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Spanish Flu, severe weather, Olympic Games: 2020 US Open Cup isn’t first tournament to be delayed

April 3, 2020 by Chuck Nolan Jr.

Snowy conditions, seen in this 1956 First Round game between Harmarville and Cecil, is what many teams had to play through in order to keep the Open Cup on schedule in the past. Photo: National Soccer News

With the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear when, or if, the tournament will be played this year. If the 2020 edition is indeed called off, it will be the first time since the tournament’s inaugural year in 1913 that it will go unplayed. Currently, the US Open Cup is the second-oldest continually-operating cup competition in the world, behind only Northern Ireland’s Irish Cup which started in 1881.

However, this is neither the first nor longest delay the Open Cup has experienced in its 106-year history. The start of the 1919 competition was set back nearly a month when the Spanish Flu pandemic swept through the country. Many times play has been stopped anywhere from two to four months due to winter weather conditions making games unplayable. In 1948, it took 11 months to complete the tournament due to weather delays and the 1948 Summer Olympics.

For most of the Open Cup’s existence, the preliminary rounds of the tournament started in October with a planned Final in April or May. This meant playing games through the winter months, often on mud, snow, and ice-covered fields. Usually the only weather that would force the postponement of a cup game would be heavy snow or very cold temperatures, which could hold up the competition for multiple months.

While the Open Cup was able to overcome the longer delays of the past, the tournament also operated on a much more flexible time frame. If the final was pushed back well beyond the preferred calendar date, there was no real “or else” date for it to be played. Soccer in the United States used to run closer to the fall to spring schedule popular in Europe, and it moved to a spring to fall timeline in the late 1960s. Outside of lightning or heavy rain, there is not much during the spring and summer months that will cause a delay, and playing in the winter months in the northern half of the country is seen as out of the question.

The congestion of Major League Soccer and USL Championship league schedules play a factor in when the tournament can be played. In the past, Open Cup games were often given precedence over league games, where now the Open Cup game dates must be squeezed in to fit the league schedules. The Open Cup Final is almost always scheduled no later than September or October in order to not interfere with the MLS Cup playoffs.

MORE: A modest proposal: How to salvage 2020 US Open Cup amid coronavirus pandemic

The availability of players also depends on the calendar. Many teams from the NPSL and USL League Two rely on college players to fill their rosters, and due to NCAA rules these teams only have access to these players for a limited number of months. If the Open Cup were to fall too far behind schedule, these teams could lose the use of many of the players that make up their roster. However, since the start of the 2020 US Open Cup was pushed back to late March (the earliest start of the Modern Era), any team that relies on college players to fill out its roster wouldn’t have access to those players anyway.

Here are a few examples of long delays the Open Cup has faced in its history. While this is not a complete list, these are some of the more notable delays.

A cartoon about the impact of the Spanish Flu on the sports world from the Philadelphia Inquirer on Oct. 7, 1918

1918/1919: Spanish Influenza outbreak

Just as the 2020 edition is delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of 1919 tournament was set back by a pandemic, though only for a month.

A week before 12 matches were set to kick off the tournament on Oct. 20, 1918, the United States Football Association authorized postponing all the opening round games due to a new outbreak of the Spanish Flu.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "Champions" shirt, honoring the five clubs from the pre-Modern Era (1914-1994) to win four or more US Open Cup titles. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “Champions” shirt, honoring the five clubs from the pre-Modern Era (1914-1994) to win four or more US Open Cup titles. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

The deadly pandemic is believed to have gotten its start in United States military training camps in Kansas in April of 1918, and the deployment of those soldiers to Europe for World War I the following month allowed the virus to spread. In Sept. of 1918, a new outbreak was reported at Camp Devins outside of Boston, as well as a naval facility in Boston.

The flu spread quickly along the east coast, prompting recommendations against large gatherings in most cities. Many college football games in late October & early November were either played in empty stadiums or canceled outright.

The only areas deemed “safe” for large gatherings in late October were New York City and Connecticut, which allowed four cup games to be played on planned Oct. 20 start date. The 11 other opening round contests were completed in the following weeks, with Chicago’s Bricklayers & Masons’ 3-1 win over American Hungarian FC bringing a close to the first round three weeks after its planned completion.

In the end, the tournament was able to quickly regain its pace after the October delay, and, in the end, on April 19, 1919, the Bethlehem Steel defeated Paterson FC, 2-0, to win the club’s fourth National Challenge Cup title.

MORE: 1918/1919 National Challenge Cup Round 1: World War I, Spanish Flu cause chaos for tournament

MORE: Philadelphia soccer and the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic (Philly Soccer Page)

1943: Bad weather in Wisconsin

When Brooklyn Hispano defeated the Philadelphia Americans, 3-1, in the 1943 Eastern Final (National Semifinals) on March 14, the second round slate on the western side of the bracket had yet to be completed. A brutal Wisconsin winter pushed a pair of Second Round games from their scheduled December date all the way to April 4, 1943. Once spring temperatures thawed the Badger state, the Croatian Eagles were able to defeat Wacker FC, and Milwaukee side Falk Field Club overcame Schwaben AC from Chicago, 4-1.

Falk defeated the Eagles the following week to advance to an April 25 quarterfinal game with Chicago’s Sparta A & BA. The delays caused the Western final between Sparta and Western Pennsylvania’s Morgan Strasser to be played nearly two months after their Eastern counterparts. Brooklyn Hispano won the 1943 Open cup over Strasser on May 30, nearly three months after their game with the Americans.

1947: More bad weather and bad scheduling

Due to a combination of weather and scheduling delays, the 1947 US Open Cup did not wrap up until Sept. 7. At the time, it was the latest date on the calendar the Final had ever been played. It was also the third year in a row that the final was pushed to its latest ever finish, as the 1945 final took place in mid-June, and the 1946 Final did not kick off until July.

On April 2, Bill Graham of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that while the Western half of the tournament was moving on time, the East was badly delayed because of interference from “other competition”. While the West did not have nearly the number of entrants, the last of the 11 games in the First Round in the East did not wrap up until May 18, four months past the preferred time.

The American Soccer League’s Baltimore Americans were the first direct casualty of the delay. The Americans were forced to forfeit their first-round game to Baltimore amateur club Hasslinger SC when their playing field became unavailable due to the start of baseball season in May. Soon after, Detroit’s Pioneer Kickers forfeited their quarterfinal replay with Western Pennsylvania’s Curry in mid-May in order to focus on their North American Professional Soccer League schedule.

By June, the Eastern second round schedule had yet to be completed and the Baltimore SC Orioles joined the list of withdrawn teams. Kearny Scots and the Kearny Irish were scheduled to face each other on June 6, but decided to both withdraw, in protest of the method of drawing opponents.

By the time the United States Soccer Football Association (USSFA) convention took place in June, the Open Cup finalists had yet to be determined. The ongoing delay became a hot topic of discussion in the meeting of the Cup Committee, with some district representatives arguing that it was unreasonable to expect their teams to try and play important cup games in the winter months when bad weather made fields unplayable.

With Sparta and Ponta Delgada finally determined as Open Cup finalists at the end of June, yet another delay stopped the tournament’s completion. The USSFA agreed in December of 1946 to send a team to Cuba for the first-ever North American Football Confederation championship. Instead of putting together a team of players from across the country, the USSFA decided to send Ponta Delgada, the defending US Amateur Cup champions and the runner-up of the previous year’s Open Cup.

The NAFC tournament required Ponta to be in Cuba for two weeks, and the result may have caused Ponta to wish they stayed at home. Ponta lost the first game 5-0 to Mexico on July 13, and seven days later, they dropped their final game to Cuba 5-2 to finish last among the three teams.

Finally, on Aug. 31 the first leg of the Open Cup final between Sparta and Ponta Delgada was played at Tiverton, Rhode Island, which Ponta won 6-1. A week later in Chicago, Ponta claimed their first Open Cup title with a 3-2 win, erasing the disappointment a month earlier in Cuba. (NOTE: It would be a half century before a team from Massachusetts would lift the trophy again when the New England Revolution ended the drought with the 2007 US Open Cup championship)

A photo from the Capital Times (Madison, Wis.) from March 27, 1948

1948: Delayed by weather (again) and the Olympics

Bad weather once again wreaked havoc on the Eastern half of the Open Cup schedule in 1948, causing the First Round to stretch from Jan. 18 to Apr. 4. With just five teams in the Western half of the tournament proper, the Western Final was won by Simpkins Ford a mere month after the Eastern First Round was completed.

Headline in the Wisconsin State Journal – March 27, 1948

In an attempt to keep bad weather from delaying the tournament in the West, the Wisconsin State Soccer Association went to an unusual length to determine who would advance as Wisconsin’s representative. On Mar. 28, the Milwaukee Brewers were set to face Richard Rich Tigers in the Wisconsin final, but the game was put off by the same winter weather that had gripped Milwaukee for the past few months.

The winner was set to advance to the Illinois third round, who were waiting on the Wisconsin winner. Since the bad weather showed no sign of letting up, it was decided a coin flip would determine the winner. Richard Rich Tigers won the toss, and they may have regretted making the trip to Chicago. On April 4, the Tigers were hammered 10-1 by the Polish American AC (now AAC Eagles).

Since Brookhattan was tied up with the Lewis Cup Final (ASL league cup) in early May, in order to keep the Open Cup moving the USSFA decided to switch up the Eastern Third Round pairings. Instead of facing Brooklyn Hispano, Brookhattan were given a bye to the Fourth Round, and Hispano was set up to face German American Soccer League champion Elizabeth Sport Club (NJ). Elizabeth wound up upsetting Hispano 2-0 and would eventually be stopped in the Quarterfinals by Ponta Delgada, 2-0.

With five members of Simpkins Ford (St. Louis) named to the 1948 US Olympic Team, the date of the 1948 US Open Cup Final was pushed back until after the Olympics. Headline: Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Just as had happened the year before, the Final was set back by an international competition. Brookhattan finally were crowned Eastern champions with a 4-1 aggregate win over Ponta Delgada on June 20. Simpkins Ford had already been waiting six weeks since they defeated Castle Shannon in the Western Final on May 9. The plan was to stage the two legs of the Final on July 4 in St. Louis and July 11 in New York. That plan hit snag when Simpkins couldn’t find a suitable field to use.

Complicating matters was the fact that the US Olympic Soccer team was scheduled to leave for London on July 14, and five Simpkins players were on the team. On June 24, USSFA Vice President Walter Geisler announced that the Open Cup Final would be delayed until after the Olympics.

Unfortunately, the US Olympic soccer team found themselves on the wrong end of a disappointing result, just like Ponta Delgada the year before. The 1948 Olympic football tournament was a single elimination knockout, and after their original opponents withdrew (Portugal), the US wound up facing Italy in the opening round. The Americans were hammered 9-0 by an Italian team with many players from first and second division Italian clubs. The Olympic team stayed in Europe for another two weeks to play games against Northern Ireland (5-0 loss) and Norway (11-0 loss).

Finally, on Oct. 17, 1948, Brookhattan met Simpkins at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, eleven months after the tournament began in November of 1947. Simpkins won their first Open Cup championship in thrilling fashion, with Henry Merlo scoring in the 89th minute to push the home club past the visitors, 3-2. It was the first time a St. Louis team had lifted the trophy in 13 years.

The 1947/1948 tournament remains the longest lasting edition in the competition’s 106-year history. After 1948, the final would often be played in June or early July, but the tournament would not see another October final until 1996, when by then, the calendar for soccer in the United States started in March or April instead of September.

1965: Midwest matches once again delayed by weather

While three of the four teams for the Western semifinals had been determined by February, Chicago’s qualifying would be stuck in a holding pattern until April by winter weather. Once spring broke, Hansa defeated the Maroons 3-1 in the final Chicago quarterfinal game. Hansa would go on defeat Schwaben 3-2 in extra time on May 2. The Western side of the bracket wound up a month behind the East.

That year, Hansa would go all the way to the Open Cup Final against New York Ukrainian on June 27 and July 4, falling 5-2 on aggregate, although the second leg went to extra time to break a 2-2 aggregate score.

Filed Under: Feature - History, Feature - Main, US Open Cup, US Open Cup History Tagged With: 2020 US Open Cup, Spanish Flu, US Open Cup History

US Open Cup history: A final four with teams without a title game appearance is rare

August 6, 2019 by Chuck Nolan Jr.

Madison Kennels and Sparta A&BA battle in the 1929 National Challenge Cup Semifinals. Newspaper archive: St. Louis Post Dispatch

The 2019 US Open Cup Semifinals offer up a fresh and unique field of potential champions. Not only have none of the remaining teams ever won a US Open Cup championship, but none of them have ever been to a Final either. This is just the second time this has happened since MLS joined the competition in 1996, and it’s just the 10th time in the 106-year history of the tournament that fans are not only guaranteed a first-time champion, but none of the semifinalists have even reached a Final before.

We take a look back at the previous nine Semifinals that featured teams all seeking their first Open Cup title.

1920 National Challenge Cup
Robins Dry Dock (New York, NY) vs. Fore River FC (Quincy, MA)
Ben Miller FC (St. Louis, MO) vs. Packard FC (Detroit, MI)

It’s no real surprise the 1920 Semifinals lacked teams with Finals experience, for many reasons. For the 1920 edition, there were many teams returning to the competition after a two-year absence. World War I enlistments had greatly reduced the field of teams for the 1918 and 1919 tournaments, as many teams had to suspend operations due to a lack of players. Detroit’s Packard FC was one of those clubs, having participated in the National Challenge Cup from 1915-17, the club skipped the 1917-18 and 1918-19 competitions. Packard had achieved moderate success in their previous cup runs, but never got as far as the Third Round.

Fore River avoided the fate of many clubs and were able to field a team through the war since it’s home base of Quincy, Mass. was home to several shipyards, becoming an important employer during the war years. The Quincy shipbuilders had reached the Quarterfinals in 1919, where they fell to eventual runners-up Paterson FC (New Jersey) 2-1, in a replay of their scoreless draw.

Jimmy Miller of Ben Miller FC (Date unknown)
Jimmy Miller of Ben Miller FC (Date unknown)

The 1920 tournament was just the second for Robins Dry Dock, as the team was put together at the start of the 1918-19 season. The Robins club also contributed to the inexperience of the Semifinals by eliminating the Fall River Rovers (4-0 in Round 4) and Bethlehem Steel (1-0 AET in Quarterfinals). Bethlehem had appeared in the previous five Cup finals, while Fall River joined the Steelmen in the title game from 1915-17. The elimination of these two powerhouses greatly increased the chance of new clubs reaching the final in 1920.

 

The final piece of the puzzle was the Ben Miller FC from St. Louis. 1920 was the first year that clubs from St. Louis entered the tournament, leading to the Gateway City becoming a dominant force in the national tournament for the next 17 years.

In the Semifinals, Fore River overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to stage a dramatic 2-1 win over Robins, with Tommy Underwood and Jack Kershaw each scoring in the final 15 minutes. Ben Miller reached its maiden cup final with a 4-2 win over Packard FC. Rube Potee and Larry Riley each scored twice for the Millers. In the Final, at Handlan’s Park in St. Louis, Ben Miller and Fore River traded goals in the first half, Hap Marre for the home team and Kershaw for the visitors. Future National Soccer Hall of Famer Jimmy Dunn scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 63rd minute, giving St. Louis the National Challenge Cup crown in their debut year.

1920 National Challenge Cup Semifinals

April 10, 1920
Coats Field – Pawtucket, RI

Fore River Rovers 2:1 Robins Dry Dock

Robins: Harry Ratican – 45’
Fore River: Tommy Underwood (Farquar) – 75’
Fore River – Jack Kershaw (Underwood) – 85’

April 25, 1920
Federal League Park – St. Louis, MO

Ben Miller FC 4:2 Packard FC

Ben Miller: Rube Potee (PK) – 8’
Ben Miller: Larry Riley (Rooney) – 10’
Packard: Mercer – 30’
Packard: John Hunter – 43′
Ben Miller: Larry Riley (Rooney) – 68’
Ben Miller: Rube Potee – 2nd Half

1920 National Challenge Cup Final

May 9, 1920
Handlan’s Park – St. Louis, MO

Ben Miller FC 2:1 Fore River Rovers

Ben Miller: Hap Marre 22′ (Potee)
Fore River: Jack Kershaw 37′
Ben Miller: Jimmy Dunn 63′ (Potee)

***********************************

1925 National Challenge Cup Semifinals
Abbot Worsted (Fore Village, MA) vs. Shawsheen Indians (Andover, MA)
Thistles FC (Cleveland, OH) vs. Canadian Club (Chicago, IL)

The 1925 National Challenge Cup Eastern Final. Newspaper archive: Boston Globe
The 1925 National Challenge Cup Eastern Final. Newspaper archive: Boston Globe

If there ever was a tournament of underdogs, it was the 1925 National Challenge Cup. Not because of any overachieving clubs, but rather a lack of heavyweights in the field. Frustrated with how the tournament was being run, the owners of the American Soccer League teams decided to boycott the 1925 competition. One concern raised by the owners was the fact that their clubs were forced to play early round games against amateur clubs, in which the gate receipts sometimes did not cover the cost of travel if the ASL teams were drawn away. Perhaps the biggest issue for the owners was the 33 1/3% cut the USFA took from the gate receipts from each cup game. The four professional clubs from St. Louis also joined in the boycott, leaving the 1925 National Challenge Cup devoid of all the major contenders.

Abbot Worsted, sponsored by the Abbot Worsted Yarn Company of Fore Village, MA was easily the most experienced team among the semifinalists. Worsted reached the semifinals in 1922, and notched quarterfinal appearances in 1923 and 1924. The Shawsheen Indians of Andover, MA were a familiar opponent for Worsted, as the clubs met in the first round in 1924. After a 3-3 draw, Worsted eliminated Shawsheen two weeks later in the replay, 3-1. A year later, it was Shawsheen’s turn, as the Indians took a 2-0 lead through goals from Peter Purden and Alex Carrie in each half. Worsted’s Dan Cummings scored with two minutes remaining, but it was too late to catch the winners.

Chicago’s Canadian Club and Cleveland’s Thistles FC had a closer affair at DePaul Field in the Windy City. Thistles’ Swede Johnson scored in the 40th minute, but the Canadians answered two minutes later through a Bob Hannah penalty kick. With eight minutes remaining, Joe Phillips put the Canadians on top for good, 2-1.

Played at Mark’s Stadium, home of the boycotting Fall River Marksmen, the 1925 Cup Final was a dismal affair at the gate. Only 2,300 turned up, with a reported 953 paid. In contrast, the Boston Wonder Workers of the ASL and St. Louis’ Ben Miller FC played a three-game “American Professional Soccer Championship” series that drew 18,000 fans over three games. Back in Fall River, with goals from Edmund Smith, Peter Purden and Alex Carrie, Shawsheen lifted the Dewar trophy for the only time.

The new champs then achieved their overall goal of being included in the American Soccer League, but their story would not have a happy ending. The team struggled in league play, and in mid-season the teams’ backers, the American Woolen Company, pulled their support after company owner William Wood died. The team finished 10th out of 12 teams in the 1925-26 season and ceased operations in March of 1926.

1925 National Challenge Cup Semifinals

March 22, 1925
DePaul Field – Chicago, IL

Canadian Club 2:1 Thistles FC

Thistles: Swede Johnson 40′
Canadian Club: Bob Hannah 42′ (PK)
Canadian Club: Joe Phillips 82’

April 4, 1925
Balmoral Park  – Andover, MA

Shawsheen Indians 2:1 Abbot Worsted

Shawsheen: Peter Purden 17’ (PK)
Shawsheen: Alex Carrie (2nd half)
Abbot Worsted: Dan Cummings 88’

1925 National Challenge Cup Final

April 19, 1925
Mark’s Stadium, Tiverton, RI

Shawsheen Indians 3:0 Canadian Club

Shawsheen: Edmund Smith (Blyth) 35′
Shawsheen: Peter Purden (PK) 41′
Shawsheen: Alex Carrie 50′

Madison Kennels and Sparta A&BA battle in the 1929 National Challenge Cup Semifinals. Newspaper archive: St. Louis Post Dispatch
Madison Kennels and Sparta A&BA battle in the 1929 National Challenge Cup Semifinals. Newspaper archive: St. Louis Post Dispatch

1929 National Challenge Cup Semifinals
Sparta A & BA (Chicago, IL) vs. Madison Kennels (St. Louis, MO)
New York Giants (New York, NY) vs. Hakoah All Stars (New York, NY)

Just four years after the ASL and St. Louis pro clubs skipped the 1925 National Challenge Cup, the ASL once again skipped the competition. This time the St. Louis pro clubs did not join.

The rift began when the ASL owners looked to break away from the United States Soccer Football Association. In 1927, the league came under scrutiny from FIFA for poaching players from Great Britain, and the ASL owners did not agree with the limitations set by the USFA to satisfy FIFA. In retaliation, the ASL forbid its teams from entering the 1929 National Challenge Cup, but Bethlehem Steel, Newark Skeeters and the New York Giants broke ranks with the league and entered the Cup anyway. The ASL suspended the three teams, and in turn the USFA suspended the ASL. The three renegade teams joined five teams from the Southern New York Soccer Association’s Eastern Soccer League, while the remaining ASL clubs played on as an outlaw league. With that said, the previous two Cup champions, Fall River Marksmen (1927) and New York Nationals (1928) were out of the running for the 1929 title.

However, Bethlehem Steel wouldn’t be one of the teams representing the ESL in the semifinals, having been eliminated by the New York Giants in the Quarterfinals.  The Giants’ semifinal opponents were the Hakoah All Stars, also of the ESL. Hakoah was founded in the fall of 1928 by several former players from Hakoah Vienna. The Austrian club came to the United States for a tour in 1926, and several of the players decided to stay in the United States. Several of those players played for the Giants from 1926-28 before forming their own team. In front of 12,000 fans at Brooklyn’s Dexter Park, a 78th minute goal from Hungarian international Josef Eisenhoffer was just enough for Hakoah to edge the Giants and earn a sport in the Final.

In the Western final, two new teams from familiar locations squared off. St. Louis’ Madison Kennels were a “new” club in the St. Louis Pro League for the 1928-29 season, having changed sponsors when the Morgan Haulers were sold to new owners. Madison knocked off 1926 Cup champions Ben Miller FC in the first round and made their way to the semifinals as the latest threat from St. Louis. Their opponents were Sparta Athletic and Benevolent Association (A & BA for short). Founded in 1915 by Czech immigrants, the club made their debut in the Cup in 1922, and by 1927 became one of the strongest clubs in the west.

The game at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis featured 11 goals in total. Madison took a quick 2-0 lead in the first ten minutes, and by halftime held a 4-2 advantage. Sparta and Madison alternated goals in the second half until the score was 5-4, but Madison eventually pulled away with two late goals for a 7-4 victory. Madison’s Buddy Grennon had a hat trick and assisted on two other goals.

The 1929 Final made history on many levels. It was the first Final to be scheduled for multiple games, a best-of-three format replacing the single game championship. The tournament’s attendance record also fell, as an estimated 15,000 (13,937 paid) fans witnessed the first game at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, setting a new mark for soccer in that city.  Madison held off Hakoah for most of the game, but in the 80th minute Josef Eisenhoffer broke through for the first score. Two minutes later, Siegfried Wortmann doubled Hakoah’s lead for a 2-0 win in the first leg.

A week later, 21,583 fans packed Dexter Park in Brooklyn for the second leg, an Open Cup Final attendance record that would stand until the 2010 Final in Seattle which saw a crowd of 31,311. Madison proved no match for Hakoah, as future US National Team manager Erno Schwarz, Max Gruenwald and Austrian international Mortiz Haeusler provided the home side with a 3-0 win and a National Challenge Cup title. The Hakoah squad would stay together until the collapse of the original ASL in the summer of 1933, but never reach the heights of an Open Cup championship again.

1929 National Challenge Cup Semifinals

March 17, 1929
Sportsman’s Park – St. Louis, MO

Madison Kennels 7:4 Sparta A & BA

Madison: Dinty Moore (Hanson) 1’
Madison: Johnny Worden (Oster) 8’
Sparta: Joe Kratochvil (Karbec) 18’
Madison: Buddy Grennon (Flavin) 1st half
Madison: Buddy Grennon (Hanson) 31’
Sparta: Adolph Berger (PK) 44’
Sparta: Adolph Berger (Karbec) 65′
Madison: Charley Oster (Grennon) 2nd half
Sparta: Charley Oster (Own goal) 2nd half
Madison: Eddie Flavin (Grennon) 2nd half
Madison: Buddy Grennon (Flavin) 88’

March 24, 1929
Dexter Park – Brooklyn, NY

Hakoah All Stars 1:0 New York Giants

Hakoah: Josef Eisenhoffer 78’

1929 National Challenge Cup Final

First Leg
March 31, 1929
Sportsman’s Park – St. Louis, MO

Madison Kennels 0:2 Hakoah All Stars

Hakoah: Josef Eisenhoffer (Nicholsburger) 80′
Hakoah: Siegfried Wortmann 82′

Second Leg
April 7, 1929
Dexter Park – Brooklyn, NY

Hakoah All Stars 3:0 Madison Kennels

Hakoah: Erno Schwarz (Gruenwald) 22′
Hakoah: Max Gruenwald (Haeusler) 50′
Hakoah: Moritz Haeusler (Gruenwald) 70’

***********************************

1941 National Open Cup Semifinals
German Hungarian SC (New York, NY) vs. Pawtucket SC (Pawtucket, RI)
Chrysler (Detroit, MI) vs. Gallatin-Dunlevy (Pittsburgh, PA)

By 1941, the landscape of American soccer had changed drastically. Ravaged by the effects of the Great Depression, the American Soccer League was forced to fold in the spring of 1933 and re-emerge as a semi-pro circuit by the fall. Teams from Philadelphia and Baltimore joined the league, and the New England teams had their own division with a separate schedule. Former cup champions such as Bethlehem Steel, Fall River Marksmen and New York Nationals faded away into history.

After the Stix, Baer & Fuller dynasty ended in 1938, St. Louis’ dominance of the Cup came to an abrupt halt and wouldn’t re-emerge until the 1950s. Teams from Detroit, Chicago and Western Pennsylvania filled the void in the west. With World War II looming on the horizon, only 71 clubs put their names in the hat, and the entry total would not surpass 100 clubs again until 1947. No teams from St. Louis even entered the 1941 Open Cup. On top of this, Philadelphia’s Passon SC was the only non-New England ASL club to enter, meaning none of the ASL teams that made Finals appearances in the past five years were in contention.

With most of the ASL clubs out of the competition, the door was open for teams from the German American Soccer League (GASL). The German Hungarian SC made their way to the Semifinals to represent the GASL and found themselves opposing the top club in the New England division of the ASL, Pawtucket FC. The New York amateurs proved to be no match for Pawtucket, as the ASL pros took the first leg 3-0 at Pawtucket and left Starlight Park in the Bronx with a 5-1 win in the second leg for an 8-1 aggregate victory.

In the Western half of the semifinals, Western Pennsylvania’s Gallatin-Dunlevy was making the most of an unusual partnership. At the start of the 1940-41 season, the managers of the two clubs agreed to combine their teams in order to field a contender in both cup and league play. Gallatin reached the National Amateur Cup final in 1939, but neither club had seen much success in the Open Cup. Detroit’s Chrysler SC had been participating in the Cup since 1934 but had only recently found success, reaching the Quarterfinals in 1940. Chrysler prevailed in convincing fashion over two legs, a 3-1 win at Bridgeville, Pa. followed by a 2-0 triumph at home. Having failed in their bid to win a league or cup championship, Gallatin and Dunlevy went their separate ways the following season.

The Pawtucket-Chrysler final turned out to be one of the more thrilling championships in the history of the Cup. Pawtucket won the first leg at home 4-2 on May 5. In the second leg a week later in Detroit, Chrysler held a 3-0 lead in the second half, and just as Detroit looks to claim its first Open cup title, Ed Valentine scored for Pawtucket to even the aggregate score at 5-5. Pawtucket dominated the 30 minutes of extra time, scoring three goals to push the aggregate to 8-5 to claim the Open Cup. Chrysler would only last one more season, disbanding after a lengthy and bitter controversy with Chicago’s Sparta A & BA in the 1942 tournament.

1941 National Open Cup Semifinals

Eastern Final – First Leg
April 13, 1941
Coats Field – Pawtucket, RI

Pawtucket Rangers 3:0 German Hungarian SC

Pawtucket: Ed Valentine – 1st half
Pawtucket: Dave McEwan (Florie) – 67’
Pawtucket: Walter Dick – 86’

Eastern Final – Second Leg

April 20, 1941
Starlight Park – Bronx, NY

German Hungarian SC 1:5 Pawtucket Rangers

German Hungarian: Eddie Zbuchalski
Pawtucket: Ed Valentine
Pawtucket: Ed Valentine
Pawtucket: Mino Rebello
Pawtucket: Walter Dick

Pawtucket Rangers advance on 8-1 aggregate

Western Final – First Leg

April 6, 1941
Charleroi Stadium – Bridgeville, PA

Gallatin-Dunlevy 1:3 Chrysler FC

Chrysler: Tony Barra (Campbell) 20′
Gallatin-Dunlevy: Charley Lyons (Chislagi) – 23’
Chrysler: George Borg – 53′
Chrysler: Neil Campbell – 88′

Western Final – Second Leg

April 13, 1941
Chrysler Field – Detroit, MI

Chrysler FC 2:0 Gallatin-Dunlevy

Chrysler: John Lenard – 40′
Chrysler: Neil Campbell (Borg) – 81′

Chrysler FC advance on 5-1 aggregate

 

1941 National Challenge Cup Final

First Leg
May 4, 1941
Coats Field – Pawtucket, RI

Pawtucket Rangers 4:2 Chrysler SC

Pawtucket: Mike Souza – 3′
Chrysler: Tommy Ferrans (PK) – 1st Half
Pawtucket: Ed Valentine (Florie) – 1st Half
Pawtucket: Walter Dick – 1st Half
Chrysler: Tony Barra – 2nd Half
Pawtucket: Dave McEwan – 2nd Half

Second Leg
May 11, 1941
Chrysler Field – Detroit, MI

Chrysler S.C. 3:4 (AET) Pawtucket Rangers
(3-1 FT, aggregate 5-5 after full time)

Chrysler: Neil Campbell (Molly) – 1st Half
Chrysler: John Lenard (Molly) – 2nd Half
Chrysler: Tony Barra – 2nd Half
Pawtucket: Ed Valentine (McEwan) – 90’
Pawtucket: Dave McEwan (Anderson) – 97′
Pawtucket: Tommy Florie (Quinn) – 114’
Pawtucket: Dave McEwan – 119′

Pawtucket Rangers win National Challenge Cup 8-5 aggregate

***********************************

1958 National Challenge Cup Semifinals
UASC Lions (Chicago, IL) vs. Los Angeles Kickers (Los Angeles, CA)
Pompei SC (Baltimore, MD.) vs. Beadling (Beadling, PA)

Like the other Semifinals detailed so far, the 1958 National Open Cup final four featured four teams who had little previous success in the tournament or were newcomers to the competition. In addition to that, three of the heavyweight Cup contenders, Eintracht, Kutis and Harmarville, were eliminated ahead of the semis.

A scene from the 1958 National Open Cup Final between the Los Angeles Kickers and Pompei SC of Baltimore. Newspaper archive: Baltimore Sun
A scene from the 1958 National Open Cup Final between the Los Angeles Kickers and Pompei SC of Baltimore. Newspaper archive: Baltimore Sun

The Los Angeles Kickers got their start in 1951, but the teams from the state of California did not see Open cup action until 1954. The exclusion of California clubs in the cup prior to 1954 was largely a matter of travel costs, as commercial air travel was still in its infancy, and traveling to the west coast by train would take too much time. The LA Scots (1952) and McIlwaine Canvasbacks (1953) each had intentions of making their cup debuts before 1954, but both withdrew for financial reasons. In 1954, both Los Angeles and San Francisco held qualifying tournaments with the winners playing for a spot in the Semifinals. The Kickers dismantled AAC Teutonia 13-2 over two legs to reach the 1958 Semifinals.

The UASC Lions (Ukrainian American Soccer Club) were also a relatively new club, having been founded in 1949. The Lions cleared the path to its maiden semifinal berth by upsetting Kutis SC (St. Louis) 4-3 on aggregate over two legs in the Quarterfinals. In the matchup with the Kickers in Los Angeles, the Lions wilted in the 90 degree heat and fell 3-0. Future US international Willie Carson, Future US international and Hall of Famer Al Zerhusen and Pete Rumohr scored for Los Angeles.

Pompei SC began as the Baltimore Rockets in 1953 as a new American Soccer League club and changed its name to Pompei for the 1957-58 season. As the Rockets, the team found no real Open Cup success, but with the new name came new fortunes. Pompei outlasted perennial favorite Sport Club Eintracht (New York, NY) in a 9-8 aggregate Quarterfinal win. The second leg would go down as perhaps the longest game in US Open Cup history, as the teams played 180 minutes in an attempt to earn a semifinal berth. Bob Swinski put the game to rest with a 177th minute goal for Pompei.

MORE: 1958 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Baltimore’s Pompei SC wins one of the longest, greatest Cup games of all-time

By far the longest tenured of the four clubs was Beadling, having been founded in 1898. While Beadling only had two quarterfinal appearances (1951 & 1955) in the years leading up to 1958, the club won the 1954 National Amateur Cup and were runners-up in the 1958 edition. Their path to the final four was opened up by an early round upset of by Rochester’s Redmonds SC over 1956 Cup champion Harmarville. Wins over Buffalo’s Simon Pure and Detroit’s Ukrainian SC led to a two leg affair with Pompei. The first leg went Beadling’s way, as two goals from Jerry Bressanelli cancelled Bob Lezenski’s 11th minute goal for Pompei in a 2-1 win. In the return game in Baltimore, the home club came out on top 3-1 on two goals in each half from Ray Surrock, and an additional score from Ed DeFonso. George Watson converted a penalty for Beadling in the first half. It was the first finals appearance by a Baltimore team since 1940, when Baltimore SC and Chicago’s Sparta A & BA infamously could not decide a winner when the clubs could not come to terms on a tiebreaking third game.

In the final at Kirk Avenue Stadium in Baltimore, 4,500 fans witnessed Pompei and the LA Kickers battle into extra time to determine a winner. Willie Carson drew first blood for the Kickers in the 8th minute, but just eight minutes later Joe “JoJo” DeFonso scored what sounds like a bicycle kick to tie the score. The Baltimore Sun described DeFonso’s goal as “a boot over his head with his back to the goal.” Neither team could score for the remaining 74 minutes, as each team’s leading scorers Al Zerhusen (Kickers) and Larry Surrock (Pompei) failed to find the net.  With ten minutes remaining in extra time Willie Carson struck again, pouncing on a rebound from a blocked shot to drive home the winning goal.

Pompei would go on to make one more quarterfinal appearance in 1960, but wound up folding early in the 1960-61 season. The Kickers would go on to win another Open Cup title in 1964 as the LA Kickers-Victoria after merging with the Victoria Soccer Club. The UASC Lions, Beadling and LA Kickers (now LA Soccer Club) are all still around today.

1958 National Open Cup Semifinals

Eastern Final – First Leg
May 4, 1958
Beadling, PA

Beadling 2:1 Pompei SC

Pompei: Bob Lezenski – 11′
Beadling: Jerry Beressanelli – 2nd Half
Beadling: Jerry Beressanelli – 2nd Half

Eastern Final – Second Leg
May 18, 1958
Kahler’s Park – Baltimore, MD

Pompei SC 3:1 Beadling

Pompei: Ray Surock – 33’
Beadling: George Watson (PK) – 1st Half
Pompei: Ed DeFonso (Cross) – 2nd Half
Pompei: Ray Surock – 78’

Western Final
April 20, 1958
Sentinel Field – Los Angeles, CA

LA Kickers 3:0 UASC Lions SC

Kickers: Willie Carson (Zerhusen) – 1st Half
Kickers: Pete Rumohr (Tyrell) – 2nd Half
Kickers: Al Zerhusen – 2nd Half

1958 National Open Cup Final

June 8, 1958
Kirk Avenue Stadium – Baltimore, MD

Pompei SC 1:2 (AET) LA Kickers

Kickers: Willie Carson – 8’
Pompei: Joe DeFonso – 16’
Kickers: Willie Carson – 110’

 

New York Hota from 1971

1971 National Open Cup Semifinals
Hamm’s (St. Louis, MO) vs. Yugoslav American SC (Los Angeles, CA)
Danube Swabian (Cleveland, OH) vs. New York Hota (New York, NY)

By 1971, the American soccer landscape had changed yet again. The North American Soccer League was in it’s fourth season, but despite pressure from the US Soccer Federation, the NASL clubs were not entering the Open Cup. By 1971, the ASL, which was down to five teams, had moved to a spring/summer schedule a few seasons prior. As a result, almost none of the ASL teams entered the cup because many of their players were cup-tied with clubs they played for in the fall/winter months.

One major difference separated this semifinal field from all the others covered here: Only one of the two semifinals games were played. The western half of the semifinals came down to Hamm’s of St. Louis and the Yugoslav American SC of Los Angeles. The game was set to be played in Los Angeles, and the controversy arose due to a change the USSF made during the offseason. Previously, it was up to the hosts to pay for the visiting team’s travel and lodging, and the change was made that required the visiting team to handle their own expenses or offer a guarantee, or the visiting team could offer a travel guarantee to host the match. The Hamm’s club took issue with this, and after going back and forth with the USSF, failed to appear at Rancho Cienega Stadium in Los Angeles on May 2, forfeiting the match to Yugoslav American.

New York Hota’s path to the Semifinals also featured a bit of controversy. In their 4-1 quarterfinal win over Taunton Sport, the Massachusetts side protested the eligibility of several of Hota’s players. Manager Gordon Bradley and five other players had played for the NASL’s New York Cosmos the day before in their season opener in St. Louis, then flew to Fall River, Mass. for the Open Cup game the next day. Taunton argued that the players could not be registered with two separate teams, thus making them ineligible. Hota argued that had the Open Cup not been behind schedule, the conflict would have been avoided.

The USSF ruled in favor of Hota and they were off to face another surprise semifinal entrant, Danube Swabian of Cleveland, who had upset the Ukrainian Nationals in the Quarterfinals with a 2-1 extra time win. The game was originally set to be played in Cleveland, but for unknown reasons was switched to Franklin Square. New York held a 2-0 lead on goals from John Delano and Karl Minor before Paulo Ramos scored for Swabian in the 75th minute. Five minutes later, Cosmos player Ceyhan Yazar put the game away for Hota by converting a penalty kick. The Clevelanders also protested the eligibility of the Cosmos players, to no avail.

The Final at Rancho Cienega Stadium in Los Angeles proved to be a wild affair and remains the highest-scoring Open Cup Final in history. The Yugoslavs opened the scoring through Jose Bergitas but was soon answered by Paul Delano of Hota. Bergitas scored once again for a 2-1 lead, but Hota drew level before halftime on a Horst Kneissl goal. Felipe Ruvalcaba put the Yugoslavs back in front in the 60th minute on a free kick, but with less than a minute remaining Karl Minor scored for Hota to send the game into extra time.

Two minutes into the extra session Randy Mitrovic put Hota ahead 4-3, and Minor netted his second to extend the lead to 5-3. Bergitas got his third goal of the game to give the Yugoslavs a glimmer of hope, but Kneissl put the game to rest with his second of the game for a 6-4 Hota victory.

1971 National Open Cup Semifinals

Eastern Final
May 3, 1971
Park Stadium – Franklin Square, NY

NY Hota 3:1 Danube Swabian

Hota: John Delano – 14′
Hota: Karl Minor – 66′
Hota: Ceyhan Yazar (PK) – 80′
Danube: Paulo Ramos – 75′

Western Final
May 2, 1971
Rancho Cienega Stadium – Los Angeles, CA

Yugoslav American SC vs. Hamm’s

Hamm’s forfeit, failed to appear

Hamm’s did not show for game against San Pedro because of no travel guarantee (for a traveling party of 18) to Hamm.

Yugoslav American refused a $2000 bid by Hamm’s to play in St. Louis

1971 National Open Cup Final
May 16, 1971
Rancho Cienega Stadium – Los Angeles, CA

Yugoslav American SC 4:6 (AET) NY Hota

Yugoslav: Jose Bergitas – 1st Half
Hota: Paul Delano – 1st Half
Yugoslav: Jose Bergitas – 1st Half
Hota: Horst Kneissl – 1st Half
Yugoslav: Felipe Ruvalcaba – 60’
Hota: Karl Minor – 90’
Hota: Randy Mitrovic – 92’
Hota: Karl Minor – Extra Time
Yugoslav: Jose Bergitas – Extra Time
Hota: Horst Kneissl – Extra Time

***********************************

1987 National Open Cup Semifinals
Mean Green (Dallas, TX) vs. Club Espana (Washington D.C.)
Mitre Eagles (Seattle, WA) vs. Busch Under-22 SC (St. Louis, MO)

By 1987, the Open Cup had been contested exclusively by amateur and semi-pro clubs for almost 15 years. The ASL folded in 1983 and the NASL followed in 1984, although the teams for each league began to skip the tournament in the early 1970s. Clubs from “non-traditional” areas of the nation such as Texas, Florida, and Washington rose to prominence in the Open Cup. Another new twist was that the USSF had begun to play all of its cup semifinals and finals on one central location, and for a few years that would be the St. Louis Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri.

This semifinal field included teams that had gone deep in the tournament before. The Mitre Eagles of Seattle, whose roster included a mix of former Settle Sounders and University of Washington players, made a few deep runs in the Open Cup prior to 1987. Starting with a quarterfinal appearance in 1982 when the team was known as Croatian SC. The Eagles followed up with quarterfinal runs in 1983, 1985 and 1986. Finally, in 1987, the team finally won the Region IV title with a 2-1 extra time win over San Francisco’s Greek American AC.

The Eagles opponents were another team that had some Open Cup success, sort of. The Busch Seniors Soccer Club had the bad luck to have to qualify from the same state as the powerful Kutis SC, who had made finals appearances in 1983, 1985 and 1986. The lone gap in that run was stopped by Busch with a 5-0 win in the Missouri qualifying final, although Busch fell in the national quarterfinals to eventual Open Cup runners-up Croatian SC of Chicago. In 1987, Busch would stop Kutis once again in the Missouri final, but it wasn’t the Seniors who took the honors, but Busch’s Under-22 team. The Seniors squad fell in the second round of qualifying, but the Busch-22s kept going. After nudging past Milwaukee Sport Club on penalties in the quarterfinals to set a date with the Mitre Eagles.

The game was a high-scoring, extra time affair, in which Busch tied the game on Steve Trittschuh’s 85th minute goal. They would rally from a 4-2 deficit in extra time to tie the game in the 118th minute on Kevin Hundelt’s second goal of the game. A minute later, John Klein scored his second goal of the game to send the Eagles to the Open Cup Final.

The other semifinal featured Mean Green a team from just outside of Dallas, who took their name from the University of North Texas, where many of the players played college soccer. The Mean Green started as an independent club in 1984 before joining the Lone Star Soccer Alliance in 1987. The team mad an immediate impact, winning the National Amateur Cup in 1984, and reaching the semifinals of the Open Cup in 1985.

Opposing them was Washington, D.C.’s Club Espana, the 1985 National Amateur cup champions and a team that had already made plans to join the third version of the American Soccer League in 1988 as the Washington Diplomats. The contest was all Espana, as two goals from Richard Burks and another from Fernando Iturbe sent the future pros to the final with a 3-0 win.

Despite coming from opposite sides of the country, Club Espana and Mitre Eagles were quite familiar with each other. The two teams previously met in the 1985 National Amateur Cup final that Espana won 2-1. In a nod to the club’s future, Espana wore their Washington Diplomats shirts for the game. Each team finished down a man as Abdulwhad Al-Khaldi (Espana) and Stephen Englebrick (Eagles) were sent off in the 54th minute. The teams pushed through regulation and extra time without a goal, the 75th edition of the Open Cup Final would be the first to finish scoreless, as well as the first final to be decided on penalty kicks. Espana only needed to convert on their first three shots, as the Eagles missed each of their attempts.

1987 National Open Cup Semifinals

June 20, 1987
St. Louis Soccer Park – Fenton, MO

Club Espana 3:0 Mean Green

Espana: Fernando Iturbe – 11′
Espana: Richard Burke (PK) – 55′
Espana: Richard Burke (PK) – 84’

Mitre Eagles 5:4 (AET) Busch U-22s

Eagles: John Klein – 1st Half
Eagles: Eddie Kruger – 1st Half
Busch: Unknown goalscorer – 1st Half
Busch: Steve Trittschuh – 85′
Eagles: Peter Klein – Extra Time
Eagles: Andy Churlin – Extra Time
Busch: Kevin Hundelt
Busch: Kevin Hundelt – 118’
Eagles: John Klein – 119’

*other goal times not available

1987 National Open Cup Final

June 21, 1987
St. Louis Soccer Park – Fenton, MO

Club Espana 0:0 (AET) Mitre Eagles

Club Espana wins National Open Cup, 3-0 on penalty kicks

 

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

1995 US Open Cup Semifinals
El Paso Patriots (El Paso, TX) vs. Seattle Sounders (Seattle, WA)
Richmond Kickers (Richmond, VA) vs. Chicago Stingers (Chicago, IL)

1996 US Open Cup Semifinals
Dallas Burn (Dallas, TX) vs. D.C. United (Washington D.C.)
Rochester Raging Rhinos (Rochester, NY) vs. Colorado Rapids (Denver, CO)

In 1995 and 1996 the US Open Cup underwent perhaps the most drastic change in its history. For the first time since 1973, teams from the top two professional leagues in the country entered the competition. For its entire existence, none of the NASL teams ever took part in the Open Cup, and the last confirmed entry of an American Soccer League club was in 1973.  Starting in 1991, teams from the newly-founded Southwest Independent Soccer League (later to become the USISL, and then the United Soccer Leagues), although teams from the American Professional Soccer League continued to skip the tournament until 1995.

With Major League Soccer’s debut season coming in 1996, the APSL (a Division 2 pro league known as the A-League at this point) entered the Open Cup in 1995, ready to clash with the up and coming USISL (Division 3 pro). All four quarterfinal matchups were A-League vs. USISL affairs, and the USISL emerged victorious in three of the games. For all four clubs it wasn’t just their debut in the semifinals, but their debut in the Open Cup as a whole.  The first contest took place on July 30 as the USISL’s El Paso Patriots played host to the Seattle Sounders, the last remaining A-League club. Playing in 103 degree heat, the Patriots’ Gabino Amparan scored the lone goal in the 36th minute to sweep away the Sounders and earn a spot in the final. A week later in Richmond, the amateur Richmond Kickers of the USISL Premier League (which later became the Premier Development League, and currently known as USL League Two), played host to the professional Chicago Stingers, both members of the USISL but in separate leagues.

Players from D.C. United celebrate the club's 1996 US Open Cup championship.
Players from D.C. United celebrate the club’s 1996 US Open Cup championship.

The Kickers got off to a quick start with an opening minute goal from Brian Kamler, but Chicago answered ten minutes later through Don D’Ambra. The Stingers went into halftime with a 2-1 lead thanks to a 38th minute penalty kick from Steve Morris. Ben Crawley and Scott Snyder struck for two quick goals for Richmond midway through the second half for a 3-2 lead, but Chicago tied the game yet again when D’Ambra scores his second in the 88th minute. With extra time looming, Richmond’s Rob Ukrop was brought down in the penalty area in the 89th minute, and Crawley stepped up for his second goal of the game to put an end to a wild semifinal. The 1995 final in El Paso was a tight affair. Rob Ukrop put Richmond ahead in the first half, and Gabino Amparan scored late in the game for El Paso to force extra time. After a scoreless extra time, the Kickers won the penalty shootout as goalkeeper Jeff Causey saved the final two penalty kick attempts from the Patriots.

In 1996, it was time for Major League Soccer to make its Open Cup debut. Only four MLS teams entered, all entering in the Quarterfinals. However, the Colorado Rapids made an impromptu debut when they replaced the A-League’s Colorado Foxes, who were forced to withdraw when five of their starters were called up to the Jamaican National Team for World Cup qualifying. Kansas City, Dallas and D.C. United advanced to the Semifinals, but Tampa Bay fell 4-3 in extra time to the new sensation of American soccer: the A-League’s Rochester Raging Rhinos. The Rhinos drew the Colorado Rapids and wound up blowing by their MLS competition. Two goals from Doug Miller and another from Lenin Steenkamp sent 12,179 at Frontier Field in Rochester home happy. On the other side of the bracket, D.C. United only needed a pair of goals from Jaime Moreno to overcome the Dallas Burn, 2-0.

In the Final on October 30, D.C. United put an end to the Rhinos’ fairytale run 3-0 behind behind goals from Raul Diaz Arce, Eddie Pope and Moreno. D.C. United would appear in four more Open Cup finals, but their next title wouldn’t come until 2008. The Rhinos would make another cinderella run in 1999, knocking off four MLS teams to become the only non-MLS club to win the Open Cup since 1996.

1995 US Open Cup Semifinals

July 30, 1995
Dudley Field – El Paso, TX

El Paso Patriots 1:0 Seattle Sounders

El Paso: Gabino Amparan (Lorenzo Baeza) – 36’

August 4, 1995
Univ. of Richmond Stadium – Richmond, VA

Richmond Kickers 4:3 Chicago Stingers

Richmond: Brian Kamler (Scott Synder) – 1’
Chicago: Don D’Ambra (Unassisted) – 11’
Chicago: Steve Morris (PK) – 30’
Richmond: Ben Crawley (Assist?) – 64’
Richmoond: Scott Snyder (Assist?) – 69’
Chicago: Don D’Ambra (Steve Morris) – 88’
Richmond: Ben Crawley (PK) – 89’

1995 US Open Cup Final

August 27, 1995
SISD Student Activities Complex – El Paso, TX

El Paso Patriots 1:1 (AET) Richmond Kickers

Richmond: Rob Ukrop (Leigh Cowlishaw) – 49’
El Paso: Gabino Amparan (Sal Mercado) – 80’

Richmond wins US Open Cup, 4-2 on penalty kicks

***********************************

1996 US Open Cup Semifinals

October 12, 1996
Frontier Field – Rochester, NY

Rochester Ragin’ Rhinos 3:0 Colorado Rapids

Rochester: Lenin Steenkamp (Hector Marinaro) – 32’
Rochester: Doug Miller (Henry Gutierrez) – 56’
Rochester: Doug Miller (Hector Marinaro) – 85’

October 27, 1996
Cotton Bowl – Dallas, TX

Dallas Burn 0:2 D.C. United

D.C. United: Jaime Moreno (Marco Etcheverry) – 12’
D.C. United: Jaime Moreno (Unassisted) – 82’

1996 US Open Cup Final

October 30, 1996
RFK Stadium – Washington, D.C.

D.C. United 3:0 Rochester Ragin’ Rhinos

D.C. United: Raul Diaz Arce (Unassisted) – 45’
D.C. United: Eddie Pope (Tony Sanneh) – 63’
D.C. United: Jaime Moreno (Tony Sanneh) – 89′

 

Filed Under: 2019 US Open Cup, Feature - History, Feature - Main, US Open Cup, US Open Cup History Tagged With: Abbot Worsted, Beadling, Ben Miller FC, Busch SC, Canadian Club, Chicago Stingers, Chrysler SC, Club Espana, Colorado Rapids, D.C. United, Dallas Burn, Danube Swabian, El Paso Patriots, FC Dallas, Fore River FC, Gallatin Dunlevy, German Hungarian SC, Hakoah All Stars, Hamm’s, Los Angeles Kickers, Madison Kennels, Mean Green, Mitre Eagles, New York Giants, New York Hota, Packard FC, Pawtucket SC, Pompei SC, Richmond Kickers, Robins Dry Dock, Rochester Raging Rhinos, Seattle Sounders USL, Shawsheen Indians, Sparta, Thistles FC, UASC Lions, US Open Cup History, Yugoslav American SC

California Clasico isn’t new: North has battled South in US Open Cup since 1950s

July 10, 2017 by Chuck Nolan Jr.

Willie Carson (center) of the Los Angeles Kickers, shown here in action against Schwaben AC (Chicago), scored six goals in the Kickers' 8-1 victory over San Francisco Scots in 1960. Photo: LA Times archives
Willie Carson (center) of the Los Angeles Kickers, shown here in action against Schwaben AC (Chicago), scored six goals in the Kickers' 8-1 victory over San Francisco Scots in 1960. Photo: LA Times archives
Willie Carson (center) of the Los Angeles Kickers, shown here in action against Schwaben AC (Chicago), scored six goals in the Kickers’ 8-1 victory over San Francisco Scots in 1960. Photo: LA Times archives

This year’s quarterfinal meeting of the Los Angeles Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes will be just the sixth time the California Clasico will have been played in the US Open Cup. However, for the better part of 40 years the rivalry between Northern and Southern California was a key component in determining the Open Cup champion.

Between 1954 and 1978, the winners of the Open Cup preliminary qualifying tournaments in Northern and Southern California met over two legs for the Far West Championship, as well as a spot in the Western Final to oppose the winner from the Midwest (St. Louis, Chicago, & Milwaukee).

Teams from the West Coast didn’t participate in the Open Cup until 1954. Two teams from Los Angeles, LA Scots and McIlwaine Canvasbacks, entered in 1952 and 1953 respectively, but both withdrew when the cost of traveling to St. Louis was too high. That first year, 15 clubs from Southern California and eight from the Bay Area entered. San Francisco’s Hakoah AC emerged victorious in the North, while Los Angeles’ Scottish AC won the SoCal tournament.

On Jan. 10, the teams met at Rancho Cienega Stadium in Los Angeles for the first leg of the inaugural West Coast Open Cup showdown. The Scots took the first game 1-0 on a first half goal from Ray Stelmack, although a missed penalty kick in the second half by Hakoah’s Dennis Miklos kept the teams from finishing level. A week later at San Francisco’s Balboa Stadium, the second leg would turn out to be a classic. Tied 1-1 at halftime, Hakoah dramatically tied the aggregate score at 2-2 when Bob Kellerman scored in the 83rd minute.

Neither team could score in 30 minutes of extra time, so an additional 30 were required to break the deadlock. The Scots’ Ray Stalmach was sent off, leaving the LA club to play with 10 men. Playing through approaching darkness and on a muddy field, Larry Radulski, a Marine from Camp Pendelton, put the short-handed Scots ahead in the 128th minute on a penalty kick. Radulksi scored once more in the 143rd minute to put the game away. Hakoah goalkeeper George Durschlag was so frustrated at allowing the goal that he booted the ball over the stands.

Los Angeles dominated the early meetings, winning 14 of the first 16 encounters,with wins going to Hakoah AC in 1957 and San Francisco Scots in 1962. In the 1958 series, the Los Angeles Kickers demolished Teutonia AAC 13-2 on aggregate. In 1960, when the matchup was played as a single game, Willie Carson scored six goals in the Kickers 8-1 victory over San Francisco Scots.

When teams from Washington state began entering the tournament, the California matchup was moved to the Western Quarterfinals for 1966, as Orange County SC moved on to defeat Seattle’s Hungarian SC. In years following, a game with the Washington winner would await the Bay Area teams before the series with LA. The low point for NorCal teams came in 1970 & 1971, when losses to Seattle area clubs prevented them from reaching the faceoff with LA.

In 1973, San Jose was represented for the first time by the San Jose Portuguese, losing to LA’s Maccabee AC 3-0 on aggregate. With the 1973 win, Maccabee began their dominance on the LA side, representing Southern California eight out of the next 10 times against opponents from the North, winning five Open Cup championships along the way. In 1976, San Francisco AC broke a winning drought that stretched back to 1962, beating the Maccabees 2-1 on aggregate on their way to claiming the first Open Cup title for the Bay Area.

San Francisco Greek American AC player Tom Dawkins takes a shot while Bayardo Abaunza (left) and Lorenz Lenhardt (center) of Los Angeles Kickers-Victoria look on during the Kickers' 3-1 second leg win in 1965. Photo: LA Times archives
San Francisco Greek American AC player Tom Dawkins takes a shot while Bayardo Abaunza (left) and Lorenz Lenhardt (center) of Los Angeles Kickers-Victoria look on during the Kickers’ 3-1 second leg win in 1965. Photo: LA Times archives

Beginning in 1979, the North-South contest ceased to be a regular National Quarterfinal contest. Then, in 1982, all of the state winners gathered at a central location to determine the regional champion for the national semifinals; 1986 & 1987 marked the first time since 1971 that the California clubs did not face each other in Cup play.

After years of playing second fiddle to the Los Angeles clubs, the Bay Area finally found success in the 1980s and 90s. From 1982 to 1994 San Francisco AC won the battle for California six times, winning two Open Cup championships along the way. In fact, the final three Open Cup winners prior to the Modern Era (1995-present) were all Bay Area clubs: San Jose Oaks (1992), CD Mexico (1993, now El Farolito), and San Francisco AC (1994).

Once Major League Soccer began playing in the Open Cup, the North-South matchups were not guaranteed anymore. The rivalry between the Galaxy and Earthqualkes, known as the California Classico, has only been played five times, with Los Angeles regaining the dominance of the past by winning all five contests. The Earthquakes will try and prevent the streak from reaching six in a row tonight at Avaya Stadium in San Jose.

Filed Under: Feature - History, Feature - Main, US Open Cup, US Open Cup History Tagged With: California, US Open Cup History

Cincinnati’s forgotten US Open Cup history

June 28, 2017 by Chuck Nolan Jr.

The crowd of 30,160 at Nippert Stadium to watch FC Cincinnati upset the Columbus Crew shattered the Modern Era attendance record for a non-Final. Photo: FC Cincinnati
fc-cincinnati-nippert-stadium-big
An empty Nippert Stadium

When it comes to Cincinnati soccer history, some fans who have been following FC Cincinnati’s 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup run might think back to the Cincinnati Kings. The Kings were part of the USL Second Division (USL-2, Div. 3 pro) from 2005-07 and later joined the Premier Development League before folding in 2012. The Kings’ predecessor was the Cincinnati Riverhawks who spent most of their time as an USL’s A-League (Div. 2 pro) starting in 1998 before falling apart financially during the 2003 season and folding.

The Riverhawks never qualified for the US Open Cup during its seven seasons and the Kings only made the tournament three times as a pro team and they were upset by an amateur team each time.

With that in mind, when one thinks of US Open Cup history, Cincinnati has never been the first city to come to mind. However, with ESPN shining the national spotlight on Nippert Stadium tonight for FC Cincinnati’s Fifth Round match against the Chicago Fire (MLS), one might be surprised to know that the Queen City’s Open Cup history did not start in 2005 with the Cincinnati Kings.

A headline from the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1930.
A headline from the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1930 as the Cincinnati Kickers eliminate New Era.

It started 87 years ago.

On October 21, 1930, the Cincinnati Enquirer made the announcement that for the first time ever, the Queen City would be represented in the National Challenge Cup (now known as the US Open Cup). Two clubs, the Cincinnati Kickers and New Era, were set to face off on Oct. 26 at Ludlow Avenue Viaduct Grounds in nearby Cummingsville in the opening round of the Ohio qualifying tournament. The competition included teams from Akron, Cleveland, and Youngstown. The clubs’ junior teams were to kick off the day at 1:15 p.m., with the Cup game to follow.

In the young Southwest Ohio Soccer League season, New Era were 3-0, while the Kickers had only dropped one of their first five matches. Witnessed by what the Enquirer called a “large crowd”, the Kickers were ahead 1-0 at halftime, and increased their lead shortly after the break. New Era pulled a goal back a few minutes later through Leo Moorecroft, but the Kickers scored again to put the game away. Lou Schueneman, Holmes and Glasel provided the goals for the winners as the Kickers advanced to the next round.

The aura of Cincinnati’s first Cup game was short-lived however. Just two weeks later, the Kickers forfeited their Second Round game to Mahoning Valley, informing the Youngstown club the night before that they could not make the trip. While the Kickers cited no specific reason, the Youngstown Vindicator suggested that the Cincinnati club “did not want to play so far from home”.

The disappointing end of the 1930/31 Cup run did not deter the Cincinnati clubs. The Chevoit Sport Club joined New Era and the Kickers in qualifying for the 1931/32 Cup. With the Kickers receiving a bye, New Era faced Chevoit in the preliminary round at Chevoit Ball Park. With two minutes remaining, Leo Moorecraft scored to give New Era a 2-1 win. This gave them a chance to avenge their loss in last year’s tournament.

In the rematch, the Kickers took a 2-1 halftime lead, but New Era stormed back to score three unanswered goals in the second half to win 4-2. New Era were one win away from qualifying for the tournament proper, and Cleveland’s Shamrocks SC stood in their way. Playing at Kickers Field in Cincinnati, New Era took a quick 1-0 lead when Jimmy Furguson scored within five minutes of the kickoff. The Shamrocks soon took over and got two goals apiece from Magyary and McCourt to win 4-1.

New Era held out of the 1933 tournament, giving way to Sun Life Insurance. Sun Life and the Kickers played to a 3-3 extra time draw in the opening qualifying game, with Jack Lyle scoring all three goals for Sun Life. A week later, the Kickers won the replay 1-0 on Lou Schuenman’s 85th minute goal. Sun Life protested the eligibility of the Kickers goalscorer, but their complaint was turned down and Kickers advanced.

In the next round, the Kickers defeated fellow Southwest Ohio Soccer League club Indianapolis SC 3-2. In the Ohio semifinals, the Kickers nearly pulled off an upset over Cleveland’s Bruell Insurance, a team that was the runner-up in the 1930 National Challenge Cup Final. With their goalkeeper Hutmacher stopping two penalty kicks, the Kickers led 1-0 for most of the game. Near the end of the second half, Bruell scored to tie the game, and won the game on a goal that Hutmacher failed to save because he thought play was stopped for an offside call.

In 1934, the Kickers beat Dayton’s Edelweiss SC 4-1 to once again reach the Ohio final, only to fall to the Cleveland Indians in a 6-4 barnburners. After trailing 5-0 early in the second half, the Kickers Willie Keiner scored three of the four unanswered goals to pull them within 5-4 with 15 minutes remaining, only to see the Indians score a sixth to put the game away.

From 1935-37, the Kickers were the only team to enter the competition from Southern Ohio, and never won another Cup game. The next known appearance by a Cincinnati club didn’t come until the 1960s when the Schwaben SC (not to be confused with the Chicago-area club Schwaben AC) would fail to get past their opening game with the winner from Michigan each time they entered.

So as you’re watching Djiby Fall and his FC Cincinnati teammates push for their second straight MLS scalp tonight, remember that the Cincinnati Kickers and New Era got it all started for the Queen City almost 90 years ago.

Filed Under: Feature - History, US Open Cup, US Open Cup History Tagged With: Cincinnati, Cincinnati Kings, FC Cincinnati, US Open Cup History

Who is the US Open Cup equivalent to Lincoln City FC and their magical FA Cup run?

May 26, 2017 by Josh Hakala

lincoln-city-fcIf you’re a soccer fan and love cup competitions, then you were likely enthralled with one of the great underdog stories in England’s FA Cup history: Lincoln City FC.

Apologies to Chelsea FC and Arsenal, this year’s FA Cup finalists, but Lincoln City was the story of this year’s tournament.

The semi-pro team that competes in England’s fifth tier, stunned the Premier League’s Burnley FC, 1-0 to become the first non-league team to reach the Quarterfinals since 1914. That year, World War I was under way, baseball icon Joe DiMaggio was born, and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (then known as the National Challenge Cup) had just crowned its first champion.

Following Lincoln City’s upset, American soccer fans on social media asked what is the US Open Cup equivalent to English minnow’s magical run?

For starters, there’s a lot of difficulty with properly comparing the two tournaments. First of all, American soccer has never had five tiers of professional soccer. Since Major League Soccer (MLS) joined the Open Cup in 1996, American soccer has had three tiers of professional soccer, followed by a fourth tier which includes all amateur clubs.

However, there have been plenty of incredible runs by underdog teams in the Modern Era of the US Open Cup (1995-present).

The 1999 Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League, second tier) are the premier example as they are the only lower division team to win the tournament since 1996. The Rhinos upset four MLS teams, including the Colorado Rapids in the Final to lift the trophy at Columbus Crew Stadium. The Rhinos also reached the Final and lost in 1996, and the Charleston Battery (USL First Division, second tier) also fell short in the championship game in 2008. The Carolina RailHawks (now North Carolina FC), nearly added their name to that list of great lower division cup runs in 2007 when they advanced to the Semifinals as an expansion team, falling in extra time to the New England Revolution (MLS).

But let’s take a look at third tier professional teams (a level that does not exist this year since the United Soccer Leagues was awarded provisional Division 2 status). In the Modern Era there have been three teams from Division 3 or below who have made it to the Semifinals or beyond.

1995 Richmond Kickers
USISL Premier League, 4th tier amateur

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

Just because this cup run took place the year before Major League Soccer launched doesn’t make the Richmond Kickers’ 1995 US Open Cup championship any less impressive. Professional soccer had started to take shape in the form that we know it today (thus, the reason we include it in the “Modern Era”). There was not a league that qualified for Division 1 status, but there was the A-League in Division 2 and the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues Professional League (USISL) which was Division 3.

The Kickers were a part of the USISL Premier League, an amateur league which later evolved into the Premier Development League (PDL). As an amateur team, they were loaded with future professionals including U.S. international Richie Williams, and future MLS players Rob Ukrop, Brian Kamler, Jeff Causey, Todd Yeagley and Mike Clark. The team also featured the University of Richmond’s all-time leading scorer Leigh Cowlishaw who would play nearly 150 matches for the club before becoming the head coach, a position he still holds today.

They began their cup run with a 6-1 win over a shorthanded D.C.-area amateur side Spartans SC. Six different players scored for Richmond that day at Striker Park in Glen Allen, Va. (Rob Ukrop, Richie Williams, Leigh Cowlishaw, Brian Kamler, Jon Hall, Corey Turnage)

(Editor’s note: TheCup.us is trying to confirm who scored that goal for Spartans SC, contact us if you know someone associated with that team)

In the Quarterfinals, the Kickers hosted the Atlanta Ruckus of the A-League and came away with a 2-1 win at the University of Richmond Stadium. Ben Crawley assisted on both goals for the Kickers, a 13th minute tally by Ukrop and the game-winner in the 62nd minute by Scott Snyder. (U.S. international and the A-League’s Defender of the Year John Doyle scored for Atlanta). The Ruckus would lose in the A-League championship game that year to the Seattle Sounders, so this was no weak professional team.

The game of the tournament, and quite possibly of the Modern Era, was the Kickers’ dramatic Semifinal win over the USISL Pro’s (Div. 3) Chicago Stingers. Playing their second straight game at the University of Richmond, Kamler opened up the scoring for the Kickers 34 seconds into the match (one of the fastest goals of the Modern Era). Chicago answered with an equalizer 10 minutes later, but the game changed when future MLS player Matt Knowles threw a punch at Crawley and was ejected. Despite being a man down, the Stingers managed to take the lead on a 34th minute penalty kick by Steve Morris. Midway through the second half, Crawley and Snyder gave Richmond the lead back only to see Chicago tie it up with Don D’Ambra scoring his second goal of the game in the 88th minute. The late equalizer didn’t phase the home team as Crawley scored the game-winner from the penalty spot less than a minute later.

In the championship game, the Kickers hit the road for the first time, heading to El Paso, Texas to take on the Patriots of the USISL Pro League (Division 3). Ukrop scored for Richmond just after halftime only to have El Paso equalize in the final 10 minutes. After extra time, the match went to penalty kicks, marking just the second time in tournament history that the title would be decided from the spot. Causey made a pair of saves and the Kickers converted four of their five attempts to become the first Virginia club to win the US Open Cup title.

1997 San Francisco Bay Seals
D-3 Pro League, 3rd tier professional

Shane Watkins of the San Francisco Bay Seals eludes San Jose Clash defender John Doyle during the Seals' 2-1 Quarterfinal upset at Spartan Stadium on August 20, 1997. Photo: San Francisco Bay Seals
Shane Watkins of the San Francisco Bay Seals eludes San Jose Clash defender John Doyle during the Seals’ 2-1 Quarterfinal upset at Spartan Stadium on August 20, 1997. Photo: San Francisco Bay Seals

The San Francisco Bay Seals only qualified for the US Open Cup one time, but they made the most of it. The D-3 Pro League (3rd tier) team barely qualified, needing a tiebreaker just to get in. Once they got in, they cruised to a 4-0 win over the San Jose-based amateur club Inter SC. Marquis White and Mike Black had two goals each to lead the way.

(Editor’s note: TheCup.us is trying to confirm the scoring summary for that Inter SC game on June 20, 1997, contact us if you can help)

In Round 2, the Seals hosted the defending A-League champion Seattle Sounders at the University of San Francisco. The Seals defense, led by future MLS star CJ Brown, held the Sounders to just seven shots and White scored the lone goal to lead the home team to the upset.

White continued to shine when the Seals returned to the same stadium, but this time they had tougher opposition. The Kansas City Wizards of MLS came to town and took an early punch with White scoring in the first minute of the match. Frank Klopas tied it up before halftime, but White’s fifth goal in three matches would prove to be the game-winner in the 59th minute.

The Seals would claim a second straight MLS upset with another 2-1 win, this time on the road against the San Jose Clash (now the Earthquakes). Ronald Cerritos gave the home team an early lead, but San Francisco wouldn’t level the match until the 77th minute when Shani Simpson scored. Nearly 10 minutes later, they had their winner, courtesy of Shane Watkins.

San Francisco’s biggest challenge came in the Semifinals when defending MLS and Open Cup champion D.C. United came calling to the Stagg Memorial Stadium at the University of the Pacific. United fielded a mostly first-choice team and it paid off as Jaime Moreno scored an early PK and Raul Diaz Arce scored in the second half to give the champions a 2-0 lead. White cut the lead in half in the 84th minute but the Seals couldn’t find the equalizer and their one and, to date, only cup run would end.

2011 Richmond Kickers
USL Pro, 3rd tier professional

The Richmond Kickers and Columbus Crew met in the 2011 US Open Cup with the Kickers upsetting the Crew 2-1 at Crew Stadium. Photo: Columbus Crew
The Richmond Kickers and Columbus Crew met in the 2011 US Open Cup with the Kickers upsetting the Crew 2-1 at Crew Stadium. Photo: Columbus Crew

The Kickers had an easier path to start out their 2011 US Open Cup run. Thanks to a friendly draw, the Kickers ended up with fellow USL Pro side Dayton Dutch Lions in Round 1. Dayton would end up finishing the season with the worst record in the league at 2-16-6 and the difference in quality was clear in Richmond’s 4-1 home win. David Bulow scored a hat trick to help him climb up the Modern Era’s goalscoring chart. But he wasn’t done.

In Round 2, the Kickers drew another USL Pro team, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. While the Hounds would end up making the playoffs, they finished with a losing record (7-11-6). Richmond handled them easily in front of their home fans, winning 4-1. Matthew Delicate and Bulow each scored a pair of goals in the victory.

After cruising through the first two rounds, the tournament got much more difficult after that starting with a Round 3 date on the road against the Columbus Crew (MLS). After trading first half goals, it was an 85th minute goal by Delicate that proved to be the game-winner, handing the Crew their first-ever loss to a third-tier team. The win also clinched the $10,000 prize for the Kickers as the third division club to advance the farthest in the tournament.

While the Crew would end up being a MLS playoff team, the Kickers’ next opponent would be a step up. The newly renamed Sporting Kansas City would eventually finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but it wasn’t too much for the Kickers who overcame a lightning delay to win 2-0. After the lightning delay ended, Shaka Bangura scored 30 seconds later and David Bulow scored the game-clinched penalty kick in the 83rd minute. Ronnie Pascale earned the clean sheet for the Kickers, along with TheCup.us Player of the Round as Richmond became the first lower division club to eliminate back-to-back MLS teams on the road. Bulow made history with his 13th career US Open Cup goal, which tied him for the Modern Era lead.

The Kickers would have to play a third consecutive MLS team on the road, as they traveled to Bridgeview to face the Chicago Fire. The run would come to an end by the score of 2-1. A first half PK by Sebastian Grazzini and a 61st minute goal by former Richmond Kickers Future (PDL) player Dominic Oduro gave the Fire a 2-0 lead. The Kickers would pull one back but the Fire were the better team and they held on for the win.

Filed Under: Feature - Main, US Open Cup Tagged With: fa cup, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Rhinos, San Francisco Bay Seals, US Open Cup History

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U.S. Open Cup History

Jim Gregory, president of Charleston Battery supporters group The Regiment (right), presents the Coffee Pot Cup to Sachin Shah after D.C. United's 2-0 win in the 2004 Carolina Challenge Cup. Photo: Mike Buytas

How a US Open Cup classic, locker room vandalism inspired fans to create Coffee Pot Cup

It remains one of the greatest games of the US Open Cup’s Modern Era but what happened after the game gets more attention than the instant classic that took place on the field.

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  • San Francisco Bay Seals, the ‘amateur’ pro team that reached 1997 US Open Cup Semifinals

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