U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal Primer
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by user The Manly Ferry
The quarterfinals of the 2006 edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup kick off Wednesday, August 23. The eight remaining teams all hail from Major League Soccer (MLS), which takes a bit away from the “David v. Goliath” dynamic of the tournament’s early rounds. Still, MLS teams mean MLS rivalries, which produce story lines of their own.
Each quarterfinal pairing is listed below with the home team appearing first. The previews from MLS’s site are embedded in each pairing. From those - and some personal insights/instincts - I’ll pass on which team ought to win and why.
Los Angeles Galaxy v. Colorado Rapids The main thing one needs to know about this match is that the Colorado Rapids have owned the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2006: the three games so far ended in three 1-0 wins to Colorado. But that’s all in league play - e.g. games played within MLS’s regular season. The Open Cup has been pretty good to Los Angeles. Not only are they the current holders, they won it once before that in 2001. The story on Colorado’s side isn’t as good: they made the final once before, in 1999, when they lost to the second-division Rochester Raging Rhinos. Matching these teams player to player, one wouldn’t pick Colorado over Los Angeles in any given game, but that means little next to the results. But, for some danged reason - maybe it’s how Los Angeles coach Frank Yallop is talking - I’m saying the LA GALAXY WINS.
Houston Dynamo v. FC Dallas As it turns out, FC Dallas isn’t all that bad a “Cup team.” That phrase only means that, for a team that frequently struggles in the league, they do fairly well in the Open Cup. Apart from reaching last year’s final - which they lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy - FC Dallas has three semifinal appearances and they took home the trophy in 1997. The Houston Dynamo, in its original incarnation as the San Jose Earthquakes (well, semi-original: they started as the San Jose Clash), have never mattered much in the Open Cup: their 2004 semifinal appearance constitutes the high-water mark in their participation. But, between hosting this game at home (or near their home; they’re playing in an ad hoc facility) and having never lost to FC Dallas as Houston, I’m going to say the HOUSTON DYNAMO WINS - but only after extra-time and penalties.
DC United v. Red Bull New York The Bruce Arena hoopla continues with his return to the place where he made his reputation: DC United’s RFK Stadium. That sideshow won’t matter here. DC United may be struggling, but, against that, there’s the fact that Red Bull New York just isn’t all that good. As hard as these two teams play one another - a rivalry dubbed the Atlantic Cup by someone or another - DC UNITED WINS...or really, really ought to, unless, that is, they don’t want the distraction from the regular MLS campaign.
Chicago Fire v. New England Revolution It seems important to begin this with an confession: I’m a New England Revolution fan. More to the point, I’m a fairly bitter one. And that goes some way to explaining why I’m saying THE CHICAGO FIRE WINS. It’s actually more than that. For starters, Chicago has won the U.S. Open Cup three times in their nine-year history - more than any other team in MLS. Speaking of the league, these teams’ 2006 has favored Chicago to the tune of two wins and one draw. Making matters worse, New England lost to this same Chicago team in an ugly one this past Saturday. While this can work in a team’s favor, the overall vibe of New England’s 2006 points to a game in which they play angry, losing both their heads and the game.
Date
Tue 08/22/06, 1:35 pm EST
