course I will cheer for the sounders when they play, but It wouldn’t be the end of the world losing if it meant possibly seeing these guys in the Final (getting a bit ahead of myself aren’t I).

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chadmoon1 - May 31, 2012 at 1:10 PM

I’m ready to hire Eric as the FC Dallas coach today!!!!

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sir1389 - May 31, 2012 at 4:33 PM

Jack Jewsbury needs to be the one to take every single free kick. Whether its a corner, PK, or free kick, his service last year was one of the few reasons Portland was even remotely successful. Those high lofting corners from Alhassan were atrocious, set pieces were our bread and butter last year and now Spencer can’t even decide week to week who he wants to take them.

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mikeevergreen - May 31, 2012 at 9:25 PM

I’d say that once the coaches on the bottom in MLS start dropping like flies, Mr. Wynalda may be the first one hired.

I hope he likes Toronto.

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footballer4ever - Jun 3, 2012 at 2:49 AM

USOC current upsets can only hinder MLS respectability among soccer and casual fans. Otherwise, what’s the point of calling it “Major League” with the resources you’ve accomplished just to have your team be defeated by an amateur and cash strapped lower division team. Prior to the game, make it clear ahead of time if your “A” team will play or not to at least have a proper PR response to the media about the loss.

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