I’m not here to sugar coat Orlando City’s loss to Atlanta United last night in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal. It was a disappointing performance from the team and just a little sharper play could have produced a truly magical result. The players know this and they were “gutted” after last night’s game in Head Coach James O’Connor’s words.
Losing in the final or the final four just seems to hurt more than it does in Round 4 or 5. Coming close to the pinnacle makes it a bit more agonizing, but in the end, only one team’s fans will be happy at the end of the tournament.