Written By Mauricio Segura // Photo: Mauricio Segura
OCT 4, 2025
There was a hush in the final minute at Heart Health Park as Sacramento Republic FC threw everything at Hartford Athletic in search of an equalizer and came up empty. The final whistle blew, 1-0 in favor of Hartford, sending a flood of bittersweet emotion through Sacramento’s faithful. Hartford’s Samuel Careaga, with a calm first-time finish off a corner sequence, struck early in the second half and held on as his team captured its first trophy in club history. It was a shining moment for a club that had climbed through 2025’s expanded USL Jägermeister Cup with grit and structure and a heartbreaking one for Sacramento, who came so far in their first crack at the competition only to fall just short.
The Jägermeister Cup is still a fresh face in American soccer’s cup landscape. Launched in 2024 as a postseason competition limited to League One, the Cup expanded in 2025 to include all professional men’s sides in the USL Championship and USL League One, bringing 38 entrants into the fray. Its format mirrored a World Cup-style group stage folded into league schedules, with no draws allowed as tie games went straight to penalty kicks and then a knockout phase to decide a champion. Compared to older, more storied tournaments, the Cup still lacks decades of lore. But in just its second year, it is already producing dramatic runs, upsets, and new heroes.
Sacramento embraced the tournament with intent from the outset. In group play, they took top honors in their group, edging AV Alta 1-0, dominating Las Vegas Lights 4-0, suffering a late 1-0 loss to Orange County, and closing out with a 1-0 road win over Spokane Velocity. That consistency earned them a seed into the knockout rounds.
In the quarterfinals, Sacramento traveled to Loudoun United and after a tight regulation match, won the shootout 4-2. In the semifinals, they faced Rhode Island in another goalless fight through 90 minutes and again kept their nerve in a shootout, this time sweeping the tiebreaker 3-0. Those back-to-back penalty wins showcased Sacramento’s mental fortitude, their structure under pressure, and a willingness to grind out results. In all, they entered the Final having surrendered zero goals in knockout regulation time.
They came into October 4 riding a wave of confidence and defensive identity. But Hartford arrived with its own story. Under coach Brendan Burke, Hartford swept through the Cup without a regulation loss, with Careaga’s goal in the Final giving them a perfect run in the tournament. In the deciding match, Careaga seized on a moment of midfield indecision. A corner kick landed for him at the top of the box, he fired it through traffic, and Sacramento goalkeeper Jared Mazzola could not keep it out. The shot was clinical and decisive.
Sacramento had threatened earlier when Russell Cicerone’s header off a corner in the 20th minute struck the post and ricocheted clear. In the closing minutes, Sebastián Herrera and Ryan Spaulding forced saves from Hartford keeper Antony Siaha, but none of their efforts found the net. To make things worse, Herrera was sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow, reducing Sacramento to ten men. A final blast from Cristian Parano veered just wide and sealed their fate.
For Hartford, this is a watershed moment, the first silverware in club history and a sign that the project under Burke is ready for the next level. For Sacramento, the disappointment is sharp but there is pride in having made a statement in their Cup debut by winning their group, navigating two tough road shootouts, and making it all the way to the Final on home turf. In many ways, that is a new baseline to build from.
The Jägermeister Cup itself benefits from stories like this. A relatively new competition, it could easily be dismissed as a novelty unless clubs and fans invest in it. But this Final, with a strong crowd, a single decisive goal, and high stakes, proves it can matter. Hartford’s perfect run, Sacramento’s near miss, the late red card and the dramatic finale all mark it as a cup classic in the making.
In the days ahead, Sacramento’s players and fans will replay the near misses, from the header off the post to Parano’s late effort, but they will also remember that they reached the Final in their first attempt, showed resilience throughout the tournament, and pushed the eventual champions to the brink. They did not get the silverware, but they have set a new standard and left no doubt that they belong on this stage.
