USL clubs shatter goal-scoring records in U.S. Open Cup

By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

The volume of the USL teams’ goal-scoring during the Second Round of the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup marked a new peak for several clubs who advanced in the tournament with some record-shattering numbers.

Three sides posted a single-game record for goals during Wednesday’s matches to move on to the Third Round on June 1.

Leading the charge were the defending USL champion Rochester Rhinos who bounced Southie FC 7-0 at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. That seven-goal effort, led by Asani Samuels’ hat trick, topped the organization’s previous high of five goals during the 2006 U.S. Open Cup, when the then-named Raging Rhinos defeated the New Hampshire Phantoms 5-1 on July 12 of that year.

Wilmington Hammerheads FC also changed its Open Cup record books with a dominating 6-0 victory against the NPSL’s Miami Fusion, with Austin Martz and Kyle Parker recording braces.

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Lower-division teams relish chance to host U.S. Open Cup matches

U.S. Soccer Communications

The 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup begins May 15, and with the 99th edition comes a multitude of changes. For lower-division teams, the most significant is the random selection process for determining home teams from the first round through the quarterfinals.

In previous years, all teams pursued this opportunity through a bidding process.

“In the last three to five years, MLS teams have actively been bidding on games,” said Andrew Bell, president of the USL PRO’s Charleston Battery. “Usually we were successful drawing to host games, but there had been a power shift with MLS teams. Looking from the outside, they’re taking the Open Cup a bit more seriously, at which point I think it became increasingly difficult to get a game against an MLS team.”

Now with a random selection process in place, the likelihood of a Division III team such as the USL PRO’s Richmond Kickers to host an MLS team should improve significantly.

“The opportunity for lower-division teams to host a game is a crucial component, especially from a brand exposure standpoint,” Kickers head coach Leigh Cowlishaw said. “We’ve had some successes on the road, but in the past we’ve also hosted the likes of D.C. United with [former D.C. forward] Freddy Adu and the LA Galaxy with Landon Donovan. Those memorable games leave a lasting impression not only for the players and coaches, but the fan base.”

Read more at USSoccer.com.

Fire can't halt Seattle's Open Cup run

Sean Johnson -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

The Chicago Fire spent a large portion of Tuesday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup simply attempting to endure Seattle Sounders FC's frequent attacks and possession.

It was only a matter of time before the Sounders would strike, and Fredy Montero provided the winner in the 77th minute to lead Seattle to a 2-0 win over the Fire in front of an Open Cup-record crowd of 35,615 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

"I just think we never got [in] rhythm," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "We had a little bit of a momentum change in the first half, then it just seemed that we didn't get that back. And our frontrunners didn't seem to work well off each other."

Osvaldo Alonso added a goal five minutes into second-half stoppage time as Seattle won its third straight Open Cup.

Chicago fell to 4-2 in Open Cup finals, also dropping the 2004 title match to the Kansas City Wizards, while winning the 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006 Open Cups.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire, Sounders vying for Open Cup

Frank Klopas -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

Chicago Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas will be a part of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in a different light this Tuesday when his Fire take on two-time defending champion Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field.

Klopas capped off the Fire's inaugural 1998 MLS season with the game-winning goal during Chicago's Open Cup win over the Columbus Crew.

Now Klopas will be on the sidelines, where Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid on Monday made a ringing endorsement, saying that "Frank has to have a conversation with his boss, his technical director, who I think is also named Frank, and get that 'interim' removed from his title."

Klopas' '98 game-winner against the Crew was a banner moment in a banner season. But if the 2011 Fire manage to unseat Seattle in front of its home faithful of 30,000-plus, Klopas said that as a coach it would carry more enjoyment than the '98 Open Cup team.

"If we were to win this, I think the feeling would be different," Klopas said. "It would probably be better to be able to do it also from this side because I know what these players go through every day, their commitment, and the focus. And I think it would be a great feeling to be on this side. It would be a better moment than doing it as a player. It's hard to say. I know it would be different for me. I would enjoy it more."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com. Also, CLICK HERE for a breakdown of the Fire's and Sounders' previous Open Cups.

Fire reach U.S. Open Cup final

Dominic Oduro -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- It was not the smoothest of performances for the Chicago Fire. But the home side did its job on Tuesday in topping the USL Pro's Richmond Kickers, 2-1, in the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Toyota Park.

"It was a scrappy one, but we got it done," Fire defender Jalil Anibaba said.

Sebastian Grazzini netted a first-half penalty-kick goal and Dominic Oduro tallied a second-half game-winner as Chicago advanced to its sixth Open Cup final appearance. The Fire have won the Open Cup four previous times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006) and were the runners-up in 2004.

"Opportunities like this, you can't let them slip away," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "It was a special moment for the team, for our fans obviously, to put ourselves in this situation now in the final, to have an opportunity to win something. We knew what was at stake.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire host Kickers in Open Cup semis

Frank Klopas -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The four-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion Chicago Fire have touted their best available lineup throughout this year's tournament.

The same cannot be said for some other MLS squads, and you only have to look at the Fire's 4-0 quarterfinal win over a reserve-laden New York Red Bulls side on July 12 to come to that conclusion.

But the semifinal round will not have that type of aura to it as Chicago hosts the USL Pro's Richmond Kickers on Tuesday at Toyota Park (broadcast available at Chicago-Fire.com). Being the only non-MLS team remaining in this year's tournament, the Kickers no doubt will try everything to halt the Fire's deepest run in the Open Cup since their 2006 championship over the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"This is a tournament that we take very seriously," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "This has been one of our goals from the beginning, to put ourselves in a position to win the U.S. Open Cup. Now we have a great opportunity on Tuesday. We're not going to underestimate anyone."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire, Red Bulls tangle in Open Cup

Josip Mikulic -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

Between the play-in matches and an opening-round game, the Chicago Fire have posted more victories in the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (three) than they have during the MLS regular season (two).

Fire personnel have stated on more than a few occasions that they are taking this year's Open Cup seriously, and they hope to advance past the quarterfinals when they host their fellow MLS side New York Red Bulls on Tuesday at Toyota Park.

The Red Bulls and Fire are both coming off Saturday losses in MLS play. New York fell to D.C. United, 1-0, while Chicago suffered a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire advance to Open Cup quarters

The Chicago Fire endured a slow start and defeated the USL Pro's Rochester Rhinos, 1-0, on Tuesday in a third-round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, N.Y.

Fire forward Diego Chaves netted the game's lone goal as Chicago advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

"When you go into a game like this, you've got to be ready," Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson said. "We started a little slow and had a tough time getting used to the field conditions. But we picked things up as the game went on, especially once we got that goal."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire face Rochester in Open Cup

Diego Chaves -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire take a short detour from their MLS slate when they take on the USL Pro's Rochester Rhinos on Tuesday in third-round action of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, N.Y.

The Fire are providing a live stream of the match on their official site, Chicago-Fire.com, with the opening kick at 6:35 p.m. CT.

The four-time Open Cup champion Fire managed to qualify for the tournament for a 14th straight time, defeating MLS sides Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes in a pair of play-in matches.

This third-round match marks another short turnaround for the Fire, who played to a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, preceded by a scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake last Wednesday.

"The Open Cup is a tournament that we want to win," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "We talked about the goals we set in the beginning [of the season], but there are a lot of games and a lot of traveling. We have a very good group of players, and we're going to assess them all."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire sell Puerari to Atlas

Gaston Puerari -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

The Chicago Fire transferred Uruguayan forward Gaston Puerari to Club Atlas, the team announced Wednesday.

"Club Atlas was very keen on Gaston, and we made the decision to accept the offer based on the best interest of building our club," Fire interim head coach and technical director Frank Klopas said in a statement. "This move provides us with additional flexibility to find a player who will help us achieve our goal of making the MLS Cup Playoffs."

In other Fire news, Chicago will resume Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play with a third-round match on June 28. The location and Chicago's opponent have yet to be determined.

U.S. Soccer announced its possible third-round pairings Wednesday. The Fire will either host the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Pro at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 28, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, or they will travel to Rochester, N.Y., to face the USL Pro's Rochester Rhinos at 6:35 p.m. CT on June 28 at Sahlen's Stadium.

For the latest Fire news, visit ESPNChicago.com.

Open Cup appearance on line for Fire

Gaston Puerari (right) -- Getty Images

The Chicago Fire and San Jose Earthquakes take a break from league play on Tuesday, but they have a lot to play for as they square off in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in match at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Fire have always been a part of the Open Cup, winning four times from 1998 to 2006.

"This is a big week for us," Fire goalkeeper Jon Conway said following Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union. "We have a goal of advancing to the Open Cup and doing well in that. We need to get everything right on the field and build some momentum heading into our next match Saturday. Every match is critical toward wronging the mistakes we have made."

In other Fire news, midfielder Marco Pappa will be called in to Guatemala's club for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Pappa will miss minimally two league games for Chicago.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire resume Open Cup on May 24

The Chicago Fire announced Wednesday that they will face the San Jose Earthquakes on May 24 in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in match at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The game kicks off at 9:30 p.m. CT.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire clear past smoke, Rapids

Fire's Jalil Anibaba -- Getty Images

In soccer circles, the home fans represent the 12th man on the pitch. From the Chicago Fire's standpoint, they had a partially direct impact toward the Fire's game-winning goal.

With the smoke still clearing from some previously lit flares close to the Colorado Rapids goal, Fire right defensive back Jalil Anibaba cracked a shot from more than 40 yards out, finding the back netting during Chicago's 2-1 victory over Colorado in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying match on Wednesday at Bradley University's Shea Stadium in Peoria, Ill.

Anibaba's game-winning strike came in the 61st minute, giving the Fire a 2-1 advantage that held up over the final half hour. Anibaba's deep shot through the smoke appeared to cause a delayed reaction from Colorado goalkeeper Ian Joyce, who then scrambled to his left but could not get to the ball in time.

From Anibaba's view, though, the smokey environment was not taken into account on his decision to shoot from deep.

"To be honest, no, I wasn't thinking about that," Anibaba said. "I was just thinking about how much time and space I had. I got the ball played out wide, and I had a lot of time. My initial thought was to take the defender one-on-one, but I just focused on my strike and getting that on frame."

With the win, the Fire will face either the San Jose Earthquakes or Portland Timbers in the qualification finals. Gaston Puerari netted the Fire's other goal on Wednesday, and Andre Akpan scored for the defending MLS Cup champion Rapids.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

U.S. OPEN CUP: FIRE UPSET IN 3RD ROUND

USL-2's Wilmington Hammerheads edge Chicago, 1-0

Kenny Bundy of the United Soccer Leagues Second Division's Wilmington Hammerheads once again came through for his squad in this 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Bundy (pictured, right) scored a goal in the 37th minute as the Hammerheads upset Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire, 1-0, on Tuesday night in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup in front of 5,423 spectators at Legion Stadium in Wilmington, N.C.

For Bundy, this is the second straight game he has come up big. Bundy was a 68th-minute sub during Wilmington's second-round match against the USL First Division's Carolina RailHawks. In the final minute of stoppage time, Bundy scored a goal to tie the match at 3-all. He also converted one of the Hammerheads' penalty kicks in the tiebreaker to help Wilmington advance to face the Fire.

The Fire supplied enough of an attack Tuesday, but could not put much on goal. They held a 15-6 shots advantage. The Fire's starting front line supplied nine shots alone, with Stefan Dimitrov shooting six times and Justin Mapp (pictured left) three. Chicago also held a 10-4 advantage in corner kicks.

Hammerheads goalkeeper Darryl Sattler had four saves for the clean sheet. Chicago backup goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra made three saves in a full game of work.

Chicago went with a bulk of its usual substitutes to start this match. The starting midfield alone had a different look to it with Mike Banner, Baggio Husidic, Peter Lowry and Patrick Nyarko. Lowry was placed on the disabled list earlier this year because of a left knee strain.

Maybe the Twitter updates were a bad omen for the Fire. During their "Tweet-cast" (there was no broadcast of the game) the Fire quickly updated one of their posts that said they will play the Rochester Rhinos/Columbus Crew winner with an accurate "should the Fire win tonight" correction.

It was Upset Central on Tuesday for MLS squads. Rochester topped the Columbus Crew in PKs, 5-3, after playing to a 1-all draw in regulation. The Harrisburg City Islanders defeated the New England Revolution, 2-1. The Charleston Battery topped Chivas USA, 3-1, though the Battery have a good track record having made last year's U.S. Open Cup finals.

* * *

Next up: The Fire resume MLS play after a three-week league hiatus. They hit the road to take on the Colorado Rapids for an 8 p.m. (CST) match on Saturday, July 4.

FIRE FACE WILMINGTON IN U.S. OPEN CUP

Tuesday's game can be followed through Fire's 'Twitter-cast'

The Chicago Fire open play in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. They take on the United Soccer Leagues Second Division's Wilmington Hammerheads for a 6 p.m. (CST) match Tuesday at Legion Stadium in Wilmington, N.C. Because there is no television broadcast, the Fire are providing fans with game updates on Twitter. CLICK HERE for their updates.

If the Fire advance, they will face either Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew or the USL First Division's Rochester Rhinos in the quarterfinals. The winner of the U.S. Open Cup automatically qualifies for the CONCACAF Champions League.