It wasn’t the colossal underdog who made history in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup final, but a breakthrough was made nevertheless.
Orlando City captured its first trophy as an MLS club and clinched its first Concacaf Champions League berth ever, pouncing on USL Championship’s Sacramento Republic in the final stages of Wednesday night’s final to win 3–0 and secure the title. It was players on the opposite ends of the MLS spectrum, a Designated Player and a homegrown hero, who combined to make the decisive impact, with Uruguayan international Facundo Torres’s two goals and Benji Michel’s assist, drawn penalty and goal off the bench accounting for the scoring.
The match’s buildup had it all, but the game itself was lacking until the final quarter of an hour, when Sacramento, the first non-MLS finalist since 2008 (Charleston Battery) had its bid to become the first non-MLS Open Cup champion since 1999 (Rochester Rhinos) unravel.
Sacramento defender Dan Casey committed a turnover in the back under pressure from Iván Angulo, and Michel followed by laying it off for Torres for the first-time finish from 18 yards out.
A mere few minutes later, Casey conceded a penalty for a harsh challenge from behind on Michel, and Torres converted to all but clinch the title. That was cemented in stoppage time, when Michel got the goal his performance deserved.
This 107th U.S. Open Cup final, which capped the tournament’s return after two cancelled editions due to the pandemic, was rife with subplots. Sacramento’s underdog run was underscored by its history with attempting to become an MLS franchise, with what appeared to be a sure thing falling apart in February 2021. It’s Open Cup quest wound up having an underlying “if you can’t join them, beat them” theme to it, and up until Torres’s opener, an unlikely title that would have been revered in the California capital remained a realistic possibility.
Sacramento had never trailed in any of its matches in the competition (Portland Timbers U-23s, Central Valley Fuego FC, Phoenix Rising FC, San Jose Earthquakes, LA Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City) until conceding 75 minutes in at Exploria Stadium, and it had the match’s best chance up until that point, with Maalique Foster, the semifinal PK showman, delivering a left-footed shot that whizzed just wide right of the post in the 22nd minute.
Beyond the rare inter-league final, there were SpyGate allegations on the eve of the final, with Sacramento accusing Orlando of having a staffer snoop on its training session, according to ESPN.
The match proceeded as planned and without disruption though, and it resulted in a second title for Orlando manager Óscar Pareja, who previously won with FC Dallas in 2016, and a first for a club that was for so long a doormat in MLS. It missed the playoffs its first five seasons in the league, seasons that included the likes of Kaká suiting up in Orlando purple. The last two seasons have seen the club take steps forward—and importantly, steps toward stability. And while skeptics may point out that Orlando didn’t have to leave home for the entirety of its Open Cup run (Tampa Bay Rowdies, Philadelphia Union, Inter Miami, Nashville SC, New York Red Bulls and Sacramento were all beaten in Orlando), getting to the finish line is an accomplishment nevertheless.
“Just getting this first trophy is important,” Pareja told ESPN after the match.
A potential third straight playoff berth and a run in the CCL await, but first comes a celebration that the Lions have been desiring for the entirety of their MLS existence.
