The Red Bulls insist they’ll take the U.S. Open Cup more seriously this time around than they did last year, and they’ll get a chance to put their money – or at least their lineup – where their mouth is next Tuesday. They begin this year’s tournament with a third-round matchup at the Charleston Battery.
They’ll travel to face the USL PRO side at Blackbaud Stadium at 7:30 p.m. And after essentially capitulating and fielding a third-choice side in last year’s U.S. Open Cup loss to Chicago – coach Hans Backe not even deigning to make the trip, drawing a protest from the South Ward upon their next home game – this time the club is publicly taking aim on winning the Cup.
“We will play the best Starting XI that we can in the Open Cup games,’’ said Backe. When asked if that was a case of taking the competition more seriously or simply a matter of trying to keep his starters sharp – with the FIFA window, they’ll host Chivas USA tomorrow and won’t another MLS game until June 17 at Chicago – Backe said it was the former.
“Taking it more serious. Now with the schedule as I said, we don’t have that much travel to the west coast, it helps a lot. Still, to be a little bit critical of U.S. soccer, if they want to take this cup serious you can’t play on FIFA dates.’’
The match-up was set after the Battery defeated PDL side Reading United AC, 2-1, at Blackbaud Stadium tonight in a second-round game. They Red Bulls have lost both of their previous U.S. Open Cup game at Charleston, 4-1 in the second-round on June 26, 2001 and 1-0 in the fourth-round three years later.
The Red Bulls have never won the U.S. Open Cup, or MLS Cup or Supporters Shield. They lost to Columbus in the 2008 MLS Cup, and fell to Chicago in their only appearance in the U.S. Open Cup final back in 2003.