Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Randi Patterson

Notable upsets in the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup

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

MORE: Things you should know about the Quarterfinals (Modern Era)

There have only been nine upsets in the Quarterfinal round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup since 1995, therefore all of them are, in fact, “notable.”

There have been one amateur team (albeit before MLS was launched) and two third division clubs to win a Quarterfinal games in the Modern Era (1995-present), and the rest are second division pro teams (A-League, USL First Division) knocking off Major League Soccer clubs.

Atlanta Ruckus (A-League) 1:2 Richmond Kickers (USISL Premier)
July 12, 1995
University of Richmond Stadium – Richmond, Virginia

The Richmond Kickers, the lone amateur team remaining in the tournament upset the A-League’s Atlanta Ruckus 2-1 to reach the semifinals. The Kickers took a 1-0 lead into halftime on a 13th minute goal by Rob Ukrop, but US international John Doyle answered for the Ruckus in the 52nd minute. The game-winning goal would be scored by Richmond’s Scott Snyder in the 62nd minute with Ben Crawley picking up his second assist of the game. Side note: While the Kickers were an amateur team, they featured a strong roster for future professional players including Richie Williams, Mike Clark, Brian Bates, Todd Yeagley, Brian Kamler and goalkeeper Jeff Causey.

Tampa Bay Mutiny (MLS) 3 : 4 (ASDET) Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League)
September 7, 1996
Frontier Field – Rochester, NY

In front of more than 12,000 fans at Frontier Field, the Rochester Raging Rhinos knocked off Major League Soccer’s best team, the Tampa Bay Mutiny, in sudden death overtime. It’s known as one of the most exciting Open Cup games in the Modern Era. Henry Gutierrez and Doug Miller put the Rhinos up 2-0 at the half, but it was Roy Lassiter who began one of the most thrilling 10 minutes in modern Open Cup history. Lassiter’s goal in the 80th minute brought the Mutiny to within one goal, but two minutes later, Miller would score his second to make it 3-1.

The home crowd thought the game was over, but Tampa Bay would score two goals in two minutes (Carlos Valderamma PK in the 85th and Evans Wise in the 86th on an assist from Lassiter) to send the game into overtime. 23 minutes of sudden death overtime saw the Rochester crowd whipped into a frenzy when substitute, and Rochester native, Chris Kennell scored the game-winner in the 113th minute. The first-year franchise would advance to the Open Cup Final that year, falling to DC United in the championship game.

San Francisco Bay Seals (D3 Pro League) 2 : 1 San Jose Clash (MLS)
August 20, 1997
Spartan Stadium – San Jose, CA

Ronald Cerritos converted an early first half penalty kick to put the San Jose Clash up 1-0, but the Bay Seals, the darlings of the 1997 tournament, got a pair of late goals from Shani Simpson (77th minute) and Shane Watkins (86th minute) to put them in the Semifinals. San Francisco was the first third division club to reach the Semifinals during the Modern Era. It was an achievement that wasn’t matched until 2011.

Dallas Burn (MLS) 1 : 2 (ASDET) Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League)
August 11, 1999
Frontier Field – Rochester, NY

After a 71st minute goal by Mauro Biello put Rochester in front 1-0, the Rhinos were five minutes away from pulling off the upset in regulation when Jason Kreis tied the game up thanks to an assist by Paul Broome. After 20 minutes of extra time, Michael Kirmse scored the golden goal (assisted by Darren Tilley) to send the Rhinos to the Semifinals, on their way to winning the tournament.

Minnesota Thunder (USL-1) 3 : 1 Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
August 24, 2005
Julian Field – Parkville, Missouri

In the midst of a disappointing run of league form, the Minnesota Thunder continued their run in the US Open Cup with a road win over the Kansas City Wizards. It was the third MLS team Minnesota had eliminated in a row (Real Salt Lake, Colorado Rapids). Johnny Menyongar scored two goals and was a part of the third when his shot was re-directed by the Wizards’ Shavar Thomas and past goalkeeper Will Hesmer.

Colorado Rapids (MLS) 0 : 5 Seattle Sounders (USL-1)
August 7, 2007
Qwest Field – Seattle, Washington

Chris Eylander stops a penalty kick against the Kansas City Wizards during the 2008 US Open Cup. Photo: George Holland

Seattle completely dominated the Colorado Rapids in the worst loss ever suffered by a MLS team in the Open Cup. After two goals by Sounder defenders midway through the first half, Colorado’s Ugo Ihemelu put the ball into his own net to make it 3-0 Seattle at the half. The game was all but over, but when Colorado defender Facundo Erpen was sent off in the 49th minute, the Sounders poured it on in the second half to return to the Semifinals for the first time since 1995.

Charleston Battery (USL-1) 3 : 1 FC Dallas (MLS)
July 8, 2008
Pizza Hut Park – Frisco, Texas

After a weather delay, the Charleston Battery eliminated FC Dallas 3-1 in front of the Dallas faithful. Former Dallas player Lazo Alavanja opened the scoring, followed by Ian Fuller and Randi Patterson. Kenny Cooper added a score in second half stoppage time but it was too little, too late. The Battery got their revenge after being knocked out of the tournament by Dallas the last two years in a row.

Kansas City Wizards (MLS) 0:0 (5:6 PKs) Seattle Sounders (USL-1)
July 8, 2008
Qwest Field – Seattle, Washington

David Bulow of the Richmond Kickers tied the Modern Era record for most US Open Cup goals in a career with 13. Photo: Richmond Kickers / Suz Kitsteiner

After playing 120 minutes of scoreless soccer, Kansas City’s Eric Kronberg and Seattle Chris Eylander found themselves facing a penalty kick shootout. Both goalkeepers had played well in regulation and extra time, but Eylander had been busier, stopping 12 shots to Kronberg’s four. Eylander would get the best of Kronberg in the shootout, 6-5, saving attempts by Jimmy Conrad and Tyson Wahl to send the Sounders to the final four.

Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) 2:0 Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
July 12, 2011
LiveStrong Sporting Park – Kansas City, Kansas

The Richmond Kickers continued their Cinderella run through the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-0 upset of Sporting Kansas City at LiveStrong Sporting Park. After a lengthy lightning delay sent the players into the locker rooms in the 66th minute, once they emerged,  Shaka Bangura scored less than 30 seconds after play re-started to give the Kickers the lead. David Bulow would add a history-making penalty kick in the 83rd minute to seal the deal. Bulow’s goal gave him a tournament-high six tallies and put him on top of the Modern Era’s goalscoring chart with 13 in his career. He was tied with Jaime Moreno and Johnny Menyongar. With the win, Richmond became only the second Third Division team to reach the Semifinals. The only other team to do it was the San Francisco Bay Seals in 1997.

2009 Third Round: Randi Patterson’s brace earns him Player of the Round

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With a 3-1 victory over Chivas USA of Major League Soccer in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the Charleston Battery became the first USL team to advance to the Quarterfinals three years in a row. The main reason they were able to do that was Randi Patterson, who scored two goals in the match, and for his efforts, he has been voted as TheCup.us Player of the Round.

In a more decisive vote than the previous two rounds, Patterson beat out the Houston Dynamo’s Corey Ashe (1 goal, 1 assist in 2-0 win at Austin Aztex), and the Wilmington duo of goalkeeper Daryl Sattler and last round’s top player, Kenny Bundy, who helped the Hammerheads beat the Chicago Fire 1-0.

The Player of the Round is selected by the staff of TheCup.us and members of the North American Soccer Reporters, a group that consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information about the NASR can be found at www.soccerreporters.com (Note: A new website is in the works).

The former UNC-Greensboro star took time to talk to TheCup.us about his Open Cup experience and the difference between playing in MLS and the USL.

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TheCup.us: With your great start to this year’s tournament and your appearance in the final last year, not to mention your form in league play, your club’s confidence must be at an all-time high right now.

Patterson: We have been playing very well this season we had a rough start in the beginning scoring goals but we finally picked that up. Our defense has been excellent; without them we wouldn’t be where we are today.

TheCup.us: Tell us about the Third Round match against Chivas USA and the two goals that you scored.

Patterson: The Chivas game was really intense. They are a great team and to be honest they had most of the possession throught the game but we finished our chances. The first goal I scored I knew Kenji had a long throw-in so I made sure I was on the back post to clean up anything that came through. The second goal was because of an excellent pass by Spicer which gave me space to take a shot.

TheCup.us: You’ve had some Open Cup experience prior to turning pro when you were with the Carolina Dynamo in the PDL. You had a tremendous run through the tournament (defeating the Seattle Sounders along the way), advancing all the way to the Fourth Round. What was that experience like?

Patterson: It was a great experience during the PDL season playing in the Open Cup. We had a great team that year and it showed advancing that far. It was a great opportunity to show what we could do before the MLS draft took place.

TheCup.us: In the Fourth Round that year, your Carolina Dynamo faced the Houston Dynamo. What was the team/organization’s reaction when Houston chose a team name that you guys already had?

Patterson:  It was kind of weird that an MLS team chose the name that we had. I heard some other things about that situation but I can’t go into that.

TheCup.us: You spent some time with the New York Red Bulls, but later moved on to Charleston. What has been the difference between the two places and how has your experience been in Charleston? What have been the differences between MLS and USL-1?

Patterson: The difference is that playing near New York City was that you always had something to do. I lived in Teaneck all my life which is 10 minutes from New York City so there was always something for me to do. In Charleston, it’s a nice place but it’s not like New York City. Charleston has the beach and the downtown area which is beautiful and also the people are really nice. There isn’t a big difference just maybe the speed of play. Obviously it’s a lot faster in MLS but other than that I don’t see a difference.

2009 Third Round recap: Portland, Seattle renew rivalry, Houston face Battery (again)

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2009 US Open Cup Third Round
(Home team listed on right)
June 30
Columbus Crew 1:1 Rochester Rhinos
Rochester advance on PKs 5-3
Chicago Fire 0:1 Wilmington Hammerheads
Harrisburg City Islanders 2:1 (aet) New England Revolution
Ocean City Barons 0:2 DC United
Chivas USA 1:3 Charleston Battery
Kansas City Wizards 3:3 Minnesota Thunder
Kansas City advance on PKs 4-2
July 1
Houston Dynamo 2:0 Austin Aztex
Seattle Sounders 2:1 Portland Timbers

Player of the Round: Randi Patterson
Notable upsets in Third Round history
Things you should know about the Third Round

The underdogs of the United Soccer Leagues ruled on day one of the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, but the Seattle Sounders and the Houston Dynamo each earned wins on Wednesday to level the tournament with four MLS teams and four USL teams in the Quarterfinals. The draw for the next round dictates that for the second year in a row, the USL will have at least one team in the Semifinals.

The Houston Dynamo defeated the Austin Aztex 2-0 on Wednesday to set up a date with the Charleston Battery next Tuesday at Blackbaud Stadium. This will be the third year in a row that the Battery and the Dynamo square off in the Open Cup with Charleston eliminating Houston in both years.

Later that night, the Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders renewed their rivalry in front of a sold-out PGE Park in Portland, Ore. The more than 16,000 fans in attendance was the fourth largest attendance (Source: Kenn.com) during the Professional Era (1995 – present) and a modern era first for the Timbers.

The biggest upsets of the night came from USL Second Division clubs. In New Britain, Conn., the Harrisburg City Islanders defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 in extra time. Ahead 1-0, the Revs allowed the game-tying goal after losing a player to injury after having used all of its substitutions. Another New England player left near the end of full time due to injury, leaving the MLS side with just nine men. The City Isles took advantage and scored the game-winning goal in extra time.

In Wilmington, the USL-2 Hammerheads edged out the four-time Cup champion Chicago Fire 1-0. TheCup.us Player of the Second Round Kenny Bundy scored the deciding goal in the 37th minute to give Wilmington just their second win over an MLS foe in Open Cup play. With Rochester winning their penalty kick tiebreaker over the Columbus Crew after a 1-1 draw, the two clubs will meet in the quarterfinals, assuring the USL of at least one club in the Semifinals for the third year in a row.

2009 Third Round: Battery make history with win; Chivas USA’s Open Cup misery continues

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Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, SC | 7:30 p.m.
Match Reports: Charleston | Chivas | Post and Courier | LA Times
3
FT
 1
Randi Patterson 9’, 45’+
Tsuyoshi Yoshitake 90’+		       28’ Jesse Marsch

The Charleston Battery reach the Quarterfinals by defeating Chivas USA 3-1 at Blackbaud Stadium. For the Battery, they become the first USL team to reach the round of eight three consecutive years. The first of Randi Patterson’s two goals came in the 9th minute, when a failed Jim Curtin clearance landed in front of him. He volleyed it into the net to give Charleston the early 1-0 lead. However, in the 28th minute, a Sasha Victorine’s cross to Jesse Marsch equalized the game for Chivas USA.

That would be as close as they would get in their attempt to win their first Open Cup game since 2005.Randi Patterson scored his second goal mere seconds before the halftime whistle as he received a pass beyond the Chivas back line. He then proceeded to bend it past goalkeeper Lance Parker to give the Battery a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Charleston closed out the victory in second half stoppage time as Tsuyoshi Yoshitake finished a spectacular volley from 25 yards out.

Chivas USA continues to struggle in the US Open Cup, losing their fifth straight Cup match. Since their inaugural season in 2005, they have a tournament record of 1-4-1, with the draw ending in a historic shootout loss to Dallas Roma FC of the USASA. Their only win came in their first Open Cup game in the Third Round of 2005 when they scored the game-winning goal in the 120th minute of extra time to beat the Charlotte Eagles of the USL Second Division. 

Charleston moves on to the Quarterfinals next week to play the Houston Dynamo at Blackbaud Stadium. The game on July 7 will be the third consecutive tournament where the two clubs will have met with Charleston winning the first two (one in extra time, the other in penalty kicks).

2009 First Round: Battery cruise as Atlanta FC self-destructs in Open Cup debut

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Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, S.C. | 7:30 p.m.Match Reports: Charleston, Post & Courier
Twitter: @atlantafc Broadcast: USL Live
2
FT
 0
Randi Paterson (T. Yoshitake) 1’
Tsuyoshi Yoshitake (John Wilson) 32’
      
28’ Sappia Venn – SENT OFF
66’ Robert Munilla – SENT OFF
69’ Leo Sandoval – SENT OFF

Atlanta FC’s dream of a run in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup fell short as they unable to pull off the upset against the Charleston Battery (USL-1) falling 2-0 at Blackbaud Stadium. Goals from Randi Patterson and Tsuyoshi Yoshitake propelled the Battery to the Second Round.

The match, broadcast live on USLLive.com, was a tale of two different clubs. Atlanta FC, the first team to qualify out of Georgia since 1991 (Atlanta Datagraphics), were overpowered for a majority of the match against a Charleston Battery side who have participated in six straight Open Cups, and 10 of the last 11.

No sooner had the national anthem finished than Atlanta FC found themselves down one goal as a corner from Tsuyoshi Yoshitake found Randi Patterson in the box, heading in the first goal 37 seconds into the match. Charleston showed no signs of fatigue, having played three games in the last five days, as they controlled the match from the start. Atlanta FC soon settled down and maintained possession, but could not force a single shot on Battery keeper Keith Wiggans.

The match began to get scrappy in the 28th minute as Venn Sappia was ejected during an incident off the ball. Later, the report showed an apparent ’hand-to-face’ incident prompted the Sappia ejection.

After the situation calmed, the Battery did not waste time any time. John Wilson beat his man down the left flank and played a pinpoint cross into Yoshitake, who volleyed it home from six yards out, giving the Battery a 2-0 lead that they held until the halftime break.

The second half was more of the same, as Atlanta FC crippled their upset chances by earning two more red cards and finishing with only eight men. Atlanta FC’s coach was also sent off in the second half, as the NPSL side failed to gain any momentum and saw their US Open Cup run come to an end.

Charleston advance to the Second Round to take on Miami FC, 8pm ET at Tropical Park in Miami, Fla.

2008 Semifinals: Battery beat Sounders in PKs to reach first Open Cup Final

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The Charleston Battery earned a place in the US Open Cup Final for the first time in club history after winning a penalty kick shootout with the Seattle Sounders in the Semifinals. The Battery are the first non-MLS team to advance to the Final since the Rochester Raging Rhinos won the tournament in 1999.

The Sounders struck first with a goal in the 20th minute when a short corner ended up at the feet of Youseff Kante just outside the penalty area. He drove a shot toward goal and the ball took a deflection off of the Battery’s Osvaldo Alonso and ended up in the back of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

In the 32nd minute, the Battery were on the attack and sent a ball into the box from the right wing. A glancing header by Darren Spicer forced a save by Sounders goalkeeper Chris Eylander, but he was unable to hang onto it. Randi Patterson was on the doorstep and pounced on the loose ball and tied the game at 1-1, ending Seattle’s single-tournament record shutout streak at 453 minutes.

Both teams were unable to break the deadlock through 120 minutes, despite a few close calls, and the match had to be decided by penalty kicks. The Battery led 2-1 when Sebastien Le Toux had his attempt saved by Dusty Hudock. Mike Richardson had a chance to put the Battery up 3-1, but Chris Eylander came through for Seattle making the stop to keep it close. After both teams traded goals, Hudock saved the attempt by Kevin Forrest in the fifth round to send Charleston to the Open Cup Final.

TheCup.us Fun Fact: Dusty Hudock’s saves in the penalty kick shootout, helped eliminate the Seattle Sounders, the team that he made his Open Cup debut with in the First Round of the 1995 US Open Cup (June 14, 1995). He was given the starting job that night in Seattle’s 9-2 win over the Everett BigFoot of the USISL Pro League, as regular starter Marcus Hahnemann was given the night off.

2008 Quarterfinals: Third time’s the charm for Battery against FC Dallas

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In 2006 and 2007, FC Dallas crushed the hopes of the Charleston Battery in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals. This year, it was the Battery’s turn to exact revenge, winning 3-1 in Frisco after waiting out a weather delay.

FC Dallas came out with a relatively strong lineup as they played most of their regulars for the match. They looked the stronger of the two teams out of the gate, controlling play early.

However, in the 28th minute, it was the Battery who struck first. Former Dallas player Lazo Alavanja blocked a clearance by the Dallas defense near the top of the 18 and put it past keeper Dario Sala to give Charleston the 1-0 lead.

In the 39th minute, lightning struck. One hour and ten minutes later, play finally resumed after 9:00 local time. FC Dallas came flying out of the gate once again, with Arturo Alvarez hitting a shot off the post almost immediately out of the dressing room. But once again, it was Charleston who came through. On the counter attack resulting from the play, Ian Fuller received a pass at the edge of the box from Stephen Armstrong, beat his man, and placed the ball inside the near post, giving the Battery the 2-0 advantage.

To be absolutely sure that the Battery would move on, Randi Patterson took the ball all the way from the midfield stripe in the 90th minute and put away Dallas for good. FC Dallas would finally find a way to scrape together a goal and avoid the shutout in stoppage time when Dax McCarty served up a ball inside the box to Kenny Cooper, who made a lunging header into the back of the net, to make the final score 3-1 in favor of Charleston.

The Battery now move on to host USL-1 foe Seattle Sounders in the Semifinals, assuring that a non-MLS team will make the US Open Cup final for the first time since the Rochester Raging Rhinos won it all in 1999.

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