2023 U.S. Open Cup Photo Gallery (Quarterfinals)

A Cincy Sensation. MLS Eastern Conference high-flyers FC Cincinnati drew a huge crowd for their Quarterfinal against Cinderella side Pittsburgh Riverhounds (of the second-division USL Championship) – a 3-1 win for the home team that produced a goal for the ages from Alvaro Barreal.
Tops of the Second Tier. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds – led by veteran coach Bob Lilley – lost out to FC Cincinnati in the Last Eight but scooped the prize money ($25k) as the second-division team to travel farthest in the 2023 Open Cup. They recorded huge Cupset wins over the New England Revolution (on the road) and Columbus Crew (at home).
Home Sweet Home. Half of the home teams won out in a 2023 Quarterfinal Round that saw a record attendance for an Open Cup Last Eight. The FC Cincinnati v Pittsburgh Riverhounds contest drew 16,613 fans to Ohio’s TQL Stadium. The total for the round was 63,255 (Average: 15,814).
Record set in Utah. The top single-game attendance for the four games of the Quarterfinal Round was in Sandy, Utah – where home side Real Salt Lake (MLS) hammered two-time champions LA Galaxy 3-2 at America First Stadium (venue of 2013 Open Cup Final under its former name Rio Tinto Stadium). The 20,712 who turned out comprised the biggest audience to watch an Open Cup Quarterfinal since 2019.
Bad Night for Chicharito. Former Mexico, Manchester United and Real Madrid star Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez won’t have fond memories of the Quarterfinal against RSL in Utah. The LA Galaxy captain suffered an ACL rupture in the first half and faces a lengthy layoff and rehabilitation process.
RSL Hang Tough. It seemed like an easy Quarterfinal night for Real Salt Lake with a 3-0 lead (thanks to Damir Kreilach and Jefferson Savarino) with eight minutes to go. But a late fightback from LA Galaxy spelled a tricky finale for the home team and their fans who were made to sweat out a slender 3-2 win.
Birmingham Turns Out. USL Championship side Birmingham Legion (one of only two second-division teams to reach the Quarterfinals) hosted MLS’ Inter Miami – who earlier in that same day announced the impending arrival of global superstar Lionel Messi to South Florida – and drew a huge crowd of 18,418.
As Good as They got. The Birmingham Legion, led by former MLS standouts Juan Agudelo and Enzo Martinez – and coached by former Open Cup winner Tom Soehn, were unlucky not to take Inter Miami to extra-time. In the end, the Floridians – at that time bottom of the MLS standings – won out by the narrowest of margins (1-0) after 90 minutes of play.
All Smiles for Miami. Argentine ace Nicolás Stefanelli scored the lone goal for Inter Miami on the road against talented second-division side Birmingham Legion. With the side sputtering in MLS league play, a run to the Open Cup Semifinals is a rare something to savor for the South Florida club (at least on the field). It was Stefanelli’s second game in a row with a goal in the 2023 Open Cup.
Hard Road for Chicago Homers. The Fire’s fans turned out in their numbers in Bridgeview, Illinois to support the home side and four-time winners of the Open Cup up against fellow MLS outfit Houston Dynamo. It didn’t take long for the night to go all wrong for the hometown faithful…
Down and out Early. Even with world-class Swiss International Xherdan Shaqiri pulling the strings in the Starting XI, the Chicago Fire couldn’t manage to get anything going. The home side were down after 12 minutes to the 2018 U.S. Open Cup-champion Houston Dynamo and failed to put up much of a resistance as the night progressed in an eventual 4-1 loss.
Partytime for the Dynamo. Led by head coach Ben Olsen – an Open Cup winner as a player and a manager – Houston Dynamo sent a message to the rest of the field heading into the 2023 Semifinals with a rout of the Chicago Fire on the road. Amine Bessi scored one, Ibrahim Aliyu got two and Nelson Quiñónes rounded out the scoring on the night.