“We are excited and planning to stay dangerous each game moving forward,” said VE’s Christian Williams, who’s been impressive in the side’s two wins at their fortress of a home field.
NoVa FC are charging hard to make back-to-back appearances in the Open Cup Proper. After dismantling Germantown City in the Second Qualifying Round, they’ll now face off with a DCFC side who knocked out 2017 Open Cup heroes Christos FC on the last matchday.
KJ Nadeau has been on fire for the Leesburg-based NoVa club, with three goals in the 6-0 rout of Germantown. That makes seven overall in Open Cup competition (including last year’s Qualifiers).
There are also three Third Qualifying Round games in the state of Florida, venue of the recently concluded 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final which saw local MLS side Orlando City defeat USL Championship contenders Sacramento Republic. Among the trio of Sunshine State contests, Open Cup regulars Miami United FC and Club de Lyon look to keep up the form as both are coming off strong showings in the previous round.
Indiana will host a game between Chicago House AC, the latest club founded by three-time Open Cup-winning executive Peter Wilt, and Metro Louisville FC of Kentucky.
“We’re the underdog in this one,” said Wilt, former President and GM of Chicago Fire and founder of Forward Madison and Indy Eleven. “But we’re keeping our eyes on the prize and trying to get ourselves into the tournament proper.”
Qualifying Heat out West
There’s a new light in the Rocky Mountain region, where FC Denver and Harpos have become regular fixtures in recent years.
The name Athletic Club of Sloan’s Lake might not roll right off the tongue, but the club – founded by Max Fowler in 2017 in the small city of Edgewater, Colorado – have become a challenger worthy of your consideration ahead of a test against regional powers Azteca FC.
“We’re a real wide mix of players here – but we’re all playing because we love it,” said Michigan born striker Jacob Love, who was a two-time all American and national champion in NAIA ball with Davenport University. “The fire and grit in this team is just tremendous.”
Two California-based games out on the western side of the schedule have the makings of Qualifying classics. Orange County FC – reigning UPSL national champions and 2019 Open Cup underdog heroes – are up against 2022 Open Cup participants Escondido FC.
