To hell with the U.S. Open Cup

Last night, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup hurt us again. In a quarterfinal match, the Union forced the New England Revolution to extra time in dramatic fashion, only to lose on penalties. This is just the latest in a string of Open Cup heartbreaks, as the Union lost in the 2014 and 2015 finals, both times in front of their home crowd.

At this point, I am done with the Open Cup. I have loved it, I have dreamed about it, and I have long awaited its warm embrace, but no more. In their seventh season, the Union are doing fine on their own. They have a top-class sporting director, state-of-the-art facilities, and one of the best rosters in MLS. To hell with the U.S. Open Cup.

After the game, I wondered how to visualize how this tournament has repeatedly built us up and let us down. So I figured: What better way to do that than with the help of Will Smith and Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

Thanks to Brotherly Game photographer/wizard Trey Madara for putting this video together. I will watch it everyday for the rest of my life.