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Things you should know about the Quarterfinals

UPDATE: Blas Perez of FC Dallas was named TheCup.us Player of the Round for the Quarterfinals

The final score didn’t necessarily reflect the game itself. Carolina actually drew first blood in the ninth minute. Perez’s first goal came in the 23rd minute, courtesy of rookie teammate Tesho Akindele, to level things up at one goal apiece. Perez’s second goal was also Dallas’s second. His 34th minute strike put the Hoops up 2-1. Carolina would equalize only to see Dallas net another and take a 3-2 lead into halftime. Perez’s final tally, which came during second half stoppage time, wasn’t the game-winner but it did seal the deal.

Perez became the first Panamanian player in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present) and the third FC Dallas player to score three goals in a single game, joining Dallas fan favorites Bobby Rhine (1999) and Kenny Cooper (2006). The first question Perez received after the game was how it felt to score the hat trick, but he was quick to talk about the team’s win.

“Happy, first of all, for the win because it’s what the team wanted, what the team was looking for.”

Perez had been experiencing a bit of drought coming into the game and was asked if he felt his hard work, despite not scoring, had finally been validated.

“When you work hard, the goals are going to come. The most important thing is if I don’t score, I put in the work.”

Perez has been somewhat underappreciated by MLS in general ever since he arrived in 2012, but it’s easy to see why the 33-year-old veteran is held in such high regard among the fans in Dallas. This was his first hat trick for FC Dallas in any competition.

Dallas, who clinched their eighth US Open Cup semifinal berth, will travel to Philadelphia to face the Union on August 12.

2014 TheCup.us Player of the Round winners
Round 1: Vlad Baciu (RWB Adria – USASA)
Round 2: Luke Winter (Chattanooga FC – NPSL)
Round 3: Earl Edwards Jr. (PSA Elite – USASA)
Round 4: Deshorn Brown (Colorado Rapids – MLS)
Round 5: Scott Goodwin (Carolina RailHawks – NASL)
Quarterfinals: Blas Perez (FC Dallas – MLS)

HIGHLIGHTS: FC DALLAS AT CAROLINA RAILHAWKS

MATCH REPLAY: FC DALLAS AT CAROLINA RAILHAWKS

2014 US Open Cup Quarterfinals review: Three former champions, Philadelphia Union advance to Semifinals (video)

July 10, 2014 by J.T. Alwin

The Seattle Sounders needed overtime to eliminate the Portland Timbers to earn their 7th trip to the Semifinals in 8 years. Photo: Seattle Sounders FC

The Semifinals of the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup are complete with a trio of former tournament champions advancing to the Final Four along with the Philadelphia Union completing the all-MLS field.

July 9: Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) 3:1 (AET) Portland Timbers (MLS)
It took a flurry of goals in extra time after a Portland red card, but Sounders FC have made their way back to familiar turf. With a 3-1 win over the Timbers the Sounders will reach the Semifinals for the 7th time in the last 8 years. This is actually the first of two matches between these Cascadian rivals in five days, as Portland will travel back up the I-5 on Sunday for a league match.

Osvaldo Alonso drew opening blood in the 69th minute, scoring his 7th career tournament goal in acrobatic fashion. It seemed as though the Sounders would move on in regulation but Darlington Nagbe somehow found a Steve Zakuani pass in traffic to send the game into bonus soccer in second half stoppage time.

The game changed in the 99th minute when Portland’s Diego Chara made a rash challenge on the Sounders’ Marco Pappa and was sent off with a straight red card. 11 minutes later, Kenny Cooper scored his fourth goal of the tournament, tying the Timbers’ Gaston Fernandez (and Indy Eleven’s Blake Smith) for the lead, while helping send Fernandez’s team packing from the Open Cup. Marco Pappa sealed the deal in the 116th minute as Seattle will move on to host the Chicago Fire on August 13 in a rematch of the 2011 Final. [+] FULL MATCH REPORT WITH VIDEO

HIGHLIGHTS: PORTLAND TIMBERS AT SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

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Things you should know about the Quarterfinals

UPDATE: Blas Perez of FC Dallas was named TheCup.us Player of the Round

July 9: FC Dallas (MLS) 5:2 Carolina RailHawks (NASL)
The 5-2 scoreline doesn’t do the game justice as FC Dallas scored a pair of late goals to beat the Carolina RailHawks to reach the Semifinals for the 8th time. Up until the final minutes of the game, it was a close, up-and-down affair, with Dallas’ Blas Perez netting a hat trick that would prove to be the difference.

Five goals were scored in the first half with Dallas taking a 3-2 lead into the halftime break. The second half featured much of the same up-and-down action, except without the goals. The outcome was very much in doubt until a minute left in regular time, when Maurio Diaz cashed in to ice the game, followed by Perez’s third goal of the game at the very end of the match. They will travel to play the Philadelphia Union on August 12th. [+] FULL MATCH REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS: FC DALLAS AT CAROLINA RAILHAWKS

July 9: Chicago Fire (MLS) 3:1 Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
With the Silverbacks this year, it seems that red cards are as common as goals, and sure enough, there were two red cards in this game before a goal was even scored. Chicago was able to get past the rough play and net two late goals to advance to the Open Cup Semifinals.

An otherwise quiet first half erupted 31 minutes in, as Atlanta’s Jesus Gonzalez and the Fire’s Mike Magee became entangled, then started fighting, earning them both straight reds. Mark Watson also came dangerously close to putting Chicago down two men, earning a yellow in the 34th and coming close to his second two minutes later, before being subbed out at the half.

The scoring picked up some in the second half, as Quincy Amarikwa netted the ball in the 50th minute for Chicago, only to have Atlanta’s Deon McCaulay level it four minutes later. It took until the 82nd minute for Chicago to pull away, as Jeff Larentowicz slotted a PK, and Alex stole a bad clearance and sealed the game three minutes later. The Fire travel to Cascadia to play Seattle Sounders FC at Starfire Soccer Complex on August 13. [+] FULL MATCH REPORT

MATCH REPLAY: CHICAGO FIRE AT ATLANTA SILVERBACKS

July 8: Philadelphia Union (MLS) 2-0 New England Revolution (MLS)
Miroslav Klose of Germany wasn’t the only soccer player to set scoring records on July 8. While Klose claimed the career World Cup scoring record in the afternoon, on Tuesday evening Sebastien Le Toux of the Union set the Open Cup (Modern Pro Era) career scoring record in a 2-0 handling of New England.

Conor Casey got Philly going early, only needing nine minutes to put his side up. The historic moment was set up as the Union lost a free kick set up by a yellow card on the Revs’ AJ Soares. Seba, who cut his Open Cup teeth with the USL-1 version of the Seattle Sounders, and also won an Open Cup with the MLS version, caught the rebound from a scrum and shot true only two minutes out of halftime. The Union advance to their second Semifinal in the last three years and will travel to Frisco to take on FC Dallas in the Semifinals on Aug. 12. [+] FULL MATCH REPORT

2014 US Open Cup Semifinals

Philadelphia Union (MLS) at FC Dallas (MLS)
Toyota Stadium; Frisco, TX – Aug. 12 at 9 p.m. ET

Chicago Fire (MLS) at Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
Starfire Soccer Complex; Tukwila, WA – Aug. 13 at 10:30 p.m. ET

2014 US Open Cup Round 4 review: New York Cosmos crushing Red Bulls headlines trio of MLS upsets on Day 2 (video)

June 16, 2014 by Josh Hakala

For those who follow the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for competitive and exciting games between various levels of play within the United States, the first two days of Round 4 have been for you. Three of the five games saw MLS teams eliminated by their lower division opponent. Of the five games, three of them were decided by a single goal, one of them went to penalty kicks. The only one-sided affair of the round so far was Saturday’s headliner between the New York Cosmos and the New York Red Bulls, where the NASL club dominated in one of the most-anticipated Open Cup games in recent memory. Also, it has been a good round for home teams as the teams that hosted all eliminated the visiting team (4-0-1, 1-0 in PKs).

There are still 11 games remaining in Round 4, six on Tuesday, June 17 and five on Wednesday. June 18. Here is a brief look at each Round 4 game so far with links to the full match report.

June 14: New York Cosmos (NASL) 3:0 New York Red Bulls (MLS)

Eager to reclaim the prestige of their namesake, the New York Cosmos won convincingly in their first-ever meeting with the New York Red Bulls, 3-0. It has begun as an instant rivalry among the fans but when it came to the play on the field, it was one-way traffic as the Cosmos made quick work of their local counterparts, out-shooting the MLS side 21-3. Mads Stokkelien scored a pair of goals, one in each half, and Alessandro Noselli’s header in the 78th minute put the nail in the coffin for the Red Bulls who have gone 11 Open Cup appearances without winning multiple games. The Cosmos will either face the Philadelphia Union or Harrisburg City Islanders next round. MATCH REPORT [+]

HIGHLIGHTS: NEW YORK COSMOS 3:0 NEW YORK RED BULLS

June 14: Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) 2:1 Real Salt Lake (MLS)

For a team that has been competing in the US Open Cup on and off since 1995, the Atlanta Silverbacks have not felt a lot of success over the years. They have only won more than 2 games in a tournament once (2007) and have never upset a MLS team in five tries (0-4-1, 0-1 PKs) They finally broke through on Saturday, upsetting last year’s Open Cup runner-up Real Salt Lake, 2-1. Robbie Findley gave RSL an early lead after capitalizing on a misplayed capitalized on a misplayed backpass by Atlanta’s Derby Carrillo, who was forced into the starting lineup through injury. However, Atlanta’s Junior Burgos and Kwadwo Poku would help give the home team the lead. Poku sent an excellent pass to Burgos, who slotted away past RSL’s Jeff Attinella. The Silverbacks were going toe-to-toe with RSL until Poku scored a late goal to give Atlanta to win. The Silverbacks move forward with some key pieces who have enjoyed recent success in the Open Cup. Poku, one could say, got the attention of the Atlanta scouts when he scored four Open Cup goals playing for the Georgia Revolution of the NPSL last year. With the win, manager Eric Wynalda builds on his coaching resume with his second career MLS upset as a manager, having been in charge of the Cal FC amateur team who traveled up to Portland and upset the Timbers in 2012. MATCH REPORT [+]

HIGHLIGHTS: ATLANTA SILVERBACKS 2:1 REAL SALT LAKE

June 14: Carolina RailHawks (NASL) 1:1 (3:2 PKs) Chivas USA (MLS)
Carolina’s Zach Schilawski (29th min.) and Chivas USA’s Ryan Finley (40th min.) traded first half goals, but after a scoreless second half and two periods of extra time, a spot in Round 5 had to be decided from the penalty spot. Despite falling behind 2-1 in the tiebreaker, the RailHawks rallied and emerged victorious 3-2 after eight rounds of spot kicks. Rookie goalkeeper Scott Goodwin came up big with 11 saves and 3 stops in the shootout to beat out veteran keeper Dan Kennedy. After Kennedy had his attempt saved, Zack Schilawski leveled the shootout at 2-2, but two players from each team failed their spot kick attempt to put the contest into a winner-take-all scenario. Marco Delgado of Chivas USA led off the 7th round by having his shot saved and Daniel Jackson responded with a goal to give send the RailHawks to Round 5 after eliminating their fifth MLS team in club history. Next up, Carolina will either host the LA Galaxy for the third year in a row, or travel to Tucson to play Arizona United. MATCH REPORT [+]

HIGHLIGHTS: CAROLINA RAILHAWKS 1:1 (3:2 PKs) CHIVAS USA

June 11: Houston Dynamo (MLS) 1:0 Laredo Heat (PDL)
The Dynamo were able to steal a win away from the PDL’s Laredo Heat on an Alexander Lopez goal in the 38th minute. Laredo did not help themselves by going a man down two minutes after the goal, as Mattieu Braem earned his second yellow card. However, early in the second half, Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric brought the game to 10v10 by receiving a red card for holding the ball outside of the penalty area. Fortunately the goalie’s mistake did not cost them the lead, as the MLS side held the Heat at bay for the rest of the match. MATCH REPORT [+]

POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

June 11: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) 2:1 Sacramento Republic (USL PRO)
Sacramento’s Justin Braun put his USL-PRO expansion side on his back to give the lower division side the lead three minutes before halftime, yet San Jose grabbed a penalty chance to equalize, and Khari Stevenson shot true. San Jose then grabbed a hold of some Seattle luck, as former Sounders striker Cordell Cato put the Earthquakes ahead at 15 minutes to time. Sacramento put themselves further under the gun late, as Chad Bartlome put his team down by picking up a second yellow. The Republic couldn’t recover, setting up their MLS counterparts to either host the USASA’s PSA Elite, or travel to take on the Sounders. MATCH REPORT [+]

2014 US Open Cup Round 4: New York Cosmos dominate Red Bulls in long-awaited Gotham Derby (video)

June 15, 2014 by Michael Anderer

Red Bulls manager Mike Petke downplayed the importance and significance of the Fourth Round US Open Cup match-up against the New York Cosmos since the potential meeting was announced. Contrarily, the entire Cosmos organization approached the game as the biggest game to date, since the team re-joined the NASL last fall. A quick glance at the stat sheet and it’s easy to see which approach was more effective.

The Cosmos out-shot the Red Bulls 21-3 on route to a dominant 3-0 win in front of an energized crowd of 9,364 at Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University. The Cosmos jumped out to an early lead of what head coach Giovanni Savarese described as a clinical finish by Mads Stokkelien in the 8th minute.

The teams would share possession for the remainder of the first half, but the Cosmos would have the better of the chances putting shots wide and even one off the crossbar. An early yellow card in the 22nd minute on Ibrahim Sekagaya was the clearest sign of the Red Bull frustration. The teams would go into halftime with Cosmos leading 1-0.

Mads Stokkelien scored two goals for the New York Cosmos in their 3-0 win over the New York Red Bulls. Photo: New York Cosmos

In the end, the Cosmos’ energy and tenacity would prove to be too much for the Red Bulls. The Cosmos would add two goals in the 73rd (Stokkelien) and 78th (Noselli) minutes to cap a dominating performance. The strong midfield play of Danny Szetela and Joseph Nane exemplified the Cosmos game plan of playing hard, strong and fast. The shutout was the first for the Cosmos and goalkeeper Jimmy Mauer in US Open Cup.

The frustration of the Red Bulls came to a boil in the 87th minute when defender Chris Duvall came in hard and late on Cosmos Sebastian Guenzatti. Duvall was shown a straight red card for the challenge. It would take Head Referee Kevin Terry and his team a few minutes to settle down both teams before play could resume.

After the game the Cosmos’ Savarese described the dominant performance as the best complete game that the team has played to date. He added, “We take the US Open Cup very seriously and we feel that we are contenders. We know that we will face a lot of challenges along the way and tonight was one of those challenges.”

The Cosmos now await the winner of the Fourth Round game between the Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) and the Philadelphia Union (MLS).

Michael Anderer writes for Soccer Long Island Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @SoccerLImag.

HIGHLIGHTS: NEW YORK COSMOS 3, NEW YORK RED BULLS 0

FULL MATCH REPLAY: NY COSMOS 3:0 NY RED BULLS

2014 US Open Cup Round 4: Carolina RailHawks oust Chivas USA again as rookie GK plays hero in PK shootout (video)

June 15, 2014 by Neil Morris

Scott Goodwin of the Carolina RailHawks makes a kick-save on Marco Delgado of Chivas USA in what would prove to be the deciding save in the PK shootout. Photo: Carolina RailHawks — Scott Goodwin of the Carolina RailHawks makes a kick-save on Marco Delgado of Chivas USA in what would prove to be the deciding stop in the PK shootout. Photo: Carolina RailHawks

In soccer, it’s commonly called a penalty shootout. However, the Laws of the Game officially refer to the tiebreaker as “kicks from the penalty mark.” Regardless of the moniker, it’s a construct that’s long been the subject of intense fan debate. Some decry it as a contrived method to determine the winner of a hard-fought match, something akin to deciding a basketball game by shooting free throws or an American football contest by alternating 30-yard field goal attempts.

Others point out that after 120 minutes of exhausting play between teams allowed only three substitutions all game, you have to do something to crown a winner when necessary other than an exercise in last man standing. Moreover, kicks from the mark aren’t simply a matter of shooting from close range into an empty net. Yes, the kick taker has a significant advantage. But he must also overcome fatigue, nerves and an agile goalkeeper looming between ball and net.

Kicks from the penalty mark were taken Saturday night between the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks and Chivas USA of Major League Soccer to decide their fourth round tie in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. On one side was Dan Kennedy, the veteran Chivas USA goalkeeper and team captain now in his 14th year with the MLS club. On the other side was Scott Goodwin, the RailHawks’ 23-year-old backup goalkeeper making only his second start since joining the club this season. Goodwin, a former UNC Tar Heel standout, spent last year playing soccer in Iceland before latching onto the RailHawks’ squad.

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But, after a “shootout” that saw Goodwin make three saves, Kennedy make two, and both teams convert only five of their combined 14 kick attempts, a successful conversion by Daniel Jackson gave the RailHawks a win over Chivas USA 1-1 (3-2 shootout) to advance to the fifth round of the U.S. Open Cup.

The win also extends the RailHawks’ home unbeaten streak to 22 games in all competitions.

As expected, the RailHawks ran out a full-strength side against their MLS opponent. The huge exception, of course, was Goodwin, who learned only two days prior to Saturday’s match that he would start in place of injured starting goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald. Indeed, according to RailHawks manager Colin Clarke, Fitzgerald might miss the next six weeks of action due to a thumb injury suffered last week during training.

On the other hand, Chivas USA sat out several of their best-known starters, including Carlos Bocanegra and Mauro Rosales. Erick Torres, the team’s leading goalscorer and the third-ranked scorer in MLS, did not start but eventually entered the match in the 77th minute. Chivas was also without the services of Marvin Chavez and Oswaldo Minda, each of whom was called up by his respective country’s FIFA World Cup team.

However, Chivas did start a number of regulars, including Kennedy, Eric Avila, Agustin Pelletieri and Bobby Burling. The remainder of the starting XI, however, comprised irregular starters in need of playing time and a chance to make an impression on manager Wilmer Cabrera.

After several minutes of uncertainty to start the game, it was the RailHawks that first found their offensive rhythm. The attacking quartet of Mike Grella, Zack Schilawski, Ty Shipalane and Cesar Elizondo found running and passing lanes in the attacking third. However, their final touch and finishing proved elusive.

An apparent Schilawski goal in the 20th minute was discarded for offside. In the 27th minute, Chivas forward Leandro Barrera found himself behind the RailHawks backline but onside. However, his 1v1 clash with Goodwin ended with the keeper parrying Barrera’s shot away.

The Carolina RailHawks eliminated Chivas USA for the second time in three years at WakeMed Soccer Park. Photo: Carolina RailHawks

Carolina struck first in the 29th minute. Some nice link-up play by the RailHawks ended with Schilawski on the end of pass into the box from Nazmi Albadawi. Schilawski depositing the ball past Kennedy for a 1-0 lead.

“Really good pass from Naz,” Schilawski said. “He made it look easier than it was. Instead of playing a through ball he played it right to my feet so I could take a touch past the defender, and I was able to finish.”

However, as the first half wore on the RailHawks appeared fatigued and their play became nervy. That resulted in a Chivas USA goal in the 40th minute. A defensive miscue by the RailHawks allowed forward Ryan Finley to get on the end of delivery from Tony Lochhead. Finley headed the ball past a helpless Goodwin to even the count at 1-1 entering halftime.

In the second half, Chivas USA solved the problem of Carolina’s opening offensive lanes.

“We understood we were putting good pressure and blocking out wide,” Cabrera said. “But through the middle they were penetrating. So in the second half we closed the line, especially in the middle with our midfielders.”

The adjustment succeeded, as the RailHawks conjured only a single shot on target for the remainder of the match. Meanwhile, Chivas USA controlled possession and the shot count (24 to 10 for the match). But, stout defending by Carolina’s entire back line complimented some tremendous play from Goodwin.

RailHawks manager Colin Clarke made several key decision during the latter stages of regulation and during overtime. His first substitution in the 71st minute was to bring in Jackson for Shipalane, the RailHawks late-game hero of several past Open Cup matches who, in fairness, didn’t look terribly effective beyond the first half. Clarke then removed Elizondo for Enzo Martinez in the 98th minute.

“I thought (Ty) had a tough night against them,” Clarke said. “I thought they did a good job closing him down. Cesar had a little bit more joy against them, but I just decided to bring fresh legs on in those positions to see if we could get at them a little more.”

Aside from their potent wingers, however, Carolina failed to muster many offensive opportunities in the 30 minutes of overtime. The only shot on target came in the 106th, when a meek boot in the box from Grella was easily gathered by Kennedy.

It fell to Goodwin and his back line to hold the Red-and-White at bay. By the end of 120 minutes, Goodwin had amassed a whopping 11 saves against the MLS visitors.

And that’s when the fun really began.

In addition to his 3 saves in the deciding penalty kick shootout, Scott Goodwin of the Carolina RailHawks made 11 saves and gave up one goal in 120 minutes against Chivas USA. Photo: Carolina RailHawks

The kicks from the marks were taken toward the north end of the stadium into the teeth of a throng of RailHawks partisans. Nevertheless, Chivas took the early advantage after Albadawi’s first attempt for Carolina caromed off the post. After Eriq Zavaleta skied Chivas’ third attempt over the goal and Kennedy saved Carolina’s third kick taken by Kupono Low, Chivas held a 2-1 advantage.

Kennedy then took Chivas’ fourth attempt. It wasn’t the keeper’s first kick from the spot—he scored a goal on a true penalty kick against the Los Angeles Blues during last year’s US Open Cup. However, this year the vet’s boot was blocked by Goodwin. After Schilawski buried his attempt, Goodwin then stoned an attempt by Avila.

Martinez—Goodwin’s teammate on the 2011 NCAA champion UNC Tar Heels—then squandered a chance to secure a RailHawks victory when he screwed his attempt wide right.

After Kristopher Tyrpak missed Chivas’ sixth attempt, late-substitute Aaron King’s chance to win the match for Carolina was blocked by Kennedy.

To open the seventh frame, Goodwin thwarted the attempt by Marco Delgado, Goodwin’s third save of the shootout. The third time also proved a charm for Carolina, as Jackson calmly converted his kick to clinch the RailHawks’ win.

“After some great soccer all day long on TV and then to come out and see a game like that sort of tops them all,” said an elated Clarke. “I thought the boys showed a lot of character and hung in there, and it came down to PKs. It’s never easy, a little bit of a lottery. Looked for a time like nobody wanted to win it.”

As opposed to those harboring pregame trepidation about Goodwin’s appearance in place of Fitzgerald (a group including yours truly), Clarke said he never held any doubt.

“We had Scott in last year for a little bit. We tried to sign him, but he decided he wanted to play abroad and experience that for a year. So we kept in touch with him. He’s a great keeper; you speak with anybody when he was in college … All his hard work has paid off.”

The RailHawks’ next match will be Tuesday, June 24 in the Fifth Round. The RailHawks will face the winner of the June 18 game between the LA Galaxy and Arizona United SC. Should Carolina face LA, it will be the third straight year Carolina has hosted the Galaxy in Open Cup competition.

Neil Morris writes for indyweek.com and you can follow him on Twitter @ByNeilMorris

HIGHLIGHTS: CAROLINA RAILHAWKS 1:1 (3:2 PKs) CHIVAS USA

2014 US Open Cup Round 4: Atlanta Silverbacks earn first MLS upset, stun Real Salt Lake with late goal (video)

June 15, 2014 by Laura Taylor

The NASL’s Atlanta Silverbacks overcame a shaky start to dominate and defeat Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake 2-1 in the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. For the Silverbacks, it was their first-ever upset of an MLS team, and earning them their first trip beyond Round 4.

On a night of firsts, the Silverbacks welcomed an MLS side to Silverbacks Park for the first time in team history on a humid night in the Peach State. Real Salt Lake, last year’s Open Cup runner-up, currently sitting in second place in MLS’ Western Conference, came into the game missing a number of key players, most notably, US Men’s National Team players Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman. On the other side of the pitch, the Silverbacks first-choice goalkeeper Eric Ati was on the bench with an injury sustained in the team’s last match.

This change would lead directly to RSL’s first goal. Starting ‘keeper Derby Carrillo went to kick away a harmless, bouncing ball at the top of the 18 but missed horribly and RSL’s Robbie Findley was able to walk the ball to goal to give RSL a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute.

Though the goal put the Silverbacks in a hole, it allowed the home team to relax and have the better possession in the 10 minutes after the tally. Atlanta kept up the pressure and in the 23rd minute was nearly rewarded with a goal, only to see the Jaime Chavez header called back for offside. Chavez nearly found the net a minute later with another strong header that just sailed over the bar.

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Notable upsets/facts about Round 4

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