That’s it. That’s the title. RIFC have drawn Portland Hearts of Pine in the US Open Cup. While we all knew there was a very high chance of this happening, it looks like it was already “pre-determined” based on region. Being the only two New England teams in the competition at this stage, it does make the most sense. And it’s definitely the matchup that has us fans the most excited.

If there’s one thing to know about me as a soccer fan (other than my love for Frank Nodarse) it’s that I love cup competitions. I was ecstatic when the Jagermeister Cup was announced and was just as excited this afternoon to watch the 3rd round draw for the Open Cup. I think most of us were disappointed when we drew Portland at home for the Jager. Us Rhode Islanders have been dying for a trip up to Maine. And now we have as great a reason as any after drawing Portland away.

How did we get here?

• For RIFC, it was pretty straightforward…..I think. The 16 teams who made the USL Championship playoffs last season enter the tournament in the 3rd round. The teams were then seeded, with the top 4 from each conference getting guaranteed home games this round. The teams who finished 5-8 in each conference were designated as away teams. So as much as we hate to remember it, the infamous Indy Eleven midweek game strikes again. Most of us blame that loss as the reason that RIFC finished 5th in the Eastern Conference and didn’t get a home game in the playoffs last season. Hopefully this is the last time we ever have to think about that game.

• For Portland, they entered the tournament in the first round with 63 other teams. This includes every team from USL League One as well as some teams from USL League 2, MLS Next Pro, NPSL, some amateur teams, and the 8 teams who finished in the bottom 4 of each USL Championship conference (sorry if I forgot anyone in there). Portland won their first round matchup against amateur team CD Faialense before beating Hartford in the second round.

I have to say that I’ve been pretty impressed with what Portland has done as an organization off the field and now more recently on the field. Off the field, they’ve had some incredible marketing and absolutely crushed it with their kits. As for on the field, while they’ve only played 3 games, they’ve looked pretty good from what I’ve seen so far. Portland drew their first game in USL League One and as we just saw, they’ve taken care of business in the Open Cup. Many of us were intently watching their game against Hartford last night, which turned out to be a thriller up in Lewiston. Some of us Tide Talk guys even got together on a stream after last night’s pod to watch the PKs. Seeing Hartford Pathetic live up to their name with a loss to brand new team from a division below them brought me so much joy. And seeing Portland’s incredible support made me so happy for them. But the message now is:

Sorry Portland, but we’re coming for you. RIFC fans are already organizing travel up to Lewiston and while it’ll be cool to meet you all, we are enemies once the whistle blows for kickoff.

As for the date of the game, it was announced literally seconds after I hit publish on this blog (had to come back and update). The game will be at 7pm on April 15th. I will be back at some point close to the match with a Prematch Lookout, so be on the uh…lookout for that. I’ll be taking a deeper dive into Portland’s squad and hopefully be able to accurately predict a score for once. Until next time, UP THE TIDE!