The United States Soccer Federation announced the pairing and hosting scenarios for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semifinals Thursday, unveiling that Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City would host the winners from the opposite side of their bracket with victories in the Quarterfinals. The USSF also officially revealed a schedule change for the Quarterfinals.
FC Dallas/Dallas Burn
2011 US Open Cup Third Round Recap: Richmond Kickers post lone upset on night of close contests
For the first time in the Professional Era the Round of 16 saw no matches go to overtime, but there was plenty of drama as six of the eight contests were decided by one goal. In the end, Major League Soccer teams posted one of their best nights in the tournament versus lower division opposition with seven clubs advancing to the Quarterfinals for only the fifth time in 15 years.
2011 US Open Cup Third Round: Orlando City’s hearts broken, 3-2, in frenzied finish at FC Dallas
Minus overtime or penalty kicks, it does not get as dramatic a finish as what Open Cup fans witnessed from Frisco’s Pizza Hut Park Tuesday night in the Third Round of the tournament. With the host Major League Soccer side FC Dallas leading the third division Orlando City, the visitors leveled the score in stoppage time only to see the home side answer back moments later nearly at the death for a 3-2 victory.
2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Bracket C: Wilmington Hammerheads at Real Salt Lake; Orlando City at FC Dallas
The quarterfinal foursome features two Atlantic coast USL Pro clubs heading west in the Third Round as Orlando City travels to Texas to face FC Dallas and the Wilmington Hammerheads meet Real Salt Lake in Utah.
2011 Gold Cup & US Open Cup: The Overlap
Beyond the obvious fact that the first two rounds of the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup occur during the current edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup that kicked off Sunday, there is some extended overlap with players. The overlap will come when the Major League Soccer teams enter the competition in the Third Round, set for June 28 – three days after the Gold Cup Final.
2011 US Open Cup qualifying updates: MLS play-in tournament underway
For the fifth year in a row, Major League Soccer will conduct a play-in tournament to narrow the number of teams that enter the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Beginning on June 28, eight MLS clubs will join the 98th edition of the tournament in the third round, with the top six MLS teams based on the 2010 league standings automatically qualifying. The 10 remaining US-based clubs are left to fight for the last two spots.
US Open Cup qualifying: DC United eliminates FC Dallas for second straight year, 4-2 (Video)
For the second year in a row, DC United eliminated FC Dallas from Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifying at RFK Stadium. In this year’s edition, United got a pair of goals from Adam Cristman to lead the way to a 4-2 victory. With the win, DC will host Real Salt Lake in a “Win & You’re In” match at a date to be determined.
Notable upsets in the Second Round of the US Open Cup
The Mid-Michigan Bucks have always been one of the lower division troublemakers of the US Open Cup, and this match against the New England Revolution at Foxboro Stadium helped build that reputation. Goalkeeper Eric Pogue was the early hero for the Bucks, saving a Shaker Asad penalty kick in the 7th minute to keep the score 0-0. The Bucks stayed with the Revolution for 90 minutes using a high-tempo style of play and eventually sending the sparse crowd of 1,857 Revolution fans home disappointed.
Notable upsets in the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup
There have only been seven “upsets” in the Quarterfinal round of the US Open Cup since 1995, therefore all of them are, in fact, “notable.”
2008 Quarterfinals: Third time’s the charm for Battery against FC Dallas
In 2006 and 2007, FC Dallas crushed the hopes of the Charleston Battery in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals. This year, it was the Battery’s turn to exact revenge, winning 3-1 in Frisco after waiting out a weather delay.
FC Dallas came out with a relatively strong lineup as they played most of their regulars for the match. They looked the stronger of the two teams out of the gate, controlling play early.