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.
