In the next 48 hours we’ll know the opponents for the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, with Philadelphia visiting FC Dallas on Tuesday and Chicago heading to Seattle on Wednesday.
The century-old competition has a bevy of former winners, from the familiar (DC United, L.A. Galaxy) to the lesser know (Brooklyn Italians, Bethlehem Steel) to the downright unfamiliar (St. Louis Simpkins-Ford, New Bedford Whalers).
Though the competition is now dominated by Major League Soccer teams, with the 1999 Rochester Rhinos the last non-MLS team to win the tournament, it’s still a boatload of fun. And Tuesday kicks off with a good match-up.
[ WATCH: Porter nominates Pep Guardiola for ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, gets doused ]
The Union are the only remaining team to not have lifted the Cup, as Chicago has won four times, Seattle thrice and Dallas clinching its title in 1997. But the may have the juice to do the trick this year if they can get out of Texas alive, with an opportunity to become the first tourney champion from Pennsylvania since 1966.
The winner of Tuesday’s 9:30pm ET tilt gets to host the final in early Fall (The 2013 final was played on Oct. 1, with DC United besting Real Salt Lake 1-0).
Philly played host to Montreal this weekend in MLS play, a 2-1 win for the Union, while Dallas was home for a 3-1 win over Colorado.
Seattle and Chicago will tangle on Wednesday at 10:30pm ET, with the status of DeAndre Yedlin in question as his pending European move is still getting sorted out. The Sounders beat Houston at home on the weekend, while Chicago beat visiting New York 1-0.
Paths to the semis
FC Dallas - beat San Antonio Scorpions 2-0, Houston Dynamo 3-2 (et), Carolina Railhaws 5-2
Philadelphia - beat Harrisburg City 3-1, New York Cosmos 2-1, New England Revolution 2-0
Seattle - beat PSA Elite 5-0, San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 (PKs 4-1), Portland Timbers 3-1 (et)
Chicago - beat Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2-1, Columbus Crew 4-2, Atlanta Silverbacks 3-1