The 102nd edition of the National Amateur Cup began last month in the Northeast. It was dominant wins and forfeits so far in the first wave of games in the USASA Region I tournament for the 2026 Amateur Cup.
The 2026 edition of the United States Adult Soccer Association top tournament will once again grant an automatic bid into the follow year’s Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Meaning this is already 2027 US Open Cup qualifying.
Region I, which is made up of teams from the Northeast, is down to the Quarterfinals after battles between state champions and runner-ups. The region will eventually crown a champion that will be the representative at the National Finals, alongside the other three USASA Regions.
Here’s a look at each of the six Region I games played so far:
Sunday, March 22
Baltimore City FC (MD, MSSL)
L:W
West Chester United SC (PA, USLPA)
Bryn Athen College – Bryn Athen College, PA
The defending USASA National Amateur Cup champions advanced to the next round via forfeit. West Chester SC, a few days removed from a grueling 2-1 loss to Loudoun United FC in the First Round of the 2026 US Open Cup, reached the Region I Quarterfinals after their opponent Baltimore City FC could not play.
No official reason was given by Baltimore City FC for this decision.
BCFC qualified for the tournament as 2025-26 Stewart Cup finalists, which is the tournament in Maryland to crown a for the state’s amateur champion. The team lost to Christos FC, 3-0, in the final back on March 8. West Chester qualified for the tournament not as defending champions but as 2025-26 Bill O’Neill Amateur Cup finalists, which is Eastern Pennsylvania’s tournament to determine state amateur champions. WCU beat rivals Vereinigung Erzgebirge (VE Club), 4-3, on March 13.
Vereinigung Erzgebirge (PA, USLPA)
5:1
Syndicate FC (VA, NVSL)
John R. Lewis High School – Springfield, VA
Vereinigung Erzgebirge (VE Club) left little doubt in their opening match of the Region I tournament, beating Syndicate FC, 5-1, behind a hat-trick and a brace. Former University of Delaware forward Justin Ruth scored twice in the first half and capped it off with his team’s last goal in the second half.
Syndicate qualified for the tournament as Metropolitan DC-Virginia Soccer Association (MDCVSA) state cup finalists. The team lost to Los Toros, 9-0, in the final on February 21. VE will be looking to avenge a few tough losses from 2025, losing in the penultimate round of 2026 Open Cup qualifying to Oaklyn United FC last fall and not even qualifying for last year’s Amateur Cup after a tough run in the state tournament.
Goal scorers
VE Club:
- Justin Ruth 25′, 42′, 65′
- Derek Antonini 50′, 51′
LG:
- Peter Atanga 85′
MATCH BROADCAST (Northern Virginia Soccer League)
Saturday, March 28
Lansdowne Yonkers FC (NY, APSL)
4:0
South Costal Union (MA, APSL)
Greater New Bedford Vocational High School – New Bedford, MA
Lansdowne Yonkers FC scored twice in each half for an easy opening round win against South Costal Union, 4-0. Both American Premier Soccer League sides were coming off successful runs in their conferences last season, but Lansdowne’s depth was too much for SCU to handle.
It got started early when Seamas Keogh, former Ireland youth national team and first division pro player, sent a corner kick into the box in the ninth minute. Nicolas Macri Badessich headed the ball into the left side for his first of two goals and giving Lansdowne an early lead. The New York side kept pushing and eventually Macri pushed on the right side, sending a ball into the box where a SCU player accidentally slide tackled the ball into his own net while trying to send it out. Yonkers followed up in the second half with two goals in two minutes. Macri knotched his brace in the 63rd before a bad restart allowed former Irish professional Danú Kinsella-Bishop to score a long distance shot in the 65th.
Lansdowne are back in the Amateur Cup after reaching the 2025-26 Dr. Manning Cup final, the state cup for teams in the Eastern NY State Soccer Association. No word on when that final will be played against Leros SC. Union qualified after reaching the final of the Massachusetts State Amateur Cup, where the fell to Locos Gunners, 4-1.
Goal scorers
LYFC:
- Nicolas Macri Badessich 9′ (Seamus Keogh)
- Own Goal 22′
- Nicolas Macri Badessich 63′
- Danú Kinsella-Bishop 65′ (Marco Charnas)
MATCH BROADCAST (New Logical Sports)
Hoboken FC (NJ, APSL)
0:3
Leros SC (NY, APSL)
SUSA Complex Field #1 – Central Islip, NY
Long Island side Leros SC held back Hoboken FC 1912 before securing the win late, 3-0, to advance into the Region I Quarterfinals. The two American Premier Soccer League Metropolitan Conference teams had already met twice in the regular season, drawing both times including a 3-3 draw on March 15. This time, the home side came away with the win.
Yohance Alexander scored the game winner midway through the first half, when a long ball to Junior Rosero was played towards him in the middle of the box. Alexander got around his defender and gave a right footed shot into the right corner.
It was an MVP performance for Mason Chetti, who was involved in both team’s goals late in the second half. The midfielder and Ronkonkoma, NY native used his speed to frustrate the Hoboken defense all night, creating a number of chances. He also capped it off with a nice front flip celebration after scoring his goal. It was also a huge return for team captain Luis Argudo, the former Major League Soccer and USL Championship player, who returned to the team after serving a four game red card suspension.
Leros qualified for its first amateur cup tournament after reaching the 2025-26 Dr. Manning Cup final, the state cup for teams in the Eastern NY State Soccer Association. That included a shock win over defending Region I Amateur Cup champion New York Pancyprian-Freedoms last December in the Manning Cup semifinals. It capped off a busy 2025 for the Long Island team, including a promotion playoff win in June that promoted the team from the Long Island Soccer Football League into the APSL. Hoboken returned to the amateur cup through a slate of qualifying through the New Jersey Soccer Association.
Goal scorers
Leros:
- Yohance Alexander 28′ (Junior Rosero)
- Harry Cooke 86′ (Mason Chetti)
- Mason Chetti 90+3′ (Macoumba Ba)
MATCH BROADCAST (Game In Frame)
Sunday, March 29
Club Atlético Los Toros (VA, APL)
W:L
Ristozi FC (MD, NPSL)
Mustang Stadium – Owings Mills, MD
A second forfeit hit the Region I Round of 16 when it was confirmed to TheCup.us that Ristozi FC of the National Premier Soccer League would not be competing in the tournament. The game was to come nine days after the side lost in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup First Round to USL League One side Charlotte Independence. No official reason for the decision was given.
Club Atlético Los Toros advance to the regional quarterfinals. They qualified for the amateur cup tournament as Metropolitan DC-Virginia Soccer Association (MDCVSA) state cup finalists. The team beat Syndicate FC, 9-0, in the final on February 21.
There is no official method of NPSL qualification for the Amateur Cup regional tournaments, though Region I likes to have one in the Northern half of the bracket and one of the Southern half. Ristozi finished second in the Mid-Atlantic Conference regular season during in 2025, before winning the conference title over Virginia Dream FC in the playoffs and eventual reaching the NPSL East Region Final.
Jugadores (PA, GPSL)
0:5
Christos FC (MD, APSL)
Arundel High School – Gambrills, MD
Maryland powerhouse Christos FC dominated in their first game, beating Pittsburgh, PA area side Jugadores, 5-0, to reach the Region I Quarterfinals. University of Maryland, Baltimore County alumni Spencer Hanks scored a brace for his team. Though the real star of the match was Brandon Burkholder who took advantage of a bad Jugadores play and scored a bicycle kick goal from the top of the box.
Christos qualified for the tournament as 2025-26 Stewart Cup finalists, which is the tournament in Maryland to crown a for the state’s amateur champion. The team beat Baltimore City FC, 3-0, in the final back on March 8. There is no official record of how Jugadores qualified for the tournament as Western Pennsylvania’s lone representation.
Goal scorers
Christos:
- Spencer Hanks (x2)
- Daniel Baxter
- Juston Rainey
- Brandon Burkholder
MATCH BROADCAST (DMV Sports Media)
Unscheduled forfeits
Santa Cruz FC (MA, NPSL)
L:W
Loco Gunners (MA, BSSL)
Madison Park High School – Boston, MA
A fourth and final forfeit for the opening round of the Region I Amateur Cup. Loco Gunners of the Bay States Soccer League advance into the Quarterfinals after a confusing series of events with the National Premier Soccer League.
According to a source close to the situation, Gunners were originally supposed to play Flower City Union of the National Premier Soccer League. However the defending Great Lakes Conference champions, who also lost 9-0 to Lexington SC in the First Round of the 2026 Open Cup, were swapped with NPSL expansion side Santa Cruz FC. That team has now forfeit for unknown reasons, making it the second NPSL team in Region I to refuse to take the field.
Gunners qualified after reaching the final of the 2025-26 Massachusetts State Amateur Cup, where the team beat South Coast Union, 4-1.
Beech St. FC (NH, UPSL)
L:W
SC Vistula Garfield (NJ, APSL)
Garfield High School – Garfield, NJ
A third forfeit was confirmed by USASA to TheCup as it was revealed Beech St. FC would not be traveling to face SC Vistula Garfield. No official date was ever given for this game to take place.
Beech St. has not provided TheCup with an official reason for this decision. USASA told TheCup that the team was not able to field a team this early ahead of their season.
The manner in which Beech St. qualified for the tournament is not known at this time. Interestingly, Beech St. only competes in the United Premier Soccer League – which is not part of the United States Adult Soccer Association. However, because New Hampshire does not have an established USASA adult state league, the UPSL team was allowed to enter. Vistula qualified for the amateur cup through a slate of qualifying through the New Jersey Soccer Association.
USASA Region I, Round 2 (Quarterfinal) Matchups
(Away team listed first, games to be played between April 19 to 26)
West Chester United SC (USLPA) vs Club Atlético Los Toros (APL) vs WEST CHESTER UNITED EPA
Leros SC (APSL) vs Vistula Garfield SC (APSL)
Loco Gunners vs Lansdowne Yonkers FC (APSL)
Vereinigung Erzgebirge (USLPA) vs Christos FC (APSL)