CHICAGO (May 21, 2024) – Tonight’s curtain raiser to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16 was framed by feast or famine fixtures, with dramatic affairs between Major League Soccer (Div. I) and USL Championship (Div. II) competition serving as an early/late double feature.
The evening’s first match was also the longest, as Atlanta United and Charleston Battery failed to decide a winner after two scoreless hours. Atlanta saw its opening penalty in the shootout stopped, but back-to-back saves in the fifth and sixth rounds by United goalkeeper Josh Cohen first turned the tables and then shut the door on the USL Championship’s current top squad.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country Sacramento Republic FC and San Jose Earthquakes were shorting out the scoreboard in a seven-goal thriller that saw the Republic lose the lead late before outlasting its NorCal rival, 4-3. Goals from Felipe Rodrigues (106’) and Juan Sebastian Herrera (107’) gave Sacramento a dream start to the second session of added extra time, allowing the 2022 Finalist to write another significant chapter in its Open Cup history.
Higher division teams made their marks with dominant results in the night’s other three games, starting with New Mexico United taking care of its business trip to the Big Apple with a 3-0 victory over MLS NEXT Pro’s New York City FC II. However, NYCFC II did receive a $25,000 bonus as the last Division III side left standing in the tournament, a small consolation after a third straight bid to upend a USL Championship squad fell short.
Moving westward, Sporting Kansas City continued its “drive for five” at home with a thorough 4-0 dispatching of FC Tulsa that gave the four-time champs their 13th Quarterfinal Round appearance. Another MLS outfit defended its home turf with ease during the evening’s final kickoff at BMO Stadium, where Los Angeles Football Club steered the ship from the start of its 3-0 triumph over Loudoun United FC.
The Round of 16 concludes Wednesday evening with a trio of contests that fans can stream live via the online homes of U.S. Soccer (ussoccer.com/us-open-cup/watch), USL (uslsoccer.com/watch), and MLS (mlssoccer.com/usopencup-live-streams).
Following the middle game of the tripleheader – another USL Championship/MLS match-up featuring the Tampa Bay Rowdies hosting FC Dallas – U.S. Soccer will conduct the draw that will set the bracket for the remainder of the 109th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, including hosting scenarios for the Quarterfinal and Semifinal Rounds. The draw is set to take place at approximately 10:00 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on U.S. Soccer’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/ussoccer).
2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 Results – Tuesday, May 21
Charleston Battery (USLC) 0-0, 0-0 (aet), 4-5 PKs Atlanta United (MLS)
NYCFC II (MLSNP) 0-3 New Mexico United (USLC)
Sporting Kansas City (MLS) 4-0 FC Tulsa (USLC)
Sacramento Republic FC (USLC) 2-2, 4-3 (aet) San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
LAFC (MLS) 3-0 Loudoun United FC (USLC)
U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 Calendar – Wednesday, May 22
7:00 p.m. ET | Indy Eleven (USLC) vs. Detroit City FC (USLC)
7:30 p.m. ET | Tampa Bay Rowdies (USLC) vs. FC Dallas (MLS)
10:30 p.m. ET | Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) vs. Phoenix Rising FC (USLC)
2024 U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 Match Recaps
Charleston Battery 0-0, 0-0 (aet), 4-5 PKs Atlanta United
With Open Cup legend Ozzie Alonso looking on as two of his former teams did Open Cup battle, Atlanta United escaped Patriots Point with a ticket to the tournament Quarterfinals after 120 scoreless minutes and a nail-biting shootout win against the Charleston Battery. The Battery carried play in the opening half, better utilizing their slight edge in possession to outshoot their young visitors 10-4 (3-1 on target) but were denied a breakthrough by Five Stripes goalkeeper Josh Cohen. The second stanza was more muted as the teams reached 90 minutes with neither giving an inch. The overtime period saw Charleston nearly grab the go-ahead goal, but Juan David Torres’ freekick in the 92nd minute clipped the wall, which put it off just enough that it clanged off Cohen’s right post. In penalties, Charleston got their noses in front when goalkeeper Daniel Kuzemka saved Brooks Lennon’s opening shot. The Battery would have been off to the next round if not for Cohen blocking what would have been the winning kick from Diego Gutiérrez in the fifth round. Tied at 4-4, Atlanta’s Stian Gregersen converted at the top of the sixth round to give his teammate Cohen the opportunity to play the hero. And win it for the Five Stripes the GK did by saving Aaron Molloy’s shot, thus sending Atlanta to the Quarterfinals for the first time since their title run in 2019.
New York City FC II 0-3 New Mexico United
After dispatching a pair of USL Championship teams in the previous two rounds from their home turf at Belson Stadium in Queens, NYCFC II - the last Division III team left in the tournament - must have thought a third time would be just as charming. And after an opening 45 minutes in which the Young Pigeons produced arguably the more dangerous display, the field seemed to be tilting in their direction. But the script got flipped early in the second half when Avionne Flanagan converted a Marco Micaletto assist in the 50th minute to give New Mexico a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later things really unraveled for NYCFC II when Samuel Owusu was sent off for a violent tackle. New Mexico made their man advantage tell in the 65th minute as Micaletto set up Talen Maples to make it 2-0 for the visitors from the Land of Enchantment. Anthony Herbert capped off proceedings in the 86th minute, sending New Mexico home with a 3-0 win and the club’s second ever ticket to the Open Cup Quarterfinal. United’s previous trip to the final eight came during its inaugural 2019 season.
Sporting Kansas City 4-0 FC Tulsa
In the race for “one for the thumb”, Sporting Kansas City cruised to victory at Children’s Mercy Park – and gave Seattle Sounders FC an impressive mark to chase in the process. The first half saw FC Tulsa goalkeeper Michael Creek and the woodwork combine for countless head-in-hands moments for the Sporting attack. Creek’s handful of standout saves featured a scrambling paw away of Erik Thommy’s deflected shot in the 17th minute and a kick save straight out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Willy Agada’s redirect on the doorstep in the 25th. Stephen Afrifa was robbed of Sporting’s opener by the crossbar on the ensuing rebound attempt and another curling chance from 20 yards less than a minute later. The curtain fell on the at-times incredulous buddy act starring Creek and his goalframe in the 38th minute, when a foul on Thommy just outside the area set up a heavily-struck free kick by Felipe Hernandez that caromed off Tulsa defender Rashid Tetteh deep inside the six. Agada was stoned by Creek from close range in first half stoppage time and was frustrated when his header off the ensuing corner hit left post, but Afrifa’s goal off the rebound sent SKC into the half with a more than justified 2-0 advantage. A second yellow card shown to Tulsa’s Patrick Seagrist in the opening minute of the second stanza made a comeback for the Oklahoma side nearly impossible, but it was Hernandez’s second and Marinos Tzionis counter-attack finish, both coming shortly after the hour mark, that made the result iron-clad for the four-time tournament champions.
Sacramento Republic FC 2-2, 4-3 (aet) San Jose Earthquakes
In one of the most dramatic games of this year’s competition, the 2022 Open Cup finalists overcame a one-goal deficit in extra time, scoring twice within 88 seconds, to register an upset in front of a capacity crowd at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, Calif. The Quakes had taken a 3-2 lead in the 100th minute as Designated Player Hernan Lopez put away a give-and go with Preston Judd past Republic goalkeeper Danny Vitiello. Sacramento, however, wouldn't give up. Luis Felipe tallied from close range in the 106th minute to knot things up at 3-3. Sebastian Herrera put away Cristian Parano's right-wing cross late in the 107th minute for the game-winner to culminate a stunning comeback. Kieran Phillips helped Sacramento rally from an early one-goal deficit with a first-half brace. Seconds after Phillips ran through the midfield and ripped a shot off the right post, the Quakes quickly countered as Judd scored from six yards off a left-wing feed in the 11th minute. Only six minutes later, Phillips slipped Luis Felipe's pass from the left flank into the lower left corner past goalie Jacob Jackson for a 1-1 tie. Phillips then lifted Sacramento into a 2-1 lead in the 38th minute, burying the ball from four yards off Jack Gurr's right-wing feed. At halftime, San Jose head coach Luchi Gonzalez had seen enough and made three substitutions, pulling Oscar Verhoeven, Alfredo Morales and Ousseni Bouda for regulars Bruno Wilson, Jackson Yueill and Cristian Espinoza. The strategy worked as Espinoza drilled home a 25-yard free kick to the near right post to boost the Earthquakes into a 2-2 deadlock in the 80th minute, setting up a wild and crazy extra time.
LAFC 3-0 Loudoun United FC
Midfielder Timmy Tillman celebrated being called into the U.S. Men's National Team for its June training camp by scoring the first goal, sparking the hosts to a relatively easy win at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. After having a shot blocked by a Loudoun defender in the eighth minute, Tillman gave LAFC all the scoring it needed seconds later as he converted a right-wing feed from Cristian Olivera past goalkeeper Dane Jacomen. Denis Bouanga’s brilliant run through the midfield set up Olivera's score from the right side for a two-goal margin in the 52nd minute. Forward Tomas Angel recorded his first goal for LAFC to increase the lead to 3-0 lead, a left-footed effort from a difficult angle on the left in the 61st minute. Keeper Abraham Romero registered the clean sheet. Former U.S. international forward and LAFC assistant coach Ante Razov ran the show from the bench. He replaced on the evening head coach Steve Cherundolo, who served a suspension after he was carded during LAFC's Round of 32 away win, 3-1, over Las Vegas Lights FC on May 8.
