After two hours of (mostly uninspiring) play, the match was decided in a PK shootout.
United kicked off their run in the 2013 U.S. Open Cup last night, narrowly edging the Richmond Kickers.
Every time I think that this D.C. United season couldn’t get any worse, well, it just does. The lone chance that United had to salvage anything from this awful year dissipated last night, as they lost in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, 2-1 to the Columbus Crew. Of course, it wouldn’t be 2010 if United didn’t lose in an utterly heartbreaking fashion — in this case, it was an own goal which a deflection off the leg of Marc Burch in the 89th minute which tied the match, and a penalty kick from Guillermo Barros Schelotto in the opening stages of extra time — which doomed United.
Cup competitions are the true equalizers. Take, for example, administration-battling, Premier League relegation fodder Portsmouth’s journey to this year’s FA Cup final — and that’s a club that was considering not playing seven players in said final because they cannot afford to pay their contract bonuses if the team wins the trophy. The point isn’t to harp on Portsmouth, but rather to acknowledge that the best team will usually win out in the marathon that…
Who needs to pay attention to the somewhat juvenile complaining that’s been going on between the two front offices in Seattle and D.C., when we can get an actual child to lay down the truth of the matter? This adorable little girl summarizes all you need to know about tonight’s U.S. Open Cup Final at RFK Stadium. Wave that flag high, kid. If this doesn’t make you want to go to the game tonight,…
It was a night where one would be hard-pressed to call United’s 2-0 victory over the amateur Ocean City Barons at the Maryland SoccerPlex undeserved. It took a penalty kick, a mishandle by the goalkeeper, some kind woodwork, and a some spectacular efforts from Milos Kocik to get by a team consisting of collegiate players, an elementary school teacher, a civil engineer, and a youth soccer coach. You can probably forgive the few United…
If there was anything to glean from United’s 5-3 whupping of the New York Red Bulls last night, it was that any analytical recap angles this writer planned to explore went out the window after United struck four times in the opening 30 minutes. Oh, and that Chris Pontius is really, really good in the air. With apologies to topics like goalie Josh Wicks and how he compares to United’s other keepers and United’s incredible…
Half the fun of winning a trophy in soccer (any sport really) is getting your hands on it, parading around a bit and even planting a kiss on the goods. Last night at RFK was no exception. The team, who were jubilant during the post-game trophy presentation, made a beeline for the far sideline as soon as they could to share in the occasion with the Supporters Groups, still gathered in the stands. That, for…
One could make the argument that D.C. United is the most decorated outfit in Major League Soccer – after all, the team has won 11 pieces of silverware in just 12 years of existence, and no other squad can come close to matching that rate of success. But for all its triumphs as the flag-bearers of the still-fledgling American first division, the simple fact remains: the last time the Black and Red actually lifted a…
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup may not have the allure of its English counterpart, the FA Cup, but it’s still one of the oldest competitions in the world, now in it’s 94th year (out-dating the main cup competitions in both Germany and Italy by years). But even though it’s fun and unpredictable cup football, when one of the notable claims to tradition of the tournament is the triple victories achieved in 1980, 1982, and…
