TEMECULA – Chaparral High School was a packed on a rainy night as DJ Wilson put Temecula FC ahead of the Murrieta Soccer Academy early on in second round action of The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Saturday, Sept. 30. Wilson’s goal was quickly followed by Amfed Luquez as he added a second goal just minutes after to double the lead. Pablo Caparelli then scored with a free kick as Temecula went into the locker room at halftime with the 3-0 lead.
Wilson then bagged a brace late on in the match to make it 4-0 for the Quails. Temecula found out they will face Santa Monica in the third round of play on either Saturday, Oct. 21, or Sunday, Oct. 22.
“Winning 4-0 against a local rival was exactly the result we have been working towards,” said Ignacio Gachuzo, Temecula FC’s head coach. “This was the most complete team performance and win that I’ve seen from the men and it happening on the biggest stage says a lot about their level of confidence in themselves and each other.”
Gachuzo was immensely proud of his team, including DJ Wilson, whom he said from start to finish had put his mark on the match. “With his goals, he earned the ‘Man of the match’ honors as he proves to be the No. 10 that the club has been desperately looking for. We will continue to work this week at training with the Mamba Mentality of the late Kobe Bryant and his famous line during the 2009 NBA finals when he said the job was not finished.”
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is U.S. Soccer’s National Championship and has crowned a champion annually since 1914 (with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19). The historic tournament is conducted on a single-game, knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.
“This was an amazing evening for our club,” says owner Brandon Jantz. “So many players to talk about within the game itself, but just delighted for everyone who connected with the club. Staff, players, and supporters…what they gave us tonight was a little bit of history in the cup.”
Should Temecula FC win Round Three, then they would be set for a match Nov. 18 or 19, which would be the Fourth Qualifying Round of 11 matches.
The next portion of play follows suite:
2024 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP TOURNAMENT PROPER
- Tuesday, March 19 – Thursday, March 21: First Round
- Tuesday, April 2 – Wednesday, April 3: Second Round
- Tuesday, April 16 – Wednesday, April 17: Third Round
- Tuesday, May 7 – Wednesday, May 8: Round of 32
- Tuesday, May 21 – Wednesday, May 22: Round of 16
- Tuesday, July 9 – Wednesday, July 10: Quarterfinal
- Tuesday, Aug. 27 – Wednesday, Aug. 28: Semifinal
- Wednesday, Sept. 25: Final
Follow all the action with the Quails online at www.temeculafc.com.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
