USL News Release

Thursday, October 4, 2007

FRISCO, TX – Former Premier Development League standout Pat Noonan recorded a goal and two assists to pace the New England Revolution to the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship, defeating the host FC Dallas, 3-2, before an exuberant crowd of 10,618 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

The Open Cup title is the first championship of any kind in Revolution franchise history, and ends a streak of four losses in domestic competition finals that included one Open Cup and three MLS Cup final appearances. New England also broke their losing spell in finals at Pizza Hut Park, having lost back-to-back MLS Cup finals in 2005 and 2006 in Frisco. The Revolution are the seventh club from Major League Soccer to claim the U.S. Open Cup title since the league’s inception in 1996. Overall, 11 of the tournament’s past 12 champions have been MLS clubs with the 1999 Rochester Rhinos the lone team to spoil the sweep. The five-goal final was the highest scoring U.S. Open Cup final in almost 15 years, dating all the way back to 1993 with San Francisco CD Mexico defeated Philadelphia United German-Hungarians 5-0.

Noonan finished his three-year stint in the PDL with the Michigan Bucks in 2002, helping guide them to the playoffs with eight goals and six assists before going on to his successful career with the Revolution.

Both clubs needed overtime against USL First Division opposition in the Semifinals to reach the championship game. FC Dallas defeated the eventual USL First Division Champion Seattle Sounders 2-1 in a match that was scoreless until extra time while the New England Revolution rallied to down the expansion Carolina RailHawks by the same 2-1 scoreline with Noonan providing the extra time winner after the 1-1 draw through regulation. It was only the second time that two USL-1 teams reached the semifinals in the same year in the MLS era with Rochester and Charleston reaching the final four in 1999.

LE TOUX US OPEN CUP SCORING CHAMPION

Seattle Sounders striker Sebastien Le Toux captured another honor to add to his USL-1 Goal Scoring co-Championship and Most Valuable Player awards by finishing as the leading scorer in the 2007 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Le Toux finished with five goals, edging out New England’s Taylor Twellman, who netted his fourth in the Final, and two other USL First Division players. Le Toux registered three of the goals and one of his two assists in victories over MLS opposition, scoring twice in their 3-1 Third Round victory over Chivas USA and another in their 5-0 Quarterfinal win over the Colorado Rapids.

180,000 IN PRIZE MONEY HANDED OUT

A total of five of the 42 teams will divide $180,000 in prize money for their performances. The champion Revolution won $100,000, with the runner up Dallas earning $50,000. Another $30,000 was already claimed by lower division teams. The Seattle Sounders took the Division II (USL First Division) prize of $10,000, beating two MLS teams – Chivas USA and the Colorado Rapids - before getting knocked out in the Semifinals. The Richmond Kickers claimed the Division III (USL Second Division) prize of $10,000, advancing to the Quarterfinals of the tournament and edging out the Harrisburg City Islanders for the money based on a tiebreaker. The El Paso Patriots (PDL) earned $10,000 for the best finish from the amateur level after advancing to the second round, beating out the Milwaukee Bavarians (USASA) and the Ocean City Barons (PDL) for the prize because they had better results against higher level competition.