D.C. Open Cup Win Dampened by Injuries

• Washington Post, Thursday, July 23, 2009 3:30 PM

D.C. United advanced to the U.S. Open Cup championship game for the second straight summer Tuesday night with a 2-1 victory over the USL-1 club Rochester Rhinos at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Injuries to both teams, however, tempered any celebrations.

Rhinos midfielder Darren Kenton broke his ankle when it twisted beneath a challenge for the ball by United's John DiRaimondo. DiRaimondo did not get called for a foul, one of many decisions from the referee that infuriated Rhinos coach Darren Tilley. "I don't feel as though we were beaten by D.C. We were beaten by an official," told the Post's Steven Goff. "And certainly when players break ankles like [Kenton] did and there's no yellow cards or [ejections], it really hurts. ... An absolutely disgraceful challenge, even more disgraceful that nothing was done about it. There was intent to win the ball, granted, but he creamed him."

United striker Thabiso Khumalo, who scored the winning goal by converting a rebound in the 82nd minute, left the match in the final moments after an attempted clearance shattered his wrist. "It's disappointing because everybody worked hard and you never want to see any injuries - period," United coach Tom Soehn said. In the finals, held at RFK Stadium on Sept. 2, United will face MLS's Seattle Sounders, who defeated the Houston Dynamo, 2-1, in overtime.

 

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