The Philadelphia Union return to U.S. Open Cup action tonight, when they’ll host the Richmond Kickers in the fourth round of play. Unlike the Union, the Kickers have already contested two Open Cup matches this year, needing penalties to get past Reading United AC in the second round, and defeating Penn FC in the third round.
As a club predating MLS, the Kickers have some history in the U.S. Open Cup. Richmond won the competition in 1995, the last edition of the Open Cup prior to the inaugural MLS season. They haven’t reached those heights since then, as the Rochester Rhinos are the only non-MLS team to win the Open Cup in the MLS era, but they have made it to at least the quarterfinals on four occasions, most recently in 2011, when they lost in the semis.