One of the appeals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup; the David vs. Goliath factor.
For a lower division team that calls a league like USL, the National Independent Soccer Association, or any other American lower division league home, it is their one shining moment. The opportunity to knock out an MLS club, win a trophy, collect $300,000, and participate in the CONCACAF Champions League is not something these clubs take lightly. It is the game circled on its calendar, the game you train extra hard for, hoping for that one shot to gain some notoriety.
All that was the mindset for Sacramento Republic FC as they made the trek south to Carson to face the LA Galaxy in the quarterfinals of the USOC, and the glass slipper fit perfectly for Sacramento on Wednesday night. With goals from Rodrigo Lopez and Luis Felipe, Sacramento pulled off the upset and advanced to the semifinals, leaving Dignity Health Sports Park with the 2-1 win.
“It’s a great moment for Sacramento,” Lopez said. “We’ve made history once again and we’re not done,”
Sacramento surprised the Galaxy just three minutes into the match. Jack Gurr played a ball to Keko, who then immediately touched a ball forward to Douglas Martinez down the right side. Martinez crossed into the penalty area and Lopez one-timed a shot past keeper Jonathan Klinsmann near post to stake the Republic to the lead.
The Galaxy got back into the match in the 18th minute with a little help from Sacramento themselves. A volley from Raheem Edwards was parried over the end line by keeper Danny Vitiello. Efrain Alvarez sent a corner into the six-yard box, where it glanced off the shoulder of Republic defender Conor Donovan and into the back net for a Sacramento own goal, which tied the game.
However, was Sacramento, not the Galaxy that were the consistent aggressors throughout the match. The Republic came close to regaining the lead in the 50th minute, as Les Desmond headed a corner kick for the far post, only to see the ball bounce off said back post. Sacramento regained possession, and Matt LaGrassa took a shot inside the box, but his attempt floated over goal. Then, in the 70th minute, Sacramento dealt another surprise blow to the Galaxy, as Felipe unleashed a left-footed volley from about 30 yards out that bounced past Klinsmann at the far post that put Republic FC back in front.
“There’s disappointment for sure,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said. “I think for the group, we’ve talked about this being something that we wanted to go for. And that was something important. And part of it was for the experiences like we had tonight. And, okay, it didn’t go our way, but this is what it feels like to lose in a knockout game.”
While Sacramento awaits its next opponent, the Galaxy will try to bounce back on Saturday with a road match against another Northern California team, the San Jose Earthquakes.
LA Galaxy
Western Conference
