Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2023 US Open Cup

2023 US Open Cup Qualifying: Inter San Francisco add another one-sided win to earn first USOC berth

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Inter San Francisco celebrates after a 5-1 win over BattleBorn FC in the 2023 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Inter San Francisco
Inter San Francisco celebrates after a 5-1 win over BattleBorn FC in the 2023 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Inter San Francisco

On a cold, 20-degree day in Minden, Nevada, BattleBorn FC of NISA Nation hosted Inter San Francisco FC of the San Francisco Soccer Football League in the fourth qualifying round, “Win and You’re In” contest. Despite the partly snowy field and slippery conditions, Inter San Francisco ran out 5-1 winners and qualified for their first ever Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

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Inter SF came into this game outscoring their opponents 14-0 through the opening three qualifying rounds.

Inter’s Matt Fondy has reached his third straight “Win and You’re In” contest (2020 qualifying with Olympic Club and 2022 qualifying with SF Metro FC), and in each case, the former pro had a hand in the scoring for his side. Today would see him grab a pair of goals.

The first half saw the visitors take charge of play with three goals in 21 minutes.

In the 16th minute, Javier Rivera opened the scoring with a close-range header from a long corner kick. Matt Fondy increased Inter’s lead to 2-0 in the 23rd, after receiving a short, chipped ball from a teammate. Fondy ran onto the bouncing ball and chipped his shot over the onrushing keeper. Despite the keeper getting a touch on the ball, Fondy’s shot carried into the net.

The final tally of the first half came in the 37th minute via Gamal Compaore. After receiving a cross from the right side from Fondy, Compaore settled, turned, and beat three opponents with a low shot up the middle. Inter SF went into halftime in cruise control with a 3-0 advantage.

The second half saw San Francisco continue their domination. Leo Lazaro would add a fourth goal with a shot from 17 yards out on a 2-on-1 breakaway. Finally, Fondy would complete his double, with a heroic effort from the outer corner of the penalty area to the upper 90 of the far post. BattleBorn would add a free kick from Jonathan Cuevas to brak the shutout, but it was not nearly enough on the day.

With the victory the almost three-year-old club qualifies for the 2023 US Open Cup in what has been a meteoric rise. Established in 2021, San Francisco began in the SFSFL First Division (3rd tier) then won promotion to the Majors Division in 2021. In the 2022 season Inter won the Major Division with a 15-3-2 record to move up to the Premier Division, the top tied of the SFSFL. Now, they can add a berth in the 108th edition of the US Open Cup to their resume.

2023 US Open Cup Qualifying: Beaman United rally twice, beat D’Feeters 4-3 in OT

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Beaman United celebrate after edging D'Feeters Kicks SC 4-3 in extra time to qualify for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Jed Henderson
Beaman United celebrate after edging D’Feeters Kicks SC 4-3 in extra time to qualify for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Jed Henderson
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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

Beaman United FC booked a spot in the 2023 edition of the US Open Cup after emerging victorious over D’Feeters Kicks SC in a 120-minute 4-3 victory. D’Feeters twice took the lead in regulation but were pegged back twice and eventually defeated by the home team in extra time. Beaman United’s hero was goalkeeper Alejandro Rodriguez who saved two penalties, one deep into extra time, to push his team to victory.

The message was clear from the beginning: “win and you’re in.” Anticipation for the game was only expounded as travel delays pushed back kickoff, but both teams were ready for the first whistle to start the battle.

The game quickly settled in a clear pattern: hosts Beaman looked to possess and break down their opponents, while D’Feeters stayed compact, springing forward on counter-attack opportunities.

The visitors found success early on. Oscar Ocampo hit a shot off the post in the 5th minute, and Juan Ramirez forced a big save from a 1-on-1 chance in the 11th minute. However, the visitors were not to be held at bay forever. In the 15th minute, Johnathon Diaz played a curling through ball with the outside of his foot to find Oscar Ocampo’s run behind the defense. Ocampo rounded the keeper and slotted home to put D’Feeters up 1-0.

In the 20th minute, Beaman had a chance to equalize from a corner as Kwadwo Poku’s header hit the post. The ball quickly traveled to the other end of the field where Juan Ramirez was taken down in the box to earn a penalty for D’Feeters. Beaman keeper Alejandro Ramirez dove correctly and saved his first penalty of the night to keep Beaman in the game. The game remained 1-0 at the half.

Beaman United pushed for an early second half equalizer and found it in the 50th minute. Hayden Black cushioned a cross into the path of Seth Poku, who had time to line up a sweetly hit half-volley to level the score.

D’Feeters went back in front in the 61st minute when Paul Gorish finished off a mazy run with a low strike to take back a 2-1 lead. Just six minutes later, Seth Poku won a penalty and converted for Beaman to bring the score back to 2-2. More chances came throughout a physical second half, but the teams were destined for extra time as the final whistle blew with the teams level.

Five minutes into extra time, Beaman took the lead for the first time as Nathaniel Bedai struck a beautiful volley from the top of the box to sneak past the keeper and put the hosts ahead 3-2.

The second half of extra time got even crazier. After hitting the post again in the 107th minute, D’Feeters earned a penalty that Roberto Gonzalez converted to level the score in the 113th minute. In the 117th minute, Joseph Omondi chested down a cross and slammed it home to put the home side up 4-3. The game appeared to be decided, but in the 118th minute D’Feeters earned yet another penalty, their third of the night. Alejandro Ramirez stepped up again to save his second penalty and preserve the lead. 

“I just try to watch the way the player is going to run, look at his body, and then just trust myself, play mind games, tell them I know where you’re going,” Ramirez said about how he was able to save two of the three penalties he faced. 

After four nervy minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle blew, and Beaman United FC had a ticket to the US Open Cup.

“It was a good team effort so I’m thankful for them,” Ramirez said.

Head coach Gift Ndam added: “I’m just excited that we won. D’Feeters are a great team. I just want to go celebrate with the guys.” When asked how it feels to have a place in the US Open Cup, h had only three words: “It feels great!”

2023 US Open Cup Qualifying: Lansdowne Yonkers tops SC Vistula Garfield for 2nd straight berth

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Photo: Michael Battista


Lansdowne Yonkers FC qualified for its a second consecutive US Open Cup with a 2-0 win over SC Vistula Garfield in New Jersey on Saturday.

Dean Dillon scored for Yonkers along with a second half own goal by Vistula moved the New York side to the tournament proper for the fourth time in team history.

Head coach Sean Kelly’s team started 2022 hot, winning an Open Cup match via penalty kicks against the Ocean City Nor’easters. Sunday’s result means they end the year with another tournament win.

“Us, as a club, should be in this competition,” Kelly said. “If we can keep this group together, which we kinda have, our goal is going to be … the last amateur team remaining.”

Lansdowne looked as though it went ahead just two minutes in, with both players and a match official seeing as such. A Julio Espinal free kick on the far side made it’s way into the Vistula box. A few headers brought the ball towards Steven Nolan on the right side, whose scissor kick shot was on target. He began to celebrate while the linesman raised his flag. The main referee ruled a good goal, leading to a few moments of confusion until the two officials discussed. It was officially ruled Nolan was offside, however.

Still, Lansdowne’s offense remained the main story for the entire match. Despite only scoring one goal themselves the team held possession for most of the game. Somewhere between 70-80% of the ball game saw the ball in Yonkers’ control. Vistula’s main form of counter whenever it had control was playing it long towards striker Paul Kondratowicz. A mix of bad passes and stout defense kept the ball from ever reaching keeper Abdou Karim “Kabbo” Danso.

According to Vistula player-coach Chris Karcz this was all according to plan. Knowing the type of team Lansdowne and knowing his team would be without a few players, the team decided to play more conservative.

“We kinda conceded a lot of the possession — we knew that we were going to do that,” Karcz said. “Couple injuries that we had, about three or four guys, we were missing today so we sort of sat back a little more.”

However Lansdowne’s increased time with the ball meant more chances for the visitors. A foul on the far side of the Garfield box gave Patryk Gruca the game’s first yellow and a free kick right behind the line. However the kick sailed high over the box and past the touchline for a goal kick. Garfield’s best chance came in the 43rd minute with its first corner kick which was brought down and grabbed by Danso.

The game looked to head into the break knotted at zero but the New Yorkers chances finally paid off. With two minutes of stoppage time, Lansdowne held possession for nearly the whole 120 seconds. Vistula had just cleared a corner kick attempt from the box with a header, but Yonkers recovered the ball quickly. A long pass from the far side headed towards the near post, where Dean — a former League of Ireland player — headed the chance on net. Garfield keeper Anthony Caruso, who’d made multiple saves up until this point, couldn’t block the shot as he dove.

“It was real unfortunate for us,” Karcz said. “The last five minutes of the half they put on a lot of pressure. Last kick of the first half, they scored. That really hurt us. I think if we ended the first half 0-0 (it would have been) a totally different game.”

It didn’t get much better for Garfield in the second half. In the 49th minute, Lansdowne attacked yet again. Countering off a broken up Vistula throw-in, the visitor’s passed up the near side before finding Nolan once again. He crossed in from the right side of the net and the ball hit off Gruca to make it 2-0.

From there physicality picked up while Garfield tried to bring the game back into their favor. Things like quickly taking free kicks to try and catch Lansdowne off guard had little effect. That didn’t deter the home fans from loudly supporting the group, including loud calls for a penalty in the 73rd minute for an alleged handball inside the Lansdowne box. While the crowd was mostly a mix of Yonkers’ supporters and members of the local Polish community, one more group came out. Torcida 96, a young New York Red Bulls supporter’s group, loudly cheered Vistula with smoke bombs at the ready for any potential goal.

To them, cheering for a New Jersey team that wears red and white against a team from north of Manhattan might as well have been a proxy war for the Hudson River Derby. It made sense considering Karcz formerly played for RBNY in the mid-2000s. Originally drafted by the Chicago Fire in the third round (27th overall) of the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft, Karcz joined RBNY in 2007 but never made it past the reserve team.

Those same supportive fans had a lot to be vocal about. Throughout the night the lead official was consistently challenged by both sides, complaining about the quality of his calls. Best summed up at halftime by a Vistula player loudly voicing his displeasure on the bench asking “Who hired this ref?” followed by an expletive. In fairness, a few notable no-calls had both sides yelling from the benches. Late in the second half, the fourth official had to directly intervene on the Garfield bench and helped award a yellow card caution to non-rostered player for offering an official a disparaging remark.

The temperature continued to drop as the wind picked up in the second half. In turn, the home side picked up the pace in the last 20 minutes. Garfield matched Lansdowne in attempts even as they continued to be out-possessed. More long balls and set pieces tested Danso in net forcing him to make two key saves in the final moments. One play in the 89th minute forced a Yonkers defender to help clear the ball off the line after a cross got past Danso in net.

For Lansdowne the year will end on multiple high notes. After an incredible stretch between late 2020 and early 2022, including winning the National Amateur Cup, the team began to stumble this past spring. A loss in the semifinals of the Eastern Premier Soccer League conference semifinals meant no defense of its championship the previous season. Combined with a Second Round loss in the Open Cup and two straight state cup final losses (Amateur & Werner Fricker) in the last month has been a lot to take in. Elsewhere though the team has returned to form, including entering the EPSL’s winter break atop the Metropolitan Conference.

“Things are turning around, it’s not easy,” Kelly said. “We had a tough offseason in terms of losing a few players. Plus the season didn’t end the way we wanted to. But there was a lot that went with that, like injuries and fatigueness. We were going on, like, 14-15 months in a row.”

Vistula’s run to a tournament berth ends on a sour note but Karcz can still admire what his team has accomplished. Entering the winter break his team is second in the Garden State Soccer League’s Super Division. Meanwhile, 2022 has seen multiple high’s including a win in the regional Amateur Cup tournament and just reaching a “Win & You’re In” USOC qualifying game. While Vistula Garfield celebrated its 70th anniversary this year he thinks the team’s soccer history is only just beginning.

“It’s so great. The Red Bulls’ club, the Polish community is here supporting us. It feels great to where we were a year ago,” Karcz said. “So much improvement. It’s unlucky that we came so close to making this tournament but we had a great run against a lot of difficult teams, we got through them. Couldn’t make it over the finish line but I’m proud of our whole team for fighting every single game, all four of them.

“We’re gonna keep on going, keep on entering more cup tournaments, get more experience for the younger guys.”

2023 US Open Cup Qualifying: Meruca’s late winner clinches West Chester United 3rd straight berth

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Levi Meruca’s 80th-minute goal was the difference for West Chester (PA) United SC in a 2-1 victory against host Northern Virginia FC on Saturday evening to qualify for the First Round proper of the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The match was settled by a movement of real quality by Meruca on a chilly evening, pouncing on some loose play by the NoVa FC backline as he wriggled into a central shooting position and slid a shot from 20 yards in the lower left-hand corner.

“I saw was looking for a pass across, so I started dropping off,” Meruca said. “The ball came right to me. The defender started coming in, so I stepped in front, and then all I had to do was hit the shot to the far post.”

Assistant Coach Harry Ischiropoulos was on the sidelines for West Chester in place of Head Coach Blaise Santangelo. Santangelo had a great excuse for missing the game as he was attending the wedding of a former West Chester player.

“Because father had passed Blaise became like a father figure to him, so Blaise is celebrating the wedding with him,” Ischiropoulos explained.

He believes that the strategic shifts West Chester made were the key to the win.

“The adjustments we made in the second half changed the game,” he said. “We wanted to take away their ability to play certain ways, so we restricted them to play one side of the field only. Our press changed, so we allowed them to have only one half of the field to play which forced them to make mistakes. We were able to win the ball and score.”

The match was entertaining from the beginning to the end with both teams looking to play open, attacking soccer. The first five minutes of the match were particularly frantic, with clear scoring chances and legitimate penalty shouts at both ends.

In a prelude for what happened later, Meruca found himself one on one with NoVa FC keeper Tyler Back in the fifth minute. Meruca squandered the opportunity, striking his shot directly at Back.

After this initial frantic back and forth, NoVa FC gradually took control of the match and for the next 15 minutes or so were able to mount sustained pressure on the West Chester goal. Jean Ayoimbong was particularly influential in his astute hold-up play. NoVa FC won a well-deserved goal in the 13th minute with Kevin Nadeau hitting a perfect corner for Jaimie Quintanilla to head home.

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However, despite NoVa FC holding the majority of possession for the rest of the half, West Chester was the more dangerous team, with Meruca continuing to make dangerous runs down the right flank. Back made several vital interventions, making some key saves as well as coming out to cut out long balls.

Although the half ended with NoVa FC up 1-0 there was no sense that this affair was settled. NoVa FC had a 180-degree turn in tactics, coming out in the second half playing defensively and West Chester looked increasingly confident and dangerous as the half wore on.

The second half began as the first did, with quick chances on both ends.

In an extraordinary series of events, NoVa FC was whistled for two penalties in less than five minutes. The first, awarded because of a foul on Meruca following a defensive miscue, was converted by Jacob Gosselin in the 55th.

A second Gosselin penalty kick at the 59-minute mark — given because of a NoVa FC foul during a West Chester set piece — was denied with a fine save by Back, guessing correctly and moving quickly to his right.

West Chester’s equalizer, and its subsequent missed penalty, seemed to inject even more energy into an already quickly moving match. Neither team seemed especially eager for extra time, with both sides throwing numbers forward, sometimes at the expense of solid defending.

During a sequence around the 65th minute, Gosselin hit the crossbar for Westchester and NoVa FC turned right around and Ayoimbong did the same at the other end.

In the remaining ten minutes and now trailing, NoVa FC threw everything forward looking for the equalizer. The efforts included the keeper Back coming forward and narrowly missing a header off a corner in the 93rd minute.

With the win, West Chester advances to the US Open Cup for the third tournament in a row, and the fourth time overall.

 

2023 US Open Cup Qualifying: UDA Soccer first local college affiliate to qualify after wild shootout

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UDA Soccer celebrates after defeating Azteca FC 4-1 (after a 4-4 draw) in a PK shootout to qualify for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Andrew Mosier
UDA Soccer celebrates after defeating Azteca FC 4-1 (after a 4-4 draw) in a PK shootout to qualify for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Andrew Mosier

UDA Soccer came out on top of an epic battle of wills, toppling US Open Cup mainstays Azteca FC 4-1 from the penalty mark after trading walloping blows in a 4-4 slugfest.

Keane Garcia pulled UDA level at four in the 113th minute from inside the six-yard box sending the game to kicks from the mark. But the hero of the match was 19-year-old UDA goalkeeper, Mario Castillo, who saved the first (twice) and third of Azteca’s spot kicks to put UDA Soccer through to the tournament proper in its first qualifying attempt.

“I am so proud of the guys for battling through all the adversity they faced today, between the travel and the cold and the altitude and then going down a man, they did not give up, they kept coming back, they kept fighting,” said UDA head coach Blake Ordell. “Then for Mario to make the saves he did in the shootout, it was incredible.”

With the win, UDA Socccer makes some modern US Open Cup history. UDA is a soccer academy at New Mexico State University that allows players to receive year-round training while enrolled at New Mexico State. They become the first Open Division Local team affiliated with a college or university to qualify for the Open Cup in the Modern Era (1995-present). Brigham Young University (BYU) qualified three times as a member of the Premier Development League (now USL League Two) in 2006, 2007 and 2015. Despite past attempts by teams from the University of Florida, Oklahoma University, Louisiana Lafayette, and this year with the University of Southern California (USC), no college-affiliated team has qualified through Open Division Local qualifying. 

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Despite the unfavorable conditions for the Las Cruces, New Mexico-based UPSL side, and the host’s Open Cup pedigree, having qualified for the tournament proper in 2017, 2018, and 2022, UDA Soccer came out on the front foot, forcing Azteca goalkeeper Gerardo Agular to save brilliantly to his right just four minutes into the match.

Ten minutes later UDA landed the first punch of the day when Jose Luis Puente Rivas spun his defender and played the ball across the top of the six-yard box finding Alan Mose Gudino for an easy tap-in past a helpless Agular.

The lead didn’t last long. Azteca pulled level in the 20th minute when Oscar Montoya tapped Jovany Herrera’s driven cross from just outside the six-yard box.

Azteca took the lead in the 36th minute when Herrera ran onto a ball in the penalty area played by Freddy Fregozo, slotting home his fifth 2023 Open Cup qualifying goal.

UDA clawed back to level just before the halftime whistle when Daniel Ruiz Galan got on the end of a Lucas Burch cross ten yards from the goal as the three minutes of added time expired.

Azteca took the lead in the 63rd minute off a Samual Hallam spot kick after UDA’s Mattias Cavallo was whistled for a tackle at the edge of the penalty area. Hallam calmly slotted the ball to his right past Castillo.

The penalty call, heavily protested by the UDA bench, led to the dismissal of an assistant coach, followed twenty minutes later by the dismissal of captain Eric Gomez-Silva, who was shown his second yellow card of the match, forcing UDA to play a man down for the remainder.

UDA fought back six minutes after going down a man, drawing level at three in the 82nd minute when Alfredo Villescas got on the end of Gudina’s corner, outjumping his marker to put the ball past a stranded Gerardo sending the game to extra time.

Azteca took the lead again in the 107th minute off a spectacular volley from Anthony Miranda after UDA failed to properly clear a corner kick. Azteca recycled the set piece out to Saul Garcia on the left flank whose weighted cross fell into Miranda’s stride.

“We put another forward up top after their fourth goal,” Ordell said. “All we could do was get as many people forward and hope for something.”

That something came when Azteca failed to clear the ball from inside the six-yard box. Garcia slammed the ball home to send the game to kicks.

“Oh man, I just couldn’t believe it when I saw the ball pop out there like that,” Garcia said. “I just hit it as hard as I could. I didn’t want anything to stop it.”

UDA’s Garcia made his attempt. Then Castillo saved Herrera’s attempt to the left, but it was ruled he had left his line early. He then saved Herrera’s second attempt, this time to his right. UDA’s Blake Bastian made his attempt to the right, followed by Azteca’s Miranda. 

UDA’s Villescas then made his attempt to the left, followed by Azteca’s Hallam, who had scored from the penalty spot earlier in the match. This time Castillo was up to the task against Hallam, going correctly to his right, leaving it up to Gudina, who calmly put the ball down the middle of the goal to put UDA through to the tournament proper.

2023 US Open Cup Qualifying: Club de Lyon create conundrum with OT win vs. SCU Heat

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Club de Lyon celebrates after defeating South Carolina United Heat 2-1 in extra time to qualify for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Forrest Wimberly
Club de Lyon celebrates after defeating South Carolina United Heat 2-1 in extra time to qualify for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Forrest Wimberly

A brace from forward Ignacio Ten Lopez was enough to lift visiting Club de Lyon (Fla.) 2-1 after extra time over host SC United Heat to advance to the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

There was nine “win and you’re in” matches across the country this weekend and the lone match in South Carolina delivered on the soccer and the cup drama the US Open Cup provides each year.

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SC United Heat had one foot in the knockout tournament in the 90th minute when a Club de Lyon ball was slipped into the edge of the penalty box. A tangle of legs on the attempted cross saw the Lyon player tumble to the ground and the center referee awarded the penalty kick. Ten Lopez stepped calmly to the spot and rifled the ball into the back corner of the goal to level the game in the 91st minute.

The first half of the game was all SC United Heat as they enjoyed most of the possession and a 7-2 advantage on corner kicks. The Heat was looking to go over the top with probing diagonal balls flighted into the box while Club de Lyon was comfortable building out of the back on the ground. The Heat tactics pinned Lyon deep in their half and only on a couple of occasions in the first half did Lyon have sustained possession in the attacking half of the field. The one shot on goal in the first half required a fully-stretched Jon-Paul Franscini in the Heat goal to punch the bending shot to safety.

Level at the half, the second half was more even with both teams trading attacks over the first 20 minutes of play. Then in the 70th minute, a long, searching ball by the Heat into the penalty box rattled around until it fell neatly at the feet of Seth Hanson who made no mistake slotting the ball into the empty net left vacant by the Lyon keeper caught in no-man’s land. The physical play of the game increased and the Heat looked to have weathered the flurry of Lyon attacks with two huge saves by Franscini in the 78th and 80th minute to preserve the score line.

The penalty conversion in the 91st minute flipped the game and energized the Club de Lyon attack into the extra time session. Then in the 103rd minute, Lopez struck again, slotting in a low cross that was whipped in front of the goal by winger Gerald Ramirez. Now with the lead, Club de Lyon looked to kill the clock and break up any flow to the game.



The Heat changed formation and personnel up top to make one last push to equalize the game in the final minutes. Several flicks and quick combinations around the top of the box provided some loose balls inside the Lyon penalty box but the visitors were able to calmly deal with the pressure and prevent the Heat from finding that decisive final touch on goal. A deliberate handball by Lyon’s Mateo Borelli in the 118th minute was his second caution of the match and gave the Heat an excellent opportunity to send the game to PKs but the ensuing free kick was blocked by the Lyon wall as the 10-man visitors killed off the final seconds of the qualifier.

Club de Lyon could now have an interesting situation on their hands as they have qualified as an amateur side and have declared their intentions to field a NISA professional team in 2023, which would have an automatic qualification to the cup. Players are now cup-tied to this amateur side and how all this plays out will certainly be an item of curiosity entering the 2023 US Open Cup.

2023 US Open Cup Qualifying: Chicago House AC win PK shootout in darkness to punch ticket

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Chicago House AC celebrate after qualifying for the 2023 US Open Cup after beating Brockton FC United 8-7 in a PK shootout. Photo: Liz McQuilkin
Chicago House AC celebrate after qualifying for the 2023 US Open Cup after beating Brockton FC United 8-7 in a PK shootout. Photo: Liz McQuilkin

It took over a thousand miles of travel from Illinois to Massachusetts — and nine rounds of penalty kicks in increasingly cold and dark conditions —  but Chicago House AC are heading to the 2023 U.S Open Cup. Their 8-7 victory in penalties over Brockton FC United at Randolph High School in the final round of qualifying came following a 1-1 score at the end of the extra time, sending the squad founded by former Chicago Fire executive Peter Wilt to their first ever edition of the tournament.

Brockton seemed to be reveling in their relative home field advantage in the initial minutes of the game, and looked the stronger side for much of the first half. Just five minutes in, Brockton pressed a defender who was attempting to wrangle a ball from his keeper, resulting in a takeaway that was quickly turned into a low cross into the box by Brockton’s Cardoso Elizandro. It found the foot of Euclides Mendonca, who calmly slotted the ball past Chicago’s  Tony Halterman to give his team the early lead.

Following the early goal, the rest of the first half was rather uneventful — with the exception of a four minute stoppage of play beginning in the 22nd minute to debate which of the balls that were strewn about the technical area were game balls, and which weren’t.

After a few minutes of lively discussion between both benches and the officials, this was eventually sorted out, and Brockton found a few more attacking opportunities before the end of the half. 

A 29th minute opportunity on a ball bouncing at the top of the box saw Brockton’s Geo Alves narrowly miss a chance to give his team a 2-0 lead, and a 30 yard freekick taken just before the halftime whistle by Mendonca had to be carefully handled by Halterman.


The second half started with Brockton retaining the momentum they had in the first. A 48th minute cross after a strong United counter attack looked threatening, but ended up sailing harmlessly through the box for a Chicago goalkick. It would be one of a number of good crosses that Brockton failed to finish in the second half, as eventually Chicago House began to find their footing. In the 67th minute, a House shot nearly found the back of the net, but Brockton keeper Fabio Andrade made a quick kick save to safely knock the ball out of play. 

Chicago increased the pressure on Brockton as the half wore on, and in the 80th minute, they finally equalized. A botched bicycle kick on a cross into the box eventually bounced its way to Anthony Smith Jr., who headed past a diving Andrade, knotting the game at 1-1.

Chicago then had multiple chances to give themselves a lead before the end of regulation. In the 85th minute, Brockton’s Andrade had to make a triple save to keep Chicago from netting a second goal, and the final touch of regular time was a Chicago header that sailed just over the top of the bar. 


Once the final whistle of regulation time blew, the game’s officials began conferring with a representative from US Soccer on how to proceed, as the field was getting increasingly dark as the sun began to set. Unsure if a custodian from Randolph High School was going to be able to make it to the school to turn the stadium’s lights on, it was determined that the game should proceed with two 10-minute halves of extra times rather than the traditional 15.

Brockton had an early chance in the 2nd minute of extra time when a bouncing cross landed at the feet of Mendonca, but his shot went wide past the post. As extra time wore on, Chicago House AC Head Coach Matt Poland continued to express his displeasure with the lighting situation to the fourth official and the representative from US Soccer, being sure to mention the extreme travel distance and lack of locker rooms that his team also had to endure.

In the second half of extra time, Brockton had two additional chances on long throw-ins into the box, but failed to find the net. As darkness truly began to set in, extra time came to an end with the two teams tied at 1-1.

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After a short discussion between officials, it was determined that penalties would proceed as normal despite the dark conditions, and it became increasingly difficult for anyone but the players and officials to determine what was happening on the field. Brockton’s Fabio Andrade stopped Chicago’s first penalty kick, but Chicago’s Tony Halterman stopped Brockton’s second, tying things at one a piece after two rounds. The next three rounds saw no saves, leading the teams to be tied four goals at the end of five, sending the teams into sudden death.

All kicks were successfully converted until the ninth round, when a roar of cheers from the Chicago players indicated to the crowd and benches that their keeper had made a save. A successful conversion by Chicago moments later sealed the victory for the club, giving them the 7-6 shootout win.

Chicago House AC goalkeeper Tony Halterman continued to play an important role in his club’s qualifying run. After scoring the game winning penalty in their shootout victory over 1927 SC in the second qualifying round, he netted another goal and made two saves in this game’s shootout round.

“That’s the longest shootout I’ve been a part of,” said Halterman, “I was my number one penalty taker for my club growing up, it’s just something I love doing.”

As the players celebrated with a banner and bottles of champagne following the game, most involved seemed to agree that it was one of the most bizarre games they had ever been a part of.

“With the lights and everything, it’s probably the craziest game I’ve ever been involved in,” said Chicago House AC Head Coach Matt Poland.” There was a lot of drama, but you come to find out that’s what the Open Cup is.”

In addition to the cold, windy and increasingly dark conditions on the field, Chicago House had to overcome the adversity of traveling over a thousand miles to play this final game of US Open Cup qualifying.

“We flew in last night, and our plane got delayed. We didn’t get here until 2:30 in the morning, but we were excited to get here,” said Poland, “We got a couple hours of sleep and then we came here to play.”

Founded in 2021, Chicago House AC began playing in NISA in the 2021 Fall season, but following a dispute with NISA they were voted out of the league, and were therefore unable to participate in the 2022 Open Cup. A successful cup run in 2023 could eventually lead to them playing Chicago Fire, their cross-town competitors where Chicago House AC founder Peter Wilt won three cups as an executive in 1998, 2000 and 2003. 

2023 US Open Cup Qualifying: Previewing the Final Round of 9 “Win and You’re In” Matches

by

Brockton FC United (white) battle Unations FC in the Third Round of the Open Division Qualifying tournament for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Mass Soccer
Brockton FC United (white) battle Unations FC in the Third Round of the Open Division Qualifying tournament for the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Mass Soccer

Starting with 107 teams, the hopeful qualifiers for next year’s 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup are down to just 18 teams. 89 teams have already been eliminated over three rounds, and now we’re down to the final nine matches of qualifying.

The 108th edition of the Open Cup started off better than last year. While 2022’s qualifying round was filled with forfeits, only three games have so far. The biggest story of the first qualifying round is how many familiar faces went down in their first match. Two former champions failed to escape the first weekend while two 2022 competitors were pushed to the brink. The second round saw even more of those teams go down such as United German Hungarians and New York Greek American SC, both having made multiple Finals in the past.

The nine winners of this final round will qualify for the First Round proper in March of 2023.

Here is the preview for the nine matches being played this weekend.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17

Chicago House AC (Midwest Premier League / USASA)
at
Brockton FC United (Bay State Soccer League /USASA)
Randolph High School; Randolph, MA
Kickoff: 2 p.m.
LIVE STREAM: TBA

Chicago House AC | Chicago, IL
Midwest Premier League West
2022 Spring Season: 5-1-5, 20 pts., 27 GF 8 GA, 4 GA, 4th place

Chicago House AC began playing in NISA in the 2021 Fall season, but left the league after that first season due to a dispute between team owners and league officials. As a result, House were voted out of the league and left unable to participate in the 2022 Open Cup. The team spent 2022 playing in the semi-pro Midwest Premier League. CEO Peter Wilt has expressed interest in returning to NISA for the 2023 season.

Chicago House AC are tasked with one of the longest “Win and You’re In” road trips in the last few years, travelling 1,001 miles to Randolph, Mass. to face Brockton FC United for a spot in the 2023 US Open Cup. Only four other times since 2016 have a team been required to travel over 1,000 miles, with the longest trip coming when San Francisco’s Olympic Club covered 1,272 miles to face Azteca FC in Aurora, Colo. on Nov. 23, 2019, which Olympic Club won 3-1. The same day Livonia City FC of Michigan travelled 1,185 miles to face Louisiana Krewe FC in Lafayette, La., ending up with a 1-0 loss. The games were all for nothing however, as the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 U.S. Open Cup.

Longest distance travelled for “Win and You’re In” games since 2016 (per Google Maps)
11/23/2019 Olympic Club (San Francisco, CA) at Azteca FC (Aurora, CO) – 1,272 Mi.
10/22/2016 Colorado Rush (Littleton, CO) at IPS/Marathon Taverna (Portland, OR) – 1249 Mi.
11/23/2019 Livonia City FC (Livonia, MI) at Louisiana Krewe FC (Lafayette, LA) – 1,185 Mi.
11/19/2017 Stegman’s SC (Minneapolis, MN) at Rochester River Dogz (Rochester, NY) – 1,009 Mi.
12/17/2022 Chicago House AC (Chicago, IL) at Brockton FC United (Brockton, MA) – 1,001 Mi.

Win and You’re In History

This is first ever “Win and You’re In” game for Chicago House AC and is the first to involve a Chicago club since 2014 qualifying. Schwaben AC defeated fellow Chicago club AAC Eagles 3-1 in qualifying for the 2014 tournament, with Schwaben netting a pair of goals in the 76th and 78th minutes for the win.

How They Got Here
Round 1: Bye
Round 2: Tied 1-1 vs. Ft. Wayne 1927 SC. (Chicago advance 4-3 on PKs)
Round 3: Won, 2-1 at Metro Louisville FC

Chicago House AC had a bye in the first round of qualifying. In the second round, House were pushed to the limit by Ft. Wayne’s 1927 SC of the Ohio Valley Premier League. After going down 1-0 in the 8th minute, Chicago House equalized one minute into stoppage time on a Seo-in Kim penalty kick. After a scoreless extra time, Chicago prevailed 4-3 in the penalty tiebreaker.  Full match video

In the third round, Chicago House travelled to Jeffersonville, Ind. to face the UPSL’s Metro Louisville. In the 9th minute, Seo-In Kim converted a penalty for Chicago, but Louisville equalized in the 28th minute. Eight minutes later, a foul by Chicago’s AR Smith led to a scuffle between the two teams, resulting in a red card for Chicago’s Daniel Hayes. Midway through the second half Metro Louisville found themselves down to ten men due to a red card, and shortly after Jedidiah McCloud scored what turned out to be the game winning goal after his shot was deflected into the net. Full Match Video

Brockton FC United | Brockton, MA
Bay State Soccer League, Division 1
2022 Season: 7-8-3, 24 pts., 47 GF 45 GA , 4th place

Brockton FC United are looking to advance to their second straight Open Cup after qualifying in 2022. Their qualifying run last season finished with a dominating 17 goals scored against just three allowed. While Brockton’s BSSL team is Under-21, the club will have their senior UPSL team on the field as most of the Under-21 players are with their college teams now. The Brockton FC United UPSL team went 10-0-0 this past spring but were upset in the New England Division playoffs by Santa Cruz FC. Several of the players on the roster for Brockton FC United come from the Portuguese & Cape Verdean population in and around Brockton, Mass. The city of Brockton and the Cape Verdean community have been previously represented in the Open Cup by Emigrantes das Ilhas in 2009.

Win and You’re In History

Brockton FC United have had two appearances in “Win and You’re In” games, one good and one bad. The bad came in 2020 Open Cup qualifying, when the Massachusetts club dropped a 1-0 decision to New York Pancyprian Freedoms in a game that was halted in the 56th minute due to heavy rain and wind, causing the playing surface to become unsafe. Since play had begun in the second half, the game was considered official. In the end the 2020 tournament was called off due to the Covid-19 pandemic. TheCup.us Match Report

Two years later, Brockton would make good on their chance to qualify for the 2022 US Open Cup, making the trip south to Philadelphia and coming away with a 5-0 victory over Philadelphia Lone Star. Walter Varela and Nilton de Andrade gave Brockton a 2-0 halftime lead, then Geo Alves, Rilton Carvalho and Ruben Almeida finished the scoring in the second half to book Brockton’s first ever entry into the Open Cup proper. TheCup.us Match Report

How They Got Here
Round 1: Bye
Round 2: Won, 1-0 vs. Boston Street FC
Round 3: Won, 5-2 vs. Unations FC

After first round bye, Brockton defeated Boston Street FC 1-0 in the second round in a game that featured an “only in the US Open Cup” moment. Boston Street protested that the field was too narrow, and it was indeed one yard short when measured. Given a 7 p.m. deadline to fix the issue, Brockton supporters bought field chalk from a local hardware store to re-line the field and finished one minute before the deadline to avoid a Brockton forfeit. On the field, Antonio Correira scored the lone goal in the 64th minute off of a free kick from Geo Alves.

In the third round Brockton, Antonio Correia led the way with two goals and two assists in a 5-2 win over Unations FC of the UPSL. Correia opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, and eight minutes later Kily doubled their lead.. In the second half Unations pulled level after ten minutes of second half play, but from there all the scoring was from Brockton. Leonardo Teixeira and Correia assisted one another as each player scored in the 70th and 80th minutes. Euclides Mendoca scored number five for Brockton with a couple minutes left.

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Club de Lyon (NISA Nation / USASA)
at
South Carolina United Heat (UPSL)
Southeastern Freight Lines Soccer Center; Columbia, SC
Kickoff: 3 p.m.
LIVE STREAM: TBA

Club de Lyon | Orlando, FL
NISA Nation Florida Region
2022 Spring Season: 10-1-1, 31 pts., 48 GA 8 GA, 1st place

UPSL Florida Central Division
2022 Fall Season: 8-0-2, 26 pts., 42 GF 6 GA, 1st place

Club de Lyon won the NISA Nation Florida Region with a 10-1-1 record, and their 48 goals scored was tops among all the NISA Nation teams. Victor Rojas led all of NISA Nation with 8 goals and 12 assists during the 2022 Spring season.

Just before their third round Open Cup qualifying game kicked off, it was announced that Club de Lyon had been accepted to make the move from NISA Nation to NISA. It remains to be seen how this could affect things should Club De Lyon qualify through Open Division qualifying. Currently Club de Lyon has only been accepted into NISA as a member with a pending application to play professionally in 2023. As a professionally sanctioned third division league, all teams from NISA gain automatic entry into the Open Cup proper. The players used in Open Division qualifying are, officially, cup-tied to the NISA Nation team regardless of it qualifies or not.

If Club de Lyon wins this weekend, it would need to remain in NISA Nation in order to remain in the tournament. If the NISA Nation team drops out, the players would not be able to play for the pro team (if it plays) in the tournament. That is unless a waiver is granted by US Soccer. Any forfeit by the NISA Nation team would result in the forfeiture of the $1500 performance bond as well.

Since NISA Nation did not run a Fall season, Club de Lyon has fielded a UPSL team that includes many of the players from the NISA Nation roster. The team finished 8-0-2 in the UPSL Fall Season, placing first in the Florida Central division and nearly matching their NISA Nation goal numbers with 42 scored and only 6 allowed. They were upset in the Florida Central Fall playoffs by Jacksonville FC 2-0.

Win and You’re In history

While this is Club de Lyon’s debut in Open Cup qualifying, there have been two teams from the Orlando area that have reached Win and You’re In games since 2016, and oddly enough neither game was played.

In 2019 qualifying, Florida Soccer Soldiers secured a berth in the 2019 Open Cup with a forfeit victory after Orlando’s America SC withdrew from the Open Cup and the UPSL due to financial reasons. TheCup.us Report

In 2022 qualifying, it was Orlando FC Wolves who benefited from a walkover victory when their opponents SCU Heat were forced to forfeit their game due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the team just a day before the game. TheCup.us Report

How They Got Here
1R – Won 3-0 vs. Deportivo Lake Mary FC
2R – Won 3-1 at Orlando FC Wolves
3R – Won 4-2 vs, Florida Premier FC

Club de Lyon opened their 2023 qualifying run with a 3-0 win over fellow Orlando and NISA Nation club Deportivo Lake Mary. Victor Rojas (PK) and Damian Duda scored for Lyon, with the final goal coming from an own goal off a shot by Rojas. In the Second Round, Lyon ousted 2022 qualifier Orlando FC Wolves 3-1 on three unanswered goals after falling behind 1-0 in the 5th minute.

In the third round, Club de Lyon took out UPSL club Florida Premier FC and came away with a 4-2 victory. Florida Premier grabbed the early lead on a 5th minute goal, but Club de Lyon evened up the score in the 26th minute through Felipe Hurtado. Florida Premier retook the lead in the 55th minute on a corner kick, but Club de Lyon equalized once again five minutes later with Mateo Borelli’s goal. Club de Lyon grabbed the lead for good on two quick goals from Kewin Duque.


South Carolina United Heat | Columbia, SC
UPSL Mid-Atlantic Division
2022 Spring Season – 9-0-1, 27 pts., 39 GF 7 GA, 1st place
2022 Fall Season – 10-0-0, 30 pts., 54 GF 7 GA, 1st place

South Carolina United Heat are looking to make up for a disappointing end of their 2022 Open Cup qualifying campaign. After defeating Atletico Atlanta (3-1) and Georgia Revolution FC Reserves (3-2 aet), SCU Heat were forced to forfeit their final qualifying game to Orlando FC Wolves due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the team, missing out on a chance to qualify for the Open Cup.

The Heat won the UPSL Mid-Atlantic division Spring season with a 9-0-1 mark but fell in the first round of the playoffs to Georgia FC 2-0. SCU followed up with a perfect Fall season, finishing 10-0-0 while racking up 54 goals against just 7 conceded. SCU swept through the Mid Atlantic Fall playoffs and have advanced to the UPSL Round of 16, where they could face Beaman United in January should Beaman defeat the winner of the UPSL Georgia division playoffs.

Win and You’re In history

As mentioned before, SCU Heat had to forfeit their final round game to Orlando FC Wolves last year due a COVID-10 outbreak among the team days before they were to travel to Orlando for the game. TheCup.us Report

The only other appearance from a North or South Carolina side in a Win and You’re In game came in 2019 when Soda City FC Sorinex fell to Nashville United 4-0. TheCup.us Match Report. In 2015 North Carolina’s Triangle Brigade earned an Open Cup berth by winning their group in the USASA Region III Open Cup Finals. TheCup.us Report

How They Got Here
1R – Bye
2R – Won 4-0 at TCSA
3R – Won 3-0 vs. Tobacco Road FC

SC Heat took its first step towards avenging last year’s disappointing finish, defeating TCSA of the UPSL 4-0 in the Second round of qualifying.  Two goals from Rodane McKenzie powered the Heat, with Alejo Binaghi, Mitch Backer scoring the other two.

In the third Round SCU Heat stopped Tobacco Road FC 3-0. With only 10 players available, Tobacco Road held SCU scoreless for most of the first half. Finally, in the 33rd minute SCU broke through on a pair of goals two minutes apart. SCU sealed the victory on a one-on-one breakaway goal in the 75th minute. Full Match Video

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UDA Soccer (UPSL)
at
Azteca FC (Colorado Super League / USASA)
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Field 8); Commerce City, CO
Kickoff: 3 p.m.
LIVE STREAM: NONE

UDA Soccer | Las Cruces, NM
UPSL West Texas-New Mexico Division
2022 Spring Season – 6-2-2, 20 pts., 25 GF 11 GA, 1st place
2022 Fall Season – 5-3-0, 15 pts., 26 GF 16 GA, 2nd place

UDA is a soccer academy at New Mexico State University that allows players to receive year-round training while enrolled at New Mexico State. UDA had a successful 2022 Spring season, finishing first in the West Texas-New Mexico Division with a 6-2-2 record, and advancing to the UPSL National Quarterfinals. In the fall season UDA slipped to a 5-3-0 record to finish second. Two of their three losses came to fall division winners El Paso Surf Soccer Club., and fell 2-1 to Rush ACM3 in the fall playoffs of the West Texas-New Mexico division .

Win and You’re In history

This is UDA Soccer’s first appearance in a Win and You’re In qualifying game. This is also the closest an Open Division team from New Mexico has come to qualifying for the Open Cup proper since MLS clubs joined the tournament in 1995. Only a couple team representing New Mexico have participated in qualifying since 1995 with no success. Prior to ’95 the deepest run a New Mexico team had made in the Open Cup came in 1991 when the New Mexico Chiles of the Southwest Independent Soccer League (now USL) reached the semifinals, losing to fellow SISL club Richardson Rockets 1-0.

How They Got Here
1R – Bye
2R – Won 4-0 vs. Coronado Athletic Club
3R – Won 3-1 (AET) vs. Olympians FC

After a first round bye, UDA had no problem with Coronado Athletic Club (UPSL), winning 4-0. Mattias Cavallo put UDA up 1-0 at the half, and in the second half Eric Gomez-Silva scored twice, and Marco Millan added the final goal.

In the third round UDA hosted Olympians FC of the UPSL and eliminated the Arizona club with a 3-1 extra time victory. Olympians took an early 1-0 lead and held on to that margin for most of the game. With 15 minutes remaining, Olympians saw a player sent off for a second yellow card, but the visitors nearly held on. UDA finally broke through in the 87th minute when Jose “Jay” Mustielis headed home a cross from Marco Milan to tie the game. Deep in extra time, Olympians lost another player to a red card, and UDA took advantage In the 115th minute as Will Hanson’s pass was headed in by Kene Garcia. Two minutes later, Alan Vargas Gudino made it 3-1 to secure UDA’s trip to the final round.


Azteca FC | Denver, CO
Colorado Super League
2022 Spring Season – 6-0-1, 19 pts., 27 gf 10 ga, 2nd place
2022 Fall Season – 5-0-1, 16 pts., 16 GF 6 GA

Azteca FC 5280 have made it to the Open Cup three times, in 2017, 2018 and 2022, and were featured in the “Meet the Underdogs” series last year and in 2017 at TheCup.us.  In 2022 qualifying Azteca earned an Open Cup berth by knocking off Colorado Rush (4-1), Colorado Rovers (5-2) and Harpo’s FC (4-3 aet). Azteca won the fall championship of the Colorado Super League with a 2-0 win over FC Denver behind goals from Danny Bautista and Jovany Herrera. The 5280 in Azteca’s name and their logo is the elevation of Denver, Colorado, which sits at over a mile above sea level.

Win and You’re In history

Azteca FC are very familiar with Win and You’re In games, having played in four of them since 2017. Azteca have lost just one of these do or die games, and that result was nullified due to the 2020 Open Cup being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The three wins all have one thing in common, they came at the expanse of Colorado rivals Harpo’s FC.

In Azteca’s first Win and You’re In game against Harpo’s for the 2017 Open Cup, neither team knew at the time that the winner qualified. The game was in the second round in October 2016, and the next round was scheduled for February 2017. After the second round U.S. Soccer decided that the winners of that round were qualified, and the third round was cancelled.

Harpo’s were coming off qualifying for the 2015 & 1026 tournaments, and took the lead in the first half through Chris Salvaggione. In the second half Azteca drew level from a Makyr Opoeza penalty kick, and then took to lead when ex-Chivas winger Omar Ledezma scored off a corner kick.  TheCup.us Match Report

The next year Azteca and Harpo’s met for the rematch, and it wound up being another positive result for Azteca. Just like the previous meeting Harpo’s jumped out in from early with Kyle Luetkhens scoring in the 13th minute. Azteca equalized from a penalty kick converted by Erik Chavez, and near the end of the half a skirmish broke out in front the Harpo’s goalmouth that saw both teams lose a player to a red card. Harpo’s came out on the short end of the stick as it was their goalkeeper Zac Gibbens who was sent off. Nine minutes after halftime Azteca took the lead on Dehrian Ramirez’s goal, and a few minutes later Ramirez struck again for a 3-1 Azteca lead.

Harpo’s began their comeback in the 69th minute when Dan Campbell scored, but Azteca restored their two-goal lead in the 75th minute when Chavez scored his second with Ramirez nothing his third assist of the game. TGwo minutes into stoppage time Leutkhens scored his second to make the score 4-3, but it was too little too late for Harpo’s.  TheCup.us Match Report

In 2020 Open Cup qualifying, Azteca hoisted Olympic Club from San Francisco, who made the 1,200 mile trip to Aurora, Colorado and came away with a 3-1 win, making the long trip worth it. The game became notable before kickoff, and faulty lighting forced a venue change just an hour before kickoff. Olymnpic opened the scoring quick, with former MLS and USL player Matt Fondy (now playing with Inter San Francisco) scoring in the 5th minute. Azteca tied the game just after halftime on an Erik Chaves penalty, but Olympic retook the lead through a Bryan Burks goal and settled things with an 86th minute score from Javier Amaya-Hill. It would have been Olympic Club’s first ever Open Cup appearance, but the 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  TheCup.us Match Report

2022 qualifying brought game three of the Azteca-Harpo’s series, and once again Azteca came out on top. Justy as they did in the previous two games, Harpo’s scored early though a 4th minute goal by Max Steinmetz. Harpo’s extended their lead in the 20th minute through Austin Bell, but near the end of the first half Azteca’s Cesar Echegaray cut the lead in half on a free kick. Just before halftime Azteca were awarded a penalty on a handball foul, but Harpo’s goalkeeper Hayden Rus saved Eduardo Reza’s kick.

Right after halftime Eduardo Reza put Azteca level, and in the 68th minute Armando Gonzalez proved good on a  20-year free kick to put Azteca ahead. In the 80th minute Harpo’s found their equalizing goal when Bell scored his second, heading home a Caleb Cole cross. Harpo’s nearly won the game late on a deflected shot, but full time ended 3-3. In extra time Azteca grabbed the lad again in the 100th minute on a Cesar Meza goal Harpo’s fought for another equalizer the rest of the way, but Azteca held on to go 3 for 3 against Harpo’s in Open Cup qualifying. TheCup.us Match Report
Match Highlights

How They Got Here
1R – Won 3-1 at Colorado Rovers
2R – Won 4-1 vs. FC Denver
3R – Won 5-1 vs. Athletic Club of Sloan’s Lake

Azteca knocked off Colorado Rovers, another club from the Colorado Super League, 3-1 in the opening round of qualifying. Saul Garcia, Jovany Herrera and Freddy Fragozo scored for Azteca. In the second round Azteca defeated FC Denver, another Super League rival, 4-1. After FC Denver took an early 1-0 lead Azteca scored four unanswered goals. Brice Colcombe equalized in the first half, and Jovany Herrera (PK), Saul Garcia and Jose Bencomo (PK) scored the second half goals. Match Highlights

In the third round both Azteca and Athletic Club of Sloan’s Lake helped clear the snow-covered field at Wheat High School before the game could start, and Azteca were 5-1 winners in the end. Azteca jumped out to a 3-0 first half lead on two goals from Fredy Fragozo (on from a PK) and another from Anthony Miranda, Sloan’s Lake cut the lead to 3-1 in the 75th minute, but Jovany Herrera scored twice afterwards to cement the win

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Inter San Francisco (San Francisco Soccer Football League / USASA)
at
BattleBorn FC (NISA Nation / USASA)
Douglas High School; Minden, NV
Kickoff: 3 p.m.
LIVE STREAM: TBA

Inter San Francisco | San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Soccer Football League Majors Division
2022 Season – 15-2-3, 47 pts., 68 GF 32 GA, 1st place
*Won promotion to SFSFL Premier Division

Founded in 2021, Inter San Francisco began in the SFSFL First Division (3rd tier) then won promotion to the Majors Division in 2021. In the 2022 season Inter SF won the Major Division with a 15-3-2 record to move up to the Premier Division, the top tied of the SFSFL. Inter SF made their initial Open Cup qualifying run for the 2022 tournament, defeating Real San Jose 4-2 before losing to Sporting ID11 1-3. In August 2022 former MLS & USL player Matt Fondy joined Inter and has been instrumental in the club’s Open Cup qualifying run. Fondy also helped San Francisco’s Olympic Club qualify for the 2020 Open Cup , although that tournament was cancelled due to the COVD-19 pandemic. Fondy was also a part of SF Metro FC’s run to the final qualifying round last year

Win and You’re In history

Inter San Francisco are making their first appearance in a Win and You’re In game. Four times since 2016 a club from the San Francisco Soccer Football League have reached the final round of qualifying, and most of those times ended in disappointment,

In 2017 the qualifying rounds were reduced to just two rounds after the second round was completed, meaning the second round winners didn’t know they were in the Open Cup proper well after the last qualifying game. One of those teams was El Farolito of the SFSFL, winners of the 1993 Open Cup (as CD Mexico). Farolito overcame a pair of first half red cards to defeat Striker FC South Coast of the UPSL 2-1.

In qualifying for the 2018 Open Cup, El Farolito stormed past the UPSL’s Cal Victory 8-0 in the final round of qualifying. El Farolito got a hat trick from Carlos Montes, two goal each from Ederson De Silva and Gustavo Ruelas, and one from Marco Lubel. TheCup.us Match Report  About two months later Farolito got the bad news that they had been disqualified from the 2018 Open Cup because they had switched leagues during the tournament, moving from the SFSFL to the NPSL.

The next disappointment for the SFSFL came in 2020 qualifying. Longtime league member Olympic Club (founded in 1916) made the long trek the face Azteca FC in Aurors, Colorado for the final round. Matt Fondy opened Olympic’s scoring in the 5th minute, and after Azteca tied the game on a penalty kick I the second half, Bryan Burke and Javier Amaya-Hil scored for Olympic Club to seemingly clinch an Open Cup spot. That dream was snatched away a few months later, as U.S. Soccer was forced to cancel the 2020 Open Cup due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first time since 19145 the tournament was not played. TheCup.us Match Report

SF Metro FC reached the final qualifying round for the 2022 Open Cup, only to lose on penalties after a 1-1- draw with Contra Costa FC of the UPSL Matt Fondy opened the scoring to put Metro up 1-0 in the 24th minute, Contra Costa evened the score on Roberto Gonzalez’s goal in the 61st minute. After a scoreless extra time the penalty tiebreaker went 10 rounds, with Contra Costa winning after Metro missed their final attempt and CC converted their final kick. TheCup.us Match Report

How They Got Here
1R – Won 5-0 vs. Marin United
2R – Won 4-0 at Real San Jose
3R – Won 5-0 vs. Davis Legacy

Inter began their 2023 qualifying run with a 5-0 win over Marin United. Former Oakland Roots pro Matt Fondy scored twice, while Dyan Autran, Nikolai Littlejohn (both former Roots players), and Gerardo Burgos added the other goals. In the second round of qualifying, Inter SF had no trouble in dispatching Real San Jose of the National Soccer League 4-0. Dylan Autran scored twice and assisted on Gamal Compaore’s goal for a 3-0 halftime lead. Matt Fondy added the fourth off of a corner kick.

In the third round Inter ran past Davis Legacy FC of the UPSL 5-0. Only nine players for Davis Legacy made the trip to San Francisco and were further reduced to eight players midway through the first half due to injury. Remarkably Davis was able to keep the Inter off the scoreboard for the first half thanks to great goalkeeping from Anthony Gonzalez Cruz. Inter broke through after halftime however, with Javier Rivera Hernandez and Matt Fondy scoring before and after Nikolai Littleton’s hat trick.


BattleBorn FC | Minden, NV
NISA Nation Pacific Region
2022 Spring Season – 5-0-1, 16 pts., 32 GF 5 GA, 1st place

BattleBorn FC were established in 2021 and are making their second attempt at Open Cup qualifying, having reached the Third Round last year where they lost to SF Metro FC 1-0. BattleBorn finished first in the NISA Nation Pacific Region at 5-0-1.  Along with Club de Lyon and Capo FC, BattleBorn are among three NISA Nation clubs still alive in Open Cup qualifying, with each team having won their division in the league in 2022.

Win and You’re In history

This is BattleBorn FC’s first ever Win and You’re In qualifying game.  The last time Nevada was represented at this stage was in 2017 Open Cup qualifying, when FC Anahuac and MF 10 represented the state in what would ultimately be a Win and You’re In game after the remaining qualifying rounds were later called off and the second round winners awarded Open Cup berths. MF 10 started with only eight players, and after Anahuac jumped out to a 2-0 lead an injury and red card reduced MF 10 to just six players, forcing the referee to stop the game at halftime in favor of FC Anahuac.

How They Got Here
1R – Bye
2R – Won 4-2 at Modesto City
3R – Won 1-0 at Legend Football Gold

BattleBorn began their 2023 qualifying run with a 4-2 win over Modesto City Football Club of the Southwest Premier League. Junior Mahi gave BattleBorn a 1-0 lead just 30- seconds into the game, and Joaquin Garcia Broggi netted two more in the opening half, with Jonathan Cuavas helping on all three goals. Broggi finished his hat trick in the second half.  Modesto began a modest comeback but could only cut the score to 4-2.

BattleBorn travelled to Federal Way, Washington for their third round game against Legend Football Gold, and came back 1-0 winners. A 30th minute goal from the penalty spot from Joaquin Garcia was all BattleBorn needed. Five minutes after the goal Legend’s Karsimi Konneh was sent off was sent off, forcing the hosts to play a man down for the remaining 65 minutes.

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West Chester United SC (United Soccer League of PA / USASA)
at
Northern Virginia FC (Eastern Premier Soccer League / USASA)
Virginia Revolution Sportsplex; Leesburg, VA
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
LIVE STREAM: TBA

West Chester United SC | West Chester, PA
United Soccer League of Pennsylvania Men’s Major
2021/22 Season – 13-2-0, 39 pts., 70 GF 13 GA, 2nd place
2022/23 Season – 3-0-1, 9 pts., 23 GF 5 GA (ONGOING)

In addition to the USL of PA, West Chester United fields teams in USL League Two and the NPSL. WCU’s USL-2 team qualified for the Open Cup last season, while their USL of PA team made the cut in 2016 & 2019. WCU’s USL-2 & NPSL teams are unlikely to make the cut to qualify from either league for 2023. WCU also reached the National Amateur Cup Final in 2018 and have won the USL 0f PA championship four straight seasons from 2015/16-2018/19. West Chester United finished the ‘21-‘22 USL of PA season in second place behind champions Verinigung Erzgebirge, holding a +57 goal difference. 2022 was the first time since 2016 that their USL of PA team did not enter qualifying, as their USL-2 team had secured an Open Cup spot through league play.

Win and You’re In history

West Chester United have had four opportunities at Win and You’re In games, going 2-2. The first two in 2016 & 2017 didn’t become “Win and You’re In” until U.S. Soccer scrapped the remainder of qualifying some months later. In 2016 qualifying West Chester United earned their first berth in the Open Cup with a 3-0 win over Salone FC. Julien Aoyama scored twice and assisted on the other by Matt Poole.  TheCup.us Match Report

2017 saw West Chester tripped up on the final hurdle, dropping a 1-0 result to Christos FC. It wasn’t until the 87th minute that Geaton Caltabiano headed home the winning score for Christos.

West Chester found themselves in the Open Cup proper once again in 2019 with a 3-0 win over Boston’s Safira FC. Chad Poarch opened the scoring in first half stoppage time, and Peter Nolan added goals in the 57th and 60 minutes to seal qualification. TheCup.us Match Report

West Chester’s path to the 2020 tournament was blocked by USL of PA rivals Vereingung Erzebirge, although months later VE’s Open Cup dreams were snuffed out as well when the tournament was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Derek Antonini put VE ahead 1-0 in the opening half and assisted on Alec Neimann’s game winner in the second half for VE. Andrew Gonzalez scored a late goal for West Chester. TheCup.us Match Report

How They Got Here
1R – Won 2-1 vs. Ukrainian Nationals
2R – Won 4-0 vs. United German Hungarians
3R – Won 4-0 at Verinigung Erzgebirge

WCU opened Open Cup qualifying his year with a 2-1 win over fellow USL of PA club and four time Open Cup champions Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals. After the Uke Nats jumped out to an early lead, but Finn Reese leveled the score a few minutes before halftime. As extra time seemed certain, Derek Ramirez stepped up to convert a penalty kick in second half stoppage time.  West Chester United blanked another USL of PA rival, United German Hungarians, 4-0 in the second round. After a scoreless opening half, WCU broke through for four goals. Finn Reese led the way with two goals and an assist, with Levi Maruca and Clay Moyer scoring the other two. Match Highlights

In the third round faced another USL of PA rival, Verinigung Erzgebirge, at VE’s home in Warminster, Pennsylvania, posting their second straight 4-0 victory. Derek Ramirez scored first from the penalty spot in the 11th minute, and Finn Reese scored the second seven minutes later. In the second half Mason Miller pushed WCU’s score to 3, and then Reese assisted on the fourth goal by Jake Gosselin. Match Report from Brotherlygame.com


NoVa FC | Leesburg, VA
Eastern Premier Soccer League Mid-Atlantic Division
2021/22 Season – 12-1-0, 36 pts., 66 GF 15 GA 1st place
*Won 2021/22 Mid-Atlantic Division Playoffs
2022/23 Season – 7-0-0. 21 pts., 42 GF 4 GA (ONGOING)

Northern Virginia FC had quite a season in 2022. NoVa qualified for the 2022 Open Cup, winning their first round game 3-1 over EPSL rivals Lynchburg FC, and narrowly lost 1-0 to the Richmond Kickers of USL League One. NoVa also finished in first place in the EPSL Mid-Atlantic Division with a 12-0-1 record, and also won the Division playoffs. Finally, NoVa nearly gained automatic qualification to the 2023 Open Cup, losing the 2022 National Amateur Cup Final to Bavarian United FC 1-0.

Northern Virginia broke a 21-year drought with its 2022 Open Cup appearance. The team started as the Northern Virginia Royals in the USL D-3 Pro League in 1998, and qualified for the 1999 & 2000 tournaments. Their debut season in 1998 was the subject of a book titled “Unlucky: A Season of Struggle in Minor League Professional Soccer” by Dave Ungrady. In 2006 the club moved to the PDL (Now USL League Two) and eventually rebranded as Evergreen FC and then Evergreen Hammers. During this time they briefly partnered with D.C. United for a joint team called D.C. United U-23s. The USL-2 team renamed themselves Northern Virginia FC, although the club already had teams in the UPSL and EPSL under that name.

Win and You’re In history

NoVa FC’s only other appearance in a Win and You’re In game a year ago with a 5-0 win over Distictonia Futol, despite finishing the game with nine men. NoVa scored twice in the span of 11 minutes, both goals coming from KJ Nadeau in the 15ht and 26th minutes. In the final 15 minutes of the first half NoVa found themselves in a hold when Luke Campbell was sent off for his second yellow card and Francisco Diorio was shown a straight red.

NoVa pushed through the 2-man disadvantage and picked up where they started in the first half, Nadeau scored his third in the 63rd minute, and JP Ayolmbong (72”) and Ahmed Ismail (90”+) finished the scoring for NoVa FC.

How They Got Here
1R – Drew 0-0 vs. Steel Pulse FC. NoVa FC advance on penalties 3-1
2R – Won 6-0 vs. Germantown City
3R – Won 1-0 at DCFC

NoVa began their 2023 qualifying run with a penalty shootout win over Steel Pulse FC of the Maryland Super Soccer League. Steel Pulse held NoVa to a scoreless draw for 120 minutes, 110 of which Steel Pulse played with 10 men. NoVa prevailed in the shootout 3-1 to advance.

NoVa’s second round game was much easier, cruising past Germantown FC of the UPSL 6-0. Vagner Marques opened the scoring early in the game and assisted on Kevin Nadeau’s goal in the 30th minute. Nadeau struck again just before halftime by heading in a free kick from Jhonny De Souza. Marques added his second goal just after halftime, and Nadeau completed his hat trick with an easy goal after an error by Germantown’s goalkeeper. Frankie DiOrio finished NoVa’s scoring with a rocket free kick. Full Match Video

NoVa’s third round game came on a chilly and damp night against DCFC in the nation’s capital, and NoVa slipped out with a 1-0 win. The long goal of the game came in the 42nd minute when Vagner Maquis scored after a pass from Ahmed Shea. Early in the second half NoVa nearly doubled their lead, but the goal was called back on a close offside decision. DCFC had one last dangerous opportunity deep into stoppage time with a  free kick at the top of the penalty area, but NoVa’s defensive wall blocked the attempt.

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Lansdowne Yonkers FC (Eastern Premier Soccer League / USASA)
at
SC Vistula Garfield (Garden State Soccer League / USASA)
Athenia Steel Recreation Complex; Clifton, NJ
Kickoff: 7:45 p.m.
LIVE STREAM: YouTube

Lansdowne Yonkers FC | Yonkers, NY
Eastern Premier Soccer League Metropolitan Division
2021/22 Season – 12-1-5, 41 pts., 43 GF 15 GA, 3rd place
2022/23 Season – 8-1-1, 25 pts., 23 GF 7 GA (ONGOING)

Lansdowne Yonkers was founded in 1997 as Lansdowne Bhoys FC and won the Cosmopolitan Soccer League championship four times in a row starting with the 2013-14 season through the 2016-17 season. After changing the club’s name to Lansdowne Yonkers, they moved to the EPSL and won the inaugural championship for the 2020-21 season.

Lansdowne Yonkers FC return to Open Cup qualifying after having earned a spot in last year’s tournament as 2021 National Amateur Cup champions. Lansdowne also qualified for the Open Cup in 2016 and 2018 as members of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. The club also previously won the National Amateur Cup in 2017. Lansdowne have racked up three wins in the Open Cup proper, with their biggest coming in 2016 as a 2-0 upset of USL Championship side Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

Win and You’re In History

Lansdowne Yonkers’s first Win and You’re In success came in 2016 under a different name as Lansdowne Bhoys. A 5-0 win over Worcester FC gained Lansdowne a berth months after the game when U.S. Soccer scrapped the final round of Open Division qualifying, leading to the 14 Second Round winners with Open Cup entries. Through goals from Ovan Oakley and Sikele Sylvester, Lansdowne had a 2-0 halftime lead. Karim Russell, Ian Sweeney, and Gareth McGlynn tallied in the final 45 minutes for the 5-0 win. TheCup.us Match report

Lansdowne entered 2018 qualifying as defending National Amateur Cup champions, before the winner of that competition gained an automatic Open Cup berth. Lansdowne gained their second Open Cup spot in three years with a 3-1 win over Junior Lone Star U-23 of Philadelphia. Daryl Kavanaugh, a veteran of many League of Ireland clubs from 2005-2015, scored a pair of goals in the second half to power the Yonkers club to victory. Paco Navarro put Lansdowne up 1-0 by halftime. Kavanaugh then added his town goals in the second half before Long Star tallied to avoid the shutout. TheCup.us Match Report

The latest Win and You’re In triumph or Lansdowne came outside of proper Open Cup qualifying for the 2022 tournament, as the club won the 2021 National Amateur Cup in August 2021. Starting with the 2019 Open Cup the winner of the previous year’s National Amateur Cup gained a berth in the following year’s Open Cup tournament. Lansdowne’s Amateur Cup win came at the expense of Cal FC, who famously upended the Portland Timbers in the 2012 Open Cup. Cal FC jumped in front in the 30th minute on German Alfaro’s goal, but less than a minute after halftime for Patrick McCann to head home the tying goal for Lansdowne. In the 61st minute McCann earned a penalty when his shot hit the hand of a Cal FC defender, and Joseph DeVivo converted the spot kick that turned out to be the winning goal in the 2-1 victory. TheCup.us Match Report

How They Got Here
1R – Won 5-0 vs. Manhattan Kickers
2R – Won 3-0 at NY Greek American
3R – Won 4-1 vs. Oyster Bay United

Lansdowne opened their qualifying campaign with a 5-0 win over Manhattan Kickers FC of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. Shawn Genus scored three of the five goals, two coming in the first half. Julio Espinal and Joseph DeVivo added two other first half goals. Full Match Video

In the second round Lansdowne defeated EPSL rivals NY Greek American SC 3-0. Shamir Mullings gave Lansdowne a 1-0 halftime lead and Bala Danso and Daryl Kavanaugh added two more in the second half.  Full Match Video

In the third round Lansdowne knocked off 2022 qualifier Oyster Bay United 4-1. Joseph DeVivo put Lansdowne ahead in the 33rd minute, and Lansdowne would hold the 1-0 lead into halftime. Lansdowne resumed scoring in the 61st minute on a Shaquille Sanchez goal, and soon afterwards Oyster Bay got their long goal through Julio Espinal. To finish things off Shawn Genus netted the final two goals for the winners. Full Match Video


SC Vistula Garfield | Garfield, NJ 
Garden State Soccer League Super Division
2021-22 Season – 7-4-2, 23 pts., 26 GF 17 GA, 2nd place
2022-23 Season – 5-0-0. 15 pts., 19 GF 8 GA (ONGOING)

Celebrating its 70th anniversary, Vistula have often entered Open Cup qualifying in the past, but this is their first appearance since qualifying was revamped in 2015. Vistula’s first known appearance in the Open Cup came in qualifying for the 1971 tournament.  Vistula recently advanced to the Quarterfinals of the New Jersey State Cup with a 4-0 win over NJ Santos, getting two goals from Pawel Kondratowicz, and one each from Chris Karcz, and Paul Lee. Vistula ae looking to end a 52-year drought since their last New Jersey title in 1970. The club takes its name from the Vistula River, the longest river in Poland. It’s over 651 miles long and runs from Poland’s southern border with Slovakia to the Baltic Sea.

Win and You’re In history

Vistula Garfield have never player in a Win and You’re In game since Open Division qualifying was restructured in 2016. However, the club have reached the final qualifying game in 1998 & 2003 when just 4 teams from what is now the Open Division qualified for the tournament.

In 1998 Vistula made their way to the USASA Region I final after defeating United German Hungarians (Pa.) 5-1 in extra time. In the final, Vistula fell to four-time Open Cup champs NY Greek American in a contested game in which Vistula protested that NYGA used ineligible players. Their protest was denied, and the Greeks qualified for the Open Cup.

In 2003 Vistula ran through a gauntlet of former champions to get to the Region I Final, and was led by Vistula’s current head coach Chris Karcz, who was sometimes referred to by his given name of Krzysztof. In the Region I Quarterfinals Vistula knocked off four time Open Cup champions Ukrainian Nationals 3-0 on goals from Krzysztof Mioduszewski, Marcin Kasica, Chris Karcz. In the semifinals Vistula faced another four-time champion, their nemesis in the 1998 Region I Final NY Greek American. Vistula came out 4-1 winners behind two goals from  Karcz and single goals from Mioduszewski and Kasica.. Vistula’s run fell short at the Region I final with a 2-0 loss to the Bridgeport Italians.

How They Got Here
1R – Won 1-0 vs NY Pancyprian Freedoms
2R – Won 3-1 at Jackson Lions FC
3R – Won 2-1 vs. IASC Boom

Vistula pulled off a bit of an upset in the opening round of qualifying, knocking off NY Pancyprian Freedoms 1-0. Goalkeeper Anthony Caruso kept the Freedoms scoreless, and 40-year-old Christopher Karcz headed home the winner for Vistula in the 89th minute. Full Match Video

In the second round Vistula faced off with GSSL rivals Jackson Lions FC. Paul Kondratowicz opened the scoring for Vistula in the first half and Nicholas Kozdron converted a penalty in the second. Jackson pulled back a goal late on a penalty kick but Vistula held on to advance.

In the third round Vistula left it late in their 2-1 defeat of IASC Boom of the Rochester District Soccer League. Vistula started quick with a goal in the 10th minute by Wojciech Piwowarczyk headed home a pass from Dean Wright. IASC equilized midway through the second half on a goal from Ayub Jeylani. In the 80th minute, Vistula’s Vikotor Pervushki sent a low cross into the box, but whet the IASC goalkeeper punched it away it went straight to Chris Karcz close-range goal. Full Match Video

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18

D’Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (UPSL)
at
Beaman United FC (UPSL)
Richard Siegel Soccer Complex; Murfreesboro, TN
Kickoff: 3 p.m.
LIVE STREAM: TBA

Beaman United FC | Nashville, TN
UPSL KY-TN Division
2022 Spring Season – 8-1-1, 25 pts., 53 GF 8 GA, 1st place
2022 Fall Season – 7-1-2, 23 pts., 41 GF 15 GA, 2nd place

Beaman United was established in 2021 as a youth soccer academy, with their UPSL team serving as its senior team. The organization follows a philosophy and methodology of “Mia San Mia”, which comes from 19th century Germany meaning “Complete will to Succeed.”

Beaman went on to reach the UPSL National Semifinals, defeating the Dodge City Toros 2-1, then lost to Orange County FC 3-1 in the UPSL Championship game. Beaman also appeared to reach the 2022 National Amateur Cup Semifinals after defeating ASC New Stars 3-0 to win the Region III tournament but were later disqualified due to ineligible players.

Beaman captain Kwadwo Poku has an interesting US Open Cup resume from his earlier playing days. In addition to his nine career tournament goals, he is one of two players to score a goal in three consecutive tournaments for three different teams at three different levels. Poku scored for the Georgia Revolution (NPSL) in 2013, Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL, Div. 2 pro) in 2014 and then for New York City FC (MLS, Div. 1) in 2015.

Win and You’re In history

While Beaman United have never participated in the Win and You’re In game before, there have been two other appearances by a Tennessee club in an all of nothing qualifying game, both by Nashville United.

First in 2018 qualifying, Miami’s FC Kendall made the lengthy trip to a rainy and stormy Murfreesboro, Tennessee to face Nashville United. Kendall jumped out to a 4-0 lead by halftime. Nashville attempted a comeback in the second half with a pair of goals from Andrew Chamberlain and Joe Omondi, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Kendall’s wide lead. TheCup.us Match Report

In 2020 it would be Nashville United handing out a beating as the visiting side, rolling past Soda City FC Sorinex 4-0 in Columbia, South Carolina. Two goals from former Tampa Bay Rowdie Georgi Hristov and two more from Logan Paynter seemingly sent Nashville United to their first Open Cup. Months last Nashville’s hopes would be dashed as the 2020 tournament was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. TheCup.us Match Report

How They Got Here
1R – Bye
2R – Won 3-1 at Bowling Green FC
3R – Drew 4-4 at Kalonji Pro-Profile. Beaman United advanced on penalties 4-3

After a first round bye. Beaman United opened it’s 2023 Open Cup qualifying run with a 3-1 won over the UPSL’s Bowling Green FC. Alphonso Gooden scored first for Beaman in the 22nd minute. Eight minutes later former NYCFC midfielder Kwadwo Poku doubled the lead. After seeing their lead cut in half just after halftime, Beaman regained their two goal advantage through a tap in goal from Hayden Black.

Beaman’s third round game with Kalonji Pro-Profile turned out to be perhaps the wildest contest of this year’s qualifying, ending in a 4-4 extra time draw with Beaman advancing on penalty kicks 4-3.Kalonji took a 2-1 led into halftime on goals from Anthony Sumo and Junior Sandoval. Beaman cut the led in half in first half stoppage time on a goal from Michael Reed. Midway through the second half Beaman finally tied the score what Kwadwo Poku scored in the 72nd minute. Soon after Kalonji retook the lead on Junior Sandoval’s second goal. Just before second half stoppage time Beaman found their tying goal when Seth Poku scored off a corner kick that Kalonji goalkeeper Henry Pleitez failed to control.

In extra time Kalonji were reduced to ten men after a red card, and with 12 minutes remaining Seth Poku gave Beaman their first lead of the game with his second goal. Deep into extra time stoppage time Kalonji took one last corner kick that hit the post, and waiting for the rebound was Pleitez, making up for his earlier mistake to tap in the dramatic goal to make it 4-4 and send the game to penalties. In the penalty shootout the teams found themselves level at 3-3 heading into the fifth shooter, Alex Rodriguez saved Kalonji’s attempt, and the veteran Kwadwo Poku converted his spot kick to send Beaman to the final round. Full Match Video


D’Feeters Kicks Soccer Club | Dallas, TX
UPSL Texas North Division
2022 Spring Season – 7-1-2, 23 pts., 62 GF 6 GA, 1st place
2022 Fall Season – 5-1-4, 19 pts, 29 GF 16 GA, 2nd place

D’Feeters qualified for the 2022 Open Cup, knocking off the NPSL’s Denton Diablos 3-2 before losing to the USL Championship’s San Antonio FC 3-1 in the Second Round. D”Feeters qualified for the 2022 tournament through The Roja League, then moved to the UPSL for the 2022 season. DFKSC finished first in the UPSL Texas North with a 7-1-2 record and a dominating +56 goal difference but were upset in the Texas North playoff Final by FC Forth Worth. D’Feeters finished 2nd in the Fall season and have advanced to the UPSL Round of 32 after winning the Texas North playoffs.

Win and You’re In’ history       

D’Feeters Kicks have had one previous Win and You’re In game, coming last year over Southwest FC to earn their first Open Cup appearance. Southwest was coming off 7-1 and 6-1 wins in their previous qualifying games. After 30 minutes of scoreless play, D’Feeters grabbed the lead as Steven Chavez, but Southwest soon equalized on a goal from Danny Chairez. As the teams seemed certain to finish the second half scoreless and head to extra time, D’Feeters were awarded a penalty kick in the 85th minute, and Sebastian Mendez stepped up and gave D’Feeters the goal that would be the eventual game winner. TheCup.us Match Report

How They Got Here
1R – Won 5-1 at FC Fort Worth
2R – Won 3-2 at Alamo City SC
3R – Won 2-0 vs. D10 Lions. Match was abandoned in 70th minute due to referee abuse by D10 players.

D’Feeters Kicks opened their 2023 qualifying run with a 5-1 win over FC Fort Worth, five different players scoring for DFKFC. The win was a bit of payback for FC Fort Worth defeating D’Feeters Kicks in the UPSL Texas North playoffs in June. In the second round D’Feeters knocked off Alamo City Soccer Club (UPSL) 3-2, with Sebastian Mendez scoring all three goals.

D’Feeters’ third round game with Houston’s D10 Lions was perhaps the most newsworthy of the round, as the referee abandoned the game in the 74th minute with D’Feeters up 2-0 due to abuse from D10 Lions players. Sebastian Mendez gave D’Feeters a 1-0 lead in the first half, and Mendez assisted on the second goal from Oscar Ocampo. In the 74th minute things fell apart for D10, as a pair of players confronted the referee after the team’s fourth red card of the game. One player spat in the direction of the referee, causing the official to call the game off. TheCup.us Match Report  Full Match Video (In Spanish): First Half  Second Half

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Naples City FC (UPSL)
at
Miami United FC (National Soccer League / USSSA)
Milander Park; Hialeah, FL
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
LIVE STREAM: TBA

Naples City FC | Naples, FL
UPSL Florida West Division
2022 Spring Season – 4-4-2, 14 pts., 9 GF 11 GA
2022 Fall Season – 5-3-4, 19 pts., 15 GF 13 GA

Naples City FC struggled in the UPSL Florida West Division in the 2022 Spring season, finishing 4-4-2 and a sixth-place finish. Naples finished third in the Fall season but fell in the opening round of the division playoffs.

Naples City also has a team in the National Soccer League Florida South First Division, in which they won the championship of the Spring season. The club also fields a team in the UPSL Women’s league, currently in first place in the Florida South division Fall season.

Win and You’re In history

This is Naples City first Win and You’re In contest, although beach of the previous three years a Florida based UPSL team has advanced to the final round of qualifying.

Florida Soccer Soldiers secured a berth in the 2019 Open Cup with a forfeit victory after America FC withdrew due to financial reasons. TheCup.us Report

In 2020 qualifying it was Miami United’s u-23 team (then playing in the UPSL) that qualified for the Open Cup with a 4-0 win over fellow UPSL club Hurricane FC. Bautista Dominquez gave Miami United a 1-0 lead in the 7th minute. Darryl Gordon, Nicolas Micoli and William Stamatis each added goals before halftime to allow Miami United U-23 to cruise to an apparent Open Cup bid, but months after the game the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. TheCup.us Match Report

Last year Floridan Soccer Soldiers were on the doorstep of their second Open Cup appearance but fell 4-0 to City Soccer FC of the National Soccer League, although City Soccer also fielded a team in the UPSL but entered qualifying with their NSL team.. Kevin Velasquez opened the scoring for City Soccer in the 32nd minute after miscommunication between the Soccer Soldiers’ defenders and goalkeeper. City Soccer scored their final three goals in the second half through two goals from Ricardo Tapia and one from Christopher Llorente. TheCup.us Match Report

How They Got Here
1R – Bye
2R – Won 4-0 at Naples City FC. Game stopped in 65th minute due to severe weather
3R – Won 3-0 at Miami Soccer Academy

After a first round bye Naples City defeated Naples United FC of the NSL 4-0 in a game stopped in the 65th minute due to severe weather. Raidel Ramos, Alejandro Martinez and Mateo Rolon scored first half goals, and Martinez added another in thew second half before heavy rain stopped the match. Full Match Video

In the third round Naples and Miami Soccer Academy had to wait almost an hour to kickoff due to bad weather, but when the game commenced Naples came away with a 3-0 victory. Naples scored in the 15th and 18th minutes on goals from Raidel Ramos and Adriel Rodriguez, In the 61st minute Naples got their third goal when Arnold Mendez’s shot was tipped by the MSA goalkeeper and continued into the net. Full Match Video (Spanish)


Miami United FC | Miami Beach, FL
National Soccer League Florida Elite Division
2022 Spring Season – 7th place
2022 Fall Season – 5-3-2, 17 pts., 26 GF 14 GA, 2nd place

Miami United began play in 2012 and maintains teams in the NPSL and Miami United’s U-23 team have entered Open Cup qualifying twice in the past while playing in the UPSL. Their first foray in qualifying came in 2018 with a one and done entry. In 2020 qualifying Miami United qualified with a 4-0 win over Hurricane FC, but the Open Cup was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Miami’s NPSL had earned an Open Cup bid though their 2019 season performance in the NPSL but declined as most of their roster was cup-tied with the UPSL team that qualified from the Open Division.

Miami United ‘s NPSL club have qualified for the Open Cup four times (2015, 2017, 2018 & 2022), with their deepest run coming in 2018 when they reached the Fourth Round. Miami United has two teams in the NSL, their first team in the South Florida Elite Division and their u23 team plays in the Premier Division (2nd tier).

Win and You’re In history

In 2020 qualifying it was Miami United’s u-23 team (then playing in the UPSL) that qualified for the Open Cup with a 4-0 win over fellow UPSL club Hurricane FC. Bautista Dominquez gave Miami United a 1-0 lead in the 7th minute. Darryl Gordon, Nicolas Micoli and William Stamatis each added goals before halftime to allow Miami United U-23 to cruise to an apparent Open Cup bid, but months after the game the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. TheCup.us Match Report

How They Got Here
1R – Won 3-1 vs. Florida Brothers
2R – Won 5-0 at International Soccer Association
3R – Won 3-2 vs. City Soccer FC

Miami United won their opening round qualifying game 3-1 over NSL rivals Florida Brothers,  Highlights

Miami United then whitewashed the UPSL’s International Soccer Association 5-0 in the second round. Two players with overseas professional experience scored goals in the first half. Andrea Pastore (formerly of Serie B & Serie C in Italy) scored the team’s second goal in the 31st minute. Not long after Robertino Insúa made it 3-0 in the 38th minute. The former Club Atlético San Lorenzo San Lorenzo (Argentina) player is returning after scoring a goal in last year’s First Round with Miami. Manuel Conte opened the scoring in the 20th minute. Miguel Benito (71’) and Shamar Shelton (83’) finished the scoring in the second half.

In the third round Miami United denied 2022 qualifier City Soccer FC a chance at a second consecutive Open Cup appearance with a 3-2 victory. Miguel Benito scored in the 9th minute to counter a 3rd minute City Soccer score. Pastore put Miami United up 2-1 in the 25th minute, but City Soccer tied the game 2-2 just eight minutes later. In the 55th minute Robertino Insua gave Miami United the winning goal off a free kick.

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Capistrano FC (NISA Nation / USASA)
at
Orange County FC (UPSL)
Orange County Great Park (Field 13); Irvine, CA
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m.
LIVE STREAM: TBA

Orange County FC | Mission Viejo, CA
UPSL SoCal North Division
2022 Spring Season – 8-1-3, 27 pts., 42 GF 10 GA, 2nd place.

UPSL SoCal Central Division
2022 Fall Season – 9-0-1, 28 pts., 41 GF 12 GA, 1st place

The UPSL’s Orange County FC are managed by U.S. Men’s National team legend Paul Caligiuri. OCFC return to Open Cup qualifying after a six-year hiatus, with their lone qualifying game ending in a 3-0 loss to La Marquina FC in 2017.  Orange County turned a second-place finish in the UPSL SoCal North Spring season into a championship run, going all the way in the UPSL playoffs to defeat Beaman United 3-1 in the Final. Orange County are looking to take the UPSL Fall championship as well, sweeping through the SoCal Central playoffs with a pair of 3-0 wins to reach the UPSL Round of 32.

Orange County FC’s parent club in the NPSL has appeared in the Open Cup in 2018 and 2019. In the 2019 run OCFC knocked off a pair of USL Championship clubs (Orange County SC and Las Vegas Lights) to earn a game with the LA Galaxy in the Fourth Round, becoming the second NPSL team to play against a MLS club in the Open Cup.

Win and You’re In history

While this is Orange County FC’s first Win and You’re In game, as the sole UPSL survivor from Southern California they’ll look to keep the streak alive of at least one SoCal UPSL club gaining entry into the Open Cup via Open Division qualifying since 2016.

In 2016 San Nicolas FC, La Maquina and Los Angeles Wolves FC all earned a berth in the 2016 tournament when the Third round was called off and all of the second round winners were granted Open Cup berths.’ In 2017 La Maquina and LA Wolves qualified once again, this time being joined by Moreno Valley FC. La Maquina and LA Wolves made it three in a row in 2018, with Santa Ana Winds joining the duo.

In 2019 the Open Division allocation was reduced to eight teams, but Cal FC made the cut with a 4-1 win over Santa Ana Winds. While the 2020 tournament was eventually cancelled, Cal FC once again survived the final qualifying game against another UPSL club with a  2-1 win over Oxnard Guerreros FC. Last year, San Fernando Valley FC and Escondido FC became the two latest UPSL clubs to make the Open Cup field.

How They Got Here
1R – Won 3-1 at Trojans FC
2R – Won 7-1 vs. Temecula FC
3R – Won 7-3 vs. Escondido FC

In the opening round of qualifying OCFC topped fellow UPSL club Trojans FC 3-1. After being tied 1-1 in the opening half, Orange County jumped in front through a penalty kick, then extended their lead to 3-1 just before halftime.

Orange County FC cruised to a 7-1 win in their second round game over Temecula FC (SWPL), jumping out to a 4-0 lead after 30 minutes, adding three more goals I the second half.

OCFC needed to climb out of a first half hole to eventually win 7-3 over fellow UPSL club Escondido FC. Escondido’s Robert Guerrero Escobedo and Marcos Celestino gave their club a 2-0 halftime lead. Midway through the second half Orange County began their comeback with a 61st minute goal from Jonathan Joel Umana. Seven minutes later Lorenzo La Violette would tie the game, and two minutes after that Jose Montes De Oca put OCFC ahead 3-2. Escondido saw a player sent off in the 77th minute, but they found the equalizer in the 90th minute on a goal from Yerry Mendez. Four minutes into extra time De Oca gave Orange County the lead once again and completed his hat trick in the 100th minute. Just before the extra time break Miguel Moreno Rodriguez gave Orange County their sixth goal, and in the 127th minute Umana netted his second of the game for the 7-3 win.


Capistrano FC | San Juan Capistrano, CA
NISA Nation Southwest Region
2022 Spring Season – 8-0-0, 24 pts., 32 GF 12 GA, 1st place

SoCal Premier League Men’s Open
2022 Fall Season – 8-0-0 24 pts., 38 GF 8 GA (ONGOING)

Capo FC started in 2006 as a youth soccer organization and began competing in the UPSL and Southwest Premier League and the team moved to NISA Nation in 2022.

As part of the Southwest Premier League Capo FC got to the final round of 2022 Open Cup qualifying, where they lost to San Fernando Valley FC 2-1. Capo then moved to NISA Nation for 2022 season where they finished first in the NISA Nation Southwest Region with an 8-1-1 record. Capo FC also have a team playing in the 2022 Fall season of the SoCal Premier League, in which they lead the Open division by eight points with a perfect 8-0-0 record.

Win and You’re In history

Capo FC’s only other appearance in a Win and You’re In game came last year and ended in a 2-1 loss to San Fernando Valley FC. SFV grabbed the lead with a goal from Miguel Ortiz in the 17th minute, assisted by Charlie Cazares. Twenty minutes into the second half SFV pushed their lead to 2-0 when Hadmid Babaali scored area a deflection from the Capo goalkeeper. Capo pulled one back in the 82nd minute on a Marcos Cervantes header but couldn’t find the tying goal afterwards.

How They Got Here
1R – Won via forfeit over OC Kings FC. OC Kings did not have enough players
2R – Won 4-1 at Laguna United FC
3R – Won via forfeit over Desert FC. Desert FC did not have enough players

So far Capo FC has only had to win one of their three scheduled games to reach the final round. Capo won their opening 2023 qualifying game via forfeit when their opponents, OC Kings FC of the UPSL, did not have enough eligible players to play. In the second round,

Capo had to wait an extra 72 hours to top the UPSL’s Laguna United FC 4-1, as lightning forced the match scheduled for Sunday Oct. 15 to be pushed to Oct. 19. Capo jumped on top quickly through a Daniel Segal goal in the 4th minute, soon followed by Fatmir Becovic’s tally. Hevany Mota scored just before and after halftime, and Capo held the four goal advantage until Laguna pulled one back late in the game.

In the third round Capo FC got a free pass yet again when they were informed by U.S. Soccer on the day of the game that Desert FC would have to forfeit because they did not have enough players. Capo became the first team since 2016 to benefit from two forfeit wins in a single qualifying run.

2023 US Open Cup Projections: Next year’s competition could look very similar to 2022

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Orlando City SC celebrate the 2022 US Open Cup championship after a 3-0 win over the Sacramento Republic. Photo: Mathieu Starke
Orlando City SC celebrate the 2022 US Open Cup championship after a 3-0 win over the Sacramento Republic. Photo: Mathieu Starke

Open Division Local Qualifying is nearly finished for the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Local Qualifying is still a small part of the field, but what about the professional teams which saw lots of change among the lower divisions over the last few months? Also, who is in line to participate from the Open Division National Leagues of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two (USL-2)?

This article will try and project how the 2023 edition of the US Open Cup could be formatted and which teams are participating. The final professional league deadline as outlined in the US Open Cup handbook is the end of the month (Dec. 31), so this is still unofficial projections until the full team list is announced sometime in January 2023.

UPDATE (1/31/2023): The announcements will come now in February 2023.

Part I: Professional Teams

All professional leagues will enter the 2023 competition at various points. However these teams are ineligible

  • Teams that are directly owned by a higher division team
  • Teams that have their roster materially controlled by a higher division team

Teams that only have an affiliation agreement or only receive technical support are still eligible. Teams that also have minority stakes are still eligible. These affiliations would only prevent them from playing each other in the competition, except in the Final.

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): 26 teams

  • Atlanta United
  • Austin FC
  • Charlotte FC
  • Chicago Fire
  • Colorado Rapids
  • Columbus Crew
  • D.C. United
  • FC Dallas
  • FC Cincinnati
  • Houston Dynamo
  • Inter Miami CF
  • 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
  • St. Louis CITY SC (expansion)

Ineligible teams: 3

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

Every single US-based team in MLS is eligible and participating. St. Louis CITY SC ran a MLS Next Pro team in 2022, which fully indicates their inclusion in 2023.

Northern Colorado Hailstorm Colorado Springs Switchbacks 2022 US Open Cup
Players from Northern Colorado Hailstorm (white) and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks battle for the ball in their Second Round match in the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Northern Colorado Hailstorm

Division II, USL Championship (USL-C): 24 teams

  • Birmingham Legion
  • Charleston Battery
  • Colorado Springs Switchbacks
  • Detroit City FC
  • El Paso Locomotive
  • FC Tulsa
  • Hartford Athletic
  • Indy Eleven
  • Las Vegas Lights FC
  • Loudoun United FC
  • Louisville City FC
  • Memphis 901 FC
  • Miami FC
  • Monterey Bay FC
  • New Mexico United
  • Oakland Roots SC
  • Orange County SC
  • Phoenix Rising FC
  • Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
  • Rio Grande Valley FC
  • Sacramento Republic FC
  • San Antonio FC
  • San Diego Loyal
  • Tampa Bay Rowdies

Planned 2023 expansion team Queensboro FC does not appear to be coming to fruition, at least not in USL Championship for 2023. OKC Energy FC was also expected to make a return in 2023, but announced last month they would not be able to return until a new soccer specific stadium was constructed.

The MLS-owned teams have almost all completely left the league, with only Loudoun United remaining, although that doesn’t change anything for the Open Cup.

Las Vegas Lights were also propped up by LAFC who managed the player roster and paid their salaries. While no announcement has been made, it is expected that LAFC will not continue this arrangement, as they will be funding and operating their own reserve team in MLS Next Pro. There isn’t a single other team in American soccer that funds multiple professional reserve teams. This will likely force the Lights to leave USL Championship for 2023 unless some other arrangements are made to fund the roster. No player announcements have been made in this postseason despite other teams doing so.

Future expansion is in the pipeline for the league, so the non expansion of the participating teams from the league should only be temporary.

UPDATE (12/20/22): USL Championship has announced the conference alignment and schedule format for 2023, with Las Vegas Lights FC being included in the Western Conference. The team still has yet to make any roster announcements for the upcoming season, but there is clearly a plan for them to play next season. They have been added to this list and the numbers below adjusted

UPDATE (1/31/23): Although Steven Goff of the Washington Post announced that Loudoun United was in the works of changing ownership, making them eligible for the U.S. Open Cup, this does not appear to be done in time for the 2023 competition. We’ll be keeping an eye on this for 2024 and beyond.

UPDATE (2/2/23): Loudoun United and USL Championship announced today the sale of a controlling stake in the club to Greg Baroni and Attain Sports. This will immediately make the club eligible for the U.S. Open Cup, but with D.C. United still retaining a minority stake in the club, Loudoun United will not be allowed to face off against D.C. United in the competition (except in the Final). All projections below have been updated to reflect this.

Division III, USL League One (USL-1): 12 teams

  • Central Valley Fuego FC
  • Charlotte Independence
  • Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
  • Forward Madison FC
  • Greenville Triumph SC
  • Lexington SC (expansion)
  • North Carolina FC
  • Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC
  • One Knox SC (expansion)
  • Richmond Kickers
  • South Georgia Tormenta FC
  • Union Omaha

FC Tucson announced in October that they would not return to the league and would instead rejoin USL League Two for 2023. Lexington SC and One Knox SC were announced as expanding into the league. One Knox SC could follow the precedent set by their rivals in South Georgia and enter both a League One and League Two team into the tournament, which would be entirely separated in the competition.

USL League One made a recent announcement that the 12 teams in the league would play a 32-game schedule instead of a 30-game one, which indicated publicly the roster for 2023.

Should the league again choose to start in April, the expansion teams would need a waiver from the committee as rules state that expansion teams must play their first league match at least 7 days prior to their first Open Cup match.

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

  • ALBION San Diego
  • Chattanooga FC
  • Club de Lyon FC (expansion)
  • Flower City Union
  • Gold Star FC Detroit (expansion)
  • Los Angeles Force
  • Maryland Bobcats FC
  • Michigan Stars FC
  • Savannah Clovers FC (expansion)

The ever revolving door that is NISA continues. Chicago House AC, New Amsterdam, and Stumptown AC never even made it to the start of the 2022 season. Valley United AC and Bay Cities had to quit in the middle of the season as well. It is not expected that AC Syracuse Pulse will return for 2023, but we’re still waiting on official word. No social media post has been made for a couple weeks, and no player announcements as well this postseason.

On the flip side, they are quickly replaced with three expansion teams for 2023 in Club de Lyon, Gold Star FC Detroit, and the Savannah Clovers. Should there be more shenanigans as what played out last January, the committee and US Soccer may not be as forgiving this time for this league.

UPDATE (1/31/23): NISA, after long delays from audits and teams changing their minds at the last second, have confirmed 9 teams for the 2023 season. They also confirmed all 9 will play in the U.S. Open Cup, meaning waivers were granted to the 3 expansion clubs for the lateness of their schedule. California United Strikers FC have gone on hiatus though, so they will be removed from this list and the following sections have been updated as well.

Division III: MLS Next Pro (MLSNP): 1 team

  • Rochester New York FC

Ineligible teams: 27 (every other team in the league)

Just as in 2022, this league is mostly made up of second teams of MLS sides. Those are ineligible for the US Open Cup, leaving Rochester New York FC (the club formerly known as the 1999 US Open Cup champion Rochester Rhinos) as the only eligible team participating in 2023. MLS Next Pro has announced two more independent teams for future seasons, so their participation in the Open Cup should steadily increase in the future.

To summarize:

  • Division I (MLS): 26 teams
  • Division II (USL-C): 24 teams (UPDATED 2/2/23)
  • Division III (USL-1): 12 teams
  • Division III (NISA): 9 teams (UPDATED 1/31/23)
  • Division III (MLSNP): 1 team
  • Total: 72 teams (modern era record)

UPDATE 12/20/22: Due to more pro teams being confirmed for participation in the 2023 season, the following sections have been updated to reflect this.

UPDATE 1/31/23: Due to fewer pro teams being confirmed for participation in the 2023 season, the following sections have been updated to reflect this

UPDATE 2/2/23: One additional pro team has been made eligible for participation in the 2023 season, so the following sections have been updated.

Part II: Possible Tournament Format

In July, US Soccer announced the vast majority of the format for the 2023 competition, the only question being which round the Division III teams would enter. Based on other factors, it is very likely the Division III teams will enter in the Second round with the Division II teams. This will leave 28 Open Division teams to enter the first round, four fewer than the 32 that entered in 2022. A total of 100 teams should be participating in the 2023 US Open Cup.

UPDATE 1/31/23: USL League One has a scheduled regular season game during the window of the First Round of the tournament. This is extremely good evidence that the Division 3 leagues will enter in the Second Round.

  • First Round: 28 Open Division teams enter, 28 teams total
  • Second Round: 24 USL-C teams, 12 USL-1 teams, 9 NISA teams, and 1 MLS Next Pro team enter and 14 winners of the First Round participate, 60 teams total
  • Third Round: 18 MLS teams enter and 30 winners of the Second Round participate, 48 teams total
  • Round of 32: 8 remaining MLS teams enter and 24 winners of the second round participate, 32 teams total
  • Round of 16: 16 winners of Round of 32 face off, 16 teams total
  • Quaterfinals: 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 eight MLS teams entering in the Round of 32 were decided in the same way as the 2022 tournament. The four 2022 CONCACAF Champions League participants (Los Angeles FC, Philadelphia Union, Orlando City SC, and Austin FC) and then the two best eligible teams remaining from each of the conferences based on the standings last year (East: New York City FC, New York Red Bulls) (West: FC Dallas, LA Galaxy). The remaining 18 teams, including expansion St. Louis CITY SC will enter in the Third Round.

Just as in previous seasons, divisions or pools of teams that enter will be excluded from playing each other in the immediate round of entry for that pool. Here’s how the matchups will likely be determined in each round of the tournament along with their restrictions:

  • First Round: All matches should be between teams from different groups (NPSL, USL-2, and LQ), except that in this round this can be waived if doing so will “avoid extensive travel on balance for the participating teams.” Teams will be matched up as best they can be to a team geographically close to them. There will not be an open draw determining match-ups for this round, just the usual coin flips for determining hosts.
  • Second Round: In this round, teams from the same professional division (or the first round winners) cannot play each other, the individual league does not matter. A match between Chattanooga Red Wolves and Chattanooga FC would be impossible in this round as they are both Division III teams, but possible in subsequent rounds. Teams will be matched up by geography except for the restriction already mentioned. Because of this restriction, this is how many matches we would see between the groups for the Second Round.
    • 6 matches of a First Round winner vs. a Division III team
    • 8 matches of a First Round winner vs. a Division II team
    • 16 matches of a Division III team vs. a Division II team
  • Third Round: The 18 MLS teams cannot play each other, so another early matchup between Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers would not be possible in this round, but possible in subsequent rounds. This round is when teams will be grouped by geography into groups of 4 or 6 and then they draw match-ups within the group.
  • Round of 32: This round only has a restriction on the 8 MLS teams that enter in this round. To prevent them from playing each other, their will be 8 groups of 4 teams with the 8 MLS teams that enter in this round being in completely different groups. Matchups that are not possible in the Round of 32 for 2023 include the Hudson River Derby between NYCFC and New York Red Bulls and El Trafico between LAFC and LA Galaxy. Both of these matchups would be possible in subsequent rounds though. After forming the 8 groups of 4 teams by geography with that restriction, matchups will be openly drawn within the groups.
  • Round of 16 will see the final bracket finally shape up. The remaining teams will be grouped into 4 groups of 4 teams geographically, with all divisional restrictions removed. From there the Round of 16 matches will be openly drawn within the groups. The final bracket will then be made with the quarterfinals being within the groups, then the semifinals being paired up geographically, and the final being a typical east vs. west matchup.

Bavarian United celebrate the club's 2022 USASA Amatuer Cup title after a 1-0 win over Northern Virginia FC on Aug. 7, 2022. Photo: Bavarian United
Bavarian United celebrate the club’s 2022 USASA Amateur Cup title after a 1-0 win over Northern Virginia FC on Aug. 7, 2022. Photo: Bavarian United

Part III: Allocation of Open Division slots

Now let’s determine how the 28 Open Division slots will be allocated. We already know 9 teams will qualify from the past four rounds of qualifying games. We also know that Bavarian United have also qualified as USASA National Amateur Cup champion, making a total of 10 teams with the local qualifier designation.

Local Qualifiers, 10 teams:

  • Bavarian United SC
  • Beaman United FC
  • Capo FC
  • Chicago House AC
  • Club de Lyon
  • Inter San Francisco
  • Lansdowne Yonkers FC
  • Miami United FC
  • UDA Soccer
  • West Chester United SC

Club de Lyon may be forced to have two teams in the tournament, a NISA professional side and a NISA Nation amateur side. There isn’t a rule against it and they would just be completely separated from playing each other throughout the tournament. Unlike the Open Division national leagues, once you’re in qualifying, you can’t just quit without completely forfeiting the $1500 performance bond paid.

That leaves 18 slots remaining for the two National Leagues, NPSL and USL League Two. These are given out proportionally to each league based on the number of eligible playing teams in the league for 2022. USL League Two had a record 111 teams in 2022 compared to the 92 teams in NPSL. The total is 203 teams Here’s how the math shakes out for each league:

18 slots times 111 teams in USL-2 divided by 203 total teams equals 9.84 slots rounded up to 10.

18 slots times 92 teams in NPSL divided by 203 total teams equals 8.15 slots rounded down to 8.

With that, here’s the teams that could qualify for each league. The teams from these two leagues were already required to commit and fill out entry forms for the tournament. The final announcement of which teams make it in won’t be announced until the finalization of the professional leagues early in 2023. Once that is made, the slots for NPSL and USL-2 will be adjusted if there are more or less teams in the pro leagues than expected.

National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), 8 teams

  • FC Motown
  • Crossfire Redmond
  • Muskegon Risers
  • Tulsa Athletic
  • Jacksonville Armada FC U-23s
  • El Farolito
  • Appalachian FC
  • Cleveland SC

Should the number of teams increase or teams decline their bid for some reason, here are some of the alternate teams in each NPSL region. Spots for NPSL stay within the region if a team declines to participate (ex. if FC Motown declines to participate, their spot would go to the next ranked East region team, Hartford City FC).

  • East Region: Hartford City FC
  • South Region: Atletico de Miami Beach
  • Midwest Region: Med City FC
  • West Region: Sacramento Gold FC

USL League Two (USL-2), 10 teams

  • Ventura County Fusion
  • Lionsbridge FC
  • Des Moines Menace
  • Seacoast United Phantoms
  • Nona FC
  • Manhattan SC
  • Ocean City Nor’easters
  • Chicago FC United
  • North Carolina Fusion U23
  • Brazos Valley Cavalry

Should the number of teams increase or teams decline their bid for some reason, here are the next 4 alternates in order.

  • One Knoxville SC
  • South Bend Lions
  • Texas United
  • Capital FC Atletico

One Knoxville SC may run both their USL-1 and USL-2 teams in the competition next season if they want to, there is no restriction against it. South Georgia Tormenta FC did so in the 2019 U.S. Open Cup.

You can see the full list of teams that could qualify from the NPSL here and from USL League Two here

A history of violence against referees in US Open Cup

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Clint Dempsey of the Seattle Sounders FC is shown a red card during a 2015 US Open Cup match against the Portland Timbers.
Clint Dempsey of the Seattle Sounders FC is shown a red card during a 2015 US Open Cup match against the Portland Timbers.

On Nov. 19, in the Open Division Qualifying tournament for the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, an unfortunate situation brought the abrupt end to the Third Round game between D’Feeters Kicks SC and D10 Lions FC.

With D’Feeters up 2-0 in the 74th minute, the referee was forced to abandon the match after several D10 players confronted him after issuing a red card to Lions player Ran Vahnono. According to the referee report, the match was ended after Vahnono spat in the direction of the referee after getting sent off for shoving an opponent trying to set up for a free kick. After the match was abandoned, a player kicked the referee and made contact with his heel. In the end, 10 yellow cards and four red cards were officially issued to the Lions prior to the situation becoming untenable for the officials.

Unfortunately, in the long history of the US Open Cup, this was not the first time that there have been more then a few incidents where games were halted due to referee abuse.

Here are a few of the more prominent examples over the years.

1930 National Challenge Cup (Detroit, MI)

On Nov. 16, 1930 in the Second Round of Michigan qualifying at Packard Park in Detroit, Albion and Swedish American FC were replaying their 3-3 draw from the week before. Albion scored in the 60th minute to go up 2-0, and some of the crowd who felt offside should have been called spilled onto the field to go after referee H. Pithie. Pithie called the game off and fled to the dressing room with a police escort. The game was later awarded to Albion.

1948 National Challenge Cup (Rochester, NY)

The opening round of Northwest New York qualifying kicked off at a snowy Old University Field in Rochester on Jan. 4, 1948. Rochester Thistles scored in the 65th minute to go ahead of Beck’s German American SC of Buffalo, 3-2. Just after the goal, Several Beck’s players assaulted referee Ralph Griffith, kicking him in the head and back before being rescued by Thistles players and escorted to the dressing room. Beck’s were later disqualified.

1956 National Challenge Cup (Milwaukee, WI)

In the Wisconsin state final on Dec. 4, 1955 at Old Heidelberg Park in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Sport Club were leading Serbian SC 2-0 late in the game. In the 88th minute, Serbian forward George Rasic began arguing with referee Len Colbert, after which Rasic struck Colbert, causing Colbert to halt the game. Rasic was suspended for one year.

1963 National Challenge Cup (Philadelphia, PA)

Perhaps the most high-profile incident of referee abuse in an Open Cup game came in the 1963 Final between Philadelphia’s Ukrainian Nationals and Armenian SC of Los Angeles. After 90 minutes of scoreless play, Mike Noha put the Nationals ahead 1-0 in the 115th minute. Just after the goal, an unidentified Armenian player struck referee Ray Kraft, who immediately stopped the game, giving the Nationals their third Open Cup championship in four years.

1965 National Challenge Cup (Philadelphia, PA)

On April 4, 1965 the Ukrainian Nationals were involved in another match that was ended abruptly due to referee abuse. With the Ukrainians locked in a 1-1 tie in extra time with Paterson Roma (NJ) at Philly’s Cambria Stadium, the Ukrainians’ Carl Yakavino scored to put his team ahead, 2-1. An unidentified Roma player then struck referee Ray Kraft in the face, bringing an immediate end to the contest and advancing the Ukrainians to the Eastern Semifinals.

This marked the second time in three years that Kraft was attacked by a player in a tournament game. Kraft would finish his career as a very well-regarded official. He was a 1984 inductee into the National Soccer Hall of Fame and even managed Baltimore’s Pompei SC, a club that reached the US Open Cup Final in 1958. During that run, Pompei won the longest, and arguably the greatest tournament game in history in the Quarterfinals.

1966 National Challenge Cup (New York, NY)

One of the more unusual incidents took place on Mar. 20, 1966 in the National Quarterfinals between New York Ukrainian and New York Greek American SC. With the Ukrainians ahead 2-1 deep in extra time, the Greek Americans became enraged when referee McLean did not award them a penalty kick on when they felt was a foul inside the penalty area. Greek American players and spectators went after McLean and the game was abandoned. Instead of a forfeit or replay, it was decided the two teams would play the final five minutes on April 10. The Ukrainians held on for the win but would fall to the Ukrainian Nationals in the Semifinals.

2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (Tukwila, WA)

The only significant incident of referee abuse from the Modern Era (1995-present) came in the 2015 US Open Cup. Clint Dempsey of the Seattle Sounders, who produced numerous memorable moments in MLS, the English Premier League and the US Men’s National Team during his career, produced a memorable moment for all the wrong reasons.

In the 114th minute of a hotly-contested Fourth Round game between the Sounders and their archrivals, the Portland Timbers, Dempsey became the third Sounders players to receive a red card in the game. Before leaving the field, Dempsey grabbed notebook of referee Daniel Radford and ripped it up.

While the game continued, Seattle would end up losing 3-1 and Dempsey would receive a ban from Open Cup play for two years or six matches, whichever was greater. 

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