The winner of the semifinal match between Real Salt Lake and the Portland Timbers will host the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final, U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday. The location of the championship match was decided today after a coin flip at the headquarters of the U.S. Soccer Federation in Chicago.
If Portland defeat Salt Lake in its semifinal match on Aug. 7 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, the Open Cup final will be played on Sept. 24 at JELD-WEN Field. If Salt Lake win the semifinal, the championship will be played on Oct. 1 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Portland and RSL have never advanced to an Open Cup final, which means the championship will be hosted in a location for the first time.
Bill Starshak, a Chicago-based member of U.S. Soccer Supporters Club, was the independent witness and flipped the coin in front of various U.S. Soccer staff in the trophy room of Soccer House.
In the other semifinal on Aug. 7, the four-time Open Cup champion Chicago Fire host two-time champions D.C. United. Chicago have a pair of wins over D.C. United in the MLS regular season, a 2-0 win on June 2 and a 4-1 victory on July 20.
