2014 U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals Preview

The 2014 U.S. Open Cup will continue on July 8-9 with the Quarterfinals. Of the 8 teams remaining, 6 are from the MLS while 2 are from the NASL and have pulled off upsets in their last match.

Philadelphia Union vs New England Revolution

The Union and Revolution will meet in Chester, Pennsylvania at PPL Park in this Quarterfinals matchup. Philadelphia will be the home team in the only matchup on July 8. The Union beat the New York Cosmos in Extra Time, 2-1, to secure their spot in the Quarterfinals. They also needed Extra Time to defeat the Harrisburg City Islanders in the 4th Round in that 3-1 decision. Philadelphia is 3-1-1 in their last 5 games but two of those wins were those Extra Time wins. They lost their last game on the road against Dallas on the 4th of July while drawing against Vancouver at home on June 7th.

The Revolution have struggled in their last 5 games. Their only two wins are their 4th and 5th Round wins against the Richmond Kickers and Rochester respectively. They lost their last two games against Real Salt Lake on the road on the 4th of July and against Philadelphia on June 28th.

That last meeting saw New England lose at home 3-1 . New England has won 3 of the last 5 meetings (May 17th, 2013 twice), but have only won once in the last 5 road games against Philadelphia (last game on May 17th). Early odds indicate a Philadelphia win but this game should be close.

Atlanta Silverbacks vs Chicago Fire

The second quarterfinal will take place on July 9th at 7:30 PM EST at Atlanta Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The Silverbacks, one of two NASL teams remaining, upset the Colorado Rapids in a wild 2-1 win. Atlanta won the Red Card battle as they received a whopping 3 Red Cards in a span of 3′. In a thrilling 62′ spat, Colorado also received a Red Card to go with Atlanta’s two in that minute. The man to score two goals for Atlanta also got sent off. Jaime Chavez is now tied for second among the top scorers with 3 goals. Atlanta is 3-1-1 in their last 5, including a 2-game winning streak, upsetting Real Salt Lake as well in the 4th Round.

Chicago is coming off a 2-game draw streak against Sporting Kansas City on July 6th as well as drawing at home against Toronto on July 2nd. Their last win was in the 5th Round of this competition when they beat the Columbus Crew in Extra Time, 4-2. Quincey Amarikwa and Juan Luis Anangono netted the goals in ET. Chicago is 2-2-1 in their last 5 but 1-3-1 in their last 5 road games.

The two teams have never met.

Carolina RailHawks vs FC Dallas

This matchup will also start at 7:30 PM EST. The game is set to take place at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

Carolina is coming off of 3 straight wins, 2 of them upsets over MLS teams in the 4th and 5th Round. They defeated Chivas in PKs on June 14th and the LA Galaxy on June 24th in ET. Carolina won their most recent game on July 6th in a Club Friendly with the Mexican club Puebla. Carolina is 4-0-1 in their last 5 while going 5-0 in their last 5 home games. Daniel Jackson scored the lone goal in their 5th Round matchup in the 105′ to secure their spot in the Quarterfinals.

Dallas is coming off a win against Philadelphia in their most recent game on the 4th of July. Dallas’ 5th Round matchup saw them defeat the Houston Dynamo in Extra Time, 3-2. Tesho Akindele scored the game-winning goal with his 99′ effort. Dallas is 3-2-0 in their last 5 games but are 1-3-1 in their last 5 road games.

The two teams have never played head-to-head.

Seattle Sounders FC vs Portland Timbers

The Sounders and Timbers will meet at 10:30 PM EST. The Sounders will have a home game at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.

The Sounders booked their ticket to the Quarterfinals after defeating the San Jose Earthquakes in a penalty shootout 4-1. Seattle is 4-0-1 in their last 5 games overall including their win over San Jose and their 4th Round win over PSA Elite. Their only loss came last game against Vancouver on July 5th. Seattle has won their last 5 home games and they are heavily favored by the bookies to win this game. Kenny Cooper

The Timbers defeated Sporting Kansas City on the road in a decisive 3-1 victory to secure their spot in the Quarterfinals. Gaston Fernandez added 2 more goals to his Cup total and is currently tied for the lead with 4. He just needs one more to take the lead as Blake Smith of Indy Eleven finished his tournament with 4 goals as well. Portland is currently 2-2-1 in their last 5 games but have been playing very well on the road (4-1-0). They drew against Los Angeles on the Fourth of July in a wild 2-2 game that ended in disappointment for the Timbers as they let in a very late equalizing goal.

Portland is 3-2-0 in their last 5 head-to-head meetings, with the last two meetings ending in draws (2/8, 4/5). In the last 5 games with Seattle as the home team, Portland still has the upper hand with a 2-2-1 record. Their only loss came in 2013 and the last meeting was the draw on February 8th.

Stay tuned to The American Pitch for recaps on the 4 games.