The Mighty Oak will face the Michigan Bucks in the first round of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Bucks will host AFC Ann Arbor on Wednesday May 10th at Ultimate Soccer Arenas at 7PM.
Head Coach & Sporting Director Eric Rudland is looking forward to the challenge saying, “When looking at things geographically, the draw went as we expected and to be honest, as we hoped. We want to play against the best and prove ourselves in a real match so we are thrilled about the draw.”
The May 10th matchup will mark AFC Ann Arbor’s first U.S. Open Cup appearance since the club was founded (first season in 2015). The Bucks first competed in Cup back in 1997 and most recently in 2016, when they lost to Detroit City FC in penalties, and have an overall record of 13-11-2.
These clubs have partnered for closed door scrimmages in the past but AFC Ann Arbor and the Michigan Bucks have never met in an official capacity on the pitch.
The winner of the May 10th match up will host the National American Soccer League’s (NASL) Indy Eleven on May 17th.
The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup dates back to 1914, and is the oldest current national cup competition in United States soccer and is among the oldest in the world. The tournament is comprised of amateur and professional teams. Last year’s winner was FC Dallas of Major League Soccer.