Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Los Angeles Galaxy

2011 US Open Cup Third Round: Battle of LA sees Galaxy come back to beat Blues

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Los Angeles Galaxy logo
Post-game interviews available below

Call it the Battle of Los Angeles or the Los Angeles Derby, but don’t call it an easy victory for the Los Angeles Galaxy. After Cesar Rivera scored a stunner to put the Los Angeles Blues up 1-0 the Galaxy rallied back with two unanswered goals to advance to the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup, 2-1.

The first half started off with the Galaxy playing lethargically. The game also started auspiciously as Blues’ captain Josh Tudela received a yellow for a challenge 17 seconds into the game. The game was officiated by Alejandro Mariscal, but the most interesting part was that Eduardo Mariscal and Apolinar Mariscal were the assistant referees and Felisha Mariscal was the fourth official. It was a family gathering of sorts for them. Not long after, Gregg Berhalter received a yellow card for his tackle in the eighth minute. The head referee’s cautions allowed him to keep a tight reign on the game throughout the night.

The first half was filled with shots too high or wide to bother either keeper, but Blues’ defender Cameron Dunn went out with an injury and was replaced by former Galaxy member Leonard Griffin. The best chance of the half came in the 41th minute when the Galaxy’s Jovan Kirovski put a header on target that was saved by Dautt, but not handled. Berhalter then put the ball on target only to have it cleared by Nelson Akwari. The Blues then had a chance on the counter-attack with Israel Sesay, but he failed to score and the score was 0-0 at halftime.

In the second half the Blues came out with the attacking mindset. Their persistence paid off when Chukwundu Chijindu cut a ball across the corner of the eighteen to newly-signed Carlos Borja who fired a shot that was controlled by substitute Cesar Rivera who slotted it into the back of the net for a shocking 1-0 Blues lead in the 62nd minute.

This woke up the sleeping giant in the Galaxy. They pressed further up the pitch in order to get an equalizer while the Blues dug in. Galaxy manager Bruce Arena brought in Juninho to help the attack, and in 75th minute he achieved his purpose. His free kick found the head of Omar Gonzalez who equalized the game with the Galaxy’s first goal and sent the Galaxy supporters into a frenzy.

According to Gonzalez, “Right before that, Gregg (Berhalter) looked at me and said, ‘Wake up and find a way to get yourself into the game.’”

They didn’t have to wait much longer as six minutes later in the 81st the Galaxy found their hero. It was already a week for Mike Magee to remember, as he performed admirably in goal for the Galaxy in an MLS match for the Galaxy, earning himself MLS Player of the Week honors. Once again, he was able to step up again, this time with an Open Cup goal. Juninho sent a floating free kick that found Gonzalez, then was headed back across the penalty area to an open Magee, who slotted the game winner.

Although the scoring was over, the bookings weren’t. Galaxy forward Adam Cristman received a yellow for not adhering to the distance, and Blues midfielder Israel Sesay was visibly frustrated in receiving two successive yellow cards for the red in the 90th minute.

“I told (Magee) the other day that it would be nice for him to come help in the field once awhile,” joked Arena.

“The goal kinda lit a fire under us and we started playing better and it resulted in a win,” said Magee.

“Let’s give our opponents credit, they played quite well,” said Arena. When asked about the skill difference the manager had this to say, “We should be a little bit ahead of them technically and maybe professional fitness, but a lot of those players have played in the league.”

The Blues felt positive about how well they played though. “We have guys that can be on that team… credit for us to get a goal on a team that doesn’t give up many goals,” said Akwari.

The Galaxy will move on to the Quarterfinals where they travel to Seattle to face the Sounders on July 12.

TheCup.us Match MVP: Mike Magee

Scoring Summary

LAB: Cesar Rivera (Carlos Borja) – 62nd min.
LAG: Omar Gonzalez (Juninho) – 75th min.
LAG: Mike Magee (Omar Gonzalez) – 81st min.

Misconduct Summary

LAB: Josh Tudela (Yellow) – 1st min.
LAG: Gregg Berhalter (Yellow) – 8th min.
LAB: Mehrshad Momeni (Yellow) – 70th min.
LAG: Adam Cristman (Yellow) – 88th min.
LAB: Israel Sesay (Yellow) – 90th min.
LAB: Israel Sesay (Yellow / Red) – 90th min.

Lineups:
LAG: Brian Perk; A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Sean Franklin; Mike Magee, Jovan Kirovski (Juninho 64′), Michael Stephens, Bryan Jordan (Miguel Lopez 46′); Chad Barrett (Adam Christman 83′), PaoloCardozo
LAB: Oscar Dautt; Cameron Dunn (Leonard Griffin 40′), Melson Akwari, Erlys Garcia, Mike Randolph; Mehrshad Momeni (Akeem Priestly 87′), Josh Tudela, Edwin Miranda (Cesar Rivera 46′), Israel Sesay; Carlos Borja, Chukwudi Chijindu

Saves: LAG – 2, LAB – 5; Fouls: LAG – 16, LAB – 19; SOG: LAG – 9, LAB – 3; Attendance: 3,627




Home Away From Home: Tuesday’s Alternate Venues Have Quite the History for Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy

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Numerous Major League Soccer teams have resorted to using alternate venues for US Open Cup matches for different reasons over the years, but when the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy take the field at Starfire and Titan Stadium Tuesday night, they will be hoping history repeats.

Top: Seattle's two Open Cup title campaigns went through Starfire Bottom: The Galaxy won the 2001 Open Cup at Titan Stadium

It has been quite a long time since the Galaxy last stepped on the pitch at Titan Stadium for a US Open Cup match. They have not played a competitive match at their former alternate home since the debut of the Home Depot Center in 2003, a span of nine years since they defeated the then Dallas Burn 4-1 in the semifinals of a runners-up campaign in the 2002 US Open Cup. It was the final of nine Open Cup matches played at the venue over the course of four years.

And it was a successful four years in Fullerton. The club lost at Titan Stadium only twice in the nine matches, falling 3-1 to the Columbus Crew in the 1999 Quarterfinals, the first-ever match there, and 2-1 to the eventual 2000 champion Chicago Fire in the Semifinals.

After that defeat, the Galaxy won five consecutive at their second home to the Rose Bowl, including four the very next year as they won the first of two US Open Cup championships. It started with a 5-0 thumping of then A-League (pro second division) Nashville Metros, followed by a Third Round 3-1 win against the Seattle Sounders Select, who had nabbed a shocking 3-2 overtime road upset against the Dallas Burn the round before. They avenged the previous year’s loss with a 1-0 Semifinal win against the Fire.

They concluded the 2001 championship run with a 2-1 victory against the New England Revolution at Titan Stadium. It still stands as the only Final in the US Open Cup Professional Era (since 1995) in which a club’s alternate venue has been the host location.

Starfire’s history as an alternate MLS venue is much briefer, but has played a key role in back-to-back tournament championships for the Seattle Sounders, who have played the Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches there the past two years.

In 2009, the Sounders edged Kansas City 1-0 on a Sebastien Le Toux strike in the Quarterfinals. Since then, it has been Nate Jaqua’s playground. He scored in the 2-1 Semifinal win against Houston en route to their first title. Then last year he struck for two goals in each game as they blanked the Galaxy 2-0 in the Quarterfinals and downed the other Los Angeles side Chivas USA 3-1 in the Semifinals.

And Starfire has trophy-lifting championship history too.

The USL Seattle Sounders began using the Tukwila venue as an alternate to then named Qwest Field in 2005, winning a regular season contest and playing to a win and draw in the playoffs in addition to a Second Round 3-1 victory over the Salinas Valley Samba. Although they used it for several league contests the following year, they would not play another Open Cup match at Starfire until 2007 when they defeated Banat Arsenal 4-1 in the First Round and rival Portland 2-1 in the Second Round.

But it was later in the 2007 campaign that Starfire became the center of attention. Returning to the venue for postseason action for a second time the team suffered its first-ever loss at the alternate home in a 2-1 playoff defeat to the Puerto Rico Islanders in which they would advance via penalties at the conclusion. That penalty kick decision proved critical as the team won the 2007 USL First Division title with a dominant 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Silverbacks at Starfire.

In 2008 the Sounders USL side registered their first win against an MLS club at the venue, downing Chivas USA 3-1 in the Third Round after blasting Hollywood United 6-0 in the previous round.

More importantly, 2008 was the club’s final campaign in the USL First Division, and was played entirely at Starfire where they had suffered only one loss in all competitions in nine previous matches.

The Sounders would drop four more matches during the 2008 regular season, giving the Sounders a final record of 15-5-7 overall record at the venue during the USL era. The home fans have seen only five losses, none in the US Open Cup, in 31 total games since 2005.

One common link between the two venues is current Sounders coach Sigi Schmid, who led the Galaxy to the 2001 Open Cup title at Fullerton during his 1999-04 tenure with LA.

LA Galaxy Open Cup Matches at Titan Stadium

1999: 1-3 L – QF – Columbus Crew (MLS)
2000: 2-1 W – R2 – Seattle Sounders (USL)
2000: 2-0 W – QF – San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
2000: 1-2 L – SF – Chicago Fire (MLS)
2001: 5-0 W – R2 – Nashville Metros (A-League)
2001: 3-1 W – R3 – Sounders Select (PDL)
2001: 1-0 W – SF – Chicago Fire (MLS)
2001: 2-1 W – F – New England Revolution (MLS)
2002: 4-1 W – SF – Dallas Burn (MLS)

Seattle Sounders (MLS) Open Cup Matches at Starfire

2009: 1-0 W – QF – Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
2009: 2-1 W – SF – Houston Dynamo (MLS)
2010: 2-0 W – QF – LA Galaxy (MLS)
2010: 3-1 W – SF – Chivas USA (MLS)

Seattle Sounders (USL) Open Cup Matches at Starfire

2005: 3-1 W – R2 – Salinas Valley Samba (USASA)
2007: 4-1 W – R1 – Banat Arsenal (USASA)
2007: 2-1 W – R2 – Portland Timbers (USL-1)
2008: 6-0 W – R2 – Hollywood United (USASA)
2008: 2-0 W – R3 – Chivas USA (MLS)

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Bracket D: Kitsap Pumas at Seattle Sounders; LA Blues at LA Galaxy

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THIRD ROUND

Kitsap Pumas at Seattle Sounders
June 29, 10 p.m. ET  Starfire Sports Stadium; Tukwila, Wash.
Video/Audio: Video: Seattle; Audio: Kitsap

Los Angeles Blues at Los Angeles Galaxy
June 28, 10:30 p.m. ET  Titan Stadium (CSUF); Fullerton, Calif.
Video/Audio: TBA

Kitsap Pumas

Founded in 2009 by a former co-owner of the USL Seattle Sounders, the Pumas have been a dominant force playing as a professional side in the PDL, reaching the postseason in its first two years.

First Round: Kitsap Pumas (PDL) 0:0 (6:5 in PKs) El Paso Patriots (PDL)
The Pumas battled with host El Paso in the hot Texas summer to a scoreless stalemate over 120 minutes in the First Round Tuesday. Penalties to break the tie also went into extra time as the match needed nine rounds to decide a winner with Kitsap coming out on top 6-5. Recap [+]

Second Round: Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) 1:3 Kitsap Pumas (PDL)
In a showdown of PDL unbeatens, the Pumas grabbed the initial lead through Cameron Hepple 17 minutes in, only to see the visitors get level six minutes later via an own goal from Steve Mohn. Robbie Christner restored the advantage just before the break in the 43rd, and provided some insurance with another goal two minutes before the close of the game. Recap [+]

Path to Open Cup: For the third consecutive year, it was a neck-and-neck race with Portland. This year’s berth came down to a complete deadlock on all tiebreakers, with the two sides having played to a scoreless draw in their lone meeting. Instead of using a lottery, the two clubs and league office agreed to use an unprecedented ‘fifth match’ to serve as the tiebreaker ,as they were scheduled to meet in the regular season the Friday after qualifying concluded. Kitsap opened with a 3-0 victory at home versus the Crossfire with Warlen Silva providing a goal and assist. A week later they played to the stalemate against the Timbers. On the final qualifying weekend, the Pumas won 6-1 at Tacoma with Matt Friesen scoring twice, They finished with Friesen scoring in a 1-0 win at North Sound, leaving them vulnerable to Portland’s result, however, the Timbers only managed a 2-0 win later that night, creating the table deadlock.  In the tiebreaker match, Kitsap jumped to a two-goal lead via Robbie Christner and Nik Besagno, only to see Portland fight back in a thriller. A Brent Richards goal cut the deficit, but Christner added a second in the 66th to restore the lead before Brian Burke was sent off, allowing the hosts to make a late charge in hopes of penalties only to come up short, 3-2.

This Month in USL PDL: Kitsap was idle this week in league play after defeating fellow PDL side Real Colorado in the Open Cup. The previous week the Pumas posted a 4-1 win over visiting Abbotsford June 17. Brian Burke tallied to give the lead to Kitsap, who saw goalkeeping star Zach Lubin from the First Round match sent off in the 72nd. Abbotsford then leveled before the Pumas tallied two unanswered from Nik Besagno and Matt Friesen shorthanded. They opened the month with a pair of road victories, downing Washington Crossfire 2-1 June 8 and the Portland Timbers U23s in a wild 3-2 decision June 3. The team is 8-0-1 in the PDL Northwest Division.

Open Cup History: The Pumas have yet to miss the tournament in three years of play, making them the first PDL team to qualify in each of their first three years. Only two other teams have accomplished that.  They had been haunted by the senior Portland Timbers club, who have knocked them out twice as a member of the second division. They were blanked 3-0 in the first round of the 2009 tournament and downed 4-1 last year in the second round with Nik Besagno scoring the team’s lone goal. They opened with a 4-2 overtime win against the Bay Area Ambassadors (USASA/NPSL).
PRO ERA RECORDS: 3-2-0 overall | 0-1-0 vs. pro teams (0-0-0 vs. MLS)

Seattle Sounders

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

Photo: Jane Gershovich | Prost Amerika Soccer

This Month in MLS: Seattle won the first of two games this week, downing the New York Red Bulls Thursday evening 4-2, in a game where a two-goal lead from Erik Friberg and Osvaldo Alonso was erased, before Roger Levesque scored two off the bench. They played host to the New England Revolution Sunday, coming from behind for a 2-1 win on goals from Tyson Wahl and Alvaro Fernandez. The Sounders played their third match of the month June 18 in Toronto, edging the hosts on a 90th free kick from Fredy Montero, after playing nearly the entire second half down a man from Jhon Kennedy Hurtado’s send-off. Seattle opened the month with a scoreless draw in Chicago June 4 with Keller in goal, and played a 2-2 stalemate at home against Northwest rival Vancouver Whitecaps June 11. Seattle saw the Whitecaps steal the draw after the Sounders had rallied to take the lead on goals from Mauro Rosales and Osvaldo Alonso in a wild finish.
Last Five: W-W-W-D-D | Season Record: 8-4-7 (5-2-3 Home), Tied for second in Western Conference, Second Overall.

Open Cup History: Sounders FC set out to become a force in the Open Cup during their 2009 inaugural year, and did just that. They became the first expansion team since Chicago Fire in 1998 to take the Cup, winning 2-1 against DC United. They then turned around and made more history in 2010, as they became the first team since the New York Pancyprian Freedoms in 1982 and 1983 to win back-to-back Open Cups. Their victims this time were the Columbus Crew, the final score 2-1 in front of the largest Final crowd ever. Seattle has earned both titles, only playing non-MLS opposition twice (defeating the Portland Timbers in the Third Round both years). The first Puget Sound Showdown against Kitsap marks the first time the team has played a non-first or second division side.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 7-0-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 2-0-0 vs. Non-MLS Teams (0-0-0 vs. PDL)

Note: A USL team also called the Seattle Sounders made 12 Open Cup appearances from 1995-2008 and made history with back-to-back trips to the Semifinals in 2007 and 2008. The USL franchise’s history is officially not recognized by the MLS franchise, nor by the Kitsap Pumas, who gained the USL Sounders’ franchise rights.

Los Angeles Blues

Founded in 2010 by the ownership of the successful Pali Blues W-League team, the side is in its debut season in USL Pro.

First Round:  Hollywood United (NPSL) 1:3 LA Blues (USL Pro)
Despite playing a man down since Leo Griffin was sent off in the 19th minute, LA’s Mehrshad Momeni scored once in each half to give the Blues a two-goal lead in the First Round. Hollywood would answer but after both sides saw a red card late each, Gerardo Bravo sealed it for the Blues. Recap [+]

Second Round: LA Blues (USL Pro) 1:0 Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
In a closely fought contest, the professional club came out on top with a strike from Israel Sesay just before halftime, putting away a rebound after a Chukwudi Chijindu breakaway was stuffed point blank by Fusion goalkeeper Sam Hayden. Recap [+]

This Month in USL Pro: Aside from the Open Cup contests, the Blues were idle in June prior to Friday’s first of two meetings against visiting Harrisburg City Islanders on the weekend. LA found themselves trailing in the 53rd minute, but answered back six minutes later when Chijindu found Josh Tudela for the equalizer in a 1-1 draw. They finished the weekend with a 2-1 loss to the City Islanders, getting a consolation strike from Sesay eight minutes from time. The team is 5-3-3 and sits third in the USL Pro National Division.

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

Open Cup History: First appearance in the tournament.

Los Angeles Galaxy

Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Galaxy.

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS: On Saturday, Los Angeles earned a scoreless draw under unlikely circumstances in San Jose, losing starting keeper Donovan Ricketts to an apparent broken arm early and then Josh Saunders to a red card just before halftime, leaving midfielder Mike Magee as the netminder for the remainder of the match. The Galaxy played their third match of the month in Colorado June 18 , posting a 3-1 victory with Juninho doubling the advantage after an own goal and Chad Barrett securing the victory late. They opened the month with the first of two draws, finishing in a scoreless stalemate against DC United June 3 with Josh Saunders in goal. On June 11 they hosted Toronto in a 2-2 draw with two go-ahead goals from Chris Birchall and Juan Pablo Angel.
Last Five: D-W-D-D-W | Season Record: 9-2-8 (4-0-4 Home), first in Western Conference, first Overall.

Open Cup History: The Galaxy have had a considerable amount of success in the Open Cup, winning two championships in 2001 and 2005, as well as finishing as runners-up in 2002 and 2006. Since falling short to the Chicago Fire in the 2006 Final, the Galaxy were upset by the Richmond Kickers (3rd Division) and then failed to qualify the next two years. In 2010, they returned to the tournament where they beat AC St. Louis of the NASL (2nd Division) before losing to eventual champion Seattle Sounders FC in the quarterfinals.
PRO ERA RECORD: 21-8-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 11-2-0 vs. Non-MLS teams

Local History: Since teams from Los Angeles began participating in the Open Cup in 1954, LA-area clubs have reached 24 Open Cup Finals, winning 10 of those games.

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Scenarios

LA Galaxy / LA Blues at Seattle Sounders
Starfire Sports Stadium – Tukwila, Wash. – 10:00 pm ET
OR
Kitsap Pumas at LA Galaxy
Titan Stadium – Fullerton, Calif. – 10:30 pm ET
OR
LA Blues at Kitsap Pumas
Bremerton Memorial Stadium – Bremerton, Wash. – 10:00 pm ET

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2011 Gold Cup & US Open Cup: The Overlap

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Rafael Marquez is away with Gold Cup favorite Mexico, which could affect Third Round Red Bulls roster

Beyond the obvious fact that the first two rounds of the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup occur during the current edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup that kicked off Sunday, there is some extended overlap with players. The overlap will come when the Major League Soccer teams enter the competition in the Third Round, set for June 28 – three days after the Gold Cup Final.

Six of the eight MLS clubs playing in the US Open Cup this year have a total 17 players away for national team duty for the Gold Cup, representing 10 of the 12 nations (excludes Cuba & Panama).

International duty has long led to the traditional argument from MLS coaches excusing multitudes of players from Open Cup play to ensure they are properly rested for league competition. That rationale will likely come into play as the New York Red Bulls (5), Sporting Kansas City (4) and Real Salt Lake (4*) each have at least three players in action at the Gold Cup.

Perhaps hardest hit are the Red Bulls, who have three players for the CONCACAF heavyweights Mexico (Rafael Marquez) and USA (Tim Ream, Juan Agudelo) that will likely be in action in the June 25 Final. On top of that, New York arguably has the toughest MLS schedule on either side of the Open Cup Third Round road matches in Chicago on the 26th and San Jose the following Saturday.

And then there is the case of injury. On Monday Kansas City’s Craig Rocastle went down after a collision playing against Jamaica shortly before halftime. Grenada took him out of the game during the break.

Landon Donovan will lead US in Gold Cup, has Champions League in future. What will that mean for US Open Cup?

The Los Angeles Galaxy, who have Donovan Ricketts (Jamaica) and Landon Donovan (USA) on international duty, also have the Champions League in their future, which will no doubt create discussion amongst Bruce Arena’s coaching staff about conserving player energy.

The other two Open Cup and Champions League clubs, FC Dallas and Seattle Sounders, are not in that situation as of yet. The two sides were the only ones among the eight MLS US Open Cup participants that did not have any players leave for the Gold Cup.

One thing is for certain. No matter what the coaches of the clubs in question decide to do, it will not have as big of an impact as the 1996 US Open Cup when the Colorado Foxes withdrew from the tournament after losing five Jamaican players to the Gold Cup, prompting the Colorado Rapids to fulfill their spot.

2011 US Open Cup Clubs & Players in Gold Cup

New York Red Bulls: Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Dane Richards (Jamaica), Dwayne DeRosario (Canada), Tim Ream (USA), Juan Agudelo (USA)

Sporting Kansas City: Craig Rocastle (Grenada), Roger Espinoza (Honduras), Shavar Thomas (Jamaica), Stephane Auvray (Guadeloupe)

Real Salt Lake: Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica), Arturo Alvarez (El Salvador), Will Johnson (Canada), Nick Rimando* (USA) – *Rimando on call as 3rd GK, staying with RSL unless needed

LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts (Jamaica), Landon Donovan (USA)

Chicago Fire: Marco Pappa (Guatemala)

Columbus Crew: Robbie Rogers (USA)

FC Dallas: None

Seattle Sounders: None

2011 US Open Cup qualifying updates: MLS play-in tournament underway

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Tony Tchani (23) of the New York Red Bulls battles for the ball against Joseph Niouky (23) of the New England Revolution during last year's MLS qualifying tournament. | Photo: RBNY/Getty Images

For the fifth year in a row, Major League Soccer (MLS) will conduct a play-in tournament to narrow the number of teams that enter the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Beginning on June 28, eight MLS clubs will join the 98th edition of the tournament in the third round, with the top six MLS teams based on the 2010 league standings automatically qualifying. The 10 remaining US-based clubs are left to fight for the last two spots.

Below are the matchups as well as which team will host each match, as determined by a coin flip at MLS headquarters. The dates, times and locations will be announced at a later date.

Automatic qualifiers: Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders FC

2011 MLS qualifying bracket

First Round

(8) Chivas USA 0:2 (10) Portland Timbers – RECAP
Tuesday, March 29 – 10 p.m. EST | Merlo Field (Portland, Ore.)

(7) Philadelphia 2:2 (9) DC United – RECAP
DC advances 4-2 in PKs
April 6, 7:30 p.m. | Maryland Soccerplex (Boyds, Md.)

Second Round

(2) San Jose Earthquakes 1:0 (10) Portland Timbers – RECAP
After Extra Time
May 3, 10:30 p.m. EST | Jeld-Wen Field (Portland, Ore.)

(6) New England 3:2 (9) DC United – RECAP
April 26, 7:30 p.m. EST | Maryland Soccerplex (Boyds, Md.)

(1) Colorado Rapids 1:2 (4) Chicago Fire – RECAP
March 30, Shea Stadium (Peoria, Ill.)

(3) Sporting Kansas City 1:0 (5) Houston Dynamo – RECAP
After Extra Time
April 6, 8 p.m. EST – Aggie Soccer Stadium (College Station, Tx.)

Third Round*

(4) Chicago Fire 2:2 (2) San Jose Earthquakes – RECAP
Chicago qualifies for the 2011 US Open Cup, 5-4 in PKs
May 24, 10:30 p.m. EST – Buck Shaw Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.)

(6) New England Revolution 0:5 (3) Sporting Kansas City – RECAP
Kansas City qualifies for the 2011 US Open Cup
May 25, 8:30 p.m. EST – Blue Valley District Activities Complex (Overland Park, Kan.)

MLS qualifying team profiles

Chicago Fire: The MLS team with the most Open Cup titles (4) only had to qualify one time and only had to play one game to qualify for that tournament in 2008. They defeated the Columbus Crew 3-2 and they would advance to the quarterfinals that year, losing to DC United.

Chivas USA: Has never had to qualify for the US Open Cup

Colorado Rapids: The Rapids share the unfortunate distinction with Real Salt Lake as the club who has played the most qualifying matches over the last four seasons. Which only means a lot of heartbreak for their fans, as Colorado has a 3-2-2 record (1-1 in PKs) and after advancing in 2007, the Rapids have fallen one game short in each of the last three years. In 2010, they lost to the New York Red Bulls, 3-0.

DC United: In two years (2009, 2010), DC has never lost a qualifying match, with a perfect 4-0 record. Last year, United advanced to the semifinals where they lost to the Columbus Crew, and in 2009, they joined fellow qualifying survivor Seattle Sounders FC, by reaching the championship game. Seattle won the final 2-1 at RFK Stadium.

Houston Dynamo: Houston has never had to qualify for the US Open Cup.

New England Revolution: Last year was the first time New England has had to qualify for the Open Cup, and they lost in the semifinals, 3-0, to the New York Red Bulls.

Philadelphia Union: In their inaugural season last year, the Union lost their first qualifying match, 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls.

Portland Timbers: 2011 MLS expansion club

San Jose Earthquakes: The Earthquakes have never won a qualifying match (0-2-1), failing to advance each of the last three years. The closest they came was last year, when they drew 3-3 with Real Salt Lake, but fell short in the shootout.

Sporting Kansas City: The club formerly known as the Wizards have also never won a qualifying game (0-2-1, 1-0 in PKs). The only time they advanced was when they defeated the Colorado Rapids in a penalty kick shootout to qualify for the 2008 US Open Cup.

Hosting MLS qualifying games (2007-2010)

Chicago: 1 game, 1 home, 0 away (1-0)
Colorado: 7 games, 2 home, 5 away (3-2-2, 1-1 in PKs)
Columbus: 3 games, 2 home, 1 away (1-2-0)
DC United: 4 games, 4 home, 0 away (4-0-0)
FC Dallas: 2 games, 0 home, 2 away (0-2-0)
Los Angeles: 4 games, 2 home, 2 away (2-1-1, 0-1 in PKs)
New England: 1 game, 0 home, 1 away (0-1-0)
New York: 6 games, 3 home, 3 away (4-2-0)
Philadelphia: 1 game, 0 home, 1 away (0-1-0)
Real Salt Lake: 7 games, 2 home, 5 away (2-4-1, 1-0 in PKs)
San Jose: 3 games, 2 home, 1 away (0-2-1, 0-1 in PKs)
Seattle: 2 games, 2 home, 0 away (2-0-0)
Sporting Kansas City: 3 games, 2 home, 1 away (0-2-1, 1-0 in PKs)

More: USSF announces 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup team allocations, dates

2010 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Sounders back in semifinals after Nate Jaqua’s brace vs. Galaxy

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The defending US Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders returned to the semifinals with a 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday night. In front of a sold-out crowd of 4,512 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash., Nate Jaqua scored a pair of second half goals and Terry Boss kept a clean sheet to preserve the win.

Miguel Montano of the Seattle Sounders battles for the ball against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Montano assisted on both goals in Seattle's 2-0 win. Photo: Seattle Sounders

While the Sounders have officially said that the USL franchise’s history is separate from the MLS team, it’s worth noting that this is the fourth year in a row that a team with the nickname of “Sounders” has reached the final four. Only the Chicago Fire (2003-2006) of Major League Soccer have accomplished that feat, winning the tournament in 2006 and 2003 and falling in the championship game in 2004.

The first goal didn’t arrive until the 50th minute when Seattle’s Miguel Montano fired a shot that hit the crossbar, and Jaqua was at the right place at the right time as he headed the loose ball into the back of the net.

About 12 minutes later, Montano created a second by sending in a cross from the left wing, finding Jaqua whose diving header gave the home team a two-goal cushion.

Boss only had to make two saves as the Sounders defense held the Galaxy to only 10 shots for the entire match.

Seattle will return to the Starfire Complex for the semifinals on September 1 as they will host Chivas USA, who are making their first-ever appearance in the final four. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. While this will be the first meeting between Seattle and Chivas in the Open Cup as MLS franchises, the USL Sounders eliminated Chivas in 2007 and 2008.

MLSSoccer.com Matchcenter

Scoring Summary:
SEA – Nate Jaqua 2 (Unassisted) 50’
SEA – Nate Jaqua 3 (Miguel Montano 1) 62’

Misconduct Summary:
LA – Alex Cazumba (Yellow Card) 45’
LA – Bryan Jordan (Yellow Card) 70’
SEA – David Estrada (Yellow Card) 89’
LA – Alan Gordon (Yellow Card) 89’

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Josh Saunders; A.J. DeLaGarza, Leonardo (Sean Franklin 71’), Omar Gonzalez, Eddie Lewis; Chris Klein© (Dema Kovalenko 69’), Bryan Jordan, Jovan Kirovski (Juninho 72’), Alex Cazumba; Clint Mathis, Alan Gordon.

Subs Not Used: Donovan Ricketts, Todd Dunivant, Michael Stephens, Tristan Bowen.

Seattle Sounders FC: Terry Boss; Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Tyson Wahl; Sanna Nyassi, Nathan Sturgis, Mike Seamon (James Riley 78’), Miguel Montano (Leo Gonzalez 71’); Roger Levesque, Nate Jaqua© (David Estrada 86’).

Subs Not Used: Kasey Keller, Steve Zakuani, Pat Noonan, Fredy Monteo.

2010 US Open Cup Third Round: Galaxy send AC St. Louis home after 2-0 win

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Despite solid defense from AC St. Louis, the Los Angeles Galaxy came away with a 2-0 win in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup. Both goals came more than an hour into the match, with Chris Klein scoring in the 69th minute and Juninho sending the ball into the back of the net at the 80 minute mark.

Both teams played evenly for the first twenty minutes, but after that, the Galaxy started to impose their will on the offensive end, but were unable to solve the defense. St. Louis, however, couldn’t get anything going, seemingly drawing offside flags every time they tried attacking, and the half ended scoreless.

The Galaxy kept attacking, and finally broke through when Klein took the pass from Tristian Bowen and slotted it home to give the home team the 1-0 lead. St. Louis sent in more offense right afterward, but in what was to be a bad omen, Chris Salvaggione was given a yellow card for stepping onto the pitch too early. LA kept attacking, and Juninho slipped the ball, sent by Eddie Lewis, past St. Louis keeper Alec Dufty. St. Louis was never able to mount any effective comeback, sending Los Angeles on to play either Seattle Sounders FC or the Portland Timbers Wednesday, July 7 in the Quarterfinals.

GOALS:
LA- Klein (Bowen) 69′
LA- Juninho (Lewis) 80′

DISCIPLINE:
LA- Kirovski 55′ (yellow, Reckless foul)
STL- Salvaggione 72′ (yellow, Entering without permission)

SUBSTITUTIONS:
STL- Salvaggione for Stisser, 72′
LA- Juninho for Bowen, 73′
STL- Kafedic for Cole, 76′
LA- Birchall for Mathis, 81′
STL- Moore for Cosgriff, 85′

2007 US Open Cup Round 3: Galactic upset! Richmond eliminate LA Galaxy 1-0

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David Bulow of the Richmond Kickers scores a goal against the LA Galaxy in the Third Round of the 2007 US Open Cup. Photo: Brian Zimmerman
David Bulow of the Richmond Kickers scores a goal against the LA Galaxy in the Third Round of the 2007 US Open Cup. Photo: Brian Zimmerman

The Richmond Kickers pulled off the biggest upset in franchise history with a 1-0 win against Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy. David Bulow pounced on a mishandled corner kick in the 29th minute and the Kickers defense held the Galaxy off the scoresheet for the rest of the game in front of their home fans at University of Richmond Stadium.

Landon Donovan of the LA Galaxy (left) and Matt Watson of the Richmond Kickers battle for the ball in the Third Round of the 2007 US Open Cup. Photo: Brian Zimmerman
Landon Donovan of the LA Galaxy (left) and Matt Watson of the Richmond Kickers battle for the ball in the Third Round of the 2007 US Open Cup. Photo: Brian Zimmerman

The Kickers’ Ronnie Pascale made four saves, while Galaxy backup keeper Steve Cronin stopped three for the visitors.

This was the first victory over an MLS team since the Kickers joined the USL Second Division at the beginning of the 2006 season. As a member of the USL’s First Division (called the “A-League” until 2005), the Kickers defeated two MLS teams, the Colorado Rapids in the Second Round of the 2000 tournament, and DC United in the Fourth Round in 2004.

The defending Second Division champions, and winners of the 1995 US Open Cup, will move on to the next round to play the Carolina RailHawks, who upset their MLS opponent Chicago Fire also by a score of 1-0.

As a side note, for those of you paying attention to one of the subplots of this year’s tournament, this means that the chances of the Harrisburg City Islanders hosting a “dream game” involving the Los Angeles Galaxy and David Beckham are over. The City Islanders will be donating the money raised to the Harrisburg Department of Parks and Recreation.

Harrisburg City Islanders selling tickets for “dream” game with David Beckham

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A graphic from the Harrisburg City Islander's David Beckham promotion.
A graphic from the Harrisburg City Islander’s David Beckham promotion.

When it was announced that David Beckham was set to join the Los Angeles Galaxy, it sent shockwaves to all corners of the sporting world. This news gave every Major League Soccer team a new reason to market an already growing league: Beckham is coming. Joe Sierko, the General Manager of the USL Second Division’s Harrisburg City Islanders, wondered how his team could benefit from “Beckhamania.”

The City Islanders, a team entering their fourth year as a USL franchise, decided to sell tickets for a potential US Open Cup match against David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy. The cost of the tickets would $1. The catch? Both clubs still have yet to qualify for the 2007 tournament, and even if they do, the chance of the two clubs squaring off are rather slim.

“As far as we know, this is the first time that a ticket has been sold for an event that is very unlikely to ever occur and certainly hasn’t even been scheduled,” said Sierko.

This begs the question, why would someone buy a ticket to a game that might not happen?

The plan is that if the game does occur, then everyone who bought a ticket will receive one admission to the match which, needless to say, will be the hottest ticket in town. If the game does not end up happening, then 100% of the money earned from the ticket sales will be donated, in the name of David Beckham, to the Harrisburg Parks Partnership which helps the Harrisburg Department of Parks and Recreation in the development and maintenance of parks and city playgrounds throughout the state capital.

“We have sold over 1,000 tickets to date and will continue to sell up to the limit of 5,000 as long as the dream stays alive,” said Sierko.

The dream will end as soon as the Galaxy or the City Islanders are eliminated from the Open Cup. Los Angeles has one more qualifying game to play against the New York Red Bulls. If they win, they are in.

Harrisburg’s first six games of the season double as cup qualifiers. If they are among the Second Division teams to get in, they would need to win two games in the tournament to advance to the Third Round and hope that US Soccer grants their wish to face off with the Galaxy when the draw occurs.

The goal of the fundraiser is not only to raise money, but also to get people excited about the club, the US Open Cup and soccer in general.

“We should do whatever we can to continue to grow the sport and get into the vision of casual fans,” said Sierko. “Hopefully, more people will become aware of the Open Cup because of Beckham because I am confident that once they are aware, they will be intrigued by the concept.”

To find out more information about buying tickets for the “Beckham Match”, visit the Harrisburg City Islanders official website.

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