2015 Fifth Round

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: Real Salt Lake shut out Portland Timbers in rematch of 2013 Semifinals (video)

July 2, 2015 by Eric Anderson

Javier Morales scored his second goal of the tournament for Real Salt Lake from the penalty spot. Photo: Real Salt Lake

Sebastian Jaime continued his fine run of form Wednesday night as Real Salt Lake continued its success against the Portland Timbers on their home turf.

Jaime scored for the third time in four games, opening the scoring in the 54th minute, and Javier Morales added a 71st-minute penalty as RSL blanked the Timbers 2-0 in a fifth-round match of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Sandy, Utah.

A crowd of 15,840 turned out at Rio Tinto Stadium on a sweltering night that saw the mercury at 97 degrees at kickoff, and the vast majority left happy with the claret and cobalt having booked a quarterfinal berth against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

“It’s about the Open Cup. It’s about winning a trophy. It’s about winning three games and we’re there,” said RSL coach Jeff Cassar, whose team advanced to the final eight in the tournament for the third time in the past five years. “I wrote it up on the board yesterday: Four games. We got one out of the way and we have three more. We’ve got to take them one at a time. It’s not really about who you’re playing, it’s just about getting the victory.”

Neither team was at full strength. The home side was without goalkeeper Nick Rimando and midfielder Kyle Beckerman (U.S.) and striker Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica), who were with their respective national teams preparing for the Gold Cup. Portland’s Will Johnson (Canada) also was away on international duty, while fellow midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Diego Chara didn’t make the trip to Utah and standouts Diego Valeri and Fanendi Adi started the match on the bench.The Timbers had the better chances in a rather ho-hum first half.

They actually had the ball in the net in the 7th minute after a great combination sequence between George Fochive and Argentinian forwards Maxi Urruti and Gaston Fernandez that ended with Fernandez putting the ball past RSL keeper Jeff Attinella, but the flag was up for offside. Six minutes later, Urruti ripped a shot from the top of the box that forced Attinella to make a diving save, then scramble to corral the rebound before a Timbers player could get to it.

Center back Aaron Maund provided RSL with its best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes, sending a header over the crossbar off a free kick by Morales in the 28th.

The hosts finally broke through early in the second half. Olmes Garcia slid a pass to Jaime on the right side of the box between Portland center backs Liam Ridgewell and Nat Borchers – the latter a former RSL fan favorite making his first return to Rio Tinto – and the Argentinian forward slotted a shot past Timbers keeper Adam Kwarasey to the far post.

“Jaime, he’s feeling it right now,” Cassar said of the designated player, who scored his first goal for RSL in a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City on June 21 and added another in last Saturday’s 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew. “He’s confident, he’s making good runs when the guys are delivering the ball.”

Referee Jose Carlos Rivero had decisions to make on potential penalties on both ends with 20 minutes remaing. Rivero waved play on when Urruti went down in the box, then pointed to the spot when Fochive clipped RSL striker Joao Plata just inside the box on the other end.

“I have to watch it again. For me it’s a bit harsh … It’s on the edge of the box, tangling, but I’ve got to watch it,” Portland coach Caleb Porter said. “You’ll look at the first goal we scored; you’ll probably notice he wasn’t offside, so there’s a good goal. If we get that the game’s different. Maxi goes down in the box and no call; their guy goes down in the box and it’s a call. It’s a game of moments, it’s a game of mistakes, it’s a game of capitalizing on opportunities. It fell in their favor today. Otherwise I thought it was a very tight, even game – what you would expect of a cup game.”

Morales took a long run-up on the penalty, stutter-stepped and beat Kwarasey on a shot to the keeper’s right – the Ghanaian dove the right way but couldn’t stop Morales from scoring his fifth goal of the season in all competitions.

Valeri, who came on just after the hour mark, nearly pulled one back for the Timbers off a free kick from 23 yards out on the left side in the 77th, but the wicked strike skimmed the top of the crossbar. Jaime, meanwhile, nearly added another insurance goal in the 83rd, only to see Kwarasey deny his blast from the top of the box on the right side.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: PORTLAND TIMBERS AT REAL SALT LAKE

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: LA Galaxy continues Open Cup dominance of San Jose Earthquakes with 1-0 win (video)

July 1, 2015 by Robert Jonas

Used with permission from Centerline Soccer

The LA Galaxy exacted a small bit of revenge Wednesday night for last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes in the California Clasico at Stanford Stadium, as they moved on to the quarterfinal round of the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 1-0 victory at Avaya Stadium.

An early goal from forward Jose Villarreal was the difference on the night as the announced crowd of 13,329 had little to cheer for over the entirety of the 90 minute match.

“ good solid game,” said Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena. “I think it was good experience for a lot of our young players. They did a good job. We had to weather the storm in the second half but did a good job.”

For San Jose, they struggled out of the gates and it cost them.

“If you start the game slow, you can get punished for it, and now you are chasing the game,” said head coach Dominic Kinnear. “It doesn’t matter how many chances you get, or if you think you are the better team, you need to start the game off correctly.”

The Earthquakes had twice as many shots as the Galaxy — 14 to 7 — and nine corner kicks to LA’s zero, but the only statistic that mattered is goals scored, and the visitors were tops in that category.

“I thought we might have learned our lesson in the game with Sacramento, because the same thing happened,” said Kinnear. “Obviously, we were playing against in a better team , and even though we worked hard and got ourselves in front of goal and got ourselves some chances, it’s the start the came back to haunt us.”

For the Galaxy, they remain undefeated against their rivals to the north in Open Cup play, improving to 4-0-1 (1-0 in PKs). With the loss, the Earthquakes remain winless against MLS opponents (0-6-3, 0-3 PKs) in the Open Cup, and are 4-5-2 (1-1 PKs) at home. San Jose is the only MLS team with a losing record at home in Open Cup play.

The Earthquakes kicked off the game in the direction of the LOBINA and had the San Jose Ultras at their backs, but it was the Galaxy that found wind in their sails in the early going. In the sixth minute, a clever pass through the midfield from Kenney Walker to Villarreal at the top of the area gave the young striker enough space to turn and fire a goal past a diving Bryan Meredith giving LA a lead they would not surrender.

San Jose appeared to equalize in the 30th minute as Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi delivered a free kick that skimmed off the gleaming dome that is Mark Sherrod’s head and off the gloves of Brian Rowe and into the net. Alas, the referee’s assistant promptly thrust her flag into the air for offside, and the goal was called off.

The Galaxy had a penalty call waved off in the 37th minute as Villarreal found himself behind the defensive line with only Meredith to beat. Instead, JJ Koval, playing center back for the Quakes, somehow managed to disrupt the forward’s shot attempt in the area without getting called for a foul, and Villarreal missed high of the target. If Villarreal had instead gone to ground when Koval initiated contact, he most likely would have earned a penalty and a red card on Koval.

The teams entered the locker room with LA up a goal at halftime, but it could have been a lot worse. Besides the controversy on Koval’s tug in the box, Quakes ‘keeper Bryan Meredith made a few good stops to keep the surging Galaxy at bay.

In the second half, the Earthquakes woke up. The midfield looked to be more direct with the ball, and for long stretches of the half, San Jose found possession on the LA side of the center line. In the 50th minute, they registered their first shot on goal, as a Tommy Thompson corner kick was headed in traffic by Koval, by Rowe was in position to deny the defender a goal.

“We had crosses, we had shots,” said Khari Stephenson. “We were in their half for 95% of the second half, but we needed to be more clinical in front of goal. We have to be better with our crosses and better with our finishing.”

The Quakes registered two more shots on target in the ensuing minutes, but neither troubled Rowe, and LA slowly settled into a defensive shape that foiled San Jose on every foray into the attacking third. In the 65th minute, Leandro Barrera blasted a ball wide of the near post in what can only be described as a missed opportunity for the ages.

“We were more aggressive, we passed the ball better, our movement off the ball was better, and second balls were ours,” said Kinnear. “In the second half, we were around the ball a heck of a lot more, and that’s the reason we were knocking on the door for as long as we were.”

With time running out, Kinnear rolled the dice and shifted his formation to a 3-5-2, but even with the extra offensive help, the Galaxy would not yield. A stoppage time effort from Sanna Nyassi, when the winger had the choice of squaring the ball into the mixer, sailed high over the crossbar, and with it sailed away the Earthquakes chances at capturing the 2015 US Open Cup.

LA moves on in the tournament to face Real Salt Lake, 2-0 winners earlier in the evening against the Portland Timbers, in a quarterfinal match at Rio Tinto Stadium to played later this month. With the loss, the Earthquakes turn their focus to Sunday’s MLS showdown with the Timbers at Providence Park.

Game notes: Avaya Stadium, the jewel of a facility opened by the Earthquakes earlier this year, has experienced a number of memorable moments so far this season. Fatai Alashe scored the first goal in MLS play back in a season opening 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire, while Stephenson “scored” a first of his own Wednesday against LA.

In the 42nd minute, the veteran Jamaican lined up a free kick from distance and went for goal. Instead, the ball soared well over its intended target and nestled into the Largest Outdoor Bar in North America — the first shot from the run of play to reach the LOBINA.

“History in the making,” said Stephenson with a laugh when told of the supposed accomplishment. “I scored the last goal at Buck Shaw and now I’m the first guy to hit the ball into the bar.

“I’ve hit a lot of long-distance free kicks and done really well with them, so you can’t hit all of them perfect,” Stephenson continued. “That one I didn’t hit to well, and as a result, it went into the bar.”

Finally, the Galaxy have now won back-to-back road games in the tournament for only the second time in franchise history. The last time they did it was back in 2002.

POST-GAME: JOSE VILLARREAL

FULL MATCH REPLAY: LA GALAXY AT SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: Dom Dwyer scores 4 to lead Sporting KC over FC Dallas, 6-2 (video)

July 1, 2015 by Matthew De Witt

Dom Dwyer of Sporting Kansas City became the first England native to score a hat trick in the US Open Cup's Modern Era. Photo: Gary Rohman | Sporting KC — Dom Dwyer of Sporting Kansas City became the first England native to score a hat trick in the US Open Cup’s Modern Era. Photo: Gary Rohman | Sporting KC

UPDATE: Dom Dwyer of Sporting Kansas City was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

It’s a first ever in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup history for Sporting Kansas City.

Dom Dwyer produced Sporting’s first-ever quad in the tournament, knocking in Kansas City’s first three goals and adding a tally in the second half en route to a 6-2 win over FC Dallas.

“We’re a hungry team. We want to win every game,” Dwyer said. “It’s easier to get this across to the rest of the team when this is a Cup game. Every game is a final for us.”

Entering the match with three Open Cup goals in his career – all three while on loan to Orlando City SC in 2013 – Dwyer added four more to his output in the Round of 16 matchup. His tally was the most by any Sporting player in the Open Cup in team history and first four-goal game by any player in the Open Cup since 2013 (Fredric Piquionne, Portland Timbers).

Kansas City’s first three goals came from set pieces. In the 5th minute, Benny Feilhaber found Dwyer on the back post. Dwyer’s header snuck just over goalkeeper Chris Seitz’s outstretched hand and under the crossbar for the early lead.

Dom Dwyer scored the first hat trick in Sporting Kansas City's Open Cup history. Photo: Gary Rohman | Sporting KC — Dom Dwyer scored the first hat trick in Sporting Kansas City’s Open Cup history. Photo: Gary Rohman | Sporting KC

Sporting doubled the lead when Feilhaber and Dwyer linked up again, this time off a free kick on the left wing. The delivery curled toward the back post once again, and Dwyer beat Seitz, who was coming out to punch the ball and inadvertently caught one of his own players. Dwyer’s header bounced once and into the net.

Dwyer dribbled into the penalty area and was fouled and later scored his third on a penalty kick as he became the first England native to score a hat trick in the Modern Era (1995-present).

Later, Krisztian Nemeth added a goal in first-half stoppage time. Jacob Peterson drove the endline and found Nemeth unmarked in the center of the box to make it 4-0 heading into halftime.

“You might not believe this, I bumped into Krisztian in the locker room, and I told him I was going to get five and he was going to get three,” Dwyer said. “That’s why we were laughing on the pitch. We were saying one more each.”

Dwyer’s prediction may have come up one goal short on each end, but Nemeth’s last goal would have been tough to top. His shot – less than two yards from the endline on the right side of the goal area – chipped Seitz and floated over the goal line before Dallas could get a head on the ball. He celebrated by striking an “are you not entertained?” pose from the movie Gladiator.

“The thing is on Krisztian’s second goal, I’ve been working with him all week on that – the way he chipped the ball in there,” Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes said with a laugh. “I’m surprised he picked it up that quickly.”

Dwyer sandwiched his fourth goal, this coming from his own free kick, in between FC Dallas tallies. Michael Barrios and Kellyn Acosta provided the goals for Dallas, despite the five-goal deficits at the time.

“I’ve wanted a hat trick for this club for a while,” Dwyer said. “I’m very happy to get one, and I got an extra one and finally scored a free kick.”

The big night for Dwyer and Sporting came in a big game. The game was riddled with Lamar Hunt ties. Hunt, of whom the tournament is named after, was a major player in getting the Kansas City Wiz into the inaugural season of MLS in 1996. His name is enshrined in Sporting’s Legends Wall. After his stint with Kansas City, Hunt spread his wings and bought the Dallas Burn in 2002.

Sporting’s six-goal output was the most by Kansas City since 2005 when the Wizards defeated the Des Moines Menace (PDL) 6-1 on Aug. 3.

Dwyer and company will look for another explosive game in the Quarterfinals. The next match in the Open Cup for Kansas City is on July 21, when it hosts the Houston Dynamo at Sporting Park.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: FC DALLAS AT SPORTING KC

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: Red Bulls are Kings of New York after 4-1 revenge win over Cosmos (video)

July 1, 2015 by Romulo Vieira

Mike Grella of New York Red Bulls celebrates his 90th minute goal against New York Cosmos. Photo: Bob Larson for TheCup.us — Mike Grella of New York Red Bulls celebrates his 90th minute goal against New York Cosmos. Photo: Bob Larson | Stellar Performance Photography – FULL GALLERY

For the second year in a row the New York Red Bulls and the New York Cosmos were drawn to face each other in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Last year the Cosmos eliminated the Red Bulls, this time for the Fifth Round, the game was at Red Bull Arena and the home team got revenge over their NASL rivals eliminating them with a convincing 4-1 win.

Three-time U.S. Open Cup winner and current Red Bull coach Jesse Marsch, assured everyone that this year the team would take the cup more seriously. Marsch continued to keep his word during his teams’ Round of 16 clash putting together a strong team. The Cosmos came into the game motivated to take out another New York rival after defeating NYCFC in the last round. The team is also currently undefeated this season and find themselves in first place in the NASL.

Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese coached against one of his old clubs. He played for the Red Bulls during their inaugural season and scored their first goal. Cosmos captain Carlos Mendes also made a return to his former home on Wednesday. He played for the Metrostars/Red Bulls for seven seasons.

PHOTO GALLERY FROM BOB LARSON AT STELLAR PERFORMANCE PHOTOGRAPHY

It was a special night for soccer with so many stars on the field. The game began with big names like Sach Kljestan for the Red Bulls and former Villareal star Marcos Senna and former U.S. Olympic team player Danny Szetela for the Cosmos. Another big name on the Cosmos squad list was former Spanish national team captain Raul who started on the bench.

The game started off hot with both teams hungry to score the first goal. The Cosmos showed they were not going to be intimidated by their MLS counterparts. However, the home team struck first early in the fifth minute when Lloyd Sam crossed the ball into the area for Sal Zizzo to header the ball pass Cosmos goalkeeper James Maurer.

After the goal both teams continued pressing forward. The Cosmos looked dangerous taking shots and putting dangerous crosses in the box. However, many shots taken by both teams went wide.

The Cosmos were rewarded for their efforts in the 16th minute, when goalkeeper Maurer sent the ball down the line for midfielder Walter Restrepo who was able to get passed the defender and pass the ball to Lucky to tie the game after a failed attempt from Matt Miazga to clear the ball.

Later in the 32nd minute the Red Bulls had a goal called back for offside after Lloyd Sam attempted to play a ball to Zizzo. However, in the 42nd the Red Bulls scored a valid goal from a corner kick. Sacha Kljestan crossed the ball straight at Anotole Abang to header the ball into the goal putting the Red Bulls up 2-1.

Both teams kept the same pace coming into the second half. The Cosmos Cup dreams suffered another blow when Red Bulls defender Chris Duvall went down in the box after a tackle from a Cosmos defender forcing the referee to award the home team a penalty kick. Kljestan struck the ball in the middle passed the goalkeeper putting the Red Bulls up 3-1 against their rivals.

Later in the half, Raul came into the game and almost made an immediate impact. After receiving a cross he headed the ball onto the cross bar and Mkosana shot the rebound on the post. Minutes later Senna shot a beautiful free kick on target, but was saved by Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles.

The Cosmos fought hard to put themselves back in the game, but the task was too difficult and it only got worse in the 90th. Grella sealed the game for the Red Bulls after beautifully getting passed a Cosmos defender in the box and putting the ball away passed the goalkeeper in the far corner of the goal.

After the match Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch praised his team for keeping their composure throughout the entire game. “Even when they put the goal in on us I don’t think there was any panic in our team and we knew just to stick to our game.”

In the quarterfinals the Red Bulls will host the Philadelphia Union.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: COSMOS AT RED BULLS

Photo: Bob Larson | Stellar Performance Photography

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: Kaka scores in debut as Orlando City hands Columbus Crew first-ever shutout loss (video)

July 1, 2015 by Brian Venard

Kaka became just the third World Cup champion in the Modern Era to score a US Open Cup goal. Photo: Orlando City SC

It was clear right from the get go that Orlando City SC wasn’t going to repeat the near-disasterous performance they had in the US Open Cup Fourth Round, and in the end, the MLS expansion side prevailed winning 2-0 over the Columbus Crew. Last round against the Charleston Battery, Orlando blew a two-goal lead in extra time, but prevailed in penalty kicks. This time, they held on to their two-goal lead.

Kaka, the club’s major signing since moving up from the United Soccer League, scored his first Open Cup goal, while Carlos Rivas added another to give Orlando the lead they needed to pick up their first regulation victory of their new era. Kaka becomes just the third World Cup champion in the Modern Era (1995-present) to score a goal in the US Open Cup. He joins fellow Brazilians Zinho (Miami FC, 2007) and Branco (Metrostars, 1997).

Less than a minute after having a goal disallowed for offside, Kaka opening the scoring in the 21st minute. Darwin Ceres stepped up and stole the ball from the Crew backline and started a break into the Columbus penalty area. Ceres played a pass over to the former World Player of the Year, who beat the keeper from the top of the box.

Just 14 minutes later, Carlos Rivas, who became the first Modern Era player to score three penalty kick goals against Charleston in Round 4, scored his first goal of the tournament in the run of play. Pedro Ribeiro brought the ball to the edge of the penalty area, but had the ball knocked away by a swarming Crew defense but the loose ball fell into the path of Rivas who hit a one-time rocket shot into the upper part of the goal.

Orlando head coach Adrian Heath was impressed with Rivas and his goal, but he wasn’t surprised for one of the team’s up-and-coming young players.

“I’ve never been involved with a kid who can kick the ball as hard as he can,” said Heath. “He’s going to be a big player for us moving forward. It’s early days for him, but he’s starting to make an impression.”

The Crew were uninspiring throughout the game, with only a few chances that were very spread out. Orlando goalkeeper Tally Hall only had to make two saves for the home team to pick up his fourth career Open Cup shutout and send the Lions into the Quarterfinals for the second time in the last three years. While the general performance of the visitors was underwhelming, they received a spark midway through the second half but were unable to capitalize on it as Columbus was shut out for the first time in club history, which covers a span of 36 Open Cup games.

Orlando City’s dominant performance further shows not only that they take the Open Cup seriously, but also that the first team can bounce back from a stretch of disappointing performances in both the cup and league play. Heath reiterated after the match how the Open Cup is one of the club’s top priorties and the lineup he put out on the field reflected that. Orlando City, being a former USL team themselves, understands the benefits of a deep Cup run, and if anything, being in MLS makes it easier to do that with a deeper bench.

The standout player from tonight was Rivas, who played an all-around game and even scoring the safety goal for Orlando City. He was rightfully awarded ‘man of the match’ at the stadium even after being subbed off in the 67th minute.

An announced crowd of 13,684 at the Citrus Bowl was small by Orlando City standards, but understandable considering the United States was competing in the Women’s World Cup Semifinal against Germany and the final four of the Copa American tournament was also on the schedule for Tuesday evening. Even with a smaller crowd, Orlando fans still managed to create a strong home field advantage.

Orlando advances to the Quarterfinals where they will play on the road against the Chicago Fire. City’s first trip to the round of eight in 2013 as a USL club ended at the hands of the Fire as Chicago eliminated them 5-1 at Toyota Park. The date of the Quarterfinal match won’t be announced until later this week.

POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE: ADRIAN HEATH

FULL MATCH REPLAY: COLUMBUS CREW AT ORLANDO CITY SC

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: After nearly three-hour delay, Houston Dynamo edge Colorado Rapids to return to Quarterfinals (video)

July 1, 2015 by Justin Jerkins

It took nearly three hours to determine whether the Fifth Round matchup between the Colorado
Rapids and the Houston Dynamo could begin. Torrential downpours in the late Houston
afternoon threw the match into jeopardy and grounds crew put in significant work to dissipate
several large pools of water on the pitch. In the end, the referees gave their approval and the
match kicked off at a yawninducing 10:18 p.m. local time.

In the end, a first half tally from Mauro Manotas and a strong performance in goal by Joe Willis led the Dynamo to a 1-0 win to send Houston to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2009.

The waterlogged field played a bit slower than either team would have liked but both clubs combined for 18 shots in the first half. The Dynamo controlled the game early on, using the crafty combination play of Manotas and Alex Monteiro to find gaps in the Colorado defense. Eventually, the Rapids took control of the game in the first half, sacrificing the counter-attack style that was proving ineffective in the face of goal.

As both teams began to put reliance on their speed up top, the Dynamo would create better scoring opportunities. A Leonel Miranda cross in the 14th minute would trickle through the box to Alex who struggled to find the touch to beat Colorado goalkeeper Zac MacMath.

Alex was an immense presence in the first half for Houston, delivering a skillfull ball to the box in the 23rd minute where a waiting Chandler Hoffman couldn’t manage to swing the ball into the net after a beautiful turn.

As the match creeped toward the half-hour mark, physicality from both sides began to dictate the flow of the game. When the ball wasn’t whistled dead, it was often the quick, shuffling feet of Colorado midfielder Charles Eloundou that carried the attack into the final third for the Rapids.

Dynamo right back Kofi Sarkodie struggled to contain Eloundou’s speed but no Colorado player could take advantage as the entire night was a battle to put the ball on frame.

The match’s only goal was delivered by Manotas, the 19-year-old Colombian who was making his first-ever start for the club. Manotas netted his first career goal for the Dynamo off a curling Nathan Sturgis assist in the 43rd minute.

Two minutes later, Colorado would have perhaps their best opportunity of the night as fullback Marlon Hairston shrugged off Dynamo defenders in the box and slotted the ball between keeper Joe Willis’ legs. Unfortunately for the Rapids, the ball would take a deflection off the post to end the half.

The final 45 minutes were certainly chippy between both teams but it was Colorado, again, who could not capitalize on the space given by the Houston defense.

In the 51st minute, Rapids midfielder Jared Watts would clack a header off the crossbar and back into play. His second chance would go wide and Colorado’s ensuing frustration would make it difficult to focus on keeping their shots on goal.

The 80th minute substitution of Marcelo Sarvas for Charles Eloundou would all but finish Colorado’s night as the Dynamo defenders finally had a chance to breathe while not fending off the pace of Eloundou.

In those final ten minutes, fatigue sat in for both teams as the clock was well past midnight. MacMath, who is on loan from the Philadelphia Union, had terrific saves throughout the match, keeping the Rapids in contention, but it was not enough. Though the Dynamo would face a nervy run or two from Colorado, they would ultimately keep them at bay for a 1-0 victory and an advancement into the Open Cup Quarterfinals.

Combined with their Fourth Round win over the Austin Aztex, the Dynamo have put together back-to-back tournament wins for the first time since 2009. For the Rapids, it continues a poor run of form that began after 1999 when they fell to the Rochester Raging Rhinos in the Final. Tuesday’s loss marks the 12th year in a row that the Rapids have failed to win multiple games in a single tournament.

In the next round, Houston will travel to play the winner of Wednesday’s FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City match.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: COLORADO RAPIDS AT HOUSTON DYNAMO

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: Mike Magee returns to spark Chicago Fire to end Charlotte Independence’s cup debut, 3-1 (video)

June 30, 2015 by Jeff Engelhardt

Mike Magee of the Chicago Fire celebrates one of his two goals against the Charlotte Independence. Photo: Chicago Fire

Charlotte Independence’s bid for a second-straight upset against an MLS team was short lived as the Chicago Fire erased an early deficit Tuesday to secure a 3-1 Fifth Round U.S. Open Cup victory at Toyota Park.

The Fire were led by Lovel Palmer and Mike Magee who combined for all three goals and an assist after Chicago fell behind 1-0 in the fifth minute.

In his first start of the season, Magee leveled the score in the 37th minute after a give-and-go between Palmer and Kennedy Igboananike that resulted in Palmer sending in a low cross from the right flank. Magee, making a diagonal run, stepped inside his defender and flicked the shot past Charlotte goalkeeper Richard Gilstrap.

Palmer scored the game-winning goal in the 50th minute.

After a lengthy spell of pressure from the Fire, Charlotte attempted to clear a corner kick out of the box. Palmer, lurking about 10 yards away from the top of the box, had the ball fall to his feet. He blasted a stunning strike to beat a diving Gilstrap from distance.

The Fire’s third goal of the evening brought the crowd to its feet as it was a direct result of the returning Patrick Nyamko’s first touch of the season. Having subbed on in the 77th minute, Nyarko received a pass from Magee on the right flank. Handling his first touch of the season, Nyarko danced around his defender into the box, fed Magee the ball back and Magee scored his second goal of the evening to secure the victory.

Fire coach Frank Yallop said the sequence was the highlight of the night and it was great to see two of his most dangerous offensive weapons shake off the rust quickly.

“It has been a long way back for them,” Yallop said. “You miss guys and then you see them on the field and you realize how good they are. It’s not in training it’s actually playing the proper game. Very happy for both guys.”

Charlotte did not let the Fire into the quarterfinals without a scare. Playing on the road against an MLS team for only their second time in club history, Charlotte showed no fear early on and caught the Fire flat footed with an early goal.

As the Fire backline looked to advance the ball past midfield, Charlotte forced a turnover and pounced on the opportunity when midfielder Alex Martinez found striker Tomasz Zahorski with a perfectly timed through ball that beat the Fire’s pressuring back line. Zahorski finished his breakaway with a composed shot past a diving Sean Johnson.

The Fire progressively applied pressure as the half went on. Gilstrap came up with two consecutive difficult saves starting with a chance from the top of the box by Joevin Jones at the 19-minute mark. After that diving save, Gilstrap came up big again in the 22nd minute after Magee tried a chip shot over the keeper. Though he was off his line, Gilstrap leaped backwards and punched the ball over the crossbar.

Charlotte almost caught the Fire again immediately after Magee’s goal as Zahorski received a pass deep in the box but was turned away by Johnson who came up with the shin save.

While the last remaining USL side struggled more in the second half, substitute Ryan Finley forced two athletic saves from Sean Johnson. In the 62nd minute, Finley received the ball all alone in the center of the box after a great dummy and forced a point blank save from Johnson. Finley challenged Johnson again in the 87th minute with a diving save to the left for the Fire keeper’s fourth save of the match.

The win moved the Fire to 36-12-3 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup, which is the most wins of any team in the Modern Era.

Magee said he hoped the result could springboard a strong second half in league play where the team has dropped four straight and confidence in the quarterfinals where they will host Orlando City.

“There was definitely something a little different in the group tonight,” Magee said. “We’re ready to fight for each other.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY: CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE AT CHICAGO FIRE

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: Philadelphia Union overcome early red card, rally to beat DC United 2-1 (video)

June 30, 2015 by Michael Berton

The Philadelphia Union overcame a red card and a 45-minute weather delay to defeat DC United 2-1 in the Fifth Round of the US Open Cup on Tuesday night.

Second-half goals from Eric Ayuk and Fabinho erased a first-half strike by DC’s Jairo Arrieta. All three goals came after a questionable 24th-minute red card to CJ Sapong, who was given the card on a routine battle for a header. The referee deemed that Sapong led with his elbow and gave him a straight red card.

Union coach Jim Curtain said, “It’s a mistake by the referee for sure. It wasn’t a contentious game. made it a hard night for us.”

Arrieta scored just three minutes after the card. Miguel Aguilar made some nifty moves on the right side of the penalty box and crossed to a wide open Arrieta. The Costa Rican made no mistake, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

Even with the man disadvantage, the Union pushed forward. At times playing with all save the goalie in the offensive have of the field, Philadelphia put together a few close chances. The best chance came in the 42nd minute when Eric Ayuk’s was bobbled by DC keeper Andrew Dykstra. Andrew Wenger would have had a great chance on net on the rebound, but was offside.

The home side’s pressure meant DC could sit back and counter. Aguilar was dangerous down the right hand flank, and only last ditch defending kept the MLS leaders from scoring a second goal. The half came to an end nearly two hours after kickoff thanks to a 45-minute weather delay that stopped the game 14 minutes in.

Philadelphia kept up the pressure in the second half. In the 51st minute, Cristian Maidana played in Ayuk on the right, who crossed to a wide open Andrew Wenger in the middle of the box. Wenger’s shot somehow hit both posts before careening out of the penalty area.

Five minutes later, Ayuk got the goal that eluded Wenger. Sheanon Williams was played through on the left and crossed to Ayuk, who easily tapped home the equalizer.

In the 77th minute, it was second-half substitute Fabinho who put the Union up for good. Intricate passing between himself and Maidana eventually led to the Brazilian getting into the penalty area. Fabinho hit a screamer past DC keeper Andrew Dykstra to put the Union up 2-1.

With the early red card to Sapong, the Union were put in a strange situation of having to play Maidana, normally a creative attacker, in the target forward role. He was effective, playing a part in both goals.

“When your star striker goes out so early, it’s tough to burn a sub. We decided to let that group ride with it,” Curtain said.

With the win, the Union improve to 8-3-2 all-time in Open Cup play. Philadelphia will play the winner of the New York Red Bulls-New York Cosmos matchup in the Quarterfinals. If the Red Bulls win, the Union will travel to Red Bull Arena. Philadelphia will host if the Cosmos are the victors.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: DC UNITED AT PHILADELPHIA UNION