US Open Cup in Kennesaw today
‘We’ve been great partners,” Kerns said. “We’ve forged a good relationship with them thus far and, so far this season, it has continued.’
Zach Kerns Fifth Third Bank Stadium
executive director
Atlanta United FC will bring the U.S. Open Cup back to Fifth Third Bank Stadium today, hosting the Charleston Battery.
It will be the second straight year the teams have faced off in the U.S. Soccer Federation tournament, with Atlanta beating its United Soccer League affiliate 3-2 last year. The game was a sellout in the 8,318-seat stadium, though it did not start until after 10 p.m., following a 2½-hour weather delay.
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $10.50 for general admission seating to $50.50 for seating in the stadium’s loge level.
Although only in its second season, Atlanta United leads Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference, with an 8-3-2 record following its draw with New England. They have been led by striker Josef Martinez (eight goals), rising star midfielder Miguel Almiron (six goals, five assists) and goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Not wanting to risk injuries, MLS teams’ star players rarely play much, if at all, in U.S. Open Cup games, leaving reserves — including Powder Springs native Andrew Carleton — with the chance for greater playing time.
The fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup, which pits amateur and professional teams from around the country in a number, is the first in which MLS franchises enter the field.
Although Fifth Third Bank Stadium has played host to a variety of sporting events, including Kennesaw State athletics and Atlanta Blaze lacrosse, it was originally opened with soccer in mind. The stadium’s initial tenants were the former Atlanta Beat women’s soccer team and the Kennesaw State’s women’s soccer team.
Zach Kerns, the stadium’s executive director, said that even before last year’s U.S. Open Cup game, Atlanta United was aware of the venue as a viable site. The team’s training ground is located on Franklin Gateway in Marietta, and Atlanta’s academy team used to train at Kennesaw State’s Marietta campus before their own facilities were completed.
“We’ve been great partners,” Kerns said. “We’ve forged a good relationship with them thus far and, so far this season, it has continued.”
Last year’s U.S. Open Cup game drew considerable attention from a fan base eager to see the young team, but the lengthy delay put a damper on what Kerns said was leading up to be an exciting evening of soccer.
Kerns, though, expressed his belief that with how Atlanta has performed in MLS up until t his point of the season, he expects plenty of fans to come out and support the team.
“It was unfortunate, because the energy was already really good when we had to sort of shelter everybody,” Kerns said, “but we’re looking forward to this year’s matchup. Sales are very strong, and we’re projecting it to be close to, if not definitely, sold out again.”