CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The third round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will feature a fourth Bradley connection as former Brave Christian Meza helped the USL Pro Charlotte Eagles to a 3-0 win against Sounders U23 in a second-round match Tuesday night.
Charlotte will host Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire in a third round match Wednesday at Winthrop University. That match will be played the night after a trio of current and former Braves – Brian Billings, Tapiwa Machingauta and Scott Davis – lead the Premier Development League's Ocean City Nor'easters into a third-round match at the MLS Philadelphia Union.
Though Meza did not score in Tuesday's second-round victory, the match recap clearly indicates he was a dangerous attacking player for the Eagles. In five USL Pro league games, Meza is the team's second-leading scorer with five points on two goals and an assist.
A 6-foot-2 forward from Carpentersville, Ill. and Dundee-Crown H.S., Meza starred at Bradley from 2008-11, finishing his career with 36 points on 13 goals and 10 assists in his 79 games while helping the Braves to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2010, 2011) for the first time in program history.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a national tournament open to all soccer clubs affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation, both amateur and professional, and the 2013 tournament is the 100th in the Cup's history. The USL Pro league is considered the second level of professional soccer in the United States and includes 13 teams from coast-to-coast.
