There were goals and upsets galore in the Second Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Thirty-one teams advanced to Round 3 where some will have the chance to face MLS opponents the week of April 19-21.
There were plenty of standout individual performances in the Second Round of the 107th edition of the tournament.
ROUND 1 WINNER: Tomas Bosuel of San Fernando Valley FC
The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers (those that pledge $10 or more) from TheCup.us’ Patreon team. But if YOU had a vote, which player do you think should win?
Here are the finalists (in alphabetical order):
Jake Areman
Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL Championship)
Areman offered assists on three goals for three different players in Tampa Bay’s 6-0 resounding home win over The Villages SC (USL League Two).
Villyan Bijev
Central Valley Fuego (USL League One)
Bijev scored a first-half brace in Central Valley Fuego’s 4-1 home upset of USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive.
Arthur Bosua
South Georgia Tormenta FC (USL League One)
Bosua broke the ice in the 61st minute with a header off a corner kick to give Tormenta FC their first-ever US Open Cup goal and a 1-0 win on the road over the Charleston Battery (USL Championship), his former club.
Paul Christensen
Greenville Triumph (USL League One)
Christensen made nine saves to keep a clean sheet and preserve the Greenville Triumph’s 2-0 home win over the Oakland Roots (USL Championship).
Jerry Desdunes
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (USL League One)
Desdunes scored the game-winning goal in the 96th minute for the Hailstorm in the club’s first-ever game, a 1-0 extra time road win over the Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USL Championship). The Hailstorm played the majority of the match with 10 men after a 27th minute red card.
Kyle Greig
Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL Championship)
Greig got his name on the scoresheet three times, assisting both Mkosana goals and adding a goal of his own in the second half at Al Lang Stadium as Tampa Bay advanced past The Villages SC (USL League Two), 6-0.
Duke Lacroix
Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship)
Lacroix added to Sacramento’s dominating 6-0 home win over Portland Timbers U-23s (USL League Two) with two goals in 20 minutes.
Marcus Lee
California United Strikers FC (NISA)
The 15-year-old had a breakout performance with a goal and an assist in California United Strikers’ 5-0 home win over San Fernando Valley FC (USASA/UPSL). It is very likely that he is the youngest player to score a goal in the US Open Cup in the Modern Era (1995-present).
Matthew Lewis
Detroit City FC (USL Championship)
Lewis scored a goal in each half to add to the advantage, seeing Detroit City comfortably win against Michigan Stars FC (NISA) at home to the tune of 3-0.
Rodrigo Lopez
Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship)
Lopez put his name on the scoresheet three times in the first half at his home stadium with a goal and two assists in Sacramento’s resounding win over Portland Timbers U-23s (USL League Two).
Lucky Mkosana
Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL Championship)
Mkosana scored a brace in the first twenty minutes of the game to get the Rowdies started in their utter domination of The Villages SC (USL League Two) in their 6-0 win at home.
Luke Prpa
Hartford Athletic (USL Championship)
Prpa assisted on the opening goal and scored the game-winner in the second half of Hartford Athletic’s resounding 3-1 home win over Oyster Bay United FC (UPSL) in Hartford, Conn.
Henrik Sakshaug
San Antonio FC (USL Championship)
Seventeen-year-old Sakshaug scored two goals in a four-minute span early in the second half to lead San Antonio to a 3-0 victory over D’Feeters Kicks SC (The Roja League) in front of the home crowd.
Toby Sims
Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Championship)
Sims scored both goals, one in each half, to lift the Riverhounds past Maryland Bobcats FC (NISA) in a 2-0 home win.
