May 10, 2022 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro) – Rochester New York FC News Release
Whenever you get a matchup of top flight champions against teams from divisions below in cup games, people always refer to a long list of underdogs that got their chance and took care of business.
David vs. Goliath.
Rocky vs. Apollo Creed.
Rudy.
The 1980 Olympic hockey semifinal between the U.S.A and the U.S.S.R.
It is the same all around the world: on May 22 over in Portugal, the Taça de Portugal will be decided by newly-crowned champions Porto and tiny Tondela, which is fighting right now to stay in the Primeira Liga but will be playing in Europe next season on the back of its cup final run.
Oh, and there is one more example that soccer people from America use to showcase what can happen during a knockout tournament for underdog squads.
The 1999 Rochester run to the U.S. Open Cup title.
Miracles do happen: just think back to 1999, and the incredible run that made news all around the globe thanks to the exploits of the lower division team.
Well, RNY FC is into the fourth round of the Open Cup in 2022, and has one of those massive matchups. Rochester is making the trip to Queens, New York, where it will take on defending MLS champion NYCFC in what is the most high-profile David v. Goliath (or maybe Goaliath if RNY FC gets a game-winner?) battle of the round.
RNY FC is no stranger to cup runs and upsets in this tournament: it has the record for most consecutive wins in its first game of the cup (17), which dates back to the early 2000s.
But these are the MLS champions: the team that won the MLS Cup in penalties in 2021 over Portland, and then made a run all the way to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals recently, only to fall to eventual champion Seattle. Surely, Rochester can’t match up with this squad, especially with three key players-MF Pedro Dolabella, GK Caique, and CB Lamar Batista-all out of the contest.
Hey, have you been reading? We Believe Impossible in Rochester, and RNY FC…
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