The Columbus Crew began their run in the 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday with a third-round 4-1 victory against the Michigan Bucks of the USL's Premier Development League in Rochester Hills, Mich. Sebastian Rozental led the way for the Crew with three assists. Columbus will travel to D.C. United for a fourth-round match-up on Aug. 1 at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
It only took Columbus 16 minutes to pull in front, with Ezra Hendrickson finding the back of the net. But the amateur side equalized just six minutes later through Doug Rice. The 1-1 score held through halftime before Columbus took the lead for good just prior to the hour mark.
Rozental earned his second assist of the night by feeding Ivan Becerra for what would prove to be the game-winning goal. Jacob Thomas put a stamp on the victory with a blast from long range in the 87th minute before a Bucks own goal through Erik Nelson a minute before the final whistle gave the game its final scoreline.
The Crew, champions of the U.S. Open Cup in 2002, will visit longtime MLS rival D.C. United in the fourth round. D.C. has yet to play in the 2006 Open Cup, with the Crew having entered a round earlier after their failure to qualify for the 2005 MLS Cup Playoffs. Columbus and D.C. will do battle at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md., on Aug. 1 to see which side advances to the quarterfinals of one of the world's oldest knockout competitions.
Scoring Summary:
CLB - Ezra Hendrickson 1 (Sebastian Rozental 1), 16
MICH - Doug Rice 1, 22
CLB - Ivan Becerra 1 (Rozental 2), 59
CLB - Jacob Thomas 1 (Rozental 3), 87
CLB - Own Goal, 89
Columbus Crew lineup: Noah Palmer; Marcos Gonzalez, Ezra Hendrickson (Ritchie Kotschau 61), Chris Leitch (Chad Marshall 61); Tim Ward, Ivan Becerra, Brandon Moss, Sebastian Rozental, Eric Vasquez; Knox Cameron (Kei Kamara 79), Eddie Gaven (Jacob Thomas 71)
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
