The semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup are set.
Inter Miami CF (MLS) avoided a cupset at the hands of a spirited Birmingham Legion FC side (USL Championship), winning 1-0 on the road in Alabama and Real Salt Lake squeaked past MLS Western Conference foe LA Galaxy 3-2 on home turf in Wednesday night’s quarterfinals.
After the night’s results, the semifinals will feature Inter Miami, searching for a first trophy in club history, taking on FC Cincinnati and RSL tackling 2018 champions Houston Dynamo. The final four, scheduled for Aug. 23, will air on CBS Sports. Full details will be announced soon.
The draw to determine which teams will host the semifinal matches as well as the priority hosting order for the Final will be held Thursday. Fans can watch as the fate of each team is unveiled live at 1 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Golazo Network’s soccer news program Box 2 Box.
The night’s action began in Birmingham where a crowd of around 15,000 turned out to cheer on the last lower-division team remaining in the competition. Their valiant cupset bid wasn’t to be however as Nico Stefanelli’s 56th-minute strike for Miami allowed the visitors to escape Protective Stadium with a 1-0 win.
In the final match of the quarterfinal round, RSL also narrowly avoided a shock defeat after it entered the final 10 minutes of regulation sporting a 3-0 lead thanks to a Damir Kreilach brace and Jefferson Savarino’s 51st-minute goal. A late penalty kick in the 82nd minute by Galaxy captain Gaston Brugman sparked the visitor’s comeback attempt. Douglas Costa’s sumptuous strike two minutes later really put wind in the LA side’s sails but it was too little too late for the two-time Open Cup champs.