Carolina Challenge Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Carolina Challenge Cup is a four-team round robin pre-season competition hosted by the Charleston Battery. It was started in 2004 and features teams from Major League Soccer and the United Soccer Leagues. The Columbus Crew edged out D.C. United on goal differential to win the 2004 competition, while the San Jose Earthquakes won the 2005 competition. San Jose's second iteration (although a separate team), the Houston Dynamo, won the 2006 and 2007 versions. In the short history of this tournament, the champion has gone on to win one of the two year-end MLS trophies, the MLS Supporters' Shield or MLS Cup.
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[edit] Coffee Pot Cup
A highlight of the competitions that have been held so far is the Coffee Pot Cup, a game between D.C. United and the host Charleston Battery, making it a rare example of an MLS-USL team rivalry. The history behind this comes from a postgame incident after the Third Round of the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, where Charleston pulled a shocking 4-3 extra time upset at home over D.C. A news report from then:
"DC United apparently used the visitors' locker room to vent its frustration over losing to the Charleston Battery in last Wednesday's US Open Cup match at Blackbaud Stadium here. Members of the Major League Soccer team smashed two coffee pots and pulled off some showerheads, according to Battery officials. 'I think a bill will be sent to them,' Battery general manager Buckley Andrews said earlier this week. The US Soccer Federation website's match report on Charleston's 4-3 overtime win over the two-time MLS champion called it 'one of the biggest upsets ever seen in American soccer history ... It will surely go down as an Open Cup classic.'"
After a few years, supporters of both sides in the name of spirited competition decided to have an actual Coffee Pot played for between the sides as a friendly wager. The winner has the other team's supporters fill the Cup with beer for the winning team's supporters to enjoy. Supporters of both sides say that whenever the two sides play, they are playing for the Coffee Pot Cup (the two sides could meet in the U.S. Open Cup if drawn together, or in an arranged friendly). The inaugural winners of the Cup in 2004 were D.C. United after winning 2-1. In 2005 and 2006, the two teams played to a tie (2-2, 1-1), meaning no one had to pay for the beer to fill the Cup, but D.C. maintained possession.
Mainly due to their commitment to play in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, D.C. United were unable to play in the 2007 version of the tournament.
- 2004, Carolina Challenge Cup: D.C. United 2, Charleston Battery 1
- 2005, Carolina Challenge Cup: D.C. United 2, Charleston Battery 2
- 2006, Carolina Challenge Cup: D.C. United 1, Charleston Battery 1
- 2006, Cary, NC Friendly: D.C. United 2, Charleston Battery 0
[edit] Participants
- 2004: Charleston Battery (USL 1st Div.), Columbus Crew (MLS), DC United (MLS), Wilmington Hammerheads (USL 2nd Div.)
- 2005: Charleston Battery (USL 1st Div.), Columbus Crew (MLS), DC United (MLS), San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
- 2006: Charleston Battery (USL 1st Div.), New York Red Bulls (MLS), DC United (MLS), Houston Dynamo (MLS)
- 2007: Charleston Battery (USL 1st Div.), New York Red Bulls (MLS), Houston Dynamo (MLS), Toronto FC (MLS)
[edit] Champions
- 2004: Columbus Crew
- 2005: San Jose Earthquakes
- 2006: Houston Dynamo
- 2007: Houston Dynamo
[edit] Results
| 2007-Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Dynamo | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 |
| Toronto FC | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| New York Red Bulls | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Charleston Battery | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 |
| 2006-Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Dynamo | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| D.C. United | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| Charleston Battery | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| New York Red Bulls | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | -5 |
| 2005-Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose Earthquakes | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| D.C. United | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| Columbus Crew | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 |
| Charleston Battery | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 |
| 2004-Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Crew | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| D.C. United | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Charleston Battery | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | -3 |
| Wilmington Hammerheads | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 |
