The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is one of the oldest domestic cup competitions in the world. We look at its 99-year history and reviews the third round action, as MLS teams enter - and some become the victims of classic cup giant-killing
The Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup kicked off this week - and for the first time all 16 US MLS sides entered the competition at the same time. The trophy has been through several incarnations, but this year's competition is the first where the MLS sides' entry isn't staggered according to league position - ensuring that 16 ties would take place featuring the top tier sides, with a chance of an upset in each of them. They didn't disappoint.
The history
Ask the average European fan, or indeed many casual American fans, about the history of American soccer, and chances are that even the more well-rounded of them will mutter something about Joe Gaetjen's goal against England in the 1950 World Cup, and then make a reference to the arrival of Pele on the New York Cosmos side, with no particular context for either moment - as if the former played for a side that emerged from (then disappeared back to) some soccer version of "Field of Dreams", while the latter descended from the heavens, Deus ex machina style (he did arrive by helicopter...).
So if you then tell the same fan, that since 1914 the US has actually been home to one of the oldest cup competitions in the world (of cup competitions run continuously, only the FA and Scottish Cups, and Spain's Copa del Rey are older), it may just change their perspective on the game here. At the very least it should give a sense of the continuum of rich soccer tradition in the US that has kept the game developing, even away from the spotlight of its more high profile moments and practitioners.
The whisky magnate Sir Thomas Dewar awarded the original National Challenge Cup, or the Dewar Cup, for the inaugural tournament in 1912. The first final was won by Brooklyn Field Club, who defeated Brooklyn Celtic in the final. As that line up suggests, the early years of the cup were dominated by North East sides (indeed New York State has produced by far the most winners of the trophy in its history, with 26), but as time has gone on the spread has begun to even out. In the MLS era, teams like DC United, Chicago Fire and current three-time consecutive champions Seattle Sounders have changed the face of the cup.
But looking at the list of past winners and multiple winners offers up great Wikipedia rabbit holes of intriguing histories. We have the teams who share the record for most wins, Maccabi Los Angeles and Bethlehem Steel; the Greek American AA, whose three wins in the late 60s has them equal with the Sounders for consecutive wins; we have other multiple winners, such as the wonderfully named Fall River Marksmen or Philadelphia Urainians; or more recently the phenomenon of the Rochester Rhinos, who beat 4 MLS sides on their way to an unlikely victory in 1999.
Or just dig a little deeper on a figure like Gaetjens. His personal history has been told eloquently elsewhere, but looking at his participation in that 1950 World Cup game, against the timeline of the US Open Cup, and you soon come to the name Brookhattan. Brookhattan won the trophy in 1945 and were runners up in 1948. It was at Brookhattan, playing in the American Soccer League, that Gaetjens first caught the eye of the US selectors as a league-leading scorer. The club would evolve over the next decade into incarnations as Brookhattan-Galicia, Galicia FC and Galicia-Honduras, but their brush with Gaetjens gives them cult status amongst US soccer history aficionados. You can even buy replica jerseys of Gaetjen's Brookhattan jersey online. There are many, many more stories like this that should resonate with fans of the sport anywhere in the world who care about the history and potential of cup competitions.
The 2012 edition
With the Dewar Cup retired, the present day teams compete for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (named for one of the modern day benefactors of American Soccer). The modern era has seen numerous format changes for the trophy. During the existence of the old NASL (of Pele et al), the teams in that competition chose not to take part in the cup, but the newly sanctioned second tier of US soccer, and present day NASL, is fully represented in this year's tournament, as are those MLS sides we discussed.
MLS teams have had a spotty history with the cup - some have treated it like an unnecessary distraction (last year, New York sent a reserve team, without their coach Hans Backe, to Chicago and were promptly trounced 4-0) but the sides we have already mentioned, including the first MLS winners DC United, and the holders Seattle Sounders, have made a real point of going for the trophy each season. That commitment has even gone to the controversial extent of exploiting the "sealed bid" auctioning of home rights in the cup that has seen the Sounders play 11 of their past 14 games at home - which some saw as undermining the credibility of the cup .
This year, the USSF (US Soccer Federation) spoke of reforming the competition and this English-style 3rd round is one of the results - though once again there has been controversy over the home game logistics. Within an hour of the finish of the last of the second round games, fans of NASL side Atlanta Silverbacks were furious to discover that a potential home tie against Seattle was now an away fixture, after Seattle had essentially bought the right to host the tie from the Silverbacks' owners - but with their big home crowds the Sounders have the resources and the will to take advantage of the rules as they currently stand. And in fairness they weren't the only MLS team to do this. RSL switched their tie, Portland were set to switch theirs had the previous round gone differently, and the Galaxy and the Revs attempted it.
There is certainly an incentive to do so - with a Champions League place on the line since 2007, the competition has become incrementally more important each season and even New York seem to be taking it seriously this year. But this third round represents the potential sweet spot for the competition - a moment where the relative big boys of MLS must each put their reputations on the line against the NASL, USL Pro, PDL, NPSL, USASA and US Club Soccer sides who make up the next tiers of US soccer. With top level promotion/relegation off the table for now, this is the one moment where the lower professional and amateur leagues can test themselves against the best of their peers, playing in the United States.
One of the most eye-catching of all the clashes (and one of the two games still to be played on Wednesday), is Cal FC at Portland Timbers. Cal FC are an amateur side, based out of Thousand Oaks, California, who are run, coached and generally cheered on by the irrepressible Eric Wynalda - the ex-US international and Fox Soccer pundit. In very short order Wynalda has assembled a team of players from the fringes of the sport in the US and led them on an unlikely charge, that last week saw them dispose of pro team Wilmington Hammerheads 4-0, in the 2nd round. Wynalda might be a polarizing figure within the game in the US - but a lot of neutrals are hoping for the kind of David v Goliath result that is the staple of cup games the world over.
The 3rd Round
Tuesday night: Well if there's a karmic element to even considering buying home advantage, Seattle and Portland should be worried about tonight's games. Salt Lake were humbled 3-1 in front of their own fans by Minnesota Stars, having paid for the privilege. Los Angeles Galaxy tried to bring Carolina Railhawks to LA and instead had to travel across the country to a 2-1 defeat. And New England...what can you say about New England? 3-0 up after the first half of extra time, they managed to concede 3 goals and lose out on penalties to Harrisburg City Islanders, who now host the Red Bulls (who after our comments above, actually did field a close to full strength team, for their 3-0 victory at Charleston Battery).
Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew also lost to lower league opposition and the only Texas team left standing are San Antonio, who beat Houston Dynamo, after Dallas had lost tamely at home to Charlotte Eagles. The other MLS sides managed wins, but going into tonight's games the balance of results stands 7-7 between MLS and non-MLS sides, after a crazy night of soccer.
As a big fan of the Open Cup (and someone who has been known to compile his own match programs for games, in the absence of official ones) Daniel Feuerstein, host of the podcast Feuerstein's Fire followed every game last night and takes us through the competing teams and the results, and explains what the permutations mean for the fourth round next week. Take it away Daniel... GP
Bracket 1
Harrisburg City 3-3 New England Revolution
Harrisburg City win 4-3 on penalties
Play only began, over at Skyline Sports Complex in Harrisburg, after a 30 minute rain delay (a lot of East coast games were affected by the weather). The Revolution went down a man in the 35th minute as Diego Fagundez was sent off and put his side down to 10 men. Nothing in regulation, so it was on to extra time and it was crazy. In the first half New England led 3-0 but when the second half started Harrisburg pushed to equalize and did, as J.T. Noone put the match into penalties. Andrew Marshall converted the winning penalty while Benny Feilhaber hit the post. A crazy night for sure.
Charleston Battery 0-3 New York Red Bulls
Hans Backe was blamed for not taking this tournament seriously last year and has made amends to correct that. A solid first half as Kenny Cooper converted in the 14th with a fantastic turn around shot, then a goal converted on a corner from Heath Pearce, in the 41st minute. A fantastic 30 yard bending rocket by academy product Connor Lade making sure in the second half. Clean sheet for Ryan Meara - who made a fantastic point blank save in the 23rd minute. Red Bulls travel to Harrisburg
4th round: Harrisburg City vs New York Red Bulls
(4th round winner plays winner of Bracket 2)
Bracket 2
Philadelphia Union 3-0 Rochester Rhinos
Freddy Adu came to play and he showed why the Union wanted to have him on their club. Converting a brace against the Rochester Rhinos in the 29th and 73rd minutes it was easy pickings for the MLS side. The bad weather that was spreading around the north east also got into the Philadelphia Area - after Josue Martinez converted for his first goal of the night in the 5th, a good 45 minute delay held up the match in the 1st half. But Philadelphia won out against the 1999 cup winners.
Richmond Kickers 1-2 DC United
After extra time: 1-1 after 90 minutes
Extra time at the 22,000 capacity Richmond City Stadium, as the Kickers and DC United were leveled at one a piece at the end of regulation. Hamid Saili got DC United on the board in the 24th minute, but Stanley Nyazamba equalized in the 45th minute from the spot. But in the 107th minute it was Marcelo Saragosa who put the Black & Red ahead with a solid shot and that chance advanced the club to Round 4.
4th round: DC United vs Philadelphia Union
Bracket 3
Michigan Bucks 3-2 Chicago Fire:
An indoor stadium for the Michigan Bucks as they hosted the Chicago Fire and took the challenge against the four time US Open Cup Winners. Norman Crikic of Michigan got the winner in the 93rd minute of Extra Time after another fantastic regulation round. An amazing victory for the USL PDL team (the 4th tier of the American Soccer Pyramid).
Columbus Crew 1-2 Dayton Dutch
The first time that a "battle of Ohio" was played in the US Open Cup, with the Crew hosting the Dayton Dutch Lions. After going down a goal in the 64th, Gerrit Jan Bartels equalized in the 79th minute. Then the winner came in the 81st by Gibson Bardsley. The Dutch side (affiliated with FC Twente) advances to the 4th round.
4th round: Michigan Bucks vs Dayton Dutch
(4th round winner plays winner of Bracket 4)
Bracket 4
Tampa Bay 1-3 Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids came across the country to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL and handled them with ease. A solid goal from Edu in the first 17 minutes got Rapids rolling, then Andre Akpan made things easier in the 33rd. Final tallies from both sides were in second half stoppage time, but on the night it was the Rapids who moved on to the 4th round.
Sporting KC 3-2 Orlando City SC
A rough and tough match over at Livestrong Sporting Park as Sporting KC took on the USL Pro defending champions Orlando City (with no sign of Wayne Rooney's brother John for the visitors). Soony Saad got his brace four minutes apart (65th & 69th respectively) and got a two goal lead on the team with a magic kingdom in its back yard. Dennis Chinn pulled one back in the 84th minute to scare the mid-west MLS side, but Sporting held on to advance into the 4th round.
4th round: Sporting Kansas City vs Colorado Rapids
Bracket 5
San Antonio 1-0 Houston Dynamo:
One goal was all it took for the San Antonio Scorpions to move on to the 4th Round. Hans Denisson converted the penalty in the 51st minute and the expansion side defeated Dominic Kinnear's Orange crush. Another MLS team beaten by State neighbors.
FC Dallas 0-2 Charlotte Eagles
Another upset in the making as the Charlotte Eagles of the USL Pro (Div III) took out FC Dallas 2-0. Darryl Roberts put one in late in the 43rd minute and Nate Thornton finished the job in the 90th minute. FC Dallas went down to ten men as Jackson Goncalves got sent off in the 76th minute. A poor performance by Dallas.
4th round: San Antonio vs Charlotte Eagles
(4th round winner plays winner of Bracket 6)
Bracket 6
Real Salt Lake 1-3 Minnesota Stars
Yes it was Real Salt Lake who paid to have the match moved from NSC Stadium to Rio Tinto, but it was the Minnesota Stars that wanted to win very badly. Neil Hlavaty's penalty inside first half stoppage time ended it for RSL and a late goal in the second half from Simone Bracalello iced it for the Great Lakes side.
San Jose 2-1 Fort Lauderdale
It was going down memory lane, as the new version of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers were up against an old foe from the original days of the North American Soccer League - as they traveled across the country to face the San Jose Earthquakes. Mark Anderson got ahead in the 38th minute, but it was a Sam Garza brace in the second half that moved the Quakes on to the 4th round.
4th round: San Jose vs Minnesota Stars
Bracket 7
Ventura County 0-1 Chivas USA
After having a magical start in the US Open Cup and winning in Extra Time in the last round, the Ventura County Fusion finally lost in regulation and it was to Chivas USA. A Cesar Romero Goal in the 13th minute was the only goal. No matter how hard the Fusion tried to equalize and force another Extra Time Session, the MLS side ended their run in the 3rd round.
Carolina Railhawks 2-1 LA Galaxy
It was a third string squad that traveled across the country for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Even so, Pat Noonan scored in the 38th minute and the thought was they would be advancing - but the Railhawks had other ideas. Ty Shipalane equalized in the 75th minute to put on the pressure, then a Brian Shriver match winner came in the 88th to seal it for the Carolina Railhawks - former home of Vancouver coach, Martin Rennie.
4th round: Carolina Railhawks vs Chivas USA
(4th round winner plays winner of Bracket 8)
Bracket 8
Seattle Sounders vs Atlanta Silverbacks
Playing Wednesday
Portland Timbers vs Cal FC (Weds game)
Playing Wednesday
4th round: TBC Read More
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