The Flint City Bucks have such a successful history over the past three decades that they don’t get the chance for many “firsts” anymore.
On March 19, the team’s 2-0 victory over Madison Forward FC in the opening round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup wasn’t the first time in franchise history they’ve beaten a pro team – far from it. It was the team’s 11th. But it was the first time the Bucks have pulled off the feat since the franchise moved to Flint in 2019.
“We talked a little bit about that with the players in the locker room, put your stamp on the Bucks’ history and give something back to the fans who came out on a relatively cool night tonight,” said coach Paul Doroh. “We wanted to give the fans their reward and we wanted to obviously win the game for ourselves too. It’s not every day you get to play in the U.S. Open Cup and it’s not every day you get to play against a pro team. The guys played really, really well tonight.”
The U.S. Open Cup, in its 111th edition, has crowned the U.S. Soccer’s national champion since 1914. The tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and is open to professional and amateur/semiprofessional teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The 2025 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn a berth in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports and now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Texas.
The Bucks franchise has a long history in U.S. Open Cup competition, appearing 15 times and qualifying three other times but not competing. The Bucks earned one of USL League Two’s nine automatic bids to the tournament, among the 32 semiprofessional and amateur clubs that are each facing fully professional teams during the opening round matches.
Adding an extra layer of complexity, the Bucks as an amateur team, had just a couple months to fully assemble a roster capable of competing at a high level. The team’s regular season doesn’t start until May, so they typically have significantly more time to build a roster. Prior to the U.S. Open Cup match on March 19, though, some of the players were just getting into town the day before the game. They got one training session in on March 18 and then were on the field facing Madison Forward FC in game action. But once they got into the flow of the game, instincts took over and the team played pretty cohesively.
“It was a bit rocky at the start, just because I’m used to yelling the same names at my teammates at Michigan,” said keeper Isaiah Goldson, who earned the clean sheet and made several diving deflections while also organizing the defense. “I definitely got more fluid and then felt more natural by the end of the game.”
The Bucks were first on the board near the 13 minute mark, thanks to a mistake by Madison. Jack Roman attacked and got off a strong shot that the Madison keeper saved. But the ball ricocheted from the keeper and then off of a Madison teammate into the open net.
That was the only scoring in the first half, but Doroh was impressed with the team’s ability to create good chances in that span.
“We were quite dangerous in the attack and we had some really quality moments in the first 15,” Doroh said. “We told the guys at halftime, we’re not gonna bunker in. We’re gonna continue to play. We knew we were gonna have to weather a storm, in the first 15-20 minutes (of the second half) they were gonna come at us, and they did. But the guys got the job done. It was fantastic.”
The team added a final goal around the 67-minute mark. Roman found Jordy Lopez with a nice setup, and Lopez beat the Madison keeper for the goal.
“That was great, it was my first chance of the game,” said Lopez, who had just subbed into the game shortly before scoring. “I just put it in the top corner. What a feeling, you know?”
The rest of the way, Flint’s defense as well as athletic plays by Goldson kept Madison off the score sheet.
“I thought we defended really well,” Doroh said. “We didn’t get pulled apart.”
The only real difference for the Bucks was the location. Their normal home, Atwood Stadium, is still winterized, so the game was played at Don Batchelor Stadium in Grand Blanc. As Bucks games have become known for, there was a loud and supportive crowd, the River Rats marching into the building and chanting various creative messages throughout the game, entertainment, and more.
Lopez plays collegiately at Madonna University in Livonia, and has been to Flint before, so he’s familiar with and looking forward to playing for the team this spring and summer.
“It’s a new team and teammates, but we have a really great team and top players,” Lopez said. “Everyone that plays against us, they’re going to have a very hard time. I live just 50 minutes away, so I’ve seen Flint and played against them and now I got the chance to play with them. It’s a really nice environment and good crowd.”
Goldson, an Ontario native, will be new to the area this summer, but is excited for what’s in store.
“I think we (his teammates) have the same mentality when it comes to winning,” Goldson said. “This is my first time playing USL 2, so I was super surprised by the crowd. It was a big show and so many people came out. It was lovely, I loved it.”
Information about the team’s next opponent and the location of that game will be available on the Bucks’ website or Facebook or Instagram pages. And regardless of who or when they play, the goals always remain the same for the Bucks: compete for a USL League 2 championship and continue developing players and preparing them for the professional level.
“This (playing in the U.S. Open Cup) will boost their career moving forward,” Doroh said. “And that’s what the Bucks are all about, giving guys an opportunity to chase their dreams.”
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to catch up on all of our headlines every Tuesday.
