The deepest run in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Indy Eleven’s history continued on Tuesday night as the side claimed a 2-1 win against Atlanta United FC at Fifth Third Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga.

The victory marked the first time in the Boys in Blue had defeated a side from Major League Soccer in the tournament. The result earned a place in the Semifinals against either Sporting Kansas City or FC Dallas on August 27-28, and a chance to become the second USL Championship club in three years to reach the Open Cup Final.  

Here are three keys as to how the Boys in Blue made history.

1. OPENING ON THE FRONT FOOT

From the off, Indy did well in not only taking the game to Atlanta, but being aggressive in how many players it was prepared to push into attacking spaces. This has been notable in the success they’ve earned in the Championship, and it carried over here and was maybe best seen in the positions Josh O’Brien and Ben Ofeimu took up when Indy got the ball into the attacking third.

Ostensibly the left and right center back, O’Brien pushed up when he could to support Aedan Stanley on the left, and Ofeimu did the same with Ben Mines on the right to create combinations and potential crossing scenarios. When that happened, Cam Lindley typically rotated back to cover their position when Atlanta gained possession, but that aggressiveness allowed the visitors to lay out where they wanted the game to be played in the first half.

“We needed to come out and show a bit of confidence,” said Indy Head Coach Sean McAuley. “If you come out with a little bit of a negative mindset, you can get drawn into just protecting and we wanted to come out with a really strong attitude towards getting toward their goal. Down the side Josh O’Brien and Aedan did really well and created a couple of good crossing chances.”

2. TIMING IS EVERYTHING

3. SACRIFICING THE BODY

McAuley told the broadcast team that part of what allows lower-division teams to cause upsets is their ability to suffer and play without the ball. That was especially true for Indy in the second half as on one hand Atlanta’s intensity ramped up in search of an equalizer and on the other Indy became more inconsistent in finding teammates with outlet passes to try and hold possession.

What was key throughout the contest, though, was the way Indy was prepared to battle and sacrifice their bodies when Atlanta got a sniff of goal. Midfielder Laurence Wooton was exemplary in the first part, tracking down and shepherding opponents into favorable situations for his side while winning 6 of 8 duels individually. Then there was the back line, which blocked nine of the 17 shots Atlanta took overall. Callum Chapman-Page led the way with three, while O’Brien and Ofeimu each registered two. While Atlanta became the first side to score against Indy in this Open Cup, it came too late to resuscitate their chances.

“I’ll have to rewatch, [but] I just remember a lot of our players throwing their bodies in front of the ball, you know, [Indy goalkeeper Hunter Sulte] coming and taking crosses, really critical moments which calms things down,” said McAuley. “I remember a lot of the players running so hard to keep what we had and try and get us into the semifinals.”