Major League Soccer waded into the 2013 US Open Cup on Tuesday night, with nine of the league's 16 US-based eligible clubs taking on lower-division opposition across the country. Here's our wrap-up of all the evening's action:
Orlando City 3, Colorado Rapids 1
The round started out with a bang, as Orlando City of the USL PRO ambushed the Colorado Rapids at the Citrus Bowl by a 3-1 scoreline.
Bryan Burke opened the scoring for the home side just four minutes in and Sporting Kansas City loanee Dom Dwyer gave the Colorado backline fits all night, scoring a pair and forcing Rapids goalkeeper Stew Ceus to race out of his box and commit a foul that drew a straight red card in the 56th minute.
Complete coverage at ColoradoRapids.com
Former MLSer Long Tan provided 63rd-minute assist on Dwyer's icer for the third-tier club, as a night known for upsets kicked off in appropriate fashion.
Philadelphia Union 2, Ocean City Nor'easters 1
Brian Carroll scored deep into second-half stoppage time to rescue a Union victory from a very tense game Ocean City side at PPL Park.
The Union, who fieled a first-team XI, led for most of the night after Jack McInerney's early goal, his 10th in all competitions this season. But the PDL team fought back, eventually getting a dramatic 89th-minute equalizer via a Sheanon Williams own goal.
Complete coverage at PhiladelphiaUnion.com
It looked like the game would head to extra time before Carroll headed in a controversial winner, as the referee's assistant ruled that Ocean City cleared the shot out of goal after it had already crossed the goal line. It was Carroll's third goal in six career USOC games for Philly.
Richmond 0(2), D.C. United 0(4)
D.C. United traveled some 100 miles south to visit the Richmond Kickers of the USL PRO at Richmond City Stadium. The match between affiliate clubs featured several of the Kickers' D.C. loanees on each side, and with United still mired in a 10-game league winless streak, confidence was in short supply for the Black-and-Red.
In a scrappy, hard-fought contest, Richmond held their own against their "big brother" club in the run of play, with D.C. coach Ben Olsen moved to call veterans Carlos Ruiz and Chris Pontius off the bench in search of an offensive boost.
No goals were forthcoming over 120 minutes of regulation and extra time – and D.C. might have been glad to hold out for the penalty-kick shootout after Chris Korb was sent off for his second yellow card and Ruiz saw straight red in the added time.
Complete coverage at DCUnited.com
To Olsen's relief, D.C. goalkeeper Joe Willis stood tall during the shootout, saving Richmond's first two spot kicks by Sascha Goerres and former United man Joseph Ngwenya, while Dwayne De Rosario, Perry Kitchen, Nick DeLeon and James Riley all netted theirs to deliver a close-run victory.
Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 0, FC Dallas 2
The MLS Supporters' Shield leaders left to to the second half, but once they poured it on, second-tier NASL side Ft. Lauderdale were no match.
FCD got a goal early in the second half from Blas Pérez, the Panamanian striker slotting home a feed from Colombian running-mate Fabián Castillo, then one midway through the stanza from central defender Matt Hedges to put the icing on a 2-0 cake.
Complete coverage at FCDallas.com
Dallas used a blend of first-team players and youngsters, and only an injury to rookie center back Walker Zimmerman marred the evening at Ft. Lauderdale's Lockhart Stadium for the visitors.
Charleston Battery 1, San Jose Earthquakes 0
The San Jose Earthquakes traveled to the Carolina lowlands on Tuesday, and got bitten by the US Open Cup upset bug.
Fielding a hybrid lineup of starters and reserves, the Quakes surrendered a 73rd-minute goal by Irish center back Colin Falvey, lost their own center back Brad Ring to a second yellow card less than a minute later and fell 1-0 to the Battery at Blackbaud Stadium in Daniel Island, S.C.
Complete coverage at SJEarthquakes.com
San Jose started backup goalkeeper David Bingham and gave rare first-11 runouts to Mehdi Ballouchy and Cordell Cato. But the likes of Víctor Bernárdez, Justin Morrow and Steven Lenhart logged 90 minutes and Chris Wondolowski, Marvin Chávez and Adam Jahn came off the bench in the second half, as coach Frank Yallop searched for a goal to no avail.
Rochester Rhinos 1, New England Revolution 5
A brace from Kelyn Rowe and single goals from Andy Dorman, Jerry Bengtson and Chad Barrett drove the Revs to a 5-1 pasting of their USL PRO affiliates, the Rochester Rhinos.
League form carried over for both teams as the Revolution continued their hot play, and Rochester continued their season of misery at Sahlen's Stadium in upstate New York.
Dorman staked New England to a 1-0 lead in the first half, then the Revs tallied three goals in 11 minutes on either side of a nearly hour-long weather delay early in the second half to pull away.
Complete coverage at RevolutionSoccer.net
Bengtson's goal was his first for New England in any competition since their March 9 opener. He is set to join Honduras on international duty later this week.
Sporting KC 2, Des Moines Menace 0
Sporting made no mistake in the opening match of their US Open Cup title defense on Tuesday, cruising to a 2-0 win over a game but limited Des Moines side at rain-soaked Sporting Park.
A member of the semipro USL PDL, the Menace fought hard and were buoyed by a substantial contingent of traveling fans who made the trip south from Iowa. But Sporting coach Peter Vermes made limited changes to his usual lineup and his squad played with purpose and poise, taking a nerves-settling early lead through Kei Kamara (12') and controlling possession through most of the match.
Complete coverage at SportingKC.com
SKC's Claudio Bieler salted away the result with a 73rd-minute strike and Des Moines goalkeeper Scott Angevine had to work busily to limit further damage in the latter stages. The 2012 Open Cup champions will welcome their affiliate club Orlando City to Kansas for a fourth-round clash on Wednesday, June 12, at 8:30 pm ET.
Real Salt Lake 3, Atlanta Silverbacks 2 (AET)
It took them more than two hours, but RSL eventually advanced to the Open Cup's fourth round with a 3-2 extra-time victory over the Silverbacks at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The hosts grabbed a very early lead through a Kyle Beckerman header before letting their NASL opponents hang around until the latter stages amid heavy rainfall along the Wasatch Front. With former MLS legend Eric Wynalda on the bench as an assistant coach, Atlanta currently hold first place in the nation's second-division pro league and boast several players from last year's Open Cup Cinderella team, Cal FC – and their doggedness against RSL paid off in the late going.
Four minutes from full time, a tidy Silverbacks passing sequence broke down the Real backline and set up Chicago Fire loanee Kellen Gulley for a stunning equalizer that sent the game into overtime.
Complete coverage at RealSaltLake.com
But Jason Kreis' side recovered from that wobble, surging forward to score two back-breaking goals in the 98th and 101st minutes. Rookie Devon Sandoval stroked home after a sterling combination between Javier Morales and Joao Plata, then Khari Stephenson blasted a rocket past Atlanta 'keeper Joe Nasco moments later.
Pablo Cruz beat Saunders to briefly raise Silverback hopes in the dying minutes, but it was not enough.
LA Blues 1, Chivas USA 2
Dan Kennedy really can do anything.
The Chivas USA ‘keeper made his usual handful of spectacular saves to keep his side in the game, but made it a night for the ages when he converted a second-half penalty, the eventual game-winner, in a 2-1 win over the LA Blues in Fullerton, Calif.
George Davis IV opened the scoring in the 11th minute, beating Kennedy to the far post. Carlos Alvarez answered back for the visitors early in the second half, slotting home a feed from Tristan Bowen.
Complete coverage at CDChivasUSA.com
Kennedy’s 62nd-minute conversion was the talking point, though, and it was made to stand by Kennedy himself, who stopped a flurry of Blues attacks in the game’s final half-hour.
The Goats will face either the LA Galaxy or Carolina RailHawks in the fourth round on June 12.
