Washington, D.C. - As released by U.S. Soccer earlier today, a win this Wednesday would result in a home match for D.C. United in the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open Cup on August 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Maryland Soccerplex in Boyd, Maryland. To advance, United must defeat the Harrisburg City Islanders in the third round on July 11 at Hempfield High School Stadium in Landisville, PA. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Should United win, tickets to the August 7 match would go on sale Thursday, July 12 through www.dcunited.com
and all TicketMaster outlets. Tickets, which include parking, will be $22 in advance and $25 on the day of the game.
United and the Islanders have played friendlies each of the last two years. During each meeting, United sent teams made up almost entirely of reserves. In 2005, D.C. snuck past Harrisburg 1-0 on the strength of a Jason Thompson goal at the Skyline Sports Complex in Harrisburg. Last year in Mechanicsburg, United earned a 2-1 victory with goals from Lucio Filomeno and Rod Dyachenko. Should United advance in Open Cup play next week, the Black-and-Red would face the winner of the third round match up between MLS's New England Revolution and the United Soccer League's First Division Rochester Raging Rhinos. New England and Rochester face off Tuesday, July 10 in Rochester, NY.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is an annual national competition that is open to all amateur and professional soccer teams that are affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual tournament in the U.S., beginning in 1914 when Brooklyn Field Club took home the very first title. MLS teams were first included in the tournament in its inaugural season of 1996, with D.C. United taking home the title. The only non-MLS team to win the tournament since 1996 was the Rochester Raging Rhinos in 1999, when they defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-0 in the final.
