Three of the four USL Championship clubs to make their debuts in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this year will be in action on Wednesday night as the Second Round of the tournament continues. Rio Grande Valley FC, Monterey Bay F.C. and San Diego Loyal SC will all take to the field among nine clubs overall to enter the fray and seek a place in the next round.

Here’s a look ahead at the night’s contests featuring USL Championship sides.

North Carolina FC vs. Rio Grande Valley FC

Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: WakeMed Soccer Park
Broadcast: ESPN+

Rio Grande Valley FC will get its first opportunity to compete in the Open Cup in club history as it travels to face USL League One club North Carolina FC, but in Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera the Toros have someone well-versed in the tournament and its opportunities. Cabrera won the tournament previously as the Head Coach of the Houston Dynamo in 2018 and will bring his Toros side that includes Juan David Cabezas – who started in the final in 2018 against the Philadelphia Union – to face a North Carolina FC side that earned a 1-0 victory in its season-opener on Saturday at South Georgia Tormenta FC. Ex-Toros forward Garrett McLaughlin scored the goal for NCFC in its opening win, while the hosts could also feature players with international experience in forward Oalex Anderson (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), midfielder Jaden Servania (Puerto Rico) and defender Nelson Flores (El Salvador).

Charleston Battery vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC

Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Patriots Point
Broadcast: ESPN+

The Charleston Battery, who remain the most recent lower-division club to reach the Open Cup Final in 2008, square off with USL League One side South Georgia Tormenta FC, a side they have faced previously in the tournament prior to Tormenta FC’s ascent to the professional ranks in 2018. On that occasion the Battery took a 1-0 victory behind a first-half goal by Patrick Okonkwo, and the new-look squad led by Head Coach Conor Casey will be hoping for a similar result as it looks to rebound from defeat last time out in the league after Augustine Williams’ early goal wasn’t enough to defeat Las Vegas Lights FC on Friday night. Tormenta FC also fell this past weekend in a 1-0 defeat to North Carolina FC but looked dangerous as they outshot their visitors 14-4 and held 72.2 percent of possession in the contest. The Battery could also see a pair of familiar faces among the visitors with former players Arthur Bosua and Deshawon Nembhard having been part of South Georgia’s lineup on Saturday.

Miami FC vs. Miami United FC

Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: FIU Soccer Stadium
Broadcast: ESPN+

Miami FC will begin its bid to replicate a memorable run to the Quarterfinals of the 2017 tournament when it plays host to Miami United FC. The Championship side is coming off a narrow defeat over the weekend to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC but produced a strong second-half performance that included a goal by Romeo Parkes that showed the potential the new lineup led by Head Coach Anthony Pulis has at his disposal possesses. Pulis has his own history in the Open Cup, having led Saint Louis FC to the Quarterfinals in 2019 when the tournament was last held, but the hosts could be wary of a United FC side that advanced to the Fourth Round in 2018 before being eliminated by Orlando City SC and took a 3-1 victory against City Soccer FC in this year’s First Round after a late flurry of goals that saw Lucas Espindola score twice.

Louisville City FC vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Broadcast: ESPN+

Louisville City FC will face USL League One club Chattanooga Red Wolves SC for the first time in official competition at Lynn Family Stadium as the hosts try to continue their undefeated start to the campaign. LouCity has gone five games without defeat in the USL Championship this season but has drawn back-to-back contests going into Wednesday night after a 0-0 draw against Birmingham Legion FC this past Saturday that saw Napo Matsoso sent off in the first half. The club has had a good history in the Open Cup in prior seasons, though, including a run to the Quarterfinals of the tournament in 2018 that included an upset of the New England Revolution on home turf. The Red Wolves played to a 1-1 draw in their opening game of the campaign after conceding late on to Forward Madison FC at CHI Memorial Stadium, but after reaching the postseason a year ago the visitors will bring a solid squad as they look for a first Open Cup victory in their history.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC

Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Weidner Field
Broadcast: ESPN+

The lone remaining side with a perfect record this season in the Championship, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC faces a new in-state arrival to USL League One this season in Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, and a potential oddity in the tournament’s modern history. The Switchbacks have won four games in a row to kick off the season after a 2-1 victory against Miami FC on Saturday that saw Michee Ngalina and Hadji Barry each find the net. Ngalina has now scored three goals on the campaign, while Barry has one goal and two assists to begin the new campaign after earning Championship Golden Boot and MVP honors a season ago. Colorado Springs will face a Hailstorm FC side playing its first official game on Wednesday, with the new side based in Winsdor, Colorado having had a bye during Week 1 of the League One season. Northern Colorado should feature some players with Championship experience, though, including forward Irvin Parra, who scored 11 goals for the Charlotte Independence in the league a season ago.

FC Tucson vs. Las Vegas Lights FC

Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Kino Sports Complex
Broadcast: ESPN+

Las Vegas Lights FC will head to face USL League One club FC Tucson hoping to continue its positive start to the 2022 season and earn a second consecutive trip to the Third Round of the tournament. Led by Championship leading scorer Danny Trejo, Lights FC has been one of the surprise packages of the season so far with the Mexican forward having scored five goals in five appearances to help the side earn three victories. Trejo scored both goals last Friday night as Lights FC took a 2-1 win against the Charleston Battery to earn Championship Player of the Week honors for a second time. Tucson, meanwhile, had a tough first game of the new season on Saturday night as it fell 4-0 to the Richmond Kickers at City Stadium, but the League One club will be hoping to rekindle the spirit of nine years ago when as a USL League Two side it upset a higher-division opponent to reach the Third Round before falling to Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo FC.

Phoenix Rising FC vs. Valley United FC

Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Wild Horse Pass
Broadcast: ESPN+

Phoenix Rising FC will try to build off a strong away victory this past weekend as it welcomes fellow Arizona-based club Valley United FC to Wild Horse Pass with the hopes of starting a strong run in the tournament. Rising FC defeated San Antonio FC 2-0 this past Saturday on goals by Claudio Repetto and Marcus Epps to break a two-game downturn and will be hoping that serves as a launchpad for better fortune than the tournament has shown them in recent editions. Phoenix fell in the Second Round to fellow Championship club New Mexico United in a penalty shootout in 2019 after goals from Junior Flemmings and Adam Jahn, with the side’s best run having come in its inaugural season in 2014 when it reached the Fourth Round. Valley United has gone undefeated in its first two games of the season, meanwhile, with Jeffrey Otoo and Mustafa Troncoso having scored in a 2-1 win against ALBION San Diego this past Friday night.

Bay Cities FC vs. Monterey Bay F.C.

Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
Venue: PayPal Park
Broadcast: ESPN+

Monterey Bay F.C. will face Bay Cities FC in its Open Cup debut aiming to make a positive start in the tournament after up-and-down results over the past two weekends against its NorCal rivals in the USL Championship. MBFC claimed its first win in club history two weekends ago as a late goal by Hugh Roberts earned a 3-2 victory against Oakland Roots SC at Laney Stadium, while last week Chase Boone’s late goal wasn’t quite enough to spark a comeback in a 2-1 loss to Sacramento Republic FC at Heart Health Park. Boone has been central to Monterey Bay’s attack so far with three goals this season, and the side has experience of Wednesday’s venue after a preseason exhibition against the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park that saw the side hold a halftime lead before falling 4-2 to the MLS squad. Bay Cities FC, meanwhile, has played to consecutive scoreless draws in its first two games of the season as it also enters the Open Cup for the first time. 

ALBION San Diego vs. San Diego Loyal SC

Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Canyon Crest Academy
Broadcast: ESPN+

San Diego Loyal SC will make its first appearance in the Open Cup in its third campaign looking to add to the momentum the side has built in winning four of its first five games in the USL Championship this season. SD Loyal took a 3-2 victory against El Paso Locomotive FC at Torero Stadium on Sunday afternoon as goals by Kyle Vassell, Tumi Moshobane and Thomas Amang earned all three points for the hosts, and Head Coach Landon Donovan’s side has recorded 10 goals overall this season to sit tied for the Western Conference lead on 12 points. Donovan claimed the Open Cup once as a player with the LA Galaxy in 2005, scoring twice in the tournament, and will be hoping his squad can find some magic in this year’s tournament. The side opens against ALBION San Diego, which enters after a 2-1 defeat to Valley United FC on Friday night that opened its 2022 league campaign.