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The Basics
2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - Third Round

Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) vs. Colorado Rapids (MLS)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.

Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Tickets are still available - call 813-287-1539 or click here. The box office at the stadium opens at 4:30 p.m. on gameday.

What's at Stake
The winner of the match moves into the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup to face the winner of the game between Sporting KC (MLS) and Orlando City (USL Pro) on Tuesday, June 5.

Rowdies in Open Cup
The Rowdies advanced to the third round of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 3-0 victory over Jacksonville United last Tuesday, May 22 at Patton Park in Jacksonville. Forward Daniel Antoniuk had a goal and an assist, while forward Mike Ambersley and midfielder Keith Savage added goals in the win.

Prior to this year, Tampa Bay last participated in the Open Cup in 2010, winning a first-round match at Legends FC in Dallas, 3-0, on June 15 before losing at Miami FC, 2-1 in overtime, in the second round on June 22. Current Rowdies defender Takuya Yamada saw action for the Rowdies in the second round game at Lockhart Stadium.

Rowdies Notes
The Rowdies extended their unbeaten streak to three matches overall with a scoreless draw Friday night at home against Minnesota, the league's remaining undefeated squad. Goalkeeper Jeff Attinella earned his franchise-record seventh career shutout, including his second this season.

Tampa Bay is led in scoring by Antoniuk, who has four goals and one assist in league play. Antoniuk added a goal in last Tuesday's second round victory in the U.S. Open Cup at Jacksonville United.

Midfielder Stuart Campbell, defender Frankie Sanfilippo and defender Takuya Yamada are the only three players to have seen action in all 810 minutes while starting all nine league games thus far.

Scouting Colorado
Twelve of the 14 players that played Saturday night for Colorado against Montreal are among the 18 players who will take on the Rowdies. Drew Moor, Kosuke Kimura, Tyrone Marshall, Hunter Freeman, Martin Rivero, Jaime Castrillon, Wells Thompson, Andre Akpan, and Tony Cascio all started against Montreal and made the trip to Florida. Also making the trip are second half substitutes Scott Palguta, Kamani Hill, and Harrison Henao. Click here to see Colorado's traveling roster.

This is Colorado's first match in this year’s Open Cup. The Rapids reached the finals of the tournament in 1999 before losing to the Rochester Raging Rhinos, 2-0 in the title match.

The Rapids won the MLS Cup for the first time in 2010. They are currently fourth in the Western Conference standings with a 6-6-1 record (W-L-T). Colorado last played Saturday night, defeating the Montreal Impact at home, 3-2.

Midfielder Jaime Castrillon is the leading goal scorer for Colorado with four goals and has started in all 13 games for the team this season. Midfielder Martin Rivero is currently tied for third in the league in assists with five.

Quotable
Rowdies Head Coach Ricky Hill
”We are looking forward to this opportunity against one of the top clubs here in the United States. We have a lot of respect for the Rapids and know that we are going to have to raise our level of play. It is not often that our local community gets to see a top Major League Soccer club in person and the chance to see how we match up against them."

About the Open Cup
The 99th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, America’s oldest national soccer tournament, includes a 64-team field, which represents the largest in the modern era. All Division I, II and III professional clubs are participating in the tournament proper for the first time ever. The Division I field includes all 16 U.S.-based Major League Soccer teams, which is double the representation from the past five years and the first time since 2006 that all Division I teams will take part. Meanwhile, all six U.S.-based North American Soccer League teams (Division II) and all 10 U.S.-based USL PRO teams (Division III) complete the balance of the 32 professional sides competing (also a modern record).

All 2012 U.S. Open Cup matches until the final are scheduled for Tuesdays, with the championship taking place on either Tuesday, Aug. 7, or Wednesday, Aug. 8. In the first round, 32 amateur-level sides are paired geographically, with the restriction that teams from the same qualifying pool (meaning USASA regional qualifiers, PDL and NPSL) cannot be paired. The first-round winners face Division II or Division III clubs in the second round based on geographic proximity. Second-round winners play Division I clubs in the third round, matched on a geographic basis.

2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule (Per Round)
May 15: First Round
May 22: Second Round
May 29: Third Round
June 5: Fourth Round
June 26: Quarterfinals
July 10: Semifinals
Aug. 7 or 8: Final

Up Next
The Rowdies begin a three-game road trip this Saturday, June 2 when they travel to face the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers at 7:30 p.m. at Lockhart Stadium.