June 29, 2009
The Wilmington Hammerheads are set to host the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer on Tuesday June 30th at Legion Stadium in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. 
Wilmington has not qualified for the Open Cup the past two seasons but they have had success in Open Cup play in the past. In 2006, Wilmington made it to the fourth round and hosted the New York Red Bulls but came up short losing 2-1. The Hammerheads have topped an MLS team once in the 14 years of the club’s existence. This came in 2003 when the Hammerheads beat FC Dallas 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals, which is the furthest the club has ever progressed in this tournament
The Chicago Fire will be entering the match with plenty of Open Cup experience under their belts. They have hoisted the Dewar trophy four times – 1998, 2000, 2003 & 2006 – in just 11 years of play. In those 11 years, they have made it to the semi-finals seven times and to the championship five times. They are one of the premier club’s in the MLS with soccer stars including Mexico’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco and USA’s Brian McBride. They currently are 4th place in the Eastern Standings of the MLS with a 5-3-6 record.
Hammerheads Head Coach David Irving commented “It’s a great opportunity to bring a Major League team to Legion Stadium. We have hosted a few teams of this caliber in the past and it is great for our organization. It will be a treat for our fans to see players such as Brian McBride and other soccer stars that are on the Chicago Fire roster. We are looking forward to a great game.”
The two clubs will face off Tuesday June 30th at Legion Stadium with kickoff set for 7:00pm. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.wilmingtonhammerheads.com, calling 910-202-0518, or beginning at 12 noon on Tuesday at the Legion Stadium ticket office. The backfield of Legion Stadium will be open for overflow parking beginning at 5:00pm. 
