REAL SALT LAKE v COLORADO RAPIDS
Wed., Aug. 2, Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah (7 p.m. MT)
The Rocky Mountain Cup rivals play for the first time ever in the U.S. Open Cup when the Colorado Rapids come to Utah to take on Real Salt Lake. Real won their first-ever game in the competition earlier this year, while the Rapids have lost their opening game in the cup the last two seasons.
REAL SALT LAKE
IN THE OPEN CUP: Real have already started off their second Open Cup experience better than their first, after winning their third-round match this year. Last year, they were dumped out in their first time of asking in the second round, falling 6-4 to the Minnesota Thunder of the USL First Division in a wild match in St. Paul, Minn. (Tarley 15, 66; Menyongar 17, Paye 88, 108; Schmidt 98 - Kreis 9 pen, 50, 70; Watson 38).
THIS YEAR: Real survived their third-round match in the U.S. Open Cup, overcoming a game Virginia Beach Mariners of the USL First Division (second tier) 2-1 in extra time at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Jeff Cunningham gave Real a lead after 28 minutes when he converted from the penalty spot after Jamie Watson was taken down in the area, but Tim O'Neill pulled the Mariners level nine minutes later. Then in the third minute of extra time - after a half-hour weather delay - Andy Williams drilled home a free kick to send Real into the fourth round for the first time ever. ... Here's Ellinger's team: Jay Nolly, Kevin Novak, Nikolas Besagno, Cameron Knowles, Willis Forko, Chris Brown (Ryan Johnson 83), Kenny Cutler, Carey Talley (Mehdi Ballouchy 61), Andy Williams, Jamie Watson (Atiba Harris 72), Jeff Cunningham (Joey Worthen 61).
COLORADO RAPIDS
IN THE OPEN CUP: The 1999 U.S. Open Cup Finalists haven't had much success over the recent past, losing their first match in the competition in four of the last six years, including a 4-1 defeat by the USL First Division Minnesota Thunder last year. ... It was the third time in that stretch the losses came to second-tier competition. In 2000, Colorado lost to the Richmond Kickers 3-0, and in 2001 to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2-0. In 2004, they were thrashed 3-0 by the Dallas Burn in the fourth round. ... In 1999, the Rapids faced A-League competition in three of their four ties, but fell in the final 2-0 to the Rochester Raging Rhinos. They knocked off the Seattle Sounders in the third round and the Charleston Battery in the semifinals, defeating the Tampa Bay Mutiny in between. ... Each of the first five years the Rapids were in the competition they were defeated by lower-division competition, losing twice to Rochester (1996 semifinal, 1999 final), to Richmond and Pittsburgh, and in 1997, to the D3 Pro League Chicago Stingers in the third round.
LAST YEAR:
The Minnesota Thunder continued their giant-killing ways in the U.S. Open Cup, dumping the Rapids out of the competition in the fourth round with a 4-1 victory at James E. Griffin Stadium in St. Paul, Minn. ... Melvin Tarley scored all four goals for the Thunder, giving him six goals against MLS clubs in the competition, after the Thunder beat Real Salt Lake 6-4 in the third round. Tarley gave the Thunder the lead in the 38th minute when he beat Joe Cannon from the top of the penalty area, then doubled the lead two minutes after the break when he knocked him his own rebound of a saved shot. Alain Nkong halved the Minnesota lead when buried a shot off a pass from Eric Denton in the 69th minute, but Tarley capped off his spectacular night with two goals in five minutes in quick response to the Colorado goal (72, 76). ... Tarley became the fifth player to hit for at least four goals in the Open Cup since the MLS era began in the tournament, and the only lower division player to ever do it against top-flight competition. Josh Wolff hit for four goals for the Chicago Fire against the Dallas Burn in the quarterfinals in 2000. The record holder is six goals by Mugurel Dimitru of the San Diego Flash (A-League) against the Arizona Sahuaros (D3 Pro) in the second round in 1999.
