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USL Clubs Prepare for Open Cup Tests

By USLSoccer.com Staff, 06/05/18, 5:27AM EDT

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Nine clubs look to claim upsets against Major League Soccer opposition in Fourth Round


Photo courtesy Brett Hansbauer / FC Cincinnati

The Fourth Round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup kicks off on Tuesday night as the nine remaining USL clubs in the national knockout tournament face the challenge of Major League Soccer competition looking to write themselves as the latest lower-division club to make a deep run in the historic tournament.

After the success of FC Cincinnati in reaching the tournament’s semifinals a season ago, five USL clubs will be on home turf as they look to advance to the Round of 16. Here’s a look ahead at each matchup and recent history for each of the clubs returning to the Fourth Round this season.

Tuesday, June 5
Philadelphia Union vs. Richmond Kickers

Talen Energy Stadium, 7 p.m. ET
The Richmond Kickers will make the trip to face the Philadelphia Union looking to put aside their league form and conjure up the spirit of Open Cup’s past as the side returns to the Fourth Round for the first time since the 2015 season. The odds will be stacked against the Kickers, which are winless on the road in league play this season against a Union side that was on a four-game winning streak before its defeat to Atlanta United on Saturday, but Richmond will be hoping it can rise to the occasion against the two-time Open Cup finalists.

CUPSET HISTORY: Prior to FC Cincinnati a season ago, the Kickers were the last lower-division side to advance to the tournament’s semifinals in 2011, when they defeated both Columbus Crew SC and Sporting Kansas City on the road before falling to the Chicago Fire. The 1995 Open Cup champions when Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw was a player, Richmond will be hoping for a similar effort against the Union.

Louisville City FC vs. New England Revolution
Lynn Stadium, 7 p.m. ET
Defending USL Cup champion Louisville City FC gets its second crack at taking on MLS opposition in the Open Cup after being eliminated in the Third Round each of the past two seasons and will play host to its top-flight opponent for the first time on the campus of the University of Louisville. Having had the past weekend off in the league, and undefeated on home turf this season, Louisville’s players will likely be relishing the opportunity to face a Revolution side that has been the victim of upsets at this stage before, most recently by the Charlotte Independence in 2015.

CUPSET HISTORY: Louisville fell in its only prior meeting with MLS opposition back in the club’s inaugural entry to the tournament in 2015, but it took extra time for the Chicago Fire to eliminate a determined City FC squad at Toyota Park.

D.C. United vs. North Carolina FC
Maryland SoccerPlex, 7 p.m. ET
North Carolina FC hasn’t gotten off to the best start in its first season in the USL, but the club brings a strong Open Cup pedigree that it will be hoping pays off as it visits the three-time Open Cup champion. North Carolina has twice reached the Quarterfinals of the historic tournament this decade, and could be motivated to rebound strongly after it’s late letdown in league action this past Saturday against a United side that sits bottom of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference with only two wins in 10 games this season.

CUPSET HISTORY: North Carolina’s exploits under their previous guise as the Carolina RailHawks has been notable, including defeating Chivas USA in both 2013 and 2014 and advancing all the way to the semifinals in 2007 when it defeated the Chicago Fire in the Third Round before falling to the eventual champion New England Revolution.

Wednesday, June 6
Atlanta United FC vs. Charleston Battery

Fifth Third Bank Field, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Charleston Battery stand as the last lower-division side to reach the final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2008, and while the side got a tough draw in a strong Atlanta United side, the Battery’s current nine-game league undefeated streak has the side carrying positive momentum into the rematch from last season’s meeting between the clubs at the same stage. Atlanta took a 3-2 victory in that matchup as the Battery twice let a lead slip away after Forrest Lasso and Dante Marini had found the net, but that display should have given Charleston some hope that an upset is possible.

CUPSET HISTORY: The Battery’s victories against the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas in the 2008 Open Cup helped send the club to the final a decade ago, but Charleston has claimed eight victories against MLS sides in its Open Cup history, most recently defeating the San Jose Earthquakes at this stage in 2013.

FC Cincinnati vs. Minnesota United FC
Nippert Stadium, 7:30 p.m. ET
FC Cincinnati will be hoping to reconjure the magic of a season ago at Nippert Stadium when it hosts Minnesota United FC, looking to replicate its pair of victories against MLS opponents a season ago that saw the side make a run to the semifinals that saw the club claim a place not just in the national soccer conversation, but make waves in national sporting media overall. Sitting on top of the Eastern Conference, FCC will face Minnesota for the first time in the competition with United coming off a 4-1 defeat on Sunday night against Sporting Kansas City. With another big crowd set to be behind them, FCC’s game is set to be one of the must-sees in this round of the tournament.

CUPSET HISTORY: It’s a well-known story by this point, but that doesn’t make what Cincinnati accomplished in defeating both Columbus Crew SC and the Chicago Fire – both of which went to the MLS Cup Playoffs a season ago – impressive. That the fairytale came up short after FCC had held a two-goal lead against the New York Red Bulls in the semifinals is likely going to provide added motivation if the hosts can get past Minnesota, which has never advanced past the Fourth Round in its history.

Nashville SC vs. Colorado Rapids
Vanderbilt Soccer Stadium, 8:30 p.m. ET
It’s a reunion special for a handful of member of Nashville SC as the club welcomes MLS opposition to the Music City for the first time in the Open Cup, with Head Coach Gary Smith, goalkeeper Matt Pickens and defender Kosuke Kimura all looking to turn over their former club when the Rapids come to town. The trio all played the same roles for the Rapids that they do now for Nashville when Colorado claimed MLS Cup in 2010, but now find themselves looking to try and carry the momentum from a six-game undefeated streak in USL play and eight-game undefeated streak in all competitions into the biggest game of the club’s season so far. With the Rapids having suffered seven consecutive defeats in league action, Nashville is hoping to more than have the measure of its visitors.

San Antonio FC vs. FC Dallas
Toyota Field, 8:30 p.m. ET
San Antonio FC gets its second crack at a Lonestar State MLS club, and for the first time the club will be on home turf after having visited the Houston Dynamo two seasons ago when SAFC last advanced to this stage of the tournament. That homefield advantage could come in very useful for San Antonio, which has lost only twice at Toyota Field in the past two regular seasons, and with the side carrying the momentum of Saturday’s dramatic comeback victory against Portland into the contest the hosts will be hoping it can spring its first Open Cup upset. Dallas is having a fine season itself, however, having lost only once in 13 league games this season, meaning it will likely be an uphill climb for Head Coach Darren Powell’s side.

CUPSET HISTORY: San Antonio’s previous excursion to the Fourth Round didn’t end well, with the Houston Dynamo taking a 4-0 victory two seasons ago.

Los Angeles FC vs. Fresno FC
Banc of California Stadium, 10 p.m. ET
Fresno FC’s inaugural season has seen some ups and downs, but the club is looking forward to the opportunity to take on another club in its first season as it visits Los Angeles FC. The Foxes clicked into gear in attack last Saturday night to break an eight-game winless streak in the league with a 4-0 victory against Seattle Sounders FC 2, and that could give the side some confidence as it makes the trip to face an LAFC side that will be without some of its major stars due to World Cup duty. With LAFC Head Coach Bob Bradley having masterminded an Open Cup title 20 years ago in the Chicago Fire’s inaugural season, however, there will definitely be a strong side awaiting the Foxes as they look to make history and become the first visiting side to win at Banc of California Stadium in a competitive fixture.

Sacramento Republic FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC
Papa Murphy’s Park, 11 p.m. ET
A season after claiming its first Open Cup victory against MLS opposition in its history, Sacramento Republic FC will take aim at defeating the most successful club in the tournament over the past decade as it welcomes four-time champion Seattle Sounders FC to Papa Murphy’s Park. Sacramento has been up-and-down in its league form in recent weeks, alternating losses and wins over its past six games after its 1-0 victory against Orange County SC on Saturday night, but the side is 4-1-1 on home turf this season. Seattle, meanwhile, has gotten off to a tough start to its season with only two wins from its first 11 games of the MLS regular season, but the Sounders will want to try and raise their level for the Open Cup and avoid elimination against lower-division opposition, which last occurred against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2013.

CUPSET HISTORY: Sacramento had come close to defeating MLS opposition two seasons ago as it took the San Jose Earthquakes to a penalty shootout before falling in sudden death, but a year ago the side swept past Real Salt Lake in a 4-1 victory to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in club history before it fell to the LA Galaxy.

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