Storm standout leads USL-1's Charleston Battery vs. MLS's D.C. United on Wednesday
September 2, 2008 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. - The Chicago Storm's Stephen Armstrong takes the national stage when he competes Wednesday night in the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship. Armstrong and the United Soccer Leagues First Division's Charleston Battery travel to Washington, D.C., to square off against Major League Soccer's D.C. United for a 6:30 p.m. (CST) match at RFK Stadium. The match is televised on Fox Soccer Channel.
Charleston is heading to its first U.S. Open Cup final and is the first USL-1 squad since the Rochester Raging Rhinos in 1999 to advance to the Cup's championship match.
"It's great for all the players, the staff, ownership and the fans," Armstrong said. "The club's been to the semifinals twice before, so to get to the finals is a pretty awesome accomplishment. And to represent the league, as well - it's been a long time, nine years, for a USL team to get to the final."
Armstrong completed his second season with the Storm in 2007-08, and the organization recently announced it is officially joining the Xtreme Soccer League on Sept. 16.
On Wednesday, Armstrong faces a D.C. United club that chose him in the second round (13th overall) of the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. Armstrong played in 15 games for D.C. in 2001, scoring three goals. Rockford, Ill., native and D.C. United defender Bryan Namoff was a former roommate of Armstrong's. Armstrong later was traded to the MLS's Kansas City Wizards.
"I expect it to be tough," Armstrong said of Wednesday's final against D.C. United. "I like the way they play, and they have a very experienced squad."
The path to the final has been an electrifying one for the Battery. Charleston defeated the defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo on penalty kicks and beat the MLS's FC Dallas, 3-1, in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Charleston topped the USL-1's Seattle Sounders for its second tournament victory decided by PKs. Against Seattle, Armstrong contributed the first critical PK as Charleston edged Seattle, 4-3, after a 1-1 draw through regulation.
"We've done quite well on PKs, just keeping in the moment," Armstrong said. "Our goalie (Dusty Hudock) has been in really good form on PKs, so we knew we had a decent chance. I just shut everything out, put my head down and aimed for the back of the net. There weren't any nerves, but there was some excitement after the fact."
The U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship, is an annual event that is open to all professional and amateur soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar hunt.
The Chicago Storm enter the 2008-2009 season in the Xtreme Soccer League. Storm offices are located at 5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy., in Hoffman Estates. For more information on all aspects of Storm soccer, including season tickets, group outings, birthday parties and more, call 1-866-STORM-81, or visit www.ChicagoStorm.net.
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