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The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup continues this week as the final eight teams will get underway in their respective quarterfinal matchups. The four matches in this round will feature six MLS teams with two lower-division teams still fighting their way toward the championship. One of those teams from the lower division is Sacramento Republic FC of the USL Championship, who will face off against the LA Galaxy on the road.
This quarterfinal match is set to kick off at 10:30 p.m. ET at Dignity Health Sports Park. While there won’t be a broadcast shown on TV, it will be available to watch via livestream on ESPN+. Let’s take a look at tonight’s match, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
LA Galaxy v. Sacramento Republic FC
Date: Tuesday, June 21
Start time: 10:30 p.m. ET
TV: N/A
Live stream: ESPN+
Odds: LA Galaxy -180, Draw +350, Sacramento Republic FC +425
Pick: LA Galaxy -180
Sacramento has already sent one MLS team packing, after defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 in the Round of 16. Of course, like many MLS teams do in this tournament, the Quakes fielded a lineup with a mix of a few regular starters and bench/reserve players who don’t see a whole lot of minutes on a regular basis. San Jose subbed in some of their heavier hitters later on in the game, but it wasn’t enough as Sacramento was the better team on the night and rolled to a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Luis Felipe Fernandes and Rodrigo Lopez.
The Galaxy are still riding high after defeating their El Trafico rivals LAFC in the Round of 16 with a 3-1 win, thanks to goals from Kevin Cabral, Chicharito, and Dejan Jovelic. LA has been undefeated in MLS play since then, logging a win and a draw in the two games that came in between. With an MLS match coming up this weekend, Greg Vanney will likely look to rest some of his bigger players in hopes of not needing them to advance to the Open Cup semifinals.
Tonight’s match marks Sacramento’s first-ever quarterfinal appearance in the U.S. Open Cup as they’ll look to upset the Galaxy on their home field. All signs point to an LA win, as they’re heavily favored and have been playing some solid soccer throughout this entire tournament. Vanney will likely have plenty of veteran firepower coming off the bench if they find themselves in a sticky situation, but expect the Galaxy to pull off the win and advance to the semis.
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