Mike McCall, ArmadaFC.com | May 31, 2016

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mention the U.S. Open Cup around Tony Meola and his eyes light up.

"It’s a weird competition," the Armada FC head coach said, recounting his own Cup triumph as a player and the tournament’s penchant for producing wild upsets, known as "Cupsets."

Weird is the perfect word to describe the Armada’s third-round clash with the USL’s Charleston Battery, whom they’ll host Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Jacksonville University's Southern Oak Stadium. Free tickets can be claimed in advance by visiting armadafc.com/opencup or calling 1.844.2.ARMADA. Parking is $10.

That’s because in their last match, the Battery lost.

Facing PDL side The Villages SC — yes, the Central Florida retirement community — the Battery fell on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw. Social media was abuzz with Cupset-talk, but when it later emerged that the underdogs fielded a player who had already participated in the tournament with another team, the fairytale came to an end.

The retroactive forfeit meant that Charleston advanced, and they’re now the only thing between Armada FC and a fourth-round showdown with in-state MLS foe Orlando City SC, which would take place June 15 in Jacksonville.

"Obviously it would be exciting for the city," defender Matt Bahner said. "It was exciting the first time Orlando came in, so that would be another great game and another great test against an MLS team. That’s what you want to be able to do. You want to play those teams in important games and show yourself and what this team is about."

WHEN & WHERE

Wednesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. ET | Southern Oak Stadium (Jacksonville University)

Claim Free Tickets | Parking $10 | Weather

THE TEAMS

Jacksonville Armada FC (1W-2D-5L, 5 pts., 11th NASL Spring)

Charleston Battery (5W-3D-3L, 18 pts., 4th USL East)



THE COACHES

Jacksonville Armada FC – Tony Meola , 1st season

Charleston Battery – Mike Anhaeuser, 12th season

SERIES HISTORY

Charleston leads, 2-1-0 (all preseason friendlies)

LAST RESULT

Armada 0, Battery 0 - 3/5/16 in Jacksonville (Patton Park) | Recap

CLUB QUICK LINKS

Armada: News | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats

Battery: News | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats

WATCH

- ArmadaFC.com – Cole Pepper – PXP and Mauricio Ruiz – Color

READ

- Live Twitter updates on @ArmadaFCgameday – #JAXvCHS #USOC2016

- Live stats on ArmadaFC.com

CUPSETS ABOUND

The chance to face opponents from other leagues is part of what makes the U.S. Open Cup, one of the world’s oldest continually operating tournaments (since 1914), so special.

Teams enter the bracket in phases, based upon league, in a series of steps that display the alphabet soup that is American soccer. The first two rounds are mostly amateur clubs, from US Club Soccer, USASA, USSSA, NPSL and PDL. USL teams join in the third round, along with more NPSL and PDL teams. NASL arrives in the third round, followed by MLS in the fourth.

All that can lead to chaos. Like in 2012, when amateur side Cal FC — coached by former U.S. star Eric Wynalda — toppled USL’s Wilmington Hammerheads and MLS’s Portland Timbers.

Or USL’s Charlotte Independence defeating MLS side New England Revolution in last year’s fourth round.

NASL has seen success as well, with two teams reaching the quarterfinals in 2014 and one in 2013, but the league is still looking to disrupt MLS’s streak of 16 straight titles.

This year, five first-round entrants are still alive: Des Moines Menace and Jersey Express (PDL), and Lansdowne Bhoys FC, La Maquina FC and L.A. Wolves FC (USASA).

FAMILIAR FOES

With a bracket based on geography, the Cup can forge rivalries in a hurry.

Last year, NASL’s New York Cosmos faced two local MLS rivals, beating NYCFC before falling to the New York Red Bulls.

The Armada have a similar opportunity, with two familiar foes lurking.

They’ve seen both Charleston and Orlando before, drawing the former and defeating the latter in this spring’s preseason. They also fell to the Battery during the 2015 preseason, 1-0.

"Charleston are a very good team who we played in preseason," winger Danny Barrow said. "Jacksonville hasn’t beaten them yet, and we’ve played them twice, so it’s a great opportunity to show that we are better than them, which I know we are."

Through 11 games, the Battery sit fourth in the USL Eastern Conference standings (5-3-3).

Not that records really matter in the Cup, but the Armada will go in encouraged by Saturday’s 1-1 draw with the unbeaten Indy Eleven.

FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE

And though the club’s tournament experience is limited after losing in their only appearance (3-0 to the USL’s Richmond Kickers), several of the Boys in Blue have made runs in the Cup.

Goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo helped then-USL Orlando City reach the quarterfinals in 2013 before falling to the Chicago Fire (MLS). And in that same tournament, Bahner’s Harrisburg City Islanders (USL) went on the road and took the Philadelphia Union (MLS) to extra time.

"We had Philly on the ropes, really," Bahner said. "It’s a tough tournament — it’s like March Madness. Win and you move on. One loss and you’re done. There’s a lot of pressure to it, but that’s what makes it fun."

Meola knows that better than most, having played for the Kansas City Wizards from 1999-2004 under then-owner Lamar Hunt, whom the Cup is named for. Meola’s Wizards won the tournament final for Hunt at their home field in 2004, and it’s clear he has vivid memories of the victory, having started and kept a clean sheet.

"Igor Simutenkov hit a free kick and we won it in golden goal," he said, grinning. "It was awesome."

Hoping to see his players experience that same feeling, Meola said he has no plans to put out a weakened side despite a slate of three matches in seven days. And coming off the Indy performance, the Boys in Blue are fired up and ready to build on a good result.

"I think from [Saturday], how positive we were, it will come on Wednesday," Barrow said. "This tournament, the U.S. Open Cup, is massive for us players, for Tony, for everyone. So we need to do well."

LOOKING AHEAD

The Armada will return to league play at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday as it heads to Cary, N.C., to take on the Carolina RailHawks at WakeMed Soccer Park. The match will be shown locally on CW17 and nationally on beIN Sports. It will also air locally on Project 106.9 FM or on the iHeart app.