US Open Cup 2022

Lore & Background

When LAFC took the field at Dignity Health Sports Park for the 2022 Landon Cup final, the weight of three trophyless seasons hung heavy over the Blue and Gold faithful. The club had arrived in MLS in 2019 with a star-studded roster and a bold identity, yet the silverware cabinet remained stubbornly empty. The US Open Cup, with its chaotic knockout format and the possibility of facing lower-division sides, was the most accessible path to a first major honour—and in 2022, LAFC walked it to the end.

The final against the New York Red Bulls was a statement of intent. Playing before a roaring home crowd in Carson, LAFC controlled the tempo, pressed high, and punished the visitors with clinical finishing. The 2-0 scoreline reflected a team that had shed the anxiety of previous seasons and replaced it with the composure of a squad that believed it belonged on the big stage. The celebration that followed—players, staff, and thousands of supporters flooding the pitch—became one of the most emotionally charged nights in the club's brief existence.

In the broader context of American football, the 2022 Landon Cup sits alongside the club's other honours as proof that LAFC's founding philosophy—ambition, identity, and community—could translate into tangible success. For a franchise only four years into its MLS era, that first trophy changed the narrative from 'promising project' to 'genuine contender.'

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights hummed over the Carson pitch as the Blue and Gold faithful packed every tier of Dignity Health Sports Park. The air smelled of summer heat and cheap beer, and somewhere in the lower bowl a child sat on her father's shoulders, a hand-painted 'FIRST TROPHY' sign trembling in the breeze. The Red Bulls lined up in their familiar red, but the energy in the building belonged entirely to the home side. When the final whistle split the night and the scoreboard read 2-0, the roar was not a sound so much as a physical force—seats rattled, strangers embraced, and the players tore off their shirts and sprinted toward the touchline where the families waited. The captain lifted the Landon Cup above his head, and for one suspended moment the entire city of Los Angeles seemed to exhale, as if it had been holding its breath since 2018.

Reader's Guide

2022 US Open Cup — LAFC 2-0 New York Red Bulls, Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, CA.

The match that mattered most was the one that never came: the pressure of a first final. LAFC absorbed it, controlled the midfield, and let the Red Bulls chase shadows. The first goal unlocked the game—sudden, clinical, and met with a stadium eruption that shook the concrete. The second goal, arriving in the half the visitors needed most, silenced any lingering hope and turned the final minutes into a victory lap.

The record to celebrate: first major trophy in club history. The holder is the 2022 squad as a whole, but the context is what makes it sing—three seasons of near-misses, a city that demanded more than a beautiful style, and a cup format that rewarded consistency over a single 90 minutes. Breaking through meant LAFC was no longer a 'promising young club.' They were champions. The Landon Cup sat on the centre circle, the Blue and Gold flags dropped from the stands, and the night belonged to everyone who had waited since 2018.

Did You Know?

• The 2022 US Open Cup was LAFC's first major trophy of any kind, ending a trophyless run that spanned their entire first three MLS seasons (2019–2021).
• The final was played at Dignity Health Sports Park, LAFC's home stadium in Carson, California, giving the Blue and Gold faithful a home-crowd advantage in the decider.
• The US Open Cup (Landon Cup) features a knockout format that can pit MLS sides against USL and lower-division clubs, making each round a potential upset and the final a genuine test of depth.
• LAFC were founded in 2018 and began MLS competition in 2019, meaning the 2022 cup victory came in only the club's fourth season of existence.