PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers U-23s play host to the Charleston Battery of USL PRO on Tuesday in the second round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at JELD-WEN Field; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific).
Tickets, priced at $10, are available for purchase through the JELD-WEN Field box office or online at www.portlandtimbers.com.
The winner of the second-round match between the Timbers U-23s and Battery will advance to face the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer in the third round on Tuesday, May 28.
The Timbers U-23s, competing in their second consecutive U.S. Open Cup, advanced to the second round of the 2013 tournament after a 3-2 comeback win over the Sacramento Gold in the first round at JELD-WEN Field on May 14. Trailing 2-0 after 25 minutes, the Timbers U-23s responded with three unanswered goals, one each from forward Zack Foxhoven and midfielder Gabriel Conelian to level the score at 2-2 at halftime. Forward Mark Sherrod delivered the game-winning goal in the 78th minute.
The Timbers U-23s are one of 11 teams from the Premier Development League to advance to the second round of the 2013 U.S. Open Cup. Portland is in second place in the PDL’s Northwest Division after opening its regular-season schedule with back-to-back victories over Sounders FC U-23s and North Sound SeaWolves FC last week.
Members of USL PRO, the Battery enter the U.S. Open Cup in the second round. Charleston has had success in the U.S. Open Cup, reaching the final of the 2008 U.S. Open Cup against D.C. United, becoming just the second non-first-division club to reach the finals since the inception of MLS in 1996.
Led by head coach Mike Anhaeuser, Charleston is off to a 6-2-0 start to the 2013 season, including a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo Reserves on Sunday, and currently sits in second place in USL PRO. The Battery won the 2012 USL PRO championship and the club features the league’s second-leading scorer from last season in midfielder Nicki Paterson and 2012 USL PRO Rookie of the Year Jose Cuevas.
The Battery roster also includes midfielder Jarad van Schaik, who was a member of the Timbers U-23s from 2009-10. The Tualatin, Ore., native scored the team’s first-ever goal in the 34th minute of its inaugural match against Victoria Highlanders FC on May 9, 2009.
