Today is the first big US Open Cup fixture date of the year - at least for the bulk of MLS teams. I was thinking this morning about how disproportionately many of my engrained soccer memories are from this tournament that nobody watches and few seem to care about. And the memories are both joyous and painful. The Championships of course are joyous - over Columbus, Miami and MetroStars. But the gutwrenching eliminations are also memorable - at PHP last year, at Rochester twice and the final at KC all hurt worse than any other MLS loss with the possible exceptions of the Fire's two MLS Cup losses. The Fire's first Open Cup win over C-bus is memorable for a few reasons. It was originally scheduled at a neutral site: VA Beach, but a hurricane cancelled it. Crew GM Jamey Rootes and I engaged in a public feud regarding where the final should be played and then Frankie Klopas scored the Golden Goal to secure the double in front of nearly 20,000 at Soldier Field. The 2003 victory was special, not only because it was on the road, against Bob, a thrilling game and it prevented the Metros from getting a real trophy.....for me even more thrilling, because while standing on the riser receiving our medals and the Dewar Trophy, the Giants Stadium ribbon board displayed the final score of the Florida Marlins game 7 victory eliminating the Cubs the day after the Bartman game. Being a Sox fan (and Cub hater), that brought even greater joy to the champagne celebration. I also appreciate the losses. Rochester '99 and KC '04 were both crushing emotionally. In Rochester, mild mannered Lubos Kubik got Scott Schweitzer in a headlock and started pounding on him. Pat Ercoli went ballistic and afterwards I felt as hollow as I ever have after a game. KC '04 was tough. I took the Fire staff on a charter bus to Arrowhead for the game. Trip there was soooo much fun....stopped at Arthur Bryant's on the way and then the loss...looooong trip back. I was watching from the concourse with Phil Anschutz and SI's Grant Wahl (there's a moment by itself - Phil talking to a reporter!!!!) at Cal-State Fullerton when Alexi made his run up the hill after scoring the Gals' golden goal. At Frisco last year was extremely painful. We knew we let down many fans who made the long trip. Two of my very favorite Fire memories though were in USOC non-final games. The OT thriller over Pittsburgh with Amos Magee scoring with his chest in front of a packed crowd at tiny Wheaton College was one of the most thrilling moments in my life. Amos played for me in Minnesota and is a very good friend. Being able to bring him to the Fire for a cup of coffee and having him come in as a sub and win a critical game was very special. And my number one Fire game ever was the 2000 USOC semi-final at Cal State Fullerton. Down a goal and a man, the Fire fought back to overcome Luis Hernandez' thuggery (he purposely stepped on Piotr Nowak's face) to tie the game late and win on Josh Wolff's OT golden goal! In less than a decade, that is a ton of memories - beautiful and awful - for a tournament that some think MLS shouldn't be in. What are some of your USOC memories - good and bad? peter
I've always enjoyed the Open Cup and I have some great memories of upsets at games held at Forest View Stadium in Arlington Heights. The biggest upset I saw was the Chicago Sockers of the PDL defeating the Kansas City Wizards in 2000, the year that the Wizards went on to win the MLS Cup. The Wizards outshot the Sockers by a significant margin but Adam Throop did a great job of goalkeeping for the Sockers. After 120 minutes, no one had scored and the Sockers ended up winning the penalty kick shootout 7-6. The Sockers ended up playing the Fire tough in the next round, but the Fire prevailed 1-0 and went on to win the Cup. I also remember the Chicago Stingers (D3) 2-1 upset of the Colorado Rapids at Forest View in 1997, with Chris Jahr scoring the winning goal for the Stingers. That was the first time I saw and MLS team in person. The next time was a few weeks later when the Dallas Burn crushed the Stingers 4-1 at Forest View.
I don't have many, but I do have these: 2004 4th Quarters - Fire at Richmond. It was sweltering in Richmond. U of R Stadium is not what you'd call a modern facility (though it did have charm). I was running a phone line out of what passed for a broadcast booth (inmates in solitary would consider it an upgrade) down the hall into the one phone jack. And, of course, the equipment failed and despite repeated attempts, we never got on the air. Dipsy Selolwane's OT goal won it, though. 2004 Semis - Fire vs. Charleston in Naperville. The one time when having a game in Naperville was inconvenient for me because I had Cubs tickets for that day's game and had to leave in the fifth inning or something. Then it rained, chasing the few people who had shown up first to shelter and then home. But Chris Doran and a cast of characters and I filled the 90+ minute rain delay with some of the most satisfying and entertaining filler material I've ever heard. We interviewed everybody and anybody we could pull into the press box and never left the "air" during the whole rain delay. It was fun. Dipsy Selolwane's overtime goal won it again. 2004 Final - Fire at Kansas City. Just disappointing. Nobody there. But they could have played that game until that Sunday and Chicago wouldn't have scored. Kansas City was determined not to let it happen. 2005 Quarterfinals - Fire at Rochester. I became a fan of Rochester's efforts to join MLS on this night. Even though they were playing in a baseball stadium (Lubos Reiter, who had no idea what baseball was, couldn't figure out why half the field was just dirt), the atmosphere was great and the Fire won it in PKs after Rochester had a goal disallowed in OT for offside. Chris Armas getting the game-winning PK after his miss in the Gold Cup was great, as was the barbecue after the game. I'm pulling for the Rhinos to win tonight so perhaps the Fire might play at PAETEC Park in three weeks. 2005 Semis - Fire at FC Dallas. Pizza Hut Park wasn't even finished yet, there were exposed wires everywhere and the teams dressed in trailers outside in the parking lot. The Fire didn't play well despite being up a man (IIRC) and lost. I met Mike Segroves, which was great, though he was not in a good mood after the game, nor were the other Fire fans who made the trip. Best part, though, was coming down in the elevator after the game and having an elderly man and his wife and another man get on. It was the man himself, Lamar Hunt. I said hi and shook his hand, and he said, just as unpretentiously as you can get, "Lamar Hunt, FC Dallas" in a slow, subtle Texas drawl. Yessir, I think I've heard the name before. (BTW, Mrs. Hunt is a beautiful woman.) Here's to more memories, starting tonight.
My experience with the USOC is young. However, one thing that I will always remember is the little team that had its first fixture back in early June. Roma FC reminded everyone of what the USOC is all about. They managed to eliminate a USL first division team and an MLS team before facing their demise last night. That is pretty powerful stuff that you can't find anywhere else in the country. How do we convey this appeal to the masses? Through time will we begin to see everyone realizing its importance? I mean, only 5,000 people turned out to see this particular historic match.
Alas, we were only a man up for part of the second half. Valakari was tossed for a second booking, but Segares followed a little while later, likewise for a second booking. It was an interesting bit of refereeing, that. Toledo, at least I think that's who it was, played advantage for a good while before he was able to show that second yellow. You don't see advantage played very often when a red card is involved. Causes too much unintentional hilarity if the player then has some appreciable effect on the outcome of the game before eventually being sent off. Makes me wonder if he was aware, without looking at his book, that Gonzo was already on a caution.
The Galaxy's 2001 cup run was a great one for LA fans. The qtrs against the Earthquakes at USF went deep into penalties and it was freezing up there (in July!) . . . then Lalas scored in sudden death in the semis (ran up the ivy hill), and then the final was also won in sudden death by Danny Califf.
My memory fails me (it's the Mad Cow). Boxscore I have shows Valakari tossed in the 55th and Segares tossed in the 90th.
Bafana sandwiches (right off the grill) and cold bottles of Sagres at Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow, MA. While the New England Revolution always seemed to disappoint when playing matches here, the local hospitality couldn't be beat.
Alexi Lalas running up the hill after that goal of his in whatever year that was...was that the USOC? Maybe I'm confusing my memories. I always love the david v goliath matches in the open cup, nothing like them anywhere else in this country. You dont see the Yankees playing Columbus alot in meaningful competition.
It was at last year's Dallas-Chicago semifinal at PHP. Zach Thornton robs us of a goal with a diving save. My then-girlfriend, at only her second soccer game ever, stands up and screams "Thornton you ****** ************!" That was the moment I knew I'd found the woman of my dreams. We were married six months later.
That is typical Mr. Hunt. On opening day at PHP, when we did the 24-hour tailgate for charity, he came out to the parking lot, twice, to check on us. It was deathly hot, and he just wanted to know how we were getting along and if we needed anything. The man exudes class, and is the very definition of humility.
The Open Cup game at Forest View where the rabit ran onto the field. Poor thing was a hare offside. [RIMSHOT]
I like all the Fire-related ones mentioned so far, so I'll just add a tangential one. 2001 (IIRC) Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the A-League vs. Colorado Rapids. Riverhounds won 2-0 on a game that wasn't decided until a fairly late goal. (This was Pittsburgh's match right before the Fire knocked them out in that really well-played match at Wheaton,... especially well played given that the Riverhounds were on their third game in a week, and the fire on their fifth in 12 days, or something like that. At the Riverhounds/Colorado match, played on the awful field at Bethel Park High School, which is so badly crowned that it played even narrower than it's reported 54 yards, I heckled Marcelo Balboa. "How many caps do you have again, Marcelo?" I yelled after he got burned. I was just about to turn and look. It was disrespectful of a man who did a lot for American soccer, but after his announcing in the past WC, I no longer feel remorse.
I will obviously fondly remember the Thunder's run last year, eliminating 3 MLS teams before losing in the semis. Also the year before, beating LA and then taking the Earthquakes to penalties only to lose. I think that's about the loudest I've heard it at a Thunder game - at the end of regulation when the San Jose players and coach were discussing strategy for overtime and we made so much noise that they went out in the middle of the field to talk since they couldn't hear each other. A loss I will always remember was back in 2000 - Thunder vs the Dallas Burn. There were thunderstorms off and on, and then about 10 minutes into the 2nd half they announced that a tornado had been sighted a few miles away, and everyone had to go inside the nearby indoor track facility. A lot of people went home at that point, but the rest of the fans along with players from both teams just milled around in there for an hour or so. Then went back out and played the last 35 minutes or whatever it was. All I really remember from the game was that Dallas ended up winning 2-0 and Morgan Zeba got a red card.
It was indeed. The Galaxy and the Fire had a great run of Open Cup rivalry games. I remember the Luis Hernandez-Piotr Nowak game because that was one of the two times I had ever been thrown out of a stadium. So I missed Ante's winner, and also the one-fingered salute he gave to the Fullerton crowd afterwards. Paul Caligiuri's final game was the Open Cup final win over New England that year - a consolation for having blown MLS Cup the Sunday before, but still. I also loved the Galaxy-Chivas USA game, where the front office placed fans right behind Brad Guzan for both halves. Luis Bueno wrote a furious article about the Galaxy's lack of sportsmanship the next day.
I remember a couple of Open Cup games from Forest View from the year before the Fire started in 1997. The then USL D3 Chicago Stingers upset a A-League team / Orlando Sundogs, a MLS team / Colorado Rapids before getting beat by the eventual Open Cup champions Dallas Burn. I've been lucky enough to see two Open Cup finals, '96 when DC United beat Rochester and '98 when the Fire beat the Crew.
I listened to this game on the radio last year. What made it memorable for me was it sounded like a great game on the radio, and the announcer was a hardcore hockey-type that was really into it. The USOC will be memorable in the future as this will be my first ever game with MLS in person. I'll be seeing my RBNY play in Wilmington.
My favorite memory also game from that Pittsburgh game at Wheaton College, when someone came into the "pressbox" and started this conversation with me about the legendary, multilingual Hristo Stoichkov... Him: "Stoichkov got the card for telling the ref to 'go ******** yourself'." Me: "In what language?" Him: "English" Me: "Excellent...he's learning."
Me and six others got Accent Cafe in Des Plaines to televise the 2000 USOC against the Gals. We sat on the dance floor and watched screaming and howling the whole game. After Nowak's dreadful injury and our going down one man, we were in a sour mood. But the place erupted after we won. And the good owners -- without prompting -- brought out bottles of champagne on the house! Of course, the first one in old Soldier Field in front of that crowd was a wonderful cap to an unbelieveable season.
Unfortunately, my experience in France makes me wonder if this would ever catch on with "the masses". For the "Coupe de France" last year, I know that Paris Saint Germain's match against Cinderella semi-pro club Lyon La Duchere was played to a basically empty stadium. And the Champions League (and the French Ligue 1 regular season) are about 100 times more important than the domestic cup competitions. These tiny teams just don't have enough of a fan-base. And I don't necessarily blame the average soccer fan, in France or the US, for not taking a huge interest. I mean, imagine that there exists such a thing as the US Open Cup of Baseball and the Double-A Trenton Thunder are taking on the LA Dodgers, at Yankee stadium, in the semi-finals. You're from New Jersey and big baseball fan. But do you actually drive an hour and a half to Yankee stadium on your day-off for the slim chance that some team from your state, a team you don't care about, pulls a huge upset? OK, I might actually do that, but most people, even legit baseball fans, wouldn't do more than watch the highlights on Sports Center. I'm not saying these people aren't missing out. In fact, looking at most of these posts, they're really missing out big-time. But based on what I've seen in Europe, it seems like it's tough to push the appeal of these domestic cups, even when you have a thriving (compared to MLS) pro soccer league. Thoughts? (Perhaps the FA cup is an exception? I'm admittedly not an expert on the subject and could be way off.)
As far as Americans, I say this can work. People tend to jump on the local bandwagon if a team does well. The American sports fan has grown up watching the NCAA basketball tournament, a tournament where the first weekend are all about the small teams knocking off the big boys. I'm sure a lot of people in Northern Virginia were cheering for George Mason when they made the Final 4 this past year even though not many of them were Mason fans or alums beforehand. Now assume soccer grows gradually in this country and imagine what this David vs. Goliath match will look like in 20 years. Taking your Trenton vs. Los Angeles example, the one reason such a thing would work IMO, how many times in real life can Trenton compete with L.A. and claim supremacy? I doubt you would sellout Yankee Stadium, but I think you'd get a fair number of people from Trenton, and I don't know how many are left but some Dodger fans from Brooklyn, not many from L.A. but that's why these competitions should start out regionalized. Put them in a medium-size stadium and you can have an enjoyable ballgame. Plus, the US Open Cup serves a great purpose for MLS. It brings MLS to parts of the country where MLS has no visibility currently.