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Portland, Seattle renew rivalry with packed stadium, Houston to face Battery (again)
Four USL clubs pull off Third Round upsets on Day One
The underdogs of the USL ruled on day one of the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. 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. 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.
USOpenCup.com Third Round Preview
The USL underdogs challenge MLS for quarterfinal spots
USOpenCup.com takes a look at each of the eight Third Round matches in the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with our "Tale of the Tape" feature for each game.
Also join us for a live blog as we follow all six of Tuesday’s games. Can the cinderella story continue for the Ocean City Barons? Can Harrisburg get revenge on New England? Who will walk away victorious when one of the best teams in Major League Soccer (Chivas USA) take on the best team in the USL First Division (Charleston Battery) at Blackbaud Stadium?
Be sure to stop in on Wednesday as we’ll be back to cover the massive Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers game and the Houston Dynamo will take on fellow Texas club the Austin Aztex for the first time.
2009 U.S. Open Cup Third Round schedule
Six games kick off on June 30 with two more on July 1
All Times Eastern
U.S. Open Cup Third Round
Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2) at New England Revolution (MLS)
Veterans Stadium - New Britain, CT | 7 p.m.
NER Broadcast: Audio (Revolutionsoccer.net)
HCI Broadcast: Audio (wmssfm.com)
Ocean City Barons (PDL) at D.C. United (MLS)
Maryland Soccerplex - Boyds, MD | 7:30 p.m.
DCU Broadcast: English & Spanish language radio
OCB Broadcast: USLLive.com
Chicago Fire (MLS) at Wilmington Hammerheads (USL-2)
Legion Stadium - Wilmington, NC | 7 p.m.
Broadcast: None
Chivas USA (MLS) at Charleston Battery (USL-1)
Blackbaud Stadium - Charleston, SC | 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com
Columbus Crew (MLS) at Rochester Rhinos (USL-1)
Marina Auto Stadium - Rochester, NY | 7 p.m.
Broadcast: Rochester Rhinos (No USLLive.com)
Kansas City Wizards (MLS) at Minnesota Thunder (USL-1)
National Sports Center - Blaine, MN | 8:05 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com
July 1, 2009
Houston Dynamo (MLS) at Austin Aztex (USL-1)
Nelson Field - Austin, TX | 8:30 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com
Seattle Sounders F.C. (MLS) at Portland Timbers (USL-1)
PGE Park - Portland, OR | 10 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com
2009 U.S. Open Cup Bracket
More information about the Third Round
USSF: Third Round U.S. Open Cup Possible Pairings Announced
Third Round games set to kick off on June 30
U.S. Soccer has announced the third round possible pairings for the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Results from the second round of play on June 16 will determine the matchups and venues for the third round to take place on June 30.
Notable upsets in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup
2006 - Dallas Roma F.C. (USASA) 0:0 Chivas USA (MLS)
(Dallas advances on PKs, 4-2)
For all of you who ever wanted the #16 seed to win in the NCAA basketball tournament, we hope you are soccer fans!
Things you should know about the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup
Since the expanded format in 1997, a PDL team has failed to reach the third round only four times (1998, 2002, 2007, 2008). The recent struggles can be attributed to the fact that in 2007, the format was changed so that all non-MLS teams began the tournament in the first round, unlike previous tournaments where PDL teams were matched up with USASA or other PDL clubs.
The biggest rout in the third round during the Professional Era came in 2003, when the Virginia Beach Mariners defeated the Carolina Dynamo 5-0. Dante Washington and Roland Aguilera both scored twice for the Mariners.
The highest scoring Professional Era Open Cup game occurred in the third round on July 19, 2005 when the Richmond Kickers (USL-1) defeated the Ocean City Barons (PDL) 8-4. The game was played at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, VA, a week after the original match was re-scheduled due to bad weather. The Barons scored first in the 4th minute, but Richmond stormed back with four goals in less than 20 minutes. With the score 4-1, Ocean City scored a pair of goal on either side of halftime to cut the lead to one. At that point, the Barons manager made some offensive-minded substitutions and pushed for the equalizer, but at that point, the flood gates opened and Richmond scored four more in the second half, and the game would finish 8-4. The previous total goals record was shared by a pair of games. In 1995, the Seattle Sounders (A-League, now USL-1) defeated the Everett BigFoot (USISL Pro, now USL-2) 9-2 and in 1999 the San Diego Flash (A-League) cruised past the Arizona Sahuaros (D3 Pro, now USL-2) by the same score.
In 2007, a record five MLS teams were upset in the third round, with only three clubs advancing to the next round (a record low for MLS teams).
In 2007, two USL Second Division clubs (Richmond Kickers, Harrisburg City Islanders) won third round matches. It was the first time that two USL-2 teams advanced beyond round three in the same year. Prior to 2007, only one USL-2 club, the Wilmington Hammerheads, had ever advanced beyond the third round and they did it twice (2003, 2006).
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