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TheCup.us Best of 2011 review

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As we head into the New Year with US Open Cup qualification for 2012 already under way in the USASA and all the entrants for the higher divisions (reportedly) set, we thought we would take a look back at the year 2011. We wanted to honor the great performances in the US Open Cup and by the teams and players in all competitions for the American domestic clubs. Here is the debut of TheCup.us annual honors.

US Open Cup Best 11 Performances of 2011

11 – Eric Kronberg & CJ Sapong (Sporting KC):

Qualifying for the tournament during and after a long road stretch to start the season due to stadium construction was no easy task, and the club could not be faulted if they chose to pass on playing in the event. Instead, the team dominated in qualifying with a pair of Kronberg shutouts and three goals from Sapong to top Houston, 1-0 in overtime, and New England, 5-0. Kronberg would go on to get a third shutout in the Third Round tournament opener for KC, blanking Chicago Fire’s PDL side, 3-0.

10 – Stefan Dimitrov (NY Pancyrprian Freedoms):

After being one of the club’s leading players in qualifying, he continued his stellar performance in the tournament. He struck the opening goal in the team’s 2-1 First Round win against Brooklyn Italians and nearly saw his team upset USL Pro’s FC New York in the Second Round, falling in penalties after a scoreless draw.

9 – Kitsap Pumas:

The best performance by a club from the fourth tier of US Soccer, Kitsap survived a difficult road trip to El Paso in the First Round, advancing on penalties after a scoreless draw. They then dominated fellow PDL side Real Colorado, 3-1, before giving the MLS Sounders a tough test on their home turf before exiting in a 2-1 decision.

8 – Jackson (FC Dallas):

The midfielder was the game MVP in the club’s first two contests, tallying a goal and assist in the thrilling 3-2 victory against Orlando City in the Third Round and finding the back of the net once again in their win at home against Real Salt Lake.

7 – Zach Lubin (Kitsap Pumas):

Filling in for the regular starter at the last minute, the netminder came out on top in a goalkeeping duel on the road against the El Paso Patriots. After a scoreless 90 minutes, he made a fantastic double-save in overtime and then stopped a penalty in the shootout to send the Pumas onto the Second Round.

6 – Dominic Oduro (Chicago Fire):

A maligned start to his MLS campaign resulted in a trade to Chicago, where he would revive his reputation with some success in the Open Cup. Part of the success included game-winners in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches against Richmond and New York. Oduro, Player of the Round for the Semifinals, also finished second behind Seattle’s Fredy Montero for TheCup.us Player of the ‘Tournament.

5 – Chicago Fire:

A club struggling in league play (and ultimately missing the postseason), the Fire advanced from pre-tournament MLS qualifying, kicking it all off with a win over defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids, 2-1, before topping San Jose in penalties after a 2-2 draw to earn the berth. In the tournament they edged perennial upset-power Rochester, 1-0, before clobbering a second-string Red Bulls, 4-0, and ending the amazing run of Richmond, 2-1, to reach the championship, where they fell, 2-0, to Seattle.

4 – Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders):

The Sounders played four games en route to the title. He netted the game-winner in the last three as they topped three consecutive MLS opponents, earning Player of the Tournament honors.

3 – David Bulow (Richmond Kickers):

He finished as the leading scorer of the tournament with six goals, doubling the tally of those behind him. The effort propelled Bulow into the all-time scoring leader for the Modern Pro Era with 14. With a hat-trick in the First Round, two goals in the Second he tied Johnny Menyongar and MLS great Jaime Moreno at 13. He notched the table-leading goal in a 2-0 Quarterfinal win against Sporting Kansas City. Unfortunately he had to watch his team play without him in the Kickers’ Semifinal loss to Chicago when he received a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation when he was cautioned late in the Kansas City match.

2 – Seattle Sounders:

Any other year and Seattle would have been in the top spot, which is undoubtedly where they would be for a team of the decade vote. You do not need to say anything more than Three-Peat.

1 – Richmond Kickers:

What can you say? In the 17 years of the Modern Pro Era of the tournament you can count on one hand the kind of lower division club performances equal to what the Kickers accomplished this year, becoming the first-ever team to win back-to-back road matches versus MLS opponents. They topped Columbus at Crew Stadium, 2-1, in the Third Round and stunned Kansas City, 2-0, in a thunderstorm-plagued match in the Quarterfinals. The run, which started with a pair of games against fellow USL Pro clubs and no amateur sides, did not see the team trail until it came to an end on the road in Chicago during the Semifinals.

All Competitions Best of 2011

Major League Soccer Club: Los Angeles Galaxy

It was not an easy choice between the star-laden Galaxy and the Open Cup darling Sounders as both were excellent across nearly all competitions. LA won MLS Cup as Seattle crashed out early in the playoffs again. On the other hand, Seattle knocked LA out of the early rounds of the Open Cup yet again on its way to winning their third consecutive title, making those two events basically even. In the end, that left the MLS Supporters’ Shield and CONCACAF Champions League, both of which the Galaxy were the better side. LA won their group in CCL action while the Sounders were second in theirs – both advancing to this spring’s Quarterfinals. And in the regular season, the Galaxy finished four points better as they finished one-two with LA having the better of Seattle on the narrowest of margins, 1-0 on aggregate, in their two league contests on the year – making the season opener back on March 15 the possible deciding factor in this honor as the point swing would have made Seattle Supporters’ Shield winners instead.

Major League Soccer Player: Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders)

With three goals in the Open Cup, he was tied with several other players for second in scoring. In MLS, he finished tied for fifth in both goals (12) and assists (9). He was also tied for sixth in CCL scoring with three goals.

Lower Division Professional Club: Orlando City

Based on Open Cup performance, selecting Richmond would have been the obvious choice. However, Orlando City dominated USL Pro this season, finishing with a 15-3-6 record and going on to capture the league double with a playoff championship in equally dominating fashion. In the Open Cup, the Floridians blew past amateurs ASC New Stars, 4-0, before becoming the first non-MLS team to oust Charleston, 1-0, in the Second Round. They gave CCL club and MLS Cup finalist FC Dallas a tough outing in the Third Round, finding themselves on the wrong end of a thrilling 3-2 contest that saw both clubs score in stoppage time.

Lower Division Professional Player: Miguel Gallardo (Orlando City)

If David Bulow was the star of the Open Cup, it was Gallardo during the USL Pro season. The netminder controlled the box with a league-leading 0.681 GAA, finishing first in shutouts (11) and tied for first in wins (12). He allowed only one goal in postseason contests against Charleston and Richmond and had a shutout in the works during the final before mistakenly taking down a Harrisburg player outside of the box, receiving a red card for the foul and allowing the City Islanders to force a 2-2 draw that saw the Lions take the title in penalties.

Amateur Club: NY Pancyprian Freedoms

The perennial USASA giants came into the tournament as defending USASA Open Cup champions and as reigning Cosmopolitan League title holders, suffering only one loss in a 11-1-4 campaign. The Freedoms topped the NPSL’s Brooklyn Italians, 2-1, in the First Round and nearly upset USL Pro FC New York in the Second Round. They took the pro club to penalty kicks in a scoreless contest before being eliminated in sudden death penalties. The club would go on to capture a second straight USASA championship, downing AAC Eagles, 6-0, in the semifinal and claiming the title in penalties after a 2-2 draw against ASC New Stars.

Amateur Club Player: Milton Blanco (Fresno Fuego)

He finished first in the league in assists (14) and tied for sixth in goals (12) to finish first overall in total points with 38. He helped lead Fresno to an unbeaten 13-0-3 season that came to an end in the second round of the playoffs, 1-0, by the professional Kitsap side that went on to win the league title. Four of Blanco’s goals came in the opening four Open Cup qualification games of the season, leading the team to a perfect 4-0-0 record that was not quite enough as they missed out on the division’s berth in the tournament to Ventura County on tiebreakers.

Professional Women’s Club: Western NY Flash

Dominant from start to finish, the newcomers to WPS finished 14-3-2 on the season and went on to win the league double with the playoff championship.

Professional Women’s Player: Abby Wambach (MagicJack)

It was a tough decision with WNY’s Christine Sinclair finishing tied for first in goals (10) and assists (8). Wambach, however, was tied for third in goals (9), having played in three fewer games. More importantly, the US international was the standout performer in the FIFA World Cup over the summer while Canada’s campaign fell flat.

Amateur Women’s Club: Atlanta Silverbacks

The W-League champions suffered only one loss on the year, an early season defeat to rival Charlotte, 3-1. Since that game, the Silverbacks gave up only two more goals during the regular season, finishing the campaign with seven shutouts. After a wild 3-2 opening round playoff win against the New Jersey Wildcats they went on to blank Charlotte, 1-0, and dominate the two Canadian giants. They topped Vancouver, 3-1, in the semifinal and shockingly crushed the perfect Ottawa Fury (12-0-0, 3-0-0) in the championship game with a stunning 6-1 result.

Amateur Women’s Club Player: Edite Fernandes (Santa Clarita Blue Heat)

With players on Canadian sides dominating the scoring charts it was Edite Fernandes that stood out in the W-League. She finished with nine goals and five assists on the season (fourth in goals, assists and points)  to help guide the second-year club to a regular season title in the Western Conference, a group home to powerhouses like Pali Blues, Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders.

Note: Pro clubs (and their players) in amateur leagues were ineligible for amateur awards. For men, they were categorized with Lower Division Professional Clubs and for women, they were categorized with Professional Women’s Club, etc.

2011 US Open Cup: Finalists for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament unveiled

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The top four finalists for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament (from top left, clockwise): Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders), Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders), Ronnie Pascale (Richmond Kickers) and David Bulow (Richmond Kickers)

The 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament will undoubtedly go down in history with the Seattle Sounders and Richmond Kickers as the leading stories. Both clubs made history, resulting in two players from each club as the four finalists for TheCup.us Player of the Tournament honors. The duo of Osvaldo Alonso and Fredy Montero are up for the award from the champion Sounders and David Bulow and Ronnie Pascale are in the running from Richmond.

The award, to be announced Thursday, October 13, is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week. The panel previously honored Alonso, Pascale, Bulow as TheCup.us Players of the Round along with Dominic Oduro (Chicago Fire), Mike Fucito (Seattle) and Zach Lubin (Kitsap Pumas).

Also receiving votes for the honor were Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson and Pumas netminder Bryan Meredith.

Alonso, Player of the Round for the Final, started in all four matches of Seattle’s historic run to the championship, leading the team defensively along the way and capping it off with a goal in stoppage time of the 2-0 championship against Chicago. Leo Gonzalez was the only other Sounder to start all four contests while Jeff Parke and Mike Fucito were the only two others to see action in all four games.

Montero scored the game-winning goal in each of the last three contests in guiding the Sounders to the historic championship, also topping in addition to the Fire, fellow league Champions League sides Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds.

Bulow finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with six goals, becoming the career leading in US Open Cup goals in the modern professional era (1995-present) with 14. With a hat-trick in the First Round, two goals in the Second he tied Johnny Menyongar and MLS great Jaime Moreno at 13. He notched the table-leading goal in a 2-0 Quarterfinal win against Sporting Kansas City.

The venerable Pascale added yet another accolade to his fantastic lower division career, earning Player of the Round honors in leading Richmond to the shutout win in Kansas City. The victory made the Kickers the first lower division club to win back-to-back road games versus MLS opposition in the history of the tournament.

Osvaldo Alonso leads Seattle Sounders to 2011 US Open Cup title, earns TheCup.us Player of the Round honor

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Osvaldo Alonso (center) celebrates his third straight US Open Cup trophy with Seattle Sounders teammates Lamar Neagle (left) and Fredy Montero (right). Photo: Gerald Barnhart | TheCup.us

The American Dream. That is something that most Americans whose families have been in the United States for generations take for granted. In 2007, Osvaldo Alonso defected while playing for the Cuban National Team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup. On Tuesday, he helped lead the Seattle Sounders to a historic third consecutive US Open Cup trophy, setting an American soccer record as an individual player and earning TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

The award is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week. Alonso was challenged for the award by teammates Fredy Montero and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.

With the Sounders leading and running out the clock in stoppage time, Alonso put the cap on the match with a fantastic goal six minutes into the additional play, driving through the Fire defense at the edge of the box and creating an open goal for a euphoric conclusion for a record crowd of 35,615 at CenturyLink Field.

It was a perfect finish for a record-setting night for Alonso, who became the first player in the modern professional era of the tournament (1995-present) to play in four consecutive US Open Cup championship games. He has yet to miss the tournament final since his career in US soccer began with the Charleston Battery in 2008.

In fact, in order to get to his first US Open Cup Final, Alonso helped lead the Battery past the USL-1 Sounders in the 2008 Semifinals. It was a quixotic start to the historic run as Seattle’s goal in the 1-1 draw came courtesy of an Alonso own goal in the 20th minute with Charleston’s Randi Patterson equalizing in the 32nd. Alonso would redeem himself by converting his penalty kick in the tiebreaker as the Battery advanced 4-3 to the Final, where they fell in a close contest to DC United, 2-1.

Alonso is one of a dozen players that have played in four US Open Cup championships, a list led by Andy Williams, Tyrone Marshall and Peter Vagenas with five appearances. He tops the list though in consecutive finals played, a ledger where behind him are six players that have played in three straight championships. With their third appearances, his Seattle teammates Kasey Keller, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero and James Riley joined former Richmond Kickers 1995 champions Brian Kamler and Richie Williams, who both went on to play in the next two finals with DC United.

As a defensive midfielder Alonso often goes unheralded. When his American career began in 2008 his compatriot Maykel Galindo, who defected during the 2005 Gold Cup, was the more talked about Cuban in MLS courtesy of his goal scoring exploits.

The path of the two players, not surprising due to their backgrounds, intertwines and has coincidences. Both were forced to begin their careers in the USL First Division. Despite a trial and developmental contract offer with Galindo’s Chivas USA, Alonso opted for the potential for more playing time with the Battery. The move proved wise as he was named the team MVP as well as the league’s Rookie of the Year. Even better, his performance was seen up close in the Open Cup Semifinal meeting and league campaign by the then USL-1 Seattle Sounders, the club that gave Galindo his professional start for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. That led to a transfer that sent Alonso to the northwest in January of 2009.

At the time, Battery coach Mike Anhseuser wished his player well in the future, perhaps underestimating exactly how well he would do. “This is a fantastic opportunity for Osvaldo to expand his career at the next level. We would have loved to keep him but understand the economics for both parties. We wish him all the best and are hopeful that he will bring success to Seattle Sounders F.C.”

That hope was not only realized, but one could argue that the Cuban international and American soccer record holder Osvaldo Alonso has achieved the American Dream.

2011 TheCup.us Player of the Round winners

Round 1: Zach Lubin – Kitsap Pumas
Round 2: David Bulow – Richmond Kickers
Round 3: Michael Fucito – Seattle Sounders
Quarterfinals: Ronnie Pascale – Richmond Kickers
Semifinals: Dominic Oduro – Chicago Fire
Final: Osvaldo Alonso – Seattle Sounders

Player of the Tournament: TBA

2011 US Open Cup Final: Seattle Sounders smother Fire, earn historic three-peat in front of record crowd

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Three-peat. That special status is something new in Major League Soccer circles. The Seattle Sounders Tuesday night at CenturyLink Field defeated the Chicago Fire 2-0 on a pair of late goals from Fredy Montero and Osvaldo Alonso to become the first team since 1969 to conclude a third straight US Open Cup championship. They also became the first team in MLS history to win three consecutive titles in any event, including MLS Cup.

A year ago Seattle became the first MLS club to defend a championship in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, an event named after one of the league’s founders, downing the Columbus Crew, 2-1, in front of a then record crowd of 31,311 fans. They topped themselves for a new record attendance by opening more of the stadium, reaching 35,615 – a total that also surpasses eight of the 15 MLS Cup Finals.

In MLS play there has been two Supporters’ Shield repeats and only two teams have won back-to-back MLS Cups. Like MLS newcomers Seattle, DC United famously won the first two MLS Cup trophies in league history in 1996 and 1997 before falling to the Chicago Fire in the third consecutive championship appearance in 1998. DC is also one of the two clubs to win two Shields in a row, claiming the league’s regular season title in 2006 and 2007. Columbus followed them with the next two. The Houston Dynamo won two MLS Cups in a row in 2005-06.

“We always wanted to be the first. Sigi talked about it a lot,” said General Manager Adrian Hanauer after the match before a jubilant crowd about becoming the first MLS side to win three straight Open Cup titles.

“Three in a row is a tremendous accomplishment, and to have two of them here at home – unbelievable. Another record crowd here at CenturyLink Field, which we are kind of getting used to that,” said Kasey Keller, who is retiring after the season with a historic finish to his career.

But after the game tonight, history did not seem to be enough for a Sounders squad that still has three regular season games, the MLS Cup playoffs and CONCACAF Champions League, which resumes with Quarterfinals next spring after one more group contest, remaining.

“We still got more to come. You know, we got one more cup to win this year,” added Keller, who has missed out on winning the league championship since returning to the United States to play.

Defender Jeff Parke picked up on that sentiment. “We’re here and we are ready to go,” he said in reference to other MLS playoff teams looking their way. We still have some things to work on. Tonight is just a great night,” he said, adding that after a day off Wednesday the team will be right back at preparing for the postseason.

“This is my second year here. The team now has been knocked out in the first round the past two years and we want to do something special here. We want to win the cup and make it past the first round obviously. These guys are finding it inside them and they are willing to do whatever it takes and it’s starting to show on the field. We are gearing up for the MLS Cup hopefully.”

An MLS Cup title would further the team’s history-making campaign as only three other clubs have captured the double in the MLS era. DC accomplished the feat in the inaugural MLS season, Chicago won both in its expansion 1998 outing and the Galaxy were the last to do so in 2005.

History took quite some time to make though. Despite a frenzied start, both teams had good free kick chances in the first two minutes, starting a back-and-forth affair with many eye-opening moments. There was certainly no typical feeling out period that often comes in the sport, especially in momentous occasions.

After a frenetic first 10 minutes, the match began to turn physical, resulting in a Patrick Nyarko yellow card for a tough tackle along the touchline on Alonso. After the first half-hour though, the balance of play swayed in favor of the home club, as the Sounders began to take control of possession and slow the match down slightly.

The first moment that those in attendance will remember on the historic night came just as the first half was coming to a close. Montero, who scored the lone g

Fredy Montero raises the Open Cup trophy amidst the post-game celebrations

oal in the Semifinal win versus FC Dallas, acquired the ball and beat Parvel Pardo while driving in toward the penalty arc. He would let loose a 20-yard effort that whispered past the fingertips of a diving Sean Johnson, only to smack squarely into the left post. The immense crowd was still in disbelief moments later when the whistle sounded for the break.

Eight minutes into the second half it looked again as though history was about to happen when Erik Friberg, on the left side, headed the ball in to Mike Fucito, who flicked the ball over Johnson on an acute angle. The ball bounced several times along the goalline with defenders chasing, bouncing off the inside of the far post and out.

The on-field silence – since there was still plenty of noise from a stadium filled with a raucous crowd – was broken in the 78th minute. Friberg delivered a corner into the box that found the head of Parke, who nodded it straight down and forced Johnson to drop to the ground to make the save. The instant play prevented the keeper from holding the ball, allowing it to rebound out directly to an awaiting Montero, who buried it for his fifth game-winning goal in all competitions dating back to the Semifinal victory. It was his second tally in Open Cup Final, history having scored the opening goal in the 2009 championship as well, a 2-1 victory over DC United.

The strike was the latest opening goal in the modern professional era for a game decided in regulation. Two contests went to overtime scoreless, with the 1997 Final finishing in a scoreless stalemate taken in penalties by DC, and the 2004 Final finishing with a dramatic golden goal from Kansas City against the Fire (the last FIFA championship decided in that fashion).

The match came to a fitting finish, as Alonso dribbled through the Fire defense at the edge of the box, creating an open goal for a euphoric conclusion. Alonso, a refugee from the Cuban national team in June of 2007, was playing in his fourth consecutive Open Cup Final, having played for the Charleston Battery in the 2008 championship against DC United. He has yet to miss the tournament’s championship contest in his professional career in the United States.

 

2011 – Chicago Fire (MLS) 0:2 Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
10/4/11 | CenturyLink Field – Seattle, Washington

Scoring Summary
Seattle: Fredy Montero (Jeff Parke) – 77th min.
Seattle: Osvaldo Alonso (Unassisted) – 90th+ min.

Seattle Sounders: GK Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez, Alvaro Fernandez (Erik Freiberg 46th), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Lamar Neagle, Michael Fucito (Roger Levesque 90th+1), Fredy Montero

Cautions – Alonso 90th, Montero 90th

Chicago Fire: GK Sean Johnson; Gonzalo Segares, Cory Gibbs, Josip Mikulic (Jalil Anibaba 61st), Dan Gargan (Sebastien Grazzini 84th); Marco Pappa, Pavel Pardo, Logan Pause, Daniel Paladini (Diego Chaves 80th); Dominic Oduro, Patrick Nyarko

Cautions – Nyarko 27th, Paladini 39th, Anibaba 90th

Match Stats
Shots – Seattle 27:8 Chicago
On Goal – Seattle 7:4 Chicago
Saves – Seattle 4:5 Chicago
Fouls – Seattle 12:17 Chicago
Corners – Seattle 10:6 Chicago
Offsides – Seattle 0:3 Chicago

Attendance: 35,615 | Referee – Alex Prus | Linesmen – Steven Taylor; Eric Boria  | 4th Official – Josh Wilkens
Weather: Rain, 58 degrees

The “High-Five” US Open Cup winners

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UPDATE: Since this article was published, further historical research by TheCup.us has revealed that there is a third club that has won five US Open Cup titles. The Fall River Marksmen won four titles under that name (1924, 1927, 1930, 1931), but then won a fifth under the name New Bedford Whalers in 1932. Read the full explanation here.

Nearly 100 years into the history of the tournament, there have been a number of clubs that have been dominant forces in the United States Open Cup, but two stand as the Kings of the Cup with a record five championships. On Tuesday, the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer hope to join that elite list with the Bethlehem Steel and Maccabi Los Angeles.

While attempting to make history, the Fire will be looking to stave off a league rival aiming to push Chicago off the stage as the tournament’s greatest MLS club. Relative newcomer Seattle is on the verge of becoming the fourth team ever to three-peat.

The Fire’s connection with the Open Cup began right from the start, as the team captured the tournament title in their expansion season in 1998. They went on to win it three more times (2000, 2003 and 2006).

Similarly, Bethlehem Steel were the dominant club in the early years of the US Open Cup, previously known as National Challenge Cup. A Third Round 1-0 exit to eventual inaugural NCC champion Brooklyn FC in 1914 was quickly forgotten a year later as the club, founded in 1911, returned to capture the championship in its second running. Bethlehem Steel dominated the tournament on defense from the Third Round on, never allowing more than one goal against. They knocked off fellow Pennsylvania side Victor FC in the Third Round, 1-0, the closest contest of the campaign. They downed New Jersey’s Scottish Americans, 3-1 in the Quarterfinals, and dropped another state rival, Homestead FC, 4-1 in the semifinals. They met up with another Brooklyn side in the Final, winning their first championship 3-1, against Brooklyn Celtic.

The second title a year later was a little harder. Another Pennsylvania rival gave them a tough test early on again, as Disston A.A. forced a replay in the second round with a 1-1 draw. Bethlehem Steel would advance with a 3-0 win in the second leg. Philadelphia Hibernian were no match in the Third Round though, falling 6-0. Bethlehem Steel then began to face out of state competition, blanking New Jersey’s West Hudson A.A. 1-0 in the Quarterfinals. Pullman FC of Illinois forced another replay with a scoreless draw in the Semifinals, but Bethlehem Steel kept the run alive with a 2-1 victory. They moved on to win their second consecutive title, 1-0 against Fall River Rovers of Massachusetts in 1916. For the second year in a row they did not allow more than a goal in any game.

The 1916 Final marked the first of three consecutive championship meetings between the two clubs. For the third straight year, Bethlehem Steel went through the tournament without allowing more than a goal in a game, downing familiar faces in Brooklyn Celtic (Second Round, 3-1), West Hudson A.A. (Third Round, 3-0) and Homestead FC (Quarterfinals, 2-1) to reach the Semifinals. They then topped Joliet Steel Works of Illinois 6-0. Fall River, however, copied that playbook in their run and bested Bethlehem Steel, 1-0 in the 1917 championship, spoiling the three-peat bid.

1921 Bethlehem Steel team photo. Photo: BethlehemSteelSoccer.org

Though the tournament shrank with the military enlistment of players in the First World War, things remained the same on the pitch for Bethlehem Steel, as they swept through the tournament with an aggregate tally of 11-1 against their three opponents heading into the championship game against those Fall River Rovers. For the first time in four tournaments though, the club allowed two goals as the pair played to a 2-2 draw. Bethlehem Steel would claim their third title with a 3-0 victory in the replay two weeks later.

Bethlehem Steel made it four championships in five years with another dominant run a year later. Again, an early round contest proved the most difficult, as state foe Merchant Ship “A” battled the three-time champs in high scoring Second Round affair, becoming the first to score three goals against Bethlehem Steel in six editions of the tournament. It was not enough, as the favorites won out 4-3 and proceeded to not allow another goal in the tournament, topping New Jersey’s Paterson FC, 2-0, in the 1919 Final.

The run of consecutive championship appearances would come to an end in 1920 for Bethlehem Steel, exiting in the Quarterfinals at the hands of Robins Dry Dock 1-0, after 1-0 and 10-0 wins in the previous two rounds. Robins Dry Dock would go on to win the tournament a year later.

Bethlehem Steel began to make noise again in 1924, with a trip to the Semifinals before being knocked out by Fall River Marksmen, who went on to win the first of their four championships between 1924 and 1931. After taking the 1925 tournament off, Bethlehem came back in familiar form to capture their fifth championship in 1926. They dominated the Eastern Division portion of the bracket with a 12-4 aggregate over four games, again not allowing more than a goal in any game. This set up a meeting with Missouri’s Ben Millers in the Final. Archie Stark scored three goals to help lead the club to a 7-2 victory before a reported crowd of 18,000 at Ebbets Field, home of baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers.

1918 Bethlehem Steel team photo. Photo: BethlehemSteelSoccer.org

The club would go on to reach the final four again the following year, the quarterfinals in 1929 and the semifinals in 1930 before folding due to the Great Depression.

While Fall River Marksmen came close to equaling their mark after the team dissolved, it would take nearly 50 years for another club to begin its run for five, despite other challenges from Philadelphia Ukrainians (4 titles in 1960, 61, 63, 66) and New York’s Greek American AA (4 titles in  1967, 68, 69, 74) as well.

A group formed by a group of Israeli expatriates for a simple Sunday recreation team turned competitive in the seventies, when a number of former Israeli national team players immigrated to the area and joined Maccabee AC (Los Angeles).

Much like Bethlehem Steel, defense was key in the Maccabee’s first title run as they swept through the Western Bracket of the tournament without allowing a goal in four rounds. They would defeat Cleveland’s Inter Italian 5-3 in the 1973 Championship.

The club returned to the Final two years later, downing New York City’s Inter-Giuliana, 1-0, for their second title. Maccabee AC would win its third two years later again, with a lopsided 5-1 victory against United German Hungarians of Philadelphia in the 1977 Championship.

The elusive repeat would finally come in 1978, with a 2-0 overtime victory against Connecticut’s Bridgeport Vasco de Gama for the Maccabees’ fourth championship. The club nearly won number five in 1980, falling 3-2 to New York Pancyprian Freedoms in New York, but would break through a year later against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with another 5-1 victory in the 1981 Final. A shot at holding the record alone at six was again spoiled by the Freedoms in 1982, as Maccabee AC were edged out in a 4-3 overtime affair in Chicago.

Bethlehem Steel’s status as the only five-time champion, however, could have easily been untouched until today. All five titles won by Maccabee AC from 1973-81 came during the era of the North American Soccer League, which existed from 1968-84. Perhaps the most famous and arguably most-talented professional league prior to Major League Soccer’s 1996 launch, the NASL did not compete in the US Open Cup, opening the door for the history-making run of the Israeli club.

Though overshadowed by the NASL at the time, one of highlight moments for the tournament and Maccabee AC during the era came in the 1978 Final. The match was held at Giants Stadium (The Meadowlands) in front of a crowd of over 30,000, as part of a doubleheader with the NASL’s New York Cosmos and Tampa Bay Rowdies – a game with a reported crowd of around 70,000.

On Tuesday, over 30,000 fans are expected to come out for a second consecutive year to see who will come out on top in the Battle for Open Cup History.

Dominic Oduro’s game-winner, edges Fredy Montero’s game-winner for Semifinal Player of the Round honors

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Dominic Oduro's game-winner against the Richmond Kickers was his 7th career US Open Cup goal. Photo: Brian Kersey | Chicago Fire

For Dominic Oduro, it has been a long six years in his MLS career. For the Chicago Fire, it has been a long 2011 season. In the past, however, both seem to be finding their stride with one another. Part of that dynamic performance includes the Chicago Fire’s 2-1 victory over USL Pro’s Richmond Kickers in the US Open Cup Semifinal in which Oduro netted the game-winning goal, earning the nod from TheCup.us as Player of the Round.

The honor is voted on by the staff of the definitive US Open Cup site TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters, which also selects the MLS Player of the Week. Oduro beat out Seattle’s Fredy Montero, who scored a similar game-winning goal against FC Dallas, for the award. Zach Scott and Mauro Rosales of the Sounders also received consideration.

Previous Players of the Round in 2011 have been Seattle’s Mike Fucito (Third Round), Kitsap’s Zach Lubin (First Round) and Richmond’s duo of Ronnie Pascale (Quarterfinals) and David Bulow (Second Round). Oduro is the first Fire player to earn the honor since TheCup.us began selecting the award in 2006, naming Calen Carr and Andy Herron as the recipients in the Semifinals and Final, respectively, that year.

Already leading courtesy of a 32nd minute Sebastian Grazzini penalty kick, the Fire broke the game open in the 61st minute with an impressive goal from Oduro. Patrick Nyarko passed to Oduro on the left wing, and the speedy forward dribbled forward, cut back to his right foot and bent the ball out of the reach of a diving Ronnie Pascale into the side netting at the far post. It was a fitting reward for the striker, who continually pressed the defense and forcing the Kickers to bring a second defender in to cover him on the attack.

With William Yomby scoring seven minutes later as the Kickers attempted to rally, Oduro’s tally proved to be the game-winner. While Oduro has 10 goals on the year in MLS, his second goal of the current US Open Cup campaign carried deep personal connections as the Ghanaian striker played for the 2005 Richmond Kickers Future, a USL Premier Development League side the club operated from 2002-09 to develop players. The 2005 campaign was the lone year in which the team qualified out of the PDL for the US Open Cup, advancing to the Second Round with Oduro scoring his first two career tournament goals in a 3-0 win over USASA side Baltimore Colts. They would be eliminated the following round, 3-0, by the USL-1 Virginia Beach Mariners. In addition to his ties to the club, the goal came against a former coach in Pascale, who was on the coaching staff at Virginia Commonwealth University when Oduro went to school there 2004-05.

Pascale would joke after the game saying that he “taught him that finish.”

Oduro’s next two career Open Cup tallies would come in 2009 with Houston, finding the net against USL’s Austin Aztex and Charleston Battery in the Third Round and Quarterfinals, respectively. His fifth, also for Houston, was a consolation tally in a 3-1 Quarterfinal loss to Chivas USA in 2010.

Dominic Oduro's goal in the 61st minute proved to be the game-winner to send the Chicago Fire to their sixth US Open Cup championship game. Photo: Brian Kersey | Chicago Fire

Enter 2011. After playing just one game for the Dynamo, Oduro was traded to the Fire for Calen Carr, who has played only 129 minutes in five games with one goal due to post-concussion syndrome. The trade made Chicago Oduro’s fourth home in six seasons. He spent his first three years in Texas with FC Dallas from 2006-08 before heading to New York via a trade prior to the 2009 season. After just three games played, Oduro returned to the Lone Star State in another trade, joining the Dynamo. Things appeared to be moving upward in 2010 with five goals in 19 starts (27 appearances) only to see the early season trade this year.

Oduro would join a Fire squad that was coming off a 2010 season in which they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and only the second time ever in franchise history. In addition, the four-time Open Cup champions had not advanced past the tournament Quarterfinals since last winning the title in 2006.

The 2011 campaign, in retrospect, may turn out to be the season in which both Oduro and the Fire find themselves. Both continued along a path of mediocrity throughout much of the campaign with Oduro goals coming sparingly along the way as the team travelled frustrating path. The Fire have a respectable tally of only eight losses on the year through 20 games. What has proven exhaustingly elusive has been victory; the team has only five in comparison to a league-high 15 draws.

Along the way, things warmed up through the middle of the campaign. Chicago rattled off a 10-game run without a loss in all competitions, qualifying for the Open Cup with a penalty kick decision on the road over the San Jose Earthquakes in the final tournament qualifier May 24. The result kicked the streak off and maintained the club’s status of competing in the tournament every year. The unbeaten run stretched through June and into July, including a narrow 1-0 win in Rochester against the USL Rhinos in the Third Round.

As the calendar turned to August the Fire and Oduro got hot. With six goals on the year entering August, Oduro went on a run of good form, scoring in a 4-2 loss at Vancouver and a 2-2 draw in New York in back-to-back games. Two matches later, he notched the game-winning goal to end the team’s five-game winless run with a 2-0 victory against Toronto. The match marked the start of the team’s current run of blazing form that has seen them win four of five overall. They posted another 2-0 win over Colorado before the semifinal victory over Richmond August 30.

The club cooled down with a week off after the tournament win, falling 2-0 in San Jose, but Oduro put them back on path, scoring a game-winner in the 85th minute of a 3-2 decision against Chivas USA, and adding his 11th of the season in a 3-2 win over New England last weekend. The goal was his seventh in nine games and he has five game-winning goals to his credit in 2011. In fact, Oduro, prior to the game against the Revolution, had scored the winning tally in each of the Fire’s last five victories in both competitions, including the team’s 4-0 drubbing of the Red Bulls in the Open Cup Quarterfinals. The run of great form has put Oduro in the running for the MLS Golden Boot, sitting two back of  Dwayne De Rosario along with three others at 11.

Heading toward the US Open Cup Final in Seattle, the Fire will also be chasing a postseason berth in a hotly contested race. Chicago currently sits six points back with six games remaining, including a match on the road against Oduro’s former Dynamo side three days before the championship match.

The Other US Opens and marketing the ‘US Soccer Majors’

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Every year when the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament rolls into the lights shining down onto the stadium pitch, the inevitable comparisons to the FA Cup in England come into play as part of the explanation to what the tournament is for journalists. And often times it’s followed by the unfortunate analogizing of the event to minor and major league baseball teams playing one another in a single-elimination tournament.

But perhaps the better comparisons we should all be making is to the other Opens in which the American media already treat as serious events. These events also pit amateurs versus professionals on an open entry basis, and are also among numerous events within the specific sport. These events, of course, are the US Open tennis tournaments held annually in New York and the US Open golf championship held in a different location each year around the United States.

Each fall, the world’s best tennis players convene on the hard courts of the USTA’s Billy Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY for the tour’s fourth and final major of what the sport considers the Grand Slam. Those top-flight professionals are joined by winners of an open playoff system that is comprised 16 sectionals and a national playoff event in which only USTA members may participate. In the end, 128 participants each take part in the men’s and women’s brackets (64 for doubles).

Last year, over 1,200 players took part in the USTA’s National Playoffs for a chance to compete in the singles events at the US Open. Unlike US Soccer’s Open Cup, only one male and one female earned qualification spots to compete against the world’s best in the tournament.

The Chicago Fire have won six majors, including four US Open Cup championships | Photo by Brian Kersey/Wireimage.com

The US Open golf tournament, held in June, is comparatively more open with approximately half the participants advancing from qualification play to join the world’s top players who are automatically in the field through 17 exemptions categories via such things as being tournament winners or holding a certain world ranking.

At the 2010 tournament, 75 of the 156 participants were non-exempted players who qualified through the two-stage process to reach the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links for the championship. The process begins with Local Qualifying, a series of over 100 18-hole tournaments held around the country. Many top players not already qualified through full exemption are, however, exempt from local qualifying and join the process at the Sectional Qualifying stage where they participate in one of several one-day, 36-hole tournaments in the United States. There is also a Sectional tournament in both Europe and Japan where 11 and 4 individuals qualified, respectively, in 2010.

The major difference between the US Open Cup and the US Open tennis and golf duo is that the US Soccer Federation event is the only one that is a championship tournament for Americans while the other two are open to foreign participants. The only clubs eligible for the US Open Cup are American-based teams that are affiliated through the USSF; however, for argument’s sake it does still feature a foreign component as teams are comprised, in part, of players that are not American.

The Los Angeles Galaxy have won eight majors, and are one of only two MLS clubs to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup (DC United). They won the Champions Cup in 2000 | Photo: Los Angeles Galaxy

Continuing on the golf tangent, another significant open tournament American media and sports fans are very familiar with and follow every July is the British Open (officially known as The Open Championship), which is the oldest of the four golf majors and is the only one held outside of the United States. Similar to the US Open, the majority of the 156 participants are automatic entrants through exemption with the remaining players advancing from a two-stage qualification process.

Through 2004, players from around the world were only able to qualify through 18-hole Local Qualifying events held around Britain and Ireland within two weeks of The British Open followed by 36-hole Local Final Qualifying tournaments a few days later. International Qualifying events, 36-hole tournaments, were added in 2004 to assist foreign professionals wishing to participate, holding qualifiers in Africa, Australia, Asia, America and Europe with more stringent entrance standards than Local Qualifying.

Packaging & Marketing US Soccer Majors

The golf and tennis tours are lengthy seasons that run from January to the fall with tournament events nearly every week, but it is the majors where media coverage amps up and fan viewership heightens. With the similarities of the American Open majors to the US Open Cup, perhaps there are other lessons to be learned from the golf and tennis tours, such as the incorporation US Soccer Majors as a marketing tool for the sports’ leading championship events for American clubs.

A matching structure of four championships already exists with the US Open Cup joined by the MLS Cup, MLS Supporters’ Shield (regular season championship) and the CONCACAF Champions League.  Currently, the MLS Cup is the leading championship, but by creating a platform that raises the perception of the other three events to a comparable level to the league’s championship playoff, it will increase awareness among the media and fans while also, hopefully, creating a greater sense of seriousness and urgency to win the other events among the clubs and coaches.

Bringing these four championships together into one packaged series allows for a greater ability to compare the success of clubs beyond just winning MLS Cup as though this was the NFL and the Super Bowl while clubs around the rest of the world are evaluated on all the various events in which they participate. It would be similar to how tennis players and golfers are measured by majors won.

DC United lead all MLS clubs with 11 majors, including the 1996 US Open Cup championship | Photo: DC United

For instance, the Los Angeles Galaxy and DC United are the only two clubs that have won all four majors (dating back to the CCL precursor CONCACAF Champions Cup). In fact, the two also hold the most total majors with DC boasting 11 (4 MLS Cups, 4 Supporters’ Shields, 2 Open Cups and a CCC) and the Galaxy having eight (2 MLS Cups, 3 Supporters’ Shields, 2 Open Cups and the CCC).

Only five clubs have won all three of the domestic majors with the Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City having won everything but a CONCACAF championship at least once. The Fire are third in total majors (6) and the Crew are fourth (5).

Only three American MLS clubs are without a major championship, excluding expansion Portland. The New York Red Bulls, Chivas USA and Philadelphia Union have yet to claim one of the big prizes.

In the last five years, the most successful clubs in the United States have been Columbus and DC, each having won three majors. The Crew have won the Supporters’ Shield twice and the MLS Cup once. DC also has two Supporters’ Shields, but has a US Open Cup championship to round things out. Houston and Seattle each have two titles with the Dynamo winning MLS Cup twice in a row and the Sounders taking the Open Cup title back-to-back. Five other teams each have one major as nine clubs have won the 15 possible domestic majors while coming up empty in the Champions League, which is completing its third run with Real Salt Lake still in the hunt for a second major in the same cycle in which it won the MLS Cup title and qualified for the event.

All-Time ‘US Soccer Majors’ Winners List

11 – DC United (4 MC, 4 SS, 2 OC, 1 CCC)
8 – Los Angeles Galaxy (2 MC, 3 SS, 2 OC, 1 CCC)
6 – Chicago Fire (1 MC, 1 SS, 4 OC)
5 – Columbus Crew (1 MC, 3 SS, 1 OC)
3 – San Jose Earthquakes (2 MC, 1 SS)
3 – Sporting Kansas City (1 MC, 1 SS, 1 OC)
2 – Houston Dynamo (2 MC)
2 – Seattle Sounders (2 OC)
1 – Colorado Rapids (MC), FC Dallas (OC), Real Salt Lake (MC), New England Revolution (OC), Rochester Rhinos (OC), Tampa Bay Mutiny (SS), Miami Fusion (SS)

(MC – MLS Cup, SS – Supporters’ Shield, OC – US Open Cup, CCC/CCL – CONCACAF Champions Cup/League)

2011 US Open Cup Semifinals: Chicago Fire end Richmond Kickers’ Cinderella run to reach 6th Open Cup Final

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Dominic Oduro’s game-winner was his 7th career US Open Cup goal. Photo: Brian Kersey | Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire return to the US Open Cup Final for the sixth time with a 2-1 win over the USL’s Richmond Kickers at Toyota Park. A skillful goal from Dominic Oduro in the 61st minute proved to be the difference as the Kickers mounted a comeback with a William Yomby goal seven minutes later, but the Cinderella story came to an end for Richmond. The Kickers, without Open Cup-leading scorer David Bulow due to too many yellow cards, were attempting to become the first-ever third division team to reach the championship game, but instead the Fire will attempt to win a record-tying fifth Open Cup title on October 4.

In order to accomplish that, they will have to deny the Seattle Sounders a rare Open Cup three-peat on their home field. The Final will be played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle for the second year in a row in front of what will likely be a raucous crowd. In the tournament’s 97-year history, only three teams, Bethlehem Steel from Bethlehem, Pa., Maccabee AC from Los Angeles, and the Fall River Marksmen/New Bedford Whalers from Massachusetts have won five Open Cup titles. Meanwhile, only three clubs have ever won three in a row (Fall River Marksmen from Massachusetts, Stix Baer & Fuller from St. Louis, and Greek American SC from New York)

Both teams played an even game for the first half an hour, with neither team creating a dangerous chance. The only opportunities were shots from distance that were handled easily by Richmond’s Ronnie Pascale and Chicago’s Sean Johnson. The first breakthrough came from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute when Richmond’s Dave Hertel took down Patrick Nyarko in the box in the 32nd minute. The Kickers disputed the call, saying that Hertel got the ball, but the appeals fell on deaf ears and Sebastien Grazzini took the spot kick. Grazzini took a short approach and shot low and to the right as Pascale down the opposite way to make the game 1-0.

Dominic Oduro’s goal in the 61st minute proved to be the game-winner to send the Chicago Fire to their sixth US Open Cup championship game. Photo: Chicago Fire

The goal did little to rattle the underdog Kickers as they continued to play the Fire tough. Despite their solid play, they nearly gave up a second goal to Grazzini in first half stoppage time when the Argentinian found space on the right side of the box and fired his shot over the bar and onto the stage behind the goal.

After the break, Richmond nearly created a scoring opportunity when Matthew Delicate’s flick header found it’s way in behind the defense to Stanley Nyazamba but the referee’s assistant raised his flag for offside.

A few minutes later, Logan Pause received a ball at the top of the box and fired a shot on goal, but it fell harmlessly into the chest of Pascale for one of his three saves on the night.

In the 61st minute, the Fire broke the game open with an impressive goal from former Richmond Kickers Future (PDL) player Dominic Oduro. Nyarko passed to Oduro on the left wing, and the speedy forward dribbled forward, cut back to his right foot and bent the ball out of the reach of a diving Pascale into the side netting at the far post. The goal was sweeter for Oduro, as Pascale was on the coaching staff at Virginia Commonwealth University when Dominic went to school there.

Just seven minutes later, the Kickers, who created few chances offensively on the night, pulled to within one thanks to a header by William Yomby. Michael Callahan played in a free kick from the left wing, and Yomby skied up and nodded it toward goal. The ball deflected off the under side of the cross bar, landed over the line, and came back out. The officials saw it cross the line and awarded the goal to Richmond as they cut the lead in half.

The Kickers would throw everything forward in the final 20 minutes, but the Chicago defense held up to keep the scoreline intact and to punch their ticket to the US Open Cup Final.

“We looked a bit mentally tired after the last few calls, but I knew that we came out with the right attitude. We came out and all the guys worked hard. They created opportunities. We scored those two goals. I have to give a lot of credit to Richmond. They pushed the game. They’re a good team and they made it a tough game for us tonight,” said interim Fire coach Frank Klopas. “Now we’re in a position to win a Championship…. The great thing about this team is that they want to write their own history.”

The Kickers, though their season was over, had nothing to be disappointed about, either with the game or their Open Cup season. Their historic run made them the second professional Third Division team to make the Open Cup Semifinals since MLS began play in 1996, repeating the San Francisco Bay Seals’ 1997 run.

“If you would have said before the start of the season this is where we would have gotten to, I’d be happy,” coach Leigh Cowlishaw beamed. “There’s not a disappointment, there’s not regret. We went out there and played well tonight, and it was a perfect ending to the season from a performance standpoint.”

2011 US Open Cup Semifinals
Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 1:2 Chicago Fire (MLS)
August 30, 2011 – Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL
Weather: Cloudy | Attendance: 8,909 (Toyota Park Open Cup record)

Scoring Summary
CHI – Sebastian Grazzini (PK) – 32nd min.
CHI – Dominic Oduro (Patrick Nyarko) – 61st min.
RIC – William Yomby (Michael Callahan) – 68th min.

Booking Summary
RIC – Stanley Nyazamba (Yellow) – 14th min.
RIC – William Yomby (Yellow) – 77th min.

Richmond lineup: Ronnie Pascale (GK), Dave Hertel (Shaka Bangura 66′), William Yomby, Henry Kalungi (Jamel Wallace 85′), Sascha Gorres, Luke Vercollone, Ryan Heins, Stanley Nyazamba (Nozomi Hiroyama 55′), Michael Callahan, Edson Elcock, Matthew Delicate

Unused Subs: Evan Harding, Bobby Fogelsong, Ross MacKenzie

Chicago lineup: Sean Johnson (GK), Dan Gargan, Jalil Anibaba, Cory Gibbs, Gonzalo Sagares, Marco Pappa, Daniel Paladini, Logan Pause, Sebastien Grazzini (Baggio Husidic 46′), Dominic Oduro (Diego Chaves 87′), Patrick Nyarko

Unused Subs: Jon Conway, Josip Mikulic, Corben Bone, Michael Videira, Orr Barouch

Stats

SHOTS: 9-6 Chicago
SOG: 5-2 Chicago
SAVES: 3-1 Richmond
FOULS: 13-9 Chicago
CORNERS: 3-2 Chicago
OFFSIDE: 1-1

Referee: Jasen Anno
Referee’s Assistants: Anthony Vasoli; Peter Balciunas
Fourth Official: Michael Kennedy
Attendance: 8,909
Weather: Overcast, later rain and 78 degrees

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Videos courtesy of Chicago-Fire.com

2011 US Open Cup Semifinal Preview: USL’s Richmond Kickers face rebounding Chicago Fire in ‘Cinderella Semifinal’

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The third-division Richmond Kickers of USL Pro are not supposed to be here, especially considering they had to go through two MLS clubs on the road in the past two rounds. And the Chicago Fire, though four-time tournament champions, are not considered title contenders in MLS, sitting outside the playoff window while playing with an interim coach. One, however, will move on to face either Seattle or Dallas, both playing the CONCACAF Champions League, for the 2011 US Open Cup championship.

While Chicago, who missed the playoffs for the first time last year since 2004, is in the midst of battling for a spot in the postseason, the Kickers’ run in the USL playoffs came to an end Saturday evening in Florida, falling 3-0 to regular season champion Orlando City. The Fire are five points out of the playoff qualification zone with 8-10 games remaining for themselves (8) and the other sides chasing a playoff berth.

The two teams will square off on Tuesday, August 30 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST.

FINAL SCENARIOS

There is only one scenario where the Chicago Fire will host the 2011 US Open Cup Final. If they defeat Richmond, and FC Dallas beats the Seattle Sounders, the Fire will host Dallas on Oct. 4 at Toyota Park.

The Richmond Kickers did not out-bid any of the other three teams so if they upset Chicago, they will play on the road for the Final.

BROADCASTING

Tuesday’s game will have an online video broadcast through Chicago-Fire.com. TheCup.us, as always, will have a live blog during both Semifinal matches beginning at 8 p.m. EST. Brendan Hannan and Jeff Crandall will have the call of the match.

Richmond Kickers

Founded in 1993, the club is one of two USL teams (the other being the Rochester Rhinos) to win the US Open Cup in the Professional Era (1995). An amateur team through 1995, the club played in USL’s top flight from 1996-2005 before joining the professional third division. It has only missed the postseason one time since 1994, winning the league title three times (1995 in USL PDL, 2006 and 2009 in USL-2/USL Pro) in eight appearances.

Since the Quarterfinals: The club’s return to solely focusing on league play after stunning Kansas City was a little difficult as they lost two of the next three. After falling 2-0 in Pittsburgh though, the Kickers rebounded to run off four consecutive shutouts to end the regular season for two wins and two draws before adding a fifth in the opening round of the playoffs. On August 19, Richmond played to a scoreless draw against the second-seeded Wilmington Hammerheads in the American Division opener, advancing 5-4 in penalties on the road. Goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale was in goal for four of the five clean sheets as the club finished third in the division and overall in the league with a 12-7-5 record. The defense ranked second with 21 goals allowed. The shutout run came to an end Saturday in the league semifinals as they fell 3-0 on the road against Orlando City whilst the state of Virginia also took a beating from Hurricane Irene back home. It was the biggest loss of the year for the Kickers, who had not allowed more than two goals in any game on the season. It was the first time the club allowed three in a game since losing in Charleston June 11 last season

Road to the Semifinals

David Bulow of the Richmond Kickers became the all-time leading scorer in the US Open Cup Professional Era this year. Photo: Richmond Kickers / Suz Kitsteiner

Quarterfinal: Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 2:0 Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
The Kickers became the first lower division club to record back-to-back road wins against MLS clubs in the tournament and David Bulow’s penalty made him the all-time leading scorer in the Professional Era, passing Jaime Moreno and Johnny Menyongar. For his efforts, Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round.
 Recap [+]

Third Round: Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 2:1 Columbus Crew (MLS)
The Kickers defeated an MLS club on the road in the US Open Cup for the first time. Former Crew player Stanley Nyazamba set up the opener by sending the ball to the top of the box, where Nozomi Hiroyama sent a bending ball into the back of the net. Columbus rookie Justin Meram helped level the score in the 37th minute, when he broke into the box and found fellow rookie Cole Grossman at the far post for his first professional goal. The 67th minute proved to be an important turning point, as the Crew dodged a bullet when a Matthew Delicate header hit the post and was cleared by the Columbus defense. Moments later though, Danny O’Rourke was sent off after he retaliated on some physical play. Five minutes from time, Delicate would find the winner against the shorthanded Crew on a diving header. Recap [+]

Second Round: Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Pro) 1:4 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)
For the second consecutive round, Bulow and the Kickers dominated a fellow USL Pro club. Bulow tallied 17 minutes in, with Pittsburgh equalizing in the 30th. Bulow restored the lead four minutes before halftime and Matthew Delicate scored two in the second half to put the match out of reach. The Riverhounds had rallied from two down in the first round, but couldn’t generate the same magic in the second. Recap [+]

First Round: Dayton Dutch Lions (USL Pro) 1:4 Richmond Kickers (USL Pro)
The Kickers were well on their way to a First Round victory Tuesday against league foe Dayton with two goals from David Bulow in the first 17 minutes. The Dutch Lions answered back in the second half, but Bulow added a third from the penalty spot and Shaka Bangura finished the match in the 90th for the 4-1 win. Recap [+]

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

1995 US Open Cup champions: Richmond Kickers
After playing the El Paso Patriots to a 1-1 draw, the Richmond Kickers captured the 1995 US Open Cup title by defeating the Patriots on penalty kicks 4-2. Photo: Richmond Kickers

Open Cup History: The Kickers have the distinction of being the first club to win the tournament during the Professional Era, taking the title in 1995 when pro clubs began participating despite themselves being in the amateur  USISL Premier (now the PDL), where they also won the league title. Richmond won the Open Cup in penalties after a 1-1 draw against the El Paso Patriots in Texas. 2011 marks the fourth time the club has reached the Quarterfinals (2001, 2004, 2007, 2011) in 14 appearances, defeating MLS clubs three times. Aside from this year’s upset of the Crew, in 2004, the club edged DC United, 2-1, in the Fourth Round before falling 1-0 to Chicago Fire. In 2007, the Kickers nipped the Los Angeles Galaxy weeks before David Beckham’s arrival, but were eliminated by the Second Division Carolina RailHawks in the Quarterfinals, 1-0.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 22-11-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 5-8-0 vs. MLS

Chicago Fire

Since the Quarterfinals: There has been little to celebrate since the Red Bulls arguably handed the Fire the win in the last round as Chicago has posted just two wins in seven league games since. The good news is they are coming into Tuesday’s contest on the heels of both of those victories. Dominic Oduro and Dan Gargan led the club to a 2-0 win versus Toronto a week ago. Oduro scored again Saturday with Cory Gibbs adding the insurance tally in another 2-0 win, this time against reigning MLS Cup champion Colorado to give the team a four-game unbeaten run in league play. Oduro has scored in four of the last five contests for the Fire, who have not been shut out since a 1-0 loss to Portland immediately following the Quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal: New York Red Bulls (MLS) 0:4 Chicago Fire (MLS)
Dominic Oduro wasted no time with the opening goal after seven minutes as the Fire ran away with it early in the second half as well with Orr Barouch scoring twice. The Fire had little trouble against a New York Red Bulls team that not only brought a shorthanded roster full of reserve players, but didn’t even bring their first-string coaching staff to Toyota Park. Recap [+]

Third Round: Chicago Fire (MLS) 1:0 Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro)
The only MLS club on the road for the Third Round, the Fire faced a tight one against giant-killer Rochester and came away with a narrow 1-0 win. Diego Chavez created the play that led to his goal, feeding Corben Bone the ball in the 37th minute. Bone drove past a defender and let loose a shot that the goalkeeper knocked away. The rebound popped up into the center of the box where Alfonso Motagalvan tried to clear on the volley only to see it skim off the side of his shin and fall to Chaves, who fired a low ball into inside the right post from 18 yards. Recap [+]

The Chicago Fire won their fourth US Open Cup title in 2006. Photo by Brian Kersey/Wireimage.com

How They Qualified: Seeded fourth overall, the Fire opened the play-in tournament in the second round of the western bracket of MLS qualifying. They defeated the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids March 30 with a 2-1 victory. Gaston Puerari, who was recently sold to Atlas (Mexico), scored the opening goal moments before the break, with Andre Akpan answering back early in the second stanza. In the haze remaining from flares set off at the hour mark, defender Jalil Anibaba let loose a shocking 45-yard strike that surprised the keeper and proved to be the winner. Trailing San Jose by two goals in the finale for the bracket, Chicago’s Orr Barouch pulled a goal back in the 61st and Yamith Cuesta leveled terms in the 76th, sending the match to penalties, where two Earthquakes rang shots off the crossbar in a 5-4 decision to send the Fire to the Open Cup.

Open Cup History: The Fire are one of the most successful Pro Era teams, winning the Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006) and finishing runner-up in 2004. The team has qualified for the Open Cup every year since their founding in 1998. However, since the 2006 Cup title, the team entered this year having only won one game in the tournament since, going 1-3-1 (0-1 in PKs). The Fire are 5-1-2 all-time in Quarterfinal matches and haven’t played a Quarterfinal game at Toyota Park since 2006, when they defeated New England 2-1.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 27-8-3 (2-1 in PKs) | 5-1-1 (0-1 in PKs) vs. Third Division opponents

HEAD-TO-HEAD

2004 US Open Cup Quarterfinals
Chicago Fire (MLS) 1:0 Richmond Kickers (A-League)
University of Richmond Stadium – Richmond, VA

In the only meeting between the two clubs in the tournament, it was the Chicago Fire who edged the Kickers in Richmond 1-0 in the 2004 Quarterfinals. Dipsy Selolwane scored the lone goal for the Fire in the 56th minute off a corner kick by Orlando Perez. Current players Matthew Delicate, Ronnie Pascale and Mike Burke all played in that game for the Kickers, while the only Fire player still on the roster from that night is Logan Pause. (Note: Nate Jaqua of the Sounders, playing in the other Semifinal, was in the starting lineup for Chicago that night)

Hosting scenarios for 2011 US Open Cup Final announced

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The United States Soccer Federation has unveiled the hosting possibilities for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The match will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 4, regardless of the location. The combination of winners of the Semifinal match-ups, which will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 30, will determine where the championship will be decided.

The defending two-time champion Seattle Sounders are in the driver’s seat as potential hosts. The club was selected to host the tournament final against the other semifinal winner should they defeat 2010 MLS Cup finalist FC Dallas, a fellow participant in the ongoing CONCACAF Champions League. Should Seattle falter, the location will be determined by the result of the semifinal featuring the Chicago Fire and Richmond Kickers, members of the third-division USL Pro.

Championship Host Scenarios

Chicago Fire / Richmond Kickers at Seattle Sounders
CenturyLink Field – Seattle, Wash. – Time TBA
OR
FC Dallas at Chicago Fire
Toyota Park – Bridgeview, Ill. – Time TBA
OR
Richmond Kickers at FC Dallas
Pizza Hut Park – Frisco, Texas – Time TBA

The tournament resumes Tuesday evening after a month break in play with semifinal contests hosted by Chicago and Seattle.

In the first game, the four-time tournament champion Chicago Fire welcomes this year’s lower division surprise, the Richmond Kickers of USL Pro (3rd Division) into Toyota Park at 8:30 p.m. EST. The second game will feature the defending Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders as they host FC Dallas at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash starting at 10:00 pm EST.

The Sounders, who are looking to become the fourth club in US Open Cup history to three-peat, will host the final for the second year in a row if they are victorious. Seattle has yet to lose a championship game in their brief MLS history (2-0-0).

The Chicago Fire are attempting to make history with their record-tying fifth Open Cup title this year. If they win their final four match against Richmond, they need FC Dallas to beat Seattle in order for the Fire to host. Historically, this would be a boost to the Fire because they have never lost a championship game on their home field, winning the 1998, 2000 and 2006 titles. They won the 2003 tournament at Giants Stadium against the Metrostars, but they suffered their only championship game loss at Kansas City in 2004. They have not reached a final since beating the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 at Toyota Park in 2006.

The only time FC Dallas has ever hosted an Open Cup Final was when they lost to the New England Revolution in 2007, but this year they will be attempting to lift their second Dewar Cup. Their only title came in the 1997 tournament when they beat DC United in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw at Carroll Track and Field Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. (Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis).

The Richmond Kickers, who have made history by becoming the first lower division club to upset back-to-back MLS teams on the road, will have to win a third (at Chicago) and then a fourth (at either FC Dallas or Seattle) in order to win their second Open Cup championship. The Kickers won the 1995 Open Cup as a member of the USISL Premier League (now USL Premier Development League). They defeated two professional teams before upsetting a third pro team, the El Paso Patriots, in penalty kicks 4-2 to claim the championship after a 1-1 draw.

The home team is 10-3-1 (0-1 in PKs) in Open Cup Finals in the Professional Era (1995-present) with two games (1997, 1999) being played at neutral venues.

Hosts are determined via a blind bid process by the USSF that takes into account numerous factors such as facilities, potential or guaranteed revenue, fans and media.

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