UPDATE: Sacramento Republic upset the LA Galaxy on Tuesday night
Three of the four matches for the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Quarterfinals will take place this week and feature some intriguing drama.
Tuesday night will see a Northern California vs. Southern California matchup with the LA Galaxy hosting the Sacramento Republic of the USL Championshup.
Wednesday’s doubleheader will kick off with a Hudson River Derby at Red Bull Arena as the New York Red Bulls will host their rival New York City FC. After that, the lone USL League One (Div. 3 pro) team left, Union Omaha, will travel to Kansas to take on four-time champion Sporting Kansas City.
The hosting scenarios for the Semifinals and the Final are scheduled to take place on June 23, then the final Quarterfinal match will be played on Wednesday, June 29 when Nashville SC heads south to face Orlando City SC.
All games this round, and the rest of the tournament, will be streamed on ESPN+.
As always, TheCup.us will have reporters at every game and will be providing in-game updates on Twitter (@USOpenCup) and as we have done for more than a decade, the hashtag we recommend is #USOC2022
Below you will find a brief preview of this week’s three Quarterfinals with links to each broadcast:
Tuesday, June 21
Sacramento Republic (USL-C) at LA Galaxy (MLS)
Dignity Health Sports Park; Carson, CA
Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
Broadcast: ESPN+
UPDATE: Sacramento Republic upset the LA Galaxy on Tuesday night to reach the Semifinals
The two-time US Open Cup champion LA Galaxy, one of the most decorated MLS clubs of all time, will host the Sacramento Republic FC, the last remaining USL Championship (Div. 2 pro) club.
After a bit of an up-and-down start to the season, Sacramento has a 4-3-1 record in their last eight games. After their upset of the San Jose Earthquakes on May 25, Sacramento are unbeaten in their last four, including winning three straight. That momentum has carried them into a four-way tie for third place in the competitive Western Conference.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy are also in the top half of their league’s Western Conference table with a 7-5-3 record. Since their last Open Cup game (a 3-1 home win over LAFC), the Galaxy have picked up a pair of results in league play, a 4-1 win over Austin FC and a 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers this past Saturday.
How they got to the Round of 16
Sacramento had no trouble beating the Portland Timbers U-23s 6-0 in the Second Round. Sacramento held a 6-0 lead at halftime and eased up in the second half so as not to run up the score on the youngsters.
In the Fourth Round Sacramento hosted a battle of USL Championship Western Conference rivals, facing off with Phoenix Rising. Republic added to their outstanding home Open Cup record with a 2-0 win, Luis Felipe scoring in the first half and Douglas Martinez adding the second in the 88th minute.
In the Round of 16, Sacramento broke through the San Jose blockade, beating the Earthquakes for the first time in Open Cup play in four tries. Over 11,000 packed Heart Health Park in Sacramento on a sweltering night. Luis Felipe opened the scoring in the 28th minute on a Rodrigo Lopez assist, and then Lopez closed out the game with a fantastic shot in the 84th minute to propel Sacramento to the Quarterfinals for the first time.
The Galaxy began their Open Cup run by welcoming former club legend and San Diego Loyal manager Landon Donovan to Dignity Health Sports Park in the Third Round. Los Angeles came away with a 1-0 win as Kevin Cabral scored the lone goal.
In the Fourth Round, the Galaxy got by the stubborn California United Strikers of NISA, 3-2. Cal United grabbed a shocking 1-0 lead in the 19th minute on a goal by Shinya Kadono, but Dejan Joveljic evened things up with the first of his two penalties for the Galaxy. The game stayed level until the 80th minute when Owen Lambe put the Galaxy ahead, and three minutes later Joveljic converted his second penalty to seal the win. Cal United created some late drama with an 88th minute goal from Kevin Garcia-Lopez.
In the Round of 16 the Galaxy faced off with cross town rivals Los Angeles FC in the first ever Open Cup version of “El Traffico” in front of 24,174 fans at the Galaxy’s Dignity Health Sports Park. After a scoreless first half, Kevin Cabral put the Galaxy ahead in the 51st minute, and Chicharito doubled the lead seven minutes later. Dejan Joveljic made it 3-0 in the 81st minute, and LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead scored the visitors lone goal four minutes later.
The lone Open Cup meeting between the two clubs came in the 2017 Round of 16. Sacramento began in the Second Round that year, and in the prior round they rolled over Real Salt Lake 4-1 in front of 11,569 in Sacramento. In front of a sparse crowd of 2,672 at the StubHub Center Track & Field Stadium, LA’s Ariel Lassiter and Bradford Jamieson scored early in the second half to give the MLS club a 2-0 win. At the time, it was the furthest Sacramento had gone in the Open Cup.
The Galaxy will look to avenge their reserve club LA Galaxy II after Sacramento beadt them in USL Championship play 2-0 on June 18. Luther Archimede and Rafael Jauregui scored midway through the second half for the winners.
Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship)
7th US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 17-5-1 (0-1 PKs)
Away: 1-4-1 (0-1 PKs)
vs. MLS: 3-4-1 (0-1 PKs)
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2022)
Current Season
7-3-4 25 Pts., 17 GF 11 GA, 5th in USL Championship Western Conference
Goal Scoring Leader: Douglas Martinez, 3
Assists Leader: Douglas Martinez, Luther Archimede, 2
Goalkeeping Leader: Daniel Vitiello, 10 games, 0.80 GAA / 3 clean sheets
Last Three Games
6/4 – USL-C – 1-0 win vs. San Antonio FC
6/11 – USL-C – 2-0 vs. at Detroit City FC
6/18 – USL-C 0 2-0 win vs. LA Galaxy II
LA Galaxy (MLS)
17th US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 35-17-1 (1-0 PKs)
Home: 25-3-0
vs. Div. 2: 11-4-0
Best finish: U.S. Open Cup Champions (2001, 2005)
Current Season
7-5-3 24 Pts., 18 GF 16 GA, 5th in MLS Western Conference
Goal Scoring Leader: Chicharito, 6
Assists Leader: Raheem Edwards, 5
Goalkeeping Leader: Jonathan Bond, 15 games, 1.07 GAA / 5 clean sheets
Last Three Games
5/22 – MLS – 3-0 loss vs. Houston Dynamo
5/29 – MLS – 4-1 win vs. Austin FC
6/18 – MLS – 1-1 draw vs. Portland Timbers
June 22
Union Omaha (USL-1) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Children’s Mercy Park; Kansas City, KS
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ET
Broadcast: ESPN+
Union Omaha are the last remaining third division club in the tournament, representing USL League One. They are trying to become just the third team from a third division league to reach the Semifinals. The other two are the San Francisco Bay Seals (D3 Pro League) in 1997 and the Richmond Kickers (USL) in 2011.
Much like their opponents on Wednesday, Union Omaha are struggling in league play with a 3-2-4 record. However, there is still plenty of time for the defending USL League One champions to get back on track. It looked like they were headed that way with a six-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, until this past weekend when they fell 2-0 at home to the Greenville Triumph, the team they defeated in the league championship game last year.
Sporting Kansas City are attempting to join some elite company in 2022. The MLS side has four US Open Cup trophies and adding a fifth would tie the tournament’s all-time record (Bethlehem Steel, Maccabee AC, Fall River Marksmen/New Bedford Whalers). Sporting might have extra motivation because they have struggled in league play. They enter Wednesday’s match one point from the bottom of the Western Conference with a 4-9-4 record. Last weekend, they snapped a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) with a 2-1 road win over Nashville SC. Teams using the Open Cup to get their league season back on track, or to save a season would not be unheard of.
How they got to the Round of 16
Union Omaha began their inaugural Open Cup run in the Second Round when they edged USL League Two powerhouse Des Moines Menace 2-1 in Omaha, Neb. The game was decided on an 81st minute own goal by Des Moines.
With no Open Cup experience, Omaha received a major test with their first professional opponent: Chicago Fire of MLS. Noe Meza scored the tying goal midway through the second half, and in extra time Alex Touche sent the game to penalties with a 120th minute stoppage time goal. Rashid Nuhu saved Chicago’s final penalty to give Omaha the upset.
Omaha’s found USL League One rivals Northern Colorado Hailstorm (who pulled off an MLS upset of their own in the previous round) waiting in the Fourth Round, and came away with a 2-0 victory. Goals from Noe Meza and Conor Doyle in the second half powered the Union to the win and the tournament’s $25,000 prize money as the last remaining third division club.
In the Round of 16, Omaha claimed another MLS upset on the road as they traveled north and knocked off Minnesota United FC, 2-1. The Sportscenter-worthy winning goal was scored by Joseph Brito in the 51st minute. That goal was enough to earn him a narrow win in TheCup.us Player of the Round voting. The win also made history for the state of the Nebraska as Omaha became the first club from the Cornhusker State to reach the Quarterfinals.
Sporting KC began their Open Cup journey in dramatic fashion. The four-time champs overcame a 2-0 halftime deficit to FC Dallas, scored an equalizer deep into second half stoppage time, and then tacked on two more goals in extra time to prevail 4-2. Marinos Tzionis scored the late equalizer for his first goal for Sporting KC. Four minutes into extra time an own goal from Edwin Cerrillo put KC up for good, and Khiry Shelton made it 4-2 in the 113th minute.
SKC would reach the Quarterfinals for the 12th time with a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo. Their 12 Quarterfinal appearances are tied for fifth-most in the tournament’s 107-year history. Johnny Russell scored both goals for Sporting, who was playing Houston for the fifth time in the last six tournaments.
Union Omaha (USL League One)
1st US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 4-0-0
Away: 2-0-0
vs. MLS: 1-0-1 (1-0 PKs)
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2002)
Current Season
3-4-2 13 Pts., 10 GF 8 GA, 7th in USL League One
Goal Scoring Leader: Noe Meza, 3
Assists Leader: Noe Meza, 3
Goalkeeping Leader: Rashid Nuhu, 8 games, 0.80 GAA / 4 clean sheets
Last Three Games
6/4 – USL1 – 1-0 win at Chattanooga Red Wolves
6/11 – USL1 – 2-1 win at FC Tucson
6/18 – USL1 – 0-2 loss vs. Greenville Triumph
Sporting Kansas City (Major League Soccer)
22nd US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 30-15-6 (4-2 PKs)
Home: 22-7-2 (2-0 PKs)
vs. Division 3: 3-3-0
Best finish: U.S. Open Cup Champions (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017)
Current Season
4-9-4 16 Pts., 16 GF 29 GA, 12th in MLS Western Conference
Goal Scoring Leader: Johnny Russell, 5
Assists Leader: Cameron Duke, Felipe Hernandez, 3
Goalkeeping Leader: Tim Melia, 17games, 1.71 GAA / 4 clean sheets
Last Three Games
5/28 – MLS – 0-1 loss vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
6/12 – MLS – 1-2 loss vs. New England Revolution
6/19 – MLS – 2-1 win at Nashville SC
Wednesday, June 22
New York City FC (MLS) at New York Red Bulls (MLS)
Red Bull Arena; Harrison, NJ
Kickoff: 8 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+
It doesn’t get much better when two league rivals square off in the US Open Cup. It makes it even more meaningful because the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC have both never won the US Open Cup. But adding a little more spice to the matchup at Red Bull Arena is the fact that these two rivals neck-and-neck in the Eastern Conference standings with NYCFC on top of the Eastern Conference with Red Bulls one point behind them.
The Red Bulls are a two-time finalist (2003, 2017) but have never been able to get to the top of the mountain. After four consecutive opening round defeats in their first four tournament entries, NYCFC won a couple games in 2019 before falling in PKs to Orlando City in the Quarterfinals. This year, NYCFC needed home wins over Rochester NY FC (formerly Rochester Rhinos) and the New England Revolution to punch their ticket to the Quarterfinals.
NYCFC haven’t lost a game in any competition since early April, going 12 games without a loss. Their last outing on Sunday saw them finish with a 1-1 draw the Colorado Rapids. Similarly, the Red Bulls have only lost one game since mid-April in all competitions.
How they got to the Round of 16
The Red Bulls reached the Fourth Round with a 2-1 win over Hartford Athletic of the USL Championship. Early goals from Lewis Morgan and Aaron Long was all NYRB needed while out-shooting Hartford, 30-4.
The Red Bulls had no trouble with their Fifth Round encounter with rivals D.C. United, leaving D.C’s Audi Field with a 3-0 win. Luquinhas opened the scoring in first half stoppage time, and John Tolkin added another just after halftime. Zach Ryan put the game to bed with his 68th-minute goal.
NYCFC had a bit of a tougher task with Rochester New York FC, beating the MLS Next Pro club 3-1 in the Fourth Round. Thiago Andrade started the scoring for NYCFC in the 23rd minute, and eight minutes later Heber took advantage of a goalkeeping mistake to double the lead. Jesus Baitz got Rochester back into the game in first half stoppage time, but Maxime Chanot’s goal midway through the second half gave the MLSers a comfortable lead.
Then, in the Round of 16, it was a battle between two major trophy winners from last season with NYCFC lifting MLS Cup and the New England Revolution winning the Supporters’ Shield. Santiago Rodriguez scored the lone goal of the game in the 94th minute of extra time as New York City advanced.
New York City FC (Major League Soccer)
6th US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 4-3-2 (0-2 PKs)
Away: 1-2-2 (0-2 PKs)
vs. MLS: 1-2-1 (0-1 PKs)
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2019)
Current Season
8-3-3 27 Pts., 26 GF 11 GA 1st in MLS Eastern Conference
Goal Scoring Leader: Valentin Castellanos, 7
Assists Leader: Santiago Rodriguez, 7
Goalkeeping Leader: Sean Johnson, 14 games, 0.79 GAA / 8 clean sheets
Last Three Games
5/22 – MLS – 1-0 win vs. Chicago Fire
5/28 – MLS – 1-0 win at Minnesota United
6/19 – MLS – 1-1 draw vs. Colorado Rapids
New York Red Bulls (Major League Soccer)
22nd US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 25-20-3 (2-1 PKs)
Home: 11-6-2 (1-1 PKs)
vs. MLS: 10-12-3 (2-1 PKs)
Best finish: Final (2003, 2017)
Current Season
7-4-5 26 Pts., 26 GF 17 GA, 2nd in MLS Eastern Conference
Goal Scoring Leader: Lewis Morgan, 7
Assists Leader: Omir Fernandez, 6
Goalkeeping Leader: Carlos Coronel, 15 games, 1.00 GAA, 4 clean sheets
Last Three Games
5/28 – MLS – 4-1 win vs. D.C. United
6/11 – MLS – 0-2 loss at Charlotte FC
6/18 – MLS – 2-0 win vs. Toronto FC
June 29, 2022
Nashville SC (MLS) at Orlando City SC (MLS)
Exploria Stadium; Orlando, FL
Kickoff – 7 PM
Broadcast: ESPN+
Preview coming soon …
