The 2018 U.S. Open Cup final matchup is set, and if the semifinals are any indication, the title bout will be a barnburner. First, the Philadelphia Union reached its third U.S. Open Cup semifinal in the last five years with a comprehensive 3-0 win over the Chicago Fire. The winners deserved their victory, with the first goal a stunning feat of teamwork between Alejandro Bedoya, Borek Dockal, and goalscorer Cory Burke. Bedoya with the audacious chipped delivery, and Burke with the strong, messy finish. Burke did it again 11 minutes later, beating two defenders and the goalkeeper to put Philadelphia 2-0 up, and then C.J. Sapong picked up Philly’s third with minutes to spare thanks to great touchline work by Fabrice Picault. Philadelphia held just 44% possession, but obliterated Chicago in the shot count 22-8, with a 7-1 advantage on target. The Union will take on the Houston Dynamo who topped Western Conference contenders LAFC on penalties in dramatic fashion after a 3-3 draw. Diego Rossi scored a hat-trick to complete a comeback after LAFC fell behind 3-1, with the equalizer coming four minutes into extra time. Houston took a two-goal lead thanks to Memo Rodriguez who came off the bench and earned his way onto the scoresheet just three minutes later. He cut inside on his right foot and fired a low shot into the bottom left corner that LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller will want back. With Houston up 3-1, Rossi grabbed his second in the 78th minute before the equalizer – a spectacular goal, as Rossi capitalized on a mistake by Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis. The 29-year-old netminder came off his line to punch the ball, and with the goal guarded by just three defenders on the line, Rossi headed it from a great distance out on the right edge of the penalty area, looping the ball over Willis and threading it behind the three defenders into the back of the net from a tight angle. https://twitter.com/LAFC/status/1027380526460465152/video/1 After a goalless extra time, Houston redeemed itself and took it on penalties. The shootout went eight rounds, with LAFC missing for a second time in Round 8 as Latif Blessing’s weak effort was saved by Willis going down to the goalkeeper’s right. Houston will be playing for its first U.S. Open Cup, as does Philadelphia who looks to avoid being the first team to lose three finals. Follow @the_bonnfire<doc-sep>To the crowd's chagrin, the fourth official posted six minutes of stoppage time on the board. It was a high number for a team that orchestrated a two-goal, stoppage-time performance to draw even with Los Angeles FC when the Dynamo hosted them in league play in July. Down by a score, Los Angeles returned the favor when forward Diego Rossi registered a hat trick, sending the game to extra time moments before the final whistle Wednesday night at BBVA Compass Stadium. But it didn't matter. In front of a stadium of standing, chanting fans, the Dynamo defeated LAFC 7-6 on penalty kicks (after a 3-3 tie) to qualify for their first U.S. Open Cup final. The Dynamo will host the Philadelphia Union, which beat the Chicago Fire 3-0 in the other semifinal, in the final Sept. 26. "I'm really proud of the players and I appreciate the support of the fans," coach Wilmer Cabrera said. "Houston Dynamo is in the final and it's well-deserved for the city." The scoring started in the sixth minute when Rossi ventured between a pair of Dynamo defenders and converted a through pass into the first goal of the game, skipping a shot past a sliding Joe Willis. And he would've struck again in the 11th minute if not for the referee's whistle. Instead, the Dynamo equalized shortly thereafter. In the 12th minute, fullback Adam Lundkvist whipped a corner kick to the far post for Andrew Wenger to tap into the net. The Dynamo went up in the 25th minute when forward Alberth Elis attacked from the right flank. Surrounded by three defenders, Elis pushed the ball ahead to Mauro Manotas, who slipped the ball past the goalkeeper into the opposite corner of the net. LAFC did well pushing the attack forward in the first half but failed to turn chances into points. They came out in the second half controlling possession in the opening 20 minutes of the period. But in the 75th minute, a freshly subbed Memo Rodriguez received the ball near the left edge of the box. Rodriguez has excelled throughout the competition for the Dynamo, scoring twice against NTX Rayados in the Dynamo's fourth-round match. He made his mark Wednesday by dancing away from a defender and creating enough space to fire a shot into the net before running into the arms of teammate Tomas Martínez to celebrate. "We were ahead and they tied," Cabrera said, "but we never give up and that's the key." Only three minutes later, Rossi double-dipped; gaining control of the ball on his chest, then driving it home for the score to draw his club back within one. His third goal came on an arcing shot by the end line that lifted chins before sailing down into the net. "We need to close the game a little bit better," Cabrera said. "I told the guys we have a very short celebration because after we finish in 10 minutes we need to start thinking about Columbus Crew (Saturday night)." Neither team could deal the decisive blow through testy halves of extra time, but during penalty kicks, Willis made an electrifying save to keep the Dynamo alive. Six shots later, the win was secured when Latif Blessing missed. The contest represented the Dynamo's third U.S. Open Cup semifinal appearance and their first at home. They defeated NTX Rayados, Minnesota United and Sporting Kansas City prior to Wednesday's victory. "It's going to be exciting. It's going to be very positive," Cabrera said of the final. "This momentum for us, I hope we take it to improve our game ... it's going to be a very, very high motivation for all of us."<doc-sep>
Houston and Philadelphia set to face off in U.S. Open Cup final LAFC came up just short in their bid for a final in their first season as a club, while Philly dominated the Fire The Philadelphia Union and the Houston Dynamo will face off in the 2018 U.S. Open Cup final after the two sides won out in the semifinals on Wednesday. Cory Burke scored twice for the Union as they ran to a dominant win over the Chicago Fire in the first semifinal. After a scoreless first half Burke slotted home the opener just before the hour mark, pulling down a clipped pass from Alejandro Bedoya and finishing well to put his side in front. Burke's second of the night came in the 77th as he split two defenders to double the lead before C.J. Sapong padded the scoreline with his late strike. The win puts the Union into the Open Cup final against the a Dynamo side that had to survive penalties in a semifinal win over expansion side LAFC. Diego Rossi put the visiting side in front early on, but Houston quickly regained control of the contest, Andrew Wenger scoring six minutes later and Mauro Manotas putting the home side in front 25 minutes in. When Memo Rodriguez netted in the 75th minute Houston looked assured of a place in the final, but Rossi had other plans. The Uruguayan pulled his club back to within one in the 78th to set up the late drama, but it took until the fifth minute of stoppage time for the 20-year-old to find the equalizer with a superb looping header to make it 3-3. DRAMA! DIEGO ROSSI HAT TRICK TIES IT UP IN STOPPAGE TIME! #USOC2018 #HOUvLAFC https://t.co/cKqfxgPNXN — Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 9, 2018 Unfortunately for Rossi, his heroics would all prove to be for nothing, as Houston held firm in extra time and took a 7-6 win in the shootout. The final also ensures there will be a first-time USOC champion, and neither side as ever won the cup. In Canada, the first leg of the 2018 Canadian Championship final ended in a 2-2 draw and was once again full of late drama. The Whitecaps had shockingly taken the lead despite playing a man down for the entire second half, Felipe having been sent off just before the break. Erik Hurtado's 84th minute strike looked to be the winner for Vancouver, but Doneil Henry's own goal six minutes into stoppage time proved to be a heart-breaker for the home side, which now faces the task of topping TFC at BMO Field in Toronto.