2008 U.S. Open Cup final
2008 final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final was played on September 3, 2008, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. The match determined the winner of the 2008 U.S. Open Cup, a tournament open to amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation. This was the 95th edition of the oldest ongoing competition in United States soccer. The match was won by D.C. United, who defeated Charleston Battery 2–1. Ian Fuller scored Charleston's only goal. Luciano Emilio and Fred scored D.C.'s two goals as the club won their second U.S. Open Cup title.
Event | 2008 U.S. Open Cup | ||||||
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Date | September 3, 2008 | ||||||
Venue | RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. | ||||||
Referee | Alex Prus | ||||||
Attendance | 8,212 | ||||||
Weather | Clear, 87 °F (31 °C) | ||||||
← 2007 2009 → |
Charleston Battery entered the tournament as only the second club in the second pro era to make the final as a minor league team, a feat that would not happen again until 2022. D.C. United previously had won the 1996 edition of the tournament and made it to the 1997 finals, where they lost to Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas).
D.C. United entered the tournament as the competition's defending champions. They had previously won the tournament in 1996 as well. Both Sounders FC and D.C. United had to play through two qualification rounds for MLS teams before entering the official tournament. Prior to the final, there was a public dispute between the owners of the two clubs regarding the selection of D.C. United to host it at their home field, RFK Stadium.
D.C. United qualified automatically for the third round proper of the U.S. Open Cup tournament by finishing amongst the top six in the 2009 Major League Soccer season standings. While United entered in the third round, Charleston Battery, as a USL First Division club, had to start their U.S. Open Cup campaign in the first round proper. To reach the final, United had to win three games, while the Battery had to win five games. D.C. United won the bidding process to host the final.
As the tournament champions, United earned a berth in the preliminary round of the 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League, as well as a $100,000 cash prize. The Battery received $50,000 as the runner-up.