WINDSOR, Colo. — Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC is set to take on Colorado Rapids 2 in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup on Wednesday.
This will be the second consecutive season that Hailstorm have made the trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City for an Open Cup match with their run ending in 2023 at the hands of the Rapids first team, who handed them a 3-1 loss.
“I’m excited to get back to it and hopefully score there again,” Hailstorm midfielder Jackson Dietrich, who scored against the Rapids last season, said. “I think we have a good chance of advancing and making a deep run, so that’s our goal.”
Wednesday’s matchup will be the first competitive meeting between the two teams, though they have played preseason friendlies in each of the last three seasons.
“We’ve played Rapids 2 in preseason games,” Hailstorm head coach Éamon Zayed said. “There’s always a week before the start of our season and a week before the start of their season so it’s always really, really competitive.”
Hailstorm came away with 2-1 victories in the preseason matches in 2022 and this season, while the teams drew 2-2 in the 2023 preseason.
“There’s just very small margins in it, so we’re expecting another close game on Wednesday,” Zayed said.
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The home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex will feature 6,500-seat TicketSocket Park, 2,500-seat 4Rivers Equipment Stadium, multiple baseball diamonds, multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports leagues, tournaments, events and more.
More information is available at HailstormFC.com and FutureLegendsComplex.com.