Bridges and Falls Derby: Season 1, Episode 1
Before the U.S. Open Cup announced the first round draw of the 2024 tournament, Ballard FC and Spokane Velocity FC have been cross-state collaborators. Ballard FC, like all teams in USL League Two, are designated with preprofessional amateur status, allowing players to maintain eligibility as college soccer players while showcasing their talents within the USL system. Ostensibly, if a player performs well in League Two, they will draw the attention of USL League or even USL Championship teams. Spokane Velocity FC, debutantes in League One, are of course one of those teams. In fact, Ballard assisted Velocity a few short months ago with their open tryouts in the Seattle market. For tonight, anyway, all of that mirth and goodwill have been replaced by banter and mild hostility. Members of both respective supporters groups took to Instagram to wind each other up with memes and other bloodless dunks.
How did we get here, anyway? Early this March, following a lengthy and ongoing spat with Don Garber and Major League Soccer, U.S. Soccer announced the draw of the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and wouldn’t you know it, Ballard FC are set to host Velocity FC in the first round at Memorial Stadium.
For the uninitiated, amateur clubs must meet certain requirements to qualify for the tournament. The short version? They must win stuff. Ballard FC required only two seasons in USL League Two to win not only the Western Conference, but the overall League Two Championship, defeating Eastern Conference champions Lionsbridge FC 2-1 on August 5, 2023. Spokane Velocity FC will attempt to replicate some of that glory as debutantes in USL League One, where they’re currently 6th in the standings having split their first pair of matches with a win and a loss. As a professional team in the 3rd division of America’s soccer pyramid, Velocity FC automatically qualify for the U.S. Open Cup.
In terms of form and fitness, as a team comprised mostly of college players, Ballard FC have brought back only five members of the Championship-winning side from 2023. Among them will be their talisman, Peter Kingston, who tallied 7 goals and 13 assists while also scoring the winning goal in the final vs. Lionsbridge. Meanwhile, as a brand new club, Velocity have only been together – training or otherwise – for eight weeks.
The disparity in pedigree and experience, however, is significant. Fullback Romain Metanire scored the first ever goal for Velocity FC at their new home, ONE Stadium in Spokane, last Saturday against the Richmond Kickers before a sold out crowd of 5068. Before joining the Velocity for the 2024 season, Metanire was an MLS All Star in 2019 for Minnesota United and also made 240 appearances in France for FC Metz.
To avoid the proverbial “cupset” against Ballard, Velocity will rely on a combination of players like Metanire and Luis Gil (entering his 14th year as a professional) but they will also feature a few players not too far removed from their own college careers. Those players include a trio of Missouri State Bears: striker Josh Dolling, midfielder Jack Denton, and fullback Javier Martin Gil. Dolling and Denton have both started in Coach Leigh Veidman’s side in three consecutive matches including their final preseason match against Tacoma Defiance. Martin Gil plays the same position as Metanire, right back, and will only start tonight against Ballard if Veidman chooses to manage fatigue through rotation. Left winger Grayson Dupont is currently the only Velocity player unavailable for selection with a knee injury picked up against Greenville in a 3-1 loss on March 9th.
For Ballard, Coach James Riley will attempt to keep the good times rolling with a mostly new squad and look to win the first ever Bridges and Falls Derby.
All games of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup may be streamed directly from https://www.ussoccer.com/.