Some of you reading this were present at Canyon Crest Academy Stadium on April 6 when San Diego Loyal took on Albion San Diego in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The atmosphere was truly breathtaking that night as fans for both teams saw a hard-fought battle with SD Loyal coming out victorious  2-1 on a goal in the final minutes. The team, led by head coach Landon Donovan, then moved on to face LA Galaxy, where Donovan won four of his six MLS Cups and one U.S. Open Cup title, but fell in a close one 1-0 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Little did we know at the time that there would eventually be another California team that San Diego soccer fans would be pulling for and that now finds itself in the U.S. Open Cup final, becoming the first USL side to do so since Charleston Battery in 2008.

That team is Sacramento Republic and is now just one win away from capping off a historic run that has seen them take out three MLS sides starting with San Jose Earthquakes in the round of 16, LA Galaxy in the quarterfinals, and Sporting Kansas City in the semifinals on penalty kicks Wednesday night. A victory in the final against Orlando City SC means Sacramento gets awarded $300,000 in prize money and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League.

The U.S. Open Cup final is scheduled for Sept. 7 at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Fla. with Sacramento traveling to face Orlando City. Let’s hope that Cinderella can close the deal with a storybook ending that would make Walt Disney and all California soccer fans proud.

Photo courtesy: Sacramento Republic