US Open Cup Third Round preview, April 16-17

The USL Championship sides - sixteen of them, at least - have arrived in the US Open Cup, facing the sixteen teams who made it through the first two rounds proper. That latter sixteen includes three teams from the fourth-tier or lower who will be chomping at the bit to get a chance at reigning champions Houston Dynamo, the USL-C big boys, and the MLS also-rans in the Fourth Round. There are five games on Tuesday night, with the balance coming on Wednesday, and two chances of a "cupset" as the NPSL's Lubbock Matadors travel to USL-C side New Mexico United, and Oakland Roots welcome another NPSL side in El Farolito. Lubbock are a fairly new club, former just two years ago but already turning heads in northwestern Texas. They beat NISA newbies Arizona Monsoon in round one, and then ousted fellow Texas amateur side Foro SC in the second round, but face tough competition in New Mexico, who had a weekend off from league competition to prepare. El Farolito are former US Open Cup winners - as CD America in 1993 - but the competition has levelled up a bit since then. Still, they accounted for MLS next Pro's Portland Timbers 2 in round one, and USL League One's Central Valley Fuego in round two, and will fear nothing in their local derby against an Oakland Roots side not really into their stride this season.

USL Championship expansion club Rhode Island FC make their US Open Cup debut away at Charlotte Independence, a USL-C side themselves until five years ago. With MLS Charlotte FC across town, Independence may not get big crowds at American Legion Memorial Stadium but they have a hardcore following who will be urging them on tonight having dispatched two amateur sides - Philadelphia's Vereinigung Erzgebirge and South Carolina United Heat of the UPSL - to get here. But for a 3-2 defeat at Charleston Battery last week, Louisville City have been imperious in the USL Championship this season and will represent a tough test for USL-1's Greenville Triumph, especially as the visitors are coming off a defeat to Charlotte at the weekend. Still, Triumph have looked good new head coach Rick Wright and City might have a battle on their hands.

Tonight's final game is the Motor City derby between the USL Championship's Detroit City - played four, won four so far this season - and NISA's Michigan Stars. There is considerable ill-feeling between the clubs, with the Stars owner George Juncaj partially blaming their last US Open Cup defeat in Detroit on "darkness, smoke, and smell," and it's sure to be a lively - if maybe one-sided - night at Keyworth Stadium.

The other lower-tier side, Miami United, can count themselves lucky to still be in the competition after several of their players were caught betting on them to beat Club de Lyon in round two. That came after they had got through MLS Next Pro independent club Chattanooga FC in the first round, and it would be a shame to have spoiled their impressive run over something as stupid as gambling. In their third round match tomorrow they face Memphis 901 of the USL Championship - as you may have noticed, all these games are USL-C versus the rest encounters - and you wouldn't (in fact, you shouldn't) bet against them doing it again. United's city rivals The Miami FC are at home to 2022 USL League One champions South Georgia Tormenta at FIU Stadium on Wednesday, with the visitors not in the greatest form so far this season, although they did win their last game on April 6th. Miami are undergoing a rebuild of their squad, though, and it may be a good time for Tormenta to play them...

There's a North Carolina derby up in Cary, as North Carolina FC, promoted from USL-1 to USL-C over the winter, take on MLS Next Pro independent side Carolina Core. Core beat USL League Two's NoVA FC in the first round before ending USL-2 Vermont Green's cup dreams in round two, and it will be an interesting gauge of their strength against a professional side that isn't made up of MLS reserves. One of the two remaining reserve sides, New York City FC II, visit Hartford Athletic tomorrow night, and it may sound weird to say it but there's a good chance of the second division side causing an upset by beating the third division baby Pigeons. NYCFCII won 6-2 at the weekend, and have already eliminated the NPSL's FC Motown and New York Red Bulls II so far, but Hartford have won three out of four so this season and look a different side to last year.

The other reserve side are Chicago Fire II, who have accounted for USL-2 Chicago City and USL-1 Forward Madison so far, and they play their third home tie in a row against Indy Eleven on Wednesday. Fire can score goals for fun, worrying for an Indy side that have conceded nine goals in their last two games.Besides El Farolito - and until Houston Dynamo, Atlanta United, Sporting Kansas City, FC Dallas, Seattle Sounders, and DC United enter in round four - the only other past winners are Richmond Kickers, a historic club with plenty of second-tier experience. The USL-1 outfit knocked out Christos Discount Liquor and Maryland Bobcats on their way to round three and now face the young bucks of Loudoun United in a Virginia derby. Kickers aren't in the best form but this is sure to be hotly contested.

Birmingham Legion reached the quarterfinals last year and will be hoping for a repeat of that this year at least. They face USL-1's Chattanooga Red Wolves tomorrow night at Protective Stadium, with Wolves coming off the back of a win at Central Valley Fuego at the weekend, having knocked out the UPSL's Brockton FC United and Apotheos FC of the NPSL to get this far. FC Tulsa welcome Northern Colorado Hailstorm to Oklahoma tomorrow night having earned a great 1-1 draw away at Sacramento Republic with just ten men on Saturday. Hailstorm are usually solid at the back but have been vulnerable there this season and are lacking the goals of Trevor Amann, sold to Republic over the winter. They've already won in Tulsa this year, having eliminated the NPSL's Tulsa Athletic in round one, going on to knockout Colorado Rapids 2 of MLS Next Pro in their next match.

It's four games and four wins in all competitions for Union Omaha so far this season, having won two out of two in the league and dispatching Western mass Pioneers and Des Moines Menace of USL-2 on their way to round three. They host El Paso Locomotive at Werner Park on Wednesday, the Texas side sensibly having forgone a home tie, and this would be a good one to keep your eye on, the varying fortunes of each side ripe for an upset. That might also be the case in Seaside, California, where Monterey Bay FC welcome NISA new boys Irvine Zeta to Cardinale Stadium. Frank Yallop's side have started well this season but Zeta have looked very impressive in the cup this year, defeating US Amateur Cup winners SC Mesoamerica in round one before eliminating the capable youngsters of Ventura County FC (LA Galaxy II, rebranded) in round two. Last year, it was Yallop who sprung an upset on his old club San Jose Earthquakes, but the shoe might be on the other foot this year...

Finally, we find ourselves in Sin City, where Las Vegas Lights will play USL-1 expansion club Spokane Velocity. Velocity are enjoying life as the newest professional club in the USL third tier and have beaten USL-2 national champions Ballard FC and NISA powerhouse LA Force to get this far, but Lights have generally looked good this year - when they keep eleven men on the field, that is. The sixteen winners will go through to round four, which is scheduled to take place on May 7th and 8th.