KANSAS CITY, MO - The reigning U.S. Open Cup Champion Kansas City Wizards will continue defense of their title on Wednesday, August 24th when they host the Minnesota Thunder (USL1) in the Quarterfinals of the 2005 U.S. Open Cup. The Quarterfinal match will take place at Park University's Julian Field in Parkville, MO with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. CT.
Tickets for the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal match will once again be General Admission and are $10 for adults and $5 for youth (15 and under). Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in advance at the Wizards Box Office, located at Gate D-1 of Arrowhead Stadium, or at Julian Field on the day of the game. Season tickets and vouchers will not be accepted for this game.
The Wizards advanced to the Quarterfinals with a dominating 6-1 win
over the Des Moines Menace (PDL) on August 3rd. That match was held at Park University in front of an overflowing crowd of over 2000 fans. Josh Wolff and Davy Arnaud each scored twice and Sasha Victorine and Scott Sealy each scored once to pace the Wizards.
Kansas City and Minnesota will meet for the first time ever in Open
Cup play. Minnesota reached the Quarterfinals of this year's tournament with a convincing 4-1 upset win over the Colorado Rapids in the 4th round of the tournament on August 3rd. Melvin Tarley scored all four goals as the Thunder upset an MLS opponent for the second year in a row to reach the Quarterfinals.
Though the teams have never faced each other before, they should be
very familiar. Wizards defenders Dustin Branan and Brian Roberts were members of the Thunder last season and Branan earned 2004 A-League "Best XI" honors anchoring their back line. Three current Minnesota players have been a part of the Wizards organization, including defenders Chris Brunt (2002-2003) and Kevin Friedland (2003) and midfielder Jay Alberts (4th round pick in 2004 MLS SuperDraft).
Once again, the Power Plant Restaurant & Brewery in Parkville will
host a pre and post-game party for all Wizards fans. Food and drink specials will be available before and after the game. The Power Plant Restaurant & Brewery is located just four blocks from Park University at 2 Main Street. For directions call 816-746-5051.
Dating back to 1914, the 91-year-old U.S. Open Cup is the oldest
soccer cup competition in the United States and is among the oldest in the world. The tournament is open to affiliated amateur and professional teams in the United States, and is single-elimination format. Pairings, dates and kickoff times for the Quarterfinals will be announced at a later date. Log on to www.kcwizards.com or www.ussoccer.com for the latest scores and information on the 2005 U.S. Open Cup.
At stake in the tournament is $180,000 in prize money broken down as follows: $100,000 to the champion, $50,000 to the runner up and $10,000 to the team which advances deepest in the tournament from each of the Division II, Division III and amateur levels. The U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world.
