If every US Open Cup was like this one, there’d be no problem in finding fans or sponsors for the tournament. When the participants of the first round match were announced, Denton Diablos and D’Feeters SC (DKSC), it didn’t garner a tremendous amount of interest. Denton, the reigning NPSL champions and the feel-good club lower league soccer fans love, seemed the clear favorite heading into Tuesday evening. DKSC, less well-known outside of the Dallas area, is a smaller UPSL club that used to be FC Harrington and has shown promise, but has yet to create much buzz on the national stage. Until this evening, anyway.

The setting for this USOC matchup was a mixed bag of factors. The stadium (University of North Texas’ Soccer and Track & Field Stadium) is an absolute beauty of a facility. The pitch itself is soccer specific, a thankful respite from the many first round matches played on American football fields, and features a beautiful video scoreboard. The stands are first class, having new individual plastic seats for patrons. Across the top of the bleachers, red and black flags were stiff in the wind, really adding to the overall ambiance of the match. It FELT like a soccer match was about to go down when you entered the stands in Denton.

The only negative, and it was a big one, was the weather. Though many people imagine Texas weather to be forever hot, the evening was chilly, beginning in the low 50s and ending in the mid 40s, with a driving wind that blew directly into the bank of fans. There was nothing to cut it and it was a constant blast of chill throughout the evening. And while the crowd of 600 was loud and boisterous through the first half, towards the end of the second half, the cheering began to quiet, leaving a group of fans desperate for a goal but too cold to ask for it.

Photo courtesy of daniel mccullough and Denton Diablos.

The play on the field has been well reported in multiple places. All five goals were scored in the first half, with UPSL Champion (with fellow DFW club Foro) Miles Byass getting a goal and an assist for DKSC. The crowd was rowdy and fired up, with the supporters group on the far right side of the bleachers banging drums and chanting. Leading into the break, the visitors were up 3-2, a scoreline that would remain unchained after 90 minutes. After halftime, with the temperature continuing to fall, the play began to get chippier and more aggressive. DKSC went a man down early in the second half after a player kicked a ball into a downed Diablo. That play seemed to really turn the players against the head referee.

The rest of the match was a display of aggressive tackles and hard pushes, players flying around the frozen field, trying to swing the match in their favor. In that melee, the referee struggled to maintain control of the match. Both teams repeatedly were in her face over calls, some made and some not. Denton, in its effort to regain the lead, earned two red cards in the final 20 minutes of the match. At least one of those, from my perspective, felt like the referee trying to even the competition. The worst missed call of the second half was the widely shared (on social media) DKSC handball that prevented Denton from scoring an equalizer.

Aside from what some have said online, DKSC didn’t win this match because of the official. It won the match because of stellar play of Midfielder Juan Ramirez, Forward Oscar Romero, and, of course, Byass up top. Their ability to connect and dice up the Denton defense was the difference all night. And, to be clear, the DKSC defense wasn’t a slouch on its own right, preventing Dallas from connecting in the final third in the second period. It was a well-fought match that was somewhat marred by some missed calls.

D’Feeters advances to the second round of the tournament to face San Antonio FC on April 5th. They’ll be clear underdogs against the USLC side, but the glory of the USOC is in matchups like this one. For Denton’s part, they continue to ready for their NPSL regular season home opener against Irving FC on May 7th. Denton, of course, has a league crown to defend.

- Dan Vaughn