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2023 US Open Cup Round of 16: Pittsburgh Riverhounds make history with shutout of Columbus Crew

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Photo: Rachael Kriger | @RachaelKriger (Twitter) @RachaelKrigerPhotos (IG)
Photo: Rachael Kriger | @RachaelKriger (Twitter) @RachaelKrigerPhotos (IG)

There was a record breaking crowd and one magical goal. For the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, that’s all they needed.

Bob Lilley and company are heading to the next round, the Quarterfinals, of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The USL Championship club — who currently sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference — upset the Columbus Crew SC at their home, Highmark Stadium, on Wednesday night. It will be the Hounds’ first trip to the Quarterfinals since 2001. 

Albert Dikwa supplied the game-winning goal, assisted by hometown kid Robbie Mertz. Dikwa slotted the ball low to the corner of the net, past Crew goalkeeper Evan Bush, after Mertz found him between two Crew defenders.

Mertz said he was a bit worried about a potential offside call, but the goal was ruled fair.

“I kind of hesitated, because I was looking for … Then I saw the secondary run from Dikwa,” Mertz said. “I was concerned about offsides when I initially left my foot, but he wasn’t offside. In those situations, it happens very quickly. Thankfully, there was enough to it.”

Pittsburgh didn’t park the bus, or let off the gas at all. Columbus did out-posses the Riverhounds, but that was to be expected, according to Mertz.

“I think we knew coming into the game that they’re a possession-oriented team,” he explained. “They out-posses teams in MLS 60, 65 percent of the time. We weren’t under any illusion that we would be an exception to that. But we did say that we wanted to give pressure when it made sense. I think we did that.

“In the second half, we started to tire a little bit,” Mertz continued. “It was natural for us to come under a little bit of pressure during that point of the game. That’s something we talked about, in this competition and the league, that we want to avoid being under a ton of pressure at the end of games … At the end of the day, you need to do what you’ve got to do. Everyone was sacrificing a lot to win.”

This is the second-straight shutout win against an MLS side in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup action. The Riverhounds are the first lower division club in the Modern Era (1995-present) to accomplish that. In fact, only two lower division clubs have ever shutout multiple MLS teams in a single tournament (1999 Rochester Raging Rhinos, 2022 Sacramento Republic FC), but the Riverhounds are the first to do it in consecutive games.

Pittsburgh got to the Round of 16 after a road win against the New England Revolution. However, before coming out to face Columbus, the Riverhounds didn’t put too much pressure on themselves — or think too much about facing “an MLS team.”

Riverhounds vs. Columbus | U.S. Open Cup '23

“You can’t think too much about the opponent,” goalkeeper Jahmali Waite said. “At the end of the day, they have 11 guys against our 11 guys. You go out there and stick to the game plan, play as a team and compete, and then good things will happen.”

Waite — who earned his fourth clean sheet of the season — made three saves against Jacen Russell-Rowe, Thomas Roberts and substitute Gibran Rayo. The goalkeeper had to be alert, with Columbus recording a whopping 75 percent of possession.

“It’s difficult, but that’s part of the job as a goalkeeper. You have to be focused, switched on all the time,” Waite, who represents the Jamaican national team, said. “So, being able to follow the ball and not let it out of your sight, see their players and communicate to the guys where they need to be, it’s a lot of focus, but we work on it in practice. We do that all the time in practice.”

Mertz gave credit to his goalkeeper, calling him a steady presence.

“He’s been steady all year. Not just performance wise, but emotionally in the locker room,” Mertz said. “He’s a steady guy. That’s what we needed coming into tonight. He came up when he needed to tonight. There are scary moments, when the ball goes into the box, during set pieces. Tonight, he was always in the right position. That’s a testament to the work he puts in during training … He’s stellar.”

Pittsburgh recorded nine shots, with two on target. In addition to Dikwa’s goal, Danny Griffin — who re-joined the Riverhounds just this month — added another attempt on Bush.

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Meanwhile, for the Crew, manager Wilfred Nancy said that his side was trying to “catch up” to Pittsburgh after the goal. He did state that it was intention to rest regular starters, due to the busy congestion of the Open Cup and MLS season.

“We’ve done this since the beginning. The idea was to give time to everyone,” Nancy said. “We have a lot of games. For me, it was a no brainer that we had to rotate … The plan was the same thing as the last game when we played in the Cup. We have a lot of games and we had to rotate.”

Home support brings Pittsburgh players needed energy

The Riverhounds had a record-breaking crowd at Highmark Stadium of 6,107 fans. Attendance has been up significantly this season. Even on Saturday against the Las Vegas Lights, Pittsburgh saw their fourth-highest attended game.

Riverhounds head coach Bob Lilley said that propelled his team to a win. 

“It’s important for the club. We’ve been building this and growing certainly these nights, these opportunities to pack the house and have an MLS team here,” Lilley said. “We want to introduce the game to more people. The fans played a big part tonight. We were tired in the second half, and the game got stretched and wide open. We need to get ahold of the ball a little more. The fans pulled us through… It wasn’t pretty at the end. There was energy in the building, and our guys had something to hold on to.

Lilley said that pulling a crowd like Wednesday night’s wasn’t easy in such a crowded sports town.

“Soccer in Pittsburgh has always been a fringe sport. It’s deserving to be more than that. It’s global, and it’s so conscious in the world,” Lilley explained. “In Pittsburgh, we have support for the league, the exposure. There are huge sports teams in this town. It’s hard to work your way into the market. Nights like tonight show the growth of soccer here and what we’re trying to do to give this community the vision for the kids, who aspire to play at a professional level.”

Mertz said that, before the game, his brother was comparing the club’s theme of a “White Out” to that of the Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup attendance in 2009.

“I remember those days. There was a comparison to that,” Mertz said. “The atmosphere was incredible from the get go. I can’t say enough about what it was like to have that type of atmosphere.”

Waite said he felt the energy from the crowd before the first kick.

“Even coming into the stadium before we went out for warmups, the energy was there,” the Jamaican said. “It’s good for us. At home, we feed off that energy. As long as we keep performing, then they feed off that. Then, you see what happens.”

No fear heading to Cincinnati

Next up for Pittsburgh is FC Cincinnati, a side they know well from their former USL days.

However, Cincinnati isn’t the same team. They’ve vastly improved from their horrendous start in MLS and are MLS Cup title contenders. Their home stadium is a fortress, but the Riverhounds players are not backing down.

“It’s two teams playing. Even though we’re on the road, we’re not going to back down and sit back and let them work us all game,” Waite said confidently. “We’re going to go in and, whatever game plan the coach gives us, we’re going to stick to that. We’re going to try to keep playing our style of play the best as we can, creating chances and limiting their chances.”

Mertz said that the Riverhounds have quality to beat a third MLS side in this tournament.

“It can go either way. It was one of these nights where you have to think of the opportunity to be out there,” he said. “To get to partake in a night like that… I’m just really thankful. We thought things were aligning for us.”

“It’s a special moment for the club, for sure.”

2023 US Open Cup Round 4: Columbus Crew overwhelm shorthanded Loudoun United

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Columbus Crew players celebrate after scoring a goal against Loudoun United in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Columbus Crew SC
Columbus Crew players celebrate after scoring a goal against Loudoun United in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Columbus Crew SC

It was always going to be a tough game for Loudoun United when facing their first MLS team in club history. Now, add a red card in the 10th minute and it’s near impossible, even playing at home. That combination was just too much for the USL Championship side as the Columbus Crew would make easy work of the first year U.S Open Cup team by the score of 5-1.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

With the win, the Crew put an end to an unfortunate streak in the tournament. Combined with last round’s 1-0 home win over Indy Eleven (USL Championship), the victory over Loudoun United gives them consecutive wins for the first time in more than a decade. The win ends the Crew’s streak of 10 straight tournaments without advancing in multiple games. It is the third-longest such streak in the Modern Era (1995-present). 

Columbus would waste no time in breaking the deadlock as wide playmaker Yaw Yeboah would pounce on a misplaced clearance from the Loudoun backline and would take it first time and slot it home against Loudoun keeper Hugo Fauroux. It looked as if it was going to be a uphill battle for Loudoun after conceding early but just four minutes things went from bad to worse.

After Columbus took a free kick quickly, fullback Mo Farsi would find himself behind the Loudoun backline and through on goal. Then on the edge of the box Loudoun defender Gaoussou Samake would attempt to make a last ditch tackle on Farsi but would instead trip him up, it took the referee no time to make his decision as it would be an immediate red card in the 10th minute.

Columbus would take immediate advantage of the extra man and just eight minutes later it’d be young Sean Zawadzki, who would strike a beauty of a long shot from right outside the box that would curl right into the bottom right of the goal. The goal would be only his second of his career and the second of the night for Columbus.

The next two goals for the Crew would only be four minutes apart, the first coming from Loudoun pushing up the pitch trying to get back into the game. This though would see them short at the back and Columbus striker Christian Ramirez would be played through and find himself on a counter along with teammate Isaiah Parente. Ramirez would take only one touch and lay it off for Parente who would open his scoring account for the night.

Then just moments later Loudoun would fail to clear their lines again, leaving Parente to just poke the ball into the back of the net to make it 4-0. Columbus would go on their longest goal drought in the first half, that’d be broken just ten minutes later as Parente would pay back Ramirez for his earlier assist with one himself after a beautiful pass would give Ramirez a chance he couldn’t and wouldn’t miss. The 5-0 scoreline would stay true through the end of the half.

The second half would be much slower as Columbus would control the majority of the possession as Loudoun with ten men just could not hold onto the ball. It seemed that Loudoun would leave the night with nothing to show for but in the 85th minute Kalil ElMedkhar would win and score a penalty. The goal would be historic as it marks the clubs first goal against a MLS side.

After struggling to score last round against Indy Eleven and Loudoun’s impressive round of 64 this is a scoreline that will be a bit of a surprise. For Columbus they now shift their focus back to MLS play as they host Orlando City. As for Loudoun this is obviously a disappointed result but there should still be a lot of optimism around the club this season as it is still early in their USL Championship season.

 

2023 US Open Cup Round 3: Farsi’s late winner sends Columbus Crew past Indy Eleven

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Mohamed Farsi of the Columbus Crew SC celebrates after scoring a goal against Indy Eleven in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Columbus Crew SC
Mohamed Farsi of the Columbus Crew SC celebrates after scoring a goal against Indy Eleven in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Columbus Crew SC

The Columbus Crew started their 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup campaign against a tough opponent in Indy Eleven. Columbus learned their draw for the third round, and were able to host the USL Championship side at Lower.com Field. With the Crew resting a majority of their starters, the home side was able to push for a 1-0 win, thanks to a late goal from Mo Farsi in the 83rd minute.

Columbus were on the front foot early, hammering their attack at the expense of the Indy Eleven defense.

Cucho Hernandez almost got the party started with a bicycle kick in the 10th minute from a Max Arfsten cross, but the Colombian’s attempt wasn’t enough to put pressure on the Indy Eleven netminder. 

It was Indy Eleven who also could’ve broke the deadlock when Harrison Robledo had a shot from just outside the 18-yard box, but sailed it just high over the crossbar. 

A chance in the 20th minute saw midfielder Isaiah Parente hit a loose ball inside the box on goal, but the shot was saved by goalkeeper Yannik Oettl, who would put on a show for the rest of the night.

Just 10 minutes later Darlington Nagbe had a shot on goal, but forced a diving save from Oettl. 

A 0-0 scoreline at the half would see Columbus struggle to find the back of the net, with Oettl being strong in goal keeping the opposition alive. 

The Crew had a good chance to grab a penalty in the 52nd minute, but the official saw no foul when Alex Matan was brought down inside the box.

Midfielder Yaw Yeboah had a shot on goal from close range, only to be denied by Oettl yet again. Still searching for the icebreaker goal, the Columbus Crew were not letting up on the pressure, giving Indy Eleven’s defense plenty to work for.

Columbus finally got on the board in the 83rd minute, when Mo Farsi and Steven Moreira played a give-and-go with one another and Farsi put the ball in the back of the net, to give Columbus the win and advance to the Round of 32. 

Columbus will travel to Virginia as they face Loudon United May 10, at 7:30pm EDT.

American soccer’s greatest modern underdog story: Rochester Raging Rhinos win 1999 US Open Cup

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The Rochester Raging Rhinos celebrate their 1999 US Open Cup championship after defeating the Colorado Rapids 2-0 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH. Photo: Rochester Rhinos

A version of this story by Josh Hakala originally appeared on FourFourTwo.com

Every sport has its go-to underdog story. Hockey has the “Miracle on Ice”, college basketball has N.C. State in 1983, baseball has the “Miracle Mets” in 1969, and boxing has Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson. World soccer has plenty to choose from with Leicester City (2015/16 Premier League champions) being the most recent example.

For American soccer, it’s the 1999 Rochester Raging Rhinos, who became the first and, to date, the only lower division club to win the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup since Major League Soccer launched in 1996. Fans of domestic cup competitions like the FA Cup (England) know that anything can happen, and in 1999, the Rhinos of the A-League (Div. 2) upset four MLS teams en route to lifting the trophy.

The last team to come close to repeating their accomplishment was the 2008 Charleston Battery who reached the Final in 2008, but lost to D.C. United. More recently, FC Cincinnati, then of the USL, let a 2-0 lead on their home field slip away in the 2017 Semifinals, falling to the New York Red Bulls. If they would have held on for the win, they would have had a chance to join the Rhinos in the American soccer history books.

However, looking back at the 1999 Rochester Raging Rhinos (they dropped the “Raging” part of their name prior to the 2008 season), their magical Open Cup run almost didn’t happen. Multiple times.

Round 2: Rochester Raging Rhinos 2, New York Freedoms 1 (OT)

The Rhinos began the tournament in Round 2 and their opening game was against the New York Freedoms, an amateur team from the Premier Development League (PDL, now known as USL League Two). To put the mismatch in perspective, the US Soccer Federation assigned seedings to the teams for the 1999 US Open Cup and the Rhinos were the No. 9 seed and the Freedoms were 28th out of the 32-team field. 

Mauro Biello of the Rochester Raging Rhinos battles for the ball against the New York Freedoms in the Second Round of the 1999 US Open Cup. Photo: Democrat & Chronicle

The New York Pancyprian Freedoms were three-time US Open Cup champions (1980, 1982, 1983) and long-time members of the New York’s famed Cosmopolitan League. They launched a PDL team in 1999 under the name “New York Freedoms” and qualified for the Open Cup in their debut season.

More than 7,000 fans showed up at the Rhinos’ Frontier Field to cheer on the defending A-League (Div. 2 pro) champions. In the first half, it looked like it was going to be a one-sided affair when New York’s Ronan Wiseman, who was on loan from the Long Island Rough Riders, received a straight red card for a hard tackle in the 35th minute.

“I’m very disappointed,” Freedoms manager Tony Noto told the Democrat and Chronicle after the game. “The referee made a difference. He changed the destiny of the Freedoms. You don’t (throw) players out on the first foul.”

Despite being down a man, the Freedoms walked into the locker room at halftime scoreless against the Rhinos.

According to Rhinos head coach Pat Ercoli, his team’s smaller field dimensions at Frontier Field may have helped the visiting team stay in the game as they bunkered down once they were down a man.

In the 57th minute, New York’s Rodney Rambo stunned the announced crowd of 7,131 by giving the 10-man Freedoms the lead. The former University of Portland star stole the ball from Rhinos midfielder Kirk Dietrich near the Rochester penalty area, dribbled in and put the ball past goalkeeper Bill Andracki, who was filling in for injured starter Pat Onstad.

“ was certainly a wake-up call,” said Rhinos head coach Pat Ercoli. “When you’re playing the amateur teams, sometimes you take them for granted, just like the MLS teams have done in certain cases with lower division teams. The lower division teams tend to up their game and the higher division teams tend to play down to .”

That lead would be short-lived as Mauro Biello, the team’s top scorer, received a pass just outside the box from Doug Miller, the A-League’s 1997 MVP. Biello launched a shot from a little more than 20 yards out to tie the game in the 62nd minute.

The match would head into golden goal extra time where Biello played provider, delivering a corner kick to the head of Darren Tilley who nodded home the game-winner in the 110th minute. The Freedoms gave the Rhinos a scare despite Rochester outshooting New York 22-7 and earning 19 corners to the Freedoms’ four. New York’s goalkeeper Roberto Sir kept his team in the game, making seven saves over 110 minutes of action.

After the game, Tilley told Jeff DiVeronica of the Democrat and Chronicle that the team was just happy to advance.

“We didn’t play to our best, as I think everyone would acknowledge, but it’s all about winning in Cup competitions.”

The headline in the July 15, 1999 edition of the Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY) after the Rochester Raging Rhinos upset the defending MLS Cup and US Open Cup champion Chicago Fire.

ROUND 3: Rochester Raging Rhinos 1, Chicago Fire 0

In the next round, the Rhinos found themselves in a battle worthy of a Final. Rochester, the defending A-League champions welcomed the defending MLS Cup and US Open Cup champions in the Chicago Fire. With two major trophies already added to Chicago’s trophy case after its inaugural season, the Rhinos were not intimidated.

Photo: Democrat & Chronicle archives

After Yari Allnutt headed home a Michael Kirmse corner kick to put the Rhinos ahead in the 51st minute, the more than 10,000 fans in attendance at Rochester’s Frontier Field saw the game’s physical play cranked up to another level.

“We had a mentality that we don’t care where you play, we’re going to come and take it to you and compete on any given day and make sure we’re going to be successful,” said Rhinos forward Doug Miller. “Other teams, they had given more respect and time for these guys to play … we were very hard-nosed and very chippy.”

That hard-nosed approach produced a tournament-high 45 fouls between the two teams, but the cards didn’t start coming out until about 20 minutes into the second half.

With roughly 15 minutes left in the game, Chicago’s Lubos Kubik got into a confrontation with multiple Rhinos players which led to him putting Rochester’s Scott Schweitzer in a headlock. Kubik and Schweitzer, who were the previous year’s Defender of the Year in their respective leagues, were both sent off.

Despite missing their top defender, goalkeeper Pat Onstad and the Rhinos were able to keep the Fire’s high-powered offense off the scoresheet. Rochester’s defense held Chicago to just eight shots with Onstad, a Canadian international, only needing to make three saves to earn the clean sheet. With the win, the Rhinos were moving on to the Quarterfinals, 1-0.

“We had that swagger where we knew we could win. They came in with their best team and we came in with our best team and it was a fight,” said Ercoli.

“Some of those things we did in that game, you wouldn’t get away with today. You would have seen four or five red cards ,” Ercoli added with a chuckle.

QUARTERFINALS: Rochester Raging Rhinos 2, Dallas Burn 1 (OT)

The sports page in the Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, NY) on Aug 12, 1999 as the Rochester Raging Rhinos defeated the Dallas Burn in the Quarterfinals of the 1999 US Open Cup.

In the Quarterfinals, the Rhinos hosted the 1997 US Open Cup champion Dallas Burn in front of another crowd of more than 10,000 fans. This was nothing new for the Rhinos faithful who’s attendance figures had made Rochester a strong candidate to join Major League Soccer. The match against Dallas drew an announced crowd of 10,730, which was the seventh time that a US Open Cup match cracked the 10,000 mark in the Modern Era. Of those seven games, four of them were hosted by the Rhinos at Frontier Field, one of them was the 1998 Final, and the record of 20,376 was a Colorado Rapids game at Mile High Stadium against the Seattle Sounders (A-League) that was given a significant boost as being the opening match of a doubleheader with the US Men’s National Team playing against Derby County of the English Premier League.

After a scoreless first half, Mauro Biello opened the scoring by redirecting a Tim Hardy shot past Dallas’ All-Star goalkeeper Matt Jordan in the 71st minute. Jason Kreis, who would finish tied as MLS’ leading goalscorer that year and win the MLS MVP award, rescued the Burn with an 85th minute equalizer on a cross from Paul Broome.

Just like the match against the Freedoms in Round 2, it came down to extra time and another golden goal from the Rhinos. Michael Kirmse was at the right place at the right time. In the 110th minute, Biello sent in a free kick that Tilley headed off the crossbar. The rebound fell right to Kirmse who put it into the back of the net to send Rochester back to the Semifinals for the second time in four years.

The game was satisfying for the Rhinos because of the criticism directed at them by members of the Dallas Burn before the game. Chief among them was outspoken Dallas head coach Dave Dir saying that Rochester played like “11 Dennis Rodmans”, referring to the physical style of play of the NBA star. While Dir attacked the players’ style of play, Kreis mocked the size of the Rhinos’ Frontier Field, saying “when they play on a real field, they’re going to get their butts beat.”

“That was definitely fodder for the locker room,” said Ercoli. “Scott Schweitzer was one of the guys on our team that made sure everyone knew about it.”

SEMIFINALS: Rochester Raging Rhinos 3, Columbus Crew 2

The Rhinos played away from home for the first time as both Semifinals were scheduled at a neutral venue at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex (Va.) on Sept. 1. Both games featured an A-League vs. MLS match-up, however, the event was overshadowed, quite literally, by the weather as Hurricane Dennis was bearing down on the region. The game was able to move forward because Dennis was downgraded to a tropical storm, but it still brought high winds and heavy rain to the doubleheader.

Rochester Raging Rhinos head coach Pat Ercoli celebrates his club’s 1999 US Open Cup title. Photo courtesy of Pat Ercoli

Earlier in the evening, the Colorado Rapids (MLS), the team the Rhinos beat in the 1996 Semifinals, punched their ticket to the Final with a 3-0 win over the A-League’s Charleston Battery. All the scoring came in the second half with Jorge Dely Valdes accounting for two of them and Paul Bravo adding another. Wolde Harris assisted on two of the three goals, while Ian Feuer made four saves to earn the clean sheet. After the match, Rapids head coach Glenn Myernick had the quote of the night: “It was a great night, if you’re a duck.”

It was already announced that the tournament’s championship game two weeks later would be held at the Crew’s new soccer-specific stadium in Columbus. So when the Rhinos kicked off against a star-studded Crew team in the pouring rain, they would play spoiler in the most dramatic way possible.

With wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour, it was not a fun night for anyone but especially the goalkeepers.

“I’ve never played in wind like that before in my life,” said Rhinos goalkeeper Pat Onstad, who was the A-League Goalkeeper of the Year in his debut season the year before. “I would try to hit a goal kick as hard as I possibly could and it would get about 30 yards out and it would be coming back at our center backs and they would be heading it out. It was crazy.”

After a scoreless first half, the game opened up with the Rhinos answering everything the Crew fired at them. Despite facing 8 Rochester players in the wall, Columbus’ Robert Warzycha connected on a stunning free kick in the 56th minute to give the Crew, one of the top teams in MLS, a 1-0 lead. The Rhinos nearly equalized in the next few minutes as Darren Tilley had a goal disallowed for offside and Bill Sedgewick launched a shot from distance that hit the post.

Rochester would finally level the match in the 68th minute when Tilley headed home a Tommy Tanner cross. Just under ten minutes later, the Crew’s speedy winger Brian West put his team back in front, only to see Schweitzer take a rare free kick from 25 yards away that took a deflection off of Tanner and ended up in the back of the net.

It looked like Rochester was headed to its third extra time match in four matches, but three minutes into stoppage time, another Rhinos defender came to the rescue. Tim Hardy, cut inside his defender on the wing, took a shot that caught a gust of wind that carried into the corner of the goal, out of the reach of MLS goalkeeper wins leader Mark Dougherty.

It remains one of the most exciting finishes of the US Open Cup’s Modern Era (1995-present).

Mali Walton of the Rochester Raging Rhinos celebrates after winning the 1999 US Open Cup with a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids.

“At that point, we knew we were destined to win this thing,” said Ercoli.

FINAL: Rochester Raging Rhinos 2, Colorado Rapids 0

The hopes of a sold-out Crew Stadium for the Final were dashed as soon as the Rhinos eliminated Columbus in that rainy Semifinal in Virginia Beach. The vast majority of the announced crowd of 4,555 were cheering for the Rhinos against the Rapids, with many of those fans making the roughly 400-mile trip from Rochester on a Tuesday night. Those unable to make the trip were able to watch the game live on ESPN2, giving fans around the country a taste of the drama that the US Open Cup is capable of.

After three upsets of MLS teams, Rhinos beat writer Jeff Di Veronica wrote in his recap of the Columbus Crew game that “it might be time to stop calling Rochester’s wins over MLS teams upsets.”

After a scoreless first half, the Rhinos were struggling to create chances and needed to add some speed to the attack, so Coach Ercoli brought on a not-so-secret weapon in the 62nd minute. The club’s all-time leading scorer Doug Miller, who was frustrated because he had been the odd man out of the starting lineup in recent weeks, gave the Rhinos the spark they needed.

Rochester Raging Rhinos: 1999 US Open Cup champions
Rochester Raging Rhinos: 1999 US Open Cup champions

Three minutes after entering the game, Miller received the ball on the left wing, beat Rapids defender Peter Vermes and fired a shot through the legs of Colorado goalkeeper Ian Feuer to give the Rhinos the lead. Pat Onstad made some big saves down the stretch and Yari Allnutt put the game away with a goal in the 90th minute to kick off a long night of celebrations for the Rhinos and their traveling fans.

Miller used that moment to spark the rest of his season as he played a big role in the team’s playoff run as he scored six goals in the team’s seven playoff games as Rochester reached the A-League championship game before losing 2-1 to the Minnesota Thunder.

For Miller, looking back on his career, the US Open Cup title is something he will never forget.

“I’ve got four championships, two indoor, two outdoor, and I’ve got an amateur championship, but that ranks right up there at the top for many reasons,” said Miller. “To win the US Open Cup and to beat all those MLS teams in the fashion that we did was special.”

 

 

FULL MATCH REPLAY

“WHEN MLS DIDN’T WIN THE US OPEN CUP”

SOCCER SAM RECAP: 1999 US OPEN CUP FINAL

LOCAL NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

2019 US Open Cup Round of 16: Brandon Vazquez brace leads Atlanta United past Columbus Crew, into first Quarterfinal

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Brandon Vazquez of Atlanta United celebrates one of his goals in the rain with teammate Justin Meram in his club's Round of 16 match against the Columbus Crew in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Ralph Schudel | @schudel_ralph on Twitter and Instagram
Brandon Vazquez of Atlanta United celebrates one of his goals in the rain with teammate Justin Meram in his club’s Round of 16 match against the Columbus Crew in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Ralph Schudel | @schudel_ralph on Twitter and Instagram


The Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup kicked off with Atlanta United traveling to MAPFRE Stadium to take on Columbus Crew SC in what seemed to be a reasonably overcast evening.
Unlike last time, where there were many showers of rain blessed upon the folks at MAPFRE Stadium, and Crew SC were victorious 2-0. That wasn’t the case this time around as Atlanta United defeated Columbus, 3-2 to punch their ticket to the Quarterfinals for the first time.
Atlanta United got the opening goal in the fifth minute when a poor giveaway from David Guzman gave Brandon Vazquez the room to slide the ball past goalkeeper Jon Kempin to give the away side a 1-0 lead.

“We have to recognize moments,” said Atlanta United head coach Frank de Boer. “Hey, you can’t sit back. You have to track back sometimes. Sometimes an opponent will push you back. I think that’s the most important thing. We lost a little bit of the initiative. We always want the initiative.”
Columbus had a decent look on goal in the eighth minute when David Accam found Patrick Mullins inside the penalty area for a shot on goal. Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan was there for the save, however.
Miles Robinson doubled United’s lead when Barco served in a corner kick and Robinson got his head on the end of the service.

After 15 minutes, Crew SC found themselves down at home. As time progressed, Columbus found themselves getting stronger, gaining more possession, but Atlanta found a way to keep the Black and Gold at bay.
Atlanta nearly got a third in the 37th minute when former Crew winger Justin Meram found space inside the penalty area to take a shot, but it went just wide of the frame and out for a goal kick.
Vazquez almost got his second goal of the game when another bad backpass let Vazquez in on goal all alone, but his sharp-angle attempt hit the far post and back into play.
Columbus would get a goal back in the 40th minute when David Accam got his second goal in as many US Open Cup matches to cut the deficit to one goal.
Columbus would hold the halftime momentum from Accam’s goal as both teams would go to their respective locker rooms, Atlanta holding the 2-1 advantage.
The second half brought Deja Vu when the rain started falling heavily.
Atlanta would extend their league when Vazquez notched his brace in the 65th minute, slotting the ball past Kempin at the far post to extend the lead to 3-1.
Vazquez is now tied for the tournament lead in goals with four, alongside the Richmond Kickers’ Charles Boateng.
Waylon Francis made his return to the Crew SC lineup with a bang, pulling Columbus within one yet again in the 71st minute when his shot took a deflection off of an Atlanta defender and into the back of the net.
Minutes later, Mother Nature got involved when a severe weather delay was placed in effect in the 75th minute. This would be good for Columbus as they attempted to regroup during the break, hoping to score an equalizer in the final 15 minutes.

Brandon Vazquez of Atlanta United celebrates one of his goals with his teammates in his club's Round of 16 match against the Columbus Crew in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Ralph Schudel | @schudel_ralph on Twitter and Instagram
Brandon Vazquez of Atlanta United celebrates one of his goals with his teammates in his club’s Round of 16 match against the Columbus Crew in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Ralph Schudel | @schudel_ralph on Twitter and Instagram

After approximately 49 minutes, the game resumed after both teams agreed to have a 10-minute warm up.

After play resumed, neither team was able to find another goal, but the game didn’t end without controversy.

In the final minute of the match, Accam was brought down in the penalty area but center official Guido Gonzalez Jr. decided not to award a penalty kick. The entire Columbus bench and staff swarmed the referee to offer their opinion on the no-call.
“The way that the official handled the last 15 minutes was shocking,” said a baffled and irate Caleb Porter. “It’s one of the tough things about this competition. They trial officials and see how they do. It’s disappointing. These games, there’s a lot at stake. You need high-level officials that know how to smell a game and manage it.”
With Columbus still struggling to get past the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup, their attention now is focused on the real prize, and that’s making a hard push for the playoffs during league play.
“With the Open Cup gone, we’re going to throw everything into the last 18 games, and we need to approach these games with the same attitude, effort, and density.”
Atlanta will now await the winner of Saint Louis FC and FC Cincinnati in the Round of Eight.

“We only go for one thing and that’s to win the cup,” said de Boer.
With the win, this is Atlanta’s first trip to the Quarterfinals, They are the first Georgia team to reach the Quarterfinals since 2014 Atlanta Silverbacks led by head coach Eric Wynalda.

2019 US Open Cup Round 4: David Accam’s lone goal enough for Columbus Crew to oust Pittsburgh Riverhounds

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David Accam of the Columbus Crew scored the lone goal in a 1-0 Fourth Round win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Ralph Schudel | Twitter, IG: @schudel_ralph
David Accam of the Columbus Crew scored the lone goal in a 1-0 Fourth Round win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Ralph Schudel | Twitter, IG: @schudel_ralph

To kick off the Fourth Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds traveled to the Buckeye State to take on Columbus Crew SC. Columbus would defeat the Riverhounds 1-0, with David Accam getting the only tally of the game.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

MAPFRE Stadium was covered in Black & Gold with fans from both teams. On the field, there wasn’t much to talk about in the first half. It was a lackluster performance from both teams, with Columbus dominating possession with 69%. Both teams were able to hold their own but made little to no effort on creating good chances.

Columbus outshot Pittsburgh 6-3, and also made almost double the passes in just the first half alone.

Columbus had a little more offense in the second half, gaining more and more momentum to pressure Pittsburgh.

“Normal game like that. When a team sits in and makes it a defensive game, it’s difficult,” said Crew SC head coach Caleb Porter. “I think we came out fine. We had to be patient, and I think we were in the second half.”

It wasn’t until the 56th minute that Columbus Crew SC would get the first goal for the home side Black & Gold when he tapped home a cross from Pedro Santos. This would be Accam’s first goal for Columbus across all competitions. It was his seventh career US Open Cup goal after scoring a goal during the Philadelphia Union’s run to the Final last year, and tying for the tournament lead with five goals in 2016 with the Chicago Fire.

Crew SC came close to getting a second goal when Santos got a shot off of a half volley, but it was deflected out for a Columbus corner kick.

The golden chance to double their lead came in the 68th minute when Patrick Mullins was knocked down in the penalty box, giving Crew SC a penalty kick. Things didn’t go well afterward, as Pedro Santos went for the upper 90 but shanked the ball off the crossbar.

Pittsburgh got their first good look on goal in the 83rd minute when Kenardo Forbes, the hero from the Hounds’ Third Round win over Indy Eleven, took a shot that just went over the crossbar.

With the win, Columbus Crew SC advance to the Fifth Round of the US Open Cup for the first time since 2016. It was a welcome result after losing their opening round game the last two years.

“Tournament football. That’s what it’s about. It’s about winning and advancing,” said an upbeat Porter. “Next week we want to get in the round of eight.”

Now that the Open Cup has started, it’s fallen within a difficult time, especially for the Columbus Crew. With many injuries, and now dealing with multiple key pieces out due to national team duty, dealing with lineup changes and rotations are now weighing heavy for the Black & Gold.

When asked how he would prioritize this, Porter went on to say with a chuckle, “When you look at how many guys we have injured or gone, I don’t know if there was much of a choice.”

Columbus now awaits the Thursday drawing to see who their next opponent is in the Round of 16.

2018 US Open Cup Round 4: PK shootout decided by goalkeepers as Chicago Fire oust Crew SC again

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Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew players battle for the ball in their Fourth Round match in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Columbus Crew SC.
Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew players battle for the ball in their Fourth Round match in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Columbus Crew SC.

For the second year in a row, the Chicago Fire had to go to a shootout to determine a winner against an Ohio team. This year things were different. After falling to FC Cincinnati in their magical cup run, the Fire were able to come out on top against league rivals Columbus Crew SC, a 10-9 penalty kicks win after a 2-2 draw in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup.

Chicago started many of their offensive starters, while Crew SC opted for a lineup full of reserve players. Still, it was Columbus who struck first in an sloppy — but even — first half. After a bad turnover, Niko Hansen was able to feed Cristian Martinez for an open look that the Panamanian buried. Columbus came close to taking a lead into the half, but Nemanja Nikolic found the back of the net at the buzzer after a perfect cross from Rafeal Ramos.

The deadlock would hold until extra time, when Nikolic again found the net in the 109th minute. Crew SC keeper Logan Ketterer parried a shot away, but the ball dropped right at Nikolic’s feet for an easy goal. Somehow, Columbus was able to strike again just five minutes later with Adam Jahn powering a shot past Richard Sanchez. That brought the game to a shootout.

Nikolic took the first kick and missed, giving Crew SC the advantage. But Hector Jimenez missed the second attempt for Columbus, and Chicago wouldn’t miss again. It came all the way down to the keepers, and Sanchez scored on Ketterer and was able to then stop his Crew SC counterpart to advance Chicago into the round of 16.

“If you told me my first game was going to be 120 minutes and 11 rounds of PKs I’d tell you that you were crazy,” Ketterer said. “It was a great experience, tons of credit to the guys, for battling for that long, getting that goal. Going until the end, just like that Toronto game last weekend. It shows a lot of the character that is in this locker room.”

“I don’t recall taking a PK in these circumstances, but you do train for them,” Sanchez said. “You train for them during practice and I myself train them, so it feels good. It gives me confidence. I think it gives the players confidence as well for the ones that made it and we just continue to build from this.”

Head Coach Veljko Paunovic was pleased with his squad.

“I think it was important to advance to the next round,” he said. “I think it was a huge effort from the team. Both teams I think did a huge effort today. I think we both tried until the end. It literally decided the small detail, with the PK spot. The last player had to take it, the goalkeepers in this case. I think it is good for us to get this win in the Open Cup and it’s very important for our club.

This very important competition gives us more confidence to move on. Not only in the next round, but in the next couple of games, the next stretch of games we have at home and on road.”

With the win, the Fire remain unbeaten (5-0-1, 1-0 PKs) all-time against the Crew in US Open Cup play. The four-time champions also maintain their unbeaten record (8-0-2, 2-0 PKs) in Fourth Round games.

2017 US Open Cup Round 4: FC Cincinnati makes case for MLS with record crowd, win over Crew SC

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FC Cincinnati earned its first win over an MLS opponent with a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew in the Fourth Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Brett Hansbauer | FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati earned its first win over an MLS opponent with a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew in the Fourth Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Brett Hansbauer | FC Cincinnati

The long-awaited clash between FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew SC finally occurred. FC Cincinnati fans saw this as an audition against the founding club in Major League Soccer. A second-half goal by Cincinnati’s Djiby Fall stood tall against the Major League Soccer Crew as the hometown USL club stood tall in a 1-0 victory in the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday.

One of the stories of the match was found in the stands at Nippert Stadium. An announced crowd of 30,160 shattered the Modern Era (1995-present) attendance record for a non-final. The previous record was 20,376 set in Third Round of the 1999 tournament when the Colorado Rapids of MLS hosted the Seattle Sounders of the USL’s A-League. The match’s attendance was boosted by the fact that it was a doubleheader with the US Men’s National Team as they played against English club Derby County in a friendly. the field. The announced attendance of 30,160 seemed to play a role for the hometown team.

Both clubs began the evening like heavyweight boxers as they tried to get a feel for one another and learn each others tendencies. Initially, Cincinnati were quite content with committing numbers to defense while Columbus threw numbers forward and committed to the attack looking for an early advantage.

Crew SC midfielders Federico Higuain and Justin Meram were catalysts for the Columbus offense as they looked to get the attack going. While Fall was relentless for Cincinnati. Fall was responsible for the two most threatening scoring attempts in the first half. He harassed Crew SC homegrown defender Alex Crognale through a series of bumps and scuffles and bumps to try to rattle the rookie.

One of the brightest stars for Cincinnati was goalie Mitch Hildebrandt. He had two clutch saves in the first half stopping dangerous shots by Meram and Hector Jimenez. Things got interesting towards the end of the half as Crew SC defender Waylon Francis committed a foul just outside of his 18-yard-box and led to a dangerous Cincinnati set-piece. The opportunity was foiled and referee Yours Marrakchi blew the whistle to signal halftime.

The second half showed that both teams would come out a bit more aggressive. The game was a tactical stalemate until the defender Justin Hoyte was subbed into the game for Cincinnati. Hoyte was the primary assist on the 64th minute goal that was scored by Fall. Hoyte lofted the ball on a cross that took a deflection off of Crew defender Alex Crognale and Fall was engaged in an aerial battle with Jimenez in which he leapt above the shorter defender to head the ball into the back of the net for the lead

The goal from Fall made Nippert become unglued. Chants from The Bailey of “F-C-C” began to ring out across the stadium as fans began to sense that this could victory could become a reality for the USL side.

“It was an event for our team, our club and our city,” said Cincinnati manager Alan Koch as he touted the fan’s performance.

Koch wasn’t the only one to take notice of the fantastic atmosphere. Crew SC manager Gregg Berhalter added, “This is what makes soccer special, it’s great to give Americans a real cup atmosphere. That’s exactly what this is. You have our fans who were amazing, their fans were amazing and it made an atmosphere that was electric. For the spectators that’s what you want to see.”

Both groups of supporters affectionately dubbed the match the “Hell is Real” derby. It’s in reference to an infamous sign one encounters on the drive between Cincinnati and Columbus.

Berhalter was asked if Cincinnati was deserving of an expansion bid into Major League Soccer. He simply responded: “That’s above my pay grade.”

Koch was asked if he considered this a rivalry with Columbus.

“People can say it’s the first game so there’s not a rivalry,” he said. “Of course there’s a rivalry.”

Random #USOC2017 fact: FC Cincinnati is the first club in the Modern Era to win three consecutive 1-0 games.

2016 US Open Cup Round 5: David Accam’s first half brace propels Chicago Fire past Columbus Crew

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David Accam of the Chicgao Fire scored a pair of first half goals to help the home team beat the Columbus Crew, 2-1. Photo: Chicago Fire
David Accam of the Chicgao Fire scored a pair of first half goals to help the home team beat the Columbus Crew, 2-1. Photo: Chicago Fire

It’s a story that seems to be told nearly every year in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

When the Chicago Fire meets the Columbus Crew, put your money on The Men in Red. The Fire entered unbeaten in four matches against the Crew in Open Cup play (five if you count a 2008 qualifying match) and Tuesday night’s match at Toyota Park was no different.

Behind two first half goals from forward David Accam, Chicago dispatched of Columbus 2-1.

It didn’t take long for Accam to get on the board. The attacker, who had two goals and one assist in his previous three matches, was the benefactor of a quick counter by the Fire seven minutes in. Accam collected the ball outside the 18-yard box and cut back to his right foot before rifling a shot by Columbus goalkeeper Brad Stuver for the early 1-0 advantage. Accam nearly doubled his tally just three minutes later. Once again it was a counterattack by the Fire who found the speedy forward, but Accam’s strike this time went wide.

Crew SC had the team’s lone shot on goal in the first half after 15 minutes of play.

Midfielder Hector Jimenez used the space given to him to fire a shot that took a couple of deflections, ultimately hitting Columbus forward Ola Kamara last. The redirect ultimately rolled slowly to Chicago goalkeeper Matt Lampson.

Despite dominating in possession, the Crew struggled to create any real chances. The Fire punished Columbus just before the half hour mark, once again through Accam.

Columbus defender Waylon Francis gave right back Rodrigo Ramos far too much space out wide in the 29th minute. The Fire defender picked up his head and served a ball to the back post that found an open Accam for the redirect and a 2-0 lead.

Following halftime, Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter attempted to change the match by bringing in midfielder Wil Trapp for Tony Tchani and winger Ethan Finlay for Kamara.

As Columbus continued to control the ball, Chicago looked to counter again and nearly found the net twice early in the second half. The first saw defender Chad Barson block a Kenny Igbonananike shot that may have crept into the far post. The second was on an Igbonananike cross that appeared destined to find Accam if not for the effort of defender Tyson Wahl inside the 18-yard box.

In the 56th, Columbus thought it scored through 19-year-old Cristian Martinez. After a Justin Meram shot deflected off a Fire defender, Martinez beat Lampson but was judged to be offside.
The Crew were handed a lifeline by referee Nima Saghafi in the 78th minute. Chicago defender Johan Kappelhof was judged to have his hand in an unnatural position when the ball struck it on a Finlay shot from the top of the penalty box.

Finlay, who scored from the penalty spot in the last round of the Open Cup, stepped up and converted to cut the deficit in half.

Despite pressure by Columbus, including bringing Stuver forward on a corner kick, the Fire held on for the remaining 11 minutes for the win. With the victory, Chicago will now face the winner of Orlando City SC and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, who play Wednesday night.

With the win, the Fire improve to 38-13-4 (3-1 PKs) all-time in Open Cup play, the most wins of any club in the Modern Era (1995-present). They move on to the Quarterfinals for the 13th time, which is the third most in the 103-year history of the tournament (Kutis SC – 17, FC Dallas – 14).

FULL MATCH REPLAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE: ADRIAN HEATH

FULL MATCH REPLAY: COLUMBUS CREW AT ORLANDO CITY SC

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