2023 U.S. Open Cup Photo Gallery (The Open Division Qualifiers)

The Bhoys are back! Lansdowne Yonkers FC have become regular fixtures in the Open Cup Proper since making their debut back in 2016. The two-time national amateur cup champions (and 2021 runners-up) navigated the always-complicated New York City metro area’s qualifying road once again to book passage to the 2023 tournament, besting former Open Cup champions NY Greek American Atlas and 2022 participants Oyster Bay United along the way.
Pennsylvania’s Road Warriors return. Much to the chagrin of long-time coach and club director Blaise Santangelo, West Chester United SC – annually among the top amateur sides in the country – did not benefit from the luck of the draw in 2023 Open Cup Qualifying. They were forced to play all four of their games away from home, including a tense-to-the-bitter-end Fourth Round contest with 2022 Open Cup participants NoVa FC (pictured here).
A new dawn in San Francisco. For a club not yet two years old, Inter San Francisco hit the high notes at blinding speed. With a handful of ex-pros in the side, including former U.S. Open Cup Semifinalist striker Matt Fondy, the club were simply unplayable through four Qualifying Round games out West. They scored 19 times and conceded just once – and they’ll be a team to watch when the Open Cup Proper rolls around in March of 2023.
Club de Lyon have eyes on the prize. A new club, out of Greater Orlando and with sights on a future in the professional sphere, the Floridians went on a roll in their first-ever Open Cup Qualifying campaign. Wins over Deportivo Lake Mary FC (pictured), Orlando FC Wolves, Florida Premier and South Carolina United Heat – out on the road in the decisive Final Qualifying Round – were enough to see the side through to a debut in the Open Cup Proper.
A good stretch for new boys Capo FC. Not a household name in the amateur game out West, the club from San Juan Capistrano, California – founded in 2006 – knocked off some of the bigger local fish to reach a first-ever Open Cup Proper in 2023. After wins over OC Kings, Laguna United and Desert FC, they needed a shootout after a 0-0 draw through 120 minutes to see off 2019 tournament giant-killers and reigning UPSL national champions Orange County FC to earn a place at the big table.
House at home in the Open Cup. Founded two years ago by Peter Wilt – the former President and GM for MLS outfit Chicago Fire, and four-times an Open Cup winner – Chicago House twice had to board a plane to book passage to their first Open Cup Proper. A slim win over Metro Louisville FC in Indiana was followed up by a trip to Randolph, Massachusetts in the Final Round – where House finished their quest with a shootout win over Brockton FC United, earned in near-total darkness (the lights never came on).
Beaman has Nashville dreamin’. Beaman United (red) count their club history in months – not years. And the Nashville-area side, who boast a pair of ex-pros in former NYCFC man Kwadwo Poku and Michael Reed, rode a swashbuckling style of play through three Rounds of Qualifying to reach their first Open Cup Proper. After earning a bye through the Opening Round, they scored 11 goals – and conceded eight – in their next three games. If your heart can take it, they’ll be a team to watch in the 2023 tournament.
UDA Soccer give it the old college try. It’s rare for a team from New Mexico to reach the Open Cup Proper via the Open Division Qualifying track. But that’s just what UDA Soccer – out of Las Cruces – did this time out. Affiliated with New Mexico State University, the club’s shootout (4-4 a.e.t) win over Azteca FC of Colorado in the Final Round will go down as one of the best Qualifying games in the modern era of the Open Cup.
Party time (again) in Miami. We’ve come to expect Roberto Sacca’s Miami United FC to reach the Open Cup Proper. But the South Florida regulars didn’t have things all their own way this time out – and needed a tense 2-1 win over neighbors Naples City to book a place in their fifth tournament since debuting back in 2015.