It was a night for upsets when eight teams battled it out to solidify their spots in the quarterfinal rounds of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds hosted the Columbus Crew in front of a record attendance of 6,107 at Highmark Stadium Wednesday evening.
In the 22nd minute, the Riverhounds dispossessed the Crew and the ball ended up at the feet of Robbie Mertz. In transition, Mertz slotted the ball through the middle of the Crew back line and found Albert Dikwa, who tucked his shot away in the bottom corner for the only goal of the match, winning 1-0 over a second consecutive MLS Club in pursuit for the Lamar Hunt Trophy. The Riverhounds have a tough test ahead, as they will travel and face Cincinnati FC in the U.S. Open Quarterfinals who sits atop of the MLS Eastern Conference with nine wins, one loss, and three draws.
The Birmingham Legion protected their home turf in front of a record setting crowd of 12,722. In the final 40 minutes, the Legion capitalized on their man advantage to secure a 1-0 win to become the first team from Alabama to reach the U.S. Open Quarterfinals, where they will host Inter Miami.
The Chicago Fire traveled to Texas and defeated Austin FC 2-0 and will host the Houston Dynamo in the quarterfinals, as the Fire are looking to hoist the Lamar Hunt Trophy for the record-breaking fifth time in club history.
In the West bracket, Real Salt Lake took down the Colorado Rapids in a hard-fought 1-0 victory and claimed their first victory over their rivals in the U.S. Open Cup. Real Salt Lake will return home to host the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015 against the LA Galaxy.
The U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals are set for June 6-7. Full details will be announced soon.