Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2013 US Open Cup

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Defending champ Sporting KC blank Des Moines Menace 2-0 to move on

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On a night where multiple MLS teams fell to lower division opponents, the defending US Open Cup Champion took care of business.  Sporting Kansas City made a 12th minute goal by Kei Kamara stand up before adding an insurance strike from Claudio Bieler to defeat the Des Moines Menace 2-0 in front of 13,000 fans at Sporting Park.

The home side started well with Kamara nearly opening the scoring after just three minutes. Chance Myers, starting on the wing instead of his normal right back position, whipped in a dangerous cross, finding Kamara at the back post, but the forward’s shot only found the side netting.

Five minutes later it was Myers missing a golden opportunity. A deflection found the winger at the back post with Des Moines goalkeeper Scott Angevine out of position. Yet Myers could only throw up his hands in disbelief as Albet Edward managed to block his attempt on goal.

Sporting continued to push and was rewarded in the 12th minute. In a carbon copy of the third minute chance, Myers sent a cross to the back post that Kamara was able to acrobatically poke home.

From there, Des Moines settled in, but never managed to seriously threaten Kansas City’s lead.

“We were obviously hoping to survive the first 15 minutes better than we ended up,” said Des Moines coach Mike Jeffries. “What I will say is I thought the guys reacted incredibly well after giving up the first goal. We always felt that as the half wore on we’d be able to settle into the game a little bit better.”

The best chance for the Menace came when Abel Sebele was played into the box in the 28th minute, but his first touch let him down and he sent a shot wide from a tough angle.

Sporting continued to dominate the game, but wasted numerous chances to extend its lead, finishing with 21 shots, eight of which were on target.

“You’re always concerned when you’re in a situation where you have as many chances as we did,” said Sporting head coach Peter Vermes. “I just felt more that we needed to finish another one as opposed to maybe the problem of taking one in. You still have to put those goals away to put a team away.”

Kansas City got the goal to put Des Moines away from Designated Player Bieler shortly after subbing him on for Kamara.

“You could see the class in his play when he went out there, how simple he made the game,” said Vermes.

With the win, Sporting advances to the US Open Cup fourth round where it will host USL affiliate Orlando City SC on June 12.

There will be plenty of storylines for that contest as four KC players are currently on loan with the third division club, although Vermes said he wasn’t sure whether the quartet would be eligible to play against their parent club.

“I think it’s going to be more from the league,” he said of the decision. “That’s something the league has to be involved with to be sure.”

As a consolation prize, the Des Moines Menace will be awarded the $15,000 Division 4 prize money. All four PDL teams lost in the Third Round, but they won the prize based on being the only one to defeat a Division 2 team (Minnesota United FC) in regulation.

Scoring Summary:

KC: Kei Kamara (Chance Myers) 12’

KC: Claudio Bieler (Jacob Peterson) 73’

Discipline:

KC: Michael Thomas (caution) 33’

DM: Michael Thaden (caution) 40’

DM: Chris Harmon (caution) 54’

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: FC Dallas ends road drought with 2-0 win in Fort Lauderdale

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FC Dallas registered their first road victory since 2007 in the US Open Cup Tuesday night in the Third Round, downing the NASL Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2-0 on second half goals from Blas Perez and defender Matt Hedges.

However, don’t let the score fool you, it was a very hard-fought and chippy game by both sides.

Strikers’ midfielder Walter Restrepo threatened the Dallas goal twice in the early moments of the match. His first shot from point-blank range was saved by Chris Seitz in the second minute and his second attempt in the 11th minute, a chip shot over Seitz, hit the crossbar before rolling uncontested back into the Dallas keepers hands.

“The Strikers took it to us in the first half,” said FC Dallas’ head coach Schellas Hyndman. “A lot of that was enthusiasm, and they tried to set the tone early in the match.”

“He was an aggravation for us up front,” said Hyndman of Restrepo’s presence throughout the game.

“We knew Walter and Darnell had some speed that would give them trouble,” said Fort Lauderdale Strikers’ head coach Daryl Shore. “You have to give credit to the guys behind them that were able to put them in good situations. I thought for the first 54 minutes we were the better team. We’re very disappointed because we thought we deserved better given how we played.”

“We dominated the game for most part,” Restrepo said. “We had the better chances, but they were able to finalize on their two chances.”

FC Dallas finally broke through in the second half to take the lead.

Midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson found some space on the right side, curling in a ball that flashed across the box to Castillo at the far post. The Colombian tapped a ball to Blas Perez who was unmarked in front of goal and slid it under Strikers goalkeeper Matt Glaeser to put Dallas on top in the 54th minute.

“That was one of the few crosses that we’ve made,” said coach Hyndman. “Getting that first goal always puts the pressure off and then I thought we even started playing better.”

Defender Matt Hedges added the insurance goal in the 66th minute on a header. Midfielder Michel recorded the assist.

“Fort Lauderdale is a strong side,” said FC Dallas captain George John. “Any time in this tournament that you come into an opposing team’s field, it’s tough to get a victory. They came out with a lot of energy and had a couple of great opportunities, but luckily we were able to come into halftime with a clean sheet and regroup. We got two goals and were able to come away with the victory to move on to the next round.”

Dallas moves on to the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since 2011 and will host the winner of the match between the Houston Dynamo and FC Tuscon at FC Dallas Stadium on Wednesday, June 12.

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Tampa Bay Rowdies end Seattle Sounders’ 22-game unbeaten streak

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Tampa Bay’s Georgi Hristov fights to control the ball with Seattle’s Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. Hristov scored in the 75th minute for the Rowdies, the game’s only goal. Photo: Mike Carlson | Tampa Bay Rowdies

Seattle Sounders FC has had a long history of success in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, winning three titles in three consecutive years, reaching the semifinals of the competition for the past six years in a row and holding a record 22-game tournament unbeaten streak.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies didn’t care.

Georgi Hristov tapped in a rebound in the 75th minute and Diego Restrepo saved a late Sounders penalty, carrying the North American Soccer League’s Rowdies to a 1-0 third-round upset over the Major League Soccer side.

Players fight for the ball between the Seattle Sounders and the Tampa Bay Rowdies during the Third Round match in the 2013 US Open Cup. Photo: Mike Carlson | Tampa Bay Rowdies

“We’re incredibly disappointed … I don’t even know what to say,” Sounders defender and captain Zach Scott said. Scott had to watch his younger brother Daniel celebrate as a member of the Rowdies.

The Rowdies fielded a mostly first-choice side, and the Sounders a lineup of mostly reserves, with two designated players on the bench. It was a tactic that would come back to bite the MLS side, as they were unable to score during a fragmented first half or find the equalizer late in the second.

Tampa Bay’s Luke Mulholland got free on a breakaway in the 75th minute and forced Sounders keeper Marcus Hahnemann into a save – but the keeper didn’t hold the ball and Hristov was there at the back post to finish the play off in front of a delirious home crowd.

Ten minutes later, the visitors had a chance to answer.

Seattle designated player – striker and substitute – Obafemi Martins headed a corner kick on goal, only to have it blocked nearly on the goal line by Rowdies defender Jordan Gafa’s arm. Gafa received a red card and the Sounders were given a golden chance to level the match with a penalty.

When Martins stepped up to take it himself, his low shot to the left side of goal was beaten away by a diving Restrepo, denying Martins the equalizer and sending Tampa Bay on their way to victory.

Along with the Carolina Railhawks, who knocked off the LA Galaxy, Tampa Bay is one of two teams from the North American Soccer League still alive in the 100th edition of the U.S. Open Cup.

The Rowdies will face MLS-side Portland Timbers in the 4th round on June 12.

HIGHLIGHTS: SEATTLE SOUNDERS vs. TAMPA BAY ROWDIES

POST-GAME INTERVIEWS: SOUNDERS vs. ROWDIES

FAN EXPERIENCE: SOUNDERS vs. ROWDIES

Scoring

Rowdies – Georgi Hristov 75.

Discipline

Sounders FC – Alex Caskey (caution) 52; Mario Martinez (caution) 90.

Rowdies – Jordan Gafa (ejection) 85.

Lineups

Sounders FC – Marcus Hahnemann, Dylan Remick (Obafemi Martins 80), Zach Scott, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Marc Burch, Mario Martinez, Servando Carrasco, Andy Rose, Alex Caskey (Sammy Ochoa 68), Lamar Neagle, David Estrada.

Rowdies – Diego Restrepo, Jordan Gafa, Daniel Scott, Takuya Yamada, Andrew Arango, Luke Mulholland, Shane Hill, Keith Savage, Raphael Cox, Devin Del Do (Mike Ambersley 64), Georgi Hristov.

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Charleston edges San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 as Battery bag ninth win against MLS

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The Charleston Battery claimed their ninth victory all-time over an MLS Open Cup opponent in the US Open Cup Tuesday night, edging the visiting San Jose Earthquakes at Blackbaud Stadium in the Third Round on a 73rd minute goal from Colin Falvey.

The Earthquakes came into the contest with a 0-4-2 road record in league play while the host Battery were unbeaten at home in USL Pro action.

The first half initially saw each team’s defense lock down their respective ends, knocking away many potential scoring chances through the first 20 minutes of play. The half’s major chances came from the perimeter as San Jose’s Mike Fucito broke through midfield but was forced wide by Battery defenders before getting a dangerous shot off that Charleston’s Colin Falvey had to clear off the line. The Earthquakes would push a few moments later as Brad Ring sent a header towards the goal’s left side forcing Battery keeper Odisnel Cooper diving to push the ball away.

Charleston mounted their own attack but a combination of less than stellar passing plus the overall aggressive play of San Jose kept the Battery attack at bay. Charleston managed a couple runs that broke past the San Jose midfield but were forced to cycle many of chances around the perimeter, testing Quakes keeper David Bingham on only a couple occasions. That same aggressive play would earn the Quakes three yellow cards in the scoreless first half.

The second half would see Charleston answer the physical play, hoping to lure San Jose into making a game-changing mistake, especially when play involved the three Quakes already with yellow cards. The sides traded chances but both would struggle to get shots on net. Finally, the deadlock was broken in the 73rd minute after the Battery’s Zach Prince was taken down outside the far-left corner of the area. A free kick by Jose Cuevas was knocked past the San Jose keeper by a Falvey header.

Shortly after Ring picked up his second yellow and was ejected from the game, forcing the Quakes to push for the equalizer with only 10 men. Despite the heavy pressure San Jose applied, Charleston would collapse their defense and turn away everything San Jose could throw at them.

The victory was the first for Charleston against an MLS opponent since 2010 having previously defeated DC United (1999), MetroStars (2001, 2004), Houston Dynamo (2007, 2008), FC Dallas (2008), Chivas USA (2009) and Chicago Fire (2010) prior to this year.

The Battery now advance to the Open Cup’s Fourth Round and will face Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday, June 12.

Scoring Summary

CHB: Colin Falvey (Jose Cuevas) 73’

Discipline

SJ: Justin Morrow (caution) 28

SJ: Steven Lenhart (caution) 30

SJ: Brad Ring (caution) 40

CHB: Jose Cuevas (caution) 45

CHB: Nicki Paterson (caution) 62

SJ: Brad Ring (caution / ejection) 74

Attendance: 1954

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Philadelphia Union top Ocean City Nor’easters 2-1 in dramatic finish

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Photo: Ocean City Nor'easters

In a dramatic finish, the Philadelphia Union were nearly forced into overtime when the amateur PDL Ocean City Nor’easters scored in the 90th minute, but a stoppage time winner from Brian Carroll gave the MLS club the 2-1 win in the Third Round and a showdown with DC United in the Fourth Round.

Carroll’s goal came just minutes after Ocean City scored a 90th-minute equalizer on a scrum in front of the goal. Emmanuel Kollie tapped a loose ball into the net to keep the Nor’easters’ dreams of a magical Open Cup run alive just before Carroll’s winner.

“Congratulations to Ocean City. They played a really good game tonight,” Union coach John Hackworth said. “We showed a lot of character, especially after giving up a very late goal, to get one back right away.”

There was some controversy surrounding which team got to host this match-up, as Ocean City won the coin toss to host the game. However, according to General Manager Neil Halloway, the Nor’easters did not receive a copy of the 2013 tournament rules prior to the venue declaration deadline, so they were unaware their home, Carey Stadium, was three yards shy of the Open Cup standard width of 68 yards. The club submitted their venue declaration form with the width listed as 65 yards, and they won the hosting coin flip for the first two rounds. When the team received the 2013 handbook on May 7, the day the Preliminary Round began, Holloway realized that his field was not up to standard and moved quickly to widen the field to 71 yards.

They were awarded home games for Rounds 1 and 2 because, as Holloway learned from a USSF official, the federation waived their minimum standards for those two games. However, after Ocean City won the hosting coin flip for Round 3, USSF chose – still believing the width was 65 yards – not to waive the minimum standards, thus giving the home game to Philadelphia.

“It would have been great for the shore area to host a game, but at the same time it was a great opportunity for the guys to play in an MLS stadium—an opportunity that may not come again for some of them,” Ocean City coach Tim Oswald said.

The PDL side began the game defensively and the Union could not to cope. Philadelphia got the ball into the final third numerous times, but could not put any solid efforts on net. Keon Daniel had the best chance of the first half, hitting a half-volley that tested Nor’easters keeper Brian Billings. For 45 minutes, the Nor’easters kept their MLS opponents frustrated.

Jack McInerney changed things in the second half, doing what he does best—scoring goals. Sebastian Le Toux ran to the end line and sent a bouncing ball across the face of net. Billings could not smother it, leaving McInerney to gather and scored on an open net in the 49th minute.

Down 1-0, Ocean City played more offensively but the Union controlled most of the second half. It came as a surprise to the sparse crowd when Philadelphia could not clear the ball in the 90th minute. Kollie got the ball within the 6-yard box, where he knocked in the dramatic equalizer.

In the game’s final moments, Le Toux sent a cross into the Ocean City penalty area. Carroll flicked it on with the ball barely crossing the line to give the Union a last-second victory.

The Union, who made it to the Semifinals last year, advance to Round 4, where they will take on DC United on June 12. Philadelphia and DC played last year in the fourth round, with the Union emerging in overtime.

“These games are tough,” Hackworth said. “The Open Cup is always this way. You’re going to have battles. It’s the March Madness of the US soccer world. Our focus is on trying…to win the US Open Cup.”

Philadelphia Union : Ocean City Nor’easters

PPL Park—Chester, Pa.

Scoring Summary:

PHI: Jack McInerney (Sebastian Le Toux) 49

OC: Emmanuel Kollie (unassisted) 90

PHI: Brian Carroll (Le Toux) 90+

Line-ups:

Philadelphia Union: Zac MacMath; Raymon Gaddis, Amobi Okugo, Jeff Parke, Sheanon Williams; Brian Carroll, Keon Daniel, Leo Fernandes (Michael Farfan, 90); Jack McInerney (Antoine Hoppenot, 81), Conor Casey (Danny Cruz, 65), Sebastian Le Toux

Ocean City Nor’easters: Brian Billings; Kevin Curran, Tapiwa Machingauta, Tyler Hilliard, Shawn McLaws; Nick Perea, Ken Tribbet, Timothy Mulgrew (Emmanuel Kollie, 66); Frank Tweneboa (JP Correa, 87), Markhus Lacroix, Anthony Asante (Zoncher Dennis, 69)

Discipline:

none

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Mike Magee scores in Fire debut as Chicago clips Charlotte Eagles, 2-0

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Early goals in each half propelled the Chicago Fire into the fourth round of the 100th US Open Cup on Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory over the host Charlotte Eagles in Rock Hill, SC on the campus of Winthrop University.

Newly acquired midfielder Mike Magee’s 11th minute goal got the MLS-side warmed up and Chris Rolfe helped ice the match with an assist from Magee against the third-division USL Pro squad in the 57th minute.Fire Logo

The Fire traded for Magee over the weekend, sending midfielder Robbie Rogers’ rights in exchange.

Chicago trotted out a mostly first-team side for the crowd of 1,562. They were without the services of goalkeeper Sean Johnson who was with the US Men’s National Team for a friendly against Belgium. Starting in his place was backup Paolo Tornaghi.

“I think games like this are never easy,” Fire coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. “You see around the world just the upsets that take place and there are great opportunities for teams like Charlotte to compete again MLS teams and also for players to showcase their abilities.

“More than anything we had to take the game very serious, which we did but it was a great night”

The loss grounded the Eagles – one the lower-division darlings of last year’s cup by advancing into the quarterfinals – who were outshot 18-12.

Chicago advances to host MLS-side Columbus Crew on June 12. The four time U.S. Open Cup champs are now 30-11-4 in Open Cup play.

Chicago Fire: Paolo Tornaghi; Jalil Anibaba, Austin Berry, Baky Soumare, Gonzalo Segares; Logan Pause (Jeff Larentowicz, 46’); Dilly Duka, Alex, Patrick Nyarko (Joel Lindpere, 52’); Chris Rolfe (Sherjill MacDonald, 72’), Mike Magee
Substitutes not used: Alec Kaan, Michael Videira, Hunter Jumper

Charlotte Eagles: Eric Reed; Ben Newnam, Matt Gold, Fejiro Okiomah, Shaun Francis; Stephen Okai, Juan Guzman (Drew Yates, 75’); Jorge Herrera, Sam Asante, Nate Thornton (Sergio Villasenor, 45’); Stefan Smith (Christian Meza, 59’)
Substitutes not used: Brock Duckworth, Christian Ramirez, Evan Harding, Nick Courtney

Scoring
CHI – Mike Magee (Gonzalo Segares) 11’
CHI – Chris Rolfe (Mike Magee) 57’

Misconducts
CHI – Baky Soumare (caution) 39’
CHA – Sergio Villasenor (caution) 85’

2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Real Salt Lake forced to OT by Atlanta Silverbacks, but prevail 3-2

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Real Salt LakeOn a rainy, gloomy day at Rio Tinto Stadium, it appeared Real Salt Lake would avoid a repeat of last year’s upset loss to Minnesota with a 1-0 lead only to see the visiting Atlanta Silverbacks tally a late equalizer to send the contest to overtime where the MLS side would eventually prevail 3-2 to move onto the Fourth Round.

The game started off quickly with a clear RSL chance in the second minute.  The Silverbacks back line had trouble clearing the ball and it came to wide-open Robbie Findley in front of goal, forcing Silverbacks keeper Joe Nasco to make a brilliant save that forced a corner.

On the resulting corner, Real Salt Lake took the early lead when an unmarked Kyle Beckerman finished at the near post.  Javier Morales was credited with the assist.

After that early goal, the game slowed down a bit in the wet and rainy conditions.  When there were chances, Real Salt Lake’s were the most threatening.   Nasco made many quality saves to keep the underdogs in the match.

After a few great chances in the second half for Real Salt Lake were saved by Nasco, Atlanta turned on the pressure.  For about 25 minutes, the Silverbacks were the team with the majority of the ball and chances.  Still, with minutes left, the Silverbacks were looking for the equalizer.

That equalizer came in the 86th minute on a fast counter.  Danny Barrera had the ball in midfield and slotted a gorgeous through ball to Ruben Luna on the wing.  Luna found Kellen Gulley who chipped the ball over the stranded keeper for a nice goal that would force extra time.

As extra time began, both teams were showing signs of fatigue and frustration.  Real Salt Lake scored in the 98th minute when Devon Sandoval scored on a dangerous cross through the box.  Minutes later, Real Salt Lake would add another goal for insurance with an absolute rocket from Khari Stevenson from over 25 yards out.  With the score now 3-1 in favor of Real Salt Lake, the Silverbacks were scrambling to get back into the game.

Atlanta looked to have a miracle of a chance when they scored in the 121st minute when Pablo Cruz made a nice finish in the box, but that wound up being the last kick of the game.  With the 3-2 victory, Real Salt Lake will host the Charleston Battery of USL Pro in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup on June 12.

RSL: Kyle Beckerman 3

ATL: Kellen Gulley 86

RSL: Devon Sandoval 98

RSL: Khari Stephenson 101

ATL: Pablo Cruz 121

Discipline

RSL: Yordany Alvarez (caution) 4

ATL: Daniel Barrera (caution) 44

ATL: Milton Blanco (caution) 65

RSL: Javier Morales (caution) 68

ATL: Borfor Carr (caution) 80

RSL: Ned Grabavoy (caution) 117

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

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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

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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 90th 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 113th 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) 57th

RIC: Matthew Delicate (caution) 73rd

DC: Chris Pontius (caution) 82nd

DC: Chris Korb (caution) 90th

DC: Chris Korb (caution, ejection) 113th

DC: Carlos Ruiz (ejection) 117th

RIC: Andrew Dykstra (caution) 120th

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

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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

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