ONE KNOXVILLE SC VS. GREENVILLE TRIUMPH SC

Venue: Regal Soccer Stadium; Knoxville, Tenn.
Kickoff: Wednesday, April 3; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Few showers, 53°
Series (First Meeting): 2-1-0, GVL (2023)
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• Wednesday's Knoxville-Greenville contest is the third all-League One U.S. Open Cup match and pits the top two teams in the league standings against each other - both undefeated across all competitions in 2024. In the two previous matchups (Greenville 1 - 0 South Georgia, 2019; Omaha 2 - 0 Northern Colorado, 2022), the hosts have claimed shutout victories.
• In the First Round, both Knoxville and Greenville shut out USL League Two opposition on the road to advance. Knoxville downed former League Two rival Asheville City SC, 2-0, and Greenville claimed its first victory over an in-state opponent with a 1-0 win against South Carolina United FC.
• Both Knoxville and Greenville sport a 50% winning percentage in U.S. Open Cup play. A One Knox victory would confirm the three-year-old side's deepest run in the tournament, while a Triumph SC win would see the League One original match a club-best trip to the Third Round.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

 

KNX - Angelo Kelly-Rosales: The league leader in combined goals and assists (4) and chances created (11) earned his spot on the Team of the Week for the third consecutive week with a lethal, long-range match-winner against South Georgia on Saturday.

GVL - Lyam MacKinnon: MacKinnon netted the match-tying goal - his first score of the season - which helped spark a record Greenville comeback in Lexington last week. The Swiss goalscorer added six duels won, five shots, three chances created, two tackles won, two fouls won and led the league with five completed crosses to earn a spot on the Team of the Week.

SOUTH GEORGIA TORMENTA FC VS. SAVANNAH CLOVERS FC

Venue: Tormenta Stadium; Statesboro, Ga.
Kickoff: Wednesday, April 3; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny, 67°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• Tormenta FC and the Clovers, separated by less than 60 miles, will face off for the first time in a contest dubbed the 'South Georgia Showdown.' The matchup marks the first all-Georgia U.S. Open Cup contest since the NPSL's Georgia Revolution faced the NASL's Atlanta Silverbacks FC in the Second Round of the 2013 U.S. Open Cup.
• South Georgia advanced to the Second Round of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup with a tight 1-0 victory against USSSA Soccer side FC America CFL Spurs. The victory was the Ibises' fifth in the competition - the fourth-most amongst current clubs in League One.
• 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.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

 

TRM - Ford Parker: Parker leads League One in saves with 20 and has flourished early in his first season in Statesboro. The former Birmingham Legion FC and New Mexico United 'keeper has won the USL League One Save of the Week in each of the league's first three weeks.

SAV - Roddy Green: The longtime NISA forward has spent time with Detroit City FC, Chattanooga FC and Gold Star FC Detroit before making his debut with Savannah in the First Round of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup last month. The 26-year-old scored the match-winning goal against USL League Two's Brave SC and added six duels won, five recoveries and two chances created to the Clovers' first win of the season.

APOTHEOS FC VS. CHATTANOOGA RED WOLVES SC

Venue: Silverbacks Park; Atlanta, Ga.
Kickoff: Wednesday, April 3; 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Mostly sunny, 58°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• The Red Wolves earned their first U.S. Open Cup victory in the First Round, defeating UPSL's Brockton FC United, 4-2, in extra time. In their four U.S. Open Cup matches, the Red Wolves are 1-3 with a combined -5 goal differential.
• Like El Farolito's well-documented connection to a burrito restaurant in San Francisco, Apotheos FC is affiliated with Apotheos Roastery, a coffee roastery based in Kennesaw, Ga. Founded in 2021, the NPSL club won the Southeast Conference, the South Region and advanced to the NPSL National Championship in 2023.
• The U.S. Open Cup returns to Silverbacks Park for the first time since the 2017 edition of the tournament. Formerly the home of Atlanta Silverbacks FC, hosts have gone 2-2 in U.S. Open Cup play at the venue in 2014 and 2017.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

 

APO - Nicholas Amoako: The Ghanaian forward made his professional debut with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the USL Championship in 2018 and has since played with UPSL side Kalonji Pro-Profile and NPSL club Apotheos FC. Amoako scored twice last season for Apotheos.

CHA - Ropapa Mensah: The former Ghana youth international and USL Championship veteran opened his 2024 account with a four-minute brace late in extra time in the Red Wolves' First Round victory. Across 61 minutes of action, Mensah won one penalty, 12 duels and three fouls.

CHICAGO FIRE FC II VS. FORWARD MADISON FC

Venue: SeatGeek Stadium; Bridgeview, Ill.
Kickoff: Wednesday, April 3; 8 p.m. ET
Weather: Rain/snow showers, 36°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• The Fire's reserve side and the 'Mingos have met previously on three occasions - all in preseason friendlies and all resulting in Madison victories (4-1, 2019; 3-1, 2023; 2-0, 2024). The U.S. Open Cup match marks the first time a USL League One club and MLS NEXT Pro side have met in official competition.
• Madison advanced to the Second Round of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup with ease, controlling NPSL side Duluth FC, 2-0, at Breese Stevens Field in the First Round through Christian Chaney's eighth career brace.
• Just one of five MLS NEXT Pro teams still alive in the tournament in the reserve league's first participation in the U.S. Open Cup, Chicago Fire FC II dominated USL League Two side Chicago City SC, 6-0, in the largest victory in the competition thus far.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

 

CHI - Harold Osorio: The El Salvador international midfielder spent his youth and early professional career with El Salvadoran Primera División side Alianza FC between 2020 and 2022 before moving to MLS NEXT Pro's Chicago Fire FC II. The 20-year-old has totaled 10 goal contributions for the Fire's reserve team across 14 matches played with the club.

MAD - Bernd Schipmann: The former Philippines international recorded four saves last week en route to his second clean sheet of the season, earning a starting spot on the Team of the Week for the second consecutive week.

UNION OMAHA VS. DES MOINES MENACE

Venue: Al F. Caniglia Field; Omaha, Neb.
Kickoff: Wednesday, April 3; 8:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear, 48°
Series (First Meeting): 1-0-0, OMA (2022)
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• Omaha's six U.S. Open Cup wins are the third-most among all current League One clubs. However, Omaha's six U.S. Open Cup wins as a League One club are tied with Richmond for the most as a member of the league.
• Historic USL League Two side Des Moines Menace claimed their 16th U.S. Open Cup victory in the First Round to kick off their 15th participation in the tournament. The Menace defeated NISA's Capo FC and have brought in a number of former professional talents including Sacha Kljestan, Roger Espinoza, AJ DeLaGarza, Brian Rowe and Euan Holden. 
• The Owls have faced pre-professional opposition twice and won both contests; Omaha claimed a slim 2-1 victory against USL League Two power Des Moines Menace to kick off its special 2022 U.S. Open Cup campaign and, more recently, defeated League Two club Western Mass Pioneers, 4-0, to open up its 2024 U.S. Open Cup campaign.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

 

OMA - Joe Gallardo: Tied for the most goals in the tournament thus far, the former United States youth international netted the first hat trick of his professional career against Western Mass Pioneers in the First Round for just the fifth in Union Omaha history. 

DMN - Sacha Kljestan: The former United States international came out of retirement and suited up for the Menace in the First Round of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup, nearly 550 days since his last competitive match. In the 560th match of his career, Kljestan provided an assist and converted a penalty in a shootout to send the USL League Two side past NISA's Capo FC.

COLORADO RAPIDS 2 VS. NORTHERN COLORADO HAILSTORM FC

Venue: DICK'S Sporting Goods Park; Commerce City, Colo.
Kickoff: Wednesday, April 3; 9:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear, 62°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• The Hailstorm are 2-1 against in-state opposition, with victories against the USL Championship's Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (2022 U.S. Open Cup, 2023 U.S. Open Cup) and a loss against MLS side Colorado Rapids (2023 U.S. Open Cup).
• The Hailstorm and Rapids 2 - the defending MLS NEXT Pro regular season champions - met in a preseason friendly prior to the 2024 season. Northern Colorado defeated the reserve squad, 2-1, on March 3 in Windsor, Colo.
• 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.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

 

COL - Marlon Vargas: The 23-year-old former El Salvador international winger has amassed 123 professional appearances across the USL Championship, U.S. Open Cup, MLS and MLS NEXT Pro with the likes of Tacoma Defiance, Colorado Rapids and Colorado Rapids 2. Vargas leads his side this season with three goals.

NCO - Ethan Hoard: A former standout with RKC Third Coast in USL League Two, Hoard made the most of his 28 minutes on the pitch in the second half of the Hailstorm's First Round victory, just 10 days after making his professional debut. The 22-year-old forward tallied his first professional assist in the 65th minute and first professional goal in the 85th minute.

SPOKANE VELOCITY FC VS. LOS ANGELES FORCE

Venue: ONE Spokane Stadium; Spokane, Wash.
Kickoff: Wednesday, April 3; 10:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Cloudy, 48°
Series (First Meeting): N/A
Broadcast: USLsoccer.com

WHAT MATTERS

• Spokane, one of five independent professional clubs making their debut in the U.S. Open Cup, claimed its first victory in the tournament with a last-second winner deep in stoppage time against local rival and defending USL League Two champion Ballard FC in the First Round.
• NISA's Los Angeles Force picked up its first-ever U.S. Open Cup victory with a 2-1 win over USL League Two side Redlands FC in the First Round of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup. In the Force's two U.S. Open Cup matches against professional opposition (Orange County SC 5 - 2 Los Angeles Force, 2022 U.S. Open Cup; Las Vegas Lights FC 4 - 0 Los Angeles Force, 2023 U.S. Open Cup), the NISA side has lost both by a combined goal differential of -7.
• 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.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

 

SPK - Luis Gil: Spokane's inaugural captain won and converted the match-winning penalty in Velocity FC's 1-0 victory over Northern Colorado in Week 2, earning the midfielder the League One Player of the Week nod.

LA - Joel Quist: The forward signed his first professional contract with the USL Championship's Hartford Athletic a season ago after impressing in preseason trials. While he did not make an appearance with Hartford in 2023, the 25-year-old has impressed throughout his career, enjoying stints with USL League Two side FA Euro New York, NPSL club Jackson Lions FC and collegiately at Georgian Court University. Quist recorded a goal and an assist for the Force in their First Round victory over League Two club Redlands FC.