RICHMOND KICKERS VS. CHRISTOS FC

Venue: City Stadium; Richmond, Va.
Kickoff: Wednesday, March 20; 6:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Partly cloudy, 60°
Series (First Meeting): 1-0-0, CFC (2017)
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• The Kickers are gearing up for their 59th U.S. Open Cup match in their 32-year history. They are also the only active lower-division professional club that has won the tournament (1995).
• Richmond will look to avenge its 1-0 loss to Christos in the Second Round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup. The defeat at City Stadium marked the first time the Kickers had gone one-and-done in the tournament since 2009 and the first time they had lost to a lower-division opponent since 2006 (USL League Two's North Carolina Fusion U-23).
• Richmond's 36-22 all-time U.S. Open Cup record features more wins that all other current League One clubs combined (26-29). The Kickers' U.S. Open Cup win percentage of 62% is third in League One behind Omaha's 71% and Northern Colorado's 67%.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

RIC - Adrian Billhardt: In his first action back in League One since being named Comeback Player of the Year in 2022, Billhardt opened the scoring for Richmond to kick off their 32nd-consecutive season, earning a spot on the Team of the Week.

CFC - Clement Blanc: The midfielder scored a brace to power Christos FC past Aegean Hawks FC in the Second Qualifying Round before netting the winning goal against NOVA FC in the Fourth Qualifying Round to send Christos FC to the tournament proper.

SOUTH CAROLINA UNITED FC VS. GREENVILLE TRIUMPH SC

Venue: SCUFC Southeastern Freight Lines Soccer Complex; Columbia, S.C.
Kickoff: Wednesday, March 20; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear, 66°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• Triumph SC's matchup with the Bantams will mark the first occasion that Greenville has faced a lower-division opponent and the first time it has played on the road in the Palmetto State. Similarly, this match marks the first time that South Carolina United FC has faced a higher-division opponent as the Bantams seek their first U.S. Open Cup victory.
• Greenville is 0-1 all-time against in-state opponents; Triumph SC fell to USL Championship rival Charleston Battery in the Second Round of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup.
• A win for the Bantams would secure the League Two side's best-ever progression in the U.S. Open Cup, while a win for Greenville would have the League One originals one win shy of matching their best finish in the tournament (Third Round, 2022).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

SCU - Josh Baker: A new arrival in Columbia, Baker netted Lionsbridge FC's match-tying goal against Ballard FC late in the 2023 USL League Two Final. The midfielder also played in the lower divisions of England and Iceland before moving to the United States and playing in USL League Two with the St. Louis Lions and Des Moines Menace.

GVL - Leo Castro: Greenville's oldest goalscorer and the first Player of the Week of the season, Castro scored the third goal of the evening and added seven recoveries, six duels won and two dribbles completed in Greenville's Week 1 win.

ASHEVILLE CITY SC VS. ONE KNOXVILLE SC

Venue: Greenwood Field - UNC Asheville; Asheville, N.C.
Kickoff: Wednesday, March 20; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear, 57°
Series (First Meeting): 1-0-1 (2022)
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• Former USL League Two South Central Division rivals Asheville and Knoxville are rekindling their Smoky Mountain Series. The Boot - a gold hiking boot trophy - has been in the possession of Knoxville since it won the USL League Two regular season series against Asheville in 2022. The victor of tonight's contest will win back the Boot and lock in a spot in the U.S. Open Cup's Second Round.
• Across the pair's previous two meetings in the 2022 USL League Two regular season, Asheville beat One Knox in Knoxville in the latter's inaugural match before the first-year side downed Asheville on the road in their final meeting of the season. Despite the even 1-0-1 record, One Knox won the Boot on aggregate (4-3).
• The contest between Knoxville and Asheville marks the first time a former League Two side which has turned professional has faced a current League Two club in official competition.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

AVL - Alex Horveno: The veteran League Two midfielder developed in the Stade Brestois 29 youth system in France before playing collegiately with NCAA Division II programs Ohio Valley University and Lynn University. Horveno won the 2021 USL League Two title with current Knoxville Head Coach Mark McKeever and players Kingsford Adjei, Dani Fernandez, Sivert Haugli, Jordan Skelton and James Thomas.

KNX - Angelo Kelly-Rosales: In the first one-goal, one-assist match of his seven-year professional career, Kelly Rosales willed Knoxville to victory in Charlotte and was subsequently named Player of the Week. The Honduran forward added a week-high five chances created and an additional six duels won, three recoveries, two tackles won and an 84% passing accuracy.

FC FOLSOM VS. CENTRAL VALLEY FUEGO FC

Venue: Folsom Lake College; Folsom, Calif.
Kickoff: Wednesday, March 20; 10 p.m. ET
Weather: Partly cloudy, 62°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• While Fuego FC Head Coach Jermaine Jones never saw action as a player in the U.S. Open Cup during his four-year stint in MLS, he is one of two current League One coaches (Éamon Zayed (NCO), 2009 FAI Cup with Sporting Fingal FC) to win a domestic cup competition abroad during their playing careers. Jones won the lone trophy of his storied career - the DFB-Pokal - with FC Schalke 04 in 2011.
• In its three previous U.S. Open Cup matches, Central Valley has exclusively matched up with clubs from the USL Championship. For the first time in its young history, Fuego FC will take on a lower-division club - one making its U.S. Open Cup debut, no less.
• Winless at 0-2-0 against clubs from California in official competition, a win against Folsom would be a first for Fuego FC against in-state opposition.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

FOL - Moshi Wilondja: The former All-Big 8 Conference First Team midfielder at Cosumnes River College scored four of Folsom's 14 goals across four Qualifying Round matches. Wilondja tallied a brace in Folsom's 3-2 victory over BattleBorn FC in the First Qualifying Round.

CV - Shavon John-Brown: After spending the 2023 season with a pair of EPSL and UPSL sides, the Grenada international's return to professional soccer has gotten off to a hot start. In his second match with Central Valley, John-Brown scored Fuego FC's first home goal of the season and was named to the Team of the Week.

BALLARD FC VS. SPOKANE VELOCITY FC

Venue: Memorial Stadium; Seattle, Wash.
Kickoff: Wednesday, March 20; 10:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Cloudy, 51°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• Both 2023 USL League Two champions Ballard FC and USL League One newcomers Spokane Velocity FC are competing in their first-ever U.S. Open Cup match. The winner will claim their first U.S. Open Cup win and advance to the Second Round of the tournament.
• Spokane boasts one of three U.S. Open Cup winners actively playing in League One in 2018 champion Luis Gil who won the tournament in 2018 with Houston Dynamo FC. South Georgia's Conor Doyle (2013, D.C. United) and Charlotte's Kharlton Belmar (2017, Sporting Kansas City) have also won the tournament. Gil also lifted the Copa MX with Querétaro FC in Apertura 2016.
• The meeting between the pair will mark the first all-Washington matchup in the U.S. Open Cup since the NPSL's OSA Seattle FC defeated USL League Two's Sound FC on penalties in the First Round of the 2017 edition of the tournament. Additionally, the match - Ballard's first at Memorial Stadium in downtown Seattle - is the first U.S. Open Cup match at the 77-year-old stadium since the 1995 edition of the tournament which featured the stadium's previous tenants, Seattle Sounders FC.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BAL - Lesia Thetsane: One of a handful of active senior internationals in USL League Two, the Lesotho international helped Ballard FC to the 2023 USL League Two title. Thetsane was an NAIA First Team All-American at Columbia College in 2019 and has played indoor soccer with MASL clubs Kansas City Comets and Harrisburg Heat.

SPK - Romain Métanire: The Madagascar international made history in the Lilac City over the weekend, scoring the first goal in ONE Spokane Stadium history in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd of over 5,000.