The Philadelphia Union took another step toward its first trophy in club history, defeating FC Dallas in a shootout, in the first US Open Cup semifinal decided by penalties since 2008.
Goalkeeper Zac MacMath, starting the semi with the knowledge his No. 1 position is now in doubt with the arrival of Algerian international Rais M’Bolhi imminent, made stops on Blas Perez and Victor Ulloa to send the team to the final with a 4-3 victory after the match finished 1-1. On the other side of things, the Union were lethal from the spot, with Sheanon Williams, Vincent Nogueira, Cristian Maidana and Mauric Edu putting in nearly unstoppable kicks.
The contest saw both teams put in extra shifts after playing weekend contests with FC Dallas making all three of its substitutions in part because of injury. Still, Pareja was quite enthusiastic with his side’s performance despite ultimately failing to win the match.
“Beautiful game tonight. I think people enjoyed and everybody could see the atmosphere there how we endured the drama and what happened in the game,” FC Dallas coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “There is a frustration for not getting the final here. I thought the boys deserved it. I’m very disappointed with the way the game was managed.”
Both managers toyed with their usual back lines. Pareja deployed young center back Walter Zimmerman and putting Michel, who often plays defensive midfielder, at right back. Jim Curtin’s side paired usual midfielder Maurice Edu with Ethan White while Carlos Valdes sat the bench.
The Union’s initial 18-man roster had to be modified with green-card holder Fred replacing Fabinho to bring the team into compliance with Lamar Hunt US Open Cup rules which permit a maximum of five international players.
Once the ball got rolling, things were less controversial, though some will point out FC Dallas had a small penalty shout in the seventh minute when Zac MacMath came off his line and took a ball off Blas Perez. After that, things were relatively even with each team putting in four shots and only one of them on goal.
The deadlock was broken shortly after the break when Sebastian Le Toux ripped loose down the right side of the Union’s attack and played a low cross that was turned in by Amobi Okugo.
But with less than 10 minutes standing between the Union and the final, Zac MacMath was punished for one of his forward forays with Fabian Castillo beating him to a Blas Perez pass and scoring with his left foot to force an extra period.
“They were playing a lot of balls in-behind our defense and I tried to play a high line and get off my line as much as possible to defend against that,” MacMath told reporters after the match. “Unfortunately, got to it first and made us pay. It’s tough because I felt like I let my team down, so I am just really happy that we were able to battle past that and I was able to do the little things to make this happen.”
Despite the fact that Pareja had used the last of his three subs at the halftime break, it was his club which was on the front foot during the first period of extra time. He noted that Mauro Diaz, who is still not 100% after suffering a knee injury earlier in the season, “was tired and his hamstring was bothering him.”
“That was kind of like a heavyweight boxing match,” Union coach Jim Curtin said. “Fortunately we were the last team standing even though Dallas put in a great team effort. I’m happy; I had 11 men out there the whole night, and this is something that we have been striving for. Now we host a final, and we’re extremely excited.”
Castillo, despite having played an entire game’s worth of soccer seemed to catch a second wind, darting between Union defenders to win a free kick just before the extra time break. The kick amounted to nothing, but Castillo continued his exploits after the teams switched sides. Unfortunately for the hosts, nobody seemed to want to play with Castillo with Ryan Hollingshead and Blas Perez struggling to link up with the shifty winger.
“Fabian, like anyone else was outstanding. I saw that,” Pareja said after the match.
But it wasn’t enough to break through and MacMath made the crucial stops that sent Philadelphia through.
The match sees Dallas’ Open Cup drought extend to 17 years after lifting the trophy in 1997, its only triumph. Philadelphia’s quest for its first piece of silverware will continue when it hosts the final against the winner of the Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire.
FULL MATCH REPLAY
POST-GAME COVERAGE (FC DALLAS)
