April Madness has hit The Old Pueblo.
On Wednesday night, FC Tucson will host Las Vegas Lights FC as part of the oldest national soccer competition in the United States. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a nation-wide, single elimination tournament open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.
FC Tucson is part of the third-division USL League One; the Lights are in the second-division USL Championship.
For FC Tucson, the 7:30 p.m. second-round match match is a chance to both strike a blow for the underdogs and kick-start a season that started Saturday with an 4-0 loss to Richmond.
The take-all-comers tournament is “a great opportunity for the players to play a team in the league above and challenge ourselves in a historic competition that’s traditionally brought a lot of excitement and joy for this franchise,” said FC Tucson coach Jon Pearlman. “So we’re looking forward to the match and putting Saturday behind us.”
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup debuted in 1914. FC Tucson was a regular in the Open Cup for years. But when the club became professional, owned by Phoenix Rising FC of USL Championship, it was deemed ineligible to compete. The Men in Black split away from Phoenix, but the coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of the last few cups.
In 2013, FC Tucson beat two USL Pro (now USL Championship) sides to reach the third round, a match against against Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo. Houston won, 2-0.
FC Tucson has been a mainstay in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup; in 2013, the Men in Black advanced to the third round, where it played against Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo.
Las Vegas is affiliated with LAFC, but since the MLS club doesn’t own the Lights, the club is eligible to compete. Wednesday marks Las Vegas’s first U.S. Open Cup match against a professional team; the Lights are 2-2 in two previous trips to the big dance. In fact, FC Tucson’s most recent Open Cup, in 2018, took place against the Lights. Las Vegas won 4-2.
FC Tucson opened the USL League One season on Saturday against a familiar foe. Last season, the Men in Black bested Richmond in both the regular-season finale and the first round of the playoffs.
A midweek U.S. Open Cup match “couldn’t be a better opportunity for us guys as a team, time to redeem ourselves after a few days,” said FC Tucson defender Luca Mastrantonio. “It couldn’t be a better opportunity also to play with a (USL) Championship team and just test ourselves for the matches that are coming.”
Corner kicks
Wednesday’s match will be streamed on ESPN+.
FC Tucson midfielder Daniel Bedoya was named to the USL League One Team of the Week.
