NEWS RELEASECopyright Intermark®, Inc.(since 1990)(SoccerNews OnLine®) 1995 - 2002, All Rights Reserved
WARNING! Prior Permission from MLS is required for ANY use of Logos, photos, trademarks, etc!
reprint of COLORADO RAPIDS NEWS RELEASE -- byline Andy Engel
NEWS RELEASE
On Wednesday, July 17, the Rapids will begin their run at the 2002 U.S. Open Cup as they face the Charleston Battery (A-League) - a club that head coach Tim Hankinson is very familiar with. Hankinson was a driving force in bringing professional soccer to South Carolina, playing a key role in founding the Battery in 1992. Serving as the team's first head coach and a big part in the team's bid for a soccer specific stadium, the Battery have been a very successful franchise in its first ten years in existence. As an A-League club, Charleston has complied an overall record of 99-76-5, while fashioning a mark of 62-27-0 as a D3 team. In 2002, the Battery has complied a record of 14-2-2, scoring 31 goals and only conceding 9, the fewest in A-League competition. Paul Conway leads the Battery this season with goals. Defensive standout John Wilson who was called up to the MetroStars on Friday will be back for the game with the Rapids. So far, the former two time "All ACC" selection at Clemson University has tallied a goal in 16 games for the Battery. Charleston also has a trio of players that have formerly called Colorado home. Raul Diaz Arce, Kevin Anderson and Dusty Hudock all currently play for the Battery - a roster that also includes one-time MLS players Mac Cozler, Justin Evans, and Andrew Lewis. Battery defender Terry Phelan has had stints on the Irish national team. Entering Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup match, Charleston has just ended a 12 game winning streak in league play, while posting a 3-0 win over the Greenville Lions (D3) on June 26 to advance in the nation's oldest tournament. The Rapids are looking to improve on last year's Open Cup performance - a 2-0, 3rd round loss to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (A-League).
Dating back to 1914, the US Open Cup is the oldest soccer cup competition in the United States and one of the oldest in the world. The 87-year-old single-elimination tournament is recognized as the US Soccer Federation's National Championship and is open to all amateur and professional teams.
Similar to MLS play, you can catch the Rapids U.S. Open Cup match with the Charleston Battery on the web at www.coloradorapids.com - courtesy of the Battery at www.charlestonbattery.com - on Wednesday at 5:30 MT.
The Rapids face an upcoming road trip that rivals their four-game tour earlier in the season. Kicking off the trip, Colorado will face A-League power Charleston Battery in a U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday, July 17 at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, SC. Following the U.S. Open Cup match, the Rapids will travel to Columbus for a July 20 match against The Crew - the first meeting of the season between the clubs. After three days of training, the team then will fly to Boston in preparation for its third match of the season against the New England Revolution on Wednesday, July 24 - a series in which each club owns a victory. The Rapids return to Colorado on July 25, ending a ten-day, three-game road trip.
Pablo Earns First Point on Season; Kotschau Awarded Assist for July 4th In his second game back since the World Cup, Pablo Mastroeni recorded his first assist and point on the season in Saturday's loss against the Galaxy. The helper came in the 29th minute, aiding in the setup of Chris Henderson's eighth goal of the season. In just seven games this year, Pablo has established himself behind Carlos Valderrama, helping to stabilize the Rapids midfield defensively. In a retrospective league decision, defender Ritchie Kotschau was awarded an assist for his efforts on July 4th - aiding in the first goal of Chris Carrieri's spectacular hat trick performance in front of 61,213 at INVESCO Field. The league reviewed the goal and ruled that Kotschau was deserving of the secondary assist.
Tomorrow's regularly scheduled weekly media luncheon at the Westminster Training Facility has been cancelled, as tomorrow begins a ten-day road trip for the Rapids.
Training Schedule:
Monday, July 15 - 10:00 a.m. at Westminster Training Facility
Tuesday, July 16 - Bus departs for airport at 5:30 a.m.
Training in Charleston
Wednesday, July 17- US Open Cup game vs. Charleston Battery
Thursday, July 18 - Bus Departs for Airport at 11:15 a.m.
Arrive in Columbus at 4:30 p.m.
Friday, July 19 - Training in Columbus at 10:00 a.m. at Crew Stadium
Saturday, July 20 - Game vs. Columbus Crew at 7:30 p.m.
(Game can be viewed on Fox Sports Rocky
Mountain at 5:30 MT)
Sunday, July 21- Training at 10:00 a.m.
LEAGUE STANDINGS - Sunday, July 14, 2002
Western Conference
TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA STREAKS LAST 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------
San Jose Earthquakes 18 10 6 2 32 28 18 Lost 1 5-4-1
Dallas Burn 17 8 3 6 30 26 20 Won 1 6-1-3
Los Angeles Galaxy 17 8 7 2 26 23 23 Won 1 4-6-0
Colorado Rapids 18 8 9 1 25 25 31 Lost 2 4-6-0
Kansas City Wizards 17 6 5 6 24 25 24 Won 1 4-2-4
Overall Standings
TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA STREAKS LAST 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------
San Jose Earthquakes 18 10 6 2 32 28 18 Lost 1 5-4-1
Dallas Burn 17 8 3 6 30 26 20 Won 1 6-1-3
Los Angeles Galaxy 17 8 7 2 26 23 23 Won 1 4-6-0
Colorado Rapids 18 8 9 1 25 25 31 Lost 2 4-6-0
Kansas City Wizards 17 6 5 6 24 25 24 Won 1 4-2-4
Chicago Fire 16 7 7 2 23 27 24 Won 2 4-5-1
MetroStars 17 7 8 2 23 26 24 Lost 1 4-5-1
Columbus Crew 17 6 8 3 21 24 28 Won 1 4-4-2
N.E. Revolution 17 6 10 1 19 29 35 Lost 1 4-6-0
D.C. United 16 6 9 1 19 19 25 Lost 3 4-5-1
Click Here to Return to COLORADO RAPIDS News Releases Home Page
Click Here to Return to COLORADO RAPIDS HOME PAGE
Please Send Us Your Comments and Suggestions
Copyright Intermark®, Inc.(since 1990)(SoccerNews OnLine®) 1995 - 2002, All Rights Reserved