The Philadelphia Union are taking on the Ocean City Nor’Easters in the third round of the US Open Cup. Last year the Union made it all the way to the Semi-finals before being bounced by Sporting Kansas City. The Union are currently having a strong season but are coming off their worse performance of the season in a 5-3 loss to Montreal. With the Union facing a lighter opposition tonight they should feel confident that they will walk away with a big W. The Open Cup is one of the most under appreciated tournaments in the world so I listed 10 reasons why you should pay attention to tonight’s game.
10. The College Connection: Ocean City is a developmental team and as a developmental team the roster is comprised of college students with a good portion of those college students coming form area schools. The team has players from Peen, U-Penn, Rutgers, La Salle, Villanova and Drexel. Other schools they get players from are big programs like Syracuse and Ohio State. This game creates the unique opportunity to see college players playing against pros in a competitive environment.
9. Cheap Tickets: Tickets are cheaper then normal for this game and if you are not interested in going the game is streamed live on www.philadelphiaunion.com at 7:30.
8. Other Players getting a shot: The Union will most likely be using a good amount of players who have not seen the pitch very often. Players like Roger Torres, Leo Fernandez, LaHoud, and others. This is a good opportunity for Hackworth to give players a shot. There are some spots up to compete for especially on the defense and in the midfield. If one player could step up and show something special then a player like Gaddis, or Daniel maybe out of the lineup.
7. We may see Roger Torres: I just mentioned that we may see other players and even mention Roger. Thus being said, Roger may play! The little Colombian was one of the Union’s top players, and brightest young studs. He went through some turmoil with his loan situation and then he hardly saw the field. Roger Torres has been nothing more then a ghost this season. His skills are still intact, we all saw in preseason when he looked like one of the better players. Many Union fans are really pulling to see him in action and on the pitch. If he does not play then we may have some issues with coach Hack.
6. Goals Goals Goals!: With the Union playing a PDL side there is an expectation that they will score many goals tonight. The Union could score four or more tonight realistically. It should be a good time and a highly entertaining one.
5. The History of the Lamar Hunt Open Cup: The Open Cup is in its 100th year and is one of the oldest competitions in the country. The Union are looking to contribute to the rich history of the competition and stamp their mark on it. It starts now with a win against the Nor’Easters. This cup is something special and is a great database of the progress of sports development. How the sport developed became organized and grew into the system it is today. How the open cup is also a tribute to Lamar Hunt who was one of the biggest reasons why the sport is as big as it is today. Lamar Hunt was an early investor in the game and one of MLS’ biggest investors. He built stadiums in Columbus and Dallas. If it was not for him this sport would still be played on football fields in some areas.
4. Potential Overtime and PK’s: If the Union do not take care of business and the game is tied by the end of 90 mins then the game will go into overtime with the potential to ET. It is a rare occurrence for a MLS team to go to extra time. But when it happens then it is a nerve racking affair. Something special always happens when a team goes into ET or PK’s.
3. Remembering the Steele: This game is dedicated to the remembrance of Bethlehem Steele who were the first team to win five open cups. Five open cups is a feat that only one other team was able to do. The Union will be wearing the new third kit which is dedicated to the Steele.
2. The last Home Game for a While: If you were looking to catch some live soccer in the coming weeks guess again the Union are on the road till the 23 of July. This long gap will be filled with a few friendlies against affiliate clubs and MLS games away. The Union will be on the road making this game ones the fans should turn out too.
1. Its a Union game: If you are a fan you will not want to miss this game. Anytime your team is in an elimination type of situation it is hard to miss. The Union are playing an attractive brand of soccer for the most part this season and why would anyone want to miss?
[Photo: Paul Rudderow/PhillySoccerPage.net]Follow along on Twitter @TotalSportsLive
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