Sacramento Republic’s U.S. Open Cup Final Appearance Is A Boost For American Soccer

Sacramento Republic FC of the USL Championship will be looking to cause one of the biggest upsets in United States soccer history on Wednesday night when they face Major League Soccer side Orlando City SC in the final of the U.S. Open Cup.

The USL Championship is the country’s second-tier league, as sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, behind the top-tier MLS, so this final is the equivalent of an English Championship team playing a Premier League side in the English FA Cup final.

Themselves coached by an Englishman, Mark Briggs, Sacramento Republic has become part of a growing soccer movement that is rumbling below the surface in American soccer, where clubs are closely linked to their communities, boast passionate support, and are beginning to thrive in niche soccer hotbeds, including California’s capital city.

First contested in 1913/14, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the longest-running soccer competition in the country, and one of the oldest in the world.

It had run for 106 consecutive years until the coronavirus pandemic prevented lower league participation in 2020 and 2021. Rather than hold the tournament with just the top-tier teams, the competition was paused for the first time ever.

Since the inaugural season of MLS in 1996, the Open Cup has only once been won by a non-MLS team—Rochester Rhinos in 1999—and on only two other occasions have non-MLS teams made it to the final—Rochester Rhinos in 1996 and Charleston Battery in 2008.

In a country where true regional-to-national competition is rare due to the franchise system and lack of promotion and relegation, the Open Cup is a vital part of the soccer landscape.

“We love the open nature of the U.S. Open Cup and how it pits teams from different leagues and levels against one another,” says Sacramento Republic’s general manager, Todd Dunivant.

“It is very unique in that way and is a very interesting concept for the fans. It’s a chance for upsets and David versus Goliath stories, which everyone can relate to.

“Playing against teams you are not accustomed to facing is interesting for the fans, the players, and the coaches.

“The tournament has the potential to grow in interest and excitement, especially as there are more upsets and more notable stories.”

It’s for the reasons Dunivant states that the U.S. Open Cup could be the most attractive American soccer tournament to a global soccer-watching public if made more widely available to watch and marketed properly.

The locations are varied, the team names and stadia are quirky and often distinctly American, and the supporters’ groups range in size but all are passionate and have their own stories to tell. Even if some of the clubs are relatively young, there is more history to American soccer and its support than meets the eye.

There is a mixture of European and Latin American influences in the fan culture of many of these teams—a cross between England, Germany and Argentina, even if on a smaller scale than those heavyweights of the soccer world. These clubs that engage with their community, rather than view them solely as a market, will naturally attract fans.

“This is a team that people would like to get behind,” says Sacramento Republic head coach, Briggs. “This is a team that is humble, that is genuine.

“Most players are from humble beginnings and I think you can see that in all of their play.

“There’s a never-say-die attitude from every single one of them, and they show that indomitable spirit which people can really get behind and really support because that’s the underdog mentality. We’ve shown that from round one all the way to the final.”

The Sacramento side started their cup run with a 6-0 win against Portland Timbers U23s, an indication early on in the piece of MLS’s attempts at ubiquity in American soccer.

Sacramento has had its own brush with MLS, having been in the running for a future expansion team. As the narrative Gods would have it, they were pencilled in to begin play in MLS this season, but the coronavirus pandemic saw the bid delayed before it eventually petered out.

There’s an increasing feeling that teams below MLS can thrive on their own terms, in their own leagues, and with a fanbase and community that is engaged regardless of perceived league status. This is what Sacramento have done in the U.S. Open Cup this year.

“It gives credit—it gives respect to the USL and the USL Championship in particular,” Briggs says of the importance of this cup run.

“That gap is closing between MLS and USL and the league is evolving. The league is growing.

“There are fantastic facilities, fantastic stadiums now, and the level of player is of a high quality, so it gives a lot of respect and a lot of credit to the great work that’s going on within our league at the USL headquarters.”

Sacramento went on to defeat Fresno-based USL1 side Central Valley Fuego in the third round thanks to a penalty in added time from captain Rodrigo López, and then knocked out fellow USL Championship team Phoenix Rising before their run of games against MLS sides began.

The first big name to be dispatched was San Jose Earthquakes in the last 16, before one of the biggest names in MLS, LA Galaxy, was seen off in the quarterfinals in Carson.

A semifinal at home against Sporting Kansas City was to be the most momentous, memorable moment so far, especially given that by this time Sacramento knew they would not be hosting the final should they make it. It was a more than fitting send-off.

They kept the favourites at bay all game, eventually winning a penalty shootout in stylish fashion, where a Panenka from Maalique Foster and another López winner from the spot were among the highlights.

Sacramento Republic’s progress to the 2022 final is all the more impressive because it has come at a time when MLS is arguably stronger than ever.

Throughout the league, MLS boasts a host of star names from Europe, exciting young talents from North and South America, and a handful of teams who are interesting in the context of world football, not just American soccer. On top of this, one of its clubs, Seattle Sounders, is the current Concacaf Champions League holder.

Orlando City will play their part. A David versus Goliath story needs both characters, and Orlando supporters will be even more determined to see their team emerge victorious as most of the attention has, naturally, been on their underdog opponents.

Reports of Orlando City staff looking in on a Sacramento Republic training session has only added to the drama, and all of this combined should create a unique atmosphere at Exploria Stadium.

Sacramento Republic’s cup run has been good for the game in America. Football [of the association kind] has been the winner, as the old adage would state.

Regardless of how the Californian club get on in Florida on Wednesday night, getting to the final is itself a big achievement, not just for the club, but also for a growing undercurrent emerging in American soccer.