Loudoun United took down West Chester United by a score of 2-1 in the First Round of the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Tuesday night in Wayne, Pa. Loudoun’s Marcos Dias and Elvis Amoh’s first half goals propelled Loudoun to an early lead. West Chester’s Jackson Martin scored late in the second half, but it was only a consolation, and Loudoun progressed to the second round.
It was a cold, windy night at YSC Sports on Tuesday night. West Chester United, the reigning USASA National Amateur Cup champions hosted USL Championship side Loudoun United in the First Round proper, a rematch of the same fixture in the same location which took place last year.
Despite making the trip from northern Virginia as the away team, Loudoun started the match on the front foot. A flicked header in the 3rd minute by Loudoun striker Elvis Amoh found Marcos Dias, who poked a finish past West Chester goalkeeper Andrew Samuels into the bottom right corner, giving Loudoun a very early 1-0 lead.
West Chester responded minutes later with a quick break down the right side. A low cross that came right across the face of goal was met at the back post by Jackson Martin, who appeared to have a certain goal. However, Loudoun’s Ethan Bandré got down in time to make an incredible save, denying West Chester of the equalizer. Another chance just after would fall to West Chester’s Ridge Robinson, who couldn’t get the ball out of his feet for a shot.
Loudoun would make West Chester pay for their missed opportunities. In the 21st minute, the active Dias took the ball to the endline before crossing low to Amoh, who tapped in an easy finish at the back post. Dias and Amoh combined for a goal once again to provide Loudoun with a 2-0 lead early. The veteran Amoh starred for Loudoun, claiming his 5th career U.S. Open Cup goal. Amoh finished tied for 2nd for the 2023 Open Cup golden boot, contributing 3 goals as a member of Hartford Athletic.
Despite looking dead and buried in the end of the first half, West Chester came out far more active in the second half. Winger Bardia Hormozi grew into the game, taking on defenders on the dribble and opening up spaces to deliver crosses. Around the 70th minute, Hormozi cut in on his right foot and fired a long-distance shot off the underside of the crossbar and back into open play. Despite Hormozi recording eight total shots, West Chester could not find the back of the net.
West Chester found their breakthrough moment in the 84th minute by way of Martin getting his revenge on Bandré. A long shot by West Chester was saved but spilled by Bandré. In a scramble to control the loose ball, it fell to Martin, who slotted a shot into the back of the net from close range.
West Chester were left with six minutes and stoppage time to find a late equalizer. Despite their sustained momentum in the second half, they failed to create one more quality chance, and Loudoun closed out the match to claim a 2-1 victory.
Loudoun United head coach Anthony Limbrick spoke with the media about facing a familiar foe postmatch.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game. We prepared properly for the game because of that. I thought they were a great outfit,” Limbrick remarked, having plenty of respect for the National Amateur Champions. “I think that we should have got the third goal in the first half, and then that would have made it comfortable for us. Then we couldn’t get the third goal in the second half, either… I thought it was a dangerous scoreline, and it turned out to be that.”
On participating and advancing in the U.S. Open Cup, Limbrick said, “I have been learning a lot about it. We’re really proud to be a part of it. It’s been a great experience here, and it was a really hard game tonight. So yeah, we’re looking forward to the next round and we want to go as far as we can.”
Despite the precarious scoreline, Loudoun were able to survive and advance.