David vs. Goliath duel pits Sacramento and Orlando City in U.S. Open Cup soccer final

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/07/ [login to see] /sacramento-republic-fc-orlando-city-sc-us-open-cup-final-soccer-sac
For this country's longest-running soccer tournament — more than 100 years old — tonight's the night.

And the 2022 U.S. Open Cup final starting at 8 p.m. ET features an unlikely match up.

Major League Soccer's Orlando City is one finalist – that's not unlikely. Since MLS became America's top men's division in 1996, its teams have dominated the Open Cup.

But the other finalist, Sacramento Republic FC, is unlikely...and the darling of a tournament that began nearly six months ago with 103 clubs, both pro and amateur. Sac Republic is in the lower-division USL Championship, the first non-MLS finalist since 2008, and aiming to be the first non-MLS U.S. Open Cup champion since the Rochester Raging Rhinos in 1999.