Well, all along I said the U.S. Open Cup was an important trophy for United to win. Okay, except
for that time when I said that I wanted them to start reserves so we could keep a focus on the
season. Or the other time when I called it the least important trophy we could win this year.
Look, I want to be ecstatic. We have a game to play, and it's a game for silverware. And if we
win, we get another year of international competition. And we won with multiple goals, right?
I can't fake it. We beat the New England reserves.
It is a first impressions post, but the match was a story of second impressions. This was a
match of reexamination, reconsideration, and perhaps redemption.
The second impressions of Pat Carroll, stranding himself and Zach Wells and allowing Daniel
Woodward to chip the ball into the net. After a strong game against Rochester, Carroll was having a
perfectly acceptable, but not stellar match, until the paralysis of indecision created the dreaded
Big Oops moment.
D.C. United 2 : 0 Rochester Rhinos
Six Word Novel Recap
Dewar! What's it good for? CONCACAF.
Media, Traditional and OtherwiseThe Washington Times, Harlan Goode: "It took a while for Marc
Burch to get going Tuesday night, but once the D.C. United defender did, he was hard to stop. Burch
scored goals on two late free kicks, lifting United to a 2-0 win over the USL first-division
Rochester Rhinos in the third round of the U.
Last night is the perfect example of why I enjoy the US Open Cup so much. Seeing all these
underweight teams try to out punch MLS sides really is enjoyable. Sure, the MLS teams see this as
little more then a reserves match, but it is still good fun.
As bad as it is that MLS teams dropped three of the eight games last night, it is actually much
better then last season when five top teams fell.
The second round of the US Open Cup is in the books and yet again the biggest factor is which team
is in the higher division. During the first round, only one lower division team pulled off an
upset, resulting in a 15-1 run for higher level clubs. Last night saw the higher division squad
take 4 and lose 1, while 3 games involved clubs of the same level.
The longest running club cup competition in American soccer roars back to life again tonight as the first round of the US Open Cup kicks off. Thirty-two teams from across the county have earned the right to play in this opening night. These teams range from the rag-tag best of the adult leagues to the, "hay we are only one level below MLS" USL First Division.
Last night's US Open Cup Qualifier was nothing short of a complete disaster for San Jose. From the
get go it was obvious coach Frank Yallop wasn't ready to risk his best for the match as Ronnie
O'Brien didn't even suit up for the game. Without their top play maker in the mix, the Earthquakes
only real chance was an outstanding defensive performance, but this notion was dismissed early when
defenders Jay Ayres and Ryan Cochrane collided resulting in a double sub in the first 15 minutes.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake
7pm MT - Rice Eccles Stadium
Tickets
With just 118 days to go till the final match, the MLS is about to start their US Open Cup
Qualifiers. Tonight sees the worst American team by record from 2007 take on the newest top-level
side.
The 2008 MLS schedule is just a few weeks away from release, but there are a number of problems
they need to overcome. Here are the scheduling issues as presented by Steve Davis:
- SuperLiga
- Concacaf Champions League
- US Open Cup
- 2008 Olympics
- ESPN2 Thursday night broadcasts
- World Cup Qualifying (the league will play on international dates)
- No national broadcasts from San Jose
- Stadium scheduling conflicts
- Beckham
- International friendly competitions
That's a lot to cram into a 31-week regular season and no doubt some items (US Open Cup) are going
to get the short end of things.
The first round is all but done (one game was rained out) and things pretty much went as expected as the team in the tougher league won every match except one. So what underdog sunk a higher division side? None other then Hollywood United (USASA) who dropped the Portland Timbers (USL-1) in Portland.
