US Open Cup Results (Quarterfinals, Here We Come!)

By: Laurie | July 2nd, 2008

Eight games. Five red cards. Yes,five red cards.

And we thought teams didn’t care about the US Open Cup.

All eight of the Round 3 games were played last night, and like most US Open Cup Round 3s, there were a few upsets. But only a few.

As we said yesterday, the third round is where MLS meets the rest of the US soccer world. Rounds 1 and 2 are where the lower-division teams fight amongst themselves for the right to play with the big boys. Yesterday we had eight MLS teams playing five USL-1 teams — the division below MLS — and three USL-2 teams.

When the dust cleared, five MLS sides were still standing, plus two USL-1s, and one lone USL-2, Crystal Palace Baltimore.

Interestingly, there were very few blowouts. All but two games were decided by two goals or fewer. The reigning Open Cup champs New England Revolution beat the USL-2 side Richmond Kickers 3-0, and the Chicago Fire beat USL-2’s Cleveland City Stars 4-1.

In other MLS wins, FC Dallas advances with a 2-1 win over the USL-1 Miami FC Blues, even if it did take them till the 92nd minute to score the game-winner. DC United, currently on a hot streak in league play, took down the USL-1 Rochester Rhinos 2-0. And the Kansas City Wizards beat the USL-1 Carolina Railhawks 4-2, but it took them till extra time to do it.

And then there were the upsets. USL-1 side Charleston Battery were tied with the Houston Dynamo at the end of extra time, 1-1. Charleston advances to the quarters on the strength of their penalty takers, by a 4-3 margin. And they managed this despite losing not one but two players to red cards, in the 70th and 103 minute. That’s what you call determination.

In a little bit of deja vu, the Seattle Sounders took out Chivas USA, just like last year, and again by a two-goal margin. This year it was 2-0, last year, 3-1.

And in the upset of the night, that USL-2 team Crystal Palace Baltimore knocked out the New York Red Bulls, 2-0, despite going down a man in the 34th minute. (And our Red Bulls blogger Dave is NOT happy about it.)

But perhaps the biggest story of the night had to do with those ejections. All five of them, including those two Charleston players, which makes their win over Houston all that much more incredible.

See how serious the competition gets when you toss in a Champions League spot for the winner?

The quarterfinal games will all be played next Tuesday, July 8.