By: Henry Krueger, Gonzaga University ‘25
The U.S. Open Cup announces that Velocity will travel to play Las Vegas Lights FC in the third round of the tournament. This match will take place at 7:30pm pacific time on April 17.
Spokane Velocity FC has already proven itself against USL League One competition, but the team now encounters its first challenge against a USL Championship opponent.
Velocity punched its ticket to the next round after securing a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Force this past Wednesday at ONE Spokane Stadium. The team secured this win in front of over two thousand fans, anxiously awaiting this victory until the final whistle blew.
The game was decided by a goal from Luis Gil in minute 85. Gil rebounded a missed shot from Andre Lewis before burying a shot in the top left corner.
Velocity’s third-round game is scheduled in between its road matchups against USL League One competitors Lexington Sporting Club on April 14 and the Richmond Kickers on April 20.
Las Vegas Lights FC competes at the USL Championship level — a tier above Velocity. Las Vegas has a 2-2 record and is in fifth place in the league’s Western Conference.
The upcoming game marks Lights FC’s debut in this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The bracket format pairs the 16 second-round victors against 16 USL Championship teams.
The champion of the U.S. Open Cup will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy.
“It’s awesome,” Luis Gil said of the competition. “Any single tournament that comes to us, our goal is to win. This cup’s been around for so long. It’s a special moment and I feel like we got to take it very seriously.”
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