Kickers Begin Quest For 2002 U.S. Open Cup
June 25, 2002 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release
RICHMOND, VA - (Tuesday, June 25, 2002) - The Richmond Kickers (6-2-4, 30 points) will open their pursuit of the 2002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup when they take on the Premier Development Leagues' Raleigh CASL Elite on Wednesday, June 26th. The game will take place at SAS Stadium in Cary, NC. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm.
The 89-year-old tournament started with seven D3 Pro League teams and nine amateur squads in the First Round (June 9th-12th). The winners face eight A-League qualifiers from the United Soccer Leagues in the Second Round on June 26th. Eight MLS teams qualified for the tournament and they will begin their quest for the cup in the third round.
The winner of the Kickers/CASL Elite match will travel to Ohio to take on the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. That âRound of 16' game will take place on July 17th. Dating back to 1914, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in United States soccer and is among the oldest in the world. Open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams in the United States, it is the domestic cup competition that gives any affiliated team in the United States (amateur or pro) a chance at winning the title of "United States Club Champions". For more information on the U.S. Open Cup as well as the full bracket of 32 teams, go to U.S. Soccer's web site at www.ussoccer.com.
Kickers' Open Cup History
The Richmond Kickers involvement in the United States Open Cup started in 1995. That year the Kickers not only competed in the tournament but also went on to capture the title, defeating the Maryland Spartans (6-1), the Atlanta Ruckus (2-1), the Chicago Stingers (4-3), and the El Paso Patriots (2-1) along the way. Since the development of Major League Soccer in 1996, MLS teams have captured the Open Cup title every year except in 1999. That year the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the A-League went on to defeat four MLS teams including the Colorado Rapids (2-0) in the championship to become "US Club Champions".
The Kickers have qualified three times since then (1997, 2000, 2001). In 1997 the Kickers first defeated the Philadelphia Freedom by a 6-1 margin, but then went on to lose 3-0 to the NY/NJ Metrostars (MLS) in the third round. In 2000, the Kickers shocked much of America by defeating the Colorado Rapids (MLS) 3-0 in the second round. Three goals in a 12-minute span surprised the visiting Rapids as Dwayne DeRosario, Keith Donohue, and Tony Williams all scored to help propel the Kickers into the third round. The Kickers hopes were soon shattered when the San Jose Earthquakes defeated Richmond 2-0 in a closely contested match in the third round.
Last year the Kickers defeated the Reading Rage (D3) 7-2 in the second round and the Connecticut Wolves (A-League) 2-1 in the third round to advance to the quarterfinals. There they met their match in a determined DC United squad that rode Abdul Conteh Thompson's two goals to a 2-1 victory.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 25, 2002
- Battery Begins Cup Quest - Charleston Battery
- Kickers Begin Quest For 2002 U.S. Open Cup - Richmond Kickers
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