Less than a week after the teams had been announced for Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Qualifying each one now knows when they’ll play their first game. The United States Soccer Federation announced the first round match-ups for next month’s Open Division Local qualifying tournament for the 2022 US Open Cup.
The teams that are taking part in the competition are mostly amateur — although there are no rules limiting professional teams from participating — and represent 17 different states and the District of Columbia (23 different leagues). For the sixth year in a row, the most represented league is the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), which entered 30 teams.
The 92 teams have been separated into four regions (East, Southeast, Central, and West) and will now compete against other teams within their region. Unlike in previous years, USSF is making two regions go through an additional round. Both the Southeast and West regions have a high number of teams participating, 18 and 24 respectively, and both will have two First Qualifying Round matches next month. They’ll finish their qualifying tournament with a fourth round in mid-December.
The other two regions, East and Central, will only have three qualifying rounds. However US Soccer is calling the first games of their tournaments the “Second Qualifying Round”. This means their fourth round (aka third match and final matches) will take place in November.
The number of slots (teams advancing to the tournament proper) for each region is as follows:
- Northeast (32 clubs/4 slots available)
- Southeast (18/2)
- Central (16/2)
- West (26/3)
The 11 advancing local qualifiers will join 2022 National Amateur Cup champion Lansdowne Yonkers FC in the first round proper. With this new information, TheCup.us is now projecting in the range of 30 to 32 Open Division slots. NPSL and USL League Two (USL2) are projected to receive either 9 or 10 slots depending on what the final total is.
30 Open Division slots:
- 11 + 1 Local Qualifying
- 9 NPSL
- 9 USL2
31 Open Division slots:
- 11 + 1 Local Qualifying
- 10 NPSL
- 9 USL2
32 Open Division slots:
- 11 + 1 Local Qualifying
- 10 NPSL
- 10 USL2
The cancelled 2020 tournament had 38 Open Division slots. The continued expansion of MLS, both USL professional leagues, and NISA will end up bumping out some Open Division teams. This could potentially be fewer than the 32 Open Division slots for the 2019 US Open Cup. Any adjustments to the Open Division total slots will be adjusted in the NPSL and USL League Two pools. Local Qualifying pool is locked in to these 11 slots plus Lansdowne Bhoys’ berth. This will be finalized in early January 2022 after the professional team entry deadline of December 31.
The Open Division Local Qualifying tournament was launched in 2016 as an alternative to holding state and regional qualifying tournaments. Now, all teams from any US Soccer-affiliated leagues just need to register. The competition begins in the fall and all entrants are divided up regionally to minimize travel, with the teams that advance the furthest qualifying for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup which will begin in the spring.
The match-ups for the opening round of the qualifying tournament are listed below:
2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Open Division Local Qualifying Schedule
First Qualifying Round
Southeast Region
| Date | Game (home team listed first) | Time | Venue |
| Sept. 18 | Orlando FC Wolves (Fla.) vs. Deportivo Lake Mary FC (Fla.) | 6:30 p.m. ET | East Orange District Park; Christmas, Fla. |
| TBD | City Soccer FC (Fla.) vs. Miami Sun FC (Fla.) | TBD | Gaines Park; West Palm Beach, Fla. |
First Round Byes (14): Florida (10): Florida Brothers, Florida Soccer Soldiers, Hurricane FC, International Soccer Association, Miami Beach Club de Futbol, Miami Soccer Academy, Naples City FC, Oceanway FC, Palm Beach Breakers, Red Force FC; Georgia (3): Atletico Atlanta, Georgia Revolution FC Reserves, Georgia Storm FC; S.C. (1): South Carolina United Heat
West Region
| Date | Game (home team listed first) | Time | Venue |
| Sept. 18 | FC Davis (Calif.) vs. Davis Legacy SC (Calif.) | 12 p.m. PT | Playfields Park Soccer Stadium; Davis, Calif. |
| Sept. 18 | Gremio FC San Diego (Calif.) vs. Rebels Soccer Club (Calif.) | 7 p.m. ET | Mira Mesa High School Stadium; San Diego, Calif. |
First Round Byes (22): Calif. (20): Capistrano FC, Chula Vista FC, Contra Costa FC, Desert Communities SC Pathfinders, El Farolito, Escondido FC, Inter San Francisco, JASA RWC, L.A. Monsters FC, Metro FC, Modesto City Football Club, Oakland Stompers, Outbreak FC, Real San Jose, Real Sociedad Royals, Rose City FC, San Fernando Valley FC, Sporting ID11, Trojans FC, White Tigers FC; Nevada (2): BattleBornFC, Villarreal Las Vegas
Second Qualifying Round
East Region
| Date | Game (home team listed first) | Time | Venue |
| Sept. 18 | Kendall Wanderers (Mass.) vs. Newtown Pride FC (Conn.) | 10 a.m. ET | Pine Banks Park; Malden, Mass. |
| Sept. 18 | Philadelphia Lone Star FC (Pa.) vs. Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals (Pa.) | 3 p.m. ET | John Bartram High School Football Field; Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Sept. 18 | Pittsburgh City United FC (Pa.) vs. IASC Boom (N.Y.) | 5 p.m. ET | Monroeville Community Park West; Monroeville, Pa. |
| Sept. 18 | Oyster Bay United FC (N.Y.) vs. New York Greek American SC (N.Y.) | 5:30 p.m. ET | Darcy Field; Rockville Centre, N.Y. |
| Sept. 18 | DC Cheddar (D.C.) vs. Corinto FC (Va.) | 7 p.m. ET | RFK Stadium Auxilliary Turf Field; Washington, D.C. |
| Sept. 18 | Nova FC (Va.) vs. Springfield FC (Va.) | 7 p.m. ET | Evergreen Sportsplex; Leesburg, Va. |
| Sept. 18 | Districtonia Futbol (D.C.) vs. Alianza Futbol Club (Va.) | 7 p.m. ET | Riggs LaSalle Recreation Center; Washington, D.C. |
| Sept. 18 | EFA Metro (N.J.) vs. Jackson Lions FC (N.J.) | 7 p.m. ET | Athenia Steel Recreation Complex; Clifton, N.J. |
| Sept. 18 | FC Maritsa (Ill.) vs. Lexington Landsharks (Ky.) | 7 p.m. CT | O’Fallon Family Sports Park; O’Fallon, Ill. |
| Sept. 18 | New Amsterdam FC ll (N.Y.) vs. New York Pancyprian Freedoms (N.Y.) | 8 p.m. ET | Hudson Sports Complex; Warwick, N.Y. |
| Sept. 19 | United German Hungarians (Pa.) vs. Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Pa.) | 2:30 p.m. ET | Temple University Ambler Campus; Ambler, Pa. |
| Sept. 19 | Lynchburg FC (Va.) vs. Aegean Hawks FC (Md.) | 3 p.m. ET | Lynchburg City Stadium; Lynchburg, Va. |
| Sept. 19 | C.A. United (Va.) vs. Rockville Soccer Club (Md.) | 4 p.m. ET | George Hampton Middle School; Woodbridge, Va. |
| Sept. 19 | New Jersey Alliance FC (N.J.) vs. Westchester United F.C. (N.Y.) | 6:30 pm ET | Athenia Steel Recreation Complex; Clifton, N.J. |
| Sept. 19 | Toros FC (Va.) vs. Virginia United FC (Va.) | 7 p.m. ET | George Hampton Middle School; Woodbridge, Va. |
| Sept. 19 | Brockton FC United (Mass.) vs. Unations FC (Mass.) | TBD | Randolph High School; Randolph, Mass. |
Second Round Byes: None
Central Region
| Date | Game (home team listed first) | Time | Venue |
| TBD | FC Denver (Colo.) vs. Peak Eleven Football Club (Colo.) | TBD | TBD |
| Sept. 18 | Lone Star Republic (Texas) vs. D’Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (Texas) | 8 p.m. CT | Crum Lacrosse and Sports Field; Dallas, Texas |
| Sept. 18 | Southwest Football Club (Texas) vs. San Antonio Runners (Texas) | 7 p.m. MT | Eastside Sports Complex; El Paso, Texas |
| Sept. 19 | Harpos FC (Colo.) vs. FC Union Jerez (Colo.) | 3 p.m. MT | Fairview High School; Boulder, Colo. |
| Sept. 19 | Colorado Rovers (Colo.) vs. Athletic Club of Sloan’s Lake (Colo.) | 3 p.m. MT | Victoria Sports Park; Golden, Colo. |
| Sept. 19 | Colorado Rush (Colo.) vs. Azteca FC (Colo.) | 5 p.m. MT | Long Lake Regional Park; Arvada, Colo. |
| Sept. 19 | Boulder United FC (Colo.) vs Gam United FC (Colo.) | 5 p.m. MT | Broomfield Commons, Field TBD; Broomfield, Colo. |
| Sept. 19 | Houston Hotshots – Greenspoint FC (Texas) vs. Athletic Katy FC (Texas) | 7 p.m. MT | British International School of Houston; Katy, Texas |
Second Round Byes: None
Note: The draw is missing Gam United FC (Colo.) and Boulder United FC (Colo.). The information for that match was taken directly from one of the teams on social media.
Second Qualifying Round (Southeast, West), Third Qualifying Round (Central, Northeast): Oct. 16-17
Third Qualifying Round (Southeast, West), Fourth Qualifying Round (Central, Northeast): Nov. 20-21
Fourth Qualifying Round (Southeast, West): Dec. 18-19