CHICAGO (April 20, 2022) – The Third Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup concluded in roller coaster fashion on Wednesday night with the dreams of the last two amateur teams in the tournament being dashed while a pair of cupsets kept the giant-killing spirit of the early rounds alive.
For the second consecutive night a Div. III (USL League One) club defeated Div. I (MLS) opposition as Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC went on the road to spoil the party at a packed Rio Tinto Stadium, which claimed a record standalone attendance of 19,301 for a U.S. Open Cup Third Round match, where they defeated Real Salt Lake 1-0. The second cupset of the night came down in Texas where Div. II (USL League Championship) club San Antonio FC took out MLS highfliers Austin FC with a 2-1 comeback win after extra-time.
The evening began with both remaining Open Division teams (FC Motown and North Carolina Fusion U23) bowing out of the competition under agonizing circumstances. Motown had fought back from a two-goal deficit to tie the match and then played with a two-man advantage throughout extra-time before ultimately falling in a shootout. The Fusion U23 squad nearly reached their own shootout but conceded their game’s only goal with two minutes remaining in extra-time. The results earned FC Motown a draw against a team from a higher division, giving them the edge over the Fusion in the race for the $25,000 prize awarded to the top Open Division team in the tournament.
Elsewhere, lower division teams gave good accounts of themselves with a slew of matches decided by a single – and in many cases – late goal. Greenville Triumph SC (USLL1) took Charlotte FC to extra-time in a 2-1 win for the MLS new boys, while MLS NEXT Pro upstarts St. Louis CITY 2 held USL Championship contenders Louisville City scoreless before falling 9-8 in penalty kicks.
USL Championship powerhouse Sacramento Republic needed a late goal in stoppage time to see off a stout challenge from USL League One challengers Central Valley Fuego 2-1, while MLS sides New York Red Bulls and Orlando City held off second-half charges from Hartford Athletic and Tampa Bay Rowdies (both of the USL Championship), respectively, to earn 2-1 victories.
The reigning Open Cup champions, Atlanta United (MLS) recorded a 6-0 win against Div. III side Chattanooga FC (NISA) in one of the night’s two blowouts. The other came by way of Los Angeles FC’s 5-1 rout of Orange County SC (USLC).
Ultimately, the Round of 32 will feature 21 clubs from Div. I (MLS), five from Div. II (USL Championship), and six from Div. III: USL League One – 4, NISA – 1, MLS NEXT Pro – 1.
Following the conclusion of the Third Round, U.S. Soccer will conduct the Round of 32 Draw on Thursday, April 21 at noon ET / 11 a.m. CT. Teams are pooled geographically into groups of four, with the Division I clubs first entering the competition placed in different groups.
A random draw will determine the pairings within each group. Instances where a logical geographic fit doesn’t exist in determining the groups were resolved by random selection. The Round of 32 Draw to determine the pairings between the 24 Third Round winners and eight higher-seeded Division I (MLS) clubs will be broadcast on Twitter (@opencup) and YouTube.
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Northern Atlantic |
Southern Atlantic |
South |
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New York City FC (MLS)* |
Philadelphia Union (MLS)* |
Nashville SC (MLS)* |
|
D.C. United (MLS) |
Inter Miami CF (MLS) |
Atlanta United FC (MLS) |
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New York Red Bulls (MLS) |
Orlando City (MLS) |
Charlotte Football Club (MLS) |
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Rochester New York FC (MLSNP) |
South Georgia Tormenta FC (USLL1) |
Richmond Kickers (USLL1) |
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East Central |
North Central |
South Central |
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New England Revolution (MLS)* |
Colorado Rapids (MLS)* |
Sporting Kansas City (MLS)* |
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Detroit City FC (USLC) |
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (USLL1) |
FC Dallas (MLS) |
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FC Cincinnati (MLS) |
Minnesota United FC (MLS) |
Houston Dynamo FC (MLS) |
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Louisville City FC (USLC) |
Union Omaha (USLL1) |
San Antonio FC (USLC) |
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Northern Pacific |
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Southern Pacific |
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Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)* |
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Portland Timbers (MLS)* |
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Sacramento Republic FC (USLC) |
California United Strikers FC (NISA) |
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Phoenix Rising FC (USLC) |
LA Galaxy (MLS) |
|
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San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) |
Los Angeles Football Club (MLS) |
*Cannot be placed in the same group.
Rochester New York FC (MLS NEXT Pro) 2, FC Motown (NPSL) 2 (4-3 PKs) Nine-man Rochester overcame two red cards, a squandered two-goal lead and a missed penalty kick in regulation to survive a wild encounter via a shootout at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y. Back-up goalkeeper Caique Santos, who replaced starter Phillip Ejimadu a minute into stoppage time in the second extra-time period, made two saves in the tie-breaker. Milan Vanacker converted the game-winner, sending his attempt to the lower left corner past goalkeeper David Greczek. The hosts played the final 35 minutes of regulation two men down and the last 69 minutes a man short after red cards to Lamar Batista (51st minute) and Pedro Dollabella (85th minute). A Rochester assistant coach also was red carded. RNY FC tallied twice within a 17-minute span in the opening half. Gibran Rayo dummied a pass to an onrushing Dolabella, who scored from 12 yards out in the 21st minute. Rochester doubled the lead in the 38th minute off a counterattack. In an impressive one-touch sequence, Gibran Rayo, on the right side, found Dolabella with a short pass. Dolabella fed an open Wilterlynd Inalien, who scored from five yards. Two minutes later, however, Motown sliced the lead in half as Dilly Duka fired home a Ryan Peterson feed from eight yards away. Rochester could have given themselves some breathing room, but Greczek guessed correctly on Inalien's penalty kick, diving to his left in the 79th minute. Two minutes into second-half stoppage time, Joe Fala rifled a shot that Ejimadu deflected off the right post. Fala, however, knocked home the equalizer to force extra-time.
Richmond Kickers (USL League One) 0, North Carolina Fusion U23 (USL League Two) 0, 1-0 AET
Open Cup stalwarts Richmond Kickers survived a punishing cupset bid from one of the tournaments last remaining Open Division teams by scoring two minutes before the onset of penalty kicks at City Stadium in Richmond, Va. Although the match remained scoreless for nearly 120 minutes, it did not lack for action as both teams carved out opportunities aplenty to score only to see heroics from their respective goalies or the woodwork intervene. The second half of regulation saw NC Fusion U23 netminder Josh Perryman make three top-drawer saves to keep his side in the hunt, while Richmond’s Will Palmquist timed his charge off the line to perfection in denying a Fusion U23 breakaway in the 87th minute. The teams traded chances in the extra-time period until it looked as though things would be decided from the penalty spot. It was in those dying embers of the match that Kickers Emiliano Terzaghi was able to bundle home the winner after Dakota Barnathan’s fierce blast from a sharp angle wasn’t corralled by Perryman.
Hartford Athletic (USL Championship) 1, New York Red Bulls (MLS) 2
Lewis Morgan and Aaron Long scored within a seven-minute span in the first half as the Red Bulls held off Hartford Athletic in Connecticut. The contest was a game of two halves, with the visitors dominating the opening 45 minutes and a revived Hartford side making the Red Bulls sweat in the second. Long, the team captain, won the ball with a header at midfield. It was worked to Morgan, who drilled a shot past goalkeeper James Slayton from the top of the box in the 18th minute. An unmarked Long had an easy tap-in after a Slayton diving save in the 25th minute. The Red Bulls outshot the hosts, 20-0, in the first half. Behind three halftime substitutes, Hartford made a game of it. Sub Conor McGlynn drilled a shot from the top of the area via Danny Barrera's smartly taken free kick pass to cut the lead in half in the 52nd minute. Red Bulls midfielder Cristian Casseres, Jr. was red carded for violent conduct five minutes into second-half injury time.
Greenville Triumph SC (USL League One) 1, Charlotte FC (MLS) 2
John Harkes’ side nearly usurped the crown. It took an overtime goal by Harrison Afful for Charlotte FC to beat Greenville Triumph SC at Triumph Stadium on the campus of Legacy Early College in Greenville, SC. Cristian ‘Titi’ Ortiz tapped in the opening goal in the 40th minute to give the Queen City club the lead in its Open Cup debut. Jacob Keegan fired home the equalizer from the top of the box in the second half for Greenville, which defeated Oakland Roots 2-0 in the Second Round to win its first Open Cup match. In the first period of overtime, Afful and Kamil Jozwiak ran a deft give-and-go with Jozwiak playing the final ball ahead to Afful to finish past Greenville goalkeeper Paul Christensen from the middle of the penalty area in the 109th minute.
Orlando City SC (MLS) 2, Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL Championship) 1
All the goals came in the second half of the seventh edition of the I-4 Derby. Alexandre Pato opened the scoring with a free kick, and Ocimar De Almeida’s cool finish added a second as Orlando City SC held on to win at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Tampa Bay Rowdies, USL Championship finalists last season, went toe-to-toe with their Central Florida neighbors for the first 50 minutes until Orlando City’s Benjamin Michel was brought down in the box to earn the Purple Lions a penalty. Pato, the former Brazilian starlet, blasted the penalty kick into the back of the net for a lead, and De Almeida got the final touch on a loose ball in the box to double OCSC’s advantage 10 minutes later. Lucky Mkosana scored his fourth goal of the tournament for the Rowdies in the 65th minute, but it was too little too late as Tampa Bay fell to 0-0-7 all-time against Orlando City, who move on to the Round of 32.
Louisville City FC (USL Championship) 0, St. Louis CITY 2 (MLS NEXT Pro) 0 (9-8 PKs)
Louisville City dominated the game vs. St. Louis CITY 2 every which way but on the score sheet. Lou City owned a commanding edge in possession, shots, expected goals and just about any stat one would think a winning team should, but the boys in purple were profligate in front of goal, sending 10 of their 15 shots off target and giving STL goalkeeper Michael Creek fairly easy work for his five saves. With no way through for either team in regulation or 30 mins of extra time, it came down to sudden death kicks from the spot. In the tenth round of the shootout, CITY2’s Dida Armstrong saw his shot saved by Louisville’s Kyle Morton, while Josh Wynder – the youngest player on the pitch for the boys in purple – tucked his penalty away to send Lou City to the Round of 32.
Atlanta United (MLS) 6, Chattanooga FC (NISA) 0
The defending Open Cup champions, having won the 2019 tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the last two editions, scored early and often at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga. Dom Dwyer paced Atlanta with a first-half brace, while Ronald Hernandez, Marcelino Moreno, Luiz Araujo and Brooks Lennon added one goal apiece. Hernandez gave the host side all the scoring it needed, finishing a one-touch shot off an Andrew Gutman cross in the 21st minute. Dwyer then took center stage over a 10-minute span, putting home a Jake Mulraney cross in the 25th minute and corralling a loose ball and putting a 23-yard drive past goalkeeper Kevin Gonzalez in the 35th minute. United added three more goals in the final half - Moreno (53rd-minute penalty kick), Araujo (67th minute) and Lennon (84th minute). Veteran goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth recorded the clean sheet in his first start for Atlanta.
Forward Madison FC (USL League One) 0, Minnesota United FC (MLS) 2
It was the Loons that took flight in dreary, cold weather to claim a 2-0 road victory against their fellow fowl-themed opponents at Breese Stevens Field in Madison, Wis. The squad from Minnesota controlled the match from start to finish although the Forward Madison Flamingos gave a good defensive account of themselves, staying organized and not shrinking from the physicality of a game that bubbled with regional rivalry. It took until the second frame for Minnesota United to break through via an Adrien Hunou header from Joseph Rosales’ corner kick in the 51st minute. Seven minutes from time, Loons captain Brent Kallman headed home yet another Rosales corner to pad the margin of victory for the 2019 U.S. Open Cup runners up.
San Antonio FC (USL Championship) 1, Austin FC (MLS) 1, 2-1 AET
Carter Manley snapped a 1-1 deadlock six minutes into the first extra-time to boost San Antonio to a cupset in a come-from-behind win between these Texas rivals at Toyota Field in San Antonio. On a sequence that started on a corner kick, Mitchell Taintor headed the ball from the left flank to Manley, who headed it past the goalkeeper for the game-winner. The visitors took a 47th-minute lead as Diego Fagundez tallied from the middle of the box. In the 82nd minute, Justin Dhillon's right-wing cross set up Elliot Collier's close-range tying goal for San Antonio. Felipe Martins came close to tying by hitting the crossbar in the 110th minute. With Austin pressuring for the equalizer in the waning minutes of extra-time, goalkeeper Jordan Farr was outstanding. He denied Daniel Pereira twice and Maximiliano Urruti once. With time running out, Farr also stopped Martins and Rodney Redes before he booted the ball downfield for the final kick of the match.
Real Salt Lake (MLS) 0, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (USL League One) 1
One well-placed hailstone can break a glass ceiling. Robert Cornwall's ice-cold volley in the 70th minute proved to be enough as Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC defeated a Major League Soccer team in its first try at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, UT. Real Salt Lake, runners-up in the 2013 U.S. Open Cup, outshot Northern Colorado 16-to-4 and held 61 percent of the possession on the night but Pablo Mastroeni’s side was unable to find the back of the net. Hailstorm FC, playing only its second Open Cup match, had only one shot on goal and Cornwall was clinical, one-timing an attempted clearance from the top of the penalty area past RSL goalkeeper David Ochoa. Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC defeated Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in its Open Cup debut in the Second Round, and now advances to the Round of 32 for the first time.
Phoenix Rising FC (USL Championship) 2, New Mexico United (USL Championship) 1
A double-header goal decided this desert confrontation. Santiago Moar headed the ball from the left flank to Greg Hurst, who headed it off the right post from seven yards to break a 1-1 tie in the 82nd minute at Phoenix Rising Stadium at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Ariz. It was Phoenix's second victory over New Mexico in the last week. Joey Calistri helped put Phoenix on the scoreboard first when his shot from the right side deflected off William Seymore and floated high in the air past leaping goalkeeper Ford Parker in the sixth minute. The visitors tied it in the 65th minute when Neco Brett latched onto a long ball from Harry Swartz. Brett split both center-backs and beat goalkeeper Ben Lundt with a composed finish for NMU.
Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship) 2, Central Valley Fuego FC (USL League One) 1
Rodrigo Lopez had too many opportunities not to capitalize in the California capitol. The Sacramento Republic FC captain scored twice – including a penalty kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time – to lead his team to a victory at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, Calif. Lopez sent a bender through traffic for the opening goal just before halftime for Sacramento, which struggled for goals two weeks after flattening Portland Timbers U23s 6-0 in the Second Round. Villyan Bijev nearly equalized in the 65th minute but his effort went inches wide of the post before he assisted on the game-tying goal by Renato Bustamante in the 76th minute. Matthew LaGrassa was tripped in the area to earn the whistle in the 94th minute, and Lopez stepped up to bury his spot-kick for the match-winner in the 95th to carry Sacramento into the Round of 32.
Los Angeles FC (MLS) 5, Orange County SC (USL Championship) 1
Old affiliations become new rivalries in the Open Cup. Danny Musovski and Cristian Arango scored two goals apiece as Los Angeles FC ran away from the USL Championship title holders at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. Musovski scored in the 13th and 71st minutes, and Arango added goals in the 34th and 45th minutes, respectively, as LAFC built a 5-0 lead. A former development affiliate of Los Angeles FC, Orange County SC got on the scoreboard in the 73rd minute when Eric ‘Cubo’ Torres put one past LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy. This is the third time in three tournament appearances that LAFC has defeated a USL Championship side in its opening-round game. The Black and Gold previously beat Fresno Fuego (2018) and Sacramento Republic FC (2019).
|
Result |
Game (home team listed first) |
Venue |
|
0-3 |
Flower City Union (NISA) vs D.C. United (MLS) |
Rochester Community Sports Complex; Rochester, N.Y. |
|
0-1 |
Miami FC (USLC) vs Inter Miami CF (MLS) |
FIU Stadium; Miami, Fla. |
|
0-0, 2-0 AET |
FC Cincinnati (MLS) vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USLC) |
TQL Stadium; Cincinnati, Ohio |
|
2-1 |
Detroit City FC (USLC) vs Columbus Crew (MLS) |
Keyworth Stadium; Hamtramck, Mich. |
|
0-0, 0-0, 4-5 PKs |
Chicago Fire FC (MLS) vs Union Omaha (USLL1) |
Soldier Field; Chicago, Ill. |
|
0-2 |
Birmingham Legion FC (USLC) vs South Georgia Tormenta FC (USLL1) |
Preston Goldfarb Field (Birmingham-Southern College); Birmingham, Ala. |
|
2-1 |
FC Dallas (MLS) vs FC Tulsa (USLC) |
Toyota Stadium; Frisco, Texas |
|
2-1 |
Houston Dynamo FC (MLS) vs Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (USLC) |
PNC Stadium; Houston, Texas |
|
1-2 |
FC Tucson (USLL1) vs California United Strikers FC (NISA) |
Kino North Stadium; Tucson, Ariz. |
|
5-0 |
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) vs Bay Cities FC (NISA) |
PayPal Park; San Jose, Calif. |
|
1-0 |
LA Galaxy (MLS) vs San Diego Loyal SC (USLC) |
Dignity Health Sports Park; Carson, Calif. |
|
Result |
Game (home team listed first) |
Venue |
|
2-2, 2-2 AET, 4-3 PKs |
Rochester New York FC (MLSNP) vs FC Motown (NPSL) |
Monroe Community College; Rochester, N.Y. |
|
1-0 AET |
Richmond Kickers (USLL1) vs North Carolina Fusion U23 (USLL2) |
City Stadium; Richmond, Va. |
|
1-2 |
Hartford Athletic (USLC) vs New York Red Bulls (MLS) |
Dillon Stadium; Hartford, Conn. |
|
1-2 AET |
Greenville Triumph SC (USLL1) vs Charlotte Football Club (MLS) |
Triumph Stadium at Legacy Early College; Greenville, S.C. |
|
2-1 |
Orlando City (MLS) vs Tampa Bay Rowdies (USLC) |
Osceola County Stadium; Kissimmee, Fla. |
|
0-0, 0-0 AET, 9-8 PKs |
Louisville City FC (USLC) vs St. Louis CITY 2 (MLSNP) |
Lynn Family Stadium; Louisville, Ky. |
|
6-0 |
Atlanta United FC (MLS) vs Chattanooga Football Club (NISA) |
Fifth Third Bank Stadium; Kennesaw, Ga. |
|
0-2 |
Forward Madison FC (USLL1) vs Minnesota United FC (MLS) |
Breese Stevens Field; Madison, Wis. |
|
2-1 AET |
San Antonio FC (USLC) vs Austin FC (MLS) |
Toyota Field; San Antonio, Texas |
|
0-1 |
Real Salt Lake (MLS) vs Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (USLL1) |
Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah |
|
2-1 |
Phoenix Rising FC (USLC) vs New Mexico United (USLC) |
Phoenix Rising Stadium at Wild Horse Pass; Chandler, Ariz. |
|
2-1 |
Sacramento Republic FC (USLC) vs Central Valley Fuego FC (USLL1) |
Heart Health Park; Sacramento, Calif. |
|
5-1 |
Los Angeles Football Club (MLS) vs Orange County SC (USLC) |
Banc of California Stadium; Los Angeles, Calif. |
