Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

South Carolina United FC

2024 US Open Cup Round 1: Greenville Triumph edge South Carolina United in foul-heavy Palmetto State battle

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Players from Greenville Triumph SC celebrate after scoring a goal against South Carolina United in the First Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Greenville Triumph SC
Players from Greenville Triumph SC celebrate after scoring a goal against South Carolina United in the First Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Greenville Triumph SC

The visiting Greenville Triumph SC converted a first-half, stoppage-time free kick to advance 1-0 over the South Carolina United Bantams in their 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup First Round clash in Columbia.

This all-South Carolina Cup match was very physical from the opening whistle and saw seven yellow cards, one mass confrontation just before the half, and plenty of banter between the two sides.  For two teams without any history of playing matches … they sure didn’t seem to like each other (36 total fouls).

The Triumph controlled most of the possession throughout the match (68% overall) and the Bantams were content to absorb the pressure and then look to spring forward on the counter. The match was mostly contested box-to-box with both teams unable to find a way to break down their opponent’s backline to threaten the goal inside the box.  The Bantams played with five across the back dropping their wingbacks deep to force the Triumph into long-range shots and hopeful services into the box that the Bantams’ keeper Andreas Kokoska collected on every occasion.

Just when it looked like the match was headed to the break scoreless, the Triumph converted a free kick from the left flank to push ahead 1-0 in first-half stoppage time. Lyam MacKinnon whipped in a driven, bending service that Leo Castro nodded down at the far post to bounce the ball past the diving Bantams’ keeper.



The second half returned to the midfield stalemate with both teams again unable to find a clear pathway into their opponent’s penalty box.  The game almost took a major turn in the 84th minute as a Bantams’ forward collected a stray ball the Triumph defense and charged in 1-v-1 on the Triumph keeper.  Gunther Rankenburg stayed big, stayed on his feet as long as possible, and out-dueled the charging Bantams’ forward to make a spectacular kick save to preserve the score line at 1-0.

“The guys put in a really, really solid professional effort tonight,” said Triumph head coach Rick Wright. “It was a very difficult surface to play on, but we adapted and played really well. I’m real proud of the guys, they rose to the occasion.”

All credit should go to the Bantams’ coaching staff and front office for putting together such a strong team with such little time to prepare.  The team had just assembled a few days prior to the match and this collection of players were expertly cobbled together into a very cohesive and effective group by head coach Lee Morris and staff.  The Bantams knew who they are, understood the assignment, and were just one free kick away from extra time, possibly penalties, and who knows what’s next. But in the end, the Bantams remain without an Open Cup win in three attempts.

The Triumph closed out the match and advance 1-0 into the second round in two weeks.

2022 US Open Cup Round 1: NC Fusion awarded forfeit win, decide to play game anyway against SC United

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The crowd of 1,384 at SEFL Soccer Complex in Columbia, SC thought they were watching a 2022 US Open Cup First Round match. Instead they unknowingly saw an exhibition game between the North Carolina Fusion U-23s and SC United Bantams. Photo: SC United Bantams

On Wednesday, the North Carolina Fusion U-23s pulled off a dramatic extra time win, 3-1, over SC United Bantams at the SEFL Soccer Complex in Columbia, S.C..  For the fans in the stands and those watching the YouTube broadcast, they thought they were watching a First Round game in the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

As it turns out, it was just an exhibition game.

During pre-match roster checks, the South Carolina United FC 18-player roster was found to only have 10 players eligible to compete in the US Open Cup. The host club was presented with two options; play the match with the 10 eligible players or accept a forfeit and play a friendly against the Fusion.

With both teams already warmed up and a crowd assembled, the teams agreed to the latter option. The exhibition match was not under the authority of the US Open Cup. The original tournament contest was officially recorded as a forfeit and the Fusion were awarded a 1-0 win to advance to the Second Round. 

Despite the cup match being called off and an exhibition game played in its place, the game was still streamed live on US Soccer’s YouTube channel. According to a team official for South Carolina United, the team was informed that the forfeit would be announced by the USSF. However, during the broadcast commentators made no mention of this being an exhibition match. On multiple occasions, it was noted that the winner of this game would move on to play the Charlotte Independence in the next round.

In accordance with the official US Open Cup handbook any team that forfeits a cup game is subject to fines determined by the Adjudication and Discipline Panel. Said team will also be assessed/forfeit the performance bond ($1000) that each team provides when registering.

According to the USSF, the commissioner will not recommend further disciplinary action as far as a team suspension or a match ban. South Carolina United FC competes in the USL League 2 and is managed by volunteer and part-time team officials. The complete Bantams roster was cleared to compete in the league, however, eight of the players remained ineligible for the cup which the team was alerted to just before the match was scheduled to begin. 

A Bantams team official expressed good will towards the USSF and US Open Cup and pointed to a simple clerical error in not registering the full roster with the cup, emphasizing the team did not intentionally attempt to field ineligible players.

Match Broadcast, Still titled “2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup”

2022 US Open Cup Round 1: North Carolina Fusion rally for OT win over SC United Bantams

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SEFL Soccer Complex
The SEFL Soccer Complex in Columbia, SC was the site of the 2022 US Open Cup First Round match between North Carolina Fusion U-23s and SC United Bantams. Photo: SC United Bantams

UPDATE (3/24/22): While SC United Bantams ended up losing the match anyway, it was determined that the club used multiple ineligible players in the match and the contest was ruled a forfeit.

North Carolina Fusion U-23s came from behind to defeat the South Carolina United FC Bantams 3-1 after extra time in the First Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. A windy night in Columbia, S.C. saw the home team take an early lead before a late equalizer from the Fusion led to extra time. They carried the momentum to score two more goals and earn an away victory at the Southeastern Freight Lines Soccer Complex.

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“The biggest thing that we spoke to the players about was not panicking, that was the biggest thing, just not to panic and we knew that all the time we would create chances because we have the players to create chances,” Fusion head coach Chris Williams said after the victory.

The game began with disjointed play in the opening 15 minutes before both teams were able to settle in and start to link up. The Fusion earned multiple corner kicks before the half-hour mark but were unable to convert them into goal-scoring opportunities. Despite the away side largely controlling possession it was the home team who would open the scoring.

After dribbling into the box through two North Carolina defenders, striker Edmundo Robinson was brought down and the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot without hesitation. In the 37th minute, Robinson calmly converted from the spot sending a right-footed strike down the center of the goal which North Carolina goalkeeper, Joshua Perryman, could only watch cross the line as he dove to his right-hand post.

Following the halftime break North Carolina continued to apply pressure in the attacking third but were matched by the compact defense of South Carolina United. Fueled by fresh legs from a pair of halftime substitutes in Luis Molina Qunitero and and Aidan Obrien, and with support from the nearly 2,000 fans in attendance, the Bantams held the clean sheet through 80 minutes of play.

However, with just 10 minutes remaining North Carolina pulled even as Luis Pinheiro Neto found Steven Hernandez in space at the top of the box and his right-footed shot reverberated off the crossbar and bounced on the goal line before being headed clear by the SC United defense. Following a look towards his assistant on the touchline, the referee awarded the goal to the Fusion in the 80th minute much to the dismay of the home crowd.

After 90 minutes of play the teams were deadlocked at one goal apiece and the match entered two 15-minute extra time periods with the possibility of penalties if neither team could gain an advantage. The first chance of extra time came and went early on as a header from a South Carolina United corner was put just wide of the post.

The decisive moment came in the 105th minute on nearly the last kick of the ball in the first period of extra time. North Carolina’s Tom Marriott dispatched a strike with his right foot from the center of the box into the bottom left corner of the goal to beat Bantam goalkeeper Gustavo Vasconcelos and put his team in position to advance.

In the second period of extra time South Carolina United FC pushed to pull level but were not able to produce a clear goal-scoring opportunity despite earning multiple free kicks in the attacking half. The home team was eventually caught stretched thin on a Fusion counter-attack with just minutes remaining in the contest. In the 118th minute Hernandez, who was subbed on in the 67th minute, scored his second goal of the night. His right footed strike found the back of the net and secured the comeback for North Carolina.

“As a first round of the open cup game it wasn’t really about technical ability or who was better, it was more about the mentality in the group and I think the coaches Chris and Liam have done an awesome job of recruiting not only good players but better people and I think you could see that tonight,” North Carolina defender Sam Henneberg said.

North Carolina Fusion U-23s advance to the Second Round of the US Open Cup and will play at the Charlotte Independence (USL League One) on April 5.

Scoring summary:
37’ – South Carolina United FC – Edmundo Robinson (penalty)
80’ – North Carolina Fusion – Steven Hernandez (Luis Pinheiro Neto)
105’ – North Carolina Fusion – Tom Marriott
118’ – North Carolina Fusion – Steven Hernandez

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