• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • US Open Cup Central
  • US Open Cup Qualifying
  • US Open Cup History
  • Amateur Cup

Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

  • 2025 USOC Schedule
  • 2025 USOC Stat Leaders
  • 2025 USOC Qualifying Results
  • TheCup.us Awards
  • Join TheCup.us Patreon!
  • Contact Us

2023 US Open Cup Round 1: Nicklas Rulle of Jacksonville Armada voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

April 3, 2023 by Shana Kerby

Nicklas Rulle Jacksonville Aramada US Open Cup Player of the Round
Jacksonville Armada U-23s goalkeeper Nicklas Rulle. Photo: OfficialFloridaFC.com

Nicklas Rulle of the Jacksonville Armada Under-23s has been voted TheCup.us Player of the Round for the Armada’s First Round win in the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

After holding Miami United to a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes of play and without any field players left to take a penalty kick, Rulle stepped up to bury a right-footed shot. Miami United’s keeper, Peterson Occenat, similarly stepped up to take a PK immediately after. But only one goalkeeper would convert on the night as Rulle made the save handing the Armada Under-23s the shootout win. It was the first time the club had advanced in the tournament since 2018.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers (those that pledge $10 or more) of TheCup.us’ Patreon team. Rulle edged out Hevany Ramos of Capo FC, Pedro Batista Alves of Cleveland SC and Joseph Devivo of Lansdowne Yonkers.

Rulle has had a fun soccer journey to get to the Armada. He’s originally from Saeby, a seaport town in Northern Denmark. He played for Randers FC, a team regularly found in the top-flight of Danish football. After spending time with Denmark’s Under-15 team, he went on to play for Cleveland State and later Cumberland University in Nashville, Tenn. These days, in addition to playing for the Armada, Nicklas is an assistant coach with the Jacksonville University’s (JU) men’s soccer team. He primarily works with JU’s goalkeeper core, ensuring they have everything they need to perform at the highest level.

Rulle was “honored” and “excited” to win the award and said it was fun to be recognized. Ultimately though, he’s a humble player who places the team effort above himself. He stressed that the win belonged to the whole team who played 50 minutes with a man down and still churned out a “brilliant performance.”

Rulle’s humility should not be mistaken for a lack of personal belief. When asked if he was prepared to take a penalty that night Nicklas said, “I’ve taken some penalties in practice but not in a game since I was an Under-10 player. As a goalkeeper, we always want to show how things should be done and I’m no different.”

When asked what was going through his mind when stepping up to the line, no one on the team left to take a penalty after so many rounds of PKs, Rulle said, “There wasn’t a whole lot going through my mind, if I’m being honest. It was just, ‘No nerves. Just hit the frame. Smash it.’”

Rulle becomes the first Jacksonville Armada player to win the award, and the first player on an NPSL team since 2019. He also is just the second native of Denmark to take home the award. He joins another NPSL player, Rasmus Hansen of the Brooklyn Italians who won the honor for the 2018 Preliminary Round.

Next up, the Armada travel to face Miami FC of the USL Championship on Tuesday night. When asked about the preparation to face the Armada’s first professional opponent since 2018, Rulle said they’ve, “gone over things they can do well and things they need to be aware of” but ultimately, “there are opportunities to grab.”

Filed Under: 2023 US Open Cup, Feature - Main, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Central Tagged With: 2023 US Open Cup, Jacksonville Armada, Player of the Round

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us on Social Media

  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

U.S. Open Cup History

Jim Gregory, president of Charleston Battery supporters group The Regiment (right), presents the Coffee Pot Cup to Sachin Shah after D.C. United's 2-0 win in the 2004 Carolina Challenge Cup. Photo: Mike Buytas

How a US Open Cup classic, locker room vandalism inspired fans to create Coffee Pot Cup

It remains one of the greatest games of the US Open Cup’s Modern Era but what happened after the game gets more attention than the instant classic that took place on the field.

  • Highs and lows of Los Angeles’ 25 all-time US Open Cup Final appearances
  • Before Lionel Messi’s 2023 US Open Cup impact, Pele changed the 1975 Final in a different way
  • A history of violence against referees in US Open Cup
  • How St. Petersburg Kickers became Florida’s first US Open Cup champion
  • San Francisco Bay Seals, the ‘amateur’ pro team that reached 1997 US Open Cup Semifinals

Analytics powered by

Copyright © 2025 • Built by Jacob Martella Web Development