Battery falls just short in bid for U.S. Open Cup crown

WASHINGTON — As the D.C. United players raised the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy in triumph, the Charleston Battery players slowly made their way across the RFK Stadium field to acknowledge the 200 or so fans who made the trip from the Lowcountry.

One by one, the Battery players made their way up the steps and embraced the fans who had made the 500-mile trek from Charleston.

For those that made the trip, it was worth every mile as the Battery came up just short, losing 2-1 to Major League Soccer's D.C. United, in the club's first appearance in a U.S. Open Cup final.

It was a bittersweet moment for players and fans alike.

"It was an unbelievable effort by the guys," said Battery coach Mike Anhaeuser. "We really left everything on the field. I'm disappointed for the players that we couldn't win, but I'm so proud of the way we competed.

"It was a battle to the end. I'm sure if you asked the D.C. United players they'd tell you the same thing. Our guys can't hold their heads low. I'm disappointed, but we obviously played a great game."

D.C. United star striker Jaime Moreno for one, became a supporter of the Battery.

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy. It was a very tough game," Moreno said. "As the game went on, it just got tougher and tougher."

With the victory before a crowd of 8,212, D.C. United captured its second U.S. Open Cup title and earned a spot in next year's CONCACAF Champions League Cup tournament.

An early goal in each half did in the Battery. D.C. United striker Luciano Emilio scored in the fourth minute and midfielder Fred added a goal in the first five minutes of the second half that proved to be the game-winner.

"We gave away a couple of dumb goals in the beginning of the first and second halves and it killed us," said Battery midfielder Ian Fuller, who had Charleston's lone goal. "You can't make mental mistakes like that against a side like D.C. United, especially on their home field. Yeah, it was great to get to the final, but we wanted to win and we came up short."

A sentiment shared by Charleston captain Nelson Akwari.

"I know the sun will come up tomorrow, but right now this hurts," Akwari said. "I thought we had our chances to beat them. To get this close and not get the result is disappointing. A couple of mistakes were the difference in the game."

For the better part of 70 minutes, the Battery went toe-to-toe with its MLS opponent, getting as many scoring chances as United and almost as many shots, 12-11.

"We were right there with them for most of the match," said striker Lazo Alavanja, who played 17 games for United in 2002. "We came up short, but we gave it a great effort. It was fun to get here and play so well, but it's disappointing not to come away with a better result."

The Battery was the first USL First Division team to make it to the final since Rochester beat Colorado, 3-0, in 1999 to become the only non-MLS team to win the U.S. Open Cup since 1995.

A jittery Battery defense made the first mistake of the match, and it resulted in a D.C. goal.

Emilio started the play with a beautiful back-heel pass to a breaking Santino Quaranta just outside the 18-yard box. Quaranta was tackled nicely by Battery defender John Wilson. However, Emilio, who was trailing on the play, picked up the loose ball and beat keeper Dusty Hudock with a blast to the far post for the score.

"We were a little nervous, and it showed at the beginning of the game," Anhaeuser said. "We made a mistake and they made us pay for it."

The Battery responded less than six minutes later on Fuller's second goal of the tournament to tie it at 1. Akwari started the attack, playing a beautiful long ball up to midfielder Chris Williams about 30 yards out on the far side of the field. Just outside the 18-yard box, Williams cut to the middle of the field and left the ball to Fuller, who blasted a shot past United keeper Louis Crayton.

"Chris left me the ball and I had the near side to shoot at," Fuller said. "At that point we needed something good to happen for us."

The Battery nearly added a second goal in the 20th minute when Alavanaja got behind the D.C. United defenders on the left side of the formation. Crayton came off his line to cut down on the angle and Alavanja's shot beat the United keeper, but bounced off the far post to end the threat.

United grabbed a 2-1 lead on Fred's goal in the 50th minute. After a short buildup, midfielder Clyde Simms played a beautiful through ball to Fred on the right side. The Brazilian midfielder, who entered the game in the 40th minute, dribbled twice and beat Hudock to the near post for the score.

"We got slapped in the face at the beginning of the first half and slapped again to start the second half," Alavanja said.

Charleston got its last chance of the match in stoppage time off a set piece. After a foul on United, Alavanja served the ball into the 6-yard box. It bounced around and was loose just a few feet from the goal line. Defender Marco Reda was there and easily put the ball into the open net. However, Reda was ruled offside on the play and the goal was disallowed.

"From our angle it was tough to tell," Anhaeuser said. "That's how close this game was."