The 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final was the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the oldest ongoing competition in American soccer. The match featured

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

(MLS) teams D.C. United and Real Salt Lake. It was played on October 1, 2013, at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, a southern suburb of Salt Lake City. It was the first Open Cup final to be held in the state of Utah. The final score was D.C. United 1, Real Salt Lake 0. This was D.C. United's third title. It was the first final since 2008 not to feature the Seattle Sounders. It was Salt Lake's first trip to the Open Cup final, and marked their first time in a final of any competition since the

2011 CONCACAF Champions League Finals The 2011 CONCACAF Champions League Final was the final of the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League, and the third final of the current format of the CONCACAF Champions League. The match was contested in a two-leg aggregate format between April 20� ...

. It was D.C. United's fifth, and their first time in the final of a major North American sporting competition since 2009, when they lost the 2009 Open Cup final to Seattle. D.C. United, the winner of the match, earned a $250,000 cash prize, as well as a berth into the

2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League The 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2014–15 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons starting from 2015) was the 7th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 50th e ...

. Real Salt Lake, the runner-up, received a $60,000 cash prize. D.C. United had a 5-0 record in the tournament, despite posting a 3-24-7 record in MLS play.

Road to the final

The U.S. Open Cup is an annual American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of MLS. The 2013 tournament was the centennial edition of the oldest soccer tournament in the United States. For the second consecutive season, all American-based MLS teams earned automatic qualification into the third round tournament proper. Previously, only eight teams from MLS could qualify for the tournament, six automatically based on the previous year's league results, and two more via a play-in tournament.

D.C. United

Prior to 2013, D.C. United had won the U.S. Open Cup 2 times, in

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and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. They had played in 4 finals of the competition, with the last appearance being in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

when they lost 2–1 to

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

. In the 2013 third round, they faced the

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

of the USL PRO at City Stadium in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, on May 28, 2013. After a goalless draw after extra time, D.C. United won on penalties 4–2. In the fourth round, they played at home against the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

of MLS in Boyds, Maryland, on June 12, 2013. D.C. United won 3–1. Dwayne De Rosario scored 3 goals for United. The first came in the 24th minute of the first half, followed by goals in the 75th and 85th minutes. The only goal scored by Philadelphia was by Jack McInerney in the 76th minute. In the quarterfinals, D.C. United played at home on June 26, 2013, against the New England Revolution. D.C. won 3–1 with goals from

Chris Pontius Chris Pontius (born July 16, 1974) is an American stunt performer and television personality. He is best known as a cast member of the reality comedy show '' Jackass'' and co-host of its spinoff ''Wildboyz'' with fellow cast member Steve-O. ...

, Dwayne De Rosario, and

Lionard Pajoy Lionard Fernando Pajoy Ortiz (born June 7, 1981) is a Colombian striker who currently plays for Alianza Universidad. Club career Early Career in Colombia Pajoy began his career with Cortulua debuting with the first team during the 2004 seaso ...

in the 45th, 69th, and 87th minutes, respectively. In the semifinals, D.C. United played on the road against the Chicago Fire on August 7, 2013, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The final score was 2–0 with goals from Dwayne De Rosario and

Nick DeLeon Nicholas Lee DeLeon (born July 17, 1990) is an American soccer player. Although he is capable of playing as a full-back, he typically plays as a wide midfielder, working towards the center. He is highly regarded for his work rate and 1-on-1 sk ...

, thus sealing United's place in the cup final.

Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake's best finish prior to the 2013 tournament was in

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, when they reached the quarterfinals, losing 2–0 away to FC Dallas. On May 28, 2013, Real played in the third round at home versus the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

of the NASL at Rio Tinto Stadium. The end result was a 3–2 win in overtime. In the fourth round, they played against the Charleston Battery of the USL PRO league on June 12, 2013. Real Salt Lake won 5–2 after extra time. In the quarterfinals, Real played against the Carolina RailHawks of the NASL on June 26, 2013. Salt Lake won 3–0 with goals from Tony Beltran in the 35th minute,

Chris Wingert Chris Wingert (born June 16, 1982) is an American professional soccer player for New York Cosmos B in the National Premier Soccer League. He spent fourteen seasons of his professional career in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the Columbus Crew ...

in the 51st minute, and Álvaro Saborío in the 86th minute. In the semifinals, Real played against the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

of the MLS on August 7, 2013. The end result was a 2–1 victory for Real with goals from Álvaro Saborío in the 7th minute and

Joao Plata Joao Jimmy Plata Cotera (; born March 1, 1992) is an Ecuadorian footballer who plays for Delfín. Club career LDU Quito Plata began his career in the youth ranks of hometown club Barcelona before joining the Alfaro Moreno Academia in Guayaq ...

in the 78th minute. In the final minutes, Portland scored with a goal by Diego Valeri.

Pre-match

Venue Selection

The United States Soccer Federation conducted a coin flip on July 30, 2013, to determine the host of the tournament. The winner of the coin flip was the Portland Timbers/Real Salt Lake semifinal, meaning that whoever won that semifinal would host the final. As Salt Lake beat Portland 2–1 in that game, the final took place at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

Match

The match was televised live on GolTV.

Match details

Man of the Match: :Bill Hamid (D.C. United)

Statistics

;Overall

References

External links

Video Highlights
{{Real Salt Lake matches 2013 U.S. Open Cup U.S. Open Cup Final 2013 U.S. Open Cup Final 2013 Soccer in Utah U.S. Open Cup Finals 2013 in sports in Utah