Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Gabriel Higgins

2024 US Open Cup Round 1: Richmond Kickers avenge cupset with 1-0 win over Christos FC

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The Richmond Kickers edged Christos FC 1-0 in the FIrst Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Jessica Stone Hendricks – Jessicastonehendricks.com

The Richmond Kickers won their First Round match of the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, 1-0 over Christos FC. Kickers newcomer and 2022 USL League One Comeback Player of the Year, Adrian Bilhardt scored the only goal of the match in first half stoppage time. The hosts earned a much needed win at City Stadium after being winless at home since July 3, 2023.

Richmond was seeking revenge as the last time these two teams met, the amateur side Christos FC earned a 1-0 win. Billhardt put the Kickers’ fans at ease as he delivered the game’s only goal after the Kickers goalkeeper, Pablo Jara played a direct ball over the top of the Christos defense. After a failed attempted clearance by a Christos defender, Billhardt maintained position and shot it low and hard past the goalkeeper.

Richmond Kickers head coach, Darren Sawatzky, spoke highly of Billhardt after the game.

“He scored a great goal, he’s a smart player and he was a little banged up and tired from the Spokane trip but he’s a threat for us and he’s a very good player that takes the pressure off of Nil (Vinyals) and when Emi (Terzaghi) is healthy we are going to have a pretty potent attack,” said Sawatzky.

Billhardt’s goal, his third career Open Cup game-winning goal (and his third career goal) was a bright spot in what was otherwise a frustrating evening for the Kickers. Christos FC set up a low block that the Kickers had a difficult time breaking through during the entire match. Despite being down, Christos FC held onto hope throughout the match and threatened Richmond late.


In the 88th minute, Christos FC sent everybody forward and with the ball on its way into the box the Christos believed it met the arm of a Kickers player, but the referee did not make the call. The fireworks continued as the Christos FC bench continued to make the appeal for a handball, the referee decided he had heard enough and he issued a red card to the Christos FC assistant coach.

Frustration was very much a theme of the evening for both sides. Richmond showed signs of fatigue that can be attributed to traveling to Washington state to play USL League One newcomers, Spokane Velocity. Head coach, Darren Sawatzky spoke to the challenge of traveling across the country and back.

“I thought we had done most of what we needed to do in terms of our legs,” said Sawatzky. “The guys definitely showed that trip all the way across the country and back, we looked tired and fatigued tonight, Nil stepped on a couple of balls which is not like him. It took us a while to get going, we found a goal, we locked it down and got a win. I’m proud of the guys.”

Despite the fatigue, Richmond pulled out a win against a very challenging and motivated Christos FC.

The Kickers will turn their attention to USL League One competition as they are set to play against Billhardt’s former club South Georgia Tormenta at home on Saturday. 

 

2023 US Open Cup Round 2: After massive delays, Richmond Kickers hold off late push from Cleveland SC to advance

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Players from the Richmond Kickers celebrate after scoring a goal against Cleveland SC in the Second Round of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography
Players from the Richmond Kickers celebrate after scoring a goal against Cleveland SC in the Second Round of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography

The Richmond Kickers won their Second Round match of the 2023 US Open Cup, 3-2 over Cleveland SC. The three-time USL League One MVP and Golden Boot winner, Emiliano Terzaghi scored two goals and assisted on another by Dakota Barnathan in what would end up being a close match between the two sides.

This match was a test of endurance between the two sides and the fans. The cup tie was scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m., but storms would delay the match for a couple of hours. The initial kick off finally took place at 9:43 p.m., but after another delay, the match would not end until 12:49 a.m.

The win means that the Kickers will move on to Round 3 where they will travel to renew an old rivalry. Richmond will take on D.C. United of Major League Soccer for the seventh time in Open Cup play. It is the second most common matchup of the Modern Era, but the two teams haven’t met since 2013, when D.C. won in penalties.

From the kickoff, Richmond maintained possession and was on the front foot of the match. The Kickers had several good chances throughout the first half, but the first goal would not come until the 31st minute when Emiliano Terzaghi finished a chance provided by Matt Bentley across the face of the goal.

After Terzaghi’s goal, the game would enter its second weather delay. The stoppage began in the 35th minute and the game wouldn’t resume until 11:33 p.m. The resilience of the teams and the fans were tested as the Kickers and Cleveland SC would wait patiently in their locker rooms for over an hour. The delay would eventually come to an end and the teams would play the final 12 minutes of the first half before halftime.

After halftime the Kickers came out again on the front foot. They limited Cleveland’s ability to get on the ball while maintaining the majority of possession in the early part of the second half. After a few half chances, the Kickers would finally break through for their second goal. The Kickers had a streak of corner kicks that finally saw the ball ending up in the back of the net. Nil Vinyals fed a ball into the box to Terzaghi who would eventually put it away for the Kickers’ second goal of the night in the 59th minute.

The Kickers proceeded to attack Cleveland despite their 2-0 lead and they scored a third goal off the foot of Dakota Barnathan, an alum of the local university in Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University. Another corner kick was taken at the 79th minute and the ball would eventually land at Barnathan’s feet via an assist by Emiliano Terzaghi. Dakota put away his chance from the six yard box and Richmond held a 3-0 lead. 

However, Cleveland SC fought hard to stay in the game. Immediately after Barnathan’s goal, Tom Beck scored a goal assisted by Kieran Toland after a string of beautiful passes down the left flank of Richmond’s defense. At the 80th minute, the score would be 3-1. Cleveland SC would make things really interesting at the 86th minute when Skye Harter scored from a free kick just outside the 18 yard box. Cleveland SC scored their second goal of the night and it would be 3-2. However, Cleveland would not threaten again after that point and the Richmond Kickers held onto their 3-2 lead to advance to the Third Round where they will face D.C. United. 

The match initially appeared to be a dominant performance by the Richmond Kickers, but it would eventually become a survive and advance match for the home side. The Richmond Kickers head coach, Darren Sawatzky said, “it was a really interesting night, having the time off was really frustrating and difficult for all of us, tonight was about surviving and advancing and we’ll go back to the drawing board and get back to work.”

The US Open Cup invites teams to fight through adversity and eventually come out on the other side. The Richmond Kickers were able to fight through three hours of weather delays, maintain their focus, and secure a 3-2 victory over Cleveland SC.

With the win, Richmond has advanced 36 times in the US Open Cup in club history. The 1995 champions are now tied with the LA Galaxy for 7th most in the Modern Era (1995-present).

2022 US Open Cup Round 4: Yordy Reyna ignites Charlotte FC offense in road win at Richmond Kickers

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Yordy Reyna of Charlotte FC dribbles the ball against the Richmond Kickers in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Richard Hayes | RVAHub.com
Yordy Reyna of Charlotte FC dribbles the ball against the Richmond Kickers in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Richard Hayes | RVAHub.com

MLS expansion side Charlotte FC traveled to City Stadium to take on the Richmond Kickers and came away with a 5-1 win on Wednesday night. While the hosts from USL League One held their own for much of the game, it was a barrage of Charlotte goals early in the second half that dashed their hopes of an MLS upset.

After Charlotte went into the halfime break leading 1-0, the Kickers came out strong in the second half, scoring an equalizer in the 53rd minute. However, any momentum they gained in front of their home fans quickly faded as the MLS side scored a minute later. It was the first of three goals in a seven-minute span which cracked the game wide open.

Yordy Reyna was the player who turned the tide for Charlotte. The Peruvian forward scored a goal and added three assists to send the first-year club to the Round of 16.

The greater Richmond community is no stranger to MLS teams coming to town. The Kickers have hosted MLS teams 13 different times prior to Wednesday’s match. City Stadium had a buzz to it as the Kickers were hosting their first MLS opponent since 2015 when the Columbus Crew beat them 3-1 in the Third Round.

Wednesday’s game featured the oldest running soccer franchise in the United States against one of the newest. The Richmond Kickers, winners of the 1995 US Open Cup, were founded in 1993 and have won three USL championships that pre-date the current USL Championship and USL League One.

Charlotte FC have rallied the support of the greater Charlotte area in a very exciting way. Their home opener broke a record in the United States when they drew 74,479 fans to Bank of America Stadium, a stadium they share with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Members of the Charlotte FC supporter’s group, the Crown, made the five-hour trip to Richmond to support Charlotte FC and made their voices heard. 

https://youtu.be/XaZIhjXUHtQ

The first half of the game provided for a lot of excitement. Early on, Richmond had the better chances and created a lot of opportunities for their striker, reigning two-time USL League One MVP Emiliano Terzaghi. However, it would be Charlotte who would get on the scoreboard first with a goal from Daniel Rios.

Charlotte FC had the ball in the Kickers 18-yard box and maneuvered passes around until Rios could slot it home past the Kickers keeper, Akira Fitzgerald.

The chances continued for Richmond throughout the first half and at halftime the score was 1-0.

The announced crowd of 4,621 at City Stadium was buzzing with excitement for the second half and the home team delivered. Zaca Moran scored in the 53rd minute from the top of the 18-yard box after the ball took a deflection in front and ended up in the back of the net. The equalizer gave Richmond a sense of hope that they could upset the MLS side.

Daniel Rios of Charlotte FC battles for the ball against the Richmond Kickers in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography
Daniel Rios of Charlotte FC battles for the ball against the Richmond Kickers in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography

“(After the first half) we were feeling great, we scored a great goal and got back in the game,” Richmond Kickers head coach Darren Sawatzky said after the game. “I think we had more of the ball then them at the start of the second half, goals change games and when you give one away it changes the momentum of the game.”

That would be the story for the rest of the game as Charlotte FC got one back only a couple of minutes after the Kickers equalizer. Yordy Reyna scored after a give-and-go in the 54th minute and it would eventually open things up for Charlotte FC to score three more goals before the night was over.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "Champions" shirt, honoring the five clubs from the pre-Modern Era (1914-1994) to win four or more US Open Cup titles. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “Champions” shirt, honoring the five clubs from the pre-Modern Era (1914-1994) to win four or more US Open Cup titles. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

McKinze Gaines helped open up the floodgates when Reyna broke open on a counter attack down the left wing. With plenty of space and the Richmond defenders trying to get back to recover, Reyna played it across into the box for Gaines who slotted it home to make it 3-1.

Reyna would play a role in his fourth straight goal, picking the ball up near the midfield circle and playing a through ball up to Gaines on the right side. After a couple of touches, Gaines pulled the ball back to his right foot and beat Fitzgerald to the far post.

Andre Shinyashiki scored the fifth and final goal of the night for Charlotte FC in the 86th minute. On a corner kick, the ball fell to him right in front of goal and he roofed the ball from close range.

“This is the beauty of the Open Cup,” said Shinyashiki. “You get teams from different divisions playing each other. They were a very good team, they made it hard for us and they played really well in the first half.”

Charlotte will learn their Round of 16 opponent on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET when the USSF conducts the draw.

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