KANSAS CITY, MO - The Kansas City Wizards will host the San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday, August 24th in the Semifinals of the 2004 U.S. Open Cup. The match will once again be played at the Blue Valley District Activity Complex, located at 135th & Switzer in Overland Park, KS, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT. The Wizards are now just two games away from capturing their first U.S. Open Cup Championship and the $100,000 in prize money that goes to the winner.
Tickets to the U.S. Open Cup match are General Admission and are $10 for adults and $5 for youth (15 and under). Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Wizards Box Office at Arrowhead Stadium, or at the Blue Valley District Activity Complex beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the game. </p>
The U.S. Open Cup match is designated as "Special Game B" for Wizards season ticket holders. Each "Special Game B" ticket will admit two people into the Stadium. Seating at the Blue Valley District Activity Complex is limited and seats are available on a first come, first serve basis. Fans are encouraged to come early as the Wizards Quarterfinal match against Dallas drew a standing-room only crowd. For ticket information, please call Kim O'Dell in the Wizards office at 816-920-4730.
Kansas City advanced to the Semifinals for the second time in franchise history after defeating the Dallas Burn 4-0 in the Quarterfinals on August 4th following their 4-1 win over the Atlanta Silverbacks (A-League) in Atlanta on July 20th in the fourth round of the tournament. San Jose defeated two A-League opponents to reach the Semifinals for the first time in team history, downing the Portland Timbers 3-0 in the fourth round and edging the Minnesota Thunder 2-2 (5-4 in penalty kicks) in the Quarterfinals.
In the other Semifinal bracket, the Charleston Battery (A-League) will travel to Chicago to take on the defending U.S. Open Cup Champion Chicago Fire on Wednesday, August 25th in Naperville, IL. The 2004 U.S. Open Cup final will take place on Wednesday, September 22nd with the location and kickoff time still to be determined.
Dating back to 1914, the 90-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. Log on to www.kcwizards.com or www.ussoccer.com for the latest scores and information on the 2004 U.S. Open Cup.
2004 U.S. Open Cup Schedule/Results
Round 4 Results
Date – Teams – Venue; City
July 14 – San Jose Earthquakes 3, at Portland Timbers 0 – PGE Park; Portland, Ore.
July 20 – Los Angeles Galaxy 0, at Minnesota Thunder 1 – Metrodome; Minneapolis, Minn.
July 20 – Colorado Rapids 0, at Dallas Burn 3 – Cotton Bowl; Dallas, Texas
July 20 – Rochester Raging Rhinos 1, at N. E. Revolution 1 – Lusitano Stadium; Ludlow, Mass.(Rochester advances on PKs, 3-1)
July 20 – Chicago Fire 2, at Columbus Crew 1 (OT) – Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
July 20 – Kansas City Wizards 4, at Atlanta Silverbacks 1 – DeKalb Stadium; Clarkston, Ga.
July 20 – MetroStars 0, at Charleston Battery 1 – Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.
July 21 – D.C. United 1, at Richmond Kickers 2 – Univ. of Richmond Stadium; Richmond, Va.
Quarterfinals Results
Game # – Date – Teams – Venue; City
33 – Aug. 4 – San Jose Earthquakes 2 at Minnesota Thunder 2 – James Griffin Stadium; St. Paul, MN (San Jose advances on PKs, 5-4)
34 – Aug. 4 – Dallas Burn 0 at Kansas City Wizards 4 – Blue Valley Athletic Complex; Overland Park, KS
35 – Aug. 4 – Chicago Fire 1 at Richmond Kickers 0 – Univ. of Richmond Stadium; Richmond, VA
36 – Aug. 4 – Charleston Battery 1 at Rochester Raging Rhinos 0 – Frontier Field; Rochester, NY
Semifinals - August 24th & 25th
Game # – Date – Teams – Venue; City – Time
37 – Aug. 24 – San Jose Earthquakes at Kansas City Wizards – Blue Valley Complex; Overland Park, KS. – 7:30 p.m. CT
38 – Aug. 25 – Charleston Battery at Chicago Fire – Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium; Naperville, IL – 7:30 p.m. CT
U.S. Open Cup Final: September 22nd
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.
