US Open Cup Second Round & CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals preview, April 2

The second round (proper) of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup gets underway tonight with the 32 first round winners facing off for a chance to meet sixteen USL Championship teams in round three. There were a number of "cupsets" in the first round, resulting in seven lower-tier sides progressing at the expense of their third-tier opponents. Of those, two will meet and so at least one side from (at least) the fourth tier is going to be in the draw for the next round!

Action begins tonight in Virginia, where Richmond Kickers of USL League One welcome NISA's Maryland Bobcats. The Kickers began life in the USL predecessor league USISL in 1993 and actually won the US Open Cup in 1995, the last year before MLS arrived on the scene. They used to enjoy a healthy rivalry with the third Baltimore Bays club and will look to renew that border rivalry with the Bobcats, who are based in Boyds, west of Charm City. The Bobcats were themselves formed in 2016 and moved into the semi-professional fifth-tier UPSL in 2019, joining NISA in 2021. They reached the third round of last year's Open Cup where they were eliminated by Pittsburgh Riverhounds of USL-C, with Kickers reaching the same stage and losing to MLS's DC United. Kickers have not started the season well in USL-1 and have lost two from two, but NISA doesn't start its season until this weekend and so the home side should have a slight advantage in terms of match sharpness.

There's an MLS Next Pro derby at Belson Stadium in Jamaica, New York, as New York City FC II take on New York Red Bulls II. The inclusion of MLS reserve sides in this year's Open Cup is disappointing but we are where we are and at least one of them will be eliminated in this clash. Both sides breezed through the last round against fourth-tier opposition. Of far more interest to the neutral is tonight's clash between USL-1's Charlotte Independence and South Carolina United Heat of the fifth-tier UPSL. Very much the second team in the Queen City, Independence started play in the USL in 2015, having acquired the local franchise rights from Charlotte Eagles, and spent time in the second tier USL-C until taking voluntary relegation to USL-1 for the 2022 season. They've won one and lost one so far this season, with the Columbia-based Heat winning their first league game in the UPSL Mid-Atlantic Conference at the weekend when they beat the MLS babies of Charlotte Soccer Academy. They eliminated Charlotte FC's MLS Next Pro affiliates Crown Legacy FC in the last round and will be looking to cause another upset in the city tonight.

MLS Next Pro's Minnesota United 2 knocked out everyone's favourite Farley "Jackmaster" Funk tribute club Chicago House AC in the first round and tonight welcome NISA's Michigan Stars - from the Detroit suburbs - to St Paul. Stars were 1-0 winners over Pittsburgh's Steel City FC in the first round but again, as a NISA club, haven't started their league season yet. The Detroit club were officially formed in 2014 but trace their history back through both Windsor Spartans and Dearborn Stars to 1982. They played in the NPSL before turning professional with the establishment of NISA in 2019. The one all lower-tier game on the schedule for this week comes from Texas, where Lubbock Matadors face Foro SC at Lubbock Christian University Soccer Field. Matadors, who are only in their third year of existence and took third place in last year's NPSL national play-offs, beat NISA newbies Arizona Monsoon in the first round, while Foro accounted for MLS Next Pro's Austin FC II. The Dallas club finished fourth in the Fall 2023 UPSL play-offs and are coached by former FC Dallas star Michel Garbini, who also works as an assistant coach at North Texas SC in MLS Next Pro.

The final game tonight comes from Fresno, California, where Jermaine Jones's Central Valley Fuego from USL-1 take on El Farolito SC of the NPSL's Golden Gate Conference, who knocked out Portland Timbers 2 of MLS Next Pro in the first round. Formed in 1985 and named after the owner's chain of restaurants in the San Francisco area, they won the Open Cup in 1993 under the name Club Deportivo Mexico and represented the US in the 1994 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Three MLS clubs remain in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup as it reaches the quarterfinal stage, with Liga MX providing four and a sole Costa Rican survivor making up the numbers. Tonight sees Columbus Crew host UANL Tigres, currently fourth in the Liga MX Clausura, and with the home side in good form so far this season it should be a cracker. Perhaps less so in Foxboro, where New England Revolution welcome Liga MX leaders Club America having taken just a single point from their five MLS games so far this season. There are two further games tomorrow and the reverse legs are next week.