Preview

2015 stat leaders (Goals/Assists/Points)

TheCup.us Player of the Round winners

MORE: The history of this budding rivalry by MLSSoccer.com’ Sam Stejskal

Twitter (#USOC2015) | Facebook | Flickr | Reddit

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

Chicago Fire Open Cup records
Overall: 37-12-3 (2-1 PKs) | Away: 13-11-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 19-7-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 6-0 at Seattle Sounders of MLS in Semifinals)
Best finish: 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006 US Open Cup champions

Philadelphia Union Open Cup records
Overall: 8-3-3 (3-0 PKs) | Home: 7-2-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 3-3-2 (2-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-1 in OT vs. Seattle Sounders of MLS in Final)
Best finish: 2014 Runner-up

BROADCAST: ONLINE VIDEO (YouTube.com)

If Chicago wins … they will host winner of Real Salt Lake or Sporting KC (Sept. 30)
If Philadelphia wins … they will host Sporting KC or play at Real Salt Lake (Sept. 30)

STAT LEADERS

GOALS
Chicago: Kennedy Igboananike 2 goals, Mike Magee 2 goals
Philadelphia: Eric Ayuk 2 goals

ASSISTS
Chicago: Jon Busch 1 assist, Patrick Nyarko 1 assist, Lovel Palmer 1 assist, Guly Do Prado 1 assist
Philadelphia: Cristian Maidana 1 assist, Vincent Nogueira 1 assist, Sheanon Williams 1 assist

HOW THEY GOT HERE …

Chicago Fire
Round 4: 1-0 OT win vs. Louisville City (USL)
Round 5: 3-1 win vs. Charlotte Independence (USL)
Quarterfinals: 3-1 win vs. Orlando City SC (MLS)

Philadelphia Union
Round 4: 0-0 draw (3-1 PK win) vs. Rochester Rhinos (USL)
Round 5: 2-1 win vs. DC United (MLS)
Quarterfinals: 1-1 draw (4-3 PK win) at New York Red Bulls (MLS)

By Michael Berton

Lamar Hunt US Open Cup results rarely adhere to a predictable script. Results often don’t correspond to a team’s league, a team’s form, or even how a team is playing in the game in question.

Such is the case on Aug. 12, when the Philadelphia Union host the Chicago Fire in the Open Cup Semifinals.

The two MLS teams shared an opening round scare to a lower division team. In the Fourth Round, the Union were pushed to penalty kicks by the USL’s Rochester Rhinos. After a scoreless draw, Philadelphia pulled out a 3-1 penalty kick shootout victory thanks to goalkeeper John McCarthy becoming just the fifth player in the Modern Era to make three saves in a shootout. Chicago was held scoreless after 90 minutes by Louisville City of the USL and needed a goal in the 116th minute by Quincy Amarikwa to punch their ticket to Round 5.

After narrowly escaping Louisville, Chicago drew another USL team in the Charlotte Independence. They fell behind in the 5th minute before storming back to win 3-1 on the strength of a pair of goals from Mike Magee. In the Quarterfinals, the four-time Open Cup champions beat MLS newcomers Orlando City 3-1 on two goals in the final three minutes by Kennedy Igboananike. All three victories came on their home field, a place they are 23-1-1 all-time in Open Cup play.

The Union’s path to the Semifinals had a few more bumps in the road. After eliminating Rochester in penalty kicks, the Union hosted DC United in the Round of 16. The home side went down a man in the 24th minute, then down a goal in the 27th. After a 45-minute weather delay, Philadelphia managed to mount a shorthanded comeback to win 2-1 over the MLS Eastern Conference leaders.

Things got even stranger in the Quarterfinals, which pitted the Union against the New York Red Bulls. Scheduling conflicts caused the game to be played at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday. Then, yet again, the Union picked up a first-half red card. This time the Union scored first, but the Red Bulls equalized in the final seconds of second-half injury time. The game went to penalties, and Philadelphia, again thanks to McCarthy’s TheCup.us Player of the Round performance were on their way to the final four.

Their league form is almost exactly the same as the Union and Fire sport the two worst records in MLS. Philadelphia is 6-13-5, and Chicago has a record of 6-12-4. Both teams come into Wednesday’s contest with just one win (1-3-1) in their last five league games.

And so the two worst teams in MLS unpredictably made it to the Open Cup Semifinals, each just two wins away from a season-salvaging trophy. Neither team will be all that confident heading into the game. Chicago is coming off a 1-0 loss to the Timbers, and Philadelphia just snapped a three-game losing streak with a scoreless draw against Orlando City.

Both squads know that league form means nothing in this tournament and both know that if they win on Wednesday, they have a chance to host the Final. If Philadelphia wins, they would host Sporting Kansas City in the championship game, but if Real Salt Lake emerges from the other semifinal, the Union will play the Final at Rio Tinto Stadium. If the Fire win, they will host the 102nd edition of the Open Cup Final at Toyota Park regardles of who wins the other game.

Chicago Fire preview

Philadelphia Union preview

Real Salt Lake Open Cup records
Overall: 9-6-0 | Away: 0-3-0 | vs. MLS: 3-3-0
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 2-1 at Atlanta Silverbacks of NASL in Round 4)
Best finish: 2013 Runner-up (Lost 1-0 vs. DC United in Final)

Sporting Kansas City Open Cup records
Overall: 20-12-4 (2-2 PKs) | Home: 15-7-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 7-7-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-1 vs. Portland Timbers of MLS in Round 5)
Best finish: 2004, 2012 US Open Cup champions

BROADCAST: LIVE VIDEO (YouTube.com)

If RSL wins … they will host Chicago Fire OR play at Philadelphia Union (Sept. 30)
If Sporting KC wins … they will play at winner of Chicago or Philadelphia (Sept. 30)

STAT LEADERS

GOALS
SKC: Dom Dwyer 5 goals (No. 1 in tournament)
RSL: Javier Moraless 2 goals

ASSISTS
SKC: Benny Feilhaber 3 assists (No. 2 in tournament)
RSL: Olmes Garcia 2 assists

HOW THEY GOT HERE …

Chicago Fire
Round 4: 1-0 OT win vs. Louisville City (USL)
Round 5: 3-1 win vs. Charlotte Independence (USL)
Quarterfinals: 3-1 win vs. Orlando City SC (MLS)

Philadelphia Union
Round 4: 0-0 draw (3-1 PK win) vs. Rochester Rhinos (USL)
Round 5: 2-1 win vs. DC United (MLS)
Quarterfinals: 1-1 draw (4-3 PK win) at New York Red Bulls

By Shawn Blymiller

The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semifinal match between Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday night (8:30 p.m. ET) can only be seen in person at Sporting Park, or on YouTube. However, the game that will determine who will play in the 102nd US Open Cup Final on Sept. 30 has plenty of made-for-TV drama.

Many believe RSL’s Javier Morales and Sporting’s Benny Feilhaber are in the running for league MVP honors, while RSL’s Joao Plata and Sporting’s Dom Dwyer are two of the top up-and-coming young players in MLS. The two teams met in the 2013 MLS Cup Final at a frigid Sporting Park, but one might trace the rivalry back to a bench-clearing brawl in the 2011 preseason that saw Morales receive a kick to the head. Another chapter of the rivalry will be written on Wednesday and the gravity of the game is not lost on the players.

“Absolutely it’s the most important game so far.” Tony Beltran recently told RSL beat writer Chris Kamrani of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Javier Morales scored his second goal of the tournament for Real Salt Lake from the penalty spot. Photo: Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake are playing their first road game of the tournament after three straight wins, with the last two by shutout. Morales scored the game-winner in the 71st minute in a 2-1 opening round win over the Seattle Sounders 2 (USL), followed by a penalty kick and a Sebastian Jaime goal in a 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers in Round 5. Last round, they became just the second Utah-based club to reach the Semifinals with a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy. Steve Gerrard’s competitive debut for the Galaxy was spoiled by an 87th minute goal by defender Aaron Maund.

Sporting Kansas City has enjoyed playing in front of their home fans in the US Open Cup since Sporting Park opened in 2011. Since those doors opened, Sporting has played 13 of their 14 Open Cup matches in front of their home fans and this year it has paid off on the field, and at the box office. They opened in the Fourth Round with a 1-0 shutout of Saint Louis FC (USL) on a Graham Zusi goal. In Round 5, Sporting crushed FC Dallas 6-2 as Dom Dwyer won TheCup.us Player of the Round for his four-goal performance. It was the first Open Cup hat trick in Sporting Kansas City history, and he followed that up with a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over the Houston Dynamo in the Quarterfinals.

These two teams last met when Sporting Kansas City traveled to Sandy, Utah on July 24 for their most recent matchup. Javier Morales scored in the 34th minute, with Benny Feilhaber scoring a stunning strike in the 50th minute from about 35 yards out to knot things back up at 1-1. Joao Plata scored the eventual winner in the 73rd minute to seal the victory from the penalty spot.

They also met up back on April 11 at Sporting Park and had a defensive stalemate that finished scoreless.

If recent form were the sole dictator of how Real Salt Lake will perform against Sporting Kansas City, we could be in for a rollercoaster of emotions. The Claret and Cobalt have given up 10 goals in their last 3 matches over the last week and a half. They lost in the nation’s capitol to D.C. United on August 1, 6-4.

Real Salt Lake celebrate Aaron Maund's game-winning goal in the 87th minute against the LA Galaxy. Photo: Tino Arana | Prost Amerika — Real Salt Lake celebrate Aaron Maund’s game-winning goal in the 87th minute against the LA Galaxy. Photo: Tino Arana | Prost Amerika

This after they took an early 2-0 lead against the frontrunners for the Supporters’ Shield. They followed that loss up with a meaningful win in the CONCACAF Champions League with a 1-0 win over CSD Municipal in Guatemala, thanks to a Plata goal. Then, on Aug. 8, they fielded a younger squad, resting the traditional starters and veterans for the buildup to Wednesday’s Open Cup Semifinal. Vancouver, currently the second best team in MLS made them pay with a 4-0 win over backup goalkeeper Jeff Attinella. Keep in mind that Real Salt Lake had just flown over 11,000 miles within the last 12 days, which led to the starting lineup with an average age of 22.7 years.

This image courtesy of Tyler Gibbons (@TylerPGibbons) director of media content for Real Salt Lake, showing RSL's travel over the last few weeks. — This image courtesy of Tyler Gibbons (@TylerPGibbons) director of media content for Real Salt Lake, showing RSL’s travel over the last few weeks.

Sporting Kansas City is coming off a very significant win in Toronto thanks to another strong performance from Feilhaber. The U.S. international scored a goal and added his league-leading 12th assist. In recent interviews Feilhaber has talked about this being the best he has ever played in his 10-year career. He turned pro in 2005 with Hamburg’s reserve squad in Germany. He will be required to carry a heavy load in the midfield as Honduran international Roger Espinoza is out for 10 weeks for suffering a fracture to his left sesamoid. He suffered this injury in a tackle with Nathan Sturgis on Aug. 1. Sporting tied that match 1-1 with a goal by Dom Dwyer, which was also assisted by Feilhaber.

Benny Feilhaber scores the equalizing goal for Sporting KC against the Houston Dynamo in the 2015 Quarterfinals. Photo: Graham Green | Prost Amerika

Feilhaber is a favorite for Major League Soccer’s MVP award with 8 goals and 12 assists. He has made no secrets about not liking Real Salt Lake.

“I’ve never liked Salt Lake,” Feilhaber replied with a smile during the club’s conference on Thursday. “I think they’re – yeah, I don’t like them. I like playing against them. I like beating them, even though we haven’t been able to the last two years, but this year, we get to play them a couple more times.

“Salt Lake, I don’t know if it’s the game that I look forward to the most, but it’s the team that, like you said, I hate the most, I guess.”

“Some individuals, I don’t hate,” he said with a laugh, when prodded for more. “Some guys on the team, I like. But I guess, as a whole, I don’t like them too much … I just think they’re – snobby, almost. They think they’re something special, when they’re not. So, that’s pretty much it.”

Dom Dwyer added his own thoughts on the matter: “I hate them very much”

If Real Salt Lake are able to come up with the victory at Sporting Park it will not only be the club’s first Open Cup road win (0-3-0) and will host their second tournament championship game in three years. They will hope to overcome their 2013 Final performance where they were upset by lowly DC United, 1-0.

If Sporting Kansas City emerges victorious they will have to travel to the winner of the Chicago Fire and Philadelphia Union match.

SPORTING KC PREVIEW
REAL SALT LAKE PREVIEW

2015 US Open Cup Quarterfinals preview: Chicago Fire battle Orlando City for last spot in Semifinals

July 21, 2015 by Josh Hakala

How many fans will show up at Red Bull Arena for a kickoff at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday? Photo: Bob Larson, Stellar Performance Photography

After Real Salt Lake pulled out a narrow 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy last week, there are just three Quarterfinal matches remaining in the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Two of them will kickoff on Tuesday as the New York Red Bulls will host the Philadelphia Union in a controversial matinee contest at Red Bull Arena, kicking off at 4 p.m. ET. Later that evening, Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo will look to snap a couple of mild Semifinal droughts when they square off at Sporting Park. Houston, who has never won the US Open Cup, hasn’t reached the final four since 2009, while Kansas City hasn’t advanced that far since they won their second Open Cup title in 2012.

On Wednesday, the finale will feature four-time champion Chicago Fire trying to salvage what has been a difficult season to this point as they host MLS expansion side Orlando City SC. The two teams last met in the tournament when Orlando City was part of the USL and the Fire handled them on the same field back in 2013.

Which two teams will advance to the Semifinals on Tuesday?

Check out our previews of all three games below (video will be added when it’s posted):

MORE LINKS:

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

Not up for the Cup: Why so few amateur Cascadian clubs enter the US Open Cup

LIVE UPDATES/SCORES (with video)

2015 stat leaders (Goals/Assists/Points)

TheCup.us Player of the Round winners

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

Twitter (#USOC2015) | Facebook | Flickr | Reddit

Orlando City SC Open Cup records
Overall: 13-6-1 (1-0 PKs) | Away: 3-5-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 3-6-0
As MLS: 1-0-1 (1-0 PKs) | Away: 0-0-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 1-0-0
Last entry: 2014 (as USL PRO) (Lost 5-2 at Colorado Rapids of MLS in Round 4)
Best finish: 2013 Quarterfinals (Lost 5-1 at Chicago Fire of MLS)

Chicago Fire Open Cup records
Overall: 36-12-3 (2-1 PKs) | Home: 22-1-1 (0-1 PKs) | vs. MLS: 18-7-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 6-0 at Seattle Sounders of MLS in Semifinals)
Best finish: 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006 US Open Cup champions

WINNER WILL … play at Philadelphia Union or New York Red Bulls in Semifinals

LIVE VIDEO: ORLANDO CITY SC AT CHICAGO FIRE (July 22 – 8:30 p.m. ET, YouTube.com)

HOW THEY GOT HERE …

Orlando City SC
Round 4: 4-4 draw (8-7 PK win) at Charleston Battery (USL)
Round 5: 2-0 vs. Columbus Crew (MLS)

Chicago Fire
Round 4: 1-0 OT win vs. Louisville City (USL)
Round 5: 3-1 win vs. Charlotte Independence (USL)

By Jeff Engelhardt

When the Chicago Fire and Orlando City SC meet Wednesday in the Quarterfinals of the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup it is going to look a lot different than their clash in the 2013 Quarterfinals.

Former FIFA World Player of the Year Kaka of Orlando City SC takes on the Columbus Crew defense in Round 5 of the US Open Cup. Photo: Orlando City SC

Orlando City is no longer a third division side riding out a Cinderella dream in pursuit of a US Open Cup title and the Chicago Fire are now two years removed from Mike Magee’s MVP season that ended with the team missing the MLS Playoffs by one game. Chicago certainly cannot expect a repeat of the 5-1 drubbing they delivered in that 2013 matchup.

When Orlando City walks into Toyota Park Wednesday, it will be the team flexing its muscles led by former World Player of the Year Kaka and a young core quickly coming together in its first year as a MLS club. The Lions already showed the ability to succeed in Toyota Park, taking a 3-2 victory in Bridgeview on June 6, which became part of the 1-6-1 streak the Fire are currently experiencing in league play.

In the June 6 league clash, Orlando City showed the poise and determination of a veteran club, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to rally for the 3-2 victory after trailing 2-1. While a wonder strike from Cyle Larin leveled the game, it was a second Adailton own-goal that did the Fire in. Adailton has not featured much for the club since the first-ever two own-goal performance in MLS history.

Mike Magee of the Chicago Fire celebrates one of his two goals against the Charlotte Independence. Photo: Chicago Fire

Both teams are expected to field strong sides for Wednesday’s match as each club has different reasons to value America’s most storied soccer trophy. For the Fire, the US Open Cup remains a point of pride in a season where their pride has been wounded. Chicago earned the moniker King of the Cup for hoisting the trophy a MLS record four times – a record shared with Seattle – in the Modern Era.

The tournament remains the Fire’s best and possibly only chance for glory in 2015 as the MLS Supporters’ Shield is far out of reach and a playoff spot is a distant dream that would require a miraculous run. Despite the 1-6-1 run of league form, Chicago can carry confidence knowing it has reached the US Open Cup Semifinals the past two years and boasts a 22-1-1 home record in the tournament. In fact, only two other clubs in the 102-year history of the tournament have more than 12 Quarterfinal appearances (Kutis SC with 17, FC Dallas with 14)

Orlando City, meanwhile, has declared the US Open Cup a top priority on multiple occasions this season and will be eager to win its biggest trophy in club history. While Orlando City FC holds the final playoff spot in the MLS Eastern Conference, a run to MLS Cup is much further away than the three victories needed to claim the Open Cup.

The Lions showed its ambition in its Fifth Round game against the Columbus Crew as team captain Kaka made his Open Cup debut and scored a goal in the 2-0 home victory against the Crew. Kaka became the third World Cup winner to score in US Open Cup history. The second goal came off the foot of Carlos Rivas, who is tied for the most goals in the tournament with four.

The shutout against the Crew was a strong bounce back performance from Orlando City’s Round 4 performance that saw the MLS club pushed to penalty kicks by the USL’s Charleston Battery.

Since the Fifth Round victory against the Crew on June 30, Orlando City has stumbled in league play with a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) with multiple cases of falling to 10 men because of red cards, including one issued to Kaka.

Despite the longer stretch of poor play, Chicago has enjoyed more success since its June 30 Fifth Round 3-1 victory over Charlotte Independence. Since that game, the Fire have gone 1-2-1 in league play.

Unlike Orlando City, which played an MLS side in the Fifth Round, the Fire hosted USL side Charlotte Independence. After falling 1-0 in the opening minutes, the Fire put together their best performance of the tournament as a returning Mike Magee scored two goals and defender Lovel Palmer added another.

The performance was an improvement over Chicago’s Third Round match against USL side and Orlando City affiliate Louisville City FC. The Fire took a 1-0 victory in that match courtesy of a Quincy Amarikwa header in the 115th minute. Amarikwa has since been traded to the San Jose Earthquakes. Both Louisville City FC and Charlotte Independence are first-year clubs that had never competed in the Open Cup.

Adding to the difficulty of stepping up in class is the schedule congestion the Fire are attempting to navigate. Wednesday’s match will be their fourth match in 11 days across all competitions. The usual depth has been hindered by injuries to usual-captain Jeff Larentowicz, designated player Shaun Maloney and designated player David Accam. Joevin Jones is also on international duty with Trinidad & Tobago.

A win Wednesday for Orlando City would mean a ticket to uncharted territory as the furthest it has ever gone is that 2013 quarterfinal match against Chicago in club history. A win for the Fire Wednesday would mean a third straight appearance in the Semifinals and an opportunity to win an all-time record-tying fifth cup.

Whichever team wins Wednesday will go on the road to face the winner of Tuesday’s contest between New York Red Bulls and last year’s runner-up Philadelphia Union.

Philadelphia Union Open Cup records
Overall: 8-3-2 (2-0 PKs) | Away: 1-1-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 3-3-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-1 in OT vs. Seattle Sounders of MLS in Final)
Best finish: 2014 Runner-up

New York Red Bulls Open Cup records
Overall: 17-16-1 (1-0 PKs) | Home: 8-5-0 | vs. MLS: 5-8-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-0 at New York Cosmos of NASL in Round 4)
Best finish: 2003 Runner-up (Lost 1-0 vs. Chicago Fire of MLS in Final)

WINNER will … host Orlando City SC or Chicago Fire in Semifinals (Aug. 11 or 12)

LIVE VIDEO: PHILADELPHIA UNION AT NEW YORK RED BULLS (4 p.m. ET, YouTube.com)

HOW THEY GOT HERE …

Philadelphia Union
Round 4: 0-0 draw (3-1 PK win) vs. Rochester Rhinos (USL)
Round 5: 2-1 win vs. DC United (MLS)

New York Red Bulls
Round 4: 3-0 win vs. Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
Round 5: 4-1 win vs. New York Cosmos (NASL)

By Brian Venard

Photo: Bob Larson | Stellar Performance Photography

In one of the more peculiar scheduling situations in recent US Open Cup history, the Philadelphia Union will travel to Harrison, N.J. to take on the New York Red Bulls with a controversial 4 p.m. kickoff time on a Tuesday afternoon. It’s all part of a crazy week at Red Bull Arena as the Union will be looking to rain on the start of the parade.

The Red Bulls are coming off of a strong 2-0 win in league play against fellow quarterfinalist Orlando City SC, with goals by Sacha Kljestan and Mike Grella. It became a bit easier when Orlando City went down to 10 men in the 32nd minute, but still, the Red Bulls were sharp, having a slight advantage in possession and featured another rock solid performance by Luis Robles in goal.

The controversy surrounding this match is that a little more than 24 hours after the Red Bulls and Union battle for a spot in the semifinals, New York has an exhibition match against Premier League’s Chelsea FC at Red Bull Arena as part of the International Champions Cup. The problem with this is that the collective bargaining agreement doesn’t allow for players to play on consecutive nights. So the Red Bulls are going to be fielding a much weaker side for one of the two games, although head coach Jesse Marsch has stated that the Open Cup match will take priority over the Wednesday night friendly.

The Red Bulls will be looking for a good performance by Bradley Wright-Phillips, having played fairly well recently. He’ll be looking to get on the scoresheet alongside Kljestan, who has been superb during this cup run.

Philadelphia, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back from their 2-1 loss to Toronto FC in league play. The Union have been playing quite well as of recent even with the loss, picking up two wins and a draw in their last four games. If the Union want to win tomorrow, they’ll need to be able to hold off the Red Bulls dominant attacking corps and close down on players such as Wright-Phillps better than they did against Toronto’s MVP candidate Sebastian Giovinco.

The Union and Red Bulls have shown that they mean business in the Open Cup. The Union have fielded strong lineups, including designated players Maurice Edu and Cristian Maidana playing in every game over the last two years, not to mention the tournament’s Modern Era scoring leader Sebastien Le Toux. Over the years, the Red Bulls have usually not put their best foot forward in the competition, but this year has been different under Marsch and the results have backed that up. New York opened with a 3-0 home win over the Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) and a 4-1 home win over the New York Cosmos (NASL).

The Union needed goalkeeper John McCarty to come up big in their opening match against the Rochester Rhinos as Philly defeated the USL side in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw. In Round 5, they came from behind with only 10 men to beat DC United in a wet and wild match at PPL Park.

Historically, the Red Bulls have had the advantage over Philadelphia. However recently the Union have dominated their East Coast rivals, winning three of the last five meetings. As far as the Open Cup goes, this is the first meeting between the clubs. The only time they have met in any Open Cup context was in 2010 when the Red Bulls edged the Union 2-1 in a qualifying match on the strength of a pair of Conor Chinn goals.

The Union are hoping to build on last year’s run to the championship game where they lost 3-1 to the Seattle Sounders in extra time. The club has enjoyed success since first entering the tournament in 2012. They have reached the Semifinals two of the last three years.

The Red Bulls, on the other hand, have very minimal success over the years. With their win over the Cosmos in the last round, it marked the first time since 2003 that the club had won back-to-back games in the Open Cup. That year, they lost in the final to the Chicago Fire 1-0 at Giants Stadium and remain without an Open Cup title.

Both clubs are aiming to snap droughts for their respective states. The state of New Jersey, where the Red Bulls are based, has not had an Open Cup champion since Elizabeth SC in 1970. For the Union, lifting the trophy would be the first for the state of Pennsylvania (and the city of Philadelphia) since 1966 (Ukrainian Nationals).

The winner of this match will go on to host the winner of Orlando City and the Chicago Fire in the semifinals.

Houston Dynamo Open Cup records
Overall: 9-7-1 (0-1 PKs) | Away: 2-5-1 (0-1 PKs) | vs. MLS: 2-5-0
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-2 in OT vs. FC Dallas in Round 5)
Best finish: 2012 Fourth Round (Lost 2-1 in OT vs. Charlotte Eagles of USL Pro)

Sporting Kansas City Open Cup records
Overall: 19-12-4 (2-2 PKs) | Home: 14-7-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 6-7-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 3-1 vs. Portland Timbers of MLS in Round 5)
Best finish: 2004, 2012 US Open Cup champions

WINNER WILL … host Real Salt Lake (MLS) in Semifinals

LIVE VIDEO: HOUSTON DYNAMO AT SPORTING KC (8:30 p.m. ET, YouTube.com)

HOW THEY GOT HERE …

Houston Dynamo
Round 4: 2-0 win vs. Austin Aztex (USL)
Round 5: 1-0 win vs. Colorado Rapids (MLS)

Sporting Kansas City
Round 4: 1-0 win vs. Saint Louis FC (USL)”
Round 5: 6-2 win vs. FC Dallas (MLS)

By Matthew DeWitt

It’s been a long three years for Sporting Kansas City and an even more agonizing five years for Houston Dynamo.

Dom Dwyer of Sporting Kansas City became the first England native to score a hat trick in the US Open Cup's Modern Era. Photo: Gary Rohman | Sporting KC — Dom Dwyer of Sporting Kansas City became the first England native to score a hat trick in the US Open Cup’s Modern Era. Photo: Gary Rohman | Sporting KC

With Real Salt Lake patiently waiting on the other end of a full 90 minutes, Sporting Park will be exited on Tuesday night with one team having a spot in the Semifinals for the first time in a few years.

Sporting’s last trip to the semifinals came on the way to its 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship. The team had been plagued with upsets in the last two, losing to its then-USL affiliate Orlando City SC in 2013, followed by an exit in the Fifth Round with a 3-1 loss to the Portland Timbers.

Houston fans are still waiting for their club’s first US Open Cup title and haven’t reached the final four since 2009. The last time the Dynamo reached the Quarterfinals was 2010, but was knocked out when Chivas USA upended Houston in a 3-1 victory in Houston.

To make it to this year’s Quarterfinals, Houston squeaked by the Colorado Rapids on June 30. The contest featured the longest win droughts of an MLS team against another MLS opponent in the Open Cup.

The initial start time was pushed back to 10:18 p.m. local time after hard rains and thunderstorms plagued the Houston area throughout the day and into the evening. Mauro Manotas provided the lone tally for Houston in the first half. His 43rd-minute goal broke the deadlock and gave Houston its first win over an MLS club since 2006.

The Rapids matched Houston in its winless drought over an MLS team – the last win came on Aug. 2, 2006, a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

In the other half of the Central Region, Sporting KC throttled another Texas opponent. Dom Dwyer scored four goals, including a first-half hat trick, and Krisztian Nemeth provided the other two strikes in a 6-2 rout over FC Dallas in front of an announced crowd of over 19,000 fans crammed into Sporting Park.

Dwyer’s goal output was the most in the Open Cup since 2013, when Fredric Piquionne put in four for the Portland Timbers, and the hat trick was the first ever by a Sporting player in the Open Cup. His efforts earned him TheCup.Us Player of the Round honors in a landslide vote.

In Sporting’s two games since the romping Dallas, both Nemeth and Dwyer have played a key role in the team’s two wins. Nemeth provided assists in each of the games, including setting up the lone goal over Vancouver on July 12. Dwyer scored the game-winning goal in the club’s 2-1 win against Montreal on Saturday. Dating back to April 25, when Kansas City and Houston last met and a 4-4 tie ended in the only meeting of the season, Sporting has only lost once (9-1-3) in 13 games.

While Sporting is riding a hot streak, Houston is coming off a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday. The team is 6-6-2 since the draw at Houston, but has earned just four points and scored three goals in the previous five league games.

The winner of Tuesday night’s matchup will meet the last team to beat both clubs, Real Salt Lake. KC last lost to Salt Lake on June 21, ending an eight-match unbeaten streak, including Sporting’s 1-0 win over Saint Louis FC in the fourth round of the Open Cup. The semifinals will take place on either August 11 or 12, at the winner of Sporting KC or Houston Dynamo.

2015 US Open Cup Quarterfinals preview: Will Steven Gerrard play when Real Salt Lake hosts LA Galaxy tonight? (video)

July 13, 2015 by Josh Hakala

The LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake will square off for the first time in US Open Cup play.

The Quarterfinals of the 102nd edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup kick off tonight with the two-time champion Los Angeles Galaxy traveling to Utah to face Real Salt Lake. The Round of Eight may be an all-Major League Soccer affair for just the third time in the Modern Era, but the games feature a number of storylines.

First off, the defending MLS Cup champion Galaxy are battling for the Western Conferece title in league play, while RSL are struggling near the bottom of the table. The biggest question on everyone’s mind heading into tonight’s game is whether or not the newly-acquired Steven Gerrard will play for Los Angeles.

Here is the remaining Quarterfinal schedule:

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

MORE LINKS:

LIVE UPDATES: LA Galaxy at RSL (with video)

2015 stat leaders (Goals/Assists/Points)

TheCup.us Player of the Round winners

LIVE SCORES: Round 4 Day 2 (with video)

Twitter (#USOC2015) | Facebook | Flickr | Reddit

Los Angeles Galaxy Open Cup records
Overall: 25-12-1 (1-0 PKs) | Away: 8-10-1 (1-0 PKs) | vs. MLS: 11-7-1 (1-0 PKs)
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 1-0 in OT at Carolina RailHawks of NASL in Round 5)
Best finish: 2001, 2005 US Open Cup champions

Real Salt Lake Open Cup records
Overall: 8-6-0 | Home: 8-3-0 | vs. MLS: 2-3-0
Last entry: 2014 (Lost 2-1 at Atlanta Silverbacks of NASL in Round 4)
Best finish: 2013 Runner-up (Lost 1-0 vs. DC United in Final)
WINNER WILL … host San Jose Earthquakes or Los Angeles Galaxy

LIVE VIDEO: LA GALAXY AT REAL SALT LAKE (YouTube.com – 10 p.m. ET)

AUDIO OPTIONS: ENGLISH RADIO | SPANISH RADIO

HOW THEY GOT HERE …

LA Galaxy
Round 4: 6-1 win vs. PSA Elite (USASA)
Round 5: 1-0 win at San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)

Real Salt Lake
Round 4: 2-1 win vs. Seattle Sounders 2 (USL)
Round 5: 2-0 win vs. Portland Timbers (MLS)

Previews by Dennis Pope and Sean Walker

The question remains: Will he or won’t he?

Steven Gerrard played the first 45 minutes in LA Galaxy’s 2-1 over Club America on Saturday night, and will likely make his second appearance for the club in its Lamar Hunt US Open Cup quarterfinal matchup at Real Salt Lake on Tuesday night.

“Physically, it was tough. I haven’t played a competitive match for six or seven weeks so it was very important that I got out there and got 45 minutes,” Gerrard said. “Hopefully I get some more minutes Tuesday …”

Gerrard took two shots against Club America – both were deflected – but played a number of insightful passes through Club America’s defense to prove his poise as an attack-minded midfielder.

Robbie Keane scored a delightful goal near halftime, and Alan Gordon perfectly placed a header in the 79th minute as Galaxy pulled off the upset over the current CONCACAF Champions League champions at the International Champions Cup.

Starters Omar Gonzalez, Gyasi Zardes and Jaime Penedo remain on international duty at the Gold Cup, and are unavailable for Tuesday’s game vs. Real Salt Lake, a long-time MLS Western Conference rival.

“(Gerrard’s) passing and awareness is unbelievable and his being able to shoot from distance,” RSL midfielder Luke Mulholland told James Edwards of Utah’s Deseret News. “I think just putting pressure on him at all times throughout the game, not taking one play off.”

RSL were 2-0 winners over Portland Timbers in the fifth round to earn the home date at Rio Tinto Stadium.

US Open Cup champions in 2001 and 2005, Los Angeles was the only road team to advance out of this year’s Round of 16. Galaxy, 25-12-1 all-time in U.S. Open Cup play, are into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011.

LA defeated the San Jose Earthquakes, 1-0, in a fifth round game on June 27. The match was another California Clasico, with Galaxy remaining unbeaten (4-0-1, 1-0 PKs) against the Quakes all-time in Open Cup play.

Including the Club America match, the defending champions come into Tuesday’s game having lost just one game in all competitions over the last month. The Galaxy are 8-6-7 in league play and are just one point out of first place in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. Their last league game was a 4-0 thrashing of Toronto FC on the Fourth of July with Robbie Keane leading the way with a hat trick.

On the other side, the host Real Salt Lake remembers well the run of DC United to the US Open Cup title in 2013, most notably because the final was played in Sandy, Utah, and hosted by RSL.

Ever since, RSL has wanted to get back to that stage and finish the job with the Lamar Hunt trophy. Much like DC United in 2013, RSL are hoping to ignore their current league form, which sees them sitting second from the bottom in the Western Conference with a 5-7-8 record, and make a run at winning a trophy in the Open Cup.

To do so in 2015, they will have to contend with Gerrard and the Galaxy who are hungry for their first Open Cup title in a decade.

“He’s an amazing passer of the ball,” RSL coach Jeff Cassar said of Gerrard. “We also need to know where him and Keane are at all times.

“I think we might play a little bit differently — he’s not with Liverpool, anymore — but the Galaxy have a system in play, and I think it’s about fitting him into their system now.”

RSL midfielder Luke Mulholland grew up a Liverpool supporter in nearby Preston, England, so he’s naturally looking forward to the chance to play against one of his childhood heroes.

“I grew up idolizing Gerrard, so it will be very surreal playing against him tomorrow,” Mulholland said after training Monday. “As his career went on, he took more of a defensive midfield role, so this unit here will continue to play like L.a. does, but with his passing and awareness. It’s unbelievable, and he’s able to shoot from distance, too. He’ll be dangerous at all times, not taking one play off, and we can’t either or else he’ll punish us.”

The Galaxy also feature striker Robbie Keane, the reigning MLS MVP — but all eyes will be on the former Liverpool captain Tuesday night.

“He’s a world-class player,” RSL midfielder Javier Morales said. “I think it’s different than guys like Giovinco, Kaka, Villa. They score goals and make that special play. I think Gerrard is different; he’s the balance of the Galaxy with Juninho. I think you need to worry about him, though.”

Gerrard played a mostly attacking role, in front of Juninho, in the first half of the friendly win over Club America, which kicked off barely 72 hours before Tuesday’s Open Cup date. RSL also played at rival Colorado on Saturday in a 3-1 loss Saturday, giving the home side plenty of motivation to get back on the field.

“We’re three wins away from winning the Open Cup,” Cassar said. “We can’t let anything in the past linger. It was five wins and we’ve got two. So we can’t have any letdowns against the Galaxy.”

Despite the club’s back-to-back Open Cup wins at home, Real Salt Lake are struggling in league play. They haven’t won a game since June 21 against Sporting Kansas City, a winless streak of four games (0-2-2).

In addition to league form, the game features two teams with vastly different Open Cup histories. For Real Salt Lake, in addition to their 2013 runner-up performance, this is just the second time in seven entries that the club has won multiple games in a single tournament.

For the Galaxy, their success in the tournament took place before the arrival of David Beckham and the ushering in of the Designated Player era of MLS. From their first eight years of entering the tournament, beginning in 1999, the Galaxy reached the Semifinals six of those years, the championship game four times and lifted the trophy twice.

Since 2007, the Galaxy have failed to even qualify for the Open Cup twice (2008, 2009), haven’t won multiple games in a tournament until this year, including upset losses on the road to the USL’s Richmond Kickers in 2007 and the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks in each of the last three years. The 2015 season has been a different story, as the Galaxy have put their 3-6-0 record over the last eight years behind them and have won back-to-back games for the first time since 2006.

COMMERCIAL: LA GALAXY AT RSL

RSL PREVIEW

LA GALAXY PREVIEW

LA GALAXY INTRODUCE STEVEN GERRARD

2015 US Open Cup Round 5 preview: Another Big Apple clash highlights Day 2 of Round of 16 (video links)

June 30, 2015 by Josh Hakala

Can the Red Bulls avenge last year's loss to the Cosmos or will the NASL spring champions complete the Big Apple sweep? Photo: Dennis Schneidler/Delaney B. James Sports Photography) — Can the Red Bulls avenge last year’s loss to the Cosmos or will the NASL spring champions complete the Big Apple sweep? Photo: Dennis Schneidler/Delaney B. James Sports Photography)

The Fourth Round, the annual highlight of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is in the books, and only two lower division teams survived to reach Round 5. With 14 of the 16 teams hailing from Major League Soccer, that doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of drama for the Fifth Round, which will be split, four games each, between Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1.

On Tuesday, four Major League Soccer teams advanced to the Quarterfinals. A 10-man Philadelphia Union overcame a 1-0 deficit to knock off DC United. The Union advance to the Quarterfinals where they will either host the New York Cosmos or travel to the New York Red Bulls for their next game.

One of the two lower division clubs fell as the USL’s Charlotte Independence couldn’t hold on to a 1-0 lead and eventually fell to the Chicago Fire 3-1 on the strength of two Mike Magee goals. The Fire will host Orlando City in the Quarterfinals after the Lions handed the Columbus Crew their first-ever shutout in US Open Cup play, 2-0. Kaka made his Open Cup debut and scored a goal while Carlos Rivas scored to move into a tie for the tournament lead with four goals.

And finally, after a nearly three hour weather delay to start the match, the Houston Dynamo edged the Colorado Rapids 1-0 to book a place in the round of eight for the first time since 2009.

Today, the opening game is a rematch many in the New York area have waited for. The New York Red Bulls, who just finished thumping New York City FC in league play, are hoping to avenge last year’s upset loss to the New York Cosmos at Red Bull Arena. Last year, the Cosmos dominated the Red Bulls 3-0. Next up, FC Dallas will travel to Sporting Park to take on 2012 champion Sporting Kansas City as Dallas aims for their first Open Cup title since 1997. Another matchup between two clubs who have been close to winnning their first Open Cup title will take the first at Rio Tinto Stadium when Real Salt Lake hosts the Portland Timbers. The game is a rematch of the 2013 Semifinals when RSL beat the Timbers 2-1 in the same stadium. The round will conclude with the California Classico with the San Jose Earthquakes hosting the Los Angeles Galaxy. The two clubs are fierce rivals, but in Open Cup play, it’s been dominated by the Galaxy as they have never been eliminated by the Quakes in four all-time meetings (3-0-1, 1-0 PKs).

All of the games will be streamed online, with some teams providing radio broadcasts in addition to video streams. You can also follow all the action on TheCup.us LIVE SCORES PAGE where you can get the latest scores and jump between live video and you can join the conversation with a Twitter feed of all the #USOC2015 tweets.

Scroll down for previews of every Round 5 game:

2015 US Open Cup Round 4 previews: MLS teams join the party in tournament’s signature round (video links)

June 16, 2015 by Josh Hakala

The annual highlight of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is when the United States’ top division, Major League Soccer joins the competition. This year’s Fourth Round has 16 matches across Tuesday and Wednesday with all but one contest featuring MLS teams facing a lower division team. The lone game that doesn’t feature an underdog matchup is no dissappointment either as the defending champion Seattle Sounders will host their arch rivals to the south, the Portland Timbers.

Most of the games will be streamed online in some form and you’ll find all of the links down this page. You can also follow all the action via Twitter using the hashtag #USOC2015.

One thing that requires clarification: the bracket that you see on TheCup.us does not reflect the matchups for Round 5. The Fifth Round draw is scheduled for June 18.

Scroll down for previews of Wednesday’s games and click on the Schedule/Results link for match reports from Tuesday’s games.

MORE LINKS:

Notable upsets and things you should know about Round 4

Dane Kelly of Charleston Battery wins TheCup.us Player of the Round | Past winners

2015 stat leaders