Watch: FC Cincinnati, Red Bulls Reach US Open Cup Quarterfinals With Penalty Shootout Wins

FC Cincinnati continued stellar run in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night with a 3-1 penalty shootout home victory over the Chicago Fire in a Round of 16 matchup.

FC Cincinnati Beat Red Bulls 3-1 On Penalties After 0-0 Tie in Round of 16

The shootout came after the teams were tied 0-0 after 120 minutes of play (regulation and overtime). Cincinnati, which defeated another MLS team (Columbus Crew) in the previous round, defeated the Fire before a roaring crowd of 32,287 at their own Nippert Stadium.

The hosts had a goal controversially disallowed due to offside late in the second half, and Cincinnati’s goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt made several key saves to deny the Fire’s German star Bastian Schweinsteiger and the rest of his teammates. Schweinsteiger transferred to Chicago from Manchester United — with whom he had played two seasons — in March on a one-year deal.

Hildebrandt was also spectacular in the shootout, as he stopped shots from MLS leading scorer and Serbian-born Hungarian forward Nemanja Nikolic as well as Arturo Alvarez and Juninho.

“We have an MLS-quality team, we have an MLS-quality stadium, we have MLS-quality fans,” Hildebrandt said following the victory. “Everyone here, the city deserves this.”

Cincinnati won the game after Hildebrandt dove to his left to block Juninho’s low penalty kick, the Fire’s fourth shot that came after missing two others.

Cincinnati will next face Miami FC in the quarter-finals on July 12. Miami — led by World Cup-winning Italian coach Alessandro Nesta — edged Atlanta United 3-2 on Wednesday thanks to a 93rd-minute goal from Kwadwo Poku. Atlanta are playing their first MLS season.

Meanwhile, the New York Red Bulls also won in a penalty shootout at home on Wednesday. The team defeated the Philadelphia Union 5-3 after tying 1-1 at the end of overtime. The victory served as revenge for the Red Bulls, who were eliminated by Philadelphia in the previous two US Open Cups — including a 2015 shootout at Red Bull Arena.

New York seemed to have secured a victory until the 86th minute, when the Union’s Dutch midfielder Roland Alberg equalized by firing a shot past Red Bulls goalie Ryan Meara after taking a long lob pass from Jack Elliott behind the back-line.

The Red Bulls scored shortly before halftime. In the 42nd minute, Philadelphia turned over the ball, Sacha Kljestan took an assist from Bradley Wright-Phillips and beat Union goalie John McCarthy. 

Brazilian midfielder Felipe, 26, scored the game-winning penalty kick for New York with a low shot to the right that McCarthy incorrectly guessed.

The Red Bulls will next face the New England Revolution — who beat DC United — in the quarterfinals on July 13. The other two quarterfinal will see the San Jose Earthquakes take on the LA Galaxy on July 10 and Sporting KC play FC Dallas on July 11.

HARRISON, NJ – APRIL 15: Luis Robles #31 of New York Red Bulls stops a shot in the second half against the D.C. United at Red Bull Arena on April 15, 2017 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena