U.S. Open Cup Second Round Recap
Once again, the US Open Cup delivered a great round of games all around the country.
The 110th edition of the U.S. Open Cup showed once again this week why it's such a great competition and festival of soccer all across the country. The second round was made up exclusively of the 32 teams that found victory in Round One and all had hopes of making it two wins in two and getting into the third round draw that took place earlier today.
The sixteen winners from this week’s round of two will be joined by the sixteen USL Championship teams yet to enter the competition, including Rhode Island FC. The New England Revolution enter in the fourth round and are just a few weeks away from learning who it’ll face.
Let’s get into all the results…
Lewiston Strong
The Portland Hearts of Pine have roared into existence in the last few weeks as they have yet to experience a defeat across three games. They took on Hartford Athletic on Wednesday night up in what is quickly becoming Fortress Lewiston. Not even going behind in added time, having a player sent off or going into a penalty shootout could stop the Pine from moving on to the third round. Jake Keegan’s goal in the 117th minute and a penalty kick save from Hunter Morse were the highlights of an incredible night in Lewiston.
Local Connections
South Georgia Tormenta 3 - Foro SC 2
Yaniv Bazini’s legend is growing by the day down in Georgia, the College Cup champion played a big role off the bench in helping South Georgia Tormenta FC see off a stern challenge from Soro SC.
Bazini played just 22 minutes but it was still enough time for him to score the go ahead goal in the 85th minute. Soro SC leveled the game 2-2 in stoppage time and just when the game looked headed for extra time, Bazini setup Sebastian Viva’s game winning goal with a great, lofted cross.
Bazini already has three goals and an assist in five games with an average FotMob rating of 7.2.
AV Alta 2 - LAFC II 1
Alec Hughes, formerly of UMass Amherst and Western Mass Pioneers, started for LAFC II against AV Alta from USL League 1. Hughes couldn’t get his name on the score sheet and LAFC II weren’t able to get the win either, falling 2-1. The game winner from AV Alta came in the 120th minute of added time from Jimmie Villalobos.
Hughes has also found early success at the pro level, he’s scored two goals in two games in MLS Next Pro already this season.
Greenville Triumph 1 - One Knoxville SC 3
We’re not sure what the One in One Knoxville SC stands for but it is exactly how many goals they allowed in denying the Greenville Triumph another opportunity to live up to their name. Maybe friend of the Musket and Revolution Recap, James Casella, can let us know. Or even better, if Knoxville keeps scoring 3 goals in every cup round, he can advocate they rename themselves Three Knoxville SC.
Anyway, the battle of the villes goes to Knoxville with some help from a Mark Doyle, formerly of RIFC, 23rd minute goal.
Ringers Go Home
Des Moines Menace 1 Union Omaha 2
Good ol’ Union solidarity got the job done on Wednesday night by eliminating the Des Moines Menace, their former MLS ringers and the worst story line associated with this year’s cup all in one fell swoop. Spare not even a moment’s sympathy for Sacha Kljestan, who’s only meaningful contribution on the night was being summarily dismissed with a red card while sitting on the bench after being subbed out.
Life is a dream, death is an awakening
Life goes on for some of the dreamers in this competition but for the team literally named Dream, death has brought them the awakening realization they’ll have to wait until next year. So not quite dead then but in some sort of soccer purgatory…anyway, we move on.
Columbus Crew 2 3 - Lexington SC 0
The Crew’s second team can’t win in MLS Next Pro but can’t lose in the cup, they’re waltzing on after knocking Lexington out with a shutout.
Monterey Bay FC 1 - El Farolito SC 2
The amateur side, El Farolito, was no doubt inspired to victory upon seeing that Monterey had dared to rest Nico Campuzano, their first choice goalkeeper. The former Revs II goalkeeper watched off to the side as Farolito found two second goals to come from behind and head into round three.
Loudoun United FC 4 - Virginia Dream 2
Zachary Ryan had no interest in the greater good of narrative forming for this year’s competition as his two second half goals sent Loudoun through to round three by doubling up the Dream, 4-2.
Don Garber, Not a fan of Chattanooga
Chattanooga FC 1 - Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 1 (4-5 on penalties)
A nearly full house of over 12,000 fans was on hand to see Chattanooga FC battle it out for 120 minutes and a penalty shootout with Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. In a classically elitist, scoffing comment that is all too common from some of the higher ups in the world of US soccer, Don Garber proclaimed an MLS team couldn’t possibly be bothered to play in this fine town on a crap field with only 4,000 fans in attendance.
Well, the fine people of Chattanooga took that personally and over 12,000 of them turned up in person to tell Garber to do one. How embarrassed Garber must have been to see 12,000 people come to a cup game after some of the scenes of vacant stadiums in last year’s Leagues Cup.
And while it was a victory for all of the many parts of this great country who’ve found a love for soccer without MLS in the area, it was the Red Wolves winning the penalty shootout, 5-4, and heading into round three.
Great Names, Mixed Results
Forward Madison FC 1 - FC Tulsa 3
FC Tulsa has further expanded its kingdom after laying claim to the entire city of Tulsa in the first round. It came at the expense of one of the best named teams you’ll find anywhere, Forward Madison, who’s progress has been halted after just one win in the tournament.
Tacoma Defiance 2 - Spokane Velocity FC 1
An MLS Next Pro team affiliated with an MLS team with its own identity is a great name automatically. But even then, Tacoma Defiance is an exceptionally good one, matched closely by Spokane Velocity. It’s a shame only one of these teams could move on and give way to some more run of the mill names to follow in later rounds.
Ventura County FC 0 - El Paso Locomotive 3
Not even a red card could derail Locomotive from steaming through to the third round. They conducted themselves quite well after taking a 2-0 lead thirty minutes in and left the station on time after 90 minutes, comfortable 3-0 winners. They stamped their ticke…that’s probably enough.
False Claims of Independence, Location and Freedom
Charlotte Independence 2 - Carolina Core SC 1
In Charlotte’s version of history, the first Declaration of Independence was signed in 1775 in Charlotte a full year before the more well-known, official, Declaration of Independence inspired by the brave Patriots in the Battles of Lexington and Concord that led to our Revolution from British rule.
Nevertheless, Charlotte was resolved in their efforts to push past the Carolina Core and advance into round three thanks to an extra time winner from Souaibou Marou.
FC Naples 3 - Little Rock Rangers 0
Some of the more geographically inclined among you may have noticed our first round recap erroneously stated that Little Rock was in Alabama in a desperate attempt to squeeze a pop culture reference into an article. If not for a sharp eyed reader or my sitting down to watch the Arkansas Razorbacks in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament and realizing my blunder the disrespect to Little Rock would have been left to stand.
Apparently word of this transgression against the capital of Arkansas and the very fine people living there, didn’t do much at all to inspire them to victory. Instead, FC Naples (of Florida) cruised into round three, 3-0.
Westchester SC 3 NY Pancyprian Freedoms 2
Perhaps it’s fitting that a team named the Freedoms was knocked out of the cup in the same week your freedom to buy almost anything without a tariff attached to it was eliminated. The Freedom will surely return in next year’s Open Cup, what other freedoms might be lost in that time is yet to be seen.
We Almost Didn’t Notice It
Inter Miami CF II 0 - Miami FC 1
Another set of turnstiles were clicking in Miami on Tuesday as yet another Miami Derby took place between Inter Miami II and Miami FC. It was the USL Championship side advancing past the MLS Next Proers once the lights went out. It may seem like Miami FC hasn’t won two in a row in the same competition since 2017 but it was only October 2023 when they last pulled the feat.
Who will all these teams face in the next round? Get the rundown right here. And if you want to follow all the madness as it unfolds each round, check out our friends at Thecup.us and that same name on BlueSky.
And for local Cup coverage, we’ve got it covered right here!
I'm not sure how many "turnstiles were clicking in Miami" as it appeared to me on TV that Miami II had no one there.