Tacoma Stars Reserves Win US Open Cup National Championship 2024 in Cincinnatti

Submitted by Tacoma Stars Reserves Staff with photos coming from Brit Litwin - Better late than never... 

On June 25th 2024, the Tacoma Stars Reserves will be honored by the City of Tacoma for their accomplishments in winning the PASL US Open Cup National Championship. Here is their story… 

Thank you to our sponsors who made the trip possible- Raceway Technologies, Tacoma Soccer Center, Spuds Pizza, Johnson Family Realty, Alliance West Insurance, Bleach Clothing Co and West Coast Goalkeeping

Full Photo Gallery Here

The Tacoma Stars Reserves after going 11-1 in the WISL Season and being crowned WISL Champs for the 2023-24 season, taking the title for the 3rd year in a row. The TSR subsequently traveled each year to the PASL National Indoor Championships, making it to the semifinal in 2023 and eliminated before semis in 2022. This year the squad traveled with a few players from some of the other WISL teams to fill in for players that could not make it after the long WISL Season. The team was led by Head Coach Adam Becker, Assistant Coach Steve Mohn, GM Josh Paul and WISL Commissioner and longtime TSR volunteer John Crouch.

As is usual tradition, the winner of the WISL will travel to nationals and will add a few players from the league to support the roster shortages and travel. This year the TSR added Ismael DeLuna (OlyPen Force target forward, former TSR and TS Pro player and WISL Golden Boot) and Manny Nicasio (FC Oly WISL and USL 2 midfielder).

TSR Target forward Ismael DeLuna

The TSR arrived on Thursday, April 11th from Seattle with 24 hours to go until the tournament kicked off. Staying in 2 Air BnBs, the teams settled into Cincinnati for the weekend knowing it would take 6 wins to get a title. A lot of fundraising and preparation went into the weekend and the stage was set, Gametime Training Center, Fairfield OH and about 30 teams (men’s and women’s) were there for the occasion. An Open Cup tournament for Women and a PASL Pro tournament with losers bumping into the Open Cup for the men. For the indoor soccer fan, this event had more action than could be consumed, it was a great atmosphere with players, team staff, friends, fans and family packing the building. 

TSR would kick it off Friday night with a 4-2 win over FC Indiana in what was an extremely physical game. The players were buzzing, flying around and somewhat dangerously. A feeling of relief getting that first win and surviving a lot of wild high-flying tackles without too many injuries, Steve Mohn, TSR veteran player and coach would go out early in this game for the duration of the tournament though.

The competition would kick off again Saturday morning at 10:30 AM EST versus the Brew City FC from Milwaukee, WI and a 10-1 victory built confidence for the TSR as they buzzed and crushed a lethargic team that looked much more dangerous the night before. Watching them in a very competitive and ‘spirited’ game the night prior drove expectations higher for strong competition but the TSR ran them over.

Goal Scorers- Lozano, Brisco, Nicasio, Abdella, Navarro, DeLuna, Spence, Nitzel, Schlekewey, Rivers

Assists- Schelekewey, DeLuna, Rivers, Nicasio (2), Lee (2), Spence

A few hours in between and as much rest and nourishment as could happen while we awaited the final competition of the group stage versus the Certified Lions Reserves out of Oklahoma City. The Lions also had a pro team in the PASL Championship that would go onto be crowned the national champs, but their reserves were no match for our reserves yielding an 8-2 victory for the TSR. 

Goals- Nicasio, Brisco (2), Spence, Stabbert, Rivers (2), Schlekewey

Assists- DeLuna, Birrueta, Rivers, Lozano, Bader, Lee

The victory and undefeated run through the group stage would earn the TSR men a spot in the quarterfinals versus a fresh Austin Emerald PASL Pro team who had lost a very late night game versus the Northen Kentucky Nitro after a long plane delay kept their opponents waiting for an 11 pm kick off. 

TSR GK Luis Biruetta and defender Khai Brisco

The Emerald would prove to be the toughest competition we’d seen yet and while the TSR were feeling very confident, they were also feeling some discouragement with 3 crucial players out on injury, Izzy DeLuna (knee), Steve Mohn (quad), Isidro Prado-Huerta (back), and AJ Nitzel (playing with a hurt back) and the Emerald coming in fresh only playing one game so far. 

The Emerald would score first but the TSR answered quickly, it was a highly competitive match, Emerald unfortunately lost their captain and top player in the first few minutes of the game going down and dislocating his shoulder. The Stars Reserves would go on to win 5-2. This was a huge team win, the TSR were finding more of a groove after each game and the group was really coming together. With injuries piling on, the TSR were fortunate to add Andrew Escalante, there to support the Snohomish Sky efforts but also a WISL player and a possible eligibility for the tournament, he turned out to be a key role player. 

Goals- Stabbert, Nicasio, Spence, Nicasio, Rivers. 

Assists- Nitzel, Rivers (2), Nicasio

TSR Coach Adam Becker, no stranger to national tournaments gives direction between games. 

After 3 games on Saturday, injuries had settled in on the team and fatigue was certainly a factor but they stayed focused on the task at hand, hydrating, eating right and resting was key but the amount of time to do it was super limited as we left the arena near 10 PM. They’d been playing since 10 AM to start the day. The team bonds were strong at this point with Nicasio and DeLuna very strongly entrenched into the team as guest players. The team staying in homes together, battling to 4 games in 2 days and such a great season in the WISL, the focus was on each match ahead, one at a time. 

Sunday morning came way too early and the entire TSR team was beat, the staff were beat, the uniform had been washed for each game. The meals and game prep had to be dialed and the players were focused but definitely seeing winning 6 games in a row to become champs a tall ask. Despite the fatigue, we were there, on time, focused and doctoring knocks and issues to the best we could to get back on the field.  

TSR MF/F Chris Lozano

Games would kick off at 10 AM with the Semi Final happening versus the Valhalla, the TSR were trying not to think about the fatigue or injuries they’d incurred heading into their 5th game of the tournament will facing a PASL pro team that had only played 2 games and was local to the region. 

While the TSR were struggling a bit with how they were feeling they had to be reminded of the impression they’d left on the arena from the prior games, dominating in every way possible and definitely looking like the best team there, their opponents had their own doubts about their ability to win this match. TSR would concede the first goal, an absolute cracker of a flick on and volley that lit the spectators up for a very good match. Victory would come in the form of 5-3 in what was the most competitive match of the weekend. 

Goals- Nicasio (2), Spence (2), Rivers. 

Assists- Bader (2), Escalante, Schlekewey, Brisco. 

Winning a very competitive game in the semi-final, the TSR needed to find the gas to play a 6th game. They would kick off after a 1 hour break at 12:30 PM EST versus the PASL Pro Indiana Thunderbolts.

TSR Defender Khai Brisco, Target Forward Ismael DeLuna and Forward Cale Spence

The final would bring the Indiana Thunderbolts who had lost to the Certified Lions PASL Pro, the eventual champions, on Friday night. Indiana had gone through beating Michigan, then the Detroit Waza Flo to land in the final. 

As in the quarter and semifinals, the opponents would score first. Tacoma quickly answered with a goal from Sebastian Navarro, the first quarter would end with the score 1-1. Early in the second quarter, Manny Nicasio would come through with a go ahead goal on a set piece to make it 2-1 at the 13 minute mark. Manny would hit again to make it 3-1 right around the 9 minute mark. Indiana answered to bring the score closer with 6:30 left in the 2nd. A power play goal for the TSR at the 5:00 mark pushed the TSR to a 4-2 lead at half. Midway through the 3rd Indian would score again, to bring it to 4-3 where the score would stay until the 4th. 

The 4th would stay tight until the midway when Mark Lee would get the go ahead goal attacking a stretched defense to go up 5-3 at the 7:25 minute mark. The score would hold until the 1:55 mark, where Indiana took a timeout to set up the 6th attacker. This plan seemed to work for the Thunderbolts and produced a goal almost immediately on a cross that turned into an own goal bouncing off a TSR defender to let Indiana creep back in and make it 5-4 with 1:36 left to go. With 31 seconds left, the Thunderbolts would make a pass that wasn’t quite right and as destiny would have it, Manny Nicasio would make his last big impact on the scorelines by running away with the steal and putting it in to make it 6-4. At that point, the TSR knew the title was theirs and just had to kill the remaining half a minute. 

Goals- Navarro, Nicasio (3), Lee, Spence

Assists- Spence, Rivers, Lee

Celebration, exhaustion, elation culminated in the winning of the national title for the first time since 2010 for a Stars organization team. The team celebrated on the field and headed straight back to the Air BnB to sing, dance and of course drink out of the trophy. They washed their white uniforms one last time (a 7th in the weekend). The title was coming to Tacoma and 6 games later an exhausted TSR side, injury ridden would celebrate their way to the airport. On the flight home announcements rang through the airplane, including Josh Paul (team GM) on the intercom. Alaska Airlines flight attendants celebrated the Reserves accomplishments, fellow passenger cheered and high fived the players. Met by a few fans at the airport upon arrival with signs and more high fives and the trip of a lifetime commenced. Tacoma Stars Reserves are 2024 US Open Cup- PASL champions.

The Tacoma Stars Reserves traveled to this national tournament alongside NWPLi women's champions, the Snohomish Sky Women. The Sky women were very impressive in the tournament but fell short in the final and took second in the Nation, congrats Sky! 

TSR Men and Snohomish Sky Women at the US Open Cup National Championships 2024