2019 U.S. Open Cup Semifinal - Orlando City SC vs. Atlanta United FC - Match Report & Bracket
Eric Remedi Scores First Half Winner, While Emerson Hyndman Tallies Second Half Insurance Goal;
Second Open Cup Semifinal on Aug. 7 Pits Minnesota United FC vs. Portland Timbers (7 p.m. CT; ESPN+);
Atlanta Will Host Minnesota United FC or Portland Timbers in Open Cup Final on Aug. 27;
Final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+
ORLANDO (Aug. 6, 2019) – Atlanta United FC reached the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final with a 2-0 road win against rival Orlando City SC in front of a boisterous crowd of 18,461 at Exploria Stadium on Tuesday night. Eric Remedi scored what turned out to be the game-winner late in the first half before Emerson Hyndman notched a late insurance goal to put the Georgia club one win away from claiming U.S. Soccer’s National Championship.
Atlanta will host the Open Cup Final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 27 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+) and face one of Minnesota United FC or the Portland Timbers, who square off in the tournament’s second Semifinal tomorrow night at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota (7 p.m. CT; ESPN+). Tomorrow’s Semifinal will be preceded by a 15-minute pre-game show on ESPN+ that will begin at 6:45 p.m.
In a hard-fought match between two teams that have put their best foot forward throughout the 2019 Open Cup, it was Atlanta’s sharper finishing that decided a game of fine margins.
The script might have been different if, in the early going, Orlando forward Dom Dwyer hadn’t strayed offside before nicely finishing a Lions’ counter attack. With the goal called back, the teams traded chances throughout the first half hour, keeping both Adam Grinwis in the Orlando net and Brad Guzan between the pipes for Atlanta busy.
Around the 20-minute mark, Dwyer had another golden chance to put the home side up. A beautiful passage of play form Orlando saw Sacha Kljestan switch the ball to Nani on the left wing. However, his perfectly weight centering feed for Dwyer was skied over the bar from the middle of the box.
At the other end, Grinwis made a strong save on the half hour after Remedi evaded a few defenders and tried to pick out the lower right corner from the top of the box. The shot from the diminutive attacker was a warning to the Lions as he popped up shortly thereafter in the same position to initiate the game-winning scoring sequence.
In the 37th minute, a blast from Remedi after a good build-up from Atlanta was turned aside by Grinwis, but Julian Gressel corralled the rebound and whipped in a low cross to the right post where Remedi had continued his run and he redirected the ball between Grinwis and the post for the 1-0 lead.
Orlando nearly responded immediately through João Moutinho but his half volley slashed just wide of the left post. Grinwis then made a terrific diving save to push a deflected shot wide of the right post before his counterpart Guzan did likewise, getting down quick to keep out a strong Will Johnson blast toward the lower left corner.
On the other side of halftime, Orlando came out with renewed verve and should have grabbed an equalizer in the 53rd minute. A nice switch of play by Kljestan to Nani in the left side of the box got the Atlanta defense moving toward the dangerous winger. He paused just long enough before lifting a cross to the right post for Kljestan’s late run, but the midfield creator ripped a one-timer over the bar from point blank range.
Soon thereafter Orlando head man James O’Connor went to his bench for fresh legs, bringing on Chris Mueller and Benji Michel; moves that brought the Lions a new look in attack and more possession but not the equalizer they sought.
Instead, it was Atlanta’s Hyndman who scored in the 78th minute to put the Red and Black out of sight. After Pity Martinez was forced back by the Orlando defense, Atlanta recycled the ball, and Remedi swung a cross to the back post where Franco Escobar volleyed it across the face of goal for Hyndman to tap home for the final 2-0 score line and a ticket to the 2019 U.S. Open Cup Final.
2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Result/Time |
Venue |
|
Aug. 6 |
Orlando City SC (MLS) vs. Atlanta United FC (MLS) |
0-2 |
Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla. |
|
Aug. 7 |
Minnesota United FC (MLS) vs. Portland Timbers (MLS) |
6:45 p.m. CT |
Allianz Field; St. Paul, Minn. |
2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Time |
Venue |
|
Aug. 27 |
Atlanta United FC (MLS) vs. Minnesota United FC (MLS)/Portland Timbers (MLS) winner |
8 p.m. ET |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Atlanta, Ga. |