Magic of the Cup: Park City Red Wolves return to US Open Cup
Magic of the Cup: Park City Red Wolves return to US Open Cup
The Red Wolves, who won USL League Two's Mountain division, will face UDA Soccer in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at 7 p.m. MDT Wednesday.
The Magic of the Cup is back, and Utah is playing a part.
Park City Red Wolves, the USL League Two squad of Utah’s mountain resort town, opens the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Wednesday’s first round — but this isn’t a breakthrough match.
The Red Wolves are back in the Cup after winning League Two’s Mountain division title last year, and will travel to face amateur side UDA Soccer in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The winner will advance to face New Mexico United of the second-division USL Championship in the second round.
“We are excited to once again have the opportunity to compete in such a historic event, and to once again represent Utah,” Park City manager Scott Mackenzie said. “This is a great opportunity for our club and players and we are excited to head to New Mexico in what we know will be a great game.”
UDA Soccer is sponsored by the University Degrees Abroad program, which holds classes at New Mexico State University and serves as a defacto men’s soccer program for the college while offering a European-style training academy blended with an American educational setup. The club competes in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), as well as against college club teams and fields teams in elite youth leagues, and qualified for the Open Cup after stunning three-time qualifier Azteca FC 5280 to clinch a spot.
You can read more about UDA Soccer from thecup.us, which is the best source of Open Cup reporting top-down in the country.
UDA is just the second team in the Open Cup’s modern era directly affiliated with a college or university to advance to the tournament proper. The first came from Utah, joining BYU’s then-Premier Development League (now USL League Two) squad that won its division and qualified for the Cup in 2006, 2007 and 2015.
The Red Wolves join BYU as the only teams from Utah to qualify for the Open Cup in the modern era (positioned to begin in 1995). The club will debut six local Red Wolves Academy products in Wednesday’s match, including several starters, as well:
Gharret Morris, MF (16)
Gabe De La Barra, GK (16)
Jordan Martinez, DF (19)
Toby Grant, DF (17)
Bryan Aguilar, MF (19)
Chandler Gunn, MF (19)
Here are five additional newcomers to the squad that will debut Wednesday:
Ricardo Joasilus, MF (22)
Joseph Valle, MF (22)
Ethan Boyd, MF (20)
James Miles, MF (19)
Ryan Naidoo, MF (24)
The Open Cup is the oldest annual competition in United States soccer, a tournament that pits professional clubs against teams from all levels — including amateurs — in an FA Cup-style knockout tournament. The full schedule is available here from U.S. Soccer.
Most Open Cup first-round games will be streamed by Bleacher Report Football and the B/R App, but this one will air live on UDA’s YouTube feed. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT, with a short pre-match show scheduled to go live at 6:40 p.m.