Atlanta United to host Memphis 901 FC in 3rd round of 2023 U.S. Open Cup

Atlanta United on Thursday learned who it will face in the 3rd round of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup. The Five Stripes will host the USL Championship’s Memphis 901 FC at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on April 26.

The immediate storyline concerns Memphis’s head coach, who has plenty of history in the Atlanta area: Stephen Glass is the former head coach of Atlanta United 2 and was the interim head coach of Atlanta United after it and Frank de Boer parted ways in 2020. Glass eventually returned to his native Scotland to take the reins at Aberdeen, the club he called home to start his playing career, before being sacked in February 2022. He was hired by Memphis in November 2022. Roster-wise, Memphis include players such as veteran MLS goalkeeper Bill Hamid and former Atlanta players Luiz Fernando, Phillip Goodrum, and Laurent Kissiedou.

Eighteen U.S. MLS clubs, including Atlanta, are set to enter the tournament in the 3rd round. The remaining stateside clubs will enter in Round 4.

Atlanta United have never dropped a USOC opener, taking all 3 matchups between it and the Charleston Battery from 2017-2019. In 2022, it cruised to a 6-0 win over the NISA’s Chattanooga FC.