Sacramento Republic is heading to the US Open Cup championship. Here’s who they face
Sacramento Republic’s dream for a championship is alive thanks to the sure hands of Danny Vitiello and right leg of Rodrigo Lopez.
Sacramento beat Sporting Kansas City 5-4 in penalty kicks on Wednesday night to advance to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final. Vitiello saved Kansas City’s fifth kick and Lopez went right to send Sacramento to the championship.
Sacramento Republic is the first United League Soccer Championship team to reach the Open Cup final since 2008, when Charleston Battery made it that far.
“It’s what happens all around the world,” Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes said after the game. “I don’t know why it would be different here in the United States. It’s not the first time a lower-division team has played and made it into a final. It’s normal. It happens around the world. This is why this cup is such a great competition. I think it’s an awesome competition, personally speaking. I’ve always thought it was. I loved playing in it as a player and I love coaching in it. Congratulations to Sacramento. They played hard. They fought for everything. They were throwing their bodies around. They were blocking shots. They worked really hard in the game so congratulations to them.”
The Quails will face Orlando City SC on Sept. 7 in the championship game. Tickets for the game in Sunshine State are set to go on sale Friday.
Orlando City is making their first US Open Cup finals appearance. They beat the New York Red Bulls 5-1 earlier in the evening Wednesday. This is the second time Orlando has competed in a championship game. Orlando finished second at the MLS is Back Tournament in 2020 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando.
The five goals scored by Orlando is the most they have scored all season and the most they have scored since scoring five against the San Jose Earthquakes last June.
“The importance of the game goes beyond taking the club to another final, which is super for our fans and what we’re achieving means for the city,” Orlando City SC coach Oscar Pareja said in a news release. “We’re working hard, the boys are doing a lot in trying to be more polished on the finishing, creating more sequences and volume (in the attack). Today is a great reward for them. We’ll keep our heads in the right place, try to be more consistent and score those goals that will give us points. Tonight we want to enjoy this great moment for our fans and for our club, taking the club to a second final, and hopefully we can give them this trophy.”
Orlando became an MLS franchise in 2015. They became the 21st franchise in the league. The club’s first MLS came against New York, the team they beat in the US Open Cup semifinals.
This season in MLS play, Ercan Kara leads Orlando in scoring with seven goals. Facundo Torres has scored four goals and Alexandre Pato has three.
On the route to the championship game, Sacramento has knocked off three MLS teams in the San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Galaxy and Kansas City. The Quails will look to make it a fourth in September.
This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 4:44 AM.