On April 22, 2009 at RFK Stadium, FC Dallas and D.C. United faced off in a US Open Cup play-in match. D.C. prevailed 2-0 and went on to be the runner-up last year while FCD failed to win a single game in the event for the first time since 2003.
On Wednesday, the same sides meet again in the same venue in a USOC play-in that will feature the only two winless sides in Major League Soccer. FCD comes off a 2-2 tie in league pla against Seattle at Pizza Hut Park, where they needed a 94th-minute penalty kick by Jeff Cunningham. Schellas Hyndmanās club is 0-1-3 in MLS this season.
The Red-and-Black have also struggled out of the gates and has lost all four games of its young season.
FCD midfielder Dax McCarty, who was part of the 2007 team that lost in the final to New England at Pizza Hut Park, realizes D.C. has struggled but still expects a very hard-fought game in the nationās capital on Wednesday night.
āItās a very important game. I think D.C. United is a good team that just hasnāt gotten the results theyāve been looking for,ā McCarty said. āI think theyāre sort of similar to us in that they try to play good soccer. I know they have a couple new players but theyāre definitely going to be hungry. I know itās an important game for them and also for us.ā
No matter who his team faces, Hyndman knows the USOC has some added meaning for him and his club.
āThe first important thing is it has Lamar Huntās name on the trophy,ā Hyndman said on Monday. āThe second important thing is itās a great opportunity for the younger players to get games because we donāt have a reserve league. Itās very important that we get them games. And then the third thing is it continues to develop a mentality and a culture of winning.ā
Thatās a statement McCarty clearly agrees with.
āItās a very important competition for us. Lamar Hunt, itās named after him,ā the FCD midfielder said. āHeās our late owner and founder and he had a big influence on soccer in this country. I think in 2007, we made it to the final and that was a very important game for us. Unfortunately, we werenāt able to pull it out. We havenāt done as well in the competition the last few years and weāre looking to right that this year and go far.ā
Speaking of Cunningham, the veteran striker has played in 20 Open Cup matches in his career and has scored four goals with five assists. During his time with Columbus, he played for the 2002 USOC champs and assisted on four goals during the Black-and-Goldās run to the title.
āItās a great opportunity to win a trophy. Every time you compete, you want to win,ā the FCD forward said. āSo itās another opportunity for the club to add silverware to the clubhouse for the team and organization. Itās something that we take pride in. Our owner, thatās his tournament, so itās even more special for the organization. Weāre going to go out and compete to win.ā
While Wednesday nightās affair wonāt count in the league standings, McCarty knows that he and his teammates need a win regardless of who itās against and in what environment.
āTo get a win against an MLS team in an important competition is key,ā he said. āI donāt think weāve started the season poorly but results are all that matter. Unfortunately, weāre one of a few winless teams and we need to change that. Whether that comes in the Open Cup or in MLS play that doesnāt matter, we just need to get a win.ā