And then there were four. Headlined by Indy Eleven’s historic triumph over Atlanta United, three MLS teams and one USL Championship side are headed to the penultimate round of the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Indy Eleven provided a quintessential Cupset on Tuesday night, upending host-side Atlanta United 2-1, while Seattle ensured the USL-C wouldn’t go two-for-two on the evening by holding off a game Sacramento Republic. Both road teams claimed victory on the evening.
In a reversal of Tuesday night, Wednesday saw both host sides advance to the Semifinals. Sporting KC dropped FC Dallas in the only match featuring two MLS outfits in the round. Los Angeles FC punched their ticket with a capable showing against New Mexico United to finish out the semifinal teams.
You can find the schedule and results for the entire 2024 US Open Cup here and the goalscoring leaders here.
Below you will find a brief summary of all four Quarterfinal games with links to the full match report with video highlights.
Atlanta United FC (MLS)
1:2
Indy Eleven (USL-C)
Indy Eleven secured the bag, and made some history in the process, with a 2-1 win over Atlanta United FC in the lone Cupset of the round. As the Division 2 team that advanced the furthest, Indy receives the prize money allotted to the last USL Championship team standing.
Augustine Williams opened the affair with a 31st-minute strike to put Indy Eleven up 1-0 off an assist from Douglas Martinez. The visitors withstood a barrage of shots from Atlanta before a Dax McCarty deflection gifted a 2-0 lead in the 83rd minute via own goal. Nicolas Firmino clawed one back in the second minute of second-half stoppage to avoid the shutout and deny Indy a fourth straight clean sheet.
The win sees Indy Eleven reach the Semifinals for the first time in club history. It is also the club’s first win over an MLS side in the competition, as well as just their second road win in the tournament. Indy Eleven will travel to the Fountain City to take on Sporting KC in the next round. {FULL MATCH REPORT}
Sacramento Republic (USL-C)
1:2
Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
A pair of first-half goals were enough to see Seattle Sounders FC through to the Semifinals with a 2-1 win over an upset-minded Sacramento Republic side. Joshua Atencio and Jordan Morris did the heavy lifting for the visitors.
Fans didn’t have to wait long for the opening salvo to be fired, with Atencio curling in an unassisted shot from range in just the 16th minute to put Seattle up 1-0. Morris then doubled the advantage 15 minutes later after running in behind the Republic defense and connecting with a threaded ball by Reed Baker-Whiting.
After halftime, Republic scored their lone goal of the affair via a header from Sebastian Herrera. Jack Gurr supplied the assist from the corner.
As a result of the win, Seattle is now one step closer to reaching a historic fifth Open Cup title. The Sounders will host LAFC in the Semifinals. {FULL MATCH REPORT}
Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
2:1
FC Dallas (MLS)
After Extra Time
A lengthy delay set the stage for an extra-time triumph for host-side Sporting KC, who dispatched FC Dallas, 2-1, on Wednesday night. Daniel Valencia supplied the late-match heroics.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half, and a two-hour weather delay threatened to kill the energy in the match starting in the 51st minute. Sixteen minutes after the restart, however, William Agada finally broke through in the 77th minute off a Jake Davis assist. However, Dallas restored parity through Petar Musa with some help from Asier Illarramendi just six minutes later.
In extra time, both teams had their chances. However, it was SKC that found some magic with Dany Rosero nodding home Johnny Russell’s cross in the in the 111th minute. FC Dallas would have one final chance to force penalties but came up short.
The win sees Peter Vermes guide his charges through to the next round for the 28th time, good for third-most in the Modern Era. Sporting KC, who like Seattle is one step closer to lifting a fifth Open Cup, will host Indy Eleven in the Semifinals. {FULL MATCH REPORT}
Los Angeles FC (MLS)
3:1
New Mexico United (USL-C)
Los Angeles FC proved more than capable of handling the USL Championship’s New Mexico United in the final match of the round, taking a 3-1 win over the visitors from the Land of Enchantment. Timothy Tillman led the charge with a goal and an assist on the evening.
Tillman set the tone early for the hosts, scoring an unassisted goal in just the sixth minute of action. David Martinez then struck in the 37th minute to send LAFC into the locker room sporting a 2-0 advantage.
Greg Hurst supplied some hope for the visitors in the 57th minute, connecting on a feed from Nanan Houssou to try and start the comeback. However, Mateusz Bogusz killed any idea of a second Quarterfinal Cupset, icing the match in the 77th minute after connecting with Tillman to provide the late-match dagger.
The win places LAFC in the US Open Cup Semifinals for the first time since 2018, the club’s inaugural season. They will travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Sounders in the Semifinals. {FULL MATCH REPORT}