The Fourth Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is nearly complete with one more weather-delayed match yet to be played. However, the other 15 matches are in the books and when the dust settled, 12 Major League Soccer teams punched their ticket to the Round of 16, along with three lower division clubs (two USL Championship teams, one USL League One team).
Minnesota United will host the Colorado Rapids on Thursday afternoon (2 p.m. ET) to complete the 16th and final entry of the Fifth Round. Heavy rain, wind and lightning washed out Wednesday night’s game in St. Paul, Minn.
In a battle of the two remaining USL League One sides, Union Omaha blanked Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC to advance. Combined with the LA Galaxy’s road win over California United FC, Union Omaha won the $25,000 prize money as the third division team that advanced the furthest.
Union Omaha, the defending USL League One champions, are joined by the Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship) and Louisville City FC (USL Championship) as the only remaining lower division teams.
There were plenty of dramatic games in Round 4, including the Houston Dynamo’s late winner to knock out San Antonio FC.
Two games went to penalty kick shootouts with Louisville City traveling to the Motor City and eliminating fellow USL Championship side Detroit City FC, and the San Jose Earthquakes outlasting the CONCACAF Champions League winners Seattle Sounders in one of the longest PK shootouts of the Modern Era.
Two-goal comebacks are pretty rare in the Modern Era of the US Open Cup, but for the first time since 1995, there were two of them in the same round. Sporting Kansas City rallied to beat FC Dallas on Tuesday and Nashville SC came back to beat Atlanta United FC on Wednesday.
The draw for the Round of 16 will take place on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. The bracket for the remainder of the tournament will be set, so teams will know their path to the championship game.
Look below for a brief recap of every Round 4 game (with links to the full match report)
MAY 11, 2022
Charlotte FC (MLS) 5:1 Richmond Kickers (USL-1)
City Stadium; Richmond, VA
Charlotte FC steamrolled their way into the Round of 16, traveling to Richmond to thrash the USL League One Kickers 5-1.
Charlotte struck first in the 34th minute. Daniel Rios saw his header saved by Kickers goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald, but Yordy Reyna collected the rebound and sent it back to Rios who put it away.
About eight minutes into the second half Zach Moran put the hosts on level terms when he collected a blocked shot and caught Charlotte goalkeeper George Marks on the wrong foot for the tying goal.
After that the floodgates opened as Charlotte scored three times in seven minutes. Yordy Reyne netted goal #2 in the 54th minute after a give and go with Christian Ortiz, then Reyna fed McKinze Gaines twice in the 59th and 61st minutes to push the score to 4-1, giving Reyna three assists on the night.
Andre Shinyashiki finished the scoring in the 86th minute with an unassisted goal after a corner kick.
Rochester New York FC (MLSNP) 1:3 New York City FC (MLS)
Belson Stadium (St. John’s Univ.); Jamaica, NY
New York City FC welcomed Rochester New York FC of MLS Next Pro to Belson Stadium and came away 3-1 winners to advance to the Round of 16.
Thiago Andrade scored a highlight goal to open the scoring for NYCFC in the 23rd minute. Gabriel Pereira lobbed a pass to the top of the box, and Thiago one timed his shot just under the crossbar and past goalkeeper Philip Ejmadu. A mistake from Ejmadu led to NYCFC’s second goal in the 31st minute. After taking a backpass, Ejmadu lost track of Heber, who rushed in and took the ball right off Ejmadu’s foot and into the next for a 2-0 lead.
Just before halftime Rochester cut the lead in half. In the 3rd of stoppage time, Gilbran Rayo maneuvered past two NYCFC defenders to pass across the goalmouth to Jesus Baitz for an easy goal to cut the hosts lead to 2-1.
New York City padded its advantage to 3-1 in the 76th minute when Maxime Chanot headed home a Santiago Rodriguez corner kick at close range.
The game finished with a pair of red cards in stoppage time. NYCFC’s Gabriel Pareira picked up his second yellow card of the game in the first minute of stoppage time after getting into an altercation with Rochester’s Jacob Akanyirige. five minutes later Rochester’s Preston Popp was sent off after lightly kicking a downed NYCFC player on the sideline.
FC Cincinnati (MLS) 1:5 New England Revolution (MLS)
Gillette Stadium: Foxborough, MA
It was Adam Buska and Carles Gil vs. FC Cincinnati as the duo scored all five of New England’s goals to send them past Cincinnati 5-1 and into the Round of 16.
FC Cincinnati took an early lead in the 12th minute when Haris Medunjanin found Alvaro Barreal with a pass into the penalty area, and Barreal beat goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic for a 1-0 lead.
Carles Gil scored two quick goals for the Revs in the 34th & 37th minute for the Revolution. The first came from a penalty kick after Arnor Traustason was fouled in the penalty area. The second came after Tommy McNamara passed back to Gil at the top of the penalty area, and Gil blasted home a shot past GK Kenneth Vermeer for a 2-1 lead.
Adam Buska added his account two minutes after halftime, heading home a Brandon Bye pass that bounced in off the crossbar. Gil completed his hat trick on another assist from Bye in the 54th minute, and four minutes later Gil provided an assist of his own to Buska, who scored on a marvelous shot from the top corner of the box.
The five goals were the most for New England in the Open Cup since their 5-1 2013 Round 3 win over the Rochester Rhinos.
Atlanta United FC (MLS) 2:3 Nashville SC (MLS)
GEODIS Park; Nashville, TN
Playing in their brand new GEODIS Stadium, Nashville SC matched Sporting Kansas City’s two-goal comeback from the night before with one of their own, charging back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat Atlanta United FC 3-2 in extra time to advance to the Round of 16.
Atlanta jumped to a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute after Andrew Gutman collected a pass inside the penalty area and sent it over to Thiago Almada, whose sliding shot got past goalkeeper Joe Wilis. Atlanta’s lead grew to 2-0 15 minutes later when Luiz Araujo took a Marcelino Moreno pass, tapped it up in the air then put his shot past Willis.
Nashville began their comeback in the 50th minute when Hany Mukhtar converted a penalty kick after Ake Arnaud Loba was fouled in the area by Atlanta’s Alan Franco, who received a yellow card for his foul.
Two minutes later Nashville nearly got the equalizer when Walker Zimmerman’s header crashed off the crossbar. Nashville looked to get their tying goal in the 79th minute when Zimmerman headed home a Mukhtar free kick, but the goal was disallowed for an apparent foul by Nashville.
Finally, in the second minute of stoppage time when what appeared to be a shot from Tah Anunga found CJ Sapong in front of goal, and Nashville finally drew level at 2-2 to force extra time.
In the third minute of extra time, Ethan Zubak hit what could be called a trick shot. After collecting a long pass, Zubak was forced to evade goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth and another Atlanta defender. When Zubak settled, his shot beat those two players and another Atlanta player on the goal line for a 3-2 Nashville lead.
Colorado Rapids (MLS) 1:2 Minnesota United FC (MLS)
Allianz Field; St. Paul, MN
Minnesota United and Colorado Rapids managed just 16 minutes of first half play before severe thunderstorms sent a deluge of rain pouring down on Allianz Field in St Paul, MN.
Minnesota’s Abu Danladi and Nicolas Mezquida traded goals in the short time the team were able to play before the storm hit.
The game is scheduled to resume at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT on Thursday.
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (USL-1) 0:2 Union Omaha (USL-1)
Caniglia Field (Univ. of Nebraska at Omaha); Omaha, NE
Union Omaha became the lone USL League One club to advance to the Round of 16 after defeating league rivals Northern Colorado Hailstorm 2-0 at Caniglia Field in Omaha.
After a scoreless opening half Omaha grabbed the lead a minute into the second half. Hugo Kametani intercepted a pass between Hailstorm defenders, then sent it to Kemal Malcolm who then fed the ball to Noe Meza, whose shot was tipped by goalkeeper Thomas Olsen but went in for a 1-0 Omaha lead.
Omaha scored the final goal in the 58th minute when a give and go between Meza and Joseph Brito found a wide-open Conor Doyle in front of goal, who shot the ball under an outstretched Olsen.
San Antonio FC (USL-C) 0:1 Houston Dynamo (MLS)
PNC Stadium; Houston, TX
The 200 miles between these two Texan clubs was bridged for most of this game by a determined San Antonio squad who were out-possessed 60-40 but still managed to virtually equal the number of shots on target and off.
In the end, Dynamo ended a three-game skid (incidentally, the last match the won was also in the Open Cup) when they tallied the only goal of the game in the 82nd minute to break the Championship side’s hearts.
A Dynamo corner was pulled out to the top of the box and lobbed in for Carlos Ferreira to take advantage of lax defending and head home.
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) 2:2 AET Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
Seattle Sounders advance on PKs, 10-9
Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, WA
Jack Skahan opened the game scoring with a tenth-minute penalty for San Jose Earthquakes and doubled their lead in the 50th minute through Cade Cowell with a shot from the center of the box. However, the Sounders finally found their footing four minutes later when Jimmy Medranda made it 2-1 with a free kick into the top right corner.
The game was pushed into extra time as Fredy Montero equalized, with an extremely close-range header from a Kelyn Rowe cross in the 77th minute.
No goals in Extra Time. and in the very end, it was heroics from San Jose’s Matt Bersano which brought an epic penalty shootout to an end, denying Seattle’s Stefan Cleveland before blasting his own penalty hard into the goal.
Phoenix Rising FC (USL-C) 0:2 Sacramento Republic FC (USL-C)
Heart Health Park; Sacramento, CA
Phoenix Rising outshot and out-possessed their league mates but the team from Northern California came out winners.
Luis Felipe Fernandes opened the scoring for the Sacramento Republic with a left-footed shot across the goal after a Matt LaGrassa corner set up the chance. Greg Hurst saw his penalty and potential equalizer saved.
Sacramento sealed it through Douglas Martinez in the 88th minute, a powerful header into the ground and past the keeper from a corner.
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LA Galaxy (MLS) 3:2 California United Strikers FC (NISA)
Orange County Great Park (Championship Stadium); Irvine, CA
Shinya Kadono opened the scoring in this battle of SoCal in the 19th minute but his team failed to hold out through halftime as Galaxy secured a penalty kick and Dejan Joveljic dispatched it. The remainder of regular time saw the Strikers bunker in.
Owen Lambe made it 2-1 to the Galaxy in the 80th minute, with a close-range finish and Joveljic sealed it with a second PK in the 83rd minute.
Kevin Garcia-Lopez had a late goal for the Strikers to pull within one goal, but they were unable to complete the rally.
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TUESDAY, MAY 10
Philadelphia Union (MLS) 1:2 Orlando City SC (MLS)
Exploria Stadium; Orlando, FL
Orlando City SC advanced to the Round of 16 with a 2-1 win over a reserve-laden Philadelphia Union at Exploria Stadium in Orlando.
After a scoreless first half, Orlando opened the scoring on Ercan Kara’s 54th minute goal. After a shot from Junior Urso was blocked by goalkeeper Matthew Freese, Kara put away the rebound. Andres Perea followed three minutes later with a blast from about 30 yards out to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage.
In the 77th minute Stuart Findlay cut the lead in half off a Jose Martinez lob pass, and Kai Wagner nearly sent the game into extra time in the fourth minute of stoppage time with a header, but Mason Stajduhar was right there for the save.
Facing a rough stretch of 4 games in 15 days, Philadelphia used a lineup with many reserves in order to give regular starters a rest.
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New York Red Bulls (MLS) 3:0 D.C. United (MLS)
Audi Field; Washington, D.C.
The New York Red Bulls cruised past D.C. United 3-0 at Audi Field in Washington to advance to the Round of 16.
Just as the first half looked to finish scoreless, the Red Bulls snatched the lead when Luquinhas put away a pass from Dru Yearwood in the third minute of first half stoppage time. The second half had been underway just a couple minutes when Luquinhas helped extend the lead. The Brazilian sent a pass from the right side of the box, and John Tolken met the ball as he was sliding down and put it past goalkeeper Rafael Romo for a 2-0 lead.
Zach Ryan put the game away in the 68th minute when he snuck a Cameron Harper pass just inside the post at close range to push the lead to 3-0.
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Louisville City FC (USL-C) 1:1 (AET) Detroit City FC (USL-C)
Louisville City FC advance on penalties, 4-2
Keyworth Stadium; Hamtramck, MI
You just can’t expect a boring Open Cup game at Keyworth Stadium in 2022.
Detroit City’s 3-0 Second Round win over Michigan Stars brought accusations of “sabotage” from their opponents. Then Detroit won their Third Round game 2-1 over the Columbus Crew with an 86th minute penalty.
Their Fourth Round game versus league rivals Louisville City went all the way to penalties, and the raucous Keyworth fans went home disappointed when the visitors came out on top in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 extra time draw to advance to the Round of 16.
Detroit scored first in the 14th minute. After Detroit’s Francis Atuahene was brought down in the box by Sean Totsch, Maxi Rodriguez stepped up and converted the penalty kick for a 1-0 lead. Louisville needed just ten minutes to respond, as a corner kick found its way to Wilson Harris, whose shot found the bottom left corner of the goal. An action packed first half ended 1-1.
Along with their respective back lines, goalkeepers Nathan Steinwascher of Detroit and Kyle Morton of Louisville each made several key stops through the second half and extra time.
In the penalty shootout Morton gave Louisville the early advantage in the second round of kicks, saving Rhys Williams’ attempt. Louisville converted all four of their penalties, and the end came when Stephen Carroll sent his shot sailing over the bar.
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South Georgia Tormenta FC (USL-1) 1:3 Inter Miami CF (MLS)
DRV PNK Stadium; Fort Lauderdale, FL
In Inter Miami CF’s first-ever home game in the US Open Cup, they held off a game South Georgia Tormenta of USL League One, 3-1 to advance to the Round of 16.
The hosts grabbed the lead just before halftime, taking advantage of a Tormenta turnover which led to Indiana Vassilev rolling a pass to Ariel Lassiter, who fired past goalkeeper Pablo Jara for a 1-0 lead.
Just two minutes after halftime Miami took advantage of another Tormenta turnover, as Robert Taylor intercepted a pass from Jara and fed halftime sub Robbie Robinson, who fired a shot from the top of the box for a 2-0 lead.
Tensions boiled over in the 65th minute when Robinson and South Georgia’s Jake Dengler got into a wrestling match at midfield, resulting in both men receiving red cards.
Vassilev and Lassiter teamed up again for Miami’s third goal in the 83rd minute. Lassiter collected Vassilev’s pass at midfield then dribbled into the penalty area, his shot partially blocked by defender Chris Thorn before bouncing off the crossbar and across the line. South Georgia pulled a goal back in the 88th minute when Kazaiah Sterling collected a through ball from Owen Green, putting his shot past Drake Callender.
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FC Dallas (MLS) 2:4 (AET) Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Children’s Mercy Park; Kansas City, KS
Just call Sporting Kansas City the Comeback Kids.
Down 2-0 to FC Dallas at halftime, SKC fought back to tie the game at 2-2 in the 8th minute of second half stoppage time, then scored twice in extra time for a 4-2 win and a spot in the Round of 16.
Franco Jara took advantage of a defensive mistake by Sporting in the 8th minute to score from a tight angle for a 1-0 lead. Edwin Munjoma doubled the lead in the 34th minute with a shot from just outside the penalty area after an assist from Jader Obrien.
In the 60th minute Nikola Vujnovic jumped on a sloppy defensive pass in the penalty area to hit the top corner of the goal to cut the lead to 2-1.
Disaster struck for Dallas in the seventh minute of stoppage time when Jose Martinez was shown a red card after fouling Daniel Salloi on a breakaway. Just one minute later Marinos Tzionis headed home a corner kick from Remi Walter to bring KC back from the brink of elimination, giving them 30 more minutes to win.
Four minutes into extra time Kansas City got a lucky bounce, as a Khiry Shelton shot was stopped by Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer, but the ball deflected off the back of Dallas’ Edwin Cerrillo and into the goal for a 3-2 Kansas City lead. Shelton confirmed the comeback win in the 113th minute, jumping on a Dallas throw-in that Cerrillo couldn’t control in the penalty area to easily beat Maurer to cap off the 4-2 comeback victory.
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Portland Timbers (MLS) 0:2 Los Angeles FC (MLS)
Banc of California Stadium; Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles FC hosted the Portland Timbers in the final match on Tuesday night and for the third tournament in a row, LAFC advanced to the Round of 16. LAFC defeated the Timbers 2-0 in the third straight Open Cup meeting at Banc of California Stadium between the two Western Conference rivals. With the win, LAFC avenges their 1-0 loss to the Timbers in the 2019 Quarterfinals. Cristian Arango opened the scoring for the home side with a goal in the 32nd minute on an assist by Kwadwo Opoku. In the 54th minute, Mamadou Fall pounced on a loose ball that sprung loose from a corner kick and buried i to double his team’s lead. Max Crepeau made six saves to earn the clean sheet for LAFC.
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