First Qualifying Round Scheduled for Weekend of Sept. 21-22;
NPSL, USL League Two Opt for 2019 League Results to Decide Their Participants;
2019 USASA National Amateur Cup Winner Newtown Pride FC (Conn.) Awarded Automatic Slot in First Round Next Spring
CHICAGO (Aug. 21, 2019) – Eighty-nine amateur teams have been approved for entry into the qualifying rounds for the 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s National Championship.
Nearly all the entrants will see action in the first qualifying round, set for Sept. 21-22, with the matchups to be announced by U.S. Soccer in the final week of August. The history-filled annual tournament, entering its 106th year, is the only high-profile event in American team sports where amateur sides have the opportunity, should they advance far enough, to face professionals in meaningful national competition.
Several amateur clubs with notable pedigrees have thrown their hat into the ring for 2020, including Cal FC, who knocked out the Division I Portland Timbers in extra time in 2012; Christos FC, whose sudden legion of fans helped fill the Maryland SoccerPlex and saw their team briefly go ahead of D.C. United in 2017; three-time Open Cup champion New York Pancyprian Freedoms (1980, 1982 and 1983); NTX Rayados, who in 2018 held that year’s eventual champion Houston Dynamo scoreless for the opening 55 minutes of their fourth round encounter; and the Florida Soccer Soldiers, the Cinderella story of 2019 after coming from behind late in extra time against the Division II Charlotte Independence to prevail in penalty kicks earlier this year.
Open Division Local Qualifying is conducted on a single-game, knockout basis. Matchups are determined geographically to minimize travel time and expense, with random selection used when practicable to determine opponent pairings. Home teams are determined by coin flip. Pairings for the second (Oct. 19-20), third (Nov. 23-24) and, if needed, fourth (Dec. 21-22) qualifying rounds will be determined and announced after each preceding round of games has taken place. The survivors will advance to the First Round of the 2020 Open Cup next spring.
The first round of 2020 local qualifying takes place less than four weeks after the 2019 Final between Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC (Aug. 27 at 7:45 p.m. ET on ESPN+), with both clubs playing in their first Open Cup Final in just their third season at the Division I level.
Beyond the amateur teams in local qualifying, Newtown Pride FC (Newtown, Conn.), by virtue of winning the 2019 U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup on Aug. 3, has been awarded a direct slot into the First Round of next year’s Open Cup and will not compete in local qualifying, the second year running where a first round berth has been reserved for the Amateur Cup champion.
In other Open Cup news, both the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two (USLL2) have opted to use the Open Division National Leagues track for qualifying. This election allows the two nationwide amateur leagues to use 2019 league results to determine their clubs that advance to the Open Cup First Round in 2020, thus substituting the leagues track for the local qualifying process.
The number of 2020 Open Cup First Round berths awarded to the various Open Division qualifying pools (i.e. local qualifiers, NPSL, USLL2) will be announced at a later date.
2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Open Division Local Qualifying Schedule
First Qualifying Round: Sept. 21-23
Second Qualifying Round: Oct. 19-20
Third Qualifying Round: Nov. 23-24
Fourth Qualifying Round (if necessary): Dec. 21-22
2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Open Division Teams Entering via the Local Qualifying Track
Listed by State and League (Sanctioning Body) Affiliation
California (20)
LIGA NorCal (US Club Soccer)
Academica SC*; Turlock, Calif.
San Francisco Soccer Football League (Calif. Soccer Assn.-North/USASA)
Olympic Club; San Francisco, Calif.
SoCal Premier League (Calif. State Soccer Assn.-South/USASA)
Chula Vista FC; Chula Vista, Calif.
L.A. Monsters FC; Irvine, Calif.
Outbreak FC; Long Beach, Calif.
Quickening; Palmdale, Calif.
Rebels Soccer Club; Chula Vista, Calif.
SC Trojans FC; Los Angeles, Calif.
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Alta California Sol; Santa Barbara, Calif.
Cal FC*; Wilmington, Calif.
Contra Costa FC; Walnut Creek, Calif.
JASA RWC; Redwood City, Calif.
Newport FC; Lake Forest, Calif.
Oakland Stompers; Oakland, Calif.
Oxnard Guerreros FC; Oxnard, Calif.
PV United; Watsonville, Calif.
Real San Jose; San Jose, Calif.
Santa Monica United FC; Santa Monica, Calif.
USA Soccer Stars FC; Glendale, Calif.
Valley United SC; North Hills, Calif.
Colorado (10)
Colorado Premier League (U.S. Specialty Sports Assn.)
Athletic Club of Sloan’s Lake; Lakewood, Colo.
Azteca FC; Broomfield, Colo.
Club El Azul; Broomfield, Colo.
Colorado Rovers; Broomfield, Colo.
FC Boulder Harpos; Boulder, Colo.
FC Denver*; Aurora, Colo.
FC Union Jerez; Broomfield, Colo.
Colorado Super League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Colorado Rush; Lakewood, Colo.
Logroñes Denver Soccer Club; Denver, Colo.
Mountain Premier League (US Club Soccer)
Gam United FC; Denver, Colo.
District of Columbia (1)
District Sports Premier League (Metro D.C-Virginia Soccer Assn./USASA)
Federal City Wanderers; Washington, D.C.
Florida (8)
Central Florida Soccer League (Florida State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Orlando FC Wolves; Orlando, Fla.
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Atletico Miami CF; Miami, Fla.
Deportivo Lake Mary; Sanford, Fla.
Florida Soccer Soldiers*; Miramar, Fla.
Hurricane FC; Delray Beach, Fla.
International Soccer Association: Miami, Fla.
Miami United FC U23; Miami, Fla.
Red Force FC; Miami, Fla.
Georgia (2)
Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League (Georgia State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Club ATLetic; Atlanta, Ga.
Georgia Revolution FC Reserves; Locust Grove, Ga.
Illinois (1)
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Springfield FC; Springfield, Ill.
Louisiana (2)
Gulf Coast Premier League (Louisiana Soccer Assn./USASA)
Louisiana Krewe FC; Lafayette, La.
Northshore United; Mandeville, La.
Maryland (5)
Maryland Major Soccer League (Md. State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Christos FC; Ferndale, Md.
Izee Auto FC; Columbia, Md.
Steel Pulse FC; Windsor Mill, Md.
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
FC Millenium International; Hyattsville, Md.
World Class Premier Elite FC; Boyds, Md.
Massachusetts (4)
Bay State Soccer League (Mass. Adult State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Brockton FC United; Brockton, Mass.
Kendall Wanderers; Cambridge, Mass.
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Juve-Pro Soccer; Ashland, Mass.
Safira FC; Sommerville, Mass.
Michigan (3)
Ann Arbor Premier League (Michigan Soccer Association/USASA)
Ann Arbor FC; Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan Premier Soccer League (Michigan Soccer Association/USASA)
Livonia City FC; Livonia, Mich.
Wayne County Sporting; Riverview, Mich.
New Jersey (3)
Cosmopolitan Soccer League (New Jersey Soccer Assn./USASA)
CSA Westchester; Tinton Falls, N.J.
Garden State Soccer League (New Jersey Soccer Assn./USASA)
Clifton Elite FC; Clifton, N.J.
Jackson Lions FC; Jackson, N.J.
New York (2)
Cosmopolitan Soccer League (Eastern New York State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Lansdowne Yonkers FC; Yonkers, N.Y.
New York Pancyprian Freedoms^; Queens, N.Y.
Oregon (1)
Oregon Premier Soccer League (Oregon Adult Soccer Assn./USASA)
International Portland Select (IPS)/Marathon Taverna; Portland, Ore.
Pennsylvania (7)
Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League (Pa. West Soccer Assn./USASA)
Steel FC; Pittsburgh, Pa.
Tartan Devils Oak Avalon; Pittsburgh, Pa.
United Soccer League of Pennsylvania (Eastern Pa. Soccer Assn./USASA)
Danubia Swabian; Philadelphia, Pa.
Ukrainian Nationals; North Wales, Pa.
United German Hungarians; Oakford, Pa.
Vereinigung Erzgebirge; Warminster, Pa.
West Chester United*; West Chester, Pa.
South Carolina (2)
Central League (South Carolina Amateur Soccer Assn./USASA)
Soda City Sorinex FC; Columbia, S.C.
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Charleston United; Charleston, S.C.
Tennessee (1)
Middle Tennessee Soccer Alliance (Tennessee State Soccer Assn./USASA)
Nashville United; Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Texas (10)
Austin Men's Soccer Association (U.S. Specialty Sports Assn.)
Celtic Cowboys Premier; Austin, Texas
Gulf Coast Premier League (Louisiana Soccer Assn./USASA)
Central Texas Lobos; Austin, Texas
North Texas Premier Soccer Association (North Texas Soccer Assn./USASA)
NTX Rayados*; Balch Springs, Texas
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
Athletic Katy FC; Houston, Texas
Coyotes FC; Temple, Texas
FC Fort Worth Soccer Club; Forth Worth, Texas
Houston FC; Houston, Texas
Inocentes Futbol Club; Forth Worth, Texas
Lone Star Republic; Addison, Texas
San Antonio Runners; San Antonio, Texas
Utah (1)
United Premier Soccer League (U.S. Adult Soccer Assn.)
San Juan FC; Herriman, Utah
Virginia (6)
Soccer Organization of the Charlottesville Area (Metro D.C-Virginia Soccer Assn./USASA)
SOCA; Charlottesville, Va.
Woodbridge Soccer League (Asociacion Nacional Fútbol en USA/U.S. Soccer)
Alianza Futbol Club; Woodbridge, Va.
CD Huateras; Woodbridge, Va.
Doradus FC; Fairfax County, Va.
Germantown City FC; Woodbridge, Va.
Virginia United*; Woodbridge, Va.
* Advanced to 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
^ Three-time U.S. Open Cup Champion (1980, 1982-83)
Facts and Figures of Open Division Teams Entering via the Local Qualifying Track:
