 Baltimore MD - Crystal Palace Baltimore are physically and mentally prepared for tomorrow night’s enormous clash with the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer in the US Open Cup 3rd round. The match, which kicks off at 7:30pm at Broadneck High School in Annapolis, is the first time the Baltimore side has ever taken on MLS opposition. The winner will earn a road trip to face the winner of another USL2-MLS match-up, the Richmond Kickers and the New England Revolution.
Palace President and Co-Manager Pete Medd explained how his team hopes to achieve its goal of a quarter-final berth in the 94-year-old tournament: “All this week we’ve carefully managed our workload - at yesterday’s league game at Real Maryland we went with nine new starters. There’ll be nine changes to the starting lineup tomorrow, so we fully expect to be the more energetic team out there. We don’t want to sit back and absorb pressure; we want to take the game to them.” Medd then pointed out the Red Bulls’ recent schedule as another possible factor: “They travelled cross country a couple of days ago, then back across today, so we think that we’ll be the fresher team.”
Jim Cherneski, Palace’s Sporting Director and Co-Manager, pointed out that a defeat of an MLS team by a lower division opponent isn’t out of the question: “Every year there are upsets in this round - last year for example only three MLS teams made it to the quarter finals.”
Palace midfielder, Bryan Harkin, has been a foundation of the Baltimore team since its inception last year. “Everyone’s fired up” he remarked after training today. “After a tough couple of weeks of travel and a hectic schedule, we’ve been able to catch our breath for the past week.” The Northern Irishman, who was invited over to London at the end of last year for a tryout with the parent club, seemed relaxed about tomorrow’s historic fixture: “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to pit our wits against a bigger team.” Harkin’s parents happen to be visiting and will be in the stands tomorrow night. “It’s great to have them here for what will be probably the biggest game they’ve seen me play. It makes the occasion a bit more special obviously, but it won’t alter my focus. We’re all just excited and we think we have every chance of winning.”
Medd’s final thoughts on tomorrow’s proceedings: “We’ve built our team for success in this tournament and we’ll certainly give it a go.”
If the game has not sold out, tickets can be purchased up to six hours in advance of kickoff by clicking the Tickets link on the left . Group tickets are also available (minimum 10) at $14 per ticket by calling 410.933.8326. The box office at the stadium will open at 5:30pm. Ample parking is available on site at a cost of $5 per vehicle.
Founded in 1914, the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is the oldest team competition in any sport in the United States and is among the oldest in the world. Similar to domestic cup competitions in Europe, South America and the rest of the world, the annual single-elimination tournament is, open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams in the United States. More information on the tournament available at www.USOpenCup.com and on the US Soccer Federation website |
