Fresh off pulling a second “cupset,” this time upending MLS opponent Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC has drawn fellow USL League One side Union Omaha in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for a USL League One team to create history and get to the last 16,” said Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC head coach Éamon Zayed. “Omaha are the USL League One champions and they were terrific against Chicago Fire. We will have to be at our best to beat them, but it’s a dream opportunity that I hope we grasp with both hands.”
In Northern Colorado’s first-ever competitive match, a Jerry Desdunes goal in the 96th minute proved to be the difference as they stunned USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks 1-0 in extra time in the second round of the Open Cup.
In the third round, captain Rob Cornwall scored in the 69th minute to ensure extra time wouldn’t be needed, and to ensure the USL League One side would claim an MLS scalp in just its fourth match.
Now the Hailstorm travel to Omaha for the fourth round, to face one of the other four USL League One sides remaining in the final 32. The match is scheduled to be played on either May 10 or 11, with the exact date and kickoff time to be announced soon.
Union Omaha advanced to the fourth round of the Open Cup after stunning the Chicago Fire in Soldier Field on April 19, eliminating the MLS club on penalty kicks. The reigning USL League One champions have drawn both of their league matches in 2022 and sit in seventh place on the table, one spot ahead of Northern Colorado.
This will be the first of two trips to Omaha that Hailstorm FC will make in May, as the two sides are also slated to meet in a league match on Saturday, May 28.
The match will be a homecoming of sorts for Hailstorm winger Ethan Vanacore-Decker, a former Union Omaha fan favorite who played for the club during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
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.
Northern Colorado 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. Season ticket deposits are being taken now.
Opening in 2022, the 118-acre Future Legends Complex will feature two stadiums, 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.
Damian Foley
Director of Marketing and Communications, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC / Northern Colorado Owlz / Future Legends Complex
dfoley@futurelegendscomplex.com
970-512-9687