Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2024 US Open Cup

2024 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Indy Eleven holds on to make history with win over Atlanta United

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Indy Eleven players celebrate with their fans after a 2-1 win over Atlanta United FC in the 2024 US Open Cup Quarterfinals. Photo: Wade Wimberly | TheCup.us

The 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup rolled into Kennesaw, Ga. Tuesday night with a quarterfinal match between Atlanta United FC and the visiting Indy Eleven.

Indy Eleven used a first-half Augustine Williams goal along with a second-half own goal to build an advantage that the late-pressing hosts just couldn’t equal. The result was the first Open Cup win over an MLS foe for the Indy Eleven and the first time the franchise has advanced into the Open Cup Semifinals.

The win marked just the second time in the tournament’s 109-year history that a team from the state of Indiana has reached the final four. They join the 1992 Indianapolis Inferno as the Hoosier state’s only semifinalist.

Indy Eleven will move on to play the winner of Wednesday’s match between FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City in the Semifinals. Indy will play that game on the road and will take place during the week of Aug. 27-28.

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It was a night that played out just like the season fortunes of the two sides taking the pitch who seem to be moving in opposite directions.

Atlanta United currently just below the MLS playoff line in the middle of a mid-season reboot with numerous transfers out and an interim manager. This season of change found the hosts again out of rhythm and just not fluid in all phases of the game.

Indy Eleven currently sits in third place in their USL Championship campaign and have been very successful on the road with a stable and sturdy roster of proven USL performers. The commitment and energy was there whistle to whistle as they took full advantage of the opportunities that presented during the match.

The first part of the match was start-stop due to numerous fouls committed by both teams. The major difference is that the Atlanta fouls provided dangerous free kick opportunities in the Indy attacking third that helped the visitors control the tempo of the match and make opportunistic attacks probing at the Atlanta defense.

The breakthrough moment came in the 31st minute for Indy as Douglas Martinez made a surging run up the right flank driving a low ball across the penalty spot that Augustine Williams slotted under Josh Cohen in the Atlanta net for the 1-0 advantage. The team mobbed Williams at the corner flag just in front of the very vocal and very happy Indy supporters’ group.

Atlanta seemed to regroup at the half and came out very strong to open the second half but again the errant passes, mis-timed supporting runs, and movements off the ball just didn’t sync up for the hosts.  As Atlanta began to substitute players and become more urgent and direct against the run of play Indy whipped a ball in from the right flank into the Atlanta box where it was defected in for an own goal in the 83rd minute.

Atlanta missed a sitter just seconds after the own goal blasting the loose ball in the box into the side netting leaving the United fans to wonder what could have been.

Atlanta’s Nic Firmino did clean up a loose ball in the Indy box to score a goal in second-half stoppage time. It was the first goal allowed by Indy Eleven in the 2024 US Open Cup, snapping a shutout streak of just under 360 minutes. But in the end it was just too little, too late as the Five Stripes went crashing out of the Open Cup at Fifth Third Bank Stadium at the hands of a USL Championship team for the second year in a row. 

Indy Eleven Head Coach Sean McAuley praised his team after the match.

“We needed to come out and show a bit of confidence and if you come out in a negative mindset you can get drawn into just protecting,” said McAuley. “We wanted to come out with a really strong attitude towards getting to the goal. I wanted them to recognize we could hold our own in this environment and we knew Atlanta would come out strong in the second half.”

“I remember a lot of our players throwing their bodes in front of the ball, the goalkeeper coming an taking crosses at critical moments which clamed things down, and everybody, a lot of the players running so hard to keep what we had an us into the semifinal,” added McAuley.

With Indy Eleven’s win, it marks just the 15th time since MLS joined the tournament in 1996 that a lower division team has reached the Semifinals. They are the 10th different lower division club to reach the final four during that span.

2024 US Open Cup Quarterfinals Preview, Live Video links, history and more

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Photo by LAFC Communications | Graphic by Phil Naegely

After a hectic 10-week run in which 87 teams were eliminated over the first five rounds, the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup returns from a six week “summer vacation” with four Quarterfinal matchups on Tuesday, July 9 and Wednesday, July 10.

Among the eight Quarterfinalists, there are three previous champions (Sporting Kansas City, FC Dallas, Seattle Sounders FC) three USL Championship clubs (Sacramento Republic FC, New Mexico United & Indy Eleven), and a MLS club who have never reached the Open Cup Final (Los Angeles FC). Seattle and Kansas City are also gunning for a fifth Open Cup championship, which would tie the all-time record in the tournament’s 109-year history.

The Quarterfinal winners will advance to the Semifinals which are scheduled to take place the week of Aug. 27-28.

You can find the schedule and results for the Round of 16 and the goalscoring leaders here. You can find a review of every Round 1 game HERE and the Round 2 games HERE and the Round 3 games HERE and the Round 4 games HERE. The Round 5 / Round of 16 review can be found here.

TheCup.us will have reporters at every Quarterfinal game and will be providing live updates on X (Twitter), @USOpenCup.

All Quarterfinal matches will be broadcast live on Apple TV with links provided below.

A full round preview can be found below with video links and detailed info on each team’s 2024 US Open Cup run and history throughout the years.

Tuesday, July 9

Atlanta United FC (MLS)
vs.
Indy Eleven (USL-C)
Fifth Third Bank Stadium – Kennesaw, GA
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
LIVE VIDEO (Apple TV)
Winner plays at FC Dallas or Sporting KC in Semifinals

If there was an award for Comeback Team of the Year, Indy Eleven would be top contenders for 2024. After getting off to a lackluster 1-1-4 start to their USL Championship campaign, and amid word the city was talking to unnamed investors and Don Garber about bringing an MLS club to Indianapolis, Indy Eleven caught fire. Starting with a 1-1 draw at Colorado Springs on April 20, Indy went on a nine-match unbeaten streak, the final eight of which were wins. The streak rocketed Indy up the standings, third behind Louisville City and the Charleston Battery, who were threatening to run away with the Eastern Conference.

Jack Blake leads the Indy offense with eight goals, tied for sixth place in the USL Championship. Augustine Williams (five goals), Douglas Martínez and Sebastián Guenzatti (three goals each) help lead the scoring charge that has Indy fourth in the league with 30 goals. Aedan Stanley, who joined Indy after two seasons with Miami FC, is tied for the league lead in assists with seven.

Atlanta United has had quite an up and down season thus far. A 3-2-2 start was followed by a 1-4-2 stretch. The club then ended June on a four-game unbeaten run, but head into their Open Cup Quarterfinal having lost their last two league games, including a 5-2 pounding from Real Salt Lake. All of this leaves the Five Stripes sitting just outside the Eastern Conference playoffs at 6-10-6.

Five players are largely responsible for Atlanta’s offense. Thiago Almada leads the way with six goals, and Giorgos Giakoumakis, Saba Lobjanidze, Daniel Rios and Jamal Thiaré follow with five goals each. The five players account for 26 of Atlanta’s 31 goals this year. Brooks Lennon leads with six assists, and Lobjanidze adds four helpers to his goal total.

Open Cup Pedigree

Outside of their 2019 title win, Atlanta United’s Open Cup history has been rather ordinary, as they’ve been eliminated after two games in three of their five previous appearances. The last time Atlanta reached the Quarterfinals was during their 2019 championship run. After they needed extra time to beat the Charleston Battery in front of an empty stadium, they beat the Columbus Crew on the road before they defeated Saint Louis FC of the USL Championship 2-0. After shutting out Orlando City on the road, they edged Minnesota United 2-1 in the championship game in front of 35,709 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the largest crowd to ever witness a US Open Cup Final. It was the first time that a Final was held indoors and the first time that a Georgia team had ever lifted the trophy.

In Atlanta’s short Open Cup history, they’ve faced Division 2 opposition just seven times resulting in a 4-2-1 record with the one draw resulting in a PK tiebreaker win. Atlanta’s only loss to a USL Championship foe in the Open Cup came last year in a 2-1 extra time defeat at the hands of Memphis 901 FC.

Open Cup success has been elusive for Indy Eleven, in eight previous appearances the club has lost in their opening game four times and was eliminated in their second game the other four times. Indy only has three Open Cup games against MLS, resulting in a 0-2-1 record, and all three games were on the road.

How they got here

Atlanta had an easy time with Charlotte Independence winning 3-0 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga. After a scoreless first half Nick Firmino put United up 2-0 with a brace, and Daniel Rios closed out the scoring near the end of the game. 

Atlanta’s Round of 16 game at the Charleston Battery was significantly more difficult, as the MLS side battled host Charleston to a scoreless draw over 120 minutes before prevailing 5-4 in the penalty kick shootout. Goalkeeper Josh Cohen turned out to be the difference maker for Atlanta, saving Charleston’s final two penalty attempts as Atlanta converted their final five shots.

It was Charleston’s fourth Open Cup elimination at the hands of Atlanta United, having previously been knocked out of the tournament in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Indy Eleven opened its 2024 tournament with a 1-0 win over Chicago Fire II of MLS NEXT Pro. Douglas Martinez scored the lone goal in the 6th minute, and goalkeeper Yannik Oettl (who was a finalist for TheCup.us Player of the Round) kept Chicago out of his goal with 11 saves from 22 shots faced.

Before the Fourth Round, news broke that the city of Indianapolis had been in conversations with Major League Soccer (MLS) about bringing an expansion franchise to the market. This caused plans for “Eleven Park”, a brand new 20,000-seat stadium for the USL side to be halted while the city discussed details of a different plan, tailored to a potential new MLS club with an unnamed group of investors. Despite the drama, Indy Eleven proceeded to eliminate San Antonio FC 2-0 on the strength of goals from Augustine Williams and Jack Blake in the first ten minutes.

Indy Eleven’s Round of 16 against Detroit City FC looked to be their toughest hurdle yet, but it turned out to be the opposite. A 14th minute own goal from DCFC was followed in the first half by scores from Augustine Williams and Ben Ofeimu gave Indy a 3-0 lead at the half. Despite being outshot 17-6, Indy goalkeeper Hunter Sulte made seven saves to keep Detroit off the board and preserve a third straight shutout win with a 3-0 victory, giving Indy Eleven their first quarterfinal appearance in club history. It also marks the first time that a team from Indiana has reached the Quarterfinals since the Indianapolis Inferno did it in 1992.

Atlanta in the Quarterfinals

The city of Atlanta’s first foray into the Quarterfinals came in 1979 when Datagraphic fell to Tampa’s H. Brooks Dodge Chargers 2-1. The Atlanta Wolves became the first Atlanta team to win a Quarterfinal game when they beat the Chargers 5-2 the following year. Datagraphic returned in 1981 and defeated Olympic SC of Louisiana. Soccer City would be Atlanta’s final pre-Modern Era Quarterfinal participant in 1988. Until Atlanta United, the Atlanta Silverbacks were the only Modern Era club to reach the final eight, a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire in 2014.

Indianapolis in the Quarterfinals

Indianapolis only has one other appearance in the Quarterfinals, a 2-0 victory by the Indianapolis Inferno over St. Louis’ Scott Gallagher SC.

Atlanta United FC (MLS)
6th US Open Cup appearance (2017-2019, 2022, 2023)
2nd Quarterfinal appearance (2019)
Overall: 9-4-1 (1-0 PK)
Home: 7-2-0
vs. Div. 2: 4-2-1 (1-0 PK)
Best finish: 2019 US Open Cup champions

Indy Eleven (USL-C)
9th US Open Cup appearance (2014-2019, 2022, 2023)
1st Quarterfinal appearance
Overall: 7-7-1 (0-1 PK)
Away: 1-5-1 (0-1 PK)
vs. MLS: 0-2-1 (0-1 PK)
Best finish: Fourth Round (2014, 2016)

Tuesday, July 9

Sacramento Republic FC (USL-C)
vs.
Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
Heart Health Park – Sacramento, CA
Kickoff: 11 p.m. ET
LIVE VIDEO: Apple TV
Winner hosts Los Angeles FC or New Mexico United in Semifinals     

Like Atlanta, Seattle started their season slow, remaining just outside the playoff line. The Sounders then took off in June. After opening the month with a 2-1 loss to Kansas City, Seattle reeled off a five game unbeaten streak which is still ongoing. The hot run has propelled Seattle to sixth place in the Western Conference, although they have just a one point cushion over 10th place Austin FC.

Veterans Jordan Morris and Raul Ruidiaz lead the offense with eight goals each, accounting for over half the Sounders 31 goals this year. Albert Rusnák (10) and Obed Vargas (5) are the club’s assist leaders. Longtime goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who helped the Sounders win their most recent Open Cup title in 2014, has five clean sheets in his 18 games this year.

While Sacramento has been near the top of the USL Western Conference all year, recently they’ve hit a bit of a rough stretch. Their last five games have resulted in a 2-2-1 record, and they’ve only had back-to-back wins once this year. While they have one of the lowest scoring offenses in the USL Championship with just 21 goals in 17 games, their 13 goals conceded is tied for fewest in the league. Leading the defense is longtime goalkeeper Danny Vitiello, who leads the league with eight shutouts. The offense is led by Trevor Amman with eight goals. Amman set the single season goal scoring record for USL League One in 2023 with 23 while with the Northern Colorado Hailstorm.   

Open Cup Pedigree

Sacramento has been the most consistent USL Championship club in recent years, having advanced to a third game in all but one of their eight previous appearances. They are also the last non-MLS club to reach the Final, having done so in 2022. Despite falling short in the 2022 Final, club legend Rodrigo Lopez was voted TheCup.us Player of the Tournament. Sacramento holds a remarkable 20-2-1 (1-1 PK) record in home Open Cup games, including a 14-game unbeaten streak stretching from 2017-2023. However, Republic only have a 5-6-2 (1-1 PKs) record against MLS teams, although their one previous Open Cup game versus Seattle in the 2018 Fourth Round resulted in a 2-1 extra time triumph for Sacramento.(Highlights)

Like Sporting Kansas City, Seattle is entering this year’s Open Cup looking to make history, as they are one championship away from joining Bethlehem Steel, Maccabee AC and the Fall River Marksmen as five time Cup champions. Historically Seattle haven’t played many Division 2 clubs in the Open Cup, with two of their last five encounters ending in defeat to the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2013 and Sacramento Republic in 2018, The loss to the Rowdies stopped an all-time record 22-game unbeaten run in the Open Cup, and prevented Seattle from a possible fourth straight Open Cup title (something no team has ever done).

The last five Open Cup tournaments haven’t been very successful for the Sounders, going “one-and-done” three times, and the other two lasting just two games. Seattle has had four teams in the Open Cup over the years. While Seattle is an impressive 30-4-4 at home in the Open Cup, their road record is a dreadful 8-14-4.

How they got here

Sacramento added yet another win to their impressive home Open Cup record with a 2-0 win over league rivals Monterey Bay FC in the Fourth Round. Kieran Phillips scored a few minutes after a Monterey own goal to set the final score before halftime. For the rest of the game 2022 Player of the Round winner goalkeeper Danny Vitiello kept Monterey off the board with several clearances and big saves.

Sacramento had a flair for the dramatic in their 4-3 extra time win over the San Jose Earthquakes in the Round of 16. Kieran Phillips’ two first half goal wiped out an early 1-0 San Jose lead, then their MLS foes leveled the score with just ten minutes remaining. San Jose jumped in front in the 100th minute, but Luis Rodrigues and Sebastián Herrera came to the rescue for Sacramento with goals in the 106th and 107th minutes. Phillips was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round for his performance in the game.

Seattle had a bit more work on their plate in eliminating Louisville City FC in front of a Seattle-friendly crowd at Starfire Soccer Complex. Up 2-0 midway through the second half on goals from Paul Rothrock and Danny Musovski, Louisville clawed their way back. After a successful penalty kick from Sean Totsch in the 67th minute, Jorge Gonzalez pulled Louisville level in the 89th minute. After 30 minutes of scoreless extra time, goalkeeper Andrew Thomas stepped up in the penalty tiebreaker, saving three attempts from Louisville before converting a PK of his own to win the shootout 5-4. 

Seattle’s Round of 16 game was another nailbiter, as they squeezed past Phoenix Rising 2-1. A 68th minute Alex Roldan penalty kick cancelled out a PK from Phoenix’s Rami Cabral in the first half. With just two minutes remaining, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi ensured Seattle would avoid extra time and penalties this time around with the game winning goal.

Sacramento in the Quarterfinals

The Sacramento Republic are the only team from the California state capital to reach the Quarterfinals in the history of the Open Cup.

Seattle in the Quarterfinals

The city of Seattle’s first Quarterfinal appearance outside of the Sounders came back in 1970, when the Leif Erikson Vikings upset the San Francisco Scots to reach the final eight. The Vikings would lose on aggregate 6-4 to Los Angeles’ Croatian SC. Heidelberg Brewers would match the Vikings’ run in 1971, this time falling to LA’s Yugoslav American SC 3-0 over two legs. The Mitre Eagles (also known as Croatian SC and FOE Eagles #1) would represent Seattle in the final eight numerous times in the 1980s. The Eagles reached the Quarterfinals in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1987, with wins coming in 1983 and 1987.

Sacramento Republic FC (USL-C)
8th US Open Cup appearance (2014-2019, 2022, 2023)
2nd Quarterfinal appearance
Overall: 22-7-2 (1-1 PK)
Home: 20-2-1 (1-0 PK)
vs. MLS: 5-6-2 (1-1 PK)
Best finish: Runner-Up (2022)

Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
26th US Open Cup appearance (1995-1997, 1999-2003, 2005-2019, 2022, 2023)
12th Quarterfinal appearance (7th in MLS)
Overall: 38-18-8 (5-3 PK) | 23-7-6 (4-2 PK) as MLS
Away: 8-14-4 (2-2 PK) | 4-5-3 (2-1 PK) as MLS
vs. Div. 2: 6-3-3 (2-1 PK) | 5-2-1 (1-0 PK) as MLS
Best finish: Champions (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014)

Wednesday, July 10

Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
vs.
FC Dallas (MLS)
Children’s Mercy Park – Kansas City, KS
Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
LIVE VIDEO: Apple TV
Winner hosts FC Dallas or Sporting KC in Semifinals

Of the eight teams left in the running for the 2024 US Open Cup, Sporting Kansas City is the one club whose only hope for a trophy likely rests in winning the Open Cup. Currently 11 points adrift from a spot in the MLS playoffs, KC is anchored at the bottom of the MLS Western Conference with only the San Jose Earthquakes keeping them out of last place.

Despite Kansas City’s miserable season, the club ranks 12th overall in MLS in goals scored. Led by Will Agada’s five goals, eight other players have tallied two or more goals this year. Memo Rodriguez leads the way with five assists, and nine other players have at least two assists. Johnny Russell and Erik Thommy are also key players in the offense with four goals and three assists each. KC’s problem lies with their defense, allowing 46 goals in 22 games, second-worst in the league. Kansas City have allowed two or more goals in 13 games this season.

The fortunes for FC Dallas are a little bit better than KC, currently 11th in the MLS Western Conference and only five points out of a playoff spot. Dallas’ goalscoring nearly matches KC with 30 on the year, led by Petar Musa who sits just outside the league top 10 with 10 goals. Jesus Ferreira has four goals and four assists, one assist behind team leader Sebastien Lletget.

Dallas will look to overcome its Open Cup curse against Kansas City, having lost all five Cup games the clubs have faced off in (see below). This is also the second game this week the pair have faced each other in, having met in an MLS contest on July 7, although it’s tough to judge anything from that game as both teams elected to rest many of their regulars in anticipation of their Open Cup clash. For the record, Kansas City won the game 3-2.

Open Cup Pedigree

Initially known as the Kansas City Wiz, then the Kansas City Wizards, and now Sporting Kansas City, along with the Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders, are on the cusp of joining Bethlehem Steel, Maccabee AC and the Fall River Marksmen as five-time Open Cup champions. After a slow first few years, KC hit their stride in the Open Cup, and since 2002 they’ve never gone more than two years between reaching at least the Quarterfinals. Sporting is also 7-2-3 against Division 2 opponents, with their last outright loss coming to the Minnesota Thunder in the 2005 Quarterfinals. Sporting are 16-11-3 (3-0 PKs) against MLS clubs but are on an eight-game Open Cup home winning streak, and a 14-game home unbeaten streak going back to 2014. KC’s last Open Cup home loss was a 3-1 defeat by the Portland Timbers in the 2014 Fifth Round.

For much of their Open Cup history FC Dallas has been one of the most successful MLS clubs, having reached at least the Quarterfinals 16 times, reaching the Final four times, and winning the Cup in 1997 and 2016. This year will mark the 17th trip to the Quarterfinals for FC Dallas, which is tied with St. Louis’ Kutis SC for the most in the history of the tournament (dating back to 1913). Since the 2016 title, Dallas reached the quarters in 2017 followed by three consecutive exits after two games and a 2-0 loss to Nashville SC in their opening game last year. Dallas’ record against fellow MLS clubs is less than stellar at 13-15-3 (2-1 in PKs). Their last win versus an MLS team in the Open Cup was a 3-1 home triumph over the Colorado Rapids in the 2017 Fifth Round.

How they got here

In their rematch from the 2022 Quarterfinals, Sporting Kansas City narrowly avoided a penalty shootout with Union Omaha, snatching a 2-1 win at the end of extra time. Omaha held a 1-0 lead at halftime, but Marinos Tzionis equalized for SKC just after the break. The teams battled through over 70 more minutes of scoreless play and just as it looked like a penalty shootout was necessary, Alan Pulido snuck a shot by Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu from the top of the penalty area to give Sporting the win.

In the Round of 16, KC dominated FC Tulsa 4-0 at home. Felipe Hernández scored on both sides of halftime and Stephen Afrifa and Marinos Tzionis provided the other goals as Sporting outshot Tulsa 34-3.

Dallas eased past Memphis 901 FC 1-0 in the Fourth Round. Logan Farrington’s first goal as a professional in the 73rd minute was all that was needed for Dallas to move on.

In the Round of 16, Dallas travelled to St. Petersburg, Fla. to battle the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship and came away 2-1 winners. Goalkeeper Maarten Paes was peppered with 30 shots and made eight saves. Patrickson Delgado and Logan Farrington provided Dallas with goals in the first half and the Rowdies were kept off the board until Joshua Perez converted a penalty in the 85th minute for the home team.

Previous Open Cup Meetings

Kansas City and Dallas have met five times in the Open Cup, all of them home games for KC and each game won outright by Kansas City (no penalty shootouts). In addition, after the first three wins in 2004, 2015, and 2017, KC went on to win the Open Cup. Out of Open Cup matchups between the same two teams of four games or more, Kansas City isn’t the only teams who are undefeated. FC Dallas has swept all four meetings with the Colorado Rapids and the Chicago Fire have eliminated their rival Columbus Crew in all six of their meetings (that includes the 1998 Final)

Aug. 4, 2004 – Kansas City Wizards 4-0 Dallas Burn

The first Open Cup meeting between Dallas and Kansas City came in the 2004 Quarterfinals when both teams were still known as Kansas City Wizards and the Dallas Burn. After a scoreless opening half, KC broke the game open with four goals in the second half. Chris Klein (52’), Davy Arnaud (57’), Justin Detter (73’), and Alex Zotinca (88’) provided the scoring, with Arnaud providing an assist on Detter’s goal. Kansas City would go on to win their first Open Cup title with a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire. Highlights

July 1, 2015 – Sporting Kansas City 6-2 Dallas Burn

Eleven years later the clubs would meet in the Fifth Round, and Dallas’ fortunes did not improve. Dom Dwyer exploded for four goals (5’, 30’, 41’, 69’) and Krisztian Nemeth added two more (45’+, 59’) as KC jumped out to a 5-0 lead in an eventual 6-2 victory. Michael Barrios (61’) and Kellyn Acosta (73’) netted consolation goals for Dallas. Just as they did in 2004, Sporting went on to win the Open Cup over the Philadelphia Union on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

July 11, 2017 – Sporting Kansas City 3-0 (aet) Dallas Burn

Dallas came into the 2017 quarterfinal contest as defending Open Cup champions, making this loss a bitter pill to swallow. KC were reduced to 10 men in the 15th minute when defender Seth Sinovic drew a straight red card. KC held on for a scoreless draw to force extra time. In the 101st minute Dallas’ Max Urruti was sent off for his second yellow card when his attempted bicycle kick struck KC defender Ike Opara in the head, resulting in Opara being stretchered off the field. In the vast amount of stoppage time because of Opara’s injury, Latif Blessing scored twice to put KC in firm control, In between Blessing’s goals, Dallas’s Javie Morales wassent off for pulling down Benny Feilhaber on a breakaway. Daniel Salloi scored the third and final goal in the 118th minute. KC would go on to win their fourth Open Cup title oner the New York Red Bulls 2-1. Highlights

June 16, 2018 – Sporting Kansas City 3-2 Dallas Burn

The closest of the five games took place in the Fifth Round of the 2018 tournament, when the teams traded the lead twice before KC’s late game winner. Carlos Gruezo put Dallas ahead in the 18th minute, only for Daniel Salloi to knot it up just before halftime. Salloi netted his second goal in the 66th minute, and eleven minutes later Roland Lamah answered for Dallas to level the score at 2-2. As extra time loomed, Yohan Croizet won the game for KC in the 89th minute. Unlike the previous three wins, KC did not go on to win the Open Cup, but instead were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by 4-2 by the Houston Dynamo, the eventual 2018 champions.

May 10, 2022 – Sporting Kansas City 4-2 (aet) Dallas Burn

The two clubs took part in another classic in the 2022 Fourth Round. Dallas jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead on goals from Franco Jara (8’) and Edwin Munjoma (34’). Nikola Vujnovic cut the lead in half in the 60th minute, but Dallas appeared as though they would finally break their dry spell against KC in the Open Cup, but things fell apart in second half stoppage time. Dallas’ Jose Martinez was sent off in the seventh minute of stoppage time, and soon after Marinos Tzionis headed home a corner kick from Remi Walter to tie the game and force extra time. Four minutes into extra time disaster struck again for Dallas, as a shot blocked by goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer rebounded off the back of defender Edwin Cerrillo for an own goal. Khiry Shelton would ice the game in the 113th minute with KC’s fourth goal. Highlights

Kansas City in the Quarterfinals

Outside of sporting Kansas City’s success the city of Kansas City doesn’t have much quarterfinal history in the Open Cup. The only other appearance of a Kansas City team this deep in the tournament came in 1988, when a team called Udinese fell to St. Louis’ Busch Soccer Club 4-0. Udinese was the adult team of a club that fielded many youth teams in the Kansas City area.

Dallas in the Quarterfinals

The city of Dallas was first represented in the Quarterfinals in 1985 by Mean Green, founded by alumni of North Texas State University. The club would soon become one of the more successful teams in the country, making six appearances in the Quarterfinals as well as winning the National Amateur Cup in 1984 and 1988. Over its history the team switched a few times from Dallas Express, Dallas Inter, and even FC Dallas in 1989. From 1991-1994 the Dallas Rockets of the USISL reached the Quarterfinals four years in a row.

Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
24th US Open Cup appearance (1996-1998, 200-2006, 2008-2019, 2022, 2023)
11th Quarterfinal appearance
Overall: 34-16-7 (4-3 PK)
Home: 25-7-2 (2-0 PK)
vs. MLS : 16-11-3 (3-0 PK)
Best finish: Champions (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017)

FC Dallas (MLS)
25th US Open Cup appearance (1996-2008, 2011-2019, 2022, 2023)
17th Quarterfinal appearance (Tied for all-time lead)
Overall: 38-21-6 (5-1 PK)
Away: 15-14-2 (2-0 PK)
vs. MLS: 13-15-3 (2-1 PK)
Best finish: Champions (1997, 2016)

Wednesday, July 10

Los Angeles FC (MLS)
vs.
New Mexico United (USL-C)
BMO Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
Kickoff: 11 p.m. ET
LIVE VIDEO: Apple TV
Winner plays at Seattle Sounders FC or Sacramento Republic FC in Semifinals

Unlike the other Quarterfinal matchups that feature at least one team fighting for the playoff lives, this encounter is a showdown of first place clubs. New Mexico United, first place in the USL Championship Western Conference, travels to California to face Los Angeles FC, leaders of the MLS Western Conference.

While New Mexico comes in with a slim +3 goal difference in league play, United have won four of their last five games. Head coach Eric Quill is off to an incredible start in his first full season with the club, having taken over from Zach Prince at mid-season last year. Greg Hurst leads the way with seven of New Mexico’s 23 goals on the year and goalkeeper Alex Tambakis has recorded five clean sheets. Despite holding an 7-0-0 record at home, United are just 4-4-1 on the road this year.

LAFC have been near the top of the table all season, and currently hold a 13-4-4 mark. LA’s offense and defense are among the best in MLS, their 43 goals scored is good for 3rd best in the league, and the 24 goals allowed 3rd fewest. Their one-two punch of Denis Bouanga (14 goals) and Mateusz Bogusz (12 goals) rank near the top of the MLS leaders. The pair also lead the team in assists with nine (Bouanga) and six (Bogusz). Veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is second in MLS with eight clean sheets. LAFC got a bit of a break this week, as their MLS game at Houston this past Sunday was postponed due to the arrival of Hurricane Beryl.

Open Cup Pedigree

New Mexico’s best Open Cup performance came in their initial appearance in 2019, reaching the Quarterfinals by knocking off USL championship rivals Phoenix Rising and Colorado Springs Switchbacks, then upsetting the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas before falling to Minnesota United in the Quarterfinals.

LAFC made a splash in their inaugural Open Cup appearance in 2018, reaching the Semifinals where they were ousted by the Houston Dynamo on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Since then, a Quarterfinal finish in 2019 is the deepest LAFC has gone, getting eliminated by “El Trafico” rivals LA Galaxy in 2022 & 2023. LAFC are 5-0-1 (1-0 PK) against USL/USL Championship clubs and have only ever played MLS or USL Div. 2 teams in their 14 Open Cup games.

How they got here

In the Third Round, a pesky Lubbock Matadors (NPSL) hung with New Mexico United for 58 minutes, then in the blink of an eye were down 3-0 when Harry Swartz, Daniel Bruce and Mukwelle Akale all scored in the span of four minutes for New Mexico on their way to a 3-1 victory.

In the Fourth Round, New Mexico pulled off the unexpected, knocking off MLS Western Conference leader Real Salt Lake 4-2. Zico Bailey opened the scoring with goals in the 17th and 19th minutes, earning him TheCup.us’ Player of the Round award. After trading goals in the first half, RSL closed the gap to one just after halftime, but Jacobo Reyes slammed the door shut with his 85th minute goal.

In the Round of 16, New Mexico ended the Cinderella dreams of the only Division 3 team remaining in the tournament, travelling to Queens, NY to eliminate MLS NEXT Pro’s New York City FC II 3-0. New Mexico took control after a scoreless second half, getting goals from Avionne Flanagan (50’), Talen Maples (65’) and Anthony Herbert (86’). Marco Micaletto provided assists on the first two goals.

LAFC kicked off their tournament in the Fourth Round, putting away the Las Vegas Lights 3-1. After the teams traded goals early in the second half, Cristian Olivera came through with a pair of scores in the 70th minute and stoppage time.

In the Round of 16, LAFC had little trouble with Loudoun United, defeating the USL Championship club 3-0. Timothy Tillman opened the scoring in the 8th minute and Cristian Olivera and Tomas Angel added second half goals.

New Mexico in the Quarterfinals

The state of New Mexico’s only other Quarterfinal appearance came in 1991, when the New Mexico Chiles of the SISL (now USL) defeated Strikers SC of Los Angeles 5-0. Enrique Serrano and Vlade Stanojevic each scored a pair of goals and Brook Miller added one more.

Los Angeles in the Quarterfinals

Clubs from Los Angeles have been a fixture in the Open Cup Quarterfinals since teams from the area began Open Cup play in 1954. Up until 1979 the team that won the Southern California qualifying tournament was guaranteed a spot in the final eight, thus teams from the Southland have made 49 Quarterfinal appearances, led by the LA Galaxy with 13, followed by Maccabee AC with 8, Los Angeles Kickers, LA Exiles and LAFC with three apiece.

Los Angeles FC (MLS)
5th US Open Cup appearance (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023)
3rd Quarterfinal appearance
Overall: 9-3-2 (1-1 PK)
Home: 7-2-0
vs. Div. 2: 5-0-1 (1-0 PK)
Best finish: Semifinals (2018)

New Mexico United (USL-C)
4th US Open Cup appearance (2019, 2022, 2023)
2nd Quarterfinal appearance
Overall: 8-3-2 (2-0 PK)
Away: 3-3-2 (2-0 PK)
vs. Div. 3: 1-0-0
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2019)

2024 US Open Cup Round of 16: Kieran Phillips of Sacramento Republic voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

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Graphic by Phil Naegely

After bagging a brace and leading his squad to a “cupset” of the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 16, Kieran Phillips of the Sacramento Republic FC has been voted as TheCup.us Player of the Round. 

The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel of from the North American Soccer Reporters, and select backers from TheCup.us’ Patreon. Anyone interested in voting for this award in future rounds may consider pledging $10 or more and help us with our continuing coverage of the US Open Cup and research its storied history.

Atlanta United’s Josh Cohen finished second in the voting after posting a clean sheet and two saves during penalties as United got past Charleston Battery on the road. Indy Eleven’s Hunter Sulte was third with a clean sheet and seven saves in their 3-0 win over Detroit City FC.

Phillips, on loan from EFL Sky Bet Championships side Huddersfield Town AFC, secured a brace while starting and going 79 minutes in the extra-time triumph. The Huddersfield, England, native now has three goals in Open Cup action – the brace was his first as a member of Sacramento Republic.

He first drew Sacramento level in the 17th minute, putting the cap on a terrific move that saw the forward finish Luis Felipe’s cross from the left wing. Phillips followed that up in the 38th minute when he connected on Jack Gurr’s cross from the right wing for a right-footed finish.

The win pushed Sacramento Republic into the Quarterfinals for the second time in three years. Sacramento, one of three USL Championship sides still standing, will host Seattle Sounders FC on Tuesday, July 9.

2024 US Open Cup Round of 16: Who should be voted TheCup.us Player of the Round?

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Photo by Vermont Green | Graphic by Phil Naegely

There are just eight teams remaining in the 109th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. To get there we had eight Round of 16 games with a number of impressive individual performances. But which player deserves to be TheCup.us Player of the Round?

Since 2006, TheCup.us has set out to honor the best individual performance of each round.

The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters, and select backers from TheCup.us’ Patreon. If you’d like to vote in this, or upcoming rounds, consider pledging $10 or more and help us continue to cover the US Open Cup and research its long history. If you did have a vote, which player do YOU think should win?

Here are the finalists (in alphabetical order):

Denis Bouanga, LAFC (MLS) – Started, played 79 minutes, assisted on two of the team’s three goals in a 3-0 home win vs. Loudoun United.

Josh Cohen, Atlanta United (MLS) – Started, played 120 minutes, made four saves, kept a clean sheet through regulation and extra time, and saved two penalties in the shootout to beat Charleston Battery (USL-C), 5-4 on the road.

Felipe Hernández, Sporting Kansas City (MLS) – Started, played 90 minutes and scored the first and third goals (38’, 63’) in Kansas City’s 4-0 home win over FC Tulsa (USL-C).

Marco Micaletto, New Mexico United (USL-C) – Started, played 75 minutes and had two assists including the game-winner in New Mexico’s 3-0 road win over NYCFC II (MLS NEXT Pro).

Maarten Paes, FC Dallas (MLS) – Started, played 90 minutes and the only goal he allowed was a penalty kick, made eight saves while facing 30 shots and 10 corner kicks in a 2-1 road win over Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL-C).

Kieran Phillips , Sacramento Republic (USL Championship) – Started, played 79 minutes, scored the first two goals (17’, 38’) in Sacramento’s 4-3 extra time home win over the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS).

Hunter Sulte, Indy Eleven (USL Championship) – Started, played 90 minutes, kept a clean sheet while making seven saves on 17 shots and 10 corner kicks in a 3-0 home win over Detroit City FC (USL-C).

2024 US Open Cup Round 5: Kalani Kossa-Rienzi’s late winner sends Seattle Sounders past Phoenix Rising, back to Quarterfinals

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Kalani Kossa-Rienzi of the Seattle Sounders celebrates after scoring the go-ahead goal against Phoenix Rising FC in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Mike Fiechtner -Sounders FC Communications
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi of the Seattle Sounders celebrates after scoring the go-ahead goal against Phoenix Rising FC in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Mike Fiechtner -Sounders FC Communications

The Seattle Sounders FC hosted Phoenix Rising FC in a Round of 16 match at Starfire Sports Complex on Wednesday night. Starfire, in Tukwila, Wash., continues to be a fortress for Seattle as the four-time Open Cup champions came back in the second half to beat the defending USL Championship title holders, 2-1.

The Sounders have now lost just once in 25 all-time games at Starfire (22-1-2) and will advance to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.  

Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer rotated his squad heavily, with only two normal starters in the game and a bench mostly composed of call-ups from the Sounders’ USL affiliate Tacoma Defiance. Working through a stretch of eight games in 24 days, Schmetzer elected to dig deep into the roster and trust a number of players with less first team experience.

Phoenix took advantage, testing the Sounders throughout the match and looking like the better team for long stretches. However the Sounders flipped the script in the second half as Kalani Kossa-Rienzi scored a late winner to advance.

The Sounders looked comfortable to start the match at home, holding possession and often maintaining passing sequences deep in Phoenix’s half. Sounders midfielder Dany Leyva almost started the game with a bang, nearly scoring off a 5th minute corner, smashing it off the crossbar. However Phoenix fielded a very strong lineup and remained compact, absorbing the pressure and releasing forward Remi Cabral on a number of runs in behind the Sounders back line. Their quality showed through after 15 minutes, with a long stretch of possession leading to a number of opportunities. 

Despite Phoenix controlling the game, Sounders forward Danny Musovski got in behind twice in the 41st minute and should have scored to take the lead. Phoenix made the Sounders pay for their misses and their pressure paid off, with Sounders standout midfielder from the last round Dany Levya committing a penalty just before halftime.

Cabral took advantage and sent last round’s penalty hero Andrew Thomas the wrong way to take the lead. Cabral is the second in his family to score against the Sounders this year, with his twin brother Kevin Cabral scoring for the Rapids against the Sounders earlier this year in MLS play.

Coming out of halftime the tides began to turn in the Sounders favor, and in the 60th minute Alex Roldan subbed in and looked to take over the game. In the 67th minute he hit a strike from well outside the box that took a deflection and then hit a hand in the box. He stepped up and buried the penalty past a diving Patrick Rakovsky, who guessed the right way but couldn’t push the ball around the post.

The game looked destined for extra time, until Tacoma Defiance call-up Kalani Kossa-Rienzi won the game for the Sounders with a skillful 88th minute finish. He had shifted forward a line just minutes before after playing at right back the entire game, with Sounders coach Schmetzer saying “that was something we saw from him in preseason” and “It made sense for us to move a player like that with attacking ability forward at that point.”

Kossa-Rienzi took a flicked ball from Danny Musovski off his chest with his back to goal, took two touches laterally past three defenders, and wrapped his foot around the ball to send it into the top corner. Almost more impressive than the touch was his handspring/backflip goal celebration, reminding many in the Starfire Stadium crowd of Sounders legend Obafemi Martins.

After winning the US Open Cup four of their first six years as an MLS team (2009-2011, 2014), this is the furthest the Sounders have advanced in eight years. They’ll look to capitalize on the opportunity on the road against the Sacramento Republic in the next round.

2024 US Open Cup Round 5: FC Dallas holds off Tampa Bay Rowdies to earn historic trip to Quarterfinals

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Logan Farrington of FC Dallas celebrates with Marco Farfan after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Round of 16 in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Dallas.
Logan Farrington of FC Dallas celebrates with Marco Farfan after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Round of 16 in the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: FC Dallas.

In the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 16 matchup between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and FC Dallas, the Texans were able to overcome a determined club in St. Petersburg, Fla. While the hometown team challenged their opponents, a difference in quality was most apparent between these teams when it came to finishing. Despite looking dominant at times, the second division Rowdies from the USL Championship had a terrible time beating Maarten Paes, in net for the Major League Soccer side. Dallas’s finishing, including from outside of the box, put them ahead and they would not relinquish the lead, winning 2-1. 

With the win, Dallas punches their ticket to the Quarterfinals for the 17th time. This ties them with Kutis Soccer Club (St. Louis area) for the most Quarterfinal appearances in the history of the competition, dating back to 1913. Dallas will take on Sporting Kansas City in the next round the week of July 9-10. FCD has never defeated Sporting in four previous attempts.

From the very first minute, the hosts wanted to take it to their opponents. Tampa Bay won two corners off of two very dangerous shots in the second minute. As per usual for the Green and Gold, most of the chance creation stemmed from their wingbacks, Blake Bodily on the left and Pacifique Niyongabire on the right. Despite some slight rotation in the attacking positions, the Rowdies were able to break through Dallas multiple times. 

As the adage goes, you have to put your chances away. Failing to do so opened the door for the top-tier visitors to put themselves ahead – and they would walk right through at times. Two goals in ten minutes for the Toros both started from set pieces going down Dallas’s right side. The first was a short corner which found Jesus Ferreira’s feet. At the top of the box sat Patrickson Delgado, waiting for his chance. Perfectly placed off the left peg, the Ecuadorian rifled it into the net.

The second goal in the 26th minute looked easier, as Logan Farrington was seemingly able to waltz into the Rowdies’ box and pick out a corner. 

Going into the second half, both teams started much the way they did in the first 45 minutes. The Rowdies were aggressive and got after it yet again. They wanted to be the protagonists and created many chances. This would play out in the final statistics. Tampa Bay ended the game with 30 total shots, of which 10 were on target. Their Big Chances tally, according to FotMob, was five. These are numbers that usually would lead to a win. The problem? Maarten Paes was in net for Dallas. 

Paes, who recently received his Indonesian citizenship, became a mixture at times between a brick wall and an agile cat. He refused to be beat from point-blank range on several occasions. The only way the hosts could get past him ultimately came from the final of their Big Chances, one taken from the penalty spot. Carl Sainte gave away the foul and Josh Perez stepped up to slot it home.

The Rowdies would not have enough time after that to create anything strong enough to slip past Maarten’s paws again. 

The game ended 2-1 for the visitors and they will move on to the Quarterfinals.

Dallas manager Nico Estevez noted how far his team have come after the game.

“We’re happy with advancing after a lot of years. Now we have that chance,” said Estevez.

He said of the Tampa Bay Rowdies: “For these teams this is the game of the year. Tampa is also a really good team. Trust me: this team is a really good team.” He also noted that during the 90 minutes, his side “didn’t come into the game with the right intensity. Tampa did. We were very effective and ruthless.” That will be the final takeaway from this tie: ruthlessness in the attack.  

2024 US Open Cup Round 5: Indy Eleven first Indiana club to reach Quarterfinals in 32 years after shutout of Detroit City FC

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Benjamin Ofeimu of Indy Eleven celebrates after scoring a goal against Detroit City FC in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Matt Schlotzhauer - Indy Eleven
Ben Ofeimu of Indy Eleven celebrates after scoring a goal against Detroit City FC in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski – Indy Eleven

Three first half goals and a solid defensive effort was enough to propel Indy Eleven to a 3-0 home win over Detroit City FC on Wednesday night in the Round of 16 of the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

An early own goal by DCFC and a pair of goals three minutes apart by Augustine Williams and Ben Ofeimu proved to be the difference at historic Michael A. Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis. Indy goalkeeper Hunter Sulte faced 17 shots and made seven saves to earn his club a third straight clean sheet.

With the win, Indy Eleven advances to the Quarterfinals for the first time in club history and becomes just the second Indiana team to ever reach the last eight. The only other team to do it was the Indianapolis Inferno in 1992. Indy’s next opponent in the competition will be a road match against Atlanta United FC (MLS) the week of July 9-10.

Detroit City FC and Indy Eleven were the lone USL Championship vs USL Championship matchup in the Round of 16, guaranteeing that a team from the Division II league would make it into the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup for the seventh consecutive year and 15 of the last 16 tournaments.

However, the day before, New Mexico United and Sacramento Republic beat Detroit and Indy to that honor by beating NYCFC II from MLS NEXT Pro and San Jose Earthquakes from MLS, respectively. 

Detroit reached the Round of 16 by defeating MLS’s Houston Dynamo, the tournament’s defending champions, after coming from behind to send the game to extra time after a 3-3 draw. It then took all 30 minutes of extra time and 20 penalty kicks when Houston’s goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell pushed his attempt wide, and DCFC’s goalkeeper Carlos Saldaña finished his attempt down the middle to send the defending champs home.

Indy Eleven’s path was smoother as they defeated San Antonio FC 2-0 thanks to early goals from Augustine Williams and Jack Blake.

Tonight’s US Open Cup match between Detroit City and Indy Eleven marked the third time this season that the league foes have played each other. Indy came out the victors in a 3-1 preseason affair in late February. In an early season matchup a month later, Detroit City flipped the script and pulled a late-game 2-1 winner in the 88th minute thanks to Maxi Rodriguez. The teams came into tonight’s game even in points in the Eastern Conference table, but with Detroit City having games-in-hand due to a less cluttered early season schedule. Since the two teams faced each other on March 30, Indy has played seven league games while Detroit City has played five games. While Indy is in the midst of a stretch of three games in eight days, Detroit City hasn’t played since May 11 and don’t have their next game until May 29. Clearly the teams came into this game with different needs for managing player’s bodies. 

They also came into the game as different teams than when they faced each other in March. Detroit has gone 2-1-2 in league play since the March matchup, while Indy came into the game on a seven-game unbeaten streak across all competitions after taking a couple of bad beatings from Louisville City and the Charleston Battery. Indy’s confidence in their recent run-of-form versus Detroit City’s confidence of having beaten an MLS side to reach this game was what was at play tonight. It was Indy’s confidence that ultimately won the night. 

Starting lineups from both teams showed that they were taking the game seriously, with players that they would use in a normal league game. The teams had all the appearances of playing this game like a league playoff game. In early action, both teams looked to put themselves on the front foot to try and get an early lead. A breakaway for Detroit led to a tangling of feet, a yellow card to Indy’s Ofeimu, and a free kick for Detroit from just outside the 18-yard box. The kick was blocked by the wall, but the yellow card to Ofeimu put pressure on Indy’s back three to prevent a scenario where they were playing down a man, which generally spells defeat for teams in knockout games. 

As the game approached the quarter hour, Indy’s Ben Mines sent a pass to an overlapping Ofeimu on the right side of the pitch, who promptly sent a cross to the six-yard box towards Martinez. The ball didn’t reach Martinez, but instead ricocheted off of Detroit’s Stephen Carroll to get the scoring started for the home team. It would be difficult to say the goal was completely against the run-of-play, but much of the play up to the goal had been in Indy’s defensive end, but generally in non-threatening positions. The goal by Indy ramped up Detroit’s pressure as they looked to immediately bring the game back to level.

Just shy of the 22-minute mark, Detroit finally and cleanly broke through the middle of the Indy lines and forced Sulte into a low stretching save to prevent Morris from finding that equalizing goal. The goal was pushed to his left and out for a corner kick that was cleared away by Indy. At this point in the game, Morris and Rodriguez were pulling the strings in the center of the pitch, but the team couldn’t get clean shots on target.

The lack of ability to get on the board came back to haunt Le Rouge as Indy tacked on goals in the 33rd and 35th minutes. For the first goal, after a series of corner kicks from both teams, Indy recycled a ball that Blake put over the top as both Martinez and Williams beat the offside trap. Martinez one-touched the ball to Williams who slotted it past Saldaña to double Indy’s lead.

Two minutes later and yet another corner kick for Indy resulted in a headed goal from Ofeimu from Stanley’s back post kick.

In the remaining 10 minutes, Detroit continued to dominate possession, but Indy was content to sit back and absorb some of that pressure to prevent the late goal from Detroit that would give have given the visitors some life and momentum going into the halftime locker room. As the half progressed through the three minutes of stoppage time, Detroit forced Indy into intense defending and spectacular saves from Sulte.

A seventh corner kick in the first half for Detroit as time was expiring nearly found the left side of the goal, but Sulte blocked the shot up into the air, and then punched the resulting ball out of bounds, allowing Indy fans to take a deep breath as referee Araki blew his whistle for the halftime break. On the flipside, a raucous Detroit contingent of fans was left wondering what changes head coach Danny Dichio would have in store to get their team back into the game after watching the first half largely take place in Indy’s defensive side of the pitch, but sitting in a large hole.

Indy Eleven We Want The Cup Shirt
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Detroit immediately made substitutions out of the locker room, taking off Brett Levis and Maxi Rodriguez for Alex Villanueva and Victor Bezerra, respectively. A surprising substitution bringing Rodriguez off given his importance to the recent Open Cup result. Indy, contrarily, despite the fixture congestion this week, stayed with the starters to open the second half.

There didn’t appear to be any major tactical changes for Detroit with the substitutions as they continued to try and play through the center of the pitch, looking for moments when they could unbalance the Indy midfield and defenders. The corner kicks continued to mount for the visitors, but continued to be off on their delivery. 

Around the 60th minute, the physicality took another step up as the referee’s early lack of whistle translated to players realizing that the minor fouls called during league play were not going to be whistled today. The Indy players felt aggrieved when Matthews appeared to purposefully kick Martinez after a corner kick. Then Amoo-Mensah picked up a yellow card in the 61st minute after a hard challenge to even the card count briefly before Blake picked up Indy’s second yellow card seconds before he was substituted out of the game. 

The remainder of the game took on a much different pace as Detroit began to look like they realized it wasn’t their night and Indy was content to defend to keep a clean sheet and counterattack when possible. Indy’s manager Sean McAuley continued his trend of substituting in his normal substitution windows to manage his player’s minutes looking ahead to their league match on Saturday against Phoenix Rising. Indy could be described as efficient in their offense in the first half and they let it carry them to the victory tonight.

Augustine Williams of Indy Eleven scores a goal against Detroit City FC in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Matt Schlotzhauer - Indy Eleven
Augustine Williams of Indy Eleven scores a goal against Detroit City FC in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Matt Schlotzhauer – Indy Eleven

“We were dangerous when we needed to be. We scored three goals and we had a chance to get another couple,” said McCauley. “Everybody knows their role, of what we want them to do, where to be at the right time, and what to do defensively. It’s people know their jobs, and once they know their jobs, you ask yourself ‘can they do their jobs?’ Currently the form is showing, yeah they can. When you win the ball back, you know you’ve got the opportunity to create numbers up in spaces they’ve left, and I thought we did that really well. Efficiently, in the first half.”

Indy and Detroit will face off yet again this season in league play so this rivalry will once again be on display later this year. For the night, though, in the 109th edition of the US Open Cup, Indy Eleven took the victory and move onto the tournament’s quarterfinals

Much has been documented recently about Indy Eleven’s stadium and MLS controversy, but the Indy fans can take solace in the fact that their team is proceeding through the U.S. Open Cup with a series of games without conceding a goal.

2024 US Open Cup Round 5: New Mexico United blanks final MLS NEXT Pro team, returns to Quarterfinals

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New Mexico United players celebrate after scoring a goal against NYCFC II in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Eric Lovato - New Mexico United
New Mexico United players celebrate after scoring a goal against NYCFC II in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Eric Lovato – New Mexico United

The clock struck midnight for New York City FC II in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Tuesday night. Against a deep, well-performing New Mexico United, the last remaining MLS NEXT Pro team fell, 3-0, at Belson Stadium on the campus of St. John’s University in Queens, New York. 

“I’m super proud for the club tonight. It’s not easy. A lot of long travel. Credit to New York City FC II for making it this far. They (have) a quality squad with a lot of young up and comers that have bright futures,” said New Mexico United head coach Eric Quill. “I thought we played extremely well.”

Originally set for a 7:30 start, the match was delayed for over 30 minutes. Medical staff, particularly the ambulance, was caught in New York City traffic. However, that did not hinder the excitement of the crowd, officially marked at 534. However in person the total felt closer to sub 1,000.

The fervent NYCFC supporters chanted and had an impressive drumline. A large contingent of children from the organization’s academy sat nearby as well, looking to watch many of the same NYCFC II players that had played where they are currently. Not far away, an impressive contingent of NMU supporters sat in the Belson bleachers.

The traveling support meant a lot to the players on the field, and especially for New Mexico’s first-year manager.

“That’s why I came to New Mexico United was their fan base,” Quill said. “They are loyal, they’re committed, they’re energetic, they show up. It’s the state of New Mexico. That’s what I love about it. The team name is New Mexico United. It’s not a city, the whole state is behind it. You feel that on a day to day basis and you want to reward that commitment, that loyalty that they show.”

Both the home and away side were gifted with an entertaining, if not at times sloppy first half. NYCFC II started two notable first-team players, Jovan Mijatović and Strahinja Tanasijević. The former was playing in his second consecutive Open Cup game and second match overall in three days after a fierce Hudson River Derby win against the Red Bulls. On the other side, former New York City FC defender Chris Gloster started at left back for New Mexico United. The former U.S. youth national team player spent two years in the NYCFC organization with both the first and second teams.

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

Each team had chances to produce the go ahead goal but failed to get anything threatening. An NYCFC corner kick in the 25th was headed over the net by defender Strahinja Tanasijević. A few minutes later, a free kick from 25 yards out was struck by Taylor Calheira looking for his fourth goal of the tournament. The low shot got through traffic but was saved by NMU goalkeeper Alexandros Tabakis.

In the 30th, a blocked New Mexico shot fell back at the feet of Marco Micaletto who launched a shot from outside the box. Despite going wide right, NYCFC keeper Tomás Romero.

The next best chance came in the 38th minute when New York City’s Piero Elias ripped a low shot from outside of the NMU box that went wide left.

One of New York’s best aspects was its ability to catch NMU offside. The backline, missing Christian McFarlane due to him playing with the England U-17s, was able to implement a high press. The risky tactic worked, as NMU was caught offside three times and only able to get three shots off.

The other key aspect of the first half was physicality. Players on each team earned a caution and both sides committed 12 fouls each ahead of halftime.

While New Mexico was being outshot at the break, 8-3, there was no nervousness according to defender Anthony Herbert.

“The goal today was to keep the clean sheet and even though things weren’t going well and the way that we expected, we know that we were one step ahead of continuing that and we had a clean sheet and we basically trust ourselves,” Herbert said. “We trust the team. We know if we keep the ball and we pass the ball and play with that to play, eventually we (will) score and that was it. (There) was no nervousness, there was no anger, the coach trusted us. We trust ourselves and we came out and we played our brand of football and it worked out for us.”

That mentality proved to be the case and the second half was the beginning of the end for the hosts.

In the 49th minute, Jovan Mijatović nearly capitalized on a poor defensive pass in the New Mexico end. Jonathan ‘JJ’ Jiménez jumped on the ball, running it into the box before passing off to the Serbian import. With just Alexandros Tabakis to beat, Mijatović shanked his shot wide right. The deflated look on his face was only matched by Jiménez throwing his hands over his hand in astonishment.

The game-winning goal came a minute later in the 50th minute. A throw-in from the NMU end found Micaletto at midfield. He passed off to Avionne Flanagan, who broke down the left flank and fired a strike past Romero into the top right corner.

Flanagan, who hadn’t played in nearly a month for his side, earned praise from his coach who knows how much the moment meant to him after going nearly a month without playing a match.

“I thought he was a game changer,” Quill said. “I’m proud of him. He’s kept his fight and his mentality. He deserved tonight’s goal.”

The situation spiraled for the home side not long after. In the 53rd minute, Samuel Owusu battled Micaletto for the ball near midfield, leading to the NYCFC player essentially slapping the midfielder from behind. Both teams came together to but ends, and as the dust settled Owusu was shown a straight red card for the offense. NMU’s Micaletto was also shown a yellow card for his part in the scuffle.

New Mexico looked to double its lead from there. A poor New York City clearance in the 58th was headed back towards a waiting NMU player, who fed Daniel Bruce for a shot that went just wide left of the net. Not long after, a United throw in deep in the NYC end began on the right side, came back to midfield, and eventually came into the box where Andrew “Drew” Baiera tried to head towards Romero. Instead, the ball went out for a corner kick.

That kick was played to Micaletto on the left side, who sent a long ball into the box towards a waiting Talen Maples. He lifted his right leg to redirect the ball into the left corner and passed a nearly non-moving Romero in the 65th minute.

As New York attempted to counter, trying in vain to cut into the deficit, the situation proved to be fruitless. The home side was limited to just four shots in the final 45 minutes. The team got very little time in the New Mexico box after going down to 10 men. The sloppy play also continued which gave New Mexico ample time to try and extend the lead, even as starters were beginning to get rotated out.

The game was iced in the 85th minute by a man who knows the field at Belson very well. Defender Anthony Herbert, who played for the St. John’s Red Storm in 2021, was in the right place in the 86th minute as a corner kick found Greg Hurst, who’s strike was saved by Romero. The ball floated in the air, allowing the Brooklyn native to jump up and head in the ball.

FULL MATCH VIDEO: NYCFC II vs. New Mexico United

“Well, for me it means a lot because I think it was really ironic being able to come back here finally be able to get my family to come to see me because (my team is) all the way in New Mexico,” Herbert said after the game. “For me as a footballer it was always a roller coaster. I was (at Ocean City Nor’easters in USL League Two), then I was at St. John’s and I got a deal in Finland in the premier division and now I’m back home. I’m just enjoying the moment, enjoying the career and working out every day to see where it takes me.”

NYCFC II’s run ends with multiple positives. The team earned the $25,000 prize as the farthest reaching Division III team in the tournament this year. Furthermore, the team now holds the honor of being the most successful MLS reserve team in the tournament’s history. That honor was previously held by Seattle Sounders 2, who reached the Round of 32 in 2015.

New Mexico heads to the Quarterfinals for the second time in team history, the first since the organization’s run in its inaugural 2019 season.

Scoring Summary

  • 50’ – New Mexico United – Avionne Flanagan (Marco Micaletto)
  • 65’ – New Mexico United – Talen Maples (Marco Micaletto)
  • 86’ – New Mexico United – Anthony Herbert

Lineups

New York City FC II: Tomás Romero (GK), Strahinja Tanasijević, Samuel Kwaku Owusu, Christopher Tiao, Andrew Baiera, Taylor Calheira, Jacob Arroyave, Piero Elias (Klevis Haxhari 81’), Jovan Mijatović, Jonathan Jiménez, Máximo Carrizo (Jake Rozhansky 64’)

Unused subs: Camil Azzam Ruiz, Matthew Leong, Stevo Bednarsky, Jonathan Shore, Will Meyer

Manager: Matt Pilkington

New Mexico United: Alexandros Tabakis (GK), Jon-Talen Maples, Anthony Herbert, Chris Gloster (Harry Swartz 75’), Abdi Mohamed, Marco Micaletto (Dominick Hernandez 75’), Landry Nanan Houssou, Zico Bailey, Daniel Bruce (Greg Hurst 83’), Avionne Flanagan (Arturo Astorga 75’), Mukwelle Akale (Jackson Dubois 87’)

Unused subs: Dayonn Harris, Kristopher Shakes

Manager: Eric Quill

Yellow Cards

  • Strahinja Tanasijević, NYCFC II 9’
  • Landry Nanan Houssou, New Mexico United 20’
  • Eric Quill (Head coach, officially given to the bench), New Mexico United 30’
  • Marco Micaletto, New Mexico United 55’
  • Jake Rozhansky, NYCFC II 80’

Red Cards

  • Samuel Kwaku Owusu, NYCFC II 55’

Attendance

Official: 534
Unofficial: 900~

2024 US Open Cup Round 5: LAFC in control throughout in 3-0 win over Loudoun United

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Los Angeles FC players celebrate after scoring a goal against Loudoun United in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: LAFC
Los Angeles FC players celebrate after scoring a goal against Loudoun United in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: LAFC

Los Angeles FC is into the Quarterfinals of the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

A 3-0 victory over USL Championship club Loudoun United FC at BMO Stadium earned The Black and Gold a spot in the final eight of America’s oldest soccer tournament.

“The Open Cup is a very quick way to win a title,” LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman said. “That’s what we want to do.

“We want to win every single game. That’s what it’s about.”

Second half goals by Cristian Olivera and Tomas Angel followed Tillman’s eighth minute opener in a game where star forward Denis Bouanga contributed with a pair of assists.

With the win, LAFC remains undefeated against Division 2 opposition in the club’s relatively short team history (5-0-1, 1-0 PKs)

The Black and Gold withstood a tricky first half that ended with a narrow 1-0 lead.

Loudoun United head coach Ryan Martin’s defense — a backline of three center-backs and flanking wing backs on each side — stood firm for 50 minutes, but ultimately fell victim in the second half with the notorious 3252 behind them.

Tillman, who was summoned by US Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter for the national team’s 27-man training camp, put LAFC in the lead with a close-range, tap-in goal.

The start was near perfect for the hosts who figured out how to take control from the start against Loudoun United following the slow start against the Las Vegas Lights in the previous round.

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

“We kind of lost our way a little bit defensively,” LAFC assistant coach Ante Razov, who filled in for the suspended head coach Steve Cherundolo following a red card against the Lights, said. “Lapses in concentration mostly.

“We tightened that up and paid attention to it the last few weeks in training, now we’re seeing it pay off.”

In the second half, Loudoun United opted to switch things up and start the half with a backline of four which helped the attack create a pair of opportunities that forced LAFC goalkeeper Abraham Romero into two saves to keep the visitors scoreless.

Moments later, Bouanga collected a pass in midfield before taking off on a lengthy run beyond four Loudoun United defenders and into the 18-yard box to lay the ball off for Olivera who dispatched beyond United goalkeeper Dane Jacomen.

Bouanga added his second assist nine minutes later.

“That play has happened a couple of times in training,” Angel, who featured in his first match as an LAFC player today and left with the game ball following his first goal, said. “I knew when he picked up his head it was the same play that’s been happening.

“So when he gave me the ball, you as a striker, you have to have the goal painted in your head and I knew right away that I had to finish rapidly and it was a goal — thanks to God.”

The live draw that will reveal the quarterfinal matchups is set for Wednesday night with the final eight meeting on July 9-10 for a chance to make the semifinal.

The Round of 16 loss for Loudoun United marks the club’s deepest run in the tournament since its inception in 2018.

After 11 games, the Red-and-White currently sit midtable in the USL Eastern Conference as a trip south of Los Angeles, down the 5 Freeway to Orange County is on the horizon for its second match at Orange County SC in 18 days on Saturday following a 2-1 Round of 32 win on May 7.

Conversely, LAFC is seven points from the top of MLS Western Conference standings with a game in hand.

Up next for The Black and Gold is a trip to Atlanta for a matchup against Atlanta United on Saturday.

2024 US Open Cup Round 5: Sacramento Republic strikes quickly in OT to complete comeback vs. San Jose Earthquakes

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Sacramento Republic players celebrate after scoring a goal against the San Jose Earthquakes in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Sacramento Republic FC
Sacramento Republic players celebrate after scoring a goal against the San Jose Earthquakes in the Round of 16 of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Sacramento Republic FC

Sacramento Republic FC played host to Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes Tuesday night in the Round of 16 of the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup at Heart Health Park in front of a raucous crowd of 11,569. It was the fifth all-time meeting between the clubs with the Earthquakes holding a 3-1 match advantage. In the words of the beloved character Stefon from Saturday Night Live (Bill Hader), this match “had everything.”  

Behind a first half brace from Republic FC forward (and Huddersfield Town loanee) Kiernan Phillips and theatrics in the second period of extra time where the Republic got goals from Luis Felipe in the 106th minute (assisted by Rafael Jauregui) and Sebstian Herrera (assisted by Cristian Parano) in the 108th minute, the Quails held on for a 4-3 win and knocked the Earthquakes out of the Open Cup tournament for the second time in three years. The Earthquakes winless road streak in the Open Cup also pushed to 10 games, which is the most in the Modern Era (1995-present).

Sacramento now has eliminated six MLS teams in tournament play, which is tied for third of all of the lower division clubs of the Modern Era.  

“I thought the guys showed unbelievable heart, unbelievable character, and unbelievable resilience to come back in extra time after we conceded that third goal,” said Republic FC Manager Mark Briggs. “A lot of teams would have caved in, a lot of teams would have gone under, but they showed their grit and they showed heart and they showed the Indomitable Spirit at the end of the day. And we managed to come back into it. I thought Cristian Parano came in and was excellent, Sebastian Herrera came in and was excellent. And that’s the difference and that’s why we’re in the next round.”

The Earthquakes got on the board first in the 11th minute when forward Benji Kikanović made an unbelievable run up the left side, and his left footed cross found a wide open Preston Judd who calmly slotted it home to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead. 

That lead would last five minutes when in the 17th minute, Luis Felipe received a beautifully weighted ball from midfield from Trevor Amnan. He quickly dribbled up the left hand side, and his left footed cross found Republic forward Kieran Phillips to level the score at 1-1. 

Republic FC would strike again in the 38th minute when defender Jack Gurr played the ball up the right hand side, crossed the ball to Phillips, who had made a brilliant trailing run up the middle and hammered home his second goal of the half. With the goal, Phillips secured his first brace as a member of the Republic and third goal in two Open Cup matches, which ties him for second place in the 2024 tournament with Cal Jennings from the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

San Jose leveled the match in the 80th minute on a well-placed Christan Espinoza free kick.just outside the 18 yard box. After some dangerous chances for both sides in the final 10 minutes, they went to extra time tied 2-2. 

In the 100th minute, Hernan Lopez gave the Earthquakes a 3-2 lead on an assist from Jack Skahan, which seemed to be the end of the line for the Republic. That’s when things got wacky. 

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

In the 106th minute, Felipe tied the score at 3-3, and two minutes later, it was Herrera scoring the go-ahead goal, which sent Heart Health Park into an absolute frenzy. The Republic were able to hold off a mounting attack from the Earthquakes over the next 12 minutes and punched their ticket to the next round with a dramatic 4-3 victory. The win also moved Republic FC’s all-time home record in the Open Cup to 20-2-1 (1-1 in penalty shootouts). 

“Once again, the team showed great resilience to get scored on, go again, score goals, get scored on again, “said Felipe. just a great team performance overall gives us confidence to move on in the tournament. Every time we have a game like this here at home, we feel great. The atmosphere is insane. I love playing for the city, for this club. It’s amazing.”

Republic FC will learn their opponent and hosting rights on May 22 at 10 p.m. ET on U.S. Soccer’s YouTube page. 

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