Former Caley Thistle star Nick Ross is preparing to help shock-troops Sacramento Republic pull off a stunning US Open Cup success.
The USL Championship outfit are the first non-MLS side to reach the final since 2008, and no club at their level has won it since Rochester New York FC triumphed in 1999.
Inverness-born midfielder Ross knows all about cup success, having helped his home city club win the Scottish Cup, along with securing a third-place Premiership place and Europa League qualification in 2015.
And now he’s relishing the chance to take on US top-flight Orlando City on September 8 in a bid to claim another winner’s medal.
He said: “We’re enjoying being the underdog. No one is expecting us to win and there are people who don’t want us to win.
“Everyone in our league is behind us. Our opponents, after our matches, congratulate us on reaching the final and say they hope we win it.
“The MLS is different. I don’t know how the soccer federation would react to a USL team beating an MLS team in the final. It would be a big upset, but we have nothing to lose.
“If we lose, we can be proud of what we’ve done. We’ve had a good season, so I don’t see why we can win it.
“Orlando have had an up-and-down season, so we have a chance. We’re happy to take on anyone.
“We’re the first non-MLS side to reach the final since 2008.
“As far as I know, it is nearly always MLS teams that win it, so this is huge for us, especially to beat MLS sides on the way to the final.
“Although we’ve had a bit of luck, we’ve deserved to win the games we’ve played.”
Journey from Inverness to knocking out Johnny Russell’s Kansas City
After leaving ICT, Ross spent two years with Dundee and had a short stint with Sepsi OSK in Romania.
In 2019, the creative play-maker opted to move Stateside by joining USL Championship (Western Conference) side El Paso Locomotive in Texas, who he helped guide to successive play-off positions.
At the start of this year, Ross and his wife upped sticks as he relocated to join Californian club Sacramento Republic, who play in the same division.
Not only are Sacramento nicely positioned fifth in their league this term, they have already stunned other MLS clubs in the US Open Cup, which is the equivalent to our Scottish Cup.
A rousing 6-0 rout of Portland Timbers under-23s got the ball rolling for Republic in the second round and they followed that with a last-gasp 2-1 victory against Central Valley Fuego.
Next up were MLS opponents San Jose Earthquakes, with their home stadium, Home Health Park, having a cracking atmosphere and the players rose to the occasion.
Their reward for a 2-0 victory was an away quarter-final shot against LA Galaxy in June.
Ross was on the bench for that one, but was thrilled as his talented team-mates reeled off a superb 2-1 win which booked the club’s first semi-final spot in the competition.
There was more drama to come last week as another crack side of MLS big-hitters, Sporting Kansas City, were their opponents, with their star man being former Scotland striker Johnny Russell.
The ex-Dundee United front-man was a livewire, but the woodwork denied him and the rivals could not be split in a 0-0 draw over 120 minutes.
Ross was poised to take a penalty in the shoot-out, but he didn’t need to because Sacramento secured a 5-3 win to leave their stunned rivals floored.
The cup heroes had little time to celebrate this fantastic surge to the final as they were on a plane the next morning for South Carolina on league business.
They showed no jet-lag or ill-effects in any case, winning that league match 4-2 against Charleston Battery to remain in the play-off running.
Sacramento fearless in cup surge
Ross was delighted to come off the bench and help Sacramento see off Sporting Kansas City in the semi-final and doesn’t see a gulf in class between his team and those they have locked horns with.
He said: “Johnny Russell played the whole game. He’s their main man, their best player by far.
“He came close to scoring by hitting the bar and having a few other chances.
“We just seemed to have a bit of luck on the night, although we also played really well and had a few chances ourselves, especially in extra-time.
“We held out defensively, too, and took it to penalties, where anything can happen. Thankfully we got through it.
“That was the third MLS team we’d played and, barring maybe two or three players, there is not a great difference between us and MLS sides.”
Searing heat – even with an 8pm start
With the regular US season back to its pre-Covid shape, Ross described another challenge he’s faced – other than opponents.
He added: “There are a lot more cross-country trips this season, which I’ve never experienced before. That’s why I like it over here – there are so many different places and climates.
“However, Charleston was probably the most humid place I’ve ever played.
“We played in Phoenix two weeks ago and it was so dry, like a desert. It was 40 degrees at kick-off, which was at 8pm.
“Even the night before, when we trained there, it was 45 degrees at night. It was dreadful, just like standing next to a heater the whole time.”
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