The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced today that the club will take on the San Jose Earthquakes in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Play-in match at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. On Tuesday, May 24 at 9:30 p.m. CST. The Fire meet the Earthquakes for the chance to participate in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup proper. The two clubs will then travel from San Jose to Chicago for their MLS regular season game on Saturday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. CST.
The U.S. Open Cup Play-in match does no favors for Chicago as the Fire have a game against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m. CST. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for the team to land in Chicago on Sunday and then fly out on Monday to San Jose. Ideally, the team will fly straight from San Jose on Sunday and cool their heels in California on Monday and Tuesday during the day to get ready for the big game. Regardless of where the Chicago Fire are in the standings, I want to see the first team play against San Jose on Tuesday, May 24. Yes, even at the expense of putting a second team on the field against Philadelphia or even San Jose later that weekend. We are the Kings of the Cup. It's time to start acting like it.