When the United States Soccer Federation decided to change the schedule for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup’s 2020 edition, top level amateur teams across the country knew it was going to create some challenges. This was certainly the case for Med City FC! After accepting an invitation to play in the national tournament, that features top amateur clubs as well as the teams in all three professional divisions, the race began to build a roster.
The challenge for the Mayhem and so many other teams at their level is that NCAA rules prevent players who still have eligibility from participating on teams other than their college team before May 1. Teams like Med City FC rely on college players from across the country and around the world to build teams capable of being successful. As a result, the Mayhem had to improvise. And they did so quite creatively!
Here’s a look at the roster for Med City FC’s first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup game against the Des Moines Menace in Des Moines on March 25:
The first player to sign up for the Cup was hometown favorite Ayo Adebayo. Having graduated from Wartburg College last spring, Ayo has finished his college eligibility which made him able to play in the Cup in March. A college teammate of his at Wartburg, Michael Hegelheimer, will be joining him. Hegelheimer is originally from Iowa but is now living in Rochester and working for Hormel in Austin. The two have a long, strong history together.
Several other players from last season’s roster are also going to represent the Mayhem in the Cup in March. Another local fan favorite Nate Levy, who has been with the team since its inception, will be suiting up following recovery from a shoulder injury. Levy was the Mayhem’s starting goalkeeper in 2018, but a hand injury limited him in 2019.
Jordan Lennon, who is a senior at NCAA Division 2 Mars Hill University, will be making the trip to Rochester for the Cup game. Lennon, a talented forward who played for the Mayhem for the first time last season, was the second player to confirm his participation. Lennon made several appearances for the team last summer, scoring on a few occasions.
Francisco Neto, last season’s leading scorer, is returning to Rochester to represent the team. He’s bringing several of his former teammates along with him, including Jorge Martinez de Septiem, Sergio Sanchez, Rolando Sanchez and Allan de Silva Costa. Needless to say, Med City FC’s Cup team will be loaded with Brazilian flair!
Finlay Bloodworth, who played for the team the past two summers, will be making the trip up from Omaha, Nebraska, along with his former collegiate teammate Renato Silva. Bloodworth is a senior at Bellevue University this year, while Silva graduated in 2018 and was an assistant coach at Bellevue this past season.
In a blast from the past, two former players who played for the Rochester Thunder a decade ago when the team was part of the Premier Development League (now USL League 2), will be representing the team in the Cup! Mark Heath Preston, who is originally from England and is the head coach at Bellevue University. Along with his time in Rochester, he also played for the Des Moines Menace. Kentaro Takada, who played for several seasons with the Minnesota Thunder during their NASL days is currently an assistant coach at Life University in Marietta, Georgia. Heath Preston and Takada have remained in touch with Mayhem head coach Neil Cassidy over the years, as Cassidy coached them when they were here with the Rochester Thunder. Both were excited by the opportunity to play!
Coach Cassidy also reached out to his contacts at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota to find talent. Cardinals men’s head coach Corbin Bowers and assistant coach Erik Casterline. Bowers played collegiately at NCAA Division 2 Anderson University in South Carolina while Casterline played collegiately at NCAA Division 2 Frostburg State University and had stints in the NPSL with Electric City Shock as well as professionally in Denmark and Sweden. In addition to raiding the St. Mary’s coaching staff, Cassidy is also bringing in Cardinal senior Josh Balsiger.
Rounding out the Med City FC roster for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup are two players new to the team. Kolton Prater is a senior at Hudson High School who has played his youth soccer for St. Croix Academy. Prater will be joining the team for the season after greatly impressing the coaching staff at the team’s recent tryouts. This fall, Prater will be attending the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, where he will also play soccer.
The final addition to the team is Mazeed Aro-Lambo. A standout player in Florida as a high schooler, Aro-Lambo chose to forego the chance to play at NCAA Division 1 Loyola – Chicago to pursue his medical career at Big Ten school Northwestern University. He recently moved to Rochester to start med school at the Mayo Clinic.
“It’s been a wild ride trying to piece the roster together,” says Med City FC general manager Frank Spaeth. “We just hope it leads to a memorable ride in the Cup!”