In 2006 and 2007, FC Dallas crushed the hopes of the Charleston Battery in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals. This year, it was the Battery’s turn to exact revenge, winning 3-1 in Frisco after waiting out a weather delay.
FC Dallas came out with a relatively strong lineup as they played most of their regulars for the match. They looked the stronger of the two teams out of the gate, controlling play early.
However, in the 28th minute, it was the Battery who struck first. Former Dallas player Lazo Alavanja blocked a clearance by the Dallas defense near the top of the 18 and put it past keeper Dario Sala to give Charleston the 1-0 lead.
In the 39th minute, lightning struck. One hour and ten minutes later, play finally resumed after 9:00 local time. FC Dallas came flying out of the gate once again, with Arturo Alvarez hitting a shot off the post almost immediately out of the dressing room. But once again, it was Charleston who came through. On the counter attack resulting from the play, Ian Fuller received a pass at the edge of the box from Stephen Armstrong, beat his man, and placed the ball inside the near post, giving the Battery the 2-0 advantage.
To be absolutely sure that the Battery would move on, Randi Patterson took the ball all the way from the midfield stripe in the 90th minute and put away Dallas for good. FC Dallas would finally find a way to scrape together a goal and avoid the shutout in stoppage time when Dax McCarty served up a ball inside the box to Kenny Cooper, who made a lunging header into the back of the net, to make the final score 3-1 in favor of Charleston.
The Battery now move on to host USL-1 foe Seattle Sounders in the Semifinals, assuring that a non-MLS team will make the US Open Cup final for the first time since the Rochester Raging Rhinos won it all in 1999.
