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Seeking solace L.A. gets another chance in Open Cup final vs. Revs
ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- Less than a week after losing their third MLS Cup final in as many tries, the Los Angeles Galaxy can capture U.S. soccer's other trophy in the 2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final. The final will crown a new champion on Saturday when the Galaxy host the New England Revolution at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif. (5 p.m. ET; Fox Sports World and Fox Sports World Espaņol). The Galaxy will play in their third championship game of the year, having previously claimed the CONCACAF Championship in January and lost 2-1 in overtime to the San Jose Earthquakes in MLS Cup. Los Angeles is the first U.S. team to play in a regional championship, a division-one championship and U.S. Open Cup final in the same calendar year. "We'll be even more motivated for the Open Cup than we might have been," Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid said after MLS Cup. "It's going to be difficult, but it's something we have to do. That's why they're professional athletes. It's their job. "They have to put this one away and, if anything, this has to serve as motivation for the next away. We don't want to walk away from this season empty-handed." L.A. defender Paul Caligiuri, a former U.S. World Cup player, is retiring after Saturday's match. "To get over a loss at the MLS Cup final is going to be very difficult," Caligiuri said. "We're going to have to dig down deep to motivate ourselves for the final. "Fortunately, we do have that to look forward to at this stage." Los Angeles earned its berth in the Open Cup final after battling to a 1-0 semifinal victory in sudden-death overtime over last year's Open Cup champion, the Chicago Fire, on August 22 in Fullerton. The game was a rematch of the 2000 Open Cup semifinal that had a similarly dramatic conclusion. In this year's semifinal, Galaxy defender Alexi Lalas was the hero, scoring a golden goal early in the first overtime period. In the other semifinal, the surprising New England Revolution blanked the 1996 U.S. Open Cup champion D.C. United 2-0 at Foxboro Stadium, where the team played four straight matches en route to the final. Two goals by forward Andy Williams was all the offense the Revs needed to defeat United and advance to the first-ever tournament final in club history. After going winless in two previous tournament appearances, the Revs won four straight games in the 2001 competition and will now play their first Open Cup match away from the New England area. Dating back to 1914, the 88-year-old U.S. Open Cup is the oldest soccer cup competition in the United States and is among the oldest in the world. In 1999, the single-elimination tournament, open to all affiliated professional and amateur clubs in the United States, was renamed the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to honor the long-time soccer supporter and pioneer. Hunt, the owner of the Columbus Crew and Kansas City Wizards of MLS and the owner of the Dallas Tornados of the old NASL, was one of the sport's first major ownership figures and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
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