2013 U.S. Open Cup final

Road to the final

The U.S. Open Cup is an annual American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of MLS. The 2013 tournament was the centennial edition of the oldest soccer tournament in the United States.

For the second consecutive season, all American-based MLS teams earned automatic qualification into the third round tournament proper. Previously, only eight teams from MLS could qualify for the tournament, six automatically based on the previous year's league results, and two more via a play-in tournament.

D.C. United

Prior to 2013, D.C. United had won the U.S. Open Cup 2 times, in 1996 and 2008. They had played in 4 finals of the competition, with the last appearance being in 2009 when they lost 2–1 to Seattle Sounders FC.

In the 2013 third round, they faced the Richmond Kickers of the USL PRO at City Stadium in Richmond, Virginia, on May 28, 2013. After a goalless draw after extra time, D.C. United won on penalties 4–2. In the fourth round, they played at home against the Philadelphia Union of MLS in Boyds, Maryland, on June 12, 2013. D.C. United won 3–1. Dwayne De Rosario scored 3 goals for United. The first came in the 24th minute of the first half, followed by goals in the 75th and 85th minutes. The only goal scored by Philadelphia was by Jack McInerney in the 76th minute.

In the quarterfinals, D.C. United played at home on June 26, 2013, against the New England Revolution. D.C. won 3–1 with goals from Chris Pontius, Dwayne De Rosario, and Lionard Pajoy in the 45th, 69th, and 87th minutes, respectively.

In the semifinals, D.C. United played on the road against the Chicago Fire on August 7, 2013, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The final score was 2–0 with goals from Dwayne De Rosario and Nick DeLeon, thus sealing United's place in the cup final.

Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake's best finish prior to the 2013 tournament was in 2011, when they reached the quarterfinals, losing 2–0 away to FC Dallas. On May 28, 2013, Real played in the third round at home versus the Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL at Rio Tinto Stadium. The result was a 3–2 win in overtime. In the fourth round, they played against the Charleston Battery of the USL PRO league on June 12, 2013. Real Salt Lake won 5–2 after extra time.

In the quarterfinals, Real played against the Carolina RailHawks of the NASL on June 26, 2013. Salt Lake won 3–0 with goals from Tony Beltran in the 35th minute, Chris Wingert in the 51st minute, and Álvaro Saborío in the 86th minute.

In the semifinals, Real played against the Portland Timbers of the MLS on August 7, 2013. The result was a 2–1 victory for Real with goals from Álvaro Saborío in the 7th minute and Joao Plata in the 78th minute. In the final minutes, Portland scored with a goal by Diego Valeri.

Pre-match

Venue Selection

The United States Soccer Federation conducted a coin flip on July 30, 2013, to determine the host of the tournament. The winner of the coin flip was the Portland Timbers/Real Salt Lake semifinal, meaning that whoever won that semifinal would host the final. As Salt Lake beat Portland 2–1 in that game, the final took place at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

Match

The match was televised live on GolTV.

Match details

Sandy, Utah

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Man of the Match: :Bill Hamid (D.C. United)

Statistics

;Overall

References

References

1. (October 1, 2013). "D.C. United Earns Third Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Championship with 1-0 Victory Against Real Salt Lake". U.S. Soccer.
2. Nelson, Mark. (March 28, 2011). "MLS 101: A primer on the 2011 tournament structure". Portland Timbers.
3. "After double overtime, the Black-and-Red win in PKs". D.C. United.
4. "Recap: D.C. United 3 - Philadelphia Union 1". D.C. United.
5. "United advances to the semifinal round of the 2013 US Open Cup". D.C. United.
6. "Recap: D.C. United 2, Chicago Fire 0". D.C. United.
7. (May 30, 2013). "2013 US Open Cup Third Round: Real Salt Lake forced to OT by Atlanta Silverbacks, but prevail 3-2". TheCup.us.
8. (June 13, 2013). "2013 US Open Cup Fourth Round: Real Salt Lake super subs spark rally, beat Charleston Battery 5-2". TheCup.us.
9. (June 27, 2013). "2013 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Real Salt Lake blanks league-focused Carolina RailHawks, reaches first final four". TheCup.us.
10. (August 8, 2013). "2013 US Open Cup Semifinals: Real Salt Lake tops Portland Timbers 2-1 for first trip to Final". TheCup.us.
11. "Real Salt Lake or Portland Timbers to Host 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final". U.S. Soccer.
12. Kirtland, Richard. (October 25, 2013). "Bill Hamid delivers title to underdog DC United, earns Player of the Round award". TheCup.us.
13. (October 2, 2013). "Stats - Real Salt Lake vs. D.C. United". MLSSoccer.com.