Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

James Knowles

2024 US Open Cup Round 5: FC Dallas holds off Tampa Bay Rowdies to earn historic trip to Quarterfinals

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Logan Farrington of FC Dallas celebrates with Marco Farfan after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Round of 16 in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Dallas.
Logan Farrington of FC Dallas celebrates with Marco Farfan after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Round of 16 in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Dallas.

In the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 16 matchup between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and FC Dallas, the Texans were able to overcome a determined club in St. Petersburg, Fla. While the hometown team challenged their opponents, a difference in quality was most apparent between these teams when it came to finishing. Despite looking dominant at times, the second division Rowdies from the USL Championship had a terrible time beating Maarten Paes, in net for the Major League Soccer side. Dallas’s finishing, including from outside of the box, put them ahead and they would not relinquish the lead, winning 2-1. 

With the win, Dallas punches their ticket to the Quarterfinals for the 17th time. This ties them with Kutis Soccer Club (St. Louis area) for the most Quarterfinal appearances in the history of the competition, dating back to 1913. Dallas will take on Sporting Kansas City in the next round the week of July 9-10. FCD has never defeated Sporting in four previous attempts.

From the very first minute, the hosts wanted to take it to their opponents. Tampa Bay won two corners off of two very dangerous shots in the second minute. As per usual for the Green and Gold, most of the chance creation stemmed from their wingbacks, Blake Bodily on the left and Pacifique Niyongabire on the right. Despite some slight rotation in the attacking positions, the Rowdies were able to break through Dallas multiple times. 

As the adage goes, you have to put your chances away. Failing to do so opened the door for the top-tier visitors to put themselves ahead – and they would walk right through at times. Two goals in ten minutes for the Toros both started from set pieces going down Dallas’s right side. The first was a short corner which found Jesus Ferreira’s feet. At the top of the box sat Patrickson Delgado, waiting for his chance. Perfectly placed off the left peg, the Ecuadorian rifled it into the net.

The second goal in the 26th minute looked easier, as Logan Farrington was seemingly able to waltz into the Rowdies’ box and pick out a corner. 

Going into the second half, both teams started much the way they did in the first 45 minutes. The Rowdies were aggressive and got after it yet again. They wanted to be the protagonists and created many chances. This would play out in the final statistics. Tampa Bay ended the game with 30 total shots, of which 10 were on target. Their Big Chances tally, according to FotMob, was five. These are numbers that usually would lead to a win. The problem? Maarten Paes was in net for Dallas. 

Paes, who recently received his Indonesian citizenship, became a mixture at times between a brick wall and an agile cat. He refused to be beat from point-blank range on several occasions. The only way the hosts could get past him ultimately came from the final of their Big Chances, one taken from the penalty spot. Carl Sainte gave away the foul and Josh Perez stepped up to slot it home.

The Rowdies would not have enough time after that to create anything strong enough to slip past Maarten’s paws again. 

The game ended 2-1 for the visitors and they will move on to the Quarterfinals.

Dallas manager Nico Estevez noted how far his team have come after the game.

“We’re happy with advancing after a lot of years. Now we have that chance,” said Estevez.

He said of the Tampa Bay Rowdies: “For these teams this is the game of the year. Tampa is also a really good team. Trust me: this team is a really good team.” He also noted that during the 90 minutes, his side “didn’t come into the game with the right intensity. Tampa did. We were very effective and ruthless.” That will be the final takeaway from this tie: ruthlessness in the attack.  

2024 US Open Cup Round 4: Tampa Bay Rowdies blow 4-goal lead late, win wild OT game over Birmingham Legion

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Manuel Arteaga of the Tampa Bay Rowdies celebrates after scoring a goal against the Birmingham Legion FC in the Fourth Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Tampa Bay Rowdies
Manuel Arteaga of the Tampa Bay Rowdies celebrates after scoring a goal against the Birmingham Legion FC in the Fourth Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Tampa Bay Rowdies

The Tampa Bay Rowdies hosted Birmingham Legion in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 32, romping to a 3-0 lead in the first half before the Legion stormed back and forced extra time. The home team eventually scored a wonder goal, courtesy of Manuel Arteaga, on the way to a 6-4 win after 120 jam-packed minutes. 

The first 45 of those were very one-sided, with 10 shots for Tampa Bay and just two for Birmingham. Rowdies coach Robbie Neilson decided to use this match to rotate his squad, and the Rowdies still overwhelmed the Legion with balls over the top and intense pressing when out of possession. 

Left wingback Blake Bodily created a number of chances for the Green-and-Gold. Originally up against Dawson McCartney, the Legion right back had to switch sides following an injury to their starting left winger, Diba Nwegbo. Neither McCartney nor his replacement Mujeeb Murana were able to contain the Rowdies’ attacks, however. Bodily would have two assists in the first 45 minutes. 

While the Legion had almost as much possession as the home team, what they could achieve with it was initially lacking. Enzo Martinez and Tyler Pasher, two of Birmingham’s most lethal players, frequently had to drop deep to receive the ball and turn with it. Both moved higher up the field to apply further pressure in the second half. That would lead to an unlikely turnaround. 

After a hat trick for forward Cal Jennings, Tampa Bay took its foot off the gas, thinking 4-0 would be adequate to get the job done. This allowed Legion to creep back into things late in the game. Enzo Martinez scored in the 82nd minute, followed by second half-substitute Kobe Hernandez-Foster seven minutes later to halve the deficit.

In stoppage time, Tyler Pasher scored a double, including one from the penalty spot, to take the match to extra time. Rowdies fans could be heard booing anything and everything at the end of regulation, stunned that somehow it was actually 4-4.

In the extra 30 minutes that followed, the Rowdies had much of their usual starting XI on the field. This played out to good effect for the home team. The wings are where Tampa Bay thrives – and interplay from out wide led to a pair of goals scored by Manuel Arteaga. While the second was a good finish off a deflected shot, the first was a screamer, something in between a bicycle and a scissor kick that every striker dreams about when they go to sleep. 

All at once, a Rowdies crowd that previously was shell-shocked roared to life again. A red card deep into extra time for their hero Arteaga could not dampen the hometown fans’ spirits at the final whistle. Jennings said after the game, “we can be better; but, we survived and we’re moving on.” Manager Robbie Neilson seemed to feel the same way: “It was an entertaining game. It was a stressful game in the end; but, we managed to get over the line – and we’re now in the next round of the Cup, which was really important for us. It’s the furthest we’ve been before.”

2024 US Open Cup Qualifying Final Round: Miami United, “El Equipo Del Pueblo”, back in USOC after win

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Photo: Miami United FC

In the stands in Hialeah, Florida on Sunday, a banner read “EL EQUIPO DEL PUEBLO” (The People’s Team).

No doubt the host Miami United FC faithful enjoyed the performance from their team as fans, family, and friends will now get to watch Miami play in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Proper — and they’ll likely be hoping for another inspired performance from their main man, Robertino Insua. He netted a brace for the home side in a 3-1 win over visiting City Soccer FC.

It was Miami’s 10th straight qualifying win dating back to 2020. United qualified in 2020 (3 wins) but the US Open Cup was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After not entering in 2022 (the club’s NPSL side qualified instead), Miami returned for the 2023 competition and won four games to qualify. Adding the three wins from this year, that gives them 10 straight wins, which is the longest winning streak of the competition’s short history, which began in 2015. Combined with Miami United’s NPSL club, the 2024 US Open Cup will mark the sixth time the club will participate in the United States’ national championship (7th time that they qualified, if you include 2020). It is also the team’s fourth straight qualification to the tournament.

“This is certainly will be the most important Open Cup run given how football has grown, especially in South Florida,” said Miami United CEO Roberto Sacca. “We couldn’t miss the 2024 edition of the US Open Cup as we will try to do our best as the underdog and our dream is to get to play against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF.”

The match between the two United States Soccer League (USSL) rivals started out with Miami controlling much of the possession. Although that didn’t lead to many chances right off the bat, a shot from just past the center circle highlighted the first 10 minutes. Miami United did not maintain its stranglehold on possession for the rest of the first half but they would be the ones to break the deadlock.

In the 26th minute, a mistake at the back led to City Soccer conceding first. A failed clearance led to a deflection which put United’s Insua in on goal. He tucked it past the opposing goalkeeper, close to the near post.

In the 39th minute, Miami United had another good chance to score when a pass found an open man at the edge of the City box. The visitors’ goalkeeper managed to get a strong hand on it and pushed that shot wide. A third good attempt was saved by a defender helping his keeper out when United got a free shot in the 42nd. The tide of the first half was certainly flowing one way.

The second half started with controversy as City Soccer’s Juan Basco received his marching orders following an accumulation of yellow cards. Despite going down a man, City Soccer showed they would not go quietly. Beside two good chances off of corner kicks in the 68th and 72nd minutes, they held firm. Unfortunately, those would prove to be the most dangerous opportunities. Miami United found another breakthrough in the 73rd minute through Josduard Serrano following the set piece to give themselves a 2-0 cushion.

Miami took another step toward putting the game to bed in the 77th minute off yet another set piece. This time, directly from a free kick, Insua stepped up to put an exclamation point on the game. City Soccer’s shot stopper and his wall stood no chance in the face of Insua’s precision.

“Robertino is our Lionel Messi, our “DIEZ”, the undisputed leader of a fantastic group,” said Sacca. “Robertino comes from a family with a football DNA, his brother also plays in the Argentine Serie A and his dad Ruben Dario Insua is the current coach of San Lorenzo.”

According to Sacca, Insua grew up in the San Lorenzo de Almagro and subsequently made his debut in professional football in Ecuador with Liga de Portoviejo and Guayaquil City before arriving in the States with Miami United where he scored 67 goals (16 in the US Open Cup play and 51 goals since Nov. of 2021.). During this competition Insua has scored nine goals in three matches.

City showed a “Never Say Die” attitude throughout the whole game. In the 90th minute it was Miami United’s turn to attempt a clearance which would land in their own net as the ball from a Miami defender smacked into a City Soccer player’s chest and went into the net. The lone goal would be all the visitors had to show for their efforts, however.

“I feel that a great group is being created thanks to the work of the new coach Mr. Claudio Frean,” said Sacca. “Our goal is to try to repeat our magic run from the 2018 US Open Cup where we reached the 4th round and faced Orlando City SC.”

FULL MATCH

2023 US Open Cup Round 3: Teenager Brooklyn Raines gives Houston Dynamo win over Tampa Bay Rowdies

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Brooklyn Raines of the Houston Dynamo attempts a shot against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo
Brooklyn Raines of the Houston Dynamo attempts a shot against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo earned a narrow shutout win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies on the road, despite the home team’s best efforts to pull off an “cupset”. A first half goal by Houston’s 18-year-old homegrown signing Brooklyn Raines just before halftime was the difference as the Rowdies’ valiant effort in St. Petersburg, Fla. fell short. Despite being a lower-division squad, the Rowdies pushed their first-tier opponents Houston Dynamo right to the end — literally — with the last kick of the game being a shot blocked out to touch as Houston advanced in a 1-0 Third Round US Open Cup victory.

The Rowdies will desperately want those chances back, but the Dynamo left St. Petersburg, Fla. with a win in their opening game of the tournament for the ninth year in a row. 


From the first minute, each team seemed up for the occasion. The pressure was high and the club from Texas got the better of the early passages. Two set pieces to the far post found their man and the ball back into the middle was dangerous on both plays. However, the second-division Rowdies fought their way back and began to settle into a rhythm of their own. With cross field switches to men in space, Tampa Bay tried to break down the wings where they could whip a ball in or even shoot from far. Nothing would get close enough, though.

As the halftime whistle neared and the score remained level, Corey Baird found himself in space on the wing for Houston multiple times. The Dynamo tried to find him quickly, but could not do so before the 43rd minute. However, the break was on. The zone vacated by Tampa Bay’s 17-year-old left wingback became a trap after looking so open beforehand. Baird was closed down by left center back Aaron Guillen, only to find the streaking Brooklyn Raines open at the top of the box. A late tracking run from Johnson was not enough to put Raines off his shot, and the Orange went in 1-0 at the break.

The second half presented an entirely different game from the first. Houston took off their goalscorer at halftime as well as their most famous player, Mexican central midfielder Hector Herrera. In their place came on players whose job would be to slow the game down, maintain control, and keep the Rowdies at bay. Further substitutions over the rest of the half did not allow the Dynamo to do that, however, and Tampa Bay came storming back.

Needing a goal to stay alive, the Rowdies made several attacking changes and hoped the fresh legs would lead to more opportunities. After hitting the post in the first half, Tampa Bay threw wave after wave at their Major League counterparts and did everything they could to find an equalizer. Conner Antley and second-half subs Dayonn Harris and Ryan Spaulding all had cross after cross repelled or blocked wide, while usual second-stringer Andrew Tarbell proved his worth in net for the Dynamo.

Good buildup went to waste in the end, as no player in Green and Gold could put it in the back of the net. After the game, manager Neill Collins — still serving a suspension following a contentious Open Cup match in 2022 versus Orlando City — said his Rowdies team could look upon their effort with pride even if they never got what they needed. He said they finally played the typical Rowdies way after what has been a very slow start to the USL season.

On the other side of things, Houston will take heart from their ability to weather a beating and come out on the other side. They bent and were bent, but they never broke. In their gray jerseys, the Dynamo drew like clouds over Tampa Bay, and spoiled a party for the locals. This experience will serve their young goalscorer well as they try to build as a team on this win for the Fourth Round to come.

2023 US Open Cup Round 2: Lucky Mkosana leads Tampa Bay Rowdies to 2-0 win over Nona FC

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Lucky Mkosana of the Tampa Bay Rowdies celebrates after scoring a goal against Nona FC in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Tampa Bay Rowdies
Lucky Mkosana of the Tampa Bay Rowdies celebrates after scoring a goal against Nona FC in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Tampa Bay Rowdies

On Tuesday night, the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup continued into the Second Round with the Tampa Bay Rowdies hosting Nona FC. Traveling from the Orlando region, Nona hoped to spark an upset after beating another amateur team in the First Round. However, with the clubs separated by two divisions, the gulf could not be overcome and the Rowdies came out 2-0 winners on the night. Local legend Lucky Mkosana had a hand in both goals for the team from Florida’s west coast.

It marked their third straight opening round home win over an amateur team from USL League Two’s Southeast Division. The last two years, they defeated The Villages SC.

The Rowdies welcomed into their starting lineup offseason signing Connor Sparrow, who had been out due to injury, while generally maintaining a strong XI from their prior games in 2023. Nona kept many of the players from their first match of the Open Cup, including two players with former professional experience. Hopes were pinned on Jeanderson, a defender previously on the books of the Portland Timbers, and William Eyang, a former Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL Championship) player. Eyang had also scored the goal that put Nona into the second round. 

Starting the game, Nona didn’t look out of place playing a team both in season and in the professional ranks. Trying to break up Rowdies possession, they racked up chippy fouls and seemed to be keeping the opposition at bay. Then, in the 25th minute, JJ Williams broke the deadlock when he turned away from a defender and put the ball past Rafael Santos following a pass from Lucky Mkosana. Lucky would then become the beneficiary as Dayonn Harris found him in the 32nd minute.

For Mkosana, it was his eighth career US Open Cup goal, and his fourth as a member of the Rowdies. His four goals with Tampa Bay ties the club record with Georgi Hristov. 

In between these two chances that the Rowdies converted, Nona had a clear shot on net that would have drawn the game level. Unfortunately, Eyang was not up to the task this time around, and whiffed entirely on what seemed like a sure-fire goal. It’s a miss that could haunt him long afterwards, as the only other real opportunities for the team from Orlando came late in the first half, including a very ambitious shot from around the halfway circle. 

Coming in from the halftime break, Nona defender Anouar Adam could be heard yelling, “BELIEVE!” Whether or not he took inspiration from Ted Lasso we might not know. But, the loudest fans on the night were often a pocket of roughly twenty Nona FC academy players behind the Rowdies bench. All this goodwill and all this cheering couldn’t get the team rolling again in the second half, though. Following a couple substitutions, it was all one way traffic. 

Tampa Bay’s Lewis Hilton, who was also just returning from injury, went off after a very busy 45 minutes of football for Yann Ekra. He stepped in and, along with the rest of the midfield, thoroughly shut down Nona for the rest of the night. Without having possession statistics, we can only speculate. But, it seemed like the Rowdies edged near 60-70% in the second half of this game. Further substitutions for both teams slowed the flow of the game from the first half. Tampa Bay seemed content to let it play out and only try to push forward when the lanes really opened up for them.

With Nona increasingly agitating to get back into the game, more chippy fouls occurred and the yellow cards started flying. In the 50th, 55th, 71st, and 77th minute, a mixture of frustration and desperation led to bookings for the team from Orlando. The home crowd grew more angry at seeing their players writhing in pain, while Nona likely grew more angry at having the game further delayed. The match was mercifully brought to an end before the Rowdies’ anthem, a song from the team’s original days in the 1970s, started up on the loudspeaker. Nearly 2,023 fans got to go home happy and awaiting the draw for the third round. The roughly 30 fans who have to drive the hour-plus to Orlando will also have a good night to think about – even if they might rue missed chances that little bit more. 

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