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Orlando City and the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: A Primer

Published

11 years ago

June 17, 2015

Orlando City starts what we hope to be a long run in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tonight at 7:30 at Blackbaud Stadium, against our old USL rivals, the Charleston Battery. For many of our readers, who may not necessarily be familiar with this competition, it’s a knockout tournament similar to England’s FA Cup, with only U.S.-based teams — both amateur and professional — eligible to play.

MLS clubs enter the tournament in the fourth round, which is where we are now, after many amateur and lower level teams have already been eliminated. Orlando City’s opponent was determined by draw before Round 3 was played, and the Lions were slated to face the winner of the Charleston Battery and Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The Battery won, so here we are.

Here's a primer for tonight's match. We'll have more information later in our match preview / "how to watch" post later this afternoon, but the short version is that the game will be available to watch online on Orlando City's website or on Charleston Battery's YouTube page. It won't be on conventional TV.

How many rounds are there?

There are nine in all, but just five for MLS clubs, who start play in Round 4. It takes two wins to reach the quarterfinals from here. The quarterfinals take place in late July, with the semifinals coming in mid-August and the final in late September.

So…the winner just gets a trophy?

Well, no, not just a trophy. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has changed names over the years, but it's one of the oldest soccer competitions in the world, dating back to 1913-14, so it's kind of a big deal.

"I know how old and important this trophy is in American soccer," Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath said during yesterday's media conference call. "We want to treat this competition with respect."

How much respect? A lot. The winner of the U.S. Open Cup receives one of the four coveted U.S. spots in CONCACAF Champions League. Oh, and the winning team gets $250,000 in prize money as well.

How has Orlando City fared in the U.S. Open Cup?

Orlando City holds an all-time record of 8-4 in U.S. Open Cup play and has gone as far as the quarterfinals in 2013. The Lions defeated the Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City that year before the Chicago Fire knocked them out.

How has the Charleston Battery fared in the U.S. Open Cup?

The Battery have had great success in Cup play, reaching the tournament’s quarterfinals or beyond six times. Charleston, which is 8-12-1 all-time in Cup matches, reached the final in 2008 before falling to D.C. United and finishing second. This season, the Battery is 2-0 in Open Cup play, with both wins coming against Florida-based teams — Miami United FC and the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

Jamaican striker Dane Kelly was named Player of the Round for his performance in Round 3's win over Fort Lauderdale. Kelly scored the game-winning goal, as Charleston rallied from down 2-1 in the final 15 minutes to win, 3-2.

Will we see basically the same lineup from Orlando as we did Sunday?

Oh…Oh GOD no. Orlando City will be like many MLS teams and rest important regulars during Cup matches. Heath said very adamantly yesterday that he and the team are approaching this competition with the utmost respect. But the reality is that the fixture schedule is crowded right now, and some players need rest to stay fresh for MLS matches or simply to let nagging injuries heal up.

"Regardless of whatever lineup we put out tomorrow night, I fully expect us to win the game and progress," Heath said. "As much as I'm going to change the team tomorrow, I'm taking it very seriously."

Still, expect to see guys like Harrison Heath and Tyler Turner in the lineup, along with the return of defensive midfielder Amobi Okugo and probably Seb Hines. We’ll likely see a few regulars, just owing to numbers with guys like Cyle Larin and Darwin Ceren out, but don’t expect 90 minutes of Kaká.

What's the history between these two teams?

During their time in the USL, the Lions went 2-1-2 in Charleston and were unbeaten in nine games against the Battery in Orlando. The teams met most recently in the 2015 preseason, drawing 1-1 in a game that was significantly shortened by weather and pitch conditions. Brek Shea scored on a header off a Kaká cross for Orlando, but Navion Boyd equalized for Charleston in a match that lasted all of 26 minutes back on Feb. 25. Boyd’s goal was effectively the last action of the game, as the lightning and rain moved in at that point. Shea hasn’t scored for his club since that goal.

Are there any roster limitations?

As a U.S.-centric tournament, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has restrictions on using international players. Each team may dress only five foreign players for Cup matches. This can be problematic for a team like Orlando City, which relies heavily on international players. A few will have to sit.

What if it's a draw?

If the teams are tied after 90 minutes, they will play 30 minutes of extra time, similar to how World Cup knockout round matches are played. If there is still no winner after 120 minutes, penalty kicks will be used to determine which team advances.

Does this count in the standings?

No, the U.S. Open Cup is a separate competition and there won't be any points added to Orlando City's total should they win. If the Lions prevail, their fifth-round opponent will be determined via draw, as will the game's location.

Where and who will Orlando City play if they win?

There will be a drawing Thursday to determine the Round 5 match-ups. Provided Orlando City gets past Charleston, we'll bring you that information as soon as it's available. The date would be June 30 or July 1.

Who won it last year?

Seattle Sounders FC won their fourth U.S. Open Cup with a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union. The teams were tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes but Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins found the net in extra time at PPL Park in Chester, PA. So, we know there will be no repeat this year, as the Sounders lost to rival Portland last night. Dempsey got mad and ripped up the referee’s book, so…yeah, no repeat.

Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 144: Gotham Rewind, Seattle Preview, and More

The Pride finished their home schedule with a loss to Gotham and hope to finish their road schedule with a win in Seattle.

Published

1 week ago

October 28, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Solai Washington running onto a ball behind the Gotham defense.

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.

Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More

The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.

Published

1 month ago

September 30, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Jacquie Ovalle dribbling toward the Bay FC defense.

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.

We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.

Here’s how Episode 140 went down:

0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.

20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.

33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 months ago

July 22, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Our most recent PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!