Chicago Fire Win 2003 U.S. Open Cup with 1-0 Win over MetroStars
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J (October 15, 2003) — The Chicago Fire got a 68th minute goal from forward Damani Ralph to earn their third Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title in six years on Wednesday night at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Fire, who also won the Open Cup in 1998 and 2000, bring the championship back to Chicago for the eighth time in the 90-year history of the competition as the first MLS team to win the cup final on the road.
The match was played back and forth, with neither team creating many chances on a very windy night in the Meadowlands as both goalkeepers combined for just five saves. One of the differences in the game were the Chicago Fire forwards outplaying the forwards from the MetroStars. Frontrunners Ralph and Ante Razov combined for as many shots – seven – as the entire MetroStars starting 11, while drawing a combined nine fouls, as compared to the one drawn by Clint Mathis and Andrzej Juskowiak.
Eddie Pope won an Open Cup title with D.C. United in 1996. He hopes to lead the MetroStars on Wed.
MetroStars Set to Host Chicago Fire in Wednesday's 2003 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Monday, Oct. 13, 2003)– The MetroStars of Major League Soccer will host the Chicago Fire also of Major League Soccer this Wednesday, Oct. 15 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. for the final of the 2003 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The match kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised live on Fox Sports World. The host MetroStars are seeking to hoist its first championship trophy in the club’s eight years of existence, while the Chicago Fire have won the U.S. Open Cup twice, with wins coming in their inaugural season of 1998 and also 2000. Chicago will be looking to break the road jinx in recent Open Cup finals. Since MLS teams joined the competition in 1996, the home team is 5-0-0 in final games, with two games played at neutral sites.
Chicago, New York/New Jersey Areas Deep Rooted in Open Cup Record Books
Teams from Chicago and the New York/New Jersey area have accounted for 35 U.S. Open Cup titles since 1914. Here are some of the highlights.
ABOUT U.S. SOCCER
The first USFA (now U.S. Soccer) Secretary General Thomas Cahill also doubled as the U.S. MNT program's inaugural head coach on a six-game tour of Sweden and Norway in 1916.
2003 U.S. Open Cup Home Page 
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