Palace Baltimore opens U.S. Open Cup campaign against Richmond Kickers

Crystal Palace Baltimore travels to University of Richmond Stadium tonight to face the Richmond Kickers in the first round of the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. This will be the first competitive meeting between the two clubs since Baltimore moved from the USL Second Division to the USSF Division 2 Pro League after the 2009 season.
 
Richmond and Baltimore faced each other six times between 2007 and 2009 in the USL Second Division. The Kickers won three games, lost one, and tied two. This season, Richmond sits at second place in the USL-2 standings, at 4-3-3. Matthew Delicate is tied for the league lead in goals with eight. Baltimore currently has a 3-6-2 record in the USSF Division 2 Pro League. Randi Patterson is the club\'s leading scorer, with four goals.
 
Crystal Palace Baltimore has qualified for every U.S. Open Cup tournament since their inception in 2007. Their most prolific Cup run came during 2008, where they advanced all the way to the quarterfinals. After defeating the Los Angeles Legends and the Harrisburg City Islanders in their first two matches, Baltimore produced the biggest upset of the third round, defeating the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer, 2-0. The magical run ended against another MLS side, the New England Revolution. After playing to a 1-1 tie, New England ousted Baltimore 5-3 in a penalty shootout.
 
The Kickers have won one U.S. Open Cup title, defeating the El Paso Patriots in a penalty shootout, 4-2, back in 1995. Last year, Richmond was defeated by the Carolina RailHawks in the first round by a score of 2-1.
 
The winner of Tuesday\'s match will host either Real Maryland FC or Reading United AC on June 22nd. If Baltimore is victorious, UMBC Stadium will be the venue for the second round contest, scheduled to kickoff at 7:00 pm.