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Only radio available for NE/DC Open Cup semi
Charleston, Seattle expected to provide video on USLLive.com
USOpenCup.com has confirmed that there will be three different online radio broadcasts available for the Open Cup semifinal match between D.C. United and the New England Revolution on August 12. The game is scheduled to kick-off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will be held at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.
Fans can listen to an English and a Spanish language radio broadcast through the team’s official website at DCUnited.com, while New England will offer a live radio broadcast through RevolutionSoccer.net.
While there are no plans to provide a video broadcast for the battle between the two remaining MLS teams, there is expected to be an online video broadcast for the other semifinal. The Charleston Battery will host the Seattle Sounders at Blackbaud Stadium -- also at 7:30 p.m. -- as the two USL First Division teams will determine who will be the first non-MLS team to make the final since 1999.
There has yet to be a confirmation of the video broadcast for the Charleston/Seattle game, but history is on the side of the fans. Over the last two years, the majority of Open Cup games hosted by First Division teams have been broadcast live through the league’s online video affiliate USLLive.com.
Eylander is unanimous POTR for quarterfinals
Seattle GK makes 13 saves including a pair of PK stops as the Sounders eliminate KC
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| Chris Eylander celebrates with teammate Zach Scott after Scott scored the winning penalty kick in the shootout to send Seattle to the semifinals for the second year in a row. Photo by George Holland |
Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Chris Eylander was a unanimous selection as the USOpenCup.com Player of the Round for the Quarterfinals. The award was voted on by the USOpenCup.com staff and members of the North American Soccer Reporters.
Eylander was challenged for the award by Jamie Moreno of D.C. United, along with goalkeepers Doug Warren of the New England Revolution and Eric Kronberg of the Kansas City Wizards.
The University of Washington alum helped the Sounders earn their fourth straight shutout in the tournament (a Professional Era single-tournament record of 420 shutout minutes), while holding Major League Soccer’s Kansas City Wizards to a scoreless draw through 120 minutes of play. After extra time, Seattle earned their second straight trip to the semifinals with a 6-5 win in the penalty kick shootout.
Eylander made 13 saves in the match, including two stops (Jimmy Conrad, Tyson Wahl) in the shootout to send the Sounders to a date with fellow USL First Division club, the Charleston Battery on August 12 at Blackbaud Stadium.
The goalkeeper took some time to talk with USOpenCup.com following his quarterfinal performance.
Blanco apologizes after incident in D.C.
Chicago's star player was red carded in quarterfinal loss to United
Nearly a week after his team’s 2-1 quarterfinal loss to D.C. United, Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire issued a statement regarding the incident that led to him getting red carded in stoppage time of the first extra time period.
Video evidence shows Blanco throwing a punch at United’s Clyde Simms, and after Marc Burch retaliated by knocking him to the ground, Blanco and Burch were both sent off.
On Monday, the Mexican international issued the following statement:
“I sincerely regret my inappropriate actions during the game against D.C. United on Tuesday. I disappointed my Fire teammates and coaches, D.C. United players and staff, Major League Soccer, the U.S. Soccer Federation, and all our fans. I am truly sorry.”
2008 U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals Recap
Three of the four games had to be settled in extra time
The quarterfinal round of the 2008 U.S. Open Cup seemed like it was never going to end...but in a good way. Three of the four matches went into extra time, with two of them finishing with penalty kicks, and the lone game to finish in regulation was hit by an hour and ten minute lightning delay.
The biggest story to emerge from the quaterfinals is that for the first time since 1999 (Rochester Raging Rhinos), there will be a team from the United Soccer Leagues in the U.S. Open Cup final.
That was made possible by the Charleston Battery’s 3-1 win over FC Dallas and the Seattle Sounders’ penalty kick victory (0:0 in regulation, 6:5 in PKs) over the Kansas City Wizards. The two teams will meet at Blackbaud Stadium on August 12 to decide which team will play for the Open Cup title, and a place in the 2008/09 CONCACAF Champions League.
U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal blog
Follow along with us through all four games
Three of the four games going to extra time, two of them to penalty kicks. It was a great night for the U.S. Open Cup. Re-live all the action here.
Abe Thompson captures Round 3's POTR award
FC Dallas forward wins in one of the closest votes in recent history
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| Thompson has scored at least two goals in three of the last four Open Cup tournaments. PHOTO: Rick Yeatts / FC Dallas |
Abe Thompson’s pair of stoppage-time goals, including the game-winner against Miami FC, gave him the USOpenCup.com Player of the Round award for Round 3.
In one of the most competitive award votes in recent history, the University of Maryland product edged out Chris Eylander (Seattle Sounders), Marc Burch (DC United), Ivan Trujillo (Kansas City Wizards), and the Crystal Palace Baltimore defense for the honor, which was voted on by the USOpenCup.com staff and a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters.
Seven minutes into their third-round matchup with Miami, FC Dallas found themselves down 1-0 after the USL First Division’s leading scorer, Alex Afonso, eluded two defenders and blasted a shot past goalkeeper Ray Burse.
Thompson put the home fans at ease with the first of his two goals in first-half stoppage time.
“I checked back, received the ball and was able to turn. They were giving us a lot of space in the midfield to do that," Thompson said. "I saw Dominic (Oduro) making a run, played it into him and he held it up, which gave me time to get back up there with him. He played a ball right in my path. I took a touch, had a smack and it went in the upper corner.”
Third Round Recap: The More Things Change.....
Charleston, Seattle and CPB advance to Cup quarterfinals
In a near mirror image of the 2007 third round, the Seattle Sounders and Charleston Battery defeated the same MLS opponents once again, Chivas USA and the Houston Dynamo respectively, to advance to the 2008 U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. Just as last year, at least one USL Second Division club will join them, as Crystal Palace Baltimore stunned the New York Red Bulls with a shorthanded 2-0 victory.
In Annapolis, Maryland, Palace jumped in the lead early with a 17th minute goal from Andrew Marshall, but were reduced to ten men 17 minutes later when Ibrahim Kante was sent off. New York could not capitalize on the man advantage, or a seven yard free kick awarded for the handling of a back pass, and Baltimore’s Gary Brooks’ 75th minute goal sealed the underdogs’ passage into the quarterfinals.
At Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, the hometown Battery overcame a two man disadvantage and a late Houston equalizer to win the penalty shootout and advance to face another 2007 cup foe, FC Dallas.
At the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington, Sebastien Le Toux jumped into the Open Cup goal scoring lead in clinching Seattle’s 2-0 victory over Chivas USA. Le Toux now has ten goals over the last two cup tournaments.
Meet the USASA: 2008
Learn more about the eight USASA entries in this year's tournament
For the second year in a row, USOpenCup.com provided fans with a profile of every USASA club that qualified for the U.S. Open Cup.
Each club has their own story and a unique history, and all of them entered the tournament with the goal of being this year’s cinderella story. Which club has won three Open Cup titles? Who has Carlos Valderamma as their director of coaching? Which one has a World Cup winner on one of their senior teams?
You can find the answers to those questions on the right side of the page. There is also a link to the 2007 edition of the Meet the USASA feature.
U.S. Open Cup champion to participate in CONCACAF Champions League
2007 champion, New England, will occupy one of the four USA spots
 The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced the format of the 2008 CONCACAF Champions League today. 24 teams from Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Pamana, the Caribbean and the United States will take part in the tournament that will begin in late August and conclude in April of 2009.
The Champions League will replace the Champions Cup tournament as the method of determining the CONCACAF representative in the FIFA Club World Cup. The United States will submit four representatives to the competition: the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup champion and runner-up, the MLS regular season champion and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion.
USOpenCup.com adds RSS feed
New feature makes it easier for fans to follow the Open Cup
USOpenCup.com is pleased to offer readers an RSS feed of our content that you can add to your RSS reader or whatever program you use to get your news on the web.  Copy this link (www.usopencup.com/index.xml) to get the latest U.S. Open Cup news.
An RSS feed allows you to automatically receive the latest USOpenCup.com stories directly to your computer. Some web browsers, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, can read them automatically. You can also use a program like NewzCrawler or NewsGator, or websites such as Bloglines.com and Google Reader. For more information about RSS Feeds, visit the Wikipedia entry.
Welcome to USOpenCup.com!
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Tracing its origins to 1914, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history. However, The Dewar Cup, an impressive three-foot high silver trophy awarded to the Open Cup champion, is virtually unknown - even among avid soccer fans.
Why is this? Could it be because it’s so darn hard to find out anything about the Open Cup? We think so. That’s why we’ve created USOpenCup.com. Consider it our gift to the soccer community.
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In 2006, the Chicago Fire celebrated their fourth Open Cup title in their new home stadium (Toyota Park) with a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy. Photo by Brian Kersey/Wireimage.com
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This website is for the enjoyment and benefit of soccer fans and the advancement of the game in the United States. It is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by US Soccer, US Adult Soccer Association, Major League Soccer, or the United Soccer Leagues. The site was created by and is hosted by Demosphere International, Inc. of Falls Church, Virginia. The site is maintained by Josh Hakala and Chuck Nolan Jr. and are always looking for help from the soccer community to keep on top of the action due to the total void of information in the "mainstream" media. If you have anything you can contribute, or feel you can help either by writing feature stories, match reports, covering games, web graphics, website design, or any other way that might be helpful, please contact us.
It’s time that the U.S. Open Cup claimed its rightful place among the other great sports traditions in the country. Hopefully, this site will be first step in that direction.
Yours in Soccer,
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