Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

US Open Cup final glory for US Soccer legend Kasey Keller

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Check out the special Keller and Sounders wallpapers on our blog, Extra Time

Nearly a month after winning an historic third consecutive Lamar Hunt US Open Cup trophy, the career of former US goalkeeper Kasey Keller came to a heartbreaking end as the Seattle Sounders were unable to make up a three-goal deficit in the second round of the MLS Cup playoffs Wednesday evening.

The 2-0 victory on the night, 3-2 loss on aggregate to RSL, came before a crowd of 36,052 on a cool, rainy night at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, WA. Just over two weeks ago, the club and community nearly sold out the NFL venue with an exuberant crowd of 64,140 that came out to celebrate Keller’s career, which helped bring immediate success on the field to the young MLS franchise in its first three seasons.

Over the past three US Open Cup tournaments Keller was the co-leader in matches played among goalkeepers with Ronnie Pascale (Richmond Kickers), seeing action in nine games. He played, however, 30 more minutes and had an unbeaten 8-0-1 record as the club won the three titles, allowing just six goals in 870 minutes. He had an unblemished 7-0-0 record versus MLS opposition, allowing four goals in 660 minutes. Keller never allowed more than one goal in any game in his nine starts.

He was honored as TheCup.us 2009 Player of the Tournament in his return to the professional game in the United States. Keller began his professional career with FC Portland during the 1989 Western Soccer Alliance (later A-League / USL First Division), where he was honored as league MVP, but would spend the remainder of his career abroad with Millwall (England), Leicester City (England), Rayo Vallecano (Spain), Tottenham (England), Borussia Monchengladbach (Germany) and Fulham (England).

Special TheCup.us Kasey Keller & Seattle Sounders Wallpapers [+]

Although Keller only lifted the Open Cup trophy while with Seattle, his career was not without other esteemed moments. He played in over 100 games for the US National Team, winning three CONCACAF Gold Cups and earning US Soccer Athlete of the Year honors on three occasions. While abroad, he helped Leicester City win the 1996-97 Football League Cup (now Carling Cup) tournament.

Although Keller only played two games in his final Open Cup campaign, he went a perfect 180 minutes without allowing a goal as the Sounders blanked fellow CONCACAF Champions League side FC Dallas in the Semifinals, 1-0, and the four-time tournament champion Chicago Fire, 2-0, in the Final. Keller’s netminding proved critical in all three tournaments as the two-goal championship victory in 2011 marked only second time the team won by more than one goal in his nine appearances. He was victorious by one goal on six occasions and needed a penalty shootout to break a draw in the other.

Though he will not be with the club next spring, Keller also helped propel the Sounders into the Quarterfinals of the Champions League, marking the furthest point any representative as Open Cup champion has progressed in the four editions of the current format.

Kasey Keller’s US Open Cup Game Log

Rd Date Opponent League Min Score Result Note
R3 7/1/2009 @ Portland Timbers USL-1 90 2-1 W
QF 7/7/2009 Kansas City Wizards MLS 90 1-0 W
SF 7/21/2009 Houston Dynamo MLS 120 2-1 W Overtime
F 9/2/2009 @ DC United MLS 90 2-1 W
R3 6/30/2010 @ Portland Timbers USSFD2 120 1-1 D W 4-3 in PK, 2 saves
SF 9/1/2010 Chivas USA MLS 90 3-1 W
F 10/5/2010 Columbus Crew MLS 90 2-1 W
SF 8/30/2011 FC Dallas MLS 90 1-0 W
F 10/4/2011 Chicago Fire MLS 90 2-0 W

Seattle Sounders’ Fredy Montero named 2011 TheCup.us Player of the Tournament

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When it comes to Seattle Sounders striker Fredy Montero, Player of the Tournament may be an understatement. The 24-year-old Colombian received the honor from TheCup.us following his performance in the 2011 US Open Cup tournament in which he helped lead Seattle to a third consecutive championship, scoring game-winners in the last three games.

Three for Fredy: Montero poses with the 3 cups after scoring 3 winners in 3 games played (Photo: Gerald Barnhart)

Teammate Osvaldo Alonso and the Richmond Kickers duo of David Bulow and Ronnie Pascale were finalists for the 2011 TheCup.us Player of the Tournament with Montero.

The award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week. The panel previously honored Alonso, Pascale, and Bulow as TheCup.us Players of the Round, along with Dominic Oduro (Chicago Fire), Mike Fucito (Seattle) and Zach Lubin (Kitsap Pumas).

After an opening half of a season in which Montero struggled to find the back of the net, Fredy seemed to awaken around the US Open Cup. He has scored the game-winning goal in all three tournament games he has played in, and has found more success across all competitions in the past month, starting with the lone goal in the 1-0 Semifinal win against FC Dallas.

After watching a largely reserve squad advance past a feisty Kitsap Pumas side in the Third Round, Montero became a pivotal part of the Sounders’ Open Cup attack. In the Quarterfinal contest against fellow CONCACAF Champions League side and league-leading Los Angeles Galaxy, he tallied what proved to be the winner in the 25th minute to give the club a two-goal advantage at the time, as the Sounders prevailed 3-1.

The Quarterfinal contest was the first spark for Montero as he caught fire in the second half of the campaign. He scored in both regular season contests on either side of the match.

Unfortunately, he hit another drought that he put well behind him, starting with the Semifinal match against FC Dallas. Scoreless since July 16, he notched the lone tally in an August 30 victory, 1-0, over another Champions League side five minutes before halftime.

While awaiting the Open Cup Final, Montero went on to score in the next two matches, tallying the lone goal in a regular season loss to Real Salt Lake, and netting both strikes in a 2-1 road victory in Costa Rica against Herediano. He added four more goals in league play, scoring twice in Vancouver in a 3-1 win, and twice more at New England in a 2-1 victory. He provided the winner in both contests.

Three days after the victory over the Revolution in which Montero led the rally, he tallied his fifth game-winning goal in just over a month, breaking the deadlocked championship match against the Fire. His 77th minute winner proved enough as Seattle went on to win their MLS-record third consecutive Open Cup title, with Alonso scoring in the final seconds of stoppage time.

While Montero’s 2011 US Open Cup performance may go down as one of his best of his career, his Open Cup success certainly did not start July 13 versus the Galaxy. Montero played in all four 2009 Open Cup contests for Seattle. He scored the opening goal in the 2-1 road victory against DC United in the team’s first championship as an MLS club, earning TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

Last year, Montero helped the club escape an early round exit in Portland, converting from the spot during the penalty kick tiebreaker as the team advanced 4-3 after a 1-1 draw. He missed the Quarterfinal versus LA, but tallied the game-winner against Chivas USA in the 3-1 Semifinal decision. He went on to start in Seattle’s second championship win, downing Columbus Crew for the 2010 repeat.

With four game-winning goals in his last five US Open Cup matches played, Montero has vaulted into a rarified statistical group in the modern professional era (1995-present) of the tournament, joining five others for second on the career game-winning Open Cup goal list. He and Tomas Boltnar, David Bulow, Paul Conway, Herculez Gomez and Abe Thompson all trail Matthew Delicate, who leads with five. Gomez is the only other player among the seven with a game-winner in a Final. Only 20 other players have a tally of three Open Cup game-winners for their career.

Not surprisingly, Montero is the third consecutive Sounder to be selected as TheCup.us Player of the Tournament. Nate Jaqua earned the honor a year ago after being named Player of the Round twice. Kasey Keller, who is retiring after the season, was the recipient in 2009. Chris Eylander earned the honor in 2008 as a member of the Sounders’ final USL side. Current Sounder Pat Noonan was honored in 2007 as a member of the champion New England Revolution, and Chicago’s Andy Herron was the first honoree in 2006.

2011 US Open Cup: Finalists for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament unveiled

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The top four finalists for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament (from top left, clockwise): Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders), Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders), Ronnie Pascale (Richmond Kickers) and David Bulow (Richmond Kickers)

The 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament will undoubtedly go down in history with the Seattle Sounders and Richmond Kickers as the leading stories. Both clubs made history, resulting in two players from each club as the four finalists for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament honors. The duo of Osvaldo Alonso and Fredy Montero are up for the award from the champion Sounders and David Bulow and Ronnie Pascale are in the running from Richmond.

The award, to be announced Thursday, October 13, is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week. The panel previously honored Alonso, Pascale, Bulow as TheCup.us Players of the Round along with Dominic Oduro (Chicago Fire), Mike Fucito (Seattle) and Zach Lubin (Kitsap Pumas).

Also receiving votes for the honor were Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson and Pumas netminder Bryan Meredith.

Alonso, Player of the Round for the Final, started in all four matches of Seattle’s historic run to the championship, leading the team defensively along the way and capping it off with a goal in stoppage time of the 2-0 championship against Chicago. Leo Gonzalez was the only other Sounder to start all four contests while Jeff Parke and Mike Fucito were the only two others to see action in all four games.

Montero scored the game-winning goal in each of the last three contests in guiding the Sounders to the historic championship, also topping in addition to the Fire, fellow league Champions League sides Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds.

Bulow finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with six goals, becoming the career leading in US Open Cup goals in the modern professional era (1995-present) with 14. With a hat-trick in the First Round, two goals in the Second he tied Johnny Menyongar and MLS great Jaime Moreno at 13. He notched the table-leading goal in a 2-0 Quarterfinal win against Sporting Kansas City.

The venerable Pascale added yet another accolade to his fantastic lower division career, earning Player of the Round honors in leading Richmond to the shutout win in Kansas City. The victory made the Kickers the first lower division club to win back-to-back road games versus MLS opposition in the history of the tournament.

Osvaldo Alonso leads Seattle Sounders to 2011 US Open Cup title, earns TheCup.us Player of the Round honor

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Osvaldo Alonso (center) celebrates his third straight US Open Cup trophy with Seattle Sounders teammates Lamar Neagle (left) and Fredy Montero (right). Photo: Gerald Barnhart | TheCup.us

The American Dream. That is something that most Americans whose families have been in the United States for generations take for granted. In 2007, Osvaldo Alonso defected while playing for the Cuban National Team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup. On Tuesday, he helped lead the Seattle Sounders to a historic third consecutive US Open Cup trophy, setting an American soccer record as an individual player and earning TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

The award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week. Alonso was challenged for the award by teammates Fredy Montero and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.

With the Sounders leading and running out the clock in stoppage time, Alonso put the cap on the match with a fantastic goal six minutes into the additional play, driving through the Fire defense at the edge of the box and creating an open goal for a euphoric conclusion for a record crowd of 35,615 at CenturyLink Field.

It was a perfect finish for a record-setting night for Alonso, who became the first player in the modern professional era of the tournament (1995-present) to play in four consecutive US Open Cup championship games. He has yet to miss the tournament final since his career in US soccer began with the Charleston Battery in 2008.

In fact, in order to get to his first US Open Cup Final, Alonso helped lead the Battery past the USL-1 Sounders in the 2008 Semifinals. It was a quixotic start to the historic run as Seattle’s goal in the 1-1 draw came courtesy of an Alonso own goal in the 20th minute with Charleston’s Randi Patterson equalizing in the 32nd. Alonso would redeem himself by converting his penalty kick in the tiebreaker as the Battery advanced 4-3 to the Final, where they fell in a close contest to DC United, 2-1.

Alonso is one of a dozen players that have played in four US Open Cup championships, a list led by Andy Williams, Tyrone Marshall and Peter Vagenas with five appearances. He tops the list though in consecutive finals played, a ledger where behind him are six players that have played in three straight championships. With their third appearances, his Seattle teammates Kasey Keller, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero and James Riley joined former Richmond Kickers 1995 champions Brian Kamler and Richie Williams, who both went on to play in the next two finals with DC United.

As a defensive midfielder Alonso often goes unheralded. When his American career began in 2008 his compatriot Maykel Galindo, who defected during the 2005 Gold Cup, was the more talked about Cuban in MLS courtesy of his goal scoring exploits.

The path of the two players, not surprising due to their backgrounds, intertwines and has coincidences. Both were forced to begin their careers in the USL First Division. Despite a trial and developmental contract offer with Galindo’s Chivas USA, Alonso opted for the potential for more playing time with the Battery. The move proved wise as he was named the team MVP as well as the league’s Rookie of the Year. Even better, his performance was seen up close in the Open Cup Semifinal meeting and league campaign by the then USL-1 Seattle Sounders, the club that gave Galindo his professional start for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. That led to a transfer that sent Alonso to the northwest in January of 2009.

At the time, Battery coach Mike Anhseuser wished his player well in the future, perhaps underestimating exactly how well he would do. “This is a fantastic opportunity for Osvaldo to expand his career at the next level. We would have loved to keep him but understand the economics for both parties. We wish him all the best and are hopeful that he will bring success to Seattle Sounders F.C.”

That hope was not only realized, but one could argue that the Cuban international and American soccer record holder Osvaldo Alonso has achieved the American Dream.

2011 TheCup.us Player of the Round winners

Round 1: Zach Lubin – Kitsap Pumas
Round 2: David Bulow – Richmond Kickers
Round 3: Michael Fucito – Seattle Sounders
Quarterfinals: Ronnie Pascale – Richmond Kickers
Semifinals: Dominic Oduro – Chicago Fire
Final: Osvaldo Alonso – Seattle Sounders

Player of the Tournament: TBA

2011 US Open Cup Final: Seattle Sounders smother Fire, earn historic three-peat in front of record crowd

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Three-peat. That special status is something new in Major League Soccer circles. The Seattle Sounders Tuesday night at CenturyLink Field defeated the Chicago Fire 2-0 on a pair of late goals from Fredy Montero and Osvaldo Alonso to become the first team since 1969 to conclude a third straight US Open Cup championship. They also became the first team in MLS history to win three consecutive titles in any event, including MLS Cup.

A year ago Seattle became the first MLS club to defend a championship in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, an event named after one of the league’s founders, downing the Columbus Crew, 2-1, in front of a then record crowd of 31,311 fans. They topped themselves for a new record attendance by opening more of the stadium, reaching 35,615 – a total that also surpasses eight of the 15 MLS Cup Finals.

In MLS play there has been two Supporters’ Shield repeats and only two teams have won back-to-back MLS Cups. Like MLS newcomers Seattle, DC United famously won the first two MLS Cup trophies in league history in 1996 and 1997 before falling to the Chicago Fire in the third consecutive championship appearance in 1998. DC is also one of the two clubs to win two Shields in a row, claiming the league’s regular season title in 2006 and 2007. Columbus followed them with the next two. The Houston Dynamo won two MLS Cups in a row in 2005-06.

“We always wanted to be the first. Sigi talked about it a lot,” said General Manager Adrian Hanauer after the match before a jubilant crowd about becoming the first MLS side to win three straight Open Cup titles.

“Three in a row is a tremendous accomplishment, and to have two of them here at home – unbelievable. Another record crowd here at CenturyLink Field, which we are kind of getting used to that,” said Kasey Keller, who is retiring after the season with a historic finish to his career.

But after the game tonight, history did not seem to be enough for a Sounders squad that still has three regular season games, the MLS Cup playoffs and CONCACAF Champions League, which resumes with Quarterfinals next spring after one more group contest, remaining.

“We still got more to come. You know, we got one more cup to win this year,” added Keller, who has missed out on winning the league championship since returning to the United States to play.

Defender Jeff Parke picked up on that sentiment. “We’re here and we are ready to go,” he said in reference to other MLS playoff teams looking their way. We still have some things to work on. Tonight is just a great night,” he said, adding that after a day off Wednesday the team will be right back at preparing for the postseason.

“This is my second year here. The team now has been knocked out in the first round the past two years and we want to do something special here. We want to win the cup and make it past the first round obviously. These guys are finding it inside them and they are willing to do whatever it takes and it’s starting to show on the field. We are gearing up for the MLS Cup hopefully.”

An MLS Cup title would further the team’s history-making campaign as only three other clubs have captured the double in the MLS era. DC accomplished the feat in the inaugural MLS season, Chicago won both in its expansion 1998 outing and the Galaxy were the last to do so in 2005.

History took quite some time to make though. Despite a frenzied start, both teams had good free kick chances in the first two minutes, starting a back-and-forth affair with many eye-opening moments. There was certainly no typical feeling out period that often comes in the sport, especially in momentous occasions.

After a frenetic first 10 minutes, the match began to turn physical, resulting in a Patrick Nyarko yellow card for a tough tackle along the touchline on Alonso. After the first half-hour though, the balance of play swayed in favor of the home club, as the Sounders began to take control of possession and slow the match down slightly.

The first moment that those in attendance will remember on the historic night came just as the first half was coming to a close. Montero, who scored the lone g

Fredy Montero raises the Open Cup trophy amidst the post-game celebrations

oal in the Semifinal win versus FC Dallas, acquired the ball and beat Parvel Pardo while driving in toward the penalty arc. He would let loose a 20-yard effort that whispered past the fingertips of a diving Sean Johnson, only to smack squarely into the left post. The immense crowd was still in disbelief moments later when the whistle sounded for the break.

Eight minutes into the second half it looked again as though history was about to happen when Erik Friberg, on the left side, headed the ball in to Mike Fucito, who flicked the ball over Johnson on an acute angle. The ball bounced several times along the goalline with defenders chasing, bouncing off the inside of the far post and out.

The on-field silence – since there was still plenty of noise from a stadium filled with a raucous crowd – was broken in the 78th minute. Friberg delivered a corner into the box that found the head of Parke, who nodded it straight down and forced Johnson to drop to the ground to make the save. The instant play prevented the keeper from holding the ball, allowing it to rebound out directly to an awaiting Montero, who buried it for his fifth game-winning goal in all competitions dating back to the Semifinal victory. It was his second tally in Open Cup Final, history having scored the opening goal in the 2009 championship as well, a 2-1 victory over DC United.

The strike was the latest opening goal in the modern professional era for a game decided in regulation. Two contests went to overtime scoreless, with the 1997 Final finishing in a scoreless stalemate taken in penalties by DC, and the 2004 Final finishing with a dramatic golden goal from Kansas City against the Fire (the last FIFA championship decided in that fashion).

The match came to a fitting finish, as Alonso dribbled through the Fire defense at the edge of the box, creating an open goal for a euphoric conclusion. Alonso, a refugee from the Cuban national team in June of 2007, was playing in his fourth consecutive Open Cup Final, having played for the Charleston Battery in the 2008 championship against DC United. He has yet to miss the tournament’s championship contest in his professional career in the United States.

 

2011 – Chicago Fire (MLS) 0:2 Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
10/4/11 | CenturyLink Field – Seattle, Washington

Scoring Summary
Seattle: Fredy Montero (Jeff Parke) – 77th min.
Seattle: Osvaldo Alonso (Unassisted) – 90th+ min.

Seattle Sounders: GK Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez, Alvaro Fernandez (Erik Freiberg 46th), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Lamar Neagle, Michael Fucito (Roger Levesque 90th+1), Fredy Montero

Cautions – Alonso 90th, Montero 90th

Chicago Fire: GK Sean Johnson; Gonzalo Segares, Cory Gibbs, Josip Mikulic (Jalil Anibaba 61st), Dan Gargan (Sebastien Grazzini 84th); Marco Pappa, Pavel Pardo, Logan Pause, Daniel Paladini (Diego Chaves 80th); Dominic Oduro, Patrick Nyarko

Cautions – Nyarko 27th, Paladini 39th, Anibaba 90th

Match Stats
Shots – Seattle 27:8 Chicago
On Goal – Seattle 7:4 Chicago
Saves – Seattle 4:5 Chicago
Fouls – Seattle 12:17 Chicago
Corners – Seattle 10:6 Chicago
Offsides – Seattle 0:3 Chicago

Attendance: 35,615 | Referee – Alex Prus | Linesmen – Steven Taylor; Eric Boria  | 4th Official – Josh Wilkens
Weather: Rain, 58 degrees

Dominic Oduro’s game-winner, edges Fredy Montero’s game-winner for Semifinal Player of the Round honors

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Dominic Oduro's game-winner against the Richmond Kickers was his 7th career US Open Cup goal. Photo: Brian Kersey | Chicago Fire

For Dominic Oduro, it has been a long six years in his MLS career. For the Chicago Fire, it has been a long 2011 season. In the past, however, both seem to be finding their stride with one another. Part of that dynamic performance includes the Chicago Fire’s 2-1 victory over USL Pro’s Richmond Kickers in the US Open Cup Semifinal in which Oduro netted the game-winning goal, earning the nod from TheCup.us as Player of the Round.

The honor is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week. Oduro beat out Seattle’s Fredy Montero, who scored a similar game-winning goal against FC Dallas, for the award. Zach Scott and Mauro Rosales of the Sounders also received consideration.

Previous Players of the Round in 2011 have been Seattle’s Mike Fucito (Third Round), Kitsap’s Zach Lubin (First Round) and Richmond’s duo of Ronnie Pascale (Quarterfinals) and David Bulow (Second Round). Oduro is the first Fire player to earn the honor since TheCup.us began selecting the award in 2006, naming Calen Carr and Andy Herron as the recipients in the Semifinals and Final, respectively, that year.

Already leading courtesy of a 32nd minute Sebastian Grazzini penalty kick, the Fire broke the game open in the 61st minute with an impressive goal from Oduro. Patrick Nyarko passed to Oduro on the left wing, and the speedy forward dribbled forward, cut back to his right foot and bent the ball out of the reach of a diving Ronnie Pascale into the side netting at the far post. It was a fitting reward for the striker, who continually pressed the defense and forcing the Kickers to bring a second defender in to cover him on the attack.

With William Yomby scoring seven minutes later as the Kickers attempted to rally, Oduro’s tally proved to be the game-winner. While Oduro has 10 goals on the year in MLS, his second goal of the current US Open Cup campaign carried deep personal connections as the Ghanaian striker played for the 2005 Richmond Kickers Future, a USL Premier Development League side the club operated from 2002-09 to develop players. The 2005 campaign was the lone year in which the team qualified out of the PDL for the US Open Cup, advancing to the Second Round with Oduro scoring his first two career tournament goals in a 3-0 win over USASA side Baltimore Colts. They would be eliminated the following round, 3-0, by the USL-1 Virginia Beach Mariners. In addition to his ties to the club, the goal came against a former coach in Pascale, who was on the coaching staff at Virginia Commonwealth University when Oduro went to school there 2004-05.

Pascale would joke after the game saying that he “taught him that finish.”

Oduro’s next two career Open Cup tallies would come in 2009 with Houston, finding the net against USL’s Austin Aztex and Charleston Battery in the Third Round and Quarterfinals, respectively. His fifth, also for Houston, was a consolation tally in a 3-1 Quarterfinal loss to Chivas USA in 2010.

Dominic Oduro's goal in the 61st minute proved to be the game-winner to send the Chicago Fire to their sixth US Open Cup championship game. Photo: Brian Kersey | Chicago Fire

Enter 2011. After playing just one game for the Dynamo, Oduro was traded to the Fire for Calen Carr, who has played only 129 minutes in five games with one goal due to post-concussion syndrome. The trade made Chicago Oduro’s fourth home in six seasons. He spent his first three years in Texas with FC Dallas from 2006-08 before heading to New York via a trade prior to the 2009 season. After just three games played, Oduro returned to the Lone Star State in another trade, joining the Dynamo. Things appeared to be moving upward in 2010 with five goals in 19 starts (27 appearances) only to see the early season trade this year.

Oduro would join a Fire squad that was coming off a 2010 season in which they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and only the second time ever in franchise history. In addition, the four-time Open Cup champions had not advanced past the tournament Quarterfinals since last winning the title in 2006.

The 2011 campaign, in retrospect, may turn out to be the season in which both Oduro and the Fire find themselves. Both continued along a path of mediocrity throughout much of the campaign with Oduro goals coming sparingly along the way as the team travelled frustrating path. The Fire have a respectable tally of only eight losses on the year through 20 games. What has proven exhaustingly elusive has been victory; the team has only five in comparison to a league-high 15 draws.

Along the way, things warmed up through the middle of the campaign. Chicago rattled off a 10-game run without a loss in all competitions, qualifying for the Open Cup with a penalty kick decision on the road over the San Jose Earthquakes in the final tournament qualifier May 24. The result kicked the streak off and maintained the club’s status of competing in the tournament every year. The unbeaten run stretched through June and into July, including a narrow 1-0 win in Rochester against the USL Rhinos in the Third Round.

As the calendar turned to August the Fire and Oduro got hot. With six goals on the year entering August, Oduro went on a run of good form, scoring in a 4-2 loss at Vancouver and a 2-2 draw in New York in back-to-back games. Two matches later, he notched the game-winning goal to end the team’s five-game winless run with a 2-0 victory against Toronto. The match marked the start of the team’s current run of blazing form that has seen them win four of five overall. They posted another 2-0 win over Colorado before the semifinal victory over Richmond August 30.

The club cooled down with a week off after the tournament win, falling 2-0 in San Jose, but Oduro put them back on path, scoring a game-winner in the 85th minute of a 3-2 decision against Chivas USA, and adding his 11th of the season in a 3-2 win over New England last weekend. The goal was his seventh in nine games and he has five game-winning goals to his credit in 2011. In fact, Oduro, prior to the game against the Revolution, had scored the winning tally in each of the Fire’s last five victories in both competitions, including the team’s 4-0 drubbing of the Red Bulls in the Open Cup Quarterfinals. The run of great form has put Oduro in the running for the MLS Golden Boot, sitting two back of  Dwayne De Rosario along with three others at 11.

Heading toward the US Open Cup Final in Seattle, the Fire will also be chasing a postseason berth in a hotly contested race. Chicago currently sits six points back with six games remaining, including a match on the road against Oduro’s former Dynamo side three days before the championship match.

2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup results

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The Seattle Sounders celebrate the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship. Photo: Steven Bisig | USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Sounders celebrate the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship. Photo: Steven Bisig | USA TODAY Sports

2011 US Open Cup bracket [+]
2011 US Open Cup participant map [+]
Meet the USASA: Class of 2011 [+]

Click on the scores below for more information.

FIRST ROUND AWAY TEAM SCORE HOME TEAM
June 14 Western Mass Pioneers (PDL) 0:3 FC New York (USL Pro)
June 14 Reading United (PDL) 1:2 Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Pro)
June 14 Chattanooga FC (NPSL) 2:3 (AET) Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Pro)
June 14 Dayton Dutch Lions (USL Pro) 1:4 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)
June 14 Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro) 3:1 Carolina Dynamo (PDL)
June 14 Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) 1:2 NY Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA)
June 14 Central Florida Kraze (PDL) 0:4 Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro)
June 14 ASC New Stars (USASA) 0:4 Orlando City SC (USL Pro)
June 14 Regals FC (USASA) 0:2 Charleston Battery (USL Pro)
June 14 Phoenix SC (USASA) 1:2 Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro)
June 14 AAC Eagles (USASA) 0:4 Madison 56ers (NPSL)
June 14 Hollywood United (NPSL) 1:3 Los Angeles Blues (USL Pro)
June 14 Chicago Fire PDL (PDL) 1:0 Iowa Menace (USASA)
June 14 DV8 Defenders (USASA) 0:5 Real Colorado Foxes (PDL)
June 14 Kitsap Pumas (PDL) 0:0
(6:5 PK)		 Chivas El Paso Patriots (PDL)
June 14 Doxa Italia (USASA) 1:3 Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
SECOND ROUND AWAY TEAM SCORE HOME TEAM
June 21 FC New York (USL Pro) 0:0
(6:5 PK)		 NY Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA)
June 21 Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro) 1:0 Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Pro)
June 21 Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Pro) 1:4 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)
June 21 Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro) 2:3
(AET)		 Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro)
June 21 Orlando City SC (USL Pro) 1:0 Charleston Battery (USL-Pro)
June 21 Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) 1:3 Kitsap Pumas (PDL)
June 21 Los Angeles Blues (USL Pro) 1:0 Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
June 22 Chicago Fire PDL (PDL) 2:0 Madison 56ers (NPSL)
THIRD ROUND AWAY TEAM SCORE HOME TEAM
June 28 FC New York (USL Pro) 1:2 New York Red Bulls (MLS)
June 28 Chicago Fire (MLS) 1:0 Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro)
June 28 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 2:1 Columbus Crew (MLS)
June 28 Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro) 0:2 Real Salt Lake (MLS)
June 28 Orlando City (USL Pro) 2:3 FC Dallas (MLS)
June 28 Chicago Fire PDL (PDL) 0:3 Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
June 28 Los Angeles Blues (USL Pro) 1:2 Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
June 28 Kitsap Pumas (PDL) 1:2 Seattle Sounders (MLS)
QUARTERFINALS AWAY TEAM SCORE HOME TEAM
July 12 New York Red Bulls (MLS) 0:4 Chicago Fire (MLS)
July 12 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 2:0 Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
July 12 Real Salt Lake (MLS) 0:2 FC Dallas (MLS)
July 13 Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) 1:3 Seattle Sounders (MLS)
SEMIFINALS AWAY TEAM SCORE HOME TEAM
August 30 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 1:2 Chicago Fire (MLS)
August 30 FC Dallas (MLS) 0:1 Seattle Sounders (MLS)
FINAL AWAY TEAM SCORE HOME TEAM
October 4 Chicago Fire (MLS) 0:2 Seattle Sounders (MLS)

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