Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Jake Sillick

2020 US Open Cup will feature Modern Era record 100 teams

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Photo: Houston Dynamo

US Soccer has announced the largest tournament in the Modern Era (1995-present) of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Along with 62 professional teams (breaking the record of 52 pro teams set last season), there will be an additional 38 Open Division teams (up from the 32 teams in the 2019 edition)

Also announced was the pairing methodology for each round of the competition. It’s been mostly unchanged from previous years, but there are a couple changes.

Last month, US Soccer announced the 23 MLS teams, 12 Open Division Local Qualifiers, and the USASA Amateur Cup champion would participate in 2020 tournament. Along with those teams, 25 USL Championship, 6 USL League One, 8 NISA, 14 NPSL, and 11 USL League Two teams will participate for this tournament starting on March 24-25.

#USOC2020 ESSENTIALS

Click here to follow all 100 #USOC2020 teams on Twitter

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All 100 teams in the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup:

Division I – Major League Soccer

Teams entering in the Round of 32 (12):

  • Atlanta United FC (defending Lamar Hunt US Open Cup champion)
  • D.C. United
  • Los Angeles FC
  • LA Galaxy
  • Minnesota United FC
  • New England Revolution
  • New York City FC
  • New York Red Bulls
  • Philadelphia Union
  • Portland Timbers
  • Real Salt Lake
  • Seattle Sounders FC

The four USA entrants to the 2020 Concacaf Champions League and the next four best American regular-season finishers in 2019 in each of the league’s Eastern and Western Conferences were granted the extra bye.

Teams entering in the Third Round (11):

  • Chicago Fire FC
  • Colorado Rapids
  • Columbus Crew SC
  • FC Cincinnati
  • FC Dallas
  • Houston Dynamo
  • Inter Miami CF
  • Nashville SC
  • Orlando City SC
  • San Jose Earthquakes
  • Sporting Kansas City


Division II – USL Championship (excludes teams majority-owned or otherwise controlled by a higher division professional club)

Teams entering in the Second Round (25):

  • Austin Bold FC
  • Birmingham Legion FC
  • Charleston Battery
  • Charlotte Independence
  • Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
  • El Paso Locomotive FC
  • FC Tulsa
  • Hartford Athletic
  • Indy Eleven
  • Las Vegas Lights FC
  • Louisville City FC
  • Memphis 901 FC
  • Miami FC
  • New Mexico United
  • North Carolina FC
  • OKC Energy FC
  • Orange County SC
  • Phoenix Rising FC
  • Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
  • Reno 1868 FC
  • Sacramento Republic FC
  • Saint Louis FC
  • San Antonio FC
  • San Diego Loyal SC
  • Tampa Bay Rowdies


Division III – USL League One (excludes teams majority-owned or otherwise controlled by a higher division professional club)

Teams entering in the Second Round (6):

  • Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
  • Forward Madison FC
  • Greenville Triumph SC
  • Richmond Kickers
  • South Georgia Tormenta FC
  • Union Omaha


Division III – National Independent Soccer Association

Teams entering in the Second Round (8):

  • California United Strikers FC
  • Chattanooga FC
  • Detroit City FC
  • LA Force
  • Michigan Stars FC
  • Oakland Roots
  • San Diego 1904 FC
  • Stumptown Athletic


Open Division teams entering in the First Round:

Local Qualifiers (12):

East Region:

  • Christos FC (USASA)
  • New York Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA)
  • Vereinigung Erzgebirge (USASA)
  • Virginia United* (ANFEEU)

Central Region:

  • Louisiana Krewe FC (USASA)
  • Miami United FC U23 (USASA)
  • Nashville United (USASA)
  • NTX Rayados* (USASA)

West Region:

  • Cal FC* (USASA)
  • Chula Vista FC (USCS)
  • FC Boulder Harpos (USSSA)
  • Olympic Club (USASA)

* Participated in 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup


2019 U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup champion:

  • Newtown Pride FC (Conn.)


National Premier Soccer League (14):

Listed by region in order of rank:

Northeast Region (3):

  1. Atlantic City FC
  2. West Chester United SC*
  3. FC Motown*

South Region (4):

  1. Tulsa Athletic
  2. Naples United FC
  3. Denton Diablos FC
  4. Fort Worth Vaqueros FC

Midwest Region (3):

  1. Cleveland SC
  2. Minneapolis City SC
  3. Med City FC

West Region (4):

  1. ASC San Diego
  2. FC Arizona
  3. FC Davis
  4. Crossfire Redmond

* Participated in 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Note: The NPSL entered its teams via the National Leagues track under Open Cup regulations, opting to use 2019 league results (a combination of playoff finishes and regular season success) to determine its qualifiers for the 2020 tournament.


USL League Two (11):

Division winners:

  • Chicago FC United
  • Des Moines Menace*
  • FC Golden State Force*
  • North Carolina Fusion U23
  • South Georgia Tormenta FC 2*
  • The Villages SC*
  • Western Mass Pioneers

Wild card entries (in rank order):

  1. GPS Portland Phoenix
  2. SC United Bantams
  3. Ventura County Fusion
  4. Corpus Christi FC

* Participated in 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Note: USL League Two entered its teams via the National Leagues track under Open Cup regulations, opting to use 2019 regular season league results (division winners ranked highest) to determine its qualifiers for the 2020 tournament.

Declined Bids

Also announced last month was the schedule for the competition, and with a start date before college players were allowed to leave their schools, it left USL League Two and NPSL teams scrambling to see if they could field teams. TheCup.us has confirmed the following teams declined their bids due to the schedule change:

  • Reading United AC (USL2) as Mid Atlantic Division champion
  • Brazos Valley Cavalry (USL2) as Mid South Division champion
  • Midland-Odessa Sockers (NPSL) as Lone Star Conference regular season champion and ranked 3rd in the South region rankings (First reported by TheCup.us)

The teams that benefit from the declined bids in USL2 are Ventura County Fusion and Corpus Christi FC.

Miami United FC would have also received a bid in the NPSL that was declined. However, this was likely declined for other logistical and roster management reasons as their Under-23 team in the UPSL qualified in Local Qualifying. Combined with Midland-Odessa Sockers declining their bid and that resulted in Denton Diablos and Fort Worth Vaqueros both getting a spot in the competition (as the 6th and 8th placed teams in the South rankings)

Separated teams

Just like in years past, some teams must be separated unless they reach the final due to the shared ownership or one team giving material technical support to another. The following pairs of teams must be separated:

  • Denton Diablos (NPSL) and Fort Worth Vaqueros (NPSL) because of shared ownership.
  • LA Force (NISA) and FC Golden State Force (USL2) because of shared ownership.
  • South Georgia Tormenta FC (USL1) and South Georgia Tormenta FC 2 (USL2) because of shared ownership.
  • San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) and Reno 1868 FC (USLC) because Reno receives material technical support from San Jose.

Pairing Methodology

With the new format of 11 MLS teams starting in the Third Round of the competition, there have been a couple changes to how teams are paired in each round of the competition.

First Round (March 24-25)

  • Number of Games: 19
  • Participants: 38 Open Division teams (12 local qualifiers, 1 USASA Amateur Cup champion, 14 NPSL, 11 USL League Two)
  • Pairings Format: Teams will be paired geographically against clubs from other qualifying pools*

* Teams may be paired from the same qualifying pool if it results in better overall travel for the first round teams.

Second Round (April 7-9)

  • Number of Games: 29
  • Participants (58): 19 First Round winners, 14 Division III teams (8 NISA, 6 USL League One), 25 Division II clubs (USL Championship)
  • Pairings Format: After the First Round pairings are made, each First Round pairing will be matched geographically to a specific Division III or Division II team. The remaining Division III and Division II sides will be paired to play each other (avoiding any remaining Division III clubs from playing other Division III sides and any remaining Division II clubs from playing other Division II sides), with these pairings also made geographically.

This means there will not be any NISA vs. USL League One matches in the Second Round since they are both Division III leagues and clubs. Any other matchup is a possibility.

Third Round Draw (April 10)

  • Participants (40): 29 Second Round winners, 11 lower-seeded Division I clubs (MLS)
  • After completion of the Second Round, participants in the Third Round will be pooled geographically into either ten groups of four (with nine groups having three Second Round winners and one Division I club and one group having two Second Round winners and two Division I clubs) or nine groups (with seven groups consisting of three Second Round winners and one Division I side and two groups having four Second Round winners and two Division I teams), with the number of groups (either ten or nine) based on geographical considerations. A random draw will determine the pairings within each group, with all Division I sides paired to face a Second Round winner and not another Division I club.

Third Round (April 21-23)

  • Number of Games: 20

Round of 32 Draw (April 24)

  • Participants: 20 Third Round winners, 12 higher-seeded Division I clubs (MLS)
  • After completion of the Third Round, participants in the Round of 32 will be pooled geographically into eight groups of four, with four groups having two Third Round winners and four groups having three. A random draw will determine the pairings within each group, with all Division I sides playing their first tournament game paired to face a Third Round winner and not another Division I club playing their first tournament game.

Round of 32 (May 19-20)

  • Number of Games: 16

Round of 16/Quarterfinal Draw (May 21)

  • The Round of 32 winners will be divided geographically (regardless of league affiliation) into groups of four. A random draw will determine the pairings within each group, resulting in a fixed bracket for the remainder of the tournament. Should a prohibited pair of teams reach the Semifinal Round and be scheduled to face each other, the matches will be re-drawn after the Quarterfinal Round to avoid this outcome.

Round of 16 (June 10 or June 23-24)

  • Round of 32 winners face each other as determined by the Round of 16/Quarterfinal Draw

Quarterfinal Round (June 23-24 or July 14-15)

  • Round of 16 winners face each other as determined by the Round of 16/Quarterfinal Draw

Draw to Determine Hosts for Semifinals and Final (June 25 or July 16)

Semifinal Round (July 14-15 or Aug. 11-12)

Final (Aug. 11-12 or Sept. 22-24)

Finally, there was a change in the competition policy regarding suspended matches. If a match has kicked off and is terminated prior to the end of the first half or is otherwise tied at the time of termination and the termination is not due to the conduct of one of the teams, the match shall be restarted at the point of termination if restarted within two days of the original match date (games are required to be rescheduled for the next day unless mitigating circumstances prevent this). Otherwise, the match shall be replayed in its entirety if the rescheduled date is three or more days following the original match date.

2020 US Open Cup schedule unveiled with revamped format, earliest start date of Modern Era

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The Houston Dynamo lift the trophy after winning the 2018 US Open Cup title. Photo: Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo lift the trophy after winning the 2018 US Open Cup title. Photo: Houston Dynamo

Next year, the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup could be played over six months running from March through September.

Today, the US Soccer Federation has announced the 2020 US Open Cup schedule and format of the competition. For the first time since 2006, Major League Soccer (MLS) teams will not all enter in the same round of the competition and will instead be split up nearly 50-50 between starting in the Third Round and the Fourth Round. This will result in more matches between MLS and lower division competition over the course of the early rounds of the tournament.

Eleven MLS teams will enter in the Third Round:

  • Chicago Fire FC
  • Colorado Rapids
  • Columbus Crew SC
  • FC Cincinnati
  • FC Dallas
  • Houston Dynamo
  • Inter Miami CF
  • Nashville SC
  • Orlando City SC
  • San Jose Earthquakes
  • Sporting Kansas City

Twelve MLS teams will enter in Round 4. The four CONCACAF Champions League participants plus the next four best teams each from the Eastern and Western Conference based on the 2019 league standings. For 2020, the 12 MLS teams entering the Fourth Round:

  • Atlanta United FC
  • D.C. United
  • Los Angeles FC
  • Los Angeles Galaxy
  • Minnesota United FC
  • New England Revolution
  • New York City FC
  • New York Red Bulls
  • Philadelphia Union
  • Portland Timbers
  • Real Salt Lake
  • Seattle Sounders FC

The remaining professional teams from Division II (USL Championship) and Division III (USL League One, and NISA) will all enter the Second Round of the competition. The teams will be announced after the professional team deadline of Dec. 31, 2019.

In another major change to the tournament schedule, the First Round will be played on March 24-25, 2020 with all Open Division teams participating.

This includes the Open Division Local teams, and most notably, all of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two teams. This will create a problem because NPSL and USL-2 teams overwhelmingly rely on college players. According to NCAA rules, current college players (excluding seniors who will graduate in the spring) are not allowed to play for an outside team before May 1, unless the game falls during Spring Break or some other school-sanctioned vacation period.

Teams that rely on the use of college players will need to come up with different or additional players to participate in cup competitions. It’s even possible for NPSL and USL League Two teams to play three Open Cup matches before their regular season kicks off in May.

The remaining Open Division teams are the local qualifiers that have already been determined for the First Round next March. The NPSL and USL League Two allocations and qualified teams will be determined on Jan. 9, 2020.

The 13 Local Qualifiers (including the 2019 USASA Amateur Cup Champion Newtown Pride FC)

  • Cal FC (USASA/UPSL, California)
  • Christos FC (USASA/Maryland Majors Soccer League, Maryland)
  • Chula Vista FC (USCS/SoCal Premier League, California)
  • FC Boulder Harpos (USSSA/Colorado Premier League, Colorado)
  • Louisiana Krewe FC (USASA/Gulf Coast Premier League, Louisiana)
  • Miami United FC U23 (USASA/UPSL, Florida)
  • Nashville United (USASA/Middle Tennessee Soccer Alliance, Tennessee)
  • Newtown Pride FC (USASA/Connecticut Soccer League, Connecticut)
  • New York Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA/Cosmopolitan Soccer League, New York)
  • NTX Rayados (USASA/North Texas Premier Soccer Association, Texas)
  • Olympic Club (USASA/San Francisco Soccer Football League, California)
  • Vereinigung Erzgebirge (USASA/United Soccer League of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania)
  • Virginia United (ANFEEU/Woodbridge Soccer League, Virginia)

While the entirety of the format of the competition has not been announced by US Soccer, TheCup.us has made a projection on the format and allocation of slots for each league.

2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Competition Schedule

Jan. 9                   Pairings methodology, Open Division berth allocation announced

Jan. 22                First Round pairings announced

Jan. 29                Second Round pairings and possible pairings announced

March 24-25      First Round (Open Division teams enter)

April 7-9              Second Round (Division II and III teams enter)

April 10               Third Round Draw

April 21-23         Third Round (11 Division I teams enter)

April 24               Round of 32 Draw

May 19-20          Round of 32 (remaining 12 Division I teams enter)

May 21               Round of 16/Quarterfinal Draw

June 10               Possible Round of 16

June 23-24         Round of 16 or Quarterfinals

July 14-15           Quarterfinals or Semifinals

Aug. 11-12         Semifinals or Final

Sept. 22-24        Possible Final

2020 US Open Cup Projections: Possible format and who could play in 107th tournament this Spring

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Atlanta United FC broke the all-time US Open Cup Final attendance record with a crowd of 35,709 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the 2019 Final. Photo: Allison Andrews
Atlanta United FC broke the all-time US Open Cup Final attendance record with a crowd of 35,709 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the 2019 Final. Photo: Allison Andrews

With qualifying finished for the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, we now know the 13 Open Division Local teams that will participate in next year’s tournament. That’s only a small part of the field though. So how will the rest of the tournament shape out?

This article will try and project how the 107th edition of the US Open Cup could be formatted next year, indicating how many teams will participate from each professional league as well as how many teams will participate from the Open Division National Leagues (NPSL, USL League Two).

Please, keep in mind this is completely unofficial and is still subject to change until January 9. These projections are also only accurate with the information currently available and are subject to change if teams are added to pro leagues, or if other teams fold or decline to enter.

The final deadline for professional teams to enter is Dec. 31, 2019, so it’s coming up soon. US Soccer will finalize the format and allocation of slots on Jan. 9, 2020.

 

Darwin Quintero of Minnesota United FC dribbles against the Portland Timbers in the Semifinals of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Minnesota United FC
Darwin Quintero of Minnesota United FC dribbles against the Portland Timbers in the Semifinals of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Minnesota United FC

Part I: Professional Teams

Let’s start with the professional leagues. All professional leagues will enter the 2020 competition at various points. It’s important to remember that:

  • Teams that are reserve sides of higher division teams are ineligible
  • Teams where a higher division team directly controls the roster are ineligible
  • Teams with just an affiliation agreement or only receive technical support from a higher division team are still eligible

Let’s go through the leagues one by one, starting from the highest division and list the teams entering the Open Cup.

Division I, Major League Soccer (MLS): 23 teams

  • Atlanta United
  • Chicago Fire
  • Colorado Rapids
  • Columbus Crew
  • D.C. United
  • FC Dallas
  • FC Cincinnati
  • Houston Dynamo
  • Inter Miami
  • LA Galaxy
  • Los Angeles FC
  • Minnesota United
  • Nashville SC
  • New England Revolution
  • New York City FC
  • New York Red Bulls
  • Orlando City
  • Philadelphia Union
  • Portland Timbers
  • Real Salt Lake
  • San Jose Earthquakes
  • Seattle Sounders FC
  • Sporting Kansas City

Ineligible teams: 3

  • Montreal Impact (Canada based)
  • Toronto FC (Canada based)
  • Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada based)

Easy enough to list. Every single US-based team in MLS is eligible and participating. The two expansion teams in Inter Miami and Nashville SC have been active participants going into their first season and have been allocated to the Eastern and Western Conferences respectively. That’s all very, very strong evidence that they will be kicking off in 2020.

Sam Fink of Saint Louis FC celebrates with the fans after defeating FC Cincinnati 1-0 in the Fifth Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Will Bramlett
Sam Fink of Saint Louis FC celebrates with the fans after defeating FC Cincinnati 1-0 in the Fifth Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Will Bramlett

Division II, USL Championship (USLC): 25 teams

  • Austin Bold
  • Birmingham Legion
  • Charleston Battery
  • Charlotte Independence
  • Colorado Springs Switchbacks
  • El Paso Locomotive
  • FC Tulsa
  • Hartford Athletic
  • Indy Eleven
  • Las Vegas Lights
  • Louisville City
  • Memphis 901 FC
  • Miami FC
  • New Mexico United
  • North Carolina FC
  • Oklahoma City Energy FC
  • Orange County SC
  • Phoenix Rising
  • Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
  • Reno 1868
  • Sacramento Republic FC
  • Saint Louis FC
  • San Antonio FC
  • San Diego Loyal
  • Tampa Bay Rowdies

Ineligible teams: 10

  • Atlanta United 2 (reserve team of Atlanta United)
  • Bethlehem Steel (reserve team of Philadelphia Union)
  • LA Galaxy II (reserve team of LA Galaxy)
  • Loudoun United (reserve team of D.C. United)
  • New York Red Bulls II (reserve team of New York Red Bulls)
  • Portland Timbers 2 (reserve team of Portland Timbers)
  • Real Monarchs (reserve team of Real Salt Lake)
  • Rio Grade Valley FC (roster directly controlled by Houston Dynamo)
  • Sporting Kansas City II (reserve team of Sporting Kansas City)
  • Tacoma Defiance (reserve team of Seattle Sounders)

As of now, only Fresno FC is confirmed as folding from the league. Nashville SC has moved up to MLS. The only confirmed addition to the league is San Diego Loyal. Any recent news about USL Championship expansion has been slated for at least 2021.

UPDATE (12/12/19): Miami FC has made a surprising switch from NISA to USL Championship in time for the 2020 season after buying the Ottawa Fury’s franchise rights. As long as their Open Cup team information form is updated by the end of 2019 and they get a schedule by the end of January 2020 for USL Championship, they will be participating in the 2020 Open Cup as a USL Championship team.

Players from Forward Madison (right) and Bavarian SC race to the ball in Tuesday's First Round match in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Forward Madison
Players from Forward Madison (right) and Bavarian SC race to the ball in their First Round match in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Forward Madison

Division III, USL League One (USL1): 6 teams

  • Chattanooga Red Wolves
  • Forward Madison
  • Greenville Triumph
  • Richmond Kickers
  • South Georgia Tormenta
  • Union Omaha

Ineligible teams: 6

  • Inter Miami USL (reserve team of Inter Miami)
  • Revolution II (reserve team of New England Revolution)
  • North Texas SC (reserve team of FC Dallas)
  • Orlando City B (reserve team of Orlando City)
  • Toronto FC II (Canada based and reserve team of Toronto FC)
  • FC Tuscon (reserve team of Phoenix Rising)

This is where projections have to be made. So far the only confirmed folded team from USL League One is Lansing Ignite.

Union Omaha has been very active as an upcoming expansion team, has a stadium for the upcoming season, and a head coach hired. That is very strong evidence they will kick off in 2020. Other expansion teams for 2020 in Inter Miami’s reserve teams and Revolution II are just that, reserve teams, and wouldn’t be eligible for Open Cup participation anyways.

UPDATE (12/12/19): The Athletic’s Jeff Reuter is reporting that Penn FC has no employees and is effectively folded. They have been removed off this list entirely.

Detroit City FC fans celebrate a PK shootout win over the Michigan Bucks in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Jon DeBoer | DCFC
Detroit City FC fans celebrate a PK shootout win over the Michigan Bucks in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Jon DeBoer | DCFC

Division III, National Independent Soccer Association (NISA): 9 teams

  • Atlanta SC
  • California United Strikers
  • Chattanooga FC
  • Detroit City
  • Los Angeles Force
  • Michigan Stars
  • Oakland Roots
  • San Diego 1904
  • Stumptown Athletic

Ineligible teams: 1

  • New York Cosmos (will not have played a game in the league by the time the Open Cup starts, participating in Fall 2020)

UPDATE (12/12/19): The following has been updated to reflect the latest news about NISA:

We’ll have to do more projections again. NISA has been in a state of flux since it’s beginning, so let’s break it down team by team. Atlanta SC will remain on the list until there is strong evidence to support that they will be folding or going on hiatus. The club has been active on social media and just recently had tryouts for the upcoming Spring season. If Atlanta SC does fold, it will result in 2 more Open Division teams participating in the First Round. (see the next section)

NISA Connecticut, NISA Providence, and Philadelphia Fury have all been officially confirmed as not participating in the Spring 2020 season.

Miami FC has made a surprsing switch to USL Championship and will participate in Open Cup as a USL Championship team instead for the 2020 Open Cup.

Expansion teams moving from the NPSL Members Cup (Chattanooga FC, Detroit City, and Michigan Stars) have stadiums, coaches, and been recently playing soccer. All strong evidence they will kick off as professional teams in 2020. They were all confirmed by US Soccer as Spring 2020 participants at the Board of Directors meeting on Dec. 6-7, 2019.

Although the New York Cosmos will play in NISA in 2020, it will not be until the Fall 2020 season. By Open Cup rules, your first league game must be at least 7 days prior to the round your league enters the competition. New York Cosmos cannot participate as a NISA team, however, could still retain a team in the NPSL and claim their spot in the competition that way, as they finished as runner-up in last summer’s season.

To summarize:

  • Division I (MLS): 23 teams
  • Division II (USLC): 25 teams
  • Division III (USL1): 6 teams
  • Division III (NISA): 9 teams
Atlanta United FC celebrates their 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship. Photo: Allison Andrews
Atlanta United FC celebrates their 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship. Photo: Allison Andrews

Part II: Possible Tournament Format

UPDATE (12/12/19): With the announcement of the rescheduled competition format by US Soccer and the schedule, this entire section has been updated to reflect that.

With that information out of the way, the next step is formatting the competition and where the 63 professional teams will enter and filling up the remaining slots with Open Division teams. Based on the schedule provided by US Soccer, this is how the tournament should be formatted

Likely Format: 11 MLS teams move back into Round 3

In this option, 12 MLS teams will remain in Round 4 (also called the Round of 32.) and the remaining 11 MLS teams will enter in Round 3. Based on that known info, this is how the 8 rounds of the tournament will be formatted.

  • Round 1: 36 Open Division teams enter, 36 teams total
  • Round 2: 25 USLC teams, 6 USL1 teams, and 9 NISA teams enter and 18 winners of Round 1 participate, 58 teams total
  • Round 3: 11 MLS teams enter and 29 winners of Round 2 participate, 40 teams total
  • Round 4: 12 remaining MLS teams enter and 20 winners of Round 3 participate, 32 teams total
  • Round of 16: 16 winners of Round 4 face off, 16 teams total
  • Quarterfinals: 8 winners of Round of 16 face off, 8 teams total
  • Semifinals: 4 winners of Quarterfinals face off, 4 teams total
  • Final: 2 winners of Semifinals face off, 2 teams total

The 12 MLS teams that will enter in Round 4 are the four 2020 CONCACAF Champions League participants (Atlanta United, Los Angeles FC, New York City FC, and Seattle Sounders) plus the next four best teams from the Eastern Conference based on the 2019 standings (Philadelphia Union, D.C. United, New York Red Bulls, and New England Revolution) plus the next four best teams from the Western Conference (Real Salt Lake, Minnesota United, LA Galaxy, and Portland Timbers)

The remaining 11 MLS teams (Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Inter Miami CF, Nashville SC, Orlando City, San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City) will enter in Round 3.

A positive of this is while there is technically for a maximum of 11 MLS vs. MLS matches in Round 4, 11 of those teams had to go through a lower division team to even have that happen. If all 11 MLS teams advanced from Round 3, there would be a minumum of 7 MLS vs. MLS matches. With each upset in Round 3 though, that minimum decreases, providing even more MLS vs. Everyone else matches that are much more popular. There also won’t be any USLC vs. USLC matches in Round 2 since there are fewer than half of the 58 teams in that round from USLC. Half of MLS teams still would only have to win 5 matches to get the championship, but the other half would have to win 6 matches to win the cup for the first time in the Modern Era.

Other positives is that all professional teams get at least a one round bye as has been the norm since full MLS participation was required in 2012. 2013 and 2019 are the only years that any professional teams participated in Round 1 since 2012.

If Atlanta SC does fold from NISA, what will result is two more Open Division teams in Round 1, with the winner between them replacing Atlanta SC in Round 2. 38 Open Division teams total in that scenario.

 

Orange County FC celebrate in the locker room after the club's 5-3 upset win over Las Vegas Lights FC in the Third Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Orange County FC
Orange County FC celebrate in the locker room after the club’s 5-3 upset win over Las Vegas Lights FC in the Third Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Orange County FC

Part III: National League (NPSL & USL2) Spot Allocation

UPDATE (12/12/19): With the announcement of the rescheduled competition format by US Soccer and the schedule, this entire section has been updated to reflect that.

The next step is determining how the 36 or 38 Open Division teams will be allocated. We know that 13 teams will be allocated to the Local Qualifiers. The 12 winners of the third round of qualifying plus the USASA Amateur Cup champion.
*See our recap article from the third round of qualifying here.

Local Qualifiers, 13 teams:

  • Newtown Pride SC
  • Chula Vista FC
  • Miami United FC U23
  • Nashville United
  • Louisiana Krewe FC
  • NTX Rayados
  • Olympic Club
  • Cal FC
  • New York Pancyprian Freedoms
  • Vereinigung Erzebirge
  • FC Boulder Harpos
  • Virginia United FC
  • Christos FC

That leaves 23 or 25 spots remaining for the two national leagues, NPSL and USL League Two. Their spots are determined based on the number of eligible teams in each league that participated in the 2019 season. 67 USA based teams participated in USL League Two’s 2019 season (5 teams in USL League Two are based in Canada). 86 eligible teams participated in the NPSL’s 2019 summer season (see our article about the NPSL Mid-Atlantic Conference being ineligible for playing too few games in their season). There are 153 eligible teams total combined.

This means that Roughly 56.21% of the remaining spots go to NPSL (86 divided by 153) and 43.79% of the remaining spots go to USL League Two (67 divided by 153)

If there are 23 spots leftover in the case Atlanta SC does participate:

23 times 56.21% = 12.92 spots for NPSL rounded up to 13

23 times 43.79% = 10.07 spots for USL2 rounded down to 10

If there are 25 remaining spots leftover, in the case Atlanta SC does not participate:

25 times 56.21% = 14.05 spots for NPSL rounded down to 14

25 times 43.79% = 10.94 spots for USL2 rounded up to 11

In summary, if 36 Open Division slots are available:

  • 13 for Local Qualifiers
  • 13 for NPSL
  • 10 for USL2

If 38 Open Division slots are available:

  • 13 for Local Qualifiers
  • 14 for NPSL
  • 11 for USL2

As of right now, here are the teams from NPSL that would participate in the 2020 Open Cup (based on the 14 teams scenario, in the 13 teams scenario the bottom team would not make it in)

  • Miami FC
  • New York Cosmos B
  • ASC San Diego
  • Cleveland SC
  • Tulsa Athletic
  • FC Arizona
  • Detroit City FC
  • FC Motown or Atlantic City FC
  • Midland-Odessa Sockers
  • FC Davis
  • Minneapolis City SC
  • Chattanooga FC
  • Brooklyn Italians
  • Crossfire Redmond

Keep in mind a couple things with the above list. First, those teams have to continue to have a NPSL team in 2020 to keep that spot. This could be a reserve team or a first team, it doesn’t matter. Just any team from that organization. Second,The Open Cup first round is scheduled for March 24-25, 2020. This is well before college players finish their spring semesters and leave school to participate in clubs. If a team cannot make a roster without the use of college players, they will not participate in the Open Cup.

To see a full list of NPSL teams that could make the cup, see the article here. The clubs below 14th could still make the cut if teams above them don’t take a spot. However, it is still undetermined how teams that decline their spots will be replaced, either by the next team on the list or the next best team from the region which would keep the correct number of spots per region the NPSL delegated.

Players from the Des Moines Menace (right) and Duluth FC battle for the ball during their 2019 US Open Cup First Round match. Photo: Des Moines Menace

As of right now here are the teams from USL League Two that would participate in the 2020 Open Cup (based on the 11 teams scenario. In the 10 teams scenario, the bottom team on this list will not make it)

  • Des Moines Menace
  • Western Mass Pioneers
  • FC Golden State Force
  • Brazos Valley Cavalry
  • Reading United AC
  • Colorado Pride Switchbacks U23
  • South Georgia Tormenta FC 2
  • The Villages SC
  • Chicago FC United
  • North Carolina Fusion U23
  • GPS Portland Phoenix

It is the same deal with these teams as the NPSL teams. First, these teams have to continue to have an USL League Two team in 2020 to keep that spot. Second, if the teams rely on college players too much and can’t form a roster by March 24, 2020, then they won’t participate in the cup.

To see a full list of USL League Two teams that could make the cup, see the article here. The clubs below 11th could still make the cut if the teams above them don’t take a spot.

These are just projections for the 2020 Open Cup. They could change and if they do, this article will be updated with the latest numbers until official word from US Soccer is made in January 2020.

2020 US Open Cup Qualifying: US Soccer announces Third Round matchups

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The NTX Rayados huddle up before their 2020 US Open Cup qualifier against Inocentes Futbol Club. Photo: NTX Rayados

The United States Soccer Federation announced the matchups for the Third Round of Open Division Local qualifiers for the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

There are now 25 teams remaining to qualify for next year’s tournament proper. 24 will participate in this third round, after the postponed second round match between Soda City Sorinex FC and Georgia Revolution FC Reserves is completed on Nov. 2.

The teams that are taking part in the competition are mostly amateur — although there are no rules limiting professional teams from participating.

The Open Division Local Qualifying tournament was launched in 2015, ahead of the 2016 US Open Cup, 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 US Open Cup which will begin in the spring. The number of teams that will qualify for the tournament, and the number of rounds that will be required, is yet to be determined as it will depend on the number of professional teams that will take part in the 107th edition of the Open Cup next year.

One team has already punched their ticket into the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Newtown Pride FC  won the 2019 USASA Amateur Cup championship which earned them an automatic berth into next year’s Open Cup. The Connecticut-based club has qualified for the first time after being unsuccessful each year since 2013, and now have finally gotten over the hump.

The match-ups for the Third Round of the qualifying tournament are listed below:

(Since some games are missing details, you can find the latest qualifying schedule and results here)

2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Third Qualifying Round Schedule
All Times Eastern

East Region

Date Game (home team listed first) Time Venue
TBD Brockton FC United (Mass.) vs. New York Pancyprian Freedoms (N.Y.) TBD TBD
Nov. 24 Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Pa.) vs. West Chester United (Pa.) 2:30 p.m. Vereinigung Erzgebirge Clubhouse, Field 1; Warminster, PA
Nov. 24 Christos FC (Md.) vs. Steel FC (Pa.) 5 p.m. North County High School; Glen Burnie, MD
Nov. 24 CD Huateras (Va.) vs. Virginia United (Va.) 5 p.m. Howison Homestead Soccer Complex, Field TBD; Woodbridge, VA

Central Region

Date Game (home team listed first) Time Venue
Nov. 23 Miami United FC U23 (Fla.) vs. Hurricane FC (Fla.) 7 p.m. Kendall Soccer Park; Miami, FL
Nov. 23 Soda City Sorinex FC (S.C.) vs. Nashville United (Tenn.) 7 p.m. Saluda Shoals Soccer Park; Columbia, SC
Nov. 23 Louisiana Krewe FC (La.) vs. Livonia City FC (Mich.) 8 p.m. St. Thomas More Catholic High School; Lafayette, LA
Nov. 23 NTX Rayados (Texas) vs. Celtic Cowboys Premier (Texas) 8 p.m. Premier Park, Field 1; Balch Springs, TX

West Region

Date Game (home team listed first) Time Venue
TBD Azteca FC (Colo.) vs. Olympic Club (Calif.) TBD TBD
Nov. 23 Chula Vista FC (Calif.) vs. L.A. Monsters FC (Calif.) 5:30 p.m. Terra Nova Park; Chula Vista, CA
Nov. 23 Oxnard Guerreros FC (Calif.) vs. Cal FC (Calif.) 9:30 p.m. Del Sol Stadium; Oxnard, CA
Nov. 24 FC Boulder Harpos (Colo.) vs. Colorado Rovers (Colo.) 3 p.m. Fairview High School; Boulder, CO

Fourth Qualifying Round (if necessary): Dec. 21-22

 

2020 Open Cup Qualifying: US Soccer announces second qualifying round match-ups

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Players from Chula Vista FC (right) and Rebels SC battle for the ball during their Open Division Local Qualifying match for the 2020 US Open Cup. Photo: Chula Vista FC
Players from Chula Vista FC (right) and Rebels SC battle for the ball during their Open Division Local Qualifying match for the 2020 US Open Cup. Photo: Chula Vista FC

The United States Soccer Federation announced the match-ups for the second round of local qualifiers for the 2020 US Open Cup.

There are now 49 teams remaining to qualify for next year’s tournament proper. 48 will participate in this second round, after the postponed first round match between Athletic Katy FC and Houston FC is rescheduled and completed.

The teams that are taking part in the competition are mostly amateur — although there are no rules limiting professional teams from participating.

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 number of teams that will qualify for the tournament, and the number of rounds that will be required, is yet to be determined as it will depend on the number of professional teams that will take part in the 107th edition of the Open Cup next year.

One team has already punched their ticket into the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Newtown Pride FC  won the 2019 USASA Amateur Cup championship which earned them an automatic berth into next year’s Open Cup. The Connecticut-based club has qualified for the first time after being unsuccessful each year since 2013 to qualify, finally getting over the hump.

The match-ups for the second round of the qualifying tournament are listed below:

2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Second Qualifying Round Schedule

East Region

Date Game (home team listed first) Time Venue
Oct. 19 Safira FC (Mass.) vs. Brockton FC United (Mass.) 1 p.m. ET Dilboy Stadium; Somerville, Mass.
Oct. 19 CD Huateras (Va.) vs. World Class Premier Elite FC (Md.) 6 p.m. ET Howison Homestead Soccer Complex, Field 1; Woodbridge, Va.
Oct. 19 West Chester United (Pa.) vs. Lansdowne Yonkers FC (N.Y.) 7 p.m. ET West Chester United Turf Field; West Chester, Pa.
Oct. 20 CSA Westchester (N.J.) vs. New York Pancyprian Freedoms (N.Y.) 12 p.m. ET Ramapo College of New Jersey, Stadium Field; Mahwah, N.J.
Oct. 20 United German Hungarians (Pa.) vs. Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Pa.) 3 p.m. ET Trifecta Sporting Club, Stadium Field; Oakford, Pa.
Oct. 20 Virginia United (Va.) vs. Alianza Futbol Club (Va.) 6 p.m. ET George Hampton Middle School; Woodbridge, Va.
Oct. 20 Christos FC (Md.) vs. Federal City Wanderers (D.C.) 6 p.m. ET Glen Burnie High School; Glen Burnie, Md.
Oct. 20 Steel FC (Pa.) vs. Tartan Devils Oak Avalon (Pa.) 7 p.m. ET Highmark Stadium; Pittsburgh, Pa.

Central Region

Date Game (home team listed first) Time Venue
Oct. 19 NTX Rayados (Texas) vs. Inocentes Futbol Club (Texas) 7 p.m. CT Premier Park, Field 1; Balch Springs, Texas
Oct. 19 San Antonio Runners (Texas) vs. Celtic Cowboys Premier (Texas) 7 p.m. CT UTSA Campus Recreation Field Complex – South; San Antonio, Texas
Oct. 19 Louisiana Krewe FC (La.) vs. Athletic Katy FC (Texas)/Houston FC (Texas) winner 7 p.m. CT St. Thomas More Catholic High School; Lafayette, La.
Oct. 19 Springfield FC (Ill.) vs. Nashville United (Tenn.) 7 p.m. CT Springfield Area Soccer Association; Springfield, Ill.
Oct. 19 Ann Arbor FC (Mich.) vs. Livonia City FC (Mich.) 8 p.m. ET Legacy Center Sports Complex; Brighton, Mich.
Oct. 20 Orlando FC Wolves (Fla.) vs. Hurricane FC (Fla.) 5 p.m. ET Sylvan Lake Park; Sanford, Fla.
Oct. 20 Florida Soccer Soldiers (Fla.) vs. Miami United FC U23 (Fla.) 6 p.m. ET Miramar Regional Park; Miramar, Fla.
Oct. 20 Soda City Sorinex FC (S.C.) vs. Georgia Revolution FC Reserves (Ga.) 7 p.m. ET Saluda Shoals Soccer Park; Columbia, S.C.

West Region

Date Game (home team listed first) Time Venue
Oct. 19 Chula Vista FC (Calif.) vs. Academica SC (Calif.) 3:15 p.m. PT Terra Nova Park; Chula Vista, Calif.
Oct. 19 Cal FC (Calif.) vs. Alta California Sol (Calif.) 6:30 p.m. PT Orange County Great Park, Field 16; Irvine, Calif.
Oct. 19 Outbreak FC (Calif.) vs. Oxnard Guerreros FC (Calif.) 7 p.m. PT Orange County Great Park, Field 19; Irvine, Calif.
Oct. 20 Olympic Club (Calif.) vs. Oakland Stompers (Calif.) 11 a.m. PT Beach Chalet Soccer Fields; San Francisco, Calif.
Oct. 20 FC Union Jerez (Colo.) vs. Azteca FC (Colo.) 2 p.m. MT Broomfield Commons, Field TBD; Broomfield, Colo.
Oct. 20 FC Boulder Harpos (Colo.) vs. Colorado Rush (Colo.) 3 p.m. MT Fairview High School; Boulder, Colo.
Oct. 20 Colorado Rovers (Colo.) vs. San Juan FC (Utah) 5 p.m. MT Dicks Sporting Goods Park, Field 8; Commerce City, Colo.
Oct. 20 SC Trojans FC (Calif.) vs. L.A. Monsters FC (Calif.) 7:15 p.m. PT Orange County Great Park, Field 19; Irvine, Calif.

Third Qualifying Round: Nov. 23-24
Fourth Qualifying Round (if necessary): Dec. 21-22

 

2020 US Open Cup qualifying schedule, results

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Click on the scores below for match reports
All Times Eastern / All future dates subject to change

Twitter (#USOC2020) | Facebook | Instagram | Flickr | Reddit

ROUND 1 AWAY TEAM TIME HOME TEAM VENUE
Sept. 21, 2019 Safira FC (USASA) 4:0 Kendall Wanderers (USASA) Danehy Park, Field 3; Cambridge, MA
Sept. 21, 2019 Central Texas Lobos (USASA) 1:7 Celtic Cowboys Premier (USSSA) Onion Creek Soccer Complex, Field 8 ; Austin, TX
Sept. 21, 2019 Brockton FC United (USASA) 1:0 Juve-Pro Soccer (USASA) Taunton Sports Soccer Club; Taunton, MA
Sept. 21, 2019 Miami United FC U23 (USASA) 7:3 Atletico Miami CF (USASA) Jr. Orange Bowl Stadium – Ives Estates Park; Miami, FL
Sept. 21, 2019 FC Fort Worth Soccer Club (USASA) 2:4 NTX Rayados (USASA) Premier Park, Field 1; Balch Springs, TX
Sept. 21, 2019 World Class Premier Elite FC (USASA) 4:1 SOCA (USASA) Charlottesville High School, Stadium Turf Field; Charlottesville, VA
Sept. 21, 2019 Georgia Revolution FC Reserves (USASA) 1:0 Club ATLetic (USASA) Dunwoody Springs Elementary School; Sandy Spring, GA
Sept. 21, 2019 Rebels Soccer Club (USCS) 2:2 (4:5 PK) Chula Vista FC (USCS) Terra Nova Park; Chula Vista, CA
Sept. 21, 2019 Germantown City FC (ANFEEU) 1:3 Steel FC (USASA) Shady Side Academy; Pittsburgh, PA
Sept. 21, 2019 San Antonio Runners (USASA) 3:2 Coyotes FC (USASA) Holy Trinity Catholic High School, Field 1; Temple, TX
Sept. 21, 2019 Northshore United (USASA) 2:5 Louisiana Krewe FC (USASA) St. Thomas More Catholic High School; Lafayette, LA
Sept. 21, 2019 International Soccer Association (USASA) 1:1 (8:9 PK) Hurricane FC (USASA) Seacrest Soccer Complex, Field 1; Delray Beach, FL
Sept. 21, 2019 FC Boulder Harpos (USSSA) 2:0 FC Denver (USSSA) Aurora Sports Park, Field 4; Aurora, CO
Sept. 21, 2019 Colorado Rovers (USSSA) 6:2 Logroñes Denver Soccer Club (USASA) North Stadium/1st Bank Field; Denver, CO
Sept. 21, 2019 Alta California Sol (USASA) 2:1 USA Soccer Stars FC (USASA) Lake Forest Sports Park, Field B; Lake Forest, CA
Sept. 21, 2019 SC Trojans FC (USCS) 4:1 Newport FC (USASA) Orange County Great Park, Field 15; Irvine, CA
Sept. 21, 2019 Valley United SC (USASA) 0:4 L.A. Monsters FC (USCS) Orange County Great Park, Field 19; Irvine, CA
Sept. 21, 2019 Outbreak FC (USCS) 1:1 (4:2 PK) Real San Jose (USASA) PAL Stadium; San Jose, CA
Sept. 21, 2019 Contra Costa FC (USASA) 0:1 Oakland Stompers (USASA) Raimondi Park; Oakland, CA
Sept. 22, 2019 Jackson Lions FC (USASA) 1:2 CSA Westchester (USASA) Ramapo College of New Jersey; Mahwah, NJ
Sept. 22, 2019 Tartan Devils Oak Avalon (USASA) 3:2 Steel Pulse FC (USASA) Troy Park; Elkridge, MD
Sept. 22, 2019 West Chester United (USASA) 5:0 Danubia Swabian (USASA) Rosemont College, Main Varsity Field; Bryn Mawr, PA
Sept. 22, 2019 Vereinigung Erzgebirge (USASA) 4:1 Ukrainian Nationals (USASA) Ukrainian American Sports Center, Main Turf Field; North Wales, PA
Sept. 22, 2019 Inocentes Futbol Club (USASA) 2:1 Lone Star Republic (USASA) The Greenhill School, Frankel Field; Addison, TX
Sept. 22, 2019 IPS/Marathon Taverna (USASA) 0:2 San Juan FC (USASA) Zions Bank Stadium; Herriman, UT
Sept. 22, 2019 Soda City Sorinex FC (USASA) 1:1 (4:2 PK) Charleston United (USASA) Drayton Hall Elementary School; Charleston, SC
Sept. 22, 2019 Azteca FC (USSSA) 5:0 Athletic Club of Sloan’s Lake (USSSA) Lakewood Memorial Field; Lakewood, CO
Sept. 22, 2019 Club El Azul (USSSA) 2:3 (AET) Colorado Rush (USASA) Addenbrooke Park; Lakewood, CO
Sept. 22, 2019 Cal FC (USASA) 9:2 Quickening (USCS) Lancaster National Soccer Center, Field 33; Lancaster, CA
Sept. 22, 2019 Orlando FC Wolves (USASA) 2:1 (AET) Deportivo Lake Mary (USASA) Sylvan Lake Park; Sanford, FL
Sept. 22, 2019 CD Huateras (ANFEEU) 3:2 FC Millennium International (USASA) Heurich Community Park, Turf Field; Hyattsville, MD
Sept. 22, 2019 Alianza Futbol Club (ANFEEU) 2:1 Doradus FC (ANFEEU) George Hampton School – Woodbridge, VA
Sept. 22, 2019 Red Force FC (USASA) 0:2 Florida Soccer Soldiers (USASA) Miramar Regional Park; Miramar, FL
Sept. 22, 2019 FC Union Jerez (USSSA) 2:1 Gam United FC (USCS) Lowry Sports Complex Park, Turf Field 2; Denver, CO
Sept. 22, 2019 Lansdowne Yonkers FC (USASA) 4:2 Clifton Elite FC (USASA) Athenia Steel Recreation Complex; Clifton, NJ
Sept. 22, 2019 Wayne County Sporting (USASA) 2:2 (4:5 PK) Livonia City FC (USASA) Schoolcraft College; Livonia, MI
Sept. 22, 2019 Santa Monica United FC (USASA) 0:2
 Oxnard Guerreros FC (USASA) Del Sol Stadium; Oxnard, CA
Sept. 22, 2019 PV United (USASA) 1:4 Academica SC (USCS) Our Lady of the Assumption Park; Turlock, CA
Sept. 22, 2019 Olympic Club (USASA) 4:0 JASA RWC (USASA) Red Morton Community Park, Bechet Field; Redwood City, CA
Sept. 28, 2019 Houston FC (USASA) 3:3 (4:5 PK)
 Athletic Katy FC (USASA) Campbell Road Sports Park Stadium; Houston, Texas
BYES: NY Pancyprian Freedoms, United German Hungarians, Christos FC, Nashville United
Virginia United, Ann Arbor FC, Federal City Wanderers, Springfield FC
ROUND 2 AWAY TEAM TIME HOME TEAM VENUE
Oct. 19, 2019
 Brockton FC United (USASA) 2:0 Safira FC (USASA) Dilboy Stadium – Somerville, MA
Oct. 19, 2019
 World Class Premier Elite FC (USASA) 4:5 (AET)
 CD Huateras (ANFEEU) Howison Homestead Soccer Complex (Field 1) – Woodbridge, VA
Oct. 19, 2019
 Academica SC (USCS) 3:3 (1:2 PK)
 Chula Vista FC (USCS) Terra Nova Park – Chula Vista, CA
Oct. 19, 2019
 Lansdowne Yonkers FC (USASA) 2:4 West Chester United (USASA) West Chester United Turf Field – West Chester, PA
Oct. 19, 2019
 Inocentes Futbol Club (USASA) 0:7 NTX Rayados (USASA) Premier Park (Field 1) – Balch Springs, TX
Oct. 19, 2019
 Celtic Cowboys Premier (USSSA) 3:0 San Antonio Runners (USASA) UTSA Campus Recreation Field Complex South – San Antonio, TX
Oct. 19, 2019
 Athletic Katy FC (USASA) 2:3 Louisiana Krewe FC (USASA) St. Thomas More Catholic HS – Lafayette, LA
Oct. 19, 2019
 Nashville United (USASA) 8:0 Springfield FC (USASA) Springfield Area Soccer Association – Springfield, IL
Oct. 19, 2019
 Livonia City FC (USASA) 6:2 Ann Arbor FC (USASA) Legacy Center Sports Complex – Brighton, MI
Oct. 19, 2019
 Alta California Sol (USASA) 1:3 Cal FC (USASA) Orange County Great Park (Field 9) – Irvine, CA
Oct. 19, 2019
 Oxnard Guerreros (USASA) 7:1 Outbreak FC (USCS) Orange County Great Park (Field 19) – Irvine, CA
Oct. 19, 2019
 Oakland Stompers (USASA)
 2:4
 Olympic Club (USASA)
 Beach Chalet Soccer Fields – San Francisco, CA
Oct. 20, 2019
 NY Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA) 2:0 CSA Westchester (USASA) Ramapo College of New Jersey (Stadium Field) – Mahwah, NJ
Oct. 20, 2019
 Vereinigung Erzgebirge (USASA) 2:0 (AET)
 United German Hungarians (USASA) General Ronald K. Nelson Field (Bryn Athyn College) – Bryn Athyn, PA
Oct. 20, 2019
 Azteca FC (USSSA) 3:2 (AET)
 FC Union Jerez (USSSA) Broomfield Commons, Field TBD; Broomfield, CO
Oct. 20, 2019
 Hurricane FC (USASA) 7:1 Orlando FC Wolves (USASA) Sylvan Lake Park (Field D); Sanford, FL
Oct. 20, 2019
 Colorado Rush (USASA) 0:6 FC Boulder Harpos (USSSA) Fairview HS – Boulder, CO
Oct. 20, 2019
 Miami United FC U-23 (USASA) 2:1 Florida Soccer Soldiers (USASA) Jr. Orange Bowl Stadium (Ives Estates Park) – Miami, FL
Oct. 20, 2019
 Alianza Futbol Club (ANFEEU) 1:2 Virginia United (ANFEEU) George Hampton Middle School – Woodbridge, VA
Oct. 20, 2019
 Federal City Wanderers (USASA) 1:7 Christos FC (USASA) Glen Burnie HS – Glen Burnie, MD
Oct. 20, 2019
 Tartan Devils Oak Avalon (USASA) 1:3 (AET)
 Steel FC (USASA) Highmark Stadium – Pittsburgh, PA
Oct. 20, 2019
 San Juan FC (USASA) 1:2 Colorado Rovers (USSSA) Dicks Sporting Goods Park (Field 8) – Commerce City, CO
Oct. 20, 2019
 L.A. Monsters FC (USCS) 4:1 SC Trojans FC (USCS) Orange County Great Park (Field 22) – Irvine, CA
Nov. 2, 2019
 Georgia Revolution FC Reserves (USASA) 2:4
 Soda City Sorinex FC (USASA) Saluda Shoals Soccer Park – Columbia, SC
ROUND 3 AWAY TEAM TIME HOME TEAM VENUE
Nov. 23, 2019
 L.A. Monsters FC (USCS)
 2:2 (4:5 PK) Chula Vista FC (USCS)
 Terra Nova Park – Chula Vista, CA
Nov. 23, 2019
 Hurricane FC (USASA)
 0:4
 Miami United FC U-23s (USASA) Kendall Soccer Park – Miami, FL
Nov. 23, 2019
 Nashville United (USASA) 4:0
 Soda City Sorinex FC (USASA) Ben Lippen HS – Columbia, SC
Nov. 23, 2019
 Livonia City FC (USASA)
 0:1
 Louisiana Krewe FC (USASA)
 St. Thomas More Catholic HS – Lafayette, LA
Nov. 23, 2019
 Celtic Cowboys Premier (USSSA)
 0:3
 NTX Rayados (USASA)
 Premier Park (Field 1) – Balch Springs, TX
Nov. 23, 2019
 Olympic Club (USASA)
 3:1
 Azteca FC (USSSA)
 Ridgeview HS – Aurora, CO
Nov. 23, 2019
 Cal FC (USASA)
 2:1 Oxnard Guerreros (USASA)
 Del Sol Stadium – Oxnard, CA
Nov. 24, 2019 NY Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA) 1:0 (58′) Brockton FC United (USASA) Everett Memorial Stadium – Everett, MA
Nov. 24, 2019
 West Chester United (USASA) 1:2
 Vereinigung Erzgebirge (USASA) William Tennant HS – Warminster, PA
Nov. 24, 2019
 Colorado Rovers (USSSA)
 0:4
 FC Boulder Harpos (USSSA)
 Fairview HS – Boulder, CO
Nov. 24, 2019
 Virginia United (ANFEEU)
 3:1
 CD Huateras (ANFEEU)
 Howison Homestead Soccer Complex – Woodbridge, VA
Nov. 24, 2019
 Steel FC (USASA)
 2:3
 Christos FC (USASA)
 North County HS – Glen Burnie, MD

Open Division Local qualifying for 2020 US Open Cup begins Sept. 21-22 with 89 teams

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FC Denver celebrates after the club's 4-1 win over Gam United FC in their 2019 US Open Cup qualifier. Photo: FC Denver Twitter
FC Denver celebrates after the club’s 4-1 win over Gam United FC in their 2019 US Open Cup qualifier. Photo: FC Denver Twitter

The 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Final is just six days away, but teams are already making arrangements for next year’s tournament.

Today, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) announced the entries for the Open Division Local qualifying tournament for the 2020 US Open Cup.

The federation’s Open Division Local Qualifying tournament will feature 89 entries from across the country and the majority of them will begin play in the competition’s opening round on Sept. 21-22. The draw for the first round will take place on Monday, Aug. 26.

The teams will represent 18 different states and the District of Columbia (21 different state associations) and will feature teams from 26 different leagues. For the fifth year in a row, the most represented league is the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) which entered 33 teams, which is two fewer than the 35 they entered in last year’s competition, and six fewer than the 39 that participated for the 2018 qualifying tournament.

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 number of teams that will qualify for the tournament, and the number of rounds that will be required, is yet to be determined as it will depend on the number of professional teams that will take part in the 107th edition of the Open Cup next year.

Of the 89 teams, 53 of the teams have competed in the Open Division tournament before, leaving 36 new teams.

One team has already punched their ticket into the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Newtown Pride FC  won the 2019 USASA Amateur Cup championship which earned them an automatic berth into next year’s Open Cup. The Connecticut-based club has qualified for the first time after being unsuccessful each year since 2013 to qualify, finally getting over the hump.

2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Open Division Local Qualifying Schedule

First Qualifying Round: Sept. 21-23
Second Qualifying Round: Oct. 19-20
Third Qualifying Round: Nov. 23-24
Fourth Qualifying Round (if necessary): Dec. 21-22

2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Open Division Teams Entering via the Local Qualifying Track
Listed by State and League (Sanctioning Body) Affiliation

California (20)
LIGA NorCal (US Club Soccer)
Academica SC*; Turlock, Calif.

San Francisco Soccer Football League (Calif. Soccer Assn.-North/USASA)
Olympic Club; San Francisco, Calif.

SoCal Premier League (Calif. State Soccer Assn.-South/USASA)
Chula Vista FC; Chula Vista, Calif.
L.A. South Bay Monsters FC; Irvine, Calif.
Outbreak FC; Long Beach, Calif.
Quickening; Lancaster, Calif.
Rebels Soccer Club; Madison, Calif.
SC Trojans FC; Irvine, Calif.

United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Alta California Sol; Santa Barbara, Calif.
Cal FC*; Wilmington, Calif.
Contra Costa FC; Walnut Creek, Calif.
JASA RWC; Redwood City, Calif.
Newport FC; Lake Forest, Calif.
Oakland Stompers; Oakland, Calif.
Oxnard Guerreros FC; Oxnard, Calif.
PV United; Watsonville, Calif.
Real San Jose; San Jose, Calif.
Santa Monica United FC; Santa Monica, Calif.
USA Soccer Stars FC; Glendale, Calif.
Valley United SC; North Hills, Calif.

Colorado (10)
Colorado Premier League (U.S. Specialty Sports Assn.)
Athletic Club of Sloan’s Lake; Lakewood, Colo.
Azteca FC; Broomfield, Colo.
Club El Azul; Broomfield, Colo.
Colorado Rovers; Broomfield, Colo.
FC Boulder Harpos; Boulder, Colo.
FC Denver*; Aurora, Colo.
FC Union Jerez; Broomfield, Colo.

Colorado Super League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Colorado Rush; Lakewood, Colo.
Logroñes Denver Soccer Club; Denver, Colo.

Mountain Premier League (US Club Soccer)
Gam United FC; Denver, Colo.

District of Columbia (1)
District Sports Premier League (Metro D.C-Virginia Soccer Assn./USASA)
Federal City Wanderers; Washington, D.C.

Florida (8)
Central Florida Soccer League (Florida State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Orlando FC Wolves; Winter Springs, Fla.

United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Atletico Miami CF; Miami, Fla.
Deportivo Lake Mary; Sanford, Fla.
Florida Soccer Soldiers*; Miramar, Fla.
Hurricane FC; Delray Beach, Fla.
International Soccer Association: Miami, Fla.
Miami United FC U23; Miami, Fla.
Red Force FC; Miami, Fla.

Georgia (2)
Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League (Georgia State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Club Atletic; Sandy Spring, Ga.
Georgia Revolution FC Reserves; Locust Grove, Ga.

Illinois (1)
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Springfield FC; Springfield, Ill.

Louisiana (2)
Gulf Coast Premier League (Louisiana Soccer Assn./USASA)
Louisiana Krewe FC; Lafayette, La.
Northshore United; Mandeville, La.

Maryland (5)
Maryland Major Soccer League (Md. State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Christos FC; Glen Burnie, Md.
Izee Auto FC; Columbia, Md.
Steel Pulse FC; Windsor Mill, Md.

United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
FC Millenium International; Hyattsville, Md.
World Class Premier Elite FC; Boyds, Md.

Massachusetts (4)
Bay State Soccer League (Mass. Adult State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Brockton FC United; Brockton, Mass.
Kendall Wanderers; Cambridge, Mass.

United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Juve-Pro Soccer; Ashland, Mass.
Safira FC; Sommerville, Mass.

Michigan (3)
Ann Arbor Premier Development League (Michigan Soccer Association/USASA)
Ann Arbor FC; Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michigan Premier Soccer League (Michigan Soccer Association/USASA)
Livonia City FC; Livonia, Mich.
Wayne County Sporting; Riverview, Mich.

New Jersey (3)
Cosmopolitan Soccer League (New Jersey Soccer Assn./USASA)
CSA Westchester; Tinton Falls, N.J.

Garden State Soccer League (New Jersey Soccer Assn./USASA)
Clifton Elite FC; Clifton, N.J.
Jackson Lions FC; Jackson, N.J.

New York (2)
Cosmopolitan Soccer League (Eastern New York State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Lansdowne Yonkers FC; Yonkers, N.Y.
New York Pancyprian Freedoms^; Queens, N.Y.

Oregon (1)
Oregon Premier Soccer League (Oregon Adult Soccer Assn./USASA)
International Portland Select (IPS)/Marathon Taverna; Portland, Ore.

Pennsylvania (7)
Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League (Pa. West Soccer Assn./USASA)
Steel FC; Pittsburgh, Pa.
Tartan Devils Oak Avalon; Pittsburgh, Pa.

United Soccer League of Pennsylvania (Eastern Pa. Soccer Assn./USASA)
Danubia Men’s Soccer; Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Ukrainian Nationals; North Wales, Pa.
United German Hungarians; Oakford, Pa.
Vereinigung Erzgebirge; Warminster, Pa.
West Chester United*; West Chester, Pa.

South Carolina (2)
Central League (South Carolina Amateur Soccer Assn./USASA)
Soda City FC Sorinex; Columbia, S.C.

United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Charleston United; Charleston, S.C.

Tennessee (1)
Middle Tennessee Soccer Alliance (Tennessee State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Nashville United; Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Texas (10)
Austin Men’s Soccer Association (U.S. Specialty Sports Assn.)
Celtic Cowboys Premier; Austin, Texas

Gulf Coast Premier League (Louisiana Soccer Assn./USASA)
Central Texas Lobos; Austin, Texas

North Texas Premier Soccer Association (North Texas Soccer Assn./USASA)
NTX Rayados*; Balch Springs, Texas

United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Athletic Katy FC; Houston, Texas
Coyotes FC; Temple, Texas
FC Fort Worth Soccer Club; Forth Worth, Texas
Houston FC; Houston, Texas
Inocentes Futbol Club; Forth Worth, Texas
Lone Star Republic; Addison, Texas
San Antonio Runners; San Antonio, Texas

Utah (1)
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
San Juan FC; Herriman, Utah

Virginia (6)
Soccer Organization of the Charlottesville Area (Metro D.C-Virginia Soccer Assn./USASA)
SOCA; Charlottesville, Va.

Woodbridge Soccer League (Asociacion Nacional Fútbol en USA/U.S. Soccer)
Alianza Futbol Club; Woodbridge, Va.
CD Huateras; Woodbridge, Va.
Doradus Futbol Club; Woodbridge, Va.
Germantown City FC; Woodbridge, Va.
Virginia United*; Woodbridge, Va.

* Advanced to 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
^ Three-time U.S. Open Cup Champion (1980, 1982-83)

Facts and Figures of Open Division Teams Entering via the Local Qualifying Track:

  • 26 different leagues represented (including two new leagues added this year)
  • 18 different states plus the District of Columbia represented (one new state added this year: Tennessee)
  • 20 teams entering from California alone
  • 10 teams each from Colorado and Texas
  • 8 teams from Florida
  • 7 teams from Pennsylvania
  • 6 teams from Virginia
  • 5 teams from Maryland
  • 4 teams from Massachusetts
  • 3 teams each from Michigan and New Jersey
  • 2 teams each from Georgia, Louisiana, New York and South Carolina
  • 1 team each from the District of Columbia, Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah
  • 53 teams are veterans of Open Division local qualifying, having participated in at least one of the four previous competitions
  • 14 teams have entered all four previous years of Open Division local qualifying: Calif. (3): Chula Visa FC, Outbreak FC, Valley United; Colorado (3): Colorado Rovers, Colorado Rush, FC Boulder Harpos; Florida (1): Red Force FC; New York (2): Lansdowne Yonkers FC, New York Pancyprian Freedoms; Oregon (1): IPS/Marathon Taverna; Pennsylvania (3): Tartan Devils Oak Avalon, Vereinigung Erzgebirge; West Chester United SC; Texas (1): NTX Rayados
  • 36 teams are entering Open Division local qualifying for the first time
  • 74 teams are from U.S. Adult Soccer Association-affiliated leagues
  • 8 teams are from U.S. Specialty Sports Association-affiliated leagues
  • 5 teams are from Asociacion Nacional Fútbol en USA-affiliated leagues
  • 2 teams are from US Club Soccer-affiliated leagues
  • 7 teams entering 2020 Open Division local qualifying reached the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup first round; five of these reached the second round; one of these (Florida Soccer Soldiers) reached the third round
  • New York Pancyprian Freedoms are a three-time U.S. Open Cup Champion (1980, 1982-83)

 

Which USL League Two teams could qualify for 2020 US Open Cup?

by

Fans are awaiting the results of the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, but it’s not too early to start looking ahead to the 2020 US Open Cup qualifying.

The format for the 107th edition of the tournament has yet to be released, and while there was a drastic decrease in the number of USL League Two slots for 2019, the US Open Cup committee has been discussing changing the format to allow more Open Division teams into the tournament. USL League Two, formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), has held a fairly consistent qualifying process since 2012 where the league determines its entries based on the previous year’s results. The only changes have been the number of teams that the US Soccer Federation has awarded USL League Two.

This weekend is the final weekend of USL League Two, so teams and fans will not only be scoreboard watching for playoff positioning, but also to try to move up in the overall league standings to improve their chances of qualifying for next year’s US Open Cup.

In 2012 and 2013, the top 16 US-based USL League Two teams qualified for the tournament, while that number increased to 19 from 2014-16. In 2017, the top 21 teams got in. It has declined since then, with 20 slots allocated in 2018 and 10 slots allocated in 2019.

The 11 division winners will be prioritized first, followed by the rest of the league. As the Mountain Division played a 12-game schedule compared to everyone else playing a 14-game schedule, average points per game will be used to sort the teams (followed by average average wins, average goal difference, and average goals scored). If a Canadian team wins the division, they will not be replaced by the next best finishing American team. The Great Lakes division will also count all 14 of the games played on each team’s schedule this season for Open Cup purposes, even though only 12 of the matches will count for USL League Two playoff purposes.

The teams that qualify will join other Open Division teams, such as the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and local amateur qualifiers in the opening round of next year’s competition.

Below is the overall USL League Two standings (excluding Canadian clubs) updated after the games of Friday, July 12, and each team’s remaining games.

Friday results:
Dalton Red Wolves SC 4:5 Charlotte Eagles
Black Rock FC 2:7 AC Connecticut
Florida Elite SA 1:1 Lakeland Tropics
Seacoast United Phantoms 2:1 Manhattan SC
Long Island Rough Riders 1:1 Cedar Stars Rush
Peachtree City MOBA 0:1 Discoveries SC
Texas United 0:6 AHFC Royals
Victoria Highlanders FC 2:3 Calgary Foothills FC
Portland Timbers U23 1:1 Lane United FC
Orange County SC U23 3:1 San Francisco City FC

UPDATE (July 13, 11:23 a.m. ET) – Sounders drop to 2nd place in the Northwest, division titles to be decided on Saturday
With their 5-4 defeat to Charlotte Eagles on Friday, Dalton Red Wolves drop out of the top 20, significantly decreasing their chances of an Open Cup berth. Florida Elite SA also did the same with a 1-1 draw against Lakeland Tropics. Long Island Rough Riders, while undefeated in 10 straight matches, have drawn 7 matches this season, including last night’s 1-1 draw with Cedar Stars Rush, and could use all 3 points on Sunday against Ocean City Nor’easters. Finally, Calgary Foothills took back lead of the Northwest Division from Sounders FC U23, moving the Sounders academy down 6 spots to 16th. Sounders still have a chance at the Northwest Division crown if Calgary falters against Victoria and the Sounders can defeat rivals Portland Timbers.

Two division titles will be decided on Saturday. In the South Atlantic Division, North Carolina Fusion U23 will need all three points against Virginia Beach United to win the division championship. If the Fusion do not win, North Carolina FC U23 will take the title, as they own the head to head tiebreaker in the event of a Fusion draw today. The division title could be the difference between making the Open Cup and not, as the runner-up could drop below the Top 20 range.

The Deep South Division will be decided in a winner take all match today as South Georgia Tormenta FC 2 travels to SC United Bantams. Tied on 29 points for the season, a winner will take the division title. In the event of a draw, they are both equal on head to head and number of wins. Tormenta FC 2 would take the tiebreaker on the vastly higher overall goal difference in the league.

Saturday results:
Western Mass Pioneers 2:1 Manhattan SC
Park City Red Wolves SC 0:3 Colorado Pride Switchbacks U23
Ogden City SC 2:0 Albuquerque Sol F.C.
Sarasota Metropolis FC 4:2 FC Miami City
Boston Bolts 3:4 GPS Portland Phoenix
Virginia Beach United 0:3 North Carolina Fusion U23
Dayton Dutch Lions 0:1 Flint City Bucks
FA Euro New York 1:2 New York Red Bulls U23
Tri-Cities Otters 3:7 Tobacco Road FC
Daytona SC 1:0 Treasure Coast Tritons
South Georgia Tormenta FC 2 1:0 SC United Bantams
Cincinnati Dutch Lions 2:2 West Virginia Alliance FC
Seacoast United Phantoms 3:3 Westchester Flames
St. Louis Lions 2:2 Green Bay Voyageurs
AHFC Royals 3:3 Brazos Valley Cavalry F.C.
Thunder Bay Chill 0:2 Des Moines Menace
Orange County SC U23 1:1 San Francisco Glens SC
Southern California Seahorses 1:2 FC Golden State Force

UPDATE (July 14, 1:00 p.m. ET) – Tormenta FC 2 and Fusion U23 take division titles, one decided on Sunday, Des Moines Menace earn regular season title
South Georgia Tormenta FC 2 defeated SC United Bantams 1-0 to take the Deep South Division championship on Saturday, securing their spot among the top 10 of the Open Cup standings. North Carolina Fusion U23 also got the job done against Virginia Beach United 3-0 to take the South Atlantic Title. Sounders FC U23 can win the Northwest title today, but only if they win and Calgary Foothills lose to Victoria Highlanders. Calgary would have the head to head tiebreaker if Calgary and Seattle were to finished tied on points.

There was a shakeup at the top of the standings on Saturday. In the early afternoon, Western Mass Pioneers defeated Manhattan SC 2-1 to finish on 36 points. In the evening, Brazos Valley Cavalry finished 3-3 with AHFC Royals. Coupling that with Des Moines Menace’s 2-0 victory over Thunder Bay Chill, Des Moines moves up to first place on goal difference over the Pioneers. The Cavalry would drop to 4th after FC Golden State Force defeated Southern California Seahorses 2-1.

Other teams that did themselves favors with wins included Flint City Bucks 1-0 victory over Dayton Dutch Lions. That moved the Bucks all the way up to 14th place. GPS Portland Phoenix got themselves a hard fought 4-3 victory over Boston Bolts, landing them into 11th place as the best USL League Two team that didn’t win their division. Finally, Daytona SC got a 1-0 victory over Treasure Coast Tritons. That moved Daytona up to 18th place and the Tritons down to 15th place.

Sunday results:
Victoria Highlanders FC 0:3 Calgary Foothills FC
Peachtree City MOBA 0:3 Charlotte Eagles
Portland Timbers U23 3:3 Sounders FC U23
Long Island Rough Riders 3:3 Ocean City Nor’easters
Lehigh Valley United 0:5 Reading United AC
Dalton Red Wolves SC 0:2 Discoveries SC
Houston FC 1:6 Corpus Christi FC
Thunder Bay Chill 1:2 Green Bay Voyageurs

UPDATE (July 14, 10:15 p.m. ET) – Calgary takes Northwest division, Corpus Christi FC moves into top 15
Calgary Foothills claimed the Northwest Division title today with a strong 3-0 victory over Victoria Highlanders. This means that Sounders FC U23 could not join the rest of the division winners at the top of the table.

Corpus Christi FC also boosted their ranking all the way up to 15th with a commanding 6-1 victory over Houston FC. Ocean City and Long Island had a chance to get into the top 20, but untimately settled for a 3-3 draw which hampered both team’s chances of qualifying in 2020.

Reading United moved up to 5th after a 5-0 win over Lehigh Valley United.

W L T GF GA GD Pts Avg. Pts Avg. Wins Avg. GD Avg. GF x-Division leader | y-Clinched division
1. y-Des Moines Menace 11 0 3 30 4 26 36 2.57143 0.78571 1.85714 2.14286 NO GAMES REMAINING
2. y-Western Mass Pioneers 11 0 3 31 7 24 36 2.57143 0.78571 1.71429 2.21429 NO GAMES REMAINING
3. y-FC Golden State Force 11 2 1 42 14 28 34 2.42857 0.78571 2 3 NO GAMES REMAINING
4. y-Brazos Valley Cavalry FC 10 0 4 51 14 37 34 2.42857 0.71429 2.64286 3.64286 NO GAMES REMAINING
5. y-Reading United AC 10 1 3 32 13 19 33 2.35714 0.71429 1.35714 2.28571 NO GAMES REMAINING
6. y-Colorado Pride Switchbacks U23 9 2 1 30 15 15 28 2.33333 0.75 1.25 2.5 NO GAMES REMAINING
7. y-South Georgia Tormenta FC 2 10 2 2 33 11 22 32 2.28571 0.71429 1.57143 2.35714 NO GAMES REMAINING
8. y-The Villages SC 9 1 4 32 13 19 31 2.21429 0.64286 1.35714 2.28571 NO GAMES REMAINING
9. y-Chicago FC United 8 3 1 27 9 18 25 2.08333 0.66667 1.5 2.25 NO GAMES REMAINING
10. y-North Carolina Fusion U23 8 4 2 24 18 6 26 1.85714 0.57143 0.42857 1.71429 NO GAMES REMAINING
11. GPS Portland Phoenix 9 3 2 29 20 9 29 2.07143 0.64286 0.64286 2.07143 NO GAMES REMAINING
12. SC United Bantams 9 3 2 22 15 7 29 2.07143 0.64286 0.5 1.57143 NO GAMES REMAINING
13. Ventura County Fusion 9 4 1 38 24 14 28 2 0.64286 1 2.71429 NO GAMES REMAINING
14. Corpus Christi FC 8 4 2 43 28 15 26 1.85714 0.57143 1.07143 3.07143 NO GAMES REMAINING
15. Treasure Coast Tritons 8 4 2 27 14 13 26 1.85714 0.57143 0.92857 1.92857 NO GAMES REMAINING
16. Sounders FC U23 7 3 4 24 13 11 25 1.78571 0.5 0.78571 1.71429 NO GAMES REMAINING
17. Kaw Valley FC 7 3 4 18 9 9 25 1.78571 0.5 0.64286 1.28571 NO GAMES REMAINING
18. Daytona SC 7 3 4 13 10 3 25 1.78571 0.5 0.21429 0.92857 NO GAMES REMAINING
19. Flint City Bucks 6 3 3 20 17 3 21 1.75 0.5 0.25 1.66667 NO GAMES REMAINING
20. Manhattan SC 8 6 0 33 20 13 24 1.71429 0.57143 0.92857 2.35714 NO GAMES REMAINING
21. North Carolina FC U23 8 6 0 21 19 2 24 1.71429 0.57143 0.14286 1.5 NO GAMES REMAINING
22. Florida Elite SA 7 4 3 25 17 8 24 1.71429 0.5 0.57143 1.78571 NO GAMES REMAINING
23. Ogden City SC 6 4 2 23 19 4 20 1.66667 0.5 0.33333 1.91667 NO GAMES REMAINING
24. Mississippi Brilla FC 6 3 5 34 29 5 23 1.64286 0.42857 0.35714 2.42857 NO GAMES REMAINING
25. Ocean City Nor’easters 6 3 5 27 22 5 23 1.64286 0.42857 0.35714 1.92857 NO GAMES REMAINING
26. Long Island Rough Riders 5 1 8 22 14 8 23 1.64286 0.35714 0.57143 1.57143 NO GAMES REMAINING
27. Cincinnati Dutch Lions 5 3 4 17 15 2 19 1.58333 0.41667 0.16667 1.41667 NO GAMES REMAINING
28. Dalton Red Wolves SC 7 6 1 30 24 6 22 1.57143 0.5 0.42857 2.14286 NO GAMES REMAINING
29. Southern California Seahorses 6 4 4 21 19 2 22 1.57143 0.42857 0.14286 1.5 NO GAMES REMAINING
30. New York Red Bulls U23 5 3 6 26 18 8 21 1.5 0.35714 0.57143 1.85714 NO GAMES REMAINING
31. Virginia Beach United 6 6 2 22 22 0 20 1.42857 0.42857 0 1.57143 NO GAMES REMAINING
32. Lane United FC 5 4 5 22 17 5 20 1.42857 0.35714 0.35714 1.57143 NO GAMES REMAINING
33. AHFC Royals 5 4 5 26 22 4 20 1.42857 0.35714 0.28571 1.85714 NO GAMES REMAINING
34. Green Bay Voyageurs 5 4 5 18 15 3 20 1.42857 0.35714 0.21429 1.28571 NO GAMES REMAINING
35. Charlotte Eagles 5 4 5 24 29 -5 20 1.42857 0.35714 -0.3571 1.71429 NO GAMES REMAINING
36. Tri-Cities Otters 5 5 4 28 28 0 19 1.35714 0.35714 0 2 NO GAMES REMAINING
37. FC Miami City 5 5 4 24 24 0 19 1.35714 0.35714 0 1.71429 NO GAMES REMAINING
38. Dayton Dutch Lions 5 6 1 17 19 -2 16 1.33333 0.41667 -0.1667 1.41667 NO GAMES REMAINING
39. Lionsbridge FC 5 6 3 26 24 2 18 1.28571 0.35714 0.14286 1.85714 NO GAMES REMAINING
40. Tobacco Road FC 5 7 2 29 29 0 17 1.21429 0.35714 0 2.07143 NO GAMES REMAINING
41. Boston Bolts 5 7 2 23 28 -5 17 1.21429 0.35714 -0.3571 1.64286 NO GAMES REMAINING
42. Santa Cruz Breakers FC 5 7 2 27 35 -8 17 1.21429 0.35714 -0.5714 1.92857 NO GAMES REMAINING
43. Orange County SC U23 4 5 5 28 26 2 17 1.21429 0.28571 0.14286 2 NO GAMES REMAINING
44. Black Rock FC 5 8 1 23 34 -11 16 1.14286 0.35714 -0.7857 1.64286 NO GAMES REMAINING
45. Cedar Stars Rush 4 6 4 16 20 -4 16 1.14286 0.28571 -0.2857 1.14286 NO GAMES REMAINING
46. St. Louis Lions 4 7 3 17 20 -3 15 1.07143 0.28571 -0.2143 1.21429 NO GAMES REMAINING
47. Lakeland Tropics 4 7 3 23 29 -6 15 1.07143 0.28571 -0.4286 1.64286 NO GAMES REMAINING
48. Lehigh Valley United 4 7 3 21 30 -9 15 1.07143 0.28571 -0.6429 1.5 NO GAMES REMAINING
49. Wake FC 4 7 3 12 22 -10 15 1.07143 0.28571 -0.7143 0.85714 NO GAMES REMAINING
50. Seacoast United Phantoms 4 7 3 19 31 -12 15 1.07143 0.28571 -0.8571 1.35714 NO GAMES REMAINING
51. San Francisco City FC 4 7 3 26 42 -16 15 1.07143 0.28571 -1.1429 1.85714 NO GAMES REMAINING
52. Sarasota Metropolis FC 4 8 2 22 27 -5 14 1 0.28571 -0.3571 1.57143 NO GAMES REMAINING
53. Park City Red Wolves SC 3 6 3 18 26 -8 12 1 0.25 -0.6667 1.5 NO GAMES REMAINING
54. Westchester Flames 3 7 4 25 32 -7 13 0.92857 0.21429 -0.5 1.78571 NO GAMES REMAINING
55. San Diego Zest FC 3 7 4 22 32 -10 13 0.92857 0.21429 -0.7143 1.57143 NO GAMES REMAINING
56. Portland Timbers U23 3 7 4 19 33 -14 13 0.92857 0.21429 -1 1.35714 NO GAMES REMAINING
57. FA Euro New York 2 7 5 16 25 -9 11 0.78571 0.14286 -0.6429 1.14286 NO GAMES REMAINING
58. Discoveries SC 3 10 1 11 25 -14 10 0.71429 0.21429 -1 0.78571 NO GAMES REMAINING
59. San Francisco Glens SC 2 8 4 23 35 -12 10 0.71429 0.14286 -0.8571 1.64286 NO GAMES REMAINING
60. Albuquerque Sol FC 2 8 2 12 23 -11 8 0.66667 0.16667 -0.9167 1 NO GAMES REMAINING
61. AC Connecticut 2 9 3 21 32 -11 9 0.64286 0.14286 -0.7857 1.5 NO GAMES REMAINING
62. Peachtree City MOBA 2 11 1 11 27 -16 7 0.5 0.14286 -1.1429 0.78571 NO GAMES REMAINING
63. Texas United 2 11 1 13 46 -33 7 0.5 0.14286 -2.3571 0.92857 NO GAMES REMAINING
64. Houston FC 1 10 3 11 39 -28 6 0.42857 0.07143 -2 0.78571 NO GAMES REMAINING
65. Evergreen FC 0 8 6 11 29 -18 6 0.42857 0 -1.2857 0.78571 NO GAMES REMAINING
66. West Virginia Alliance FC 0 9 3 7 28 -21 3 0.25 0 -1.75 0.58333 NO GAMES REMAINING
67. Weston FC 1 13 0 9 41 -32 3 0.21429 0.07143 -2.2857 0.64286 NO GAMES REMAINING

USSF announces hosts for 2019 US Open Cup Semifinals, hosting priority for 2019 Final

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Hosts for the semifinals of the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup were determined today in a live draw ceremony by the United States Soccer Federation. A separate draw held afterward determined priority for hosting the US Open Cup Final.

Minnesota United FC was drawn first to host the Portland Timbers in the western semifinal. Orlando City SC was then drawn to host the eastern semifinal against Atlanta United FC. Those matches will take place on August 6 and August 7.

Afterwards, the four remaining teams were then drawn into a priority order for hosting the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final. Atlanta United FC was first, Minnesota United FC second, Orlando City SC was third, and Portland Timbers was last. This means that the Timbers will not host the final. Atlanta United FC is guaranteed to host the final if they win their semifinal match. Minnesota United FC and Orlando City SC could host the final depending on the result of the other match.

Below is the schedule for the semifinals. The final will take place on Aug. 27 or 28 and the possible venues and times will be determined at a later date.

All games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ as part of the tournament’s new media rights agreement.

#USOC2019 ESSENTIALS
2019 US Open Cup Schedule/Results (with links to every match report
2019 US Open Cup statistical leaders (Goals, Assists, GKs)
2019 US Open Cup bracket (TheCup.us)

2019 US Open Cup Round 1: Game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Round 2: Game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Round 3: Game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Round 4: Game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Round of 16: Game-by-game review

Appreciate what we do? Help improve our coverage by joining TheCup.us Patreon team!

VISIT THECUP.US STORE

US Open Cup histories of the eight quarterfinalists seeking a first title and the cities they represent
NPSL Mid-Atlantic Conference currently ineligible for 2020 US Open Cup
Every US Open Cup game to stream on ESPN+ in multi-year media rights deal

THECUP.US PLAYER OF THE ROUND
Round 1: Charles Boateng – Richmond Kickers
Round 2: Bryant Martin – Florida Soccer Soldiers
Round 3: Blake Frischknecht – Orange County FC
Round 4: Teal Bunbury – New England Revolution
Round 5: Sam Fink – Saint Louis FC

#USOC2019 QUALIFYING
2019 US Open Cup qualifying schedule/results
2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 1 game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 2 game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 3 game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Final Round game-by-game review
Florida Soccer Soldiers qualify for first time after America SC withdraws
More pros, less amateurs, an extra sub in 2019 US Open Cup format
Chattanooga FC qualifies for 2019 US Open Cup, but opts out
Bavarian SC qualify for 2019 US Open Cup by winning Amateur Cup title

MEET THE UNDERDOGS SERIES
Milwaukee’s Bavarian Soccer Club, proudly amateur since 1929
West Chester United battle tested from long journey back to US Open Cup
NTX Rayados grooming “new generation” to keep qualifying streak going
Academica SC earns first US Open Cup berth after more than 40 years as a club
FC Denver using US Open Cup to build to “higher level”
First year Florida Soccer Soldiers winning with “respect, pride and commitment”

 

Date Game (home team listed first) Time Venue
Aug. 6 Orlando City SC (MLS) vs. Atlanta United FC (MLS) 7:30 p.m. ET Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
Aug. 7# Minnesota United FC (MLS) vs. Portland Timbers (MLS) 7 p.m. CT Allianz Field; St. Paul, Minn.

# Date determined as a result of at least one team scheduled for a league game Aug. 4

Final – August 27 or 28

Hosting Priority:

  1. Atlanta United FC (MLS)
  2. Minnesota United FC (MLS)
  3. Orlando City SC (MLS)
  4. Portland Timbers (MLS)

2019 US Open Cup Quarterfinals preview: Six MLS teams, two USL Championship teams all seeking first national title

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The Houston Dynamo lift the trophy after winning the 2018 US Open Cup title. Photo: Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo lift the trophy after winning the 2018 US Open Cup title. Photo: Houston Dynamo

In a rare occurrence for this competition, all participants in the Quarterfinals have yet to win the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.  Major League Soccer still has six teams left in this competition, but will face the challenge from the two remaining USL Championship teams that advanced over MLS teams for two rounds in a row.  All four matches will be played on Wednesday, July 10.

The winners will advance to the Semifinals, which is scheduled to take place the week of August 7.

Every game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Since 2003, fans who wanted to follow the opening round of the second-oldest, continually-operating soccer tournament in the world, would have to rely on updates from this site, or, in later years, the occasional live audio or video stream. Now, fans who are unable to attend a match in person, can watch every game from the comfort of their home, or through their favorite mobile device.

A bracket has been set for the competition with four regions. The East region winner will play the Mideast region winner in the Semifinals. The Midwest region winner will play the West region winner in the Semifinals. The draw to determine hosts for the Semifinals and the Final will be held on July 11.

Below is a preview (with video links) of all four of the games scheduled this week:

#USOC2019 ESSENTIALS
2019 US Open Cup Schedule/Results (with links to every match report
2019 US Open Cup statistical leaders (Goals, Assists, GKs)
2019 US Open Cup bracket (TheCup.us)

2019 US Open Cup Round 1: Game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Round 2: Game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Round 3: Game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Round 4: Game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Round of 16: Game-by-game review

Appreciate what we do? Help improve our coverage by joining TheCup.us Patreon team!

VISIT THECUP.US STORE

NPSL Mid-Atlantic Conference adds matches to end of regular season to try to make 4 of 5 teams 2020 US Open Cup eligible
Every US Open Cup game to stream on ESPN+ in multi-year media rights deal

THECUP.US PLAYER OF THE ROUND
Round 1: Charles Boateng – Richmond Kickers
Round 2: Bryant Martin – Florida Soccer Soldiers
Round 3: Blake Frischknecht – Orange County FC
Round 4: Teal Bunbury – New England Revolution
Round of 16: Sam Fink – Saint Louis FC

#USOC2019 QUALIFYING
2019 US Open Cup qualifying schedule/results
2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 1 game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 2 game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 3 game-by-game review
2019 US Open Cup Qualifying Final Round game-by-game review
Florida Soccer Soldiers qualify for first time after America SC withdraws
More pros, less amateurs, an extra sub in 2019 US Open Cup format
Chattanooga FC qualifies for 2019 US Open Cup, but opts out
Bavarian SC qualify for 2019 US Open Cup by winning Amateur Cup title

MEET THE UNDERDOGS SERIES
Milwaukee’s Bavarian Soccer Club, proudly amateur since 1929
West Chester United battle tested from long journey back to US Open Cup
NTX Rayados grooming “new generation” to keep qualifying streak going
Academica SC earns first US Open Cup berth after more than 40 years as a club
FC Denver using US Open Cup to build to “higher level”
First year Florida Soccer Soldiers winning with “respect, pride and commitment”

Graphic by Dallas Kreil | IG: @dak_design
Graphic by Dallas Kreil | IG: @dak_design

New York City FC (MLS) at Orlando City SC (MLS)
Exploria Stadium – Orlando, FL
Kickoff: July 10 – 7:30 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: ESPN+

By Joshua Taylor

New York City FC (7-8-2) comes into Wednesday’s match coming off a 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers over the weekend in league play and are currently in 5th place in the Eastern Conference. NYCFC will now turn their attention on the road against Orlando City SC (6-9-4) who is coming off a 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Union this past weekend and are currently in 9th place in the Eastern Conference.
For NYCFC, Heber and Maximiliano Moralez are the top goal scorers for NYCFC in MLS play both leading the team with six goals but Keaton Parks is the team’s leading goalscorer with two goals during their two-game run in the tournament. Both of those goals came in the team’s 4-0 Fourth Round win at home (at St. John’s University) against North Carolina FC (USL Championship).

The win was a big one for NYCFC as it was the first time the club had tasted victory in the tournament after four previous unsuccessful attempts. The Pigeons followed up their first-ever Open Cup win with a 2-1 road win over D.C. United where they overcame a first half goal by Wayne Rooney. Alexandru Mitria and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi answered with a goal each before halftime and the defense held strong to knock off United and become the first New York City-based club to reach the Quarterfinals since the 1999 Staten Island Vipers (A-League, Div. 2 pro).

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Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

New York City has a chance to make some history of their own as a win over Orlando would make them the first New York City-based club to reach the Semifinals since the 1991 Brooklyn Italians not only reached the final four, but they were the last Big Apple team to lift the trophy.

 

For Orlando City SC, Nani is the team’s leading goal scorer with eight goals in MLS play but in Open Cup play Sacha Kljestan leads the team with two goals in their two-game run with both of his goals coming in a tough 3-1 road win over Memphis 901 FC (USL Championship). Orlando returned home to take on the New England Revolution and it took until extra time for the goals to start flying in.

Two goals in five minutes by Benjo Michel and Tesho Akindele (96th and 101st minutes) was the difference as Orlando punched their ticket to the Quarterfinals for the second year in a row and the fourth time in club history. A win by Orlando City on Wednesday would make them the first Florida-based club to reach the Semifinals since the Miami Fusion (MLS) made a run to the championship game in 2000.

Orlando City SC will have to play this game on one day of rest as their previous match against the Philadelphia Union was postponed due to severe weather this past Saturday and had played their match the next day. This matchup will be the first time the 2015 expansion rivals meet at this stage in the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

US OPEN CUP HISTORY

New York City FC (MLS)
5th US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 2-3-1 (0-1 PK)
Away: 1-2-1 (0-1 PK)
vs. MLS: 1-2-0
Best finish: TBD (2019)

Orlando City SC (MLS)
11th US Open Cup appearance (5th as MLS team)
Overall: 17-10-2 (2-0 PK) | 5-4-2 (2-0 PK) as MLS team
Home: 11-3-0 | 2-2-0 as MLS team
vs. MLS: 4-8-1 (1-0 PK) | 2-2-1 (1-0 PK) as MLS team
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2013*, 2015, 2018, 2019)
* as USL PRO team (Div. 3 pro)

Graphic by Dallas Kreil | IG: @dak_design
Graphic by Dallas Kreil | IG: @dak_design

Saint Louis FC (USL-C) at Atlanta United FC (MLS)
Fifth Third Bank Stadium (Kennesaw State Univ.) – Kennesaw, GA
Kickoff: July 10 – 7:30 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: ESPN+

By Michael Battista

Separated by only two years and 555 miles, Saint Louis FC and Atlanta United FC are set to face off for the first time in the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup. For both cities, starved of major sports titles until only recently, the opportunity to continue playing means different things. Saint Louis, in the midst of stadium planning and a proposed bid for an MLS franchise, is looking to continue to prove it is a major soccer hub with World Wide Technology Soccer Park regularly sold out. For Atlanta, the idea that proving the team’s 2018 MLS Cup title was no fluke and that the team can continue to compete remains steadfast as United makes its deepest run at the cup in its short history and try to bring the trophy to the state of Georgia for the first time in history.

USL Championship side Saint Louis FC had never defeated a MLS team in the US Open Cup competition up until this year. Heading into the 2019 Quarterfinals it has vanquished two in the Chicago Fire and FC Cincinnati. The first win, 2-1 over the Fire in Round 4, brought the team into the Fifth Round for the first time in club history as Saint Louis outlasted an early onslaught attack by their former MLS affiliate. Taking advantage of a counter attack and free kick respectively, both Austin Martz and Guy Abend were able to head in long balls during the first half to put their team up by two within four minutes of one-another as the St. Louligans watched on. Tomas Gomez made eight saves in goal as the Fire outshot the home side 20-6 en route to their first-ever elimination in the Fourth Round despite a successful late-game penalty putting the team within one.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

In the group’s most recent challenge, they faced off against FC Cincinnati for the first time since the latter integrated into MLS. Prior to this meeting, FCC had never been beaten by Saint Louis holding a record of 4-0-1 dating back to 2016 in USL Championship play. The first-ever US Open Cup match between the two sides was a completely different tale as the home team looked in control against the recently struggling expansion side. Cincy’s goalkeeper Przemysław Tytoń and the backline held their former USL brethren for 90 minutes and 15 shots, including five saves, but a corner kick in the third minute of second half stoppage time by Lewis Hilton found the head of a leaping Sam Fink for the late game-winner as he and the rest of his team jumped into the ecstatic crowd as the game finished 1-0 for the home team. For his game-winner and a strong defensive performance on the backline for Saint Louis FC, Fink was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round.

Following their two earlier competition wins against USL League Two’s Des Moines Menace and USL League One’s Forward Madison FC, the team has struggled in regular season play in a steep contrast to the tournament performance. Prior to their May 15 penalty kick win in Des Moines, the group was 5-1-3 in USL Championship play and securely in the upper echelons of the Eastern Conference. Since then, St. Louis has gone on a six-game winless streak (0-3-3), including a come from-behind draw on July 6 against expansion side Loudoun United FC. Sam Fink, a defender, is tied for the team lead in scoring with four but has only scored twice since April 13 and both came on penalties while Austin Martz announced his retirement from professional soccer on June 28 as his contract was terminated with the club. A team already weak on the offensive front but whose backline has kept it in the league playoff hunt and in the competition is about to face its biggest challenge of the year.

In only its third year of existence, Atlanta United FC has become one of the most successful and trendsetting clubs in Major League Soccer after winning MLS Cup last season and regularly selling out the Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes Benz Stadium which seats more than 70,000 fans. This year, the club has already advanced farther than ever before in the US Open Cup after falling in the Round of 16 in its two previous endeavors while also rebounding in league play following a rocky start to the 2019 season.

In its first match, United defeated USL Championship side Charleston Battery, 3-1 in extra time, for the third straight year. Last season’s MLS MVP, Golden Boot winner, and regular season goalscoring record holder Josef Martinez was held out of the lineup as Atlanta struggled early in the closed-door, rescheduled match-up at Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. An error by Atlanta’s Franco Escobar allowed AJ Paterson to jump on the ball and feed Ian Svantesson for the low, right corner go-ahead goal in the 20th minute. The defending MLS champs struggled to find an equalizer for most of the game despite holding a majority of possession until the 79th minute where a Pity Martinez corner kick pinballed its way off the head of Miles Robinson and the foot of Romario Williams to slowly dribble into the net. Both teams, tired in the humid Georgian evening, pushed on into extra time but Atlanta’s Brandon Vázquez came up in both 15 minute halves, both assisted by Justin Meram, to secure the win into the next round.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

While rain delayed the team’s first match to another day and venue, Atlanta’s next game against the Columbus Crew was also affected by the weather as a 49-minute weather delay late in the second half. Vázquez once again came up big for his club by scoring the opening goal five minutes in as well as the game winner during torrential rain in the 65th minute. He nearly scored his second goal earlier in the game as well as a back-pass towards Brad Guzan was intercepted with the latter out of goal as the shot on the empty net rolled from the left side off the right post and back into play. His team was challenged heavily by the 2002 Open Cup winners as a serious of chances in the box led to the Crew’s first goal in the 40th minute by David Accam while a Guzan error allowed the team to come within one not long after Vázquez scored a second after a Waylon Francis shot deflected off the goalkeeper and into the net in the 71st. A controversial no-call on a possible Atlanta foul in the box caused controversy as the game clock ran out and Atlanta advanced to the elite eight.

United this season looked to be in the midst of the championship hangover in the early part of the year. A sloppy start in the CONCACAF Champions League against Costa Rican side Herediano, which needed a second leg four-goal clean sheet and penalty kicks to advance, and subsequent loss to Mexican side Monterrey were precursors to the first few MLS matches. In the first two months, the side went 2-3-2 as the once explosive offense of last season struggled under new head coach Frank de Boer. Since the start of May, the group has rebounded with J. Martinez surging back up to fourth place in league goals scored this season while the team itself sits in fourth in the highly-competitive Eastern Conference. With this match sandwiched in between two tough league games, a home affair against unexpected rival side New York Red Bulls on July 7, which the team drew 3-3, and a road game on the west coast against the Seattle Sounders, Atlanta will need to tread carefully with its roster rotation as it continues the two front war between league and cup.

If they are able to get past Saint Louis FC, they would be just the third Georgia-based club to reach the Semifinals, and the first since Datagraphics lost in the final four in 1981. Saint Louis are trying to become the first team from their city to reach the semis since Busch SC won the tournament in 1988.

US OPEN CUP HISTORY

Saint Louis FC (USL-C)
5th US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 8-4-2 (2-0 PK)
Away: 3-2-1 (1-0 PK)
vs. MLS: 2-2-0
Best finish: Fourth Round (2015, 2017)

Atlanta United FC (MLS)
3rd US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 4-2-0
Home: 3-1-0
vs. Div. 2: 3-1-0
Best finish: Fifth Round (2017, 2018)

Graphic by Dallas Kreil | IG: @dak_design
Graphic by Dallas Kreil | IG: @dak_design

New Mexico United (USL-C) at Minnesota United FC (MLS)
Allianz Field – St. Paul, MN
Kickoff: July 10 – 8 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: ESPN+

By Tim Abbott

New Mexico United are sizing up a third MLS victim and are expecting strong away support after a flight North sold out within minutes. NMU have made history with every step of the way and it began in Round 2 with a penalty kick shootout win against fellow USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC. Devon Sandoval scored a 79th minute equalizer and added another in extra time. They became the first New Mexico club in the Modern Era (1995-present) to advance in the tournament. Kevaughn Frater was the star of the team’s Third Round road win over leaguemates Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Frater assisted on Christopher Wehan’s 87th minute equalizer and Frater scored a penalty kick in the 99th minute to give United a 2-1 extra time win. That made United the first New Mexico team to win a game in the Modern Era.

When MLS sides entered the tournament in Round 4, NMU faced the Colorado Rapids and Frater was again key, scoring a 90th minute equalizer against a side which was, by then, down to 10 men. A scoreless extra time led to another penalty shootout and the lower division club advanced 4-2 to become the first New Mexico team to upset a MLS team.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

Like their opponents, their last Open Cup match was in Texas, with New Mexico facing FC Dallas. Brandon Servania put the MLS side ahead but Frater provided the equalizer and Sam Hamilton scored what would prove to be the game-winner in the 64th minute to make United the first New Mexico club to reach the Quarterfinals since the New Mexico Chiles in 1991.

They currently sit in 7th place in the USL Championship’s Western Conference with a record of 6-4-8, nine points off the top spot. The club is struggling in league play as they are in the midst of a five-game winless streak (0-3-2). The club’s last win came back on May 25 when they defeated a shorthanded Austin Bold team, 3-1.

Minnesota United entered the 2019 tournament with very little success in the competition, even dating back to the club’s NASL days. Prior to this year, the United had only won multiple games in a single tournament once (They won two games in 2012 as an NASL team). To reach the Quartefinals for the first time, Minnesota would have to go through the last two US Open Cup champions. They began in the Fourth Round with a 4-1 home win over the four-time champion Sporting Kansas City. Darwin Quintero led the way with a pair of second half goals and an assist as Sporting suffered its first opening round loss in 16 years.

In the Round of 16, United hit the road with a Dylan Wolpers Derby victory against defending champion Houston Dynamo. United found themselves down 2-0 at halftime and scored three unanswered goals, the first two of them by Quintero. 2018 Superdraftee Mason Toye would complete the comeback with the winning goal in the 90th minute to send United into the Quarterfinals for the first time in club history. They are just the second Minnesota club to reach the round of eight, and the first since the Minnesota Thunder (USL First Division, Div. 2 pro) made a run to the Semifinals in 2005.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

Led by Toye, Minnesota is making a charge up the table of the MLS Western Conference at present, currently sitting fourth in the table with a record of 9-7-3, albeit substantially behind the division leading LAFC’s record-setting attack. United have won three straight games in league play, including last Saturday’s 3-2 comeback win on the road against the Montreal Impact. Toye scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner early in the second half.

US OPEN CUP HISTORY

New Mexico United (USL-C)
1st US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 2-0-2 (2-0 PK)
Away: 2-0-2 (2-0 PK)
MLS: 1-0-1 (1-0 PK)
Best finish: First entry

Minnesota United FC (MLS)
10th US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 7-7-2 (1-1 PK) | 2-2-1 (1-0 PK) as MLS team
Home: 2-3-0 | 1-0-0 as MLS team
Div. 2 Pro: 0-1-1 (1-0 PK) | 0-0-1 (1-0 PK)
Best finish: 2018 Fifth Round

Graphic by Dallas Kreil | IG: @dak_design

Graphic by Dallas Kreil | IG: @dak_design
Portland Timbers (MLS) at Los Angeles FC (MLS)
Banc of California Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
Kickoff: July 10 – 10:30 pm ET
BROADCAST: ESPN+

By Jeremiah Braeback

The Portland Timbers head down the Pacific Coast, as they take on Los Angeles FC at Banc of California Stadium in the 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Quarterfinals on Wednesday, July 10.

The Timbers come in to the match having defeated the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy in the Fourth Round and the Round of 16, respectively. In Round 4, they met their rivals from Seattle for the eighth time in Open Cup play, the most common matchup of the Modern Era (1995-present). Brian Fernandez scored both goals that day to eliminate the four-time champions from the Emerald City, 2-1.

Fernandez would score his third goal of the tournament as the Timbers would cruise in the Round of 16 with a 4-0 home win over the Galaxy to reach the Quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Fernandez has nine goals across all competitions this year for the Timbers, who have managed to field a mostly first-team lineup in their first two Open Cup matches. Portland also received goals from Sebastian Blanco and Jorge Moreira, in the win over the Galaxy, in addition to an own goal.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit <a href="https://shop.thecup.us/">THECUP.US SHOP</a>
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

In MLS play, the Timbers currently sit at 23 points (7-8-2) but have started to turn the corner after a slow start, winning five of their last six matches in all competitions dating back to the middle of June. In addition to the 9 goals by Fernandez, Jeremy Ebobisse has added five goals, while Diego Valeri has added three goals and dished out 10 assists, while Steve Clark has solidified his claim as the No. 1 goalkeeper with four consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

The Timbers have been competing in the US Open Cup since 2004 when they qualified as an A-League team (Div. 2 pro). They qualified seven times as a USL team, but never advanced beyond the Fourth Round, and never upset a MLS team in four attempts (2 vs. San Jose, 2 vs. Seattle). Since joining MLS, their best finish was when they became the first Oregon-based club to ever reach the Semifinals in 2013. They would lose a close road game to Real Salt Lake, 2-1. This is the club’s fourth trip to the Quarterfinals as they are attempting to be the first Oregon club to lift the trophy.

Los Angeles FC are hoping their league form continues to carry over into the US Open Cup as they enter Wednesday’s game as the best team in MLS. The second-year franchise is back in the Quarterfinals for the second straight year having defeated a pair of MLS opponents in their opening two matches.

In Round 4, they cruised to a 3-0 victory at Real Salt Lake. Carlos Vela struck early, Lee Nguyen scored early in the second half and Adama Diomande scored in stoppage time to lead LAFC to their first tournament road win. In the Round of 16, they hosted the San Jose Earthquakes and found themselves down 1-0 after seven minutes on a goal from Valeri Qazaishvili. They would bounce back as last year’s TheCup.us Player of the Tournament finalist Diego Rossi pulled LAFC level in the 35th minute and Diomande and Vela each scored their second goals of the tournament in the second half to advance. Pablo Sisniega started both matches in US Open Cup play, recording a clean sheet and nine saves.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

In MLS play, LAFC lead MLS with 43 points and are 4-1-0 over their last five. Vela leads the team with 19 goals and 12 assists, while Rossi has 10 goals and five assists.

A win for LAFC on Wednesday night would move Bob Bradley, who has two US Open Cup titles under his belt while in charge of the Chicago Fire (1998, 2000), into third place in the Modern Era’s coaching wins list.

This will be the second year in a row that the two clubs have met in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals. Last year’s match saw LAFC defeat the Timbers 3-2 at Banc Of California Stadium in front of the biggest quarterfinal crowd of the Modern Era (17,989). The home team received goals from Carlos Vela and Marco Urena as well as a Portland own goal. However, controversy followed as the Timbers filled a protest claiming that LAFC exceeded the limit of five foreign players on a US Open Cup gameday roster. The player in question was Mark-Anthony Kaye, a Canadian. The Timbers were correct because by US Soccer standards, Kaye is a Canadian player, but according to Major League Soccer’s rules, he is listed as a domestic player. However, it appeared to be a mistake and the Timbers accepted the result and withdrew their protest.

LAFC have won both league meetings with the Timbers so far this year. They won 4-1 back on March 10 and 3-2 on June 1.

While the Timbers and LAFC have only played each other five times in their history, there is the feeling of a rivalry each time they take the pitch against the other. In their most recent meeting, a long scuffle occurred toward the end of the match, resulting in yellow cards to Fernandez and Diomande, and fines later being issued by MLS to both sides.

US OPEN CUP HISTORY

Portland Timbers (MLS)
15th US Open Cup appearance (8th as MLS team)
Overall: 18-13-1 (0-1 PK) | 11-7-0 as MLS team
Away: 9-7-0 | 4-5-0 as MLS team
vs. MLS: 8-9-1 (0-1 PK) | 8-6-0 as MLS team
Best finish: 2013 Semifinals

Los Angeles FC (MLS)
2nd US Open Cup appearance
Overall: 5-0-1 (0-1 PK)
Home: 4-0-0
MLS: 3-0-1 (0-1 PK)
Best finish: 2018 Semifinals

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