Charlotte Independence lose to Chicago Fire in US Open Cup

The Charlotte Independence on Tuesday night fell 3-1 to MLS side Chicago Fire in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.

After controlling the opening 45 minutes and going into halftime with a 1-1 tie, Charlotte conceded two goals in the second half and was unable to finish its chances. With the loss, the Independence is eliminated from the tournament. Chicago moves on to host Orlando City SC in the quarterfinals.

Charlotte opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Alex Martinez found Tomasz Zahorski with space in front of the box. Zahorski ran between Fire defenders Matt Polster and Greg Cochrane to receive the pass and finished far post.

Pressure from the Fire began to mount in the 20th minute. Joevin Jones had two consecutive chances on net, but Independence keeper Hunter Gilstrap was able to turn away both. Jones got another opportunity 10 minutes later off a long ball from Lovel Palmer, but pulled his shot high and wide.

Chicago finally capitalized in the 38th minute. Palmer sent a cross to Mike Magee in the center of the box and he chipped it over a diving Gilstrap. Following the goal, Zahorski created another chance for himself from in close, but the ball knocked right off the shins of Fire keeper Sean Johnson.

Rejuvenated after halftime, the Fire controlled possession for the majority of the second half. Charlotte couldn’t quite clear a Chicago corner in the 50th minute, allowing Palmer to strike from long range for a 2-1 advantage.

The Independence didn’t see another chance until the 62nd minute, when substitute Ryan Finley had a point blank shot off a cross from Carlos Alvarez. Johnson made a diving save to keep Charlotte from equalizing. Finley would have two more opportunities over the next 25 minutes, but Johnson continued to deny the forward’s efforts.

Chicago’s third goal came in the 82nd minute when substitute Patrick Nyarko found Magee cutting inside. Magee found the back left corner of the net for his second goal of the night, sealing victory for the four-time U.S. Open Cup champions.

Following elimination, Charlotte will return its focus to USL play. The club welcomes fellow expansion side Saint Louis FC to Ramblewood Soccer Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 11:36 PM with the headline "Charlotte Independence lose to Chicago Fire in US Open Cup."