US Open Cup fourth round & Canadian Championship quarterfinals previews, May 7-8

"It's not their fault no-one else came," said Henry Rollins once, in response to a small audience at one of his shows, and it's an attitude we should probably take for the fourth round of the 2024 US Open Cup, which finally sees the entrance of the MLS clubs, or eight of them, at least. The future ramifications of Don Garber's attempt to withdraw his clubs from the country's oldest soccer competition are yet to be fully felt, the eleventh-hour compromise really pleasing no-one, but fans and players were almost wholly united in their opposition to the move. Regardless, there are eight MLS clubs - and the New York City FC reserves, who battled through the last two rounds - in the draw and we should move forward from here, for this season at least.

The sixteen fourth round games are split over two days, with seven games taking place tonight. The first of these kicks-off at midnight (all times BST) and sees Pittsburgh Riverhounds welcome FC Tulsa to Highmark Stadium in the Steel City. Having lost five key players during the winter, Riverhounds took some time to get going this season but have won their last three, beating reigning champions Phoenix Rising in Arizona, turning away a previously unblemished Detroit City, and squeaking past The Miami FC at the weekend. Having finished in the top eight last season, this will be Pittsburgh's first match in this year's competition and they face a Tulsa outfit that overcame USL League One's Northern Colorado Hailstorm in the last round. The Oklahomans, too, have had a tentative start to 2024 but won at El Paso Locomotive two weeks ago and drew with Birmingham Legion at the weekend, and will travel to Pennsylvania with some confidence. Charlotte Independence have already won three Open Cup ties this season, defeating Vereinigung Erzgebirge, South Carolina United Heat, and USL Championship new boys Rhode Island FC to get to round four. Their reward is a visit to Atlanta United's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they will face the MLS side in a match that kicks off at half-past-midnight. Independence have only lost once this season and have goalkeeper Austin Pack in fine form; they might well need him to be with Thiago Almada, Giorgios Giakoumakis, and Saba Lobjanidze in dangerous form of late, although they did lose at home to Minnesota United on Saturday.

It's to be assumed that its to their credit that reigning champions Houston Dynamo agreed to return to defend their trophy this year, despite being one of the nine clubs MLS entered into the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the prime reason given by Garber for his garbage move. They will kick-off at 1am against a Detroit City side that beat local rivals Michigan Stars in the last round and who won their first five league games this season before being beaten by Pittsburgh Riverhounds the weekend before last and drawing a blank at Loudoun four days ago. Dynamo have missed the quality of Hector Herrera in midfield but are generally playing good, attacking soccer, and this should be a game to keep an eye on. Houston's Texas rivals FC Dallas also face USL Championship opposition in the shape of Memphis 901, who beat fifth-tier Miami United in the last round. The game, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, kicks off at 1.30am and will see former Atlanta United coach Stephen Glass attempt to prove his credentials against MLS opposition for the first time since taking over the Tennessee club in 2022. 901 had a big win over ten-man Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday night, which - coupled with Dallas's 3-1 loss at Toronto FC on Saturday - augurs well for Glass's side.

San Jose Earthquakes have been in terrible form so far in 2024, winning just one of their first ten games before beating LAFC on Saturday night, and they will be wary of facing USL Championship side Oakland Roots at PayPal Park, even factoring in the Roots' recent woes. Roots sacked head coach Noah Delgado after a home defeat by Colorado Springs switchbacks and interim coach Gavin Glinton led them to a 2-2 draw in San Antonio at the weekend. Quakes fell at the first hurdle last season to USL Championship opposition in the shape of Monterey Bay FC, coached by their former legend Frank Yallop, and will be hoping to avoid a repeat of that disaster when they meet Roots for a 3am kick-off. It's also a 3am start down the coast in Irvine, where Orange County SC face Loudoun United in an all-USL Championship tie. County have been in superb form so far this season, just one defeat to Western Conference leaders Sacramento Republic blotting their record, while Loudoun have been better than in previous years, although a 0-0 draw with Detroit City at the weekend ranks as one of their best results this season. Tuesday's final game is another all-USL Championship affair, this time from northern California where Sacramento Republic host Monterey Bay FC at Heart Health Park for a 3.30am kick-off. Both sides fell at this stage last season, although Republic made the final in 2022, their dream ended by Orlando City. Republic were held 1-1 by Phoenix Rising on Saturday but should have enough to beat a Monterey side that lost at home to Indy Eleven and are very much the underdogs here.

The first of Wednesday's games start at midnight, with North Carolina FC facing Phoenix Rising in a meeting of the 2023 USL League One champions versus their 2023 USL Championship equivalents. North Carolina moved up to the Championship during the winter and they've given a good account of themselves without earning too many points, although they did manage to defeat MLS Next Pro outfit Carolina Core in the previous round. Rising have made hard work of their defence of the title, but coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Sacramento Republic at the wekend will have pleased rookie head coach Danny Stone. Also at midnight is another all-USL Championship clash, this time between Indy Eleven and San Antonio FC. Two of the better supported clubs in the USL, both fell to MLS opposition in the third round last year, but Indy at least earned a token measure of revenge by beating Chicago Fire II in the last round. Indy go into this tie in better form, ahving won their last two, but San Antonio are good travellers and have some formidable firepower when called upon. 

2022 USL League One winners South Georgia Tormenta won't have enjoyed being drawn at Charleston Battery at this stage of the competition, and that was before Battery beat Las Vegas Lights 6-0 two weeks ago and were efficient in beating Hartford Athletic 1-0 at the weekend. Still, the Statesboro outfit have beaten FC America CFL Spurs, Savannah Clovers, and USL Championship side The Miami FC to get this far and can at least approach the midnight kick-off at Patriots Point with absolutely no pressure on them. The sole MLS Next Pro team left in the competition, New York City FC II, host Colorado Springs Switchbacks of the USL Championship for a 0.30am start at Belson Stadium in Queens and will fancy their chances of another "cupset" having knocked out Hartford Athletic in the third round. Switchbacks started the season in terrible form but have won their last two. Still, they could probably do without this potential misstep...

Down in St Petersburg, Florida, the all-USL Championship tie between Tampa Bay Rowdies and Birmingham Legion is also a half-past-midnight affair, and Legion will be looking for a repeat of last year's heroics which saw them beat Charlotte FC of MLS on their way to the last eight. Tampa's Cal Jennings is in fine goalscoring form but the Rowdies defence will be wary of the visitors' Stefano Pinho, who scored all four in their 4-2 defeat of Chattanooga Red Wolves in the last round, especially since they conceded four in Memphis at the weekend. If South Georgia Tormenta are dreading their trip to South Carolina on Wednesday, their USL League One rivals Union Omaha are probably relishing their fourth round tie against Sporting Kansas City, having defeated USL Championship team El Paso Locomotive to get to this stage. A relative local derby, with under 200 miles separating the two, the tie - a 1am kick-off at Union's Werner Park stadium - finds the clubs in differing form, with the home side undefeated so far this season, 4-2 home winners over South Georgia Tormenta at the weekend. Sporting, meanwhile, are stuttering of late, conceding unnecessary goals and losing 1-0 at Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

New Mexico United saw off the challenge of Lubbock Matadors in the last round, the plucky Texans finally coming unstuck 2-1 in Albuquerque, but will face tougher opposition in the shape of Real Salt Lake on Wednesday at 2am. The late arrival of Chicho Arango wasn't quite enough to propel RSL to play-off glory last season but he's been working his magic in 2024 and scored the only goal in their win over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. United have also been in good form, winning five of their last six matches and it should be quite a contest. The final two games are 3.30am affairs and both feature USL Championship teams taking on MLS outfits. Seattle Sounders are four-time US Open Cup winners but haven't reached the final for a decade. They will regard Louisville City as a necessary hurdle to getting back to cup glory but should not take the visitors for granted. One of the USL Championship's top sides, City have lost just once this season, winning 6-0 against Hartford Athletic in their last game, while Sounders have struggled, winning just two games in their eleven league outings this season. Finally, it's the turn of MLS glamour club Los Angeles FC to take to the field, facing Jose Bautista's Las Vegas Lights at Cashman Field in Sin City. Bautista's arrival at the Lights has transformed the club but it's still very much a work in progress, with another home loss - this time to New Mexico United - at the weekend. LAFC, meanwhile, are in generally decent form but lost in San Jose on Saturday, only the second side to fall to the Quakes this season. 

The quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship also begin tonight with a pair of games that pit Canadian Premier League clubs against their MLS counterparts. Four times CPL champions Forge FC welcome CF Montreal to Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton, Ontario, in a repear of the 2023 semi-final that the MLS side won 2-0. Forge have won all their domestic outings in 2024 so far, their sole blemish coming at the hands of Mexican giants Chivas Guiadalajara in the CONCACAF Champions Cup . They'll be chomping at the bit to get at their visitors, especially given Montreal were well beaten at the weekend, a 4-1 reverse in Nashville their fourth defeat in ten games this season. Tonight's other game takes place at ATCO Field in Calgary, Alberta, where Cavalry FC host Vancouver Whitecaps. The clubs met at this stage in 2022, with Caps advancing on penalties, but all quarterfinal ties are over two legs this season and Cavalry will be up for the cup at home. Whitecaps, though, have talent to spare and it will take a determined performance for the CPL side to get a result tonight, let alone over two legs.

The other two quarterfinal ties take place on Wendesday night, with the semi-professionals of CS Saint-Laurent hosting Toronto FC of MLS, and an all-CPL affair between Atletico Ottawa and Pacific FC. Saint-Laurent are reigning Ligue 1 Quebec champions and knocked out HFX Wanderers in a penalty shootout to get a shot at Toronto, who breezed past opposition of a similar standard in the last round, defeating Simcoe County Rovers 5-0. Saint-Laurent have a side with plenty of higher league experience, though, and it will be a match that Reds coach John Herdman probably could do without. With Forge not in action this week, Atletico and Pacific are joint top of the CPL after four rounds with ten points each. Both sides are undefeated in all competitions this year, although Pacific needed a last minute equaliser and penalty kicks to get past TSS Rovers in the last round, while the Ottawans put seven past Valour FC without reply. Three of the second legs take place in two weeks' time, with the Pacific-Atletico Ottawa decider coming a week after that.