Then, in the final minutes of extra time, the U.S. Open Cup game swung through every possible outcome with an eruption of scoring. No other club that has been part of MLS during this span has had a higher percentage of Open Cup games extend beyond 90 minutes. The Union ranks second on this Open Cup drama metric, with 41 percent of its games extending to extra time or penalty kicks. Steven Birnbaum, a D.C. United defender since 2014, associates Open Cup games with a long grind and said he wasn’t surprised to play an extra 30 minutes against Philadelphia. The Los Angeles Galaxy and the Portland Timbers have each played 17 Open Cup games during this stretch but never one that required penalty kicks.

Source: Washington Post June 18, 2019 15:44 UTC