Match Preview: Republic FC vs. Minnesota United FC (U.S. Open Cup)
USL Sacramento Republic FC

Match Preview: Republic FC vs. Minnesota United FC (U.S. Open Cup)

Published on April 13, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


Know Your Club - Republic FC

For the fifth consecutive year, Republic FC has advanced to the Open Cup's Round of 32. The Indomitable Club punched its ticket through with an emphatic 4-0 win over UPSL side Valley 559 FC on March 31, the team's biggest tournament win since 2022. Sacramento dominated the stat sheet as Kyle Edwards led the way with two goals and an assist - the second Open Cup brace for the club this year - and Dominik Wanner notched a two assist, one goal performance of his own. The German forward now leads the tournament with three assists.

The attacking duo was joined in the stat sheet by Captain Lee Desmond, who netted the first goal of the night before laying out a diving goal-line save to keep the clean sheet. The three goal scorers were later named to U.S. Soccer's Team of the Round, the largest representation among the 64-team field.

Now Republic FC turns its attention to a new opponent: MLS side Minnesota United FC. These two clubs have never faced off in competition, but high stakes knockout matches are nothing new to Neill Collins' squad. Lee Desmond, Danny Vitiello, and Jack Gurr bring key experience from their journey to the 2022 Open Cup Final - a run that included defeating three consecutive MLS opponents. There are players who have made deep runs in the Open Cup - including a title for Memo Rodriguez - dozens of postseason appearances, and USL Cup contests.

Heart Health Park has been a fortress for Republic FC in Open Cup play. Since 2014, the club has amassed an impressive 21 home tournament wins, with five of its six "Cupsets" over MLS teams playing out in front of the home fans.

"I think when you're playing against an opponent from a higher-division, you've got to want to want it more than them. You have to be more motivated," said Republic FC Head Coach Neill Collins. "In these knockout games, we've seen that when you have teams from different levels facing off, you can see that gap in abilities get smaller when teams raise their level, and that can happen on any given night. We need to do that, and we need to use our home environment to bridge that gap."

Know Your Opponent - Minnesota United

The 2026 campaign has Minnesota United looking to find its identity under new head coach Cameron Knowles. The Loons are currently sitting in 9th place in the Western Conference table, but have seen good form as of late. Undefeated in their last three matches, MNUFC comes into Tuesday's Open Cup tilt on a two-game win streak.

Heading into the tournament, Minnesota picked up a statement win. Playing in SoCal over the weekend, the Loons battled back from an early deficit to hand San Diego FC its first home loss of the year. San Diego controlled 60% of the possession, but Minnesota made sure to cash in on its opportunities and pressured throughout the night with seven shots on target. Kyle Duncan equalized in the 15th minute as he charged in from the back post to connect with Tomas Chancalay's cross. With the match even, Sacramento native (and Bella Vista High School graduate) Drake Callender kept his team in the match with a stalwart effort in goal, paving the way for Kelvin Yeboah to tap in the game winner before halftime.

The Black and Blue begin their Open Cup campaign as one of the 16 MLS clubs entering this round. They first appeared in 2012 as an NASL club and have since gone on to enter the tournament 10 times. Two years after moving to Major League Soccer, the Loons reached the Open Cup final against Atlanta United in 2019. Last year, they reached the Semifinals after ousting USL regular season champions Louisville City, as well as fellow MLS sides St. Louis City SC and Chicago Fire. In six previous matches against lower-division sides, MNUFC has lost just once since joining MLS.

MNUFC brings a deep roster with experience across the American soccer landscape, as well as several international standouts. Several Loons are in the mix to represent their club at the World Cup in two month' time at the World Cup - including Colombian standout James Rodriguez, the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner, Panama's Carlos Harvey, and South Africa's Bongokuhle Hlongwane.

Overview: SAC vs. MIN

Date: Tuesday, April 14

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Heart Health Park

Tickets: Buy now!

Promotions & Giveaways:

$5 craft beer (gates until 30th minute)

Ingress giveaway - commemorative "Clash of the Wings" poster (first 1,000 fans)

Watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network & Paramount+

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 13, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central