A preview of the first night of the second round of action for League Two teams in the US Open Cup
Six USL League Two teams moved onto the second round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with three sides kicking off on Tuesday night across the country.
In the first round of the Open Cup, the Dayton Dutch Lions required a Tate Robertson Keir strike in the 73rd minute to move on against the Erie Commodores, but that earned them a meeting with their former USL Championship rival Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the Second Round. Prior to joining League Two in 2015, the Dutch Lions squared off nine times in four seasons with the Hounds, earning a 4-3-2 record during their professional era. This year’s edition of the Hounds are one of the tougher sides to beat in the Championship, however. They are currently on a seven-game undefeated streak since an opening day loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, 2-0, but with five draws on the season sit in the bottom half of the east.
The Villages SC advanced to the Second Round of the Open Cup for the second time in their history in thrilling fashion last week as they defeated League Two rival the Lakeland Tropics in a penalty shootout. The defensive performance was cemented by the three saves required from goalkeeper, Jerfesson, in the shootout, and that earned the side a visit to face the USL Championship’s Tampa Bay Rowdies, which is one of only two undefeated sides remaining in the professional ranks in 2019. The Rowdies currently sit second in the Championship’s Eastern Conference, making them a very big test for The Villages’ squad.
Tormenta FC 2 doubled down on the Open Cup this year but only the League Two side made it through to the Second Round after cruising past USL League One’s Chattanooga Red Wolves SC with a 3-0 win in the opening round. Tormenta FC 2 also kicked off its regular season this past weekend and one-upped itself in a four-goal win to kick off its division title defense while continuing to look resolute on defense. Their opponents, Nashville SC, will be a challenging proposition, however, as they sit fourth in the Championship’s Eastern Conference with three wins in their last four games and a high-powered attack that knocked in five goals against the Swope Park Rangers in their most recent outing.
By USLChampionship.com Staff03/01/2024, 1:00pm EST
USL Championship clubs to enter competition across Round 3 and the Round of 32; League One, League Two clubs to enter in Round 1, taking place March 19-21