Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Shawn Blymiller

2019 US Open Cup Round 4: LAFC’s league form carries into USOC with road win over Real Salt Lake

by

Los Angeles FC lines up for a team photo before the club's Fourth Round match against Real Salt Lake in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: LAFC
Los Angeles FC lines up for a team photo before the club’s Fourth Round match against Real Salt Lake in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: LAFC

For the second year in a row, Real Salt Lake laid host to the league’s top team in the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, and once again they were eliminated.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

In 2018, Sporting Kansas City came into Utah and came away with a 2-0 win. At the time KC were the league’s best. Last night, it was the same script. Major League Soccer’s hottest team, Los Angeles FC, leading the league in nearly every category, came out victorious with a 3-0 victory over Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium. Carlos Vela continued his scoring ways in the 8th minute, followed by second half goals from Lee Nguyen and a clincher from second half substitute Diomande in stoppage time.

They were able to get icing on the cake in the 93rd minute when Diomande tapped in a rebound off of Rimando’s right post, after newcomer and substitute, Rodolfo Zelaya blasted a bomb from about 35 yards out from a free-kick.

LAFC are the league leaders in every attacking category. They are first in goals, assists, shots, shots on goal, goal differential, goals per game. Carlos Vela seems like the odds-on favorite for MLS MVP and last night in Salt Lake, they continued their dominant attacking performance.

Vela was able to score in the 8th minute when RSL lost possession just at the half line and Eduard Atuesta was able to slot Vela in on the right side. Vela never really had any pressure on him until after he was already inside the 18-yard-box and the ball was already leaving his left foot destined for the right far post side netting.

“Every game Carlos makes a difference,” said LAFC head coach Bob Bradley. “There is not one player or opponent that doesn’t have incredible respect for what he is all about. He is playing at such a high level. He sets a perfect example for all of his teammates every game and it is nice to see. He plays with a really good way about him. He has got personality. He smiles, even when he gets fouled. He is not somebody to let it get in the way of anything. I think all of us have tremendous respect for how Carlos goes about it. We are really lucky that he is our leader. “

After that, the first half was frantic for periods of times where both teams shared possession and chances. Real Salt Lake’s best chance came in the 25th minute when they were able to combine from their outside back Andrew Brody through the midfield Kyle Beckerman, Kreilach and finally spring Baird in behind the LAFC defense. He had Sam Johnson open in the box but ended up crossing the ball right to the first time starting goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega’s hands.

Christian Ramirez should have put LAFC up 2-0 in the 32nd minute when he was slotted on a break away 1-on-1 with Rimando. His chip ended up hitting the crossbar and going out of play. The halftime score would remain 1-0.

“We know that there are places to play, you are going to have to be composed and move the ball quicker, in and around, from the back to the midfield, and there are angles and gaps to play through,” said LAFC’s Lee Nguyen about his halftime assessment. “We weren’t able to find it as much in the first half, but in the second half we did and it was able to give us chances. Kind of like that second goal. From there it was just closing out the game.”

The second half was almost complete dominance by LAFC, but not before RSL launched some attacks in the first opening 10 minutes. Andrew Brody served a cross through the penalty box to find Donny Toia on the far post inside the six-yard box. Donny just had the goalkeeper to beat on this flighted ball but Sisniega made arguably the biggest save of the night in the 61st minute to keep the score 1-0.

Just three minutes later Nguyen was able to add to the LAFC advantage when Latif Blessing’s through pass down the middle of the field that found him just outside of the penalty area. Nguyen took a touch to the top of the D, and put the ball into the back of the net before the defense could close on him.

“Things opened up and I was fortunate to get a good pass from Latif and good vision from Christian Ramirez to be able to leave and I was able to finish it,” said Nguyen, who scored his first US Open Cup goal since 2012 when he was with the New England Revolution. “ gave us a 2-0 lead, and give us a little cushion.”

The visitors would add a third goal in stoppage time when Rodolfo Zelaya, making his LAFC debut, blasted a free kick that beat the keeper, struck the post, and fell to Adama Diomande, who scored an easy rebound goal to give LAFC a 3-0 lead.

With the win, LAFC moves on to the Round of 16 for the second year in a row. Their opponent will be determined when the United States Soccer Federation conducts the draw on Thursday.

“We always talk about how Open Cup is important and we were disappointed to lose last year in penalties in the Semis, and everyone was excited to get started this year,” said Bradley who won his 18th tournament game, which now is tied for fourth among all coaches in the Modern Era (1995-present). “With the schedule in June, it allowed us to play pretty close to our regular lineup but was also good to get some other guys in.

“I am really happy for Pablo Sisniega. He makes a really big save at 1-0. That is really great for his confidence,” Bradley added. “All of his teammates really appreciate him getting the chance and seeing him do well. Good for Lee getting the start, then getting the goal, and then, in the end, Fito comes in and cracks a free kick and leads to the third goal. So a lot of nice things for us.”

2018 US Open Cup Round 4: Sporting KC begins defense of USOC title with 2-0 win at Real Salt Lake

by

USOC-KC-RSL-FINALNot many teams come to Utah and grab results. Real Salt Lake holds a home record of 113-27-44 overall at their world-class facility, Rio Tinto Stadium, since opening the facility in October 2008.

Sporting Kansas City last eliminated Real Salt Lake in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup play in the semifinals in 2015. Sporting Kansas City again eliminated Real Salt Lake in 2018 with a 2-0 victory Wednesday, with goals coming from Johnny Russell in the 48th minute and Kharlton Belmar in the 74th minute.

Belmar assisted Russell for the first goal, and Russell assisted Belmar for the second goal.

Sporting Kansas City is arguably the hottest team in MLS. It has the third most goals at 28, first place for shots on goal with 89, and currently sits atop the Western Conference of MLS with 28 points out of 14 games. SKC is also the reigning and defending champions of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after beating New York Red Bulls last year 2-1.

Both team coaches’ Peter Vermes and Mike Petke had interviews this week with their local media talking about how this game was set during a very busy time for them. Their normal starters have all played a lot of minutes and that some other guys were going to get an opportunity to step in and show everyone what they could do.

“We came in trying to win the game. At the same time this is a very congested part of the schedule, just like it was for Salt Lake,” said SKC’s Matt Besler. “So we knew that we were going to have to make some changes with the game that we had on Sunday and another big game that we have in Portland on Saturday. So we knew that right away. Fortunately we had a few days to prepare for this game and we gave a number of guys their first opportunities tonight and I think all and all it was a good team performance by us.”

Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City both are really known for their academy programs and producing top talent. With both teams needing to rest some guys there was an opportunity for some young guys to get some minutes. Real Salt Lake started Andrew Brody, Jose Hernandez, and Aaron Herrera, all products of their academy program. While Sporting Kansas City started Gianluca Busio and Jaylin Lindsey. I really enjoyed watching Gianluca play. He just turned 16 years old on May 28th. He is barely 16 years old.

Here is what Matt Besler had to say about Busio’s performance: “I thought he grew into the game very well. It says a lot about him, he just turned 16 years old, the way that he played, the way that he was able to battle and play for 90 minutes. I think that he got stronger as the game went on. He was able to find those pockets of space for us, and we were able to break the lines and play into him, and he had the poise to find those pockets and find the ball and make the right decisions. It was a very good game for him.”

Here is what Gianluca Busio had to say about his play and his preparation for this game:

“I first found out maybe a couple of days before in training. I was a little nervous at first but after a couple days of practice I felt a little bit more confident going into the game. I was surrounded by other guys that were getting their first starts so that made it easier that they had some of the same nerves as me, but that just helped me. They were all encouraging, and we also got some veterans in there also. So that helped me a lot, making me get into the game. I thought I prepared pretty well with the team and got into it.” When asked if coach Vermes had given any special instructions prior to the game Busio said: “He just told me to go out there and be confident. He brought me aside and said you deserve it, go out there and be confident and play your game. He knows I can play.”

Both teams exchanged opportunities in the first half, but for the most part both teams were being pretty conservative in the opening half. Jose Hernandez got through on a breakaway in the 18th minute for Real Salt Lake from a pass from Ricardo Lopez-Espin, but Hernandez pulled his shot wide. Gianluca started to really grow into the game around the 34th minute where he started to thread some through balls down the right side. Sporting KC’s best opportunity in the first half was on a counter attack down the right side that found Russell running to the top of the 18 yard box. Russell was able to skip by his first defender with a great little lifted touch past the sliding defender, but RSL goalkeeper Sparrow came up big with the save.

The second half seemed to have a whole different pace to it. Sporting Kansas City was pressing higher up the field and really going at RSL right after kick off. Kharlton Belmar made a diagonal run down the right hand side behind the defense and got the ball near the endline. He was able to cut it back to the onrushing Johnny Russell for the go ahead goal in the 48th minute.

Here is what Russell had to say about his goal and assist: “It was a good team move. Belmar made a good run to get in behind and I knew that was the only ball he had really, was the cut back. It was a great ball from him. I managed to get in front of the defender and tuck one away which is nice, especially after the opportunity in the first half that I should have scored. The second one just opened up. The coaches were telling me to get the ball and turn. It was a great ball from Amor. I could see that it opened up. I saw Belmar’s run and I tried to play it across and he got a touch on it.”

Belmar scored his goal in the 74th minute and Real Salt Lake subbed in another academy product Brooks Lennon and also Alfredo Ortuno Martinez but was never really able to produce anything. Sporting Kansas City went on to win and advances to the 5th round in chase of defending last year’s Open Cup Title.

2016 US Open Cup Round 4: Joao Plata rescues Real Salt Lake as MLS team needs PKs to avoid upset

by

2016-usoc-logo-724-wideReal Salt Lake rallied from a two-goal deficit to ultimately defeat the Wilmington Hammerheads in a penalty kick shootout to reach the Round of 16 in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

After trailing 2-0 in the second half, Joao Plata brought RSL back and sent the game into extra time with a goal in the 65th minute, followed by assisting on an 86th minute equalizer by Burrito Martinez.

The Wilmington Hammerheads came to Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah to kick off against Real Salt Lake, a team that they lost to at the same stadium in 2011.

The Hammerheads arrived to the stage of the competition after beating NPSL side Miami Fusion FC 6-0 in Round 2 and a 2-1 win over the NASL’s Miami FC.

They fought hard against RSL, who have had a lot of success at home in the tournament with an 8-2-0 record.

Wilmington jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the 34th minute after link up play between Austin Martz to Mael Corboz. Martz made a diagonal run down the right side receiving a pass from
Mecham. Martz then cut the ball from the endline back to the top of the 18-yard box where
Corboz was waiting for the ball to come off of the inside of his foot for a curled, tucked away
finish.

The Hammerheads took that advantage into the break, after Real Salt Lake was able to keep a lot of the ball and possession but was unable to complete any significant touches or passes in the penalty box in the first half. The chemistry between the players in the attack didn’t
seem to mesh well in the first half.

At the start of the second half, Real Salt Lake seemed to focus more on stretching the width of the field. They were able to keep the majority of the possession but didn’t seem to be able to
go anywhere.

Head coach Jeff Cassar was not waiting around any longer as he sent in Yura Movsisyan and Joao Plata in the 55th minute.

Just three minutes later, in the 58th minute, against the run of play, Wilmington was able to hit RSL on the break. A shot from distance from Justin Moose hit forward Jeff Michaud in the face and caught RSL goalkeeper Jeff Attinella wrong footed. That doubled the Wilmington lead to 2-0.

In the 65th minute, Plata hit a laser from about 25 yards out on the left side of the
18 yard box that found the top corner, to cut the lead in half.

RSL created a number of chances from that point on. The home team had near chances and close calls that called Wilmington goalkeeper John Smits into action on a number of occasions. His efforts could not keep out the savvy forward Juan Manuel “Burrito” Martinez from a similar distance to Plata’s effort. Burrito’s strike was a curling shot that one hopped right before Smits, and nestled into the lower side netting in the 87th minute.

Despite losing a lead just a few minutes from upsetting a MLS team on the road, the Hammerheads maintained their composure and continued to fight through extra time.

Attinella had to make a huge save in the last minute of the game to send the match into a penalty kick shootout.

The penalties brought the fans to full volume which may have put pressure on the visitors as Bruno Perone skied his attempt, followed by another miss over the bar by Matthew Barnes-Homer.

Attinella made a huge save on Liam Miller to give Chris Wingert the chance to send Real Salt Lake to the next round with his penalty kick attempt. With the home team’s fourth attempt, Wingert stepped up with cool composure that you would expect and tucked it to the goalkeeper’s lower left hand side.

“I just knew where I wanted to go and tried to be patient with it, make sure to
give the goalie enough time, to get out of the way,” said Wingert with a chuckle. “That was it. I always like to shoot when we have a chance to go to PKs. So I asked Jeff right away, and they put me in the five.”

Wingert was proud of how his team kept fighting despite being down in the second half.

“Obviously we put ourselves in a bit of a hole and we were unhappy with the first half,” said Wingert. “Then it was unlucky with the deflection. Stuff happens and credit to the guys for
hanging in there. Two great goals, I mean one a rip by Plata and then a great goal by Burrito.
We hung in there and it is not ideal to play 120 minutes, especially when we have a game on the
weekend, but that is ok. We are fit and it will test our depth a little bit. I think we have a deep team. It is about taking care of our bodies and getting ready for Saturday.”

For Austin Martz, it was a missed opportunity for the Hammerheads.

“I think it was the best of what we could of asked for,” said Martz. “I thought we started well. I thought we maintained our shape really well. I thought we were together and compact, obviously. They had some time on the ball but we expected that. I thought we pressed well. I thought we did a good job to get an early goal. I thought we could have had one or two.

“It was a good game, fun atmosphere. I know that we enjoyed it.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY: WILMINGTON AT REAL SALT LAKE

2015 US Open Cup Round 4: Real Salt Lake rally to spoil upset bid from Seattle Sounders 2 (video)

by

Photo: Real Salt Lake
Photo: Real Salt Lake

UPDATE: The Round of 16 draw was conducted by the US Soccer Federation and it was determined that Real Salt Lake will host the Portland Timbers in the next round.

Real Salt Lake advanced to the Fifth Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-1 comeback win over the USL’s Seattle Sounders 2. After trailing 1-0 at halftime, Joao Plata and Javier Morales scored second half goals to complete the comeback.

Javier Morales’ game-winner came in the 71st minute from an indirect kick from the 6-yard box. Joao Plata laid the ball off the Morales to find the opening to the far post on a low slotted shot.

The Sounders took the lead in the closing moments of the first half off of a goal from Sam Garza assisted by Giuliano Frano. As soon as the ball was set for RSL to take the ensuing kickoff, the halftime whistle sounded with S2 having the better of the chances in the opening half. Real Salt Lake had the majority of possession but Sounders 2 looked dangerous on the break as Andy Craven was a menace to defend.

Sam Garza got the goal for Sounders 2 in the 49th minute from an assist from Giuliano Frano from a long throw in. Frano spotted Garza streaking through the midfield to the top of the penalty box taking his first touch past two RSL defenders, then calmly chipping goalkeeper Jeff Attinella to the back post.

The second half was a whole new team for Real Salt Lake. RSL had their entire team on the field five minutes before the scheduled start of second half. They looked ready to fix what needed to be fixed. What was the difference between the first and second half?

“We just played with urgency and passion,” said Real Salt Lake head coach Jeff Cassar. “Just wasn’t there the first half. Credit goes to the players for coming out in the second half and somebody stepping up. You have opportunities and you have to cease them. The second half was a lot better than the first.”

Javier Morales was subbed in for Wellington Paeckert in the 58th minute and he immediately changed the game. As soon as he was on the ball he was finding passes to players, especially Plata, to stretch the S2 backline. Morales, who wasn’t in the starting lineup in an effort to rest him for this weekend’s league game, wanted desperately to be involved in the game because he’s 35 years old and doesn’t know how many more games he has left and wants to take advantage of every opportunity.

“I want to play in everything. I want to play in Open Cup, Champions League, everything,” said Morales.

In the 64th minute, Okwonwu played a long ball down the line towards Garcia. Garcia worked hard to beat his defender to the ball, turned the corner and laid the ball off for Plata to finish from the penalty spot. This tied the game and shifted the momentum.

Craven, who was very active for Seattle in the first half, barely touched the ball in the second half.

In the 71st minute a S2 defender smacked a ball backwards and it was picked up by goalkeeper Saif Kerawala. An indirect free kick was awarded and Morales slotted the Plata lay off to the far post on the ground.

There was a lot that happened after the game with Sounders FC 2 head coach Ezra Hendrickson having a go at the officiating crew. He was shown a yellow card and a red being shown to one of the S2 players which is still being determined who that was.

ANALYSIS:

Andy Craven is a really good player. He plays bigger than his 5’11 frame standing at 167 pounds. He was extremely active and created a lot of chances for Seattle Sounders FC 2 in the first half. He used his body well to settle services into his head, chest and to bring down and play on the counter attack. He showed why he was an All-American in Georgia Youth Soccer and why he excelled at North Carolina. It will be fun to see how much he develops over the next 5 years. I am sure that he will score many more goals in the USL and probably eventually in MLS play.

Real Salt Lake has some really great talent. They have been sputtering as of late but it seems as though the mechanic has figured out some of the things that need to be adjusted. There are moments where the engine seems to be running clean, smooth and ready to hit top speed, then something breaks down again. If Real Salt Lake can get fully healthy and grind more results out like this one. They could be a threat late in the competition against other MLS teams and they can make a run into the 8th consecutive playoffs in MLS Competition.

MLS analysts at the start of the season said that RSL would most likely be the ones to struggle on depth. Youngsters Aaron Maund and Phanuel Kavita both stepped in tonight and were solid in the back. Justen Glad took a knock to the head and there were some concerns of concussion, so he was subbed out in the 39th minute.

Joao Plata shows moments of his old self from a year ago. You can see that some of his touches are not as clean and suave as they were in the 2014 campaign. Cassar said that anytime a player is out for 4 months it is going to take a little bit of time when you come back.

“You will have some good, some bad,” said Cassar. “Joao has been working extremely hard. As long as he is staying aggressive, that is a good thing for us.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY: SOUNDERS 2 AT REAL SALT LAKE

Copyright © 2025 • Built by Jacob Martella Web Development