Although the San Francisco Bay Seals fell in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup to defending champion D.C. United, 2-1, Sept. 3, the team’s inspiring run touched a nerve with local fans, as well as fans across the country. “It seems like we’ve tapped into an emotion that’s very American, the underdog doing well,” said team president and head coach Tom Simpson, who bankrolls the team with a $25,000 budget, about the salary of one low-end MLS player. The Seals, who play in the USISL’s D3 Pro league, left a trail of casualties before the loss to United. Downed along the way were defending A-League champ Seattle and MLS clubs Kansas City and San Jose. “[The run] has meant public credibility that we never before enjoyed,” said Tom Simpson. “Our guys don’t get the financial rewards from playing the game, but they can get other rewards, like recognition. That more than anything else has been a wonderful thing for them.” Against United, the Seals fell behind early when referee Brian Hall gave a penalty kick after only 30 seconds had expired on the clock. Defender C.J. Brown put a little too much body on Marco Etcheverry in the penalty area, and the wily Bolivian flopped to the turf. Hall did not hesitate to blow the whistle and point to the spot, and Jaime Moreno was equally unhesitant in depositing the ball past Seals’ keeper J.J. Wozniak. It took a while for the Seals to recover from the setback, but in the beginning of the second half the team settled down and for a long stretch the ball was in the United half of the field. But it was United that capitalized, against the run of play, on a counterattack. Moreno collected the ball at the midfield stripe and burst up the left wing, leaving several Seals players in his wake. His pass to the center found Etcheverry, who stepped on the ball, faked once and slid a pass through the right to Raul Diaz Arce, who blasted the ball into the upper right corner, near post, past a helpless Wozniak. The Seals reduced the arrears with six minutes to go through Marquis White, who scored his sixth goal of the competition. “[The cup] has been a positive experience for all of us,” said White. “This tournament gave us the opportunity to show that we can play a this level.” D.C. United moves on to meet the Dallas Burn, which beat the MetroStars 2-1 on an overtime goal by Jorge Flores, in the final. It was scheduled for Sept. 9 รน a date that United coach Bruce Arena says will change. “We will not play until the season is over,” said Arena, whose team has a 10-day break until its next MLS game. “We’re telling [U.S. Soccer] that. We could care less what they think. Two MLS teams can play when the season is over.” by Soccer America Associate Editor Poul Swain