After the win over Birmingham Legion last night in the Jägermeister Cup Quarterfinals, everyone in the RIFC community was eagerly awaiting the draw for the semifinals. It was a quick turnaround, as the draw took place this morning at 9:30 on CBS Sports Golazo Network’s Good Morning Footy. All who were able to were glued to their screens, some possibly taking “bathroom breaks” at work to check out who RIFC would meet next, and where. Before we get into the draw though, here’s how we got there:

USL Jägermeister Cup Quarterfinals

• RIFC vs Birmingham Legion
  • A 74th minute Dwayne Atkinson goal was the difference here for RIFC and you can read about it in The Riptide Report and Player Ratings
• Sacramento Republic vs Loudoun United
  • Loudoun had more of the ball and took a staggering 22 shots (5 on target) but were unable to create any big chances and the match ended 0-0. After missing their first penalty and going down 1-0, Sacramento would recover to win on PKs 4-2. Loudoun’s Abdellatif Aboukoura and Zach Ryan would crucially miss their penalties
• Greenville Triumph vs Indy Eleven
  • A Romario Williams goal in the 55th minute put Indy Eleven ahead, but an own goal from Aodhan Quinn in the 90th minute brought the game to 1-1 and assured this would also go to penalties. After both sides converted each of their first 5 chances, Greenville’s Ezekiel Soto (who played the ball across the box for the own goal) scored and Indy’s Oliver Breyneus missed to send Greenville Triumph through
• Hartford Athletic vs San Antonio FC
  • Hartford did what they do and conceded possession, ending the game with only 39%. But it’s about what you do when you have the ball and Hartford scored twice through Mamadou Dieng in the first half and Marlon Hairston in the 2nd half to take this one 2-0

The Draw

• Rhode Island FC hosting Sacramento Republic
  • RIFC were the first team drawn, meaning they get to host their semifinal matchup. Sacramento Republic will be the opponent. The match is set to take place on September 10th with time (probably safe to assume 7pm but you never know) and ticket information to come soon. Both teams met at Centreville Bank Stadium back in June in what was a 2-0 Sacramento win. RIFC’s lineup for that one was confounding, as Khano started 6 recognized defenders. Midfield injuries certainly contributed to that, but it was a really poor performance overall and RIFC will need to be much better this time around
• Hartford Athletic hosting Greenville Triumph
  • Before the draw, it was made known that Greenville Triumph were not going to be able to host due to a scheduling conflict. This meant that once RIFC and Sacramento Republic were drawn, this matchup and location was guaranteed. This will be an interesting game for Hartford for a couple of reasons. First, they are seemingly about to lose star young forward Mamadou Dieng, who looks set to join Minnesota United of MLS today. Secondly, Hartford’s recent success has come from letting their opponents have the ball and beating them in transition with their quick and athletic attackers. How that plays out against League One Greenville Triumph will be something to watch

Final Thoughts

I’m excited to see RIFC at home once again. It’s always a great time at Tidewater regardless of the team’s poor record at home this season. The dream matchup for the semifinals would have been Greenville Triumph as on paper, that’s the easiest opponent to play. But you have to go through tough teams at some point in every cup competition. Sacramento will be the best team RIFC has played in this tournament including the group stage.

This draw also sets up the possibility for a 4th El Clamico of 2025 in the final. That would not only be incredible for fans of both teams but for the USL as a whole. But for now, it’s one game at a time. RIFC have the 3rd El Clamico coming up on Saturday in the league and all focus is on that game for now. I will be back tomorrow for a preview of that matchup and until then, UP THE TIDE!