Bay Area amateur team El Farolito’s run in the 2024 U.S. Open Cup ended when it fell to the Oakland Roots, 2-1, on an overtime goal by Ali Elmasnaouy, an 18-year-old academy signing, in his pro debut.
El Farolito, whose squad is dominated by former pros from Latin America, led on a goal by Honduran Dembor Bengtson, who scored for the third straight Open Cup game. Ilya Alekseev, another 18-year-old academy player, set up the Roots’ equalizer by Memo Diaz in first-half stoppage time.
The Lubbock Matadors, the NPSL’s other team in the third round, fell at New Mexico United, 3-1. The only remaining amateur team, Miami United FC, plays at Memphis 901 on Wednesday night.
Expansion Rhode Island FC was the only USL Championship team to fall on Tuesday, losing to USL League One’s Charlotte Independence in a shootout.
Charlotte won 5-4 on penalty kicks after the match at American Legion Memorial Stadium ended 4-4. J.C. Obregón led the Jacks with a pair of goals. They advanced to the round of 32 for the first time since 2015 when they beat MLS’s New England Revolution to reach the final 16.
Results:
Louisville City 3 Greenville Triumph 1. (Goals: Totsch 2, Harris 49, Gonzalez 90+7; Anderson 90+3.)
Detroit City FC 1 Michigan Stars 0. (Goal: Rodriguez 90+3.)
Charlotte Independence 4 Rhode Island FC 4. (Goals: Obregon pen. 26, 95, Mbuyu 45+2, Alvarez 72; McGlynn 11, Messer 45+2, Holstad 50, Turnbull 115.)
(Charlotte Independence wins 5-4 on penalty kicks.)
New Mexico United 3 Lubbock Matadors 1. (Goals: Swartz 58, Bruce 59; Akale 62; Sasaki pen. 90.)
Oakland Roots 2 El Farolito 1. (Goals: Ruiz 45+1, Elmasnaouy 98; Bengtson 12.)
interesting that only one off the teams remaining is in MLS metro area. Why? How can be that our major mets have no participation until MLS teams enter? I go to Montevideo and 18 of 20 D1 teams are there also same for D2 and D3 – there is soccer density of all levels in the city of 1.5 million. In my town – I know why more or less. What about the yours? Is is just that soccer is so new? Really?
No, it’s not interest it’s access and money. When MLS billionaires commit to $500M “fee” + $250M for a new stadium, buying off mayors and supervisors (or whatever it’s called) is just a small cost of doing business. But big city politics are complicated, expensive and time-consuming and small clubs have small budgets for that sort of expense. Plus, city land is expensive, suburban land less-so.