WASHINGTON, May 23, 2012 – In America’s oldest soccer event, D.C. United will travel south to Richmond to face the USL PRO’s Richmond Kickers in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The Kickers earned their chance to play the high-flying MLS club with a 4-0 win over Washington D.C.-area amateur side Aegean Hawks FC last night. The Kickers will host United at Richmond City Stadium on Tuesday, May 29, with the kickoff at 7 p.m.
If United beat the Kickers, the club will host the winner of Philadelphia Union vs. Rochester Rhinos – who also play Tuesday evening – at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md. That game will likley take place on either Tuesday, June 5 or Wednesday, June 6.
The U.S. Open Cup has ran for 98 consecutive years beginning in 1914 and United has won the event twice, in 1996 and in 2008.
DC and Richmond have met four times before in the Open Cup.
In 2001, United downed Richmond on two goals from Abdul Thompson Conteh in a 2-1 quarterfinal win at RFK Stadium. In 2004, United lost in Richmond 2-1. The following year, goals from Christian Gomez and Freddy Adu helped top Richmond 3-1, and in 2010, Jaime Moreno and Santino Quaranta got the goals to beat Richmond 2-0.
D.C. United midfielder – and reigning League MVP – Dwayne De Rosario started his career in Richmond in 1999 when he was 21. In 2000, he notched 16 goals and six assists, leading the Kickers to a 20-7-1 record. The following year, he joined the San Jose Earthquakes.
Open to amateur and professional teams, this year’s event included 64-teams.
* For over 20 years John Haydon wrote a weekly soccer column for The Washington Times. He has covered two World Cups and written about Major League Soccer from the league’s inception in 1996.
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