Chicago House Athletic Club qualified for the 2023 U.S. Open Cup on Saturday afternoon after defeating Brockton FC United on penalties.

A pretty eventful contest throughout, there were goals on both sides of regulation. Brockton jumped in front after a few moments, and the House equalized a bit before the 90th minute.

That led to extra time, which led to penalties. In the end, it was the House who survived and advanced to clinch their spot in next year’s Open Cup.

Story of the match

The hosts opened the scoring through Euclides Mendonca after just four minutes. He did well to settle a pass in the area, and his finish was good enough to squeak by everyone and roll into the back of the net.

Things got testy early on, with the two teams getting annoyed with one another and the referee after a few decisions. It got to the point where the official had to pull the two captains off to the side to have a chat with them.

It was nearly 2-0 midway through the half. The ball set up nicely for Brockton’s number 8, and he decided to go for goal. His strike was a superb one, but it ended up hitting the outside of the post before going out of play.

A bicycle kick was attempted a bit later on. It didn’t go in, but it was vibes nonetheless.

There would be another chance before the half, and this one also fell to the hosts. A clever corner kick routine led to a shot on the edge of the area, but the eventual effort was hit right at the goalkeeper, who managed to deal with it.

Brockton did have more of the chances in the first half, but they didn’t really dominate proceedings. The House had a fair share of the ball, they just couldn’t do anything with it in the final third.

It was more of the same to start the second.

Chicago eventually carved out a really good chance, as a low cross from AR Smith picked out their number 9 in the area. He was a bit too close to goal, though, and his first-time shot from a few yards out was blocked by the goalkeeper.

Another opportunity came moments later, although that move ended with a volley that rolled wide of the frame.

The House kept piling on the pressure, and they eventually found an equalizer. A cross wasn’t cleared properly, and it fell to Smith in a dangerous position. He made the most of the break, getting the ball across the line to tie things up.

It was hard to tell what was going on for the remainder of regulation due to some issues with the stream, but Brockton did have a late chance, and Chicago hit the woodwork at the death.

That all led to extra time.

The frantic pace of the contest continued, as the hosts had an effort roll just wide seconds into the start of overtime. They continued to control things for most of the additional period, and they even hit the bar late on.

No one could find a winner, though, which meant that penalties were needed to decide the outcome.

Following a wild shootout that seemed to last forever in the dark, the House pulled off the remarkable victory to seal their spot in the 2023 Open Cup.

Takeaways

The broadcast for this contest was not ideal. There wasn’t a scoreboard on the screen, so viewers didn’t know who was winning or how much time was left at any stage. At least there was a commentator, who tried his best given the circumstances.

The same could be said for the weather conditions. You could hear how hard the wind was blasting the players on the broadcast, and it looked like it was freezing. Almost everyone was wearing long sleeves, and for good reason. 

Brockton has lovely kits. Not many teams go for an orange and white look, but they managed to pull it off very well. The House’s all-black look was a nice contrast as well.

This may not have been the best example of pure high-level soccer, but it certainly was a showcase of the magic of lower league American soccer. The two sides went for it, and there were a number of highlights throughout. Sometimes you just gotta have some fun.

So much happened beyond what took place on the field. The stream went sideways, and then upside down for a bit. The orientation of the video was turned the wrong way for a little. There were issues with the stadium lights. The commentator for the match left midway through extra time. One of the sideline officials did a workout during a stoppage in play to keep warm. All this in the name of the Open Cup.

There’s no way this match should have ended in the dark like it did, though. It’s unclear whether the lights couldn’t be turned on, or if the hosts just didn’t want to turn them on, but it led to an ugly finish. Fortunately it didn’t end up costing the visiting side.

This win is so big for the House. They might still be figuring out a lot of things, but qualifying for the Open Cup despite everything that's been thrown at them will give everyone plenty of hope for the future.