An already busy schedule for the Fire got busier Wednesday night. The team advanced to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals with a penalty-kick victory over the San Jose Clash at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The penalty-kick result was a 4-3 Fire victory after the teams played to a 1-1 tie after 120 minutes.
The semifinals will be Aug. 4 in New Orleans.
After a scoreless first half, the Fire broke through in the 55th minute when defender Lubos Kubik curled a free kick around a defensive wall and past Clash goalkeeper David Kramer from 28 yards. San Jose tied the game 10 minutes later when Shawn Medved played through-ball to Jeff Baicher, who beat Fire goalkeeper Jorge Campos.
After two scoreless OT periods, Diego Gutierrez sealed the victory with his penalty-kick goal.