Late penalty kick puts Sacramento Republic into round of 32 in US Open Cup

Sacramento Republic advanced to the round of 32 in the U.S. Open Cup by knocking off Central Valley Fuego 2-1 Wednesday night at Heart Health Park.

Midfielder Rodrigo Lopez netted his 50th all-time goal on a penalty kick in the 94th minute to finally push the Quails past Central Valley.

Sacramento dominated the lower-division USL team, with Republic putting 11 shots on goal to Central Valley’s one. In the first half, Dan Casey headed home a goal for Sacramento in the 32nd minute off a pass from Rodrigo Lopez to put Sacramento up 1-0. But Central Valley stuck around and Renato Bustamante scored in the 78th minute to tie the game and put Sacramento in danger of getting knocked out of the tournament.

In a draw Thursday morning, Sacramento drew Phoenix for the next round of the tournament. Republic will host Phoenix, another USL team, either May 10 or 11.

Sacramento returns to USL play Saturday night with a road game against Rio Grande Valley.

This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 7:24 AM.