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NASL Fourth Round U.S. Open Cup Preview

The East River Derby is one of seven Fourth Round U.S. Open Cup matchups featuring an NASL club.
Published Jun 14, 2016

NASL sides fared well in the Third Round of the 2016 U.S. Open Cup, with seven of nine clubs advancing to the Fourth Round. Only expansion teams Rayo OKC and Miami FC have been eliminated from the 103rd edition of the competition, each falling by a score of 2-1 in their first Open Cup match.

Spread out from June 14-15, 16 Fourth Round matches will kick off as MLS, USL and PDL teams join the NASL squads fighting to make the Fifth Round. The Fifth Round draw will take place on June 16, setting the next round of fixtures for June 29 with Quarterfinal spots on the line.

Here’s a look at what’s on tap for the NASL in the Fourth Round.

TAMPA BAY ROWDIES (NASL) AT COLUMBUS CREW (MLS)

Wednesday, June 15 at 7 p.m. ET

The Rowdies ended their NASL Spring Season with a 1-1 draw against the Jacksonville Armada, holding down fifth place in the league standings with 16 points. Columbus Crew is ninth in the Eastern Conference of MLS, ahead of only the Chicago Fire with a 3-5-5 (W-D-L) record.

The Rowdies lost a tight 1-0 Open Cup game against the USL’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds last year, forcing an early exit. However, this year they redeemed themselves with a 1-0 win over FC Cincinnati of the USL. In the 2015 Open Cup, the Columbus Crew departed in the Round of 16 after a 2-0 loss to Orlando City.

ORLANDO CITY (MLS) AT JACKSONVILLE ARMADA (NASL)

Wednesday, June 15 at 7 p.m. ET

With seven points collected in 10 NASL fixtures, 10th-place Jacksonville Armada FC will be taking on Orlando City SC. Jacksonville was downed in the Third Round of 2015’s U.S. Open Cup, losing to the Richmond Kickers. This year the Armada FC fared better, with a 2-1 win against the Charleston Battery. Orlando City SC was nearly upset in the Fourth Round last year, squeaking out an 8-7 win in penalty kicks over the same Charleston Battery team. The Lions subsequently made it to a Quarterfinal, where they were served a 3-1 loss at the hands of Chicago Fire.

NEW YORK COSMOS (NASL) AT NEW YORK CITY FC (MLS)

Wednesday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET

The Cosmos are meeting NYCFC in the Fourth Round of the Open Cup for the second year in a row. Last year, in NYCFC’s first venture into the competition, the Cosmos advanced in a thrilling penalty shootout. The match was deadlocked at 2-2 after regulation, as well as after two 15-minute extra periods. In what proved to be one of the most memorable matches of the year, the Cosmos were trailing until forward Lucky Mkosana equalized in the 90th minute, paving the way for the Cosmos triumph. The Cosmos earned a trip to the Fourth Round this year with a 2-0 win against the Jersey Express of the PDL on June 1.

FORT LAUDERDALE STRIKERS (NASL) AT D.C. UNITED (MLS)

Wednesday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET

The Strikers (4-3-3 in NASL) square off with D.C. United (4-4-6 in MLS) in the Fourth Round of the U.S. Open Cup. In 2015 the Strikers were booted from Open Cup play in the Third Round by USL’s Charleston Battery. D.C. United made it to the Round of 16 before falling 2-1 to the Philadelphia Union.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (MLS) AT CAROLINA RAILHAWKS (NASL)

Wednesday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET

The Carolina RailHawks (4-2-4 in NASL) will be meeting the New England Revolution (3-7-4 in MLS) on June 15. Looking to redeem themselves after a 1-0 loss to Charlotte Independence in 2015’s Third Round, the RailHawks ignited a spark within their struggling offense, beating the Independence this year 5-0. In a stunning win, the RailHawks scored five goals in extra time in the rematch to advance to the Fourth Round. Providing yet another upset in 2015, the Charlotte Independence beat the New England Revolution 1-0 in the Fourth Round of the Open Cup.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY (MLS) AT MINNESOTA UNITED (NASL)

Wednesday, June 15 at 8 p.m. ET

Reigning Open Cup champion Sporting Kansas City (5-3-8 in MLS) has drawn Minnesota United FC in the Fourth Round. The Loons faced an early exit from Cup competition last year following a Third Round loss in penalty kicks to the USL’s Saint Louis FC. Sporting Kansas City, meanwhile, won the competition by defeating the Philadelphia Union on penalties in a memorable Final.

INDY ELEVEN (NASL) AT CHICAGO FIRE (MLS)

Wednesday, June 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Still undefeated this season, Indy Eleven is fresh off a Spring Season title-clinching home win over the Carolina RailHawks. The Chicago Fire sit at the opposite end of their league, holding the worst record in MLS. It was last year that Indy Eleven was eliminated from Cup contention in extra time by Louisville City FC. Chicago Fire then eliminated Louisville in the next round with a 1-0 win. The Chicago Fire made it all the way to the semifinal in 2015, where they fell 1-0 to Philadelphia.

NOTES:

How ‘bout them RailHawks: In 2012 RailHawks forward Brian Shriver led all Open Cup players in scoring with five goals. The RailHawks eliminated the LA Galaxy three years in a row with big upset wins in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Leading the pack: The Seattle Sounders have won this competition four times since 2009, most recently in 2014.

Role reversal: Last year, seven NASL teams were booted in the Third Round by USL teams in a series of upsets. This year the NASL clubs fared much better, with only two of nine teams getting eliminated in the Third Round (Miami FC and Rayo OKC).

Shaking it up: There’s just one rematch of NASL and MLS teams in the Fourth Round of this year’s tournament. New York City FC will host the New York Cosmos at Fordham University’s Jack Coffey Field in the second installment of the East River Derby.