Minnesota United FC outlasts Sacramento Republic FC in penalties, advance in Open Cup
Loss marks second-consecutive year Republic FC have been eliminated in the Round of 32.
In the first-ever matchup between Major League Soccer side Minnesota United FC and United Soccer League (USL Championship) Sacramento Republic FC, it was the visitors who escaped Heart Health Park Tuesday night 9-8 in penalties, after both teams failed to score through regulation and extra time.
When it was all said and done, it took 12 rounds of penalty kicks (second longest in the Open Cup Modern Era) for Minnesota to advance to the Round of 16. With the win, Minnesota moves to 11-6-2 all-time in the Open Cup tournament, 4-0-1 against the USL Championship and 3-0 in Open Cup penalty shootouts.
For Republic FC, it was a difficult end to a match where they played incredibly hard, had some solid chances in the final third — especially in extra time — but just couldn’t get over the hump. For a brief moment in penalties, it was started to feel reminiscent of the penalty shootout against Sporting Kansas City in 2022 that sent the Quails to the Open Cup Final. However, this time there would be no Open Cup magic.
“I’m disappointed for the team, because I thought we deserved to win the game,” said Republic FC Manager Neill Collins. “We created the best opportunities particularly those last 15 minutes of extra time. [We] really came on strong and then in penalties, we gave ourselves two great opportunities to win it, but didn’t quite manage it.”
All things considered, Republic FC have no reason to hang their head. They gave Minnesota everything they could handle, and it was a match that could have gone either way. The backline was outstanding, led by Lee Desmond and Freddy Kleeman and midfielder Blake Willey and forward Forster Ajago also played well. Goalkeeper Danny Vitiello put in another shift between the sticks (notching five saves) and the Tower Bridge Battalion were LOUD all night, which made the atmosphere electric.
With the loss, Republic FC move to 25-10-2 all-time in the Open Cup competition and an impressive 21-4-1 at home. Despite the loss, if they can play this well moving forward in league play and get key players back like defender Jack Gurr and midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye, they should be in good shape.
The Quails return to USL Championship play on April 21 when they face newcomers Brooklyn FC on the road.