New York Red Bulls

2018 US Open Cup Round 5 preview: Round of 16 continues with two Saturday MLS games (video)

June 16, 2018 by Phil Naegely

The Portland Timbers became the first team to punch their ticket to the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Friday night. Two more Round of 16 matchups are on the schedule for Saturday night with a pair of MLS vs. MLS games.

At 7 p.m. the Philadelphia Union will host the New York Red Bulls followed by the defending champion Sporting Kansas City welcoming FC Dallas to Children’s Mercy Park.

This is just the ninth time in the Modern Era (1995-present) that a Major League Soccer team has played in a US Open Cup game on a Saturday. The last time it happened was during another World Cup break in 2014 when there were three games on the same night involving MLS teams. In fact, all three of those MLS teams (Chivas USA, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake) were all eliminated by teams from the North American Soccer League (NASL). The two most notable Saturday games of the Modern Era were championship games as the Chicago Fire lifted the trophy in 2000 and the Los Angeles Galaxy won their first US Open Cup title.

Check out a preview of each Saturday game below, including links to tonight’s live video feed.

#USOC2018 coverage:
* 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup schedule, results
* 2018 US Open Cup statistical leaders
* 2018 US Open Cup Player of the Round winners
* 2018 US Open Cup qualifying Round 1 review
* 2018 US Open Cup qualifying Round 2 review
* 2018 US Open Cup qualifying Round 3 review
* 2018 US Open Cup qualifying Round 4 review

MORE: How amateurs Dallas Roma FC beat World Cup champs, an MLS team and it cost $75,000

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2018 US Open Cup Fourth Round

New York Red Bulls (MLS) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
Talen Energy Stadium – Chester, PA
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
LIVE VIDEO: New York Red Bulls at Philadelphia Union

By Phil Naegely

For the first time in the Modern Era (1995-present) two teams will meet for the fourth tournament in a row when the Philadelphia Union take on the New York Red Bulls in US Open Cup play on Saturday night at Talen Energy Stadium. If you include Open Cup qualifying, this will be the fifth meeting with the first match coming in the now-defunct 2010 MLS qualifying tournament. It was one of the first official games at the newly-opened Red Bull Arena and hometown Red Bulls prevailed 2-1 on April 27, 2010.

While the Union have struggled in league play this year, the Philadelphia heads into Saturday’s match riding an 11-game unbeaten streak in Open Cup play, the second-longest unbeaten streak in the Modern Era (matches that go to penalty kicks are officially listed as a draw). Their last US Open Cup loss was a 3-1 result against the Seattle Sounders in the 2014 Final. In this year’s edition, the Union advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating the Richmond Kickers, 5-0 in the previous round. Five different scorers tallied a goal for Philadelphia in June 6 match.

The New York Red Bulls travel to Chester, PA on short rest after defeating the Seattle Sounders, 2-1 in league play on Wednesday night. New York advanced to face the Union after defeating New York City FC, 4-0 in front of its home crowd.

HISTORY

Philadelphia Union (MLS)
7th US Open Cup appearance

Overall: 13-3-6 (3-3 PK)
Home: 12-2-2 (1-1 PK)
vs. MLS: 5-3-5 (2-3 PK)
Best finish: Runner-Up (2014, 2015)

After falling in consecutive finals matches in 2014 and 2015 to the Sounders and Sporting Kansas City, respectively, the Union have yet to return to the Semifinals. In the 2016 Quarterfinals, the New England Revolution advanced on a 4-2 decision in penalty kicks after the Union scored an equalizer in the 90th minute to tie the game at 1-1. In 2017, the Red Bulls ousted the Union 5-3 in penalties.

With the Union last playing on Friday, June 8 against Toronto FC, Philadelphia most likely will play its regular players. Alejandro Bedoya and Haris Medunjanin served red-card suspensions during this match, so both of these players should see the field during Saturday’s US Open Cup match.

New York Red Bulls (MLS)
20th US Open Cup appearance

Overall: 22-18-3 (2-1 PK)
Away: 11-12-1 (1-0 PK)
vs. MLS: 8-10-3 (2-1 PK)
Best finish: Runner-Up (2003, 2017)

Just like the Union, the Red Bulls’ best US Open Cup finish is runner-up. And they have done it twice. In last year’s tournament, the Red Bulls lost 2-1 to Sporting Kansas City. It was their first trip to the Final since 2003 when the Red Bulls (then the Metrostars) lost 1-0 to the Chicago Fire at Giants Stadium.

It wouldn’t be shocking if the Red Bulls rest some of their regular starters after playing a league match on Wednesday. However, nothing is officially confirmed at this time.

2018 US Open Cup Fifth Round Round

FC Dallas (MLS) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Children’s Mercy Park – Kansas City, KS
Kickoff: 9 p.m.
LIVE VIDEO: FC Dallas at Sporting Kansas City

By Alan Hainkel

At Children’s Mercy Park, two of the best clubs in the MLS Western Conference, Sporting Kansas City and FC Dallas, will meet in a Round of 16 clash in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, named after the original owner of both clubs. The weather is expected to be a factor in the match with a heat advisory predicting temperatures in the upper 90s and heat index readings between 100 and 105 degrees.

FC Dallas picked up a 1-0 win on the road in the Fourth Round over USL side San Antonio FC, while Sporting KC defeated Real Salt Lake 2-0 at Rio Tinto.

Both clubs are in good form of late. Sporting KC is on a seven match unbeaten streak across all competitions, their last loss a 1-0 road defeat to the New England Revolution on April 28. FC Dallas is on an eight match unbeaten streak and have won their last five. Their last loss was on April 29 to NYCFC in a 3-1 match at Yankee Stadium.

This will be the fourth meeting between these two clubs in the US Open Cup and the fourth time that the match has been played in Kansas. In 2004, the then-Kansas City Wizards defeated the then-Dallas Burn 4-0 in a quarterfinal match played at the Blue Valley District Activity Center. In 2015, Sporting KC dismantled FC Dallas 6-2 in a Round of 16 clash, behind four goals from Dom Dwyer and a brace from Krisztián Németh. The 2017 match-up in the quarterfinals saw three red cards as 10-man Sporting KC defeated 9-man FC Dallas 3-0 on three goals in extra time from Latif Blessing (2) and Daniel Salloi.

FC Dallas has two players with six goals each in league play in Roland Lamah and Maxi Urruti. Mauro Diaz leads the club in assists with eight. Sporting KC’s top scorer is Johnny Russell who has six goals across all competitions. Roger Espinoza has a career-high six assists in league play so far in this campaign.

HISTORY

Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
20th US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 27-13-6 (4-2 PK)
Home: 19-7-2 (2-0 PK)
vs. MLS teams: 13-8-3 (3-0 PK)
Best finish: 2004, 2012, 2015, 2017 champions

FC Dallas (MLS)
21st US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 34-17-6 (5-1 PK)
Away: 14-11-2 (2-0 PK)
vs. MLS teams: 13-12-3 (2-1 PK)
Best finish: 1997, 2016 champions

The matchup is also a meeting of the last three US Open Cups championships. FC Dallas have won the Open Cup twice, in 1997 and 2016. They also reached the final in 2005 and 2007. Sporting KC are the reigning titleholders and have won the Open Cup four times: 2004, 2012, 2015, 2017. If Sporting wins one more title, they will tie the all-time record for most Open Cup championships.

FC Dallas can make history with a win tonight. If they advance, it will be the 17th Quarterfinal appearance for the club, which would tie the all-time tournament record, held by Kutis Soccer Club (St. Louis).

2018 US Open Cup Round 4: NY Red Bulls keep NYCFC winless in tournament with dominate win

June 7, 2018 by Matt Reed

Vincent Bezecourt of the New York Red Bulls celebrates a goal scored against New York City FC in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Bob Larson | TheCup.us

The New York Red Bulls didn’t have superstar attackers Bradley Wright-Phillips or Kaku, but the Major League Soccer power cruised to a 4-0 win over rivals New York City FC in the Fourth Round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

NYCFC has yet to win a match in its four seasons involved in the competition, and fell at Red Bull Arena for the second year in a row without scoring a goal after manager Patrick Vieira made nine changes to the team’s starting XI.

The Red Bulls, who finished as the runner-up in last year’s tournament, were forced to tinker with their lineup as well because of a tight MLS schedule and various players away on international duty.

With Wright-Phillips on the bench to start for the Red Bulls, Vincent Bezecourt wasted no time providing the team with an attacking spark, and broke the deadlock in the third minute with a powerful strike to the bottom right corner.

NYCFC was tested again when Patrick Vieira turned to Sebastien Ibeagha in the sixth minute to replace defender Cedric Hountondji, who was forced out of the match with a leg injury.

NYCFC managed to get more involved in the flow of play as the first half progressed, and nearly found an equalizer in the 37th minute when David Villa’s shot at the near post trickled under goalkeeper Ryan Meara. However, center back Hassan Ndam was in the proper position to clear the ball off the line.

Red Bulls continued to push in the second stanza, and quickly found themselves with a second goal in the 52nd minute after Aaron Long headed home a corner kick.

The celebration is #RBNYvNYC | #USOC2018 pic.twitter.com/RdphZwwNTS

— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) June 7, 2018

“First, really good performance from Aaron ,” said manager Jesse Marsch. “Nights like this when it’s the full team isn’t here gives these young guys a chance to develop further. Aaron has become a leader, but it’s important to use these moments to help these guys build and challenge the players to get better and grow.

“When Aaron first came here we knew he was talented and gifted. But if we find talented guys with the right mentality then we feel they can become true Red Bull players.”

In the dying moments, Daniel Royer stamped his way onto the score sheet twice in a span of two minutes, giving Red Bulls their second 4-0 win over their cross-river rivals of this season.

“It’s one of the big positives on the night,” Marsch said. “Danny played a huge role for us tonight. From a confidence standpoint it was really good to see him get back on the scoresheet tonight.”

2017 US Open Cup Round 4: New York Red Bulls keep NYCFC winless in Open Cup play

June 15, 2017 by Romulo Vieira

Chris Armas, who filled in for the suspended head coach Jesse Marsch, celebrates the New York Red Bulls' 1-0 win over NYCFC in the Fourth Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Bob Larson — Chris Armas, who filled in for the suspended head coach Jesse Marsch, celebrates the New York Red Bulls’ 1-0 win over NYCFC in the Fourth Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Bob Larson

For the first time in US Open Cup play, the New York Red Bulls took on their rivals from across the Hudson River, and earned a 1-0 victory over New York City FC. Both sets of fans brought their passion to Red Bull Arena to help push their team to the next round.

For the first couple of minutes the Red Bulls looked like they were controlling the match, but their lack of speed up front made it easier for NYCFC to avoid any real danger. While it seemed the Red Bulls were in control, NYCFC were definitely more dangerous in front of goal. In the 16th minute, NYCFC’s Tommy McNamara shot a ball that hit the crossbar twice without going in goal. Later in the half, the post proved to be Red Bulls goalkeeper Ryan Meara’s best friend on this night when David Villa’s shot went past Meara hitting the post. Minutes before half-time, Bradley Wright-Philips had a clear chance to score his first Open Cup goal when he was in front of goal, but NYCFC keeper Sean Johnson was there to make the save.

New York Red Bulls supporters were in full voice as their club defeated their rivals from NYCFC 1-0 in the Fourth Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Bob Larson

While NYCFC looked more dangerous in the first half, the New York Red Bulls completely dominated the second half. The Red Bulls continuously pressed forward threatening to score, while NYCFC looked lost after losing midfielder Maximiliano Moralez at the half.

Finally, the deadlock was broken in the 67th minute when substitute Daniel Royer put the Red Bulls up 1-0. He scored after Sean Johnson was able to save an attempt from Bradley Wright-Phillips, which then Royer capitalized with a beautiful volley to the delight of the home crowd. After going up 1-0, the Red Bulls continued to dominate possession. NYCFC was clearly looking to take advantage of a counter attack to try to tie the game, but David Villa wasn’t getting the necessary support to do so.

With 1-0 victory, the New York Red Bulls continue to dominate the Hudson River Derby with their sixth victory in seven matches against their rivals from across the river. When Chris Armas, who took over as head coach for this game for the suspended Jesse Marsch, was asked what this new role meant to him, he stated “I didn’t look at it as this big opportunity, I quickly noted it’s not about me it’s about the guys tonight.”

“It’s a great feeling to score against our city rival New York City,” Royer said. “When I signed here last year in August, this was definitely one of those games I was looking forward to the most.”

CLEAN UP CREW!

Royer bangs one home!#NYvNYC | #RBNY pic.twitter.com/Qq9nnBdPeB

— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) June 15, 2017

2016 US Open Cup Round 5: Philadelphia Union survive first half, overcome New York Red Bulls 2-1 on Chris Pontius brace

June 29, 2016 by Michael Berton

Chris Pontius scored two goals for the Philadelphia Union, his second and third of his US Open Cup career. Photo: Bob Larson

The two halves of the Fifth Round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup game between the Philadelphia Union and the New York Red Bulls could not have been any different. But after getting dominated in the first half, the Union came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory.

The visiting Red Bulls outshot their MLS counterparts 13-1 in a first half display that was demoralizing for the home supporters. Capitalizing on numerous Union mistakes, New York’s high-pressure also stifled most Philadelphia attacks. The home side came out with a new energy in the second half, however, two goals in the span of five minutes sent the Union into the Quarterfinals.

“We whipped their butts in the first half,” New York coach Jesse Marsch said. “They came out and whipped our butts in the second half.”

New York, which was looking for revenge for a Quarterfinal loss to the Union last year, started the game on fire. Only some heroic goalkeeping from Andre Blake kept the Red Bulls off the scoresheet early on.

In the 17th minute, it was one mistake too many however. Union defender Richie Marquez couldn’t clear a ball into the box, and Mike Grella capitalized with an easy shot to the bottom left corner of the net.

It did not get any better for the two-time Open Cup runners-up for the remainder of the half. The Red Bulls ended with a 13-1 shots advantage and a 6-1 shots on goal advantage. The Union could consider themselves lucky to only be down by one goal.

Union coach Jim Curtain said, “It was a tale of two halves. That wasn’t us in the first half. Maybe and Yaro were good, but the rest of the guys — it wasn’t them.”

The Union were a completely different team to start the second half. And it was the connection between two players who had forgettable first halves that led to both Philadelphia goals.

In the 55th minute, Ilsinho was played into space down the right side of the field. He picked out Chris Pontius making a diagonal run into the box, and Pontius made no mistake, scoring a goal to Ryan Meara’s left.

Just five minutes later, the two combined again. Ilsinho chipped a cross to Pontius, who hit it first-time into the back of the net.

With a 2-1 lead, Philadelphia made defensive substitutions and aimed to see out the game. As time went on, instead of the players getting testy in the heat of the moment, it was the coaches.

In second half added time, a ball was played out of bounds. The ball made its way back onto the field. Regardless of whether Union assistant coach Mike Sorber meant to kick it back, or if it bounced off him, he was ejected from the game.

A few minutes later, angry with the officiating, Marsch was ejected. Before leaving the field, he spiked two balls at the Union sideline.

“I had to try to induce change in the ref somehow. They were basically calling every foul for the Union,” Marsch said.

The Red Bulls had a few more flurries in them, but when the whistle sounded, the Union came out 2-1 victors. Philadelphia extends its Open Cup unbeaten streak to seven games, a mark that only nine teams in the Modern Era have ever reached.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

2015 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: 10-man Philadelphia Union beat New York Red Bulls in PKs to reach third Semifinal in four years (video)

July 21, 2015 by Brian Venard

The Philadelphia Union celebrate their penalty kick shootout win over the New York Red Bulls in the 2015 Quarterfinals. Photo: Bob Larson

UPDATE: John McCarthy of Philadelphia Union has been voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

The Philadelphia Union, playing with 10 men for 80 minutes, won a PK shootout with the New York Red Bulls to punch their ticket to the Semifinals for the second year in a row. Despite Conor Casey’s straight red card in the 40th minute, the Union scored the first goal in the 55th minute through Eric Ayuk. They were less than a minute away from winning the match in regulation until Lloyd Sam equalized deep into second half stoppage time to send the game into extra time. Philadelphia goalkeeper John McCarthy, who came up big on a number of occasions for the Union, made two saves and Bradley Wright-Phillips missed his attempt to give the visitors a 4-3 shootout win.

“I would say, first and foremost, it’s the Union’s biggest win in their history,” said head coach Jim Curtin. “I thought the fan support was incredible. I thought that our players showed a ton of heart – the heart of a lion. I couldn’t be more proud. They represented the badge very well. They represented our fans, our city, and they left everything on the field.”

The Union move on to host the winner of Orlando City SC and the Chicago Fire in the final four which is scheduled to take place Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET at PPL Park. The Fire host Orlando on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.

At the opening kickoff the temperatures were in the 90s and the play on the field got off to a blazing start. The Union pushed forward and earned themselves a corner kick within the first 45 seconds of the match. After a short burst of energy by the Union, the Red Bulls held possession for the large portion of the half.

Fernando Aristeguieta scores the winning penalty kick for the Philadelphia Union against the New York Red Bulls in the 2015 Quarterfinals. Photo: Bob Larson

In the 40th minute, the game took a major turn when Union forward Conor Casey shown a straight red card for an aggressive challenge on Conor Lade. There was little argument from the veteran as he quietly marched off the field leaving his team short a man.

The Red Bulls had several oppertuinites in the following five minutes after the red card, but nothing came of it. Multiple times, New York would gain the penalty area, they would misfire or McCarthy would come off his line to put an end to the play.

The second half got off to a fast start as well, with the Red Bulls getting a handful of solid attempts on net. The pattern continued from the first half where the ball remained in the Union’s defensive third, and every few minutes there would be a counter attack.

“There’s not a moment when you can relax,” said McCarthy who has started every game for the Union in the tournament. “You’re always on your toes because you know the pressure’s coming nonstop.”

As the second half progressed, the Union started to get their footing, and started denying the Red Bulls from shooting on nearly every possession.

The Union got the ultimate gratification for their resurgence with a well deserved goal in the 55th minute by Eric Ayuk.

After the goal, the Red Bulls were clearly deflated, letting off a lot of the pressure they applied in the opening 10 minutes of the half. The Union continued to control the game as it progressed, and with only one minute left of stoppage time, it seemed certain that the Union were moving on to the Semifinals. But the Red Bulls kept fighting as Lloyd Sam tied the game in the fourth minute of stoppage time, connecting on a ball after a series of headers in the penalty area. The shorthanded Union and the hometown Red Bulls, both who had used all of their substitutions, were headed to extra time.

Stoppage time was dominated by the Red Bulls as they pushed the ball forward throughout the first 15 minutes, but nothing came out of it. Union were on their heels throughout but McCarthy kept the Union in the game as he finished the game with nine saves. The second half of extra time provided more drama as the Union had more possession, but the Red Bulls still had the majority of the ball at their feet with the extra man.

The Red Bulls nearly stole the game at the end as Bradley Wright-Phillips headed in what most of the fans in attendance thought was the game-winner in the 120th minute, but the referee’s assistant ruled him offside. That was the last real chance of extra time for either side, so the ultimate decider, penalty kicks, came into play.

Wright-Phillips missed the opening attempt of the shootout off the crossbar and after everyone converted their attempts the Union were up 3-2 going into Round 4. The Red Bulls’ regulation hero Lloyd Sam had his shot saved in spectacular fashion by McCarthy, diving to his left and pulling the ball off the line. New York’s Luis Robles saved an attempt by Fred which meant it was coming down to the final round. Sasha Kljestan scored for the home team, but it was Fernando Aristeguieta who sent the Union into the final four, much to the delight of their traveling fans in the upper deck.

After the game, there was a very dampened mood in the New York locker room and Robles summed it up.

“What feels different, is that walking into this locker room today, we all expected to win,” said the goalkeeper who made two saves. “The hardest part is dealing with the result when you believed you would win.”

The confident Red Bulls will have to wait until next year to get another shot at their first Open Cup title. While the victorious Philadelphia will advance to play in their third Semifinal in the last four years as they continue their quest to bring the Open Cup trophy back to Pennsylvania for the first time since 1966.

POST-GAME: JIM CURTIN

POST-GAME: FERNANDO ARISTEGUIETA

POST-GAME: JOHN MCCARTHY

POST-GAME: RAY GADDIS

FULL MATCH REPLAY: PHILADELPHIA UNION AT NY RED BULLS

How it happened: Why the Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls US Open Cup match is now at 4 p.m. on July 21

July 14, 2015 by Ed Farnsworth

Photo: Bob Larson, Stellar Performance Photography

Some six days after the expected announcement on July 2, the date and time for the quarterfinal US Open Cup tie between New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union was finally announced for 4 p.m. on July 21.

That’s right, a US Open Cup quarterfinal game featuring one of last year’s finalists against perhaps its biggest league rival had been scheduled for 4 p.m. on a Tuesday.

The reason for the date and time, and the reason for the delay? Well, that’s a long story.

A little background

When the calendar for the 2015 US Open Cup was announced on Feb. 4, it was a a cause for celebration among fans of the venerable tournament. But an announcement on April 28 concerning the schedule of another tournament, the 2015 International Champions Cup (ICC), would eventually prove to be reason behind the delay.

Few noted then that several MLS teams were scheduled to play ICC games on the dates that had been announced in February as set aside for the quarterfinals of the Open Cup. But, the day before the start of Open Cup’s fifth round, an article at the Washington Post from Steven Goff alerted fans to the looming scheduling conflict: Fifth round opponents LA Galaxy (Barcelona) and San Jose Earthquakes (Manchester United) had also scheduled ICC games on July 21, while the New York Red Bulls were scheduled to host Chelsea at Red Bull Arena on July 22. To complicate matters further, an ICC game between Fiorentina and Paris Saint-Germain was also scheduled at Red Bull Arena to kick off on July 21 at 8:30 pm.

Following LA’s victory over San Jose, LA and Real Salt Lake announced their quarterfinal match would take place in Salt Lake on July 14 outside of the window of quarterfinal dates published in February.

With the Union’s win over DC United in the books, and the Red Bulls-New York Cosmos game yet to be played, an article published on the US Soccer website on July 1 listed the potential Red Bulls-Union quarterfinal date as July 15, with the New York Post‘s Brian Lewis and Goff tweeting the same. But the date in the US Soccer article was quickly updated to TBD and Lewis tweeted later the same day that a date around the time of the MLS All-Star Game was more likely.

Soon rumblings were heard that negotiations between the two clubs to find a new date were not going smoothly as Red Bulls and Union fans might have hoped.

Frustration

At first glance, the here-now-and-gone-again July 15 date for the Red Bulls-Union matchup seems the obvious choice. After all, LA and Salt Lake had reached an agreement to reschedule their quarterfinal matchup for July 14.
But the Union had scheduled a summer friendly against new Premier League side Bournemouth for July 14. This would this be Bournemouth’s first-ever match and the Union playing a meaningful game the next day was a no-go. Aaron Bauer wrote in the Red Bulls blog Once a Metro that the July 15 date wouldn’t work, “It is safe to say the Union would try to avoid playing the game on this date at all costs.”

Most of the reporting that has been done on the negotiations has referred to unnamed sources, but speaking in his weekly press conference on July 8 a few hours before the July 21 date was announced, Union head coach Jim Curtin described the scheduling uncertainty as “most unfair…it’s most unfair to the Philadelphia Union fans and the New York Red Bulls fans that don’t know when the game is going to be, the time, the day.” He said of the negotiations between the two clubs, “I’ve been on all correspondence with it. There’s some good healthy conversations, there’s some that aren’t productive. I think a lot of people are frustrated by it.”

No one is happy

When the 4 p.m. kickoff for the quarterfinal game was finally announced, no one was happy. Before the rescheduled date was announced, Bauer at Once a Metro suggested July 28 as a possible date for the quarterfinal but, with the All-Star Game on July 29, that date seems to never have been in serious play. Needless to say, the possibility the Red Bulls might forfeit the Open Cup game was unthinkable. Such a recourse would be bad for them and for the Open Cup tournament.

So why couldn’t the teams come to an agreement?

At the New York Post, Lewis reported after the rescheduled date had been announced that sources said “the Red Bulls found a common off date to reschedule the game, but shifting the game required not only the approval of the US Soccer Federation but the opponent. The Union countered with a proposal to move the game to Philadelphia, which the Red Bulls opted not to do.”

Citing unnamed sources, Dave Martinez reported at the New York soccer website Empire of Soccer said the Red Bulls had found “willing partners within USSF” to change the date — presumably to July 15, though Martinez does not say — but the Union had played “hardball” in the scheduling negotiations, with one source calling the Union a “bad partner.” The quotes were no doubt accurately reported but it was too easy for neutral observers to read them as an attempt by the Red Bulls to deflect widespread fan anger from themselves for the situation they created by agreeing to the ICC dates toward the Union. A tweet from Empire of Soccer reporter Mark Fishkin suggested the Red Bulls had been assured by US Soccer in January that there would be flexibility in scheduling before the team accepted the offer to play in the ICC. If that was the case, it was a curious, if not unsporting, assurance for US Soccer to make given that such flexibility was dependent on the agreement of whoever the Red Bulls’ opponent might be.

Nevertheless, Curtin’s comments in his press conference are probably a good indication of the Union’s position in the negotiations: “We knew in February that the Open Cup dates were the 21st and the 22nd; we planned our schedule accordingly.” Acknowledging the difficulties of scheduling the game on July 21 because of the ICC game that same night, Curtin explained, “The 21st, is it perfect? No, they have I believe Fiorentina-PSG play that evening at Red Bull Arena. We’re more than willing to host the game here, we’d love to.”

In other words, the Union believed they had planned responsibly in scheduling the Bournemouth friendly and were unwilling to concede competitive advantage simply because the Red Bulls had, through their own decisions, created a scheduling conflict that mostly affected them. That the Union apparently were willing to fight to gain competitive advantage in exchange for easing the Red Bulls scheduling woes should come as no surprise. It’s the kind of gamesmanship that is as old as the Open Cup tournament itself.

Interestingly, if New York Red Bulls had lost their fifth round match to New York Cosmos, the Union would have hosted the quarterfinals at PPL Park on July 22. While the winner of the Red Bulls-Cosmos match had been drawn to host the quarterfinal games, scheduling conflicts at their home field at Hofstra University and alternate grounds forced the Cosmos to give up their hosting rights to the next round before they had even played the Red Bulls.

On to the game

The Union, trying to find their feet in a difficult season and looking to redeem last year’s loss in the final to Seattle, have made it clear they will field the strongest team possible when they meet the Red Bulls. As Curtin described, “The Philadelphia Union respects the Open Cup competition. There’s two trophies you can lift in this country, and that’s one of them. It’s a prestigious tournament and one that I’ve played in.” Their “hardball” negotiations only underscore the importance of the game to the club.

But, given CBA restrictions against players playing in games within 36 hours, what kind of side will the Red Bulls field? Will they field a strong side in an attempt to win the actually meaningful Open Cup quarterfinal game, and so risk a blowout and the resulting damage to the team’s reputation by featuring a largely reserve side against Chelsea. Sure, the Chelsea game is essentially meaningless but it’ll likely be played in front of a full house, not to mention being broadcast on ESPN Deportes, Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Soccer 2Go, and Chelsea TV. While it is perhaps fortunate for the Red Bulls that it’s the only game of the US leg of the ICC tournament not on Fox Sports 1 or Fox Sports 2 and so won’t be as widely viewed as it might be, as Lewis wrote at the New York Post, “Clearly, they’ll have to prioritize, and sources said they will field the stronger team against Philadelphia.”

Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch has confirmed he will field the strongest team possible against the Union. “Yes. Yes. Yes. Obviously we have to figure out what that means at that time but we’re going after the game, for sure.”

In case you’re wondering, the lead-up to the Open Cup game won’t be easy for either the Union or the Red Bulls. On Saturday, July 18, the Union play Toronto away at 4 p.m., and the Red Bulls play Orlando away the same day at 7:30 p.m.

For fans, though, it won’t be easy to attend the 4 p.m. US Open Cup quarterfinal game between two rivals. And that’s the real shame of it all.

2015 US Open Cup Quarterfinal schedule

Tuesday, July 14
Los Angeles Galaxy at Real Salt Lake – 10 p.m. ET

Tuesday, July 21
Philadelphia Union (MLS) at New York Red Bulls (MLS) – 4 p.m. ET
Houston Dynamo (MLS) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS) – 8:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, July 22
Orlando City SC (MLS) at Chicago Fire (MLS) – 8:30 p.m. ET

Semifinals schedule (Date TBA)
Orlando City/Chicago winner at Philadelphia/New York winner
LA Galaxy/RSL winner at Sporting KC/Houston winner

Ed Farnsworth is the managing editor of the PhillySoccerPage.com and is a member of the Society for American Soccer History. You can follow him on Twitter @FarnsworthPSP.

2015 US Open Cup Round 5: Red Bulls are Kings of New York after 4-1 revenge win over Cosmos (video)

July 1, 2015 by Romulo Vieira

Mike Grella of New York Red Bulls celebrates his 90th minute goal against New York Cosmos. Photo: Bob Larson for TheCup.us — Mike Grella of New York Red Bulls celebrates his 90th minute goal against New York Cosmos. Photo: Bob Larson | Stellar Performance Photography – FULL GALLERY

For the second year in a row the New York Red Bulls and the New York Cosmos were drawn to face each other in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Last year the Cosmos eliminated the Red Bulls, this time for the Fifth Round, the game was at Red Bull Arena and the home team got revenge over their NASL rivals eliminating them with a convincing 4-1 win.

Three-time U.S. Open Cup winner and current Red Bull coach Jesse Marsch, assured everyone that this year the team would take the cup more seriously. Marsch continued to keep his word during his teams’ Round of 16 clash putting together a strong team. The Cosmos came into the game motivated to take out another New York rival after defeating NYCFC in the last round. The team is also currently undefeated this season and find themselves in first place in the NASL.

Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese coached against one of his old clubs. He played for the Red Bulls during their inaugural season and scored their first goal. Cosmos captain Carlos Mendes also made a return to his former home on Wednesday. He played for the Metrostars/Red Bulls for seven seasons.

PHOTO GALLERY FROM BOB LARSON AT STELLAR PERFORMANCE PHOTOGRAPHY

It was a special night for soccer with so many stars on the field. The game began with big names like Sach Kljestan for the Red Bulls and former Villareal star Marcos Senna and former U.S. Olympic team player Danny Szetela for the Cosmos. Another big name on the Cosmos squad list was former Spanish national team captain Raul who started on the bench.

The game started off hot with both teams hungry to score the first goal. The Cosmos showed they were not going to be intimidated by their MLS counterparts. However, the home team struck first early in the fifth minute when Lloyd Sam crossed the ball into the area for Sal Zizzo to header the ball pass Cosmos goalkeeper James Maurer.

After the goal both teams continued pressing forward. The Cosmos looked dangerous taking shots and putting dangerous crosses in the box. However, many shots taken by both teams went wide.

The Cosmos were rewarded for their efforts in the 16th minute, when goalkeeper Maurer sent the ball down the line for midfielder Walter Restrepo who was able to get passed the defender and pass the ball to Lucky to tie the game after a failed attempt from Matt Miazga to clear the ball.

Later in the 32nd minute the Red Bulls had a goal called back for offside after Lloyd Sam attempted to play a ball to Zizzo. However, in the 42nd the Red Bulls scored a valid goal from a corner kick. Sacha Kljestan crossed the ball straight at Anotole Abang to header the ball into the goal putting the Red Bulls up 2-1.

Both teams kept the same pace coming into the second half. The Cosmos Cup dreams suffered another blow when Red Bulls defender Chris Duvall went down in the box after a tackle from a Cosmos defender forcing the referee to award the home team a penalty kick. Kljestan struck the ball in the middle passed the goalkeeper putting the Red Bulls up 3-1 against their rivals.

Later in the half, Raul came into the game and almost made an immediate impact. After receiving a cross he headed the ball onto the cross bar and Mkosana shot the rebound on the post. Minutes later Senna shot a beautiful free kick on target, but was saved by Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles.

The Cosmos fought hard to put themselves back in the game, but the task was too difficult and it only got worse in the 90th. Grella sealed the game for the Red Bulls after beautifully getting passed a Cosmos defender in the box and putting the ball away passed the goalkeeper in the far corner of the goal.

After the match Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch praised his team for keeping their composure throughout the entire game. “Even when they put the goal in on us I don’t think there was any panic in our team and we knew just to stick to our game.”

In the quarterfinals the Red Bulls will host the Philadelphia Union.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: COSMOS AT RED BULLS

2015 US Open Cup Round 4: Full-strength New York Red Bulls cruise past Atlanta Silverbacks, 3-0 (video)

June 16, 2015 by Romulo Vieira

UPDATE: The Round of 16 draw was conducted by the US Soccer Federation and it was determined that the New York Red Bulls will host the New York Cosmos in the next round.

On Tuesday night the Atlanta Silverbacks traveled all the way to New Jersey to face the New York Red Bulls in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup. With both teams coming off a loss in their respective leagues, a win was crucial to boost team moral. As promised, Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch fielded a team full of starters like Bradley Wright-Philips and Lloyd Sam. With their starters, the Red Bulls proved to be too much for the Silverbacks and won the game with a comfortable 3-0 score line.

The Red Bulls dominated the first half and kept control of play. The Silverbacks looked disorganized at times in the back. The Red Bulls team were playing well together and were able to create chances. New York opened up the scoring in the 7th minute when Lloyd Sam received a pass from Wright-Phillips in the box and was able to put the ball past Silverbacks goalkeeper Steward Ceus.

After the goal, the Red Bulls continued to do a great job controlling the ball in the midfield and not allowing the Silverbacks any chance of creating a threat to their goal. The Red Bulls were rewarded with another goal in the 15th minute when Ronald Zubar was able to put away a rebound from the goalkeeper after Sacha Klejstan hit the initial shot.

The Red Bulls could’ve gone into the half with a couple of more goals, but they missed many chances. Their best chance for a third goal in the half came in the 37th minute when Dax McCarty passed the ball to Wright-Phillips in the box, but MLS’ top goalscorer from last year couldn’t keep the ball down and it went over the bar.

After the halftime interval the game continued to be played in the same rhythm. While Atlanta was able to take more shots, they only had one shot on target throughout the entire game.

Wright-Phillips put another ball over the bar after a pass from Richards in the box.

The Red Bulls sealed their ticket to the fifth round in the 70th minute after a beautiful play between Wright-Phillips, Mike Grellla and Sean Davis. Wright-Phillips started the play by passing the ball to Mike Grella. Grella, feeling the pressure of two defenders approaching, played a beautiful back heel pass to Davis who was able to shoot the ball past Ceus.

After their third goal the Red Bulls continued to dominate the game without receiving any threatening chances from Atlanta. It was an easy night for the Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles.

After the game, Wright-Phillips assured everyone in the tournament that the Red Bulls are taking the tournament seriously this year and hope to win the Open Cup for the first time.

“It is one of our targets this season,” he said. “Jesse (Marsch) made it clear that we want to win this cup. You can see from the team he put out that he means business.”

The Red Bulls will now have to wait and see whom they’ll face in the next round. The draw for the fifth round will be this Thursday morning.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: ATLANTA SILVERBACKS AT NY RED BULLS

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

June 16, 2014 by Josh Hakala

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HIGHLIGHTS: ATLANTA SILVERBACKS 2:1 REAL SALT LAKE

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

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

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

POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

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

2014 US Open Cup Round 4: New York Cosmos battle Red Bulls to highlight rare Saturday gameday (live stream links)

June 14, 2014 by Josh Hakala

UPDATE: All three Major League Soccer teams were eliminated by their NASL opponents tonight. The New York Cosmos dominated the Red Bulls 3-0, while the Carolina RailHawks eliminated Chivas USA for the second time in the last three years, this time by way of PK shootout. And finally, last year’s runner-up, Real Salt Lake followed up their best tournament run in team history by losing to the Atlanta Silverbacks 2-1 on a 90th minute goal by Kwadwo Poku.

Check back with TheCup.us for details …

The New York Cosmos defeated the Brooklyn Italians 2-0 in their US Open Cup debut. Photo: New York Cosmos — The New York Cosmos defeated the Brooklyn Italians 2-0 in their US Open Cup debut in Round 3. Photo: New York Cosmos

For the first time since 2003, the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup will feature tournament games on a Saturday. Three Major League Soccer (MLS) vs. North American Soccer League (NASL) matchups are on the schedule with the headliner featuring a game two years in the making with the New York Cosmos hosting the New York Red Bulls. The other two games are rematches from a year ago as the Carolina RailHawks welcome Chivas USA, and the Atlanta Silverbacks will host Real Salt Lake. Both games from last year went to extra time with the MLS team emerging victorious in both contests.

NY RED BULLS AT NY COSMOS

Over the years, the tournament, as is the case in many domestic cup competitions around the world, holds their games midweek to minimize the impact on league schedules. Since 1995, there have only been 50 Open Cup games that have been played on Friday (19), Saturday (11) or Sunday (20) out of the 742 (6.7%). The reason a weekend date was made possible was because of the MLS break during the FIFA World Cup. The last Saturday game was a 2003 First Round game where a young Clyde Simms and the Raleigh CASL Elite (PDL) defeated DS United (USASA, FL), 4-1.

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MLS will attempt to keep their perfect record so far in 2014 as the Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes emerged victorious on Wednesday night. The Dynamo edged the PDL’s Laredo Heat 1-0, while the Earthquakes eliminated USL PRO expansion team Sacramento Republic 2-1.

All three games on Saturday night are scheduled to be streamed live online, with the Cosmos-Red Bulls being chosen as US Soccer’s ‘Game of the Round.’ The other two games will be broadcast live on NASLLive.com.

As always, fans can follow and use the hashtag #USOC2014 on Twitter for the latest updates and discussion from all three games. Be sure to follow all the latest news with the tournament on Twitter at @USOpenCup.

Here is a preview of each of the three Saturday games:

New York Red Bulls (MLS) at New York Cosmos (NASL)
Shuart Stadium (Hofstra Univ.); Hempstead, NY – 8:30 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: Video (YouTube)
NEXT: Winner will play at Philadelphia Union or host Harrisburg City Islanders

New York Red Bulls Open Cup records
Overall: 15-15-1 (1-0 PKs) | Away: 8-9-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. Div. 2: 4-4-0
Last entry: 2013 (Lost 4-2 at New England Revolution of MLS – Round 4)
Best finish: 2003 Runner-Up (Lost 1-0 vs. Chicago Fire of MLS)
How they got here … First game

New York Cosmos Open Cup records
Overall: 1-0-0 | Home: 1-0-0 | vs. MLS: N/A
Last entry: First entry
Best finish: N/A
How they got here …
Round 3: 2-0 home win vs. Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)

By Mike Anderer

Since the official announcement that the Cosmos would be joining the NASL for the fall 2013 season, New York soccer fans have been waiting for one game; The New York Cosmos versus the MLS’s New York Red Bulls. The Cosmos entered the NASL openly commenting that they preferred the league structure of the second division as opposed to the stringent rules in MLS. The Cosmos fans reveled in the rebellious move of their team, while Red Bull fans chuckled and made small market jokes about the NASL. Saturday night, the two teams clash in Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, NY.

Both teams come into the match on the heels of award winning seasons. The Red Bulls won the MLS Supporters’ Shield, awarded for most points in the regular season. Cosmos are reining NASL Soccer Bowl champions, though some critics argue that they had an advantage of only playing half of the NASL split season. Equally, both teams are suffering from underwhelming play in the beginning of their 2014 campaigns.

Although the Cosmos finished second in the Spring Season, their 14 goals scored over nine games tied them for third in the scoring category despite upgrading their offense in the off-season. It would be three goals, the only three the defensive-minded team gave up all season that ended costing them a total of 8 points. Those 8 points, or even just three of them, would have secured a position in the new NASL post-season playoff. Now, Cosmos find themselves still fighting to defend their title.

The Red Bulls find themselves fifth in the MLS’s Eastern conference at the halfway mark of the season. The team has played some hard-fought matches and owes a fair amount of credit to the outstanding play of goalkeeper, Luis Robles. The Red Bulls also has the offensive firepower of players like Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill and one of the league’s breakout stars of 2014 in Bradley Wright-Phillips. Their Achilles’ heal has been their road play. They have only two wins out of nine road games this season and are minus three in goal differential.

One thing that will dampen some of the excitement surrounding the game will be the line-ups. Although neither side has released their 18 for the match, there are some notable Red Bull players unavailable. First is captain, Thierry Henry. Red Bull manager Mike Petke commented earlier in the week that he is not using field turf as the reason, but the 36-year-old striker does not play in away games on artificial surfaces like the turf at Shuart. Additionally, midfielder, Tim Cahill and defender, Roy Miller are away representing their country’s at the FIFA World Cup. Cahill, since arriving last season, has been a fan favorite and in many people’s opinion the MVP of the club.

Petke did say to reporters on Thursday that he does expect to rest goalkeeper, Luis Robles, and give the start to Ryan Meara. Meara was sidelined in 2012, his rookie season, with a hip injury and has not played in an MLS game since July of that year.

Cosmos’ manager Giovanni Savarese is notorious for keeping his lineup a secret to the very end although a few positions are locks for Saturday. Norwegian striker Mads Stokkelien will play his first game against an MLS side. Defenders Hunter Freeman and Carlos Mendes are no strangers to MLS or the Red Bulls having played for the club previously. Also in the backline for the Cosmos is Seattle Sounders’ loan player Jimmy Ockford and from Spain and La Liga, Ayoze.

Savarese also has history as a player with the Metrostars organization and is currently ranked third in goals scored. Savarese has been very vocal about the excitement he feels about the game, likening the matchup to a derby. Petke on the other hand has downplayed the event saying that because the teams lack history and play in two different leagues that the competitive relationship needs time to build.

Either way, fans are sure to get a great match on Saturday, a perfect way to end a soccer-filled day. Even US Soccer is taking note of the event, carrying the broadcast stream on USsoccer.com for fans from across the country to see.

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Chivas USA (MLS) at Carolina RailHawks (NASL)
WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, NC – 8 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: Video (NASLLive.com)
NEXT: If Chivas USA wins … play at Los Angeles Galaxy or Arizona United SC
If Carolina wins … will host Los Angeles Galaxy or Arizona United SC

Chivas USA Open Cup records
Overall: 7-7-1 (0-1 PKs) | Away: 5-7-0 | vs. Div. 2: 2-4-0
Last entry: 2013 (Lost 3-1 in OT at Carolina RailHawks of NASL – Round 4)
Best finish: Semifinals (2010, 2012)
How they got here … First game

Carolina RailHawks Open Cup records
Overall: 14-5-1 (0-1 PKs) | Home: 14-2-1 (0-1 PKs) | vs. MLS: 4-4-0
Last entry: 2013 (Lost 3-0 at Real Salt Lake of MLS in Quarterfinals)
Best finish: 2007 Semifinals (Lost 2-1 in OT at New England Revolution of MLS)
How they got here …
Round 2: 2-0 home win vs. Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO)

By Neil Morris | @ByNeilMorris

Two years ago, a Chivas USA lineup that included Juan Agudelo, Juan Pablo Angel and Danny Califf visited Cary, NC and knocked the Carolina RailHawks out of the 2012 US Open Cup. A year later, the RailHawks returned the favor, netting two goals in extra time to eliminate the Goats from the tournament.

Brian Shriver of the Carolina RailHawks celebrates his game-winning goal against the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2012 with his teammates. Photo: Rob Kinnan | Carolina RailHawks

Today, the RailHawks host Chivas USA for the third consecutive Open Cup, this year in the tournament’s Fourth Round. However, Chivas USA comes to Carolina this time with a full week of rest and no looming league games. In their previous two Cup ties, Chivas had to fly to Carolina for midweek matches bracketed by weekend MLS engagements.

While Chivas USA is currently mired at the bottom of the MLS Western Conference, the league’s break during the group stage of the FIFA World Cup affords the Rojiblancos the opportunity to field a near-full strength squad, if for no other reason than to maintain match fitness. That said, manager Wilmer Cabrera also said that he intends to rest some of his top players during the break from league play.

So, it remains to be seen whether Cabrera will field leading goalscorer Erick Torres, who has nine goals through 14 league matches, the third-most in MLS. Mauro Rosales has 5 assists since joining Chivas USA this year following three seasons with the Seattle Sounders. Former US National Team defender Carlos Bocanegra anchors the backline. And goalkeeper and team captain Dan Kennedy is in his seventh season with the Red-and-White.

Another possible lineup inclusion is Leandro Barrera. The 23-year-old forward, on loan from Argentinos Juniors, has started all but one match this MLS season but hasn’t yet notched a goal.

Meanwhile, the RailHawks enter the match with two distinct advantages. The first is their tremendous Open Cup success under manager Colin Clarke, including wins over the LA Galaxy in 2012 and 2013, plus the victory over Chivas USA last year that advanced Carolina to the tournament quarterfinals. Overall, the RailHawks are 6-2 in Open Cup play since 2012 under Clarke.

The other is the RailHawks’ 21-game home unbeaten streak, a run that comprises both North American Soccer League (NASL) and Open Cup competition. Carolina has not lost a competitive match at WakeMed Soccer Park since October 12, 2012.

With the NASL also on break until mid-July, the RailHawks will certainly field a full-strength starting XI. Ty Shipalane and Cesar Elizondo, who scored the equalizing and game-winning goals, respectively, against Chivas USA last year, remain the team’s most potent attacking playmakers. Shipalane is hoping to duplicate his tournament performance from last year as he was named TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament.

Helming the midfield is team captain Jun Marques Davidson, who spent the last two seasons with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald has three clean sheets out of Carolina’s four home games this season. And Mike Grella has become ensconced as the team’s target man since signing with Carolina three games into the 2014 season. Grella, the former Duke University standout, spent the last five seasons in Europe, including three years with Leeds United, before joining Carolina.

———————————————————–

Real Salt Lake (MLS) at Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks Park; Chamblee, GA – 8 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: Video (NASLLive.com)
NEXT: Winner plays at Colorado Rapids or Orlando City SC

Real Salt Lake Open Cup records
Overall: 6-5-0 | Away: 0-2-0 | vs. Div. 2: 3-2-0
Last entry: 2013 (Lost 1-0 vs. DC United in US Open Cup Final)
Best finish: 2013 Runner-Up (Lost 1-0 vs. DC United in US Open Cup Final)
How they got here … First game

Atlanta Silverbacks Open Cup records
Overall: 8-9-2 (1-1 PKs) | Home: 4-3-0 | vs. MLS: 0-4-1 (0-1 PKs)
Last entry: 2013 (Lost 3-2 in OT at Real Salt Lake of MLS – Round 3)
Best finish: 2004 Fourth Round (Lost 4-1 vs. Kansas City Wizards of MLS)
How they got here …
Round 3: 5-0 road win at Chattanooga FC (NPSL)

By Josh Hakala

For the second year in a row, the Atlanta Silverbacks will be the first opponent in Real Salt Lake’s US Open Cup run. Last year, in the first of five straight home games, RSL got extra time goals from Devon Sandoval and Khari Stephenson to lead the MLS side to a 3-2 victory. It was the beginning an impressive journey for the Utah club as they reached the championship game for the first time, only to fall to DC United in the Final, 1-0.

Real Salt Lake cruised past the NASL's Carolina RailHawks to reach the Semifinals for the first time in club history last year. Photo: Real Salt Lake — Real Salt Lake cruised past the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks to reach the Semifinals for the first time in club history last year. Photo: Real Salt Lake

RSL will play their first road game since 2011 as they look to get back to their winning ways as the club is on a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) after starting the 2014 campaign on a 12-game unbeaten streak (6-0-6). The MLS side will be without the services of U.S. internationals Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando, as well as Costa Rican striker Alvaro as they are competing in the World Cup in Brazil. Alvaro Saborio is also out for the next 3-4 months suffered while getting ready for the World Cup with Costa Rica. RSL’s depth under new head coach Jeff Cassar will definitely be tested.

RSL will look to carry the momentum from their first successful Open Cup run, after years of disappointment. Prior to reaching their first title game last year, the Sandy, Utah-based club had never won multiple games in the competition, suffering two upset loses to Division 2 teams (Minnesota Thunder, Minnesota United FC) and failing to even qualify for the tournament from 2007-2010.

The Silverbacks will need to keep an eye on diminutive forward Joao Plata, RSL’s leading scorer. Jeff Attinella, who made his professional debut against Atlanta in 2011 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, is likely to get the nod in goal.

The Open Cup has not been kind to Atlanta over the years as the club is under .500 in club history (8-9-2, 1-1 in PKs). They have only won multiple games in one tournament once in franchise history (2007).

Atlanta is currently in 8th place in the NASL Spring Season with a 3-5-1 record. For the third year in a row, the Silverbacks defeated an NPSL team on the road to kick off the tournament, but will look to upset their first MLS team and avoid their third straight loss to a team from the top division. This year, Atlanta kicked off their tournament with a 5-0 win over Chattanooga FC (NPSL) with Junior Burgos leading the way with two goals and one assist. Junior Sandoval, Deon McCauley and Jaime Chavez also scored for the Silverbacks.

This will also be the first home game for the Silverbacks since 2007, and will be the first time they will host an MLS team in the Open Cup. In 2012, they were awarded a home game against the Seattle Sounders in the Third Round, but agreed to sell their hosting rights to the eventual champions. This was an unpopular decision among Atlanta fans, and signalled the end of the practice of selling hosting rights as the US Soccer Federation outlawed the practice the following year.

Silverbacks head coach Eric Wynalda has been trying to shake up the lineup recently in an effort to spark the team’s offense, and he saw his lineup shakeup pay off with three goals against the Indy Eleven last week. However, they would give up a late equalizer and finish the game at 3-3. Chavez has been responsible for give of the team’s nine goals in league play, while Eric Ati anchors the defense in goal. Both will need to contribute if the club wants to defeat their first pro club since 2007.

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2014 US Open Cup Fourth Round Schedule

Laredo Heat (PDL) 0:1 Houston Dynamo (MLS)
BBVA Compass Stadium; Houston, TX – June 11 at 10 p.m. ET
———————–
Sacramento Republic (USL PRO) 1:2 San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Kezar Stadium; San Francisco, CA – June 11 at 10:30 p.m. ET
———————–
Real Salt Lake (MLS) 1:2 Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks Park; Chamblee, GA – June 14 at 8 p.m. ET
———————–
Chivas USA (MLS) at Carolina RailHawks (NASL)
WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, NC – June 14 at 8 p.m. ET
———————–
New York Red Bulls (MLS) 0:3 New York Cosmos (NASL)
Shuart Stadium (Hofstra Univ.); Hempstead, NY – June 14 at 8:30 p.m. ET
———————–
DC United (MLS) at Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO)
Sahlen’s Stadium; Rochester, NY – June 17 at 7 p.m ET
———————–
Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
PPL Park; Chester, PA – June 17 at 7 p.m. ET
———————–
Indy Eleven (NASL) at Columbus Crew (MLS)
FirstEnergy Stadium (Univ. of Akron); Akron, OH – June 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET
———————–
San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) at FC Dallas (MLS)
Toyota Stadium; Frisco, TX – June 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET
———————–
Orlando City SC (USL PRO) at Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park; Commerce City, CO – June 17 at 9 p.m. ET
———————–
Orlando City U23s (PDL) at Portland Timbers (MLS)
Providence Park; Portland, OR – June 17 at 10:30 p.m. ET
———————–
New England Revolution (MLS) at Richmond Kickers (USL PRO)
Richmond City Stadium; Richmond, VA – June 18 at 7 p.m. ET
———————–
Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO) at Chicago Fire (MLS)
Toyota Park; Bridgeview, IL – June 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET
———————–
Minnesota United FC (NASL) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Sporting Park; Kansas City, KS – June 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET
———————–
PSA Elite (USASA) at Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, WA – June 18 at 10 p.m. ET
———————–
LA Galaxy (MLS) at Arizona United SC (USL PRO)
Peoria Sports Complex; Peoria, AZ – June 18 at 10:30 p.m. ET

2014 US Open Cup Fifth Round Potential Pairings

New York Red Bulls (MLS) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
PPL Park; Chester, PA – June 24, 7 p.m. ET
OR
New York Cosmos (NASL) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
PPL Park; Chester, PA – Date TBD, 7 p.m. ET
OR
Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at New York Red Bulls (MLS)
Red Bull Arena; Harrison, NJ – June 24, 7:30 p.m. ET
OR
Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at New York Cosmos (NASL)
Belson Stadium (St. John’s Univ.); Queens, NY – June 24, 7 p.m. ET
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New England Revolution (MLS) at D.C. United (MLS)
Maryland SoccerPlex; Boyds, MD – Date TBD, 7 p.m. ET
OR
Richmond Kickers (USL PRO) at D.C. United (MLS)
Maryland SoccerPlex; Boyds, MD – June 24, 7 p.m. ET
OR
Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO) at New England Revolution (MLS)
Stevenson Field (Brown Univ.); Providence, RI – June 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
OR
Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO) at Richmond Kickers (USL PRO)
Richmond City Stadium; Richmond, VA – Date TBD, 7 p.m. ET
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Indy Eleven (NASL) / Columbus Crew (MLS) winner at Chicago Fire (MLS)
Toyota Park; Bridgeview, IL – Date TBD, 8:30 p.m. ET
OR
Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO) at Columbus Crew (MLS)
Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, OH – June 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
OR
Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO) at Indy Eleven (NASL)
Carroll Stadium; Indianapolis, IN – June 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
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San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) / FC Dallas (MLS) winner at Houston Dynamo (MLS)
BBVA Compass Stadium; Houston, TX – Date TBD, 8:30 p.m. ET
OR
San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) / FC Dallas (MLS) winner at Laredo Heat (PDL)
Texas A&M International Univ. Soccer Complex; Laredo, TX – Date TBD, 9:15 p.m ET
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LA Galaxy (MLS) / Arizona United SC (USL PRO) winner at Carolina RailHawks (NASL)
WakeMed Soccer Park Field 2; Cary, NC – June 24, 7:30 p.m. ET
OR
Chivas USA (MLS) at Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
StubHub Center; Carson, CA – June 24, 10:30 p.m. ET
OR
Chivas USA (MLS) at Arizona United SC (USL PRO)
Peoria Sports Complex; Peoria, AZ – June 24, 10 p.m. ET
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San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) at Seattle Sounders (MLS)
Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, WA – Date TBD, 10 p.m. ET
OR
Sacramento Republic (USL PRO) at Seattle Sounders (MLS)
Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, WA – June 24, 10 p.m. ET
OR
PSA Elite (USASA) at Sacramento Republic (USL PRO)
Bonney Field (Cal Expo); Sacramento, CA – June 24, 10:30 p.m. ET
OR
PSA Elite (USASA) at San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Buck Shaw Stadium; Santa Clara, CA – Date TBD, 10:30 p.m. ET
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Real Salt Lake (MLS) / Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) winner at Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park; Commerce City, CO – Date TBD, 9 p.m. ET
OR
Real Salt Lake (MLS) / Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) winner at Orlando City (USL PRO)
ESPN Wide World of Sports; Kissimmee, FL – June 24, 7:30 p.m. ET

Orlando City U23s (PDL) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Sporting Park; Kansas City, KS – Date TBD, 8:30 p.m. ET
OR
Portland Timbers (MLS) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Sporting Park; Kansas City, KS – Date TBD, 8:30 p.m. ET
OR
Orlando City U23s (PDL) at Minnesota United FC (NASL)
National Sports Center Stadium; Blaine, MN – June 25, 9 p.m. ET
OR
Portland Timbers (MLS) at Minnesota United FC (NASL)
National Sports Center Stadium; Blaine, MN – June 24, 9 p.m. ET