U.S. Open Cup

Rochester stuns Crew Colorado disposes of Battery to make final.

The Colorado Rapids of MLS blanked the A-League’s Charleston Battery 3-0 in the doubleheader opener and will face Rochester September 14 in Columbus, Ohio, at 8 p.m. (ET) to decide the Open Cup title in a match televised by ESPN.

Hardy collected the ball and broke in from the left flank and slotted a right-footed shot past Crew goalkeeper Mark Dougherty to decide the match.

Trailing 2-1, the Rhinos equalized in the 86th minute when Schweitzer free kick found its way through the Columbus wall on a deflection from 27 yards.

Both games were played in extremely windy and wet conditions. The nightcap saw Rochester looking to counterattack while the Crew pushed forward the majority of the game which was scoreless at half.

Midfielder Robert Warzycha put the Crew on top 1-0 in the 56th minute with free kick from 20 yards that beat Rochester goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

Rochester tied the game at 1-1 on a Darren Tilley header in the 68th minute after midfielder Tommy Tanner played a cross in from the right flank to the far post.

Striker Brian West put Columbus up 2-1 nine minutes later. Ansil Elcock crossed the ball in from the left flank and found West streaking to the ball and push it past Onstad.

In the first game, striker Jorge Dely Valdes scored twice after intermission, while goalkeeper Ian Feuer made four saves to earn the shutout to put the Rapids in the final for the first time.

"Dely Valdes has scored an awful lot of goals for us this year, and most of them have won games," Colorado coach Glenn Myernick said. "That's his seventh game-winner of the season, and he has once again proven to be our go-to guy when we need a big goal . . . This was one of the most important games we will play all season, and we played like it, especially in the second half. We said at the beginning of the season that one of our major goals was to win the Open Cup, and now we are ninety minutes away from doing it."

After a scoreless first half played in a deluge the Rapids scored overran its opposition. Feuer’s stop of Nicky Spooner’s point-blank shot early in the half kept the Rapids even.

In the 55th minute, the Rapids used an intricate buildup to take a 1-0 lead. David Vaudreuil near midfield, played a ball up to Wolde Harris in the attacking third of the field. Harris then found Ross Paule racing towards goal on the left, before Paule slid a pass across to Dely Valdes on the right, just outside the top of the penalty area.

The Rapids’ leading scorer faked a shot with his right foot, before cutting the ball back to his left, past a defender. Dribbling to the left, Dely Valdes then fired a low, left-footed shot back to the right, past a diving keeper Dusty Hudock, skimming off the inside of the right post before settling in the net.

In the 83d minute, Harris collected a loose ball at the top of the box and sent a pass that set up Paul Bravo for a strong finish to make it 2-0.

Three minutes later, it was Bravo who made the great set-up. Marquis White hit a through-ball behind the defense to Bravo on the run. He carried down the center of the field, and as Hudock came out to challenge, Bravo deftly knocked the ball to his left to an absolutely unmarked Dely Valdes for an easy tally.

Rochester Rhinos 3, Columbus Crew 2

Referee: Noel Kenny. Referee's assistants: Craig Lowry, George Vergara. Attendance: 2,109 at Virginia Beach (Va.) SportsPlex. Weather: Windy, rainy.

Colorado Rapids 3, Charleston Battery 0

Referee: Andrew Barnes. Referee's assistants: Nate Clements, Bill Dittmer. Attendance: 2,109 at Virginia Beach (Va.) SportsPlex. Weather: Windy, rainy.