Quick Hits

• A late match for Chattanoogans watching from home as this game will kick off at 8:00 PM EST.
• Des Moines will be playing their second match in the U.S. Open Cup while Chattanooga FC will be entering the cup in the second round.
• Des Moines opened up their U.S. Open campaign on the 22nd of March with a 3-0 thrashing of Beaman United. 
• Chattanooga FC began league play this past weekend with a 3-0 win against Gold Star FC Detroit. 
• Chattanooga FC will also square off against ex teammate Chris Bermudez, who will look to spoil the party for his prior club.

Match Details

• Date: Wednesday, April 5
• Kickoff Time: 8:00 PM EST
• Location: Des Moines, IA 

How to watch, listen and live stream Des Moines Menace vs Chattanooga FC

• TV/Live stream: Catch the game live on the Bleacher Report app.

Recent Form

The dream is still alive for the Des Moines Menace as they come into this matchup hot after a 3-0 victory against Beaman United. Juan Rodriguez scored a brace as they cruised to victory. Des Moines’s next opponent is a strong Chattanooga FC team that has high hopes of making a deep run for the cup. CFC opened up their league play this past weekend with a 3-0 thumping against Gold Star FC Detroit. Chattanooga will be entering this game as favorites and they’ll be looking to keep the momentum going on the road. 

QUOTES FROM COACH ROD UNDERWOOD
"Our mentality is come out and play the best game we can. That's number one. Des Moines in good club that's been around long time. They have good fan support, good front office support, and they bring in quality players. We don't take this game lightly by any means."

"The Open Cup been around a long time. It's has its ups and downs. It is good that people have gotten behind it. For our club though it's important to just get more games. So, it's important to be in this competition."

"It's a long season. We want to get better in a lot of areas. We want to get better in how we attack within our style. How we keep the ball. How we defend as a group and how we press as a group. We want to improve in all those areas."

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Taylor Gray (Chattanooga FC) - Taylor Gray is coming into 2023 after recording an exceptional 2022 season. He’ll look to get his goal tally started for the year against Des Moines after assisting two goals in Chattanooga FC’s 3-0 win against Gold Star FC. Gray is an essential part of the front three pairing effortlessly with Naglestad and Mwape. 

Juan Rodriguez (Des Moines Menace) - Rodriguez will surely enter this match hungry for more after securing a brace and a win against Beaman United. Des Moines knows that a quick goal is necessary to best this strong CFC squad and they’ll be looking for the Argentine to make an impact.

THIRD ROUND DRAW
Should Chattanooga FC prevail in the Second Round, the club will advance to the Third Round for the second year in a row. The opponent and location will be revealed during the Third Round Draw on Thursday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. ET. That will be live streamed in Bleacher Report app.

ABOUT THE LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP
Heading into its 108th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer's National Championship – is the only high-profile competition in American team sports where amateur sides can face professionals in meaningful competition. The history-filled tournament, conducted on a single-game, knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer, crowned a champion annually from 1914 until 2019, with a hiatus for the last two years due to the pandemic.

In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and the world's third-longest continuously running open soccer tournament was renamed to honor United States soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

The 2023 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally-contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.

About Chattanooga Football Club
Chattanooga Football Club was founded in 2009. The CFC Men's team competes in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), which is in the third division of professional soccer. The CFC Women's team is a summer amateur team that competes in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL). Chattanooga Football Club became the first soccer club to offer true ownership to the fans in 2019 with 3,200+ investors from Chattanooga, all 50 states, and 31 countries. CFC plays all home games in Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.