Welcome to the second round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, where the first tranche of professional clubs join the last remaining amateurs. Those remaining from the amateur ranks include Cleveland SC (Rust Belt and Midwest Region champions of the NPSL) and Des Moines Menace (Heartland Division, Central Conference, and National Champion of USL League Two) from our region. Both now face professional opposition from USL League One on the road.
If you aren’t in the area, all of the games from this round onwards will be on ESPN +
First up on Tuesday, Union Omaha host the Menace at Creighton University in the first Open Cup match ever in the state of Nebraska. It is off-season for the Summer based Menace but the hosts will only kick off their league season on the 9th, so early season rust could be a factor for the defending League One champions too. Union will have to reload, having lost last year’s League One MVP (and Defender of the Year) Damià Viader as well as their four leading scorers at the other end of the field. That said, there is continuity between the sticks, with the 70th overall pick of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls, Rashid Nuhu expected to continue. Watch here
Unlike their league-mates, League One side Forward Madison do at least have one match under their belt before hosting Cleveland SC on Wednesday at Breese Stevens Field, a 1–1 draw with Chattanooga Red Wolves courtesy of an equalizer in the fifth minute of stoppage time at the end of the game, a turn of events which could see the pros riding some momentum into the match — although the same could be said of Cleveland, who grabbed an extra time victory in their last match. Forward begin 2022 with a new head coach and technical director and a remade lineup. Watch here
The second round winners from across the nation will head to the third round where the 31 winners will join 17 MLS clubs trying to earn a spot in the Round of 32.
