With the entrance of MLS teams into the tournament, there was room for dramatic upsets in the Third Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Twenty-four teams advanced to the Round of 32 where eight more MLS teams are set to join them in the competition (May 10-11).
There were some spectacular individual performances in the thrilling Third Round of the 107th edition of the tournament.
The Player of the Round award is voted on by TheCup.us staff and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters but if YOU had a vote, which player do you think would win?
Here are the finalists (in alphabetical order):
Dion Acoff
Union Omaha (USL League One)
Acoff provided the assist for the goal at the death in extra time to tie the game at 2-2 and send it to a penalty shootout against the Chicago Fire (MLS) and then scored the winning PK in the sixth round to seal the upset on the road, 5-4.
Alvaro Barreal
FC Cincinnati (MLS)
After a scoreless 90 minutes, Barreal turned up the heat in extra time, scoring both goals (one PK) to give Cincinnati a 2-0 home win at TQL Stadium over former USL rival Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USL Championship).
Robert Cornwall
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (USL League One)
Cornwall scored the lone goal of Northern Colorado Hailstorm’s match against Real Salt Lake (MLS) in dramatic fashion, with a volley from the top of the box in the 70th minute. This gave Hailstorm an impressive 1-0 upset over RSL in the club’s first-ever season of existence.
Jordan Farr
San Antonio FC (USL Championship)
Farr made seven saves over the course of San Antonio’s home match against Austin FC (MLS) to preserve the 2-1 upset in extra time. Most notably, he accomplished a dramatic double save in the final seconds of the game while tangled on the ground with another player to prevent the game from being decided on penalties.
Ola Kamara
DC United (MLS)
Kamara was involved in all three of DC United’s goals against Flower City Union (NISA), scoring two of them (one PK) and assisting on the other as DC scored in a flurry in the last twenty minutes to avoid the upset in Rochester with a 3-0 win.
Ryotaro Kawashima
California United Strikers FC (NISA)
After being subbed on in the 63rd minute for his debut, the 22-year-old Kawashima scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time to lift Cal United over FC Tucson (USL League One) and avoid extra time. The win gave Cal United a spot as the only NISA team to make it to the Fourth Round of this year’s tournament.
Rodrigo Lopez
Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship)
Lopez had a hand in both goals scored by Sacramento Republic in their 2-1 home win over Central Valley Fuego FC (USL League One). After providing the assist on the first goal right before halftime, he stepped up to the spot in the fifth minute of second half stoppage time to slot home the clutch penalty to win the game in regulation.
Kyle Morton
Louisville City FC (USL Championship)
Though he wasn’t tested much, Morton kept a clean sheet through 120 minutes to take Louisville City to penalties against St. Louis City SC 2 (MLS Next Pro) after a scoreless draw. He then made two critical saves in the thrilling shootout that went to the 10th round, giving Lou City the 9-8 PK win.
Maxi Rodriguez
Detroit City FC (USL Championship)
Rodriguez scored a second half brace to give Detroit City their first win over a MLS team with a 2-1 comeback home win over the Columbus Crew (MLS) in front of a raucous crowd in Detroit. After being down since the 7th minute, Rodriguez’s goals gave Detroit the comeback, culminating with the game-winner in the 86th minute.
