D.C. United booked itself a place in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final with an impressive 2-0 victory over the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park on Aug. 7.
The D.C. soccer team secured a chance at their third cup, aiming to capture the trophy for the first time since 2008.
D.C. United captain Dwayne De Rosario scored the first goal while midfielder Nick DeLeon added the second, giving D.C. their fifth appearance in the final.
Joe Willis, D.C.’s goalkeeper, filled in for regular goalie Bill Hamid, who was busy in the last few weeks helping the U.S. National Team win the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Head coach Ben Olsen stuck with Willis, leaving Hamid on the bench. Olsen’s decision paid off as Willis shut out the Fire.
Fire attacked throughout the first half, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
After the play settled down and neither team took command of the action, DeLeon launched a shot towards Chicago goalie Sean Johnson in the 44th minute. Johnson fumbled and De Rosario found himself in front of an open goal, scoring the first goal from about four yards out.
The goal was De Rosario’s sixth of the tournament, putting him at the top of scoring charts. He is likely to stay there since the next 10 players on the list come from teams that have already been eliminated.
Two minutes into the second half, DeLeon helped score again. This time he was on the end of a James Riley cross as the youngster put D.C. United up 2-0 with a cool finish inside the box at the near post.
For the rest of the half, D.C. United played in their own half as the Fire brought on two forwards and applied continual pressure on United with numerous shots on goal.
However, D.C. United refused to budge and held on despite some scary moments. In the 66th minute, Fire forward Juan Luis Anagonó fired a shot from the top of the box, missing only by a few inches.
In the 78th minute, the Fire almost struck again as defender Austin Berry found himself with the loose ball after a scramble inside the box. The shot actually passed Willis, but Fire midfielder Perry Kitchen hustled towards the goal line and was able to clear the ball right before it crossed the line.
D.C. United will play against Real Salt Lake in the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Oct. 1 in Sandy, Utah.
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