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U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals set

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On a night with surprises aplenty, three MLS teams were eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night by opponents from lower divisions while two others had to come from behind to avoid the same fate.

The New York Red Bulls, Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA all suffered defeats on Tuesday, with Crystal Palace Baltimore, Charleston Battery and Seattle Sounders all providing the knockout blows. The Kansas City Wizards nearly suffered the same fate, but battled back for a win against the Carolina Railhawks, while FC Dallas came back in a win against Miami FC.

Crystal Palace Baltimore, the lone USL-2 team to reach the quarterfinals, shocked an undermanned and overmatched Red Bulls squad while Houston forced overtime but lost out on penalties to Charleston.

The Chicago Fire continued its quest for another Lamar Hunt Trophy with a dominant win at Toyota Park against Cleveland City while the New England Revolution disposed of the Richmond Kickers.

The quarterfinals are now set and will take place next week. Here are the match-ups, which will be played on July 8th:

  • Crystal Palace Baltimore vs. New England Revolution
  • D.C. United vs. Chicago Fire
  • FC Dallas vs. Charleston Battery
  • Kansas City Wizards vs. Seattle Sounders

Here were last night’s results:

  • Crystal Palace Baltimore 2, New York Red Bulls 0
  • New England Revolution 3, Richmond Kickers 0
  • Chicago Fire 4, Cleveland City Stars 1
  • D.C. United 2, Rochester Rhinos 0
  • FC Dallas 2, Miami FC 1
  • Charleston Battery 1, Houston Dynamo 1 (Charleston won, 4-3, on PKs)
  • Kansas City Wizards 4, Carolina Railhawks 2
  • Seattle Sounders 2, Chivas USA 0

So why does MLS keep having trouble with lower division teams? It’s a product of the MLS teams using mostly reserve-team squads and the bottom half of MLS rosters not being that much stronger than the USL teams they are facing (and in the case of a team like Seattle, it’s full-strength squad could compete with a full-strength MLS squad on most nights). This happens every year and will probably always happen.

What did you think of last night’s matches? Who do you think is the favorite to win it all? Could Crystal Palace be the Open Cup’s version of Barnsley? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. it didnt look like chivas played their second squad the other night. klesjtan, bornstein, guzan and a hand full of others that i have seen in their top squad.

    go sounders!!!!!

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  2. For the record, if there is a Seattle/Chicago final – I’m there. I don’t care that it’s a 24 hr drive. I’ll take any excuse to go the former homeland.

    Papa Bear is correct – more sponsors & a better payout will improve USOC play – I think success is CL from the USOC winner will also help. If you ask me, though, the American player is a bit spoiled. After all, a good run in Europe and a player could be involved in upwards of 60 matches for a season. If I have to listen to another player whine about playing in 40 matches instead of 35 if they make the final, then I’ll pull an Eric Wynalda on them.

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  3. add me to the list of people who’d like to see a Seattle/Fire final (with Chicago taking home #5)

    The USOC suffers because MLS wants nothing to do with it since they don’t run it or really profit from it as much as league play. The Champions League is kinda in the same boat but the increased money and international prestige make it more ‘worth it’ to them.

    The USOC is basically there to pad players bank accounts. That’s why USL teams come out like madmen. You’d think the reserves in MLS would have similar motivations but I guess collecting the win bonuses every week dulls it.

    With the addition of a CL spot going to the winner, I think people will become more involved in the tournament. I know I love it, but then again my team has won it 4 times which I admit makes it easier to love.

    If they can get more sponsor $$$ to make it worth even more it could get the higher level of prestige and recognition it deserves.

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  4. This is extremely speculative, but fun. I think a Seattle/Chicago final in Seattle would draw at least 25K.

    Last year’s semifinal with FC Dallas drew 10K. A final would see higher attendance tht that, and the increased interest around Sounders FC playing in MLS next year is good for an additional bump.

    Then, consider the “Blanco” effect. There are quite a few Mexican soccer fans in the Seattle area (56000 attended the Mexico/China friendly a few months back), and I think lots would come out to see Blanco.

    So yeah, I’m rooting for a Sounders/Fire final too.

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  5. the problem with comparing the Open Cup to anything else in the US fan experience is that there is no sport more conducive to upsets than soccer, with inspired defending and an insane keeper performance, a team can punch way above its weight for a while.

    so a couple of comparisons: yes, March Madness, but that’s out of season, so it’s not quite right. I like the US Open (tennis) as an example. yes, the top ten players are usually 7 of the 8 quarterfinalists, but there is quite often some guy who comes from nowhere on a hot streak, goes from being ranked 195th in the world to 50th in two weeks. or, of course, Rocco Mediate, who had to win a playin to the US Open (Golf) this year, and was still standing on sunday afternoon.

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  6. Sign me up for that now with the game in seattle with enough time to market it you would get 15K there for the game. Especially if it was against NE or Chicago.

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  7. How do you explain the Open Cup to soccer outsiders? I usually compare to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. In terms of how big upsets can be. Most people I work like the idea, but not that the only true outlet is the internet for coverage. I can also see both Seattle and Philadelphia actually try in the Open Cup once they join the league! You think more MLS sides would actually care if they lost to a lower division. The MLS team should play most of their first team, especially when the MLS season doesn’t really matter until the last few months.

    My predictions:

    [Quarters]

    Revs over Palace

    Fire over D.C.

    Battery with the upset over Dallas

    And the Sounders finishing off the Wizards

    [Semifinals]

    Fire over Revs

    Sounders over Battery

    Following with an amazing final in Seattle with the Sounders hosting the Fire.

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  8. The Sounders USL team has been better than the bottom half of MLS teams for years now.

    I know that’s hard for people who don’t follow USL to believe. But it’s true.

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  9. Ives,

    Thanks for the commentary last night. Something dawned on me while following the games:

    Whys is USL1 smart enough to have a single table, but MLS persists in their lame “conferences”?

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  10. In all the upsets lat night I assumed four non MLS teams had advanced. clearly one will lose, and one of the other 3 will as well.

    The open cup bracket is determined from round to round, and not by random draw. It starts out in a regional format and they wait to see who wins and try to match up teams that are relativly close I am sure to save money. for example next year if Sounders FC qualifies for the Cup and Portland finds a way to win a game in the tournament I can just about guarantee you they will play in the round the MLS teams join.

    The next day or two I am sure they will announce who the winners of the quarterfinals will be playing and where.

    The hosts are determined via bids, each club submits a bid to host, or in the cases of some MLS teams they don’t bid at all–Chivas.

    Thank goodness for usllive, so I was able to watch from the comfort of my couch.

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  11. Was at the Sounders match. I must say that the Sounders are an well-oiled machine. In my opinion, the roster is fine if you had 5-6 MLS grade players or “bigger” signings.

    Props to the Emerald City Supporters -loud and proud!

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  12. Lee: Because Tennis has a huge U.S. Open and has had big-name American stars for decades. Plus, soccer struggles in any country that has its own football game already. How big is the A-League in Australia?

    The problem with the U.S. Open Cup is that it lacks a serious sponsor to push it over the top. If some huge company threw $2 million a year at it to increase the prize pool and buy the broadcast time on FSC, it might get somewhere, but for now, it remains in purgatory, and we’ll get an untelevised D.C. v. Chicago match in the 3,200-seat Maryland SoccerPlex because of it.

    Seattle and Charleston have a much better shot at being this Cup’s Barnsley/Cardiff type team than Crystal Palace. Unlike RBNY, New England actually cares about the Open Cup, and they’ll beat Palace easily. I think Seattle’s got a real shot at the semis against this year, though.

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  13. joe k- he failed to mention it, which was bad enough for me.

    But I take it all back, Ives! I saw your new post and apologize for my impatience

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  14. quite frankly, the USL teams that come up are not as bad as one would think… watching some USL games of FSC, ive seen some exciting games and some poor games…. however, when you play the top USL teams against the reserves of a MLS team i’ve come to one conclusion

    – while the reserves of the MLS should beat the USL team, the USL team is pretty talented but what they have over the reserves is unity….they play together every day and every game…. the reserves play meaningless games the day after the 1st team plays…. the USL sides know each other, where to play the ball, at what pace to play…

    now the Fire actually started pretty much a reserves squad (bar a couple)….. and they got a quality result… why?? b/c quite frankly, Hamlett has let quite a number of those players play this season… i like our depth, but we face DCU next…. watch for a 1st team v 1st team (or something close to it)….

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  15. “I will also say that 1 or 2 of the MLS teams will lose next week.”

    Well, it certainly isn’t going out on a limb to say that 1 MLS team will be eliminated next week.

    And if DC-CHI-NE are all on one side of the bracket (That impression is given by the online bracket – I don’t know if they re-seed after this next round or not) Then the 3 deepest MLS teams are fighting for only 1 spot in the final.

    Is Dallas and KC good enough/ deep enough/interested enough to continue on?

    I think there is a very good chance we will see one non-MLS team in the final.

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  16. Ives,

    How can you fight against being labeled as a RBNY apologist when you fail to mention that they lost to a 2nd division USL side, which is in it’s 2nd year of existence. It seems you are trying to make things seem better than they are by thinking there is a comparison to Chivas’ or Houston’s loss. They played stron teams from one division down. RBNY played a weak team from 2 divisions down. Plus you use the Barnsley example when they were only one division down from the Premiership, if they had been a League One side then maybe this would make sense. Chicago and the Revs trounced the 2nd division sides they faced.

    Why the front? Just say you don’t want to talk about what a piss poor showing it was by the organization and move on?

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  17. When I explained the concept of the Open Cup to some friends who do not follow soccer, they were quite intrigued as the concept is foreign to most americans. The beginning stages really are a great underdog story and I am surprised no one has run with it ie FSC, ESPN, Gol TV. The Champions league berth make it that much more worth while. Come on US Soccer, get on the ball!

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  18. The US Open Cup has a very long history that if marketed properly should continue to grow in importance.

    “As the oldest, annual team tournament in U.S. sports history, the U.S. Open Cup dates back to 1914 when the Brooklyn Field Club won the first national title by defeating the Brooklyn Celtics in Pawtucket, R.I.”

    An almost 100 year old tournament in this country is a very unique event. The Champions League cup birth was a great and overdue change. Some television coverage would be nice (heck, give the early round rights to FSC for next 2 years). By the 100th anniversary in 6 years this Cup could have some great momentum behind it.

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  19. I think the Champions League spot will increase the significance of the Tournament. Seattle completely outplayed Chivas last night. Well deserved win.

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  20. Ives, what happens if Seattle wins do they get the Champions League spot, or because Seattle is technically folding at the end of the year and Sounders FC is considered a new club by MLS will something else happen.

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  21. I still think two of the MLS teams will advance to the final they always do, I will also say that 1 or 2 of the MLS teams will lose next week.

    The interesting question if the Seattle Sounders were to win it who would get the berth, because they are separate from Sounders FC.

    It would be good for the Cup if Seattle were able to advance and get to the final and host, because I am guessing it would draw a fairly large crowd.

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  22. Soccer in the US is growing at a nice steady rate which is nice. For it to take the next step, becoming just another sport rather than something that ESPN and the local news covers like the Olympics I think the old guard has to move on. I really feel in the next couple generations it will be on par with the big four of American sport coverage.

    I’ve never understood why tennis is covered like it is, and soccer is a Euro/World curiosity that is below most American sports personalities.

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  23. I think one thing you have to ask is “who started for the MLS teams”? In the case of the Revs, the only names the casual fan would have known were Mansally and Twellman (getting some good rehab playing time). Other than that, it was mostly the reserve team and some Rev infrequent subs (like Phelan).

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  24. I hope that this tourny is on the verge of becoming a semi big thing in American soccer.

    I might have to start cheering on Seattle, since I’ll adopt them or Philly as my MLS team.

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  25. Bravo, Nick. agree 110% with FSC and how the Open Cup should be more important in the minds of players, teams, organizations, and outsiders.

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  26. Yes, they do get a Champions League spot, which was a great idea, it makes our version of the FA Cup worth something. Imagine Seattle won the Open Cup and spent their first year in MLS also playing in the Champions League, that would make Drew Carey ridiculously happy. It’s nice to see the smaller clubs actually competing well. Hollywood United beating Portland was spectacular. This is the first year I’ve really followed this competition and it’s been pretty darn exciting, too bad FSC doesn’t carry the earlier stages, I guess EPL games from 2005 are too important.

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  27. Does the winner of the US Open Cup get a spot in the Concacaf Champs League? If so, I would go all out if I were a USL team (like Seattle) putting a greater priority on that than I would on a league match.

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