Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Forrest Wimberly

2024 US Open Cup Round 1: Greenville Triumph edge South Carolina United in foul-heavy Palmetto State battle

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Players from Greenville Triumph SC celebrate after scoring a goal against South Carolina United in the First Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Greenville Triumph SC
Players from Greenville Triumph SC celebrate after scoring a goal against South Carolina United in the First Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Greenville Triumph SC

The visiting Greenville Triumph SC converted a first-half, stoppage-time free kick to advance 1-0 over the South Carolina United Bantams in their 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup First Round clash in Columbia.

This all-South Carolina Cup match was very physical from the opening whistle and saw seven yellow cards, one mass confrontation just before the half, and plenty of banter between the two sides.  For two teams without any history of playing matches … they sure didn’t seem to like each other (36 total fouls).

The Triumph controlled most of the possession throughout the match (68% overall) and the Bantams were content to absorb the pressure and then look to spring forward on the counter. The match was mostly contested box-to-box with both teams unable to find a way to break down their opponent’s backline to threaten the goal inside the box.  The Bantams played with five across the back dropping their wingbacks deep to force the Triumph into long-range shots and hopeful services into the box that the Bantams’ keeper Andreas Kokoska collected on every occasion.

Just when it looked like the match was headed to the break scoreless, the Triumph converted a free kick from the left flank to push ahead 1-0 in first-half stoppage time. Lyam MacKinnon whipped in a driven, bending service that Leo Castro nodded down at the far post to bounce the ball past the diving Bantams’ keeper.



The second half returned to the midfield stalemate with both teams again unable to find a clear pathway into their opponent’s penalty box.  The game almost took a major turn in the 84th minute as a Bantams’ forward collected a stray ball the Triumph defense and charged in 1-v-1 on the Triumph keeper.  Gunther Rankenburg stayed big, stayed on his feet as long as possible, and out-dueled the charging Bantams’ forward to make a spectacular kick save to preserve the score line at 1-0.

“The guys put in a really, really solid professional effort tonight,” said Triumph head coach Rick Wright. “It was a very difficult surface to play on, but we adapted and played really well. I’m real proud of the guys, they rose to the occasion.”

All credit should go to the Bantams’ coaching staff and front office for putting together such a strong team with such little time to prepare.  The team had just assembled a few days prior to the match and this collection of players were expertly cobbled together into a very cohesive and effective group by head coach Lee Morris and staff.  The Bantams knew who they are, understood the assignment, and were just one free kick away from extra time, possibly penalties, and who knows what’s next. But in the end, the Bantams remain without an Open Cup win in three attempts.

The Triumph closed out the match and advance 1-0 into the second round in two weeks.

2024 US Open Cup Round 1: Early diving header by Nick Akoto gives Tormenta win over FC America CFL Spurs

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South Georgia Tormenta pose for a team photo prior to their First Round match against FC America CFL Spurs in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Tormenta FC
South Georgia Tormenta pose for a team photo prior to their First Round match against FC America CFL Spurs in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Tormenta FC

The South Georgia Tormenta FC slipped past the visiting FC America CFL Spurs 1-0 to gain a Round 2 berth in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Tuesday night in Statesboro, Ga. It marked the third straight tournament where Tormenta FC has won their opening round game.  

The USL League One Tormenta saw a very evenly played 90 minutes of Cup soccer from the visiting amateur side from Florida, who were up for the match and keen for its Cup debut.

The lone goal of the evening was off the head of Tormenta winger Nick Akota in the fifth minute as he neatly tucked the driven Ajmeer Spengler cross into the low-near post just out of reach of the sprawling Spurs’ keeper.  This would prove to be enough to see Tormenta into the next round.

Tormenta Head Coach Ian Cameron praised both individual and team performances on the evening.

“I though Niall Watson came in and did a really nice job tonight,” Cameron said. “He made a lot of runs off the backline either to get in or make space for his teammates.”

For the others it was about management according to Cameron with the quick turnaround from USL League One action on Saturday to the US Open Cup match on Tuesday. 

“From Saturday the movement of the frontline had to get better and a willingness to mix up the game between playing it and being more direct,” Cameron said. “We probably flipped the wrong way and went too direct at times but that’s with no training and that’s just off video. That’s improvement from Saturday but we have more things to work on.”

The early minutes of the match that were all Tormenta seemed to flip to the Spurs as they became more aggressive and direct over the next 15 minutes of play.  Several waves of Spurs’ attacks had Tormenta pinned deep in their defensive third as the hosts absorbed the pressure and weathered the storm.

Tormenta goalkeeper Drew Romig made a spectacular diving save in the 15th minute as centerbacks Jake Dengler and Preston Kilwien settled down the back line and was able to answer every Spurs question to keep the hosts in the advantage.

In the 20th minute, Tormenta took the air out of the game and began to circulated the ball around their half to regain the momentum and control of the match. A ball off the post and several other scrambles inside the box including what looked like a handball on Spurs saw Tormenta go into the halftime break winning 1-0.

The second half saw mostly Tormenta possession translating into pressure on the Spurs defense but with neither team able to outduel their opponents in front of goal to find the critical final touch.  Late in the match, Spurs made a few final attacks throwing everything forward but just couldn’t break down the concentrated Tormenta defensive block to level the match.

Tormenta travels to Richmond for league play this weekend and then looks forward to the US Open Cup match in two weeks.

“If we are lining up on a field, if we’re in a parking lot, I don’t care. If we’re playing another team, we’re going to try and win the game,” Cameron said.

 

2023 US Open Cup Round 3: Charlotte FC avoid “trap”, cruise to win over South Georgia Tormenta

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Charlotte FC players celebrate after scoring a goal against South Georgia Tormenta in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Alana McCallion
Charlotte FC players celebrate after scoring a goal against South Georgia Tormenta in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Alana McCallion

A very focused, full-strength Charlotte FC (MLS) side pushed past the visiting South Georgia Tormenta (USL-1) 4-1 in their first-ever home game in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. More than 3,500 fans crowded into the Matthews Sports Plex on the outskirts of Charlotte on Tuesday night to see the home team use four different goal scorers in their convincing win.

“A game like this could very well be a trap, especially for the younger players,” said Charlotte FC Head Coach Christian Lattanzio. “They need to understand the intensity is so important. We need to go and press every ball and it doesn’t matter the result, they have to play with this kind of mentality. 

“(Tormenta) have some quality players. They can play, they can run, they’re young, some of them are quite talented and it can easily go differently than the way it started.” 

Charlotte FC forward Chris Hegardt echoed his head coach’s ideas about avoiding the Tormenta “trap.”

“I think Cup matches are good, it gives a lot of people that haven’t played much some opportunity, and obviously it’s fun to play teams that aren’t in your league and it’s very competitive,” he said. “ You saw Tormenta, they’re a really good team and they have a lot of good individual players.  So these games aren’t easy, some say it is like a trap game because they (Tormenta) go in and play so hard, so we had to match that intensity today and I though we played really well. So we’re happy about it.”

When asked about the strong lineup Lattanzio added “To us, first and foremost, we want to respect the opposition, you have to play strong and go with your strong team. 

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“We are building here.”

Tormenta began the game on the front foot, forcing two Kristijan Kahlina saves in the first few minutes. After this initial action, Charlotte FC began to control the midfield spaces and possess the ball, working around the perimeter of the Tormenta defense. For the first 20 minutes, Tormenta was able to deal with any ball played into their concentrated defensive block then counterattack to find some relief from the Charlotte pressure.

In the 24th minute, a lofted cross into the box from the left flank was kept alive by a Hegardt header to find Kamil Józwwiak, who took a clever touch from a sharp angle as he looped a shot up and over the outstretched Tormenta keeper. Despite some tough tackles and some close calls the teams went into the half at 1-0 Charlotte.

The cloudy skies of the day had turned into a slight drizzle in the evening with the natural surface became very fast and greasy. The half opened with a quick red card to Tormenta’s Davey Mason on his second caution in the 48th minute which totally tilted the pitch in favor of the host. Charlotte FC used this man advantage to increase pressure on Tormenta, forcing the game deeper in the visitor’s defensive third and the second goal for Charlotte came off a turnover and driven Brandon Cambridge cross that was tapped into the open net in the 55th minute by forward Enzo Copetti.

Charlotte FC didn’t hold back after the second goal and wave after wave of attacks pinned Tormenta deeper and deeper in their end until a Derrick Jones worm-burner in 65th minute from the top of the box skimmed on the greasy surface, deflecting through a crowded penalty area, and into the Tormenta goal for a 3-0 home advantage

Tormenta did pull a goal back in the 83rd minute off the foot of Mathaus Cassini who hit a blistering shot from outside the area that rocketed passed a diving Kristijan Kahlina. Charlotte FC immediately answered the Tormenta goal just a minute later to end any hopes of a comeback and put the game on ice as Karol Świderski calmly took a page from Jones’ shooting school and produced his own worm-burner that skimmed through the box and tucked neatly into the near post for the final 4-1 advantage to the Crown.

2023 US Open Cup Round 2: South Georgia Tormenta claims another USL Championship upset, 2-1 vs. Rio Grande Valley

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South Georgia Tormenta FC players celebrate after scoring a goal against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: South Georgia Tormenta FC
South Georgia Tormenta FC players celebrate after scoring a goal against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: South Georgia Tormenta FC

South Georgia Tormenta used a goal in each half along with a second-half penalty save to advance 2-1 in the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup over the visiting Rio Grande Valley Toros.

The Rio Grande Valley Toros (USL Championship) had entered the match undefeated with a record of 1-0-3 to face the defending USL League One champions, which owned a 1-2-0 record.  Throw out the previous results, add an ideal full-moon night for soccer, and sprinkle in some US Open Cup magic and the recipe for tonight’s game was complete.


Both squads were managing the extra load of recent games and rotated their squads for tonight’s match.  Tormenta seemed to adjust faster and had a strong opening 15 minutes of play pressuring the Toros to open the match. The Toros then found their footing and midfield possession game to control the rest of the first half except for one major breakdown that Tormenta punished for a goal in the 39th minute.  A quick switch of the ball by Mukwelle Akale caught the Toros unbalanced in front of the net and John Murphy Jr. made no mistake putting Tormenta up 1-0 heading into the half.


Rio Grande Valley regrouped at the intermission and opened the second half with more possession and sustained pressure on the Tormenta backline.  This pressure forced a penalty in the 69th minute that Tormenta keeper Pablo Jara turned aside with a strong left hand to deny the Toros’ leveling the score.  Energized by the Jara save, Tormenta opened the game up and a pair of substitutes caught the Toros over shifted on a Nick Akoto cross from the right flank in the 81st minute when Kingsford Adjei smashed in the second of the night for the Birds.

The final minutes of the match saw Tormenta fend off wave after wave of Toros’ attacks and as the seven minutes of stoppage time were being announced Ricky Ruiz found the net on a low drive to put the Toros on the board.  The Toros continued to press the attack but simply ran out of time as Tormenta held on for the 2-1 win.

Tormenta Head Coach Ian Cameron was very pleased with the win and noted how ideas worked on in training were the difference in the match tonight. 

“We knew we wanted to cross the ball early because their (Toros) center backs get very man oriented and get sucked into the pockets,” Cameron said.  “So if we could play early balls across, that would make a big difference and both goals came from crosses.  We’re a team that’s not crossed the ball enough so that was something we worked on this week and we got two goals off of it, so maybe we should do it more often.”


Goalkeeper Pablo Jara was asked what it is like to save a penalty kick, then laughed and replied, “I don’t know, I’ve never scored a goal but I would say like scoring a goal. For goalkeepers saving a penalty gives you a boost, maybe a reminder of why we choose the position, it’s an amazing feeling.”

John Murphy Jr. scored the first goal and praised his teammates for a solid 90 minutes of work.

“This game lands at the perfect time (in the schedule) because whether it was in the league or Open Cup we were desperate for a win.  So as you could see the boys were fighting’, some of them dropped to the ground after the final whistle, it was an excellent effort from all the guys.”

It was the third time that Tormenta have won a game in the US Open Cup, with all three coming against USL Championship opposition. With the win, Tormenta will travel to play Charlotte FC (MLS) in Round 3. 

2023 US Open Cup Round 2: Charleston Battery open tournament in orange with 4-1 win over Savannah Clovers

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Photo: Charleston Battery
Photo: Charleston Battery

The Charleston Battery (USL Championship) defeated the visiting Savannah Clovers (NISA) 4-1 in the Second Round of the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Tuesday night in the Lowcountry.

The storylines were numerous in this first-ever meeting between these two coastal franchises and at the final whistle it was the history of Battery that defeated the destiny of the Clovers.

Charleston is one of the most successful lower-division professional teams in the nation when it comes to the US Open Cup and the Battery have appeared in the tournament 22 times since 1999 finishing as Runners-up in 2008. Dozens of home victories including several of the magical “Cupset” variety over a visiting MLS franchise have entertained the Palmetto state faithful throughout the years. With the win on Tuesday night, the Battery earn the club’s 35th all-time win, which ranks fifth among all teams in the Modern Era (1995-present). 

Savannah, on the other end of their Open Cup journey, was making their tournament debut after making the jump into the professional ranks this season.  A brand-new roster with just one professional match of experience on their resume would be put to the test by the homestanding Battery. 

Charleston debuted a new orange third kit with the rebrand of Holy City Football Club in a nod to the church steeple filled skyline just across the Cooper River from Patriots Point stadium in downtown Charleston.

The weather at kickoff was a perfect 70 degrees with light winds coming off the harbor under partly cloud skies.  In 2019 and 2022 the weather had not cooperated with the US Open Cup schedule and the delays didn’t favor the Battery as they were bounced from the Cup on both occasions.

The first 30 minutes saw Savannah absorb the Charleston pressure but only bend as much to allow a corner kick.  Savannah would then look to spring their attack on a counter but the Battery defensive line were quick to put out any fires the Clovers could create.


The breakthrough occurred in the 36th minute for the Battery as a poorly cleared corner kick was ripped by midfielder Robbie Crawford from the top of the box through a maze of players inside the penalty area beating the Savannah goalkeeper.  The two teams went to the intermission with Charleston ahead 1-0. For Crawford, it was his second career US Open Cup goal. Last year, he scored one for Monterey Bay FC. 

Just five minutes into the second half the Battery struck again as Augi Williams collected an AJ Patterson pass from the left side of the box to double the advantage to 2-0. The third Battery goal was in the 62nd minute as Tristan Trager and Dekland Wynne played a series of quick passes inside the penalty area to open up the near post before Trager ripped a shot past the scrambling Clovers defense.

Savannah did pull a goal back in the 75th minute against the run of play as Andres Sanchez slipped a ball past the Battery keeper to narrow the score to 3-1. Charleston didn’t waste anytime in answering the Clovers’ goal as forward Nick Markanich took a little dibble inside the area from a Wynne pass before roofing the ball for the fourth and final goal of the evening for the Battery.


Battery head coach Ben Pirmann was pleased with the win as he looked at the big picture of how his team has opened the 2023 league and cup campaigns.

“The biggest thing right now for games this season is making sure we’re improving,” said Pirmann. “I thought our ball speed was pretty good, we did a good job of creating a lot of chances.  Whether it was restarts, run of play, slip passes, this selflessness was pretty good.”

The win comes a year after an opening round loss to the South Georgia Tormenta in an empty stadium. That win snapped a 14-game opening round advance streak for Charleston. Prior to that, they hadn’t gone one-and-done since 2005. Now the Battery can begin another streak. Charleston will now await the Third Round draw and the next chapter of their US Open Cup story.

2023 US Open Cup Qualifying: Club de Lyon create conundrum with OT win vs. SCU Heat

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Club de Lyon celebrates after defeating South Carolina United Heat 2-1 in extra time to qualify for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Forrest Wimberly
Club de Lyon celebrates after defeating South Carolina United Heat 2-1 in extra time to qualify for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Forrest Wimberly

A brace from forward Ignacio Ten Lopez was enough to lift visiting Club de Lyon (Fla.) 2-1 after extra time over host SC United Heat to advance to the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

There was nine “win and you’re in” matches across the country this weekend and the lone match in South Carolina delivered on the soccer and the cup drama the US Open Cup provides each year.

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SC United Heat had one foot in the knockout tournament in the 90th minute when a Club de Lyon ball was slipped into the edge of the penalty box. A tangle of legs on the attempted cross saw the Lyon player tumble to the ground and the center referee awarded the penalty kick. Ten Lopez stepped calmly to the spot and rifled the ball into the back corner of the goal to level the game in the 91st minute.

The first half of the game was all SC United Heat as they enjoyed most of the possession and a 7-2 advantage on corner kicks. The Heat was looking to go over the top with probing diagonal balls flighted into the box while Club de Lyon was comfortable building out of the back on the ground. The Heat tactics pinned Lyon deep in their half and only on a couple of occasions in the first half did Lyon have sustained possession in the attacking half of the field. The one shot on goal in the first half required a fully-stretched Jon-Paul Franscini in the Heat goal to punch the bending shot to safety.

Level at the half, the second half was more even with both teams trading attacks over the first 20 minutes of play. Then in the 70th minute, a long, searching ball by the Heat into the penalty box rattled around until it fell neatly at the feet of Seth Hanson who made no mistake slotting the ball into the empty net left vacant by the Lyon keeper caught in no-man’s land. The physical play of the game increased and the Heat looked to have weathered the flurry of Lyon attacks with two huge saves by Franscini in the 78th and 80th minute to preserve the score line.

The penalty conversion in the 91st minute flipped the game and energized the Club de Lyon attack into the extra time session. Then in the 103rd minute, Lopez struck again, slotting in a low cross that was whipped in front of the goal by winger Gerald Ramirez. Now with the lead, Club de Lyon looked to kill the clock and break up any flow to the game.



The Heat changed formation and personnel up top to make one last push to equalize the game in the final minutes. Several flicks and quick combinations around the top of the box provided some loose balls inside the Lyon penalty box but the visitors were able to calmly deal with the pressure and prevent the Heat from finding that decisive final touch on goal. A deliberate handball by Lyon’s Mateo Borelli in the 118th minute was his second caution of the match and gave the Heat an excellent opportunity to send the game to PKs but the ensuing free kick was blocked by the Lyon wall as the 10-man visitors killed off the final seconds of the qualifier.

Club de Lyon could now have an interesting situation on their hands as they have qualified as an amateur side and have declared their intentions to field a NISA professional team in 2023, which would have an automatic qualification to the cup. Players are now cup-tied to this amateur side and how all this plays out will certainly be an item of curiosity entering the 2023 US Open Cup.

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