CHICAGO (May 7, 2024) – The 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 is off to a spectacular start as USL Championship club Detroit City FC (Division II) dumped reigning champion Houston Dynamo of MLS (Div. I) out of the competition after a thrilling match that was capped by a marathon penalty kick shootout. It is the first time in the club’s history that DCFC has reached the Round of 16.
Detroit levelled twice in regulation, fighting back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to force overtime and then shrugged off a save in the third round of penalty kicks before riding goalkeeper Carlos Saldaña’s fifth round save into sudden death where he played the hero by converting his eleventh round spot kick after his Houston counterpart missed.
Similarly, FC Tulsa and Loudoun United FC booked their inaugural tickets to the Round of 16 by earning hard-fought road wins against fellow USL Championship sides. Tulsa advanced by beating 2023 Open Cup Quarterfinalists, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 1-0 on an 88th minute goal courtesy of Phillip Goodrum, while Loudoun needed a heroic performance from goalkeeper Dane Jacomen to earn a 2-1 victory against Orange County SC.
Elsewhere MLS sides FC Dallas and San Jose Earthquakes were run close by USL Championship outfits Memphis 901 FC and Oakland Roots SC, respectively. But both escaped with 1-0 home wins to advance to road matches against Div. II opposition in the next round.
Atlanta United (MLS) eased to victory against one of the last Division III squads left in the tournament, eliminating Charlotte Independence (USL1) 3-0 to earn an away match in the Round of 16. And 2022 Finalists, Sacramento Republic FC (USLC), also got off to a strong start, downing California rivals Monterrey Bay F.C. 2-0 to set up a Round of 16 clash with San Jose on home turf.
The Round of 32 concludes Wednesday evening with nine matches across the nation. Fans can stream all the action from U.S. Soccer (ussoccer.com/us-open-cup/watch), USL (uslsoccer.com/watch), and MLS (mlssoccer.com/usopencup-live-streams).
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USLC) 0-1 FC Tulsa (USLC)
Atlanta United (MLS) 3-0 Charlotte Independence (USL1)
Houston Dynamo FC (MLS) 3-3, 3-3 (aet), 9-10 PKs Detroit City FC (USLC)
FC Dallas (MLS) 1-0 Memphis 901 FC (USLC)
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) 1-0 Oakland Roots SC (USLC)
Orange County SC (USLC) 1-2 Loudoun United FC (USLC)
Sacramento Republic FC (USLC) 2-0 Monterey Bay F.C. (USLC)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USLC) 0-1 FC Tulsa (USLC)
FC Tulsa scored a famous victory in the club’s early history. By defeating one of last year’s Open Cup Quarterfinalists with a late stunner, Tulsa moves on to the Round of 16 for the first time since the club’s founding in 2013. It was not the most aesthetically pleasing match on the banks of Monongahela River across from downtown Pittsburgh, but it was the visitors who carried play, amassing nearly 59% possession and edging the shots on target. That edge proved decisive as the game moved into its final moments. Tulsa midfielder Justin Portillo launched a long throw-in into the Riverhounds’ box where it pinballed around before falling to Phillip Goodrum, who snapped a right footed shot through traffic into the left side netting for the only goal of the game in the 88th minute. Tulsa will hit the road again for the Round of 16 where it will play the winner of tomorrow’s Union Omaha-Sporting Kansas City grudge match.
Atlanta United (MLS) 3-0 Charlotte Independence (USL1)
A game Independence squad saw its cup run end on the road, the USL League One side done in by Nick Firmino’s second half brace at Fifth Third Stadium on the campus of Kennesaw State University. While the first half just tipped Atlanta’s way in possession and quantity of chances, it was Charlotte that felt hard done after Juan Carlos Obregon Jr. should have earned a point to the spot late in the half but was instead awarded a free kick from the area’s edge. The Five Stripes’ attack found another gear straight out of the break, with Firmino finishing firmly from 14 yards in the 51st minute and then again 20 minutes later before Daniel Rios’ tap-in slammed the door shut five minutes from time. The 2019 tournament champions are now set for a southeastern showdown on the road in the Round of 16 against Wednesday’s Charleston Battery-South Georgia Tormenta FC winner.
Houston Dynamo FC (MLS) 3-3, 0-0 (aet), 9-10 PKs Detroit City FC (USLC)
What began as a runaway result for the defending champion Dynamo turned into a surprise slugfest at Shell Energy Stadium. Griffin Dorsey’s 6th minute opener and Latif Blessing’s breakthrough in the 31st encapsulated the MLS side’s dominant start that could have included even more. However, Ryan Williams put the champs on notice with a goal-of-the-cup candidate from 30 yards that breathed life back into the match just before the interval. When Yazeed Matthews leveled with a quarter-hour it appeared Houston may be penalized for letting the USL Championship squad hang around, but Coco Carrasquilla needed just two minutes to give the Dynamo the lead back at 3-2. Detroit City had one more counterpunch left as Third Round hero Maxi Rodriguez came through again with a clinical finish in the 83rd, and from there the exhausted visitors rode out the end of regulation time and the extra half hour. The script stayed the same in penalties, as Carlos Saldaña’s save on Ibrahim Aliyu kept DCFC alive in the 5th round, eventually setting up his own finish past Andrew Tarbell to complete the full cycle of penalty takers and a historic result for the Michigan side. Detroit’s first ever appearance in the Round of 16 on its seventh try will be on the road against a fellow Championship side, the winner of Wednesday’s Indy Eleven-San Antonio FC tilt.
FC Dallas (MLS) 1-0 Memphis 901 FC (USLC)
On a warm and muggy evening in Toyota Stadium, FC Dallas capitalized on a second-half set piece to advance to the Round of 16, defeating Memphis 901 FC, 1-0. In the 74th minute, the host was awarded a direct kick well outside of the visitor’s penalty area. With Jesus Ferreria standing over the ball, Logan Farrington took advantage of a ball-watching defense, started his run with impeccable timing, and found himself alone in the box with the ball at his feet and only the goalkeeper to beat. After slotting home the game-winner, FC Dallas controlled the late stages of the match to capture the victory. On top of a night featuring good ball movement, quick passes, and balanced attacks, the defense kept Memphis 901 FC from having a single shot on goal. The visitors tried to keep things interesting, though. After starting the night in a 4-2-3-1, the squad shifted to a 3-4-3 before the halftime whistle and showed moments of growing confidence as the match continued to unfold. Ultimately, FC Dallas took home the victory and will hit the road in the Round of 16, as they await the winner of Tampa Bay Rowdies and Birmingham Legion FC.
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) 1-0 Oakland Roots SC (USLC)
Halftime substitute forward Ousseni Bouda scored the lone goal in the second half against 10-man Oakland at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif. Bouda, who replaced Hernan Lopez at the half, connected for the game-winner in the 76th minute as he fired home a shot from just outside the top right of the penalty area into the lower left corner past goalkeeper Paul Blanchette. The visitors were forced to play the remaining eight minutes of regulation and another eight minutes of stoppage time a man down after forward Johnny Rodriguez was red carded for elbowing Bouda in the head at midfield in the 82nd minute. Goalkeeper Emmanuel Ochoa backstopped the shutout for the Earthquakes, who will stay in Northern California for their Round of 16 row at Sacramento Republic FC.
Orange County SC (USLC) 1-2 Loudoun United FC (USLC)
Forward Wesley Leggett wound up having the first and last words in this encounter, snapping a 1-1 deadlock in the 64th minute, only two minutes after the hosts equalized at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, Calif. Loudoun United FC traveled 2,700 miles across the country to reach the Round of 16 for the first time – and will keep on racking up the miles with another away tilt in that round against either Las Vegas Lights FC or LAFC. Leggett, whose extra-time goal lifted Loudoun United to its first ever Open Cup win, over North Carolina FC, in 2023, tallied the first goal of the night off a brilliant run in the 22nd minute. He sped down the left wing before curling a shot into the lower right corner past goalkeeper Colin Shutler. Orange County, which enjoyed a decided possession advantage, equalized through a pair of volleys in the 62nd minute, when Christian Sorto’s pass from the right side of the box found Amang Kegueni at the far post, where he volleyed home for a 1-1 tie. After Leggett ran through the defense to give the visitors the lead, Orange County was awarded a penalty kick, but United ‘keeper Dane Jacomen dove to his right to deny Marcus Nakkim with a two-handed save in the 67th minute. Jacomen also made a similar play on Brian Iloski's 22-yard free kick in the 83rd minute to preserve the victory.
Sacramento Republic FC (USLC) 2-0 Monterey Bay F.C. (USLC)
Sacramento Republic lit up the scoreboard twice in the matter of four minutes and never looked back, taking the 2-0 victory over Monterrey Bay F.C. In the 27th minute, Sacramento Republic left wingback Damià Viader dribbled the ball up the left flank and approached the corner of Monterrey Bay’s penalty area. With a touch from the outside of his left foot, Viader opened up a window to serve the ball into the box. As the ball entered the area, Monterrey Bay center back Kai Greene stretched out his leg to deflect the ball away, but ended up redirecting the ball into his own net. Monterrey Bay was still processing the unfortunate play, but Sacramento Republic went on to double their lead within just a few minutes. After a Sacramento throw-in inside of Monterrey Bay’s half, the home side dropped the ball back and feigned a slow buildup to their next offensive opportunity, but instead went pedal to the metal and strung together three quick passes right through the middle lane of the field, ultimately setting up Kieran Phillips with a cheeky chip from just inside the penalty area. That goal was his third goal in four appearances across all competitions this season. With the win, Sacramento Republic will host MLS side San Jose Earthquakes in the Round of 16.
7:00 p.m. ET | North Carolina FC (USLC) vs. Phoenix Rising FC (USLC)
7:00 p.m. ET | Indy Eleven (USLC) vs. San Antonio FC (USLC)
7:00 p.m. ET | Charleston Battery (USLC) vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC (USL1)
7:30 p.m. ET | New York City FC II (MLSNP) vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (USLC)
7:30 p.m. ET | Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Birmingham Legion FC (USLC)
8:00 p.m. ET | Union Omaha (USL1) vs. Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
9:00 p.m. ET | New Mexico United (USLC) vs. Real Salt Lake (MLS)
10:30 p.m. ET | Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) vs. Louisville City FC (USLC)
10:30 p.m. ET | Las Vegas Lights FC (USLC) vs. Los Angeles FC (MLS)