Given new life with a forfeit win over Capital City FC in the South Region Final after a 3-1 loss originally, Pensacola FC not only claimed their first League for Clubs championship but also earned a spot in the 2027 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The side from Florida won the title last weekend at Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium on the campus of the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas with a 1-0 extra time win over .
US Soccer expanded their automatic berth allotment on the amateur side of the competition, including The League for Clubs champion for the first time. The League was founded in 2024 and has quickly grown to include teams from across the country.
* Join our Patreon team!
* 2027 USOC Qualifying Schedule/Results
* 2026 USOC Schedule/Results
* 2026 USOC Stat Leaders
* 2026 USOC Player of the Round winners
* 1995 USOC Rewind Series
* Subscribe to our newsletter!
* Follow TheCup.us on X (@USOpenCup)
* Follow TheCup.us on BlueSky
* Follow TheCup.us on Facebook
* Follow TheCup.us on Instagram
* Contact us HERE
SEMIFINALS
Met Oval Academy (NY)
2:4
Pensacola FC (FL)
Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium – Denton, TX
South region champions Pensacola FC ensured there would be a new League for Clubs Champion after knocking off the 2025 winners Met Oval Academy, 4-2, in the opener of The League for Clubs National Semifinals.
The clubs traded goals in the opening half with Pensacola striking first in the 14th minute when Chente Molina scored from a shot outside the penalty area. Met Oval responded 25 minutes later when Balthi Saunders made good on a penalty kick.
Just four minutes into the second half Pensacola went up 2-1. A corner kick played outside the penalty area found the foot of Rafael Esteves, who blasted a shot from 25 yards out to give Pensacola the lead. It would take Met Oval just seven minutes to respond when Ensa Sanneh fed Rafael Esteves in front of the goal for an easy score.
Five minutes later the game would change for good with a pair of goals for Pensacola in the span of three minutes. First, in the 61st, Marcus Pereira and Rodrigo Bacci played give and go, with Bacci scoring from the top of the box. Two minutes later Pensacola found some breathing room when Sy Fontenot beat the goalkeeper with a long-range ground shot.
BROADCAST
Iron Rose FC (NY)
3:2
Oklahoma United FC (OK)
Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium – Denton, TX
After a quiet opening 25 minutes Iron Rose took a 1-0 lead on Moshi Wilondja’s from distance that appeared to take a deflection off another player. Belgian Harry Tremblez leveled the score for Oklahoma United after heading in a free kick.
In 53rd minute Arjan Dosanjh jumped on a rebound from a save from Oklahoma goalkeeper Alexis Bertrand, dribbling around Bertrand to score on a tight angled shot. In the 71st minute Oklahoma United shot themselves in the foot when a defender sent a back pass to Bertrand that the goalkeeper was not ready for, resulting in an own goal.
Oklahoma United found a bit of hope in the final ten minutes when they were awarded a penalty kick in the 81st minute when Nickell Alexander was brought down in the box, and Kareem Willikams stepped up and made the game 3-2. Oklahoma United pressed for the equalizer but Iron Rose was abler to withstand the pressure to book their spot in the League for Clubs Final.
BROADCAST
LEAGUE FOR CLUBS NATIONAL FINAL
Iron Rose FC (CA)
0:1
Pensacola FC (FL)
After Extra Time
Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium – Denton, TX
In a Championship matchup featuring the top two scoring teams in the 2026 season, Pensacola FC (49 goals) and Iron Rose FC (46 goals) battled in scoreless deadlock for 90 minutes in the Denton, Texas heat.
Pensacola had an excellent chance to win the game in regulation when in the 71st minute Iron Rose goalkeeper Lucas Bost fouled Rafael Esteves while diving to stop a pass. Manuel Molina took the penalty kick and struck the crossbar, leaving the game 0-0.
In the 113th minute Pensacola got its second chance from the penalty spot when Joseph Dotson was pulled down in the middle of the box. Brazilian Rafael Estevez stepped up and beat Iron Rose goalkeeper Lucas Bost to his left for the lone goal of the game.
The last team from the Florida panhandle to appear in the U.S. Open Cup were the Panama City Beach Pirates of the PDL (USL League Two) in 2014.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18FtQ9s1NH/ (FB link to PK video)