Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2024 US Open Cup

2024 US Open Cup Qualifying: 109 clubs enter with Round 1 beginning Sept. 9-10

by

Photo: UDA Soccer
Photo: UDA Soccer

The US Soccer Federation announced the 109 clubs that will take part in Open Division Local qualifying for the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. In addition, the federation has announced the match-ups and schedule for both the First Qualifying Round (Sept. 9-10) and Second Qualifying Round (Sept. 30-Oct. 1). There are clubs from 23 states plus the District of Columbia, with the lion’s share coming from United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) with 47 teams from that league. The four rounds of single elimination matches will take place over the rest of 2023 with 11 qualifiers being determined. Match-ups will be geographical to minimize travel for all teams. The schedule is as follows: 

  • September 9-10, 2023 – First Qualifying Round
  • September 30 – October 1, 2023 – Second Qualifying Round
  • October 21-22, 2023 – Third Qualifying Round
  • November, 18-19, 2023 – Fourth Qualifying Round

The pairings for the first two rounds can be found HERE. 67 teams in total will receive a bye to the second qualifying round, while the remaining 42 will contest the first round in 21 games total. 44 games will be played in the second round. By the end of the fourth round, only 11 teams will remain.

Two teams have already qualified for next year’s tournament and bypassed the qualifying phase. SC MesoAmerica from Los Angeles won the 2023 USASA National Amateur Cup earlier this month to qualify for their first US Open Cup. Likewise, AS Frenzi won the 2023 UPSL Spring Championship to qualify for 2024, becoming the first club to reach the First Round via this method.

Two other Open Division national leagues will bypass qualifying and enter in the First Round as well, using 2023 season results to determine entrants. USL League Two (USL-2) and National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) will each receive their own slots in the competition. UPSL, although meets Open Cup national league status, chose not to go down this qualifying route. Instead, it let each team in the league choose on its own if they want to participate or not in local qualifying.

The number of slots going to the Open Division qualifying track and the two national leagues is proportional to the number of clubs in each league or pool of teams. Based on the qualifying track receiving 11 slots for their 109 clubs, we can determine a rough estimate for the total number of Open Division qualifiers for the First Round next March.

As of publication of this article, US Soccer is planning for 34 to 36 total slots for the Open Division. This number will be adjusted as the professional leagues finalize their rosters of teams for the 2024 season. The reason it is a range is because the math works out for 34, 35, and 36 teams to result in 11 local qualifying slots for the 109 teams in that pool, which is the known value.

Here’s how it would work out if US Soccer has 34 slots for the Open Division in 2024.

  • SC MesoAmerica (Amateur Cup)
  • AS Frenzi (UPSL Spring Champion)
  • 11 Local Qualifying out of 109 teams
  • 9 NPSL out of 92 teams
  • 12 USL League Two out of 120 teams

If there are 35 teams, there would be 10 NPSL teams instead of 9. If there are 36 teams, there would be 10 NPSL teams instead of 9 and 13 USL League Two teams instead of 12. As the slots move up or down going into 2024 based on the professional leagues finalizing their teams for next season, those slots will be given to or taken away from the combined pool of the two national league track leagues, NPSL and USL League Two. Local Qualifying will remain at 11 slots permanently for 2024 and the two other qualifiers from the Amateur Cup and UPSL will also remain.

Here are the entries for the 2024 Open Division Local qualifying tournament:

ALABAMA (1)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* FC Birmingham; Fultondale, Ala.

ARIZONA (3)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Coronado Athletic Club; Hereford, Ariz.
* SC Union Maricopa; Gilbert, Ariz.
Southwest Premier League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* Sporting Arizona FC; Phoenix, Ariz.

CALIFORNIA (21)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Elk Grove Blues; Elk Grove, Calif.
* Escondido FC; Escondido, Calif.
* FC Folsom; Folsom, Calif.
* Irvine FC; Irvine, Calif.
* Irvine Zeta; Irvine, Calif.
* Laguna United FC; Laguna Niguel, Calif.
* Murrieta Soccer Academy; Temecula, Calif.
* Rebels Soccer Club; Chula Vista, Calif.
* Santa Monica Surf; Santa Monica, Calif.
* Trojans FC; Los Angeles, Calif.
* Valley 559 FC; Fresno, Calif.
NISA Nation (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* Bay Area United FC; Oakland, Calif.
* Capo FC; San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
* Jasa RWC; Redwood City, Calif.
* Temecula FC; Temecula, Calif.
San Francisco Soccer Football League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* International SF; San Francisco, Calif.
* SF Vikings SC; San Francisco, Calif.
* The Olympic Club; San Francisco, Calif.
National Soccer League (United States Specialty Sports Association-Soccer)
* Marin County Union SC; San Rafael, Calif.
* Real San Jose; San Jose, Calif.
West Coast Soccer Association (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* UC Davis Club; Davis, Calif.

COLORADO (5)
Colorado Premier League (United States Specialty Sports Association-Soccer)
* Azteca FC; Denver, Colo.
* Colorado Rovers; Golden, Colo.
* FC Denver; Denver, Colo.
* Harpos FC; Longmont, Colo.
Mountain Premier League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* Peak Eleven Football Club; Broomfield, Colo.

CONNECTICUT (1)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Ole Football Club; Ansonia, Conn.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (3)
American Premier League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* Aegean Hawks FC; Washington, D.C.
* Yinz United; Washington, D.C.
DC Premier League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* DCFC; Washington, D.C.

FLORIDA (18)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Chargers Soccer Club; Clearwater, Fla.
* Dade County FC; South Miami, Fla.
* Deportivo Lake Mary FC; Lake Mary, Fla.
* Florida Premier FC; Odessa, Fla.
* Harbor City FC; Melbourne, Fla.
* Leg-AZ World FC; Gainesville, Fla.
* Parkland Soccer Club; Parkland, Fla.
* Royal Palms Soccer Club; Palm Coast, Fla.
United States Soccer League (United States Specialty Sports Association-Soccer)
* CFL GOSA Spurs; Sanford, Fla.
* City Soccer FC; West Palm Beach, Fla.
* Florida Brothers; Dania Beach, Fla.
* Hodler Miami FC; Doral, Fla.
* Miami Soccer Academy; Miami Beach, Fla.
* Miami United FC; Miami Beach, Fla.
* Orlando FC Wolves; Longwood, Fla.
* O’Shea’s FC; West Palm Beach, Fla.
* Soccer Paradise FC; North Miami Beach, Fla.
Florida Gold Coast League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* Hurricane FC; Boynton Beach, Fla.

GEORGIA (4)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Kalonji Pro-Profile; Dacula, Ga.
* North Georgia United; Calhoun, Ga.
Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* Majestic Soccer Club; Atlanta, Ga.
* Terminus FC; Atlanta, Ga.

ILLINOIS (5)
Midwest Premier League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* Berber City FC; Chicago, Ill.
* Chicago House AC; Chicago, Ill.
* Edgewater Castle Football Club; Chicago, Ill.
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Chicago Strikers; Chicago, Ill.
* Wisloka Chicago; Chicago, Ill.

MASSACHUSETTS (4)
Bay State Soccer League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* CD Faialense; Cambridge, Mass.
* FC Omens; Boston, Mass.
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Boston Street FC; Revere, Mass.
* Brockton FC United; Brockton, Mass.

MARYLAND (3)
Maryland Super Soccer League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* Christos FC; Gambrills, Md.
* Steel Pulse FC; Windsor Mill, Md.
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* MoCo 1776 FC; Gaitherrburg, Md.

NORTH CAROLINA (1)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Mint Hill FC; Mint Hill, N.C.

NEW JERSEY (3)
Eastern Premier Soccer League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* Real Central NJ Soccer; Lawrenceville, N.J.
Garden State Soccer League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* SC Vistula Garfield; Garfield, N.J.
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* New Jersey Alliance FC; Lyndhurst, N.J.

NEW MEXICO (1)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* UDA Soccer; Las Cruces, N.M.

NEVADA (1)
NISA Nation (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
* BattleBorn FC; Carson City, Nev.

NEW YORK (9)
Eastern Premier Soccer League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* Lansdowne Yonkers FC; Yonkers, N.Y.
* New York Greek American SC; Astoria, N.Y.*
* New York Pancyprian Freedoms; Astoria, N.Y.^
* Zum Schneider FC 03; Roosevelt Island, N.Y.
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* New York Braveheart SC; Central Islip, N.Y.
* NY Renegades FC; Hicksville, N.Y.
* Sahara Gunners FC; Buffalo, N.Y.
Cosmopolitan Soccer League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* Manhattan Kickers FC; Flushing, N.Y.
Rochester District Soccer League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* IASC Boom; Rochester, N.Y.

OHIO (1)
Ohio Valley Premier League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* Valhalla FC; Cincinnati, Ohio.

PENNSYLVANIA (6)
United Soccer League of Pennsylvania (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* Colonial SC; Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
* Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals; North Wales, Pa.**
* United German Hungarians; Ambler, Pa.
* Vereinigung Erzgebirge; Warminster, Pa.
Eastern Premier Soccer League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* Kensington Soccer Club; Philadelphia, Pa.
* Philadelphia Heritage SC; Philadelphia, Pa.

SOUTH CAROLINA (1)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* South Carolina United Heat; Lexington. S.C.

TENNESSEE (1)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Tennessee Tempo FC; Nashville, Tenn.

TEXAS (9)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Alamo City Soccer Club; San Antonio, Texas
* Foro SC; Dallas, Texas
* Tenfifteen FC; Dallas, Texas
Austin Men’s Soccer Association (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* Austin Longhorns; Austin, Texas
* Austin Thunder; Austin, Texas
Gulf Coast Premier League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* Central Texas Lobos; ; Austin, Texas
* Daggers CTX; Fort Hood, Texas
United States Soccer League (United States Specialty Sports Association-Soccer)
* Athletic Katy FC; Katy, Texas
* Houston FC; ; Pasadena, Texas

UTAH (1)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Provo Athletic Club; Provo, Utah
 

VIRGINIA (4)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Arlington SA; Arlington, Va
* VA Revolution Pro; Leesburg, Va
* Villarreal CF Virginia; Springfield, Va
Eastern Premier Soccer League (US Adult Soccer Assn)
* NoVa FC; Centreville, Va.

WASHINGTON (3)
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
* Bellevue Athletic FC ; Snohomish, Wash.
* Holac FC; Seattle, Wash.
Recreational Adult Team Soccer (United States Specialty Sports Association-Soccer)
* Sharktopus Football Club; Seattle, Wash.

* Four-time U.S. Open Cup Champion (1967-69, 1974)
^ Three-time U.S. Open Cup Champion (1980, 1982-83)
** Four-time U.S. Open Cup Champion (1960-61, 1963, 1966)

Again, the match-ups and schedule for the first two qualifying rounds can be found HERE.

FACTS AND FIGURES

  • 25 different leagues represented
  • 23 different states plus the District of Columbia represented (two less than 2023 qualifying)
  • Four (4) teams have entered all five previous years of Open Division local qualifying: Colorado (2): Colorado Rovers, Harpos FC; New York (1): New York Pancyprian Freedoms; Pennsylvania (1): Vereinigung Erzgebirge

AS Frenzi wins 2023 UPSL title, secures 2024 US Open Cup berth

by

AS Frenzi celebrates winning the 2023 Spring Season championship. Photo: Riley Rumbley (@ri.rum)
AS Frenzi celebrates winning the 2023 Spring Season championship. Photo: Riley Rumbley (@ri.rum)

For the first time since the 2019 tournament, there is a new way to qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Earlier this year, US Soccer announced that the winner of the spring season of the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) would automatically qualify for the following year’s tournament. The honor of being the first team to qualify via this method went to AS Frenzi of Central Florida, who beat Sporting Wichita SC, 2-1 after extra time in the UPSL national championship on Sunday afternoon.

The game took place at Segra Field in Loudoun, Va., home of USL Championship side Loudoun United FC. Both Frenzi and Wichita won their respective semifinal matches on Friday at Segra to reach the Saturday’s final.

 

Technically, Frenzi are the second team to officially qualify for the 2024 US Open Cup. Just under 24 hours prior, SC MesoAmerica punched their ticket by winning the 2023 USASA National Amateur Cup.

Coming into the game, one of the biggest stories was the amount of youth that AS Frenzi brought with them to nationals. The biggest example being 16-year-old Yan Diomande, who entered the Final only one goal behind in the golden boot race for the UPSL Playoffs. The striker, who players for the Ivory Coast Under-17 national team, made his mark on the game in the 8th minute. Diomande got the ball down the left wing, breaking away from his assigned defender, before coolly slotting the ball into the back of the net. It was 1-0 Frenzi early.

As the first half started to wind up so did Sporting Wichita. Despite a slow start out of the gate the team settled into the game. The breakthrough came in the 44th minute after forcing multiple good saves from Frenzi goalkeeper Andrew Ketelsen. Wichita wing-back Yuki Sekiguchi pounced on the loose ball in the box and fired it home. The goal came as Wichita had been peppering the Frenzi goal for the last 25 minutes.

The remainder of the first half saw both teams unable to break the deadlock. Both keepers pulled off wonder saves to keep the game tied. Sporting Wichita’s Rafa Furlani had multiple one-on-one saves as Fenzi’s youthful attack was non-stop, especially latter on in the second half.

Regulation ended with the score still tied, 1-1, bringing the game to extra time. Both keepers continued to pull out amazing saves. As the game entered the 115th minute everything pointed to this game being decided by penalties.

Instead, the teenager Diomonde stepped up to stake his claim. He curled the ball into the bottom right of the net with five minutes to play. That goal put him atop the Golden Boot race but also, more importantly, gave AS Frenzi their first UPSL national championship.

Frenzi head coach Tyler Westen knows teams always have different methods of building squads. But Frenzi’s youth first focus was paramount to its success.

“There’s a lot of different ways that teams have built their teams since we’ve been in the UPSL and from the beginning we wanted to focus on basing our team on youth players and placing them with the right experience,” Westen said. “We found some talent in guys like Yan Diomonde and I’m very very proud of this group of players.”

Other than the obvious trophy and prize money this win also birthed AS Frenzi’s qualification to the US Open Cup. A challenge that head coach Westen is excited for.

“Well, preparation is going in as it starts tomorrow. This experience is only going to make these guys better, we’re obviously extremely excited for this new challenge and can’t wait to get started.”

It is important to note that all other members of the UPSL are still eligible to take part in Open Cup qualifying later this Fall. While the UPSL is a “national league” according to USSF, similar to the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) or USL League Two (USL-2), it opted not to follow the “national league” track for Open Cup qualifying. That means they do not get automatic spots for multiple teams based on league performance.

2023 United Premier Soccer League Spring National Championship Broadcast

SC MesoAmerica wins Amateur Cup title, becomes first to qualify for 2024 US Open Cup

by

SC MesoAmerica celebrates after winning the 2023 USASA National Amateur Cup championship. Photo: USASA
SC MesoAmerica celebrates after winning the 2023 USASA National Amateur Cup championship. Photo: US Soccer

 

For the first time in nearly three decades, the USASA National Amateur Cup trophy is heading out west.

SC MesoAmerica won the 2023 USASA National Amateur Cup, 2-1, over Newtown Pride FC on Saturday night in Bettendorf, Iowa. The game completed a two-day tournament at the TBK Bank Complex with Meso winning its first-ever national title. By lifting the trophy, MesoAmerica becomes the first official entry into the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The Los Angeles, Calif. side is the fifth team to win the title since US Soccer began inviting the champion of the United States Adult Soccer Association’s top tournament to the following year’s Open Cup in 2018. Meso is also the first western team (Region IV) to win a USASA national tournament since the Denver Kickers won the 1995 Amateur Cup.

(Note: The team is also known by “MesoAmerica FC” and “MesoAmerica-San Carlos FC”)

Head coach Jimmy Pineda was overwhelmed following the win. It has been a long road not just from February’s state cup win, which put them in the regional final, but from a third place finish in the 2019 national tournament.

“We’ve been preparing for this for months, and months, and months since we won the state cup,” Pineda said. “I was thinking we have to go all the way to the end. We’ve been preparing, watching players. Trying to make a family, make a group that would last until the final.”

For Newtown Pride the result ends a stellar year for the club. The Connecticut side won the regional amateur cup, state-level league, and The Soccer Tournament (TST) for one million dollars. However they could not win their second National Amateur Cup after going all the way in 2019.

Prior to Saturday, the four amateur champions of the USASA regions descended on Iowa to compete in the national semifinals. Meso reached this point by winning the 2023 Cal South Adult State Cup in February. The team then beat National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) side Napa Valley 1839 FC, 2-0, in the Region IV final last month. Striker German Alfaro said in a postgame interview that his group knew how deep the competition was.

“All these teams are really good (and) organized,” Alfaro said. “We had to match their momentum, their (physicality) even more. It took a lot of us and everyone was in the same symphony. The game shows how prepared (we were).”

The last time MesoAmerica reached the nationals in 2019 the team’s title hopes were crushed by that year’s Region III champion Horizon FC (Texas). In a bit of revenge, the Region IV representatives beat Region III champions Tobacco Road FC (North Carolina), 2-1, on Friday night.

Former Chilean professional player and youth national team player Piero Gárate scored in the first half to give Meso the lead. Bryan Medina doubled the advantage in what would be the game-winning goal before halftime. Tobacco Road’s offense struggled to adjust after scoring over 30 goals in the regional tournament back in Plano, Texas. Eric Chavez cut into the deficit but Tobacco was unable to find an equalizer.

One field over, Newtown Pride FC knocked off two-time national champion RWB Adria (Illinois), 2-1 after extra time, in the night’s other semifinal match. In a 2019 national semifinal rematch Newtown was pushed to the brink by the Croatian powerhouse. Early in the second half, a pull down in the Newtown box sent Milos Vucic to the spot. He converted in the 49th minute to put RWB up, 1-0. Momentum swung back to the Pride, who equalized in the 71st minute. A free kick found Felipe Dutra in the box, where he sent a right footed shot into the netting.

The game entered extra time still tied 1-1. Newtown finally capitalized late in the second half when Gabriel Ganzer made a run on net. A long cross near the right post found him between the goalkeeper. He knocked in his eighth goal of the tournament to win the game.


The National Amateur Cup Final on Saturday was the first meeting ever between MesoAmerica and Newtown. A battle of opposites, with Meso trying to make it to the national spotlight while Newtown tried to return after fate and COVID robbed them of so much. Back in 2019, Newtown became the second club to qualify for the Open Cup as Amateur Cup champions. However, the pandemic eventually cancelled the 2020 tournament, plus the 2021 tournament which the Pride won a random draw to qualify for.

In a wild opening 180 seconds, both teams found the back of the net. After Newtown kicked off, MesoAmerica immediately began pressing them in their own end. A backpass hit off a Pride defender and fell at the feet of Alfaro. He passed up to Bryan Medina on a run, onside but past the backline in the box. Newtown keeper Ryan Langkafel was too late in jumping on the ball and Medina slotted the shot in. His second goal in as many days put his team ahead, 1-0, in the first minute.

After nearly a minute of resetting, Newtown kicked off again. An attack formulated up the right side with a cross going into Meso’s box. Ganzer headed the shot on target, low and to the left, but a diving save by keeper Jesus Dautt kept it out. Quick reflexes by Erik Lorent on the rebound were enough to punch in the loose ball and make it 1-1.

The half ended with both teams getting chances but failing to score, leaving the match deadlocked.



Much like the first half, the second 45 minutes heated up quickly. After kicking off, MesoAmerica prodded the rested Newtown defense. Moises Vazquez launched a long pass to Alfaro on the left side of the box with the forward clear of any defenders. His left footed strike struck off keeper Langkafel and bounced into the net to make it 2-1.

This was Alfaro’s fourth time playing in the national finals. A 2018 semifinals appearance with San Nicolas FC, a third place finish with Meso in 2019, and a runner-up performance in 2021 with Cal FC all led the striker up to this point.

“It’s everything for me. It’s my fourth one so they had to give it to me,” Alfaro joked after the game. “ I’m glad we were able to do it today and very happy with the team’s effort. And everyone who supports us off the pitch. I’m very happy”

Newtown’s offense tried to find an equalizer but the Pride seemed exhausted from the previous day’s 120 minute match. Yellow cards flew in both directions before Tavoy Morgan, a goal scorer from 2019’s title game, was sent off. An attack up the right side saw Morgan pass the ball off before cutting in. He elbowed a Meso player in the head while passing him, earning a second yellow and a send off in the 90th minute. 

Substitute Khalid Rose was also shown a second yellow in the 90+13th minute of stoppage for a hard foul during a MesoAmerica attack.

For their win, MesoAmerica wins $8,000 in prize money along with the Open Cup berth and trophy. Newtown Pride takes home $7,000 as the runner-up. Both Tobacco Road and RWB Adria were awarded $3,500 each for reaching the national semifinals.

Pineda knows his team is bound for the Open Cup next year and says Saturday’s win is “the best feeling” he’s ever had.

“I’m very proud of these guys,” the coach said. “We’ve been (practicing) for months and preparing like I said before. They act like a real family. They put all they have, all their power, all their energy to make this happen.”

2023 National Amateur Cup Final Broadcast

2024 US Open Cup: Which NPSL teams could qualify?

by

Players from Tulsa Athletic and FC Tulsa battle for the ball in their 2023 US Open Cup match. Photo: Tulsa Athletic
Players from Tulsa Athletic and FC Tulsa battle for the ball in their 2023 US Open Cup match. Photo: Tulsa Athletic

The 2023 National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) season has reached the championship. With the all but the final game to go, we can take a look at which teams will have the highest priority of qualifying for the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

After years of either steady or increasing berth totals for teams between 2011 and 2018, the NPSL experienced its first decrease in tournament slots in 2019 going from 18 (22 after including last minute Play-in teams) to 14. This stayed steady for the 2020 tournament with 14 entrants before COVID-19 would cancel both the 2020 and 2021 tournaments.  It then decreased again over the last two years with only 10 entrants in the 2022 tournament and 8 entrants in the 2023 tournament. With expansion coming across the board from all professional leagues, it would seem likely that the number of berths for both NPSL and USL League Two could go down again or at best remain level. The final allocation will not be determined until the professional leagues have finalized their entrants in early January 2024.

NPSL’s CLASSIFICATION RULES

Heading into the 2024 US Open Cup, the NPSL has 92 teams that are eligible for the competition divided into four regions: South (26), Midwest (26), East (25), and West (15).

The first eight possible berths are awarded to teams that advanced deep into the 2023 NPSL playoffs. Slots one and two are reserved for the champion and runner-up, respectively. Slots three and four are given to the teams that reached the semifinals and teams five through eight are held by the remaining quarterfinalists. Teams finishing at the same round will be ordered by regular season points per game. The Top 8 teams are (this will be updated as the playoffs conclude):

  1. Tulsa Athletic (national champion, 2.3 PPG)
  2. Apotheos FC (national runner-up, 2.1 PPG)
  3. West Chester United SC (national semifinalist, 2.4 PPG)
  4. Crossfire Red (national semifinalist, 2.2 PPG)
  5. El Farolito (regional finalist, 2.8 PPG) 
  6. Steel City FC (regional finalist, 2.67 PPG)
  7. FC Motown (regional finalist, 2.60 PPG)
  8. Southern States Soccer Club (regional finalist, 2.3 PPG)

After that, the next spots are purely given out on a regular season points per game basis to the next team in the next region that gets a spot. This is ordered by the the number of teams in each region. For the 2024 Open Cup, since the South and Midwest have the same number of teams, when it is their turn collectively to put forth a team, the best remaining team in each region is compared by NPSL tiebreakers (avg. points, avg. GD, avg. GF) and then the tiebreaker winner gets the next spot, with the other team getting the spot after that. If a team declines the spot or is ineligible to take any spot, the next team in the region ranking gets the spot. What this means is if, for example, 11 NPSL teams qualify for the 2023 Open Cup, it will be guaranteed to be 3 teams each from the South, East, and Midwest regions, and 2 teams from the West region, even if it’s a team much further down a regional ranking compared to a team from another region.

UPDATE FOR THIS YEAR: While the handbook does say this, in practice, this is not how it works. NPSL will submit a list to US Soccer numbered 1st through 92nd and US Soccer will invite teams on that list in that order until the spots are allocated. This means if a team declines, for example the 11th team on the list which would be from the East region, US Soccer will then invite the 12th team on the list which is from the West region, not the East region. We have confirmed this process with US Soccer.

In the past, NPSL has usually received 10 or more slots. This past year was the first time in many years they received fewer than 10 spots in the First Round. Considering the league remained stagnant at 92 teams total, it is unlikely that NPSL will receive more than 8 spots, and could even receive fewer spots as the professional leagues continue to expand.

With all that out of the way, here are the 2024 NPSL US Open Cup berth rankings. With the exception of the very top of the list which will be listed as TBD until the playoffs conclude, it is final.

Priority Playoff Finish or Region Team PPG
1 National Champion Tulsa Athletic 2.3
2 National Runner-up Apotheos FC 2.1
3 National Semifinalist West Chester United SC 2.4
4 National Semifinalist Crossfire Red 2.2
5 Regional Finalist El Farolito 2.8
6 Regional Finalist Steel City FC 2.666667
7 Regional Finalist FC Motown 2.6
8 Regional Finalist Southern States Soccer Club 2.3
9 South/Midwest Duluth FC 2.833333
10 South/Midwest Lubbock Matadors SC 2.727273
11 East Annapolis Blues FC 2.5
12 West Napa Valley 1839 FC 2.2
13 South/Midwest Naples United FC 2.7
14 South/Midwest Des Moines United 2.5
15 East Kingston Stockade FC 2.3
16 West FC Arizona 1.7
17 South/Midwest Brownsville NPSL 2.272727
18 South/Midwest OKC 1889 FC 2.2
19 East Greenville United 2.2
20 West California Odyssey SC 1.7
21 South/Midwest Michigan Rangers 2.083333
22 South/Midwest Jacksonville Armada FC U-23 2
23 East Alexandria Reds 2
24 West Las Vegas Legends FC 1.7
25 South/Midwest Dakota Fusion FC 2.083333
26 South/Midwest West Texas FC 2
27 East Atlantic City FC 1.9
28 West San Ramon FC 1.6
29 South/Midwest Med City FC 1.833333
30 South/Midwest Corinthians FC of San Antonio 1.818182
31 East Jackson Lions FC 1.9
32 West Crossfire White 1.3
33 South/Midwest FC Milwaukee Torrent 1.8
34 South/Midwest Laredo Heat SC 1.727273
35 East Hersey FC 1.8
36 West Lions United FC 1.2
37 South/Midwest Appalachian FC 1.7
38 South/Midwest Cleveland SC 1.666667
39 East Hartford City FC 1.7
40 West Oakland SC 1.1
41 South/Midwest Georgia Revolution FC 1.5
42 South/Midwest Carpathia FC 1.333333
43 East Philadelphia Ukranian Nationals 1.6
44 West Sacramento Gold FC 1
45 South/Midwest Charlottetowne Hops FC 1.4
46 South/Midwest Erie Commodores FC 1.333333
47 East New York Shockers 1.3
48 West Sonoma County Sol FC 0.8
49 South/Midwest Tallahassee SC 1.4
50 South/Midwest Sunflower State FC 1.3
51 East Grove United 1.2
52 West FC Davis 0.5
53 South/Midwest Pensacola FC 1.4
54 South/Midwest Kansas City Sol 1.2
55 East Electric City Shock SC 1.1
56 West Oakland Stompers 0.5
57 South/Midwest Atletico de Miami Beach 1.4
58 South/Midwest Demize NPSL 1.2
59 East Northern Virginia United 1.1
60 West OSA Seattle FC 0.3
61 South/Midwest Denton Diablos FC 1.363636
62 South/Midwest Iowa Raptors FC 1.2
63 East Pennsylvania Classics 1
64 South/Midwest New Orleans Jesters 1.2
65 South/Midwest Minnesota TwinStars FC 1.166667
66 East FC Monmouth 1
67 South/Midwest Ehtar Belleville FC 1.1
68 South/Midwest Forth Worth Vaqueros FC 1.090909
69 East Virginia Dream FC 1
70 South/Midwest Global Soccer Pathways 1
71 South/Midwest Joy St. Louis Park 1
72 East Valeo FC 1
73 South/Midwest 865 Alliance 0.9
74 South/Midwest Akron City FC 0.833333
75 East Philadelphia Union DS 0.9
76 South/Midwest Reign FK 0.8
77 South/Midwest Georgia Storm 0.8
78 East Virginia Beach City FC 0.6
79 South/Midwest Austin United FC 0.727273
80 South/Midwest Club Atletico Saint Louis 0.7
81 East Syracuse FC 0.5
82 South/Midwest Arkansas Wolves SC 0.7
83 South/Midwest Miami Dutch Lions FC 0.7
84 East FC Frederick 0.4
85 South/Midwest LC Aris FC 0.583333
86 South/Midwest CF10 Houston FC 0.363636
87 East First State FC 0.3
88 South/Midwest Sioux Falls Thunder FC 0.5
89 South/Midwest Central Texas Coyotes FC 0.363636
90 East Torch FC 0.3
91 South/Midwest FC Columbus 0.25
92 South/Midwest Florida Roots FC 0

2024 US Open Cup: Which USL League Two teams could qualify?

by

Andre “Dede” Sabino of the Ocean City Nor’easters celebrates after scoring a goal against West Chester United in the First Round of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Matt Ralph | Philadelphia Soccer Now
Andre “Dede” Sabino of the Ocean City Nor’easters celebrates after scoring a goal against West Chester United in the First Round of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Matt Ralph | Philadelphia Soccer Now

While the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is still in progress, with the semifinals taking place in about a month, the qualifying for the 2024 competition has been underway all summer in the national leagues.

The format for the 2024 edition of the tournament has yet to be released, however the method in which teams can reach the tournament proper have been finalized including the Open Division National League Track. One of these leagues, 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 allocated to it among the rest of the open division. 

Tuesday night finished the regular season of USL League Two, which means the “priority list” of teams for determining who qualifies is (almost) complete.

Beginning in 2012 and continuing in 2013, the top 16 US-based USL League Two teams qualified for the tournament directly based on how well they did the previous season. That number increased to 19 from 2014-16 and in 2017 the top 21 teams got in. Since then the number of slots awarded has gone down with 20 allocated in 2018 and 10 slots allocated in 2019. It’s stayed at about that number since, with 11 slots allocated in the cancelled 2020 tournament, then 10 slots allocated in 2022 and 2023 tournaments.

Now, for the 2024 Open Cup, the 17 division winners won by US based teams will be prioritized first, followed by the rest of the league’s teams sorted by Points-Per-Game (PPG). Different divisions played different numbers of games meaning average points per game will be used to sort the teams (followed by average goal difference and average goals scored).

There is one exception to this. The USL League Two champion in the playoffs that are underway this weekend will receive the #1 overall priority for the league, ahead of all division champions. This was added by the league for the 2021 USL-2 season. Ventura County Fusion benefitted greatly from this as 2022 champion, moving up from well outside the spots to qualify to being first in line.

The teams that qualify will join other Open Division teams, such as those from the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and local amateur qualifiers in the opening round of next year’s competition. There will also be a first round spot given to the USASA National Amateur Cup champion and the UPSL Spring Season National champion.

Below is the overall USL League Two standings. y-denotes division champion. After the playoffs conclude, this post will be updated and z- denotes the playoff champion. Bold denotes teams still alive in the playoffs.

Rank Team GP W L T GF GA GD PTS PTS/GP GD/GP GF/GP
1 z-Ballard FC 12 10 1 1 41 13 28 31 2.583 2.333 3.417
2 y-Chicago City SC 12 11 1 0 36 9 27 33 2.750 2.250 3.000
3 y-Texas United 12 10 0 2 72 5 67 32 2.667 5.583 6.000
4 y-Fort Wayne FC 12 10 0 2 31 3 28 32 2.667 2.333 2.583
5 y-Long Island Rough Riders 14 12 1 1 44 9 35 37 2.643 2.500 3.143
6 y-Asheville City SC 12 10 1 1 36 9 27 31 2.583 2.250 3.000
7 y-AHFC Royals 12 10 1 1 33 11 22 31 2.583 1.833 2.750
8 y-Monterey Bay FC 2 12 10 1 1 32 12 20 31 2.583 1.667 2.667
9 y-Flint City Bucks 12 10 1 1 29 9 20 31 2.583 1.667 2.417
10 y-Seacoast United Phantoms 14 11 2 1 34 18 16 34 2.429 1.143 2.429
11 y-Park City Red Wolves SC 10 7 0 3 18 7 11 24 2.400 1.100 1.800
12 y-Lionsbridge FC 12 9 2 1 31 10 21 28 2.333 1.750 2.583
13 y-NC Fusion 14 10 2 2 32 12 20 32 2.286 1.429 2.286
14 y-The Villages SC 12 8 1 3 24 7 17 27 2.250 1.417 2.000
15 y-Redlands FC 12 8 2 2 22 13 9 26 2.167 0.750 1.833
16 y-Ocean City Nor’easters 14 8 1 5 28 15 13 29 2.071 0.929 2.000
17 y-Weston FC 12 7 3 2 14 11 3 23 1.917 0.250 1.167
18 South Carolina United FC 12 10 1 1 27 8 19 31 2.583 1.583 2.250
19 Des Moines Menace 12 10 2 0 42 11 31 30 2.500 2.583 3.500
20 Western Mass Pioneers 14 10 1 3 36 9 27 33 2.357 1.929 2.571
21 Vermont Green FC 14 10 3 1 38 12 26 31 2.214 1.857 2.714
22 Hudson Valley Hammers 14 10 3 1 37 18 19 31 2.214 1.357 2.643
23 Little Rock Rangers 12 8 2 2 42 7 35 26 2.167 2.917 3.500
24 Nona FC 12 8 2 2 30 7 23 26 2.167 1.917 2.500
25 Charlotte Eagles 14 9 2 3 38 21 17 30 2.143 1.214 2.714
26 Ventura County Fusion 12 8 3 1 33 14 19 25 2.083 1.583 2.750
27 FC Tucson 12 7 1 4 30 14 16 25 2.083 1.333 2.500
28 RKC Third Coast 12 8 3 1 35 20 15 25 2.083 1.250 2.917
29 San Francisco Glens SC 12 8 3 1 23 11 12 25 2.083 1.000 1.917
30 Twin City Toucans 12 7 2 3 37 12 25 24 2.000 2.083 3.083
31 West Chester United SC 14 8 2 4 37 21 16 28 2.000 1.143 2.643
32 Manhattan SC 14 8 3 3 29 25 4 27 1.929 0.286 2.071
33 Northern Virginia FC 12 7 3 2 23 19 4 23 1.917 0.333 1.917
34 New Jersey Copa FC 14 8 4 2 32 22 10 26 1.857 0.714 2.286
35 New Mexico United U23 10 6 4 0 17 14 3 18 1.800 0.300 1.700
36 Christos FC 12 6 3 3 33 20 13 21 1.750 1.083 2.750
37 Florida Elite Soccer Academy 12 6 3 3 19 10 9 21 1.750 0.750 1.583
38 Miami AC 12 6 3 3 17 9 8 21 1.750 0.667 1.417
39 East Atlanta Dutch Lions 12 6 4 2 19 15 4 20 1.667 0.333 1.583
40 Oly Town FC 12 6 4 2 23 24 -1 20 1.667 -0.083 1.917
41 Louisiana Krewe FC 12 6 5 1 26 15 11 19 1.583 0.917 2.167
42 Cleveland Force SC 12 5 3 4 27 18 9 19 1.583 0.750 2.250
43 AFC Ann Arbor 12 6 5 1 24 15 9 19 1.583 0.750 2.000
44 FC Miami City 12 5 3 4 16 13 3 19 1.583 0.250 1.333
45 Toledo Villa FC 12 5 3 4 21 19 2 19 1.583 0.167 1.750
46 Virginia Beach United 12 6 5 1 13 19 -6 19 1.583 -0.500 1.083
47 Cedar Stars 14 7 6 1 29 22 7 22 1.571 0.500 2.071
48 Reading United AC 14 5 2 7 26 19 7 22 1.571 0.500 1.857
49 Peoria City 12 6 6 0 27 17 10 18 1.500 0.833 2.250
50 Corpus Christi FC 12 5 4 3 30 21 9 18 1.500 0.750 2.500
51 Oakland County FC 12 5 4 3 23 22 1 18 1.500 0.083 1.917
52 Boulder County United 10 4 3 3 17 18 -1 15 1.500 -0.100 1.700
53 St. Charles FC 12 6 6 0 23 31 -8 18 1.500 -0.667 1.917
54 Sarasota Paradise 12 5 5 2 18 14 4 17 1.417 0.333 1.500
55 San Francisco City FC 12 5 5 2 18 17 1 17 1.417 0.083 1.500
56 Mississippi Brilla FC 12 5 5 2 20 27 -7 17 1.417 -0.583 1.667
57 FC Motown STA 14 5 5 4 41 33 8 19 1.357 0.571 2.929
58 FC Carolinas 14 5 5 4 25 22 3 19 1.357 0.214 1.786
59 West Virginia United 14 4 3 7 25 26 -1 19 1.357 -0.071 1.786
60 Pathfinder FC 14 5 5 4 20 23 -3 19 1.357 -0.214 1.429
61 United PDX 12 5 6 1 26 26 0 16 1.333 0.000 2.167
62 St. Croix Legends 12 5 6 1 16 22 -6 16 1.333 -0.500 1.333
63 Lansing City Football 12 4 4 4 15 21 -6 16 1.333 -0.500 1.250
64 Capital FC Atletico 12 5 6 1 21 28 -7 16 1.333 -0.583 1.750
65 Wake FC 14 5 6 3 27 25 2 18 1.286 0.143 1.929
66 Midwest United FC 12 4 5 3 22 18 4 15 1.250 0.333 1.833
67 St. Petersburg FC 12 4 5 3 22 21 1 15 1.250 0.083 1.833
68 Kalamazoo FC 12 4 5 3 26 29 -3 15 1.250 -0.250 2.167
69 Marin FC Legends 12 4 5 3 20 24 -4 15 1.250 -0.333 1.667
70 Project 51O 12 5 7 0 19 23 -4 15 1.250 -0.333 1.583
71 Real Central NJ 14 4 5 5 23 20 3 17 1.214 0.214 1.643
72 Tobacco Road FC 14 5 7 2 27 28 -1 17 1.214 -0.071 1.929
73 North Carolina FC U23 14 5 7 2 22 29 -7 17 1.214 -0.500 1.571
74 Salt City SC 10 3 4 3 18 15 3 12 1.200 0.300 1.800
75 Flatirons Rush 10 4 6 0 15 13 2 12 1.200 0.200 1.500
76 Rochester FC 12 4 6 2 15 25 -10 14 1.167 -0.833 1.250
77 Westchester Flames 14 4 6 4 25 29 -4 16 1.143 -0.286 1.786
78 Dalton Red Wolves SC 12 4 7 1 18 14 4 13 1.083 0.333 1.500
79 Lane United FC 12 3 5 4 21 19 2 13 1.083 0.167 1.750
80 Southern California Seahorses 12 4 7 1 19 21 -2 13 1.083 -0.167 1.583
81 Tennessee SC 12 3 5 4 14 16 -2 13 1.083 -0.167 1.167
82 AC Houston Sur 12 4 7 1 14 18 -4 13 1.083 -0.333 1.167
83 Academica SC 12 4 7 1 21 26 -5 13 1.083 -0.417 1.750
84 Boston Bolts 14 3 5 6 21 20 1 15 1.071 0.071 1.500
85 Albany Rush 14 4 7 3 22 29 -7 15 1.071 -0.500 1.571
86 AC Connecticut 14 4 7 3 19 29 -10 15 1.071 -0.714 1.357
87 Southern Soccer Academy 12 4 8 0 17 19 -2 12 1.000 -0.167 1.417
88 FC Wichita 12 4 8 0 22 28 -6 12 1.000 -0.500 1.833
89 Houston FC 12 3 6 3 13 21 -8 12 1.000 -0.667 1.083
90 Minneapolis City SC 12 3 6 3 17 26 -9 12 1.000 -0.750 1.417
91 Black Rock FC 14 3 7 4 12 18 -6 13 0.929 -0.429 0.857
92 Tampa Bay United 12 3 7 2 14 19 -5 11 0.917 -0.417 1.167
93 Brevard SC 12 3 7 2 17 32 -15 11 0.917 -1.250 1.417
94 Kings Hammer FC 11 2 5 4 12 17 -5 10 0.909 -0.455 1.091
95 Philadelphia Lone Star FC 14 3 9 2 21 33 -12 11 0.786 -0.857 1.500
96 Morris Elite SC 14 3 9 2 16 37 -21 11 0.786 -1.500 1.143
97 Dayton Dutch Lions FC 12 2 7 3 11 24 -13 9 0.750 -1.083 0.917
98 Chicago Dutch Lions FC 12 3 9 0 12 35 -23 9 0.750 -1.917 1.000
99 Arizona Arsenal SC 12 2 8 2 14 28 -14 8 0.667 -1.167 1.167
100 FA Euro New York 14 2 10 2 12 32 -20 8 0.571 -1.429 0.857
101 FC Buffalo 11 1 7 3 11 32 -21 6 0.545 -1.909 1.000
102 Patuxent Football Athletics 12 1 8 3 10 19 -9 6 0.500 -0.750 0.833
103 PDX FC 12 1 8 3 12 34 -22 6 0.500 -1.833 1.000
104 LA Parish AC 12 2 10 0 10 33 -23 6 0.500 -1.917 0.833
105 Springfield Athletic SC 12 2 10 0 9 40 -31 6 0.500 -2.583 0.750
106 Lehigh Valley United 14 1 10 3 10 37 -27 6 0.429 -1.929 0.714
107 Bavarian United SC 12 1 9 2 14 30 -16 5 0.417 -1.333 1.167
108 Altitude Rush 12 1 9 2 13 32 -19 5 0.417 -1.583 1.083
109 Davis Legacy SC 12 1 9 2 15 35 -20 5 0.417 -1.667 1.250
110 Virginia Marauders FC 12 1 9 2 10 33 -23 5 0.417 -1.917 0.833
111 Capo FC 12 1 9 2 12 40 -28 5 0.417 -2.333 1.000
112 Swan City SC 12 1 9 2 9 38 -29 5 0.417 -2.417 0.750
113 CISA 10 1 8 1 6 24 -18 4 0.400 -1.800 0.600
114 Round Rock SC 12 1 10 1 7 51 -44 4 0.333 -3.667 0.583
115 Blue Goose SC 12 1 10 1 4 87 -83 4 0.333 -6.917 0.333
116 Charlotte Independence 2 14 1 12 1 15 48 -33 4 0.286 -2.357 1.071
117 South Bend Lions 12 0 9 3 8 33 -25 3 0.250 -2.083 0.667
118 Ironbound SC 14 1 13 0 10 48 -38 3 0.214 -2.714 0.714
119 North Alabama SC 12 0 11 1 4 54 -50 1 0.083 -4.167 0.333
120 Boston City FC 14 0 13 1 8 52 -44 1 0.071 -3.143 0.571

2024 US Open Cup: US Soccer opens registration for local qualifying with new rules

by

A giant pumpkin balloon overlooks the field at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif. before the 2020 US Open Cup qualifier between Cal FC and Alta California Sol. Photo: Victor Friedman | Cal FC
A giant pumpkin balloon overlooks the field at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif. before the 2020 US Open Cup qualifier between Cal FC and Alta California Sol. Photo: Victor Friedman | Cal FC

On July 6, U.S. Soccer opened up registration for local qualifying for the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Registration is open to all U.S. Soccer affiliated “Open Division” (i.e. not professional) teams that are have played this year or will play this year at least 10 regular season matches in at least a 4 team league. Registration closes on July 31, 2023. All information can be found at this link.

The schedule for this fall’s qualifying has been condensed to be completed prior to Thanksgiving. The schedule is as follows:

  • First Qualifying Round: September 9-10
  • Second Qualifying Round: September 30 – October 1
  • Third Qualifying Round: October 21-22
  • Fourth Qualifying Round: November 18-19

Local Qualifying eligibility excludes National Track teams

All teams that meet this are eligible to enter except for the National Leagues that have designated that they would like to enter via the “National League Track” instead. The two leagues that have made this designation for this year are the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two. Those leagues will receive allocated spots in the First Round of next year’s tournament in proportion to the total number of teams in those leagues. Each league will pay a $200 entry fee for every eligible team in their league that plays 10 regular season games or more this year. NPSL has 92 eligible teams for this year and USL League Two has 120 eligible teams, meaning NPSL will pay $18,400 in entry fees while USL League Two will pay $24,000 in entry fees.

UPSL’s new berth in the first round

The other league that could have made this designation, but chose not to, is the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) which has over 200+ teams in its Premier Division. Since they chose not to, the league will not need to pay $200 for every team in their league, but instead will leave it up to each individual team to decide if they would like to enter local qualifying this fall by the July 31 deadline and pay all applicable costs.

However, UPSL did get one new perk for the 2024 edition of this tournament. Brand new this year is that the 2023 Spring season national champion will get an automatic spot in First Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. This is analogous to the spot the USASA Amateur Cup champion receives each year in the First Round. Those two spots will be “removed” from the pool of spots that go to the rest of the entered teams (National League track and Local Qualifying track) for the mathematical calculation of spots each track gets.

New cup tied rule

An update to the cup-tied rule has been made effective immediately. A player that plays in the local qualifying tournament this fall, then signs to a PROFESSIONAL team would NOT be cup tied to the amateur team the player played for in the fall, and would be eligible for the pro team in the tournament proper. This is the only way a player could play for two different teams in a single U.S. Open Cup tournament. A player can still only play for one pro team in any given tournament year, and can still only play for one Open Division team in a given tournament year as well.

Total costs

A team that plays in qualifying will pay the following 3 separate costs.

  • $200 entry fee. All Open Division teams are assessed this, while professional teams pay a higher entry fee based on their division level. The two leagues in the National League track will pay this for ALL ELIGIBLE TEAMS in the league, whether they intend to play in the 2024 US Open Cup or not.
  • $300 referee fee. A recent change to the US Open Cup is the home team will no longer handle all referee costs. Instead, US Soccer will handle all referee costs for the tournament directly with the officials. To cover this cost for the qualifying, all teams participating this fall will be assessed this fee, but will no longer have to pay those costs to host a match.
  • $1500 refundable performance bond. All teams, amateur and professional, are assessed this bond. As long as a team plays in all of its scheduled matches, meets all other obligations to the tournament, and isn’t assessed any fines, they will be refunded this bond within 60 days after their elimination from the tournament.

Copyright © 2026 • Built by Jacob Martella Web Development