2007 Third Round

2007 Third Round: French connection helps Sounders knock out Chivas USA

July 18, 2007 by

A bad bounce put the Seattle Sounders behind early in Wednesday night’s US Open Cup Third Round match, but the duo of Sebastien Le Toux and Roger Levesque made sure the USL First Division team still bounced Chivas USA from the tournament. It was the second year in a row that Chivas had been eliminated in the opening round, and their third straight Open Cup loss.

Le Toux converted passes from Levesque into goals in the 44th and 52nd minutes, then let Levesque score a goal of his own in the final minutes as host Seattle posted a 3-1 victory over the MLS team in front of 3,589 fans at Qwest Field.

The Sounders advanced to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2003. They will play host to the Colorado Rapids, one of just three MLS sides remaining in the competition, on Aug. 7.

Frenchman Laurent Merlin scored his first goal for Chivas USA, opening the scoring on a strange play in the 16th minute. His shot deflected off Sounders defender Danny Jackson, bounding up and over Seattle goalkeeper Chris Eylander. Jackson suffered a bruised left heel on the play and had to leave the match 10 minutes later.

The combination of Levesque, an American from Maine with a French name, and Le Toux, a Frenchman, hooked up for the equalizer in the 44th. Levesque received the ball from Leighton O’Brien, passing up a potential shot and leaving it for Le Toux, who beat Chivas USA goalkeeper Preston Burpo.

Burpo, who starred for the Sounders for nine years before signing with Chivas USA last year, was victimized by his former team again in the 52nd, with O’Brien again starting the sequence. Levesque got a long ball from O’Brien, then touched it over to Le Toux, and the Frenchman finished for his fourth goal of this year’s Open Cup.

Twice, Levesque nearly tallied a third goal for Seattle. First, his blast from the right side was deflected out by Francisco Mendoza for a corner kick in the 66th. Three minutes later, Levesque’s header off a cross from second-half sub Greg Howes sailed over the crossbar.

Levesque finally got his goal in the 82nd, thanks to Le Toux. Josh Gardner blazed down the left side, beating his defender, and played a cross into the box. Le Toux, sitting on a hat trick, let the ball roll between his legs to Levesque, behind him all alone on the back side, and he had an easy finish for his first goal of this year’s competition.

Chivas USA ended up with the advantage in shots (14-8), but had few dangerous scoring chances. Eylander turned in a nice save on a header by Maykel Galindo, another former Sounders player, in the 34th minute, and made a diving stop on a shot in the 75th. Eylander and Burpo each finished with four saves on the night.

2007 US Open Cup Round 3: Carolina RailHawks eliminate defending champion Chicago Fire

July 15, 2007 by Aaron Stollar

A fourth MLS team has fallen in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The Carolina RailHawks eliminated the Chicago Fire, the defending Open Cup champions, 1-0 in front of a packed crowd at SAS Stadium in Cary, NC. In the 56th minute, McColm Cephas received a fortunate bounce just outside the penalty area, dribbled in and fired a low shot to the near post, past Fire backup goalkeeper Jon Busch. The RailHawks saw a brave performance from their own backup goalkeeper, John O’Hara, who held Chicago scoreless, despite not playing a single minute during the regular season.

The expansion RailHawks are led by head coach Scott Schweitzer, who helped lead the Rochester Rhinos of the A-League (now the USL First Division) to the 1999 US Open Cup championship. That Rhinos team defeated four MLS clubs on their way to the title.

The Chicago Fire have competed in the Open Cup every year since their inaugural season in 1998. This is only the third time that they have been eliminated by a team from the USL First Division, with all three of those losses coming in their first game of the competition, and all by a scoreline of 1-0. Schweitzer’s Rhinos beat them in 1999 and the second came in 2002 against the now-defunct Milwaukee Rampage.

Prior to the beginning of the Third Round, Carolina fans figured an upset over Chicago would earn them a date with David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy. However, the Richmond Kickers pulled off the upset and now the USL is guaranteed to have a representative in the Open Cup Semifinals. Carolina will host the Kickers at SAS Stadium on August 7 in the Quarterfinals.

2007 Third Round: City Islanders upset DC United in ‘Clash of the Capitals’

July 11, 2007 by

Steve Fisher will go down in the annals of Harrisburg City Islanders history as the man who gave the club their first victory over a Major League Soccer club. His goal in the 44th minute off a David Schofield corner kick that was the difference in Harrisburg’s 1-0 victory over DC United at Hempfield High School in Landisville, Pa. It was the first time that DC United had fallen to a Second Division side in the Open Cup, and only the third time that they have lost to a USL club at any level.

The 1996 US Open Cup champions fought valiantly in the second half, but a stalwart defense and the sure hands of Matt Nelson protected the lead and moved the City Islanders into the Quarterfinals in their first Open Cup appearance.

The match was the third meeting between the two clubs, but the first one that counted. United won the previous two games that were both exhibitions (billed as “The Clash of the Capitals”).

Their reward for the win is a road match with the New England Revolution. The good news is that they won’t have to travel all the way to Foxboro, because the Revs are hosting the next round at Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow, Mass. — the home of the Western Mass Pioneers.

2007 Third Round: Galactic upset! Richmond eliminate LA Galaxy 1-0

July 10, 2007 by

The Richmond Kickers pulled off the biggest upset in franchise history with a 1-0 win against Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy. David Bulow pounced on a mishandled corner kick in the 29th minute and the Kickers defense held the Galaxy off the scoresheet for the rest of the game in front of their home fans at University of Richmond Stadium.

The Kickers’ Ronnie Pascale made four saves, while Galaxy backup keeper Steve Cronin stopped three for the visitors.

This was the first victory over an MLS team since the Kickers joined the USL Second Division at the beginning of the 2006 season. As a member of the USL’s First Division (called the “A-League” until 2005), the Kickers defeated two MLS teams, the Colorado Rapids in the Second Round of the 2000 tournament, and DC United in the Fourth Round in 2004.

The defending Second Division champions, and winners of the 1995 US Open Cup, will move on to the next round to play the Carolina RailHawks, who upset their MLS opponent Chicago Fire also by a score of 1-0.

As a side note, for those of you paying attention to one of the subplots of this year’s tournament, this means that the chances of the Harrisburg City Islanders hosting a “dream game” involving the Los Angeles Galaxy and David Beckham are over. The City Islanders will be donating the money raised to the Harrisburg Department of Parks and Recreation.

2007 Third Round: Twellman, Ralston lead Revolution past Raging Rhinos

July 10, 2007 by

The New England Revolution and the Rochester Raging Rhinos met for the fourth time in the last five Open Cups and for the third time, the Revs escaped with a narrow victory. A Steve Ralston free kick in the first half and a 67th minute goal by Taylor Twellman put the MLS club up 2-0, but the Rhinos’ Hamed Diallo answered with goals in the 76th and the 85th minute to bring the game level. However, it was Taylor Twellman to the rescue with the game-winner in the 90th minute and Ralston with a penalty kick in stoppage time to put the game away at 4-2.

New England will move on to take on the Harrisburg City Islanders in the Quarterfinals.

2007 Third Round: Rapids roll into Round of 8 with 3-1 victory over California

July 10, 2007 by

Jose Cancela and Herculez Gomez each put up a goal and an assist to lead the Colorado Rapids into the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup for the fourth time in six years with a 3-1 win over the USL First Division’s California Victory.

Cancela opened up the scoring in the 22nd minute on a free kick, then assisted on Gomez’ tally shortly after halftime. After Juan Epitie brought the Victory to within a goal in the 79th minute, Omar Cummings provided the final goal in the 89th minute off an assist from Gomez, making his first start for Colorado since returning from Venezuela following the US National Team’s exit from Copa America, in which he played two matches.

Colorado will hit the road to face the Seattle Sounders in the Quarterfinals on August 7. Since their run to the US Open Cup final in 1999, the Rapids have not made it past the Quarterfinal stage, falling to the Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas) in 2002, eventual champion Chicago Fire in 2003, and the Los Angeles Galaxy last year.

2007 Third Round: Battery upset Dynamo on PK rebound in extra time

July 10, 2007 by

In a hard-fought match at Blackbaud Stadium, the Charleston Battery eliminated the Houston Dynamo 1-0 with a goal in extra time by Stephen Armstrong.

Houston goalkeeper Zach Wells, who bailed out the Dynamo on several occasions, saved the penalty kick by Armstrong in the 106th minute, but Armstrong crashed the net and buried the rebound. It was the fourth win by the Battery over an MLS team in their franchise history (1999 – DC United, 2001 – Metrostars, 2004 – Metrostars).

With the win, the Battery will host FC Dallas for the second year in a row, this time in the Quarterfinals. The game will be a rematch of the thrilling Fourth Round game from last season where Kenny Cooper scored the equalizer, his third goal of the game, in the final minute of extra time to send the 3-3 game into penalties. Dallas would prevail in the shootout, 5-3.

2007 US Open Cup Round 3: FC Dallas reaches Quarterfinals with PK win over Atlanta Silverbacks

July 9, 2007 by Aaron Stollar

FC Dallas needed six rounds of penalty kicks to finish off the USL First Division’s Atlanta Silverbacks at Pizza Hut Park in a Third Round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match. The two teams finished regulation tied 1-1 and after 30 minutes of scoreless extra time, the home team moved on to the Quarterfinals with 4-3 shootout win.

Carlos Ruiz of Dallas scored the opening goal on a counterattack in the 74th minute on an assist by goalkeeper Dario Sala. This marked just the third time in the US Open Cup’s Modern Era that a goalkeeper earned an assist.

Four minutes later, Atlanta’s Dan Antoniuk tied the game up on an assist by David Hayes, however, four minutes from then Antoniuk would exit the game he helped save. The team’s leading scorer was sent off in the 82nd minute, leaving the Silverbacks a man short for the remainder of the match.

Despite being shorthanded, Atlanta managed to keep Dallas off the scoresheet for the remainder of regulation and extra time. Ryan McIntosh of Atlanta, and Dario Sala of FC Dallas both made big saves throughout the match, but it came down to a shootout where Silverbacks midfielder Scott Buethe missed high in Round 6, and Arturo Alvarez converted to send the MLS side through to the next round.

PK Shotout Summary
ATL 1 – Rios (Goal)
DAL 1 – Ruiz – (Goal)
ATL 2 – Moore – (Save)
DAL 2 – Richetti – (Save)
ATL 3 – O’Brien – (Wide Left)
DAL 3 – Toja – (Save)
ATL 4 – Rivillo – (Goal)
DAL 4 – Gbandi – (Goal)
ATL 5 – Hayes – (Goal)
DAL 5 – Thompson – (Goal)
ATL 6 – Buete – (High)
DAL 6 – Alvarez – (Goal)

Lineups

Atlanta’s starters: Ryan McIntosh, David Hayes, Matt Bobo, Martyn Lancaster, Justin Moore, Rodrigo Rios, Tony McManus, Scott Buete, Rafique Hassim (John Queeley – 66) (Angel Rivillo – 114), Daniel Antoniuk, Warren Ukah (Corey Woolfolk – 74) (Dayton O’Brien – 119).
Goals: Antoniuk – 78 (Hayes)
Cautions: McManus – 72; Rios – 82; Lancaster – 92; Bobo- 96
Ejections: Antoniuk – 82

Dallas’ starters: Dario Sala, Chris Gbandi, Pablo Richetti, Juan Toja, Ramon Nunez (Dominic Oduruo – 69), Clarence Goodson (David Wagenfuhr – 113), Arturo Alvarez, Drew Moor (Abe Thompson – 91), Aaron Pitchkolan, Bobby Rhine (Michael Dello-Russo – 117), Carlos Ruiz.
Goals: Ruiz – 74 (Sala)
Cautions:
Ejections: