The U.S. Open Cup resumes this week with the second round.
The field of 64 that began the first round will be narrowed to 16 teams before the first 16 teams from the USL Championship begin play in the third round.
The 32 first-round winners included 24 Division III pro teams and eight Open Division amateur teams.
The Texas battle between Lubbock Matadors (NPSL) and Foro SC (UPSL) means at least one amateur team will reach the third round.
The most-anticipated matchup is Union Omaha, the 2022 Open Cup quarterfinalist from USL League One, against perennial USL League Two power Des Moines Menace.
Like most amateur teams, the Menace has not yet formed their summer roster. Former U.S. international Sacha Kljestan came out of retirement and was one of the first-round heroes. For the second round, the Menace has signed two more retired MLS players: Roger Espinoza and AJ DeLaGarza.
• How to watch: U.S. Open Cup (second round)
Interesting. Anyone wonder why Menace are able to do these things? Not your ordinary USL2 team. They are owned by Kyle Krause, who also owns … Parma in Italy … which is well positioned for promotion from Serie B to Serie A – last I checked. Iowa you say – soccer in Iowa – seriously? Take a look at the D3 American Rivers Conference. 9 teams – 7 in Iowa – 1 in NE, another in IL.