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2008 U.S. Open Cup semifinal previews
Both games kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET with four possibilities for the final
Fans know which leagues will be represented in the U.S. Open Cup final.
But when the match will take place, where it will be and which teams won’t be decided until Tuesday’s semifinals. They feature a pair of Major League Soccer teams squaring off in one game and two USL First Division sides going head to head in the other, meaning that there will be a non-MLS team in the championship game for the first time since 1999.
Both games kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET. D.C. United hosts the defending Open Cup champion New England Revolution at RFK Stadium, while the Charleston Battery welcome the Seattle Sounders to Blackbaud Stadium. United and New England are both offering live online radio options (DCUnited.com & RevolutionSoccer.net), and the all-USL matchup can be seen live through USLLive.com.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (MLS)
at
D.C. UNITED (MLS)
RFK Stadium - Washington D.C.
7:30 p.m.
D.C. United Radio (English/Spanish) / New England Radio
D.C. United welcomes the New England Revolution to RFK Stadium, where United has enjoyed a tremendous amount of Open Cup success. United are 5-1-0 all-time in the Open Cup at RFK, and haven’t lost there since a 2000 quarterfinal golden-goal loss to the Miami Fusion. But despite all the league success they have had, D.C. hasn’t reached the final of the Open Cup since falling in penalty kicks to the Dallas Burn (now F.C. Dallas) in the 1997 final.
New England, meanwhile, are trying to become the first back-to-back winners since the New York Pancyprian Freedoms in 1982 and 1983.
The Revolution enter the game with the best record in MLS (10-5-3), and had a nine-game unbeaten streak (in all competitions) snapped with a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire last Saturday. That streak included a 3-0-2 record en route to winning the 2008 SuperLiga championship.
D.C. United have struggled lately, going 0-3-0 in the SuperLiga and after not playing a league game since June, losing two of their last three. Last weekend, they were beaten by the New York Red Bulls 4-1 at Giants Stadium.
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U.S. Open Cup Final possibilities
Wednesday, Sept. 3
D.C. United (MLS) at Seattle (USL-1)
Qwest Field; Seattle, Wash.; 11 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Sept. 3
Charleston (USL-1) at D.C. United (MLS)
RFK Stadium; Wash. D.C.; 7:30 p.m. ET
Monday, Sept. 15
New England (MLS) at Seattle (USL-1)
Qwest Field; Seattle, Wash.; 10 p.m. ET
Monday, Sept. 22
New England (MLS) at Charleston (USL-1); Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.; 7 p.m. ET
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The teams have only met once this year, a 2-2 draw at New England on May 29, when the Revs came back from two goals down to earn a point. In Open Cup play, they met in the 2001 semifinals, as Andy Williams scored both goals to send New England to its first final. They would go on to lose to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the championship game on Danny Califf’s golden goal.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS (USL-1)
at
CHARLESTON BATTERY (USL-1)
Blackbaud Stadium - Charleston, S.C.
7:30 p.m.
Online video - USLLive.com
The Charleston Battery and the Seattle Sounders are each making their third semifinal appearances, and will battle to become the first non-MLS team to make the championship game since the Rochester Raging Rhinos won the 1999 title. Charleston’s 16 wins (in 25 Open Cup games) are the second best for any First Division team in history, behind the Rhinos (21-10-3). Seattle is third all-time with a 13-10-1 mark.
Charleston has been very consistent in Open Cup play in recent years. They’ve won three or more games in four of the last five years. In their last five appearances, they have been eliminated by MLS teams four times, and each time they were sent home after extra time (once on penalty kicks). Last year, they joined the Sounders in the quarterfinals, but suffered an extra-time loss to F.C. Dallas.
Seattle are the first USL-1 club to make the semifinals two years in a row - last year was their first berth in the final four since 1995. The Sounders have defeated four MLS teams in the last two years, outscoring them 10-1 in the process.
In league play, Charleston has spent the majority of the season toward the top of the table, and are currently two points out of first place. However, they have only once in their last six matches, including a 1-0 loss to the Sounders on the road on July 26 in the teams’ third and final league meeting of the season. In the first game April 19, they finished in a 1-1 draw at Blackbaud. Back at Blackbaud on July 5, the Battery defended their home turf with a 1-0 win.
Last weekend, the Sounders had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 3-1 road loss to the Minnesota Thunder.
This is the first meeting between the two teams in Open Cup play.
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