2026 US Open Cup Semifinals Preview: After World Cup delay, final four ready to square off

After a long summer break for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2026 U.S.  Open Cup is ready to resume.

On one side you have two former Open Cup Champions looking for another title in the Columbus Crew and Orlando City SC.

On the other, St. Louis CITY seeks to restore Open Cup glory to a city that once was a regular participant in the Final. Their opponents are the Colorado Rapids, a team trying to reach the Final for the first time since 1999, and put an end to years of Open Cup failure.

SEPTEMBER 16
Columbus Crew SC (MLS)
vs.
Orlando City SC (MLS)
ScottsMiracle-Gro Field – Columbus, OH
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
WATCH: Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network

The Columbus Crew, looking to return to the Open Cup Final for the first time in 17 years and claim their first championship since 2002, host Orlando City SC, a club who won the Open Cup in their one-and-only championship game appearance in 2022.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

Orlando and Columbus met once this year in league play, playing to a 1-1 draw back on April 12 in Columbus. Orlando took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute. After working the ball up field with a series of passes, Tiago Souza found Marco Pašalić in the middle of the penalty area, and the Croatian beat goalkeeper Patrick Schulte with a shot near the post. 

Orlando held the lead until the 80th minute when Taha Habroune and Diego Rossi teamed up for a give-and-go, with Rossi finishing with a shot to the back of the net.

The Crew and Lions have met just once in the Open Cup, in the 2015 Round of 16, in Orlando’s first MLS season. Brazilian legend Kaká made his Orlando City debut and gave his new team a 1-0 lead after Darwin Ceres stole the ball from a Crew defender, passing to Kaká who beat Crew goalkeeper Brad Stuver. The goal came a minute after Kaká’s free kick goal was nullified for offside.

Thirteen minutes later Carlos Rivas pushed the lead to 2-0 when a loose ball fell to his feet, allowing Rivas to smash a one-time shot past Stuver. In the previous round against the Charleston Battery, Rivas became the first Modern Era player to score three penalty kick goals in a single game

ROAD TO THE QUARTERFINALS

Columbus Crew

After a two-year absence from the Open Cup, the Crew easily defeated the Richmond Kickers of USL League One, 3-0. Hugo Picard scored the first two Crew goals in the 42nd and 63rd minutes, and Jamal Thiaré finished with a 73rd minute goal.

To get to the Quarterfinals, Columbus dispatched 2025 USL League One champions One Knoxville 4-1. Early on, it seemed like Knoxville would be hard to handle as they tied the game one minute after Hugo Picard’s 10th minute goal. Picard scored again 13 minutes later to give the Crew a 2-1 halftime lead, then midway through the second half Dániel Gazdag and Chase Adams scored to put the game out of reach.

Columbus secured their spot in the Semifinals with a 1-0 win over New York City FC at Columbus. The lone goal came in the 59th minute when Nariman Akhundzada found Arfsten in space and finished past NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese.

Orlando City SC

With the lack of VAR until the Quarterfinals, Orlando City survived a possible upset bid by USL League One’s FC Naples and left with a 1-0 win. Tyrese Spicer scored the lone goal in the 17th minute, but it was in the 70th minute that controversy arose. After a corner kick, a shot from Naples’ Dominick Bachstein appeared to cross the line, but the referee disallowed it. With no VAR in place until the Quarterfinals, Orlando City were able to survive despite being outshot 20-17 by their lower league opponents.

Orlando went from a one-goal squeaker to a seven-goal pinball game in their 4-3 Round of 16 win over the New England Revolution. Orlando City recovered from one-goal deficits three times on goals from Lago Teodoro (31’), Griffin Dorsey (39’) and Justin Ellis (70’). Finally, two minutes into stoppage time Orlando City grabbed the lead when Tyrese Spicer fired a pass to Zakaria Taifi for a point blank shot on goal.

In the Quarterfinals, Orlando blew by their Southern rivals Atlanta United 4-1. The Lions started early with a 4th minute goal from David Brekalo, who headed home a cross from Braian Ojeda. In the 11th minute, it was 2-0 Orlando after Griffin Dorsey tapped in a low cross from Ivan Angulo. The score grew to 4-0 by halftime through a pair of goals from Tiago Souza. In the 24th minute Tiago took advantage of a fumbled clearance from goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert to easily score the third goal. In first half stoppage time, Tiago took a long through ball from Ojeda and easily scored. Latte Lath ruined the clean sheet for Orlando goalkeeper Javier Otero with an 84th minute goal.

LAST APPEARANCE IN THE SEMIFINALS

Columbus Crew

The last Semifinal appearance for Columbus was 16 years ago when the Crew topped D.C. United 2-1 after extra time in the 2010 US Open Cup. D.C. went up 1-0 on a 13th minute penalty by Pablo Hernandez, who was later sent off in the 59th minute. The Crew dramatically drew level in the 89th minute when Andy Iro’s shot deflected off United defender Matthew Burch for an own goal. In extra time Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored on a penalty kick in the 98th minute.

Columbus would go on to lose to Seattle Sounders in the Final 2-1 in what would be the second of Seattle’s three-straight Open Cup titles.

Orlando City SC

Of the four Semifinalists, Orlando has reached this point more recently. In 2022 made their second straight appearance in the final four, thrashing New York Red Bulls 5-1 on their way to winning their only Open Cup Championship.

After the Red Bulls took a 1-0 lead in first half stoppage time, the rest was all Orlando. The Lions tied the game just a couple minutes after the Red Bulls goal when Cesar Araujo scored off a corner kick. In the second half, the floodgates opened with goals from Mauricio Pereyra (47’), Araujo (62’), Facundo Torres (75’) 

CURRENT FORM

Columbus Crew SC 

Columbus has been stagnant since the Quarterfinals in May with just three wins and one draw in the 11 MLS games since then. A 3-0 record in the opening stage of the Leagues Cup was followed by seven losses in their last eight games across all competitions. Diego Rossi leads the team with six followed by Wessam Abou Ali with five. Dylan Chambost, Max Afsten and Mohamed Farsi share the assist lead with four each.

Orlando City SC

Since the Quarterfinals, Orlando has moved from just outside the playoff field to 6th place in the Eastern Conference. They are the only club in either conferences’ top 7 with a negative goal difference, allowing 12 more goals than they’ve scored. Orlando is 6-2-2 since the World Cup break and are currently on a five-game unbeaten run. Martin Ojreda leads the way with 11 goals, followed by French star Antione Griezman, who has 8 goals after just 10. Justin Ellis and Ivan Angulo are the clubs assist leaders with 10 and 9 respectively.

Columbus Crew SC
Major League Soccer | Columbus, OH
23rd US Open Cup appearance
How they qualified: Automatic Bid
Founded: 1996
Manager: Henrik Rydström
Overall: 28-18-3 (0-3 PK)
Home: 17-6-2 (0-2 PK)
vs. MLS: 10-12-2 (0-2 PK)
Best finish: Champions (2002)

Outside of the Crew’s three Open Cup finals appearances (1998, 2002 and 2010) and lifting the trophy in 2002, Columbus’ Open Cup history is not that great. They hold the third-longest streak in the Modern Era in exiting the tournament after two or fewer games (10, 2011-2022). The Crew return to the Open Cup after a two-year absence, and their last appearance in 2023 broke that string of 10 tournaments where they exited after one or two games.

Orlando City SC 
Major League Soccer | Orlando, FL
15th US Open Cup appearance
How they qualified: Automatic Bid
Founded: 2010
Manager: Martín Perelman (interim)
Overall: 25-13-5 (5-0 PK) | 13-7-5 (5-0 PK) as MLS
Away: 15-5-3 (3-0 PK) | 6-4-3 (3-0 PK) as MLS
vs. MLS: 10-8-2 (2-0 PK) | 7-3-2 (2-0 PK) as MLS
Best finish: Champion (2022)

Orlando City started in 2010 as a USL club, winning USL Pro championships in 2011 and 2013, and finished first or second overall in all four years in the league. In 2015, the club joined MLS but has yet to find consistent league success.

Orlando City have tasted Open Cup success since their debut as a USL club in 2009, their best run coming in 2013 when they reached the Quarterfinals and upset the Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City along the way. The highlight was the Sporting KC upset when Orlando was forced to play without four key players (including star forward Dom Dwyer), who were loaned to them by Kansas City. Even without those players, they still pulled off the cupset on the road. Open Cup glory continued in their MLS years, reaching the Semifinals in 2019, then finally winning it all in 2022.

SEPTEMBER 16

Colorado Rapids (MLS)
vs.
St. Louis CITY SC (MLS)
DICK’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, CO
WATCH: Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network
Kickoff : 9:30 p.m. ET

St. Louis CITY SC will attempt to not only reach their first ever Open Cup Final but restore cup glory to one of the United States’ historic soccer cities. In their way are the Colorado Rapids, an MLS team who has historically been one of the most inept top tier clubs in the Modern Era.

After losing the 1999 US Open Cup Final to the Rochester Ragin’ Rhinos (A-League), the Rapids began a record streak of 17 consecutive tournaments (2000-2022) where they failed to advance beyond a second game, with eight of those appearances ending after just one game.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

Colorado and St. Louis have met twice this season, with CITY winning both games 1-0. The first contest was on May 9 at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. South Korean international Jeong Sang-bin scored the game’s only goal in the 26th minute after collecting a long goal kick from goalkeeper Roman Bürki. In the 51st minute, the Rapids Rob Holding was shown a straight red card after fouling Simon Becher. With three minutes remaining, St. Louis were reduced to ten men when Chris Durkin earned his second yellow.

The rematch came after the World Cup break on July 25 at Energizer Park in St. Louis. Rob Holding earned another red card in the 12th minute after bringing down Jeong Sang-bin. St. Louis scored the winner in the 83rd minute when Tomas Ostrak received a header from Tomas Totland and scored from the top corner of the penalty area,

ROAD TO THE QUARTERFINALS

Colorado Rapids

The Rapids returned to the Open Cup after a two-year absence and came way with a 1-0 win over the always dangerous Union Omaha from USL League One. Dante Sealy recorded the game’s only goal in the 21st minute, and Colorado held on to advance to the Round of 16.

The Rapids were pushed to penalty kicks in getting past the USL Championship’s Colorado Springs Switchbacks. The teams traded first half goals, with Alexis Manyoma striking first for the Rapids in the 25th minute. A scoreless second half led to extra time, where Georgi Minoungou eventually put Colorado up 2-1 in the 114th minute, only to see the Switchbacks draw level with a 120th minute penalty kick. In the PK shootout, the Rapids made their first four but missed on the fifth, forcing sudden death. After trading misses on attempt No. 6, the Rapids’ Keegan Rosenberry made the seventh after Rapids goalkeeper Nico Hansen saved the Switchbacks attempt.

St. Louis CITY SC

St. Louis CITY had no trouble defeating the visiting FC Tulsa 4-0 in the Third Round. Marcel Hartel (20’) and Jeong Sang-bin (36’) put St. Louis up 2-0 at the half and Mykhi Joyner (61’) and Tomás Ostrák (78’) closed out the scoring in the second half.

St. Louis gained their first ever trip to the Quarterfinals by ousting rivals Chicago Fire 2-1 in the Round of 16. After going down 1-0 in the 61st minute, Eduard Löwen assisted on Tomas Totland’s game tying goal in the 71st minute, 12 minutes after coming on as a sub. Löwen then scored the go-ahead goal in the 78th minute. Lowen’s performance earned him a runner-up finish in the voting for TheCup.us Player of the Round.

LAST APPEARANCE IN THE SEMIFINALS

St. Louis CITY SC

While St. Louis CITY is making their debut in the Open Cup Semifinals, the last time ANY team from St. Louis reached this point was in 1988 when Busch Soccer Club defeated the NY Pancyprian Freedoms 3-2. Greg Makowski, long-time member of the Kansas City Comets and St. Louis Steamers indoor teams, scored twice and Gary Amlong added a goal in between Makowski’s. Busch would go on to win the Final over Greek American AC of San Francisco 2-1 after extra time.

Colorado Rapids

How long has it been since the Rapids last reached the Open Cup Semifinals? Only five players on their current roster (Zach Steffen, Rob Holding, Keegan Rosenberry, Youssef Maziz and Reggie Cannon) were born the last time Colorado reached the final four. In 1999, the Rapids made their second ever (and last) Semifinal appearance by defeating the A-League’s Charleston Battery 3-0.

Played at a neutral site in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the clubs played a scoreless opening half before Colorado put three on the board after the break, with Jorge Dely Valdés scoring in the 55th and 87th minute and Paul Bravo in the 82nd. Colorado’s run would end in infamy, as they would become the only MLS club to lose an Open Cup Final to a team a league below them, falling to the Rochester Ragin’ Rhinos 2-0.

CURRENT FORM

Colorado Rapids

Like St. Louis, Colorado has improved their league standing since the Quarterfinals, though not nearly as drastically. The Rapids went from just outside the playoff field to seventh place in the Western Conference, going 6-1-4 in that span. Their 33 goals scored in the bottom half of the league but they have recorded six clean sheets in the eleven games since the Quarterfinals. Rafael Navarro leads the Rapids with 10 goals and Paxton Aaronson’s six assists is one more than teammates Wayne Frederick and Dante Sealy.

St. Louis CITY FC

When St. Louis CITY headed into the Quarterfinals back in May, they were 3-6-4 and in next to last place in the Western Conference. What a difference a summer break can make. CITY is currently on a 15-game unbeaten streak, their last defeat coming back on May 3. The 10 wins and 5 draws now have St. Louis within two points of second place Houston. St. Louis has only managed three clean sheets during the unbeaten run however. Simon Becher and Marcel Hartel lead the team with 7 and 6 goals respectively, and Becher is one assist behind team leader Conrad Wallen’s 6.

Colorado Rapids
Major League Soccer | Commerce City, CO
22nd US Open Cup appearance
How they qualified: Automatic Bid
Founded: 1995
Manager: Matt Wells
Overall: 18-20-1 (0-1 PK)
Home: 11-2-1 (0-1 PK) 
vs. MLS: 5-10-0
Best finish: Final (1999)

The Rapids are the most snakebit MLS team in terms of Open Cup success. You could call it the “Curse of the Foxes”, since the Rapids Open Cup debut in 1996 was replacing the A-League Colorado Foxes mid-tournament. The Foxes had five players called up by Jamaica for World Cup qualifying and withdrew when they couldn’t get their Quarterfinal game with the Kansas City Wizards rescheduled.

At 16-20-1, they are the only MLS club with more than 20 Open Cup games played to hold an overall record below .500. The Rapids hold the Modern Era record for most consecutive tournaments being eliminated after two or fewer games at 17 (2000-2022). While the Rapids have reached an Open Cup Final in 1999, they are the lone MLS team to lose the Final to a lower division club, the A- League Rochester Raging Rhinos.

In MLS play, the Rapids have won one MLS Cup Championship in 2010 and were playoff regulars in their early years. Recent seasons have been a struggle, missing the playoffs three of the last four seasons.

St. Louis CITY FC 
Major League Soccer | St. Louis, MO
3rd US Open Cup appearance
How they qualified: Automatic Bid
Founded: 2023
Manager: Yoann Damet
Overall: 5-2-0
Away: 1-2-0
vs. MLS: 2-2-0
Best finish: Fifth Round / Round of 16 (2025)

In the Modern Era, St. Louis’ Open Cup record has been a bit more modest. The St. Louis Lions of the PDL (now USL League Two) appeared in 2008 and 2009, failing to win a game. AC St. Louis was the first pro team in the Modern Era, making just one run in 2010, reaching the Third Round.

The most successful club was Saint Louis FC of the USL, making five appearances from 2015-2019, making a run to the Quarterfinals in 2019, where they upset both the Chicago Fire (2-1) and FC Cincinnati  (1-0) before losing to eventual champion Atlanta United FC 2-0.

The last St. Louis club to reach the Final was Busch SC in 1988. St. Louis was first represented in the Cup in 1920, with Ben Miller SC defeating Fore River FC 2-1 for the city’s first championship. St. Louis clubs would reach the final from 1920 to 1924.

Stix, Baer & Fuller (aka Central Breweries and Shamrocks SC) reached the Final six straight times from 1932-1937, a feat unmatched in Open Cup history.