Goals by Sebastian Grazzini and Dominic Oduro led the Chicago Fire to a 2-1 U.S. Open Cup semifinal victory Tuesday night over the Richmond Kickers.
Chicago advanced to the Oct. 4 Cup final seeking its fifth U.S. Open title and first since 2006.
It was the fifth Cup win this season for the Fire, who have only four victories in MLS competition. They eliminated a USL Pro team that had beaten Columbus and Kansas City of MLS to advance to the semifinals.
Oduro curled a 19-yard shot around goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale in the 61st minute for a two-goal lead. That goal became the winner after Richmond defender William Yomby cut the lead in half in the 68th minute, heading a 6-yard shot off the crossbar and past goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
Grazzini opened the scoring when he buried his left-footed penalty kick low to Pascale's left in the 32nd minute. The kick was awarded when Richmond midfielder David Hertel tripped forward Patrick Nyarko in the penalty area.
Richmond was playing to extend its season. The Kickers had lost their USL Pro semifinal playoff match on Saturday.
