Seeing Colorado on both of those lists makes me now wonder which MLS team has the worst record against lower division sides, and lost the most times to a lower division side. I really shouldn't think of these questions when I can't research it myself!
Houston used to lose at the Charleston Battery what seemed like almost every year. Once we built the stadium in 2012 we started playing almost all the games at home and we haven't lost to a lower division team at home. I think the Dynamo are now 12-4 on advancement against lower division teams all-time. I'm not doing the whole league.
Now that I think about it (and thanks to SccrDon), I think Austin is at the bottom of one of those heaps with a 0-1 record.
I've done no research, but I suspect it is Colorado. It feels like we get knocked out by a lower league team at the first chance every year.
Crew won the cup in 2002 but since the start of the Berhalter era have blown it off. We've lost to lots of lower division sides including Dayton Dutch Lions. This year we went out in our first game, at Detroit.
11 out of the 26 competitions of the USOC since the Rapids were founded they've been knocked out by a lower league team. In 6 of those 26 years the Rapids didn't make it to the USOC proper, failing to qualify through MLS. So 55% of the time the Rapids have been knocked out of the USOC proper by a lower-league team. Colorado is 9-11 all-time against lower-league teams in the USOC.
Very disappointed at the epic Red Bull meltdown after being so close. But I guess it's just another one to add to the ash heap. So disappointed at seeing Red Bull fold time and time and time again in this tournament. Does Red Bull understand that winning this tournament is an automatic entrance ticket to CCL? I know the players tried out there and were simply out classed by a better team in the middle of heat and humidity down in Florida. It's just the accumulated years of frustration talking and remembering all the times throughout the years when the Red Bull organization didn't take the tournament seriously.
Orlando is not a better team than Red Bulls though. Orlando has benefitted in this years tournament from playing ALL of their games at home. They played Philly, when Philly had just played a late night game in LA (11PM EST KO) three days earlier. This last round they played The Red Bulls who just played a game on Sunday in Austin, TX in 100+ degree heat. Playing all or most of your cup games at home in this tourney goes a very long way towards being successful in it.
Quarterfinal and Semifinal analysis: Home teams went 5-1 on advancement in these rounds. They are now 71-30 for the tournament. Advancement by affiliation: USL-C 2-0 MLS 4-5 USL-1 0-1 There were, of course, a lot of MLS v MLS games. Cumulative for the tournament so far: MLS 36-24 MLSNP 3-2 USL-1 14-11 USL-C 25-22 NPSL 7-10 USL-2 6-10 NISA 5-10 Local Qualifiers 5-12 MLS teams went 1-2 against lower division opponents in these rounds, 20-8 for the entire tournament so far.
Newtex with the receipts: Actually makes me feel just a little sad. That makes the Cup more about luck than on the field skill. That said, leading up to the final, Orlando has a tough series of Sun/Wed/Sun games: 8/28: Hosting NYC 8/31: Hosting Seattle 9/4: At Miami Sacramento's is lighter, two Saturday games, the second (conveniently?) on the road, east: 8/27: Hosting Oakland 9/3: At Louisville
And it gets worse the closer you look. Of those 30 road wins so far: 10 were by MLS teams: 3 over USL-C, 3 over USL-1, 2 over NISA, and only 2 over other MLS teams. 6 were losses by MLS teams: those 2 MLS losses, 3 losses to USL-1, and only 1 loss to a USL-C team. Union Omaha by themselves had a third of these wins. Basically, the home team is very likely to advance. Unless it is an MLS team at a lower division team. Which is probably obvious.
Doing a quick scan of the MLS standings, it seems like this is way better than how teams are doing in the regular season.
I was probably using "win" or "lose" too loosely. The Open Cup stats are based on advancement or non-advancement. Some of those games might be been ties if that was an option.
Tough road for Sac. Oakland is That Team They Can't Beat, and Republic's probably gonna put the B-team out on the field and get zorched by LVL.
MLS has moved the MIA-ORL match, originally scheduled for September 4th, to October 5th. Let's see if USL-C reciprocates. https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/orlando-city-sc-game-moved-in-anticipation-of-2022-us-open-cup-final
IMO, that's ridiculous. 3 days is more than enough time to prepare for a home game. The league didn't move New York's game in Austin prior to the Cup Semifinal to accommodate them. The league didn't move Philly's game against LAFC that took place less than 3 days earlier prior to their USOC game against Orlando.... Orlando was going to play in Miami on the 4th originally.....that's not a long road trip.
In case your forgot (like I did), the final will be carried on ESPN+ Thanks Newtex for the regular updates during the tournament
I mean I get why it's a big deal to Sacramento, but there's a reason even the final isn't being picked up for cable TV....just can't get excited for one of these two teams to be bounced out of the CCL by a Caribbean/Central American team in the first round.