Dating back to the inaugural 2019 USL League One season, Forward Madison FC has quickly risen to prominence as one of the league's most popular clubs off the pitch and in the community.

In 2023, the 'Mingos registered League One's second-highest average attendance, as well as the second-highest total attendance. FMFC has also garnered one of the most dedicated social media followings in the league and has found success in its presence off the field through kit releases and promotional events. With all that success off the field, the club is still chasing its first trophy to recognize its recent success on the pitch.

The City of Madison has a population of slightly over 270,000 people - just the 16th biggest city in the Midwest. Despite this, sports have long been a part of Madison's identity from the outside looking in.

"You know, Madison's a pretty cool kind of Portland, Ore.-type of niche, being a capital city. But I think also at the end of the day, it's still the Midwest and it's still a sports town, so people love their sports, and I think as any of us who are sports fans will probably recognize that if you're doing well in whatever sport that is, generally excitement grows," noted Madison Head Coach Matt Glaeser when asked about the team's success and growth within the community.

"That's something that we've tried to cultivate here since I've been at the club. I think it is first and foremost a University of Wisconsin town for sure with the Badgers and all the success they've had and the history there, but we love our sports here in Wisconsin and the idea is to continue to grow the soccer component."

Despite the size of the club's fandom both in and out of Madison, this growth has occurred alongside the continuous search for its first piece of silverware. The club reached the Semifinals of the 2019 USL League One Playoffs in its inaugural season but subsequently went on a three-year postseason drought, eventually returning to the playoffs once again in 2023 with Glaeser at the helm. 

Glaeser joined the club as both the head coach and technical director in December 2021 after holding different positions with Real Monarchs, Real Salt Lake, and Sacramento Republic FC. Forward Madison FC currently sits in third place in the League One Regular Season standings with a record of 7-2-7, just one point behind the Charlotte Independence and Union Omaha. 

Now two wins away from a first-ever trophy as the 2024 USL Jägermeister Cup Knockouts loom, Glaeser had this to say when asked about his approach to the match: "In all honesty, it's a big game for us. It's a big game for our football club. You know, most of us as players and coaches only get a few different opportunities usually to play in semifinals, to play in finals, to play in knockout competitions, and if you're lucky, it's more often, but the reality is that these games don't happen all the time. It's an important thing for us and we're still in a phase of trying to build something.

"It's something that I've said to the players, that we're part of building something, something we should take pride in, wanting to build something that revolves around winning. We've approached this competition with all sincerity and trying to win it. That's a big game, but we've played in some big games already and it's just another chance to show what we can do."

On the other side of the Semifinal matchup sits the Charlotte Independence, who have been a major force in League One since moving from the USL Championship following the conclusion of the 2021 season. Charlotte currently sits just a point ahead of Madison in the regular season standings, also having topped the East Group in the USL Jägermeister Cup group stage. Besides a 2-1 result between the teams in favor of Madison during the second round of the competition in May 2024, the sides also faced each other last month in Wisconsin in league play, with little to separate them as they battled out to a scoreless draw. 

"I think it's a tough game. Maybe a little bit of a contrast in identities, as far as what they do and what we do, but obviously Mike Jeffries has done a fantastic job there for a number of years, and, a lot of respect for him and their club and what they do. They're a team that's dynamic, good in one-on-ones, some fantastic, skill and pace and athleticism," Glaeser discussed when asked about what fans can expect in this matchup. 

"We're probably a little bit more risk-averse. We try to be super organized defensively and we don't like the field to open up too much because we base more around trying to control the game so the opponent can't hurt us too much in the transition moments. Against a team like Charlotte, that's always a big one because of their individual flair and ability.

"I think it's always a good game when we play them because they're just a tough team to play against, are always well-coached and have a lot of very good individual talent. For us, it's always a challenge, but we feel like we have to be the better team on the night and have a little bit of fortune go our way as well."

In terms of the USL Jägermeister Cup itself, Glaser touched on his appreciation for how it allows teams to dig deep and compete on a more frequent basis, but he also discussed how the presence of the cup can force clubs to alter their approaches to the season.

"It's been a cool competition. I think it's certainly an adjustment for clubs in our league to go from sort of a more balanced or, a little bit more of a regular season kind of feel with a longer regular season into now, two separate, meaningful competitions. I think it was always going to be an adjustment for clubs at our level for a number of reasons, but I think it's been a cool thing," noted Glaeser. 

"Anytime you can play knockout games, it's meaningful. I mean, you saw the game against Omaha the other week where it was 3-3 and we went to penalties for the extra point. That had the feeling of a playoff game even though it was a group stage cup game. I think the more we can create entertaining, meaningful games, it's going to be great for the league and building up the sport."

Madison brought in 14 players across the last two offseasons, ultimately constructing a roster with the highest average age in the league at 27.4 years old. Five of these recent additions previously played in the USL Championship. Despite the high roster volatility of players coming in and going out, Madison notably also holds the smallest squad in the league with just 21 total players. 

Despite the small roster size, Glaeser has put a lot of trust in his team from head to toe. "I think for us, we've been fortunate because we've been able to use some of the depth that we've been able to accrue in the offseason. I think the depth and being able to rotate through some lineups and trust the roster has been an important component for us to be able to be in good positions and in both of these competitions."

The hunt for the 'Mingos' first-ever trophy continues, as Forward Madison FC hosts the Charlotte Independence in the 2024 Jägermeister Cup Knockouts on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.