The Charleston Battery will face the two-time MLS champion Houston Dynamo in the Quarterfinals of the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup; the game is set for Tuesday, July 7 at Blackbaud Stadium, Daniel Island ($10 - $18, gates 6:30 PM, kick off 7:30 PM).  The Battery advanced to the Quarterfinal round with a 3-1 win Tuesday night over Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA;

 

The league-leading Houston Dynamo defeated the Austin Aztex (USL1) 2-0 on Wednesday night to advance to the Quarterfinals.

 

Corey Ashe and Dominic Oduro supplied the goals for Houston as they defeated the Austin Aztex in their third round fixture.

 

Charleston is unbeaten at Blackbaud Stadium in 2009 with six wins and three ties. The Battery has also been solid defensively through the first three rounds of the U.S. Open Cup with six goals scored and just one conceded.

 

Charleston has played Houston in the U.S. Open Cup for the past two seasons and has advanced past the MLS outfit on both occasions.  In 2007 Stephen Armstrong scored an extra-time winner for the Battery and last year Charleston survived a penalty kick shoot-out (1-1 AET) to move on.

 

The Battery enjoyed a tremendous run in the Open Cup in 2008 making it to the championship game, but losing 2-1 to MLS’s DC United who claimed the title with goals from Luciano Emilio and Fred; Battery midfielder Ian Fuller scored Charleston’s goal.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation’s National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

At stake in the tournament is $180,000 in prize money broken down as follows: $100,000 to the champion, $50,000 to the runner up and $10,000 to the team that advances deepest into the tournament from each of the Division II, Division III and amateur levels. The winner of the U.S. Open Cup also receives an automatic entry into the CONCACAF Champions League.

U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal Tickets

Tickets for Tuesday evening’s match are on sale now starting at just $10. Season Ticket holders can purchase discounted tickets and Three Lions Club members receive complimentary tickets to all home U.S. Open Cup matches.  To purchase tickets, for directions or for more information please call (843) 971-GOAL (4625) or visit www.charlestonbattery.com.