History time

Soccer in America has something of a complicated past. One need only to read the myriad of articles by Dan Creel to fully grasp the complicated history, dip your toes ever so slightly and you’ll realize that MLS isn’t the first show in town. Some may recall the days of the OG NASL, a fast and loose story of Americans looking to cash in on the world’s game, but rewind just a tad bit more and you’ll find one competition that embodies it all. Controversy, perseverance, David v Goliath, and even a little international relations.

I am, of course, referring to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Cup has outlived the ever increasing slate of professional (and amateur) soccer leagues that have graced the United States. Providing an avenue for all professional and amateur clubs in the United States to show their stuff - a competition won by renowned clubs such as Bethelhem Steel, Brooklyn Italians, Greek American AA, Philidelphia Ukrainians, and more recently clubs such as the Seattle Sounders. Speaking of the Sounders, that brings us to the importance of the most recent US Open Cup.

The introduction of the MLS led to a new era of US Open Cup play, one dominated by the newly established first division. One club stands alone to challenge that record, the Rochester Raging Rhino... sorry, the Rochester New York FC (as they are now known), won the cup in 1999. Back then the Rhinos (as I will refer to them), played in the second division A League, and managed to best the Colorado rapids 2-0. Since then, only one non-MLS club has managed to make the final, Charleston Battery in 2008, losing 2-1 to D.C. United. Fourteen years later we have been graced by another Cinderella story.

Sacramento Republic of the USL Championship made the final by way of besting three MLS clubs and, in doing so, provided a sense of hope. This sense of hope was something all lower league soccer fans crave, a chance to prove that there is more to the landscape of United States soccer than just MLS. Particularly for Sacramento, who up until recently were remarkably close themselves to a MLS bid (until the new ownership for which the bid was contingent on fell apart), this was a chance to prove their ability. I was lucky enough to be there for the match, and now that I have provided an excruciatingly long preamble, I will dive into what the match was like.

Prematch

Upon arrival you could tell something was different about this match, first off, it was a Wednesday, which is not typically an easy day to get fans to pack a stadium. That didn’t stop the fans in Orlando, and a Cohort of traveling Sacramento fans. Although it wasn’t announced towards the end of the match, it was clear to see that this was a sellout. I should mention that a sellout is something of a new phenomenon in a cup that has been neglected by fans. Was this due to the circumstance of a second division club’s chance at greatness? Maybe, maybe not, but whatever the case the atmosphere was exactly what this competition deserved. As if the media coverage for a second division team making the final wasn’t enough we were blessed with a little added drama by news of alleged spying on Sacramento Republic’s training by Orlando. This news, although concerning, did not end up amounting to much unfortunately so back to the match. The Orlando supporters' section was full of life, (4) capos leading the charge and even paying homage to the USL Orlando City days with a tifo featuring both the MLS and USL crests. Kickoff was at 8, and it was apparent that fans had been preparing for this all day (or at least as soon as the clock hit 5PM) as was evident by the wonderful variety of empty beer / seltzer cans outside the stadium.

The stadium, as someone who grew up watching New England Revolution matches, was a sight for sore eyes. One can complain about MLS for a variety of reason, but you really can’t complain about their push towards soccer-specific stadiums, and Exploria Stadium is no outlier. The combination of the light drizzle illuminated by the lights, the standing supporters section chanting in unison, and the obligatory Bad Bunny track playing over the loudspeaker felt right. As I mentioned, I grew up going to New England Revolution matches at maybe a quarter full Gillette Stadium. So this, this was a reminder that we have come a long ways and I was here for it.

Kickoff

After some obligatory fireworks, and genuinely whoever sells fireworks in Orlando must be making a killing when you factor in theme parks + city events + sporting events, the game got off to a start. Sacramento appeared a little hesitant early on, playing in their own half for at least the first ten minutes. Hesitancy did not preclude them from playing hard though, the Sacramento defensive strategy certainly riled up the Orlando supporters through their use of hard tackles. The Orlando Supporters were quick to yell at the refs, but considering the lack of shots on target for the first half they should have been yelling at their own team.

Things changed dramatically once the game clock hit the 20th minute, Sacramento pushed into the Orlando half and showed confidence in their ability to continue to attack. This was made possible by Sacramento’s consistency in utilizing their midfield to win balls in open play and quickly push up field. The 30s were when the match calmed down a bit, Orlando did not press as much as one would have expected and Sacramento was able to play possession in a way they had been denied earlier on. One thing to note of the 30s was a slight blunder in the Sacramento box that almost handed Orlando a chance to open the scoring, this served as a bit of warning for things to com. As the clock ticked towards the close of the first half this game did not look like a competition between clubs of vastly different levels, Sacramento was holding their own and through a quick glance of social media at the time you could tell that was what everyone was thinking.

Once the whistle for halftime was blown I took the opportunity to note that the stadium had a bit of a strange smell to it, I don’t really have much else to say about that but I thought I would include it to really build the immersive experience. Other than more Bad Bunny, halftime was mostly run of the mill.

The second half kicked off almost exactly as the first half, the supporters continued with their ever present chanting, and at one point were slightly reprimanded for their language by the club itself with a suggested family friendly replacement for one of their chants on the jumbotron. Around the 60th minute the tone started to change, Orlando were really going for Sacramento’s throat, it felt like the first 10 minutes all over again. This was also when the ref started to throw the cards around, with both Sacramento and Orlando shown yellows in the 69th and 74th minutes respectively. The first goal of the match was scored in the 75th minute for Orlando, scored by Facundo Torres leading the home support going absolutely wild. For a neutral, and full disclosure a Tampa Bay Rowdies supporter, this did not feel good for Sacramento. Barely 6 minutes later Facundo Torres found the net again via a penalty goal thanks to some bad communication and brash defensive play on Sacramento’s part. At this point it started to feel like any chance of a romantic end to this story had vanished, Sacramento had less than 10 minutes to turn things around. Sacramento tried, but as a result of their desperation Orlando tacked another goal on in the 96th minute closing out the match.

Fans celebrate with Orlando City players.

Post-Match Pancakes

Sure fans of lower league soccer took this loss hard, but in reality Sacramento put on a very commendable performance, and that extended to the trophy celebration during which the Sacramento players provided a guard of honor as the Orlando players walked up to the stage. Class on and off the pitch. As the post match celebrations continued I took note of the fact that there were at least 15 different national flags being displayed on the pitch and around the stadium, a reminder that this truly is the world’s game. At this point I’d also like to state that this is only Florida’s second club to win the Open Cup, the first being the St. Petersburg Kickers, winners of the 1989 cup who went on to participate in the CONCACAF Champions League iteration of the time in which after beating New York Greek Americans they only lost 1-0 to Club America, the eventual winner.

At this point I’d like to close out my story with a bit of a comparison. Like the Denny’s pancakes I ate after the game it wasn’t exactly the result I wanted but it was still quite fulfilling and left me feeling content. I think that’s exactly what any lower league soccer fan should be thinking, sure it was a loss but at the end of the day it was a match to be proud of.

- Cameron Reed