The Wilmington Hammerheads play Tuesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. After as second-round win over Miami Fusion FC and an upset in the third round over Miami FC, the Hammerheads have gathered some momentum entering the fourth round match on Tuesday. Here are three things to know about the Hammerheads.
20 Years of History
Wilmington is among the longest-running USL franchises currently among the 29 active clubs in the league. Starting play in 1996, the Hammerheads won the USL Pro Select title in 2003. In addition to success at the league level, Wilmington also has seen its share of Open Cup success, reaching the quarterfinals in 2003 and 2009. Those runs included wins over the Dallas Burn in 2003 and the Chicago Fire in 2009.
Proving Ground
Real Salt Lake midfielder Luke Mulholland made a name for himself with Wilmington in 2011 as part of his climb from Wingate University to RSL’s roster. However, he is far from alone in representing former Hammerheads players on MLS rosters now. NYCFC midfielders Kwadwo Poku and Tommy McNamara, Toronto FC midfielder Daniel Lovitz and Orlando City SC defender Tommy Redding all played on loan with Wilmington in 2015 while the club also provided a proving ground for current LA Galaxy starting center back Daniel Steres, who played the 2013 season in Wilmington before developing in two seasons with LA Galaxy II to land with the first team.
Path to the Fourth Round
The Hammerheads have gotten past two Miami-based teams to reach the Fourth Round. In the second-round meeting with Miami Fusion FC, forward Austin Martz notched a hat trick while forward Kyle Parker added two more and Justin Moose slipped in one for a 6-0 victory. In the next match against Miami FC, Wilmington pulled off the upset with Jeff Michaud and Moose scoring two goals in the first five minutes. The Hammerheads held on for the 2-1 win to advance to face RSL. Of the four goal-scorers, only Parker has scored during Wilmington’s USL season, tallying two goals in 10 matches this season.
