US Open Cup Final Breakdown: Orlando City vs Sacramento Republic

Now, as the countdown to Wednesday night"s US Open Cup Final (8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT, ESPN+) reaches its final hours, league play is the furthest thing from the minds of MLS side Orlando City SC and their opponents, USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC.

At stake: The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Trophy and the right to be called the new champion of the tournament.

First US Open Cup Final Since 2019 To Be Held Wednesday in Orlando

Wednesday"s match is noteworthy as this year"s US Open Cup Final is the first time that the championship game of America"s longest-running soccer tournament will be played in three years, with the 2020 and 2021 versions each canceled before a single ball was kicked due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the first times that the tournament had been completely canceled for any reason.

Before the 2021 US Open Cup was eventually scrapped, the US Soccer Federation initially promised that all 100 clubs that would have featured in the previous year"s event would be invited back, before a subsequent reduction to 24 teams took place.

Prior to the cancellation of the 2020 US Open Cup (which was initially delayed by the virus), the tournament had not been stopped in a century, when the 1918 through 1920 versions of the competition were affected by the Spanish flu pandemic.

The Road to the Championship Went Through Exploria Stadium This Year

Orlando"s Exploria Stadium will welcome a capacity crowd on Wednesday night for the US Open Cup Final, marking the sixth consecutive home match that the venue is scheduled to host during this year"s event.

Exploria Stadium secured hosting rights for all six of these games after having won first priority to hold the matches through a draw ahead of previous rounds of the tournament, with Orlando City hosting Wednesday"s final if the team had advanced to it.

One can expect Orlando to have a major home-field advantage during the US Open Cup Final, given the fact that this match will be sold out and that the Lions have gone 5-0 so far in this tournament, something that isn"t lost on Luis Muzzi, Orlando City SC Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager.

“It"s great to see a group of players that committed; it"s all credit to them how they united," Muzzi said. “You can"t really plan that. It"s great to see it coming together from the players."

Orlando City"s Road to the US Open Cup Final

Orlando City SC began its US Open Cup run in the competition"s third round on the night of April 20, scoring a 2-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship.

Although the Rowdies held the Lions scoreless for more than a half of play, Tampa Bay conceded a penalty kick in the 52nd minute of the contest, which was converted by striker Alexandre Pato to give Orlando a 1-0 lead.

The Lions extended their advantage to 2-0 during the 63rd minute of play thanks to a goal by midfielder Junior Urso, and though Tampa Bay cut the lead in half with a 65th-minute tally from forward Lucky Mkosana, it was enough to see Orlando through to the round of 32.

On May 16, Orlando played host to the Philadelphia Union, handing the Pennsylvania side a rare loss this season, 2-1.

Just like in the third-round contest against Tampa Bay, Philadelphia kept Orlando City SC off of the scoreboard for more than a half of play, but forward Ercan Kara broke the deadlock in the 54th minute with a goal to give the Lions a 1-0 advantage, quickly upped to 2-0 in the 57th minute of action from midfielder Andres Perea.

Philadelphia trimmed the Lions" advantage in half with a 77th-minute tally by defender Stuart Findlay, now of Oxford United FC in League One, to close the scoring.

Successive Penalty Shootouts Send Orlando To Semis, Blow Out New York en Route to Final

Orlando City SC"s matches in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals of this year"s US Open Cup had a common thread: Both were decided by penalties after 120 minutes of play weren"t enough.

During the May 25 round of 16 contest against Inter Miami CF, it took until extra time for the scoring to open, with a 94th-minute goal by midfielder Jean Mota, giving Miami a 1-0 lead before Orlando winger Facundo Torres tied the match, forcing penalty kicks, with Orlando taking the shootout 4-2.

Nashville SC awaited Orlando City in the quarterfinal round of the US Open Cup, with the road team grabbing a 1-0 advantage during the 52nd minute from midfielder Hany Mukhtar ahead of the tying goal by defender Rodrigo Schlegel to necessitate penalties for the second match in a row.

Orlando advanced 6-5 on penalties to draw the New York Red Bulls in the semifinals, eliminating them 5-1, thanks to a brace from Cesar Araujo.

Sacramento Republic FC"s Road To the US Open Cup Final: Six Wins, Three Shutouts, Three Against MLS Foes

As a USL Championship side, Sacramento Republic FC entered this year"s US Open Cup in the second round of the competition, a run that"s been nothing short of spectacular ever since.

Of the six victories that Sacramento has tallied ahead of the US Open Cup Final, three were shutouts, beginning with the second-round match against Capital FC (then the Portland Timbers" under-23 team), a 6-0 thrashing back on April 7.

Sacramento then drew Central Valley Fuego of USL League One during round three, besting the Fresno side, 2-1 on April 20.

Defender Dan Casey opened the scoring with a 44th-minute goal, and while the visitors tied the game in the 78th minute with a tally by forward Renato Bustamante, midfielder Rodrigo Lopez won the game for Sacramento with a 95th-minute penalty.

2-0 Wins Twice Over Yield To Quarterfinal Berth

Sacramento Republic FC entered the round of 32 on the night of May 11, where they took on fellow USL Championship Side Phoenix Rising FC and posted a 2-0 shutout victory on the strength of a 30th-minute goal from midfielder Luis Felipe Fernandes and an 88th-minute tally by striker Douglas Martinez to send the home team to the round of 16.

Just like the old adage goes: “Second verse, same as the first," as Sacramento eliminated the San Jose Earthquakes with a second consecutive 2-0 shutout on May 25.

Fernandes found the net again in the 28th minute, while Lopez bagged his second goal of the tournament in the 83rd minute.

High Drama in Quarters and Semis Puts Sacramento in US Open Cup Final

June 21 brought the US Open Cup Quarterfinals and a road game against the LA Galaxy.

In the fourth minute of play, Rodrigo Lopez scored his third tally of the competition, but even though Sacramento defender Conor Donovan put the ball into his own net in the 18th minute, Luis Felipe Fernandes bailed him out in the 80th minute to see the visitors through to the semifinal on July 27, where Sacramento Republic FC battled through 120 scoreless minutes with Sporting Kansas City before finally advancing to the US Open Cup Final, 5-4 on penalties.

US Open Cup Final Controversy? …And Final Thoughts

Upon Orlando City SC clinching a berth in the US Open Cup Final, Major League Soccer postponed the match between the Lions and Inter Miami scheduled for Sept. 4 to give the home team a week of rest, with the game rescheduled for Oct. 5, the penultimate match of the regular season for both teams.

The same could not be said for Sacramento Republic"s Sept. 3 match at Louisville City FC, which went on as scheduled and ended in a 3-1 defeat for the road side.

How much will a loss in league play factor into Sacramento"s performance?

Regardless of what happens on Wednesday, this will be a history-making match.

If Orlando wins, it"s their first trophy, and if Sacramento wins, it"ll be the first time a club outside of MLS wins the US Open Cup Final since 1999, with the winner clinching an automatic spot in next year"s CONCACAF Champions League.

One certainty: It"s going to be interesting to watch.

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