After Real Salt Lake pulled out a narrow 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy last week, there are just three Quarterfinal matches remaining in the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Two of them will kickoff on Tuesday as the New York Red Bulls will host the Philadelphia Union in a controversial matinee contest at Red Bull Arena, kicking off at 4 p.m. ET. Later that evening, Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo will look to snap a couple of mild Semifinal droughts when they square off at Sporting Park. Houston, who has never won the US Open Cup, hasn’t reached the final four since 2009, while Kansas City hasn’t advanced that far since they won their second Open Cup title in 2012.
On Wednesday, the finale will feature four-time champion Chicago Fire trying to salvage what has been a difficult season to this point as they host MLS expansion side Orlando City SC. The two teams last met in the tournament when Orlando City was part of the USL and the Fire handled them on the same field back in 2013.
All of the games will feature online video broadcasts through YouTube.com. We’ll have all the video available here on our Live Scores page where you can also use the #USOC2015 Twitter hashtag to join the conversation and get all the latest updates about the tournament.
Check out our previews of all three games below (video will be added when it’s posted):
MORE LINKS:
Not up for the Cup: Why so few amateur Cascadian clubs enter the US Open Cup
LIVE UPDATES/SCORES (with video)
2015 US Open Cup Schedule/Results
2015 Meet the Underdogs series
2015 stat leaders (Goals/Assists/Points)
TheCup.us Player of the Round winners
The First Cup series (1913/14)
TheCup.us 2.0 launches | The origin of TheCup.us
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Orlando City SC Open Cup records
Overall: 13-6-1 (1-0 PKs) | Away: 3-5-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 3-6-0
As MLS: 1-0-1 (1-0 PKs) | Away: 0-0-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 1-0-0
Last entry: 2014 (as USL PRO) (Lost 5-2 at Colorado Rapids of MLS in Round 4)
Best finish: 2013 Quarterfinals (Lost 5-1 at Chicago Fire of MLS)
Chicago Fire Open Cup records
Overall: 36-12-3 (2-1 PKs) | Home: 22-1-1 (0-1 PKs) | vs. MLS: 18-7-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 6-0 at Seattle Sounders of MLS in Semifinals)
Best finish: 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006 US Open Cup champions
WINNER WILL … play at Philadelphia Union or New York Red Bulls in Semifinals
LIVE VIDEO: ORLANDO CITY SC AT CHICAGO FIRE (July 22 – 8:30 p.m. ET, YouTube.com)
HOW THEY GOT HERE …
Orlando City SC
Round 4: 4-4 draw (8-7 PK win) at Charleston Battery (USL)
Round 5: 2-0 vs. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Chicago Fire
Round 4: 1-0 OT win vs. Louisville City (USL)
Round 5: 3-1 win vs. Charlotte Independence (USL)
When the Chicago Fire and Orlando City SC meet Wednesday in the Quarterfinals of the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup it is going to look a lot different than their clash in the 2013 Quarterfinals.
Orlando City is no longer a third division side riding out a Cinderella dream in pursuit of a US Open Cup title and the Chicago Fire are now two years removed from Mike Magee’s MVP season that ended with the team missing the MLS Playoffs by one game. Chicago certainly cannot expect a repeat of the 5-1 drubbing they delivered in that 2013 matchup.
When Orlando City walks into Toyota Park Wednesday, it will be the team flexing its muscles led by former World Player of the Year Kaka and a young core quickly coming together in its first year as a MLS club. The Lions already showed the ability to succeed in Toyota Park, taking a 3-2 victory in Bridgeview on June 6, which became part of the 1-6-1 streak the Fire are currently experiencing in league play.
In the June 6 league clash, Orlando City showed the poise and determination of a veteran club, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to rally for the 3-2 victory after trailing 2-1. While a wonder strike from Cyle Larin leveled the game, it was a second Adailton own-goal that did the Fire in. Adailton has not featured much for the club since the first-ever two own-goal performance in MLS history.
Both teams are expected to field strong sides for Wednesday’s match as each club has different reasons to value America’s most storied soccer trophy. For the Fire, the US Open Cup remains a point of pride in a season where their pride has been wounded. Chicago earned the moniker King of the Cup for hoisting the trophy a MLS record four times – a record shared with Seattle – in the Modern Era.
The tournament remains the Fire’s best and possibly only chance for glory in 2015 as the MLS Supporters’ Shield is far out of reach and a playoff spot is a distant dream that would require a miraculous run. Despite the 1-6-1 run of league form, Chicago can carry confidence knowing it has reached the US Open Cup Semifinals the past two years and boasts a 22-1-1 home record in the tournament. In fact, only two other clubs in the 102-year history of the tournament have more than 12 Quarterfinal appearances (Kutis SC with 17, FC Dallas with 14)
Orlando City, meanwhile, has declared the US Open Cup a top priority on multiple occasions this season and will be eager to win its biggest trophy in club history. While Orlando City FC holds the final playoff spot in the MLS Eastern Conference, a run to MLS Cup is much further away than the three victories needed to claim the Open Cup.
The Lions showed its ambition in its Fifth Round game against the Columbus Crew as team captain Kaka made his Open Cup debut and scored a goal in the 2-0 home victory against the Crew. Kaka became the third World Cup winner to score in US Open Cup history. The second goal came off the foot of Carlos Rivas, who is tied for the most goals in the tournament with four.
The shutout against the Crew was a strong bounce back performance from Orlando City’s Round 4 performance that saw the MLS club pushed to penalty kicks by the USL’s Charleston Battery.
Since the Fifth Round victory against the Crew on June 30, Orlando City has stumbled in league play with a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) with multiple cases of falling to 10 men because of red cards, including one issued to Kaka.
Despite the longer stretch of poor play, Chicago has enjoyed more success since its June 30 Fifth Round 3-1 victory over Charlotte Independence. Since that game, the Fire have gone 1-2-1 in league play.
Unlike Orlando City, which played an MLS side in the Fifth Round, the Fire hosted USL side Charlotte Independence. After falling 1-0 in the opening minutes, the Fire put together their best performance of the tournament as a returning Mike Magee scored two goals and defender Lovel Palmer added another.
The performance was an improvement over Chicago’s Third Round match against USL side and Orlando City affiliate Louisville City FC. The Fire took a 1-0 victory in that match courtesy of a Quincy Amarikwa header in the 115th minute. Amarikwa has since been traded to the San Jose Earthquakes. Both Louisville City FC and Charlotte Independence are first-year clubs that had never competed in the Open Cup.
Adding to the difficulty of stepping up in class is the schedule congestion the Fire are attempting to navigate. Wednesday’s match will be their fourth match in 11 days across all competitions. The usual depth has been hindered by injuries to usual-captain Jeff Larentowicz, designated player Shaun Maloney and designated player David Accam. Joevin Jones is also on international duty with Trinidad & Tobago.
A win Wednesday for Orlando City would mean a ticket to uncharted territory as the furthest it has ever gone is that 2013 quarterfinal match against Chicago in club history. A win for the Fire Wednesday would mean a third straight appearance in the Semifinals and an opportunity to win an all-time record-tying fifth cup.
Whichever team wins Wednesday will go on the road to face the winner of Tuesday’s contest between New York Red Bulls and last year’s runner-up Philadelphia Union.
Philadelphia Union Open Cup records
Overall: 8-3-2 (2-0 PKs) | Away: 1-1-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 3-3-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-1 in OT vs. Seattle Sounders of MLS in Final)
Best finish: 2014 Runner-up
New York Red Bulls Open Cup records
Overall: 17-16-1 (1-0 PKs) | Home: 8-5-0 | vs. MLS: 5-8-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-0 at New York Cosmos of NASL in Round 4)
Best finish: 2003 Runner-up (Lost 1-0 vs. Chicago Fire of MLS in Final)
WINNER will … host Orlando City SC or Chicago Fire in Semifinals (Aug. 11 or 12)
LIVE VIDEO: PHILADELPHIA UNION AT NEW YORK RED BULLS (4 p.m. ET, YouTube.com)
HOW THEY GOT HERE …
Philadelphia Union
Round 4: 0-0 draw (3-1 PK win) vs. Rochester Rhinos (USL)
Round 5: 2-1 win vs. DC United (MLS)
New York Red Bulls
Round 4: 3-0 win vs. Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
Round 5: 4-1 win vs. New York Cosmos (NASL)
By Brian Venard
In one of the more peculiar scheduling situations in recent US Open Cup history, the Philadelphia Union will travel to Harrison, N.J. to take on the New York Red Bulls with a controversial 4 p.m. kickoff time on a Tuesday afternoon. It’s all part of a crazy week at Red Bull Arena as the Union will be looking to rain on the start of the parade.
The Red Bulls are coming off of a strong 2-0 win in league play against fellow quarterfinalist Orlando City SC, with goals by Sacha Kljestan and Mike Grella. It became a bit easier when Orlando City went down to 10 men in the 32nd minute, but still, the Red Bulls were sharp, having a slight advantage in possession and featured another rock solid performance by Luis Robles in goal.
The controversy surrounding this match is that a little more than 24 hours after the Red Bulls and Union battle for a spot in the semifinals, New York has an exhibition match against Premier League’s Chelsea FC at Red Bull Arena as part of the International Champions Cup. The problem with this is that the collective bargaining agreement doesn’t allow for players to play on consecutive nights. So the Red Bulls are going to be fielding a much weaker side for one of the two games, although head coach Jesse Marsch has stated that the Open Cup match will take priority over the Wednesday night friendly.
The Red Bulls will be looking for a good performance by Bradley Wright-Phillips, having played fairly well recently. He’ll be looking to get on the scoresheet alongside Kljestan, who has been superb during this cup run.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back from their 2-1 loss to Toronto FC in league play. The Union have been playing quite well as of recent even with the loss, picking up two wins and a draw in their last four games. If the Union want to win tomorrow, they’ll need to be able to hold off the Red Bulls dominant attacking corps and close down on players such as Wright-Phillps better than they did against Toronto’s MVP candidate Sebastian Giovinco.
The Union and Red Bulls have shown that they mean business in the Open Cup. The Union have fielded strong lineups, including designated players Maurice Edu and Cristian Maidana playing in every game over the last two years, not to mention the tournament’s Modern Era scoring leader Sebastien Le Toux. Over the years, the Red Bulls have usually not put their best foot forward in the competition, but this year has been different under Marsch and the results have backed that up. New York opened with a 3-0 home win over the Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) and a 4-1 home win over the New York Cosmos (NASL).
The Union needed goalkeeper John McCarty to come up big in their opening match against the Rochester Rhinos as Philly defeated the USL side in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw. In Round 5, they came from behind with only 10 men to beat DC United in a wet and wild match at PPL Park.
Historically, the Red Bulls have had the advantage over Philadelphia. However recently the Union have dominated their East Coast rivals, winning three of the last five meetings. As far as the Open Cup goes, this is the first meeting between the clubs. The only time they have met in any Open Cup context was in 2010 when the Red Bulls edged the Union 2-1 in a qualifying match on the strength of a pair of Conor Chinn goals.
The Union are hoping to build on last year’s run to the championship game where they lost 3-1 to the Seattle Sounders in extra time. The club has enjoyed success since first entering the tournament in 2012. They have reached the Semifinals two of the last three years.
The Red Bulls, on the other hand, have very minimal success over the years. With their win over the Cosmos in the last round, it marked the first time since 2003 that the club had won back-to-back games in the Open Cup. That year, they lost in the final to the Chicago Fire 1-0 at Giants Stadium and remain without an Open Cup title.
Both clubs are aiming to snap droughts for their respective states. The state of New Jersey, where the Red Bulls are based, has not had an Open Cup champion since Elizabeth SC in 1970. For the Union, lifting the trophy would be the first for the state of Pennsylvania (and the city of Philadelphia) since 1966 (Ukrainian Nationals).
The winner of this match will go on to host the winner of Orlando City and the Chicago Fire in the semifinals.
Houston Dynamo Open Cup records
Overall: 9-7-1 (0-1 PKs) | Away: 2-5-1 (0-1 PKs) | vs. MLS: 2-5-0
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-2 in OT vs. FC Dallas in Round 5)
Best finish: 2012 Fourth Round (Lost 2-1 in OT vs. Charlotte Eagles of USL Pro)
Sporting Kansas City Open Cup records
Overall: 19-12-4 (2-2 PKs) | Home: 14-7-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 6-7-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-1 vs. Portland Timbers of MLS in Round 5)
Best finish: 2004, 2012 US Open Cup champions
WINNER WILL … host Real Salt Lake (MLS) in Semifinals
LIVE VIDEO: HOUSTON DYNAMO AT SPORTING KC (8:30 p.m. ET, YouTube.com)
HOW THEY GOT HERE …
Houston Dynamo
Round 4: 2-0 win vs. Austin Aztex (USL)
Round 5: 1-0 win vs. Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City
Round 4: 1-0 win vs. Saint Louis FC (USL)”
Round 5: 6-2 win vs. FC Dallas (MLS)
It’s been a long three years for Sporting Kansas City and an even more agonizing five years for Houston Dynamo.
With Real Salt Lake patiently waiting on the other end of a full 90 minutes, Sporting Park will be exited on Tuesday night with one team having a spot in the Semifinals for the first time in a few years.
Sporting’s last trip to the semifinals came on the way to its 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship. The team had been plagued with upsets in the last two, losing to its then-USL affiliate Orlando City SC in 2013, followed by an exit in the Fifth Round with a 3-1 loss to the Portland Timbers.
Houston fans are still waiting for their club’s first US Open Cup title and haven’t reached the final four since 2009. The last time the Dynamo reached the Quarterfinals was 2010, but was knocked out when Chivas USA upended Houston in a 3-1 victory in Houston.
To make it to this year’s Quarterfinals, Houston squeaked by the Colorado Rapids on June 30. The contest featured the longest win droughts of an MLS team against another MLS opponent in the Open Cup.
The initial start time was pushed back to 10:18 p.m. local time after hard rains and thunderstorms plagued the Houston area throughout the day and into the evening. Mauro Manotas provided the lone tally for Houston in the first half. His 43rd-minute goal broke the deadlock and gave Houston its first win over an MLS club since 2006.
The Rapids matched Houston in its winless drought over an MLS team – the last win came on Aug. 2, 2006, a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.
In the other half of the Central Region, Sporting KC throttled another Texas opponent. Dom Dwyer scored four goals, including a first-half hat trick, and Krisztian Nemeth provided the other two strikes in a 6-2 rout over FC Dallas in front of an announced crowd of over 19,000 fans crammed into Sporting Park.
Dwyer’s goal output was the most in the Open Cup since 2013, when Fredric Piquionne put in four for the Portland Timbers, and the hat trick was the first ever by a Sporting player in the Open Cup. His efforts earned him TheCup.Us Player of the Round honors in a landslide vote.
In Sporting’s two games since the romping Dallas, both Nemeth and Dwyer have played a key role in the team’s two wins. Nemeth provided assists in each of the games, including setting up the lone goal over Vancouver on July 12. Dwyer scored the game-winning goal in the club’s 2-1 win against Montreal on Saturday. Dating back to April 25, when Kansas City and Houston last met and a 4-4 tie ended in the only meeting of the season, Sporting has only lost once (9-1-3) in 13 games.
While Sporting is riding a hot streak, Houston is coming off a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday. The team is 6-6-2 since the draw at Houston, but has earned just four points and scored three goals in the previous five league games.
The winner of Tuesday night’s matchup will meet the last team to beat both clubs, Real Salt Lake. KC last lost to Salt Lake on June 21, ending an eight-match unbeaten streak, including Sporting’s 1-0 win over Saint Louis FC in the fourth round of the Open Cup. The semifinals will take place on either August 11 or 12, at the winner of Sporting KC or Houston Dynamo.