Top Stories

U.S. Open Cup Final: D.C. United vs. Charleston Battery (Your Running Commentary)

Usopencuplogo

The USL’s Charleston Battery are in RFK Stadium tonight to take on D.C. United in the U.S. Open Cup final (7:30pm, FSC).

D.C. United is looking to win its first U.S. Open Cup title since 1996 while the Battery looks to become the first USL team since the Rochester Raging Rhinos in 1999 to win the cup.

If you will be watching the match, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below. If you can’t watch on Fox Soccer Channel, you can also keep track of the match on the U.S. Soccer website.

Enjoy the action.

Comments

  1. Open Cup winners and USL champions should get bumped into the MLS league, and depending on the open cup winner 1 or 2 last place regular season MLS teams should get bumped into the USL league.

    Reply
  2. John — Re: your #2, the question is, when is that going to happen (DC overcoming their injury woes)? With six added CONCACAF Champions League games, and games moved to September and October to make room for annoying SuperLiga in July, DC basically plays two games a week for the next two months straight. I expect some DC players to come off the injury list, but be replaced there by others; or some people to come off the list and go right back on. I think with less-severe injury issues, and some time to actually play together and gel, DC could play as well as most teams in the league, perhaps any. But I don’t know how that’s going to happen.

    That’s why a lot of the DC fans were so ecstatic last night: most of the fans I know are fairly realistic about our chances re: rest of season, CCL, and playoffs.

    Reply
  3. 1. Congrats to DC United–it’s nice to see an MLS team win it.

    2. You have to conclude that, at present, Ives is correct to rate the Red Bulls over United: DC just has too many injuries so they’re not playing coherently. That said, United will be a bad team to face in the playoffs if they get healthy and Emilio is in form.

    3. This win plus Puerto Rico’s win really shames the Revs in the CCL performance. The argument about cap and rosters ignores the reality of Joe Public’s salary and roster (smaller by both accords than what the Revs have to work with). Previously, I would have argued that the NE Revs have been the best and most consistent performer in MLS this season. But that performance of their’s was just shameful. If they were not serious about performing in something (USOC, Superliga, CCL) then they should have declined the invitation. Instead, they get appearance money, sell a few tickets and put on an embarassing display of ineptitude. Boo on them!

    Reply
  4. Yeah that’s what I meant. Thanks for the clarification king snake. MLS sides have NEVER beaten a side from Costa Rica in a CONCACAF competition, and had never lost to a side from the Caribbean before last night.

    USL and MLS both made history the last two nights.

    Reply
  5. I vote for CCL focus over MLS cup. Do enough to make the playoffs and anything can happen, but it would be very nice to see a mls team make a CCL run. Supporters shield would be nice, of course, but let’s be realistic and write that off. It may be time to once again take one for MLS. I say go all out for San jose this weekend and then focus on getting more international cred for the team and the league, especially after crashing out of superliga. Getting out of the group stage would be great, and would mean more than the crapshoot that is MLS playoffs to a damaged squad.

    Reply
  6. I believe Puerto Rico has shocked Aljeuense again if the CONCACAF website is to be believed!

    So score one HUGE scalp for MLS. Heck even FMF sides have had trouble with that club in the past.

    Reply
  7. I feel like we have a slow motion camera on. This is so different from European football.

    Posted by: beckster | September 03, 2008 at 07:55 PM

    Do you feel the need to say this about any other leagues outside of Europe? Ever watch the Argentine league?

    Reply
  8. Max Bretos is a retard. (Which is an insult to retards, sorry.)

    My favorite Max-ism of the night: Him trying to explain how women could not possibly understand how painful it is to get kicked in the huevos. Hey, Max? Try pushing a bowling ball out your ass sometime, if you want to understand female pain. Knob.

    Reply
  9. B.A.: I think it all depends on how much value D.C.U. puts on this CONCACAF Champions League. Do they want to focus on that, or do they want to try and chase after MLS Cup?

    I figure the Supporters Shield is almost out of reach and probably isn’t necessary, now that they have a trophy for this season. Either way, I don’t think they’ll be deep enough or healthy enough right now to put everything behind both MLS Cup and CCL. If you had to choose, which one would you rather see D.C. pursue?

    Reply
  10. To MLS and the other teams in the league, YOU ARE WELCOME!!

    Someone had to put a good face on behalf of the league.

    DC United puts another silverware in the trophy case.

    Reply
  11. Coffee Pot Cup! This season is a success.

    Ahem.

    Dave’s Football Blog,

    Considering I hate Tottenham, and I love DC, I hope we don’t. To be safe, I’m suggesting DCU stay away from any foods which could make them sick.

    Reply
  12. Entertaining game, Charleston are definitely better than a number of MLS squads. It’s a shame we don’t have promotion/relegation… one day, probably post the Garber-era… when MLS stops looking down on USL and sees the opportunity for increased competition and additional regional rivalries.

    Reply
  13. Full time. D.C. 2-1 Charleston.

    A really close offside call killed it for Charleston in the final minute, but I’m looking at a freeze frame of this right now, and it appears the Battery player *was* just barely offside. That was unfortunate.

    I hesitate to say Charleston’s 2nd-half finishing was Bristol City-like, but there it is.

    I also suspect that D.C. is about to pull a Tottenham Hotspur this season, but they might decide to focus on the Champions League now that they have a trophy. We’ll see…

    Reply
  14. Take that USL!

    MLS is now once again one of the best leagues in the world!

    At least the 66th best!

    Seriously, today’s game demonstrated the differences between the two leagues since I seem to be one of the few which watches both regularly.

    Charleston very typically held the ball well and didn’t give the ball away as much as MLS sides do. USL for my money is a better league to watch because the teams keep their shape better and I don’t see as many defensive lapses leading to goals BUT

    MLS has far more talent and individual skill on the pitch and didn’t play the typical MLS game of giving the ball away and showing horrible first touches.

    It also helps to have the game at home for DC.

    Reply
  15. Crayton hasn’t come out to the 40 yd line tonight. He is showing remarkable restraint! Not sure what that little action was though!

    Reply
  16. is it just me, or is DC trying to out-muscle The Battery?

    It seems like if you’ve got some skill, you’d just pass your way around people instead of trying to pound on ’em.

    Then again, I’m not sure Dyachenko wasn’t a hockey goon in a previous life.

    C’mon Battery! Get the goal back!

    Reply
  17. Martinez had a clear shot 15 feet from goal, but he instead chose to pass it into the center of the box, and it was blocked. He must have thought he was playing for Arsenal.

    Still D.C. 2-1 Charleston in the 75th minute.

    Reply
  18. GOAL D.C.! Fred springs an offside trap on the right side and beats the GK 1-on-1.

    Kind of nice to see him score one, rather than get 18 assists like he did in the A-League Grand Final two years ago.

    D.C. 2-1 Charleston.

    Reply
  19. I always thought it would be sick for there to be a relegation/promotion between MLS and USL if they could come to some kind of agreement or buyout

    Reply
  20. these guys are great they are now pronouncing their LL’s like the proper argentine way, Bretos & Sullivan are almost as good at pure 92% oxygen

    Reply

Leave a Comment