AFC Ann Arbor’s U.S. Open Cup First Round draw has been confirmed. The Mighty Oak will take on Lansing Ignite on May 8th in Lansing. The match will take place at 7 PM at Cooley Law School Stadium. We will provide updates on ticket accessibility as it becomes apparent.

The Mighty Oak continue to expand upon their illustrious club history with their third consecutive trip to the USOC. AFCAA are the only current NPSL side to have represented the league in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 USOCs. Despite success in qualifying, The Mighty Oak are looking for their first victory in the cup competition as the side lost 1-0 to Michigan Bucks in 2017 in Pontiac, and in a home bout last season, fell to Ocean City Nor’easters 3-0 at Eastern Michigan’s Scicluna Field.

“It’s an honor to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup for a third year in a row,” said head coach Eric Rudland. He continued, saying, “We are hopeful that we can put together a competitive team for our opening match.” The early-May fixture means that The Mighty Oak may not have every player coming in for the summer at their disposal, but if recent history is able to show anything, AFCAA always takes their USOC bouts with the utmost seriousness.

About the Opponent

Lansing Ignite partake in USL League One – the third tier of U.S. soccer. The club are in their first season of existence and led by head coach Nate Miller. In terms of personnel, eleven countries are represented on the roster, including Haiti, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, and England. They opened the season with a 3-2 victory over Richmond Kickers on the road but followed that with a 2-1 away loss to Greenville Triumph. They presently sit fifth in the early, early, stages of the ten team league.