Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2009 Third Round

2009 Third Round recap: Portland, Seattle renew rivalry, Houston face Battery (again)

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2009 US Open Cup Third Round
(Home team listed on right)
June 30
Columbus Crew 1:1 Rochester Rhinos
Rochester advance on PKs 5-3
Chicago Fire 0:1 Wilmington Hammerheads
Harrisburg City Islanders 2:1 (aet) New England Revolution
Ocean City Barons 0:2 DC United
Chivas USA 1:3 Charleston Battery
Kansas City Wizards 3:3 Minnesota Thunder
Kansas City advance on PKs 4-2
July 1
Houston Dynamo 2:0 Austin Aztex
Seattle Sounders 2:1 Portland Timbers

Player of the Round: Randi Patterson
Notable upsets in Third Round history
Things you should know about the Third Round

The underdogs of the United Soccer Leagues ruled on day one of the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, but the Seattle Sounders and the Houston Dynamo each earned wins on Wednesday to level the tournament with four MLS teams and four USL teams in the Quarterfinals. The draw for the next round dictates that for the second year in a row, the USL will have at least one team in the Semifinals.

The Houston Dynamo defeated the Austin Aztex 2-0 on Wednesday to set up a date with the Charleston Battery next Tuesday at Blackbaud Stadium. This will be the third year in a row that the Battery and the Dynamo square off in the Open Cup with Charleston eliminating Houston in both years.

Later that night, the Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders renewed their rivalry in front of a sold-out PGE Park in Portland, Ore. The more than 16,000 fans in attendance was the fourth largest attendance (Source: Kenn.com) during the Professional Era (1995 – present) and a modern era first for the Timbers.

The biggest upsets of the night came from USL Second Division clubs. In New Britain, Conn., the Harrisburg City Islanders defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 in extra time. Ahead 1-0, the Revs allowed the game-tying goal after losing a player to injury after having used all of its substitutions. Another New England player left near the end of full time due to injury, leaving the MLS side with just nine men. The City Isles took advantage and scored the game-winning goal in extra time.

In Wilmington, the USL-2 Hammerheads edged out the four-time Cup champion Chicago Fire 1-0. TheCup.us Player of the Second Round Kenny Bundy scored the deciding goal in the 37th minute to give Wilmington just their second win over an MLS foe in Open Cup play. With Rochester winning their penalty kick tiebreaker over the Columbus Crew after a 1-1 draw, the two clubs will meet in the quarterfinals, assuring the USL of at least one club in the Semifinals for the third year in a row.

2009 US Open Cup Round 3: Rivalry thrives across league lines; record crowd watches Sounders edge Timbers

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Nate Jaqua celebrates Roger Levesque's goal with Sebastien Le Toux
Nate Jaqua celebrates Roger Levesque’s goal with Sebastien Le Toux | Photo: Seattle Sounders F.C.

In the most anticipated US Open Cup non-Final game in years, the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers met at PGE Park in front of 16,382 fans, the largest non-doubleheader, non-final game in the Modern Era (1995-present) of Open Cup history; many of them were traveling from Seattle to watch their team play their longtime Cascadia rivals. Those traveling fans were treated to a 2-1 Sounders win in the Rose City, giving them a 2-1 edge all-time in the Open Cup.

The Sounders started right out of the gate only 48 seconds in as Roger Levesque, who could be considered the most hated player on the team by Timbers fans, put home a diving header from Sanna Nyassi to give Seattle the early lead. Later, in the 27th minute, Stephen King receives a pass from Nate Jaqua and makes the most of it, blasting it inside the far post to give the Sounders a 2-0 lead.

The Timbers, however, wouldn’t go down without a fight. Mere minutes before half, in the 43rd, Mandjou Keita finds a pass from David Hayes in the box and volleys it past Sounders keeper (and former Timber) Kasey Keller to pull Portland within one.

Portland had plenty of chances in the second half to try and equalize, but it wasn’t to be. Seattle one-ups its rival 2-1 at PGE Park to move on to the Quarterfinals, where they will take on the Kansas City Wizards next Tuesday at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: SEATTLE SOUNDERS VS. PORTLAND TIMBERS

2009 Third Round: Houston Dynamo earn first win since 2006, beating Aztex 2-0

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Match Reports: Houston Chronicle | HoustonDynamo.com | Austin Statesman
Photos: Austin Statesman
Nelson Field – Austin, Texas
0
FT
 2
       
71’ Corey Ashe
90’ Dominic Oduro (Corey Ashe)

The Houston Dynamo placed Major League Soccer back on track in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-0 victory over the Austin Aztex at Nelson Field in Austin. The win comes a day after MLS suffered four upset losses to USL opponents, with the other two receiving scares from lower division teams.

After 71 minutes of scoreless soccer, Corey Ashe scored the game-winner, putting in a rebound off of a John Michael Hayden free kick. Dominic Oduro finished the match with a volley in the 90th minute to secure the victory for the Dynamo.

Houston maintained the majority of possession throughout the match, forcing seven corners against Austin in the first thirty minutes and totaling eighteen shots, seven of which were on frame.

Austin were unable to find a rhythm and never troubled goalkeeper Tally Hall, who earned his first start, win and clean sheet as a member of the Dynamo.

The win was the first Open Cup victory since Houston’s inaugural season in 2006 when they won a pair of games and advanced to the Semifinals. By eliminating the Aztex, it was the first time Houston had knocked off a team from the USL First Division.

The Houston Dynamo now move on to face the Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, SC on Tuesday, July 7. These two teams will meet for the third consecutive tournament, with Charleston advancing in extra time in 2007 and by way of the penalty kick shootout in 2008.

2009 Third Round: Battery make history with win; Chivas USA’s Open Cup misery continues

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Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, SC | 7:30 p.m.
Match Reports: Charleston | Chivas | Post and Courier | LA Times
3
FT
 1
Randi Patterson 9’, 45’+
Tsuyoshi Yoshitake 90’+		       28’ Jesse Marsch

The Charleston Battery reach the Quarterfinals by defeating Chivas USA 3-1 at Blackbaud Stadium. For the Battery, they become the first USL team to reach the round of eight three consecutive years. The first of Randi Patterson’s two goals came in the 9th minute, when a failed Jim Curtin clearance landed in front of him. He volleyed it into the net to give Charleston the early 1-0 lead. However, in the 28th minute, a Sasha Victorine’s cross to Jesse Marsch equalized the game for Chivas USA.

That would be as close as they would get in their attempt to win their first Open Cup game since 2005.Randi Patterson scored his second goal mere seconds before the halftime whistle as he received a pass beyond the Chivas back line. He then proceeded to bend it past goalkeeper Lance Parker to give the Battery a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Charleston closed out the victory in second half stoppage time as Tsuyoshi Yoshitake finished a spectacular volley from 25 yards out.

Chivas USA continues to struggle in the US Open Cup, losing their fifth straight Cup match. Since their inaugural season in 2005, they have a tournament record of 1-4-1, with the draw ending in a historic shootout loss to Dallas Roma FC of the USASA. Their only win came in their first Open Cup game in the Third Round of 2005 when they scored the game-winning goal in the 120th minute of extra time to beat the Charlotte Eagles of the USL Second Division. 

Charleston moves on to the Quarterfinals next week to play the Houston Dynamo at Blackbaud Stadium. The game on July 7 will be the third consecutive tournament where the two clubs will have met with Charleston winning the first two (one in extra time, the other in penalty kicks).

2009 Third Round: DC United gets a scare, but gets past PDL’s Ocean City Barons

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Maryland Soccerplex – Boyds, MD | 7:30 p.m.
2
FT
 0

Christian Gomez (PK) 74’
Ange N’Silu 90’+
        

Defending US Open Cup Champion DC United needed to put in a bit more work than they may have liked, but they eventually stopped the upset bid of the PDL’s Ocean City Barons with a 2-0 win at Boyds, Maryland.

18-year old Kevin Curran of the Ocean City Barons (right) defends against D.C. United's Boyzzz Khumalo. Photo: Bill Pellegrino
18-year old Kevin Curran of the Ocean City Barons (right) defends against DC United's Boyzzz Khumalo. Photo: Bill Pellegrino

Several key United injuries limited manager Tom Soehn’s lineup options, but he still chose to rest a few of the remaining regulars. However, DC were forced to use three of them as substitutes as the score continued to sit at 0-0 in the second half. One of those subs, Christian Gomez, converted a penalty kick in the 74th minute when Barons goalkeeper Tunde Ogunbiyi fouled Ange N’Silu inside the penalty area. Gomez stepped to the spot and converted past Ogunbiyi to finally give United a 1-0 lead.

In the final minutes of the game, the Barons nearly grabbed the equalizer. First the Barons Kyle Miller wound up on the ground in the penalty area with pressure from DC’s Marc Burch, but the referee allowed play to continue. The ball came right back in the box, and a header from Leon Brown forced United goalkeeper Milos Kocic to make a diving block.

After surviving several Baron’s corner kicks in the final minute, DC hammered the nail in the coffin when N’Silu scored off a rebound from Ogunbiyi’s save a free kick from Burch.

DC United will now play the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division in the Quarterfinals on July 7.

HIGHLIGHTS

 FANS TRAVEL TO SUPPORT BARONS VS. D.C. UNITED

 

2009 Third Round: Wizards need penalty kicks to survive extra time thriller with Minnesota Thunder

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National Sports Center – Blaine, Minn. | 8:35 p.m.
3
AET
 3
Kansas City advances on PKs 4-2
Ricardo Sanchez 41’ (PK), 83’ (PK)
Melvin Tarley 115’
      
17’ Michael Kraus
19’ Abe Thompson (PK)
105’+ Rauwshan McKenzie
Penalty Kick Summary
Jonathan Greenfield – GOAL       GOAL – Claudio Lopez
Ricardo Sanchez – GOAL       GOAL – Josh Wolff
Jeremiah Bass – SAVED       GOAL – Abe Thompson
Dale Weiler – SAVED       GOAL – Herculez Gomez

The nightcap of the first day of the Third Round turned out to be arguably the most exciting of them all. Six goals, including two in extra time, weren’t enough to settle this battle between the Kansas City Wizards and the Minnesota Thunder, so in penalties, the Wizards emerged triumphant as Boris Pardo made two saves to lead Kansas City to the Quarterfinals.

Kansas City started off the game in fantastic fashion, as Michael Kraus opened the scoring in the 17th minute off a cross from Roger Espinoza. Just two minutes later, Kraus was taken down in the penalty area to give the Wizards a spot kick, which Abe Thompson converts to give KC a two-goal lead.

Minnesota fought their way back into the game with a pair of penalty kicks of their own. First, in the 41st minute, a player was taken down in the box, giving Ricardo Sanchez the opportunity to pull the Thunder within one, which he did. Then, in the 83rd, Kurt Morsink pulled down Melvin Tarley in the box to give the Thunder another kick from the spot. Once again, Sanchez put the ball past Pardo to tie the game at 2-2.

In extra time, just before the end of the first 15-minute session, Rauwshan McKenzie took advantage of a failed keeper clearance off a Claudio Lopez corner kick, using his momentum to put the ball in at the back post and give the Wizards the 3-2 lead. But the Thunder wouldn’t go down easy. Tarley received a long ball past the back line and chipped it over a charging Pardo to tie the game in the 115th minute. As if three penalty kicks weren’t enough, it would take quite a few more to settle the score as 120 minutes decided nothing.

Kansas City and Minnesota each converted their first two penalty kicks, but that’s when the similarities finally ended. Abe Thompson converted the third kick for the Wizards, but Jeremiah Bass places a ball to his left, which is easily saved by Pardo. Herculez Gomez converted the fourth kick for the Wizards, which left it all up to Dale Weiler for the Thunder to stay alive. Weiler kicked the ball on the opposite side, to the right, but once again, Pardo was there to make the stop, which gave the Wizards the win.

Kansas City moves on to the Quarterfinals next week to take on the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer.

2009 Third Round: Wilmington Hammerheads become first USL-2 team to upset Chicago Fire

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Legion Stadium – Wilmington, NC | 7 p.m.
 1
FT
 0
Kenny Bundy 37’
        

The Wilmington Hammerheads beat an MLS team for the first time since 2003 (Dallas Burn) to advance to the Quarterfinals for the first time since that same year. They defeated the Chicago Fire by a scoreline of 1-0 at Legion Stadium in Wilmington, North Carolina. The loss marked the first time in franchise history that the Fire, a four-time US Open Cup champion,  have been eliminated from the tournament by a USL Second Division team.

After being named TheCup.us Player of the Second Round, Kenny Bundy once again led the Hammerheads to victory, this time, on a 37th minute goal. He received a pass from across goal from Tim Karalexis and he placed it by Chicago keeper Andrew Dykstra to give his team the 1-0 lead.

The Fire had plenty of chances in the second half to tie the game, but it wasn’t meant to be. A Stefen Dimitrov header in the 73rd minute sailed right, the ball rolled past an empty net in the 81st minute with no one around to put it home, and Wilmington defenders stepped up big in the 86th minute by blocking three consecutive shots to back up their keeper, Daryl Sattler, who had come off his line to defend a shot.

The Hammerheads move on to play the Rochester Rhinos in the Quarterfinals next week in Rochester, New York.

2009 Third Round: Rhinos need PKs to knock out defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew

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Marina Auto Stadium – Rochester, N.Y. | 7 p.m.
1
AET
 1
Rochester advances on PKs 5-3
Ty Harden 32’
       37’ Duncan Oughton
Penalty Kick Summary
Darren Kenton – GOAL      
GOAL – Emmanuel Ekpo
Mauricio Salles – GOAL       GOAL – Alejandro Moreno
Andrew Gregor – GOAL       SAVED – Duncan Oughton
Kenney Bertz – GOAL       GOAL – Jason Garey
Ryan Heins – GOAL        

It took an extra hour to kick off the game due to lightning, but it was worth the wait. The Rochester Rhinos of the USL First Division defeated Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew 5-3 on penalty kicks, after a 1-1 draw in regulation.

In the third all-time meeting (1-1-1) between the clubs in the US Open Cup, Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum was tested early and often as the Rhinos bombarded him with shots in the first half. In the 32nd minute, Rochester would finally break through as Ty Harden, on a month-long loan from the Colorado Rapids, received a cross from Johnny Menyongar and put home the opening goal of the match. Just 5 minutes later, Columbus would respond. Veteran and New Zealand native Duncan Oughton put in a volley through two defenders and past Rhinos keeper Tim Melia to tie the game at one.

In the 55th minute, the Rhinos got a huge break as Ryan Heins was fouled in the box, earning a penalty kick for Rochester. Andrew Gregor took the kick, but Gruenebaum was up to the task and made the crucial save for Columbus. No one would break the tie through the rest of regulation and both extra time periods, sending the game into a penalty kick tiebreaker.

Rochester would make their first three penalty kicks, but then the Crew’s third wouldn’t end so well. Duncan Oughton’s shot was deflected, then recovered on the rebound, by Melia. Ryan Heins would go on to put home the winning goal for the Rhinos, who now move on to host the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL Second Division in the Quarterfinals.

2009 Third Round: City Islanders need extra time to upset shorthanded Revolution

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Veterans Stadium – New Britain, CT | 7 p.m.
1
AET
 2

Jeff Larentowicz 38’
      
Mo Oduor 67’
Geoff Bloes 105’

Steve Nicol is probably wishing he could have his three substitutions back. It could’ve been questioned why the Revolution head coach made all three changes at the start of the second half, and it certainly backfired as two injuries left New England down to nine men. They could only stand and watch as the Harrisburg City Islanders took the game over with a 2-1 upset win in extra time.

A Jeff Larentowicz free kick goal in the 38th minute gave the Revolution the lead, which they took to the break. Then, with all three subs made at the half, Kheli Dube went down with an ankle injury in the 63rd minute. The Revs were forced to play the rest of regulation with only 10 men. Harrisburg would capitalize as Mo Oduor headed home a cross to tie the game 1-1 in the 67th minute.

As if that wasn’t enough for New England, Michael Vidiera suffered a thigh injury in the 81st minute, leaving them with only nine players. Being short two players with no substitutions available hurt them immensely as they went into extra time. The City Islanders ultimately took the win on a scrappy goal from Geoff Bloes in the 105th minute, just as the first period of extra time was ending.

Harrisburg moves on to play DC United at the Maryland SoccerPlex in the Quarterfinals next week.

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