Under a full moon at Championship Stadium, Phoenix Rising FC advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-1 extra-time victory over Orange County SC on Wednesday night. Aleksandar Vukovic delivered the decisive header early in extra time after Ousmane Sylla’s late equalizer forced overtime in a physical second-round matchup defined by momentum swings, missed chances and late drama.
The game started with Orange County controlling the ball with such elegance that Phoenix could not get possession for a substantial enough amount of time to create an opportunity. Phoenix played aggressively, dealing nine fouls to OCSC and getting three yellow cards in return. Orange County on the other hand were a bit less aggressive but still committed a couple unnecessary fouls that led to Phoenix being able to hold some possession.
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In the late minutes of the half, Alexander Rando made a mistake leading to an easy goal for Gunnar Studdenhofft and a 1-0 lead. After that goal the momentum shifted Phoenix’s way with them having more opportunities in those seven minutes than they did in the entire half.
The second half followed a similar pattern. The half had many fouls and yellow cards, but OCSC broke through in the last 10 minutes to tie the match up with a spectacular sequence of skills from Ousmane Sylla.
“There’s not many players that can do the things he does with the ball and have the confidence to go and dribble and drive through players and he scores a very good goal,” said coach Danny Stone.
The game went to extra time and in the first five minutes Phoenix Rising’s Vukovic scored an amazing header goal from a corner. It was his first career Open Cup goal.
After that, fatigue started to kick in for both teams which caused many gaps in the middle and both teams were able to exploit. In the dying minutes of the game, OCSC saw a couple of chances just go wide.
“I am very happy with the overall performance of the boys, but also the subs that made a huge difference,” said Coach Pa-Modou Kah of Phoenix Rising. “We are going to continue to be who we are and keep striding and fighting. It’s a great game for our players.
“They are seeking to go higher and now they get to play an MLS team and showcase what their abilities are and what they can do.”
Stone was still positive even after the loss for OCSC.
“I was really proud of the players for the effort, the way they fought, and competed in the game and I think probably we didn’t deserve to be the losing team in the game,” he said.
Phoenix Rising’s Eziah Ramirez was one of several teenagers on the field.
“I was a little nervous at first but, when I get here on the field all the nerves go away and I feel confident,” Ramirez said.
With the win, Phoenix advances beyond their opening round game for the fifth year in a row, however for Orange County SC, this is the third year in a row that they are one-and done.
The future is bright for both teams, but it will be Phoenix that will play at least one more match in this 111th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. (UPDATE: Phoenix Rising will play at the San Jose Earthquakes in Round 3)