2022 U.S. Open Cup Photo Gallery (Final)

Ready to roll. The 2022 U.S. Open Cup Final (the 107th in history) was played out at Orlando City’s Exploria Stadium and was the first-ever to take place in the state of Florida. The home team’s locker room is pictured here before the arrival of the players.
A nod to the past. Members of the 1989 St Petersburg Kickers brought out the Open Cup trophy and were honored with a video tribute before the Final. Up to this very day, they were the only team from the Sunshine State to win a U.S. Open Cup title. 
Shoulder to shoulder. The first half of the 2022 Open Cup Final was a bruising 45 minutes with neither side (Orlando City nor second-division strivers Sacramento Republic) giving an inch in the midfield. Matt Lagrassa (right) – homegrown hero from California's capital – and Orlando City’s young Uruguayan maestro Facundo Torres (left) battle it out. 
Crunching tackles all over the pitch. Sacramento’s Maalique Foster from Jamaica and Orlando City’s captain Mauricio Pereyra tangled up with the score locked at 0-0. 
Sacramento’s star creator in shackles. The Republic’s ace schemer, the Spaniard Keko (left), was kept quiet throughout the contest by an array of watchful Orlando City midfielders. Here Cesar Araujo takes a turn on watch. 
Eyes on the prize. Luis Felipe scored three match-winning goals for the Sacramento Republic through the course of the team’s seven 2022 U.S. Open Cup games. He battled manfully in the Final hoping to deliver a magical fourth. 
Resistance fades. The Republic began to show signs of strain midway though the second half. Orlando City’s players – still fresh somehow and smelling blood in the water – began to take control of the contest. 
Finally, a breakthrough. Facundo Torres – who would finish the tournament tied for top-scorer honors – collected a pass from homegrown substitute Benji Michel and curled a left-footer into the top corner of Danny Vitiello’s net. From there, the floodgates opened. Orlando City struck three times in the last 15 minutes to claim the Open Cup…  
Champions! Rodrigo Schlegal (center) can hardly believe it as his Orlando City teammates begin to change from match jerseys into their custom Open Cup-champion T-shirts. The celebrations were nothing short of wild down on the field before the official trophy presentation ceremony. 
Up it goes. The U.S. Open Cup trophy – a first title for Orlando City SC since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015 – went up into the warm Central Florida air. The Lions were worthy winners and the Republic can be proud of their runners-up medals – the first for a lower-league side since 2008.