Dayton, April 18 2019 - Dayton Dutch Lions FC is approaching round one in the US Open Cup. On May 8 the team of Head Coach Dan Griest is playing Erie Commodores of the NPSL.
We asked him about the upcoming game in three weeks:
"We are extremely excited to finally see the matchups for the First Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. We are honored to be able to represent USL 2 in such a prestigious event and we look forward to the opportunity to showcase ourselves on a national stage while providing the city of Dayton and our amazing fans some tremendously exciting soccer.
I am truly excited for our returning players from last years Great Lakes Division championship run to be able to reap the rewards of all the hard work and dedication they put in last summer that has afforded our group this summer this amazing opportunity. The new players coming into our group this summer have last years side to thank for the huge opportunity they now walk into this summer, and I believe they will be ready to fight to prove themselves worthy of such a chance.
Having coached in the NPSL for two seasons, one of which was in the Erie Commodores division, I know that it is a tremendously tough division full of some exceptional talent, so for them to have the success they have had over the last two seasons speaks for itself. They are a class organization with a fantastic staff, and we are excited for the opportunity to go up there and showcase ourselves on May 8th. Obviously for a league and team that relies so heavily on collegiate players year in and year out, having a huge match only one week into our season that begins on May 1st is going to be very difficult, however, I believe we have enough experience returning players that we can quickly get ourselves organized and focused enough to go up there and give them a tremendous challenge.
The staff, the players, and myself are chomping at the bit and counting the days for May 1st to arrive so that we can get to work in beginning to prepare for our match on May 8th, and we look forward to the challenge the Erie Commodores, and the US Open Cup, present for us".