All the juicy details came down earlier today for this year’s edition fo the US Open Cup. The Major League Soccer teams in it are going to go through their usual set up just as they have these last two years.
The MLS Insider Blog was kind enough to post this video of the coin tosses for the play-in round to see who was hosting which games.
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For once the US Open Cup is getting it’s just due for some hype going into tonight’s final. It sure didn’t hurt that two of the league’s best PR teams are in the final. DC United has done it’s best hyping the match against expansion side Seattle Sounders FC. Oh and there’s been a fun back and forth thing between the club’s front offices.
Both teams have helped create a new buzz for this year’s Cup final (tonight at 7:30pm ET, Fox Soccer Channel). Seattle voiced complaints about DC being awarded the final, which lead to a brief war of words and a United marketing campaign geared at revitalizing its fan base.
The result has boosted ticket sales which should more than double last year’s lowly 8,000+ that were on hand to see DC beat the USL’s Charleston Battery.
DC is coming off a big win over this past weekend against the Chicago Fire, their first win in a matter of a month and a half. Seattle on the other hand has been on and off lately and their offense hasn’t been clicking much. Their road play hasn’t been any better either.
The Sounders will also be without two key defenders as Tyrone Marshall may be out with an injury and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado is suspended for the match. This could pose problems for the Sounders in a big way as Luciano Emilio and Jamie Moreno could run all over the visitors.
I like DC to repeat as Open Cup champions since they’re at home. This should be one of the better Open Cup finals that we’ve seen in recent memory.
WVH Prediction: DC 2, Seattle 1
We’ve had a full day of interesting news with the UEFA Champions League draw, the US Men’s National team roster announcement that took four hours to do, and random news here and there. Time now to close down the day with some links and thoughts on what’s going on.
I wanted to get into some MVP race discussion. I mention earlier that I felt Colorado’s Omar Cummings deserves to be in the discussion, well I have a few other names that are right up there with Cummings.
- Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy): Aside from his 10 goals and five assists, Donovan is the cog that keeps the Galaxy going. When he is on his game the Galaxy are a tough team to beat. You will see that when he is gone with the National team in the coming weeks, LA just doesn’t look the same without him.
- Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids): Current leader in goals in the league with 11 (and one assist). Casey will probably get more mentions than his teammate Cummings due to the number of goals. One thing is certain though, Casey has stepped his game up in a big way this season and the Rapids are finding out just how good he can be.
- Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders FC): Some may say that there are better candidates on the Sounders’ roster but Montero gets my nod. His 10 goals and six assists is more than enough for me to place him here. We know just how dangerous he can be and when he is on it is something else to see.
- Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew): Before he went out with an injury GBS was the clear favorite in this race but his injury made it worth watching again. He still is up there in the top of the league leaders in goals with 10 and isn’t doing too bad with three assists on the year. If he returns to even half the form we saw out of him early on this season he still has a great shot at another MVP award.
Others to mention:
Shalrie Joseph (New England): Without him the Revs would be dead in the water.
Brad Davis (Houston): While Brian Ching scores all the goals it is Davis who does the dirty work that sets him up.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago): While I’m not a fan of his work he is second in the league in assists.
Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto): The Reds wouldn’t even be near playoff contention this year if it weren’t for DeRo.
Got any other names that I am missing?
Time to round out the end of the work week with some links and thoughts. I have a couple MLS thoughts and one US national team item to discuss tonight.
DC Plays For Trophies
I love DC United and how they market their club. They’ve put little stickers on newspapers throughout DC with the date of the US Open Cup final against Seattle. Peal off the sticker and it gives you this address.
Chivas Still Struggling For An ID
Interesting write up here by Kevin Baxter over at the LA Times about how Chivas USA is still struggling to find themselves in MLS after five years. Couldn’t agree more with some of the points made. A lot of it comes down to what is written here is about is Chivas USA a farm team for the Mexican club? No one really knows though I would say they are definitely not.
The main thing they have to focus on is being relevant in a heavy sports market.
Tough Season For Bobby Convey
A lot of folks, including myself thought Bobby Convey would be a great addition to Frank Yallop’s San Jose Earthquakes at the start of this season. Turns out he’s been nothing special. Still Convey has a lot of growing to do and I kind of see him going home to play with the new Philadelphia side after this season. He’s done nothing but eat up salary in San Jose. But as the article suggests if he could get the proper rest in the off-season he could be able to come back and be better next season. I just think he’d be better off playing in Philadelphia instead of San Jose. Think Peter Nowak agrees?
MLS Holding Strong In Tough Economic Times
I probably could have spent more time with this one than here but since it is Friday I don’t feel like going all into this article. Good stuff by SI’s Ridge Mahoney. Lots in this from DP talk to Labor issues, to Beckham to Latinos and soccer. I think I will have more next week on my thoughts with the DP rule. I think it’s good but it definitely needs some work for most clubs to want to use it.
Beckham Still Wants To Own A MLS Club?
Kind of more of the same out of GoldenBalls. He still wants to be an ambassador to the league, even when he is out of here after this season. We knew about the option in his contract last year but it sounds like he wants to use it down the road. I doubt he will be apart of any 2012 expansion bid for the league but maybe one down the road, if not buying an existing club.
US National Team Not Taking Altitude Serious?
I think Grant Wahl hits this one on the head, the US players need more than 24 hours to get use to Mexico City’s smog and high altitude for next week’s World Cup qualifier. I know what it is like to play at high altitudes and Mexico City is up there in at 7,200 feet above sea level. The air will be thin but more importantly it will be tough to breathe because of the smog and pollution levels in Mexico City. That’s the biggie if you ask me. Something you can’t prepare your lungs for just 24 hours before a big match. I hate to make excuses but this is one that has to be looked at.
Chris Pontius helped lead DC past Rochester last night, can he do it again against Seattle? (Photo via DCUntied.com)
Last night we got to see exactly who would step up and move on to the 2009 edition of the US Open Cup. The Seattle Sounders needed an 89th minute goal to survive and an overtime strike from Stephen King to reach the first final in their MLS club’s history as the Sounders rallied in a 2-1 overtime victory against the Houston Dynamo.
Who do they get than none other than the defending US Open Cup champions DC United who downed the remaining USL-1 side Rochester Rhinos 2-1.
Seattle and D.C. United will meet in the U.S. Open Cup final on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at RFK Stadium. The game will also be shown on FSC that night.
Good to see at least a couple MLS sides take this serious. Seattle obviously knows as much as DC does that a win in early September means they will be moving to the CONCACAF Champions League next year. For Seattle that would be an amazing thing considering their expansion club status in MLS right now.
DC gets another hosting of a Cup final. I’m sure some fans would like to see someone else host this game but that is just how the USSF laid it out.
Both clubs are expected to be right in the thick of things in their respective conferences too as we head towards the final months of the regular season. Adding this important match in there will only make it more interesting for these two. Seattle should have an easier way of things if DC advances to the group stage of the CCL this year.
So what do you make of this year’s final matchup for the US Open Cup? Would you rather see Seattle host it instead of DC? Wish an underdog side from the USL was still in it?
Editor’s Note: Geoff Reid appears on WVHooligan each week. Today he talks about the US Open Cup and how important it should be. Feel free to leave Geoff your comments below.
Growing up the other side of the pond, the FA Cup was a way of life where at some point we all could have taken part in the tournament at some stage. I had mates who competed in the very early parts at the local level. But more then anything else, every kid playing the game dreamed about playing in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium and walking up those steps to lift the famous trophy. In the last few years some will argue that the old competition has lost some of it’s romance with the bigger Premiership clubs not taking it seriously like they used to. Of course the Champions League and UEFA Cup (now Europa League) where clubs take part means more games plus international friendlies more then ever before, all of this still doesn’t disguise the fact that my old local side Chard Town could have the chance to play the billionaires from Manchester City. You can’t write scripts for this sort of thing, it’s what makes the tournament so fascinating.
Back over this side of the water, our version is the US Open Cup and this is a topic that has been bugging me for a while. This season’s tournament has both shown us the very best it can offer and the very worst at the same time. Continue Reading…
Just got word that the USSF has released the dates and locations of the next round of the 2009 US Open Cup along with the possible semi-final pairings.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal Pairings
July 7 Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2) at D.C. United (MLS) 7:30 p.m. ET
Maryland Soccerplex; Boyds, Md.
July 7 Wilmington Hammerheads (USL-2) at Rochester Rhinos (USL-1) 7 p.m. ET
Rochester Rhinos Stadium; Rochester, N.Y.
July 7
Houston Dynamo (MLS) at Charleston Battery (USL-1) 7:30 p.m. ET
Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.
July 7 Kansas City Wizards (MLS) at Seattle Sounders (MLS) 7 p.m. PT
Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, Wash.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Possible Semifinal Pairings
July 21 Rochester Rhinos (USL-1) / Wilmington Hammerheads (USL-2) at D.C. United (MLS) 7:30 p.m. ET
Maryland Soccerplex; Boyds, Md.
July 21 Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2) at Rochester Rhinos (USL-1) 7 p.m. ET Rochester
Rhinos Stadium; Rochester, N.Y.
July 21 Wilmington Hammerheads (USL-2) at Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2) 7:05 p.m. ET Skyline Sports Complex; Harrisburg, Pa.
July 21 Charleston Battery (USL-1) / Houston Dynamo (MLS) at Seattle Sounders (MLS) 7 p.m. PT
Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, Wash.
July 21 Kansas City Wizards (MLS) at Charleston Battery (USL-1) 7:30 p.m. ET
Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.
July 22 Houston Dynamo (MLS) at Kansas City Wizards (MLS) 7:30 p.m. CT
Shawnee Mission North H.S.; Overland Park, Kan.
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