Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2011 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.

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 US Open Cup Staff Predictions

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The staff at TheCup.us, as well as a couple guests from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) are bringing back a contest to see who can best predict the results of the US Open Cup. The staff member that does the best will receive not a prize, but bragging rights until next year.

The scoring system is as follows:

Correct result Points awarded
Winner 3
Winner only on PKs (*-denotes advancing club) 1
Draw 4
Amateur over USL Pro 3
USL Pro over MLS 3
Amateur over MLS 5
Score 1 bonus
Pick of the round Double points

Semifinal Picks

Correct score

Staff member RIC-CHI DAL-SEA
Gerald Barnhart 0-2 1-2
Eric Anderson 1-3 3-2
Scott French (NASR) 1-2 0-2

Standings after Semifinals

Staff member Points
Gerald Barnhart 114
Eric Anderson 104
Scott French (NASR) 104

Congrats to Gerald Barnhart on winning the 2011 TheCup.us Staff Prediction league!

Quarterfinal Picks

Correct score 0-4 2-0 0-2 1-3
Staff member NY-CHI RIC-KC RSL-DAL LA-SEA
Josh Hakala 1-2 2-1 1-0 1-3
Chuck Nolan 3-2 1-0 2-0 1-2
Tavio Palazzolo 1-3 1-4 2-2* 0-2
Gerald Barnhart 0-3 1-2 1-2 0-2
Eric Anderson 1-3 0-2 2-1 2-3
Scott French (NASR) 1-1* 1-3 0-2 1-2
Jose Romero (NASR) 3-1 0-2 0-1 1-2

Standings after Quarterfinals

Staff member Points
Gerald Barnhart 105
Eric Anderson 98
Scott French (NASR) 94
Josh Hakala 83
Chuck Nolan 80
Tavio Palazzolo 79
Jose Romero (NASR) 73

Third Round Picks

Correct score 1-2 1-0 2-1 0-2 0-3 2-3 1-2 1-2
Staff member FCNY-NYRB CHI-ROC RIC-CLB WIL-RSL CFP-SKC ORL-DAL LAB-LAG KIT-SEA
Josh Hakala 0-1 2-2* 2-3 1-3 1-4 2-1 0-3 2-4
Chuck Nolan 1-3 0-1 1-2 0-3 1-3 2-1 1-4 0-4
Tavio Palazzolo 1-3 0-2 1-2 0-3 1-3 2-3 1-3 2-1
Gerald Barnhart 1-3 2-1 1-2 0-4 0-3 2-1 0-2 0-3
Eric Anderson 1-2 2-1 2-1 0-3 0-2 2-1 1-3 0-2
Scott French (NASR) 1-4 *1-1 2-1 1-3 0-2 2-1 0-3 1-3
Jose Romero (NASR) 0-3 0-1 0-2 0-4 1-1* 0-3 1-4 1-3

Standings after Third Round

Staff member Points
Gerald Barnhart 93
Eric Anderson 89
Scott French (NASR) 86
Chuck Nolan 74
Tavio Palazzolo 69
Josh Hakala 69
Jose Romero (NASR) 67

Second Round Picks

Correct score *0-0 1-0 1-4 2-3 1-0 2-0 1-3 1-0
Staff member FCNY-NYPF ROC-HAR PIT-RIC CHA-WIL ORL-CHS CFP-M56 RCF-KIT LAB-VCF
Josh Hakala 3-2 2-1 1-3 0-1 1-2 1-2 2-4 3-1
Chuck Nolan 3-1 0-1 0-4 2-3 1-1* 1-2 0-2 3-1
Tavio Palazzolo 2-1 0-1 1-3 0-3 2-2* 1-4 1-3 *1-1
Gerald Barnhart 2-1 2-1 0-2 0-2 2-1 1-0 1-3 2-1
Eric Anderson 2-1 1-0 0-3 1-2 2-0 1-2 1-3 2-3
Scott French (NASR) 2-0 1-0 1-4 2-3 2-1 1-3 2-4 2-0
Jose Romero (NASR) 0-1 2-1 1-1* 2-3 1-2 0-1 0-2 2-2*

Standings after Second Round

Staff member Points
Gerald Barnhart 71
Eric Anderson 63
Scott French (NASR) 63
Chuck Nolan 56
Jose Romero (NASR) 51
Josh Hakala 51
Tavio Palazzolo 50

First Round Picks

Correct score 1-2 0-3 1-2 1-2 2-3 1-4 3-1 0-4 0-4 0-2 0-4 1-0 0-5 *0-0 1-3 1-3
Staff member BKN-NYPF WMP-FCNY REA-HAR PHX-ROC CHT-PIT DAY-RIC CHA-CAR CF-WIL ASC-ORL REG-CHS AAC-M56 CFP-IM DV8-RCF KIT-ELP HU-LAB DOX-VCF
Josh Hakala 1-2 1-2 2-3 1-4 *1-1 0-2 0-1 1-2 3-2 1-4 2-0 2-1 1-2 3-1 0-2 2-0
Chuck Nolan 0-2 1-3 0-3 1-4 2-0 1-4 *2-2 1-3 1-3 0-4 2-0 3-1 3-2 1-2 0-4 0-3
Tavio Palazzolo 0-3 2-1 0-2 0-4 1-1* 1-2 2-1 0-2 0-3 1-3 *2-2 2-1 0-3 2-3 2-1 1-3
Gerald Barnhart 1-3 1-2 1-2 0-3 1-2 0-3 0-1 1-2 1-3 0-2 2-1 2-1 1-2 3-1 2-3 1-2
Eric Anderson 1-2 2-0 0-1 0-3 1-2 0-4 1-2 1-3 0-3 0-2 1-2 2-3 0-2 2-3 3-5 1-3
Scott French (NASR) 2-0 0-2 2-1 2-3 0-0* 0-4 0-1 1-2 0-6 0-3 1-4 4-0 0-2 2-1 1-3 1-1*
Jose Romero (NASR) 1-0 3-2 0-1 1-3 1-2 0-4 1-1* 1-2 0-1 0-3 0-1 1-0 0-2 2-1 *2-2 1-3

Standings after First Round

Staff member Points
Gerald Barnhart 45
Eric Anderson 42
Jose Romero (NASR) 40
Chuck Nolan 39
Scott French (NASR) 37
Tavio Palazzolo 35
Josh Hakala 32

2011 US Open Cup Semifinal Preview: USL’s Richmond Kickers face rebounding Chicago Fire in ‘Cinderella Semifinal’

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The third-division Richmond Kickers of USL Pro are not supposed to be here, especially considering they had to go through two MLS clubs on the road in the past two rounds. And the Chicago Fire, though four-time tournament champions, are not considered title contenders in MLS, sitting outside the playoff window while playing with an interim coach. One, however, will move on to face either Seattle or Dallas, both playing the CONCACAF Champions League, for the 2011 US Open Cup championship.

While Chicago, who missed the playoffs for the first time last year since 2004, is in the midst of battling for a spot in the postseason, the Kickers’ run in the USL playoffs came to an end Saturday evening in Florida, falling 3-0 to regular season champion Orlando City. The Fire are five points out of the playoff qualification zone with 8-10 games remaining for themselves (8) and the other sides chasing a playoff berth.

The two teams will square off on Tuesday, August 30 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST.

FINAL SCENARIOS

There is only one scenario where the Chicago Fire will host the 2011 US Open Cup Final. If they defeat Richmond, and FC Dallas beats the Seattle Sounders, the Fire will host Dallas on Oct. 4 at Toyota Park.

The Richmond Kickers did not out-bid any of the other three teams so if they upset Chicago, they will play on the road for the Final.

BROADCASTING

Tuesday’s game will have an online video broadcast through Chicago-Fire.com. TheCup.us, as always, will have a live blog during both Semifinal matches beginning at 8 p.m. EST. Brendan Hannan and Jeff Crandall will have the call of the match.

Richmond Kickers

Founded in 1993, the club is one of two USL teams (the other being the Rochester Rhinos) 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 in USL PDL, 2006 and 2009 in USL-2/USL Pro) in eight appearances.

Since the Quarterfinals: The club’s return to solely focusing on league play after stunning Kansas City was a little difficult as they lost two of the next three. After falling 2-0 in Pittsburgh though, the Kickers rebounded to run off four consecutive shutouts to end the regular season for two wins and two draws before adding a fifth in the opening round of the playoffs. On August 19, Richmond played to a scoreless draw against the second-seeded Wilmington Hammerheads in the American Division opener, advancing 5-4 in penalties on the road. Goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale was in goal for four of the five clean sheets as the club finished third in the division and overall in the league with a 12-7-5 record. The defense ranked second with 21 goals allowed. The shutout run came to an end Saturday in the league semifinals as they fell 3-0 on the road against Orlando City whilst the state of Virginia also took a beating from Hurricane Irene back home. It was the biggest loss of the year for the Kickers, who had not allowed more than two goals in any game on the season. It was the first time the club allowed three in a game since losing in Charleston June 11 last season

Road to the Semifinals

David Bulow of the Richmond Kickers became the all-time leading scorer in the US Open Cup Professional Era this year. Photo: Richmond Kickers / Suz Kitsteiner

Quarterfinal: Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 2:0 Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
The Kickers became the first lower division club to record back-to-back road wins against MLS clubs in the tournament and David Bulow’s penalty made him the all-time leading scorer in the Professional Era, passing Jaime Moreno and Johnny Menyongar. For his efforts, Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round.
 Recap [+]

Third Round: Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 2:1 Columbus Crew (MLS)
The Kickers defeated an MLS club on the road in the US Open Cup for the first time. Former Crew player Stanley Nyazamba set up the opener by sending the ball to the top of the box, where Nozomi Hiroyama sent a bending ball into the back of the net. Columbus rookie Justin Meram helped level the score in the 37th minute, when he broke into the box and found fellow rookie Cole Grossman at the far post for his first professional goal. The 67th minute proved to be an important turning point, as the Crew dodged a bullet when a Matthew Delicate header hit the post and was cleared by the Columbus defense. Moments later though, Danny O’Rourke was sent off after he retaliated on some physical play. Five minutes from time, Delicate would find the winner against the shorthanded Crew on a diving header. Recap [+]

Second Round: Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Pro) 1:4 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)
For the second consecutive round, 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 [+]

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 [+]

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

1995 US Open Cup champions: Richmond Kickers
After playing the El Paso Patriots to a 1-1 draw, the Richmond Kickers captured the 1995 US Open Cup title by defeating the Patriots on penalty kicks 4-2. Photo: Richmond Kickers

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  USISL Premier (now the 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. 2011 marks the fourth time the club has reached the Quarterfinals (2001, 2004, 2007, 2011) in 14 appearances, defeating MLS clubs three times. Aside from this year’s upset of the Crew, 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 Los Angeles Galaxy weeks before David Beckham’s arrival, but were eliminated by the Second Division Carolina RailHawks in the Quarterfinals, 1-0.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 22-11-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 5-8-0 vs. MLS

Chicago Fire

Since the Quarterfinals: There has been little to celebrate since the Red Bulls arguably handed the Fire the win in the last round as Chicago has posted just two wins in seven league games since. The good news is they are coming into Tuesday’s contest on the heels of both of those victories. Dominic Oduro and Dan Gargan led the club to a 2-0 win versus Toronto a week ago. Oduro scored again Saturday with Cory Gibbs adding the insurance tally in another 2-0 win, this time against reigning MLS Cup champion Colorado to give the team a four-game unbeaten run in league play. Oduro has scored in four of the last five contests for the Fire, who have not been shut out since a 1-0 loss to Portland immediately following the Quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal: New York Red Bulls (MLS) 0:4 Chicago Fire (MLS)
Dominic Oduro wasted no time with the opening goal after seven minutes as the Fire ran away with it early in the second half as well with Orr Barouch scoring twice. The Fire had little trouble against a New York Red Bulls team that not only brought a shorthanded roster full of reserve players, but didn’t even bring their first-string coaching staff to Toyota Park. Recap [+]

Third Round: Chicago Fire (MLS) 1:0 Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro)
The only MLS club on the road for the Third Round, the Fire faced a tight one against giant-killer Rochester and came away with a narrow 1-0 win. Diego Chavez created the play that led to his goal, feeding Corben Bone the ball in the 37th minute. Bone drove past a defender and let loose a shot that the goalkeeper knocked away. The rebound popped up into the center of the box where Alfonso Motagalvan tried to clear on the volley only to see it skim off the side of his shin and fall to Chaves, who fired a low ball into inside the right post from 18 yards. Recap [+]

The Chicago Fire won their fourth US Open Cup title in 2006. Photo by Brian Kersey/Wireimage.com

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 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.

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 entered this year having only won one game in the tournament since, going 1-3-1 (0-1 in PKs). The Fire are 5-1-2 all-time in Quarterfinal matches and haven’t played a Quarterfinal game at Toyota Park since 2006, when they defeated New England 2-1.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 27-8-3 (2-1 in PKs) | 5-1-1 (0-1 in PKs) vs. Third Division opponents

HEAD-TO-HEAD

2004 US Open Cup Quarterfinals
Chicago Fire (MLS) 1:0 Richmond Kickers (A-League)
University of Richmond Stadium – Richmond, VA

In the only meeting between the two clubs in the tournament, it was the Chicago Fire who edged the Kickers in Richmond 1-0 in the 2004 Quarterfinals. Dipsy Selolwane scored the lone goal for the Fire in the 56th minute off a corner kick by Orlando Perez. Current players Matthew Delicate, Ronnie Pascale and Mike Burke all played in that game for the Kickers, while the only Fire player still on the roster from that night is Logan Pause. (Note: Nate Jaqua of the Sounders, playing in the other Semifinal, was in the starting lineup for Chicago that night)

A Seattle Sounders three-peat could put them among American sports elite

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Photo: Jane Gershovich | Prost Amerika Soccer

It’s one of the hardest accomplishments in all of team sports, winning three championships in a row. Former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley even trademarked the phrase “three-peat” in November 1988 for use on merchandise and apparel. Just fifteen times in the modern history of the four major professional sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB) has a team managed to win three or more championships in consecutive order.

If you want an international soccer perspective on how hard it is to win three cup titles in a row, chew on this. The Spanish Copa del Rey has only seen five three-peat winners, none since Barcelona in 1953. The English FA Cup has had only two teams win three or more titles in a row, the last in 1886 by Blackburn Rovers. The German DFB Pokal (played since 1935) and the Italy’s Coppa Italia (1922) have NEVER had a three-peat champion.

In terms of soccer in the United States, only six teams have achieved a three-peat in league play, all in the ASL and none since 1964. Two teams, Clark O.N.T. and Bethlehem Steel, achieved the feat in the American Cup competition, which predated the Open Cup to 1885, but was restricted to clubs from the Northeast United States.

Only three teams have won the US Open Cup three times in a row since it began in 1914, the Fall River Marksmen, NY Greek Americans and Stix, Baer and Fuller (St. Louis). This means the Seattle Sounders are just three games away from joining one of the elite lists in American sports history. TheCup.us takes a look at what stands in the way of writing the Sounders name in the history books. (LINK: The “Three-Peat” US Open Cup winners)

OPPONENTS

This is the wild-card factor facing the Sounders three-peat. What kind of team will the Los Angeles Galaxy put on the field for their Quarterfinal match? How strong will the Sounders lineup be? The Galaxy will face the same schedule situation as the Sounders heading into the Quarterfinal, with the Open Cup being their third game in eight days. However, Los Angeles will not have another league game after that until July 20 while the Sounders jump right back into MLS play four days later on July 16. The Galaxy does have a “World Football Challenge” match against Real Madrid on the same day.

Three-peat winners in other
professional team competitions
NFL
Green Bay Packers (1929-1931)
NBA
Minneapolis Lakers (1952-1954)
Boston Celtics (1959-1966)
Chicago Bulls (1991-1993)
Chicago Bulls (1996-1998)
Los Angeles Lakers (2000-2002)
MLB
New York Yankees (1936-1939)
New York Yankees (1949-1953)
Oakland Athletics (1972-1974)
New York Yankees (1998-2000)
NHL
Toronto Maple Leafs (1947-1949)
Montreal Canadians (1956-1960)
Toronto Maple Leafs (1962-1964)
Montreal Canadians (1977-1979)
New York Islanders (1980-1983)

SOCCER
American Cup (1885-1924)
Clark O.N.T. (1885-1887)
Bethlehem Steel (1916-1919)

American Soccer League
Fall River Marksmen (1924-1926)
Fall River Marksmen (1929-1930)*
Kearny Scots (1937-1941)
Philadelphia Nationals (1949-1951)
New York Hakoah (1957-1959)
Ukrainian Nationals (1961-1964)|
*1929 and 1930 seasons split into separate Spring/Fall seasons

Copa Del Rey (Spain)
Real Madrid (1905-1907)
Athletic Bilbao (1914-1916)
Athletic Bilbao (1930-1933)
Athletic Bilbao (1943-1945)
Barcelona (1951-1953)

FA Cup (England)
Wanderers (1876-1878)
Blackburn Rovers (1884-1886)

The Galaxy only used five regular starters in their 2-1 Third Round win over USL Pro’s Los Angeles Blues. Seattle used just one regular starter in its lineup versus the Kitsap Pumas of the PDL.

When the west coast league rivals met in the 2010 Open Cup Quarterfinals, the lineup Los Angeles put on the field featured just four players who would end the MLS season with 10 or more starts for the Galaxy. Among the players in the opening lineup, Omar Gonzalez was the only Galaxy player to start at least half of LA’s MLS games by the end of the season. Seattle was better at playing regulars for the match, but not by much. Three of the Sounders eleven at the opening whistle earned starts in at last half of Seattle’s MLS games: Patrick Ianni (24), Jeff Parke (20) and Nathan Sturgis (16).

In other words, don’t be surprised if both teams’ lineups for the match feature reserve or bench players, just for the sake of keeping the regular starters fresh for the upcoming schedule.

Should Seattle get by Los Angeles, they will play either Real Salt Lake or FC Dallas in the Semifinals, which is likely to mark the point of dedication from all of the Final Four clubs. Being two games away from a trophy, MLS clubs are more likely to put a stronger team on the field than in earlier rounds. For their 2010 Semifinal match against Chivas USA, Seattle’s lineup combined for 233 2010 MLS appearances, and 196 starts, a jump of 85 appearances and 115 starts over their Quarterfinal match.

SCHEDULE CONGESTION

This could be the biggest hurdle for the Sounders on the way to a three-peat. Schedule congestion has been used as the main reason why many MLS teams rest starting players in the Third and Quarterfinal rounds. As it stands now, the Sounders only have to deal with MLS matches surrounding the Quarterfinal Open Cup game, though they will play an MLS game two days prior to their Cup contest.

After that, it gets a bit tricky as a third ball enters the juggling act.

Should the Sounders get past San Francisco FC of Panama in the Preliminary Round of the CONCACAF Champions League, their schedule leading up to a possible August 30 Open Cup Semifinal will get a bit more crowded, barring any approved league or Cup schedule alterations. In addition to the four MLS league games on tap for August, they will have their second match of Champions League group play on August 23-25. With a league game on August 27, that would give Seattle three games in seven days to contend with.

If they manage to make their way to the Open Cup Final on October 4, another stretch of 3 games in 7 days potentially awaits them. By this point two important wild cards come into play: If the Sounders are fighting for an MLS playoff spot, AND still in contention to advance from their CCL group, a tough stretch of important games lie ahead of them. Will Seattle shoot for a three-peat, or will they focus on winning the Champions League or MLS Cup for the first time. Maybe the club’s depth will help them give a solid effort toward all three. The Sounders’ reserve squad has a perfect 7-0-0 record.

Schedule congestion wasn’t much of an issue years ago for teams like the Fall River Marksmen, Stix, Baer and Fuller, and the NY Greek Americans. Those teams accomplished their Open Cup three-peats back when the Cup games took precedence over everything. Since most of the players were making semi-pro money at best, a regular work schedule meant that league and cup games took place on Sundays. In some cities an entire league schedule would be put on hold to ensure the lone Open Cup game was the center of attention that day. There was no concern over resting players for a playoff push, because the Open Cup was the playoffs – it was the national championship. The tournament was the biggest prize that soccer in the United States could offer, so if there was any resting of starters it would be in preparation for the upcoming Cup game.

INJURIES / ROSTER CHANGES

Injuries are the type of obstacle you cannot prepare for in advance, because you never know when they will pop up or how severe they will be. Right now the Sounders are without their second leading goal scorer from the 2010 season, Steve Zakuani, who suffered a broken leg on April 22 against the Colorado Rapids. Also missing from the roster is Jamaican international O’Brien White, who has been out since April 28 after having a blood clot surgically removed from his left leg. There is some speculation that White may be able to return to play within a month.

The Sounders won their first US Open Cup title in their inaugural season in 2009. Photo: Seattle Sounders

During last year’s Open Cup run, a major roster shakeup seemed to energize the Sounders. In late-July Seattle traded former Swedish international Freddie Ljungberg following what turned out to be a falling out with the club. Before the trade, the Sounders were struggling in the standings, bobbing up and down past the final MLS playoff slot. After the move, Seattle surged up the standings to the point that their playoff fate was no longer in question.

The mid-season transfer window for MLS, which allows players from clubs outside the United States and Canada to join the league, opens July 15 and closes August 14. Playmakers coming into the league could directly influence the Open Cup clubs by joining their rosters or through ancillary trades to create the moves, particularly if it is for a designated player.

PLAYING ON THE ROAD

Something that definitely favors the Sounders is playing their Open Cup matches at home. Of the nine Cup matches Seattle has played since joining MLS, six have been at home, and two of the road matches were in relatively nearby Portland, Oregon. This year they began their Open Cup quest at home against the Kitsap Pumas, and they’ll host their Quarterfinal match against the Los Angeles Galaxy. If Seattle progresses into the semifinals, odds are 50-50 if they will have to travel depending on who wins the contest between Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas. The Sounders will likely be rooting for the home side to take the contest in Texas Tuesday night.

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