Little Rock Rangers: A U.S. Open Cup Night to Remember 

The Little Rock Rangers made history by upsetting USL Championship side Birmingham Legion 1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup this past Wednesday, March 19th. 

The match was played at Episcopal College, as the Rangers’ home turf at War Memorial Stadium was ineligible due to the field size not meeting the standards for the U.S. Open Cup tournament. Despite the change in venue, it didn’t stop a magical night from unfolding. A sold-out Episcopal Field roared with excitement, with 1,000 fans showing up to support the Rangers. 

A Perfect First Half 

Facing a team two tiers above them, the Rangers came onto the field with a plan to defend organized and capitalize on any chances that came their way. Legion dominated possession and shots, but none of their attempts troubled the Rangers’ goal. Legion’s best chances came from corner kicks or free kicks. 

The turning point came in the 22nd minute when Rangers defender Sohma Ichikawa fouled a Legion striker in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for Legion. 

But on nights when you feel something incredible is about to happen, things often go your way—and that’s exactly what happened. Rangers goalkeeper Tomasz Wróblewski guessed correctly and saved the penalty kick from striker Lucca Dourado, making the entire stadium rumble. The penalty save became the highlight of an otherwise uneventful first half, which turned out to be a perfect performance for the Rangers. Their game plan remained unchanged, and the confidence boost from the penalty save convinced them that anything was possible. 

A Magical Second Half 

Magical things happen when you put in the work and believe in them. It was a dream start for the Rangers as midfielder Caoimhin McConnell received the ball at the top of the box and fired a strike into the lower corner of the goal, scoring the decisive goal for the Rangers. 

The goal set the tone for the rest of the second half as the Rangers continued to grind it out with solid defensive organization. They allowed Legion possession but prevented them from creating any easy chances to score. 

With the defensive wall, Rangers captain, and MVP of the game Carlos "Lalo" Beltran leading the backline, and with the ever-reliable Tomasz Wróblewski stepping up when needed to make crucial saves, the Rangers held strong. In the end, they defeated the two-tiered-up USL team, the Birmingham Legion, and made history as the first Arkansas team to reach the second round of the U.S. Open Cup in only their second-ever participation. 

Rangers Are History 

A historic night unfolded in Little Rock, not only with the first professional team ever to play on Arkansas soil, but also with a team that represented the state in the biggest way possible. The Rangers secured one of the greatest wins in Arkansas soccer history. This was evident as the game came to a close, with celebrations erupting as fans stormed the field, and emotions ran high everywhere. 

Rangers Head Coach Nick Doyle was overcome with emotion and struggled to hold back tears as the significance of the victory set in. "It's hard to find the words for it. You're just so thankful for the moment. Being in this type of situation and coming away with the win is just huge," he said. The victory felt even more significant, given that the Rangers only had three days to prepare for the match. Coach Doyle put it into context, saying, "It’s hard to prepare; we just put some tactical pieces out there and told the guys, This is going to work. When we got our chance, we had to take it and hope it fell our way. The guys believed, and it fell our way." 

As one of the heroes of the night, Caoimhin McConnell was ecstatic about the win. He shared a bit of what Coach Doyle told the team at halftime: "We had nothing to lose. They were the team a couple divisions above; they had the pressure. Let's go have fun; let's get at them, and if we lose, that's fine. But if we win, that's amazing—we grinded out the entire half and we got the win.” 

The grit displayed by the Rangers was that of a team determined to keep making history—a team that, with four players making their debut, including Sohma Ichikawa, Kevin Ventura, Steven Stone, and 17-year-old academy player Ian Jones, showed they have the talent, staff, and fan support to give it their all. With Jones 

joining the three other academy players on the roster, the Rangers proved they have what it takes to continue their journey. 

The Little Rock Rangers will continue their historic U.S. Open Cup journey on April 2 when they visit USL League One team FC Naples in Naples, Florida. 

GO RANGERS! 

Match Timeline

Penalty saved by LR Rangers 

Legio being dominating the game, but Rangerd have hold still. 

30 minutes into games 

Half-Time 

-Second Half 

- 47:00- Caoimhin McConnell scores second half, 1-0 Rangers 

- 56:00- Legion looking for the equalizer as they shoot up the croosbar while the rangers hold the lead. 

- 67:00- Legion with possession of the ball, while Rangers drop back and hold. 

- 71:00: Blake Shoot rebound keeper, Coca rebound shot but keepers saves it. 

- 78:00- Rangers attacking with couterattacks, while Legion with possession but no real danger into goal 

- 82:00- Rangeers keepers save clear attack 

- 6 minutes adding time 

- End of Game- Rangers Win 1-0 , they are into the next round of U.S Open Cup, after surprisingly beating USL tier team Legion Birmingham. Rangers make History.