The Stingers’ magical run through the U.S. Open Cup ended Sunday night with a decisive 4-1 quarterfinal loss to Major League Soccer’s Dallas Burn.
Unlike the MLS’ Colorado Rapids, who were upset two weeks ago by the Division 3 Stingers, Dallas approached the game with a playoff mentality, scouting a regular-season Stingers game last week and starting its first-line players.
The intensity paid off. Dallas scored twice within two minutes late in the first half and put the match, played before 3,810 at Forest View Park in Arlington Heights, out of reach on two second-half goals by midfielder Ted Eck.
“These guys have something to prove, and motivation is everything in these games,” said Dallas coach David Dir of the Stingers. “There’s not enough of a distance between us and them to think we’re going to walk on this field and they’ll roll over.”
The Stingers contained Dallas for much of the first half, but the inevitable arrived in the 42nd minute. Burn forward Damian Alvarez, who also plays for Leon of the Mexican First Division, collected a pass from former Swiss national star and Burn captain Alain Sutter. Alvarez launched a shot from 25 yards out that skidded into the left corner of the goal.
Two minutes later, Sutter again delivered a ball to charging Dallas forward Dante Washington, a 1992 Olympian. As Stingers defender Iain Williams slipped and fell in pursuit, Washington took aim from 17 yards and slotted the ball into the same part of the net.
Eck, an occasional U.S. national team player, found the net in the 69th minute from close range, taking a volley from teammate Mark Santel and chipping a soft shot that bounced over goalkeeper Markus Roy. Eck scored again in the 84th minute on a header off a corner kick.
Forward David Deck notched the Stingers’ only goal in the 63rd minute after having had several good chances earlier in the game. Dallas goalkeeper Mark Dodd lunged for Deck’s shot, which came from a sharp angle on the right side, but couldn’t get enough of it.
“We were a half-step off tonight,” Deck said. “We were ready mentally and physically, but something wasn’t going our way. It wasn’t for lack of effort or heart. You need breaks against big-time teams.”
The 84-year-old U.S. Open Cup tournament is contested among professional and amateur leagues at all levels throughout the country.
The Stingers now head for the USISL D-3 playoffs. Their first game will be at home Aug. 22 against either Cleveland or Indiana.
