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Louisville City FC

2022 US Open Cup Round 4: History repeats as Louisville City silences crowd with PK win over Detroit City FC

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Louisville City players celebrate after winning a PK shootout 4-2 against Detroit City FC (after a 1-1 draw) in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Louisville City FC
Louisville City players celebrate after winning a PK shootout 4-2 against Detroit City FC (after a 1-1 draw) in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Louisville City FC

Detroit City FC and Louisville City FC may now be competitors in the USL Championship, but it’s been a while since meeting in the US Open Cup. Much like 2016 when the teams last met in Cup play, Louisville City advanced on penalties to the Round of 16 after a 1-1 draw with host Detroit, who were then an amateur side in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).

With the 4-2 win in the shootout, Louisville City is one of the last lower division sides remaining. The last time they made it this far was 2018, when they reached the Quarterfinals before bowing out to the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.

Both sides were tested early in the match. In the 4th minute, DCFC striker Francis Atuahene was served a long ball from Maxi Rodriguez along the right wing, where he was able to get past the defense and hit a shot toward the back post. Louisville goalkeeper Kyle Morton made the diving save to his right to stop the effort. Four minutes later, LCFC’s Brian Ownby was the recipient of his own long ball toward the net, but his advance into the box was cleared by Detroit’s Deklan Wynne before the goal could be threatened.

The game continued back and forth until the 12th minute. Atuahene intercepted a failed clearance from the Louisville defense and lobbed the ball past defender Sean Totsch. Totsch then recovered to clip Atuahene in the box, earning DCFC a penalty kick.

Just like in Detroit’s win over the Columbus Crew in the previouus round, reigning TheCup.us Player of the Round Maxi Rodriguez stepped up to take the spot kick. This time, he went the opposite way of Morton, going to his left to give Le Rouge the 1-0 lead in the 14th minute. It was Rodriguez’s third goal of this tournament (second from the penalty spot), and fourth of his USOC career.

Although Louisville City went down, they were not discouraged, and kept pressing on. They earned a free kick just outside of the box after a cleared corner led to Antoine Hoppenot checking Joshua Wynder to the turf in the 16th minute. Paolo DelPiccolo took the free kick, aiming for the top left corner. However, Steinwascher was able to tip the ball off the crossbar and back into his possession.

Louisville was rewarded for their efforts in the 24th minute, as a corner kick led to multiple LCFC players touching the ball prior to Wes Charpie taking a shot from the top of the six-yard box. His effort was blocked by Connor Rutz, but the rebound fell to striker Wilson Harris, who was able to bury the ball into the back of the net and equalize the match. It was Harris’ second goal of the tournament. The first was the lone goal in the team’s 1-0 home win over Chattanooga Red Wolves (USL League One) in the Second Round.

LCFC was able to earn one last chance before halftime. Ownby was able to head a one-time cross toward the net. He had Steinwascher beat, but not defender Devon Amoo-Mensah, as he headed the ball off the line.

The second half saw more chances from both sides, but neither were able to break the deadlock. The last 10 minutes of regulation saw Louisville City earn more opportunities as the limited roster for DCFC due to injuries appeared to catch up with them, but the Detroit City back line held firm, and the result led to extra-time.

Each club had one good chance to take the lead in extra time, but neither were successful. Detroit’s came first in the 102nd minute as substitute Billy Forbes sent in a cross for Pato Botello Faz inside the box. Botello Faz was able to volley a shot on target, but a diving stop by Morton prevented the home side from taking advantage. In the 109th minute, it was Louisville’s turn. A feed into the box turned in to a one-time shot, but a sliding Amoo-Mensah blocked the opportunity.

For the second round in a row, Louisville City’s match would be decided by a penalty kick shootout. In Round 3, they defeated St. Louis CITY 2 (MLS Next Pro) 9-8 after a scoreless draw. While Lou City entered the game having never lost a shootout (2-0), Detroit City, as a club, entered the night as one of the most experienced clubs, having reached PKs on four occasions (2-2 record).

Sean Totsch started the penalty kick session for Louisville and put the first shot away. Goals were then traded by Rodriguez and Niall McCabe. The second DCFC kick, taken by Rhys Williams, was saved by a diving Morton, leaving Louisville with a 2-1 lead after two rounds. Harris and Hoppenot then both put away their kicks as LCFC led 3-2 after three. Ian Soler was able to bury his penalty, putting DCFC on the brink. Their captain Stephen Carroll stepped to the spot ready to keep his club alive, but instead skied the shot over the crossbar, leaving Louisville City victorious.

Prior to their Fourth Round match against Louisville City FC in the 2022 US Open Cup, banners hung by Detroit City FC supporters are shown. Photo: Ottavio Palazzolo
Prior to their Fourth Round match against Louisville City FC in the 2022 US Open Cup, banners hung by Detroit City FC supporters are shown. Photo: Ottavio Palazzolo

Detroit City FC leaves the tournament, but not before claiming victory over an MLS side (Columbus Crew) and advancing the furthest they’ve ever been in the USOC, surpassing two Second Round finishes from 2016 and 2018 as an amateur side. The game itself was the focus of the night with much of the pre-game controversy fading to the background. Normally the crowd at Keyworth Stadium is known for being energetic from the first whistle to the last, but notably, the supporters of Le Rouge stayed silent for the first five minutes of the match in protest of the club enforcing a rule about displaying profanity on signs and clothing. Traveling Louisville City supporters remained quiet in solidarity. Once the clock hit the 5:00 mark, the rowdiness of the stadium was restored and the “censorship” drama was moved to the background.

For Louisville City, they advance to the Round of 16, and extend their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 13 games. They will learn their opponent on Thursday when the USSF conducts the draw for the Fifth Round.

2022 US Open Cup Round 3: Louisville City spoils Hackworth’s return, ends St. Louis CITY 2’s only USOC run

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Joshua Wynder of Louisville City FC celebrates his winning goal in the PK shootout against St. Louis CITY 2 in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: EM Dash Photography
Joshua Wynder of Louisville City FC celebrates his winning goal in the PK shootout against St. Louis CITY 2 in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: EM Dash Photography

St Louis City SC 2 interim head coach, John Hackworth, made his return to Lynn Family Stadium to take on his former club, Louisville City FC, in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The young MLS Next Pro side hung with the two-time USL champs through 90 minutes and extra time, maintaining a 0-0 scoreline, before falling short in penalty kicks, 9-8.

Hackworth suddenly and unceremoniously departed Louisville after the first regular-season match of 2021 and would later join St Louis City SC as director of coaching. Upon his exit, Danny Cruz, a former player and friend of Hackworth, would assume the title of interim head coach of Louisville City before later earning the job permanently. Now, the mentor faced off against his mentee. While both teams fought for an opportunity to advance in the competition, there were undeniable additional motivations for each team to want the win.

It was an uphill battle for St Louis as the team, whose average age is slightly over 20, played defensively, looking for counter-attacking opportunities against a notoriously stingy Louisville defense. City held Louisville to only four total shots (one on target) in the first half, but only found two shots (none on target) for themselves.

The second half drifted even further in the home team’s favor. With over 60% of possession, Louisville City fired off nine shots and four on target to St Louis City’s zero.

In the 59th minute, LouCity found the first serious goal-scoring opportunity. Enoch “Matiti” Mushagalusa dished the ball over to Brian Ownby, whose near-post shot was deflected out.

Only ten minutes later, a Louisville cross in front of the goal was nearly poked in the far post by Napo Matsoso. Wilson Harris had the best opportunity of the night to find a lead when, at the 75-minute mark, he took a shot central in the St Louis City SC box that was kept out of goal by the heroics of goalkeeper Michael Creek who dove and got a single hand on the shot and kept it out.


The match remained scoreless and crept into extra time as fans’ enthusiasm transformed into nervousness. Only a few shots were registered in extra time as the tactical chess match between Coach Hackworth and Coach Cruz required penalty kicks to determine the victor.

Fans flooded the Waterfront supporters section behind the goal on the northern side of the pitch where the match was to be determined. An early stop of St Louis City’s Max Schneider on the first kick and a miss from Louisville City’s Jorge Gonzalez on his team’s third was the only glimmer of hopes for each side until St Louis’ Dida Armstrong’s shot was saved on the 10th try. 16-year-old Louisville native, Josh Wynder, stepped up to the spot and made his attempt to send Louisville into the Fourth Round of the Cup.

“Tonight felt like a playoff game,” said Louisville City head coach Danny Cruz. “Us doing the penalties, and you see all the crowd over there with everybody loud and screaming — it certainly feels like that and those moments are beneficial for the growth of the group. We had a lot of young guys take penalties in those moments tonight, and I walked away very impressed, and that is not easy.”

Jorge Gonzalez of Louisville City FC battles for the ball against St. Louis CITY 2 in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: EM Dash Photography
Jorge Gonzalez of Louisville City FC battles for the ball against St. Louis CITY 2 in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: EM Dash Photography

Post match, St Louis City SC head coach John Hackworth acknowledged the challenge his team was up against.

“I’m really proud of my team. I don’t know if you guys know — there were a lot of teenagers on the field,” said Hackworth. “To come into this stadium against that quality of players, it says a lot about where they are. They are young and got there in a shot amount of time.”

It was one of the longer penalty kick shootouts of the Modern Era (1995-present). This was just the seventh shootout since 1995 to last 10 rounds of more.

With that result, St Louis City SC 2 has likely seen its last run in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup as next season the senior team will be assembled and joining the fray as a Division 1 MLS contender, thus making them ineligible.

Louisville City, who won their first penalty shootout since the 2017 USL Championship Eastern Conference final against New York Red Bulls 2, will advance to Round 4 for the third tournament in a row and the fourth time in the club’s six all-time appearances. Louisville also remains undefeated in Open Cup play at home, extending the club’s home unbeaten streak to nine games (7-0-2, 2-0 PKs), the third-longest active unbeaten streak in the competition.

2022 US Open Cup Round 2: Wilson Harris’ winner helps Louisville City edge Red Wolves

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Wilson Harris Louisville City Chattanooga Red Wolves 2022 US Open Cup
Wilson Harris of Louisville City FC celebrates his goal in the 75th minute against Chattanooga Red Wolves in the Second Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Connor Cunningham

Lynn Family Stadium played host to its first-ever US Open Cup match as Louisville City FC hosted USL League One’s Chattanooga Red Wolves. The home team from the USL Championship controlled the tempo and created numerous dangerous opportunities. The Red Wolves weathered the storm for 75 minutes before Louisville found the game-deciding goal that would send them on to the Third Round for the sixth tournament in a row.

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The hosts entered the match unbeaten in USL Championship play, boasting a 3-0-2 record having only allowed one goal. Louisville’s new goalkeeper, Kyle Morton, along with defensive standouts Amadou Dia and Sean Totsch have all played major factors in the club’s impressive defensive start to the campaign. The visitors, meanwhile, have just begun their season this past Saturday with a 1-1 draw with Forward Madison FC.

Within the first 15 minutes of the match, Louisville City created several chances, including a promising cross to the young Ray Serrano that was astutely intercepted by Chattanooga’s goalkeeper, Carlos Avilez.

At the 31st minute mark, Louisville City captain Paolo DelPiccolo went down in the Red Wolves box after a shoving challenge that was waved off by the referee, drawing the ire of the home crowd of over 4,000. Despite the boys in purple winning most statistical battles, they could not capitalize, and both teams entered the locker room with the scoreline at 0-0.

At the start of the second half, Brian Ownby and Corben Bone entered the match for Serrano and DelPiccolo.

The second half began to look a bit more optimistic for the Red Wolves. They found their first on-target shot of the night at the 52-minute mark that was gobbled up by Morton.

Louisville, looking to break the deadlock, brought in Jorge Gonzalez and Manny Perez in the 63rd minute for Enoch “Matiti” Mushagalusa and Jan Erik Leinhos, who made his debut for the club in this match.

Louisville City nearly broke the deadlock in the 65th minute when Perez made a beautiful run down the right flank and passed the ball to an awaiting Ownby whose on-target shot was narrowly saved by the outstretched leg of a Red Wolves defender. In the ensuing scuffle for the ball, Napo Matsoso found an open shot of his own that he sent sailing over the goal into the crowd.

Chattanooga’s first subs of the match made their way on in theh 68th minute when Pedro Hernandez and Moe Espinoza exited for Rey Ortiz and Rafael Mentzingen. Not long after, Wilson Harris found Louisville City’s goal.

Avilez dished the ball out to his teammate, who could not settle the pass. The veteran midfielder, Bone, took advantage of the opportunity and quickly crossed the ball over to Harris, who adeptly put the ball past the keeper and into the net. Louisville’s academy signee, Carlos Moguel, was taken off after the goal for the fan-favorite, Naill McCabe. Red Wolves subbed out Jimmie Villalobos for Josue Cartagena in the 79th minute and Angel Josue Espana for Jonathan Guadarrama at the 85-minute mark but unfortunately they were unable to help their club keep their cup dreams alive. The final whistle blew 1-0 for Louisville City.

Louisville City head coach, Danny Cruz, was clear about his intentions for the US Open Cup in the lead-up to their first match.

“I’ve made it clear both to the players and to the press that, for me, this is an important tournament,” Cruz said. “It’s a tournament that I want us to get after. And when you look at the momentum that’s built off of another shutout, the players feel that. They feel it in training every day. Now there’s areas that we need to continue to improve in the attack. There’s no doubt about it.

“I think in the first half, we created enough chances to score goals, but that will come at the end of the day,” Cruz added. “If we continue to keep a zero on the scoreboard, I know I have the quality in that locker room to score goals. It will come. Relationships will continue to be built and I’m confident in that.”

Although the home team dictated much of the match, the Chattanooga Red Wolves had a respectable performance. They held off a hungry LouCity attack for much of the match and found a few close calls of their own with their very limited possession of the ball in City’s half. Unfortunately, the Red Wolves will need to wait until next year to advance to the Third Round. Their attention will now turn to their league match against North Carolina FC. Coach Cruz’s Louisville City booked their trip to the next round in hopes of showcasing their talent deep into the tournament. While they await the outcome of the draw ( Noon, ET on Friday), preparations will continue for their next match away at Loudoun United.

2019 US Open Cup Round 4: FC Cincinnati edge former league rival Louisville City

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FC Cincinnati players celebrate a goal in a Fourth Round match vs. Louisville City in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati players celebrate a goal in a Fourth Round match vs. Louisville City in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Cincinnati

One-time league rivals met in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since FC Cincinnati made their jump to Major League Soccer. The USL Championship’s defending champs in Louisville City made the roughly 100 mile trek with around 200 supporters to Nippert Stadium to face a Cincinnati club struggling to make its mark at the top level. While the match did end up in added extra time, despite Louisville City’s best effort, FCC pulled out the 2-1 victory with a header by Kekuta Manneh in the 104th minute.

Coming into the match, the all-time series had four wins apiece and two draws. Their last meeting in the Open Cup was a 1-0 FCC victory in the 2017 tourney’s third round.

Cincinnati’s Fanendo Adi would open scoring in the 23rd minute. Frankie Amaya cleared the ball far into Louisville’s end, where defender Paco Craig bobbled it near the far left corner of the box. Adi streaked in behind Craig, who fell in the struggle for the ball, and put the shot right between the keeper’s leg and into the net. This was Adi’s first goal in 2019.

Louisville would strike back in the 30th minute after capitalizing off a bad attempt to clear the ball from traffic in front of the Cincinnati goal. The defender kicked the ball toward the left edge of the box where Magnus Rasmussen broke away to gain possession and made the pass to Lucky Mkosana in front who tapped it past the keeper Przemyslaw Tyton.

The second half saw the teams trade momentum. Louisville came out aggressive early, collapsing in on FCC’s end. Mkosana nearly had a second goal on a couple plays including a cross from Taylor Peay in the 55th that just went wide right. Cincinnati’s best chance in the half came in the 86’ minute. Under pressure, Alexis Souahy sent hurriedly sent the ball back to the keeper for a clearance, but the ball was too far out for Hubbard, sending him sliding to save it from going out and ending up in a Cincinnati corner. Frankie Amaya seized upon the rebound, but Hubbard was able to dive back the other way and deflected the ball enough that Paco Craig ran in and cleared it off the line. The teams would go into the Added Extra Time tied at 1.

In the 104th minute, Emmanuel Ledesma fought for a ball off a goal kick and outran his defender to gain possession near the right Louisville corner. Hesitating for a few seconds to draw defenders in, he then sent a cross wide where a streaking Manneh connected with a header for the eventual game winner.

FC Cincinnati advance to the Round of 16 where they will face another former league rival in Saint Louis FC of USL Championship on the road on June 19. The winner will play a road game in the Quarterfinals against the winner of Atlanta United and Columbus Crew in the Quarterfinals.

2019 US Open Cup Round 3: Brian Ownby returns to spark Louisville City to late win over Birmingham Legion

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Sean Totsch steps up to take the game-winning penalty kick in Louisville City's 1-0 win over Birmingham Legion in the Third Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Louisville City FC
Sean Totsch steps up to take the game-winning penalty kick in Louisville City’s 1-0 win over Birmingham Legion in the Third Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Louisville City FC

It was a stalemate for 60 minutes. Louisville City FC controlled the tempo and possession, but Birmingham Legion was content to sit back and try to steal a goal in transition.

Then, Brian Ownby entered the field.

The veteran attacker, playing as a central striker instead of his usual winger role, helped spark Louisville City’s offense and eventually earned his side a penalty kick in the 90th minute. Centerback Sean Totsch stepped up and calmly scored to give Louisville City a 1-0 win over Birmingham in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday at Lynn Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville.

“We didn’t’ play the way we wanted to in the first half, but I loved the response coming out of halftime,” Louisville City head coach John Hackworth said following the match. “It was a tough halftime talk, a lot of honest, direct conversation in there. The guys accepted it and went out and played a much better second half.

“You saw when Paolo (DelPiccolo) and Ownby came in, first of all, just fantastic to have those guys back. It was always an objective to get them 30 minutes tonight, but to do it when it’s 0-0 and they come on and be really impactful and allow us to play so much better, that was really nice to see.”

The appearance for Ownby was his first in nearly two months, after he suffered a knee injury following Birmingham’s 3-2 USL Championship league win on March 30 over Louisville City at Louisville Slugger Field. The match also marked a return for captain and central midfielder DelPiccolo for the first time since suffering an injury in mid-March.

In the first half, both team’s game plans seemed to be playing out, with Louisville City stringing passes through midfield and around the backline, probing for a weak spot in the Birmingham defense, while Birmingham looked to find forward Chandler Hoffman in space on the break. Hoffman spent a memorable season in Louisville in 2016, scoring 14 league goals on the way to making the Eastern Conference finals.

With a league game coming on Saturday, both teams made a handful of lineup changes, including having Louisville City midfielder Niall McCabe tested out at the head of the forward three, a decision that ultimately didn’t pay dividends.

However, despite Louisville City’s possession, it was unable to do much with it. Left back Shaun Francis may have had the home side’s best chance of the half when he jumped for a header in the box as he strayed way up the field, but it was re-directed out for a corner by his defender.

Birmingham meanwhile nearly scored a brilliant goal just seconds before halftime. Gael Mabiala, a former UAB Blazer who stayed in Birmingham after college, found himself wide open on the left side of the box. Mabiala took a touch to set himself and then curled an effort past the diving arms of Louisville City goalkeeper Chris Hubbard. Unfortunately for Mabiala, it dinked off the far post and dribbled across the face of goal before being cleared to safety. Six inches inside and it likely would have been a goal.

The game turned on its head with the introductions of DelPiccolo and Ownby.

Suddenly, Louisville City had a holding midfielder with a better range of passing, as he picked out George Davis IV and McCabe down the wings on multiple occasions. But it was Ownby who made life a mess for the Birmingham backline, always playing on the back shoulder of his defender and breaking the offside trap nearly a half-dozen times.

Finally, in the 90th minute, after goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel had made a couple of nice point-blank saves on Ownby, the Louisville City man found his opening. A beautifully chipped ball over the top led to a clear breakaway for Ownby. Ownby attempted to round Van Oekel but the goalkeeper tripped up Ownby, leading to a penalty kick and a yellow card for Van Oekel.

Totsch immediately grabbed the ball and after a couple of hesitation steps, calmly sent Van Oekel the wrong way.

“I knew it was going in,” Totsch said. “We talked before the game and they said that I was going to have it if there was going to be a pen (sic). We had some chances before, George (Davis IV) had one and Ownby had one leading up to it. It was the 89th minute there, and I said, ‘all right, this is my chance here.’ I had a goal last year, same round of the Open Cup to score and win, so I figured, why not do it again.”

With the win, Louisville City advances to the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup for the second straight season where they will play at MLS newcomer FC Cincinnati. Last year, Louisville City defeated the New England Revolution, 3-2, in a thrilling match in the fourth round. Instead of feeling excited about the prospect of facing another MLS opponent, Totsch said that the team had this as a goal at the start of the season.

“This is what we expect,” Totsch said after the game, before Thursday morning’s Fourth Round draw. “We want to come out and win and we expect to face an MLS team every year. We have the expectation in our own locker room that no matter what it is, we’re going to come out and we’re going to win and we’re going to face an MLS team when we come to that, and it’s going to be a good game and we’re going to give them everything.”

2019 US Open Cup Round 2: USL champion Louisville City use local flavor to shut out Reading United

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Sunny Jane of Louisville City takes a free kick against Reading United AC in the Second Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: EM Dash Photography
Sunny Jane of Louisville City takes a free kick against Reading United AC in the Second Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: EM Dash Photography

With goals from Abdou Mbacke Thiam, George Davis IV, and Sunny Jane, Louisville City FC comfortably defeated USL League Two side Reading United AC 3-0 in front of 1,468 fans at Lynn Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville.

The game had a strong local flavor, with Louisville native Chris Hubbard starting in goal; fellow Louisville native Richard Ballard appearing off the bench; and Geoffrey Dee, a former member of the Louisville Cardinals men’s soccer team, starting in central midfield. Local 16-year-old high school prodigy Elijah Wydner also made his professional debut, coming off the bench in the 89th minute to a standing ovation.

Despite Reading United entering the match hoping to be “giant killers,” Louisville City imposed itself on the match early. After a couple of early chances, veteran midfielder Niall McCabe delivered a low-driven ball across the face of goal. Both Sunny Jane, another player who spent time in Louisville, and Thiam, a rookie, made runs into the box and it was Thiam who came up with the goal-scoring touch. The goal put Louisville City up 1-0 in the 12th minute.

Thiam nearly doubled the score four minutes later, but a strike from him after a scramble in the box was parried away by Reading United goalkeeper Tor Erik Larsen. However, it was the veteran Davis who showed he still could flash some nifty footwork and skill despite being a decade older than some of the Reading United players. Thiam found Davis open on the left. Davis motioned to pass across the box, but he cut back across his left and dribbled on goal. He eventually rounded the goalkeeper and put a shot in off a defender to make it 2-0.

“ good buildup, Abdou got it wide to me,” Davis said. “I got myself isolated in the box. I was looking to pick somebody out but I just kept getting closer to goal. I took my opportunity and luckily it went in.”

Despite trailing and Louisville City feeling comfortable in the first half, Reading United grew into the game, especially after the hour mark. US youth international Jeremy Rafanello created some opportunities for his teammates in attacking midfield, and Goncalo Garcia had a breakaway on goal after a Louisville City defensive error, but Garcia put his shot wide of goal.

“First half, they exposed us,” Reading United coach Alan McCann said. “We sat off too deep, not recognizing when to go and press. Second half we changed a few things early on and we were very impressed with our boys. 61st minute on, if we nab a goal, it changes the tide. It’s shop window time for our boys as always and it’s great lessons for us for the rest of the USL League 2 season. We’ve got to score our chances and a pro team does what a pro team will do. They punished us.”

As the game wound down, Louisville City brought on Ballard for his first appearance since September 11, 2018, and in the final moments of the match, giving a professional debut to Wydner, who at 16 becomes the youngest Louisville City debutant.

After Niall McCabe was taken down just outside of the box in the 88th minute, Jane stepped up and delivered a wonderful free kick, up and over the Reading United wall for the game’s third goal. It put the cherry on what had been a comprehensive victory.

“It was just a wonderfully taken free kick,” Hackworth said.

With the win, Louisville City advances to Round 3, where it will play Birmingham Legion on May 29, back at Lynn Stadium in Louisville.

“At the end of the day that’s exactly what we wanted and needed,” said Louisville City coach John Hackworth. “We had a lot of objectives coming into this game and I think we accomplished all of them.”

Who should be voted 2018 US Open Cup’s TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament?

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Finalists for the 2018 TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament (from left to right): Christian Okeke of NTX Rayados, Allisson Faramilio of FC Golden State Force, Tim Dobrowolski and Brian Ownby of Louisville City, Marios Lomis of North Carolina FC.
Finalists for 2018 TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament (from left to right): Christian Okeke of NTX Rayados, Allisson Faramilio of FC Golden State Force, Tim Dobrowolski and Brian Ownby of Louisville City, Marios Lomis of North Carolina FC.

UPDATE: Allisson Faramilio of FC Golden State Force edged Christian Okeke for the 2018 TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament

The heart of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is the underdog stories that arise nearly every year. Amateur teams and lower division professional teams attempt to make a name for themselves as they try to put themselves on the same field, and possibly defeat, teams from Major League Soccer.

Each year, TheCup.us has a Player of the Tournament award, but in 2012, an additional honor was added: TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament. The goal is to honor the players on lower division teams who have stood out and helped their team make a memorable run in the competition.

The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters but if YOU had a vote, which player do you think would win?

Here are the finalists (in alphabetical order):

Tim Dobrowolski (Louisville City FC – USL)
Dobrowolski played every minute in goal for Louisville City as they made their first trip to the Quarterfinals in the club’s short history. Louisville was the last lower division team standing, which earned them $25,000 in prize money. Dobrowolski earned a pair of shutouts in City’s first two games, then helped the team upset the New England Revolution (MLS) and defeat USL rival Nashville SC before the run ended with a one-sided loss to the Chicago Fire (MLS) on the road.

Round 2: 1 save, faced 3 shots in a 5-0 home win vs. Long Island Rough Riders (PDL)
Round 3: 2 saves, faced 11 shots in a 1-0 home win vs. Saint Louis FC (USL)
Round 4: 7 saves, 9 shots faced, 2 goals allowed (1 was an own goal) in a 3-2 home win vs. New England Revolution (MLS)
Round 5: 2 saves, 15 shots faced, 1 goal allowed in a 2-1 home win vs. Nashville SC (USL)
Quarterfinals: 3 saves, 17 shots faced, 4 goals allowed in a 4-0 road loss at Chicago Fire (MLS)

Allisson Faramilio (FC Golden State – PDL)
Faramilio scored at least one goal in each of the first three games of the tournament for FC Golden State Force as the PDL side became just the 14th amateur side (16th open division team) to reach the Fourth Round since 1996. Faramilio helped his team upset a pair of pro teams from the USL and his two-goal performance in Golden State’s 2-1 upset of the Las Vegas Lights in Round 3 earned him TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

Round 1: Started, played 72 mins., scored the game-winning goal in a 3-1 home win over the Los Angeles Wolves FC (USASA)
Round 2: Started, played 76 mins., scored a PK goal in a 4-2 road win at Orange County SC (USL)
Round 3: Started, played 90 mins., scored 2 goals in a 2-1 home win vs. Las Vegas Lights (USL)
Round 4: Started, played 84 mins. in a 3-1 road loss at Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)

Marios Lomis (North Carolina FC – USL)
Lomis did everything he could to help North Carolina FC make a deep run in the US Open Cup. The Dutch forward scored a goal in all three games until the team’s run came to a halt in the Fourth Round when they lost a penalty kick shootout to D.C. United (MLS). Lomis converted his attempt, but NCFC would fall short, 4-3.

Round 2: Started, played 90 mins., scored 1 goal in a 3-0 home win vs. Lansdowne Bhoys FC (USASA)
Round 3: Started, played 90 mins., had 1 goal, 1 assist in a 4-1 home win vs. Ocean City Nor’easters (PDL)
Round 4: Started, played 120 mins., scored 1 goal in a 1-1 road draw at D.C. United (MLS), scored in the PK shootout but lost 4-3

Christian Okeke (NTX Rayados – USASA)
Okeke was this year’s super sub, coming off the bench in all four games for NTX Rayados and scoring three game-winning goals to help the Dallas-based amateur side reach the Fourth Round. That trip to the Fourth Round earned them a date with the Houston Dynamo (MLS) and was the furthest the team had advanced out of their eight consecutive trips to the tournament, a streak started in 2012. Okeke’s best performance came in the Second Round when he scored the game-tying penalty kick in the 90th minute and then scored what would be the game-winning goal in the 105th minute in a 5-2 extra time win over the USL’s OKC Energy FC. It was the Rayados’ first win over a pro team and it earned Okeke TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

Round 1: 2nd half sub in the 53rd min., scored the game-winning goal in the 114th min. in a 2-1 OT home win vs. Fort Worth Vaqueros (NPSL)
Round 2: 2nd half sub in the 65th min., scored the game-tying goal in the 90th min. and the game-winner in the 105th min. in a 5-2 OT home win vs. OKC Energy FC (USL)
Round 3: 2nd half sub in the 64th min., scored the game-winner in the 86th min. in a 3-2 home win vs. FC Wichita (NPSL)
Round 4: 2nd half sub in the 53rd min. in a 5-0 road loss at Houston Dynamo (MLS)

Brian Ownby (Louisville City FC – USL)
There were several key field players that helped Louisville City FC reach the Quarterfinals of this year’s US Open Cup. It was a difficult decision, but Brian Ownby’s overall performance, highlighted by his TheCup.us Player of the Round performance in an upset of the New England Revolution (MLS) helped him stand out. Ownby was a consistent offensive threat for City in all four of their wins

Round 2: 2nd half sub in the 62nd min., scored 1 goal in a 5-0 home win vs. Long Island Rough Riders (PDL)
Round 3: Started, played 71 mins., in a 1-0 home win vs. Saint Louis FC (USL)
Round 4: Started, played 78 mins., assisted on the first goal and scored the game-winner in the 62nd min. in a 3-2 home win vs. New England Revolution (MLS)
Round 5: Started, played 75 mins. in a 2-1 home win vs. Nashville SC (MLS)
Quarterfinals: Started, played 90 mins. in a 4-0 road loss at Chicago Fire (MLS)

Past winners of TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament 
2012: Danny Barrera (Cal FC – USASA)
2013: Ty Shipalane (Carolina RailHawks – NASL)
2014: Scott Goodwin (Carolina RailHawks – NASL)
2015: Michael Salazar (PSA Elite – USASA)
2016: Diego Restrepo (Fort Lauderdale Strikers – NASL)
2017: Mitch Hildebrandt (FC Cincinnati – USL)

2018 US Open Cup Quarterfinals review: Protest drama, Chicago Fire end Louisville’s run, three first-timers advance

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2018 US Open Cup bracket through quarterfinals

When the dust settled on the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Quarterfinals, all four home teams were victorious, leaving just one former tournament champion and three teams seeking to lift the trophy for the first time.

The home team was victorious in all four games. The four-time US Open Cup champion Chicago Fire put an end to Louisville City’s Cinderella run. The last remaining lower division side fell out of the tournament 4-0 as the Fire move one step closer to becoming the fourth team in tournament history to win five US Open Cup titles.

Elsewhere, the Houston Dynamo advanced to the Semifinals for the third time in club history with a 4-2 win over Sporting Kansas City, the reigning tournament champions. The Philadelphia Union only needed an early goal by Alejandro Bedoya to defeat Orlando City SC to reach the Semis for the fourth time in the last seven years.

The last game of the evening was MLS expansion team Los Angeles FC who not only made headlines with a 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers, but made headlines after the game when the Timbers filed a protest because LAFC had used too many international players (Pro teams are limited to five on their gameday roster). Reportedly, the US Soccer Federation approved LAFC’s roster in error, but Portland eventually withdrew their protest, allowing Bob Bradley’s squad to reach the final four.

Click below for links of our coverage, a brief summary of each game and links to the full match reports:

#USOC2018 coverage

News/Features

2018 Meet the Underdogs series

Qualifying

About TheCup.us

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FULL MATCH REPORT
In a hard fought battle between two teams trying to keep their winning momentum going from MLS play. The Philadelphia Union came out on top with a 1-0 win over Orlando City SC in the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Quarterfinals. Alejandro Bedoya got things going for the Union with a goal in the 4th minute after capitalizing on the rebound given from Orlando City SC goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr’s early save from a header off a corner kick by Mark McKenzie. Orlando City SC kept pushing throughout the game but couldn’t convert on their chances and saw their run in the US Open Cup come to an end. For Orlando City SC they will now focus on trying to get their season back on track and push for the MLS playoffs while the Union advance to the Semifinals for the fourth time in the last seven years as they seek to become the first Philadelphia team to win the US Open Cup since 1966.
FULL MATCH REPORT
The Chicago Fire had a dominating performance on the night with a 4-0 win over the 2017 USL Cup champion Louisville City FC. The Fire had four different goal scorers starting with a Nemanja Nikolic header that gave the Fire the lead in the 16th minute. They doubled their lead in the 32nd minute with a brilliant goal from Aleksandar Katai to give them a 2-0 lead heading into the halftime break. Later on in the match Louisville City FC defender Kyle Smith was sent off with ten minutes left and the Fire capitalized on the man advantage with two late goals from Diego Campos and Elliot Collier to seal the win. Louisville City FC ends its run in the Cup as the last lower division side remaining while for the Chicago Fire they move on to the Semifinals for the sixth time in the last eight years as the team tries to tie the all-time record with a fifth US Open Cup title.
FULL MATCH REPORT
The Houston Dynamo bounced back from an early deficit from the defending US Open Cup champions and completed a resounding 4-2 comeback win over Sporting Kansas City. Forward Johnny Russell got an early goal in the 2nd minute for Sporting Kansas City to give them an early lead but the Dynamo were patient with their chances and found the equalizer on an impressive free kick in the 35th minute with a goal from Romell Quioto to level the score. In the second half Quioto got his second goal with a shot in the 65th minute to give his side a 2-1 lead. A few minutes later, Mauro Manotas put the Dynamo up 3-1 before adding his third goal of the tournament in the 88th minute. Yohan Croizet scored a late consolation goal in stoppage time for Sporting Kansas City but in the end the Houston Dynamo did enough to knock the defending champs out of the tournament and advance to only their third semifinal appearance in club history.
FULL MATCH REPORT
Los Angeles FC continued their historic run in the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup as they hung on to defeat the Portland Timbers 3-2 which snapped Portland’s 14-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. Things got started in the 33rd minute with an own goal from David Guzman to give LAFC the 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, Carlos Vela launched a shot into the back of the net for another goal for LAFC to give them a 2-0 lead. In first half stoppage time, the Timbers pulled one back when Julio Cascante headed a shot in off a free kick from Guzman to narrow LAFC’s lead to a single goal. In the second half, Marco Urena scored his first career LAFC goal when he flicked a shot off the side of his foot in the 51st minute to give LAFC a 3-1 lead. Seconds later, Portland answered with a blast from Vytas Andriuskevicius to trim the LAFC lead 3-2 but they were unable to find the equalizer in the final half hour of the match. While an entertaining match, the majority of the headlines were produced from what happened after the game. The Timbers filed a protest because LAFC had six international players on their gameday roster, which is more than the allowed five by US Open Cup rules. Sources from LAFC claimed that the USSF had erroneously approved the roster, but before a ruling could be made by the US Open Cup Disciplinary Committee, the Timbers withdrew their protest.The Timbers’ run in the 2018 US Open Cup came to an end and for Bob Bradley and LAFC, they advance to the Semifinals in their inaugural season. LAFC are aiming to join a short list of teams to win the tournament in their inaugural season in MLS, joining D.C. United (1996), the Seattle Sounders FC (2009) and Bob Bradley’s Chicago Fire in 1998.

2018 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Chicago Fire back in Semifinals after convincing 4-0 win over Louisville City

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CFWhat started as a close affair in Bridgeview, Ill. ended in a rout as the Chicago Fire defeated Louisville City FC, 4-0, to advance to their all-time record 13th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup semifinal. Aleksandar Katai set up Nemanja Nikolic for the opening goal in the 16th minute, then Katai got one of his own 16 minutes later as the Fire held on to their lead throughout the game. Once the 90th minute hit, the four-time US Open Cup champs tacked on two late goals to send most of the 3,322 in attendance — Louisville City fans were well-represented — home happy. The Fire extended their home unbeaten streak in the US Open Cup to nine games and improve their impressive all-time home record in the tournament to 26-1-2 (1-1 PKs).

The Fire move on to play against the Philadelphia Union in the Semifinals. The date and location of the game will be determined on Thursday when the US Soccer Federation performs the draw to determine the hosts for the Semifinals and the hosting priorities for the Final. This will take place at 1:45 p.m. ET.

Chicago opened the scoring in 16th minute off a quickly-taken free kick near the Louisville City bench. Having caught the Louisville players off guard, midfielder Brandt Bronico played a ball down the left side of the goal box to Katai whose weighted cross found the head of Nikolic to make it 1-0 Fire.

Chicago’s confidence only grew from there. Katai continued to inspire the home side with quick one-two passing and flicks with teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger up and down the left side of the pitch.

In the 32nd minute, Katai put the Fire on the break from his defensive third by bridging two Louisville players on his way to the opposing 18. After a blocked shot, Schweinsteiger fed the ball into the box and Katai finished into the upper left of the goal.

The workhorse for Louisville City in the match was Brian Ownby, who was named TheCup.us Player of the Round for his performance in City’s upset of the New England Revolution in Round 4. The former University of Virginia standout played a full 90 minutes and continuously ran at the Chicago defense. Brandon Vincent and company did their job to frustrate the attacker and force Louisville into low percentage efforts. The Fire defense held Louisville to just 10 total shots and only three of them made it on target, all of which goalkeeper Richard Sanchez handled to earn his second straight clean sheet in the tournament.

Los Morados (one of Louisville’s nicknames) would keep the game close in the second half, up until the 84th minute when midfielder Kyle Smith saw a straight red for what was judged as a dangerous tackle. With the man advantage, the Fire put on the pressure and put the game away as Diego Campos pounced on a back pass to Louisville goalkeeper Tim Dobrowolski. Dobrowolski, who played his college ball at nearby Loyola University Chicago (LUC), took one touch of the pass but Campos was already on top of him and it was too late. Campos stole the ball and slid it into the empty goal from close range. Later in injury time, Elliot Collier, also an LUC grad, took the ball to the endline and 5-hole Dobrowolski for the Fire’s fourth and final goal of the match. Frustration boiled over after the fourth goal as Louisville City substitute Magnus Rasmussen was sent off after for an altercation with Collier.

In the post-match press conference, Fire coach Veljko Paunovic was quick to dismiss the accomplishment of advancing to the Semifinals, knowing there’s more work to be done.

“We advanced… but still we haven’t done anything ,” said Paunovic.

With the win, the Fire add to their Modern Era (1995-present) record with their 42nd tournament win. Louisville City’s Cup run ends, but as the USL team that advanced the furthest in the tournament, their consolation is $25,000 in prize money.

2018 US Open Cup Round 4: Brian Ownby of Louisville City voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

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Brian Ownby of Louisville City FC looks for a teammate against the New England Revolution in the Fourth Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Bee Buck Photography
Brian Ownby of Louisville City FC looks for a teammate against the New England Revolution in the Fourth Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Bee Buck Photography

As soon as Brian Ownby brushed off Scott Caldwell as if the New England Revolution midfielder was a youth team player, Ownby had one thing in his mind.

Four touches later, Ownby put the cherry on top of a fantastic performance for Louisville City with a laser of a shot to the top corner, helping the USL side defeat the Revolution, 3-2, in a wild and entertaining Fourth Round match in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (WATCH BELOW).

Ownby’s goal and overall individual performance earned him TheCup.us Player of the Round, beating out fellow USL player Justin Davis of Nashville FC and Minnesota United FC goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth for the honor.

The award is voted on by the staff of TheCup.us and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters.

“You could see the juice out there,” Ownby said with a laugh. “Everyone was buzzing around, everyone had each other’s backs regardless of a mistake here or there. We always believed in the process, and always had each others backs, and I think that showed (in the win).”

The former University of Virginia star began his professional career with the Houston Dynamo, after being drafted seventh overall in the old MLS Supplemental Draft. Ownby made the team and played parts of three seasons with the club, including making 21 appearances in 2014, though mostly off the bench, and perhaps played out of position.

Brian Ownby of Louisville City FC controls the ball against the New England Revolution in the Fourth Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: EM Dash Photography
Brian Ownby of Louisville City FC controls the ball against the New England Revolution in the Fourth Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: EM Dash Photography

But after two years back in his native Virginia with the Richmond Kickers and now in his second season in Louisville, Ownby has carved out a position for himself as a left winger, sometimes swapping and showing up on the right wing.

What’s clear is he’s at his best when he has the ball and can run at opposing defenses, taking advantage of his pace and quick acceleration to put defenders on their heels. He did that all evening against the Revolution, running himself into the ground and keeping the Revolution from pushing up on the right wing thanks to the danger of Ownby on the counter.

He set up three goal-scoring chances, including assisting on Oscar Jimenez’s goal, and had three shots in the match against the Revolution. Ownby also won both of his aerial duels and finished second on the team in overall duels, constantly putting his body on the line to win the ball.

Ownby recorded seven goals and four assists for Louisville on its run to the USL Cup title in 2017, and after a slow start, the June 5 match against the Revolution brought out the best in Ownby, and could set him up for more success in the Fifth Round of the US Open Cup.

2018 TheCup.us Player of the Round winners

Preliminary Round: Rasmus Hansen (Brooklyn Italians, NPSL)
First Round: Chuka Aruh (Inter Nashville FC, NPSL)
Second Round: Christian Okeke (NTX Rayados, USASA)
Third Round: Allisson Faramilio (FC Golden State Force, PDL)
Fourth Round: Brian Ownby (Louisville City FC, USL)

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