Given that this year’s Open Cup was consumed with drama up until just a few weeks ago, you couldn’t have asked for a better first day of the Cup proper. I say that as neutral, of course. If you are a fan of one of the clubs who lost, clearly the day could have gone better for you and your team. But from a holistic perspective, the Cup is alive and well!

The night kicked off with amateur Miami United taking out newly-minted MLSNP club Chattanooga FC 1-0 in Chattanooga and that result should have let everyone know that we were in for some shocking scorelines. Vermont Green beat USL League One side Lexington SC 4 to 3, regardless of the fact that VG’s season doesn’t start for another couple of months. UPSL giant Foro traveled to Austin to take on Austin FC II and, despite going down a player in the second half, battled through extra time to win the game on penalties. Somewhat shockingly, all three MLS Next Pro teams (CFC, AFCII, Portland II) in action on day one were knocked out of the competition by amateur clubs. If you are a fan of cupsets, it was that kind of night.

While streaming numbers are a black box, the buzz on social media was about as hot as it could be during the yesterday’s matches, which is just what the doctor ordered for the competition. We can talk about the things to improve in the future, but there’s plenty to be thrilled about from day one and there’s twelve more matches today!

- Dan Vaughn