2019 US Open Cup

[Getslow]

Louisville City will be down two regular starters this week. Right back Shaun Francis and midfielder Speedy Williams are both on international duty with Jamaica. Francis looked particularly effective as a starter against the USA, shutting down the pathetic attack of this impotent version of our national team.

 

I've also heard that second-choice right back Pat McMahon was walking around training in a medical boot last week, in addition to forward Abdou Mbacke Thiam, who's been recovering from a shoulder injury.

 

Does FCC have anyone called up or that will otherwise be out this week?

[Getslow]

Today is going to be agonizingly long. Hopefully the storms hold off enough to get the game in tonight.

 

For now, here's a little review of the last few years of Dirty River Derby games...

 

Inside the Rivalry: Louisville City FC & FC Cincinnati

 

Personally, I most enjoyed what they called "The Whitewash" but what I refer to as "Simply Murder".

 

But I was also there for Chandler Hoffman's hat trick and the time Louisville walked out of Nippert with a 2-0 and the Cup days after everyone found out Cincy was going to MLS. That was a good day.

[Getslow]

Ugh. That was a penalty and everyone in the stadium saw it except for dork in the yellow shirt.

 

Fair cop to Cincy. That game was almost dead even and Cincy made the big play when it counted in extra time.

 

Can't figure out why our left back, Oscar Jimenez, has struggled so much in recent seasons, but he completely lost his man on the pass that led to the Adi goal in the first half.

 

FCC takes this one 2-1 in extra time and moves on to the fifth round.

[Getslow]

Only two lower division sides made it out this week (which sounds about right given that MLS teams were overwhelmingly playing at home).

 

St. Louis FC beat Chicago Fire 2-1 on Tuesday night.

 

New Mexico United advanced on penalties over Colorado Rapids. NM tied up the game four minutes into stoppage time and then won the shootout 4-2.

[nkypete]

Only two lower division sides made it out this week (which sounds about right given that MLS teams were overwhelmingly playing at home).

 

St. Louis FC beat Chicago Fire 2-1 on Tuesday night.

 

New Mexico United advanced on penalties over Colorado Rapids. NM tied up the game four minutes into stoppage time and then won the shootout 4-2.

 

What determines who is the home team? In prior years, when FCC was USL, they seemed to get a lot of home games in the Open Cup against MLS teams. Now that they are MLS, they still were at home. How does that work?

[Getslow]

What determines who is the home team? In prior years, when FCC was USL, they seemed to get a lot of home games in the Open Cup against MLS teams. Now that they are MLS, they still were at home. How does that work?

 

It's a bidding process, done in compliance with USSF's rules about stadium and field conditions. That second part is what makes it tough on a lot of lower division teams that are just getting started. They tend to play on rented fields (many of them originally purposed for baseball) and so unless you have a secondary field worked out (like Louisville City does with UofL's soccer field), it can make it almost impossible to host.

 

Cincinnati's deal with Nippert (which you have to imagine owes much to the Lindner family's decades of largesse) is absolutely perfect for stuff like this. Most USL teams just don't have access to that kind of facility.

[Getslow]

Fifth Round Parings

Orlando City SC (MLS) v New England Revolution (MLS) Orlando, Florida

D.C. United (MLS) v New York City FC (MLS) Washington, DC

Columbus Crew SC (MLS) v Atlanta United FC (MLS) / Charleston Battery (USLC) Columbus, Ohio

Saint Louis FC (USLC) v FC Cincinnati (MLS) TBD

Houston Dynamo (MLS) v Minnesota United (MLS) Houston, Texas

FC Dallas (MLS) v New Mexico United (USLC) Frisco, Texas

Los Angeles FC (MLS) v San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) Los Angeles, California

Portland Timbers (MLS) v LA Galaxy (MLS) Portland, Oregon

 

Charleston and Atlanta United still have to play tonight, which will determine if there are two or three non-MLS teams still alive in this thing.

 

Cincinnati's trip to St. Louis is the highlight of this round.

[Getslow]

Quarterfinals take place Wednesday this week (7/10):

 

Orlando City SC (MLS) v. New York City FC (MLS)

Atlanta United FC (MLS) v. Saint Louis FC (USLC)

Minnesota United (MLS) v. New Mexico United (USLC)

Los Angeles FC (MLS) v. Portland Timbers (MLS)

 

All matches on ESPN+.

 

Last year only one non-MLS team made the quarterfinals (Louisville City). The last non-MLS team to make the semifinals was FC Cincinnati (USL, 2017). The last non-MLS team to win the Cup was Rochester Rhinos (A-League) in 1999.

[Getslow]

Meh. Pretty dull night all around.

 

Saint Louis never got anything going offensively. Gave up a sill goal on a defensive mistake mid-second-half and that was all she wrote. A stoppage-time penalty made it a 2-0 win for Atlanta United. This was the only match I watched all 90 minutes of. The rest of the games completely justified that decision.

 

New Mexico had a 1-0 that lasted all of four minutes before Minnesota leveled the visitors for the rest of the match and sent them home with a 6-1 whooping.

 

Former Louisville City FC coach James O'Connor (who's had a bumpy ride since taking over Orlando City in MLS thus far) saw out a 1-1 draw against New York City and advanced on penalties.

 

So it's an all-MLS semifinal round.

 

Orlando City SC v. Atlanta United FC

Minnesota United v. Portland Timbers