We have two USL Championship teams, who are doing well in league play and surging up the table, which thrived in Group play and survived the knockout phase of a cup, whose collision course comes to a conclusion on Saturday. Either way, one of these teams will win some silverware this year - will it be former league champion and recent US Open Cup runners-up or will it be the surprise package who would reward their loyal fans with a first object to place in the trophy case?

by Joshua Duder

Come on you Open Cup Sickos! It’s time to read what our Protagonist Podcasters, Writers, and our favorite guests, picked out from this round to get hyped about - they’ll tell you what to look for in these Round of 32 USOC clashes.

by Protagonist and Guests

Year two of the USL / Jägermeister Cup is upon us and the only thing we know for sure is that we won’t see a back-to-back champion! USL Championship and USL League One teams have been put in the mixer and the first set of games from Group Play kickoff this weekend. The tournament has been rigged to favor attacking teams and that should favor you and me, dear readers, because we are ready to get fully stuck into the 2025 Jägermeister Cup!

by Protagonist Staff and Volunteers

Sixteen teams were knocked out in Round Two and sixteen new teams enter Round Three. We lost all but one of the amateur sides, with El Farolito FC earning the purse for longest-lasting non-pro side. Only two MLSNP teams remain and the rest of the USL Championship get’s loaded into the fray. This is the last round of games before MLS gets involved and we’ll see which 2nd and 3rd division pro teams get to that draw.

by Protagonist and Guests

Round one gave us some surprises, some “cupsets,” and in some cases, met our expectations - whether that’s good or bad, probably depends on where your allegiances lay. Please enjoy the following pieces of writing, generously donated by the folks who dedicate their time, week in and week out, to sharing the details about soccer at the most interesting levels in the United States.

by Protagonist and Guests

The US Open Cup is back and the first round proper is upon us - to celebrate, we reached out to several of our favorite bloggers and podcasters to help us assemble a list of games we think you’ll want to scour YouTube for their respective streams.

While we want you to watch every game you can, we understand that there might not be enough time to soak it all in… if that is the case, feel free to check in here to get the gist of these popular games in Round One.

by Protagonist and Guests