Your Loons are coming off back-to-back wins in the great state of California, and now they’re looking to add another one to the books as they take on Sacramento Republic FC in the U.S. Open Cup. Good things come in threes, right? 

If you’re unfamiliar, Open Cup is like England’s FA Cup, scaled down and Americanized. A whopping eighty teams from a combination of MLS, USL Championship, USL League One, MLS NEXT Pro, and amateur leagues go up against one another in a fight for a title, $600,000, and a spot in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. It’s the perfect setup for a crazy Cinderella story, and you never know what’s going to happen once the 16 MLS teams join the ranks in the Round of 32. Since you may not be as familiar with the Loons’ USL opponent, let’s take a second for introductions.

Who’s on the Pitch:

Minnesota United FC
Run of Form: W-W-D-L-L

The Black and Blue made it all the way to the semifinals in last year’s Open Cup, putting in statement performances against St. Louis CITY and Chicago Fire before falling to Austin FC in heartbreaking fashion. The club has made it to the finals before, back in 2019, and now they’ll look to take it all the way with a push for their first major piece of silverware since joining MLS. They’ll be entering the tournament in good form, too, coming off a big pair of wins in regular-season play that seem to be a turning point after a lackluster stretch in the matches prior. They also have a bit of a secret weapon when it comes to facing down a USL team; Minnesota’s two most recent coaching hires came straight from the USL Championship, and the insights of Danny Cruz and Tom Soehn are sure to come in handy for this midweek matchup.

Sacramento Republic FC
Run of Form: D-W-L-D-D

Sacramento Republic was actually slated to be Major League Soccer’s 29th team, announced in 2019 to begin play in 2022. Clearly that initiative fell through, but the history points to the foundation of soccer culture and skill in Sacramento being very much present. Right now they’re fourth (of 12) in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, having conceded just four goals and logged only a single loss in six games. One of the more dominant clubs in USL, they’ve finished in the conference’s top five for the past four seasons. 

Keys to the Match:

Don’t Count the Underdogs Out

A lower-division club hasn’t won the Open Cup since 1999, but Sacramento has come the closest as the only non-MLS squad to reach the final since Charleston Battery’s run in 2008. They beat both the San Jose Earthquakes and the LA Galaxy to get there, falling to Orlando 3-0 in the 2022 final. Sacramento upset the Quakes once again in 2024. All this to say that as far as non-MLS teams go, Sacramento is probably one of the clubs in the best position to knock out an MLS squad early in the tournament. All seven of their goals have come from different scorers, pointing to some pretty impressive depth. And one of them is Mark Anthony-Kaye, former Earthquakes midfielder and Canadian international team player. The Loons have to stay on guard for this one.

It’s Getting Busy

Minnesota is starting to hit some big-time schedule congestion this week, entering into a stretch of double-game weeks that span Open Cup and regular-season play. This particular run has them taking to the pitch five times in 14 days. On top of that, their California trip really is just one trip, as they’re heading directly from San Diego to Sacramento. Keeping in mind squad availability, a return to Allianz Field this Saturday, and the fact that Open Cup matches go to extra time if tied after regulation, what does rotation look like? Last year’s Round of 32 matchup against Louisville saw a Minnesota lineup featuring several MNUFC2 players on short-term callups. Given the nature of this particular road trip, the depth of the 2026 roster, and Knowles’ reflections so far, it’s more likely that this year we see a squad of first-teamers who have played limited minutes thus far. We can likely expect to see some regular substitutions like Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Carlos Harvey, and Devin Padelford make the start, and historically the Loons have opted for a change in goalkeeper going into Open Cup play. Plus, James Rodríguez should be available for selection. It’s a tricky balance trying to prioritize two competitions, especially when Michael Boxall is still out. At least Sacramento will be feeling the strain too, coming off their own Saturday road matchup.

Playing with Formation

We’ve seen the Loons take a handful of different shapes so far this season, though in the last few games Knowles seems to have settled on a 5-4-1. It’s been a journey to combine last season’s disciplined defensive unit with a more ball-progressing possession strategy, and now that the Black and Blue have shown signs of settling into their new identity, it’s time to see what it looks like with significant squad rotation. Different personnel against a team from another league presents a chance for some flexibility in the way the Loons take the field, and while the five-man backline would be hard to discard, there’s some room in the midfield and up front to shake things up a bit, especially if James enters the mix. Does he slot in as a true number 10 in a formation that resembles more of a 4-2-3-1 when in possession, or do we see him fill more of Pereyra’s recent role, sinking deeper to help advance the ball up the pitch?

Regardless of how the Loons shape up tonight, you’re not going to want to miss the start of their 2026 U.S. Open Cup run. You can tune in on Paramount+ to see just how high your club will fly.