Dominic Oduro

TheCup.us Best of 2011 review

December 30, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

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.

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

September 26, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

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.

120371733BK007 — 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.

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

August 31, 2011 by Josh Hakala

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.

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

Videos courtesy of Chicago-Fire.com

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Chicago Fire turn out the lights on no-show Red Bulls (Video)

July 13, 2011 by Tavio Palazzolo

Severe storms in the Chicagoland area knocked out power to over 800,000 households, as well as Toyota Park, on Monday. Because of the lingering issues at the stadium, the Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls agreed to move up their Quarterfinal match to a 5 PM local start in order to get it in before dark. The Fire then proceeded to knock the daylights out of the Red Bulls, winning 4-0 to earn a spot in the Semifinals. It is their eighth all-time (tied for most), but the first since capturing the 2006 championship.

web-NY-CHI-Oduro-071211 — Dominic Oduro scored opener in 7th minute Photo: Chicago Fire

Dominic Oduro and Yamith Cuesta scored the first two and Orr Barouch added a pair to give the hosts the easy victory on the night against a defenseless Red Bulls squad.

In an action reminiscent of how most MLS coaches used to treat the US Open Cup, New York had purposely handicapped themselves before even leaving home. Only fourteen players made the trip to Illinois, and neither head coach Hans Backe nor assistant coach Jan Halvor Halvorsen followed them. Individual development coach (and recently retired Red Bull) Mike Petke became interim coach for the match, as he was the only coach on staff at the game. The players that were sent were a mere shell of the Red Bulls roster that many know. Not only did you not see stars like Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, or Tim Ream; you didn’t even see less familiar role players like Joel Lindpere, Teemu Tainio, or Carlos Mendes. In fact, only one player, Mehdi Ballouchy, at the match had seen the field more than 10 times this year. The other nine field players had only seen 11 previous starts all year – total (all belonging to Stephen Keel and Austin Da Luz).

On the other hand, the Fire were not out to play games. They had most of their starters play on short rest in Rochester in the last round, and meant business again in this contest. The only usual starter not on the field at kickoff was Diego Chaves. Turns out, they didn’t need him.

Chicago got started early, when in the 7th minute Dominic Oduro slotted home a goal past New York keeper Bouna Coundoul off a play from Cristian Nazarit to give the Fire a 1-0 lead. That goal would give Oduro a tally in his third straight US Open Cup.

web-NY-CHI-Barouch-071211 — Orr Barouch tallied twice in second half Photo: Chicago Fire

The Fire would have many more chances in the first half, including a few shots just sailing over the crossbar. Despite the clear advantage, Chicago were unable to add to their lead and would enter the break holding a slim 1-0 edge.

The second half, however, was a different story as the Fire broke loose. It started in the 48th minute when a Daniel Paladini short corner kick led to a cross over to the far post. The cross was received by Yamith Cuesta, who headed it home past Coundoul to give Chicago a 2-0 lead.

Just a few minutes later, that lead would stretch to three. A pass from Gonzalo Segares into the box found the feet of Oduro, whose deflected shot ended up with Orr Barouch, who slotted it home to put the Fire up 3-0. Barouch would find one more goal for himself and his club in the 69th minute as he scored off a through ball from substitute Diego Chaves.

The Chicago Fire advance to the Semifinals of the 2011 US Open Cup, where they will take on the history-making Richmond Kickers of USL Pro. The Kickers have already defeated two MLS sides on the road (Columbus Crew, Sporting Kansas City), and will play this one away from home as well. The match will take place at Toyota Park on Tuesday, August 30 at 8:30 PM ET.

TheCup.us Match MVP: Orr Barouch

Scoring Summary:

CHI – Dominic Oduro (Cristian Nazarit) 7
CHI – Yamith Cuesta (Daniel Paladini) 48
CHI – Orr Barouch 51
CHI – Orr Barouch (Diego Chaves) 69

Misconduct Summary:
CHI – Orr Barouch (caution) 60
NY – Matt Kassel (caution) 85
NY – John Rooney (caution) 87

Lineups:

New York Red Bulls – Bouna Coundoul, Chris Albright (Marcos Paullo 60), Stephen Keel, Tyler Lassiter, Mychel Jones, Austin Da Luz, Matt Kassel, John Rooney, Theodore Schneider (Sacir Hot 72), Mehdi Ballouchy, Corey Hertzog
Substitutes not used: Alex Horwath

Chicago Fire – Sean Johnson, Jalil Anibaba, Josip Mikulic, Yamith Cuesta, Gonzalo Segares, Patrick Nyarko (Baggio Husidic 66), Logan Pause, Daniel Paladini, Marco Pappa (Diego Chaves 66), Cristian Nazarit (Orr Barouch 46), Dominic Oduro
Substitutes not used: Jon Conway, Pari Pantazopolous, Dasan Robinson, Mike Videira

Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Referee’s Assistants: Eric Boria, Anthony Vasoli
4th Official: Abbey Okulaja

2009 Quarterfinals: Dynamo purge two years of Open Cup frustration; thrash Charleston 4-0

July 7, 2009 by

Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, SC
Match Reports: Charleston | Houston | Post and Courier | Houston Chronicle

	0	FT	4
				16’ Geoff Cameron (Hayden) 47’ Bobby Boswell (Hayden) 52’ Dominic Oduro (Unassisted) 73’ Geoff Cameron (Mullan)

After defeating the Austin Aztex 2-0 at Nelson Field in Austin last week, the Dynamo travelled again to face another USL First Division opponent in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, this time going up against the Charleston Battery. For the second straight week, the Dynamo would win by a shutout. This time, doubling their output from the previous round, beating the Battery 4-0 in a Quarterfinal match at a rain-soaked Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.

It was a bit of revenge for the Dynamo, who have been eliminated from the tournament by the Battery in each of the last two years, with both games being played at Blackbaud Stadium. In 2007, Stephen Armstrong scored a goal in extra time to sink Houston and last year, the Dynamo scored a late equalizer, but were knocked out in penalty kicks by the hosts. The 2009 edition

For the Dynamo it only took 16 minutes to put a goal on the board as Geoff Cameron would score on a header off a John Michael Hayden corner kick to put the Dynamo up 1-0. The Battery nearly drew level in the 37th minute when Randi Patterson’s pass played Chris Williams into the box, but Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall came off his line to smother the shot.

But any momentum the Battery may have been carrying into the second half was quickly snuffed out when Houston’s John Michael Hayden played a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box to the far post that Bobby Boswell knocked home to put the Dynamo up 2-0 just two minutes into the second half. Fifteen minutes later, the Dynamo would widen the lead when Dominic Oduro’s blast from 20 yards out slipped just inside the far post past diving goalkeeper Dusty Hudock, to make it 3-0. Geoff Cameron would complete the scoring with his second goal when he headed in a Brian Mullen cross in the 73rd minute to give the Dynamo a 4-0 victory.

With the win, the Dynamo advance to the Semifinals for the first time since their inaugural season in 2006. There they will travel to Tukwila, WA to face the Seattle Sounders on July 21 with a spot in the championship game on the line. Seattle defeated the Kansas City Wizards in the Quarterfinals on a Sebastian Le Toux penalty kick in the 89th minute.

2009 Third Round: Houston Dynamo earn first win since 2006, beating Aztex 2-0

July 1, 2009 by

Match Reports: Houston Chronicle | HoustonDynamo.com | Austin Statesman
Photos: Austin Statesman
Nelson Field – Austin, Texas

	0	FT	2
				71’ Corey Ashe 90’ Dominic Oduro (Corey Ashe)

The Houston Dynamo placed Major League Soccer back on track in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-0 victory over the Austin Aztex at Nelson Field in Austin. The win comes a day after MLS suffered four upset losses to USL opponents, with the other two receiving scares from lower division teams.

After 71 minutes of scoreless soccer, Corey Ashe scored the game-winner, putting in a rebound off of a John Michael Hayden free kick. Dominic Oduro finished the match with a volley in the 90th minute to secure the victory for the Dynamo.

Houston maintained the majority of possession throughout the match, forcing seven corners against Austin in the first thirty minutes and totaling eighteen shots, seven of which were on frame.

Austin were unable to find a rhythm and never troubled goalkeeper Tally Hall, who earned his first start, win and clean sheet as a member of the Dynamo.

The win was the first Open Cup victory since Houston’s inaugural season in 2006 when they won a pair of games and advanced to the Semifinals. By eliminating the Aztex, it was the first time Houston had knocked off a team from the USL First Division.

The Houston Dynamo now move on to face the Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, SC on Tuesday, July 7. These two teams will meet for the third consecutive tournament, with Charleston advancing in extra time in 2007 and by way of the penalty kick shootout in 2008.