Celebrating the unique nature of the US Open Cup
The second round of the US Open Cup was completed this week as teams from across the United States competed in the American version of the FA Cup.
By James Nalton
There were numerous storylines unique to US soccer and to this competition, as the first two rounds proper played out.
As there is no promotion and relegation in US soccer, the Open Cup is unique in that it is open nationwide to teams from up and down the divisions.
It is also unique in that it is over 100 years old, benefitting from the fact it was able to continue with amateur teams amid a turbulent professional soccer landscape in the US, which has only settled this century – relatively recently in world football terms.
This year, MLS has controversially withdrawn all but eight of its teams, replacing the majority of the others with reserve sides from MLS Next Pro. This has affected the dynamic of the early rounds of the cup.
That decision from US Soccer’s only Division 1 sanctioned league in the men’s game has been part of the narrative of the 2024 tournament.
Below are a few more stories that caught the eye in the second round.
A Mexican restaurant progressed to the third round
“They were beaten by a burrito joint!” Came the barbs aimed at El Farolito’s recent opponents.
Being referred to simply as the burrito joint team could potentially be viewed as belittling El Farolito’s achievements on the field, but it is something the San Francisco-based amateur team has embraced.
They are, after all, named after the chain of Mexican restaurants in the city founded by the late Salvador Lopez, who started the amateur football team of the same name in 1985. There is something to be proud of in the club’s name and its origins.
They actually won the Open Cup in 1993, too, in the pre-MLS days when the team were temporarily known as CD Mexico.
In a world of more established and stable pro soccer following the invention of MLS in the mid-nineties, it is unlikely that a team such as El Farolito will lift the cup again, but that doesn’t stop them from competing in it and adding to the tournament’s charm
Their second round win against professional USL League One side Central Valley Fuego on Tuesday night followed a first round win against the reserve side of MLS team Portland Timbers.
Their progress has really caught the imagination of the game’s storytellers and provided some cup magic.
Union Omaha defeat Des Moines ex-pro All-Stars
The timing of the early rounds of the US Open Cup is not great for many amateur teams who don’t usually fill and finalise their squads until May.
With so many spaces in their teams and holes in their rosters, these clubs sometimes have to get creative in order to field a team so they can play these games.
Few did this more notably in the early rounds of this year’s cup than USL League Two side Des Moines Menace.
The side from Iowa drafted former US international Sacha Kljestan for their first round game against Capo FC, which they won on penalties.
He was joined in the second round by former LA Galaxy defender AJ DeLaGarza and three-time Open Cup winner and English FA Cup winner Roger Espinoza.
Their second round opponents, Union Omaha of League One played on this on social media, describing their opponents as MLS retirees as the team from neighbouring Nebraska ran out 3-1 winners.
The recruitment of such players has attracted a lot of attention to the Des Moines club, and to the cup as a whole.
New York City reserves impress in Hudson River Derby II
New York City FC’s reserve team showed the first team how it’s done with a win in the reserves version of the Hudson River Derby.
They defeated New York Red Bulls reserves 4-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Jonathan “JJ” Jiménez and promising 20-year-old Malachi Jones.
The game was played at Belson Stadium, where the New York City first team played an Open Cup game in 2022, and is built on a platform on top of garages.
Taylor Swift features 235 times in Richmond, Virginia
Every game in the first two rounds of the US Open Cup has been streamed via the websites of US Soccer, MLS, and USL.
The more relaxed, less corporate nature of the cup can be felt in its coverage, and it’s given commentators a certain amount of freedom, too.
This was something Mike Watts and Devon Kerr took full advantage of as they commentated on the game between Richmond Kickers and Maryland Bobcats on Tuesday night.
By the end of the game, the pair had incorporated the names of 235 Taylor Swift song titles into their call of the game!
Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce boosted the already high profile of the NFL. Maybe the mention of her songs during one game could do the same for the Open Cup…
The game is still available to watch back on YouTube, though viewers outside the US will need a VPN to access it.
MLS [Next Pro] upsets
The refusal of MLS to field all of its teams in this year’s competition has made the MLS Next Pro teams a new target for lower league opposition.
El Farolito’s defeat of Portland Timbers II in the first round was one of the more celebrated upsets.
In the second round, the brilliantly named Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC defeated Colorado Rapids reserves.
New York City II showed there is some interest and value in these youth/reserve teams entering the competition, and their presence has added a new dynamic to the early rounds.
This isn’t to say MLS withdrawing the majority of its teams from the tournament is a good idea — it’s not an arrangement that should be allowed to be permanent — but the magic of the cup lives on regardless.
(Cover Image from IMAGO)
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