Open Cup run ends on penalties against the New York Red Bulls
Harrison, NJ (May 21, 2025) — On a chilly and wet evening in New Jersey, New York Red Bulls vs. FC Dallas victory at home US Open Cup run 4-3 on penalty kicks following a 2-2 draw during the 120 minutes of action.
Both Bernard Kamungo and Lucho Acosta scored their second goals in the 2025 US Open Cup.
The U.S. Open Cup’s problem is that MLS coaches treat early rounds like UK managers treat the FA Cup, with backup keepers and reserves on the pitch. Tonight’s match in New Jersey is a breath of fresh air, considering that we know we can expect two quality lineups from teams that care about advancing.
The New York Red Bulls host FC Dallas in the Round of 16 at 7:30 p.m. EST, each club looking to build on a terrific U.S. Open Cup resume. FC Dallas has been almost unbeatable in the early rounds of an event that New York came close to winning in 2022.
FC Dallas managed to find the game’s first breakthrough nearly 30 minutes into the match. The midfield put together a nice build up play as Ramiro found Petar Musa near the top of the penalty box. He played the ball through into the penalty area where Kamungo was able to shoot the ball into the back of the net.
Shortly after the hour mark, the Red Bulls tied the game up. Mohammed Sofo was able to get on the end of a deflected shot in the penalty area and score his third goal in this year’s tournament.
Dallas began knocking on the door after the game was tied and in the 78th minute, they broke the deadlock on a great goal from Acosta. The midfield stepped up and found Kamungo near the top of the penalty area. Acosta then dribbled through two defenders before firing a shot past AJ Marcucci.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Emil Forsberg tied the game up on a free kick from outside the penalty area that took a deflection off a Dallas defender and into the goal past Maarten Paes.
The two sides went into extra time where Dallas was reduced to ten men for the final ten minutes of the match as Ramiro brought down Forsberg on the outside edge of the penalty area.
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Instant Reaction: Who had this game going to penalties on their bingo card tonight? I know I wasn’t anticipating this kind of night. Once again we saw the Dallas defense buckle under the high pressure from the Red Bulls to give up some bad goals. But the attacking side was there for Dallas in some spots.
Losing on penalties is never an easy pill to swallow but when you have Acosta missing a cheeky penalty, it just shows more of what we’ve seen this season.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 rolls on at Sports Illustrated Stadium, as the New York Red Bulls host FC Dallas on Wednesday evening.
Head Coach Sandro Schwarz will have Wiktor Bogacz start for New York, his second start in the Open Cup this season.
Bogacz will be joined by Wiki Carmona and Mohammed Sofo in the attack.
Sofo has scored four goals and an assist in his last three Open Cup matches.
Daniel Edelman will captain the side, and will be paired with Peter Stroud in the central midfield.
New York is currently on a nine-match unbeaten streak against FC Dallas, with their last loss against the club coming on March 11, 2012. Since Sports Illustrated Stadium opened in 2010, the Red Bulls have posted a 5-0-2 record against Dallas at their stadium.
A.J. Marcucci starts in goal for New York have posted a 10-0-3 mark in U.S. Open Cup matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Sean Nealis and Noah Eile get the mid-week start, with Kyle Duncan, Raheem Edwards and Dennis Gjengaar will all be on the pitch for the opening whistle. Gjengaar scored a goal in New York’s last home match against Galaxy.
Duncan will be making his 147th career appearance across all competitions, which moves him into a tie for sixth place in franchise history for most appearances made by a defender with Steve Jolley.
