Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Charlotte Eagles

2018 US Open Cup Round 1: Aruh’s first half hat trick helps Inter Nashville stun PDL champion Charlotte Eagles

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Inter Nashville celebrate their 6-1 win over the Charlotte Eagles in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Inter Nashville
Inter Nashville celebrate their 6-1 win over the Charlotte Eagles in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Inter Nashville

The first round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup kicked off across the country Wednesday night, and two lower-division teams squared off in Matthews, North Carolina, in front of 310 fans.

It wasn’t pretty for the team from the Carolinas.

The 2017 PDL champion Charlotte Eagles hosted NPSL’s Inter Nashville FC, and from the opening whistle, Inter Nashville went straight to work. Nashville pressed every pass from the Eagles and pushed the ball up the field with a purpose, and the Eagles simply could not counter. Inter was playing in their first-ever US Open Cup game while the Eagles were playing in their 27th, but experience didn’t matter as Nashville dominated Charlotte from the opening whistle, winning 6-1 to advance to Round 2. With the win, they earn a date with the pro team in their city, Nashville SC of the USL.

Nashville put points on the board first by earning a direct kick in the fourth minute deep inside Eagles territory. NPSL 2017 Offensive Player of the Year Chuka Aruh sent his shot over the Eagles’ wall and into the back of the net to open the scoring.

Aruh, a 6-foot-3, 208-pound forward then went full-on beast mode, following his opening goal with another in the sixth minute, stealing the ball from an Eagles defender just outside the 18 yard box, driving to the right, and scoring a brace in less than six minutes.

 

That would be all that was needed to win, as the Eagles failed throughout the night on defense and lacked the ability to counter, possess the ball, or even manage to get a shot on goal in the first half.

In the 21st minute, Nashville scored an incredible goal. Coming off the corner kick, Ivan Sakou bicycle kicked his own deflected shot just inside the 18 yard box on the right side. Richard Reichenberger headed it in past Eagles and Wake Forest goalkeeper Andrew Pannenberg, putting Inter Nashville up 3–0.

In the 35th minute, Aruh completed his first-half hat trick. The Eagles, having earned a free kick off an Inter Nashville yellow card, failed to capitalize, and Aruh broke out on the counter.

At 45’+, Sakou would find the back of the net himself with the first of his two goals for the night, sending Inter Nashville into half-time up 5–0 over the Eagles. The Eagles came out in the second half with a renewed sense of focus, and after a series of solid passes, a drive into the box was met with a poor foul by Nashville and a Charlotte penalty kick in the 56th minute. Eagle Todd Fidlerconverted the penalty kick and put the first and only point on the board for the Eagles.

However, the Eagles would not be able to carry any momentum forward after that. After coming on strong at the start of the second half, the Eagles once again fell flat, failing to pass the ball effectively and having multiple long passes intercepted or broken up by Nashville’s strong midfield.

In the 85th minute, Sakou put the sixth and final point on the board for Nashville, and after five additional minutes of stoppage time, that is how it would end. Inter Nashville defeated the Charlotte Eagles 6–1 at home, and they advance to the second round of the U.S. Open Cup.

Inter Nashville recorded the first U.S. Open Cup win for a Nashville team in 20 years and are now slated to play Nashville SC next Wednesday night in what at least one online commentator has labeled “El Nashico.”

The Charlotte Eagles will face the Myrtle Beach Mutiny this coming Saturday back at the Sportsplex in Matthews.

The Mutiny also lost their first round U.S. Open Cup match, 2–1 to the South Georgia Tormenta.

2017 US Open Cup Round 2: Enzo Martinez leads Charlotte Independence to comeback win over Charlotte Eagles

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The Charlotte Independence (white) held off a strong charge from the Charlotte Eagles in the Second Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Charlotte Eagles
The Charlotte Independence (white) held off a strong charge from the Charlotte Eagles, winning 3-2 in the Second Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Charlotte Eagles

The Second Round of the US Open Cup came to Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday night and pitted the city’s two beloved teams: the Charlotte Independence (also known as the Jacks) of the USL and the Charlotte Eagles of the PDL. In front of a crowd split 50-50 between Independence blue and Eagles orange, the USL’s Independence won a thrilling match 3-2 behind a second half brace from substitute Enzo Martinez and now move on to face North Carolina FC in Round 3.

The game looked to be setting up all “Jacks” in the first half. Forwards Casey Townsend and Jaime Siaj led the Independence in taking the ball towards Eagles goalkeeper James Pyle, peppering him with shots before connecting with one in the 9th minute. Yann Ekra got free down the left side and played a ball into the box for Townsend who took advantage of an Eagles mistake to put it past Pyle, making it 1–0 Independence early on.

The Jacks continued to dominate possession, as both Townsend and Siaj had several missed opportunities in the first 20 minutes of play. It wasn’t until the 26th minute that the Eagles spent any time on the attack, when forward Kosi Nwafornso put a shot just past the outside post. It was the Eagles’ only chance in the entire first 45.

The Independence could have been ahead three or four goals, but the halftime whistle blew at 1-0, and the Eagles were lucky to escape with that score line.

The second half started similarly to the first: the Independence had the majority of the ball and seemed to be toying with the PDL’s reigning South Atlantic division winners.

And then, somehow, the game turned on its head.

In the 60th minute, out of nowhere, the Eagles started attacking. A textbook save by Jacks keeper Cody Mizell denied Nwafornso an equalizing goal. But not a minute later, Ryan Williams took a shot from outside the box that Mizell just could not reach. Slotted low to the keeper’s outstretched left, Williams’ goal made it 1-1 in the Charlotte Derby.

Then, just two minutes later, Kelvin Omondi shocked the Queen City with a world-class goal from distance too. Cody Mizell was helpless as “Debouy” put another shot to the keeper’s left, and the crowd erupted as, somehow, the PDL Charlotte Eagles were up 2-1.

Of course, that made the Independence begin to take the game a bit more seriously. On cruise control for the first 60 minutes with many of their regular starters on the bench, Coach Mike Jeffries had a few tricks up his sleeve to get the Jacks to respond to the Eagles comeback: namely, brothers Alex and Enzo Martinez.

Alex came on immediately after Omondi’s goal in the 64th minute, and the Independence regained their footing with a possession-based attack. Then, in the 72nd minute, Alex’s brother Enzo came on. An MVP candidate in USL in 2016, Enzo is special on the ball, and the tired Eagles youngsters simply could not keep up with him.

On the attack, Enzo was pulled down in the box in the 76th minute and converted the penalty in the 77th to tie the game at 2-2. The wind taken out of their sails, the Eagles still made a few attempts at trying to find a third, but for the most part, the Independence had their way in the final 15.

And then, the heartbreaker for the PDL side came in the 88th minute: Enzo again showed his skill, taking a pass from his brother Alex and blasting it past an outstretched James Pyle for the game’s fifth goal, the Jacks’ third, and a 3-2 lead.

That was the final score at Charlotte Christian on Wednesday night: a 3-2 victory for the Independence that sees them move on to the third round of the US Open Cup.

Eagles GM Andrew Pierce took the loss in stride, looking for positives.

“Tough one tonight. I thought the boys did really well responding after halftime,” he said. “I think the first half it was tough for us to get a rhythm going. In the 2nd half we did a better job of combining and finding our playmakers. Tough penalty to give up to tie the game but it’s a teachable moment. Have to learn from these and get better and move on. But we’re looking forward to playing the Dynamo Saturday, hoping to move to 2-0 in the league. That’s what our focus is now, getting results in the league and making sure we stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.”

The third round US Open Cup match for the Independence is against familiar foe North Carolina FC in Cary on May 31st. Last time they met back in 2016’s Cup, the then-Railhawks and Jacks played a scoreless first 90 minutes before the NASL side put up five goals in the added 30 minutes to win 5-0.

The Eagles’ next match is Saturday night at 7 p.m. against their PDL rival the Carolina Dynamo who were also eliminated from the US Open Cup tonight.

2017 US Open Cup Round 1: Charlotte Eagles blank Chattanooga FC to earn derby rematch in Round 2

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Charlotte EaglesThe US Open Cup kicked off in Charlotte on Wednesday night with a battle between perennial PDL and NPSL playoff contenders, the Charlotte Eagles and Chattanooga FC. Charlotte defeated Chattanooga, 2-0 in front of its home fans. With the win, Charlotte hosts cross-town rivals and USL side, the Charlotte Independence, in the second round of the 2017 US Open Cup on Wednesday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m.

The “CLT Derby” is a rematch of last year, when the Independence defeated the Eagles, 2-0, on goals from Chris Hellman and former Eagles legend Jorge Herrera.

Neither side had played a competitive match in 2017 before Wednesday night’s contest, but there wasn’t much rust as both teams got off to fast, attacking starts.

Chattanooga had the better of the first 10 minutes, as Danny Whitehall and Kieran Bywater combined for several chances early on, but Charlotte goalkeeper James Pyle kept the game scoreless.

Then in the 12th minute, the Eagles had their first real chance, as Andrew Revanales began to impose himself on the game.

Faster than anyone else on the field, Revanales took advantage of a Chattanooga mistake and had a break on net, but Chattanooga keeper Paulo Pita stopped him in a one-on-one situation.

Pita denied the speedy Eagles forward twice more in the next few minutes, while also having to defend against his own team. His best save of the match came on an accidental backwards header from his own center back in the 17th minute.

The game could have easily been 3-0 Eagles after 20 minutes, but Chattanooga wasn’t done either.
In the 22nd minute, Whitehall found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper at the other end, but Pyle made a miraculous save at full stretch to keep the game scoreless.

The first half changed entirely in the 23rd minute when Revanales had to leave because of a hamstring injury. His early substitution allowed both defenses to hydrate and regroup on the sidelines, while removing the Eagles’ biggest threat from the game.

The rest of the first half played out in midfield struggles without any real chances. The teams settled into their respective game plans, and back-and-forth passing resulted in a 0-0 score at the break.

The second half was nearly all Charlotte Eagles.

Possession, attacks built from the midfield, and speed all over the pitch caused problems for the Chattanooga defense, and midfielder Kelvin Omondi took advantage in the 71st minute.

On a break down the right, Eagles substitute Joao Costa’s shot was denied and Omondi put the rebound away for the opening goal of the match: 1-0 for the home side.

Charlotte settled into a defensive formation after taking the lead, as Chattanooga could not break through to level the score.

Whitehall, Leo DeSmedt and Felipe Oliveira had chances for Chattanooga in the final 20 minutes, but it was an Eagles player, Joao Costa, that found the decisive goal.

He scored on an incredibly difficult shot from a tight angle on the left endline that snuck past Pita in the 89th minute.

Costa earned “man of the match” honors for his goal, but the Chattanooga traveling supporters made a mark as well. A five-and-a-half hour bus ride on a weeknight for US Open Cup first round action did not phase the Chattahooligans, and they were gracious in defeat as well. Bravo.

Eagles GM Andrew Pierce was proud of his team after the game.

“I think the boys did really well tonight,” Pierce said. “It was their first game, and we’ve had a limited amount of training sessions with the full squad. The first part of the game was frantic, but they slowed it down and possessed the ball after Andrew’s injury, playing coach Dixon’s style of soccer. I was proud of the effort, and I’m looking forward to our PDL opener on Saturday against Wilmington.”

Chattanooga starts its NPSL season on Saturday in New Orleans.

2016 US Open Cup Round 2: Independence ground Eagles in true Charlotte derby

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Charlotte Independence Charlotte Eagles
Photo: Charlotte Eagles

A cool night at Charlotte Christian School was the scene as the sun began to set on the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first-ever official match between the Charlotte Eagles and the Charlotte Independence. A real derby.

Adding to the drama is the fact that when the Eagles dropped to the PDL after more than 20 years as a pro team, the Independence were the club that replaced them in the USL.

The Eagles, playing in the tournament as a PDL team for the first time, entered the night with just two games under their belt, having won twice the week before in Open Cup and regular season play. The Independence, on the other hand, sit third in the USL Eastern Conference having already played nine regular season matches and a full preseason – giving the USL side an apparent fitness advantage and a comfort in tactics that proved to be a difference maker in the club’s 2-0 win.

Having played a congested schedule over the past two weeks, the night ended up being a much-needed opportunity for Independence to rest starters and see younger guys get some key minutes. Young players like Austin Yearwood, Emmanuel Appiah, Alec Bartlett, and Christopher Hellmann all made their first starts for the club in any competition. It would prove to be a fateful night for the young forward Hellmann, who got the game going just before halftime.

Both the scoreboard and the play on the field was deadlocked for over 40 minutes as neither Charlotte team could find the back of the net – though they had their chances. Eagles forward Tresor Mbuyu struck the woodwork around the 22nd minute and the Independence got a few shots off before Hellmann would get on the end of a poor save from William Pyle in the 44th, notching his first professional goal in his first-ever start for the club.

On the other side of halftime in the 50th minute, Caleb Calvert for the Independence would get a shot on goal off, forcing Pyle to make a save. Unfortunately for the PDL side, the ball fell straight to midfielder Jorge Herrera who put the ball away. It was bittersweet for the Columbian veteran, after spending over a decade with the Eagles throughout their professional days, but it was his goal that would put the nail in the Eagles’ Open Cup coffin.

Independence did a good job closing out the game, with young defenders Alec Bartlett and Austin Yearwood paired at center back for the first time performing well and goalkeeper John Berner returning from offseason surgery to keep a clean sheet in his first appearance back.

“First of all, a lot of respect to the Eagles group,” said Independence head coach Mike Jeffries after the game. “I think they’re very talented and play at a high level. For us, it was very important to get guys minutes in a meaningful game, in a game where there’s pressure to have to win, and I thought the guys held up very well. It’s always tricky in the Open Cup because you want to advance and yet, the way our schedule’s been with two away games…I didn’t make a lot of changes in those games so obviously giving games a break was important. More importantly, its good for these guys to in a game and contribute and they all did.”

With the win, the Independence, won’t have the leave the state of North Carolina. They will travel to Cary on June 1 to take on the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks in Round 3. This will be the second year in a row that the two clubs will meet at WakeMed Soccer Park. Last year, the Independence got the best of Carolina, winning 1-0 in the Third Round.

Zach Hall is your friendly neighborhood soccer fan with a blog, based in Charlotte, NC. He can be found spending too much time on Twitter @crowntownsoccer.

2016 US Open Cup Round 1: Charlotte Eagles get first amateur win, hold off Myrtle Beach Mutiny in OT

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Charlotte EaglesWhile the rain might have held off on Wednesday night, the drama didn’t as the Charlotte Eagles won 3-2 against the Myrtle Bay Mutiny in overtime.

With the win, the Eagles advance to the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in their first game as an amateur club. They were a professional team in the USL from 1993-2014 until dropping down to the Premier Development League prior to the 2015 season.

It was Charlotte that would have both the first and last word scoring in the 49th and 59th minutes, both put away by Jamie Siaj the junior from Pfeffer University. Both goals were assisted by Charlotte native Tresor Mbuyu.

Just a few minutes later, midfielder Santi Moar almost put the game away making it 3-0, but couldn’t find full contact with Mbuyu’s cross. The miss would come back to haunt the Eagles, as Ryan Arambula found himself with the ball at his feet after a scuffed clearance and had no problem putting it past Will Pyle and into the net.

Charlotte didn’t make it any easier for themselves on what was essentially the next play of the game, with Cam Boytes earning himself a straight red card for taking down a streaking Tobenna Uzo. The Eagles defense would hold strong for 20-plus minutes until the dying breaths of added time when Jon Ander Ibarrondo scored an absolute golazo from 25 yards out, taking a quick restart from a free kick, marching it up 30 yards by himself with no pressure and gave Pyle absolutely no chance and keeping the ball out.

The referee would call an end to the ninety-minutes just seconds after the Eagles restarted the match, all of a sudden tied up 2-2 and down a man.

When extra time began, it was obvious both teams were pushing hard for a winner. Even down a man, the Eagles played a tough, on the ground possession game. In the end however, it would be from penalty spot that Charlotte would earn their winner and even then it wasn’t with drama.

In the 109th minute, Eagles midfielder Marco Micaletto played a lovely give-and-go sequence with a teammate to get into the box where Jeremy Bonyaa took him down, heard the referee’s whistle blow and point to the spot. Micaletto took the ball himself and fired home a shot to the keeper’s right, but the ball bounced off the bottom pole of the goal frame and for a few seconds the entire stadium thought the shot had hit the post and not gone in. After a few seconds of staring at the field waiting for someone to say something, it was soon realized that the ball had in fact gone completely into the goal and the home team was ahead once more, 3-2.

After the winning goal, the Mutiny would pile and pile on pressure, throwing men forward at the depleted Eagles side, but Pyle and his defense kept any and all attacks away from the net until the final whistle blew.

“It’s really exciting to see the character of the group,” said Eagles head coach David Dixon. “They showed a lot of heart to pull back into the game. I think we gave up an easy goal and then to have a screamer right at the end, it’s really hard to bounce back from that. I think we’ve got a good group and I’m excited to keep going.”

The Eagles will move on to Round 2 where they will host the USL’s Charlotte Independence, the club that took their place when they left the league. They will square off on Wednesday, May 18 at the Charlotte Christian School at 7 p.m. ET.

Zach Hall is your friendly neighborhood soccer fan with a blog, based in Charlotte, NC. He runs CrownTownSoccer.com and hosts the Crown Town Cast – the only Charlotte soccer focused podcast in the whole wide world. Find him on Twitter, @crowntownsoccer.

2014 US Open Cup Round 3: Carolina RailHawks eliminate Charlotte Eagles; will host Chivas USA for third straight year

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carolina-railhawks-logoThe last time the Carolina RailHawks faced the Charlotte Eagles in a competitive soccer match was the First Round of the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The RailHawks won that game 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Four years later, another U.S. Open Cup clash between the in-state avian rivals produced a similar outcome. The RailHawks clipped the Eagles 2-0 Wednesday evening in Cary, paced by two first-half goals from Nazmi Albadawi and Jun Marques Davidson. Carolina now advances to the Fourth Round of the 2014 Open Cup and will host Chivas USA of Major League Soccer on June 14.

The win also extends the RailHawks’ home unbeaten streak to 20 games.

Four days following the RailHawks’ draw at NASL-leading Minnesota United FC, manager Colin Clarke ran out a nearly full-strength side against the USL Pro opponent. The lone notable exception was the insertion of backup goalkeeper Scott Goodwin, making his first start since joining Carolina. With a possible MLS home match hanging in the balance, it was a curious decision to leave Akira Fitzgerald, just named NASL Player of the Week for his clean sheet against Minnesota United last Saturday, on the bench.

However, Goodwin proved up to the task. The former UNC Tar Heel standout made five saves to earn a clean sheet, including a couple of leaping fingertip deflections in the second half to preserve the RailHawks’ advantage.

“Scott’s a very good keeper,” Clarke said. “He deserved his chance. He’s worked very hard and pushes Akira every single day. He deserves a chance to play.”

Carolina got that advantage beginning in the 14th minute. With the Eagles playing a high back line coupled with a compact, eight block midfield, the RailHawks met some difficulty cracking the Charlotte defensive alignment. However, RailHawks’ midfielder Ty Shipalane tends to disrupt opponents’ best laid schemes, and so he did again against Charlotte. Driving off the right wing, Shipalane poked a ball into the box that found its way to midfielder Nazmi Albadawi. The former NC State standout gathered possession before turning to fire a left-footed shot that skimmed across the face of Eagles goalkeeper Brock Duckworth and into the far net for a 1-0 lead.

“Ty made a great run,” Albadawi said. “He always attracts two or three defenders whenever he gets the ball. He played me a good ball in, and I was able to turn over my shoulder. I just went for it, took a shot with my left foot and it went in far post.”

It was solid outing for Albadawi, who scored his first goal as a RailHawk in his second consecutive start. He proved an effective two-way threat, coupling effective defensive play with dangerous distribution, including several effective long balls over the top of the encroaching Eagles back line.

Davidson said Albadawi did lots of little things to help the RailHawks.

“ was in a spot where he could get the ball and distribute it for us at the right time,” Davidson said. “He played into space when he needed, and he scored a good goal that gave us confidence and made the game easier.”

In the 40th minute, RailHawks center back Toni Stahl left the match after sustaining a couple of first-half knocks, the last a rib injury whose severity remains undetermined.

In the waning seconds of the first half, the RailHawks notched their second goal. Forward Mike Grella blazed a trail toward goal, carrying a defender along the way. Grella’s angled blast was deflected away by Duckworth, but the ricochet bounded toward the center of the box and into the path of a streaking Davidson. The RailHawks’ captain buried the loose ball into an open net.

Davidson, who missed last Saturday’s game at Minnesota in order to attend his sister’s wedding, admitted he can’t remember the last time he scored a goal.

“When the ball went to Grella, I looked around and everyone was tired,” Davidson said. “So I thought this our last chance of the first half, I’m going to spin as hard as I can and see what happens. If Grella scores from that, great. If he doesn’t, I could get the rebound. The rebound happened, so I just had to tap it in.”

A back and forth second half was mostly highlighted by missed opportunities for both teams. Carolina easily could, and probably should have scored two or three additional goals against a tired Eagles team forced to push forward. At the same time, Charlotte generated multiple opportunities, including a whopping 12 corner kicks for the game. In the end, Carolina and Charlotte attempted 11 shots each.

Eagles manager Mark Steffens said it was emblematic of a team that has experienced difficulty scoring goals all season.

“We’re not a high scoring team,” Steffens said. “Some of the guys we signed who we felt like would be goalscorers for us have not produced.”

Steffens also said his team’s recent run of road matches left them flagged coming into a hot, humid midweek match. Earlier this month, Charlotte played two matches in California and another in Arizona. Last Wednesday, the Eagles traveled to Orlando and last Saturday, they played in Richmond, VA. This Saturday’s match back in Charlotte will be the Eagles first home game since April 25.

“We’ve been on the road all month,” Steffens said. “Been out to California and Arizona, so we didn’t have any life tonight. We were dead, not only in our press but in our passing and movement. Everything was off a little bit.”

Clarke was happy with his team’s performance against a higher caliber opponent than the RailHawks have faced to open their U.S. Open Cup account the previous two years.

“I think everyone was maybe expecting it was going to be easy for us to get to the next round,” said Clarke. “But they’re a very good team, and it was a tough night with the humidity. I’m absolutely delighted with the result.”

The RailHawks return to NASL league play this Saturday when they host the Tampa Bay Rowdies. When Carolina hosts Chivas USA in June, it will be the third consecutive year the RailHawks have hosted the MLS side in Open Cup competition.

“We’ve had some great nights in this competition over the last couple of years,” said Clarke, alluding to the RailHawks’ two victories over the LA Galaxy and last year’s win over Chivas USA. “We’re looking for another one on the 14th.”

2014 US Open Cup Round 2: Jorge Herrera carries Charlotte Eagles to 3-1 win over Carolina Dynamo (video)

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For the third time, the Charlotte Eagles and Carolina Dynamo met in US Open Cup play. This time the Eagles won 3-1. Photo: Charlotte Eagles
For the third time, the Charlotte Eagles and Carolina Dynamo met in US Open Cup play. This time the Eagles won 3-1. Photo: Charlotte Eagles

On Wednesday night in Charlotte, NC, USL PRO’s Charlotte Eagles defeated Greensboro’s PDL side Carolina Dynamo 3-1 in the Second Round of the 2014 US Open Cup, thanks to two goals and one assist from Colombian forward Jorge Herrera.

“We wanted to impose ourselves from the first minute. We wanted to make them uncomfortable,” said assistant coach Steve Shak, who was handed the reigns for the night by Eagles head coach Mark Steffens.

Neither team dominated possession in the first half, but Charlotte took shot after shot until Juan Guzman finally slotted one home in the 43rd minute, on an assist from fellow Colombian Herrera, putting the Eagles up 1-0.

The second half was a bit more one-sided, with Herrera’s two unassisted goals and a plethora of other chances for Charlotte that sailed wide, high, and into Dynamo keeper Alex McCauley’s hands. Before Herrera’s second goal, however, the Greensboro side did put up quite a fight.

“Carolina Dynamo has a great reputation,” coach Shak said after the match. “A lot of those guys will be professionals.”

The towering Mamadee Nyepon, a Greensboro native and High Point University graduate, who scored the Dynamo’s lone goal in the 60th minute, was dangerous all night, especially in the latter part of the second half. Were it not for a few offside calls and mistimed kicks, the Dynamo could have easily tied things up 2-2.

But when it comes to the US Open Cup, the Charlotte Eagles have enjoyed some recent success in the tournament after 13 years of struggles. From the first year they qualified in 1998 until 2011, the Eagles never won multiple games in a single tournament and never defeated a professional team. That changed in 2012 when they won three straight road games in Texas, defeating the El Paso Patriots (PDL), FC Dallas (MLS) and the San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) to reach the Quarterfinals for the first time.Charlotte Eagles

Their win over the Dynamo on Wednesday extended a club record with their fourth tournament in a row with at least one win.

In the end, Charlotte’s Jorge Herrera proved to be too much for the Premier Development League side to handle on Wednesday night as he scored his 5th and 6th career Open Cup goals.

“He leads by example,” said Shak. “Which is what you need your top players to do.” A few years back, Herrera got a good look from a few MLS teams, including New England Revolution, but his international status may have hurt his chances. Currently, MLS teams only have eight international spots to work with.

In the 2011 US Open Cup–the last time these in-state rivals met–the results were identical: a 3-1 Charlotte victory. Nevertheless, the Eagles didn’t treat their matchup with the Dynamo lightly. “PDL teams are very good,” Shak said. “We knew we had to be sharp.”

Team morale may have been a factor for the Dynamo, who lost their head coach to nearby Elon University just days before the start of the 2014 season.

With their Second Round victory in the bag, Charlotte now faces another North Carolina team in the Third Round in two weeks time: the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks FC in Cary, NC. The RailHawks, who outdraw the Eagles by an order of magnitude at home, knocked Charlotte out of the 2010 US Open Cup. “We’ll do our research and look into them this week,” said Shak. “We usually play one another in the preseason, but this year’s match was cancelled.”

Regardless of how deep Charlotte Eagles make it in the tournament this year, one thing’s for certain, according to Coach Shak.

“We love the US Open Cup.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY

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 Second Round: Charlotte Eagles silence Sounders U23 3-0

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After cruising to an easy win last week, the PDL Sounders U23 side could find little of that magic on the road on the other side of the country Tuesday night in Charlotte, falling 3-0 to the unbeaten USL Pro Eagles, who advance to play host to the Chicago Fire in the Third Round next Wednesday.

Charlotte had the better of chances in the first half with Jorge Herrera sending a shot off the post six minutes in and Sergio Villasenor forcing a nice save from Zac Lubin int eh 25th, but were left scoreless until the second stanza.

Second half sub Drew Yates broke the deadlock in the 57th minute when he took advantage of a free ball and drove inside the box and let loose from about 16 yards, finding the lower right corner.

The game was locked up for the Eagles by Herrera, who converted from the spot after Samuel Asante was fouled in the box by Nick Raskasky

Herrera’s second strike of the night, fourth career in the tournament, came in the 65th minute when he put it in the lower right corner after Fejiro Okiomah brought the ball forward from the back.

The goals were his first since the 2008 tournament.

2012 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: History repeats as Chivas USA edge Charlotte Eagles in dramatic finish

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Chivas USAFULLERTON – In the blink of an eye the Charlotte Eagles went from exuberance to having their Cinderella US Open Cup run come to an end. The Eagles were undone by two goals from Chivas USA forward Jose Correa in front of an estimated 1,500 fans at Titan Stadium, falling on a last-second goal reminiscent of the last time the two sides met in 2005.

The Goats will now go into their second-ever US Open Cup Semifinal, heading on the road to face the Seattle Sounders July 10 at Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

The game went for 63 scoreless minutes before Correa put the Goats ahead, 1-0. However, before their first goal Chivas had an amazing opportunity in the first half to go ahead. A bouncing ball came near the top of the box and Chivas midfielder Laurent Courtois placed a foot on it. It looked goal bound until Correa redirected it over the bar.

Juan Agudelo, who came on in the 39th minute for an injured Miller Bolaños, engineered a counterattack and threaded the Eagles’ defense to find Correa who patiently slotted the ball in for his first goal of the night.

After that the Eagles pushed ahead for an equalizer. Chivas had dominated possession and shots for most of the night, but after their goal Charlotte pushed ahead. They went with a more attacking formation with their substitutions and brought on Mauricio Salles in the 84th minute.

Five minutes later Salles leveled the game. Jorge Herrera received a pass deep in the box and danced around on the ball amidst the defenders looking for an open chance. Once he got it, the shot ended up defecting off of a Chivas defender and wound up right in front of Salles, who put the game all square from the corner of the six and growing anticipation among the crowd of a potential upset.

Their hopes were dashed though when Correa came through at the death of the game in the 94th minute. Courtois sent a looping free kick into a crashing Correa, who later said, “Juan gave me a little help”, for his second goal of the evening and a trip to Seattle to try and dethrone the three-time winners of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

It was a repeat of previous Eagles heartbreak at the hands of Chivas USA, who were playing in their first-ever US Open Cup match in the Third Round of 2005. The two sides were tied 2-2 in North Carolina and headed to penalties when Isaac Romo struck for the winner in the 120th minute.

Titan Stadium, Cal State Fullerton
Chivas USA (MLS) 2, Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro) 1
Chivas — Jose Erik Correa (Juan Agudelo) 64
Charlotte — Mauricio Salles 89
Chivas — Jose Erik Correa (Laurent Courtois) 94+

Chivas USA: Tim Melia; James Riley, Danny Califf, Rauwshan McKenzie, Jorge Villafaña; Blair Gavin, Peter Vagenas (Ben Zemanski, 46); Miller Bolaños, Paolo Cardozo (Juan Pablo Angel, 72), Laurent Courtois; Jose Erik Correa (Juan Agudelo, 39). Unused subs: Ante Jazic, Dan Kennedy, Alejandro Moreno, Cesar Romero.

Charlotte Eagles: Clint Irwin; Mark Bloom, Devon Grovsis, Josh Rife, Luke Williams (Miguel Ferrer, 78); Nate Thornton (Christian Meza, 61), Juan Guzman, Darren Toby (Mauricio Salles, 84), Jorge Herrera; Joseph Kabwe, Darryl Roberts. Unused subs: Sean Bateau, Eric Reed, Cheyne Roberts, Chris Salvaggione.

Yellow card: Bloom 32.

Statistics:
Charlotte: 9 shots, 4 saves, 7 fouls, 5 corners, 2 offsides
Chivas USA: 16 shots, 4 saves, 8 fouls, 4 corners, 0 offsides

Referee: Chris Penso. Assistants: Fabio Tovar, Marlene Duffy, Juan Guzman (4th)
Att.: 1,230.

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