With Sacramento's MLS plans on hiatus, a U.S. Open Cup win would etch team into American soccer lore

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When Sacramento Republic forward Maalique Foster walked to the penalty spot in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal July 27, it represented one of the most pivotal moments in club history and in American soccer lore.

After 120 minutes of goalless soccer, second-division USL Championship side Sacramento trailed Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City 4-3 in the decisive penalty shootout. Neither team had missed, so Foster needed to score to keep pace. A failed attempt would put the team on the brink of elimination, possibly ending a magical tournament run that had re-energized the soccer community in California's capital city, following a disappointing previous year.

So, naturally, Foster went about it in one of the most audacious ways possible: a Panenka. The Jamaican's approach was normal enough, but just as he arrived at the ball and planted his left foot, he slowed into a lean and softly chipped the ball right down the middle. There was nothing SKC goalkeeper John Pulskamp could do — other than smirk afterward — as he fell helplessly to his right.

Foster cartwheeled into a backflip and, in a nod to Steph Curry, rested his face on his hands… night night.

Maalique Foster