USL-1 Charleston Battery

Battery Set for Atlanta FC in First Round of Open Cup

June 7, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Charleston Battery News Release


Charleston, SC. The USL First Division Charleston Battery will begin its 2009 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup campaign with a home fixture this Tuesday, June 9 versus Atlanta FC (USASA); gates open at Blackbaud Stadium at 6:30 PM with kick off set for 7:30 PM ($5 - $10, (843) 971-GOAL (4625) / www.charlestonbattery.com).

Atlanta FC qualified for this year's tournament by finishing second in the Region III USASA championship; Atlanta FC is the first USASA team from Georgia to qualify for the Open Cup in the professional era.

The Battery enjoyed a tremendous run in the Open Cup in 2008 advancing to the championship game, but losing 2-1 to Major League Soccer's DC United.

United claimed the title with goals from Luciano Emilio and Fred; Battery midfielder Ian Fuller scored Charleston's goal.

The Battery defeated two MLS sides en route the 2008 final, the Houston Dynamo (3rd round) and FC Dallas (quarterfinal); the Battery ousted the Seattle Sounders in a penalty-kick shootout in the semifinal.

The winner of the Charleston Battery versus Atlanta FC fixture will play the winner of the Miami FC Blues (USL1) vs Lynch's FC (USASA) game on Tuesday, June 16, location TBD.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

At stake in the tournament is $180,000 in prize money broken down as follows: $100,000 to the champion, $50,000 to the runner up and $10,000 to the team that advances deepest into the tournament from each of the Division II, Division III and amateur levels. The winner of the U.S. Open Cup also receives an automatic berth into the CONCACAF Champions League.

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