“We want to make some noise,” said England-born Yonkers striker Shamir Mullings.
Not far away, in Upstate New York, Flower City Union – the pros from third-division league NISA – will have their hands full when Manhattan SC, the youngsters from USL League Two who knocked off amateur powerhouse Motown FC in the First Round, head north in search of a Cupset.
The amateur Ocean City Nor’easters of New Jersey – who managed to turn a patched-together team into a winner against West Chester United in the First Round – head down to take on the Maryland Bobcats (NISA). One wonders what an extra couple of weeks together might do for the impressive Ocean City men built, to a large degree, on friends, and friends of friends – and hoping for a deep Cup run.
There’s a derby in Oklahoma to look forward to as amateurs Tulsa Athletic host FC Tulsa of the USL Championship at Hicks Park with city bragging rights and a place in the Third Round on the line. Elsewhere, in the Sunshine State, there are a pair of Florida-on-Florida contests with Miami FC of the USL Championship hosting NPSL amateurs Jacksonville Armada. Over in Tampa Bay, the Rowdies (USL Championship) take on Nona FC – the tournament newcomers from Orlando.
We have two former champions of the Open Cup in action in the Second Round. The Richmond Kickers – led by head coach and one-time tournament runner-up Darren Sawatsky – hold the distinction of being crowned the first champs of the Open Cup’s modern-era in 1995. And they’ll tangle with the gritty part-timers of Cleveland SC, out of the NPSL, at City Stadium in Virginia. Not incidentally, it’s the site of a famous 2017 Cupset when Baltimore-based sunday-leaguers Christos FC knocked out these very same Kickers.
And out west, El Farolito, who were known as CD Mexico in 1993 when they won the Cup in its all-amateur and semi-pro days, are in action. They’ll take on second-division pros Oakland Roots who are looking for their first Open Cup win in history (in only their second appearance).
In other California-related affairs, Orange County SC – winners of the USL Championship in 2021 – take on Capo FC, a group of self-starters from San Juan Capistrano who’ve built themselves into a competitive club from the grassroots on up.
