It may not be the derby Columbus Crew SC fans wanted, but it’s worth the draw that they were given.
In the fourth round draw of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup,the Black and Gold were given an old friend in the Chicago Fire. This will be the first time Columbus will host an Open Cup game.
The teams were part of the North Central region draw. In the group was Columbus, Chicago, FC Cincinnati, and Minnesota United FC.
Minnesota ended up drawing Cincinnati for this round of the tournament.
? NEWS: #CrewSC will host the @ChicagoFire on June 6 at 7 p.m. at @MAPFREStadium in the Fourth Round of the #USOC2018. pic.twitter.com/Y6bhlbsIwU
— Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) May 24, 2018
Columbus Crew SC-Chicago Fire: A Rivalry Renewed in the Fourth Round of the U.S. Open Cup
About Columbus Crew SC
Columbus is the pillar of Major League Soccer. When the league was founded in 1996, Columbus was the first team announced.
They didn’t qualify for the Open Cup their first two years in existence but was able to make the finals in 1998, against — who else — the Fire.
From 1999 to 2001 their progress saw a decline before Columbus became champions in 2002, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0.
The Crew saw the Round of 16 four times (2003-’06) before not qualifying for two years.
They ended up reaching the final yet again in 2010 but fell short to the Seattle Sounders 2-1.
Since then, Columbus has struggled to get past either the fourth round or the round of 16. With a win over Chicago, they have a chance to get a second date with the hottest girl in school, FC Cincinnati.
About Chicago
The Fire have had much success in the tournament, winning the Open Cup four times.
Their first came in their inaugural season in MLS in 1998. As mentioned before, they took down Crew SC.
Just two years later, Chicago was crowned champions yet again with a win over the Galaxy.
With another championship three years later, and another two years after that, Chicago had four US Open Cups in their name. Which is why they name themselves “Kings Of The Cup.”
What These Teams Have in Common?
There is one thing these two teams have in common: losses to the same team.
Columbus fell victim to a fourth-round loss to FC Cincy last year, in the first Hell Is Real derby, by a score of 1-0. In the next round, they booked a meet-and-greet with the Fire, where Cincinnati defeated Chicago on penalty kicks.
Cincinnati is the real deal. But so are both teams.
