Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

[just some bloke]

Definitely one for the obscurantists out there, the 99-year old Lamar Hunt US Open Cup enters the fourth round tonight, with a few mouthwatering possibilities for Giant-Killing

http://www.ussoccer.com/tournaments/lam ... edule.aspx

Charleston Battery - who shocked San Jose Earthquakes in round three - travel to Real Salt Lake City hoping to avoid a... battering, whereas the Carolina RailHawks - who knocked out LA Galaxy in the last round - host the MLS's Chivas USA hoping not to get rolled over.

Orlando City travel to Kansas City and the Tampa Bay Rowdies face a heck of a long trek over to Portland Timbers. Next time you hear Torquay fans whine about Carlisle away, you'll know what to say to them.

New England Revolution host Thierry Henry's New York Red Bulls tonight and I may well be there with my Reportage camera.

[Libertine]

The Rochester Rhinos and Brooklyn Italians are both out?

[just some bloke]

The Rochester Rhinos and Brooklyn Italians are both out?

Brooklyn Italians were dispatched in the first round by the wonderfully-named Icon FC. The Rhinos got all the way to round three and fell 5-1 to the New England Revs.

The Des Moines Menace from Iowa I think win the best-named team competition. They also fell at round three having seen off Minnesota United and Madison 56ers in previous rounds.

[Libertine]

I love local football in the US. The names of the teams are so wonderfully iconic. I think it is great that as recently as 2008 the Charleston Battery made it to the finals and in 1999 the Rochester Rhinos won it, it proves anything can happen in this competition. In 2008 the Battery defeated 3 MLS sides to make it to the final game...

Well if you go, enjoy the game. You couldn't have asked for a better night in terms of the weather for a game.

[just some bloke]

Back from the game at Harvard. It was great. Ground capacity was only 2,500 so the place was full. 4-2 Revs the final score, with the Revs first goal being one of the best I've ever seen scored live.

Dumb thing is the main Harvard Stadium was being used for a Lacrosse game being watche by about 300 people, with 2,000 at the soccer game the other side of the park.

Thierry Henry didn't play


There is talk of the Revs building a 20,000 capacity stadium in Cambridge, which would make more sense that 10-15,000 fans rattling around inside the Patriots Stadium all the way out in Foxboro

[Libertine]

Sounds like great time. Shame about Henry. What was the capacity for the field they were using tonight?

Gillette is a horrible venue for the Revs to play their games at. A couple years back I attended a Revs-Manchester Utd exhibition game there. Decent crowd and the place was still half empty. I can't see how they can have a decent atmosphere for any game there. Most of the other MLS teams have their own football specific fields. For the Revs to be using a stadium built for an NFL club does them no good. Are the talks to build them their own place serious? Besides Gillette is a complete nightmare to get out of after a game. I have seen it literally take hours, first hand...the roads around there are just not designed for that kinda traffic. Besides it would be much easier for most to get to Cambridge than Foxborough. Foxborough adds an extra 30 minutes drive to get to a game (depending on construction and traffic)...Cambridge is nice and easy to get to off of the Pike.

[southbank1871]

Seems as good a place as any to put this, but when I was watching a bit of baseball last night (San Diego Padres vs Atlanta Braves), they were advertising a soccer match between two Mexican teams being played soon at Petco Park. I don't think I've ever heard of 'soccer' being played at a ballpark, does this happen much? I'd imagine they'd get a decent crowd due to all the Mexicans in SD.

[stealthpapes]

At least one MLS team plays or played in one.

[just some bloke]

Liverpool played AS Roma at the Boston Red Sox's Fenway Park about a year ago.

[just some bloke]

Are the talks to build them their own place serious? Besides Gillette is a complete nightmare to get out of after a game. I have seen it literally take hours, first hand...the roads around there are just not designed for that kinda traffic. Besides it would be much easier for most to get to Cambridge than Foxborough. Foxborough adds an extra 30 minutes drive to get to a game (depending on construction and traffic)...Cambridge is nice and easy to get to off of the Pike.

It's just a pub rumor I heard last night before the game, but who knows.

The only thing stopping me from attending MLS games regularly is that. There's no way I'm going all the way out there to be with 10,000 fans rattling around in a 65,000 capacity stadium.

It's a great league and from what I can see on TV the football is fast and entertaining. If I lived in Seattle I'd be at the Sounders every other week.

[Ark Royal]

A few years ago, I went to see Kansas City play San Jose at Arrowhead Stadium. Only around 7,000 in a 80,000 capacity soulless bowl. More atmosphere on one of Jupiter's moons.

[southbank1871]

Thanks jsb - that game at Fenway looks pretty skillz tbh.

Seattle is one of the places I've not been to in the st8s, but would really like to, so I might try to take in a Sounders game when I eventually make it over.

[stealthpapes]

If you make it that far across, Portland is well worth an investigation.

[southbank1871]

Yeah I'm thinking of possibly doing a Vancouver-Seattle-Portland roadtrip at some point.

[Whore Jackie]

Yeah I'm thinking of possibly doing a Vancouver-Seattle-Portland roadtrip at some point.

There was a supplement in The Guardian a couple of weeks back, about road trips along the Pacific coast. Very tempting.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/series ... ific-coast

[southbank1871]

Got a friend in San Fran actually so may as well include that, although I've been once before.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Yeah I'm thinking of possibly doing a Vancouver-Seattle-Portland roadtrip at some point.

Looked into doing that a few years ago, never got round to it though. Will be great if you do manage it.

[just some bloke]

Yeah I'm thinking of possibly doing a Vancouver-Seattle-Portland roadtrip at some point.

That would be a cracking trip. I might look into that myself.

[southbank1871]

Hobnob meat up?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

I kind of amazes me just how many people in England still buy into a The Sun style viewpoint that football in the USA is conference standard football played out in front of similar sized crowds, albeit in bigger stadiums, with the people just there to watch the cheerleaders.

Then again, I can recall people in the late 80s saying the great Gullit-Rijkaard-Van Basten Milan team would be "no better than halfway" in the English top division.

I went years back, 2001 to be exact, and saw Chicago Fire play at soldier field. 20,000 were rather lost in that stadium though. A week later I saw the best named game I've ever been to, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos beat the Long Island Rough Riders 3-1 in front of 12000 or so at a more or less sold out Frontier Field.


As to the question of games being played at baseball stadiums, I think it's fairly common now. Chelsea and Man City did an end of season tour, and at least two of the games were at baseball stadiums, including Yankee Stadium.