Soccer season is around the corner for Duluth FC, and there’s a chance for them to become winners before their regular season even starts, with the U.S. Open Cup coming up on Thursday.

“I’m a very positive guy,” said Thomás Pazo, the new head coach of Duluth FC. “I like to focus on the positives. We’re all blessed to be alive. We’re all blessed to be here playing the game that we love. We get to go to Madison tomorrow. We get to play in a beautiful stadium. We get to put on a Duluth jersey and that’s what we got to be focused on. We get to play the game that we love on Thursday. We get to compete. Let’s do it. Let’s represent the club well and let’s make the most out of this fantastic opportunity.”

Duluth FC hired Pazo in January, and he comes from a background of soccer excellence. In his three seasons with Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, Pazo helped lead them to win two regular season and one tournament Mid-South Conference championship. Pazo was also named Assistant Coach of the Year for the Mid-South Conference in both 2023 and 2024.

“It’s not an easy task, you know, Sean Morgan is a great guy, I actually played with him back in 2013 in a summer league. He made my life easy by creating such a club that plays great, attractive football and players want to come and play, but at the same time it’s really exciting for me to come work at this type of environment, this type of club,” said Pazo. “For me it’s an honor. I’ve always wanted to coach in a place like this, so yeah, I’m blessed, I’m honored, and I’m really excited to take on this challenge.”

The Bluegreens kick off the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Thursday from Madison, Wisconsin and will take on the USL League One’s Forward Madison at 7 p.m..