Peinado feels it's the wins and losses – all the experiences – that have made the club believe they can win regardless of who they’re facing on the day. “I think there's a lot of belief in the club,” he said. “I think the players that we have, and the coaching staff that we have, helps a lot with that belief.
“A good bunch of lads I think have grown more through the season, especially to this tournament,” added Peinado. It’s that belief that sparked this group of amateurs to overcome setbacks and long odds and find the will to win in the 2024 Open Cup’s First Round.
Amateur-on-Amateur in Second Round
FORO’s bold triumph over a professional side has brought them to a more even matchup in the Second Round – at least on paper – with another amateur club from the Lone Star State, the Lubbock Matadors. But Peinado doesn’t see this match as any easier.
“Soccer is unpredictable,” he said. “Anybody could beat almost anybody at a given moment at a given game. I think that our boys know what they're capable of now and they're gonna go in and not take things for granted.” Bengono is on the same page as his club owner: “I think we're not gonna go into that game thinking, oh it’s another amateur club. We're going in thinking it's another tough opponent – another tough challenge that we're gonna have to take on, but we’re excited about it.”
With the match taking place in Lubbock, the atmosphere should be electric. The Matadors are known for drawing great crowds and producing spectacular game-day experiences and their First Round upset of Arizona Monsoon (the Div. III NISA pros) was no exception.
Both clubs are riding high after knocking off professional teams in their first matches. And FORO SC will now have to lean on their past experiences of road challenges, both wins and losses, in order to be up to the newest test they face in this historic Open Cup run.
Dan Vaughn is a veteran soccer journalist and the founder and editor of Protagonist Soccer. Follow him at @TheDanVaughn on X/Twitter.
