2008 U.S. Open Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States | 
| Final positions | |
| Champions | D.C. United (2nd title)  | 
| Runners-up | Charleston Battery | 
| 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League | D.C. United | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Sébastien Le Toux (5 goals)  | 
The 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 95th edition of the USSF's annual national soccer championship, running from June through early September.
D.C. United won the final 2–1 over the Charleston Battery on September 3 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., on a pair of goals from Brazilians Luciano Emilio and Fred. It was United's second Open Cup title.
The Battery were the first USL club in the final since the Rochester Rhinos won the cup in 1999.
The Cup schedule was shortened in 2008, ending in September instead of October, so as to avoid interfering with Major League Soccer's end-of-season playoff drive in the fall and the new CONCACAF Champions League.[1]
The 13 US-based MLS clubs participated, although only 8 competed in the main tournament (Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls). Qualifying was similar to the 2007 tournament, with the top 3 teams from each conference in 2007 qualifying automatically, and the other 7 playing off during the early part of the 2008 season for the remaining 2 spots.
United Soccer Leagues had a separate qualifying plan for each tier. The 8 US-based USL-1 teams qualified automatically (Puerto Rico has its own federation, thus the Puerto Rico Islanders are not eligible to participate in the Open Cup). 8 of the 9 US-based USL-2 teams qualified. The defending USL-2 playoff champions, the Harrisburg City Islanders, and the 2007 regular-season champion Richmond Kickers qualified automatically. The remaining 7 teams played off for 6 spots, based on early regular season results. The PDL used selected early regular-season games for qualification. The top two teams in the Eastern and Central conferences, and the top teams in the Mid-South, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest divisions qualified.
The tournament was rounded out by 8 amateur USASA clubs (Adria, Arizona Sahuaros, Boston Olympiakos, Clearwater Galactics, Eagles, Hollywood United, New Stars, New York Pancyprian-Freedoms). USASA qualifying began in the fall of 2007. Clubs from the NPSL enter the Cup through USASA qualifying.
Matchdays
| Date | Round | Notes | 
|---|---|---|
| June 10 | First | 32 USL and USASA clubs enter | 
| June 24 | Second | |
| July 1 | Third | 8 MLS clubs enter | 
| July 8 | Quarterfinals | |
| Aug. 12 | Semifinals | |
| September 3 | Final | 
Participating teams
The tournament consists of 40 teams, according to the following distribution:
 
| Classification | Number of Teams | 
|---|---|
| Major League Soccer | 8 | 
| United Soccer Leagues First Division | 8 | 
| United Soccer Leagues Second Division | 8 | 
| Amateur | 16* | 
*Includes 8 USL Premier Development League teams and 8 USASA regional qualifiers
Qualified Clubs
Tier 1: Major League Soccer (MLS)
- Chicago Fire
 - Chivas USA
 - D.C. United
 - FC Dallas
 - Houston Dynamo
 - Kansas City Wizards
 - New England Revolution
 - New York Red Bulls
 
Tiers 2 – 4: United Soccer Leagues (USL)
 
  |   
  |   
 
 
  | 
Tier 5: United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA)
- RWB Adria
 - Arizona Sahuaros
 - Boston Olympiakos
 - Clearwater Galactics
 - A.A.C. Eagles
 - Hollywood United
 - New Stars
 - New York Pancyprian-Freedoms
 
Open Cup bracket
Second Round winners advance to play one of 8 MLS clubs in 16-team knockout tournament
 Home teams listed on top of bracket 
| First round June 10  | Second round June 24  | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 2 | ||||||||
| USASA | 0 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 2 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 3 | ||||||||
| PDL | 0 | ||||||||
| First round June 10  | Second round June 24  | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 5 | ||||||||
| PDL | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 2 (1) | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 2 (3) | ||||||||
| PDL | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 2 | ||||||||
| First round June 10  | Second round June 24  | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 2 | ||||||||
| USASA | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 3 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 0 | ||||||||
| USASA | 0 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 4 | ||||||||
| First round June 10  | Second round June 24  | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 4 | ||||||||
| PDL | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 0 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 2 | ||||||||
| PDL | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 2 | ||||||||
| First round June 10  | Second round June 24  | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 4 | ||||||||
| PDL | 2 | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 0 | ||||||||
| PDL | 2 (4) | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 2 (5) | ||||||||
| First round June 10  | Second round June 24  | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 3 | ||||||||
| USASA | 0 | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 2 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 5 | ||||||||
| USASA | 2 | ||||||||
| First round June 10  | Second round June 24  | ||||||||
| USASA | 0 | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 6 | ||||||||
| USASA | 0 | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 2 | ||||||||
| USASA | 3 | ||||||||
| First round June 10/13  | Second round June 24  | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 1 | ||||||||
| PDL | 0 | ||||||||
| USL-1 | 1 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 0 | ||||||||
| USL-2 | 3 | ||||||||
| USASA | 2 | ||||||||
| Third round July 1  | Quarterfinals July 8  | Semifinals August 12  | Final September 3  | ||||||||||||||||
| MLS | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLS | D.C. United (aet) | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | Chicago Fire | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| USL-2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLS | D.C. United | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | New England Revolution | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| USL-2 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLS | New England Revolution (p) | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| USL-2 | Crystal Palace Baltimore | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| USL-2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLS | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLS | D.C. United | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | Charleston Battery | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLS | FC Dallas | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | Charleston Battery | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | 1 (4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLS | 1 (3) | ||||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | Charleston Battery (p) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | Seattle Sounders | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLS | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | Seattle Sounders (p) | 0 (6) | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | Kansas City Wizards | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| USL-1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLS | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
Schedule
Note: Scorelines use the standard U.S. convention of placing the home team on the right-hand side of box scores.
First round
| June 10, 2008 |   | 2–5 |   | Charlotte, North Carolina | 
| 7:00 ET | Cormona  Diaz Garcia Restrepo  |  Report (Charlotte) Report (USL)  |  Ssejjemba  Swinehart Herrara  |  Stadium: Charlotte Christian School Referee: Daniel Burak  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 1–5 |   | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | 
| 7:00 ET | Valencia  Rojas  |  Report (Yakima) Report (Harrisburg)  |  Schofield  Hacker Wiesner Barbosa Bloes  |  Stadium: Skyline Sports Complex Referee: Stanford Nagle  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 0–1 |   | Cary, North Carolina | 
| 7:30 ET | Smith  Niebles  |  Report (Carolina) Report (USL)  |  Low  |  Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: Abbas Piran  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 0–2 |   | Ludlow, Massachusetts | 
| 7:30 ET | Walker  |  Report (Western Mass) | Neil Krause  Augustine Deren  |  Stadium: Lusitano Stadium Referee: Giany Barbat  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 4–0 |   | Lisle, Illinois | 
| 7:30 ET | Salsi  Browne Jerome MacKenzie  |  Report (Pittsburgh) | Stadium: Benedictine University Referee: Victor Herrera  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 2–1 |   | Pontiac, Michigan | 
| 7:30 ET | Franks  Hlavaty  |  Report (Michigan) Report (USL)  |  Shipalane  |  Stadium: Ultimate Soccer Arena Referee: Mike Sharrah  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 1–2 |   | Rochester, New York | 
| 7:30 ET | Mesanovic  Dugena Morad  |  Report (Rochester) Report (USL)  |  Menyongar  Fitzpatrick Diallo  |  Stadium: PAETEC Park Attendance: 1,152 Referee: Chris Penso  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 0–3 |   | Charleston, South Carolina | 
| 7:30 ET | Report (Charleston) Report (USL)  |  Spicer  Alonso  |  Stadium: Blackbaud Stadium Referee: Alan Schechtman  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 0–3 |   | Richmond, Virginia | 
| 8:00 ET | Bownes  |  Report (Fredericksburg) Report (Richmond) Report (USL)  |  Paschalis  Nyazamba Bulow  |  Stadium: Sports Backers Stadium Attendance: 592 Referee: Shaun Papperman  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 1–4 |   | Blaine, Minnesota | 
| 8:00 ET | Gelvin  Merrick Heinemann  |  Report (Minnesota) | Tarley  Sánchez Paye  |  Stadium: National Sports Center Attendance: 483 Referee: Fotis Bazakos  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 2–4 |   | Miami, Florida | 
| 8:00 ET | Boggs  Ampaipitakwong Ibegha Gutierrez McFarland  |  Report (USL) | Cameron  Cauê John Nunes Afonso Cristiano  |  Stadium: Tropical Park Stadium Referee: Reggie Rutty  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 2 – 2 (aet) (5–4 p)  |   | Round Rock, Texas | 
| 8:30 ET | Bolton  Bobo Kandji Mahaffey Hayes  |  Report (Austin) Report (USL)  |  Lewis  Watson Guadarrama Vega Gallardo Vicens  |  Stadium: Dragon Stadium Referee: Andrew Gage  | 
| Penalties | ||||
| Bolton  Camp Kandji McLaughlin Hayes  |  ||||
| June 10, 2008 |   | 3–2 |   | Portland, Oregon | 
| 10:00 ET | Dunseth  Taylor Droze Alexander  |  Report (Portland) Report (USL)  |  Brown  Little Oka Thompson Guante  |  Stadium: PGE Park Attendance: 3,089 Referee: Andres Pfefferkorn  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 1 – 0 (aet) |   | Phoenix, Arizona | 
| 10:30 ET | Treschuk  |  Report (Seattle) Report (Arizona) Report (USL)  |  Sumter  |  Stadium: Grand Canyon University Attendance: 3,559 Referee: Richard Heron  | 
| June 10, 2008 |   | 2–1 |   | Azusa, California | 
| 10:30 ET | Healey  |  Report (Los Angeles) Report (USL)  |  Pacheco  Schunk Gallaugher  |  Stadium: Cougar Stadium Referee: Miguel Chicas  | 
| June 13, 2008 |   | 2 – 3 (aet) |   | Boyds, Maryland | 
| 8:00 ET | Dos Santos  Damiani Halkidis Reeves  |  Report (USL) | Hassen  Bissohong Perez Chantal  |  Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Referee: Bryan Roslund  | 
Second round
| June 24, 2008 |   | 2 – 0 (aet) |   | Blaine, Minnesota | 
| 7:00 ET | Williams  Franks Stovall  |  Report (Cleveland) Report (Minnesota)  |  Gibson  Kallman Platter  |  Stadium: National Sports Center Referee: Jorge Oconitrillo  | 
| June 24, 2008 |   | 2 – 2 (aet) (3–1 p)  |   | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | 
| 7:05 ET | King  Brooks Medd (coach) Mark Robson Harkin Mbuta  |  Report (Harrisburg) | Calvano  Marples Ombiji Pope Hoshide  |  Stadium: Skyline Sports Complex Attendance: 1,100+ Referee: Tim Snyder  | 
| Penalties | ||||
| Lookingland  Kante Lewis Healey Teixeira  |  ||||
| June 24, 2008 |   | 2–1 |   | Ludlow, Massachusetts | 
| 7:30 ET | Nyazamba  Jones Bennett Harding Viray  |  Report (Richmond) Report (Western Mass)  |  Petrarca  Glaeser Deren Lima Molinari Augustine  |  Stadium: Lusitano Stadium Referee: Niko Bratsis  | 
| June 24, 2008 |   | 0–1 |   | Cary, North Carolina | 
| 7:30 ET | Basso  Ramirez  |  Report (Carolina) | Segovia  Low  |  Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: Mark Kadlecik  | 
| June 24, 2008 |   | 0–3 |   | Rochester, New York | 
| 7:30 ET | Report (Pittsburgh) Report (Rochester)  |  Menyongar  Roberto Salles Charles Guppy Kreamalmeyer Vallow  |  Stadium: PAETEC Park Attendance: 3,526 Referee: Jeffrey Mellen  | 
| June 24, 2008 |   | 1–2 |   | Charleston, South Carolina | 
| 7:30 ET | Bryant  Herrara Swinehart  |  Report (Charlotte) Report (Charleston)  |  Spicer  Alonso  |  Stadium: Blackbaud Stadium Referee: Skye Arthur-Banning  | 
| June 24, 2008 |   | 0–1 |   | Miami, Florida | 
| 8:00 ET | Buete  |  Report (Atlanta) Report (Miami)  |  Afonso  Saunders Inacio Ramirez Cameron  |  Stadium: Tropical Park Stadium Referee: Roni Canales  | 
| June 24, 2008 |   | 0–6 |   | Tukwila, Washington | 
| 11:00 ET | Barragan  Pinto Dunseth  |  Report (Seattle) | Scott  Gardner Le Toux Treschuk Besagno  |  Stadium: Starfire Sports Complex Referee: Kevin O'Daniel  | 
Third round
| July 1, 2008 |   | 0–3 |   | New Britain, Connecticut | 
| 7:00 ET | Report (Richmond) Report (New England)  |  Brill  Germanese Twellman  |  Stadium: Veteran's Stadium Attendance: 3,950 Referee: Tony Russo (Georgia)  | 
| July 1, 2008 |   | 1 – 1 (aet) (3–4 p)  |   | Charleston, South Carolina | 
| 7:30 ET | S. Wondolowski  |  Report (Houston) Report (Charleston)  |  Reda  |  Stadium: Blackbaud Stadium Attendance: 3,103 Referee: Joe Caroccio (Florida)  | 
| Penalties | ||||
| Holden  C. Wondolowski Cameron Hayden Caraccio  |  ||||
| July 1, 2008 |   | 0–2 |   | Annapolis, Maryland | 
| 7:30 ET | Magee  |  Report (New York) Report (Baltimore)  |  Marshall  Mark Harkin Brooks Kante Mbuta  |  Stadium: Lawrence E. Knight Stadium Attendance: 1,654 Referee: Andrew Chapin (Virginia)  | 
| July 1, 2008 |   | 4 – 2 (aet) |   | Cary, North Carolina | 
| 7:30 ET | Trujillo  López Morsink López Pore  |  Report (Kansas City) Report (Carolina)  |  Fusilier  Watson Solle Dombrowski  |  Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 3,116 Referee: Niko Bratsis (Massachusetts)  | 
| July 1, 2008 |   | 0–2 |   | Boyds, Maryland | 
| 7:30 ET | Bonseu  Fitzpatrick Salles  |  Report (Rochester) Report (D.C.)  |  Burch  |  Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 2,752 Referee: Mark Kadlecik (North Carolina)  | 
| July 1, 2008 |   | 1–4 |   | Bridgeview, Illinois | 
| 8:30 ET | McClung  Stewart  |  Report | Banner  Carr Barrett Mármol  |  Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 6,678 Referee: Hidajet Tica (Iowa)  | 
| July 1, 2008 |   | 1–2 |   | Frisco, Texas | 
| 8:30 ET | Afonso  Nunes de Mata  |  Report (Miami) Report (Dallas)  |  Thompson  Moor  |  Stadium: Pizza Hut Park Attendance: 6,559 Referee: Jasen Anno (Texas)  | 
| July 1, 2008 |   | 0–2 |   | Tukwila, Washington | 
| 10:00 ET | Kljestan  |  Report (Chivas) Report (Seattle)  |  Graham  Schmid Le Toux O'Brien  |  Stadium: Starfire Sports Complex Attendance: 2,997 Referee: Yader Reyes (California)  | 
Quarterfinals
| July 8, 2008 |   | 1 – 1 (aet) (3–5 p)  |   | New Britain, Connecticut | 
| 7:00 ET | Lader  Teixeira Harkin Flores  |  Report (Baltimore) Report (New England)  |  Mansally  Igwe Hilgenbrinck  |  Stadium: Veteran's Stadium Attendance: 2,590 Referee: Hilario Grajeda (Ohio)  | 
| Penalties | ||||
| Harada  Harkin Mbuta Teixeira  |  ||||
| July 8, 2008 |   | 1 – 2 (aet) |   | Boyds, Maryland | 
| 7:30 ET | Woolard  Soumaré Pause Thorrington Blanco  |  Report (Chicago) Report (D.C.)  |  Doe  Moreno Namoff Fred Burch  |  Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 4,118 Referee: Shane Moody (Florida)  | 
| July 8, 2008 |   | 3–1 |   | Frisco, Texas | 
| 8:30 ET | Alavanja  Fuller King Patterson  |  Report (Charleston) Report (Dallas)  |  Cooper  |  Stadium: Pizza Hut Park Attendance: 5,911 Referee: Doug Wolff (Missouri)  | 
| July 8, 2008 |   | 0 – 0 (aet) (5–6 p)  |   | Seattle, Washington | 
| 10:00 ET | Report (Seattle) | Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 4,674 Referee: Jeremy Vehar (New Mexico)  | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| Pore  Conrad McMahen Espinoza Zavagnin Harrington Wahl  |  ||||
Semifinals
| August 12, 2008 |   | 1–3 |   | Washington, D.C. | 
| 7:30 ET | Germanese  Iqwe Thompson  |  Report (New England) Report (D.C.)  |  Emilio  Quaranta  |  Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 6,797 Referee: Jorge Gonzalez (New York)  | 
| August 12, 2008 |   | 1–1 (3–4 p)  |   | Charleston, South Carolina | 
| 7:30 ET | Alonso  Scott Graham Forrest  |  Report (Seattle) | Patterson  Fuller  |  Stadium: Blackbaud Stadium Attendance: 3,798 Referee: Oscar Ortiz (Florida)  | 
| Penalties | ||||
| Jackson  Le Toux Sakuda C. O'Brien Forrest  |  ||||
Final
| 1–2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fuller  Nylen Alonso  |  Report (D.C.) Report (Charleston)  |  Emilio  Martínez Simms Fred  |  
Charleston Battery   |  D.C. United   | 
| Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 2008 Champion  | 
|---|
   | 
| D.C. United 2nd title  | 
Top scorers
| Position | Player | Club | Goals | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sébastien Le Toux | Seattle Sounders | 5 | 
| 2 | Darren Spicer | Charleston Battery | 4 | 
| Alex Afonso | Miami FC | 4 | |
| 4 | Emilio | D.C. United | 3 | 
External links
References
- ^ Celebrating Presidents' Day – Soccer Insider Archived 2012-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
 
