This seems to be a popular topic and one that some people can stumble upon during their projects or perhaps 'overthink' inevitably tearing pads from their soundcard.
There are a few options open to removing the male USB from the soundcard so I wanted to share what I do.
Essentially this involves:
1) Bending back the two metal brackets on the edge of the USB connector.
2) Carefully being the male USB back and forth while applying light pressure to the back pins to keep the movement stable
This will see the USB fall off but leave the pads intact.
Another way to remove this is to head the pins with a soldering iron which should see the USB slide off, however this adds additional risk depending on the iron you're using, setting the right temperature, being careful not damage other components etc.
Either way is valid, but wanted to share how I do it.
In a worst case scenario that you do tear a pad or pads...please see the below diagram that indicates the alternative solder points.
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