On Friday, US Soccer announced the format of the 2023 tournament as well as the first round schedule to be played March 21-23. 72 professional teams will take part, a modern era record for the second year in a row. 28 Open Division (amateur) teams will take part in the First Round in 14 matches, making a total of 100 teams, the second straight season the competition proper has featured 100+ teams.
The 72 professional teams include 24 Division II (USL Championship) teams, including newly eligible Loudoun United FC. D.C. United recently sold a majority share of the club to another ownership group, making the club eligible. However, D.C. United still retains a minority share of the club, which will prevent the two United(s) from facing each other in the cup, except in a Final.
The Division III league entrants include 12 USL League One clubs, 9 NISA clubs, and 1 MLS Next Pro club. All Division II and Division III teams will enter in the Second Round. Combined with the 14 winners of the First Round, 60 teams will take part in this round.
The rest of the tournament remains unchanged, where the vast majority of Division I (MLS) clubs enter in the Third Round, 18 clubs in 2023. The final 8 clubs will be seeded into the Round of 32. These clubs are the four CONCACAF Champions League participants (Austin FC, Los Angeles FC, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union) and then the next two best teams from the Western Conference (FC Dallas, LA Galaxy), and the next two best teams from the Eastern Conference (NYCFC, New York Red Bulls.)
The tournament will then progress from the Round of 32 until the Final in September. Most of the summer will not have any tournament dates because of the new Leagues Cup with Liga MX taking up a lot of that time. The quarterfinals will be played in early June, and then the Semifinals will be played in late August. The full tournament schedule is as follows.
First Round: March 21-23, 2023
Second Round: April 4-6, 2023
Third Round: April 25-26, 2023
Round of 32: May 9-10, 2023
Round of 16: May 23-24, 2023
Quarterfinals: June 6-7, 2023
Semifinals: August 23, 2023
Final: September 27, 2023
Here is a complete list of all 100 teams that will compete in the tournament “proper” this year. The following sets of teams will be prevented from being drawn against each other due to at minimum a partially shared ownership. D.C. United and Loudoun United’s situation has already been explained, but the others are a pro team and their fully owned amateur side, which is allowed by the rules, without the free movement of players between the two affiliated clubs.
- D.C. United (MLS) and Loudoun United FC (USL Championship)
- Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (USL League One) and Park City Red Wolves SC (USL League Two)
- Club de Lyon (D3, NISA) and Club de Lyon (open, NISA Nation)
- Oakland Roots (USL Championship) and Project 51O (USL League Two)
COMPLETE LIST OF TEAMS FOR 2023 OPEN CUP PROPER
Professional Division Teams
Division I – 26 teams – Major League Soccer (8 entering in the Round of 32 and 18 entering in the Third Round):
Atlanta United FC^, Austin FC*, Charlotte FC^, Chicago Fire FC^, FC Cincinnati^, Colorado Rapids^, Columbus Crew^, FC Dallas*, D.C. United^, Houston Dynamo FC^, LA Galaxy*, Los Angeles Football Club*, Minnesota United FC^, Inter Miami CF^, Nashville SC^, New England Revolution^, New York City FC*, New York Red Bulls*, Orlando City SC*, Philadelphia Union*, Portland Timbers^, Real Salt Lake^, San Jose Earthquakes^, Seattle Sounders FC^, Sporting Kansas City^, St. Louis CITY SC^
* denotes entering in the Round of 32
^ denotes entering in the Third Round
Division II – 24 teams – USL Championship (entering in the Second Round)
Birmingham Legion FC, Charleston Battery, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Detroit City FC, El Paso Locomotive FC, Hartford Athletic, Indy Eleven, Las Vegas Lights FC, Loudoun United FC, Louisville City FC, Memphis 901 FC, The Miami FC, Monterey Bay FC, New Mexico United, Oakland Roots, Orange County SC, Phoenix Rising FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Rio Grande Valley FC, Sacramento Republic FC, San Antonio FC, San Diego Loyal SC, Tampa Bay Rowdies, FC Tulsa
Division III – 1 team – MLS Next Pro (entering in the Second Round)
Rochester New York FC
Division III – 9 teams – NISA (entering in the Second Round)
Albion San Diego, Chattanooga FC, Club de Lyon (D3), Flower City Union, Gold Star FC, Los Angeles Force, Maryland Bobcats FC, Michigan Stars FC, Savannah Clovers
Division III – 12 teams – USL League One (entering in the Second Round)
Central Valley Fuego FC, Charlotte Independence, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Forward Madison FC
Greenville Triumph SC, Lexington SC, North Carolina FC, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, One Knoxville SC Richmond Kickers, South Georgia Tormenta FC, Union Omaha
Open Division Teams
U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup (USASA) champion
Bavarian United (Wisc.)
Open Division Local Qualifiers (9 advanced from original field of 107 entrants)
Beaman United FC, Capo FC, Chicago House AC, Club de Lyon FC (open), International San Francisco, Lansdowne Yonkers FC, Miami United FC, UDA Soccer, West Chester United SC
National Premier Soccer (8 teams based on 2022 league competition)
Appalachian FC, Hartford City SC, Cleveland SC, Crossfire Redmond, El Farolito, FC Motown, Jacksonville Armada FC U23, Tulsa Athletic
USL League Two (10 teams based on 2022 league competition)
Brazos Valley Cavalry FC, Des Moines Menace, Lionsbridge FC, Manhattan SC, Nona FC, North Carolina Fusion U23, Ocean City Nor’easters, Park City Red Wolves SC, Project 510, Ventura County Fusion
The schedule for the first round is listed below, you can also find the latest up to date schedule on our website here
TUESDAY, MARCH 21
Teams | Time | Venue |
---|---|---|
West Chester United SC (Pa.) vs. Ocean City Nor’easters (USLL2) | 7:30 p.m. ET | YSC Sports; Wayne, Pa. |
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22
Teams | Time | Venue |
---|---|---|
Club de Lyon (Open) vs. Nona FC (USLL2) | 5 p.m. ET | Trinity Prep Stadium; Winter Park, Fla. |
El Farolito (NPSL) vs. International San Francisco (Calif.) | 3 p.m. PT* | Boxer Stadium; San Francisco, Calif. |
Appalachian FC (NPSL) vs. NC Fusion U23 (USLL2) | 7 p.m. ET | Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex; Boone, N.C. |
Manhattan SC (USLL2) vs. FC Motown (NPSL) | 7 p.m. ET | Marillac Field (College of Mt. St. Vincent); Bronx, N.Y. |
Chicago House AC (Ill.) vs. Bavarian United (Wis.) | 7 p.m. CT* | Langhorst Field (Elmhurst University); Elmhurst. Ill. |
Beaman United FC (Tenn.) vs. Des Moines Menace (USLL2) | 7 p.m. CT | Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium (MTSU); Murfreesboro, Tenn |
Tulsa Athletic (NPSL) vs. Brazos Valley Cavalry FC (USLL2) | 7 p.m. CT | Hicks Park; Tulsa, Okla. |
UDA Soccer (N.M.) vs. Park City Red Wolves (USLL2) | 7 p.m. MT | New Mexico State Soccer Field; Las Cruces, N.M. |
Project 51O (USLL2) vs. Crossfire Premier (NPSL) | 7 p.m. PT | Ohlone College Soccer Field; Fremont, Calif. |
THURSDAY, MARCH 23
Teams | Time | Venue |
---|---|---|
Cleveland SC (NPSL) vs. Lionsbridge FC (USLL2) | 7 p.m. ET | North Olmsted High School; North Olmsted, Ohio. |
Jacksonville Armada FC (NPSL) vs. Miami United FC (Fla.) | 7 p.m. ET | Hodges Stadium; Jacksonville, Fla. |
Hartford City FC (NPSL) vs. Lansdowne Yonkers FC (N.Y.) | 7:30 p.m. ET | Trinity Health Stadium; Hartford, Conn. |
Ventura County Fusion (USLL2) vs. Capo FC (Calif.) | 7 p.m. PT | Ventura College Sportsplex; Ventura, Calif. |
*Denotes schedule change
SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR THE 2023 U.S. OPEN CUP
- 2/3/2023 – Chicago House AC vs. Milwaukee Bavarians kickoff time changed to 7 p.m. CT
- 2/6/2023 – El Farolito vs International San Francisco match day changed to 3/22