Rising looks to advance to the Round of 32 for a third straight season when it faces Orange County SC in the Second Round of the U.S. Open Cup
Written by Zoë Lam
For the second time in just under three weeks, Phoenix Rising and Orange County SC will face off – this time with a spot in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on the line.
The last meeting ended in a 1-1 draw on March 14 at Phoenix Rising Stadium, with Orange County scoring an equalizer in stoppage-time after Rising had taken the lead earlier in the match. With a draw off the table in Wednesday’s match, Rising will look to take care of business in regulation as it hopes to face an MLS side for a third straight season.
“We don’t have any time to waste,” head coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “The focus is now on (Orange County) and trying to get through to the next round of the (U.S. Open Cup).”
GAMEDAY INFORMATION –
WHAT: Phoenix Rising vs Orange County SC
WHEN: Wednesday, April 1 (7:00 p.m. PST)
WHERE: Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
HOW TO WATCH: CBS Sports Golazo Network, Paramount+, Rising Radio (English), 90MasRising (Spanish)
ROSTER RESILIENCE
One month of the season down, goal contributions are coming from all over the roster. Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze has back-to-back Save of the Week honors, while forward Ihsan Sacko has been directly involved in a Rising goal each of the last three matches (1G, 2A).
Additionally, several Rising players have already scored their first league goals for the club, including Diego Gómez, Gunnar Studenhofft, Juan Carvajal, Aleksandar Vukovic and Anthony Capetillo.
Another recent trend has been how the team has finished matches. Rising has now scored five goals after the 75th minute of mtches, including game-equalizing goals in each of the last two matches. The next goal? Not having to play from behind as much.
“We know deep down what our players have in terms of character, will and the desire to always perform for Phoenix Rising,” Kah said. “For us as a coaching staff, what we’re looking at now is whether we can be the team on the front foot. Taking the leads, not giving away simple mistakes that – not now, but later on – will be costly.”
Added Carvajal: “I think we have to be a little more concentrated right when both the first and second half starts, because we’re giving up goals in those moments. We need to focus more on those moments so we can start matches by going ahead and not always trailing.”
SECOND ROUND OF THE CUP
USL Championship clubs made a major statement in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. All 17 Championship teams went a perfect 17-0 while outscoring opponents from amateur divisions by a 58-6 margin.
Now USL Championship teams will begin to face one another, with Wednesday’s matchup between Rising and Orange County highlighting five total matches between the inter-league foes in U.S. Open Cup play. Unlike the first round, neither team will have an easy path forward, and the winner will carry real momentum into the next stage against MLS opposition.
“We play all the matches like a final,” defender Adrian Pelayo said. “But obviously, we want to continue in the Open Cup and win.”
OC IN-FORM
Since the March 14 draw, Orange County has continued a strong start to the season. Currently 2-0-2, the Southern California side handled business in the First Round of the Open Cup with a 3-0 win over Laguna United on March 18.
Outside of cup play, Orange County remains undefeated through its previous four games with some of its young talent delivering the goals. 20-year-old forward Mataeo Bunbury delivered the match-winner against Oakland Roots SC on March 28, while Tyson Espy, 16, did so against Las Vegas Lights on March 7. Orange County currently sits second in the Western Conference (8 points), two points behind San Antonio FC.
“(Orange County) knows who we are and we know who they are,” Kah said. “They want to play football and we want to, so it’s going to come down to not so much the tactical battle but about the player’s battle.”
