The Fifth Round of the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup closed out on Wednesday night, capping two wild days of competition. Shootouts, fights, more lightning, and history were in abundance for Round 5, featuring six games on Tuesday and two on Wednesday. Two of the three NASL teams survived, while USL Pro’s tournament run ended as Rochester Rhinos crashed out.
The tournament moves on to the Quarterfinals, with four games taking place July 8-9.
Here is a look at how the eight games played out:
June 25: Chicago Fire (MLS) 4:2 (AET) Columbus Crew (MLS)
The two conference rivals matched up pretty evenly through regulation, though Fire sub Juan Luis Anongono would have the final say in the game. Patrick Ianni put the Fire in front in the 34th minute, but the Crew stormed back thanks to a Sportscenter-quality bicycle kick goal by Jairo Arrieta and a go-ahead goal by Bernardo Anor after halftime.
However, Anongono would get the first of his brace as the equalizer at 83rd minute, but the Fire would regain the lead in extra time. Quincy Amarikwa and Anongono would each score in the extra frame, but Michael Parkhurst’s red card hurt the Crew’s chances at a comeback. The Fire will travel to Georgia to take on the Atlanta Silverbacks in the Quarterfinals. MATCH REPORT [+]
HIGHLIGHTS: COLUMBUS CREW AT CHICAGO FIRE
June 25: New England Revolution (MLS) 2:1 Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO)
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Just like their previous match against the Richmond Kickers, the Revs got going early and held control of the match all the way through the first half. Saer Sene took a Lee Nguyen cross and netted it at the 11 minute mark and a rebound from a John McCarthy save was kicked in by Kelyn Rowe in the 33rd minute. The Rhinos ratcheted up the pressure in the second half, and were able to cut into the lead as Colin Rolfe kicked in his third goal of the campaign just after halftime. Rochester kept threatening until the end of regulation, as Babacar Diallo was sent off for a hard foul, ending their hopes for an equalizer. New England will travel to Philadelphia on July 8 to play the Union. MATCH REPORT [+]
HIGHLIGHTS/INTERVIEWS: ROCHESTER AT NEW ENGLAND
June 24: Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) 1:1 (4:1 PKs) San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
The Sounders had to wait until the penalty shootout for the Starfire Sports Complex mojo to start working, as the only goalscoring happened in a quick flurry. Steven Lenhart notched a San Jose goal in the 24th minute only to be answered two minutes later by Kenny Cooper for the Sounders. While the home side had more than their fair share of chances, they were never able to convert any into a winner.
The shots started finding twine in the Shootout, as the Sounders’ Gonzalo Pineda and the Quakes’ Khari Stephenson both found the twine. However, San Jose would go cold, as Alan Gordon missed and J.J. Koval’s kick was saved by Marcus Hahnemann. Seattle would stay hot, as Marco Pappa, Brad Evans, and Lamar Neagle all converted to force an early end to the PK duel. Seattle hosts archrival Portland Timbers July 9 at Starfire. MATCH REPORT [+]
HIGHLIGHTS: SAN JOSE AT SEATTLE
June 24: Houston Dynamo (MLS) 2:3 (AET) FC Dallas (MLS)
The Texas Derby came to the Open Cup, and true to form was another hard-fought battle. FC Dallas would capitalize on a couple defensive turnovers, one of which lead to an extra time goal from Tesho Akindele to defeat the Houston Dynamo 3-2 at Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium.
The first half would see a number of chances from both sides and the teams finish the first 45 notched at 1. A notable moment in the half was the injury to Houston’s leading scorer Will Bruin, who was subbed out in the 23rd minute when he suffered a hip injury. The second half would see more back-and-forth play between the sides and the teams would trade goals in the span of three minutes when Dallas’ Andres Escobar put away a shot from the top of the box in the 59th minute only to be followed by Houston’s Omar Cummings striding through defenders and leveling the score in the 62nd minute. After Akindele’s extra time goal in the 98th minute, Houston turned up their offensive pressure but Dallas would hold on for the victory.
FC Dallas will now travel to face the Carolina Railhawks on July 9th in the quarterfinals, after the NASL squad knocked over a full-strength Los Angeles Galaxy. MATCH REPORT [+]
MATCH REPLAY: FC DALLAS AT HOUSTON DYNAMO
June 24: Colorado Rapids (MLS) 1:2 Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
The Silverbacks managed to sandwich two Jaime Chavez goals around an hour-long weather delay before the action on the pitch got as ugly as the weather. Chavez worked a drive with Junior Burgos to net a goal in the 22nd minute, then the storms hit seven minutes later to bring the match to a halt. Atlanta came back and controlled play into the second half, as Chavez was able to turn a Jesus Gonzales pass netward at the 57-minute mark. After the goal, Chavez pulled down a Rapids player from behind, leading to a brawl on the pitch. Three Silverback players (including Chavez), one Rapid, both head coaches, and another Atlanta coach were tossed, leaving Colorado with a 10 vs. 8 advantage. Colorado turned up the pressure afterwards, and halved the lead on a Dillon Powers penalty kick with 15 minutes to play, but were never able to find an equalizer despite two extra men. Atlanta (missing two of their most important offensive players) will host the Chicago Fire in the next round. MATCH REPORT [+]
FULL MATCH REPLAY: COLORADO RAPIDS AT ATLANTA SILVERBACKS
June 24: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) 1:3 Portland Timbers (MLS)
Portland ran roughshod over 2012 Open Cup champion Sporting Kansas City, notching a 3-1 road win. Gaston Fernandez scored his second brace in two weeks, sandwiching them around Will Johnson’s penalty kick goal. Portland mostly controlled the entire game, though SKC’s Soony Saad was able to convert a penalty shot in the 73rd minute. However, the Timbers shut down Kansas City the rest of the way, making their second Quarterfinal appearance in a row after being infamously upset by Cal FC in Round 4 in 2012. The Timbers will now have a home-and-home with rivals Seattle Sounders FC. They will travel to Tukwila for the Open Cup match on July 9, then will host the Sounders in MLS play on July 13. MATCH REPORT [+]
HIGHLIGHTS: PORTLAND TIMBERS AT SPORTING KANSAS CITY
June 24: Carolina RailHawks (NASL) 1:0 (AET) Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
The Galaxy faced their Open Cup nemeses in Carolina for the third straight year, and as in their previous matches, would again fall to the RailHawks. An extra time goal by Carolina’s Daniel Jackson would secure the victory for the NASL club. Despite the Galaxy bringing close to a ‘first team’ lineup, including Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane, and dominating possession through most of the game, the MLS side would fall prey to the stellar keeping of RailHawks rookie Scott Goodwin. Goodwin made eight saves from a barrage of over 30 shots from L.A. in front of the sellout crowd. The game would remain scoreless through 90. In extra time, Nick Zimmerman slipped the ball through an opening in the Galaxy defense to Jackson, who streaked in on L.A.’s Jamie Penedo to score the game winner in the 105th minute. The Railhawks will host FC Dallas on July 9 at WakeMed Soccer Park. MATCH REPORT [+]
HIGHLIGHTS: LA GALAXY AT CAROLINA RAILHAWKS
June 24: Philadelphia Union (MLS) 2:1 (AET) New York Cosmos (NASL)
A historic penalty kick late in extra time capped off a chaotic finish that saw the Philadelphia Union hold off the visiting New York Cosmos 2-1. After a scoreless first half that saw New York push the tempo, the Cosmos would strike in the 56th minute with a goal from Alessandro Noselli. The Union would fire back only seconds later when Sebastian Le Toux put away a cross from Andrew Wenger. The match would head to extra time where in the 115th minute, Cosmos defender Jimmy Ockford made the costly mistake of pulling down Maurice Edu in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Le Toux would convert the kick to give himself 13 goals in his Open Cup career, which is tied for the most by any player in recent Open Cup history. The Union now host the New England Revolution winner, at PPL Park on July 8. MATCH REPORT [+]
HIGHLIGHTS: COSMOS AT UNION
QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE:
New England Revolution (MLS) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
PPL Park; Chester, PA – July 8, 7:00 p.m. ET
Chicago Fire (MLS) at Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks Park; Atlanta, GA – July 9, 7:30 p.m. ET
FC Dallas (MLS) at Carolina RailHawks (NASL)
WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, NC – July 9, 7:30 p.m. ET
Portland Timbers (MLS) at Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
Starfire Soccer Complex; Tukwila, WA – July 9, 10:30 p.m. ET