USL PDL champions the Des Moines Menace set up a US Open Cup second round tie with Saint Louis FC on Wednesday evening after they defeated Madison Fire in the first round.
Des Moines are no strangers to the area as they are perennial opponents of the Cottleville based Saint Louis Lions, coached by Tony Glavin. Saint Louis FC goalkeeper Mark Pais played for the Menace and will know what to expect from the Des Moines outfit.
“Because of its long and successful history in the PDL, the Menace are always able to attract good college/amateur talent, so we can expect to face a team comprised of good players.” Said Pais, “The Open Cup is something that the organization takes very seriously, the team that I was a part of was able to beat MN United of the NASL and play the next round against Sporting Kansas City at their stadium. So you can bet that they’re gunning for another upset.”
With STLFC in the middle of a possible 5 games in 20 days, Dale Schilly maybe looking to rest some tired legs. Squad players whom haven’t seen much time in the first team will have a chance to impress. Jordan Roberts will look to expand on the playing time he got in the second half of the loss to Toronto as he offers a fresh offensive threat and will have played against Des Moines when he was a member of the St Louis Lions in the last few seasons. Jermie Lynch will be back after suspension also, however injury doubts still plague the Saints, with Jamiel Hardware (hamstring), Brandon Barklage (foot) and Charles Renken (facial laceration) all compounding the selection problems for Schilly.
There is a massive incentive for both teams to progress with the victors having the chance to host NASL stalwart and future MLS franchise Minnesota United on May 27th.
Ex MN United player and current Saint Louis midfielder Kentaro Takada can’t look past Des Moines before the possibility of playing his old team and states: “Before we talk about playing against MN, we have to win and focus on Wednesday game as it never be easy game in this competition. Des Moines are hungry to win. They want to beat pro guys. However if I play against MN United, I might be a bit emotional, mixing feelings. To be honest I don’t know how I will be feeling until the game day.”
Saint Louis has a fantastic history in this competition and will want to make an impact to continue the tradition. Local teams have won the competition on nine previous occasions, including Scullin Steel, Busch, St Louis Breweries, Kutis, Simpkins Ford, Ben Millers and Stix Baer and Fuller.
The last victory came in 1988 when St Louis Busch Sr’s beat Greek American AC at Soccer Park.
