FORWARD MADISON FC VS. DULUTH FC

Venue: Breese Stevens Field; Madison, Wis.
Kickoff: Tuesday, March 19; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Partly cloudy, 48°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• Returning to Breese Stevens Field for the first time this season, Madison has accrued a record of 2-1-2, outscored opponents by a combined three goals and recorded four shutouts across its previous five home openers.
• In its fourth U.S. Open Cup campaign, Madison is kicking off its tournament against a regional lower-division side (Bavarian United SC, 2019; Cleveland SC, 2022; Chicago House AC, 2023). The 'Mingos are 2-1 in those contests.
• Madison's first U.S. Open Cup run featured three matches and a trip to the Third Round. The 'Mingos' second run in 2022 lasted two matches and their most recent run in 2023 ended after just one match.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

MAD - Devin Boyce: The 2021 All-League Second Team midfielder was stellar in his debut with Madison over the weekend. Boyce's 15 combined duels and tackles won were the most in Week 2, and the 27-year-old also recorded six recoveries, two fouls won, two chances created and the lone goal in the 'Mingos' 1-1 draw with South Georgia.

DUL - Tyler Limmer: Limmer led the BlueGreens with seven goals across 12 matches played in the 2023 NPSL season - tied for the third most in the Midwest Region. Limmer bagged a brace in Duluth's 5-1 victory in the North Conference Semifinals over Minnesota TwinStars FC in July 2023.

VERMONT GREEN FC VS. LEXINGTON SC

Venue: Virtue Field; Burlington, Vt.
Kickoff: Tuesday, March 19; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Cloudy, 36°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• Lexington is the only club in League One to boast multiple players who have won domestic cup competitions. Cuba international Jorge Corrales won the 2019 Canadian Championship with CF Montréal and Malta international Yannick Yankam won the 2022–23 Maltese FA Trophy with Birkirkara FC.
• Lexington's match against Vermont is the first instance of LSC facing a lower-division opponent in club history. Similarly, it's the first time that Vermont has ever faced a higher-division opponent.
• The match in Burlington, Vt. marks the first U.S. Open Cup match in the state across the tournament's 110-year history. The match also marks the first time Lexington SC has competed in or against a team from New England.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

VER - Jacob Labovitz: The former Greenville Triumph SC goalscorer tallied 12 goals in 2022 and six goals in 2023 for Triumph SC. The 25-year-old earned a League One Player of the Week nod in Week 16 of the 2022 season after setting a league record with five goals in a single week.

LEX - Yannick Yankam: Yankam scored his first goal for Lexington on Friday, securing a victory over Chattanooga and recognition on the Team of the Week. The Malta international won six duels, three fouls and one tackle to go along with a pair of recoveries and interceptions.

SOUTH GEORGIA TORMENTA FC VS. FC AMERICA CFL SPURS

Venue: Tormenta Stadium; Statesboro, Ga.
Kickoff: Tuesday, March 19; 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear, 56°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• South Georgia boasts one of three U.S. Open Cup winners actively playing in League One in 2013 champion Conor Doyle who won the 100th edition of the tournament with D.C. United. Charlotte's Kharlton Belmar (2017, Sporting Kansas City) and Spokane's Luis Gil (2018, Houston Dynamo FC) have also won the tournament.
• In its singular matchup with a lower division opponent in club history - which came when the club was still in USL League Two - South Georgia defeated the Myrtle Beach Mutiny in the First Round of the 2018 tournament. 
• Across the last two tournaments' rounds in which professional clubs are introduced, pre-professional teams have gone a combined 4-24.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

TRM - Ford Parker: In his fifth season as a professional goalkeeper, Parker recently made his 12th career start in his second appearance for South Georgia. The former Birmingham Legion FC and New Mexico United 'keeper leads the league in saves with 10 and was named to the Team of the Week in Week 2.

FCA - William Eyang: The 30-year-old Cameroonian forward has tallied four goals across FCA's qualifying matches and recorded a race in the Spurs' Fourth Qualifying Round victory over Leg-AZ World FC to gain entry to the tournament proper. Eyang was the UPSL's golden boot winner in the 2021 Spring season and previously played professionally with Orlando City B (2016), Atlanta SC (2019) and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (2022).

TULSA ATHLETIC VS. NORTHERN COLORADO HAILSTORM FC

Venue: Athletic Field at Hicks Park; Tulsa, Okla.
Kickoff: Tuesday, March 19; 8 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny, 73°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• The Hailstorm are 3-1 in official competition against higher-division opponents. Northern Colorado's matchup with Tulsa will be the first time that the club has faced a lower-division opponent in official competition.
• Northern Colorado Head Coach Éamon Zayed and winger Billy King have both won the FAI Cup in Ireland, Zayed in 2009 with Sporting Fingal FC and King in 2021 with St Patrick's Athletic FC.
• A season ago, NPSL champions Tulsa Athletic progressed farther than any other pre-professional team, earning a $25,000 prize from U.S. Soccer. Tulsa's run featured wins over USL League Two's Twin City Toucans FC and the USL Championship's FC Tulsa before ending in defeat at Sporting Kansas City.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

TUL - Aboubakr Diallo: The Gabonese forward was named to the NPSL's 2023 Capelli Sport National XI team and helped Tulsa Athletic claim its first NPSL title in 2023. In 2017, Diallo was named an All-American at NAIA's Oklahoma City University.

NCO - Lucky Opara: Kicking off his second season with the Hailstorm, Opara helped Northern Colorado to a season-opening clean sheet with his seven recoveries, four duels won, two tackles won and an 81% passing accuracy.