1998 Semis

Lubos Kubik unleashed a 33-yard, unassisted blast in the 74th minute to lift Chicago past the defending U.S. Open Cup champions in a game marred by 45 fouls, six cautions and three ejections.

Ante Razov and Roman Kosecki scored Chicago's first two goals. Mickey Trotman and Leonel Alvarez tallied for Dallas. Dallas surrendered the Kosecki goal just four minutes after Burn midfielder Jason Kreis was ejected for a foul from behind. Chicago played the final 19 minutes down a man after Diego Gutierrez and Kosecki received second-half red cards.

"It was a hard-fought, physical game," Fire Head Coach Bob Bradley said. "We are proud to have reached the final of the U.S. Open Cup in our first season."

Chicago advances to meet Columbus in the Open Cup final in Virginia Beach at the newly-opened Sportsplex, home to the Hampton Road Mariners of the A-League. The modern facility, designed specifically for soccer, seats 11,700.

Dating back to 1914, the U.S. Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in soccer in the United States and is among the oldest in the world. Open to all amateur and professional teams in the U.S., the annual event is an 85-year-old single-elimination tournament in which 32 finalists vie for the Dewar Cup Trophy. As they did last year, eight Division II A-League clubs joined the competition in the second round and eight MLS clubs entered in the third round.

DATE: August 4, 1998 START TIME: 7:30 p.m. STADIUM: Metarie, Louisiana ATTENDANCE: 6,514 REFEREE: Rich Grady REFEREE'S ASST.: Andrew Barnes REFEREE'S ASST.: Misail Tsapos	LINESCORE (1-2-FINAL) CHICAGO FIRE 3 (1-2-3) DALLAS BURN 2 (1-1-2)	SCORING SUMMARY (TEAM-MIN-GOAL-ASSIST) CHI - 11 - Razov (Marsch) DAL - 23 - Trotman (Santel) CHI - 56 - Kosecki (unassisted) CHI 74 - Kubik (unassisted) DAL- 83 - Alvarez, L. (pk
CHICAGO FIRE -- Zach Thornton, Lubos Kubik, C.J. Brown, Francis Okaroh, Chris Armas, Zak Ibsen, Jesse Marsch, Diego Gutierrez, Jerzy Podbrozny (Josh Keller 73), Roman Kosecki, Ante Razov (Josh Wolff 37)
TOTAL SHOTS: 13; SAVES: Thornton 5; FOULS: 18; OFFSIDE: 6; CORNER KICKS: 3; CAUTIONS: Gutierrez 40, Okaroh 45, Kosecki 71; EJECTIONS: Gutierrez 66, Kosecki 71
DALLAS BURN -- Mark Dodd, Chad Deering, Jorge Rodriguez, Brandon Pollard, Leonel Alvarez, Mark Santel (Juan Sastoque 84), Ted Eck (Temoc Suarez 78), Richard Farrer (Brian Haynes 63), Jason Kreis, Mickey Trotman, Dante Washington
TOTAL SHOTS: 10; SAVES: Dodd 3; FOULS: 27; OFFSIDE: 0; CORNER KICKS: 5; CAUTIONS: Pollard 34, Deering 40, Trotman 44; EJECTIONS: Kreis 52