City Islanders Travel to Chattanooga for U.S. Open Cup Third Round
May 31, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
Harrisburg, PA - City Islanders will travel to Tennessee and be hosted by NPSL-side Chattanooga FC in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday June 1, 2016 at Finley Stadium.
This will be the first time the clubs face off in Open Cup history. Both teams have participated in Open Cup play in the past and are no rookies to the century-old tournament.
This year, Chattanooga FC was the only NPSL team to earn a bye in the first round, but fought for their second round victory against Reading United FC at Chattanooga's Finley Stadium. The match went into double overtime with neither team being able to find their opponents goal. After a 4-1 win in penalty kicks, Chattanooga advanced to the next round.
Since their their formation in 2009, Chattanooga FC has won the NPSL Southeast Division each of the last four years and five times total. Chattanooga is 4-4 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup. In 2014, they made history, becoming the first NPSL team to defeat a pro side after a 3-1 win over the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL. In 2015, they beat Wilmington again in the tournament.
To kickoff the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, City faced West Chester United in the second round and finished with a 2-0 win. The USL club opened up the scoring early in the game with the team's captain Bobby Warshaw earning his first goal of the 2016 season. Rookie Matthew Bolduc followed suit gaining his first goal and the team's last point mid-way through the match.
The City Islanders are 17-9 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup over the past ten years. Their notable successes in the tournament has established them a reputation as giant killers, defeating MLS opposition on five occasions including D.C. United in their first appearance in 2007 and most recently when they battled their way to the quarterfinals in 2009 and again in 2010 upsetting the New York Red Bulls 1-0 in overtime.
In 2012, the Islanders made waves when they erased a 3-0 deficit in the second extra time period, forcing penalty kicks to upset the New England Revolution. Despite failing to advance beyond the quarterfinals in Open Cup history the club received praise for advancing further than any other USL team in the tournament in 2010 and 2012.
The winner of this match up will go on to face the Philadelphia Union of the MLS on Wednesday, June 15, 2016.
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