2025 US Open Cup

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: 10-man Phoenix Rising save late PK, win shootout over FC Tulsa

April 17, 2025 by John Tranchina

Players from Phoenix Rising FC celebrate after scoring a goal against FC Tulsa in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Tulsa

There were plenty of moments for Phoenix Rising FC to crumble under the pressure and the difficult moments they found themselves in, but instead, the team faced its adversity head-on and ultimately emerged victorious.

While playing a man down since the 75th minute, then surrendering the tying goal in the 86th minute, Phoenix continued to battle and survived a shot off the goal post in overtime, and then a penalty shot against in the final minute of OT before prevailing 4-2 in the PK shootout over FC Tulsa in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament Wednesday night. The game was played at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Complex, on the campus of the University of Tulsa.

Rising FC advance to the Fourth Round (or the Round of 32) of the US Open Cup, where they are guaranteed to face an MLS team, in a game that will take place either May 6 or 7.

Coming off a disappointing loss on Saturday, 3-2 to Detroit City FC in which they led 2-0 into the 86th minute before surrendering three late goals to lose, Phoenix looked like they might falter late again once Tulsa’s Stefan Lukic tied the game in the 86th minute. But despite Tulsa generating the better scoring opportunities throughout the two 15-minute overtime periods, Phoenix goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky made two key saves, then stopped FC Tulsa’s Taylor Calheira’s penalty shot in the 121st minute to keep the game going.

In the shootout, Rakovsky made another diving save on the first Tulsa shot (by Kalil ElMedkhar) and Phoenix won the PKs 4-2 to claim the victory.

“Incredible group, incredible performance,” said Rising FC coach Pa-Modou Kah. “Given what we had to deal with Saturday night, you’re 2-0 up and you lose, but the character shown and what this group is capable of, we saw it today. It’s an unbelievable team spirit from everybody, from the players, from the staff that is here, from the staff that is home, and for our fans, this is for you. This is what we’re about.”

Obviously, the key moment was Rakovsky’s save on Calheira on the PK just before overtime ended. After a handball was called on a Phoenix defender in the box, Calheira stepped to the dot, about five minutes after his shot from about 10 yards out rattled off the left goalpost. He had scored on PKs in each of the two previous rounds of the U.S. Open Cup and just about everyone in the stadium figured he was about to again.

Calheira shot low to the left side, but Rakovsky made the diving save.

“It feels amazing, it’s something you dream about, save a PK in the last minute, go to a PK shootout, you win,” Rakovsky said afterwards. “Obviously, unlucky that you concede a goal five minutes before the end, but I still thought we gave a great fight. We played almost 50 minutes one man down, we kept fighting. We also had a little bit of luck, they shot it off the post, but also they were lucky to get the PK. Obviously, he hits the ball with his hand, but he’s also falling down, so I know they have to take it, but okay, you can’t change it. Obviously, huge congratulations to the team, great fight, and also, to be that cool in front of the PKs, amazing for the team. Luckily it worked out.”

Kah was proud of Rakovsky for his clutch save on Calheira.

“Listen, these are the moments where you have a goalkeeper that is capable of doing this and Patrick was capable,” Kah said. “It’s tough, because when you look at the game in whole, I think we controlled the game. I think we had occasions to score in second half but we didn’t take the chances, and then in the 85th minute, they score, and you might think, ‘Here we go again,’ but the resilience of this group is unbelievable. The resilience of this group is unbelievable. And the work, the fight, the fighting spirit, they give everything for each other. I’m so extremely proud of this team.”

For Tulsa, it was a heart-breaking ending to their U.S. Open Cup run, the second straight season they reached the Third Round. They defeated local amateur club Tulsa Athletic of The League for Clubs 1-0 on March 18 in the First Round, then beat USL League One side Forward Madison FC 3-1 on April 2 in the Second Round. Last year, they advanced to the Fourth Round (Round of 32) before falling to Sporting Kansas City of MLS, 4-0.

Tulsa actually defeated Phoenix 1-0 in their USL Championship season opener back on March 8. But after opening with a 5-1-0 record across all competitions, Tulsa has now lost two in a row, following its 2-1 home loss to Oakland Roots SC on Saturday.

“It’s disappointing, but I thought the guys gave everything,” FC Tulsa coach Luke Spencer said. “We were pushing forward, were unlucky on a few, so they gave everything and we’re out of the Cup, but that’s life. Proud of the guys for their effort.”

FC Tulsa’s usual home stadium, ONEOK Field, which they share with minor league baseball’s Double-A Tulsa Drillers, wasn’t available due to the Drillers already playing there.

Following a scoreless first half in which FC Tulsa had the wind, featuring gusts of up to 25-30 miles per hour, behind them, Phoenix benefited from it in the second and struck for the game’s first goal in the 51st minute.

Jearl Margaritha received a nice pass from the left wing from Hope Avayevu and drilled a 10-yard shot into the upper right corner to give the Rising FC the 1-0 lead.

Pape Mar Boye almost made it 2-0 for Phoenix on a point-blank shot just four minutes later, but Tulsa goalkeeper Johan Penaranda made a nice save.

FC Tulsa began to gain the territorial advantage after that, and Rakovsky made a nice diving save near the right post in the 58th minute on a 20-yard blast from Owen Damm.

Things didn’t look good for Phoenix once Abdoulaye Cissoko received his second yellow card within six minutes, getting ejected from game in the 75th minute, and Tulsa tied it 11 minutes later. Marcos Certato delivered a nice cross from the right flank into the middle of the box, where Lukic fired it home from 8 yards out.

“Proud of the group, resilient to fight back, to keep pushing,” Spencer said of his team’s ability to tie it up late. “The subs impacted the game in a positive way, it just didn’t work out tonight.”

Phoenix nearly won it just before regulation ended when Margaritha drilled a 30-yard shot from the left side that forced Penaranda to make a nice diving stop.

Just six minutes into the first OT period, Rakovsky made another diving save on Calheira’s header from 12 yards out. Tulsa’s Al Hassan Toure nearly ended it in the 14th minute of overtime, but his point-blank header sailed just over the crossbar.

After Rakovsky’s save on Calheira’s PK late in the second OT period, every Phoenix shooter scored in the shootout: Emil Cuello, J.P. Scearce, Casey Wells, and then Carl Sainte clinched it.

For Tulsa, Arthur Rogers and Giordano Colli both scored.

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: Hayden White’s late OT winner sends Indy Eleven past Miami FC

April 17, 2025 by Hamish Munro

Hayden White of Indy Eleven celebrates after scoring a goal against Miami FC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski - Indy Eleven — Hayden White of Indy Eleven celebrates after scoring a goal against Miami FC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski – Indy Eleven

Indy Eleven advanced to the Round of 32 the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, defeating Miami FC 1-0 thanks to a last-minute goal in the 123rd minute of extra time.

The game’s only goal came deep into stoppage time when Cam Lindley delivered a pinpoint corner into the box and Hayden White rose above the crowd to head home the winner, sending the home fans into a frenzy.

It was a tense, hard-fought contest that saw both sides struggle to break the deadlock through 90 minutes of regulation and nearly all of extra time. With the win, Indy continues its campaign in the country’s oldest soccer competition, and does so with a thrilling, last-gasp finish to remember.

The first half saw Indy Eleven come out strong, controlling possession and dictating the pace. Aedan Stanley had an early chance denied by Miami goalkeeper Bill Hamid, while Cam Lindley and Bruno Rendon both saw efforts go just wide in the opening 15 minutes. Elliot Collier nearly broke through in the 22nd minute, but Hamid tipped his shot over the bar. Miami slowly grew into the match, testing Indy on the counterattack, but the home side maintained the edge heading into halftime.

Miami came out with renewed purpose in the second half, with Veron forcing a stretching save from debutant Reice Charles-Cook in the 54th minute. Indy had several chances to seal it late — including another near-miss from Collier in the 78th minute which was served up on a silver platter by Kizza — but couldn’t find the back of the net. A final opportunity in stoppage time went over the bar, sending the match into extra time.

In the added period, both teams looked cautious, aware that one mistake could decide it all. Charles-Cook came up big again, stopping multiple attempts from Bonfiglio to keep Indy in the match.

Then came the moment. With just seconds remaining, Lindley delivered a looping corner into the area, and Hayden White’s powerful header struck the post and crossed the line, sealing a dramatic 1-0 victory in the 123rd minute.

Indy Eleven coach Sean McAuley didn’t hesitate to praise his debutant goalkeeper.

“We don’t win the game without Reice. That’s simple,” he said. Charles-Cook delivered a composed and confident performance between the posts, making two key saves to help secure Indy Eleven’s first clean sheet of the season in front of a packed crowd at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.

“He’s come in and shown exactly what we needed — calm, leadership, and presence,” McAuley said. “That goes a long way in games like this.”

Reflecting on his debut for Indy Eleven, Charles-Cook expressed excitement and a sense of fulfillment.

“It’s unreal, you know, finally coming to America and playing here,” he said, clearly moved by the moment. “Representing this club, I couldn’t ask for a better start.”

Charles-Cook played a pivotal role in securing Indy Eleven’s clean sheet, making two crucial saves during the match. When asked about the two standout moments, he humbly shared, “To be honest, I can’t really remember the exact details — my body just shut down after those saves! But the boys’ reactions told me everything. That’s what you work for, those moments, and all the work we’ve put in during training is what sets us up for them.”

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: Cedeno’s PK, Smith’s stoppage time finish send Detroit City FC through

April 17, 2025 by Tavio Palazzolo

Detroit City FC players celebrate after scoring a goal against Westchester SC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Detroit City FC

Detroit City FC welcomed a Third Division club to Keyworth Stadium for the fourth straight year to start its US Open Cup journey, but faced off against their first USL League One opponent – one playing a professional side in the competition for the very first time: newcomers Westchester SC. This match finished as all the rest of those aforementioned matches have: with a Le Rouge victory as DCFC won, 3-1, after two late goals by Jeciel Cedeño and Darren Smith.

With the win, Detroit City FC moves on to the Round of 32, guaranteeing a chance to play a Major League Soccer team. Head coach Danny Dichio, having felt the joys of advancing past an MLS side last year (they defeated 2023 Champions Houston Dynamo on penalties on the road), is looking to host one this time around.

“I’d love to host an MLS club here. I really would,” he said. “To have an MLS club here at Keyworth on a magical night. That’s my dream for the Open Cup this year.”

Detroit’s Michael Bryant was wearing the captain’s armband for the night with long-time captain Stephen Carroll taking the night off, as were many regular Detroit City players due to a rotated squad. Players like Haruki Yamazaki and Dominic Gasso earned their first starts of the season. Meanwhile, Westchester essentially fielded a fully rested starting lineup since they had last weekend off.

Other than an early corner kick by Westchester earned after a turnover within 30 seconds of kickoff, Detroit dominated play for the first 20 minutes of the match, controlling the vast majority of possession and sending in chance after chance. However, none of those efforts particularly threatened Westchester goalkeeper Dane Jacomen. The 18^th minute saw the first true build up by the visitors, working the ball in the DCFC half for a while until a through ball was effectively guided beyond the end line by Bryant.

The best chance of the first half for Detroit came in the 43^rd minute, when Bryant sent a long ball from the back towards striker Ben Morris. Westchester defender Tobi Adewole was able to get his head to it, but it allowed Morris to sneak past him. The ball just got away from him though as Jacomen was able to collect. Three minutes later saw Westchester’s best chance of the half as it approached the end. A Noah Powder corner kick caught goalkeeper Carlos Saldaña off his line, and Jonathan Bolanos settled the delivery inside the six. Unfortunately for the visitors, Gasso was there to clear out the danger.

The second half saw more excitement and more physicality. The first shot on target by either side came courtesy of Powder in the 48^th minute. He was given a layup from teammate Juan Obregon about 25 yards out, but his resultant shot trickled into the box and was easily collected by Saldaña. Six minutes later in the 54^th, Morris found himself with the ball near the end line surrounded by two defenders. He was able to get it toward the top of the six-yard box, where Sebastian Guenzatti sent a bicycle kick just wide right. The physicality came courtesy of Gasso, who in the 55^th minute made a reckless challenge on Westchester defender Stephen Payne, earning himself a yellow card.

The 71^st minute finally saw the first goal of the match, and it came via an initial feed from Yamazaki on the left wing to Jay Chapman in the box near the end line. He was able to send a flat cross to Morey Doner at the penalty spot, where Doner sent a one-timer past a helpless Jacomen, giving Le Rouge the 1-0 lead. His celebration? The Macarena, coordinated with Cedeño – in Doner’s own words – “a week in advance.”

That lead wouldn’t stay there for long, though. Just five minutes later in the 76^th, Powder sent a ball up to Obregon near the top of the box. He settled it (partially with his face) and volleyed a rocket just under the crossbar beyond the reach of Saldaña to tie it at 1-1. It was Obregon’s fifth US Open Cup goal (his third this year).

The goals kept coming late. Detroit had the opportunity to take the lead for good in the 84^th minute as Ates Diouf stormed into the box, only for Powder to stick out his foot in and tackle him. A penalty was called, and Cedeño stepped up to the spot. His shot was fired into the left corner past a diving Jacomen, who guessed correctly, but couldn’t reach far enough to deflect. The goal from the spot gave Detroit City the 2-1 lead they needed.

DCFC got a capper in stoppage time to secure the win. In the 94^th minute, Payne (on the left wing) looked to relieve pressure by sending a ball back to Jacomen. However, Detroit substitute Jordan Adebayo-Smith, witnessing the slow roller, would seize the opportunity. He was able to touch the ball forward just before crashing into Jacomen, leaving the ball trickling towards an empty net. Smith was there to put it home and give Le Rouge the 3-1 victory.

Yamazaki, named Man of the Match for his tough play and chance creation having played the full 90 minutes, embraced the idea of playing in his first match at home for Detroit.

“I felt really good since the first minute of the game. … I’ve never played in front of that crowd before, so it kept me going,” he said.

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: Tampa Bay Rowdies survive PK shootout with FC Naples

April 17, 2025 by Michael Anderer

Players from FC Naples and the Tampa Bay Rowdies battle for the ball in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Naples

It took until the 10th round of penalty kicks for the struggling Tampa Bay Rowdies to show that they were the better side on the night against the lower division hosts, FC Naples. This game proved that the slightest of margins divides the bottom of the Championship division from the top of League One. A fitting match-up for the two leagues that have agreed to bring promotion and relegation to at least part of the United States soccer pyramid.

Promotion was not at stake on Wednesday night in Florida, but what was at stake was the opportunity for the victors to advance into the next round and possibly face an MLS side as that league joins the US Open Cup.

Tampa Bay Rowdies interim head coach, Steve Coleman, did not think his team was the better one on the night. He added, “It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s important to build momentum in games like tonight. I think in this game in our week of three games in seven days is likely to be one of the tougher ones with the big crowd here tonight looking and smelling for an upset.” His message emphasized why this tournament is so important for the fans and the teams to win. Because it does come in the midweeks and during the regular season. It was a Wednesday night and still the FC Naples crowd showed up en masse to the tune of 3418 in stadium that at capacity holds 4600.

Tampa Bay earned the lead in the 26th minute when Manuel Arteaga fed a ball to Pacifique Niyongabire inside the FC Naples box and Niyongabire found the far post. The celebration for the visitors would be short-lived when Luka Prpa scored the equalizer just two minutes later. The teams would trade chances for the rest of the game but it would end tied and go into extra time. FC Naples had one of their best chances to win in the last minute of regulation as Jayden Onen would find himself running past the Rowdies backline into space. The defense recovered only to have Onen pass off to Naples striker, Karsen Henderlong, who then gave it up to Andres Ferrin. Ferrin would beat the Tampa Bay keeper with his effort but center back, Forrest Lasso, was there on the goal line to save the moment.

Lasso would be the hero of the match for the visitors eventually putting away the game winning penalty. The captain praised his teammates for their effort saying, “We used a lot of guys that maybe have not been used through out the year and everybody carried their weight. We made it to 10 PK’s so literally everyone on the field had to do something tonight.” He added, “The Open Cup is magical, there’s chaos, there’s opportunities left and right. Every team brings everything they have.” When asked about the next round of opponents Lasso ended in saying that as a team they don’t really watch the other results, they focus on themselves and getting ready for the next league match on the weekend.

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: Union Omaha blanks San Antonio FC to add to cupset resume

April 16, 2025 by Tim Howerton

Players from Union Omaha celebrate after scoring a goal against San Antonio FC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Union Omaha

Union Omaha are making a habit of taking down higher level teams in the US Open Cup.

This time the victim was San Antonio FC as a crowd of 1,112 fans watched the Owls hold on to a 1-0 Third Round victory on Tuesday night. Dion Acoff provided all the scoring the hosts would need with his 36th minute strike, while Rashid Nuhu turned away all three shots on target in an intense match that threatened to boil over by the time the final whistle sounded. Colombian midfielder Jimmy Medranda tried to keep San Antonio in the match, orchestrating four chances for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough to keep them from another one-and-done Open Cup appearance.

Both teams entered the match having experienced some issues in their form. For Union Omaha, a pair of Open Cup victories and a 3-1 defeat at South Georgia Tormenta in USL 1 play showed flashes of last year’s defending championship teams, but two uncharacteristic losses at Greenville Triumph and Richmond Kickers also showed a team susceptible to mistakes and still looking for cohesion.

On the other side, first-year head coach Carlos Llamosa — fresh off being named USL Championship’s coach of the month — had watched a perfect 4-0-0 start come to a screeching halt. San Antonio suffered a pair of 2-1 losses to Phoenix Rising and Miami FC — the latter coming as San Antonio held 67% possession and twice as many shots on target as their opponent.

That trend would, unfortunately, continue into this match.

The opening minutes saw San Antonio with a lot of possession, but with little to show for it in terms of attacking motion. Omaha was happy to let San Antonio hold the ball, choosing to let the press and an organized midfield find the right time to pounce on a mistake. When the ball finally did make it into the Owls’ half, it was met with quickness and physicality that prevented the attackers from getting any really good looks at goal.

Yet Omaha was also struggling to fully take advantage of the turnovers. Whether trying to push long balls over the top or rush quickly through the middle in transition, it always seemed like San Antonio found a way to recover, if only just. The early going had a lot of good action, but nothing that looked to truly be able to open the scoring.

That is until the 10th minute when Prosper Kassim found the first good chance of the match. Having taken the ball away from San Antonio just shy of midfield, the Owls played the ball to the back line looking for a way to break down the defense. Charlie Ostrem took the ball on the left side and with a quick glance noticed Kassim on diagonal run that pulled him free of the marker. Ostrem’s pass was well placed and Kassim found himself just outside the area with San Antonio Keeper Richard Sanchez coming out to challenge. Seeing the open goal, Kassim put a chip up and over Sanchez, but the Ghanan midfielder found his accuracy wanting with the shot pushing wide right of the post. It could have been the opener, but served as a warning shot instead.

San Antonio wouldn’t have to wait long for a chance of their own, however. Just four minutes later, Juan Agudelo used some great footwork and even greater strength to turn his man at midfield and started dribbling into a mass of open space toward the final third. This led Ostrem into committing a foul from behind and set up a dangerous free kick for Jorge Hernandez. Hernandez’ kick beat all of the Owl markers and fell well to Agudelo inside the six-yard box. Agudelo’s couldn’t quite make good contact with the ball, and it bounced off the right post toward Mohamed Omar. Just as Omaha’s defense started seeing visions of the losing goal they conceded less than a week prior, the referee blew his whistle calling Omar for bring the ball down with his arm. The visitors had just issued a warning shot of their own.

From this point, Union Omaha seemed to grow more comfortable in their role and made more of the possession they were given. While San Antonio still had issues playing through the middle, Omaha found ways to turn that transition into rapid movement down either side or over the top of the defense. Often, only a slightly wayward pass or the official’s offside flag kept the hosts from breakaway opportunities against Sanchez.

When the deadlock was finally broken in the 36th minute, it was because of one of those breakaway opportunities.

A ball that was almost a turnover off the feet of Kassim managed to squeeze out to Chelo Martínez near midfield to begin another Union Omaha transition. This time, Martínez found Acoff making his run up the right side completely free of his marker. Acoff took the ball into the box with only Omar and Sanchez to beat. A quick shift of the feet threw off Omar before Acoff slotted home at the inside post, despite Sanchez appearing to get a touch on the ball.

Acoff credited the anticipation that Martínez has developed early on in his time at Omaha.

“Chelo saw me make the run, so, anytime he sees me making that run he usually plays it,” Acoff said. “At that moment, I’m just one-on-one with the keeper trying to score.”

The remainder of the half would go mostly Omaha’s way, if not in possession then at least in maintaining the lead. A good switch of play by Medranda set up Nelson Flores with a solid shot from outside the box, but Nuhu was up to the diving save required to keep out the best chance San Antonio would have to equalize prior to the halftime whistle.

Coming out of the break, Llamosa opted to bring on some younger legs on the wings to try to keep up with the pace that Omaha had brought in the first half. But even though the possession and passing stats even more heavily favored the visitors, they found a hard time getting through a disciplined Owl midfield and defense to create good chances.

As the frustration mounted, so did the physicality and tension between the two clubs. Both sides found themselves with solid tackles, jostling, and a real fight for forward momentum. When there were chances to be had they were either just off target, or well blocked by two teams that had decided not to give up a single inch willingly.

Omaha coach Dominic Casciato praised the team’s fortitude.

“Second half, we defended well, looked dangerous on the break at times, and, to be honest, I don’t remember them having a big chance,” he said.

That fortitude could have been easily undone as regulation time wore down, however. Just at the stroke of 90 minutes, a scuffle started on the pitch that saw Brent Kallman behind the action and holding down San Antonio’s Jorge Hernandez. As the referee moved over to address the issue, both teams came in to the defense of their players. A few shoves, a consult with both assistants, and a significant amount of elapsed time saw the referee finally reach to his pocket and show a yellow to Kallman for his instigation of the activities. A bullet dodged for Omaha surely, as having to play the final 10 minutes of the match down a man would’ve put even more strain on the USL 1 champs.

Instead, the Owls maintained the full compliment of players to withstand San Antonio’s furious but, ultimately, futile assault and walked away still having never lost to a USL Championship team in US Open Cup play.

Though it wasn’t always an easy win, Casciato found a major building block from this win.

“I think, the performances so far this season have been a little spotty, and I think it’s just a case of time,” he said. “Preseason was pretty disrupted. We’ve been on the road for nine straight weeks. It’s a lot, it’s a lot on the guys, and I think tonight you saw what they’re capable of. So it’s about building on that and, as a team, always be willing to do what it takes to win.

“If we continue in that mentality, we’re going to be fine.”

Union Omaha will now try to take that mentality into the Round of 32 and await the draw for which MLS team will stand between them and a continued Open Cup success.

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: Tacoma Defiance last MLS NEXT Pro left after OT thriller with Oakland Roots

April 16, 2025 by Andrew Repp

Osaze De Rosario of Tacoma Defiance celebrates after scoring a goal against Oakland Roots SC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Seattle Sounders FC Communications

Osaze De Rosario scored a goal off an assist from Jackson Khoury in the second half of extra time as the Tacoma Defiance of MLS Next Pro defeated Oakland Roots SC of the USL Championship, 2-1, in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup on Tuesday night at Starfire Stadium.

It was a match that took 120 minutes to decide a winner and was a game filled with momentum swings, fouls, and yellow cards.

It was a perfect evening for soccer in the Pacific Northwest, with partly cloudy skies and a temperature of 60 degrees at kickoff as the sun set over the pitch. Both teams took time to settle into the game, as the first 20 minutes didn’t see either side dominate. Neither team could get much possession, and a slew of fouls in midfield from both teams took away any rhythm the game was searching for.

Tacoma had an early chance in the third minute when De Rosario laced a shot from the middle of the box that took a deflection, wrong-footing Oakland’s goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel. Luckily for Spiegel, the ball bounced off the right post and back out, where Oakland was able to clear away the danger.

Oakland had its own half chance in the eighth minute on a cross to the top of the box, but forward Emmanuel Johnson was unable to get the shot on target, sending the ball well over the goal and onto the train tracks beyond the pitch.

The match’s first goal came in the 28th minute after Tacoma won a free kick on the left side of its attacking half, about five yards outside the corner of the 18-yard box. Defiance midfielder Peter Kingston stepped up to take the shot and sent a right-footed laser over the two-man wall and to the near post, where it found the back of the net past Spiegel. Kingston, who featured on the USL League Two team Ballard FC in recent years, was mobbed by his teammates and did a little shimmy near midfield to celebrate.

Tacoma head coach Hervé Diese didn’t seem surprised by the strike, despite it being Kingston’s first goal of the season.

“Peter Kingston is a quality player and a better human being. We know he can do those things, and that’s why we give him the responsibility in those moments,” Diese said.

Kingston had a second well-taken free kick seven minutes later, this time from dead center, but Spiegel was up to the task and made a diving, acrobatic save to keep his team in the game. The rest of the first half played out much like the start, with fouls preventing much flow from forming. As the teams headed into the locker rooms, three Tacoma players had already received yellow cards.

After Oakland made two substitutions in the 57th minute, the game started to tilt in its favor, as it had much more possession and limited Tacoma’s chances. Tacoma was unable to string together much offensively, and Oakland began to exert more and more pressure on the Defiance’s goal. Defiance goalkeeper Andrew Thomas, already a US Open Cup legend for Seattle Sounders FC, was forced into a scrambling save in the 66th minute after his attempted clearance was blocked toward another Oakland player.

Oakland scored the equalizer in the 75th minute after a ball in the box was kicked off the arm of Defiance defender Kaito Yamada. Referee Dion Coxe awarded the penalty kick, and Oakland’s Neveal Hackshaw stepped to the spot. He put a left-footed shot past Thomas and into the left side of the net to tie the match at 1-1.

The rest of the second half continued to be chippy, with both teams accruing yellow cards. Oakland put in a flurry of corner kicks during stoppage time but were unable to seriously test Thomas, leaving the match in a stalemate at the end of regular time.

The first half of extra time was more of the same. Neither team had a stellar chance but there were willing runners and decent attempts, as neither team seemed to want to go to penalty kicks. Tacoma found the game-winner in the 108th minute when Khoury dispossessed Hackshaw deep in the Oakland half and passed to De Rosario, who took one touch before getting off a shot that deflected off an Oakland defender and past Spiegel into the right side of the net.

From there Oakland threw men forward and took a variety of shots from outside the box, but none significantly troubled Thomas. Tacoma went down to ten men in the 117th minute when Cody Baker earned his second yellow card, but Oakland were unable to make the advantage pay.

Diese explained that Tacoma was well prepared for the challenge that this match offered.

“The whole week leading up to this game, we knew that it was going to be a scrappy one because we analyzed ; we knew that individually, when things are not working out for them, they just make it scrappy… did well,” he said. “They were very, very mature today and they didn’t back down from anything.”

With the win, the Defiance move on to the Round of 32, where it will face an MLS team in a match scheduled for May 6 or 7. As the only MLS Next Pro team remaining in the field, Tacoma looks to keep its dreams alive as the stage grows ever bigger.

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: Louisville City strikes early, holds off Loudoun United FC

April 16, 2025 by Benton Newman

Louisville City players celebrate after scoring a goal against Loudoun United in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: EM Dash Photography

It was an all-USL Championship affair as Loudoun United made the trek from Virginia for the second time in a month to face the two-time USL champs, Louisville City FC. The trip proved to be unsuccessful as Louisville’s Adrian Perez and Sam Gleadle both scored in the first 30 minutes of the match to advance, 2-1, in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, KY on Tuesday night.

LouCity coach Danny Cruz had mixed feelings about his squad’s performance.

“I thought in the first half we were really strong,” Cruz said. “But I thought in the second half we kind of took our foot off the gas … ultimately this tournament is about advancing, and we did that.”

Despite a competitive start to the match, Loudoun dug themselves a hole with a defensive blunder in the 18th minute. The turnover in the final third resulted in Perez scoring and putting the home side up 1-0.

Tommy McCabe’s hard-hit shot from the top of the box for Loudoun only a few minutes later aimed to even the score, but the quick reflexes of Louisville’s Damian Las deflected the on-target shot. Later, it was Louisville City that would find the net again. In the 28th minute, Amadou Dia sent a long pass threading the gaps in the Loudoun back line to Gleadle, whose near-post shot made it past the keeper.

The visitors had one more close call in the first half in the 43rd minute, but the high-flying shot to the top right corner was just a few inches off target.

Loudoun may have been down entering the second half, but not out. Feeling the pressure of a knockout, they went on to record four of their five total shots on target. This offensive swing included a shot from outside the box narrowly missing the far post in the 46th minute and a great shot by Riley Bidois at the top of the box, forcing a diving one-handed save from Las.

LouCity, looking to put the match away, found its best opportunity in the 82nd minute with a blazing fast break by Aiden McFadden who dished the ball over centrally to Gleadle. He failed to make the most of the advantage, though, by shooting it right at the keeper.

As the match crept towards its conclusion, the visitors were thrown a lifeline. Long-time Louisville center-back, Sean Totsch mishandled the ball in front of the net, allowing Abdellatif Aboukoura to put away the point-blank shot in the 90th minute. However, it was too little too late as an equalizer was unable to be found by Loudoun with the match ending 2-1.

The win by Louisville City not only puts them into the Round of 32 in May, but also extends its unbeaten streak to six straight in 2025. The club also remains unblemished in its opening game in Cup ties, having never failed to advance from its opening round in the competition.

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: AV ALTA FC earns PK win over Orange County in SoCal classic

April 16, 2025 by Donald Johnson

Alassane Maboumou of AV ALTA FC salutes the crowd at his club match against the Oakland Roots in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: AV ALTA FC

The match between AV ALTA FC and Orange County SC became an instant classic with drama throughout Tuesday night’s Third Round match in the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

After overcoming an early Orange County goal and taking the lead, AV ALTA saw the visitors score an 83rd minute equalizer to send the match into extra time tied at 2-2. The match would be decided by a penalty kick shootout where AV ALTA would bring Denzil Smith off the bench to replace starting goalkeeper Carlos Avilez. The gamble paid off as Smith made a save as the USL League One side advanced to the Fourth Round by the score of 4-2.

In the 13th minute, Orange County opened the scoring from a corner kick with a quick pass back to Ousmane Sylla who dribbled down the end line and drilled the ball above goalkeeper Carlos Avilez and into the roof of the net.

At the 25-minute mark, right back Miguel Pajaro slid and was hit in the head, which sidelined him. He would return to the match four minutes later with his head taped up.

In the second half, AV ALTA started asking questions of the OC defense, attacking the right side of the pitch. After a few corners the home team was able to get on the board from a header from Luca Mastrantonio in the 67th minute. The ball was curled in by Walmere Martinez and met the head of Mastrantonino inside the six-yard-box.

A few minutes later, ,AV ALTA would complete the comeback with a go-ahead goal from Emmanuel Alaribe. With the home crowd behind them, AV ALTA would find themselves on a run into the Orange County box. Mastrantonio would center the ball to Alaribe who managed to get a foot to the ball after it was deflected by a defender and he beat the keeper in the 75th minute.

Just as AV ALTA appeared to be in control of the game, OCSC snatched it back with the tying goal in the 83rd minute. Ousmane Sylla delivered a ball to the head of Mouhamadou War who tied the game. After a stalemate in extra time, the game will be decided in penalties.

AV ALTA would make the rare goalkeeper change just before the end of extra time but it wouldn’t pay off until the third round. After both teams scored their first two attempts, Orange County’s Kyle Scott had his attempt blocked by the subsitute goalkeeper, which brought the crowd to a frenzy. Sebastian Cruz would convert to put the home team up 3-2 and he signaled to the crowd to calm down. Moments later, Nico Benalcázar would send his attempt over the top right of the goal to give AV ALTA FC to seal the game with another goal. The captain, Miguel Pajaro, with his head still taped, calmly went to the spot and sunk the final penalty to send AV ALTA to the Fourth Round in the club’s inaugural Open Cup run.

After the game, AV ALTA FC head coach Brian Kleiban said his team is building to try to get better.

“Every game, being down we reacted and find ways to get the win,” said Kleiban, who was thankful to the strong fan support and the community in the Antelope Valley. “We are very excited to be playing MLS teams for this Cup.”

All 16 eligible teams from Major League Soccer will enter tournament next round. The draw for Round 4 is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

It was the third time advancing for the USL League One side with all three of those games being played at home in front of a vocal crowd at Lancaster Memorial Stadium in Lancaster, Calif.

“Keeping the momentum going at home with the fan support drives us to win,” said AV ALTA FC goalkeeper Carlos Avilez. “It definitely helped in this game.”

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: MD Myers’ historic hat trick leads Charleston Battery over Tormenta FC

April 16, 2025 by Forrest Wimberly

MD Myers celebrates with Charleston Battery fans after scoring a hat trick inn a 4-0 win over South Georgia Tormenta FC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Wade Wimberly - TheCup.us — MD Myers celebrates with Charleston Battery fans after scoring a hat trick inn a 4-0 win over South Georgia Tormenta FC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Wade Wimberly – TheCup.us

For the third time in the past four years, South Georgia Tormenta (USL-1) and Charleston Battery (USL-C) have been paired in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The familiar foes had split the previous two meetings and Tuesday night’s Third Round match at Patriots Point saw the host Battery cruise to a comfortable 4-0 victory.

MD Myers loves to score goals against Tormenta. Myers recorded a hat trick against Tormenta in the 2024 tilt and followed it up with a historic hat trick in this season’s tournament. Myers is now the first player in the Modern Era to record hat tricks in back-to-back Open Cup campaigns.

“Its exciting, before the game today I was thinking it would be hard to top what I did last year against Tormenta,” Myers said. “The first goal came (by) just hanging around the net and then a couple more easy goals landed at my feet. I’m just happy to help the team win.

“I’m a poacher around the goal, I just like to get in the box for one-time finishes. It was just working for me tonight.”

The match started with the Battery pressing the attack in the first quarter hour. The best chance of this run of play was when Jackson Conway broke free on a long run and forced a sprawling 1v1 save from Tormenta goalkeeper Austin Pack. After the save, the momentum of the match swung in the visitor’s favor and Tormenta enjoyed its best spell of attack over the following few minutes.

Against this run of play, the Battery earned a corner kick that was cleared by Tormenta to the top of the box where the Battery’s Chris Allen collected a poorly cleared ball, faked a quick shot and cut to his right where he drove a ball that deflected off a Tormenta defender’s foot. The ball looped up and over the crowd in the box and into the bottom left corner of the net to give the Battery a 1-0 lead in the 32^nd minute.

Tormenta looked to be getting back into the game just before the break after they won a penalty kick in the 45^th minute. A trip inside the box awarded Tormenta the penalty kick but the Battery keeper, Christian Garner, guessed correctly by diving to his right to turn away the low shot for a corner kick. The Battery cleared the following corner kick, catching Tormenta in a classic counter-attack situation. Charleston drove the length of the pitch before slotting the ball into the feet of Myers inside of the Tormenta box. Myers dribbled around a defender to calmly place the ball into the back of the net as the Battery took a 2-0 advantage to the locker room.

The second half was all Charleston. The field seemed to tilt in the Battery’s favor and wave after wave of black and gold threatened the Tormenta nets. All of that pressure created a mistake inside of the Tormenta box in the 52^nd minute that Myers was first to pounce on and deposit in the net for a 3-0 lead.

The Battery attack kept Tormenta pinned deep in their half and in the 70^th minute it was Myers again, pouncing on a Tormenta mistake to complete his historic hat trick. Shortly after his third goal, Myers got a curtain call and was subbed out of the game and into Lamar Hunt US Open Cup history.

In 2024, Myers needed 120 minutes to score his hat trick, but Tuesday only needed 70 minutes to complete the historic Cup moment.

The Battery maintained its dominant attack but was unable to find the net again. The result books the Battery into the Round of 32. The draw is set for April 17^th.

“I think the score-line was a little bit flattering for us overall because it nearly was 1-1 for the entire first half,” said Battery Coach Ben Pirmann. “Credit to Tormenta, they played a good game, but in the end of it I think we did a lot of good movements and selfless attacks to create those chances and finish them off. It was good to see MD bang in some goals and for Chris (Allen) get his first (goal) for the club in his third season and a younger player, Viggo (Ortiz Cordova) making his debut.

“A good performance, and with these tournaments, it’s kind of chaos, you never know how it’s going to play out, so we’ll take it and advance and turn our attention to league play on Saturday.”

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: Rhode Island FC wins chippy New England affair with Portland Hearts of Pine

April 16, 2025 by Zoe Schaedle

Emotions run high between players from Portland Hearts of Pine and Rhode Island FC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Parker Hyunh Benningfield - TheCup.us — Emotions run high between players from Portland Hearts of Pine and Rhode Island FC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Parker Hyunh Benningfield – TheCup.us

Rhode Island FC advanced to the Fourth Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in a 2-1 victory over Portland Hearts of Pine on a rainy night at packed Franklin Athletic Complex in Lewiston, Maine. A physical battle produced the first tournament win for Rhode Island and after a historic Cup run, the Hearts were eliminated.

Rhode Island FC were last year’s Eastern Conference champions in the USL Championship, finishing the season 12-7-15 with a 2-1 victory over runners up Charleston Battery. Based out of Pawtucket R.I. and founded in 2019, the club began play just last year, and are coached by Khano Smith.

The game started evenly without either side enjoying much possession due to the slick turf surface. After just twelve minutes, left back Jaden Jones-Riley fell to the ground forcing Portland head coach Bobby Murphy to make an early substitution for the Hearts. Midfielder Patrick Langlois took his place, shifting midfielder Mikey Lopez into an outside back position to support the defense.

While Rhode Island looked to target center forward JJ Williams, the Hearts looked to Titus Washington. Williams spent his first season with RIFC in 2024 finishing as the joint-leading scorer with 11 goals and seven assists lacrosse 30 appearances. He was selected 18th overall by Columbus Crew in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft and saw ten MLS appearances. Washington joined the Hearts of Pine after an impressive collegiate career at Seattle University where he scored eight goals with eight assists in 20 appearances.

After a back and forth start with both teams conceding multiple free kicks, RIFC finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the 35th minute. Midfielder Clay Holstad, who found the back of the net in the First Round of the US Open Cup, placed a well timed cross past the hands of goalkeeper Hunter Morse to make the game 1-0.

Just three minutes later, his teammate, defender Frank Nodarse, scored off a failed clearance, slotting another past Morse to make it a 2-0 game. Nodarse, a Cuban native scored six goals and finished as one of two players to start all 38 games in 2024 across the regular season and playoffs.

Yet the Hearts were not deterred. After a second half reset, Portland began to enjoy more possession, attacking down the flanks and looking to send through balls to forward Titus Washington, who was closely defended by center back Karifa Yao.

When asked about second half adjustments in a post-game interview, Portland manager Bobby Murphy said that he wanted his guys to “be brave.”

“We just tried to get guys to believe a little bit that they could play, that there were spaces to play … and I thought they were fantastic with it,” said Murphy.

In the 65th minute, the Hearts responded with a heroic effort by Washington, set up by teammate Michel Poon-Angeron who had been carefully defended by RIFC forwards Williams and Joe Brito until then. Washington beat Yao to place the ball in the back of the net in a composed finish.

Players from Portland Hearts of Pine (left) and Rhode Island FC battle for the ball in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Parker Hyunh Benningfield - TheCup.us — Players from Portland Hearts of Pine (left) and Rhode Island FC battle for the ball in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Parker Hyunh Benningfield – TheCup.us

The tides seemed to shift in the Hearts favor when Karifa Yao received his second yellow card for a foul on Washington in the 76th minute. As a result, RIFC made some defensive substitutions, allowing the Hearts majority possession and command of the midfield.

However, the Hearts’ man up advantage was short lived when Mikey Lopez was shown his second yellow of the day in the 87th minute. The Hearts continued to challenge with a strong shot from Nathaniel James who made his Hearts’ debut in the 72nd minute when he came in for midfielder Walter Varela. The shot forced a right handed save from goalkeeper Jackson Lee to maintain Rhode Island’s lead in stoppage time.

After running well over stoppage time, Rhode Island maintained a 2-1 victory. A scrappy game that ended with a total of five yellow cards, two red cards and 36 fouls marked the end of the Hearts US Open Cup run.

When asked about the game and the Hearts Cup run Washington reflected, “I think we shocked a lot of people, and we really wanted to get it done tonight.” Despite the loss, he noted the support from fans and the team’s desire to push forward.

When reflecting on Cup competition and a difficult few days of travel, Murphy replied that his players gained experience. “You can’t teach experience. It’s one thing you just have to go through. You just have to walk through fires and know you’ll come out the other side. You have to see how good you are. You have to see how competitive you are.”