Friday June 1, 2012
The Michigan Bucks were close to having a dream Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round tie with their MLS partner, the Columbus Crew. So close, in fact, that head coach Gary Parsons had finished his scouting of them, and co-founder/CEO Dan Duggan could almost see the yellow jerseys of a club he had worked so hard to partner with back in 2006 stepping onto the Oakland University field.
Ninety-nine years of the knockout tournament and a PDL-record nine Open Cup campaigns for the Bucks should have taught them that nothing should be taken for granted. In case they had forgotten, Tuesday night was a pretty nice reminder. USL PRO’s Dayton Dutch Lions upset the Crew with two late goals, though the Bucks were too busy to care at the time. They were knocking out Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire 3-2 in extra time, becoming the only amateur club to ever defeat two MLS clubs in the Open Cup.
So why were there so many upsets in the third round?
“Hard to say,” Duggan said. “I know MLS teams want to win the Open Cup with everything they have at stake. I also know they have expanded rosters and need to get guys games. But those are still pro players playing year-round.
“I do believe that teams like the Bucks and other successful lower-level teams have some very good MLS-caliber players that are not playing MLS for a variety of reasons. So I think the lower-level leagues’ talent has increased substantially since we first entered the cup in 1997.”
One of those players who could make the jump to MLS soon is Nermin Crnkic, who scored the goal in extra time that gave the Bucks the victory. He could potentially join Bucks alumni such as Pat Noonan, Kheli Dube, and Eric Brunner as MLS players. Or, he could return to Europe (he has played in Sweden) and join former Bucks Bonaventure Maruti, Steve Clark and Dominic Cervi. No matter which path Crnkic chooses, Duggan and the rest of the organization will be there to help him.
“For the time being all we do is help our guys make deals where we can hook them up with an agent that fits their needs,” Duggan said. “We have never charged a player a dime for our services, and many tell us we are crazy. With a pro team in Detroit that would change, [but] the Bucks will always be the PDL model, as it is the place for the top college kids to be seen over the summer playing for what really is a college all-star team with a few pros mixed in.“
While players may come and go the hallmark of the Bucks is their facility at Ultimate Soccer Arenas, which cost $20 million to build and is “the envy of every club that has ever walked into the place.”
While the team prepares to add to its history of success on the field, Duggan is busy working throughout the community to sell tickets for Michigan’s foray into the fourth round of the Open Cup, which will be held at Oakland University on Tuesday.
“Winning is very important to our club and helping to get our players to the next level is the No. 1 goal,” Duggan said. “To be able to beat two MLS teams in history is something that may never be done by a PDL or amateur club, so we are very proud of that. Winning two PDL regular season titles and one PDL Championship completes that portion of our resume.
“But, we always want to win, so winning the PDL title this year is a huge goal.”