All three Metroplex sides – Fort Worth Vaqueros and Denton Diablos of the NPSL as well as NTX Rayados of NTPSA – learned their first-round opponent in the 2020 US Open Cup this morning.
The First Round of the 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup takes place on March 24-25, kicking off the 107th edition of U.S. Soccer’s National Championship. All USOC games in 2020 will air on ESPN+.
The US Open Cup continues to use regional matchups for the early stages of the tournament. The Vaqueros and Diablos are prevented from facing each other unless both sides reach the 2020 US Open Cup Final due to Michael Hitchcock’s partial ownership of both sides.
The older NPSL side in the Metroplex in this year’s Open Cup, Fort Worth Vaqueros, drew the short straw in some respects as they will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take on Tulsa Athletic in an all NPSL matchup.
This Cup battle will provide Vaqueros a chance for revenge as Tulsa qualified by finishing 1st in 2019 in the Heartland Conference and knocking off Vaqueros in the 3rd round of the playoffs 3-1.
This year’s Open Cup inter-state battle between Vaqueros and Tulsa Athletic will take place on March 24th at 7 pm CT at Case Soccer Complex on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.
Denton Diablos and the amazing cinderella story amateur side NTX Rayados get the joy of facing each other in the Open Cup this year.
Diablos are in their second year of existence and relay mainly on college players several of whom have often been former FC Dallas Academy players. For example SMU’s Brandon Terwege.
The Dallas based NTPSA amateur club NTX Rayados have qualified for their record 9th straight US Open Cup by once again battling through the Qualifying Round onslaught.
The local sides will go head to head on March 25th on the Diablos home field, University of North Texas Soccer Stadium in Denton. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 pm CT.
2020 US Open Cup Schedule
April 10 Third Round Draw
April 21-23 Third Round (11 lower-seeded Division I teams enter)
April 24 Round of 32 Draw
May 19-20 Round of 32 (12 higher-seeded Division I teams enter)
May 21 Round of 16/Quarterfinal Draw
June 10 or June 23-24 Round of 16
June 23-24 or July 14-15 Quarterfinals
July 14-15 or Aug. 11-12 Semifinals
Aug. 11-12 or Sept. 22-24 Final