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DENVER (September 27, 1996) -- Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids will continue their season in Rochester, N.Y., where they will face A-League powerhouse Rochester Rhinos in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal on October 12 -- kickoff is at 5-.30 p.m. MDT.
For the Rapids, the game wiII be a chance to show their fans, and themselves, that they are a team that can compete for a championship. For the Rhinos, it will be the continuation of an already very successfull season -- the Rhinos, after an upset over the A-League's Montreal Impact this week in Montreal, are heading into the A-League Championship where they will face the Seattle Sounders. The Rhinos' record also boasts a victory over MLS Eastern Conference leader Tampa Bay Mutiny -- the Mutiny held the best record in MLS for the inaugural season with 20 wins. The Rhinos upset the Mutiny in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal, 4-3, in sudden death overtime.
The semifinal will be held at Frontier Field in Rochester where sell-out crowds of almost 15,000 fans have already assembled to cheer on the Rhinos this season. The stadium is brand-new for this season for the Rhinos, and also is home to Rochester's minor league baseball team.
The U.S. Open Cup is a yearly, 83-year-old single-elimination tournament featuring the best team's in the United States. The winning team will receive $100,000 in prize money and the right to represent the U.S. and MLS in 1997 international play.
The Rapids will train in Denver through Thursday, October 10, before heading to Rochester for the game, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m. MDT on Saturday, October 12. The team will be led by player/coach Roy Wegerle, who also led the Rapids to their U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal win over the Kansas City Wiz on September 15. Wegerle is expected to coach from the field, and will be assisted on the bench by Ian Butterworth.
U.S. National Team star Marcelo Balboa is expected to be fit for the match as well as defender Troy Edwards. Forward Shaun Bartlett and Jean Harbor will also be available for the Rochester game.
The Dallas Burn will face the D.C. United in the other U.S. Open Cup semifinal, at a site and date yet to be determined. The U.S. Open Cup Championship will likely be played oil either the last weekend in October or the first weekend in November.