On September 28th, when Herculez Gomez of the Los Angeles Galaxy scored in the 25th minute, it would prove to be the final goal of a historic tournament that may go down as one of the most dramatic and exciting of the Modern Era. The Galaxy and FC Dallas squared off in the 2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, both with hopes of lifting the trophy for a second time. After Gomez’s first half goal, the Galaxy held on for the 1-0 victory in front of 10,000 fans at the Home Depot Center, giving them their second Open Cup title in five years.
Every year, aside from the champion, what fans often remember are the cinderella stories and upsets. The San Francisco Bay Seals from 1997, the Mid-Michigan Bucks in 2000, and of course, the ultimate cinderella story, the Rochester Raging Rhinos of 1999. 2005 saw 10 upsets, 10 extra time matches, and a First Division team in the Semi-Finals for the second year in a row. If you are a fan of goal-scoring, this was your year as well. In the 41 games of the tournament, there was a Modern Era record average of 4.44 goals per game.
