For the first time in four years, FC Tucson will take part in one of America’s most prestigious soccer tournaments.
Even better, the Men in Black will be hosting.
FC Tucson will take on the Las Vegas Lights FC at Kino North Stadium as part of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the teams announced Friday. The match will take place sometime between April 5-7, leading into FC Tucson’s April 16 home opener.
Season ticket holders can buy tickets for the U.S. Open Cup beginning Tuesday; the general public can start buying on Friday.
Founded in 1913, the U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament featuring amateur and professional soccer teams from throughout the United States. This year’s tournament will feature 103 teams, with low-level clubs beginning their play in the earlier rounds. FC Tucson and Las Vegas will play what is technically a second-round match.
FC Tucson was a U.S. Open Cup mainstay when it was an independent amateur club. Once the club aligned with Phoenix Rising in 2019, it was deemed ineligible to play. The last two U.S. Open Cups were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
FC Tucson became an independent pro club in 2021, making it again eligible to compete in the U.S. Open Cup.
The Men in Black have played six times in the U.S. Open Cup, most recently advancing to the second round, where it was eliminated by the same Las Vegas club that it will play in April. The Lights beat FC Tucson 4-2 before a sold-out crowd in Nevada.
Tucson’s longest U.S. Open Cup run came in 2013, when it advanced to the third round before losing 2-0 to the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer.
FC Tucson lands Argentina’s Perez on loan
Argentina’s Franco Perez will join FC Tucson on loan for the 2022 season, a major step for a club that’s looking to compete for the USL League One title. The move from Primera División team Club Atletico Aldosivi to Tucson is still pending league and federation approval.
Perez spent the last three years with Aldovisi, playing 677 minutes over 19 minutes. Perez turned 26 on New Year’s Day.
FC Tucson coach Jon Pearlman, who scouted Perez in Argentina, called him “a great ball striker” who “can use his right and left foot, can beat players on the dribble, has creativity and is very aggressive and physically tough.
“He’s played against the toughest of the tough opponents and for us to get a player of his caliber is very exciting,” Pearman said.
Perez is the 20th player singed to FC Tucson’s roster for the 2022 season. Six of them started for the Tucson team that advanced to the USL League One playoffs last fall.
“This new experience will bring a new soccer approach for me and my family,” Perez said via a translator in a video released by the team.
