After a 0-0 tie in 90 minutes, two scoreless overtime sessions and then falling behind 2-0 in the penalty kick shootout, the New England Revolution converted five straight penalties to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night, defeating the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the United Soccer League's 1st Division 5-4 in the shootout.
The Revolution had a slight edge in play in the first half of the game, then failed to convert several good scoring opportunities in the second half before the home team asserted itself in the extra time periods. In the end, both goalkeepers - Matt Reis of New England and Scott Vallow of Rochester - made enough big saves to keep a clean sheet for their respective teams and the game went to penalties.
After the first six rounds finished 4-4, Jeff Larentowicz converted the Revs' seventh PK attempt after the Rhinos' Frankie Sanfilippo sailed his shot high, giving the Revs' their first victory in the U.S. Open Cup since 2003.
With the win, New England advanced to the quarterfinals of the oldest cup tournament in the U.S. of any sport, where they will meet the winner of the Chicago Fire-Kansas City Wizards fourth-round match. That game was delayed because of weather in the Chicago area on Wednesday evening. Should Kansas City defeat the Fire, the Revs would host the Wizards at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 23. If Chicago wins, the Revolution would travel to Toyota Park for its quarterfinal match-up on Aug. 23.
Rochester's Mike Ambersley and John Ball both converted their opening penalty kick chances in the shootout, while the Revs' first shooters - Shalrie Joseph and Andy Dorman - both saw their shots saved by Vallow. Up 2-0, Rochester then sent Matthew Delicate to the spot, where he sent his shot high over the net, while New England's José Cancela softly chipped his attempt into back of the net to pull the Revs within one, 2-1.
Tenywa Bonseu was Rochester's fourth shooter, but his effort crashed off of the crossbar, while Steve Ralston converted his spot kick to pull the Revs even in the fourth round. Aaren Lines put the Rhinos up 4-3 when he sent a shot past Reis in the fifth round, but then Reis helped his own cause when he stepped to the spot and rocketed a shot past Vallow to even the score at 3-3 and send the shootout to sudden death rounds.
Defenders Kenney Bertz of Rochester and James Riley for the Revs both scored on their chances to push the shootout to a 4-4 score, but Sanfilippo then stepped up and sent his shot high over the bar, giving the Revs an opportunity to win on Larentowicz's kick. The second-year midfielder stepped up and stroked his shot to the center of the net as Vallow dove to his left to send the Revolution into the quarterfinals with the 5-4 shootout victory.
New England outshot Rochester 15-9 through the first 105 minutes - including a 11-5 edge in the second half and first extra session - but the Rhinos took over in the second extra time segment, dictating play and taking five shots, two on frame. The Revs also earned 14 corner kicks in the match to Rochester's five, but were unable to take advantage of them.
Second-half substitutions for the Revs forwards, too, helped the Revs change the flow of the game as rookie strikers Willie Sims and Kyle Brown both entered the game and worked in harmony with Dorman and Ralston to boss play in the attacking third.
Rochester had the game's first chance, coming from Johnny Menyonger in the 12th minute. Shooting from 25 yards out in the right center channel, Menyonger tried to find the net with a dipping shot under the crossbar, but Reis made the acrobatic grab for the save.
New England went close in the 19th minute when Pat Noonan set up Larentowicz in the left center channel at the top of the box. Larentowicz unleashed a low shot aimed far post, but the ball went wide.
Rochester again had a chance in the 22nd minute when Nate Craft sent a dangerous cross in from the left flank with Delicate running onto the ball in the center channel. Revs defender Avery John, however, arrived at the ball just before Delicate and deflected the ball of Delicate and over the endline for a goal kick.
Noonan again created a chance in the 24th minute when he broke down the right wing and cut back to the inside into the penalty area before ripping a shot near post that forced Rhinos keeper Scott Vallow to make a diving save to his left.
Ralston had a chance to put the Revs up in the 30th minute when he sent a left-footed shot toward goal after working into the area - from the center channel to the left side. His shot aimed far post, however, went wide.
Streaming into the left center channel as he ran into the 18-yard box, Larentowicz again nearly had a chance in the 38th minute. He took another low, hard right-footed shot from 15 yards out, but Vallow made the save to his right to keep the game scoreless.
The Revolution, despite being edged in shots 4-3, controlled the first half - maintaining an edge in possession and tempo. The Revs mostly controlled the midfield and attacking third, but were unable to convert once they got into the area as Rochester defended in numbers.
Taylor Twellman gave the Revs their first chance of the second half when he caught up to an angled Noonan cross from the right center channel in the 55th minute. The ball looked to be out of Twellman's reach at the doorstep of the goal as he came onto it from the left-center channel, but he managed a left-footed first-time shot to the near post, and Vallow was forced to come up with a big save to preserve the 0-0 score.
On Rochester's next trip down field, the Rhinos had a chance when Jonny Steel came running on to the far post after a cross was sent in from the right wing, but Riley was able to catch up and knock the ball over the endline. In the 64th minute, Rochester nearly had a gift chance when Riley headed out a cross from the right wing, but no New England players were around to receive the ball, allowing Lines to pick the ball up at the top of the area and put a shot on frame for Reis to save.
The Revolution had their best chance of the night in the 72nd minute. Noonan sprang Dorman in down the right wing and Sims came in down the left center channel as Dorman worked into the box. Dorman got off a cross to Sims who had a step on his defender, but defender Kenney Bertz got back in time to knock the ball from Sims and prevent a goal.
Sims looked to play setup man two minutes later when he controlled the ball in the center channel and laced a through ball between two defenders to Dorman, coming on through the right center channel. However, linesman Jeffrey Mellen ruled Dorman came back from an offside position and the referee Michael Kennedy whistled the play dead.
Dorman, who moved to the right side after the insertion of Sims for Twellman, again created a good opportunity in the 77th minute when he worked into the area from the right with both Noonan and Sims coming into the area. After juggling the ball into the box, he fizzed a cross to the far post with Sims coming on, but it was just out of Sims reach and went all the way through the box.
Cancela, who came on for captain Joe Franchino in the 69th minute, had a chance in the 78th minute when he ran into the 18-yard box in the left center channel and twirled around a defender and put a shot on frame that forced Vallow to make a diving save to his left. The ball ricocheted up over Vallow back toward the endline - still on frame - and the Rochester defense was forced to clear to prevent Sims from putting a shot into the open net.
As the game moved into the 80th minute, the Rhinos had a pair of chances to go up a goal when Ambersley put a close-range shot from the left just wide right, and Steele put a low, hard shot on frame far post from the left wing, forcing Reis to make a diving save to his left.
With the score still tied at 0-0 at the end of 90 minutes, the teams began the first of two 15-minute overtime sessions as dictated by U.S. Open Cup rules.
Ralston had the first shot of the first overtime session when he got the ball on a cross-field pass from Sims on the left side of the box. After creating space for himself, Ralston ripped a low shot to the far post, but it went just wide. Sims then had a chance in the 94th minute, when he nearly latched on with a half volley to a Ralston cross from the left with an open net on the far post, but he slipped as the ball came to him and was unable to get a shot off.
Sims nearly put the Revs up 1-0 in the 98th minute when he broke in alone on Vallow after Cancela found him alone down the right center channel with a cross-field pass. Sims dribble ran into the area and launched a shot over the crossbar that would have given the Revs the advantage.
Rochester nearly had a goal in the 100th minute when the Rhinos continued to press after New England had cleared the ball out. The ball found Scott Pagula at the top of the area with an open net, but he miss-hit the ball and it went wide and high. In the 104th minute, the Rhinos' Delicate had the team's best chance of the night. Former Rev Connally Edozien sent in a cross from the right side to the far post, where Delicate headed it a yard off the line. However, Reis leapt and met the ball for save, blocking it with his chest at the post.
Ball had the Rhinos' next chance in the 113th minute when Delicate found him 12 yards out in the right center channel alone with Reis off his line, but his shot went wide left.
Brown combined with Cancela in the 115th minute, setting up the midfielder at the top of the area who twisted around his defender and unleashed a bending shot to the far post, but narrowly wide right. Dorman then had a chance in the 117th when he came out with the ball on the right center channel four yards off the line. With a tight area in which to shoot, he put a shot on that Vallow knocked into the side netting for a Revs corner, which Rochester cleared.
Sims appeared to have scored the clinching goal for the Revs in the 120th minute when Larentowicz sent him in with a through ball down the center channel, but again the linesman ruled Sims came on from an offside position and ruled no goal, sending the game into the penalty shoot-out to decide the game.
The Revs return to MLS action on Sunday, Aug. 6, when the team travels to Los Angeles to face Chivas USA at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) at the Los Angeles Coliseum. That game is the first match in a doubleheader with Chivas Guadalajara facing FC Barcelona in the nightcap at 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT).
2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - Fourth Round
New England Revolution at Rochester Raging Rhinos
August 2, 2006 - Rochester, N.Y. (PAETEC Park)
Scoring Summary
None
Penalty kick summary:
Rochester (shot first):Mike Ambersley (goal), John Ball (goal), Matthew Delicate (high), Tenywa Bonseu (crossbar), Aaren Lines (goal), Kenney Bertz (goal), Frankie Sanfilippo (high)
New England: Shalrie Joseph (save), Andy Dorman (save), José Cancela (goal), Steve Ralston (goal), Matt Reis (goal), James Riley (goal), Jeff Larentowicz (goal)
New England Revolution: Matt Reis, James Riley, Michael Parkhurst, Avery John, Steve Ralston, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Joe Franchino © (José Cancela 69), Andy Dorman, Pat Noonan (Kyle Brown 80), Taylor Twellman (Willie Sims 69)
Substitutes Not Used: Doug Warren, Adam Williamson, Danny Wynn, Khano Smith
TOTAL SHOTS: 19 (Larentowicz 5) SHOTS ON GOAL: 8, FOULS 12 (Franchino 4), OFFSIDES 7, CORNER KICKS 14.
Kansas City Wizards: Scott Vallow, Frankie SanFilippo, Kenney Bertz, Scott Palguta, Nate Craft (Jonny Steele 45), John Ball, Greg Howes (Mike Amersley 69), Aaran Lines, Johnny Menyongear (Tenywa Bonseu 87), Matthew Delicate, Connally Edozien (Charles Gbeke 113)
Substitutes Not Used: Patrick Hannigan, Danny Kramer, Josh Bolton,
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Three players 3), SHOTS ON GOAL: 4, FOULS 20 (Delicate, Edozien 3) OFFSIDES 4, CORNER KICKS 5.
Misconduct Summary:
ROCH - Bertz (caution) 2
ROCH - Sanfilippo (caution) 38
NE - Riley (caution) 89
ROCH - Ball (caution) 112
Referee: Michael Kennedy
Referee's Assistants: Jason Krnac, Jeffrey Mellen
4th Official: Kevin Barci
Time of Game: 3:01
Weather: 91 degrees, sunny, windy and humid
Attendance: 9,503
