Note: Story updated on Wednesday, June 1
Note: Story updated on Wednesday, June 1
Open-cup tournaments like the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup romanticize the beautiful game, where Davids face Goliaths, Cinderella goes to the ball and underdogs win the day. The U.S. Open Cup in particular pitches professional and amateur clubs alike against one another in the hopes of claiming the title and berth into the CONCACAF Champions League.
While the 2016 U.S. Open Cup is Sacramento Republic FC Head Coach and Technical Director Paul Buckle first steps into the 103-year-old tournament, he is no stranger to the beauty and romance of open-cup tournaments of small football clubs against giants.
“This [is] my first cup competition in the US, but it’s a great opportunity for us to have a run,” said Buckle.
With a playing career spanning two decades and a decade of experience managing clubs in England, Buckle has experience both playing and coaching in the FA Cup, the English equivalent to the U.S. Open Cup, albeit on a much larger stage.
One of Buckle’s most notable experiences in the FA Cup was in the 2004-2005 edition when, as a player with Exeter City, he and his teammates pulled one of the biggest surprises in the third round proper, when Premier League clubs enter the tournament. Led by the current Liverpool FC Academy Director Alex Inglethrope, Conference National side Exeter City held off giants Manchester United to a 0-0 draw at Old Tafford, home of the Red Devils.
Although United won the replay 2-0, it was a memorable experience, especially the draw at Manchester United’s stadium.
“Everyone will remember the famous draw at Old Trafford where Alex took the team down there and we got a 0-0 in the FA Cup which was just unheard of at the time” said Buckle.
After his playing career, Buckle continued to make waves in the FA Cup as a manager.
At Torquay United, Buckle led his squad to the Fourth Round of the 2008-2009 FA Cup after becoming the only club in the Third Round to beat a team from three levels higher, winning 1-0 over Blackpool before falling 1-0 to Coventry City in the Fourth Round.
However it was in the 2012-2013 FA Cup when Buckle made history, leading a club outside of the Premier League and the three divisions of The Football League to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup.
During that season’s edition of the FA Cup Buckle led Luton Town, a non-League club, to one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history when they defeated Premier League side Norwich City 1-0 at Carrow Road in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
“It was an incredible experience to go up to a Premier League club at their home ground. Usually upsets happen at smaller grounds where the pitches are poor or it’s in the favor of the lesser team,” said Buckle. “That certainly wasn’t the case with Luton Town.”
The win was no fluke, as Luton Town also pulled off a 1-0 victory against Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Third Round.
Buckle’s win over Norwich City was the first time a non-league team knocked a top-flight side out of the FA Cup since 1989 when Sutton United defeated Coventry City 2-1 in the third round. Since the Premier League wasn’t founded until 1992, Luton Town’s victory in 2013 was the first time in history a non-league manager defeated a top-flight side in the Premier League era.
“It was record breaking…it was an incredible day and one that will stand in the record books for a long time I think,” said Buckle.
Buckle’s experience in the FA Cup will help him lead Republic FC into their 2016 U.S. Open Cup run.
“Defeating Norwich shows that shocks can happen [in tournaments like this],” said Buckle in comparing the U.S. Open Cup to his own experiences in the FA Cup.”
Like the FA Cup, the U.S. Open Cup’s history is full of upsets of smaller clubs uprooting giants. However, since the establishment of MLS in 1995, there has only been a handful of upsets in quarterfinals or later of the tournament. Among the more notable upsets was when the Seattle Sounders—who were then playing in the USL First Division—defeated the Colorado Rapids (MLS) by a 5-0 margin in the 2007 U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals.
Particularly in the earlier rounds of the U.S. Open Cups, there have been numerous upsets in recent tournament history. In 2012, for example, 16 MLS sides joined the competition in the Third Round and just half of them advanced to the Fourth Round.
Among the upsets was Cal FC—an open division club—defeating Portland Timbers 1-0 in added extra time. Coached by former U.S. Men’s National Team player Eric Wynalda, Cal FC became first USASA team in U.S. Open Cup history to defeat a MLS team in either regulation or extra time. Republic FC midfielder Danny Barrera was a member of the squad, that eventually fell in the next round to Seattle Sounders FC.
For Sacramento Republic FC, the club is eager to make an impression in this year’s U.S. Open Cup, especially with Buckle at the helm to coach for the first time in the American tournament.
During Republic FC’s previous two runs in the U.S. Open Cup, the club has narrowly fallen to their MLS affiliate, the San Jose Earthquakes in the Fourth Round of the tournament.
During Republic FC’s first match of the 2016 U.S. Open Cup, the club captured a strong 5-0 win on Wednesday, May 18 against CD Aguiluchos USA, an NPSL team based out of Oakland, Calif. With the win, Republic FC advanced to host the Kitsap Pumas SC (PDL) on June 1 at 8:00 p.m. at Bonney Field.
While Republic FC is considered to be one of the favored clubs in the early rounds of the U.S. Open Cup, Buckle is approaching Wednesday’s Third Round match against Kitsap Pumas with the belief no wins come easy for any team, but he has faith in Republic FC’s depth.
“It will be a tough game for us, but we will make some changes,” said Buckle. “We have a lot of games coming up, but I trust the whole squad. Everyone is going to get some chances.”
The winner of tonight’s Third Round U.S. Open Cup match between Republic FC and the Kitsap Pumas will travel to face Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) in the Fourth Round of the tournament at Starfire Sports Stadium on Wednesday, June 18.
Open-cup tournaments like the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup romanticize the beautiful game, where Davids face Goliaths, Cinderella goes to the ball and underdogs win the day. The U.S. Open Cup in particular pitches professional and amateur clubs alike against one another in the hopes of claiming the title and berth into the CONCACAF Champions League.
While the 2016 U.S. Open Cup is Sacramento Republic FC Head Coach and Technical Director Paul Buckle first steps into the 103-year-old tournament, he is no stranger to the beauty and romance of open-cup tournaments of small football clubs against giants.
“This [is] my first cup competition in the US, but it’s a great opportunity for us to have a run,” said Buckle.
With a playing career spanning two decades and a decade of experience managing clubs in England, Buckle has experience both playing and coaching in the FA Cup, the English equivalent to the U.S. Open Cup, albeit on a much larger stage.
One of Buckle’s most notable experiences in the FA Cup was in the 2004-2005 edition when, as a player with Exeter City, he and his teammates pulled one of the biggest surprises in the third round proper, when Premier League clubs enter the tournament. Led by the current Liverpool FC Academy Director Alex Inglethrope, Conference National side Exeter City held off giants Manchester United to a 0-0 draw at Old Tafford, home of the Red Devils.
Although United won the replay 2-0, it was a memorable experience, especially the draw at Manchester United’s stadium.
“Everyone will remember the famous draw at Old Trafford where Alex took the team down there and we got a 0-0 in the FA Cup which was just unheard of at the time” said Buckle.
After his playing career, Buckle continued to make waves in the FA Cup as a manager.
At Torquay United, Buckle led his squad to the Fourth Round of the 2008-2009 FA Cup after becoming the only club in the Third Round to beat a team from three levels higher, winning 1-0 over Blackpool before falling 1-0 to Coventry City in the Fourth Round.
However it was in the 2012-2013 FA Cup when Buckle made history, leading a club outside of the Premier League and the three divisions of The Football League to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup.
During that season’s edition of the FA Cup Buckle led Luton Town, a non-League club, to one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history when they defeated Premier League side Norwich City 1-0 at Carrow Road in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
“It was an incredible experience to go up to a Premier League club at their home ground. Usually upsets happen at smaller grounds where the pitches are poor or it’s in the favor of the lesser team,” said Buckle. “That certainly wasn’t the case with Luton Town.”
The win was no fluke, as Luton Town also pulled off a 1-0 victory against Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Third Round.
Buckle’s win over Norwich City was the first time a non-league team knocked a top-flight side out of the FA Cup since 1989 when Sutton United defeated Coventry City 2-1 in the third round. Since the Premier League wasn’t founded until 1992, Luton Town’s victory in 2013 was the first time in history a non-league manager defeated a top-flight side in the Premier League era.
“It was record breaking…it was an incredible day and one that will stand in the record books for a long time I think,” said Buckle.
Buckle’s experience in the FA Cup will help him lead Republic FC into their 2016 U.S. Open Cup run.
“Defeating Norwich shows that shocks can happen [in tournaments like this],” said Buckle in comparing the U.S. Open Cup to his own experiences in the FA Cup.”
Like the FA Cup, the U.S. Open Cup’s history is full of upsets of smaller clubs uprooting giants. However, since the establishment of MLS in 1995, there has only been a handful of upsets in quarterfinals or later of the tournament. Among the more notable upsets was when the Seattle Sounders—who were then playing in the USL First Division—defeated the Colorado Rapids (MLS) by a 5-0 margin in the 2007 U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals.
Particularly in the earlier rounds of the U.S. Open Cups, there have been numerous upsets in recent tournament history. In 2012, for example, 16 MLS sides joined the competition in the Third Round and just half of them advanced to the Fourth Round.
Among the upsets was Cal FC—an open division club—defeating Portland Timbers 1-0 in added extra time. Coached by former U.S. Men’s National Team player Eric Wynalda, Cal FC became first USASA team in U.S. Open Cup history to defeat a MLS team in either regulation or extra time. Republic FC midfielder Danny Barrera was a member of the squad, that eventually fell in the next round to Seattle Sounders FC.
For Sacramento Republic FC, the club is eager to make an impression in this year’s U.S. Open Cup, especially with Buckle at the helm to coach for the first time in the American tournament.
During Republic FC’s previous two runs in the U.S. Open Cup, the club has narrowly fallen to their MLS affiliate, the San Jose Earthquakes in the Fourth Round of the tournament.
During Republic FC’s first match of the 2016 U.S. Open Cup, the club captured a strong 5-0 win on Wednesday, May 18 against CD Aguiluchos USA, an NPSL team based out of Oakland, Calif. With the win, Republic FC advanced to host the Kitsap Pumas SC (PDL) on June 1 at 8:00 p.m. at Bonney Field.
While Republic FC is considered to be one of the favored clubs in the early rounds of the U.S. Open Cup, Buckle is approaching Wednesday’s Third Round match against Kitsap Pumas with the belief no wins come easy for any team, but he has faith in Republic FC’s depth.
“It will be a tough game for us, but we will make some changes,” said Buckle. “We have a lot of games coming up, but I trust the whole squad. Everyone is going to get some chances.”
The winner of tonight’s Third Round U.S. Open Cup match between Republic FC and the Kitsap Pumas will travel to face Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) in the Fourth Round of the tournament at Starfire Sports Stadium on Wednesday, June 18.
