Union reach Open Cup final

CHESTER » Sebastien Le Toux seems to possess a special magic in the U.S. Open Cup.

On a Philadelphia Union squad devoid of options Wednesday, the Frenchman picked a good time to conjure a little more of that wizardry.

Le Toux added to his modernera record of 15 goals with an excellent left-footed rip that beat goalie Sean Johnson in the 74th minute, all the Union required in a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire in the Open Cup semifinals.

The Union book their second straight trip to the final, which they’ll host Sept. 30 thanks to Sporting Kansas City’s 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake in the other semifinal.

The operative word Le Toux reserved for his tally was “lucky”.

He evaded a tackle in tight

quarters near the edge of the 18-yard box, dragged it across the top of the box onto his weaker foot and unleashed a left-footed drive that caught Johnson, moving to his right, wrong-footed and scooted into the lower left corner of the net.

“The ball came to (Brian Carroll), and BC kind of played me one-touch, but I don’t think he meant to do that,” Le Toux said. “The ball just came to me. I kind of touched the ball and it went through the legs of one defender, which was very lucky again. And I just took another touch, and I saw where it was a bit open. (Johnson) went to my left, which isn’t my best foot, but I thought, ‘OK, let’s take a crack at it,’ and it went in.”

The tally adds to Le Toux’s enduring legend in a competition whose lore has produced legions of them over the last century. Le Toux made a killing in his Seattle Sounders days from 2007-09. He added three goals and two assists last year, in addition to three goals in the now-defunct qualifying round of the Open Cup, which somehow is distinct from the competition itself, in his early Union days. Whether it’s 15 goals, the official tally, or 18, the take-home message is that Le Toux thrives in the Open Cup — even if he credits the fortune of being on good teams.

Whatever breaks and bounces Le Toux got in the moment Wednesday, there’s no denying that he forced fortune’s hand when the Union needed someone to do just that.

The Union had dominated play against a pedestrian Chicago side that produced none of the offensive highlights its attack-minded formation designed, but they’d forced Johnson into just three saves in the first 70-some minutes. The host’s three efforts in the second half failed to find the target.

To break through and capitalize on their edge, Le Toux — who has three goals in his last four games in all competitions — popped up with a vital spark of inspiration.

“You do have to find that balance of when to shoot and when to pass, I’m glad Seba took the initiative and took a hit there,” manager Jim Curtin said. “I thought we were a little in-between in the first half, things were getting blocked or deflected, we weren’t quick pulling the trigger. Finding the right decision in front of goal is the key.”

The Union held fast with Chicago pouring forward late. John McCarthy, who was called upon to make just two saves, leapt to deny the Fire’s best chance, a bicycle kick attempt by Kennedy Igboananike in the 83rd minute.

That’s the second consecutive clean sheet from the Union, adding to their 0-0 result on the weekend against Orlando City.

“I thought our guys had a real professional performance at home,” Curtin said. “We haven’t come up with a lot of 1-0 games. It’s been a frustrating year, we know that, we know the moments where we’ve come up short as a team, as a coaching staff and the players as well. But for whatever reason in this competition, we show true grit, determination, fight and also quality in front of goal.”

Le Toux’s goal enlivened an otherwise dour affair between the teams ranking 19th and 20th in MLS.

The Union’s best sequence of the first half arrived in the 25th minute, when Johnson leapt quickly to deny Cristian Maidana’s low shot to the near post. The ball squirted across the goalmouth to CJ Sapong, whose effort hit the outside of the far post. Maidana was also denied on a curling shot in the eighth minute, while Carroll’s point-blank effort was pawed away in the 26th.

Chicago’s most notable event of the night was Gilberto’s debut concluding prematurely after 21 minutes due to a thigh contusion sustained in a collision with Michael Lahoud.

The win furthers the Union’s season-long quest to banish the demons of last season’s 3-1 setback to Seattle after extra time in the final. The final offers a chance to salvage something from a season that hasn’t gone to plan in any respect.

It’s also the second chance at a trophy, to book a monumental win in the history of a still-young franchise fighting to establish itself. The members of Jack Cassidy’s Pub pose with the Greg Greenday Trophy after capturing the Charity Softball Challenge.

“We play in this tournament every year,” said UBBIBC captain Jon Fanelli. “It’s great to come out and raise awareness for prostate cancer, and play some softball. But we always seem to play just well enough to finish fourth or fifth. It’s great to finally make the finals, especially against Jack Cassidy’s. We’re good friends with all those guys and play them a bunch. We just beat them in two close games to win the Marcus Hook League.”

Prior to the start of the championship finals, longtime umpire Jake Royal was recognized. Earlier in the year, Royal was honored with the Dick Millhouse Award, given each year to a Pennsylvania umpire who has shown great commitment and service on the local level with his chapter and to the ASA (Amateur Softball Association).

“It’s a lot of hard work and commitment,” said Royal, who has been an ASA umpire for 40 years.

“But it’s also a lot of fun. It’s a great way to still be a part of the game, and it’s nice to have all the hard work recognized.”

The first game of the final was yet another close one between the two teams. UBBIBC opened strong, notching a pair in the first on a single from AJ Welk and a homer from Mike Ferguson, and another three in the second when Fanelli walked, TJ Duranto followed with a single, and Mike Palumbo homered. A solo shot from Duranto in the top half of the fifth made it 6-1.

Cassidy’s cut the lead to one in the bottom half of the fifth, with a single from PeeWee Stinson, a double from Jevin Brown, a twoRBI double from Kerstetter, a walk to O’Keefe and a single and error for Tony Leon.

UBBIBC forced a deciding game with a run in the sixth on a two-RBI double from Ryan Duke, and another two runs in the seventh.

Most of the winner-takeall finale was a pitcher’s duel, with the two teams tied at 4-4 after six innings of play.

Brown led off the seventh for Cassidy’s and singled to the opposite field. Pinch hitter Brian Leon followed with another single. With one out, O’Keefe and Kerstetter recorded backto-back homers to put Cassidy’s up 8-4.

Mike Hill cut the lead to 8-6 with a two-RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, but Cassidy’s stranded the tying run on base to hold on for the victory and the championship.

“It’s always fun to win, but it’s also fun to just come out, play ball and raise money for cancer,” said Stinson, who was named the tournament MVP. “I guess this was a little revenge for last time, and we all played really well. Chris Kerstetter hit really well all day, Kevin O’Keefe hit the three run homer that put us up in this one; any of us could’ve been MVP.”