The Black-and-Red enter the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the fourth round of play on Tuesday night when they face Christos F.C., a Baltimore-based amateur team that is the final amateur side remaining in the tournament.
Christos are the reigning U.S. Amateur Open Cup and National Cup champions, but they are not your typical success story. The Baltimore side trains irregularly and players have normal 9-5 jobs, but winning has come naturally as much of the squad has played together for more than a decade through youth, club, and collegiate teams. Now, Christos' chemistry has earned them a date with the Black-and-Red in the historic tournament's fourth round.
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Christos kicked off their Open Cup run by blanking fourth-division side Fredericksburg FC 3-0. The Baltimoreans then went on to face United Soccer League's the Richmond Kickers, who they knocked out with a 1-0 win. In the third round, Christos flew to Chicago to take on Chicago FC United and earned another 1-0 victory, plus a $15,000 prize for being the tournament's last-standing amateur side.
Now, United look to halt Christos' Open Cup run and launch an illustrious run of their own. The Black-and-Red are well-versed in the tournament, having captured the Open Cup three times, most recently in 2013. United's roster also features a member of Open Cup history—forward Sébastien Le Toux is the tournament's all-time leading scorer, with 16 goals to his name. Head coach Ben Olsen's familiarity with the Open Cup combined with much of the squad's experience in the tournament should prove valuable as United enter the competition.
A victory over Christos would pit United against the winner of the Columbus Crew-FC Cincinnati match in the tournament's round of 16, with the draw being held on June 15. Now that the FIFA international break is complete and Olsen's side has received some much-needed time to rest and regroup, the Black-and-Red will look to take advantage of the tournament's opportunity and launch a full-fledged pursuit of their fourth U.S. Open Cup championship, starting with the Christos match on Tuesday night.
