Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1531607
10 WAC Magazine | wac.net first take men's soccer e WAC men's soccer team is busy get- ting ready to start play in the U.S. Open Cup, the country's oldest ongoing nation- al soccer tournament. e WAC men will be one of about a dozen amateur teams competing in the event—and the first amateur team from Washington state in the modern era, which began in 1995. "Being the first amateur team from Washington to advance through the qualifying stages and reach the tourna- ment proper is an accomplishment our club is incredibly proud of," head coach and player Mark Conrad says. e single-elimination U.S. Open Cup tournament also includes about 100 clubs from professional leagues sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federa- tion—including Major League Soc- cer. e Seattle Sounders won three consecutive U.S. Open Cup titles from K AT E L I N B R E E N WAC advances to U.S. Open Cup tournament Team makes history by qualifying for event Seattle Sounders have won four times 2009–2011 and another in 2014. "e remarkable success of the 2024–2025 men's soccer team exemplifies the spirit of WAC athletes— coming together as a team, working hard, and playing the game the right way," WAC Chief Operating Officer Wayne Milner says. e WAC men advanced to the tournament proper with amazing qualifying-round play in late 2024, going 4-0 overall, including 4-3 over Bellevue Athletic FC, 2-1 over Holac FC, and 5-0 over Deportivo Rose City. e WAC men's fourth-round opponent forfeited. "Advancing to the tournament proper in the U.S. Open Cup is a tremendous accomplishment and a proud moment for the WAC community," Wayne says. e U.S. Open Cup started in 1913 and takes place annually. e winning team earns $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and has its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American sports. "e support of amateur athletics has been an integral part of the WAC since the Club's inception in 1930," Wayne says. "is achievement is a tes- tament to the dedication of our coaches and veteran players, who have fostered a team-first mentality." e tournament proper begins in March. Most MLS clubs now enter play in the third round, and MLS teams have dominated the competition since that league began in 1996. No lower-division team has won the Cup since 1999. Match details will be announced soon. Front row from left: Adeseyi Adekoya, Khai Brisco, Christian Soto, Marshall Kosaka, Gonçalo Mendes, Kasey French, Ibrahima Drame; second row from left: Lucas Hauswirth, Mark Roth, Joshua Lee, Ryan Blair, Saif Kerawala, Ryan DeGroot, Scott Menzies, Eric Lagos, Mitchell Graesser, Owen Davis-Bower; not pictured: head coach and player Mark Conrad.