D.C. United began the defense of their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title with a 2-0 win over F.C. Dallas at RFK Stadium in an MLS qualification semifinal. There were plenty of early chances by the Black and Red, and they were finally rewarded in the 21st minute. Fred took a pass from rookie Chris Pontius and placed it inside the left post past Dallas goalkeeper Ray Burse to give D.C. the 1-0 lead.

In the second half, the Hoops looked to push the attack, and they were caught on the counter as Santino Quaranta ran down the left side of the pitch, then passed it ahead to a speeding Brandon Barklage, who made a clean finish from just outside the box to give United the 2-0 advantage in the 66th minute. Soon after, Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman pulled out all the stops by subbing in Kenny Cooper and David Ferreira. Late in the match, F.C. Dallas was "handed" a penalty kick when Greg Janicki was called for a handball inside the D.C. box. Cooper stepped up to take the shot, but unlike his previous game just two days before, he couldn’t finish, smacking the ball off the left post.

Rookie Milos Kocic preserved the shutout, making four saves for D.C. United, who move on to play the winner of the San Jose Earthquakes and the New York Red Bulls, at a date and site to be determined later. The winner of that game will qualify for the 2009 U.S. Open Cup tournament.