Maybe this is the Year of the Dragon as a pair of them advanced to the Semifinals after triumphs in their quarter series. The end of the road finally came to #2 Las Vegas Scorpions F.C. as their amazing tournament run full of draws finally met their match. After a 2-2 tie against #10 SwampDragons United, the return game had none of the drama that we had come to expect. Winslowe Grey scored in the 8th minute to set the pace for Swamp U and they never let off the gas pedal. Borivoj Fales' header right before halftime gave the Scorpions a brief glimmer of hope but the 2nd stanza was all Dragons, as they added three more to win the game 6-1 and the series 8-3.

Swamp U will meet their Canadian Dragon brethren in the Semis after #14 Swamp City Dragons just got past #6 FC Not Very Athletic after a scoreless draw in the first game. Athletic took the lead twice after goals from Scully Malony and Garr Manston but a hat trick by veteran German striker Ryszard Bretschneider kept the Dragons level, leading to the closing moments with the game and series tied at 3-3. Midfielder Serdar Haas, who had not scored in Cup XIX up to this point, found himself open in the 88th and he buried the winner in the upper corner from distance. A last minute shot by London Jamison hit the crossbar and the English side never got another look at the goal during stoppage time.

Finally, #12 Bad News won on the road 5-3 against the last single-digit seed left in the tournament, #4 FC Gimli Vikings. The game was a close affair and changed leads several times, with a Stearn Rentería goal in the 66th knotting the score at 3-3. What was looking like a draw turned into a French victory late when Nadir Brocard and Cristian Leonard each scored a goal in the final 10 minutes to give Bad News the home field advantage in the series return game tomorrow.

That return game in the 4/12 series is the only game on tap as the Quarterfinals have entered the home stretch. Also, the semis in the Bums has their last game scheduled for August 2.