2013 Third Round

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Houston Dynamo end FC Tucson run with 2-0 win

May 30, 2013 by Jon Yardley

Despite the best efforts of Cinderella upstart FC Tucson, the Houston Dynamo had little trouble advancing to the Fourth Round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, scoring once in each half for a 2-0 win at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston on Wednesday night.

With their depth hit by injuries and national team call-ups, the Dynamo started two players who have spent time on loan this year: Brian Ownby (Richmond Kickers) and Alex Dixon (Tampa Bay Rowdies). The duo started and finished the game’s opening goal in the 26th minute. Ownby won possession near the halfway line and Luiz Camargo spread the ball to rookie Jason Johnson on the left. Johnson slipped a pass to fullback Mike Chabala making a run to the end line and Chabala cut the ball back to the penalty spot, where Dixon provided a deft one-time finish out of the reach of Tucson goalkeeper Dallas Jaye.

Having allowed the first goal for the third consecutive Open Cup game, FC Tucson stepped up its offensive efforts, with lone forward Saeed Robinson, a Division II all-American last year at Grand Canyon University, firing wide with several looks from the top of the area. Robinson then set up Tucson’s best chance of the half, cutting the ball back for David Clemens, who fired wide from the top of the box in the 38th minute.

The PDL team, which fields a mix of mostly West Coast current and former college players, including several from both the University of San Diego and Gonzaga University, were on their heels most of the night. Houston included veterans like Bobby Boswell, Chabala and Brian Ching (himself a Gonzaga alumnus) in an otherwise reserve-laden lineup that included professional debuts for rookie defender Anthony Arena and teenage signing Bryan Salazar.

Houston had one more good chance in the first half, with Salazar – who otherwise had a quiet evening – feeding a surging Ownby. The second-year man in turn fed Ching for a shot that was knocked away by Jaye, who was fortunate when Houston’s Johnson failed to make solid contact with the rebound.

Houston appeared on cruise control at times in the second half, but Tucson almost conjured an equalizer in the 69th minute when Clemens poked the ball away from the Houston back line. Substitute forward Dakota Collins raced onto the ball in the box, but his left-footed shot from a bad angle was stuffed by charging Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric, who then smothered the rebound at the edge of the penalty area.

From there Houston substitutes Andrew Driver and Giles Barnes combined to dominate the tired Tucson back line, eventually putting the game away in the 85th minute. Tucson’s Brandon Zimmerman was yellow-carded for hauling down Barnes at the top of the penalty area, and Barnes delivered a well-hit free kick just inside the right post from about 21 yards away.

From there, the Dynamo threatened to make it a rout, as Driver and Johnson combined for four close-range chances in the ensuing four minutes, but Jaye made three saves and got help from a defender to clear a soft header off the goal line to stay within two goals.

The win for Houston’s reserves sent the Dynamo to what could be a fierce rivalry game with Dallas on June 12. Both teams are off on the weekend before the match, and Houston is off the following weekend as well, which could lead both teams to pick strong lineups. The in-state rivals last met in Open Cup play in the 2006 quarterfinals, with the Dynamo winning 3-0 in Houston, but FC Dallas won the teams’ prior meeting this year, in Frisco, by a 3-2 score.

Tucson’s run came to an end, but it will not be forgotten in the Arizona desert any time soon. Tucson bowed out of its first Open Cup appearance after eliminating two professional teams – Phoenix FC and the San Antonio Scorpions – but fell short of the $15,000 prize money as the top amateur team in the competition as the Des Moines Menace defeated an NASL club (Minnesota United FC) in regulation. Since the remaining four PDL teams all lost in the Third Round, the tiebreaker goes to the team that defeated the highest level of competition.

FC Tucson vs. Houston Dynamo

May 29, 2013 — BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston TX

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup — Round 3

Scoring Summary:

HOU: Alex Dixon 1 (Mike Chabala 1) 26

HOU: Giles Barnes 1 (unassisted) 85

FC Tucson: Dallas Jaye, Edgar Reyna, Travis Campbell, Greg Carter, Tim Harbison, Connor Brandt (Conner Bevans 64), Brandon Zimmerman, Eli Galbraith-Knapp, Ricardo Velazco, David Clemens (Stephen Poza 79), Saeed Robinson (Dakota Collins 64).

Substitutes Not Used: Michael D’Arrigo, Kevin Gould.

Houston Dynamo: Tyler Deric, Brian Ownby, Anthony Arena, Bobby Boswell, Mike Chabala, Luiz Camargo (Adam Moffat 83), Warren Creavalle, Alex Dixon, Bryan Salazar (Andrew Driver 61), Brian Ching (Giles Barnes 72), Jason Johnson.

Substitutes Not Used: Erich Marscheider, Eric Brunner, Kofi Sarkodie, Will Bruin.

Misconduct Summary:

TUC: Saeed Robinson (caution) 26

HOU: Warren Creavalle (caution) 71

HOU: Andrew Driver (caution) 75

TUC: Brandon Zimmerman (caution) 84

Officials: Referee: Eli Aguilar, AR1: Greg Boles, AR2: Daniel Vehabovic; fourth: Kyle Phillips

Attendance: 2,917

Team Stats

Shots: Houston 21, Tucson 7

Shots On Goal: Houston 9, Tucson 1

Saves: Tucson 7, Houston 1

Fouls: Houston 10, Tucson 4

Corner Kicks: Houston 8, Tucson 0

Offsides: Houston 1, Tucson 1

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Struggling DC United finds hope, downs Richmond Kickers in PKs

May 30, 2013 by Gerald Barnhart

A DC United squad that has not won since their second game of the MLS season (0-8-2) was dearly hoping for a change in fortune in the US Open Cup, and barely even got that as they prevailed in Richmond via penalties 4-2 after a grueling scoreless stalemate with the Kickers, their official affiliate in USL Pro.

Back-up goalkeeper Joe Willis was the man of the match from start to finish for DC United, coming out of the goal 17 minutes into the match to prevent on onrushing Michael Seaton, on loan from DC, from having an easy one-on-one opportunity at the top of the box, and then later making two saves in the penalty kick tiebreaker to send DC onto the Fourth Round.

Eight minutes after beating Seaton to the ball Willis was called upon again to squelch another chance when Joseph Ngwenya connected with Stanley Nyazamba, who proceeded to find Nate Robinson for a low shot that the keeper stopped.

DC nearly took the lead just after the half-hour mark when Kyle Porter’s corner was headed onto the crossbar by Lionard Pajoy, and again saw the frame of the goal come into play four minutes later when former Kickers star Dwayne De Rosario sent a header off of the post, falling along the goalline where it was gathered by United loanee Andrew Dykstra.

The Kickers nearly gave the visitors the advantage right before halftime with a potential own goal when back pass was complicated by miscommunication that saw it scoot past Dykstra, who had to recover to send the ball over the endline instead of the back of the net.

The second half continued to be the Willis show with the netminder denying two quality opportunities for the Kickers and watched another from a free kick sail just over the crossbar in the 90^th minute as overtime loomed.

That is when things began to get interesting. DC saw two players sent off in extra time with Chris Korb receiving a second yellow in the 113^th minute and Carlos Ruiz getting his walking orders just four minutes later with a straight red card. But the seven minutes of having one or two extra players came too late as the two sides ultimately played things out from the spot.

The Kickers were unable to recover after seeing Sascha Gorres and Ngwenya’s attempts in the first two rounds saved by Willis despite conversions from Luke Vercollone and Nate Robinson as De Rosario, Perry Kitchen, Nick De Leon and James Riley were all perfect.

Scoring Summary

None

PK Summary

RIC – 2: Sascha Gorres (save), Joseph Ngwenya (save), Luke Vercollone (goal), Nate Robinson (goal)

DC – 4: Dwayne De Rosario (goal), Perry Kitchen (goal), Nick De Leon (goal), James Riley (goal)

Discipline

RIC: Jason Yeisley (caution) 57^th

RIC: Matthew Delicate (caution) 73^rd

DC: Chris Pontius (caution) 82^nd

DC: Chris Korb (caution) 90^th

DC: Chris Korb (caution, ejection) 113^th

DC: Carlos Ruiz (ejection) 117^th

RIC: Andrew Dykstra (caution) 120^th

Lineups

Kickers: GK Andrew Dykstra, Henry Kalungi, Shane Johnson (Matthew Delicate – 69’), William Yomby, Luke Vercollone, Michael Seaton (Juan Arbelaez – 60’), Mike Callahan, Stanley Nyazamba (Sascha Gorres – 60’), Nate Robinson, Jason Yeisley, Joseph Ngwenya

D.C. United: GK Joe Willis, Daniel Woolard, James Riley, Chris Korb, Raphael Augusto (Chris Pontius – 58’), Perry Kitchen, Conor Shanosky, Nick De Leon, Kyle Porter (Sainey Nyassi – 91’), Dwayne De Rosario, Lionard Pajoy (Carlos Ruiz – 80’)

Referee: Eric Weisbrod

Assistant Referees: James Brooks, Dean Fairweather

Fourth Official: J.T. Alukonis

Attendance: 4,752 Weather: Partly cloudy, 85º

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: New York Red Bulls pull away from Reading United 2-0 in second half

May 30, 2013 by Romulo Vieira

Hoping to change their US Open Cup performances of past, the New York Red Bulls picked up only their fourth win since reaching the 2003 tournament final as they avoided embarrassment by eliminating the PDL Reading United AC 2-0 on a pair of second half goals Wednesday night in the Third Round. Lloyd Sam was involved in both strikes with a goal and assist.

In the first few minutes of the game Reading United showed signs that they were not just coming to Red Bull Arena for the experience. They showed to be aggressive off the ball when trying to retrieve possession. The Red Bulls, with experienced players like Juninho and Peguy Luyindula, quickly took control of the game by keeping most of the possession. The Red Bulls kept Reading goalkeeper John McCarthey and his defense on their feet with a number of shots.

Quick one two passes between Juninho, Luyindula and Amando Moreno allowed the Red Bulls to penetrate Reading’s defense, but thanks to quick thinking by Reading’s defense, they were able to keep a clean sheet in the first half.

New York’s best chance came in the 15th minute when McCarthy came up with two huge back-to-back saves after stopping shots from Connor Lade and Amando Moreno in the box. While the Red Bulls did dominate possession, Reading also had a few good chances to score goals. Their quick forwards always posed a threat when they came close to Ryan Meara’s goal, however, most of their shots went wide without Meara needing to come up with a save.

In the second half Red Bulls coach Mike Petke decided to take out Juninho and Luyindula for Dax McCarty and Fabian Espindola, a move that would prove crucial in the outcome of the game. The second half played out the same way as the first with the Red Bulls dominating possession, but not with as many opportunities as in the first 45 minutes.

Even though the Red Bulls did not have as many shots in the second half, they opened the scoring in the 61st after a sequence of quick one-two passes between McCarty, Sam and Espindola. McCarty started the sequence with Sam, which gave McCarty room to send the ball to Espindola in the box for an easy tap-in to put the Red Bulls ahead 1-0.

Just six minutes later the Red Bulls put the game away with Sam scoring the second goal of the game. Another quick one-two pass between Sam and Espindola gave Sam enough room in the box to fire the ball past John McCarthy.

After the second goal the Red Bulls took control of the game. Reading’s best chance came in the 69th minute when Damian Lowe almost put his name on the score sheet with a header coming from a corner kick that was saved by Meara’s thigh. After that small scare the Red Bulls maintained control and sealed their spot in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

With this win the Red Bulls will play their I-95 rivals New England Revolution in the fourth round away from home. The victory against Reading moved Red Bulls’ undefeated streak to eight games in all competitions.

Scoring Summary

NY: Fabian Espindola (Dax McCarty, Lloyd Sam) 61’

NY: Lloyd Sam (Fabian Espindola) 67’

Disciplinary Summary:

NY: Markus Holgersson (caution) 90’

REA: Ben Sweat (caution) 94’+

Lineups

New York Red Bulls – Ryan Meara, Brandon Barklage, Markus Holgersson, Heath Pearce, Roy Miller, Lloyd Sam (Eric Alexander 84’), Juninho (Dax McCarty 46’), Michael Bustamante, Connor Lade, Peguy Luyindula (Fabian Espindola 46’), Amando Moreno

Substitutes Not Used: Santiago Castano, Kosuke Kimura, Jonny Steele, Andre Akpan

Reading United AC – John McCarthy, Damian Lowe, Ben Sweat, Jimmy Ockford, Wes Charpie (Dante Marini 73’), Steve Neumann, Jonny Doezel, Keegan Rosenberry (Fatai Alashe 60’), Kadeem Dacrees, Mario Pinto (Darius Madison 60’), Larry Ndjock

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Bono, Shane Campbell, Manolo Sanchez, Melvin Snoh

Referee: Mark Gorak  Referee’s Assistants: TJ Zablocki, Danny Thornberry  4th Referee: Ryan Dos Reis

Attendance: 3,867

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Columbus Crew avenge last year’s upset, defeat Dayton Dutch Lions 2-1

May 30, 2013 by Brandon Gee

Exactly one year ago to the day, the Dayton Dutch Lions went into Columbus Crew Stadium and shocked Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew with two goals in the last 11 minutes on their way to a 2-1 win. This year, Columbus would start five regulars including Eddie Gaven and 2012’s MLS Newcomer of the Year, Federico Higuain to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. The Crew would dominate most of the rematch before Dayton attempted to recreate last year’s heroics. However, it was the Crew who would take the late lead and held on to a 2-1 victory over the USL Pro side.

For the Crew, they snapped a franchise worst three-game losing streak in the tournament that dated back to the 2010 US Open Cup Final. After losing to the Sounders that year, they were the victims of consecutive one-and-done upsets to the Richmond Kickers in 2011 and the Lions last year. All three losses were by the score of 2-1. This year, they flipped the score around.

The Crew came out with an aggressive attack and kept play in Dayton’s end for much of the first ten minutes. The MLS side kept the Dutch Lion defense on their heels with heavy passing as they dominated possession. Momentum stayed in the Crew’s favor as Dutch Lions defender Brock Granger earned a straight red card in the 14th minute for a two-footed tackle just outside the penalty area on Gaven. The infraction forced the now short-handed Lions to move Shintaro Harada from the midfield back to defense.

Despite the Crew’s offense running the first half, they struggled to get shots on net, only testing Dayton keeper Josh Williams on a few occasions.

Neither side made any roster changes as the second half started, and Columbus would finally break through in the 52’ as Gaven knocked down a pass from Higuain and put it past the Dayton keeper from a tight angle.

After taking the lead, Columbus seemed to fall back a bit, a similar situation from last year’s game and right on cue, Dayton picked up their offense.

Following a back and forth exchange of possession, Dayton would finally break through in the 78th minute as Shane Smith took an assist from Klaasse and put the equalizer past the Crew’s Matt Lampson. Dayton nearly took the lead in the 82nd minute as Brandon Swartzendruber got a shot past Lampson only to see Crew defender Eric Gehrig clear the loose ball off the goalline.

Despite the late surge by Dayton, the Crew would answer and regain the lead in the 84th minute on a goal by Justin Meram, sending a ball from outside the penalty area past the keeper Williams. Gaven got the assist on Meram’s goal and would end up going down minutes later with an injury in the 88th minute. If the injury turns out to be something serious, it could be a big blow to Columbus as Gaven, despite his scoring struggles this year, has remained a veteran leader for the club.

Through the rest of the match, including five minutes of stoppage time, the Crew were content to just hold possession and burn out the clock. The Columbus Crew would survive the late flurry to avenge last year’s defeat and advance in the Open Cup for the first time since 2010.

The Crew will now go on to face their rivals, the Chicago Fire, at Chicago’s Toyota Park for the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 12th. Chicago defeated the Crew at Toyota Park in MLS play last month 1-0 off a goal by Jeff Larentowicz.

U.S. Open Cup – Third Round – Columbus Crew vs. Dayton Dutch Lions

5/29/2013 – Columbus Crew Stadium

Scoring:

CLB: Gaven (Higuian) 52’

DAY: Smith (Klaasse) 78’

CLB: Meram (Gaven) 84’

Discipline:

DAY: Granger – Red 14’

DAY: Lord – Yellow 37’

CLB: Glauber – Yellow 55’

CLB: Schoenfeld – Yellow 76’

Attendance: 1,302

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Chivas USA setting new trend with 2-1 win over LA Blues

May 30, 2013 by Gerald Barnhart

Having allowed an early goal to USL Pro’s LA Blues in the 11th minute, Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy marched down the field and took the game into his own hands, converting a second half penalty for the game-winner as they downed their nearby lower division foe 2-1 to reach the Fourth Round.

Despite getting numerous chances in the early going, the MLS side, which is winless in their last seven league games (0-6-1), found themselves in a hole yet again when George Davis made a great run down the right side and found a fortunate deflection on his shot 11 minutes into the contest.

Chivas USA was not able to find the equalizer until seven minutes into the second half when Carlos Alvarez and Tristan Bowen worked together to pull even. Alvarez took the ball up the middle and dished it out to Bowen on the left flank of the area before getting it back at the spot, where he spun and drove it into the lower right corner of the goal.

The winner from Kennedy came in the 62nd minute after a three minute delay in which Miller Bolanos spent on the turf after a collision between the striker and goalkeeper Aaron Perez drew the penalty.

The net minder was not done, however, as he was called upon to do his normal job, making a pair of big saves two minutes apart as the hosts fought back.

The victory marked the second consecutive year and third time in four years that the club has won it’s opening game of the tournament, changing a history that saw them eliminated in the opener four consecutive times after their 2005 debut.

Editor’s Note: Chivas USA first-year coach head coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola (Chelis) was dismissed by the club the following day and replaced by Jose Luis Real Casillas, the Sporting Development Director at Chivas Guadalajara.

Scoring Summary

LA: George Davis (unassisted) 11’
CHV: Carlos Alvarez (Tristan Bowen) 52’
CHV: Dan Kennedy (PK) 62’

Misconduct Summary

LA: Duach Jock (yellow, foul) 25’
LA: Nelson Pizarro (yellow, foul) 60’
CHV: Miller Bolaños (yellow, delaying the game) 71’
CHV: De Luna (yellow, foul) 77’
CHV: Carlos Borja (yellow, delaying the game) 90+2’

Lineups

Chivas USA: Dan Kennedy, Carlos Borja, Mario de Luna, Joaquin Velazquez, Josue Soto (Eric Avila 22), Aaron Ponce (Gabriel Farfan 45’), Carlos Alvarez, Giovani Casillas (Jorge Villafaña 45’), Marvin Iraheta, Tristan Bowen, Miller Bolaños

Subs not used: Patrick McLain, Bonny Burling, Marky Delgado

LA Blues: Aaron Perez, Jimmy Turner, Duach Jock, Erlys Garcia, Matt Hull (Sergio Ortiz 87’), Rodrigo Lopez, Alan Russell, Nelson Pizarro, Mehishad Momeni (Juan Perez 66’), Gabriel Gonzalez (Chris Cortez 58’), George Davis

Subs not used: Steve Gonzalez, Charlie Pettys, Corey Miller, David Bakal

Referee: Daniel Radford; Referee’s Assistants: Cesar Calderon, Luis Gutierrez; Fourth Official: Charles Zuckermann

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Portland’s Piquionne makes history with four goals in Timbers’ 5-1 win over Wilmington

May 30, 2013 by Michael Orr

Timbers_openCup_CM013 — Portland Timbers forward Frederic Piquionne (10) celebrates his third goal of the match at JELD-WEN Field on May 29, 2013. Photos: Craig Mitchelldyer | Portland Timbers

Four first half goals from Frédéric Piquionne were more than enough to send the Portland Timbers past the Wilmington Hammerheads at Jeld-Wen Field. The 5-1 scoreline was utterly representative of just how much better the Timbers were than their USL Pro opponents on Wednesday night.

Portland’s line-up featured ten players with starting experience or significant first team minutes including captain Will Johnson, Darlington Nagbe and Michael Harrington. Yet it was Piquionne who played the starring role for the Timbers in an explosive first half.

The 34-year old striker scored his first goal of the season in the second minute, heading in a Will Johnson corner to set the pace for a record-setting night. With a rare early lead, Caleb Porter’s high-pressure system was unleashed, wreaking havoc on Wilmington’s attempts to build possession. Piquionne nodded in his second goal in the 17^th minute, this time from a Harrington cross, to break the game open for the home side.

Wilmington, travel-fatigued from playing in Texas in the Second Round and twice in Florida over the weekend in league play, was not without quality chances, however, as defender Daniel Steres hit a nice volley just wide of the far post in the 27th minute and Kyle Greig twice came close to scoring from close range late in the half. Yet the up-field pressure from Nagbe and José Valencia was simply too much for most of the Hammerheads’ half.

Kalif Alhassan chipped a pass into the box on 34 minutes, providing Piquionne with a chance to score with his feet and complete his hat-trick in just three shots. The shot skipped past Tony Hernandez, providing the first Timbers hat-trick of the MLS era in a competitive match. Following Greig’s two chances, Piquionne finished the half in style, heading in a Johnson free kick to put Portland ahead 4-0 in injury time.

Timbers_openCup_CM017 — The Timbers Army cheer after Futty Danso's goal in the second half at JELD-WEN Field on May 29, 2013. Over 10,000 fans attending the midweek Open Cup match. Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer | Portland Timbers

The second half was much more competitive as Wilmington worked back into the game, particularly through Shawn Nicklaw and first half substitute Cody Arnoux. Later in the half, Steven Perry provided additional offensive options and nearly scored on a 79th minute header.

Yet the Hammerheads’ goal came from midfielder Paul Nicholson in the 62nd minute, a brilliant overhead kick that was one of the finer goals of the Open Cup so far this season. Nicholson flipped the ball to himself after it deflected to him in the box, before scissor-kicking the ball into the top left corner from the right side of goal. Though it did not do much for Wilmington’s odds of advancing, the goal was well deserved both for the individual and the club.

Miloš Kocić recorded several key saves over the game’s final 20 minutes to maintain the wide margin, particularly on Perry’s angled header. Futty Danso finished the night’s scoring with a header of his own in the 73rd minute, giving Johnson his third assist and providing the final scoreline.

Five goals represent the most a Timbers team has ever scored in an Open Cup match, topping a 4-1 victory in 2010 against Kitsap Pumas. Piquionne’s four goals mark only the second time a Portland player has achieved that feat, and the first since McKinley Tennyson’s four-goal league game in 2002. He joined a list of 11 players to accomplish the feat in the Modern Pro Era (1995-present) and joins Seattle Sounders U23 striker David Geno (first half v Doxa Italia – 2013, First Round) and Fort Lauderdale Strikers (nee Miami FC) forward Paulo Jr (overtime v Central Florida – 2010, First Round) as only players in MPE to score all four in one period of play.

Portland advances to host upset winners Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Fourth Round on Wednesday June 12 at Jeld-Wen Field.

Scoring Summary

POR: Frederic Piquionne (Will Johnson) 2
POR: Frederic Piquionne (Michael Harrington) 17
POR: Frederic Piquionne (Kalif Alhassan) 34
POR: Frederic Piquionne (Will Johnson) 45+2
WIL: Paul Nicholson 61
POR: Futty Danso (Will Johnson) 73

Misconduct Summary

WIL: Parratt (caution) 6
WIL: Wallace (caution) 58
WIL: Nicklaw (caution) 67

Lineups & Stats

POR: GK Kocic, D Miller, D Jean-Baptiste, D Danso, D Harrington (McKenzie, 74), M Zemanski, M Nagbe (Zizzo, 45), M Johnson, W. ©, F Valencia, F Piquionne (Rincón, 45), F Alhassan

Substitutes Not Used: GK Gleeson, D Fehr, M Evans, M Valeri

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Piquionne, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Piquionne, 4); FOULS: 9 (Valencia, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 10; SAVES: 7

WIL: GK Hernandez, D Daly (Taylor, 64), D Steres, D Utterson, D Wallace, M Evans, M Parratt (Arnoux, 25), M Nicholson, M Nicklaw, F Greig (Perry, 74), F Elenio

Substitutes Not Used: M Briggs

TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Nicholson, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Nicholson, 3); FOULS: 13 (Four players, 2); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 1

Referee: Alejandro Mariscal  Assistant Referees: Jeremy Hanson, Andrew Marihart  4th Official: Ronald Lagraff

Attendance: 10,924

Weather: Partly Cloudy, 62 degrees

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Carolina RailHawks repeat Galaxy upset, down LA 2-0

May 30, 2013 by Neil Morris

bruce-arena-missing — Carolina RailHawks fans poked fun at Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena for traveling with his team to his team's Open Cup game. Photo: Twitter @daveslounge

Moments after his Carolina RailHawks upset the L.A. Galaxy for the second consecutive year in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, manager Colin Clarke paused on the pitch during his walk back to the team’s locker room, gazing up into the gradually emptying grandstands as if to soak up the revelous atmosphere generated all evening by the club record 8,121 fans in attendance.

Minutes later, Clarke entered the media room for his postgame press conference. As he sauntered past on his way to the podium, Clarke glanced over and, smirking like the proverbial cat that ate the canary, shot me a quick wink.

The 2-0 win is not only the second straight year the RailHawks have ousted the defending Major League Soccer (MLS) champion Galaxy from the US Open Cup. It is also the third time Clarke has coached a second division club to victory over MLS’s flagship franchise in Cup competition, the first being the Puerto Rico Islanders’ improbable win over the Galaxy in the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League.

But while Wednesday’s result may arouse feelings of déjà vu, the match’s rather workmanlike vibe stands in marked contrast to last year’s heart-stopping, late-game heroics. Not surprisingly, the RailHawks fielded a full-strength starting XI, the lone wrinkle being Scottish center back Kevin Rutkiewicz getting only his second RailHawks start in lieu of Paul Hamilton and Austen King, who were both active for the match. Meanwhile, the Galaxy sported the expected lineup of reservists and second-stringers, two of the notable exceptions being the presence of Jose Villarreal and Michael Stephens.

Interestingly, both Robbie Rogers and forward Gyasi Zardes began on the bench. The latter’s omission was of particular note to Clarke, who, while complimenting his opponent’s overall talent level, admitted, “I was happy to see Zardes on the bench.”

Unlike last year, when the Galaxy thoroughly dominated the first half, Wednesday’s match featured a more back-and-forth opening stanza. While the Galaxy held the majority of possession, both teams fostered forays into their attacking third. However, a lack of finishing befell both sides: while the Galaxy outshot Carolina 6-2 in the first half, neither team put a single shot on target.

Although Zardes entered the match in the 56th minute, it was Carolina that struck first in the 59th. Another RailHawks walkabout in the box ended with a cross by Zack Schilawski that found its way to an unmarked Austin da Luz. Da Luz’s snap shot appeared stopped by goalkeeper Brian Rowe before the howler squirted through his arms and rolled across the goal line.

“It was deep ball, so I tried to whip it back across the top of the box,” Schilawski said. “ Shriver ran over it, da Luz hit it first time, and it deflected off the keeper and went in.”

With the Galaxy reeling, Carolina struck again just two minutes later. Schilawski gathered a pass and one-touched it ahead to a streaking Shriver, who got behind the defense and slotted his left-footed shot past Rowe for the 2-0 lead.

“We got wide to da Luz, back to the middle to Millington, and he played an easy ball to me and I was able to flick it through to Shriver,” Schilawski continued. “And he did what he’s been doing all year with a great finish.”

Galaxy assistant coach Curt Onalfo, managing in the absence of head coach Bruce Arena, who did not make the trip to North Carolina with his team, recognized this sequence as the game’s turning point.

“I don’t think our young group of players reacted the best to that situation,” Onalfo said. “Credit to Carolina, they kind of sensed that and got a second goal. And then you’re playing catch-up, and you’re on the road, you’ve traveled across the country, it’s humid and hot, and all of a sudden it becomes pretty difficult.”

Down two goals, Rogers came on in the 63rd minute for his second appearance since joining the Galaxy last week. However, it was the last time his name was mentioned for the rest of the match. Although fearing a Galaxy offensive onslaught, the visitors barely mustered a threat. Their first and last shot on goal came in the 71st minute, giving RailHawks’ goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald his only save of the match.

Meanwhile, Clarke shrewdly brought on Hamilton for a winded and cramping Rutkiewicz in the 74th minute. Indeed, the combined efforts of center backs Rutkiewicz, Hamilton and especially Julius James held the Galaxy attackers at bay.

“It’s interesting, usually Open Cup games are really fast and physical,” Rogers said. “But I thought this one was a bit slower. Maybe the weather had something to do with it. But give credit to the RailHawks. I thought they did a great job finishing their chances.”

A header by Zardes in the box flew wide in the 86th. A minute later, Ty Shipalane nearly got Carolina a third goal, but his close-range blast was blocked by Rowe. Otherwise, only the final whistle stood between the RailHawks and a fourth-round Cup match against Chivas USA on June 12 in Cary.

“We would have been disappointed if we hadn’t gotten a win tonight because we think we have a lot of guys who are on ,” Schilawski added. “I don’t think there’s a huge difference between the team they put out tonight and some of our guys who have had MLS experience.”

While the RailHawks may not have expressed surprise at their win, it’s still a victory by a second division side over the reigning MLS champions. Like last year, the Galaxy used this midweek, cross-country US Open Cup match to run out their reservists and younger talent. And like last year, it resulted in their early exit from the Open Cup.

“We’re the busiest team in MLS, so we have to utilize our whole roster,” said Onalfo. “We have reserve games where we have to utilize our roster, and we have US Open Cup games where for our organization that’s a time for our younger players to get minutes.

“If you look at Carolina, they’re a very good team. We scouted them extremely well and know what their strengths are. But they have a lot of experienced guys, and they’re a darn good team.”

While Clarke said Arena’s decision to skip the match was not a motivating factor the RailHawks, there seemed to be indirect intent behind his comments about the importance of this tournament.

“This tournament is very, very important to us and also important to me,” Clarke said. “It’s not just the Open Cup, it’s Lamar Hunt’s Open Cup. That’s someone who I worked for, our president is here and worked for him. It’s someone who gave us all a start in this game, and without people like him we wouldn’t be here in the shape we’re in today.”

The RailHawks returns to league play this weekend with a road trip to face the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. On Wednesday, June 12, Carolina hosts Chivas USA in the fourth round of the US Open Cup, a rematch of the RailHawks’ Open Cup loss last year.

But before turning their attention to another MLS opponent, the RailHawks and their manager will pause to enjoy vanquishing the Galaxy yet again.

“It’s good when you get an opportunity to play against a team from MLS,” Clarke said. “The boys relish that opportunity. We have some very, very good players, and we went out and played well tonight. I thought we deserved to win.”

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Round 3 concludes with seven games tonight

May 29, 2013 by Gerald Barnhart

The Third Round of the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup wraps up tonight with seven games involving lower division teams against Major League Soccer. Five of the seven games feature teams that had to travel over 1,000 miles. Will the extra miles make an impact?

Follow all the action on Twitter tonight either by following @USOpenCup to get score updates, or use ethe hashtag #USOC100 to read all the discussion and updates about the games and about the tournament in general.

First the important information:

2013 US Open Cup results
2013 US Open Cup bracket
2013 US Open Cup goalscoring leaders
Player of the Round: Brandon Fricke (Des Moines)
The First Cup series (1913/14)
Things you should know about Round 3
Notable upsets from US Open Cup Round 3

ROUND 3 BROADCASTS
(All Times Eastern)

Chicago Fire at Charlotte Eagles (7:00)
VIDEO
Los Angeles Galaxy at Carolina RailHawks (7:15)
VIDEO
Dayton Dutch Lions at Columbus Crew (7:30)
VIDEO
Seattle Sounders at Tampa Bay Rowdies (7:30)
VIDEO
Reading United at New York Red Bulls (7:30)
VIDEO
FC Tucson at Houston Dynamo (8:30)
VIDEO
Wilmington Hammerheads at Portland Timbers (10:30)
VIDEO

#USOC100

Here is the schedule for the rest of the Third Round (All Times Eastern):

Chicago Fire (MLS) at Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro)
Winthrop University Stadium – Rock Hill, SC – 7 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
If Charlotte wins: Road game vs. Dayton/Columbus
If Chicago wins: Home game vs. Dayton/Columbus

Charlotte: Downing the PDL’s Sounders U23s 3-0 at home last week in the Open Cup was a far easier task than what was ahead for them in league play as they headed west for a pair of games. The first came Thursday against Phoenix, who was idle Tuesday because they had lost in the previous round of the tournament. Charlotte (3-1-4) took the lead twice on goals from Christian Ramirez and Sergio Villasenor only to see the hosts answer back as all four goals in the 2-2 draw came in the first half. Two days later it was Charlotte fighting to rally after giving up the first three to LA, including an own goal opener. Jorge Herrera scored from the spot, but his second and Stefan Smith’s late goal were not enough with LA adding one more in the second half to hand Charlotte their first loss, 4-3.

Chicago: The Fire (2-7-2) ended a three-game losing streak with Quincy Amarikwa’s 84th minute equalizer at Real Salt Lake Saturday in a 1-1 draw. The team’s big news in the past week is the acquisition of Mike Magee from Los Angeles in exchange for the rights to Robbie Rogers. The Chicago native, who says he is ready to make his Fire debut in the Open Cup, had six goals this season for the Galaxy, a tally three times that of Chicago’s leading scorer Maicon Santos, who was the only one on the roster with two goals.

LA Galaxy (MLS) at Carolina RailHawks (NASL)
WakeMed Soccer Park – Cary, NC – 7:15 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
Winner gets: Home game vs. Chivas USA

RailHawks: Carolina (3-1-2) was idle over the weekend for the NASL, making their 3-1 dispatching of local PDL side Carolina Dynamo their most recent action. The off week allowed Atlanta to pass them in the standings, but the RailHawks remain the only team in the league with just one loss on the ledger.

Galaxy: The Galaxy (6-4-2) are coming off a huge 4-0 home victory over the Sounders, who were on a six-game unbeaten streak in comparison to a rough patch for the Galaxy that had seen them lost three of their last four. Robbie Keane helped set up the opening goal by defender Sean Franklin before scoring the next three himself before the intermission. The three goals put him within one of former team scoring leader Mike Magee, who was traded to Chicago late last week with six goals on the campaign in exchange for the rights to Robbie Rogers, whom the team signed and played off the bench Sunday. Rogers’ entry marked the first time an openly gay athlete played in a game within the major American sports leagues.

Seattle Sounders (MLS) at Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)
Al Lang Stadium; St. Petersburg, FL – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
Winner gets: Portland Timbers (MLS) or Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro)

Rowdies: After dispatching their cross-bay USL Pro foes VSI Tampa Bay 2-1 on the road last week, the Rowdies played host to Minnesota United, who they beat on the road 3-2 the previous weekend. Minnesota, however, avenged the loss by the same score in St Petersburg. Georgi Hristov did his best to prevent it with an early equalizer, and after falling behind by two he pulled them back within a goal with a second. Tampa Bay (3-2-2), however, were unable to find another equalizer in the remaining hour of the contest.

Sounders: After a horrible start to the season, the Sounders (5-4-4) are among the hottest in the league right now with a 4-1-2 record in the last seven. The team, however, is coming off a big 4-0 defeat in Los Angeles on Sunday to the Galaxy, showcasing the team’s inconsistent scoring issues. The Sounders are led by Eddie Johnson’s four goals with Lamar Neagle and Obafemi Martins each having three.

Dayton Dutch Lions (USL Pro) at Columbus Crew (MLS)
Columbus Crew Stadium – Columbus, OH – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
If Dayton wins: Home game vs. Charlotte OR Road game at Chicago
If Columbus wins: Home game vs. Charlotte OR Road game at Chicago

Dayton: The Dutch Lions (4-2-1) needed overtime to get past USASA entry Dearborn Stars, who fell apart in overtime of their Open Cup contest last week to the tune of a 4-1 result. The team then played host to pointless Antigua, picking up a 3-1 victory with goals from Joey Madigan, Eli Garner and Remco Klasse.

Columbus: After suffering just one loss in their first six (2-1-3), things have cooled off for the Crew (4-4-4), who are coming into the match on the heels of a 2-2 showdown at home with New York in which they led twice and saw a victory stolen from their grasp in stoppage time. The magic of Federico Higuain and Jairo Arrieta of a year ago has waned a bit this year with Dominic Oduro providing the leading scoring touch with six goals. Higuain is still no slouch with three goals and three assists, but defender Josh Williams also has three goals.

Reading United AC (PDL) at New York Red Bulls (MLS)
Red Bull Arena – Harrison, NJ – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
Winner gets: Road game vs. New England Revolution

Reading: Perfect. The PDL affiliate of the Philadelphia Union have blanked every team they have faced this year, downing Lehigh Valley of the NPSL in the First Round and stunning USL Pro Harrisburg in the Second Round to reach Wednesday night’s match against the Red Bulls. After posting previous 8-0 and 3-0 wins at home in previous weeks of league play, the club went on the road for the first time this year and were 4-0 winners against the New York Magic with first half goals from Jason Plumhoff and Patrick Slogic along with two from Dante Marini off the bench.

New York: The last seven games (5-0-2) have certainly been a huge improvement over the first eight (2-4-2) for the Red Bulls who come into the match with a 2-2 draw against Columbus in which they equalized twice through Thierry Henry and defender Jamison Olave, including in stoppage time. Henry is the leading scorer with six goals but Tim Cahill has been a major contributor with four goals and three assists. Olave has also been a big influence, chipping in four goals in addition to his primary role.

FC Tucson (PDL) at Houston Dynamo (MLS)
BBVA Compass Stadium – Houston, TX – 8:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
Winner gets: Road game vs. FC Dallas

Tucson: Road weariness may become an issue. After advancing in San Antonio last week via penalties (4-3) after a 2-2 draw against the NASL Scorpions, the club ventured the other direction over the weekend for a double dip in California. They fell to fellow Open Cup participant Ventura County 2-1 Saturday and played the OC Blues Strikers to a 1-1 draw Sunday. David Clemens scored in the loss and Open Cup hero Conner Bevans tallied the equalizer in the second outing, giving them a 1-1-2 league record.

Houston: A top team since the season opened, the Dynamo (6-4-3) are in a bit of a slump winless in their last three (0-2-1). Brad Davis provided the lone goal in their 1-1 draw Sunday against Houston, giving him three goals and three assists on the year. Ahead of him on the team scoring charts are Will Bruin (4g, 4a) and Giles Barnes (4g, 2a).

Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro) at Portland Timbers (MLS)
Jeld-Wen Field – Portland, OR – 10:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
If Hammerheads win: Road game at Seattle OR vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies (Venue TBA)
If Timbers win: Road game at Seattle OR home game vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies

Wilmington: The struggling Hammerheads (2-7-0) got a lot of help from Austin in their 2-0 Open Cup road win against the Aztex last week. The road trip continued with a double dip in league play over the weekend in Florida where they were drubbed by league-leading Orlando 4-1 and narrowly topped 1-0 by Tampa Bay. Paul Nicholson scored the lone tally in Orlando.

Portland: Welcoming the road-weary Hammerheads will be the only team in MLS with just one loss on the campaign as the Timbers (5-1-7) enter the match not having lost since the second game of the season. Portland are returning from the east coast where they blanked DC 2-0 on goals from Rodney Wallace and Darlington Nagbe, who both join Ryan Johnson (who also has four assists) for second on the team in goals with four. Will Johnson is the team’s top scorer with five on the season. It also should be noted Diego Valeri is close behind with three goals and four assists.

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: 16 underdogs square off with MLS opponents in tournament’s most exciting round

May 28, 2013 by Gerald Barnhart

The Third Round of the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup begins tonight with nine of the 16 games being played. Six of the nine games tonight will be hosted by lower division opponents looking to pull off an upset in the first night of action. Wednesday night will feature seven more games.

First the important information:

ROUND 3 BROADCASTS
(All Times Eastern)

D.C. United at Richmond Kickers (7:00)
VIDEO
San Jose Earthquakes at Charleston Battery (7:30)
VIDEO
Colorado Rapids at Orlando City SC (7:30)
VIDEO
FC Dallas at Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (7:30)
VIDEO
New England Revolution at Rochester Rhinos (7:35)
VIDEO
Ocean City Nor’easters at Philadelphia Union (7:35)
VIDEO
Des Moines Menace at Sporting KC (8:30)
VIDEO
Atlanta Silverbacks at Real Salt Lake (9:30)
VIDEO
Chivas USA at Los Angeles Blues (10:30)
VIDEO#USOC100

Here is the schedule for the Third Round (All Times Eastern):

D.C. United (MLS) at Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)
Richmond City Stadium – Richmond, VA – 7:00 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
Winner gets: Home game vs. Philadelphia/Ocean City

Richmond: Following their convincing 4-1 victory over the USASA entry Icon FC last week, the Kickers had a quick turnaround to league play with a Friday fixture. They handled it nicely, defeating fellow title contender Harrisburg 2-0 on goals from Nate Robinson and DC United loanee Michael Seaton. With Charlotte losing on the weekend, the Kickers are now the lone remaining unbeaten club among the three professional leagues at 5-0-3.

DC: Struggling at 1-9-2, United may be wishing they had drawn someone other than their affiliate as the Kickers are among the top clubs in the lower divisions right now, partly thanks to their loaned players. DC has not won since their second game of the season and have just two points since. Lionard Pajoy is the only player with two goals for DC, which has just six on the season. Among the goal scorers is former Kicker Dwayne De Rosario. DC fell 2-0 at home Saturday with Portland scoring once in each half.

This is the sixth all-time meeting between the 1995 US Open Cup champion Richmond Kickers and the two-time champion DC United in the tournament with DC winning four of the five. This will be a rematch from last year, a 2-1 extra time win by DC in the same stadium. The Kickers haven’t beaten United since the 2004 Fourth Round. It could be a close game as United’s last three Open Cup games have gone to extra time, and they haven’t defeated an opponent by more than two goals since 2006. D.C. is also 6-6-1 all-time away from home in the Open Cup, while they Kickers are 19-4-0 in their own stadium. Two of those home losses have been delivered by United (2005, 2012).

San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) at Charleston Battery (USL Pro)
Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, SC – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
Winner gets: Road game vs. Atlanta/Real Salt Lake

Charleston: The Battery (6-2-1) were off to one of the best starts in the league, but things have gotten tight as of late with only two goals in the last four combined outings in league and Open Cup play. The good news is they have only allowed one goal in that same span. After defeating the PDL Timbers U23 side on the road in the Open Cup, the Battery played to a scoreless draw at home against the struggling Rochester Rhinos, playing the final half-hour down a man.

San Jose: The Earthquakes (3-5-6) have been surprisingly limping through the season and are in the midst of a three-game winless run coming into the match off a 1-0 loss in Dallas. League MVP Chris Wondolowski is the team leader in scoring (5 goals, 3 assists) but suspensions to other offensive leaders have cost the team dearly with second leading scorer being rookie Adam Jahn (4 goals), who has been called upon to step up in their absences.

The San Jose Earthquakes are going to make their first East Coast trip in US Open Cup play since 2000 when they visit Blackbaud Stadium tonight. Since defeating the Richmond Kickers on the road that year, they haven’t gone farther east than Milwaukee. This is also just the third time they have faced a Division III professional team in Open Cup play. The last time they did was also in 2000, when they traveled down to Modesto, Calif. to beat the Stanislaus United Cruisers of the USL’s D-3 Pro League by a score of 5-0. The Battery are tough to beat at home with a record of 19-6-3 (2-1 in PKs) at Blackbaud and have eliminated eight MLS teams in their franchise history (six in regulation, two by penalty kicks).

Colorado Rapids (MLS) at Orlando City SC (USL Pro)
Florida Citrus Bowl – Orlando, FL – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: USLnation.com
Winner gets: Road game at Sporting KC or Home game vs. Des Moines Menace

Orlando City: Coming off their 2-1 road victory over nearby PDL side Ocala Stampede, the Lions (8-1-2) were big winners on Saturday to remain atop the USL Pro table. They downed Wilmington 4-1 with goals from four different players, including leading scorers Dom Dwyer (13 goals, 1 assist) and Jamie Watson (5 goals, 1 assist).

Colorado: The Rapids are in the midst of their best run of the year with a five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2). Colorado is coming off a 2-0 home victory against struggling Chivas USA in which Atiba Harris and Nathan Sturgis scored their second tallies of the year. Rookie Deshorn Brown helped set up both goals and has been one of the team’s top players this season with a pair of goals and four assists, making him the team leader in points as no other player has more than two goals. Since losing starting keeper Matt Pickens to injury, the team has been led by former USL Pro Charlotte Eagles net minder Clint Irwin who has been impressive with a 5-2-4 record and five shutouts. Irwin was instrumental in the Eagles’ surprising Open Cup run last year, and received some votes for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament.

In Orlando City’s brief existance they have made the Open Cup a priority and the performances show that. They have reached the Third Round in each of their first three seasons, but the last hurdle they have to overcome is defeating an MLS team. They have lost a pair of road games to FC Dallas in 2011 and eventual champions Sporting Kansas City in the last two years, with both games finishing with a 3-2 scoreline. This will be the first time they host an MLS team, and furthermore, according to records here at TheCup.us, it is the first time the Open Cup has been played at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
The tournament has not been kind to the Rapids, however. As one of the original MLS clubs, their lone highlight was their run to the 1999 Final where they lost to the Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League, Division II). Aside from that, they have never won more than one tournament game in a year. They are 9-12-0 all-time in the Open Cup and are the only MLS club with at least 10 games played with a record below .500. A lack of home games probably hasn’t helped. Out of their 21 Open Cup games in club history, they have only hosted three of them, although they are 3-0-0 in those home games.

FC Dallas (MLS) at Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL)
Lockhart Stadium – Fort Lauderdale, FL – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
If FC Dallas wins: Host winner of FC Tucson/Houston Dynamo
If Strikers win: Travel to Houston Dynamo OR vs. FC Tucson at venue TBA

Fort Lauderdale: The club survived a scare from the PDL’s Laredo Heat last week in the Open Cup, advancing 7-6 in penalties after a 1-1 draw at home. The Strikers (2-4-1) then traversed the continent and snared another narrow result with a 1-0 win in Edmonton on a second half penalty from Carlos Salazar.

Dallas: The leaders of the Western Conference (8-2-3) come into the match with a 1-0 victory over San Jose in which Fabian Castillo provided the winner. The team’s loss the week before, 4-2 in Seattle, was their first defeat since the second game of the season. Scoring has been a team affair with three tied with three goals and another three at two.

FC Dallas have been one of the better US Open Cup teams in MLS having won the 1997 title, and finishing runner-up in 2005 and 2007. They were one-and-done last year for only the second time in franchise history (first time since 2003) when they were stunned by Clint Irwin and the Charlotte Eagles by a score of 2-0 at FC Dallas Stadium. They are 13-1-2 (2-0 in PKs) all-time against second division teams.

The Strikers, on the other hand, have struggled in Open Cup play having never defeated an MLS team (0-3-0) and holding a 6-5-0 all-time record. This will be a challenge for the organization as this is the first time they are hosting an MLS team, as they try to get their fan base excited about the tournament. Despite being 6-1-0 at home, they team has never drawn more than 1,000 fans to an Open Cup home game. Expect that to change with FC Dallas coming to town.

New England Revolution (MLS) at Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro)
Sahlen’s Stadium – Rochester, NY – 7:35 p.m.
Broadcast: USLNation.com
Winner gets: Home game vs. Reading United/New York Red Bulls

Rochester: This may not be a year to expect another 1999 Open Cup run from Rochester (1-6-2). After narrowly surviving last week with a 1-0 win against GPS Portland Phoenix of the PDL, the team suffered even more injury woes on the weekend, losing two defenders as they played to a scoreless draw on the road in Charleston.

New England: In the last two weeks the Revolution have doubled their win total for the season to move to 4-4-4 on the campaign. New England comes into the contest with a 2-0 home victory against Toronto with goals from Diego Fagundez and Juan Agudelo, who joined the club from Chivas USA earlier this month and already matched his two-goal tally from the LA club giving him and Fagundez four for the year.

The Revolution are looking to get back to winning games in the US Open Cup, as they have suffered two straight one-and-done losses to the Harrisburg City Islanders in 2012 and 2009 (they did not qualify in 2010 and 2011). They won the tournament in 2007 and reached the final in 2001, but aside from those two runs, they have only won multiple games in one tournament once (2008).

Rochester’s Open Cup history is headlined by their Cinderella run to the 1999 title, but they have qualified for the tournament in every season, and have only lost their opening round game once (2001 vs. Hershey Wildcats). The Rhinos are second to only the Seattle Sounders in most wins in the Modern Professional Era with 29 and no one has upset more MLS teams (9) than Rochester. However, of those 29 regulation victories, none of them are against the Revolution (they are 3-2 in PK shootouts, one of those wins are against New England). The Rhinos try to improve on their 0-2-2 record against the Revs in Sahlen’s Stadium where they are 23-6-4 (2-2 in PKs) all-time.

Ocean City Nor’easters (PDL) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
PPL Park – Chester, PA – 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
Winner gets: Road game vs. Richmond/DC United

Ocean City: After knocking off the NPSL’s New York Red Bull U23 side 2-0 in the First Round and surprising the struggling USL Pro Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0 in the Second Round, the Nor’easters head into the contest with a 1-0-0 record in league play. The team was idle, though, in PDL play over the weekend.

Philadelphia: Jack McInerney has been grabbing headlines with nine goals on the season, but with nobody else contributing more than two goals, the Union (5-5-3) have been mired mid-table. McInerney scored his ninth five minutes into the weekend’s game against Montreal to pull even, but it was the Impact’s Di Vaio who stole the show with a hat-trick in the 5-3 victory.

Des Moines Menace (PDL) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Sporting Park – Kansas City, KS – 8:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
If KC wins: Home game vs. Orlando City/Colorado
If Des Moines wins: Road game vs. Orlando City/Colorado

Des Moines: It has all been ones and zeros so far this season for Des Moines. They advanced against the NPSL Madison 56ers 1-0 in the First Round and were 1-0 road victors against NASL Minnesota United last week in the Second Round. Meanwhile in league play, they opened with a 1-1 draw in Springfield, were 1-0 winners against Winnipeg and, most recently over the weekend, suffered their first loss, falling 1-0 in St Louis.

KC: The defending Open Cup champions started the season off well with one loss in their first seven before dropping three of their next four. They come into the match, though, on a three game unbeaten run (1-0-2) featuring a 1-1 draw at home against Houston Sunday in which Kei Kamara scored the equalizer midway through the second half. The goal was Kamara’s first in four appearances since returning from is loan spell with Norwich City. Claudio Bieler has been the leading scorer with six goals while Graham Zusi has been a key contributor with three goals and five assists.

Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) at Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Rio Tinto Stadium – Sandy, UT – 9:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
Winner gets: Home game vs. San Jose/Charleston

Atlanta: It was not easy, but the Silverbacks (4-2-1) survived a 3-2 road contest against nearby NPSL entry Georgia Revolution last week in the Open Cup. They celebrated the win by moving into first in the NASL with a 1-0 victory against San Antonio courtesy of an 86th minute goal from Danny Barrera, who was one of the stars for last year’s Cinderella tournament darling Cal FC before joining the Silverbacks. His Cal FC manager Eric Wynalda will be on the sideline as an assistant coach for the match in Utah.

RSL: Real Salt Lake (6-4-2) comes into the match with a 3-1-1 record in their last five and a 1-1 draw on the road against struggling Chicago in which Alvaro Saborio’s 78th minute tally was cancelled out with an equalizer six minutes from time. It was the striker’s team-leading fourth goal of the campaign with five other players on the squad sitting on two goals.

Chivas USA (MLS) at Los Angeles Blues (USL Pro)
Titan Stadium – Fullerton, CA – 10:30 p.m.
Broadcast: VIDEO
Winner gets: Road game at LA Galaxy/Carolina

LA Blues: The Blues (5-5-2) blasted usual PDL power Ventura County 5-1 in the Open Cup a week ago and took advantage of an exhausted Charlotte side in league play Saturday, beating the Eagles 4-3 in a match in which they initially led by three goals. Gifted the lead on an own goal, Chris Cortez scored the second and the winner as well as setting up the third, doubling his goal and assist tallies for the season to make him the team leader in points.

Chivas: Chivas USA started off really well with one loss in their first five games (3-1-1), but it has been a disaster since with one point in eight games and are now 3-7-2. The LA club is coming off a 2-0 loss in Colorado, adding to their current four-game losing streak that has seen an aggregate scoreline of 13-1 since their 2-2 draw against San Jose a month ago. Juan Agudelo, who was traded to New England May 7, is still the only player to have scored more than once in a Chivas USA uniform this season.

#USOC100

2013 US Open Cup Third Round pairings set for MLS entry

May 15, 2013 by Gerald Barnhart

The US Soccer Federation unveiled the draw and pairings for the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Wednesday, unveiling whom the potential opponents will be when the contingent of Major League Soccer teams enter the 100th edition of the tournament May 28-29.

With six games falling on Wednesday, it is the largest split of matches between dates since the less formal scheduling structure that ended in 1999. Since the introduction of the formalized dates in 2000, the largest such situation occurred in the Third Round of the 2007 tournament when matches were spread over five different dates with four outliers from the predetermined night.

Five MLS clubs (Columbus, Kansas City, New York, Portland, Salt Lake) are guaranteed to play at home in the Third Round while four (Chivas USA, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Jose) will be heading out on the road no matter the opponent, though it should be noted that Chivas USA will be staying in the greater Los Angeles area. The remaining MLS sides will not know their travel plans until the conclusion of the Second Round on May 21.

Also of note, two of the four official MLS-USL affiliate partners were paired up in the Third Round scenarios with the Rochester Rhinos playing host to the New England and DC United visiting the Richmond Kickers should the USL Pro sides advance from round two.

Four pairings could see teams in the same state square off in the Third Round, pitting sides from California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia/DC against one another. Chivas USA will face one of the other greater-LA sides while Columbus could meet up with Dayton, Philadelphia could visit Pittsburgh and DC may square off with Richmond.

Witness Account of the Draw [+]

US Open Cup Scoreboard & Second Round Schedule [+]

THIRD ROUND PAIRINGS

TUESDAY, MAY 28

New England Revolution @ Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro)

Sahlen’s Stadium; Rochester, N.Y. – 7:35 p.m. ET

GPS Portland Phoenix (USL PDL) @ New England Revolution

Harvard University; Cambridge, Mass. – 7:30 p.m. ET

———–

Philadelphia Union @ Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Pro)

Highmark Stadium; Pittsburgh, Pa. – 7 p.m. ET

Ocean City Nor’easters (USL PDL) @ Philadelphia Union

PPL Park; Chester, Pa. – 7:30 p.m. ET

———–

DC United @ Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)

Richmond City Stadium; Richmond, Va. – 7 p.m. ET

Icon FC (USASA) @ DC United

Maryland SoccerPlex; Boyds, Md. – 7 p.m. ET

———–

Minnesota United FC (NASL) / Des Moines Menace (USL PDL) / Madison 56ers (NPSL) @ Sporting KC

Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kan. – 7:30 p.m. CT

———–

Chivas USA @ LA Blues (USL Pro) / Ventura County Fusion (USL PDL)

LA: Titan Stadium; Fullerton, Calif. – 7:30 p.m. PT

VC: Ventura College; Ventura, Calif. – 7 p.m. PT

———–

FC Dallas @ Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) / Laredo Heat (USL PDL)

FTL: Lockhart Stadium; Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – 7:30 p.m. ET

LAR: Texas A&M International Soccer Complex; Laredo, Texas – 8:15 p.m. CT

———–

Colorado Rapids @ Orlando City Lions (USL Pro)

Florida Citrus Bowl; Orlando, Fla. – 7:30 p.m. ET

Ocala Stampede (USL PDL) @ Colorado Rapids

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park; Commerce City, Colo. – 7 p.m. MT

———–

Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) / Georgia Revolution (USASA) @ Real Salt Lake

Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah – 7:30 p.m. MT

———–

Chicago Fire @ Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro)

Winthrop University Stadium; Rock Hill, S.C. – 7 p.m. ET

Seattle Sounders U-23 (USL PDL) @ Chicago Fire

Toyota Park; Bridgeview, Ill. – 7:30 p.m. CT

———–

San Jose Earthquakes @ Charleston Battery (USL Pro) / Portland Timbers U-23

CHB: Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C. – 7:30 p.m. ET

POR: JELD-WEN Field; Portland, Ore. – 7:30 p.m. PT

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29

Dayton Dutch Lions (USL Pro) / Dearborn SC (USASA) @ Columbus Crew

Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio – 7:30 p.m. ET

———–

Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Pro) / Reading United (USL PDL) @ New York Red Bulls

Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J. – 7:30 p.m. ET

———–

LA Galaxy @ Carolina RailHawks (NASL) / Carolina Dynamo (USL PDL)

RailHawks: WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C. – 7:15 p.m. ET

Dynamo: Macpherson Stadium; Greensboro, N.C. – 7 p.m. ET

———–

Houston Dynamo @ San Antonio Scorpions (NASL)

Toyota Field; San Antonio, Texas – 7:30 p.m. CT

FC Tucson (USL PDL) @ Houston Dynamo

BBVA Compass Stadium; Houston, Texas – 7:30 p.m. CT

———–

Seattle Sounders @ Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)

Al Lang Stadium; St. Petersburg, Fla. – 7:30 p.m. ET

VSI Tampa Bay (USL Pro) @ Seattle Sounders

Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, Wash. – 7 p.m. PT

———–

Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro) / Austin Aztex (USL PDL) @ Portland Timbers

JELD-WEN Field; Portland, Ore. – 7:30 p.m. PT

REMAINING ROUND DATES

Fourth Round: June 12

Quarterfinals: June 26

Semifinals: Aug. 7 or 21

Final: Oct. 1 or 2

#USOC100