After pulling off a stunning 1-0 upset against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC will travel to Utah to face MLS side Real Salt Lake in the third round.
The date and time are yet to be announced by US Soccer, but the match will be played between April 19-21.
“It’s a massive game to look forward to for everyone associated with the club,” said Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC head coach Éamon Zayed. “It will be another historic matchup. As a brand new USL franchise, we now get the opportunity to pit ourselves against one of the best MLS franchises. It’s a fantastic reward for the effort the players put into the last round, and it’s very well deserved. A fairytale story could be on the cards.”
Real Salt Lake currently sit second in MLS’ Western Conference with a 3-2-1 record. In its most recent outing, RSL traveled east to the Centennial State and came away with a 1-1 tie against the Colorado Rapids.
The club is coached by former US Men’s National Team midfielder and ex-Colorado Rapids manager Pablo Mastroeni. They have five players with senior national team experience, including USMNT forward Bobby Wood (13 goals in 45 appearances), Iraq forward Justin Meram (4 goals in 36 appearances), Venezuela forward Sergio Córdova (0 goals in 15 appearances), Cuba midfielder Maikel Chang (0 goals in 3 appearances), and USMNT defender Aaron Herrera (0 goal in one appearance).
In 2013, Real Salt Lake advanced all the way to the U.S. Open Cup championship game, but lost 1-0 to D.C. United. In 2019, the last year the U.S. Open Cup was played before going on a two-year hiatus due to COVID, Real Salt Lake was eliminated in the fourth round by Los Angeles FC.
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC begins its inaugural season in USL League One tomorrow when the team heads to Virginia to face Richmond Kickers (4:30 p.m. MT, ESPN+). Hailstorm FC went 4-1-1 during the preseason, and upset USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks in extra time on April 6 in the US Open Cup behind a 96th-minute goal by winger Jerry Desdunes.
In its 107th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s National Championship – is the only high-profile competition in American team sports where amateur sides can face professionals in meaningful competition. The history-filled tournament, conducted on a single-game, knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer, crowned a champion annually from 1914 until 2019, with a hiatus for the last two years due to the pandemic.
In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and the world’s third-longest continuously running open soccer tournament was renamed to honor United States soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
The 2022 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally-contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.
Hailstorm FC will play its home matches in the 6,500-seat TicketSmarter Stadium at the Future Legends Complex, the premier destination for sports and events in Northern Colorado. Opening in 2022, the 118-acre complex will feature a professional stadium, multiple baseball diamonds and multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports tournaments, events, leagues, and more.