06/23/2011 4:25 PM - The Rochester Rhinos will face the Chicago Fire on Tuesday, June 28 at 7:35 p.m. at Sahlen’s Stadium in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. Rochester advanced to the third round on June 21 with a dramatic 1-0 victory over the Harrisburg City Islanders. Chicago, like the other seven Major League Soccer teams in the tournament, joins the competition after receiving byes in the first two rounds of play.
Chicago features Guatemalan star midfielder Marco Pappa, who just led his team to a quarterfinal berth in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Fire’s roster also includes defender Cory Gibbs, who has 19 caps with the U.S. National Team, Ghanaian forward Dominic Oduro and Uruguayan forward Diego Chávez. Pappa, Chavez and Oduro lead the team with four goals apiece in MLS play.
The Rhinos are led by forward Andrew Hoxie, who has three goals and one assist in league play. Forward Tony Donatelli has two goals and an assist in league play and scored the game-winning penalty kick in Tuesday’s 1-0 Open Cup win over Harrisburg.
Rochester and Chicago both have rich traditions in the U.S. Open Cup. Each team has qualified for the country’s oldest competition since the clubs’ respective inceptions – Rochester in 1996 and Chicago in 1998.
The Rhinos are still the only non-MLS team to win the U.S. Open Cup since MLS’ beginning in 1996. Rochester triumphantly won the competition in 1999, defeating four MLS teams en route to victory.
Rochester’s run to the 1999 U.S. Open Cup title included a 1-0 victory over Chicago at Frontier Field in the third round of the competition. The two teams met again in the 2005 U.S. Open Cup, with Chicago defeating Rochester 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the quarterfinal stage.
Meanwhile, Chicago is 26-9-2 all-time in U.S. Open Cup history and has won the competition four times. Only four other teams have that many titles in the U.S. Open Cup, which began in 1914. Tuesday marks the third-ever U.S. Open Cup meeting between the teams.
Tickets are on sale now and start at $10. Fans purchasing full-price tickets to Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match can get tickets to Saturday’s USL PRO game against Dayton for just $5. Season ticket holders can use Wild Card B for this match. Tickets can be purchased by calling 585-454-KICK (5425) or by going to www.rhinossoccer.com.
The Rhinos are unbeaten at home this year. Defend Rochester: http://youtu.be/sRSPlER5bos
