CHICAGO (Aug. 25, 2021) – U.S. Soccer has determined the details for Open Division Local Qualifying to the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer's National Championship. The history-filled annual tournament, entering its 107th edition, is the only high-profile event in American team sports that grants amateur sides the opportunity, should they advance far enough, to face professionals in meaningful competition.
A total of 11 slots in the 2022 Open Cup will be available to the local amateur qualifiers left standing after four rounds of competition. Eight of the 92 participating teams will begin their journey in the first qualifying round while the remaining 84 squads will receive byes and start one round later.
The sides have been divided into four distinct regions: Northeast (32 clubs/4 slots available), Southeast (18/2), Central (16/2), and West (26/3). As those in the Northeast and Central will play no more than three qualifying rounds, the schedule for these regions will be shifted earlier so that the fourth qualifying round takes place during the Nov. 20-21 window, avoiding play in mid-December for some of the coldest parts of the country.
Open Division Local Qualifying kicks off with four games in the first qualifying round (Southeast, West regions) and 24 matches in the second qualifying round (Central, Northeast regions), all taking place over the weekend of Sept. 18-19. Fifty-six of the 92 entered teams will see action before the first day of autumn. Those chosen to play in the first qualifying round were determined by either geographical considerations (Orlando FC Wolves, Deportivo Lake Mary FC, FC Davis, Davis Legacy SC) or by random selection among clubs within a defined region (southeastern Florida, metropolitan San Diego) to minimize total travel distance across all rounds of the competition within the Southeast and West regions.
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 subsequent rounds on Oct. 16-17, Nov. 20-21 and Dec. 18-19 will be determined and announced after each preceding round of games has taken place. The survivors will advance to the 2022 Open Cup First Round, set for March 22-23.
The local qualifiers will be joined in the tournament proper by Lansdowne Yonkers FC (N.Y.), the 2021 U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup champion. The Amateur Cup winner has automatically advanced to the Open Cup proper since 2019.
The number of 2022 Open Cup First Round berths awarded to the remaining Open Division qualifying pools (National Premier Soccer League, USL League Two) will be determined by the Open Cup Committee and announced in early January 2022 after the pro team confirmation deadline on Dec. 31, 2021.
Sept. 18-19: First Qualifying Round (Southeast, West), Second Qualifying Round (Central, Northeast)
Oct. 16-17: Second Qualifying Round (Southeast, West), Third Qualifying Round (Central, Northeast)
Nov. 20-21: Third Qualifying Round (Southeast, West), Fourth Qualifying Round (Central, Northeast)
Dec. 18-19: Fourth Qualifying Round (Southeast, West)
Southeast Region
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Time |
Venue |
|
Sept. 18 |
Orlando FC Wolves (Fla.) vs. Deportivo Lake Mary FC (Fla.) |
6:30 p.m. ET |
East Orange District Park; Christmas, Fla. |
|
TBD |
City Soccer FC (Fla.) vs. Miami Sun FC (Fla.) |
TBD |
Gaines Park; West Palm Beach, Fla. |
First Round Byes: Florida (10): Florida Brothers, Florida Soccer Soldiers, Hurricane FC, International Soccer Association, Miami Beach Club de Futbol, Miami Soccer Academy, Naples City FC, Oceanway FC, Palm Beach Breakers, Red Force FC; Georgia (3): Atletico Atlanta, Georgia Revolution FC Reserves, Georgia Storm FC; S.C. (1): South Carolina United Heat
West Region
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Time |
Venue |
|
Sept. 18 |
FC Davis (Calif.) vs. Davis Legacy SC (Calif.) |
7 p.m. PT |
Playfields Park Soccer Stadium; Davis, Calif. |
|
Sept. 18 |
Gremio FC San Diego (Calif.) vs. Rebels Soccer Club (Calif.) |
7 p.m. PT |
Mira Mesa High School Stadium; San Diego, Calif. |
First Round Byes: Calif. (20): Capistrano FC, Chula Vista FC, Contra Costa FC, Desert Communities SC Pathfinders, El Farolito, Escondido FC, Inter San Francisco, JASA RWC, L.A. Monsters FC, Metro FC, Modesto City Football Club, Oakland Stompers, Outbreak FC, Real San Jose, Real Sociedad Royals, Rose City FC, San Fernando Valley FC, Sporting ID11, Trojans FC, White Tigers FC; Nevada (2): BattleBornFC, Villarreal Las Vegas
Northeast Region
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Time |
Venue |
|
Sept. 18 |
Kendall Wanderers (Mass.) vs. Newtown Pride FC (Conn.) |
10 a.m. ET |
Pine Banks Park; Malden, Mass. |
|
Sept. 18 |
Philadelphia Lone Star FC (Pa.) vs. Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals (Pa.) |
3 p.m. ET |
John Bartram High School Football Field; Philadelphia, Pa. |
|
Sept. 18 |
Pittsburgh City United FC (Pa.) vs. IASC Boom (N.Y.) |
5 p.m. ET |
Monroeville Community Park West; Monroeville, Pa. |
|
Sept. 18 |
Oyster Bay United FC (N.Y.) vs. New York Greek American SC (N.Y.) |
5:30 p.m. ET |
Darcy Field; Rockville Centre, N.Y. |
|
Sept. 18 |
DC Cheddar (D.C.) vs. Corinto FC (Va.) |
7 p.m. ET |
RFK Stadium Auxilliary Turf Field; Washington, D.C. |
|
Sept. 18 |
Nova FC (Va.) vs. Springfield FC (Va.) |
7 p.m. ET |
Evergreen Sportsplex; Leesburg, Va. |
|
Sept. 18 |
Districtonia Futbol (D.C.) vs. Alianza Futbol Club (Va.) |
7 p.m. ET |
Riggs LaSalle Recreation Center; Washington, D.C. |
|
Sept. 18 |
EFA Metro (N.J.) vs. Jackson Lions FC (N.J.) |
7 p.m. ET |
Athenia Steel Recreation Complex; Clifton, N.J. |
|
Sept. 18 |
FC Maritsa (Ill.) vs. Lexington Landsharks (Ky.) |
7 p.m. CT |
O'Fallon Family Sports Park; O'Fallon, Ill. |
|
Sept. 18 |
New Amsterdam FC ll (N.Y.) vs. New York Pancyprian Freedoms (N.Y.) |
8 p.m. ET |
Hudson Sports Complex; Warwick, N.Y. |
|
Sept. 19 |
United German Hungarians (Pa.) vs. Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Pa.) |
2:30 p.m. ET |
Temple University Ambler Campus; Ambler, Pa. |
|
Sept. 19 |
Lynchburg FC (Va.) vs. Aegean Hawks FC (Md.) |
3 p.m. ET |
Lynchburg City Stadium; Lynchburg, Va. |
|
Sept. 19 |
C.A. United (Va.) vs. Rockville Soccer Club (Md.) |
4 p.m. ET |
George Hampton Middle School; Woodbridge, Va. |
|
Sept. 19 |
New Jersey Alliance FC (N.J.) vs. Westchester United F.C. (N.Y.) |
6:30 p.m. ET |
Athenia Steel Recreation Complex; Clifton, N.J. |
|
Sept. 19 |
Toros FC (Va.) vs. Virginia United FC (Va.) |
7 p.m. ET |
George Hampton Middle School; Woodbridge, Va. |
|
Sept. 19 |
Brockton FC United (Mass.) vs. Unations FC (Mass.) |
TBD |
Randolph High School; Randolph, Mass. |
Central Region
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Time |
Venue |
|
TBD |
FC Denver (Colo.) vs. Peak Eleven Football Club (Colo.) |
TBD |
TBD |
|
Sept. 18 |
Lone Star Republic (Texas) vs. D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (Texas) |
8 p.m. CT |
Crum Lacrosse and Sports Field; Dallas, Texas |
|
Sept. 18 |
Southwest Football Club (Texas) vs. San Antonio Runners (Texas) |
7 p.m. MT |
Eastside Sports Complex; El Paso, Texas |
|
Sept. 19 |
Harpos FC (Colo.) vs. FC Union Jerez (Colo.) |
3 p.m. MT |
Fairview High School; Boulder, Colo. |
|
Sept. 19 |
Colorado Rovers (Colo.) vs. Athletic Club of Sloan's Lake (Colo.) |
3 p.m. MT |
Victoria Sports Park; Golden, Colo. |
|
Sept. 19 |
Colorado Rush (Colo.) vs. Azteca FC (Colo.) |
5 p.m. MT |
Long Lake Regional Park; Arvada, Colo. |
|
Sept. 19 |
Houston Hotshots - Greenspoint FC (Texas) vs. Athletic Katy FC (Texas) |
7 p.m. CT |
British International School of Houston; Katy, Texas |
Embarking on its 107th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is U.S. Soccer's National Championship. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game, knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer, with pro sides receiving byes to the later rounds. Having crowned its first champion in 1914, the oldest national soccer competition in the USA was renamed in 1999 to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
Atlanta United FC is the reigning Open Cup champion, having earned the club's first tournament title with a 2-1 victory against Minnesota United FC on Aug. 27, 2019 in front of an Open Cup Final record 35,709 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
usopencup.com is the official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Fans can also follow the competition on Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.
