Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2011 US Open Cup Third Round

2011 US Open Cup Third Round Scoreboard

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2011 US Open Cup Third Round Scoreboard

Columbus Crew Stadium – Columbus, OH
AUDIO: TheCrew.com
Richmond Kickers 2 FT 1 Columbus Crew
Nozomi Hiroyama – 20′ 37′ – Cole Grossman
Matthew Delicate – 85′ 67′ – Danny O’Rourke – SENT OFF
Sahlen’s Stadium – Rochester, NY
VIDEO: USLLive.com
Chicago Fire 1 FT 0 Rochester Rhinos
Diego Chaves – 37′
Red Bull Arena – Harrison, NJ
VIDEO: NYRedBulls.com
FC New York 1 FT 2 New York Red Bulls
Owen Morrison – 56′ 58′ – Corey Hertzog
65′ – John Rooney
LIVESTRONG Sporting Park – Kansas City, KS
VIDEO: SportingKC.com
Chicago Fire PDL 0 FT 3 Sporting Kansas City
3′ – Teal Bunbury
58′ – Milos Stojcev
60′ – Kei Kamara
Rio Tinto Stadium – Sandy, UT
AUDIO: KALL 700 (English) | ESPN 1600 (Spanish)
Wilmington Hammerheads 0 FT 2 Real Salt Lake
40′ – Tony Beltran
44′ – Jean Alexandre
Pizza Hut Park – Frisco, TX
VIDEO: FCDallas.com
Orlando City SC 2 FT 3 FC Dallas
Max Griffin – 24′ 39′ – Jackson
Yordany Alvarez – 90’+3 50′ – Ricardo Villar
90’+5 – Milton Rodriguez
Starfire Sports Complex – Tukwila, WA
VIDEO: SoundersFC.com
AUDIO: KMAS.com
Kitsap Pumas 1 FT 2 Seattle Sounders
Nik Besagno – 71′ 39′ – Michael Fucito
62′ – Michael Fucito
Titan Stadium – Fullerton, CA
VIDEO: USLLive.com
AUDIO: LAGalaxy.com
Los Angeles Blues 1 FT 2 Los Angeles Galaxy
Cesar Rivera – 62′ 75′ – Omar Gonzalez
SENT OFF – Israel Sesay – 90′ 81′ – Mike Magee

2011 US Open Cup: The Best of MLS in Third Round

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While the Chicago Fire and new homeowners Sporting KC are working their way up the table, one thing is blatantly obvious heading into the Third Round. The eight clubs representing the league are currently the best in the league as the contingent has not lost a game versus their MLS opponents that did not qualify for the Open Cup in a remarkable run of 30 consecutive matches dating back to May.

The unbeaten streak for the eight teams dates back to a 1-0 loss by the Columbus Crew in Portland and a 2-1 Chicago Fire loss in Philadelphia on May 21.

Since then, the Open Cup field has posted a record of 14-0-16 against the teams that failed to qualify for the 2011 tournament. They have been even more dominant of late with nine wins in 14 games in the past two weeks, outscoring the opposition 26-10.  Defensively, the MLS clubs have posted six shutouts and have only allowed the opponent to score more than one goal in a game on a single occasion, a 3-3 draw by the Red Bulls in Portland.

The Galaxy have played the most games within the streak with a 3-0-3 record versus the non-qualified MLS clubs while Sporting KC is second with five games played (2-0-3). FC Dallas arguably had the best results at 3-0-1 in its four games and the Fire were the lone team to not record a victory, though they only played two games against clubs not in the tournament.

Among the teams missing the Open Cup, New England contributed the most toward the streak with a 0-4-1 record. Colorado and Vancouver each had 0-2-2 marks. Philadelphia and DC were the only teams not to lose within the streak, earning two draws each.

Team Records within the Streak

New York 1-0-3
Chicago 0-0-2
Columbus 2-0-1
Kansas City 2-0-3
Real Salt Lake 1-0-2
FC Dallas 3-0-1
Seattle 2-0-1
Los Angeles 3-0-3

The Streak (Away-Home)

June 26
Colorado Rapids 1-4 Columbus Crew
New England Revolution 1-2 Seattle Sounders

June 25
Portland Timbers 0-4 FC Dallas
Vancouver Whitecaps 1-2 Sporting KC
LA Galaxy 0-0 San Jose Earthquakes

June 22
Sporting KC 0-0 Philadelphia Union

June 19
NY Red Bulls 3-3 Portland Timbers

June 18
FC Dallas 2-1 Chivas USA
DC United 1-1 Real Salt Lake
LA Galaxy 3-1 Colorado Rapids
Columbus Crew 2-0 Houston Dynamo
Chicago Fire 1-1 New England Revolution
Seattle Sounders 1-0 Toronto FC

June 17
San Jose Earthquakes 0-1 Sporting KC

June 11
Vancouver Whitecaps 2-2 Seattle Sounders
Toronto FC 2-2 LA Galaxy
Real Salt Lake 1-1 Philadelphia Union

June 10
New England Revolution 1-2 NY Red Bulls

June 4
Vancouver Whitecaps 0-2 Real Salt Lake
New England Revolution 0-1 FC Dallas
Sporting KC 0-0 Toronto FC

June 3
DC United 0-0 LA Galaxy

May 28
Sporting KC 1-1 Colorado Rapids
FC Dallas 2-2 Houston Dynamo
San Jose Earthquakes 2-2 Chicago Fire
LA Galaxy 1-0 New England Revolution
Chivas USA 3-3 Columbus Crew
NY Red Bulls 1-1 Vancouver Whitecaps

May 25
Houston Dynamo 0-1 LA Galaxy
Colorado Rapids 2-2 NY Red Bulls

Home Away From Home: Tuesday’s Alternate Venues Have Quite the History for Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy

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Numerous Major League Soccer teams have resorted to using alternate venues for US Open Cup matches for different reasons over the years, but when the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy take the field at Starfire and Titan Stadium Tuesday night, they will be hoping history repeats.

Top: Seattle's two Open Cup title campaigns went through Starfire Bottom: The Galaxy won the 2001 Open Cup at Titan Stadium

It has been quite a long time since the Galaxy last stepped on the pitch at Titan Stadium for a US Open Cup match. They have not played a competitive match at their former alternate home since the debut of the Home Depot Center in 2003, a span of nine years since they defeated the then Dallas Burn 4-1 in the semifinals of a runners-up campaign in the 2002 US Open Cup. It was the final of nine Open Cup matches played at the venue over the course of four years.

And it was a successful four years in Fullerton. The club lost at Titan Stadium only twice in the nine matches, falling 3-1 to the Columbus Crew in the 1999 Quarterfinals, the first-ever match there, and 2-1 to the eventual 2000 champion Chicago Fire in the Semifinals.

After that defeat, the Galaxy won five consecutive at their second home to the Rose Bowl, including four the very next year as they won the first of two US Open Cup championships. It started with a 5-0 thumping of then A-League (pro second division) Nashville Metros, followed by a Third Round 3-1 win against the Seattle Sounders Select, who had nabbed a shocking 3-2 overtime road upset against the Dallas Burn the round before. They avenged the previous year’s loss with a 1-0 Semifinal win against the Fire.

They concluded the 2001 championship run with a 2-1 victory against the New England Revolution at Titan Stadium. It still stands as the only Final in the US Open Cup Professional Era (since 1995) in which a club’s alternate venue has been the host location.

Starfire’s history as an alternate MLS venue is much briefer, but has played a key role in back-to-back tournament championships for the Seattle Sounders, who have played the Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches there the past two years.

In 2009, the Sounders edged Kansas City 1-0 on a Sebastien Le Toux strike in the Quarterfinals. Since then, it has been Nate Jaqua’s playground. He scored in the 2-1 Semifinal win against Houston en route to their first title. Then last year he struck for two goals in each game as they blanked the Galaxy 2-0 in the Quarterfinals and downed the other Los Angeles side Chivas USA 3-1 in the Semifinals.

And Starfire has trophy-lifting championship history too.

The USL Seattle Sounders began using the Tukwila venue as an alternate to then named Qwest Field in 2005, winning a regular season contest and playing to a win and draw in the playoffs in addition to a Second Round 3-1 victory over the Salinas Valley Samba. Although they used it for several league contests the following year, they would not play another Open Cup match at Starfire until 2007 when they defeated Banat Arsenal 4-1 in the First Round and rival Portland 2-1 in the Second Round.

But it was later in the 2007 campaign that Starfire became the center of attention. Returning to the venue for postseason action for a second time the team suffered its first-ever loss at the alternate home in a 2-1 playoff defeat to the Puerto Rico Islanders in which they would advance via penalties at the conclusion. That penalty kick decision proved critical as the team won the 2007 USL First Division title with a dominant 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Silverbacks at Starfire.

In 2008 the Sounders USL side registered their first win against an MLS club at the venue, downing Chivas USA 3-1 in the Third Round after blasting Hollywood United 6-0 in the previous round.

More importantly, 2008 was the club’s final campaign in the USL First Division, and was played entirely at Starfire where they had suffered only one loss in all competitions in nine previous matches.

The Sounders would drop four more matches during the 2008 regular season, giving the Sounders a final record of 15-5-7 overall record at the venue during the USL era. The home fans have seen only five losses, none in the US Open Cup, in 31 total games since 2005.

One common link between the two venues is current Sounders coach Sigi Schmid, who led the Galaxy to the 2001 Open Cup title at Fullerton during his 1999-04 tenure with LA.

LA Galaxy Open Cup Matches at Titan Stadium

1999: 1-3 L – QF – Columbus Crew (MLS)
2000: 2-1 W – R2 – Seattle Sounders (USL)
2000: 2-0 W – QF – San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
2000: 1-2 L – SF – Chicago Fire (MLS)
2001: 5-0 W – R2 – Nashville Metros (A-League)
2001: 3-1 W – R3 – Sounders Select (PDL)
2001: 1-0 W – SF – Chicago Fire (MLS)
2001: 2-1 W – F – New England Revolution (MLS)
2002: 4-1 W – SF – Dallas Burn (MLS)

Seattle Sounders (MLS) Open Cup Matches at Starfire

2009: 1-0 W – QF – Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
2009: 2-1 W – SF – Houston Dynamo (MLS)
2010: 2-0 W – QF – LA Galaxy (MLS)
2010: 3-1 W – SF – Chivas USA (MLS)

Seattle Sounders (USL) Open Cup Matches at Starfire

2005: 3-1 W – R2 – Salinas Valley Samba (USASA)
2007: 4-1 W – R1 – Banat Arsenal (USASA)
2007: 2-1 W – R2 – Portland Timbers (USL-1)
2008: 6-0 W – R2 – Hollywood United (USASA)
2008: 2-0 W – R3 – Chivas USA (MLS)

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Bracket B: Richmond Kickers at Columbus Crew; Chicago Fire PDL at Sporting KC

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THIRD ROUND

Richmond Kickers at Columbus Crew
June 28, 7:30 p.m. ET  Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Video/Audio: No video; Radio: Richmond

Chicago Fire PDL at Sporting Kansas City
June 28, 8:30 p.m. ET  LIVESTRONG Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kan.
Video/Audio: TBA

Richmond Kickers

Founded in 1993, the club is the only other USL team to win the US Open Cup in the professional era (1995). An amateur team through 1995, the club played in USL’s top flight from 1996-2005 before joining the professional third division. It has only missed the postseason one time since 1994, winning the league title three times (1995, 2006, 2009) in eight appearances.

First Round: Dayton Dutch Lions (USL Pro) 1:4 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)
The Kickers were well on their way to a First Round victory Tuesday against league foe Dayton with two goals from David Bulow in the first 17 minutes. The Dutch Lions answered back in the second half, but Bulow added a third from the penalty spot and Shaka Bangura finished the match in the 90th for the 4-1 win. Recap [+]

Second Round: Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Pro) 1:4 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)
For the second consecutive round, it was the same story as Bulow and the Kickers dominated a fellow USL Pro club. Bulow tallied 17 minutes in, with Pittsburgh equalizing in the 30th. Bulow restored the lead four minutes before halftime and Matthew Delicate scored two in the second half to put the match out of reach. The Riverhounds had rallied from two down in the first round, but couldn’t generate the same magic in the second. Recap [+]

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

This Month in USL Pro: The Kickers played to a scoreless draw Friday in New York. A week earlier at home June 17, the Kickers fell 1-0 to Harrisburg on a strike just before the break to snap their three-game unbeaten streak. They opened the month with a 2-0 victory in New York June 12. Richmond sits tied in second place in the American Division with a 7-3-3 record.

Open Cup History: The Kickers have the distinction of being the first club to win the tournament during the professional era, taking the title in 1995 when pro clubs began participating despite themselves being in the amateur PDL, where they also won the league title. Richmond won the Open Cup in penalties after a 1-1 draw against the El Paso Patriots in Texas. Since then, the club has reached the Quarterfinals three times (2001, 2004, 2007) in 13 appearances, defeating MLS clubs twice. In 2004 the club edged DC United, 2-1, in the Fourth Round before falling 1-0 to Chicago Fire. In 2007, the Kickers nipped the LA Galaxy weeks before David Beckham’s arrival, but were eliminated by the Second Division Carolina RailHawks in the Quarterfinals, 1-0.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 20-11-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 3-8-0 vs. MLS

Richmond Kickers vs. Columbus Crew: This will be the second all-time meeting between the Kickers and the Crew. Back in 2002, when the Kickers were a member of the A-League (pro 2nd Division) they met in the  Third Round with the Crew winning 3-0 at Crew Stadium. Dante Washington scored twice and Brian McBride added a third as the Crew would move on to win the Open Cup title that year.

Columbus Crew

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS:  The Crew finished out the month coming from behind in a dominating 4-1 win at home over the Colorado Rapids. Columbus equalized from Eddie Gaven, got two goals from Andres Mendoza, and a final strike from Tommy Heinemann, as they took advantage of Conor Casey’s send off in the first half. Columbus started the month with a 1-1 draw on the road against the New York Red Bulls June 4, with Rich Balchan scoring the equalizer two minutes into stoppage time. The Crew won 2-1 four days later at home against Real Salt Lake, rallying from behind on a penalty from Andres Mendoza, who also set up Josh Gardner’s winner. The club fell at home June 12 against the Chicago Fire, 1-0. The Crew played their fourth match of the month against the Dynamo in Houston June 18, winning 2-0 on goals from Andres Mendoza and Bernardo Anor.
Last Five: W-W-L-W-D | Season Record: 6-4-6 (5-1-3 Home), Tied for second in Eastern Conference, sixth overall.

Open Cup History: The Crew didn’t enter the tournament until 1998, and have had many shaky runs. However, they have had some success, earning a title in 2002, as well as finishing in the final twice (1998, 2010). Since 1998, they have only missed qualification in 2007 and 2008, losing to the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Chicago Fire, respectively. Their most recent run led them to the final last year, falling short to defending champion Seattle Sounders FC 2-1. Before that 2010 run, the Crew were 2-5 previously, never getting past the quarterfinals.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 18-8-2 (0-2 in PKs) | 4-0-0 vs. 3rd Division teams

Chicago Fire PDL

Founded in 2001, the team was the second PDL club (Boulder Rapids Reserve) directly affiliated with an MLS team. It has been one of the most successful clubs in the league, finishing first in the division seven times and finished below second last year (fourth) for the first time in 10 seasons, missing the playoffs for the first time. The Fire hold the best record in the PDL over their time in the league. The club has reached the league final on two occasions (2003, 2009).

First Round: Chicago Fire (PDL) 1:0 Iowa Menace (USASA)
It looked as though the two PDL rivals, although the Menace qualified through the USASA, were going to see overtime in the First Round Tuesday, as they went into the final stages of regulation in a scoreless deadlock. Lightning struck in the form of Chris Estridge however, as his tally in the 87th provided a dramatic road win. Recap [+]

Second Round: Chicago Fire (PDL) 2:0 Madison 56ers (NPSL)
It took two nights to get the game in, as lightning wiped away a Chicago lead Tuesday night and forced a replay Wednesday.  Two minutes in the second half proved the difference as Andrew Ribeiro tallied in the 66th minute and Estridge, who scored the night before, set up Thierry Zahui’s goal two minutes later. Recap [+]

Path to Open Cup: Of the nine PDL entrants, the club was one of two that finished the qualifying campaign with a loss. The team’s 3-0 start clinched the berth as the other clubs in the division knocked one another out. The club opened with a pair of 2-0 victories, winning the opener in Akron on goals from Chris Estridge and Josey Portillo and taking the second at home against Cincinnati with Estridge finding the net again. A 90th minute strike from Estridge in the third match against River City clinched the berth as David Meves posted his third shutout for the 1-0 win. The late winner denied the charging Michigan Bucks a chance to snare the spot, settling with a 2-0 win over the Fire in the finale.

This Month in USL PDL: The club felt little ill effects from the Open Cup delay, returning to play Friday with a 1-0 victory against Indiana on a penalty converted by Josey Portillo. The week before, Chicago returned to league action with a 2-1 loss June 16 at Louisville to River City Rovers. Trailing on two first half goals, Hunter Gorskie tallied in the 63rd, but could not find an equalizer. Chicago rebounded two days later though, netting a 3-0 victory in Cincinnati on goals from Josey Portillo, Paulo Vaz and Harrison Petts. They opened the month with a pair of home games, playing to a 3-3 draw against Hamilton June 3 and defeating Indiana 2-0 June 9. Five different players scored in the two contests. The club is 6-2-1 in the PDL Great Lakes Division.

Open Cup History: Perhaps taking after its four-time champion parent club in MLS, the team has had some success in its three previous appearances. In its 2004 debut, the PDL side opened with a 5-1 win over USASA side SAC Wisla before knocking off third division professional side New Hampshire Phantoms by the same, surprising, 5-1 scoreline. They would be eliminated in the Third Round 1-0 by the second division Rochester Rhinos. A year later, the club downed city rival AAC Eagles of the USASA 4-1, before falling 2-1 to the second division Minnesota Thunder. In 2009, they downed Bavarian SC (USASA) 3-1 before being eliminated once again by the Thunder, this time 4-0.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 6-3-0 overall | 1-3-0 vs. professional teams (0-0-0 vs. MLS)

Sporting Kansas City

How They Qualified: Back-up netminder Eric Kronberg and CJ Sapong were the stars in qualifying for Kansas City, which was seeded third and started in the second round of the eastern bracket in MLS qualifying. Sapong netted an overtime game-winner in the 92nd minute of a 1-0 decision against the Dynamo in Houston April 6 in their opening game. Kronberg earned the first of two shutouts, registering the second in the bracket finale May 25 against the New England Revolution, who brought a squad of nearly all reserves. Chance Myers scored the first two goals in the 5-0 win with Sapong adding two more to secure the berth.

This Month in MLS: Kansas City opened June with a scoreless draw in Toronto June 4 and repeated the result June 9 against the Chicago Fire, in the debut of LiveStrong Sporting Park. Eric Kronberg recorded the shutout in the first and relieved starter Jimmy Nielsen in the 67th minute of the second following a red card. The opening of the stadium marked the start in a winning trend as they blasted Dallas 4-1 June 12, as Graham Zusi scored twice and had an assist in the road win. The returned home for their first victory at the new park, edging San Jose June 17 on a CJ Sapong strike. They played to their third scoreless draw of the month June 22 in Philadelphia, before picking up another win at home Saturday, 2-1 against Vancouver, where they came from behind on goals from Omar Bravo and Julio Cesar.
Last Five: W-D-W-W-D | Season Record: 4-6-5 (2-0-1 Home), Tied for sixth in Eastern Conference, 14th overall

Open Cup History: The team formerly known as the Wizards have a checkered history in the US Open Cup. They won a championship in 2004 as part of a double-winning campaign (also capturing MLS Cup) when a Igor Simutenkov golden goal defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0 in the Final. In the last four years, Kansas City has missed out on qualifying twice (2007, 2010) and made it to the Quarterfinals twice (2008, 2009). In 2007, the Wizards lost in extra time to Real Salt Lake, while last year they lost in the first round of qualification to the Colorado Rapids. In both their quarterfinal trips, they advanced past their Third Round opponents (Carolina RailHawks, Minnesota Thunder), but fell on both occasions to the Seattle Sounders (2008 against the USL version in penalty kicks; 2009 versus the MLS expansion team).
PRO ERA RECORD: 10-9-3 (1-2 in PKs) | 2-0-1 (0-1 in PKs) vs. PDL

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Scenarios

Columbus Crew / Richmond Kickers at Sporting Kansas City
LiveStrong Sporting Park – Kansas City, Kan. – 7:30 pm ET
OR
Chicago Fire PDL at Richmond Kickers
Richmond City Stadium – Richmond Va. – 7:00 pm ET
OR
Chicago Fire PDL at Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew Stadium – Columbus, Ohio – 7:30 pm ET

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2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Bracket C: Wilmington Hammerheads at Real Salt Lake; Orlando City at FC Dallas

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THIRD ROUND

Wilmington Hammerheads at Real Salt Lake
June 28, 9 p.m. ET  Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
Video/Audio: Video N/A; Radio: Real Salt Lake

Orlando City SC at FC Dallas
June 28, 9 p.m. ET  Pizza Hut Park; Frisco, Texas
Video/Audio: Video: Dallas; Audio: TBA

Wilmington Hammerheads

The club has been a member of USL’s professional third division league since its founding in 1996 with the exception of its hiatus in 2010. The club was at its peak early in the 2000’s, finishing first in the division in back-to-back years and reaching the final in 2002 and 2003, claiming the title on the second try.

First Round: Central Florida Kraze (PDL) 0:4 Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro)
The Hammerheads blanked the visiting Central Florida Kraze 4-0 in the First Round Tuesday with first half goals from Jyler Noviello and Luke Mulholland. Andriy Budnny tallied twice in the second stanza put put the match out of reach. Full Recap [+]

Second Round: Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro) 2:3 (AET) Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro)
The visitors got out to a surprising two-goal lead with goals in the 44th and 54th minutes before the Hammerheads began to fight back. Chris Banks found Andriy Budnyy in the 61st minute and then found the back of the net himself in the 78th to level terms. In overtime it was Luke Mulholland finding the winning goal on a nicely placed strike in the 103rd minute. Full Recap [+]

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

This Month in USL Pro: The Hammerheads were downed 2-0 Friday evening at home versus Charleston, leaving them with only one win in their last seven league games. Wilmington played its fourth in league play June 18 at Orlando City, nabbing a late draw 1-1 on the foot of Budnyy. They opened the month with a 4-2 loss at home June 4 against Orlando, in which Julio Cuero and Chris Banks gave the Hammerheads the lead in the first half before allowing four unanswered in the second stanza. A week later, they played two back-to-back, rallying to down Pittsburgh 3-1 June 10 on goals from Budnyy, Banks and Mulholland, before traveling to Charlotte for a 3-0 defeat. The Hammerheads are in sixth place (last) in the American Division with a 5-4-3 record.

Open Cup History: The club’s second quarterfinal appearance in eight trips to the tournament in 2009 was followed up with the club taking a hiatus last year due to financial issues. The run began by downing state rivals Charlotte and Carolina. They blanked league rival Eagles 2-0 in the First Round, and downed the second division RailHawks in the Second Round via penalties after a 3-3 draw. Wilmington then surprised the Chicago Fire of MLS, 1-0, in the Third Round before being knocked out by second division Rochester 2-1. The previous quarterfinal campaign in 2003 also included upsets as Wilmington downed second division Atlanta Silverbacks, 2-1, in the Third Round and MLS’s FC Dallas in a stunning 4-1 result in the Fourth Round before falling, 1-0, to DC United. FC Dallas would avenge the loss in the Third Round in 2005, but needed overtime in a 3-1 decision. The club’s other MLS contest was a 2-1 loss to New York in the Fourth Round in 2006, following another 2-1 upset of the Silverbacks.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 13-8-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 7-7-1 (1-0 in PKs) vs. pro teams (2-4 vs. MLS)

Real Salt Lake

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS: Real Salt Lake played to a scoreless draw at Chicago Wednesday evening in the first of two games on the week, returning home for a big 3-1 win Saturday against Toronto FC. Nat Borchers struck the opener and Alvaro Saborio netted the next two with Kyle Beckerman setting up all three.  Real Salt Lake returned home from a two-game road swing to face DC United June 18, giving up a late penalty in a 1-1 draw in which they tallied first from the spot via Fabian Espindola. They opened the month with a 2-0 victory against the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps (under new coach Tom Soehn) on June 4, with Nick Rimando in goal as Jean Alexandre tallied a goal and an assist. Four days later in Columbus, they fell 2-1 to the Crew after Jamison Olave gave them the initial lead seven minutes in. RSL played to a 1-1 draw in Philadelphia June 11 against the Union with Fabian Espindola providing the equalizer in the 53rd minute. Last Five: W-D-D-D-L | Season Record: 7-3-5 (5-1-2 Home), fourth in Western Conference, tied for fifth overall.

Open Cup History: Having last participated in the Open Cup proper in 2006, Real Salt Lake’s qualifying is the longer of the two lists. RSL’s debut in the Cup in 2005 was an epic 6-4 extra time upset loss to the USL’s Minnesota Thunder. After playing the first half to a 2-2 draw, both teams scored twice more to level the score at 4 after 90 minutes. Minnesota scored twice in extra time for the 6-4 win, leaving Jason Kries’ hat trick for RSL on the losing side. 2006 saw RSL needing extra time again in their opening match, this time against the Virginia Beach Mariners. Jeff Cunningham (RSL) and Tim O’Neill (VBM) traded goals in the first half, and Andy Williams’ 93rd minute strike held up for Salt Lake’s first ever Open Cup win. RSL would be eliminated 1-0 in the next round by their Rocky Mountain Cup rivals, the Colorado Rapids. Colorado would keep the Utah side out of the Open Cup in 2007, defeating them 2-1 in the final round of MLS qualifying. 2008 and 2009 saw RSL eliminated in the opening round of MLS qualifying, while in 2010 they fell yet again in the final round, this time to 2-1 to DC United in overtime. This season, RSL avoided qualifying all together by virtue of their second-place finish in the 2010 MLS regular season.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 1-2-0 | 1-1-0 vs. Non-MLS teams

Orlando City SC

Essentially an expansion club off the field, the team itself is the former Austin Aztex side that played in the professional second division the past two seasons. However, despite their connections to the Austin franchise, the Orlando City team is a completely new club.

First Round: ASC New Stars (USASA) 0:4 Orlando City (USL Pro)
A lightning delay of nearly 90 minutes itself stretched the First Round match into a late night, but host Orlando enjoyed a comfortable 4-0 victory over the ASC New Stars. Devorn Jorsling scored twice with Kevin Molino and Dennis Chin each adding to the tally. Full Recap [+]

Second Round: Orlando City (USL Pro) 1:0 Charleston Battery (USL Pro)
The visitors made history, becoming the first non-MLS team to defeat the Battery at Blackbaud Stadium in the US Open Cup since the stadium’s opening in 1999. Orlando City defender Rob Valentino supplied the difference maker, getting his head to the ball in the 40th minute as the keeper extended to knock it away, popping it over his hands and into the empty net.  Full Recap [+]

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

This Month in USL Pro: The club opened a two-game visit to Antigua Friday with a 3-1 victory, grabbing the lead via an own goal and claiming the victory with goals from Max Griffin and Luke Boden. They played the second match Sunday with Devorn Jorsling scoring twice in a 2-1 victory. Orlando City played host to Wilmington June 18, settling for a 1-1 draw on a late Hammerheads equalizer after Open Cup hero Jorsling had given them the lead. The club opened the month with a scoreless draw at home June 2 against Charlotte, then traveled to Wilmington two days later, where they fell behind two goals before rallying for a stunning 4-2 victory. Jamie Watson scored two to equalize, before Demar Stewart and Maxwell Griffin provided the winning and sealing goals. June 10 proved to be an off night though, as the club lost at home for the first time in a 2-1 defeat to Antigua, ending the club’s 11-game unbeaten run since its debut loss at Richmond. Trailing by two, Max Griffin scored the lone goal in the loss. Orlando City is currently in first place in the American Division with a 10-2-4 record.

Open Cup History (Austin Aztex): This is officially the first appearance in the US Open Cup for Orlando City, but with such close ties to the Austin Aztex franchise, it’s worth mentioning that the Aztex reached the Third Round the last two years. In 2009, the Aztex downed PDL sides Mississippi Brilla, 2-0, and El Paso Patriots, 2-0, before falling by the same 2-0 scoreline to the Houston Dynamo of MLS. Last year, the team blanked the PDL’s DFW Tornados 3-0 and downed the USASA’s Arizona Sahuaros 3-1, before a 1-0 loss on the road to Chivas USA of MLS in Round 3.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 2-0-0 overall | 1-0-0 vs. professional teams (0-0-0 vs. MLS)

FC Dallas

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS: FC Dallas thumped the visiting Portland Timbers Saturday 4-0, on goals from four different players. Daniel Hernandez set up Zach Loyd and George John in the first half, while Brek Shea and Ruben Luna tallyed in the second half. The club played their third contest of the month June 18 in Los Angeles against Chivas USA, winning 2-1 with Brek Shea scoring the opener and Jackson Goncalves adding the late winner.  FCD opened the month June 4 with a 1-0 win in New England, on from Marvin Chavez’s 69th minute goal and Kevin Hartman recorded the shutout. They returned home June 12 and were stunned 4-1 by Sporting Kansas City, in which Break Shea had an equalizer in the 32nd before seeing KC strike three unanswered.
Last Five: W-W-L-W-D Season Record: 9-4-4 (6-2-2 Home), tied for second in Western Conference, tied for second Overall.

Open Cup History: Up to 2009, FC Dallas could claim the distinction of being the only MLS team to participate in every Pro Era Open Cup tournament since the league began in 1996. Poor finishes in MLS play in 2009 and 2010 left them to the mercy of MLS qualifying, where they lost both times to DC United. Dallas found success early in their Open Cup history, reaching the Semifinals in 1996 and winning the title on penalties over DC United in 1997. Another semifinal appearance in 1998 and two quarterfinal finishes in ’99 and 2000 were followed in 2001 by one of the biggest upsets in Pro Era history, a 3-2 sudden death extra time loss to the PDL’s Seattle Sounders Select in the Second Round. It remains the only time Dallas failed to advance past their opening match. Finals appearances in 2005 and 2007 bolstered their Open Cup resume a bit, although they will look to regain some stature after missing the last two tournaments.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 19-12-4 (4-0 in PK’s)| 2-1-0 vs. 3rd Division teams

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Scenarios

Real Salt Lake / Wilmington Hammerheads at FC Dallas
Pizza Hut Park – Frisco, TX – 9:00 pm ET
OR
Orlando City SC at Real Salt Lake
Rio Tinto Stadium – Sandy, Utah – 9:00 pm ET
OR
Wilmington Hammerheads at Orlando City SC
Florida Citrus Bowl – Orlando, Fla – 7:30 pm ET

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2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Bracket A: FC New York at NY Red Bulls; Chicago Fire at Rochester Rhinos

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THIRD ROUND

FC New York at New York Red Bulls
June 28, 8 p.m. ET – Red Bull Arena; Harrison, NJ
Video/Audio: Video: New York Red Bulls; Audio: TBA

Chicago Fire at Rochester Rhinos
June 28, 7:35 p.m. ET  Sahlen’s Stadium; Rochester, N.Y.
Video/Audio: Video: USL Live; Radio: Rochester

FC New York

The club is an expansion side playing in USL Pro.

First Round: Western Mass Pioneers (PDL) 0:3 FC New York (USL Pro) The expansion New York side dominated the First Round match Tuesday against Western Mass, with Jhonny Arteaga scoring all three goals in the 3-0 victory. Recap [+]

Second Round: NY Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA) 0:0 (AET, 5:6 PK) FC New York (USL Pro) The two Big Apple clubs played to a stalemate and needed extra rounds of penalties to decide the tiebreaker. In the seventh round, a shot from the Freedoms rang off the post, sending FC New York through. Recap [+]

Path to the Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

This Month in USL Pro: In a light month for the club, it has been feast or famine in league play, just as it has been in the two rounds of Open Cup play. They opened the month with a 1-1 draw against visiting Charleston June 3 on an equalizer from Graciano Brito. They then blanked Dayton June 10, on tallies from Troy Cole, Jhonny Arteaga and Gary Boughton, before falling 2-0 at home to Richmond. Idle between the opening two rounds of the Open Cup, New York returned to league play at home last Friday with a scoreless draw against Richmond. They are currently in fourth place in the USL Pro National Division with a 3-5-5 overall record.

Open Cup History: First appearance in the tournament.

New York Red Bulls

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS: In a continuation of a lengthy road run, the Red Bulls fell 4-2 in Seattle Thursday despite pulling even from a two-goal hole on a Dane Richards strike and own goal. They then traveled to Chicago Sunday and played to a 1-1 draw, with Joel Lindpere tallying the opening goal in the 40th minute. New York came away with a dramatic come-from-behind 3-3 draw at Portland June 19. Down 3-1, Thierry Henry scored in the 73rd minute, but it was a Timbers handball that led to a Dwayne De Rosario penalty kick in second half stoppage time.  They opened the month with a 1-1 draw at home against the Columbus Crew June 4, in which they allowed a 92nd minute equalizer after leading since Mehdi Ballouchy’s ninth-minute strike. They rebounded from the setback a week later on June 10 with a 2-1 victory at home against the New England Revolution. The Red Bulls were the recipient of an own goal and Thierry Henry delivered the second before the Revs answered. Their final game before Round 3 on Sunday saw the Red Bulls nearly pick up their first-ever win at Toyota Park, but Chicago’s Marco Pappa equalized in the 58th minute and both teams had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Joel Lindpere scored the lone goal for New York.
Last Five: D-L-D-W-D | Season record: 5-3-9 (4-1-3 at home), tied for second place in Eastern Conference, sixth overall.

Open Cup History: The Red Bulls have come close early in their history, with trips to the Semifinals in 1997, 1998 and 2000, but have never won the US Open Cup. The closest they came was in 2003 when they lost to the Chicago Fire in their only trip to the championship game. Since then, it’s been a series of short runs in the tournament, with a 1-5 record the last five times they have qualified, including a pair of upsets to third division clubs (Crystal Palace Baltimore, Harrisburg City Islanders), and two more to second division teams (Charleston Battery, Rochester Rhinos). New York did not qualify in 2007 or 2009.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 12-12-1 (1-0 in PKs) | 2-2-0 vs. 3rd Division teams

Rochester Rhinos

Founded in 1996, the Rhinos are arguably the most successful professional club outside of Major League Soccer, winning three professional second division titles in six league finals appearances. The club, which has also reached the Open Cup Final twice and won it in 1999, has never failed to qualify for the tournament.

First Round: Phoenix SC (USASA) 1:2 Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro) The Rhinos took the initial lead through JC Banks in the 27th minute of the First Round Tuesday, and Anthony Hamilton doubled the advantage from the spot in the 55th. Visiting Phoenix SC made it a tense finish with a strike midway through the second half to make it 2-1, but Rochester’s defense held on. Recap [+]

Second Round: Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro) 1:0 Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Pro) In a showdown of two league foes, it looked as though the match was headed to overtime before Kendall Jagdeosingh was taken down in the box for a late penalty, which was converted by Tony Donatelli in the 89th minute. Recap [+]

Path to the Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

This Month in USL Pro: Rochester finished unbeaten on the month, with a stoppage time winner from JC Banks against Dayton Saturday evening. Rochester traveled to Pittsburgh last week to blank the Riverhounds 3-0 June 17, on first half goals from Rich Costanzo, Andrew Hoxie and Drew Cost. They opened the month with a two-game visit to Antigua, winning 2-1 June 3 on a pair of Hoxie goals, and nabbing a last-minute 2-2 draw two nights later with equalizers from Donatelli and goalkeeper Neal Kitson. They returned home for a 1-0 victory against Harrisburg June 11 on a strike from Jagdeosingh. The Rhinos are in first place in the National Division with a 7-4-3 record.

Open Cup History: The club is most famous for its 1999 US Open Cup championship run with four victories over MLS clubs (Chicago, Dallas, Columbus, Colorado) after needing overtime to defeat PDL side New York Freedoms 2-1. The Rhinos also reached the final in their debut season in 1996, beating Tampa Bay and Colorado before falling to DC United in the final at RFK Stadium. Rochester also advanced versus MLS opposition in 2004, edging New England in penalties after a 1-1 draw, and 2005, topping New York 3-1. Both games were in the Fourth Round. The Rhinos reached the Semifinals for a third time in 2009, eliminating Columbus via penalties in a Third Round 1-1 draw and downing third division Wilmington 2-1 in the Quarterfinals, before being eliminated 2-1 by DC. Last year Rochester blanked the PDL Dayton Dutch Lions 2-0 and third division Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-0 before falling 2-1 to the Crew in the Third Round. The Rhinos also have the distinction as the lower division club that has eliminated the most MLS teams with nine. (7-10-4 overall, 2-2 in PKs)
PRO ERA RECORD: 27-12-5 (3-2 in PKs) overall | 18-3-5 vs. pro teams (all as 2nd Division franchise) | 7-10-4 (2-2 in PKs) vs. MLS

Chicago Fire vs. Rochester Rhinos: This will be the third all-time meeting between the Chicago Fire and the Rochester Rhinos in the tournament. In 1999, fresh off their Open Cup title in their inaugural season the year prior, the Fire were stunned by becoming the first of what would be four consecutive MLS upsets by the Rhinos. Yuri Alnutt scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win for the Rhinos in the Third Round, as they would move on to replace the Fire as Open Cup champions that year. In the 2005 Quarterfinals, they would meet again, but this time it was the Fire that would move on.  Samuel Callabrero and Doug Miller traded goals in regulation, but the match would have to be decided by penalty kicks, and the Fire won 5-4.

Chicago Fire

How They Qualified: Seeded fourth overall, the Fire opened the play-in tournament in the second round of the western bracket of MLS qualifying. They defeated the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids March 30 with a 2-1 victory. Gaston Puerari, who was recently sold to Atlas (Mexico), scored the opening goal moments before the break, with Andre Akpan answering back in early in the second stanza. In the haze remaining from flares set off at the hour mark, defender Jalil Anibaba let loose a shocking 45-yard strike that surprised the keeper and proved to be the winner. Trailing San Jose by two goals in the finale for the bracket, Chicago’s Orr Barouch pulled a goal back in the 61st and Yamith Cuesta leveled terms in the 76th, sending the match to penalties, where two Earthquakes rang shots off the crossbar in a 5-4 decision to send the Fire to the Open Cup.

This Month in MLS: Chicago played to a scoreless draw at home against Real Salt Lake Wednesday in the first of two games on the week. They hosted New York on Sunday, rallying for a 1-1 draw on a strike in the 58th minute from Marco Pappa, who just returned from the Gold Cup. The Fire played its fourth league match of the month June 18, when they traveled to New England and drew the Revolution 1-1, with Dominic Oduro scoring the opening goal. They opened the month with a scoreless draw at home against the Seattle Sounders June 4, and repeated the outcome June 9 against fellow play-in qualifier Sporting Kansas City in the MLS debut of LiveStrong Sporting Park. Sean Johnson recorded both shutouts. The club extended an unbeaten streak to five games with a 1-0 road victory June 12 against the Columbus Crew, with a stoppage time winning goal from Cristian Nazarit and Johnson registering a third consecutive clean sheet. Last Five: D-D-D-W-D | Season Record: 2-4-11 (1-3-5 Away), tied for sixth in Eastern Conference, 15th overall.

Open Cup History: The Fire are one of the most successful Pro Era teams, winning the Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006) and finishing runner-up in 2004. The team has qualified for the Open Cup every year since their founding in 1998. However, since the 2006 Cup title, the team has only won one game in the tournament since, going 1-3-1 (0-1 in PKs). Two of those four losses came against third division teams (Wilmington in 2009, Charleston in PKs in 2010), as did their sole win (Cleveland in 2008), with their other losses against MLS’s DC United (2008) and second division Carolina RailHawks (2007). Last year, the team played a scoreless draw against the Charleston Battery in the third round, then couldn’t find the net in a penalty shoot, losing 3-0.
PRO ERA RECORD: 25-8-3 (2-1 in PKs) | 4-1-1 (0-1 in PKs) vs. 3rd Division teams

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Scenarios

NY Red Bulls / FC NY at Chicago Fire
Toyota Park – Bridgeview, Ill. – 8:30 pm ET
OR
NY Red Bulls / FC NY at Rochester Rhinos
Sahlen’s Stadium – Rochester, NY – 7:35 pm ET

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Bracket D: Kitsap Pumas at Seattle Sounders; LA Blues at LA Galaxy

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THIRD ROUND

Kitsap Pumas at Seattle Sounders
June 29, 10 p.m. ET  Starfire Sports Stadium; Tukwila, Wash.
Video/Audio: Video: Seattle; Audio: Kitsap

Los Angeles Blues at Los Angeles Galaxy
June 28, 10:30 p.m. ET  Titan Stadium (CSUF); Fullerton, Calif.
Video/Audio: TBA

Kitsap Pumas

Founded in 2009 by a former co-owner of the USL Seattle Sounders, the Pumas have been a dominant force playing as a professional side in the PDL, reaching the postseason in its first two years.

First Round: Kitsap Pumas (PDL) 0:0 (6:5 in PKs) El Paso Patriots (PDL)
The Pumas battled with host El Paso in the hot Texas summer to a scoreless stalemate over 120 minutes in the First Round Tuesday. Penalties to break the tie also went into extra time as the match needed nine rounds to decide a winner with Kitsap coming out on top 6-5. Recap [+]

Second Round: Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) 1:3 Kitsap Pumas (PDL)
In a showdown of PDL unbeatens, the Pumas grabbed the initial lead through Cameron Hepple 17 minutes in, only to see the visitors get level six minutes later via an own goal from Steve Mohn. Robbie Christner restored the advantage just before the break in the 43rd, and provided some insurance with another goal two minutes before the close of the game. Recap [+]

Path to Open Cup: For the third consecutive year, it was a neck-and-neck race with Portland. This year’s berth came down to a complete deadlock on all tiebreakers, with the two sides having played to a scoreless draw in their lone meeting. Instead of using a lottery, the two clubs and league office agreed to use an unprecedented ‘fifth match’ to serve as the tiebreaker ,as they were scheduled to meet in the regular season the Friday after qualifying concluded. Kitsap opened with a 3-0 victory at home versus the Crossfire with Warlen Silva providing a goal and assist. A week later they played to the stalemate against the Timbers. On the final qualifying weekend, the Pumas won 6-1 at Tacoma with Matt Friesen scoring twice, They finished with Friesen scoring in a 1-0 win at North Sound, leaving them vulnerable to Portland’s result, however, the Timbers only managed a 2-0 win later that night, creating the table deadlock.  In the tiebreaker match, Kitsap jumped to a two-goal lead via Robbie Christner and Nik Besagno, only to see Portland fight back in a thriller. A Brent Richards goal cut the deficit, but Christner added a second in the 66th to restore the lead before Brian Burke was sent off, allowing the hosts to make a late charge in hopes of penalties only to come up short, 3-2.

This Month in USL PDL: Kitsap was idle this week in league play after defeating fellow PDL side Real Colorado in the Open Cup. The previous week the Pumas posted a 4-1 win over visiting Abbotsford June 17. Brian Burke tallied to give the lead to Kitsap, who saw goalkeeping star Zach Lubin from the First Round match sent off in the 72nd. Abbotsford then leveled before the Pumas tallied two unanswered from Nik Besagno and Matt Friesen shorthanded. They opened the month with a pair of road victories, downing Washington Crossfire 2-1 June 8 and the Portland Timbers U23s in a wild 3-2 decision June 3. The team is 8-0-1 in the PDL Northwest Division.

Open Cup History: The Pumas have yet to miss the tournament in three years of play, making them the first PDL team to qualify in each of their first three years. Only two other teams have accomplished that.  They had been haunted by the senior Portland Timbers club, who have knocked them out twice as a member of the second division. They were blanked 3-0 in the first round of the 2009 tournament and downed 4-1 last year in the second round with Nik Besagno scoring the team’s lone goal. They opened with a 4-2 overtime win against the Bay Area Ambassadors (USASA/NPSL).
PRO ERA RECORDS: 3-2-0 overall | 0-1-0 vs. pro teams (0-0-0 vs. MLS)

Seattle Sounders

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

Photo: Jane Gershovich | Prost Amerika Soccer

This Month in MLS: Seattle won the first of two games this week, downing the New York Red Bulls Thursday evening 4-2, in a game where a two-goal lead from Erik Friberg and Osvaldo Alonso was erased, before Roger Levesque scored two off the bench. They played host to the New England Revolution Sunday, coming from behind for a 2-1 win on goals from Tyson Wahl and Alvaro Fernandez. The Sounders played their third match of the month June 18 in Toronto, edging the hosts on a 90th free kick from Fredy Montero, after playing nearly the entire second half down a man from Jhon Kennedy Hurtado’s send-off. Seattle opened the month with a scoreless draw in Chicago June 4 with Keller in goal, and played a 2-2 stalemate at home against Northwest rival Vancouver Whitecaps June 11. Seattle saw the Whitecaps steal the draw after the Sounders had rallied to take the lead on goals from Mauro Rosales and Osvaldo Alonso in a wild finish.
Last Five: W-W-W-D-D | Season Record: 8-4-7 (5-2-3 Home), Tied for second in Western Conference, Second Overall.

Open Cup History: Sounders FC set out to become a force in the Open Cup during their 2009 inaugural year, and did just that. They became the first expansion team since Chicago Fire in 1998 to take the Cup, winning 2-1 against DC United. They then turned around and made more history in 2010, as they became the first team since the New York Pancyprian Freedoms in 1982 and 1983 to win back-to-back Open Cups. Their victims this time were the Columbus Crew, the final score 2-1 in front of the largest Final crowd ever. Seattle has earned both titles, only playing non-MLS opposition twice (defeating the Portland Timbers in the Third Round both years). The first Puget Sound Showdown against Kitsap marks the first time the team has played a non-first or second division side.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 7-0-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 2-0-0 vs. Non-MLS Teams (0-0-0 vs. PDL)

Note: A USL team also called the Seattle Sounders made 12 Open Cup appearances from 1995-2008 and made history with back-to-back trips to the Semifinals in 2007 and 2008. The USL franchise’s history is officially not recognized by the MLS franchise, nor by the Kitsap Pumas, who gained the USL Sounders’ franchise rights.

Los Angeles Blues

Founded in 2010 by the ownership of the successful Pali Blues W-League team, the side is in its debut season in USL Pro.

First Round:  Hollywood United (NPSL) 1:3 LA Blues (USL Pro)
Despite playing a man down since Leo Griffin was sent off in the 19th minute, LA’s Mehrshad Momeni scored once in each half to give the Blues a two-goal lead in the First Round. Hollywood would answer but after both sides saw a red card late each, Gerardo Bravo sealed it for the Blues. Recap [+]

Second Round: LA Blues (USL Pro) 1:0 Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
In a closely fought contest, the professional club came out on top with a strike from Israel Sesay just before halftime, putting away a rebound after a Chukwudi Chijindu breakaway was stuffed point blank by Fusion goalkeeper Sam Hayden. Recap [+]

This Month in USL Pro: Aside from the Open Cup contests, the Blues were idle in June prior to Friday’s first of two meetings against visiting Harrisburg City Islanders on the weekend. LA found themselves trailing in the 53rd minute, but answered back six minutes later when Chijindu found Josh Tudela for the equalizer in a 1-1 draw. They finished the weekend with a 2-1 loss to the City Islanders, getting a consolation strike from Sesay eight minutes from time. The team is 5-3-3 and sits third in the USL Pro National Division.

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

Open Cup History: First appearance in the tournament.

Los Angeles Galaxy

Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Galaxy.

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS: On Saturday, Los Angeles earned a scoreless draw under unlikely circumstances in San Jose, losing starting keeper Donovan Ricketts to an apparent broken arm early and then Josh Saunders to a red card just before halftime, leaving midfielder Mike Magee as the netminder for the remainder of the match. The Galaxy played their third match of the month in Colorado June 18 , posting a 3-1 victory with Juninho doubling the advantage after an own goal and Chad Barrett securing the victory late. They opened the month with the first of two draws, finishing in a scoreless stalemate against DC United June 3 with Josh Saunders in goal. On June 11 they hosted Toronto in a 2-2 draw with two go-ahead goals from Chris Birchall and Juan Pablo Angel.
Last Five: D-W-D-D-W | Season Record: 9-2-8 (4-0-4 Home), first in Western Conference, first Overall.

Open Cup History: The Galaxy have had a considerable amount of success in the Open Cup, winning two championships in 2001 and 2005, as well as finishing as runners-up in 2002 and 2006. Since falling short to the Chicago Fire in the 2006 Final, the Galaxy were upset by the Richmond Kickers (3rd Division) and then failed to qualify the next two years. In 2010, they returned to the tournament where they beat AC St. Louis of the NASL (2nd Division) before losing to eventual champion Seattle Sounders FC in the quarterfinals.
PRO ERA RECORD: 21-8-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 11-2-0 vs. Non-MLS teams

Local History: Since teams from Los Angeles began participating in the Open Cup in 1954, LA-area clubs have reached 24 Open Cup Finals, winning 10 of those games.

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Scenarios

LA Galaxy / LA Blues at Seattle Sounders
Starfire Sports Stadium – Tukwila, Wash. – 10:00 pm ET
OR
Kitsap Pumas at LA Galaxy
Titan Stadium – Fullerton, Calif. – 10:30 pm ET
OR
LA Blues at Kitsap Pumas
Bremerton Memorial Stadium – Bremerton, Wash. – 10:00 pm ET

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2011 Third Round MLS pairing scenarios announced; Rochester only lower division team to host

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The United States Soccer Federation announced the pairing and hosting scenarios for the Third Round of the 2011 edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Tuesday afternoon, unveiling the opponents for the eight Major League Soccer clubs that enter the tournament June 28 and 29. Seven of the eight MLS clubs are guaranteed to host their opening match of the tournament with the Chicago Fire the lone exception as they would travel to play the Rochester Rhinos.

The Rhinos have faced the Chicago Fire twice before in the US Open Cup, both at home in 1999 and 2005. The Rhinos won the first, 1-0, en route to becoming the only tournament champions from a lower division since the launch of MLS in 1996. In 2005, the Fire prevailed 5-4 in penalties after a 1-1 draw. Chicago’s other potential opponent is the Harrisburg City Islanders, whom they have never met in the tournament.

The defending two-time champion Seattle Sounders as well as the New York Red Bulls, Sporting Kansas City and Los Angeles Galaxy all drew pairings with two potential opponents that are in their tournament debut or have never played an MLS club before in the Open Cup. Among them are the Chicago Fire Premier, who in their fourth tournament appearance, may advance to play at Kansas City’s newly unveiled LiveStrong Sporting Park.

The Sounders match will be the lone contest not on Tuesday, June 28. Seattle will play either the Real Colorado Foxes or local side Kitsap Pumas the following night at the StarFire Sports Stadium, one of two alternate venues being utilized in the Third Round. The Galaxy will not host their match versus one of the two local sides vying for the match – Los Angeles Blues and Ventura County Fusion – at the Home Depot Center, but at Titan Stadium.

The Columbus Crew were paired with the winner of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Richmond Kickers second round contest. The Crew have never faced Pittsburgh in the tournament, but defeated the visiting Kickers 3-0 in 2002.

FC Dallas drew either the tournament debutant Orlando City or perennial giant-killer Charleston Battery, who they have a lengthy tournament history against. The Battery were eliminated by Dallas twice in Charleston at Blackbaud Stadium, but will be traveling to Pizza Hut Park, where they were finally victorious in 2008 in a stunning 3-1 result. In 2006 the Battery were felled via penalties, 5-3, after playing to a thrilling 3-3 draw. A year later, Dallas returned to South Carolina and needed overtime to advance 2-1.

The New York Red Bulls, who play in New Jersey, will square off against one of the two teams who do play in the greater New York City metropolis, either the three-time US Open Cup champion New York Pancyprian Freedoms or expansion side FC New York.

Real Salt Lake will play host to a club that will be making the largest trek in the nation, coming in from North Carolina will be either the Charlotte Eagles or Wilmington Hammerheads.

If the Rochester Rhinos win, it would be the club’s 22nd meeting with an MLS opponent in 16 previous appearances in the tournament, 14 of which have seen the club play against an MLS team at least once. It would be the 19th such match for the Charleston Battery, who have played a club from the top flight in 10 of its 11 previous appearances. The Richmond Kickers also have a lengthy history versus MLS clubs in the tournament having played them in nine of their dozen previous trips to the Open Cup, a total of 11 contests.

Harrisburg and Wilmington are next on the list, among the second round field, with six previous MLS matches in tournament history, and Pittsburgh is sixth with three MLS meetings. Charlotte has played an MLS team in the event only once before, and although Orlando City is in its first season, coach Adrian Heath and many of the players played against an MLS opponent the past two years as members of the Austin Aztex franchise that relocated during the offseason.

2011 US Open Cup Third Round Pairing Scenarios

JUNE 28
FC New York / NY Pancyprian Freedoms at New York Red Bulls
8 p.m. ET  Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J.

Chicago Fire at Rochester Rhinos
7:35 p.m. ET  Sahlen’s Stadium; Rochester, N.Y.
OR
Harrisburg City Islanders at Chicago Fire
7:30 p.m. CT  Toyota Park; Bridgeview, Ill.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds / Richmond Kickers at Columbus Crew
7:30 p.m. ET  Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio

Charlotte Eagles / Wilmington Hammerheads at Real Salt Lake
7 p.m. MT  Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah

Orlando City SC / Charleston Battery at FC Dallas
8 p.m. CT  Pizza Hut Park; Frisco, Texas

Chicago Fire Premier / Madison 56ers at Sporting Kansas City
7:30 p.m. CT  LIVESTRONG Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kan.

Los Angeles Blues / Ventura County Fusion at Los Angeles Galaxy
7:30 p.m. PT  Titan Stadium (CSUF); Fullerton, Calif.

JUNE 29
Real Colorado Foxes / Kitsap Pumas at Seattle Sounders
7 p.m. PT  Starfire Sports Stadium; Tukwila, Wash.

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