Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Ben Ferree

Columbus Crew SC beat reporter since 2013. Also a contributor to TheCup.us and Pro Soccer USA.

2018 US Open Cup Round 4: PK shootout decided by goalkeepers as Chicago Fire oust Crew SC again

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Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew players battle for the ball in their Fourth Round match in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Columbus Crew SC.
Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew players battle for the ball in their Fourth Round match in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Columbus Crew SC.

For the second year in a row, the Chicago Fire had to go to a shootout to determine a winner against an Ohio team. This year things were different. After falling to FC Cincinnati in their magical cup run, the Fire were able to come out on top against league rivals Columbus Crew SC, a 10-9 penalty kicks win after a 2-2 draw in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup.

Chicago started many of their offensive starters, while Crew SC opted for a lineup full of reserve players. Still, it was Columbus who struck first in an sloppy — but even — first half. After a bad turnover, Niko Hansen was able to feed Cristian Martinez for an open look that the Panamanian buried. Columbus came close to taking a lead into the half, but Nemanja Nikolic found the back of the net at the buzzer after a perfect cross from Rafeal Ramos.

The deadlock would hold until extra time, when Nikolic again found the net in the 109th minute. Crew SC keeper Logan Ketterer parried a shot away, but the ball dropped right at Nikolic’s feet for an easy goal. Somehow, Columbus was able to strike again just five minutes later with Adam Jahn powering a shot past Richard Sanchez. That brought the game to a shootout.

Nikolic took the first kick and missed, giving Crew SC the advantage. But Hector Jimenez missed the second attempt for Columbus, and Chicago wouldn’t miss again. It came all the way down to the keepers, and Sanchez scored on Ketterer and was able to then stop his Crew SC counterpart to advance Chicago into the round of 16.

“If you told me my first game was going to be 120 minutes and 11 rounds of PKs I’d tell you that you were crazy,” Ketterer said. “It was a great experience, tons of credit to the guys, for battling for that long, getting that goal. Going until the end, just like that Toronto game last weekend. It shows a lot of the character that is in this locker room.”

“I don’t recall taking a PK in these circumstances, but you do train for them,” Sanchez said. “You train for them during practice and I myself train them, so it feels good. It gives me confidence. I think it gives the players confidence as well for the ones that made it and we just continue to build from this.”

Head Coach Veljko Paunovic was pleased with his squad.

“I think it was important to advance to the next round,” he said. “I think it was a huge effort from the team. Both teams I think did a huge effort today. I think we both tried until the end. It literally decided the small detail, with the PK spot. The last player had to take it, the goalkeepers in this case. I think it is good for us to get this win in the Open Cup and it’s very important for our club.

This very important competition gives us more confidence to move on. Not only in the next round, but in the next couple of games, the next stretch of games we have at home and on road.”

With the win, the Fire remain unbeaten (5-0-1, 1-0 PKs) all-time against the Crew in US Open Cup play. The four-time champions also maintain their unbeaten record (8-0-2, 2-0 PKs) in Fourth Round games.

2018 Meet the Underdogs: Kendall Wanderers, formerly The Black Rose, confidently making US Open Cup debut

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Kendall Wanderers of the Bay State Soccer League pose for a team photo after defeating Mass United FC 2-1 to clinch the club's first-ever trip to the US Open Cup. Photo: Kendall Wanderers
Kendall Wanderers of the Bay State Soccer League pose for a team photo after defeating Mass United FC 2-1 to clinch the club’s first-ever trip to the US Open Cup. Photo: Kendall Wanderers

Every year there’s a surprise team in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. A squad of players that makes it farther than anyone thinks they should. A team vying for that title this year is the Kendall Wanderers from Massachusetts.

Playing in their first-ever US Open Cup, the road to get there wasn’t easy.

In the first game of the qualifying tournament, they could only dress 11 players and even had to use their head coach, Phil Keane, as a player. Still, they won 5-2 over Boston Siege FC (UPSL). Their next match came against fellow Bay State Soccer League (BSSL) competitors, and perennial Open Cup qualifiers, GPS Omens. Things looked bleak for the Wanderers when a red card set them down a man, but they still managed to earn a 2-2 draw and prevailed in the penalty kick shootout, 4-3. Their official qualification came after beating Mass United FC of the American Soccer League, 2-1.

“Getting into the Open Cup is massive for us. It exposes the club to a bigger audience. But as a team and as individual players, it’s always great to test yourself against top opposition,” Keane said.

Kendall Wanderers logoKeane went on to praise the Wanderers’ team captain and club president, Eric Robertson. Robertson is a center back who went to Brown University. Another Brown alumnus plays for the Wanderers in midfield, Taylor Gorman. But the real X factor for the team is Ian Sweeney, who formerly played for Athlone Town AFC, the oldest club in Ireland. He helped the squad capture the first division title in 2013 for just the second time ever (the first was in 1987-88).

The Wanderers themselves are one of the oldest teams in the BSSL. The club was formed in 1976 as The Black Rose, who were the sponsor at the time. The name changed to Kendall Wanderers in mid 1990s when sponsors changed to The Kendall Cafe. The original name of the team is still incorporated by a black rose on the team crest. The club operates a full six teams, three in the BSSL and three in the OTHSL (over 30s and 40s). The “A” team has won the BSSL Division 1 title twice (2008, 2013).

The US Open Cup will be their biggest challenge to date.

“We don’t have any expectations on how far we can go. We are just going to try to win the next game,” Keane said, “But we are very confident we can compete against anyone.”

The Wanderers kick off their inaugural US Open Cup run on May 9 when they travel to take on the Seacoast United Phantoms of the Premier Development League in Amesbury, Mass.

FC Cincinnati to kick off 2018 US Open Cup at Gettler Stadium: “Like Metallica playing a small venue”

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The crowd of 30,160 at Nippert Stadium to watch FC Cincinnati upset the Columbus Crew shattered the Modern Era attendance record for a non-Final. Photo: FC Cincinnati
The crowd of 30,160 at Nippert Stadium to watch FC Cincinnati upset the Columbus Crew shattered the Modern Era attendance record for a non-Final. Photo: FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati went on a historic run during the 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, knocking off multiple Major League Soccer clubs and breaking records along the way to a Semifinal appearance. Despite losing to the New York Red Bulls in the Semifinals, Cincinnati attracted the second-largest crowd to ever witness a US Open Cup game in the tournament’s 104-year history, trailing only the 2011 Final hosted by the Seattle Sounders FC (35,615).

FC Cincinnati also had a Modern Era record 584-minute scoreless streak and with a dramatic penalty kick upset over the Chicago Fire on national TV (ESPN) launched FCC into the national conversation, and was a big boost in their continued push to be a future MLS expansion team.

Given the rousing success, it came as a surprise when FCC announced they would hold their first 2018 US Open Cup game at Gettler Stadium. The soccer stadium for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats which features a standard capacity of just 1,400, though temporary seating will bring capacity for this match up to 2,250. FCC matches are typically held at UC’s Nippert Stadium, where the football team also plays. Currently, tickets are on sale only to FCC season ticket holders, who number more than 10,000.

“We wanted to hold the first game in a more intimate setting. We had a preseason game at Gettler against Nashville, and it was a unique setting for fans,” said Kevin Butler, Chief Branding Officer for FCC. “Our first round games are typically at five or six thousand people. Historically we haven’t filled as much. As we move forward we’ll look to moving back to Nippert.”

Last year, FCC hosted AFC Cleveland (NPSL) for their first game with an announced crowd of 12,790, the largest crowd in history for the second round of the Open Cup in the Modern Era. In 2016, their first year as a team, FCC hosted Indy Eleven for their first ever Open Cup game with an announced crowd of 8,668. Both games were held at Nippert.

“Five or six or even up to 10,000, to active the full stadium at Nippert, it makes more sense to have the game at Gettler,” Butler said.

While the smaller venue may lead to fewer people being able to get tickets, the experience will be one of a kind.

“We’re always concerned if people want to get tickets and can’t get tickets,” Butler said. “It’s like Metallica playing a small venue. It’s interesting to see it in an intimate setting. You’re right on top of the field.”

It is common practice for many professional teams, especially teams that don’t control their home stadium’s schedule, to play US Open Cup games at a alternate, and usually a smaller, venue. A prime example is the Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) who have only played seven tournament games at CenturyLink Field in their club history, while they have played 22 games at Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila, Wash. which has a capacity of 4,000 seats.

While they have only played six tournament home games in their team’s two-year history, FC Cincinnati boasts the highest average attendance (20,612) of any team that has participated in the US Open Cup in the Modern Era. With this match expected to have a sell-out of less than 3,000, that number will likely drop, but considering the fan support the team has enjoyed in their first two years, that number may not fall too much farther over time.

The match will be played on May 16 against the winner of Detroit City FC (NPSL) and the Michigan Bucks (PDL). Tickets for visiting fans have been set aside. Tickets for FCC season ticket holders are on sale now.

2017 US Open Cup Semifinals: Wright-Phillips sparks Red Bulls’ rare comeback, ends FC Cincinnati’s Cinderella story (video)

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The New York Red Bulls celebrate the game-winning goal against FC Cincinnati in the 101st minute in the 2017 US Open Cup Semifinals. Photo: Ryan Meyer | New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls celebrate the game-winning goal against FC Cincinnati in the 101st minute in the 2017 US Open Cup Semifinals. Photo: Ryan Meyer | New York Red Bulls

All good things must come to an end. FC Cincinnati’s surprise run to the 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semifinals in just their second year of existence was as far as they could go, as the New York Red Bulls overcame a two-goal deficit against a seemingly unbreakable Cincinnati defense to win in extra time, 3-2.

Having not allowed a goal all tournament, things looked to be in Cincinnati’s favor when they scored in the 31st minute off a strong strike from Corben Bone. Danni Konig provided the assist. It was the first goal in the first half for the squad, so how they would play with a lead was a question that needed answered. Cincinnati answered it well, scoring again in the 62nd minute, this time from Cincinnati native Austin Berry with an assist from Kenney Walker.

Victory seemed assured, but everything fell apart in the 75th minute when Gonzalo Veron scored, and Bradley Wright-Phillips netted the equalizer just three minutes later.

With extra time looming, Wright-Phillips nearly ended the game in regulation as he fired a well-placed header off the underside of the cross bar in the 90th minute.

The match would go to extra time, but it was clear that New York had gained the upper hand. Wright-Phillips struck again 11 minutes into added time for the game winner on an assist from Sal Zizzo. For Wright-Phillips, it was his third goal of the tournament, which leaves him one behind the tournament co-leaders with one match left to play.

As the final whistle blew, many FC Cincinnati players collapsed, some in tears, as the Red Bulls celebrated their first trip back to the Open Cup finals since 2003. It was just the second time in the Modern Era that a team has come back from a two-goal deficit in the Semifinals to win (Columbus Crew over the Kansas City Wizards in 2002). It was also the first time New York has overcome a two-goal deficit in any round of the tournament. Not only that, it was just the third time that the Red Bulls had come back to win an Open Cup game (2003 Semifinals vs. D.C. United / 2011 Third Round vs. FC New York)

“The first thing I want to do is congratulate this city and this club. What a great environment, what a great performance, what a great run for this team,” said Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch. “We escaped by the skin of our teeth. As big as it was for them, it was big for us as well … I heard the MLS Commissioner was here tonight. I hope he takes notice of what’s going on here, and I don’t think it will be too long before we’re back here again playing in more meaningful games.”

According to TheCup.us records, FC Cincinnati's sold-out crowd of 33,250 at Nippert Stadium for the 2017 US Open Cup Semifinal against the New York Red Bulls was the second-largest crowd to ever witness a tournament game. Photo: Erik Schelkun | FC Cincinnati
According to TheCup.us records, FC Cincinnati’s sold-out crowd of 33,250 at Nippert Stadium for the 2017 US Open Cup Semifinal against the New York Red Bulls was the second-largest crowd to ever witness a tournament game. Photo: Erik Schelkun | FC Cincinnati

With a home stadium located in Harrison, N.J., the Red Bulls have reached the Open Cup Final for the sixth time in the state’s history. Paterson FC lost in 1919 and won in 1932, Elizabeth SC won in 1970 and 1972, and the Red Bulls (under the name Metrostars) lost in 2003 to the Chicago Fire at Giants Stadium.

This time, they will face Sporting Kansas City. The away trip will be tough, as SKC has never lost a Cup final and will be looking to become just the eighth club in the tournament’s 104-year history to lift the trophy for a fourth time.

FC Cincinnati will have to wait for next year till their next Open Cup game, but will leave this tournament with plenty of Modern Era records and pride. Djiby Fall, who did not play because of a yellow card accumulation, became the first player to score four game-winning goals in a single tournament. Goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt’s single-tournament shutout streak came to an end at 464 minutes, while his personal streak (dating back to last year) ended at 543 minutes. The team’s 584-minute scoreless streak shattered the previous record of 453 minutes (2008 Seattle Sounders, Chris Eylander). Additionally, FC Cincinnati set multiple round attendance records (Round 4, Round 5), including a Semifinal record crowd of 33,250 Tuesday night.

According to TheCup.us records, Tuesday night’s sold-out crowd was the second-largest to ever witness a US Open Cup game, trailing only the 2011 Final hosted by the Seattle Sounders FC (35,615).

“Any time you’re up 2-0 in a game and you don’t win you’re going to be disappointed in the end, but putting that aside, nothing but pride. Absolute pride in the group of players that put everything into it out there on the pitch tonight,” said FC Cincinnati coach Alan Koch. “Not only this game, but this cup run, has been truly magical. You’ve seen it galvanize the team, the club, the city.”

Koch and Cincinnati supporters will hope this unexpected run will be the launching point for an MLS bid later in the year.

The 104th US Open Cup Final will be played in Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. EST. Earlier in the day, the United States Soccer Federation announced that the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

TIMELINE:

FC Cincinnati strikes first

FCC makes it 2-0

Veron pulls one back for the Red Bulls

BWP equalizes

The Red Bulls’ game-winner

2017 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Djiby Fall’s historic goal for FC Cincinnati wins TheCup.us Player of Round

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FC Cincinnati celebrate their 1-0 win over Miami FC in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals. Photo: FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati celebrate their 1-0 win over Miami FC in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals. Photo: FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati has broken both individual and team records on their 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup run, and the Quarterfinals were no different. Striker Djiby Fall scored yet again to down Miami FC, 1-0. The goal gives him four game winning goals in a single tournament, a new Modern Era (1995-present) record, and ties him for the golden boot race with Stefano Pinho (Miami FC).

Fall’s hot streak and history-making goal that sent FC Cincinnati into the Semifinals earned him TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

He is the second straight FC Cincinnati player to win the award after goalie Mitch Hildebrandt’s shutout streak won him the award last round. Hildebrandt was a near-unanimous selection by the staff at TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters. The voting results for the Quarterfinals was nowhere near as overwhelming.

Fall won the award by the narrowist of margins, finishing tied with Sporting Kansas City’s Latif Blessing, who scored two goals in Sporting’s 3-0 win over title holders FC Dallas. Fall won the award based on the first tiebreaker: first place votes. Hildebrandt was just a few votes short of repeating as Player of the Round, and San Jose Earthquakes’ two-goal scorer Chris Wondolowski finishing not far behind in fourth place.

“My expectation was not to set the record, my expectation was to help the team to win,” Fall said. “For a striker the only way I can help my team is to score goals and I am happy to have helped us get to this point.”

More impressive perhaps than setting the record with four game-winners in a single tournament is the fact that the record for most game-winners in a career is five, jointly held by Osvaldo Alonso (Charleston Battery, Seattle Sounders FC), Dwayne De Rosario (Richmond Kickers, San Jose Earthquakes, D.C. United), Matthew Delicate (Rochester Rhinos, Richmond Kickers), and Sebastien Le Toux (Seattle Sounders FC, Philadelphia Union).

Like many FC Cincinnati players, Fall did not have an easy path to play professional soccer in the United States. Born in Senegal, Fall moved to France when he was 18 to begin his career and bounced around from team to team. He played for five clubs from 2006-09, ending with Lokomotiv Moscow of the Russian Premier League. He only made 15 appearances for the club, as was frequently loaned out to other teams, including Molde in 2010 where he became the top scorer in the Tippeligaen, Norway’s top division. His success there translated into a loan to Odense Boldklub, who were playing in the Europa League, where he scored an equalizing goal in the 93rd minute against Fulham that knocked them out of the tournament. Fall’s penchant for scoring, though inconsistent, had him moving around Europe and Asia before finally ending with FC Cincinnati this year. The atmosphere in the Queen City has impressed him.

Djiby Fall of FC Cincinnati scored the game-winner against AFC Cleveland in the Second Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Cincinnati
Djiby Fall of FC Cincinnati scored the game-winner in the 115th minute against AFC Cleveland in the Second Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Cincinnati

“When you take every single game at home you see the same atmosphere,” Fall said. “When I played in other countries, it depended on the context of the game.  If we played a top team or a derby you can have a big atmosphere.  Here every single game is the same.  It’s very good for the players here because that’s all we need as footballers.”

Fall found immediate success, scoring four goals for Cincinnati in their 2017 home opener. He has seven goals on the season in 15 games, but he has come with controversy. He has received two red cards in league play, including a massive six-game ban from the USL earlier in the year after biting Louisville City FC midfielder Niall McCabe.

Fall is developing a reputation for his hard style of play, which will be keeping him out of his club’s upcoming semifinal match against the New York Red Bulls. He received a 90th minute yellow card against Miami FC in the Quarterfinals, his third of the tournament, which earned him a one-game suspension.

Fall is the only FC Cincinnati player to score a goal this tournament, so his absence will be critical.  He also missed the Round of 16 game against the Chicago Fire, where his teammates held the high powered MLS squad to a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes and triumphed on penalty kicks.

“As a football player I would like to play this kind of game. I trust my team,” said Fall, who is the first Senegalese player to win the award. “When we played against the Fire, I didn’t play and the guys did everything to help us get through to the next round. Why not this round again?”

The match against the Red Bulls will be at Nippert Stadium on Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 8 p.m. A record crowd is expected once again.

2017 TheCup.us Player of the Round winners
Round 1: Pete Caringi III (Christos FC, USASA)
Round 2: Phil Saunders (Christos FC, USASA)
Round 3: Fabian Cerda (Tulsa Roughnecks, USL)
Round 4: Stefano Pinho (Miami FC, NASL)
Round 5: Mitch Hildebrandt (FC Cincinnati, USL)
Quarterfinals: Djiby Fall (FC Cincinnati, USL)

2017 US Open Cup Semifinals live video: Underdog FC Cincinnati hosts NY Red Bulls at sold-out Nippert Stadium

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FC Cincinnati drew 32,287 fans to their Round of 16 match against the Chicago Fire (MLS). Only one game in the Modern Era (2011 Final - 35,311) has drawn more. Photo: Erik Schelkun | FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati drew 32,287 fans to their Round of 16 match against the Chicago Fire (MLS). Only one game in the Modern Era (2011 Final – 35,311) has drawn more. Photo: Erik Schelkun | FC Cincinnati

New York Red Bulls (MLS) at FC Cincinnati (USL)
Tuesday, Aug. 15 – 8 p.m. EST
Nippert Stadium – Cincinnati, OH
Winner will play at Sporting Kansas City in 2017 Final on Sept. 20

BROADCAST: 

Links to full #USOC2017 coverage located at the bottom

FC Cincinnati and New York Red Bulls face off Tuesday to see who will travel to take on Sporting Kansas City for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship. This semifinal has been nearly a month in the making, after FC Cincinnati’s last match against Miami FC, originally scheduled for July 12, was rained out until August 2.

FC Cincinnati, who has broken multiple Modern Era attendance records already this year, may be on the verge of breaking the all-time attendance record (35,615 at Century Link Field in Seattle for the 2011 U.S. Open Cup Final). While the official attendance figure will not be announced until the day of the game, the club has already announced that Tuesday’s game at Nippert Stadium has sold out. Needless to say, it will be a remarkable atmosphere to decide who will advance to the 104th U.S. Open Cup Final on Sept. 20.

In just its second year of existence, FC Cincinnati has become only the 13th lower division side to reach the Open Cup semifinals since 1996, and the first since 2011 (Richmond Kickers, USL). The success found on the field and in the stands this tournament run has bolstered hopes of eventually being awarded an MLS franchise. Cincinnati has broken multiple attendance records, has not allowed a goal yet this tournament, and feature two of the most recent TheCup.us Players of the Round (Djiby Fall, QuarterFinals; Mitch Hildebrandt, Round of 16).

Underdogs on paper in every game except the opener, FC Cincinnati hasn’t made things easy. They started the run against AFC Cleveland, and took them to extra time before Fall finally found a winner with three minutes remaining in stoppage time. That 1-0 luck would follow the squad through in the next two matches, as FCC dispatched league rival Louisville City and potential future rival Columbus Crew SC by the same 1-0 score lines. In both games, it was again Fall who tallied the winner.

FC Cincinnati celebrate their 1-0 win over Miami FC in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals. Photo: The Miami FC
FC Cincinnati celebrate their 1-0 win over Miami FC in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals. Photo: The Miami FC

Due to injury, Fall (currently tied for the golden boot with four goals on the tournament) missed the next match against the Chicago Fire. No goals? No problem. The Cincinnati defense, led by Hildebrandt in net, kept the vaunted Fire offense silent all night for a 0-0 draw before triumphing in penalty kicks.

The road trip to Miami was the first away test in the Open Cup this year for Cincinnati. Facing the reigning NASL champions, it was again reasonable to expect Cincinnati to stumble. But Fall’s return to the lineup proved once again to be the difference maker, as his goal moved the club on to its biggest game in history. It was his fourth consecutive game winning goal of the tournament, the most ever in a single cup run. More impressively, the record for career game winners in the Modern Era is five. Fall will not have a chance to tie that record unless Cincinnati can advance.

That’s the good news. The downside is that Fall had a reckless elbow in the 90th minute called and received a yellow card, his third of the tournament. That means that he will miss the semifinal due to a accumulation suspension. Cincinnati will once again need to find a way to win without the only player to score a goal for them.

However, despite only scoring four goals in their five Open Cup matches, one of the lowest-scoring Semifinalists of the Modern Era, the defense has been, and will likely be crucial in Tuesday’s semifinal match. The defense, led by Hildebrandt in goal, are currently enjoying a 510-minute scoreless streak, which is a new Modern Era record for a team. (Hildebrandt also holds a personal shutout streak of 469 minutes dating back to last season).

Additionally, the recent run of form from Cincinnati has not been good. They’re a mere 8-8-7 in league play and are coming off their worst match in their club’s short history, a 5-0 loss at Louisville. They’re winless in their last three league matches, and perhaps have had their eye on the Open Cup instead of the regular season.

Bradley Wright Phillips of the New York Red Bulls rises up for a header against the New England Revolution in the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Bob Larson
Bradley Wright Phillips of the New York Red Bulls rises up for a header against the New England Revolution in the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Bob Larson

The New York Red Bulls are on the opposite side of that coin. Coming off a 3-1 home win over Orlando City, the Red Bulls have only lost once since July, racking up five wins in the process. The lone loss was a closely-contested 3-2 game against rivals New York City FC.

Like their semifinal opponent, the Red Bulls have yet to score more than one goal in an Open Cup match. They have, however, spread the love around. In the club’s opening round game (Fourth Round), Danny Royer scored the lone goal in the 67th minute against NYCFC, which was all that was needed to advance.

The next match in the Round of 16 proved to be a bit more difficult. Facing the Philadelphia Union, who have bounced the Red Bulls from this tournament the last two years, Sacha Kljestan scored in the 42nd minute only to see Roland Alberg equalize late in the 86th. The game would go all the way to penalty kicks, as it did in 2015, but this time New York prevailed.

In the Quarterfinals, the Red Bulls matched up with the New England Revolution, playing on the road at Harvard. The game was evenly matched until the 75th minute when Benjamin Angou was shown a straight red card for violent conduct following a foul on Bradley Wright-Phillips. Phillips would add insult to injury by scoring the game winner in the 87th minute. This was one of the best Open Cup performance by New York since 2003, when they finished as the tournament’s runner-up. They have never hoisted the final trophy.

Whichever team prevails will have a tough task ahead, going on the road to play a Sporting Kansas City team that has won the Cup three times already and are looking for their third in six years (2004, 2012, 2015). They’ve never lost a Cup final. Should they win, they will become the third MLS team with four titles, joining the Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire.

New York Red Bulls Open Cup records
Overall: 20-17-3 (2-1 PK) | Home: 9-5-2 (1-1 PK) | Away: 10-11-1 (1-0 PK) | vs. Div. 2: 6-5-0
Last entry: 2016 (Lost 2-1 at Philadelphia Union of MLS in Round of 16)
Best finish: 2003 Runner-up
Leading goalscorer: Sacha Kljestan, Daniel Royer, Bradley Wright-Phillips – 1 goal each

How they got here

Round 4: 1-0 home win vs. New York City FC (MLS)
Round 5: 1-1 home draw (5-3 PK win) vs. Philadelphia Union (MLS)
Quarterfinals: 1-0 road win at New England Revolution (MLS)

FC Cincinnati Open Cup records
Overall: 25-13-5 (3-2 PK) | Home: 18-7-1 (1-0 PK) | Away: 7-6-4 (2-2 PK) | vs. MLS: 11-8-2 (2-0 PK)
Last entry: 2016 (Lost 1-0 at Tampa Bay Rowdies of NASL in Round 3)
Best finish: 2016 Third Round (Lost 1-0 at Tampa Bay Rowdies of NASL)
Leading goalscorer: Djiby Fall (4 – Tournament co-leader)

How they got here
Round 2: 1-0 (AET) home win vs. AFC Cleveland (NPSL)
Round 3: 1-0 home win vs. Louisville City FC (USL)
Round 4: 1-0 home win vs. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Round 5: 0-0 home draw (3-1 PK win) vs. Chicago Fire (MLS)
Quarterfinals: 1-0 road win at Miami FC (NASL)

#USOC2017 coverage:

Quarterfinals
* Wondolowski’s brace gives Earthquakes first USOC win over rival Galaxy
* Inspired Sporting KC explode in OT to dethrone FC Dallas
* BWP scores late winner as Red Bulls edge 10-man Revolution
* Djiby Fall’s historic winner, FC Cincinnati’s historic defense blanks Miami FC, 1-0

* 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup schedule, results
* 2017 US Open Cup Round 1 review
* 2017 US Open Cup Round 2 review
* 2017 US Open Cup Round 3 review
* 2017 US Open Cup Round 4 review
* 2017 US Open Cup Round of 16 review
* 2017 US Open Cup Quarterfinal review

* 2017 TheCup.us Player of the Round winnners
* 2017 US Open Cup bracket (TheCup.us)
* 2017 US Open Cup statistical leaders
* A map of all 99 entries for the 2017 US Open Cup
* 2017 Meet the Underdogs series
* 2017 US Open Cup qualifying Round 2 review: 14 more teams advance as Round 3 moved to next year
* 2017 US Open Cup qualifying Round 1: Scores and recaps from every game

#USOC2018 qualifying coverage

* Which NPSL teams will qualify for 2018 US Open Cup?
* Which PDL teams will play in the 2018 US Open Cup? 

MORE:
* Cincinnati’s forgotten US Open Cup history
* California Clasico isn’t new: North has battled South in US Open Cup since 1950s
* Who is the US Open Cup equivalent to Lincoln City FC and their magical FA Cup run?
* Eric Wynalda hired to lead LA Wolves for 2017 US Open Cup run
* Reading United qualifies for record 9th straight US Open Cup, seeking more than an opening round win
* Things you should know about the Semifinals of the US Open Cup

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2017 US Open Cup Round 5: Mitch Hildebrandt of FC Cincinnati near-unanimous pick for TheCup.us Player of the Round

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Mitch Hildebrandt made 10 saves and stopped three of the Chicago Fire's four penalty kick attempts to send FC Cincinnati to the Quarterfinals. Photo: Erik Schelkun | FC Cincinnati
Mitch Hildebrandt made 10 saves and stopped three of the Chicago Fire’s four penalty kick attempts to send FC Cincinnati to the Quarterfinals. Photo: Erik Schelkun | FC Cincinnati

Mitch Hildebrandt has been having a US Open Cup run for the ages, culminating with his performance against the Chicago Fire in which he made 10 saves and stopped three out of four penalty kick attempts to lift FC Cincinnati into the Quarterfinals. The game finished scoreless and Cincinnati won the shootout 3-1. Hildebrandt has yet to allow a goal in the tournament despite having two games go to overtime, which is approaching a pair of Modern Era records.

His performance against the Fire made him a near-unanimous winner of TheCup.us Player of the Round award. He received first place votes on every ballot except for two. The player that earned those stray first place votes was the other contestant of what was essentially a two-horse race: Kwadwo Poku of Miami FC (NASL). Poku assisted on the opening goal and scored a dramatic game-winner for Miami FC in the club’s 3-2 upset of Atlanta United (MLS). The award is voted on by the staff at TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters.

After his stellar netminding, the Livonia, Mich. native talked about what it was like to have so much pressure on his shoulders.

“The team was absolutely unbelievable. The amount of work they put in for 120 minutes…I can’t even fathom how they feel right now,” Hildebrandt said, “You dream of moment. Bottom of the ninth hitting a home run in the world series, that’s the American version of this. You just want to be there for your team. You try not to think about any of the pressure. A World Cup winner stands up to take a penalty against you you try to forget who he is and try to stop the ball. It’s exciting.”

Wednesday night's US Open Cup action, headlined by FC Cincinnati's upset on ESPN was trending nationally on Twitter.
Wednesday night’s US Open Cup action, headlined by FC Cincinnati’s upset on ESPN was trending nationally on Twitter.

His performance drew national attention, as the game was featured on ESPN. This was the first time a US Open Cup game that wasn’t a Final or a Semifinal was aired on an ESPN channel.

“I was getting calls and texts from family and friends back home and across the country. It was special because there’s not a lot of times they can see our games, especially in the Open Cup,” Hildebrandt said, “to have it on ESPN and an audience be able to tune in that maybe wouldn’t be able to was special. For that moment to happen, to share it here at home where my wife and family and friends are was special.”

Hildebrandt did not have an easy road to becoming a professional goal keeper. After a strong career in college with the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, he moved on to join the Michigan Bucks in the Premier Development League (coincidentally, he backed up former Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper Steve Clark in both locations before starting himself). His head coach at Oakland, Eric Pogue, has developed a reputation for recruiting and developing some top goalkeepers, a position that Pogue excelled at during his playing days. In fact, like Hildebrandt, Pogue also made some US Open Cup history by upsetting a MLS team. In 2000, Pogue was the goalkeeper for the Michigan Bucks that shutout the New England Revolution 1-0 in Foxborough.

After two years and 32 appearances with the Bucks, Hildebrandt joined Minnesota United of the NASL. Despite spending four years with Minnesota, he only made 15 appearances.

“I spent four years in Minnesota, all four as a backup. I paid my dues and bide my time. It was frustrating obviously. I was away from my wife for four years, not getting games, wondering what was going on. It’s tough mentally and straining, but when you look back on it it helped me form a career and get better and get me to the stage where I want to be,” Hildebrandt said,” I went through a difficult time and now I’m in a spot where I can rise.”

Hildebradnt latched on right away in Cincinnati, making the USL All-League Team and being named Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016.

“The city has taken to this club and it’s been a very very special thing that has happened here. To be a part of it and to be one of the original players here, I take it to heart. You’re helping build something here…for the staff to believe in me when I wasn’t having regular games in Minnesota…I still to this day try to step on the pitch and prove them right,” Hildebrandt said.

After four straight clean sheets in this tournament, Hildebrandt is 154 minutes of scoreless soccer away from breaking the Modern Era’s single-tournament record for a shutout streak (Chris Eylander, Seattle Sounders – 453 minutes). Hildebrandt is also on the verge of another record with his personal Open Cup shutout streak of 379 minutes which is fast approaching Jon Conway’s record of 473 minutes that was set with the San Jose Earthquakes between the 2000 and 2001 tournaments.

FC Cincinnati will play recently-crowned NASL Spring champions Miami FC on July 12 for a spot in the Semifinals. Despite being underdogs on paper in nearly every Open Cup match this year, Hildebrandt doesn’t see the team as such.

“I think we’ve proven that we have a good a chance as anybody. If you look at our roster, I don’t think that we are an underdog. If you look at the size of our club, I don’t think that we are an underdog. The only thing that made us an underdog in the last two games was the league, second division versus first division,” Hildebrandt said, “Going down to Miami, they’re flying high, but we’re right there with them … it’s a one-game competition and everyone is feeling really good and really believing in each other right now.”

2017 TheCup.us Player of the Round winners

Round 1: Pete Caringi III (Christos FC, USASA)
Round 2: Phil Saunders (Christos FC, USASA)
Round 3: Fabian Cerda (Tulsa Roughnecks, USL)
Round 4: Stefano Pinho (Miami FC, NASL)
Round 5: Mitch Hildebrandt (FC Cincinnati, USL)

2017 US Open Cup Round 5: FC Cincinnati blanks Chicago Fire, advances on PKs in front of another record crowd

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Mitch Hildebrandt of FC Cincinnati made faced 26 shots from the Chicago FIre and made 10 saves, include 3 stops in the penalty kick shootout. Photo: Erik Schelkun | FC Cincinnati
Mitch Hildebrandt of FC Cincinnati made faced 26 shots from the Chicago FIre and made 10 saves, include 3 stops in the penalty kick shootout. Photo: Erik Schelkun | FC Cincinnati

Mitch Hildebrandt made 10 saves, then stopped three of four Chicago Fire penalty kicks after extra time to help FC Cincinnati advance in the Round of 16 of the 2017 US Open Cup Wednesday night. After 120 minutes of scoreless soccer, Cincinnati won the shootout 3-1 sending one of the biggest crowds in tournament history into a frenzy at Nippert Stadium.

“The team was absolutely unbelievable. The amount of work they put in for 120 minutes…I can’t even fathom how they feel right now,” Hildebrandt said. “You dream of moment. Bottom of the ninth hitting a home run in the World Series, that’s the American version of this. You just want to be there for your team. You try not to think about any of the pressure. A World Cup winner stands up to take a penalty against you and you try to forget who he is and try to stop the ball. It’s exciting.”

MORE: Cincinnati’s forgotten US Open Cup history

Cincinnati will travel for their next match, a meeting with Miami FC of the NASL. The two second tier clubs matching up ensures there will be at least one lower division representative in the semifinals this year. The game will be played July 12.

“That’s a very good team packed with a lot of big time stars,” said FC Cincinnati manager Alan Koch, “I’m very proud of the team. I’m equally as proud of the club and the job they do to promote…it’s absolutely first class. I’m also proud of the city of Cincinnati. Their passion, you don’t get that in many places. There is a lot of passion in our sport across the world, but that was pretty unique tonight.”

FC Cincinnati continues to break records on their way through the Cup. For the second time in a row, the club broke the non-final attendance record, this time bringing in 32,287 fans for the Round of 16 matchup against Chicago.

Cincinnati’s lineup was vastly different from previous Open Cup matches. Noticeably absent was forward Djiby Fall, who had scored all three game winning goals in the tournament so far. Also absent was defender Tyler Polak who came up with multiple blocks in the prior game against Columbus Crew SC.

Wednesday night's US Open Cup action, headlined by FC Cincinnati's upset on ESPN was trending nationally on Twitter.
Wednesday night’s US Open Cup action, headlined by FC Cincinnati’s upset on ESPN was trending nationally on Twitter.

On the other side of the ball, the Fire didn’t pull any punches. Leading MLS goalscorer Nemanja Nikolic started, as did Bastian Schweinsteiger, Juninho, and Michael de Leeuw. But the vaunted Fire attack, which had won nine consecutive games in all competitions, launched 26 shots at the Cincinnati goal but ultimately fell in penalty kicks.

Despite having 70 percent possession and outshooting Cincinnati 26-20, Chicago could never find the back of the net. This was due in large part to the outstanding net minding by Hildebrandt. The only kick he didn’t save was in the shootout on a goal by World Cup and UEFA Champions League veteran in Schweinsteiger.

Josu, Harrison Delbridge, and Jimmy McLaughlin scored on their kicks in the victory.

The passion was on full display when Cincinnati thought they found the game winner in extra time when Andrew Wiedeman slotted the ball past a diving Matt Lampson, but the assistant referee called it offside. Replay shows Wiedeman was onside, and to add insult to injury he picked up a yellow card for taking off his jersey in celebration.

“This group was fantastic. Normally after a moment when you think you scored it’s pretty deflating,” Koch said, “give the guys a lot of credit for bouncing back and keep on pushing and keep on going.”

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Weather delay helps Columbus Crew adjust, beat Tampa Bay Rowdies, 4-0

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Columbus_Crew_SC_Logo.svgThe Columbus Crew began their 2016 US Open Cup run with a meeting from the NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies. Playing in Columbus but away from home at nearby Jesse Owens Stadium, Crew SC thrived after a two-hour weather delay in the first half, topping the Rowdies 4-0, despite only having 16 healthy players to create a lineup from.

The Crew, who won the tournament in 2002, picked up the win despite playing with mostly substitutes in an unfamiliar venue and fighting the elements. They will look to continue their run in the Round of 16 as Columbus attempts to win multiple games in a tournament for the first time since their runner-up finish in 2010.

After 25 minutes of listless play from both sides, high winds, lightning, and eventual sheets of rain caused the referee to suspend play. It couldn’t have come at a better time for Columbus, as they hadn’t registered a shot on goal yet. Tampa Bay had three shots to their credit, although none were particularly dangerous.

After play resumed, it was all Crew SC. Justin Meram began the scoring with a goal in the 41st minute. Though it goes down as unassisted due to a defender getting a foot on the ball, the pass was from Emil Larsen. The Rowdies thought Larsen was offside and stopped running as the defenders raised their hands and looked towards the assistant referee. The flag stayed down, leaving Larsen able to pass the ball easily to a centered Meram who slotted it past the diving keeper, Matt Pickens.

“The rain lowered the temperature, it was one of those slow starts,” Meram said, “once we got back out there we took it to them and they couldn’t recover.”

The Crew took it to the Rowdies in the second half. Cristian Martinez, 19, scored his second goal in as many games in the 48th minute with a backheel assist for Ethan Finlay, and secondary assist by Waylon Francis. Finlay then picked up a goal of his own just four minutes later on a penalty kick after Rodrigo Saravia was fouled in the box. Columbus struck for their final goal of the night in the 65th minute as Marshall Hollingsworth scored his first-ever goal for the club.

Columbus advances to the Round of 16 for the fourth year in a row.

“We looked at video and saw some things we thought we could take advantage of,” Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter said, “It was clear… and luckily we took advantage of that.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: FC Cincinnati becomes first pro team from city to earn Open Cup win

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Omar Cummings of FC Cincinnati celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against Indy Eleven NPSL in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Cincinnati
Omar Cummings of FC Cincinnati celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against Indy Eleven NPSL in the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Cincinnati

The upstart USL side FC Cincinnati continued their winning ways, topping Indy Eleven NPSL at Nippert Stadium by a score of 2-1 in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

This marked not only the first US Open Cup win for FC Cincinnati, but this was the first time a professional team from the city tasted victory in the tournament’s 103-year history.

Using a mixture of starters and subs, Cincinnati dominated much of the first half against the amateur side from the Indianapolis area, but the underdogs showed some fight. After a handling call in the box gave Cincinnati a penalty kick that Omar Cummings converted, it took less than three minutes for Indy to equalize. A beautiful give-and-go between Vincent Mitchell and Cristian Soto led to Mitchell getting the first goal from the run-of-play, with Soto picking up the assist.

Coming out of the locker rooms at halftime tied gave Indy obvious confidence, as they looked to be the better team for the first 15 minutes of the second half. However, that confidence unraveled when Jimmy McLaughlin scored in the 60th minute, just four minutes after being subbed into the game. McLaughlin collected a rebound from a Cummings header that was saved by Indy goalkeeper Cody Schweitzer, who finished the match with an impressive seven saves. It was McLaughlin’s third career US Open Cup goal.

“It was great,” McLaughlin said, “my second touch of the game, it was an easy finish in the corner…this was pretty special.”

Indy was never able to truly get another attack going after the second goal, and had three players pick up yellow cards in the second half as frustration and desperation mounted.

“I was happy to get a result and advance on…the unique part of the Open Cup is that it’s equal opportunity for everyone, amateur and pro status. When you get teams that you face at this level, you know that you can have a hard game,” FC Cincinnati head coach John Harkes said. He stressed to his team not to underestimate Indy Eleven just because they were a lower division team.

“You can’t leave the door open for hope,” Harkes said, “the message at halftime was that we need to do better. We need to concentrate on what we do best, and that’s moving the ball. We didn’t have enough of that in the first half.”

Cummings has the most Open Cup experience of any player on the team, having played for years in MLS, and he knows that anything can happen.

“The Open Cup is a run,” Cummings said, “it’s a competition where if you do well and have energy going forward, you can make a run and end up anywhere.”

With the victory, FC Cincinnati advances to the third round of the Cup and will face the NASL side Tampa Bay Rowdies on the road in the first week of June.

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