The two cities are separated by a little over 400 miles and a tasty rivalry has developed between them. “Everyone has this game marked on their calendars,” said Adam Grinwis, the red-headed Orlando goalkeeper who was the hero in a penalty shootout win over New York City FC in the Quarterfinal round. “We’ve got fighters and grafters. It’s perfect for these types of knockout tournaments. You leave it all out there. And coming off the last win, players and fans and owners are feeling it. There’s a different feeling you don’t get in league games. It’s contagious.”
On the other bench, Atlanta boss Frank de Boer has similar expectations of a tight and tense contest in Central Florida. “We’re so close, so it’s natural we’re going to have a little rivalry with Orlando,” said the former Barcelona, Ajax and Netherlands midfielder, who took over for Tata Martino at the start of the season. “It will be a tense game I can tell you that. They will know there’s a prize to be won and it’s easier to win that in their position than it is to win MLS Cup. They are two games away from a trophy just like we are. They will put out their strongest team in this game and we will have to prepare for a battle. That’s always the nicest thing about Cups: They are always intense with energy. Always a battle.”
Schemer Sacha Kljestan, forward Tesho Akindele and Nani out wide will be the ones to watch for Orlando City. On the other side, Atlanta’s always dangerous Josef Martinez will be keen to add to his first goal of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup scored late against second-tier Cinderellas Saint Louis FC.
Minnesota United vs. Portland Timbers: Goals Against Grit
In their first appearance in the latter rounds of American soccer’s oldest tournament, Minnesota United are pushing hard and scoring a ton. Led by Darwin Quintero’s five goals, the Loons have scored 13 total in the space of three games in which they also knocked out last year’s holders (Houston Dynamo) and the winner from 2017 (Sporting Kansas City).
