Be part of history! Here's how to join the watch party for SacRepublic's biggest game ever
Sacramento (Sep. 06, 2022) - The Sacramento Republic is making a historic run in the Lamar U.S. Open Cup, and is now just one win away from being the first USL team to win in more than 20 years.
On Wednesday, September 7, at 8 p.m. Eastern time /5 p.m. Pacific, Sacramento Republic FC will be in Florida looking to upset Major League Soccer’s Orlando City SC in the final match of the oldest soccer tournament in the United States.
The official watch party will be at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center. The event is free but does require an RSVP. Doors will open at 4 P.M. Seeing as how this is such an important moment in Sacramento sports history, Mayor Darrell Steinberg is providing an official excuse note for anyone looking to leave work a little early to make sure they can attend the watch party.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg and staff at the US Open Cup Quarterfinal against the San Jose Earthquakes.
The visiting team section of Exploria Stadium, home of Orlando City SC, sold out in a matter of hours to Sacramento fans able to travel in support of the club. The watch party in Sacramento is expected to draw a crowd of 7,000 to 10,000.
Mayor Steinberg has also engaged in a friendly wager with Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando on the outcome of the match between the two soccer clubs. Mayor Dyer’s challenge comes in two parts: the losing team will fly the winning team’s flag over City Hall for a day, and the losing mayor will donate to the winning soccer team’s charity. Mayor Steinberg won a similar bet with Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose during the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
The U.S. Open Cup started in 1913 and pits teams from all levels of play against each other. This year’s tournament started out with a whopping 103 teams. Typically the MLS teams with the bigger budgets and the stronger rosters make deeper runs. The Republic have already made history by being the first USL team to make the Open Cup final since 2008. The last two USL teams to make the final were the Charleston Battery in 2008 and the Rochester Rhinos who won it all in 1999. This is also the first Open Cup Final in three years since the 2020 and 2021 tournaments were cancelled due to the pandemic.
