Every year, the U.S. Open Cup concludes with a large crowd in an MLS stadium. But the great thing about the competition is that anyone can enter, so the early rounds are played at small high school and local government-owned stadiums, many of which are just parks in the middle of neighborhoods. On Wednesday night, that presented a unique problem.
U.S. Open Cup game stopped by pitch invader upset that supporters’ section is keeping their kids awake
Enough of your drums and singing, soccer fans.
In the middle of a first-round game between amateur side Tartan Devils FC and fourth-division team Derby City FC, an annoyed neighbor delayed the match by stepping onto the field in the middle of the game and demanding that the Derby City supporters’ section stop making so much dang noise.
Derby City is a Louisville-area club that plays its home games just across the river from downtown in Jeffersonville, Ind. As you can see, their stadium is directly adjacent to some neighborhoods.
Thankfully, the referees got things sorted out and they were able to complete the game. Sadly for the home fans, they had to watch their team lose on penalties.
So while we’re here, why not learn something about the victors? Tartan Devils is a Pittsburgh-based club that won their local qualifiers and is quite literally a pub team. They also have women’s, over-30, and over-40 squads, and raise a lot of money for local charities. And with this win, they’ve earned the opportunity to host second-division professional team Louisville City FC in Pittsburgh next Wednesday.
The U.S. Open Cup is awesome in general, and if you want to follow the whole competition, the best place is TheCup.us.
