The Magic of the Open Cup lives in the chance for the little guy to win one. That glory comes from fighting through the challenges of larger, wealthier clubs and finding the will to survive and advance.
Such stories from Open Cups past often downplay the context of the Cinderella clubs’ gritty realities. Whether it’s injury, financial limitations or some other obstacle, the hard road to Open Cup immortality always passes through challenges that should have – on paper at least – derailed any chance for success.
And few have been more public than in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2024.
Indy Eleven head into the Semifinals of the Open Cup as the last non-MLS club left in the competition, but that designation isn’t what most people expected of the team as they headed into this year’s tournament. After starting the 2024 USL Championship season with a single win from their first seven matches, news of potential MLS expansion coming to Indianapolis broke publicly.
Generally that sort of news is a recipe for lower-league disaster – and it wasn’t lost on the Indy Eleven players or coaching staff.
“We did get the group together when the situations surrounding the stadium and the MLS bid broke. The uncertainty that could provide to a USL player is quite high,” said head coach Sean McAuley. “We had to make sure to ground them in what was most important: performance and winning.”
McAuley credits that meeting, and the resulting focus it brought to the team, as the trigger for a dramatic turn-around in the season.
“You’ve got to realize that some of our players have been through it. Some of them played for San Diego,” said McAuley, speaking of San Diego Loyal, the USL Championship side that ceased operations in 2023 when faced with the reality of MLS’s launch of San Diego FC.
“They got told there wasn’t a job for them next year,” the coach said. “Fortunately for us, we have a very strong ownership group and everybody having those discussions is quite strong.
“We believe we can fight for something,” he added.
Augustine ‘Augi’ Williams, who’s contributed heavily to Indy’s run to the Open Cup Semifinal Round with three goals and an assist from four matches, is one of those players who spent a season at the now-defunct San Diego Loyal. And though he left before the team closed shop in October of 2023 he described the situation, and the potential issues in his new home of Indianapolis, as “heartbreaking.”
But Williams was also quick to acknowledge that his outlook is more workmanlike in the face of distraction. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m able to control the things that I can. I’m here to play and help the team win, so anything outside of my control is external and someone else can sort that out,” he said. “It can impact the players, of course, but we’re professionals and we have to do our job. That’s what we’re here to do. Regardless of the circumstances, you have to perform.”
Performing against an MLS side makes it all the more sweet, according to the 27-year-old Williams.
“I think there’s something about playing MLS teams that really motivates me. You’re obviously playing against a higher level than USL and you’re going in to prove that you’re good enough to play against those guys,” said the Sierra Leone-born striker. “That’s the drive I get going into those games. In the end, it doesn’t matter what level a team is, whoever brings their A-Game gets to walk out with three points.”
While the first three matches of Indy Eleven’s Open Cup run this year were against lower-league clubs, including two fellow USL Championship teams, the win that punched their Semifinal ticket came on the road against Atlanta United. Williams had one of his best matches of the year against the Georgia-based MLS giants, scoring the opener and contributing to the winner.
Coach McAuley, when asked if beating an MLS side felt better given the club’s off-field situation, just laughed and said “maybe.” But the coach was also quick to point out that his coaching experience has put him on both sides of the fence.
“I’ve coached in MLS against lower-division teams and I’ve coached in the Championship in England playing in the FA Cup. I’ve been a player on both sides, as well. My advice to players is that it's not easy for both sides. There’s stress and anxiety on both sides.” And while his upcoming Semifinal matchup with four-time Open Cup Champions Sporting Kansas City (LIVE and FREE on Apple TV on Aug. 27th at 8pm ET) will put him in the underdog role, he admits he’d much rather be the favorite.
“I’d much rather be on the team with Lionel Messi and Ronaldo and all them,” the coach said with a chuckle. “They’ve got a slightly better chance.”
McAuley has kept his team loose. He’s got the players focused on what they can control: their performance. It’s that performance that’s guided them to the penultimate round of the 2024 Open Cup.
Indy Eleven, led by a spirited group of players focused on the task at hand, have turned what could have been a disheartening and unsettling series of events into the motivation to stay locked in. And one more win from their underdog’s perch will see them through to the even rarer air of an Open Cup Final.
Dan Vaughn is a veteran soccer journalist and the founder and editor of Protagonist Soccer. Follow him at @TheDanVaughn on Twitter/X.